CA January 2021 Topicwise - Target UPSC

Note: First few volume of target shots are bigger because we are covering news indetail with static linkages considering fresher's preparation also. Next coming volumeswill be more concise

Environment. 9Pangolin 9Dzukou Forest Fire 9Umed Paoni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary 9Sabari river 10Asian Waterbird Census-2020 10Nile River 11Climate of India during 2020 11Draft Arctic Policy of India 12Air Pollution 13Caracal 14NCAVES India Forum 2021 15Ecosystem Services 15Antarctic Ozone Hole 16Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Protected Areas 17One Planet Summit 18Sultanpur National Park 18Khadi Prakritik Paint 19Asian Houbara Bustard 19Polar vortex 20Nagi-Nakti Bird Sanctuaries 20Harike Wetland 21India’s costliest mushroom: 21Indian Star Tortoise 22Greater Adjutant Stork 22Carbon Sequestration 23Bandipur Tiger Reserve 24First wildlife sanctuary exclusively for wolves 24Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary 24Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) 25Great Green Wall Initiative 25Greenhouse gas emissions from man-managed grasslands 26Green tax 26Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve 27SHOOLPANESHWAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY 27

Science & Technology. 28KSTAR ‘Artificial Sun’ Of Korea Sets World Record 28What is anaemia? 28Bird flu Or Avian influenza (AI) 29

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SAHAYAK-NG 29Satyameva Jayate: Digital Media Literacy 29Lithium-ion Battery 30Lightning 31Banana Grit 32Radiation Dazzlers (Laser Dazzlers) 33“Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS)”scheme: 33India approved two COVID-19 vaccines for Emergency Use 34Covishield 34Covaxin: 34National Metrology Conclave 35Enriched Uranium: 35Flue gas desulphurisation 36Japan Solution for Space Debris 37ISRO decade plan 37Toycathon 2021 38Floating Solar Energy Project 39Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy 39Magnetotelluric-MT survey 40National Atomic Time Scale 40Biodigester technology 40National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) 41Mutation 41Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) Regulations 41Lithium 42Vanadium 43Indian Human Space Flight Programme 43Recoiling Black Hole 43Heliophysics Missions 44Kayakalp Awards 45Spintronics: 45Nanobodies 45Doppler Radar 46Doppler Weather Radar ( DWR ) 47CollabCAD software 47What is 5G ? 47Mitochondrial DNA 48Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) 48Swarm drones 49Aero India 21 app 49



Open-RAN (Radio Access Network) Architecture 49Diamond-studded Meteorite 50Angiogenesis 50E-waste 50Important Terms about Stars 51National Geochemical Mapping (NGCM) 52National Mission on Quantum Technology and Applications 52Parker Solar Probe 53Root Zone Moisture 53Sudden Stratospheric Warming 54Hum of the Universe 54MeerKAT Radio Telescope 54M-Sand 55Climate Adaptation Summit 2021 55DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 55Kanha Tiger Reserve 56Barasingha 56Tilt to Saturn’s rotation axis 57COVID-19 performance ranking 57EDISON Alliance 57Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) 58

Indian Economy. 59RBI Digital Payments Index 59Equalization Levy 60RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) scheme 60International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) 61Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline 62Budget Session 63Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS) 64Faceless tax scheme 66National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) 66Payment Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme 67Spectrum auctions 67Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 68RBI forms Academic Advisory Council for Supervisory College 68Double Stack Long-Haul Container Train 69Scheme for Industrial Development of J&K 69K-shaped economic recovery 70Eri silk 70Freight Business Development Portal 70



Golden Quadrilateral & Golden Diagonal sections 71SAATHEE Portal 72Coal in India 73Initiatives in Coal Sector 73Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system 74Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana ( PMFBY ) 74Insect Apocalypse 75Jayant Kumar Dash committee 75New Foreign Trade Policy 2021-26 75Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana ( PMKVY ) 76‘Prarambh: Startup India International Summit’ 77Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Scheme 77Suryamitra initiative 78Disinvestment 78SAKSHAM Awareness Campaign 79Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) 80Indian Railway Finance Corporation 80CrowdFunding 81North East Venture Fund 81Startup India Seed Fund 82Iron Ore Policy 2021 83ICEGATE 84MARKET INFRASTRUCTURE INSTITUTIONS (MIIs) 84Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) (Amendment) Act, 2020 84Shadow Entrepreneurs 85National Startup Advisory Council 86WE Hub: Women Entrepreneurs Hub 86Tampon tax 86India Innovation Index 2020 by NITI Aayog 87Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) 87National Road Safety Council 88Spices Board: 88Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) 88Non-Convertible Debentures 88‘Off-budget borrowing’ 89Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) 89National Mission for Edible Oil (NMEO) 89What is Economic Survey ? 90Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme: 90Future Investment Initiative 91World Gold Council 91



Bare Necessities Index 91Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) 92

Indian Polity. 93Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana 93The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 94Judicial Review 94Vertical and horizontal reservations 96Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 9th Dec 97Tenth Schedule: 98Demand for Autonomous State within Assam 99How a US President can be impeached? 100Question Hour 100Zero Hour 101Aadhar Bill as Money Bill: 101MGIEP 102Law Commission 102North East Council 103Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 103Bharat Parv 2021 103India Justice Report 2020 104Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020 104

Social Issues. 106Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) 106Drug Menace In India 107SunRISE mission: 109School Bag Policy 2020 109NHRC recommendations on Manual Scavenging 110Khelo India Programme 111Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Exam 111National Programme for Health Care of Elderly 111G Kishan Reddy committee 112Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) Scheme 112Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi 113Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana ( MKSP ) 113Office for International Affairs in Education institutions 113Rakshita: 114NEP 2020: Implementation Plan for School Education 114Project ECHO 115Shramshakti Portal 115National Girl Child Day ( 24 Jan ) 116



‘Ayushman Bharat: Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (AB PM-JAY) 117Bodos 118Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 118STARS project 119The Gender Park 120

International Relation, Organisation & Reports. 120Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act 120A “solidarity and stability” deal 121World Food Price Index: FAO 121Global Economic Prospects Report 122H1B Visa 1233rd South Asia multilateral meet 123Trade Policy Review Mechanism 123India-Japan Economic Relations 124Henley Passport Index 124United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 124Adaptation Gap Report 2020 125Difficult four countries 126The Open Skies Treaty (OST) 126Flint Water Crisis 126The Davos Agenda Summit 127Global Firepower Index, 2021 127Article 19 of the UN Charter 127Global Risks Report, 2021 127Global Climate Risk Index 2021 128The Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ) 128LongOps Project 129Oxfam International 129Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons 129New START Treaty 130WHO Funds 131Investment Trends Monitor Report: UNCTAD 131INDIA INTERNATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL 132International Energy Agency (IEA) 132World Economic Outlook 2021 : IMF 133The Great Reset Initiative of WEF 133UNEP Global Climate Litigation Report 2021 134Vaccine Maitri Initiative 135

Defence & Security. 136Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) 136



Sea Vigil 21 136TAPAS UAV 136Tejas: 136India’s Eight Point Action Plan to UNSC to combat terrorism 137Rakshita 137Desert Knight-21 138S-400 Triumf Missile 138STARStreak Air Defence System 139Exercise Kavach 139Smart Anti Airfield Weapon 139Smart Anti Airfield Weapon ( SAAW ) 139RUDRAM 140Operation Sard Hawa 140Akash NG (New Generation) Missile 140AMPHEX 21: A Tri-Services Exercise 140

Geography. 141Volcano of Indonesia 142Western Disturbance 142Tsari Chu river: 143K2 mountain 143Jiadhal River 143Naku La Pass 144

History , Art & Culture. 145Yakshagana 145The ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’ 145Jagannath Temple 146National Youth Parliament Festival 2021 147Indian harvest festivals 147Caves with Paintings in India 148Saint Thiruvalluvar 148Jallikattu 148Parakram Divas 149Risa 149Lala Lajpat Rai 150Ram Setu 150Kala Utsav: 150Patharughat: The forgotten peasant uprising of Assam in 1894 151

Places in News. 152Gibraltar 152Pong Dam Or Beas Dam 152



Deepor Beel 152Place in news: Thousand Islands 153Dzukou Valley: 153West Bank 154



Environment.

Pangolin● Pangolin is the only scaly mammal on the planet.● They have large protective keratin scales covering their skin.● Pangolins are nocturnal and Insectivore eat mainly ants and termites● According to CITES, it is also the most illegally traded vertebrate within its class

(Mammalia).● Of the eight species of pangolin worldwide, two are found in India.

1. Chinese pangolin○ Critically Endangered○ mostly found in the Himalayan foothills in Eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Northern India,

North-East Bangladesh and through Southern China.2. Indian pangolin

○ Endangered○ widely distributed in India, except the arid region, high Himalayas and the

North-East.○ found in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

● It is also a Schedule I category protected animal, under the Wildlife Protection Act(1972).

Dzukou Forest Fire● Location: This valley is located at the border of states of Nagaland and Manipur.● It is a sanctuary for the endangered Blyth's tragopan - Nagaland's State Bird.● It is famous for its wide range of flowers in every season. Rare Dzükou Lily is found only

in this valley.

Umed Paoni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary● Why in news?: A tigress and her two cubs were found dead in the Umed Paoni

Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagpur, Maharashtra.● Umed Paoni Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary has a connection with Tadoba Andhari Tiger

Reserve through forest along Wainganga river (a tributary of Godavari).● The sanctuary is home to resident breeding tigers, herds of Gaur, wild dogs and also

rare animals like flying squirrels, pangolins and honey badgers.● Location: Nagpur, Maharashtra.● Other Protected Sites of Maharashtra:

○ Tadoba National Park○ Gugamal National Park○ Pench National Park○ Navegaon National Park○ Sanjay Gandhi National Park



○ Melghat Tiger Reserve○ Sahyadri Tiger Reserve○ Bor Tiger Reserve

Sabari river● Sabari River is one of the main tributaries of Godavari.● It originates from the western slopes of Eastern Ghats in Odisha state from Sinkaram hill

ranges.● It forms common boundary between Chhattisgarh and Odisha states and later enters

into Andhra Pradesh to merge with River Godavari.● It is also known as Kolab river in Odisha.● Sileru River (known as Machkund in its upper reaches) is the major tributary of Sabari,

which joins Sabari river at tri-junction boundary point of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarhand Odisha.

Asian Waterbird Census-2020● Asian Waterbird Census is an annual event in which thousands of volunteers across

Asia and Australasia count waterbirds in the wetlands of their country.● This event happens every January.● This event is coordinated by wetlands International and forms part of global waterbird

monitoring programme called the International Waterbird Census (IWC).● Started in the year 1987.● Main focus is to monitor the status of waterbirds and the wetlands.● In India, the AWC is annually coordinated by the Bombay Natural history Society (BNHS)

and Wetlands International.

Outcomes brought by recent Census● There is a need for more bird-watchers in the State, as their critical inputs on the

wetlands and waterbirds will help in designing the conservation plans of the respectivesites in future

● On the Indian Skimmer, more study was still required to establish that the speciesbreeds on the Kakinada coast (Andhra Pradesh), which supports a great number ofIndian Skimmer.

#Target_shots Addition

Indian Skimmer● Indian Skimmer is a waterbird species.● They are very brightly marked in black, white and orange, making them difficult to miss.● Habitat:

○ It is found in southern Asia, where it is patchily distributed and declining innumbers. They are mainly found in rivers or estuaries.



○ In India, the species can be sighted near the Chambal river in Central India, infew parts of Odisha and in Andhra Pradesh.

● Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Status–Endangered.

What are waterbirds?● According to Wetlands International (WI), waterbirds are defined as species of birds that

are ecologically dependent on wetlands. These birds are considered to be an importanthealth indicator of wetlands of a region.

Nile River● The River Nile is in Africa. It originates in Burundi, south of the equator, and flows

northward through northeastern Africa, eventually flowing through Egypt and finallydraining into the Mediterranean Sea.

● Source:● The source of the Nile is sometimes considered to be Lake Victoria, but the lake itself

has feeder rivers of considerable size like the Kagera River.● The Nile River is considered as one of the longest rivers in the world.● The Nile has a length of about 6,695 kilometers (4,160 miles).● The Nile basin is huge and includes parts of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Congo

(Kinshasa), Kenya.● The Nile River forms an arcuate delta as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Deltas

with triangular or fan-shape are called arcuate (arc-like) deltas.● The Nile is formed by three principal streams: the Blue Nile, the Atbara, and the White

Nile.

Climate of India during 2020● Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) recently released its Statement on Climate of

India during 2020Key Highlights

● Around twelve out of fifteen warmest years since 1901 were between 2006 and 2020.● The rainfall as a whole during South West Monsoon was above normal. It was 109% of

the Long Period Average (calculated between 1961 and 2010).● The past decade, 2019-20 was the warmest decade on record.● Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the hardest hit states due to adverse weather. More than

350 deaths were reported in these two states sue to thunderstorms. Cold wave eventsand lightning.

● Thunderstorm and Lightning caused 815 deaths in 2020.● The average Land Surface Air Temperature over India in 2020 was 0.29 Degrees

Celsius above normal.● The mean temperature during winters was also above normal. It was recorded as 0.140

degrees Celsius greater than the normal.



● The Monsoon and post monsoon seasons recorded mean temperature anomalies of+0.430 degrees Celsius and +0.53 degrees Celsius respectively.

● According to the World Meteorological Organization, the Global mean surfacetemperature anomaly was recorded as +1.2 degrees Celsius.

Draft Arctic Policy of India● The Government of India recently released the Draft Arctic Policy.

Main objective● The policy ensures that the Arctic resources are explored and used sustainable.● Under its policy, India will make sure the it abides by rules and regulations of Arctic

Council.● India became the observer of Arctic Council in 2013 and its membership as an observer

was renewed in 2018 for another five years.● The main five pillars of Arctic Policy are as follows:

○ Science and Research○ Economic and Human Development○ Transportation and Connectivity○ National Capacity building○ Governance and International Cooperation

● Nodal Body: India has designated Goa-based National Centre for Polar and OceanResearch to lead scientific research and act as a nodal body to coordinate amongvarious scientific bodies to promote domestic scientific research capacities in the Arctic.

● Implementation: The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research that operatesunder the Ministry of Earth Sciences will serve as the nodal agency in implementing theArctic Policy.

● India and Arctic Research○ India signed the Svalbard Treaty in Paris. The treaty allowed free access to the

Arctic region along with the commitment of not militarizing it.○ India launched its first scientific expedition to Arctic in 2007.○ In 2008, India established a research base called Himadri at Ny Alesund,

Svalbard, Norway.○ In 2014, India deployed IndArc. It is a multisensory observatory in Kongsfjorden.○ In 2016, India set up Gruvebadet Atmponsheric Laboratry at Ny Alesund,

Svalbard.

About Arctic region:● The Arctic region comprises the Arctic Ocean and parts of countries such as Canada,

Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, USA (Alaska), Finland, Sweden and Iceland.● Himadri: India already has a research station in the Arctic, Himadri, for the research

work.

Arctic Council● High-level intergovernmental forum for Arctic cooperation



● Set up in 1996 with the twin-mandate of environmental protection and sustainabledevelopment

● Headquarters: Tromsø, Norway● Members: It comprises 8 member states, permanent participants and observers.

Canada, Denmark, Finland, Russia, US, Iceland, Norway, Sweden are memberstates

● India became an Observer nation in 2013 (India is NOT a member).

Air Pollution● Air pollution refers to any physical, chemical, or biological change in the air. It is the

contamination of air by harmful gases, dust, and smoke which affects plants, animals,and humans drastically.

Air Pollutants: Pollutants are the substances which cause pollution.● Primary: The pollutants that directly cause air pollution or the pollutants that are formed

and emitted directly from particular sources. Examples are particulate matter, carbonmonoxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide.

● Secondary: The pollutants formed by the intermingling and reaction of primarypollutants are known as secondary pollutants. Examples are ozone and secondaryorganic aerosol (haze).


Causes of Air Pollution:● Indoor burning of fossil fuels, woods and other biomass to cook, heat and light homes.● Industry, including power generation such as coal-fired plants and diesel generators.● Transport, especially vehicles with diesel engines.● Agriculture, including livestock, which produces methane and ammonia, rice paddies,

which produce methane, and the burning of agricultural waste.● Open waste burning and organic waste in landfills.

Effect of Air Pollution on Human Health:● As per the State of Global Air 2020 (SoGA 2020) released by the Health Effects Institute

(HEI):○ High PM contributed to the deaths of more than 1,16,000 Indian infants who did

not survive their first month.○ More than half of these deaths were associated with outdoor PM2.5 and others

were linked to the use of solid fuels such as charcoal, wood, and animal dung forcooking.

● According to the 2017 Global Burden of Disease report published by the LancetPlanetary Health journal:

○ India, which accounts for 18% of the global population, recorded 26% of theglobal premature deaths and disease burden due to air pollution.



○ One in every eight deaths in India (2017) could be attributed to air pollution,which now contributes to more disease burden than smoking.

○ According to recent study poor air quality is associated with a considerableproportion of pregnancy loss in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

● Household air pollution causes about 3.8 million premature deaths each year.● Air quality has become a serious health issue because the pollutants enter deep inside

the lungs and the lungs capacity to purify blood gets reduced which affects the person’sgrowth, mental ability and the working capacity especially for children, pregnant womenand elderly people.

○ In children, it is associated with low birth weight, asthma, childhood cancers,obesity, poor lung development and autism, among others.


Indian Initiatives to Control Air Pollution:

● The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region (NCR) andAdjoining Areas: It coordinates efforts of state governments to curb air pollution, and willlay down the parameters of air quality for the region.

● Bharat Stage (BS) VI norms: These are emission control standards put in place by thegovernment to keep a check on air pollution.

● Dashboard for Monitoring Air Quality: It is a National Air Quality MonitoringProgramme (NAMP) based dashboard, built on data from the Central Pollution ControlBoard’s National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (NAAQM) Network which was started in1984-85 and covers 344 cities/towns in 29 states and 6 UTs.

● National Clean Air Programme: Launched in 2019, it is a comprehensive pan-India airpollution abatement scheme for 102 cities.

● National Air Quality Index (AQI): It focuses on health effects one might experiencewithin a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.

● National Ambient Air Quality Standards: They are the standards for ambient airquality with reference to various identified pollutants notified by the Central PollutionControl Board under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

● Breathe: It is a 15 point action plan to fight air pollution by NITI Aayog.● Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY): It aims at providing clean-cooking fuel to the

poor households and bringing in qualitative charges in the living standards.

Caracal● Caracal is a medium-sized wild cat that roams the savannas, deserts, and forests of

much of Africa and parts of the Middle East.● IUCN Status : Critically Endangered● They are also found in Central Asia and India.● In India, caracals are mostly found in the tropical dry deciduous and tropical thorn and

shrub forests of Central and Western India.



NCAVES India Forum 2021● Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of the Ecosystem Services (NCAVES)● Organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)● Key focus area: The Forum aims to build a stronger awareness about the different

perspective to Environment and to show a way forward towards realizing the contributionof the natural capital to achieve a “better environment, better tomorrow”.

NCAVES Project● NCAVES project seeks to advance the theory and practice of environmental and

ecosystem accounting in Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.● Implementation: The project has been jointly implemented by the United Nations

Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and theSecretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

● Aims to assist the five participating partner countries, to advance the knowledge agendaon environmental-economic accounting, in particular ecosystem accounting.

● The project will have a duration until the end of 2021.● Funding: The project is funded by the European Union through its Partnership

Instrument (PI).● In India, the NCAVES project is being implemented by the MoSPI in close collaboration

with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and theNational Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under the Department of Space.

Natural Capital Accounting (NCA)● An umbrella term covering efforts to make use of an accounting framework to provide a

systematic way to measure and report on stocks and flows of natural capital.● NCA covers accounting for individual environmental assets or resources, both biotic and

abiotic (such as water, minerals, energy, timber, fish), as well as accounting forecosystem assets (e.g. forests; wetlands), biodiversity and ecosystem services, in bothphysical and monetary terms

Ecosystem Services● As a part of an ecosystem, humans derive lots of benefits from the biotic and abiotic

components. These benefits are collectively termed as ecosystem services.Four types Ecosystem services:

● Provisioning Services: This includes the products/raw materials or energy outputs likefood, water, medicines and other resources from ecosystems.

● Regulating Services: This includes the services which regulate the ecological balance.For example, forests purify and regulate air quality, prevent soil erosion, and controlgreenhouse gases etc.

● Supporting Services: These form the basis for other services. They provide habitat fordifferent life forms, retain biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and other services for supportinglife on the earth.



● Cultural Services: It includes recreational, aesthetic, cultural and spiritual services, etc.Most natural elements such as landscapes, mountains, caves, are used as a place forcultural and artistic purposes.

Antarctic Ozone Hole● Discovered by British Antarctic Survey scientists Farman, Gardiner and Shanklin in

1985.● It was the longest-lasting and one of the largest and deepest holes since the ozone layer

monitoring began 40 years ago.● Depletion of the ozone layer occurs globally, however, the severe depletion of the ozone

layer over the Antarctic is often referred to as the ‘ozone hole’.


What is Ozone?● Ozone (composed of three atoms of oxygen) is a gas that occurs both in the Earth’s

upper atmosphere and at ground level.● Ozone occurs in two layers of the atmosphere.● Bad Ozone: The layer closest to the Earth’s surface is the troposphere. Here,

groundlevel or “bad” ozone is an air pollutant that is harmful to breathe and it damagescrops, trees and other vegetation.

○ It is a main ingredient of urban smog. The troposphere generally extends to alevel about 6 miles up, where it meets the second layer, the stratosphere.

● Good Ozone: The stratosphere or “good” ozone layer extends upward from about 6 to30 miles and protects life on Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Ozone layer depletion● The ozone layer is found in the lower portion of the earth’s atmosphere. It has the

potential to absorb around 97-99% of the harmful ultraviolet radiations coming from thesun that can damage life on earth.

● Ozone layer depletion is the gradual thinning of the earth’s ozone layer in the upperatmosphere caused due to the release of chemical compounds containing gaseousbromine or chlorine from industries or other human activities.”

● Ozone Depleting Substances: Chlorofluorocarbons, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, Carbontetrachloride, Methyl chloroform, Halons, Methyl bromide.

● One chlorine can destroy 100,000 molecules of ozone. It is destroyed more quickly thanit is created.



●● The 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was an

international agreement in which United Nations members recognized the fundamentalimportance of preventing damage to the stratospheric ozone layer.

● Montreal Protocol was proposed in 1987 to stop the use, production and import ofozone-depleting substances and minimize their concentration in the atmosphere toprotect the ozone layer of the earth.

○ International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is celebrated onSeptember 16 to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol, one of themost successful environmental treaties.

○ The Montreal Protocol has led to the phase-out of 99% of ozone-depletingchemicals in refrigerators, air-conditioners and many other products.

● The adoption of the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will phase downthe production and consumption of some HFCs and avoid much of the projected globalincrease and associated climate change.

Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Protected Areas● Released by Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)● Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 national parks and wildlife

sanctuaries (NP&WLS) in the country.● Purpose: To understand strengths and weaknesses of the protected area management

systems.● MEE is defined as the assessment of how well NP&WLS are being managed—primarily,

whether they are protecting their values and achieving the goals and objectives agreedupon.

● The ratings are assigned in four categories, as Poor – upto 40%; Fair - 41 to 59%; Good- 60 to 74%; Very Good – 75% and above.

● A new framework for MEE of Marine Protected Areas has also been jointly prepared bythe Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and MoEF&CC.

Findings:● Overall Performance: The results of the present assessment are encouraging with an

overall mean MEE score of 62.01% which is higher than the global mean of 56%.



● Regional Performance: The eastern region of India presents the highest overall meanMEE Score of 66.12% and the Northern region represents the lowest mean MEE Scoreof 56%.

● Best NP&WLS: Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuary and Great Himalayan National Park (GNHP)in Himachal Pradesh have performed the best among the surveyed protected areas(Total -146).

● Worst NP&WLS: The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh was the worst performerin the survey.

One Planet Summit● The One Planet summit is an international event that focused on biodiversity to mobilize

commitments to protect the ecosystems and make links to human health.● Aims to: promote worldwide ecological transformation. The summit will measure

environmental and climate protection combined with innovation and economy.● Theme: Let’s act together for nature● Organized by: United Nations, World Bank and France.● Objective: The summit focuses on four major topics

○ Protecting terrestrial and marine ecosystems; promoting agroecology (relation ofagricultural crops and environment)

○ more sustainable way to grow food○ increasing funding to protect biodiversity○ Identifying links between deforestation and the health of humans and animals.

High Ambition Coalition ( HAC )● The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People is an intergovernmental group

of more than 45 countries co-chaired by Costa Rica and France and by the UnitedKingdom as Ocean co-chair,

● Championing a global deal for nature and people that can halt the accelerating loss ofspecies, and protect vital ecosystems that are the source of our economic security

● The HAC for Nature and People is raising our global ambition to achieve at least 30%protection of the land and ocean and ignite transformative change for the future of all lifeon Earth.

Sultanpur National Park● Location: Situated in Gurgaon district of Haryana● Sultanpur National Park is a bird paradise for bird watchers. It is famous for its migratory

as well as resident birds.● Declared as a National Park under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in July 1991.● Mammals: Blackbuck, Nilgai, Hog deer, Sambar, Leopard etc.● Birds: Siberian Cranes, Greater Flamingo, Demoiselle Crane etc.● Other National Park in Haryana: Kalesar National Park, District Yamunanagar



Birds of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve● Report was recently published by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

Key Findings:● The Indian Sunderbans, which is part of the largest mangrove forest in the world, is

home to 428 species of birds. This means that one in every three birds in the country isfound in the unique ecosystem.

● Some birds, like the masked finfoot and the Buffy fish owl, are recorded only from theSunderbans.

● The area is home to nine out of 12 species of kingfishers found in the country as wellrare species such as the Goliath heron and the spoon-billed sandpiper.

About Sunderban● Indian Sunderbans is part of the world’s largest mangrove forest● Covers 4,200 sq. km and includes the Sunderban Tiger Reserve of 2,585 sq. km —

home to about 96 royal Bengal tigers (as per the last census in 2020).● It is a world heritage site and a Ramsar site (a wetland site designated to be of

international importance).● Home to a large number of “rare and globally threatened species, such as

○ The critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagur baska),○ The endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and○ The vulnerable fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).”

● Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab species, and eight of India’s 12 species ofkingfisher are also found here. Recent studies claim that the Indian Sundarban is hometo 2,626 faunal species and 90% of the country’s mangrove varieties.

Khadi Prakritik Paint● What is it?: It is a first-of-its-kind product, with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.● Features:

○ It is an eco-friendly and non-toxic paint.○ It is based on cow dung as its main ingredient.○ The paint is cost-effective and odorless.

● Developed by : Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).● It has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).● Benefits:

○ The paint is free from heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic,cadmium and others.

○ It will be a boost to local manufacturing and will create sustainable localemployment through technology transfer.

Asian Houbara Bustard● It is a large terrestrial bird found in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.● Two Distinct Species of Houbara Bustard:



○ North Africa (Chlamydotis undulata) and○ Asia (Chlamydotis macqueenii).

● Conservation Status:○ IUCN Status- Vulnerable○ Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora (CITES)- Appendix I○ Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)-

Appendix II

Polar vortex● It is described as a whirling cone of low pressure over the poles that is strongest in the

winter months due to the increased temperature contrast between the polar regions andthe mid-latitudes, such as the US and Europe.

Features:● The polar vortex spins in the stratosphere.● Usually, when the vortex is strongest, cold air is less-likely to plunge deep into North

America or Europe. In other words, it forms a wall that protects the mid-latitudes fromcold Arctic air.

● But occasionally, the polar vortex is disrupted and weakens, due to wave energypropagating upward from the lower atmosphere. When this happens, the stratospherewarms sharply in an event known as sudden stratospheric warming, in just a few days,miles above the Earth’s surface.

● The warming weakens the polar vortex, shifting its location somewhat south of the poleor, in some instances, ‘splitting’ the vortex up into ‘sister vortices’.

Effects of Polar Vortex:● The split higher up in the atmosphere can give rise to both, sudden and delayed effects,

much of which involves declining temperatures and extreme winter weather in theeastern US along with northern and western Europe.

● A sudden stratospheric warming also leads to a warm Arctic not only in the stratospherebut also in the troposphere as well.

● A warmer Arctic, in turn, favours more severe winter weather in the NorthernHemisphere mid-latitudes including the eastern US.

Nagi-Nakti Bird Sanctuaries● Bihar’s first state-level bird festival ‘Kalrav’ started at the Nagi-Nakti bird sanctuaries in

the Jamui district, Bihar.● The Nagi Dam and Nakti Dam are two sanctuaries so close to each other that they can

be taken as one bird area.● Over 136 species of birds have been spotted at these sanctuaries.● Other major birds: Bar-headed geese, Indian Courser, Indian Sandgrouse,

Yellow-wattled Lapwing and Indian Robin



Other Bird Sanctuaries of Bihar:● Gautam Budha bird sanctuary, Gaya● Kawar Jheel bird sanctuary, Bigusarai● Kusheshwar asthan bird sanctuary, Darbhanga

Harike Wetland● The Harike wetland, one of the largest in northern India, is situated in Tarn Taran district

of Punjab.● It came into existence in 1952 after the construction of barrage near the confluence of

rivers Sutlej and Beas.● It stands on the confluence of the Beas and the Sutlej.● Migratory Birds:

○ The wetland is a significant abode for the migratory birds as every winter, thebirds make their way to India through the central Asian flyway which covers alarge continental area of Europe-Asia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans.

○ Birds such as the Eurasian coot, Greylag goose, Bar-headed goose, Gadwall andthe northern shoveler are the prominent ones that could be sighted at HarikeWetland.

● Fauna: The wetland also harbors endangered aquatic mammalian as well as reptilianfauna like the Indus river dolphin, smooth-coated otter and seven species of rarefreshwater turtles.

● It was accorded the wetland status in 1990 by the Ramsar Convention.

India’s costliest mushroom:● Grows in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district.● Locally called Gucchi, or Morel, the mushroom, priced at over ₹20,000 a kg, is a forest

produce collected by local farmers and tribals.● It is said to have medicinal and anti-inflammatory properties.● It is found in the temperate forests.


About GI tag:● A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and

industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.● Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is

essentially attributable to the place of its origin.● Security: Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to

market similar products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity ofthat product.

● Who is a registered proprietor of a geographical indication?



○ Any association of persons, producers, organisation or authority established byor under the law can be a registered proprietor.

○ Their name should be entered in the Register of Geographical Indication asregistered proprietor for the Geographical Indication applied for.

● How long the registration of Geographical Indication is valid?○ The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.○ It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.

● In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the GeographicalIndications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force witheffect from September 2003. The first product in India to be accorded with GI tag wasDarjeeling tea in the year 2004-05.

Indian Star Tortoise● Scientific name: Geochelone elegans.● Habitat :

○ Inhabit a variety of dry vegetation types, including scrublands, grasslands, desertedges and agricultural landscapes of fields.

○ The Indian sub-continent, more specifically, in the Central and Southern parts ofIndia, in West Pakistan and in Sri Lanka.

● Protection Status:○ Wild Life Protection Act 1972: Schedule IV○ Convention on International Trade inSpecies (CITES): Appendix I○ IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Greater Adjutant Stork● The Endangered Greater Adjutant stork (Leptoptilosdubius) is one of the rarest species

of Storks out of twenty species of Storks in the world.● In India, eight species of residential storks are found, out of which Greater Adjutant is

one of them.● Once abundantly distributed in Southeast Asia, this stork is now restricted to a few

isolated pockets in Assam and Bihar in India and PrekToal in Cambodia.● This colonial birds breeds in traditional nesting colonies within thickly populated villages

in Assam and breeds in tall trees species.



●

Carbon Sequestration● Carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of carbon in plants, soils, geologic

formations, and the ocean.● Carbon sequestration occurs both naturally and as a result of anthropogenic activities

and typically refers to the storage of carbon.Types:

● Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration: Terrestrial carbon sequestration is the processthrough which CO2 from the atmosphere is absorbed by trees and plants throughphotosynthesis and stored as carbon in soils and biomass (tree trunks, branches,foliage, and roots)

● Geologic Carbon Sequestration: CO2 can be stored, including oil reservoirs, gasreservoirs, unmineable coal seams, saline formations and shale formations with highorganic content.

● Ocean Carbon Sequestration: Oceans absorb, release and store large amounts ofCO2 from the atmosphere. This can be done in two ways- enhancing productivity ofocean biological systems through Iron fertilization, and injecting CO2 into the deepocean.

○ The dumping of iron stimulates phytoplankton production, which in turn leads toenhanced photosynthesis from these microorganisms, helping in CO2absorption.



Bandipur Tiger Reserve● Established in 1973 under Project Tiger● Status: In 1974, Bandipur Tiger reserve was established as one of the first 9 Tiger

Reserves under Project Tiger.● Location: It is situated in two contiguous districts (Mysore and Chamarajanagar) of

Karnataka and is located at the tri-junction area of the States Karnataka, Tamil Nadu andKerala. It forms a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

● The park is located between the Kabini river in the north and the Moyar river in thesouth. The Nugu river runs through the park

Other Tiger Reserves in Karnataka:● Bhadra Tiger Reserve● Nagarahole Tiger Reserve● Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve● Biligiriranganatha Swamy Temple(BRT) Tiger Reserve

First wildlife sanctuary exclusively for wolves● Location: It is proposed in the drylands of Bankapur in Koppal district of the Kalyana

Karnataka region.● The proposed sanctuary is good for the conservation of not only Indian Grey wolves but

also striped hyena, Indian fox, gold fox and other animals.

Indian Grey Wolf● It is a subspecies of grey wolf that inhabits semi-arid and arid areas.● It inhabits the dry grassland regions of Deccan Plateau in pockets and prey on

blackbucks and other herbivores.● It has a wide distribution range that extends from Southwest Asia to the Indian

Subcontinent.● IUCN Status: Least Concern● Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 - Schedule I Part I.

Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary● A bird festival is to be organised at Mahananda wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal.● Organised by Darjeeling Wildlife Division.● The Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary has been identified as an Important Bird and

Biodiversity Area.


Important Bird Area● An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area is identified using internationally agreed set of

criteria that are globally important for conservation of bird population.JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

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● The Important Bird Area concept was developed by Birdlife International.● Currently there are 12,000 Important Bird Area spread all over the world.● The thresholds of the Important Bird Areas are set by the respective national governing

organisations.● In order to be listed under Important Bird Area, the site must satisfy at least one of the

following criteria:● A1: Globally threatened species : The site should hold population of bird species listed

as Critically Endangered, vulnerable or endangered under IUCN red list.● A2: Restricted range species : The site should be an Endemic bird Area. The Endemic

Bird Area is identified by the Birdlife International as those habitats that containsrestricted bird species that are endemic to them.

● A3: Biome-restricted range species: The site should hold restricted biome species.The site should form a set of selected adequate representation of all species in thatbiome.

○ That is, the species living in the site should be endemic and should be found onlyin that particular biome (not anywhere else in the world).

● A4: Congregations: This applies to waterbirds, seabirds and wetland birds. This hasbeen created based on Ramsar Convention.

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)● The Commission for Air Quality Management was formed by an ordinance in October

2020, the “Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Regionand Adjoining Areas Ordinance 2020”.

Composition:● Chairperson: To be chaired by a government official of the rank of Secretary or Chief

Secretary.○ It will be a permanent body and will have over 20 members.

● The Commission will be a statutory authority.● The Commission will supersede bodies such as the central and state pollution control

boards of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan.● It will have the powers to issue directions to these state governments on issues

pertaining to air pollution.Jurisdiction:

● Exclusive jurisdiction over the NCR, including areas in Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradeshand Rajasthan, in matters of air pollution, and will be working along with CPCB andISRO, apart from the respective state governments.

Great Green Wall Initiative● The Great Green Wall initiative aims to transform the lives of 100 million Africans by

growing 8,000 kilo metre long and fifteen kilo metre wide mosaic of trees, vegetation,grasslands, plants.

● The Great Green Wall is an African-led initiative.



● Started in 2007 by the African Union to combat desertification, land degradation,drought.

● The project aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. So farbetween 2007 and 2019, the Great Green Wall initiative has restored only four millionhectares of land.

● PROGREEN is a World Bank fund dedicated to boosting countries’ efforts to addresslandscape degradation

Greenhouse gas emissions from man-managed grasslands● A new study shows that emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) from

grasslands increased by a factor of 2.5 since 1750 mainly due to increased emissionsfrom livestock.

● This has more than compensated for reduced emissions from the shrinking number ofwild grazers, said the study published in Nature Communications.

● The net carbon sink effect of grasslands (the ability of grasslands to absorb carbon andpack it in the soil) worldwide was estimated to have intensified over the last century butmainly in sparsely-grazed, natural grasslands.

Green tax● The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways has approved the following

proposals:○ To levy a “Green Tax” on old vehicles which are polluting the environment.○ The policy of deregistration and scrapping of vehicles owned by Government

department and PSU, which are above 15 years in age.○ Revenue collected from the Green Tax to be kept in a separate account and used

for tackling pollution, and for States to set up state of-art facilities for emissionmonitoring.

Applicability of green tax:● Transport vehicles older than 8 years could be charged Green Tax at the time of renewal

of fitness certificate, at the rate of 10 to 25 % of road tax;● Personal vehicles to be charged Green Tax at the time of renewal of Registration

Certification after 15 years.● Public transport vehicles, such as city buses, to be charged lower Green tax.● Higher Green tax (50% of Road Tax) for vehicles being registered in highly polluted

cities.● Differential tax, depending on fuel (petrol/diesel) and type of vehicle.

Exemptions:● Vehicles like strong hybrids, electric vehicles and alternate fuels like CNG, ethanol, LPG

etc.● Vehicles used in farming, such as tractor, harvester, tiller etc.



Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve● The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the largest protected forest area in India.● The Biosphere Reserve spread across three states. Namely, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,

and Kerala.● The Nilgiri Sub-Cluster is a part of the Western Ghats which was declared a World

Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012.● The reserve includes the Aralam, Mudumalai, Mukurthi, Nagarhole, Bandipur, and Silent

Valley national parks. Similarly, the reserve also includes the Wayanad, Karimpuzha, andSathyamangalam wildlife sanctuaries.

● It has the largest population of two endangered species, the lion-tailed macaque andNilgiri tahr. The reserve hosts more than 400 tigers.

SHOOLPANESHWAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY● Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Gujarat state, located in the

western Satpura Range south of the Narmada River.● Created in 1982 as ‘Dumkhal Sanctuary’● It shares a common boundary with Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.● Why in News?: Recently Center notifies some villages around the Shoolpaneshwar

Wildlife Sanctuary as Eco sensitive Zones



Science & Technology.

KSTAR ‘Artificial Sun’ Of Korea Sets World Record● It is a superconducting fusion device, known as the Korea Superconducting Tokamak

Advanced Research (KSTAR).● KSTAR is built to recreate the sun’s fusion reactions on Earth.● The KSTAR Research Center at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE), succeeded

in the continuous operation of plasma for 20 seconds with an ion-temperature higherthan 100 million degrees Celsius, in collaboration with:

● The duration is a new world record.

Tokamak● A tokamak is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field to confine hot plasmain the

shape of a torus.● The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed

to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power.

ITER(International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)● an international nuclear fusion research and engineering mega project.● It is the world’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment.● The goal of ITER is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion

energy for peaceful use, and subsequently to bolster the global nuclear fusion industry.● The project is funded and run by seven member entities:

○ The European Union, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, United States ofAmerica

○ Overall, 35 countries are participating in the project directly or indirectly.● Location: Next to the Cadarache facility in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, in Provence,

southern France.

What is anaemia?● The condition of having lower than normal number of red blood cells or quantity of

haemoglobin.● It can make one feel tired, cold, dizzy, and irritable and short of breath, among other

symptoms.● A diet which does not contain enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 is a common cause

of anaemia.

Why is anaemia so high in the country?



● Iron-deficiency and vitamin B12-deficiency anaemia are the two common types ofanaemia in India.

● Among women, iron deficiency prevalence is higher than men due to menstrual ironlosses and the high iron demands of a growing foetus during pregnancies.

● Lack of millets in the diet due to overdependence on rice and wheat, insufficientconsumption of green and leafy vegetables, and dominance of packaged and processedfoods which are low in nutrition could be the reasons behind the high prevalence ofanaemia in India.

Bird flu Or Avian influenza (AI)● a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds

(chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.) as well as pet birds and wild birds.● Occasionally mammals, including humans, may contract avian influenza.● Types:

○ Type A is known to infect animals and is zoonotic, meaning it can infect animalsand also humans.

○ Type B and C mostly infect humans and typically cause mild disease.○ Avian influenza virus subtypes include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).

● Prevention: Strict biosecurity measures and good hygiene are essential in protectingagainst disease outbreaks.

● Eradication: If the infection is detected in animals, a policy of culling infected andcontact animals is normally used in an effort to rapidly contain, control and eradicate thedisease.

● India’s Status:○ Previously in 2019, India was declared free from Avian Influenza (H5N1), which

had also been notified to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).○ The status will last only till another outbreak is reported.

SAHAYAK-NG● SAHAYAK-NG is India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Droppable

Container.● It is a GPS aided air dropped container with the capacity to carry a payload of up to 50

kg and can be dropped from a heavy aircraft.● The successful maiden test was conducted by the DRDO along with the Indian Navy.

Satyameva Jayate: Digital Media Literacy● Announced by Kerala Government● What is it ?: a digital media literacy programme called ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth alone

triumphs) to counter the menace of Fake News.



● The programme would be taught at schools and colleges, which would be encouraged todevelop curriculum on digital media literacy.

● The programme would cover five points :○ What is wrong information.○ Why they are spreading fast.○ What precautions have to be adopted while using the content of social media.○ How those who spread fake news make profit.○ What steps can be initiated by citizens.

● Smartphone and internet penetration is much higher in Kerala than any other state.Large number of people is now depending upon social media for news updates.

● Hence, people should understand the laws and benchmarks which control social mediaand the internet. It is important to distinguish between truth and untruth.


Satyameva Jayate● Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs) is a part of a mantra from the Hindu scripture

Mundaka Upanishad.● Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on

26th January 1950.● It is inscribed in the Devanagari script at the base of the Lion Capital of Ashoka and

forms an integral part of the Indian national emblem.● The emblem and the words "Satyameva Jayate" are inscribed on one side of all Indian

currency and national documents.

Lithium-ion Battery● A type of rechargeable battery.● Li-ion batteries use an intercalated (Intercalation is the reversible inclusion or insertion of

a molecule into materials with layered structures) lithium compound as one electrodematerial, compared to the metallic lithium used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery.

● The battery consists of electrolyte, which allows for ionic movement, and the twoelectrodes are the constituent components of a lithium-ion battery cell.

● Lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during dischargeand back when charging.

Lithium-ion Battery Applications:● Electronic gadgets, Tele-communication, Aerospace, Industrial applications.● Lithium-ion battery technology has made it the favourite power source for electric and

hybrid electric vehicles.




Other types of Battery

Lead Acid Battery● These kinds of batteries require proper care and maintenance for lasting longer.● These are used in inverters, automobiles, and in backup power systems.● It has to be charged for a longer duration and performs well when maintained properly at

regular intervals.● These provide the best value for power and energy per kilowatt-hour.

Nickel Cadmium Battery● This battery can be recharged many times and has a more physical and electrical

withstanding capacity.● It has nickel oxide as the cathode and cadmium as the anode with potassium hydroxide

as the electrolyte.● These batteries are used in portable computers, cam recorders other small

battery-operated instruments.

Solid-state Batteries:● It uses alternatives to aqueous electrolyte solutions, an innovation that could lower the

risk of fires, sharply increase energy density and potentially take only 10 minutes tocharge an EV, cutting the recharging time by two-thirds.

● These cells can extend the driving distance of a compact electric vehicle whilemaintaining legroom - a quantum leap in battery tech.

LightningMeaning:

● Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and theground, or within the clouds themselves. Most lightning occurs within the clouds.

● Inter cloud or intra cloud (IC) lightning are visible and harmless.● It is cloud to ground (CG) lightning, which is harmful as the ‘high electric voltage and

electric current’ leads to electrocution.● The potential difference between cloud and ground is of the order of 10 to 100 million

volts, and the peak currents in return strokes to negative leaders are typically about30,000 amperes.

● The peak temperatures in the return-stroke channel are on the order of 30,000 °C(50,000 °F).

● The entire process is very rapid; the leader stroke reaches the ground in about 30milliseconds, and the return stroke reaches the centre of the cloud in about 100microseconds.

Process:● It is a result of the difference in electrical charge between the top and bottom of a cloud.



● Lightning occurs when regions of excess positive and negative charge develop withinthe cloud. Typically, there is a large volume of positive charge in the upper regions of thecloud, a large negative charge in the centre, and a small positive charge in the lowerregions. These charges reside on water drops, ice particles, or both.

● As water vapour moves upwards in the cloud, it condenses into water due to decreasingtemperatures. A huge amount of heat is generated in the process, pushing the watermolecules further up.

● As they move to temperatures below zero, droplets change into small ice crystals. Asthey continue upwards, they gather mass, until they become so heavy that they startdescending.

● It leads to a system where smaller ice crystals move upwards while larger ones comedown. The resulting collisions trigger release of electrons, in a process very similar to thegeneration of electric sparks. The moving free electrons cause more collisions and moreelectrons leading to a chain reaction.

● The process results in a situation in which the top layer of the cloud gets positivelycharged while the middle layer is negatively charged.

● In little time, a huge current, of the order of lakhs to millions of amperes, starts to flowbetween the layers.

● It produces heat, leading to the heating of the air column between the two layers ofcloud.

● It is because of this heat that the air column looks red during lightning.● The heated air column expands and produces shock waves that result in thunder

sounds.

Banana Grit● Banana Grit and its byproduct can improve gut health and is an ideal ingredient in a

healthy diet. The concept was introduced to utilise the presence of resistant starch inbananas.

● Developed by : Scientists at the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR)-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) atPappanamcode in Kerala

● Significance:○ By diversifying the products sourced from Banana, farmers can fetch better

prices for their harvest.○ It will help in maintaining health and well-being.

● About Starch○ Starch is a white, granular, organic chemical that is produced by all green plants.

It is a soft, white, tasteless powder that is insoluble in cold water, alcohol, or othersolvents.

○ In humans and other animals, starch from plants is broken down into itsconstituent sugar molecules, which then supply energy to the tissues.




Nendran Bananas:● Chengazhikodan Nendran Banana, also known as Chengazhikode Banana, is among

the most popular traditional fruits cultivated in Thrissur district, Kerala.● This variety of Nendran Banana is famed for its characteristic taste, bunch shape and

fruit colour.● The crop is mainly cultivated in organic mode and the crop duration is 13-14 months.● The Chengalikodan Nendran banana grown in Kerala got Geographical indication (GI)

Tag in 2014

Radiation Dazzlers (Laser Dazzlers)● It is used as a non-lethal method for warning and stopping suspicious vehicles/ boats/

aircrafts/ UAVs/ pirates etc. from approaching secured areas during both day and night.● Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).● It is indigenously designed and developed for first time for the Armed Forces.● It is capable of dazzle and thereby suppresses the person’s/optical sensor’s action with

disability glares in case of non-compliance to orders.● It disorients/ confuse/blind a person temporarily.● It also dazzles and distracts aircraft/UAVs.● It is a portable, shoulder operated and ruggedized (shock-resistant.) for military use in

adverse environmental conditions.

“Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems &Services (ACROSS)” scheme:

● ACROSS scheme pertains to the atmospheric science programs of the Ministry of EarthSciences (MoES).

● Objective: is to provide a reliable weather and climate forecast for betterment of society.● Scheme aims at: improving skill of weather and climate forecast through sustained

observations, intensive R & D, and by adopting effective dissemination andcommunication strategies to ensure its timely reach to the end-user of all services likeAgro-meteorological Services, Aviation service, Environmental monitoring services,Hydro-meteorological services, climate services, tourism, pilgrimage, mountaineeringetc.

● It addresses different aspects of weather and climate services, which includes warningsfor cyclone, storm surges, heat waves, thunderstorms etc.

● Each of these aspects is incorporated as nine sub-schemes under the umbrella scheme“ACROSS” and is implemented in an integrated.

Benefits of the Scheme:● The scheme will provide improved weather, climate and ocean forecast and services,

thereby ensuring transfer of commensurate benefits to the various services.



● It will also provide a sizable number of scientific and technical staff along with requisiteadministrative support, thereby generating employment.

● To ensure last-mile connectivity of the weather based services to the end -user, a largenumber of agencies like the Krishi Vigyana Kendras of ICAR, Universities and localmunicipalities are roped in thus generating employment opportunities to many people.

India approved two COVID-19 vaccines for Emergency Use

Covishield● Developed by : Oxford University in collaboration with Astrazeneca.● Pune-based Serum Institute of India is their manufacturing and trial partner.● Features : It uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened

version of a common cold virus. This virus causes infections in chimpanzees andcontains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein.

Covaxin:● Developed by : Bharat Biotech and it is India’s first indigenous vaccine against

Covid-19.● Involved Agency : Bharat Biotech has developed this vaccine in collaboration with the

Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology.● Features: It is an inactivated vaccine which is developed by inactivating (killing) the live

microorganisims that cause the disease.● This destroys the ability of the pathogen to replicate, but keeps it intact so that the

immune system can still recognise it and produce an immune response.


What are the COVID-19 vaccines in India?● Apart from COVAXIN and COVSHIELD the following are the other COVID-19 vaccines in

India○ ZyCoV-D○ Sputnik V○ NVX-Cov 2373○ Biological E Limited Vaccine○ HGCO19

What is ZyCoV-D?● ZyCoV-D is a covid-19 vaccine that has been approved by the DCGI in India. The

vaccine was developed by Zydus Cadila.

What is Sputnik V?



● Sputnik V is a Russian vaccine that is under phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials in India.● It was developed by the Gameleya institute of Russia.● The clinical trials of the vaccine is being conducted by Dr Reddys Laboratories in India.

The Government of India has planned to make 300 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine.

What is NVX-Cov 2373?● NVX-Cov 2373 is a covid-19 vaccine developed by serum Institute of India in

collaboration with an American company NovaVax.● The Phase III trial of the vaccine is under consideration .

What is Biological E Limited Vaccine?● The Biological E Limited is to start large scale stage trials of COVID-19 vaccine in India.● The company has started early and mid stage human trials of its vaccine in India.● The vaccine is being developed in collaboration with us-based dynavax Technologies

and baylor college of medicine in Houston.

What is HGC019?● It is a mRNA vaccine candidate developed by Pune based Gennova biopharmaceuticals.● The vaccine is supported by Ind-CEPI mission.● Gennova is to start the Phase 1 clinical trial of the vaccine in January 2021.

National Metrology Conclave● Organised by: The National Metrology Conclave 2020 is being organised by the Council

of Scientific and Industrial Research- National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), NewDelhi.

● Theme: The theme of the conclave is ‘Metrology for the Inclusive Growth of the Nation’.● He also dedicated National Atomic Timescale and Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya to the

nation and lay the foundation stone of the National Environmental Standards Laboratory.○ The National Atomic Timescale generates Indian Standard Time with an

accuracy of 2.8 nanosecond.● Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya is supporting testing and calibration of laboratories for quality

assurance, at par with international standards.● The National Environmental Standards Laboratory will aid self-reliance in the certification

of ambient air and industrial emission monitoring equipment.

Enriched Uranium:● Enriched uranium is produced by feeding uranium hexafluoride gas into centrifuges to

separate out the most suitable isotope for nuclear fission, called U-235.● Low-enriched uranium, which typically has a 3-5% purity of U-235, can be used to

produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.



● Highly enriched uranium has a concentration of 20% or more and is used in researchreactors.

● Why is 20% purity significant?○ Experts at the Arms Control Association said last month that 120kg of uranium

enriched to 20% was about half the amount of uranium that, when enriched toweapons-grade (90% or more), was necessary for one bomb.

○

● Why in news?:○ Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei told media the process of enriching

uranium to 20% had started at Fordo.○ Under the nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium only up to a 3.67%

purity;

Flue gas desulphurisation● Removal of Sulfur Dioxide is called as Flue-gas Desulphurization (FGD).



● It seeks to remove gaseous pollutants viz. SO2 from exhaust flue gases generated infurnaces,boilers, and other industrial processes due to thermal processing, treatment,and combustion.

Common methods used for desulphurisation :● Wet scrubbing using a slurry of alkaline sorbent, usually limestone or lime, or seawater

to scrub gases;● Spray-dry scrubbing using similar sorbent slurries;● Wet sulfuric acid process recovering sulfur in the form of commercial quality sulfuric acid;● SNOX Flue gas desulfurization removes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates

from flue gases;


What is Flue Gas:● Flue gas is the gas exiting to the atmosphere via a flue, which is a pipe or channel for

conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, oven, furnace, boiler or steam generator,Power plant.

● Composition: Nitrogen , Carbon DIoxide , Water vapor , Oxygen

Japan Solution for Space Debris● In order to solve the problem of space debris, Japanese researches are to launch

wooden satellites by 2023.What are wooden satellites?

● These satellites are made of wood.● They will burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere when they

plunge back to the earth.● With this the satellite will not leave out any waste in space after it completes its service

or when it becomes de functional.● designed by the Sumitomo Forestry and Kyoto University.

What is the issue of space debris?● All the satellites that re-enter the earth atmosphere burn and create tiny Alumina

particles.● These particles float in upper atmosphere for many years.● According to NASA, 95% of man-made objects in orbit were space junk.● These objects are dangerous to functioning live satellite.

ISRO decade planKey Highlight of Plan:

● ISRO is to complete its moon mission Chandrayaan-3, the solar mission Aditya-L1 andfirst Indian Data Relay Satellite in the decade 2021-2030.



● Also, the space agency will complete the first developmental flight of the Small SatelliteLaunch Vehicle.

● The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre will help to boost the Semi-Cryogenic Propulsioncapability.

● With this, the Indian rockets will be able to carry 5.5 tonnes to the GeostationaryTransfer Orbit.


What is Aditya Mission?● The Aditya-L1 mission is the first Indian scientific expedition to the sun.● The Aditya space probe will be placed at a point in space called the L1 Lagrange point

and hence the name Aditya-L1 mission.● The mission will study the photosphere, chromosphere, corona of the sun.● It will also study solar winds, solar emissions and solar flares and Coronal Mass

Ejections.

What is Chandrayaan-3?● It is the planned third lunar mission of the ISRO.● It is very much similar to Chandrayaan-2.● Under Chandrayaan-2 mission, the lander failed to land on the lunar surface as it

crashed towards the ground.● The Chandrayaan-3 is thus a mission repeat.● The Chandrayaan-3 is to include only Rover and lander. It will not have an orbiter.

What is Indian Data Relay Satellite?● India is to launch India Data Relay Satellite System series to track the space assets and

enable communication between space-to-space assets.● The IDRS is important to track the Indian satellites and stay in touch with then.● ISRO has planned to launch three of the satellites in the series.● Each satellite will cover a third of the earth.

Toycathon 2021● The government has launched a virtual toy hackathon ‘Toycathon 2021’.● Initiative of: The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development,

Ministry of Textile, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ministry of Micro, Small andMedium Enterprises, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and All India Council forTechnical Education.

Aim:● To conceptualize innovative toys based on the Indian value system which will inculcate

the positive behaviour and good value among the children.● To promote India as a global toy manufacturing hub (Atmanirbhar Abhiyan).



Features:● Based on: Indian culture and ethos, local folklore and heroes, and Indian value systems.● Themes: Nine themes, including fitness and sport and rediscovering traditional Indian

toys.● Participants: Students, teachers, start-ups and toy experts.● Prize: Participants can get prizes upto Rs. 50 lakhs.

Floating Solar Energy Project● The Government of India is to construct the largest floating solar energy project in the

world.● Location: The project is to be constructed at Omkareshwar Dam on Narmada river.● The project will begin its power generation by 2022 to 2023.● Energy Capacity : 600 megawatts of solar energy● Financial Assistance : Power Grid, International Finance Corporation and World bank.● The solar panels are to be installed over the backwaters of the Omkareshwar Dam.● The project is to be completed in two years.● The electricity is to be generated in about two thousand hectares of water area by

installing solar panels in the dam.● The solar panels will automatically adjust upward and downward based on the water

level of the Dam. The floods and strong waves will not have any effect on the solarpanels. The solar panels are to float on the surface of water.

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy● The draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy released● Unlike previous STI policies which were largely top-driven in formulation, the 5th national

STI policy (STIP) follows core principles of being decentralised, evidence-informed,bottom-up, experts-driven, and inclusive.

Overall objectives:● To position India among the top three scientific superpowers in the decade to come.● To attract, nurture, strengthen, and retain critical human capital through a people-centric

STI ecosystem.● To double the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers, gross domestic

expenditure on R&D (GERD) and private-sector contribution to GERD every five years.● To build individual and institutional excellence in STI with the aim of reaching the highest

levels of global recognition and awards in the coming decade.

Key components:● It proposes an Open Science Framework, with free access for all to findings from

publicly funded research.● One Nation, One Subscription: The idea is to democratise science by providing access

to scholarly knowledge to not just researchers but to every individual in the country.



● It suggests modification or waiver of General Financial Rules (GFR), for large-scalemission mode programmes and projects of national importance.

Magnetotelluric-MT survey● The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) is conducting a unique geophysical

(magnetotelluric-MT) survey in Delhi- NCR region to accurately assess potential seismichazards.

● Its findings will help different user agencies for designing quake-resistant buildings,industrial units and structures such as hospitals and schools.

● What is MT method?○ Magnetotelluric (MT) is a geophysical method which uses natural time variation

of the earth’s magnetic and electric fields to understand geological (underground)structure and processes. It’s quite a reliable technique.

National Atomic Time Scale● Atomic Time provides the exact speed at which the clock ticks.● In technical words, it measures the actual length of a second. Atomic Clocks deviate only

one second in up to 100 million years.● the newly inaugurated National Atomic Time, India has become self-reliant in measuring

time within the range of nanosecond.● It has now achieved the accuracy level of 2.8 Nanosecond matching the International

Standard Time.

Universal Time● The Universal Time is the time standard based on the rotation of the earth.● This is was in use for several decades.● However, this is not accurate as the earth’s rotation is not constant and is affected by the

celestial bodies around it.● The Greenwich Meridian Time is a Universal Time.

Biodigester technology● Developed by DRDO● The biodigester technology degrades and converts human waste into usable water and

gases.● The generated gas is used for cooking and water for irrigation purposes.● This is done in an eco-friendly manner.

Process:● The biodigester technology involves bacteria that feed upon fecal matter.● The fecal matter is dumped into a tank along with the bio digesting bacteria.● The bacteria through anaerobic process will degrade the fecal matter.● During the process water and methane gas are released.



National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)● What is it ?: National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) is a not for profit organization

working since 2003 for spreading the internet technology to the citizens of India.● Purpose : It was set up for peering of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) among

themselves to route the domestic traffic within the country,instead of taking it all the wayto US/Abroad.

● The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) announced that it will offer a free IDN(Internationalized Domain Name) in any of their preferred 22 official Indian language.

● It will be available along with every IN domain booked by the registrant.● This offer has been created to stimulate the adoption of भारत (IDN) domain name and

proliferation of local language content.

Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers● What is it?: IRINN, a non-profit organization, is a division functioning under NIXI.● It was previously known as National Internet Registry (NIR).● Functions: It provides allocation and registration services of IP addresses and

internet-related information to its Affiliates at national level.

Mutation● A mutation is a change in a DNA sequence.● Mutation, an alteration in the genetic material (the genome) of a cell of a living organism

or of a virus that is more or less permanent and that can be transmitted to the cell’s orthe virus’s descendants.

● Mutations can result from DNA copying mistakes made during cell division, exposure toionizing radiation, exposure to chemicals called mutagens, or infection by viruses.

● Germ line mutations occur in the eggs and sperm and can be passed on to offspring,while somatic mutations occur in body cells and are not passed on.

● Mutations result either from accidents during the normal chemical transactions of DNA,often during replication, or from exposure to high-energy electromagnetic radiation (e.g.,ultraviolet light or X-rays) or particle radiation or to highly reactive chemicals in theenvironment.

Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) Regulations● CAFE or Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy regulations are in force in many

advanced as well as developing nations, including India.● They aim at lowering fuel consumption (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by

lowering Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, thus serving the twin purposes of reducingdependence on oil for fuel and controlling pollution.

● Corporate Average refers to sales-volume weighted average for every automanufacturer. The idea of CAFÉ is to push manufacturers to achieve fuel efficiencytargets by producing and selling more fuel-efficient models, including electric vehicles




BS-VI Stage II Norms● Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards are laid down by the government to regulate the

output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine and spark-ignition engineequipment, including motor vehicles.

● These standards are targeted at making improvements in three areas - emission control,fuel efficiency and engine design.

● The central government has mandated that vehicle makers must manufacture, sell andregister only BS-VI (BS6) vehicles from 1st April, 2020.

● BS-VI is equivalent to Euro-VI norms currently in place across countries in Europe.● As per BS-VI emission norms, petrol vehicles will have to effect a 25% reduction in their

NOx, or nitrogen oxide emissions. Diesel engines will have to reduce their HC+NOx(hydro carbon + nitrogen oxides) by 43%, their NOx levels by 68% and particulate matterlevels by 82%.

● Sulphur content in fuel is a major cause for concern. BS-VI fuel's sulphur content ismuch lower than BS-IV fuel. It is reduced to 10 mg/kg max in BS-VI from 50 mg/kg underBS-IV.

LithiumProperties:

● It is a chemical element with the symbol Li.● It is a soft, silvery-white metal.● Under standard conditions, it is the lightest metal and the lightest solid element.● It is highly reactive and flammable, and must be stored in mineral oil.● It is an alkali metal and a rare metal

Reserves:● 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources is found in the pegmatites (igneous rocks) of

Marlagalla-Allapatna region, along the Nagamangala Schist Belt of KarnatakaUses:

● Lithium metal is used to make useful alloys.● For example, with lead to make ‘white metal’ bearings for motor engines, with aluminium

to make aircraft parts, and with magnesium to make armour plates.● In Thermonuclear reactions.● To make electrochemical cells. Lithium is an important component in Electric Vehicles,

Laptops etc.

Vanadium● Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard,

silvery-grey, malleable transition metal.● The elemental metal is rarely found in nature. It is recovered as a by-product from the

slag collected from the processing of vanadiferous magnetite ores (iron ore).



● Significance:○ Vanadium alloys are durable in extreme temperature and environments, and are

corrosion-resistant.○ Vanadium is a high-value metal used in strengthening steel and titanium.○ It increases the fuel-efficiency in automotive and aviation industries due to its

high strength-to-weight ratio.○ It forms the integral part of vanadium redox batteries that have the least

ecological impact in energy storage.● Why in news?: Concentrations of vanadium have been found in the palaeo- proterozoic

(era) carbonaceous phyllite rocks in the Depo and Tamang areas of Papum Pare districtin Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian Human Space Flight Programme● ISRO aims to launch its maiden Human Space Mission, Gaganyaan before the 75th

anniversary of India’s independence in 2022.● Objectives of the Mission:

○ Enhancement of science and technology levels in the country○ A national project involving several institutes, academia and industry○ Improvement of industrial growth○ Inspiring youth○ Development of technology for social benefits○ Improving international collaboration

Recoiling Black Hole● Every large galaxy in the universe has a supermassive black hole at its centre, whose

mass is millions or billions of times that of the Sun.● The black hole at the centre of our galaxy– the Milky Way– is called Sagittarius A*, and

is 26,000 light-years away from Earth.What are recoiling black holes?

● When two black holes merge, they release what are known as gravitational waves–invisible ripples travelling at the speed of light, which squeeze and stretch anything intheir path.

● Differences in mass, spin, and orientation of the two merging black holes causeasymmetry in the gravitational waves produced, which at the final moment of mergingcan give the object that results a massive kick in one preferred direction.

● This is called recoil, and it results in a single supermassive black hole moving in adistinct direction away from the center of its galaxy.

● This sort of speed will eject merging binary black holes from globular clusters, thuspreventing the formation of massive black holes in globular cluster cores.




Black Hole● It is a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that neither matter

nor light can escape. This phenomenon occurs when a star is dying.● For anything approaching a black hole, the point of no return is called the “event horizon”

and anything that comes within the event horizon will be consumed forever.● Since no light can escape from it, a black hole is invisible.● However, advanced space telescopes can identify black holes by observing the

behaviour of material and stars that are very close to black holes.

Dark Matter● Dark matter, though never detected, is believed to be present in the entire universe, its

existence presumed because a number of observable celestial phenomena could not bepossible if the universe did not have much more matter in it than is seen.

● It is believed to make up more than 95% of all universe.● Its gravitational force prevents stars in our Milky Way from flying apart.

Heliophysics Missions● NASA has approved two heliophysics missions to explore the Sun and the system that

drives space weather near Earth.● Together, NASA’s contribution to the following will help in understanding the Sun and

Earth as an interconnected system,● 1. Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope Epsilon Mission

(EUVST) and○ The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) leads the EUVST Epsilon

Mission (Solar-C EUVST Mission), along with other partners.○ Targeted for launch in 2026, EUVST is a solar telescope.○ It will study how the solar atmosphere releases solar wind and drives eruptions of

solar material.● 2. Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE)

○ To be launched in 2024, EZIE will study electric currents in Earth’s atmospherelinking aurora to Earth’s magnetosphere that responds to solar activity and otherfactors.

○ EZIE is an investigation comprising a trio of CubeSats that will study the sourceof and changes in the auroral electrojet (AE).

● Understanding the physics that drive the solar wind and solar explosions could help inpredicting these events.

Kayakalp Awards● The Kayakalp Awards are presented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

annually to the health facilities with the highest standards of sanitation and hygiene● Factors considered : Waste Management, Hospital Upkeep, Sanitation and Hygiene,

Infection Control, hygiene promotion, support services and beyond hospital boundary.



Objective:● The scheme aims to incentivize public health care facilities that show high performance

in following protocols, infection control, cleanliness and sanitation.● It inculcates a culture of peer review of performance related to sanitation, hygiene,

infection control.● It shares and create sustainable practices related to improving cleanliness in public

health facilities.


Swachh Swasth Sarvatra● Swachh Swasth Sarvatra scheme was launched in 2016.

Objective● To strengthen community health centres in open defecation blocks, especially in the

region of those Public Health Centres or hospitals that have received the KayakalpAwards.

● To enable Gram Panchayats where the Kayakalp awarded Public Health Centres arelocated to become Open Defecation Free.

● To strengthen the Public Health Centres to reach the Kayakalp standards throughsupport of Rs 10 lakhs under the National Health Mission.

● To build capacity through training in sanitation, water and hygiene.

Spintronics:● Spintronic, also known as spin electronics, is the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron

and its associated magnetic moment, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, insolid-state devices.

● A phenomenon called the ‘Rashba effect’, which consists of splitting of spin-bands in anelectronic system, might play a key role in spintronic devices.

● The Rashba effect, or Rashba-Dresselhaus effect, is a momentum-dependent splitting ofspin bands in two-dimensional condensed matter systems.

Nanobodies● Nanobodies are antibody fragments that are so simple that they can be produced by

bacteria or yeast, which is less expensive.● These are antibodies with a single variable domain located on a heavy chain, also

known as VHH antibodies.● These are often seen as an alternative to conventional antibodies, and have significant

differences in both production and use that influence their suitability.Use:

● Nanobodies are much smaller than classic antibodies and they, therefore, penetrate thetissue better and can be produced more easily in larger quantities.



● Nanobodies are stable in a wide range of temperatures, remaining functional attemperatures as high as 80°C. As an added bonus, unfolding of the nanobody due tohigh temperatures has been shown to be fully reversible, unlike conventional antibodyfragments.

● Nanobodies are also stable at extreme pH levels, able to survive exposure to gastricfluid.

● Nanobodies are also compatible with genetic engineering methods, which allowalteration of amino acids to improve binding.

Doppler Radar● What is Radar?: Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) is a device which uses

electromagnetic waves in the microwaves region to detect location (range & direction),altitude, intensity and movement of moving and non-moving objects.

What is Doppler Principle ?● When the source and the signal are in relative motion to each other there is a change in

the frequency observed by the observer. If they are moving closer frequency increasesand vice versa.

● Doppler radar is a specific radar that uses the Doppler principle to produce relativemotion data about objects at a distance.


Doppler effect:● When the source and the signal are in relative motion to each other there is a change in

the frequency observed by the observer. If they are moving closer frequency increasesand vice versa.

● It does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analyzing how theobject’s motion has altered the frequency of the returned signal.

● This variation gives direct and highly accurate measurements of the radial component ofa target’s velocity relative to the radar.

● Application of Doppler Radars:○ Aviation,○ Sounding satellites○ Meteorology○ Radar guns○ Radiology and healthcare○ Nursing or clinic purpose○ Bistatic radar (surface-to-air missile)



Doppler Weather Radar ( DWR )● Dsigned and developed by ISRO and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL),

Bengaluru.● Based on Doppler principle the radar is designed to improve precision in long-range

weather forecasting and surveillance using a parabolic dish antenna and a foamsandwich spherical radome.

● DWR has the equipment to measure rainfall intensity, wind shear and velocity and locatea storm centre and the direction of a tornado or gust front.

● The DWR will help in rainfall estimation and detect thunderstorm, cyclones and othersevere weather events within a radius of 400 km.

CollabCAD software● Launched by The National Informatics centre and the Central Board of Secondary

Education (CBSE)● The CollabCAD software provides engineering solution for students and Faculty of

Engineering Graphics curriculum.● Aims to provide a platform to students across the country to create and modify digital

designs.● Aim is to provide a good platform to the students of Atal tinkering labs across the

country.● With the software the students of Atal tinkering labs will be able to create and modify 3D

designs with free flow of creativity.● It will enable students to create data across the network and access the same design

data for storage and visualisation.

What is 5G ?● 5G is the next generation of mobile broadband that will eventually replace, or at least

augment 4G LTE connection.● 5G offers exponentially faster download and upload speeds.● 5G will deliver multi-Gbps peak rates, ultra-low latency, massive capacity, and a more

uniform user experience.

#Target_shots Addition● 3G:

○ The introduction of 3G networks in 1998 ushered in faster data-transmissionspeeds.

○ It helped us in using our cell phone in more data-demanding ways such as forvideo calling and mobile internet access.

○ The maximum speed of 3G is estimated to be around 2 Mbps.● 4G:

○ The fourth generation of networking was released in 2008.



○ It supports mobile web access like 3G does and also gaming services, HD mobileTV, video conferencing, 3D TV, and other features that demand high speeds.

○ The max speed of a 4G network is 1 Gbps.● 5G:

○ 5G is a not-yet-implemented wireless technology that's intended to improve on4G.

○ 5G promises significantly faster data rates, higher connection density, muchlower latency, and energy savings, among other improvements.

○ The anticipated theoretical speed of 5G connections is up to 20 Gbps.

Mitochondrial DNA● Mitochondrial DNA is the small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria.● These organelles found in cells have often been called the powerhouse of the cell.● The mitochondria, and thus mitochondrial DNA, are passed almost exclusively from

mother to offspring through the egg cell.● The new study doesn’t tell about the origin of the human genome but the place and time

where our mitochondrial DNA appeared.● It is different in a way from the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) that's in the nucleus.

○ Mitochondrial DNA is small and circular. It has only 16,500 or so base pairs in it.It encodes different proteins that are specific for the mitochondrial.

○ The nuclear genome is linear and is made of 3.3 billion DNA base pairs.○ The mitochondrial genome is not enveloped, and it is not packaged into

chromatin.○ Mitochondrial DNA, unlike nuclear DNA, is inherited from the mother, while

nuclear DNA is inherited from both parents.


Mitochondria● Mitochondria is called the power house of the cell.● They are membrane bound organelle.● It functions as the digestive system of a cell. It promotes growth of new cells and cell

multiplication.● It is found in both plant cell and animal cell.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)● It is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness

due to the alterations of a protein called dystrophin that helps keep muscle cells intact.● Symptoms:

○ Muscle weakness○ Enlargement of the calves○ A waddling gait



○ Lumbar lordosis (an inward curve of the spine)

Swarm drones● Swarm drones are lightweight drones that carry multiple packages to a single destination

at a time.● In simple words, multiple drones are engaged in a single operation.● Here, multiple drones receive commands from a single drone.● They overcome single drone’s payload and battery limitations.● They work on swarm intelligence. Swarm Intelligence is the collective behaviour of

decentralized and self-organized Systems.● Range : 50 kilometres● Capability to hit the target from a distance of 500 metres.● These drones can also be used for dropping food, ammunition, medicine and other

special needs for soldiers positioned in locations cut away from supply lines.

Aero India 21 app● The mobile app will act as a handy interactive interface for all the issues related to Aero

India 2021.● The Aero India is a biennial air show held in Bengaluru.● Organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation operating under the Ministry of

Defence.○ The Defence Exhibition Organisation was established in 1981. It was established

to promote the export potential of the Indian defence industry. It is responsible fororganizing international exhibitions such as DEFEXPO.

● Theme: “Runaway to a Billion Opportunities”.● Aero India-21 is the first hybrid event where the business element will happen both

physically and virtually.● The first edition of Aero India was held in 1996.

Open-RAN (Radio Access Network) Architecture● Open-RAN is not a technology, but rather an ongoing shift in mobile network architecture

that allows networks to be built using subcomponents from a variety of vendors.○ O-RAN has an open, multi-vendor architecture for deploying mobile networks, as

opposed to the single-vendor proprietary architecture.○ O-RAN uses software to make hardware manufactured by different companies

work together.● The key concept of Open RAN is “opening” the protocols and interfaces between the

various subcomponents (radios, hardware and software) in the RAN.● Radio Access Network (RAN):

○ It is the part of a telecommunications system that connects individual devices toother parts of a network through radio connections.



○ A RAN resides between user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a computer orany remotely controlled machine, and provides the connection with its corenetwork.

● As a technical matter this is what the industry refers to as a disaggregated RAN.

Diamond-studded Meteorite● The study suggests that the meteorite was part of a giant asteroid in our solar system,

which was the same size as the dwarf planet Ceres. The latter is the largest celestialobject in the asteroid belt.

● A sample of 50 grams analysed by a team under an infrared microscope has found thatthe meteorite had a unique mineral makeup, including ‘amphibole’ which requiresprolonged exposure to water in order to develop.

● It belongs to the category of 4.6% of meteorites that have been found on Earth, whichare known as Almahata Sitta (AhS)

Angiogenesis● Angiogenesis is the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from

pre-existing vessels, formed in the earlier stage of vasculogenesis.● It is a normal and vital process in growth and development, as well as in wound healing

and in the formation of granulation tissue.● However, it is also a fundamental step in the transition of tumours from a benign state to

a malignant one. Deregulation of angiogenesis is the main reason for tumour growth andprogression.

E-waste● Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices.● Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling

through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste.● India’s first e-waste clinic for segregating, processing and disposal of waste from

household and commercial units has been be set-up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.● The Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) initiative

○ Solving the E-waste Problem is a membership organization that is part of UnitedNations University and was created to develop solutions to address issuesassociated with electronic waste.

● Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE):○ The EU commission has classified ‘Waste Electrical & Electrical Equipment

(WEEE)’ as the waste generated from electrical devices and householdappliances like refrigerators, televisions, and mobile phones, etc.



Important Terms about Stars● Nebula:

○ A nebula is a cloud of gas (mostly hydrogen and helium) and dust in space.○ Nebulae are the birthplaces of stars.

● Main Sequence Stars:○ Main sequence stars are stars that are fusing hydrogen atoms to form helium

atoms in their cores.○ Most of the stars in the universe i.e. about 90% of them are main sequence stars.

The sun is a main sequence star.○ Towards the end of its life, a star like the Sun swells up into a red giant, before

losing its outer layers as a planetary nebula and finally shrinking to become awhite dwarf.

● Red Dwarf:○ The faintest (less than 1/1000th the brightness of the Sun) main sequence stars

are called the red dwarfs.○ Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun, is a red dwarf.

● Red Giant:○ Red giants have diameters between 10 and 100 times that of the Sun.○ They are very bright, although their surface temperature is lower than that of the

Sun.○ A red giant is formed during the later stages of the evolution as it runs out of

hydrogen fuel at its centre.○ A very large red giant is often called Red Supergiant.

● Planetary Nebula:○ Planetary nebula is an outer layer of gas and dust that are lost when the star

changes from a red giant to a white dwarf.● White Dwarf:

○ A white dwarf is a very small, hot star, the last stage in the life cycle of a star.○ White dwarfs are the remains of normal stars, whose nuclear energy supplies

have been used up.○ White dwarf consists of degenerate matter with a very high density due to

gravitational effects.● Nova:

○ Novae occur on the surface of a white dwarf in a binary system.○ If the two stars of the system are sufficiently near to one another, material

(hydrogen) can be pulled from the companion star’s surface onto the white dwarf.○ When enough material builds up on the surface of the white dwarf, it triggers a

nuclear fusion on a white dwarf which causes a sudden brightening of the star.● Supernova:

○ A supernova is the explosive death of a star and often results in the starobtaining the brightness of 100 million suns for a short time.

○ The extremely luminous burst of radiation expels much or all of a star’s materialat a great velocity, driving a shock wave into the surrounding interstellar medium.



○ These shock waves trigger condensation which is a nebula paving the way forthe birth of a new star.

National Geochemical Mapping (NGCM)● It aims to cover the entire surface area for exploring Obvious Geological Potential’

(OGP) by geochemical sampling.● by Geological Survey of India (GSI)● It will generate the distribution pattern of 62 elements

○ for use in managing and developing natural resources;○ for application in environmental, agricultural, human health, other social concerns○ to search for hidden mineral deposits

National Geophysical Mapping (NGPM)● It aims to survey gravity and magnetic anomalies across the nation.● These anomaly maps will help all stakeholders in the creation of a framework to design

exploration strategies.

National Aero Geophysical Mapping Program (NAGMP)● It is the first of its kind project in the country using multi-sensor aero-geophysical surveys

(magnetic gradiometry and spectrometric).● Objectives:

○ To delineate concealed, deep-seated structure/ litho-units capable of hostingmineralization,

○ To delineate the extension of the existing mineralized zone○ To understate the shallow crustal architecture in the context of mineral

occurrence.

National Mission on Quantum Technology and Applications● Implemented by the Department of Science and Technology operating under Ministry of

Science and Technology.● The mission focuses on fundamental science, technology development and addresses

the issues concerning the national priorities.● It will prepare next generation skilled manpower and encourages entrepreneurship and

startup ecosystem development.● The Union Budget 2020-21 had proposed to spend Rs 8,000 crores on the National

Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications.


Quantum Technology● The Quantum Technology is based on principles of quantum physics.● That is, it is based on quantum theory.



● In simple words, it is the behaviour of energy and material in atomic and subatomiclevels.

● It will help achieve information processing that will go beyond the limits of classicalworld. A conventional computer will process in bits.

● On the other hand, a quantum computer will process in quantum bits.

Applications of Quantum Technology● Communication: The Quantum Technology is used by China to link its terrestrial

stations and satellites. As the technology promises fast computing, it is significant tomilitary and cyber security.

● The Quantum technology will help in solving fundamental questions related to black holeand gravity.

● The Quantum Technology will give boost to Genome India Project. It is a collaborativeproject of twenty institutions.

● With Quantum technology, natural disasters such as tsunamis, drought, earthquakes andfloods become highly predictable.

● The technology will reduce the time frame of discovery of new molecules in the field ofpharmaceuticals.

● Quantum technology will help to augment industrial revolution 4.0.

Quantum Entanglement● It is the physical phenomenon that occurs when a pair or group of particles is generated

and they interact in such a way that the quantum state of each particle of the pair orgroup cannot be described independently of the state of the others.

● In this quantum mechanical phenomenon, the quantum states of two or more objectshave to be described with reference to each other, even though the individual objectsmay be spatially separated.

● This leads to correlations between observable physical properties of the systems.● Albert Einstein dismissed this idea as a 'spooky action'.● Quantum entanglement is one of the peculiarities of quantum mechanics, which makes

phenomena such as quantum teleportation and super-dense coding possible.

Parker Solar Probe● NASA’s historic Parker Solar Probe mission will revolutionize our understanding of the

sun, where changing conditions can propagate out into the solar system, affecting Earthand other worlds.

● Parker Solar Probe will travel through the sun’s atmosphere, closer to the surface thanany spacecraft before it, facing brutal heat and radiation conditions — and ultimatelyproviding humanity with the closest-ever observations of a star.

Root Zone Moisture● The water and moisture in the soil to a depth of 39 inches is called root zone moisture.



● It takes a lot of time for the aquifers to recover from droughts in the absence of rain.● The aquifers rely on surface moisture to percolate through soil and rocks.● When there are no rains and surface moisture, the root zone moisture might vanish

completely. This eventually will make the soil unfit for trees and plants.

Sudden Stratospheric Warming● The Sudden Stratospheric Warming is an event where the polar stratospheric

temperature increases up to fifty degrees Celsius. It is preceded by a situation where thepolar jet stream of westerly winds in the northern hemisphere is disturbed by naturalweather patterns. This is usually addressed as polar vortex.

● The polar vortex is a whirling cone of low pressure over the poles. The polar vortex is thestrongest in winter. It spins in the stratosphere.

● During winter, the polar vortex is the strongest due to the difference in temperaturebetween polar and mid latitude regions.

● When the polar vortex is the strongest, it forms a wall protecting the mid-latitudes fromcold Arctic air. When Polar Vortex weakens, the stratosphere begins to warm and theevent is called Sudden Stratospheric Warming.

Hum of the Universe● Detected by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves

(NANOGrav). According to the researchers, the hum was produced by gravitationalwaves.

● The Hum of the Universe comes from a type of dead star called a “Pulsar”. These starsare basically neutron stars. They are oriented in such a manner that they flash beams ofradio waves from their poles as they rotate.

● This is the first time the humming sound has been heard from a pulsar collision. Earlierscientists have observed such humming sound. However, they were from black holemergers. The humming sound from blackhole mergers were detected by LIGOobservatories. LIGO is LASER Inferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory.

MeerKAT Radio Telescope● The MeerKAT Radio Telescope recently discovered two giant radio galaxies.● The MeerKAT Radio Telescope is located in Northern Cape of South Africa. It is a radio

telescope with sixty-four antennas.● The array configuration of MeerKAT Radio Telescope has 61% of antennas located

within one kilo metre diameter circle and the remaining 39% is distributed to a radius offour kilo metres.

● MeerKAT is a follow up to Karoo Array Telescope (KAT 7). In simple words, KAT 7 is aprecursor to MeerKAT. KAT 7 has seven dishes of Prime Focus Reflecting Telescope.

● It is built in the semi-desert Karoo region of Northern Cape.



● It will address key questions of astrophysics such as how did the galaxies evolve, howare the galaxies formed, etc.

● MeerKAT is one of the four precursors to the final Square Kilometre Array. The SKA isan intergovernmental radio telescope project built in South Africa and Australia.

M-Sand● M-sand is a substitute of river sand for concrete construction.● Manufactured sand is produced from hard granite stone by crushing.● The crushed sand is of cubical shape with grounded edges, washed and graded to as a

construction material.● The size of manufactured sand (M-Sand) is less than 4.75mm.

Significance:● It can be dust free, the sizes of m-sand can be controlled easily so that it meets the

required grading for the given construction.● It is well graded in the required proportion.● It does not contain organic and soluble compounds that affect the setting time and

properties of cement, thus the required strength of concrete can be maintained.● It does not have the presence of impurities such as clay, dust and silt coatings.

Climate Adaptation Summit 2021● The climate adaptation summit was hosted by the Netherlands government on January

25, 2021.● The summit was held online and it is being called “CAS Online”.● The summit was built on the advances of the UN Climate Action Summit.● The summit also showcased the pioneering solutions of the climate emergency and

sustaining momentum through UNFCCC’s COP26.● CAS will help in delivering the action and inspire the change to help the societies build

back better.● The summit was organized with the aim of realizing the transitions which is required for a

climate-resilient world.

DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019● As per the Bill, national and regional DNA data banks will be set up for maintaining a

national database for identification of victims, suspects in cases, undertrials, missingpersons and unidentified human remains.

● Punishment: Those leaking the DNA profile information to people or entities who arenot entitled to have it, will be punished with a jail term of up to three years and a fine ofup to Rs. 1 lakh.

● Usage: As per the bill, all DNA data, including DNA profiles, DNA samples and records,will only be used for identification of the person and not for “any other purpose”.



● The bill’s provisions will enable the cross-matching between persons who have beenreported missing on the one hand and unidentified dead bodies found in various parts ofthe country on the other, and also for establishing the identity of victims in massdisasters.

● The Bill establishes a DNA Regulatory Board to accredit the DNA laboratories thatanalyse DNA samples to establish the identity of an individual.

Kanha Tiger Reserve● Location: Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh.● Kanha National Park is the largest National Park in Central India.

Features:● Fauna:

○ The State animal of Madhya Pradesh - Hard Ground Barasingha (Swamp deer orRucervus duvaucelii) is found exclusively in Kanha Tiger Reserve.

○ Other Species found include Tiger, Leopard, Dhole, Bear, Gaur and IndianPython etc.

● Flora:○ It is best known for its evergreen Sal forests (Shorea Robusta).○ It is the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, “Bhoorsingh the

Barasingha”.● Other Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh:

○ Sanjay-Dubri.○ Panna.○ Satpura.○ Bandhavgarh.○ Pench.

Barasingha● Subspecies: There are three subspecies of swamp deer found in the Indian

Subcontinent.○ The western swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) found in Nepal,○ Southern swamp deer/Hard Ground Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi)

found in central and north India and○ Eastern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhi) found in the Kaziranga

(Assam) and Dudhwa National Parks (Uttar Pradesh).● Protection Status of Swamp Deer:

○ IUCN Red List: Vulnerable○ CITES: Appendix I○ Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I



Tilt to Saturn’s rotation axis● Saturn’s axis interacted with the path of the planet Neptune and gradually tilted until it

reached the inclination of 27 degrees observed today.● This current tilt of Saturn’s rotation axis is caused by the migration of its satellites, and

especially by that of its largest moon, Titan.● Recent observations have shown that Titan and the other moons are gradually moving

away from Saturn much faster than astronomers had previously estimated.

About Saturn● Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after

Jupiter.● It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine times that of Earth.● It only has one-eighth the average density of Earth; however, with its larger volume,

Saturn is over 95 times more massive.● The Saturn is yellowish in colour.● It has an icy ring around it.● It has more than 60 known moons.● It takes 11 hours to complete a rotation (second-shortest day in the solar system).

COVID-19 performance ranking● The COVID-19 “performance index” has been put together by the Lowy Institute, an

Australian think tank.About the Index:

● The index seeks “to gauge the relative performance of countries”.● The index is based on six different indicators : Confirmed cases, confirmed deaths,

cases per million people, deaths per million people, cases as a proportion of tests, andtests per thousand people.

● Publicly available and comparable data on Covid-19 response was used for this index.Performance of various countries:

● New Zealand, Vietnam and Taiwan have been ranked the top three spots, respectively.● India has ranked 86th.● Sri Lanka was the best faring nation in South Asia, ranking 10.● Maldives was at 25, Pakistan at 69, Nepal at 70, and Bangladesh at 84.● The lowest score was given to Brazil.● Mexico, Colombia, Iran and the United States too featured among the bottom five

countries in terms of performance.

EDISON Alliance● Essential Digital Infrastructure and Services Network (EDISON) Alliance● Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), which describes itself as an international

organization for public-private partnership, will serve as the secretariat and platform forthe EDISON Alliance.



● A wider group of ‘Champions Leaders’ will advise and support the Alliance, the WEFsaid while announcing the launch.

● Alliance aims to work towards ensuring global and equitable access to the digitaleconomy.

● Its prime goal is to ensure an unprecedented level of cross-sectoral collaborationbetween the technology industry and other critical sectors of the economy, according tothe WEF.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)● The NTDs are a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and

subtropical conditions.● The people who are most affected by these diseases are often the poorest populations,

living in remote, rural areas, urban slums or conflict zones.● Neglected tropical diseases persist under conditions of poverty and are concentrated

almost exclusively in impoverished populations in the developing world.● As per the WHO major NTDs are: Buruli Ulcers, Chagas Disease, Dengue,

Chikungunya, Sleeping Sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis), Hansen’s Disease(Leprosy), Trachoma Mycetoma, chromo-blastomycosis, deep mycoses etc.

● Spread: Infections are caused by unsafe water, poor housing conditions and poorsanitation.



Indian Economy.

RBI Digital Payments Index● Released by RBI● to measure the growth in cashless transactions in India.● The Reserve Bank of India has set the base year of Digital Payments Index as 2018.● Publish the Digital Payments Index on a semi-annual basis from March 2021.● Parameters & Its penetration:

○ Payment Enablers: 25%○ Payment Infrastructure-Demand Side factors: 10%○ Payment Infrastructure-Supply Side factors: 15%○ Payment Performance: 45%○ Consumer Centricity: 5%

● Index Value for 2019 and 2020:○ The DPI for March 2019 and March 2020 worked out to be 153.47 and 207.84

respectively, indicating appreciable growth.● Key findings:

○ During the second quarter (Q2) of 2020-21, Unified Payments Interface (UPI)payments recorded an 82% jump in volume and a 99% jump in value, comparedwith the same quarter last year, according to the Worldline India Digital Paymentsreport.

○ In Q2, 19 banks joined the UPI ecosystem, bringing the total number of banksproviding UPI services to 174 as of September 2020 while the BHIM App wasavailable for customers of 146 banks.


About RBI● The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of India, which was established on

Apr. 1, 1935, under the Reserve Bank of India Act.● This central banking institution was established based on the suggestions of the “Royal

Commission on Indian Currency & Finance” in 1926. This commission was also knownas Hilton Young Commission.

● In 1949, the Reserve Bank of India was nationalized● Structure

○ The Reserve Bank's affairs are governed by a central board of directors. Theboard is appointed by the Government of India in keeping with the Reserve Bankof India Act.

○ The directors are appointed/nominated for a period of four years.● Constitution



○ Official Directors (central board of directors): Full-time: Governor and not morethan four Deputy Governors

● Non-Official Directors: Nominated by Government: ten Directors from various fields andtwo government Official

○ Others: four Directors - one each from four local boards ( regional )● RBI’s Other Publications

○ Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS - Quarterly)○ Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH - Quarterly)○ Financial Stability Report (Half-Yearly)○ Monetary Policy Report (Half-Yearly)○ Report on Foreign Exchange Reserves (Half-Yearly)

Equalization Levy● Introduced in India in 2016, with the intention of taxing the digital transactions i.e. the

income accruing to foreign e-commerce companies from India.● It is aimed at taxing business to business transactions.● The following services are currently covered under the EL:

○ Online advertisement;○ Any provision for digital advertising space or facilities/ service for the purpose of

online advertisement;● Applicability

○ Equalization Levy is a direct tax, which is withheld at the time of payment by theservice recipient.

○ The two conditions to be met to be liable to the levy:■ The payment should be made to a non-resident service provider;■ The annual payment made to one service provider exceeds Rs. 1,00,000

in one financial year.

RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products)scheme

● Launched in 2020 to boost exports of India in International markets.● Under the scheme, a mechanism will be created for reimbursement of levies, taxes or

duties at central, state and local levels.● Prior to the scheme, the reimbursements were not done under any mechanism.● Replaced Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS). It was introduced to offset

infrastructural inefficiencies and associated costs involved in exporting goods that areproduced in India.

● WTO Compliant: The RoDTEP Scheme will coordinate with the World TradeOrganization to reduce the post production transaction costs for the exporters. In orderto achieve this, the RoDTEP Scheme implementation measures must provide



production-oriented processes. This is in accordance to WTO rules. This will help toboost the production of MSMEs.

● Benefits of RoDTEP Scheme?○ The exporters of India will meet international standards for exports.○ This will boost the value of Indian products in the international market.○ It is being achieved through certification and affordable testing that will be

provided under the scheme rather than relying on international organizations.○ By replacing MEIS, the RoDTEP Scheme created an automated route for the

Input Tax Credit.● The Input Tax Credit is provided to set off the taxes paid on purchase of consumables,

raw materials that are used in the manufacturing goods and services. Therefore, it helpsto avoid double taxation.

International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)● The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has become an

Associate Member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

About IOSCO:● It is the international body that brings together the world’s securities regulators and is

recognized as the global standard setter for the securities sector.● IOSCO develops, implements and promotes adherence to internationally recognized

standards for securities regulation.● It works intensively with the G20 and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) on the global

regulatory reform agenda.● Members: IOSCO was established in 1983. Its membership regulates more than 95% of

the world’s securities markets in more than 115 jurisdictions; securities regulators inemerging markets account for 75% of its ordinary membership.


IFSC in India:● The first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in the country has been set up at

the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar.● To regulate such institutions, the government established IFSCA on April 27 last year

with its head office in Gandhinagar.● In December 2019, Parliament passed a bill to set up a unified authority for regulating all

financial activities at IFSCs in the country.● It would provide Indian corporates easier access to global financial markets. IFSC would

also compliment and promote further development of financial markets in India.● Services an IFSC can provide:

○ Fund-raising services for individuals, corporations and governments.



○ Asset management and global portfolio diversification undertaken by pensionfunds, insurance companies and mutual funds.

○ Wealth management.○ Global tax management and cross-border tax liability optimization, which

provides a business opportunity for financial intermediaries, accountants and lawfirms.

○ Global and regional corporate treasury management operations that involvefund-raising, liquidity investment and management and asset-liability matching.

○ Risk management operations such as insurance and reinsurance.○ Merger and acquisition activities among trans-national corporations.

Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline● Length: The 450-km pipeline has been built by GAIL (India) Ltd● Transportation capacity: It has transportation capacity of 12 million standard cubic

metres per day● Location: It will carry natural gas from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) regassification

terminal at Kochi to Mangaluru.● Benefits : The pipeline will supply environment friendly and affordable fuel to

households, transportation sector and to commercial and industrial units across thedistricts along the pipeline.


“One nation, one gas grid” concept:● It will be high-voltage electric power transmission network in mainland India, connecting

power stations and major substations and ensuring that electricity generated anywherein mainland India can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere.

National Gas Grid● Objectives: To remove regional imbalance within the country with regard to access to

natural gas and provide clean and green fuel throughout the country.● To connect gas sources to major demand centres and ensure availability of gas to

consumers in various sectors.


Other Gas & Oil Pipeline in india● Naharkatia-Nunmati-Barauni Pipeline:

○ This was the first pipeline constructed in India to bring crude oil from Naharkatiaoilfield to Nunmati.

○ 1,167 km long.● Mumbai High-Mumbai-Ankleshwar-Kayoli Pipeline

○ Connects oilfields of Mumbai High and Gujarat with oil refinery at Koyali



○ It provides facilities for transporting crude oil and natural gas.● Salaya-Koyali-Mathura Pipeline

○ From Salaya in Gujarat to Mathura in U.P. via Viramgram.○ 1,256 km long pipeline○ Supplies crude oil to refineries at Koyali and Mathura

● Hajira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur (HBJ) Gas Pipeline○ To transport Gas○ 1,750 km long○ Connects Hazira in Maharashtra to Bijapur in M.P.○ world s largest underground pipeline and has brought about a big transformation

in the economy of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.● Jamnagar-Loni LPG Pipeline:

○ 1,269 km long○ connects Jamnagar in Gujarat to Loni near Delhi in U.P.○ longest LPG pipeline of the world.

● Kandla-Bhatinda Pipeline:○ 1,331 km long pipeline○ proposed to be constructed for transporting crude oil to the proposed refinery at

Bhatinda

Budget Session● The budget session is held in February to May every year.● It is considered to be a highly crucial session of the Parliament.

Stages of Enactment of Budget:1. Presentation of Budget: The Budget is usually presented on the last working day of the

month of February.2. General Discussion: Here, the members discuss the various provisions of the budget

and matters concerning taxation, after the Finance Minister presents the budget.3. Scrutiny by dept committees: An in-depth scrutiny of demand for grants by department

is made by each departmental standing committee of parliament. Three to four weeksare given for this and the house remains in recess. The standing committees make areport to the house at the end.

4. Voting on the demand for grants: The MP's of Lok Sabha study and vote on eachdemand for grant. The Lok Sabha only can vote on demand for grants and no voting isallowed on the expenditure charged on the consolidated fund of India. MP's can movemotion for reduction of a grant called CUT Motions;

5. Appropriation bill and Finance bills: The appropriation bill contains voted demand forgrants and also expense charged on the consolidated fund of India. No amendmentscan be made on these in any house. After the bill receives assent of the president itbecomes appropriation act. This allows expense from the consolidated fund.

● The budget session is generally split into two periods with a gap of one month betweenthem.



● This session every year starts with the President’s Address to both Houses.


Constitutional Provisions:● Article 85 requires that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two

sessions of Parliament.● The Constitution does not specify when or for how many days Parliament should meet.

Cut Motion➢ Policy cut: Reduces allocation of grant to Re. 1 to indicate disapproval to a policy.➢ Token cut: Reduce amount by Rs.100 to ventilate specific grievance➢ Economy cut: Reduction by specific amount to suggest economic use of funds.● 26 days are allotted for discussions and voting of the demand for grants at the last day

all remaining demands are put to vote and disposed. This is referred to as “Guillotine”.

Other Grants:➢ Supplementary grant: Amount authorised by parliament is found insufficient➢ Additional grant: extra amount is needed that wasn’t dealt with earlier➢ Excess grant: Amount is spent in excess of the authorised amount; this has to be

approved by the Public accounts committee.➢ Vote of credit: for meeting an unexpected demand➢ Exceptional grant: sanctioned for a special purpose➢ Token grant: funds to meet a new expenditure can be met by transferred from one head

to another.

Funds of India:➢ Consolidated fund of India: All revenues credited to the government; all loans

received; all payment received as repayment of loans given; are credited to this fund. Nomoney can be issued or withdrawn except by law.

➢ Contingency fund of India: To meet unforeseen circumstances parliament created thisfund. It is at the disposal of the president. Money can be issued pending authorization ofparliament. However the finance secretary handles it; it is operated by executive action.

➢ Public account of India: Payment usually of the nature of banking transactions aremade from this account; It is operated by executive action so parliaments authorizationnot needed; Provident fund deposits, judicial deposits, savings bank deposits,departmental deposits or remittances are credited here.

Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS)● Aim : The project aims at initiating the process of commencing operations of the

Seaplane services, on the select routes, under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)framework through prospective airline operators.



● SPV is a legal object formed for a specifically-defined singular purpose.● Project Implementation:

○ The project execution and implementation would be through SagarmalaDevelopment Company Ltd (SDCL), which is under the administrative control ofthe Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

○ Airline operators will be invited to form a SPV with SDCL.○ The routes may be operated under the government’s subsidised ude desh ka

aam nagrik (UDAN) scheme.


Project Sagarmala:● Purpose: seeks to develop a string of ports around India’s coast.● The objective of this initiative is to promote “Port-led development” along India’s 7500

km long coastline.● Aims to develop access to new development regions with intermodal solutions and

promotion of the optimum modal split, enhanced connectivity with main economiccentres and beyond through expansion of rail, inland water, coastal and road services.

● Nodal ministry: The Union Ministry of Shipping has been appointed as the nodalministry for this initiative.

● To implement this, State governments would set up State Sagarmala committees,headed by the chief minister or the minister in charge of ports.

● At the central level, a Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) will be setup to provideequity support to assist various special purpose vehicles (SPVs) setup for variousprojects.



●

Faceless tax scheme● In the Union Budget 2019, the Finance Minister proposed the introduction of a scheme

of faceless e-assessment.● It is an attempt to remove individual tax officials’ discretion and potential harassment for

income tax payers.● The scheme allows for appropriate cases where a certain hearing is necessary, so then

after following protocols, a hearing is given.● The main objective is to remove physical interaction as much as possible.● National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) an independent office created to oversee

implementation of the scheme.● It will be located in Delhi. There will be 8 Regional e-Assessment Centres (ReAC)

set up at Delhi, Mumbai

National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP)● In the budget speech of 2019-2020, Finance Minister announced an outlay of Rs 100

lakh Crore for infrastructure projects over the next 5 years.● NIP is a first-of-its-kind initiative to provide world-class infrastructure across the country

and improve the quality of life for all citizens.



● It will improve project preparation, attract investments (both domestic & foreign) intoinfrastructure, and will be crucial for attaining the target of becoming a $5 trillioneconomy by FY 2025.

● Covers both economic and social infrastructure projects.

Payment Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme● Objective: Develop payment acceptance infrastructure in tier-3 to tier-6 cities (centres),

with a special focus on the north-eastern states of the country.● Time Period: The fund will be operational for three years effective from 1st January,

2021 and may be extended for two more years.● The fund is to be operational for two years, 2021 and 2022.● Management: An Advisory Council (AC) under the chairmanship of RBI deputy governor

BP Kanungo has been constituted for managing the PIDF.● Fund Allocated: The PIDF presently has a corpus of Rs. 345 crore, with Rs. 250 crore

contributed by the RBI and Rs. 95 crore by the major authorised card networks in thecountry.

●

Spectrum auctions● A spectrum auction is a process whereby a government uses an auction system to sell

the rights to transmit signals over specific bands of the electromagnetic spectrum and toassign scarce spectrum resources.

● Devices such as cellphones and wireline telephones require signals to connect from oneend to another. These signals are carried on airwaves, which must be sent at designatedfrequencies to avoid any kind of interference.

Spectrum auctions in India



● The Union government owns all the publicly available assets within the geographicalboundaries of the country, which also include airwaves.

● With the expansion in the number of cellphone, wireline telephone and internet users,the need to provide more space for the signals arises from time to time.

● To sell these assets to companies willing to set up the required infrastructure to transportthese waves from one end to another, the central government through the DoT auctionsthese airwaves from time to time.

● These airwaves are called spectrum, which is subdivided into bands which have varyingfrequencies.

● All these airwaves are sold for a certain period of time, after which their validity lapses,which is generally set at 20 years.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)● What is it?: The National Standard Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of

Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.● established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23

December 1986.● The Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 made the BIS a National Standards Body.

The BIS Act has been implemented since 12 October 2017.● BIS is responsible for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization,

marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith orincidental thereto.

RBI forms Academic Advisory Council for Supervisory College● Under former deputy governor N S Vishwanathan to advise the director of the central

bank on supervisory colleges.Role of the council:

● The council will identify areas where upskilling and building are required in supervisorycolleges.

● Also, the council will plan and develop curricula of all programmes and benchmark theprogrammes with international standards and best practices.

● The council will develop appropriate teaching methods.● The council will also benchmark the programmes with the international standards and

improve the teaching methods.

What is RBI Supervisory College?● The Reserve Bank of India Supervisory Colleges were introduced to reinforce

supervisory skills among its regulatory bodies.● This was done to facilitate unified and focused training inputs to the supervision staffs.● The Reserve Bank of India established supervisory colleges to monitor Indian banks

abroad.



● Main objectives of Supervisory colleges are to improve understanding of risk profile ofthe banking group, to enhance information exchange and cooperation amongsupervisors and facilitate effective supervision of internationally active banks.

Double Stack Long-Haul Container Train● First double stack long-haul container train from New Ateli in Haryana to New

Kishanganj in Rajasthan.● The train is to be operated in the 360-km long Rewari-Madar Section of the Western

Dedicated Freight Corridor.● The train is 1.5 kilo metres long.● It is hauled by Electric traction.● Speed Limit: Currently, the freight trains are operated at maximum speed of 75

kilometres per hour. The speed is to be increased to 100 km/hr. The average speed ofthe freight trains are to be increased from 26 km/hr to 70 km/hr.


Mission Sheeghra● The Indian Railways operated Mission Sheeghra in Uttar Pradesh.● It was launched by the Lucknow Division of Indian Railways.● Under the mission, the trains attained a maximum permissible speed of 100 km/hr.

Scheme for Industrial Development of J&K● The Government of India has allocated 28,400 crores of Rupees for the industrial

development of Jammu and Kashmir scheme.● The funds are to be used to develop industrial sector of the territory till 2037.

Key features:● Objective of the scheme is to generate jobs that will lead to economic development and

boost industry and service later development of the union territory. This in turn will attractnew investment.

● The scheme is ambitious as it offers attractions to both large and small industrial units.Scheme offers incentives as follows:

● The scheme will provide capital investment incentive at 30% in zone.● It will provide investment incentive of 50% in Zone B. This includes investment in

manufacturing and construction sector.● The maximum limit of incentive is 5 crores of Rupees in zone a and 7.5 crores of Rupees

in Zone B respectively.● The scheme will provide interest subvention at an annual rate of 6 pc for 7 years on loan

amounts up to 500 Crores of rupees.



K-shaped economic recovery● A K-shaped recovery happens when different sections of an economy recover at starkly

different rates.● Households at the top of the pyramid are likely to have seen their incomes largely

protected, and savings rates forced up during the lockdown, increasing ‘fuel in the tank’to drive future consumption.

● Meanwhile, households at the bottom are likely to have witnessed permanent hits to jobsand incomes.

● To the extent that COVID has triggered an effective income transfer from the poor to therich, this will be demand-impeding because the poor have a higher marginal propensityto consume (i.e. they tend to spend (instead of saving) a much higher proportion of theirincome.

Eri silk● Eri silk comes from the caterpillar of Samia ricini (silk-producing caterpillar ), found in

northeast India and some parts of China, Japan.● The name "eri" is derived from the Assamese word "era", which means castor, as the

silkworm feeds on castor plants.● Eri silk is also known as endi or errandi in India.● The woolly white silk is often referred to as the fabric of peace when it is processed

without killing the silkworm. This process results in a silk called Ahimsa silk. Moths leavethe cocoon and then the cocoons are harvested to be spun.


Other type of Silk:● India has the distinction of being the only country in the world producing all Five major

types of silk broadly divided into two categories:● Mulberry silk: Mainly in Karnataka.● Non-mulberry Silk:

○ Temperate tussar silk in Maharashtra, WB, Odisha,Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh;○ Tropical tussar silk in sub –himalayan belt (Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya,etc);○ Muga Silk in Assam and Eri silk in Assam,Odisha, Bihar.

Freight Business Development Portal● Freight Business Development Portal was recently launched as one stop solution for all

the needs of freight customers.● Launched by Ministry of Railways.● The portal is designed to replace physical processes with online ones to minimise the

need of human-to-human interaction.● it will help them use rail mode seamlessly.



● The personalised dashboard of freight business portal provides customers a view withtheir business in railways, outstanding indents, on-run consignments, status of variousinteractions and facility to apply for various services and raising concerns.

● Customers also get to know about discount schemes, diversion, rebooking, andwharfage (Place for loading, unloading or storage of goods) waivers, stackingpermissions.

Golden Quadrilateral & Golden Diagonal sections● It is a highway network which links Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai thus connecting

the major industrial, agricultural and cultural centres of India● The project was started in 2001 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee under the NDA government and

was completed in January 2012.● It was the Phase-1 of the bigger National Highway Development Project that was

launched in 1998 by the same government.● It is managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of

Road, Transport and Highways.● Benefits of the project :

○ It has brought opportunities for farmers, through improved transportation ofproduce from the agricultural hinterland to major cities and ports for export,through lesser wastage and spoils.

○ It is driving economic growth directly, through construction as well as throughindirect demand for cement, steel and other construction materials.



●

SAATHEE Portal● The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has developed a Management Information

System (MIS) portal namely State-wise Actions on Annual Targets and Headways onEnergy Efficiency (SAATHEE).

● Purpose: a portal for the State Designated Agency (SDA) for state level activities.● Useful in capturing the physical and financial status/ progress of Energy Efficiency

activities being implemented by States/ UTs across the country. Thus, it will facilitateReal Time Monitoring.

● Streamlines Decision Making and Compliance: It will also help in decision making,coordination, control, analysis, and implementation and enforcement of the complianceprocess for various energy consumers at the pan India level.




Other Initiative:

SATHI (Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes):● It is an initiative of the Department of Science & Technology (Ministry of Science and

Technology).● Objective: To provide a shared, professionally managed services and strong Science

and Technology infrastructure/facilities, to service the demands of faculty, researchers,etc., to enable them to carry out R&D activities on a round the clock basis with minimumdowntime.

SAATHI (Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to HelpSmall Industries) Initiative:

● It is an initiative of the Ministry of Textiles.● Objective: To sustain and accelerate the adoption of energy efficient textile technologies

in the powerloom sector and cost savings due to use of such technology.

SATH (Sustainable Action for Transforming Human capital) Program:● It is a program of NITI Aayog.● Objective: To initiate transformation in the education and health sectors and build 3

future ‘role model’ states.

Coal in India● India has the world’s 5 th largest reserves of coal & the world’s 2nd largest importer● India’s 83% of the production coming from Coal India Ltd (CIL)● Coal reserves: Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madya Pradesh,

Telangana, Maharashtra● Types: Indian coal reserves are primarily of Lignite and Bituminous types (other

two types are Peat and Anthracite● Quality: Indian coal has lower calorific value and high ash content

Initiatives in Coal SectorUTTAM (Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal):

● In April 2018, the Ministry of Coal launched UTTAM Application for coal qualitymonitoring.

● UTTAM App ensures accountability, transparency, effectiveness and efficiency in thecoal ecosystem. It provides a platform for monitoring of sampling and coal dispatches.

● The App is designed with an aim to make the citizens a stakeholder in the coalecosystem.

● UTTAM is an example of leveraging technology to facilitate a bidirectional channelbetween Coal India Limited and a common citizen.

● It ensures transparency and efficiency in the coal quality monitoring process and bringscoal more accountable and open to the common folk.



Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India (SHAKTI):● Launched in May 2017, for allocation of future coal linkages in a transparent manner for

the power sector.● Objective: To auction long-term coal linkages to power companies.● The government’s move is likely to benefit 20,000 MW private-sector thermal capacities

with power purchase agreements (PPAs).● The new policy will lead to gradual phasing out of the old one and is expected to bring

30,000 MW of locked capacity into generation.● It also seeks to alleviate the stress that certain power units are under due to

unavailability of linkages.

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) system● Introduced by RBI for all payment transactions of fifty crores and above through NEFT

(National Electronic Funds Transfer) and RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement).● The LEI is a 20-digit number used to uniquely identify parties to financial transactions

worldwide.● Developed by: International Organization for Standardization.● Objective : To improve the quality and accuracy of financial data systems for better risk

management post the Global Financial Crisis.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana ( PMFBY )● Launched on 13th January 2016.● It provides a comprehensive insurance cover against failure of the crop thus helping in

stabilising the income of the farmers.● It aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop

assurance claim for the full insured sum.● Merged schemes include National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified

National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).● Scope: All food & oilseed crops and annual commercial/horticultural crops for which past

yield data is available.● Premium: The prescribed premium is 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and

1.5% for all rabi crops. In the case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, thepremium is 5%.

● Premium cost over and above the farmer share was equally subsidized by States andGoI.

● However, GoI shared 90% of the premium subsidy for North Eastern States to promotethe uptake in the region.

● The scheme was compulsory for loanee farmers availing Crop Loan/Kisan Credit Card(KCC) account for notified crops and voluntary for others.

Revamped PMFBY :



● In order to ensure more efficient and effective implementation of the scheme, the centralgovernment had revamped PMFBY in the 2020 Kharif season.

Features● Enrolment 100% voluntary for all farmers from 2020 Kharif.● Limit to Central Subsidy: The Cabinet has decided to cap the Centre’s premium subsidy

under the scheme for premium rates up to 30% for unirrigated areas/crops and 25% forirrigated areas/crops.

● More Flexibility to States: The government has given the flexibility to states/UTs toimplement PMFBY and given them the option to select any number of additional riskcovers/features.

● Investing in ICE Activities: Insurance companies have to now spend 0.5% of the totalpremium collected on information, education and communication (IEC) activities.

Insect Apocalypse● The Earth is losing 2% of its insects every year. This is being termed as “Insect

Apocalypse”.● Main reasons of Insect Apocalypse are as follows:● Insecticides, Climate Change, Light Pollution, Herbicides, Invasive Species, Changes in

land use, Intensive agriculture● Honey Bees and Butterflies two insects best illustrate insect decline● Insects outweigh humanity by seventeen times. They are essential for the proper

functioning of the ecosystem as pollinators, food for other creatures and as recyclers ofnutrients.

Jayant Kumar Dash committee● Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has constituted a working group on digital lending —

including online platforms and mobile apps.● The working group consists of both internal and external members and is chaired by

Jayant Kumar Dash, Executive Director, RBI● The working group will:

○ Evaluate digital lending activities and assess the penetration and standards ofoutsourced digital lending activities in RBI regulated entities;

○ Identify the risks posed by unregulated digital lending to financial stability,regulated entities and consumers; and

○ Suggest regulatory changes to promote orderly growth of digital lending.

New Foreign Trade Policy 2021-26● Goal: To make India a 5 trillion USD economy.

Key Highlights:● The District Export hubs are to play a major role in the new Foreign Trade Policy.



● The policy will aim to boost exports.● It will enhance ease of doing business.● It will bring improvements in the operations of domestic manufacturing and services

sector through infrastructure support.● The policy will bring changes to regulatory and operational framework and lower

transactional costs.Largest trading partners of India:

● Bangladesh, UK, USA, Bhutan, UAE, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Israel,Nepal, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Iraq.

● Biggest export of India: Pharmaceuticals

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana ( PMKVY )● Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), launched in 2015● The flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE)

implemented by National Skill Development Corporation.● Objective: is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill

training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.● Key Components: Short Term Training, Special Projects, Recognition of Prior Learning,

Kaushal & Rozgar Mela, etc.● Outcome: In 2015-16, 19.85 lakh candidates were trained.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 2.0 (PMKVY 2.0) 2016-20● After the successful implementation of pilot PMKVY (2015-16), PMKVY 2016-20 was

launched by scaling up both in terms of Sector and Geography and by greater alignmentwith other missions of Government of India like Make in India, Digital India, SwachhBharat, etc.

● Objectives: Enable and mobilize a large number of youths to take up industry designedquality skill training, become employable and earn their livelihood.

● Encourage standardisation of the Certification process and put in place the foundationfor creating a registry of skills.

● Benefit 10 million youth over the period of four years (2016- 2020).

About PMKVY 3.0:● Skill India Mission PMKVY 3.0 envisages training of eight lakh candidates over a

scheme period of 2020-2021.● The 729 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs), empaneled non-PMKK training

centres and more than 200 ITIs under Skill India will be rolling out PMKVY 3.0 training tobuild a robust pool of skilled professionals.

● It will be more trainee- and learner-centric. The focus is on bridging the demand-supplygap by promoting skill development in areas of new-age and Industry 4.0 job roles.

● It will be a propagator of vocational education at an early level for youth to capitalize onindustry-linked opportunities.



● On the basis of the learning gained from PMKVY 1.0 and PMKVY 2.0, the Ministry hasimproved the newer version of the scheme to match the current policy doctrine andenergize the skilling ecosystem affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic

‘Prarambh: Startup India International Summit’● Organized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of

Commerce and Industry.● Significance: The Summit will bring together speakers from all over the world. This will

facilitate discussions on innovation, technologies, robust policies and enableinternational organisations and governments to share their views and thereby drivingthem to solve the problems and challenges.

● The Summit marks the fifth anniversary of the Startup India initiative, launched on 16January, 2016.

● Over 25 countries and more than 200 global speakers participated.● Objectives: The sessions of the Summit are designed to showcase the spread and

depth of entrepreneurship based on innovation in India.○ Provide opportunities to startups for entering domestic (private and public) and

international markets○ Enable ease of doing business for startups and investors.

Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Scheme● The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is implementing Grid-connected Rooftop

Solar Scheme in order to generate solar power by installing solar panels on the roof ofthe houses.

● Objective : To achieve the cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar(RTS)Projects by the year 2022.

● Subsidy: Under this scheme, the Ministry is providing 40% subsidy for the first 3 kW and20% subsidy beyond 3 kW and up to 10 kW.

● Implementation: The scheme is being implemented in the state only by DISCOMs. TheDISCOMs have empaneled vendors through the bidding process and have decidedrates for setting up a rooftop solar plant.

● Condition: Subsidy will be available for the residential sector only and for availing thebenefit of subsidy, indigenously manufactured PV Modules and Cells are to be used.

● Incentives to Discoms: Performance-based incentives are provided to DISCOMsbased on Rooftop Solar capacity achieved in a financial year over and above the basecapacity i.e. cumulative capacity achieved at the end of previous financial year.

Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India (SRISTI) scheme● The scheme is a part of the larger grid-connected Rooftop Solar (RTS) power

programme, aims to bring discoms to the forefront in the implementation of rooftop solarprojects by providing them financial support which will be linked to their performance infacilitating the deployment of RTS.



● The scheme shall integrate discoms as an implementing agency in Phase II of rooftopsolar scheme.

● The proposed scheme aims to achieve a national solar rooftop target of 40 GW till2021-22.

● Under this schemes, it is proposed that Central Financial Assistance will be providedonly for installation of roof top solar plants in residential sector.

State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index – SARAL● An initiative of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) collaboration with

Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce andIndustry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).

● Aim: to introduce a measuring scale or an index to evaluate and rank all states accordingto their performance, growth, level of maturity, policy framework, and implementationenvironment in the rooftop solar sector.

● SARAL currently captures five key aspects :○ Robustness of policy framework,○ Implementation environment,○ Investment climate,○ Consumer experience,○ Business ecosystem

Suryamitra initiative● Ministry/Department : Ministry of New and Renewable Energy● Objective: To provide skill training to rural youth in handling solar installations

About Scheme:● It is Union Government’s skill development program● The programme is 100% funded by GOI and implemented by National Institute for Solar

Energy (NISE) across the country.● Aims to create skilled manpower in commissioning, installation, O&M of solar power

plants and equipment.● It primary objective is to provide entrepreneurship and employability opportunities to rural

and urban youth & women.● The scheme is aimed at creating 50,000 trained solar photovoltaic technicians by March

2020.● Special emphasis is given to skill youth from SC/ST/OBC categories.● The qualification required to participate in the program is ITI (Electrical & Wireman) /

Diploma in Engineering (Electrical, Electronics & Mechanical).● Higher qualified participants such as B.Tech etc are not eligible for this programme.

Disinvestment● Disinvestment means sale or liquidation of assets by the government, usually Central

and state public sector enterprises, projects, or other fixed assets.



● The government undertakes disinvestment to reduce the fiscal burden on the exchequer,or to raise money for meeting specific needs, such as to bridge the revenue shortfallfrom other regular sources.

● Strategic disinvestment is the transfer of the ownership and control of a public sectorentity to some other entity (mostly to a private sector entity).

● Unlike the simple disinvestment, strategic sale implies a kind of privatization.● The disinvestment commission defines strategic sale as the sale of a substantial portion

of the Government shareholding of a central public sector enterprises (CPSE) of upto50%, or such higher percentage as the competent authority may determine, along withtransfer of management control.

● The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) under theMinistry of Finance is the nodal department for the strategic stake sale in the PublicSector Undertakings (PSUs).


Key Differences Between Privatization and Disinvestment● When more than 51% of the stake is sold by the government of a public sector

undertaking, to the private individuals or firm, the process is termed as privatization. Onthe other hand, Disinvestment alludes to the disposal of assets by the government orany other organization, leading to a change in ownership and control, influenced byfinancial, political or strategical reasons.

● Privatization involves a change in ownership, whereas Disinvestment involves dilution ofownership.

● In privatization, the government sell more than 50% of its shareholding, while in case ofdisinvestment shareholding less than 50% is sold by the government.

● Disinvestment refers to the dilution of government shareholding in a public sector entity.However, if the dilution is less than 50%, the management of the enterprise is kept bythe government. However, when the dilution of shares exceeds 50%, there is a changein management along with the ownership, which is practically called Privatization.

● Disinvestment aims at lessening the fiscal burden on the government, because of theinefficiency of the Public Sector Undertaking. Moreover, it also aims at providing financialaid. On the flip side, privatization is encouraged to make the best possible use of thecountry’s resources as well as to increase the operational and dynamic efficiency of theconcern.

SAKSHAM Awareness Campaign● Launched by: Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), Ministry of

Petroleum and Natural Gas● It is a people-centric fuel conservation mega campaign that aims to highlight the adverse

health and environmental impacts of increasing carbon footprints.● The idea is to convince consumers to switch to cleaner fuels and bring in behavioral

change to use fossil fuel intelligently.



● Campaign: The campaign through various pan-India activities such as cyclothon, farmerworkshops, seminars, painting competition, CNG vehicle driving contest will spreadawareness among masses about the advantages of using clean fuels.

● Seven Key Drivers: The campaign will also spread awareness about 7 key driversmentioned by the Prime Minister:

○ Moving towards a gas-based economy,○ Cleaner use of fossil fuels,○ Greater reliance on domestic sources to drive bio-fuels,○ Achieving renewable targets with the set deadlines,○ Increased use of electric vehicles to decarbonize mobility,○ Increased use of cleaner fuels like Hydrogen, and○ Digital innovation across all energy systems

Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)● A Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners have

limited liability. It therefore exhibits elements of partnerships and corporations.● In an LLP, one partner is not responsible or liable for another partner’s misconduct or

negligence.Salient features of an LLP:

● An LLP is a body corporate and legal entity separate from its partners. It has perpetualsuccession.

● Being the separate legislation (i.e. LLP Act, 2008), the provisions of Indian PartnershipAct, 1932 are not applicable to an LLP and it is regulated by the contractual agreementbetween the partners.

● Every Limited Liability Partnership shall use the words “Limited Liability Partnership” orits acronym “LLP” as the last words of its name.

● Composition: Every LLP shall have at least two designated partners being individuals,at least one of them being resident in India and all the partners shall be the agent of theLimited Liability Partnership but not of other partners.

Indian Railway Finance Corporation● A subsidiary of the Indian Railways, it is the dedicated market borrowing arm of the

Indian Railways.● Established: It was incorporated in 1986.● It follows a financial leasing model to finance the acquisition of rolling stock assets,

which includes locomotives, coaches, wagons, trucks, flats, electric multiple units,containers, cranes, trollies, etc.

● Finance Leasing Model:○ Deriving revenues through the leasing model typically involves three parties: the

seller, the buyer (lessee) and the financier (lessor).○ In exchange for payment, ownership of an item (usually equipment) is transferred

from the seller to the lessor.



○ The lessee then contracts with the lessor for the use of the item in exchange for aperiodic fee.

○ The seller may or may not retake ownership of the item once the leasing contracthas ended.

● Contribution: It plays a significant role in supporting the capacity enhancement of theIndian Railways by financing the majority proportion of their annual plan outlay whichgives a long term business visibility, the brokerage feels.

● Other Functions: It is also into leasing railway infrastructure assets and nationalprojects of the Government of India (project assets) and lending to other entities underthe Ministry of Railways (MoR).

CrowdFunding● What is it?: Crowdfunding is a method of raising capital through the collective effort of a

large number of individual investors.● This approach taps into the collective efforts of a large pool of individuals, primarily

online via social media and crowdfunding platforms and leverages their networks forgreater reach and exposure.

Types:● Donation-Based Crowdfunding: Donation-based crowdfunding is a way to source

money for a project by asking a large number of contributors to individually donate asmall amount to it. In return, the backers may receive token rewards that increase inprestige as the size of the donation increases. For the smallest sums, however, thefunder may receive nothing at all.

● Rewards-Based Crowdfunding: Rewards-based crowdfunding involves individualscontributing to a business in exchange for a “reward,” typically a form of the product orservice which company offers. Even though this method offers backers a reward, it’s stillgenerally considered a subset of donation-based crowdfunding since there is nofinancial or equity return.

● Equity-Based Crowdfunding: Unlike the donation-based and rewards-based methods,equity-based crowdfunding allows contributors to become part-owners of the companyby trading capital for equity shares. As equity owners, the contributors receive a financialreturn on their investment and ultimately receive a share of the profits in the form of adividend or distribution.

North East Venture Fund● Set up by North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited (NEDFi) in

association with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M-DoNER), theNorth East Venture Fund scheme was launched in September 2017.

● It is the first dedicated venture capital fund for the North Eastern Region (NER)● Corpus Amount: Capital commitment of Rs 100 crore.● Objectives:



○ To contribute to the entrepreneurship development of the NER and achieveattractive risk-adjusted returns through long term capital appreciation by way ofinvestments in privately negotiated equity/ equity related investments.

○ The fund targets to invest in Start-Ups and unique business opportunities toprovide resources for new entrepreneurships in Food Processing, Healthcare,Tourism, segregation of services, IT, etc.


North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP)● It is a World Bank aided, multi-state livelihood project● Under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER),● Launched in 2012.● Implemented in 11 districts of Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.● Aim: to improve rural livelihoods especially that of women, unemployed youth and the

most disadvantaged, in four North Eastern States.● The project has focussed on five development strategies, namely,

○ social empowerment,○ economic empowerment,○ partnership development,○ project management and○ livelihood & value chain developments.

● The project also works in partnerships with expert organizations to focus on clusterdevelopment through value chains.

Startup India Seed Fund● Objective: Fund has been set up to provide initial capital to the startups. After that

start-ups will be provided with the Govt. Guarantees, to help them raise debt capital.● Coverage: The fund would offer financial assistance to startups for proofs of concept,

prototype development, product trials, market-entry, and commercialization of productsor ideas.

● Funding : The Scheme will offer startups up to Rs. 20 Lakhs as a grant for Proof ofConcept. Upto Rs. 50 Lakhs can also be availed through convertible debentures or debtor debt-linked instruments for commercialization.

● Convertible debentures: A unique feature of convertible debentures is that they can beconverted into stock at specified times. A convertible debenture is usually an unsecuredbond or a loan as in there is no primary collateral interlinked to the debt. They arelong-term debt securities that pay interest returns to the bondholder.

● Need : It is the need of the hour that the technologies of the future come out of the lab ofAsia and the entrepreneurs of the future should be prepared from here.



Iron Ore Policy 2021● Come into effect from February 10, 2021.● The provisions of the new policy will be updated in the rake allotment system module by

the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).● Iron ore is the second most important stream of traffic of Railways and along with steel

accounts for nearly 17% of total 1210 million tonne freight loading of Indian Railways in2019-2020.

● Scrutiny of documentation by Railways has been removed. Executive Director RakeMovement of Railway Board (EDRM) office, Kolkata which has been sanctioningprogrammes for movement of iron-ore traffic will have no regulatory role in the newpolicy.

● Customers now desirous of moving their traffic under any priority will have to give (an)undertaking that they have procured, transported and utilized materials as per rules andregulations of Central and State Governments.

● Higher priority will be given to the movement of iron-ore traffic for domesticmanufacturing activity.

● Old and new plants will be treated similarly as far as allotment and loading of rakes isconcerned.


Iron Ore● Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted.● Types:

○ Magnetite ( 72.4% Fe),○ Hematite ( 69.9% Fe),○ goethite (62.9% Fe),○ limonite ( 55% Fe)○ Siderite ( 48.2% Fe).

● Iron ore distribution: Principal states producing iron ore in India are Chhattisgarh,Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Naduand Rajasthan.

Minerals (Other than Atomic and Hydro Carbons Energy Minerals) Concession(Amendment) Rules, 2021

● Purpose: To amend the Minerals Concession Rules, 2016● Prepared by Ministry of Mines● Aim: to terminate the iron ore leases of those mines that have, not started

production after lapse of 7-8 months of auction and not maintained minimumdispatch quantity up to the level required under MCR for three consecutive quarters



ICEGATE● Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE) is the national portal of Indian Customs

of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) that provides e-filing services tothe Trade, Cargo Carriers and other Trading Partners electronically.

● All electronic documents/ messages being handled by the ICEGATE are processed atthe Customs' end by the Indian Customs EDI System (ICES).

e- SANCHIT● launched on a pilot basis by the Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC).● It is mainly for paperless processing, uploading of supporting documents, to facilitate the

trading across borders which will reduce the precious time and provide digital easing.

Single Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade (SWIFT)/‘SWIFT’ Initiative● Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)(Now CBIC) has launched ‘SWIFT’● provides a single-point interface for clearance and is expected to reduce documentation

and costs

MARKET INFRASTRUCTURE INSTITUTIONS (MIIs)● The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has floated a discussion paper on

review of ownership and governance norms to facilitate new entrants to set up stockexchanges and depositories, otherwise called as market infrastructure institutions (MIIs).

● As per the key proposals, a resident promoter setting up an MII may hold up to 100%shareholding, which will be brought down to not more than (either 51% or 26%) in 10years.

● A foreign promoter from Financial Action Task Force FATF member jurisdictions settingup an MII may hold up to 49% shareholding, which shall be brought down to not morethan (either 26% or 15%) in 10 years.

● Foreign individuals or entities from other than FATF member jurisdictions may acquire orhold up to 10% in an MII.

● Any person other than the promoter may acquire or hold less than 25% shareholding.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) (Amendment) Act, 2020● Enactment: The IBC was enacted in 2016.● Objective:

○ To streamline and speed up the resolution process of failed businesses.○ To consolidate provisions of the existing legislative framework to form a common

forum for debtors and creditors of all classes to resolve insolvency.○ To stipulate that the resolution process of a stressed company will have to be

completed in a maximum of 270 days.● Threshold Amount for Invoking Insolvency:

○ In March 2020, the government raised the threshold for invoking insolvencyunder the IBC to Rs. 1 crore from Rs. 1 lakh with a view to prevent triggering of



such proceedings against small and medium enterprises that are facing the heatof the Covid-19 pandemic.

● Institutions to Facilitate Resolution of Insolvency:○ Insolvency Professionals: These professionals administer the resolution process,

manage the assets of the debtor, and provide information for creditors to assistthem in decision making.

○ Insolvency Professional Agencies: The agencies conduct examinations to certifythe insolvency professionals and enforce a code of conduct for theirperformance.

○ Information Utilities: Creditors will report financial information of the debt owed tothem by the debtor. Such information will include records of debt, liabilities anddefaults.

● Adjudicating Authorities:○ The proceedings of the resolution process is adjudicated by the NCLT, for

companies; and the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), for individuals.○ The duties of the authorities will include approval to initiate the resolution

process, appoint the insolvency professional, and approve the final decision ofcreditors.

● Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board:○ The Board regulates insolvency professionals, insolvency professional agencies

and information utilities set up under the Code.○ The Board consists of representatives of the Reserve Bank of India, and the

Ministries of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Law.


What is Section 32A of IBC ?

● Section 32A provides that Corporate Debtor shall not be prosecuted for an offencecommitted prior to commencement of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP)once Resolution Plan has been approved by Adjudicating Authority (AA).

● The section further provides that no action shall be taken against property of CorporateDebtor covered under such a Resolution Plan.

Shadow Entrepreneurs● Shadow entrepreneurs are individuals who manage a business that sells legitimate

goods and services but they do not register their businesses.● This means that they do not pay tax, operating in a shadow economy where business

activities are performed outside the reach of government authorities.● Types of businesses include unlicensed taxicab services, roadside food stalls and small

landscaping operations.● In a study of 68 countries, the Imperial College Business School found that after

Indonesia, India has the second highest rate of shadow entrepreneurs.



National Startup Advisory Council● Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the

‘National Startup Advisory Council’ in 2020.● It would advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for

nurturing innovation and startups in the country.● Composition of the Council:

○ Chairman: Minister for Commerce & Industry.○ Convener of the Council: Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry

and Internal Trade.○ Ex-officio Members: Nominees of the concerned ministries/ Departments/

Organisations not below the rank of Joint Secretary.○ Non-official members, to be nominated by the Central Government, from

various categories like founders of successful startups, veterans who have grownand scaled companies in India, persons capable of representing the interests ofinvestors into startups, etc. The term of the non-official members will be for aperiod of two years.

● Functions: The council will facilitate public organizations to assimilate innovation toimprove public service delivery, promote creation, protection and commercialization ofintellectual property rights.

WE Hub: Women Entrepreneurs Hub● WE Hub recently announced its partnership with i-Hub.

What is we Hub?:● WE Hub is Women Entrepreneurs Hub. It is a startup incubator, that is, it provides an

environment for the women entrepreneurs to grow their business.● Aims to support women entrepreneurs with solutions, innovative ideas and entitles to

focus on emerging areas.● It also supports unexplored and under explored sectors along with service sectors.● The main goal of WE Hub is to eliminate financial and societal barriers for women.● I-Hub operates under Government of Gujarat. WE Hub operates under Government of

Telangana.

i-Hub● i-Hub is Student Startup and Innovation Hub.● It aims to develop end-to-end innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state of

Gujarat.● Also, it provides amenities such as futuristic and advanced technology labs,

techno-commercial mentoring, networking and regulatory and advisory services.● It was created under the Student Startup and Innovation Policy of Gujarat.

Tampon tax● Recently, the United Kingdom has begun 2021 by abolishing the “tampon tax”.



● The UK was a part of the EU, where period products such as sanitary napkins andtampons are classified as non-essential, and member states are required to levy a 5 percent tax on them.

● In 2015, the Conservative Party government had established a ‘Tampon Tax Fund’ whichallocated the funds generated from VAT on period products to projects supportingvulnerable women and girls.

India Innovation Index 2020 by NITI Aayog● Released by NITI Aayog● The first edition of the index was launched in October 2019.● The index attempts to create an extensive framework for the continual evaluation of the

innovation environment of states and union territories in India and intends to perform thefollowing three functions:

○ Ranking of states and UTs based on their index scores.○ Recognizing opportunities and challenges.○ Assisting in tailoring governmental policies to foster innovation.

● Two dimensions – Enablers and Performance○ The Enablers are the factors that underpin innovative capacities, grouped in five

pillars: (1) Human Capital, (2) Investment, (3) Knowledge Workers, (4) BusinessEnvironment, and (5) Safety and Legal Environment.

○ The Performance dimension captures benefits that a nation derives from theinputs, divided in two pillars: (6) Knowledge Output and (7) Knowledge Diffusion.

● Performance of various states:○ Top States: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala○ Bottom States: Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar○ UT and City–States è Delhi has retained its first rank in this category followed by

Chandigarh.

Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)● SOFR is a secured interbank overnight interest rate and reference rate.● It is based on the Treasury repurchase market (repo), Treasuries loaned or borrowed

overnight.● It is a replacement for USD LIBOR (London Inter-bank Offered Rate) that may be

phased out end-2021.● The overnight rate is generally the interest rate that large banks use to borrow and lend

from one another in the overnight market.● The secured overnight financing rate (SOFR) is based on data from observable

transactions rather than on estimated borrowing rates, as is sometimes the case withLIBOR.



National Road Safety Council● It is an advisory body which was established under section 215 of the Motor Vehicles

Act, 1988.● Its main objective is to improve road safety aspects in road transport sector.● The Council is chaired by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways.

Spices Board:● Spices Board is a body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.● It was constituted in 1987 under the Spices Board Act, 1986 by merging the Cardamom

Board and the Spices Export Promotion Council.● The Spices Board is one of the five commodity boards functioning under the Commerce

Ministry.● It is an autonomous body responsible for the promotion of the 52 scheduled spices and

the development of small and large cardamom.

Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)● A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the

Companies Act, 1956● These are establishments that provide financial services and banking facilities without

meeting the legal definition of a Bank.Features of NBFCs

● NBFC cannot accept demand deposits.● NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue

cheques drawn on itself.● Deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not

available to depositors of NBFCs.Types of Non- Banking Financial Institutions

● Mutual Funds● Insurance Companies● Hedge Fund● Venture Capital Firms● Merchant Banks● Finance Companies● Micro Finance Institutions (MFI)● Vulture Funds● Leasing Companies

Non-Convertible Debentures● Debentures are long-term financial instruments that are issued by companies to borrow

money.



● Some debentures have a feature of convertibility into shares after a certain point of timeat the discretion of the debenture holder.

● The debentures which cannot be converted into shares are called non-convertibledebentures (or NCDs).

● There are two types of NCDs-secured and unsecured.○ Secured: A secured NCD is backed by the assets of the company. If the

company fails to pay the obligation, the investor holding the debenture can claimthat through liquidation of those assets.

○ Unsecured: Contrary to secured NCD, there is no backing in unsecured NCDs ifthe company defaults.

‘Off-budget borrowing’● Off-budget borrowings are loans that are taken not by the Centre directly, but by another

public institution which borrows on the directions of the central government.● Such borrowings are used to fulfil the government’s expenditure needs.● But since the liability of the loan is not formally on the Centre, the loan is not included in

the national fiscal deficit.

Fiscal deficit:● It is essentially the gap between what the central government spends and what it earns.● In other words, it is the level of borrowings by the Union government.● This fiscal deficit is the most important metric to understand the financial health of any

government’s finances.

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)● It integrates land use and transport planning and aims to develop planned sustainable

urban growth centers, having walkable and livable communes with high density mixedland-use.

● A TOD typically includes a central transit stop (such as a train station, or light rail or busstop) surrounded by a high-density mixed-use area, with lower-density areas spreadingout from this center.

● Need of TOD: Factors such as rapidly growing population, Urbanization, migration tocities, and traffic congestion etc.

● Benefits: Higher quality of life with better places to live, work, and play, greater mobilitywith ease of moving around, reduced traffic congestion, car accidents and injuries,reduced household spending on transportation, resulting in more affordable housing etc.

National Mission for Edible Oil (NMEO)● Aim: To increase the domestic availability and reduce the import dependency.● The mission has been proposed for next five years in the span of 2020-21 to 2024-25.



● The NMEO comprises of the three Sub-Missions into it with the objective of increasingthe production of oilseeds and edible oils from the three sources:

○ Primary Sources- it includes the Annual Crops, Plantation Crops and EdibleTBOs

○ Secondary Sources- it includes the Rice bran oil and Cotton seed oil.○ Consumer Awareness to maintain the edible oil consumption constant at 19.00

kg per person per annum.

What is Economic Survey ?● The economic survey for 2020-2021 will be tabled in the parliament on January 29, 2021

days before the presentation of Union Budget on February 1, 2021.● The Economic Survey is a flagship annual document that reviews the development in the

Indian economy.● The survey reviews the development of economy over the past fiscal year and presents

a holistic preview of the Budget.● It is released by the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance.● The survey is prepared by the country’s Chief Economic Advisor and tabled in both

houses of Parliament one day before the budget presentation.● The document is also discussed by the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) and his team

during a press conference.● Significance: The document helps in reviewing the development of the Indian economy

over the past year. It also summarises the performance on major development programsbesides highlighting the policy initiatives of the central government. The economicsurvey also projects the India’s GDP growth for the next fiscal and suggests measures toboost the growth.

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme:● Aim: It seeks to encourage people to buy gold bonds instead of actual gold.● Issuer: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issues these bonds on behalf of the central

government.Features:

● The gold bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram (s) of gold with a basic unit ofone gram while the minimum investment limit is two grams.

● The maximum subscription is 500 grams per person per fiscal (April-March) and for jointholders, the limit will be applied on the first holder.

● The gold bonds will be sold only to resident Indian entities including individuals, Hinduundivided families, trusts, universities, and charitable institutions.

● The bond tenure is eight years with exit option beginning the fifth year onwards. They willalso be tradable.

● These bonds can also be used as collateral for loans.




Revamped Gold Metal Loan Scheme (GML)● It is a mechanism under which a jewellery manufacturer borrows gold metal instead of

rupees and settles the GML with the sale proceeds obtained.● GML can be availed for 180 days in case of domestic jewellery manufacturers and for

270 days in case of exports.● Amendments are also being planned in the GML scheme.● Issue of Liquidity: According to the Scheme, the banks can lend or sell gold to jewellers

or other banks that are part of the Scheme.○ However, a cash deposit can be given to anybody. But a gold deposit can only go

to those looking specifically for gold.○ Thus, there is a chance of banks finding it difficult to match gold borrowers with

gold depositors.○ That means there could be a situation where banks don’t have enough interest

accruing to them to cater to the interest they have to pay gold depositors.

Future Investment Initiative● The Future Investment Initiative (FII) is an annual investment forum held in Riyadh,

Saudi Arabia, to discuss trends in the world economy and investment environment. ◎● Hosted by: Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF). The first event was held in

2017.● Purpose of 4th FII : To find solutions on how business and government can expand

access to healthcare, train healthcare workers, remove regulatory barriers andencourage investment in advanced health technologies.

World Gold Council● The World Gold Council (WGC) is a non-profit association of the world's leading gold

producers.● It works across all parts of the industry, from gold mining to investment, and their aim is

to stimulate and sustain demand for gold.● It is an association whose members comprise the world’s leading gold mining

companies.● It helps to support its members to mine in a responsible way and developed the Conflict

Free Gold Standard.● Headquartered in the UK, they have offices in India, China, Singapore, Japan and the

United States.

Bare Necessities Index● This index is a means of assessing equity in economic development among states and

regions in India. It uses the basic needs approach.



● Indicators: This index uses 26 indicators on five dimensions of basic necessities— water,sanitation, housing, micro-environment, and other facilities.

● Data Collection: The index has been created for all states based on data collected bythe National Statistical Office(NSO) in 2012 and 2018.

● Range:The index classifies areas on three levels of access — high, medium, low — tobare necessities. The index has a range of 0 to 1 where 1 represents the best accessto the basic necessities

Key takeaways● Performance of States : States such as Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat top the

index. While eastern Indian States of Odisha,Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Tripura haveoccupied the lowest positions.

● Inter-State disparity in access to the basic necessities has declined in 2018, whencompared to 2012.

● Richer vs Poorer States : The Poorer States have reduced the gap with rich States inproviding access to the basics of daily life housing, water, power, sanitation, cooking gas.

Start-up India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)● The scheme will be launched with a corpus of Rs 945 crore.● Aim of providing the financial assistance to start-ups for the product trials, market-entry,

proof of concept, prototype development and commercialization.● The funds under SISFS will be disbursed through the selected incubators across the

country.● The scheme will be in mission mode for the year 2021-25.● The official notification on the launch of SISFS was released by the Department for

Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).● The overall execution and monitoring of the SISFS will be done by the DPIIT. The DPIIT

will form an Experts Advisory Committee (EAC) to look after the same.● The Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) will evaluate and select the incubators in order to

allot the Seed Funds, take all required measures for efficient utilization of funds and tomonitor the progress.

● The seed support will be provided only once to any start-up.



Indian Polity.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana● Why in news?: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas recently announced that

more than 14 crores of free of cost cylinders have been provided under Pradhan MantriUjjwala Yojana to the beneficiaries of the scheme during covid-19 crisis.

About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:● Aim: To provide LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) connections to poor households.● Key features: A deposit-free LPG connection is given to eligible with financial

assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre.● Target: The scheme gained traction with its ambit being expanded to include 80 million

poor families from the earlier target of 50 million families with an additional allocation ofRs4,800 crore.

● Eligibility criteria:○ Applicant must a woman above the age of 18 and a citizen of India.○ Applicant should belong to a BPL (Below Poverty Line) household.○ No one in the applicant’s household should own an LPG connection.○ The household income of the family, per month, must not exceed a certain limit

as defined by the government of the Union Territories and State Government.○ Applicant must not be a recipient of other similar schemes provided by the

government.● Objectives of the scheme are:

○ Empowering women and protecting their health.○ Reducing the serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil

fuel.○ Reducing the number of deaths in India due to unclean cooking fuel.○ Preventing young children from significant number of acute respiratory illnesses

caused due to indoor air pollution by burning the fossil fuel.


How are LPG prices fixed in India?● The LPG pricing in India is done on the basis of Import Parity Price.● The Import Parity price is determined based on LPG prices in the international market.● It is based on LPG prices of Aramco of Saudi Arabia.● It also includes free on-board prices, custom duty, Ocean freight charges, insurance, port

dues, etc. The retail selling price of the non-subsidised LPG cylinder include the cost ofInland right, GST, bottling charges, marketing costs and margins charged by the OilCompanies, dealer Commission.

● Therefore, a weak performing rupee will also lead to higher prices of LPG in India. Thecurrent price rise in the recent past few months is due to this reason.



What is Import Parity Price?● According to the United Nations World Food Programme, the Import Parity Price is the

price at the border of a goods being imported.● It includes International transport cost and tariffs.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960● Objective: to “prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals”.● The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) was established in 1962 under Section 4 of

the Act.● This Act provides for punishment for causing unnecessary cruelty and suffering to

animals. The Act defines animals and different forms of animals.● Discusses different forms of cruelty, exceptions, and killing of a suffering animal in case

any cruelty has been committed against it, so as to relieve it from further suffering.● Provides the guidelines relating to experimentation on animals for scientific purposes.● The Act enshrines the provisions relating to the exhibition of the performing animals, and

offences committed against the performing animals.● This Act provides for the limitation period of 3 months beyond which no prosecution shall

lie for any offences under this Act.● The 2017 Rules allow a Magistrate to forfeit the cattle of an owner facing trial under the

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.● The animals are then sent to infirmaries, ‘gaushalas’, ‘pinjarapole’, etc. These authorities

can further give such animals for “adoption”.

Judicial Review● Judicial review is the power of Judiciary to review any act or order of Legislative and

Executive wings and to pronounce upon the constitutional validity when challenged bythe affected person.

Judicial review present in India:● The power of Judicial Review comes from the Constitution of India itself (Articles 13, 32,

136, 142 and 147 of the Constitution).● The power of judicial review is evoked to protect and enforce the fundamental rights

guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution.● Article 13 of the Constitution prohibits the Parliament and the state legislatures from

making laws that “may take away or abridge the fundamental rights” guaranteed to thecitizens of the country.

● The provisions of Article 13 ensure the protection of the fundamental rights and considerany law “inconsistent with or in derogation of the fundamental rights” as void.

● Judicial review has two important functions, like, of legitimizing government action andthe protection of constitution against any undue encroachment by the gov ernment.

● Judicial review is considered a basic structure of the constitution (Indira Gandhi vs RajNarain Case 1975).



● Judicial review is also called the interpretational and observer roles of the Indianjudiciary.

● Suo Moto cases and the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), with the discontinuation of theprinciple of Locus Standi, have allowed the judiciary to intervene in many public issues,even when there is no complaint from the aggrieved party.


Judicial Overreach● The line between Judicial activism and Judicial Overreach is very narrow.● In simple terms, when Judicial activism crosses its limits and becomes Judicial

adventurism it is known as Judicial Overreach.● When the judiciary oversteps the powers given to it, it may interfere with the proper

functioning of the legislative or executive organs of government.

Constitutional Provisions for Judicial Review● There is no direct and express provision in the constitution empowering the courts to

invalidate laws, but the constitution has imposed definite limitations upon each of theorgans, the transgression of which would make the law void.

● The court is entrusted with the task of deciding whether any of the consti tutionallimitations has been transgressed or not.



● Some provisions in the constitution supporting the process of judicial review are:● Article 372 (1) establishes the judicial review of the pre-constitution legislation.● Article 13 declares that any law which contravenes any of the provisions of the part of

Funda mental Rights shall be void.● Articles 32 and 226 entrusts the roles of the protector and guarantor of fundamental

rights to the Supreme and High Courts.● Article 251 and 254 states that in case of inconsistency between union and state laws,

the state law shall be void.● Article 246 (3) ensures the state legislature’s exclusive powers on matters pertaining to

the State List.● Article 245 states that the powers of both Parliament and State legislatures are subject

to the provisions of the constitution.● Articles 131-136 entrusts the court with the power to adjudicate disputes between

individuals, between individuals and the state, between the states and the union; but thecourt may be required to interpret the provisions of the constitution and the interpretationgiven by the Supreme Court becomes the law honoured by all courts of the land.

● Article 137 gives a special power to the SC to review any judgment pronounced or ordermade by it. An order passed in a criminal case can be reviewed and set aside only ifthere are errors apparent on the record.

Vertical and horizontal reservations● Vertical reservation:

○ Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other BackwardClasses is referred to as vertical reservation.

○ It applies separately for each of the groups specified under the law.

● Horizontal reservation○ refers to the equal opportunity provided to other categories of beneficiaries such

as women, veterans, the transgender community, and individuals with disabilities,cutting through the vertical categories.

How are the two categories of quotas applied together?● The horizontal quota is applied separately to each vertical category, and not across the

board.● For example, if women have 50% horizontal quota, then half of the selected candidates

will have to necessarily be women in each vertical quota category i.e., half of all selectedSC candidates will have to be women, half of the unreserved or general category willhave to be women, and so on.

Constitutional Provisions Governing Reservation in India

● Article 15(3) allows protective discrimination in favour of women.



● Article 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution enabled the State and Central Governments toreserve seats in government services for the members of the SC and ST.

● The Constitution was amended by the Constitution (77th Amendment) Act, 1995 and anew clause (4A) was inserted in Article 16 to enable the government to providereservation in promotion.

● Recently, the Supreme Court of India has said that reservation of seats provided tocertain communities is not a fundamental right.

● Later, clause (4A) was modified by the Constitution (85th Amendment) Act, 2001 toprovide consequential seniority to SC and ST candidates promoted by givingreservation.

● Constitutional 81st Amendment Act, 2000 inserted Article 16 (4 B) which enables thestate to fill the unfilled vacancies of a year which are reserved for SCs/STs in thesucceeding year, thereby nullifying the ceiling of fifty percent reservation on total numberof vacancies of that year.

● Article 330 and 332 provides for specific representation through reservation of seats forSCs and STs in the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies respectively.

● Article 243D provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Panchayat.● It also provides for the reservation of not less than one-third of the total number of seats

for women (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the SCs andSTs).

● Article 233T provides reservation of seats for SCs and STs in every Municipality.● Article 335 of the Constitution says that the claims of SCs and STs shall be taken into

consideration constituently with the maintenance of efficacy of the administration.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 9th Dec● Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January to mark the contribution of

Overseas Indian community in the development of India.● Ttheme was "Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat".● the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs and provides an important platform

to engage and connect with the overseas Indians.● The theme of 16th PBD Convention 2021: “Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

Why PBD is celebrated on January 9 ?● January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in

1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, ledIndia’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.

Significance● These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with

the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficialactivities.

● These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indiancommunity residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share theirexperiences in various fields.




Initiatives for Indian Diaspora:

Vande Bharat Mission● Vande Bharat Mission is the biggest evacuation exercise to bring back Indian citizens

stranded abroad amidst the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions.● in which more than 45 lakh Indians were rescued during Corona times.

Operation Samudra Setu● The program named Samudra Setu by Indian navy entails to bring back around two

thousand Indians in two ships during the first phase of evacuation.● INS Jalashwa and INS Magar are being operated as part of efforts to repatriate Indian

nationals from foreign shores.

Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY)● Skill development scheme of the Ministry of External Affairs,● Aimed at enhancing the skill set of potential emigrant workers in select sectors and job

roles in line with international standards.● It will be implemented by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) through its

training partners and in consultation with the Union Ministry of External Affairs and theUnion Skill Development Ministry.

Global Pravasi Rishta Portal● Launched by Minister of State for External Affairs● Aims to connect with Indian Diaspora across the world.● The portal will act as a dynamic communication platform between the Pravasis of India.● The mobile app will be used by the diaspora and the Indian nationals, while the portal

web interface will be used by the missions.● The portal is going to facilitate the Indian government to connect with the overseas

Indian community.

Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit:● It aims to bring out comprehensive roadmap to leverage the expertise and

knowledge of global Indian researcher for solving emerging challenges● VAIBHAV Summit is a collaborative initiative by S&T and Academic Organisations

of India to enable deliberations on thought process, practices and R&D culture with aproblem solving approach for well defined objectives

Tenth Schedule:● The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment

Act.● Popularly referred to as the ‘Anti-Defection Law’



● It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defectionby the Presiding Officer of a legislature.

● The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.

Provisions under Anti-Defection Law

Grounds for Disqualification:● If a member of a House belonging to a political party:

○ Voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party, or○ Votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by

his political party without obtaining prior permission of such party and such acthas not been condoned by the party within 15 days.

● If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election.● If a nominated member joins a party six months after he becomes a member of the

legislature.

Exceptions under the Law:● In the situation where two-thirds of the legislators of a political party decide to merge into

another party, neither the members who decide to join nor the ones who stay with theoriginal party will face disqualification.

● Any person elected as chairman or speaker can resign from his party, and rejoin theparty if he demits that post.

● Earlier, the law allowed parties to be split, but at present, this has been outlawed.

Deciding Authority● Any question regarding disqualification arising out of defection is to be decided by the

presiding officer of the House.

Decision of the Presiding Officer is Subject to Judicial Review:● In the Kihoto Hollohan case (1993), the Supreme Court declared that while deciding a

question under the 10th Schedule, the presiding officer should function as a tribunal.● Hence, his/her decision (like that of any other tribunal) was subject to judicial review on

the grounds of mala fides, perversity, etc.

Demand for Autonomous State within Assam● Article 244: This article deals with the administration of the Scheduled and Tribal Areas.

○ It defines Scheduled Areas as the areas defined so by the President of India andare mentioned in the fifth schedule of the Constitution.

● Article 244A: Formation of an autonomous state comprising certain tribal areas in Assamand creation of local legislature or Council of Ministers or both therefore.

● The appeal to the Centre has been for the creation of an autonomous State for the KarbiAnglong region.

● This has been a demand since 1986.



● The districts are currently governed by two autonomous councils Karbi Anglong andNorth Cachar hills.


Administration of Scheduled and Tribal Areas:● There are two schedules (5th and 6th) of the Indian Constitution which entail the details

about the control and management of the Scheduled and Tribal Areas.● Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution:

○ The provisions regarding the administration and control of Scheduled and TribalAreas of any state except the four states (Assam, Meghalaya,Tripura, Mizoram)are mentioned under this schedule.

○ At present, 10 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, HimachalPradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan andTelangana have Fifth Schedule Areas.

● Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution○ This schedule deals with the administration and control of the scheduled and

tribal areas of the four states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram.

How a US President can be impeached?● Impeachment is a provision that allows Congress to remove the President of the United

States.Under the US Constitution:

● The House of Representatives (Lower House) has the “the sole power of impeachment”while the Senate (Upper House) has “the sole power to try all impeachments”.

● The Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court has the duty of presiding over impeachmenttrials in the Senate.

● Grounds for impeachment:○ The President can be removed from office for “treason, bribery, or other high

crimes and misdemeanors”.○ Essentially, it means an abuse of power by a high-level public official. This does

not necessarily have to be a violation of an ordinary criminal statute.○ Historically, in the US, it has encompassed corruption and other abuses,

including trying to obstruct judicial proceedings..

Question Hour● The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is termed as Question hour.● During this one hour, Members of Parliament (MPs) ask questions to ministers and hold

them accountable for the functioning of their ministries.● The questions can also be asked to the private members (MPs who are not ministers).● Regulation : It is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure of the House.



● The presiding officers of the both Houses (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha) are the finalauthority with respect to the conduct of Question Hour.

● Kinds of Questions: There are three types of questions asked.1. Starred question (distinguished by an asterisk)- this requires an oral answer andhence supplementary questions can follow.2. Unstarred question- this requires a written answer and hence, supplementaryquestions cannot follow.3. Short notice question is one that is asked by giving a notice of less than ten days. It isanswered orally.

● Frequency : Question Hour in both Houses is held on all days of the session. But thereare two days when an exception is made.

○ When the President addresses MPs from both Houses.○ The President’s speech takes place at the beginning of a new Lok Sabha and on

the first day of a new Parliament year.○ On the day the Finance Minister presents the Budget.

Zero Hour● Zero Hour is an Indian parliamentary innovation. It is not mentioned in the parliamentary

rules book.● Under this, MPs can raise matters without any prior notice.● The zero hour starts immediately after the question hour and lasts until the agenda for

the day (i.e. regular business of the House) is taken up.○ In other words, the time gap between the question hour and the agenda is known

as zero hour.

Aadhar Bill as Money Bill:● Section 7 of Aadhaar Act provided that the expenditure for subsidy, services or benefits

under welfare schemes would be met from the Consolidated Fund of India. Because ofthis, the bill was qualified to be categorised as a money bill.

What is a Money Bill ?● A Money Bill is one that contains provisions for taxes, appropriation of funds etc.● Money Bills can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha cannot make

amendments to such bills passed by the Lok Sabha.● The Rajya Sabha can suggest amendments, but it is the Lok Sabha’s choice to accept or

reject them.● Under Article 110(1), a Bill is deemed to be a money Bill if it deals only with matters

specified in Article 110 (1) (a) to (g) — taxation, borrowing by the government andappropriation of money from the Consolidated Fund of India among others.



● According to Article 110 (3) of the Constitution, “if any question arises whether a Bill is aMoney Bill or not, the decision of the Speaker of the House of the People thereon shallbe final.”

MGIEP● Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development

(MGIEP)● MGIEP is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s

(UNESCO's) category 1 Research Institute.● UNESCO’s Category 1 institutes build scientific capacity in Member States, essentially in

developing countries.● Establish: It was established by UNESCO in cooperation with the Government of India in

2012.● Working : It will support member governments, provide advocacy, commission research

and enhance capacity building.○ It focuses on mobilising the world’s youth to put into practice in their own

communities the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.○ It will act as a clearing house for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

and Peace Education.● Both MGIEP and UNESCO will play a major role in the implementation of the National

Educational Policy -2020.

Law Commission● Status : The Law Commission of India is a non- statutory body constituted by the

Government of India from time to time.● Background : The Commission was originally constituted in 1955 and is re-constituted

every three years.● The first such Commission was established in 1834 under the Charter Act of 1833 under

the Chairmanship of Lord Macaulay.● The First Law Commission of Independent India was established in 1955 under the

Chairmanship of the then Attorney-General of India, M. C.Setalvad.● Composition: The 22nd Law Commission will consist of –

○ a full-time Chairperson;○ Four full-time Members (including Member-Secretary);○ Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs as ex-officio Member;○ Secretary, Legislative Department as ex officio Member; and○ Not more than five part-time Members.

Mandate :● The Law Commission shall, on a reference made to it by the Central Government or

suo-motu, undertake research in law and review of existing laws in India for makingreforms therein and enacting new legislations.



● It shall also undertake studies and research for bringing reforms in the justice deliverysystems for elimination of delay in procedures, speedy disposal of cases, reduction incost of litigation etc.

North East Council● The North Eastern Council is the nodal agency for the economic and social development

of the North Eastern Region.● States : It consists of the eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,

Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.● It was constituted in 1971 by an Act of Parliament.● The constitution of the Council has marked the beginning of a new chapter of concerted

and planned endeavour for the rapid development of the Region.● Composition : The Union Home Minister is ex-officio Chairman and the MoS(IC)

DoNER is the ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the NEC.● Working: It is an apex level advisory Body, for securing balanced and coordinated

development and facilitating effective co-ordination among the members of NEC.● Significance of North East Council (NEC) : The NEC has been working to raise

livelihoods in the North-East besides launching several projects, which shows howimportant the role of NEC is.

Indian Telegraph Act, 1885● It governs the use of wired and wireless telegraphy, telephones, teletype, radio

communications and digital data communications.● It gives the Government of India exclusive jurisdiction and privileges for establishing,

maintaining, operating, licensing and oversight of all forms of wired and wirelesscommunications within Indian territory.

● It also authorizes government law enforcement agencies to monitor/interceptcommunications and tap phone lines under conditions defined within the IndianConstitution.

● Section 5(2) of the act allows central and state governments to prevent the transmissionof messaging during a “public emergency or in the interest of public safety”, or “in theinterests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state”.

Bharat Parv 2021● The annual event Bharat Parv that celebrates the spirit of India is being organised

virtually from January 26, 2021 till January 31, 2021.● Bharat Parv is being organised with the overall theme focusing on the Aatmanirbhar

Bharat and Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.About Bharat Parv:

● The Bharat Parv is organized by the Ministry of Tourism every year.● It was started in the year 2016.



● The event is organised in front of the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion ofRepublic Day Celebrations.

● The events are organised with the aim of generating patriotic fervour. It also showcasesthe rich and varied cultural of India.

India Justice Report 2020● Prepared by the Tata Trusts in collaboration with the Centre for Social Justice, Common

Cause, DAKSH, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and the Commonwealth Human RightsInitiative has been released recently.

● The Report assesses the capacity of various states to deliver justice.● The report analysed expenditure, vacancies, representation of women, human

resources, infrastructure, workload, diversity across 18 large and medium-sized stateswith a population of over 1 crore and 7 small states.

Overall Ranking:● The overall ranking is a result of a state’s ranking across the four pillars of justice

delivery system - Judiciary, Police, Prisons and Legal aid.● Maharashtra was ranked topmost among 18 states for the second time in a row, followed

by Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Uttar Pradesh remains last.● Amongst the smaller states, Goa remained at the top and Arunachal Pradesh at the

bottom.● Women Ratio in Judiciary:

○ Overall, only 29% judges in High Courts across the country are women, but nostate except Sikkim has over 20% women judges.

○ Four states - Bihar, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Meghalaya have no woman judgesin high courts.

● Women Ratio in Police Force: Bihar leads the list of 25 states for employing mostwomen in its police force which is 25.3%.

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020● Released by Transparency International.● It is a composite index that draws from 12 surveys to rank nations around the globe.● It has become a benchmark gauge of perceptions of corruption and is used by analysts

and investors.● The index highlights the concern of persistent corruption in the health care systems and

contributing in weakening of democracy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.● How are the countries ranked?

○ It ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sectorcorruption, according to experts and business people.

○ It uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.● Key Points:

○ Denmark and New Zealand topped the list with scores of 88, followed by Finland,Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland (85 each).



○ Somalia and South Sudan rank lowest at 179th position with scores of 12.○ Indian Scenario :

■ India has slipped six places to 86th among 180 countries in the corruptionperception index (CPI) in 2020.

■ India was ranked at 80th position out of 180 countries in 2019.■ India is still very low on the corruption index.


Transparency International:● A global movement working in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption.● It is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit.● Founded in 1993 and Based in Berlin.



Social Issues.

Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India)● Launched in 2019, the challenge is undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Urban (PMAY-U).● Aims to identify and mainstream a basket of innovative technologies from across the

globe for the housing construction sector that are sustainable, eco-friendly anddisaster-resilient.

● GHTC aims to fast-track the construction of affordable housing and meet the target ofconstructing 2 crore houses by 2022.

● GHTC focuses on identifying and mainstreaming proven demonstrable technologies forlighthouse projects and spotting potential future technologies for incubation andacceleration support through ASHA (Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators) —India.

● 3 Components of GHTC-India:○ Grand Expo and Conference: It is organized biennially to provide a platform to

all stakeholders associated with housing construction for the exchange ofknowledge and business.

○ Proven Demonstrable Technologies for the Construction of LighthouseProjects: These projects demonstrate the merits of the selected technologiesand serve as live laboratories for research, testing, technology transfer,increasing mass awareness and for mainstreaming them in the country. Thefunding for the LHPs is as per the guidelines of PMAY-U.

○ Potential Future Technologies for Incubation and Acceleration Support:Potential future technologies from India that are applicable to the housing sectorwill be supported and encouraged through the ASHA (Affordable SustainableHousing Accelerators) India program.


Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators - India (ASHA-India)● Aims to promote domestic research and entrepreneurship by providing incubation and

acceleration support to potential future technologies.● Under ASHA-India initiative, five ASHA-India Centers have been set up for providing

incubation and acceleration support.● The potential technology winners under acceleration support will be announced by the

Prime Minister.● The technologies, processes and materials identified through this initiative will provide a

major fillip to young creative minds, start-ups, innovators and entrepreneurs.

Light house projects● Under Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India)



● Implemented by Union Urban Ministry.● The LHPs are being constructed at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat), Chennai

(Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).● They comprise about 1000 houses at each location along with allied infrastructure

facilities.● These projects will demonstrate and deliver ready to live houses at an expedited pace

within twelve months, as compared to conventional brick and mortar construction, andwill be more economical, sustainable, of high quality and durability.

● Under the Light House Projects, people are provided sustainable housing consideringthe local climate and ecology.

● Under the project, cheap and strong houses are built using special techniques.● Advance Technologies used: These LHPs demonstrate a variety of technologies,

including Prefabricated Sandwich Panel System in LHP at Indore, Monolithic ConcreteConstruction using Tunnel Formwork etc.

● The entire carpet area of this project will be in 34.50 square meters.● Under this, 14-storey towers will be built.● A total of 1,040 flats are to be built. Each flat will be 415 square feet.

Drug Menace In India● The menace of drug addiction has spread fast among the youth of India.● India is sandwiched between two largest Opium producing regions of the world that is

the Golden triangle on one side and the Golden crescent on other.


Golden Triangle● It represents the region coinciding with the rural mountains of Myanmar, Laos, and

Thailand.● It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics

supply routes to Europe and North America.

Golden Crescent● This region of South Asia is a principal global site for opium production and distribution.● It comprises Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

Millennium Alliance:● It is an innovation-driven and impact-focused initiative● Objective : Leveraging collaborative resources to identify test and scale Indian

innovations that address global development solutions.● Significance ➔ The program has played an important role in providing funding, capacity

building and business development support to Indian social enterprises.



● A consortium of partners (Public-Private Partnership) including the Department ofScience and Technology, Govt. of India, United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI), UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), Facebookand Marico Innovation Foundation.

Anti-Drug Working Group BRICS● The group reaffirmed their commitments towards the Anti-Drug Conventions.● The meeting focused on misuse of technologies for drug trafficking( Darknet ).

Anti-Drug Action Plan 2020-21● Launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.● International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 26)● The plan includes identification of drug dependent population, awareness generation

programme, focus on treatment facilities● action plan includes: De-addiction facilities in Districts , drop-in centres for

addicts.Drug-free India campaign, Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCAs),


Government Initiatives to Tackle Drug Addiction:● It constituted the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016 and revived

the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.● Narcotics Control Bureau has been provided funds for developing a new software i.e.

Seizure Information Management System (SIMS) which will create a complete onlinedatabase of drug offences and offenders.

● The government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse”to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit traffic in NarcoticDrugs; rehabilitating addicts, and educating the public against drug abuse, etc.

● The government is also conducting a National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends ofdrug abuse in India through the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the helpof National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.

'Project Sunrise'● Launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016,● to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states in India, especially among

people injecting drugs.● The AIDS prevention special project aims to diagnose 90 per cent of such drug addicts

with HIV and put them under treatment by 2020.● Project Sunrise aims at bringing the people living with HIV/AIDS into the national

mainstream and create more awareness about the disease in these N-E states..● It will be implemented in the North East in addition to the existing projects of the National

AIDS Control Organization (NACO).



● The project has been sponsored by US based Centre for Disease Control and would beimplemented by Family Health International 360.

● North Eastern States like Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram account for highest adult(15-49 years) HIV prevalence in the country.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, (NDPS) 1985:● It prohibits a person from producing, possessing, selling, purchasing, transporting,

storing, and/or consuming any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.● The NDPS Act has since been amended thrice – in 1988, 2001 and 2014.● The Act extends to the whole of India and it applies also to all Indian citizens outside

India and to all persons on ships and aircraft registered in India.

Drug free India Campaign● Government has also announced the launch of the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, or Drug-Free

India Campaign which focuses on community outreach programs.


SunRISE mission:● The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE)● NASA has selected a new mission to study how the Sun generates and releases giant

space weather storms – known as solar particle storms – into planetary space.● Objectives of the mission:

○ To study how the Sun creates and releases giant solar particle storms.○ To help scientists understand the workings of the Solar System.

● The mission design relies on six solar-powered CubeSats to simultaneously observeradio images of low-frequency emission from solar activity and share them via NASA’sDeep Space Network.

School Bag Policy 2020● Released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).● The weight of the school bags, as per the policy, should be

○ 1.6 to 2.2 kg for students of Classes I and II,○ 1.7 to 2.5 kg for Classes III, IV and V,○ 2 to 3 kg for Classes VI and VII, 2.5 to 4 kg for Class VIII,○ 2.5 to 4.5 kg for Classes IX and X and○ 3.5 to 5 kg for Classes XI and XII.

● It lays down the guidelines on homework and weight of school bags for classes I to XII.○ School bags should not be more than 10% of the bodyweight of students across

classes I to X and there should be no bags in pre-primary students.



○ It recommends no homework up to class II and a maximum of two hours perweek for classes III to V, one hour a day for classes VI to VIII and two hours aday for classes IX and above.

● The Policy will also require schools to introduce infrastructural changes as students willnot be able to carry many books daily.

○ The schools need to provide lockers right from preschool to senior secondary toenable children to leave books in school and carry home only what is required.

● It adds that the teachers should take the responsibility of checking the weight of schoolbags of the students every three months on a day selected for the whole class and anyinformation about heavy bags should be communicated to the parents.

● It adds that files and thin/light exercise books should be preferred to thick/heavy ones.

NHRC recommendations on Manual Scavenging● Purpose: to achieve Zero Manual Scavenging in the country and and Nil sanitary

latrines.What are the recommendations?

● The rehabilitation process of manual scavengers should be linked to schemes. By thisthe manual scavengers can immediately start earning. The authorities should revisit tosee how their families or doing after rehabilitation.

● The compensation amount being paid as one-time cash assistance for the rehabilitationof manual scavengers should be enhanced to Rs 1 lakh. Currently, the one-time cashassistance of rehabilitation paid to manual scavengers is 40,000 rupees.

● The role of middlemen in making provisions such as direct benefit transfer forcollaboration with Non-Governmental organisations should be removed.

● Strict actions should be taken against local authorities for employing manual scavengers.A toll free number and mobile application for registration of complaint should belaunched.

● The National Crime Record Bureau should monitor the sewer deaths and include theirdeath in its report.

● The Ministry of Finance should designate a particular nationalized bank for each state toextend loans to the manual scavengers up to 10 lakhs of rupees.

● The National Safai Karmachari Finance and Development Corporation should providefinancial assistance to manual scavengers. This will help them startup working in thedomain of sanitation.

● The Government of India should plan adequately to facilitate investments in shiftingtowards Technology based sanitary cleaning. Also, the workers should be trained tooperate the technology.

● A Vigilance committee and a monetary mechanism should be established.● A police investigation officer with special training has to be deployed.



Khelo India Programme● Khelo India Programme is a national yojana/scheme for the development of sports in

India.● Launched by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports● Launched in the year 2018● It will be a Central Sector Scheme (Scheme implemented by the Central Government

machinery and 100% funding by the Union Government).● Program has been launched to improve the sports culture in India.● Aimed at mainstreaming sports as a tool for national development, economic

development, community development and individual development● It is a Pan India Sports Scholarship scheme covering the 1000 most deserving and

talented athletes across the sports discipline, every year.● Selected athletes will be entitled to a scholarship amount of Five Lakh Rupees for eight

consecutive years.● To enable the sportsman to pursue both studies and sports, the program aims at

identifying and promoting 20 Universities in the country as centres of sporting distinction.● The program strives to promote “Sports for Excellence” as well as “Sports for All”.● The Union Cabinet approved the execution of the revamped ‘Khelo India’ program by

consolidating the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan’ (formerly called the ‘Yuva Krida & KhelAbhiyan’), the ‘Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme’ and the National Sports TalentSearch System Programme’.

● Why in news?: launched the Assam Rifles Public School as a Khelo India Sports School.

Kamdhenu Gau-Vigyan Prachar-Prasar Exam● Announced by Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog.

○ Rastriya Kamdhenu Aayog is an agency under the Department of AnimalHusbandry and Dairying (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying)established for the protection of cows.

● The exam has been initiated for raising mass awareness about Indigenous cows amongyoung students and all citizens.

● It will also help make study materials about cow science available.● It will be conducted in four categories, primary, secondary, college and general public

levels.● The exam will be in Hindi, English and 12 regional languages.● There will be no fee for taking the exam.

National Programme for Health Care of Elderly● What is it ?: The programme is being implemented under the Non-Communicable

Disease (NCD) flexible pool within the overarching umbrella of the National HealthMission for Districts and below in the States.

● Vision:JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

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○ To provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term, comprehensive anddedicated care services to an Ageing population.

○ Creating a new “architecture” for Ageing.○ To build a framework to create an enabling environment for “a Society for all

Ages”.○ To promote the concept of Active and Healthy Ageing.

● Funding Pattern: The Centre bears 75% of the total budget and the State Governmentcontributes 25% of the budget, for activities up to district level.

● Eligible Beneficiary: All elderly People (above 60 Years) in the country.● Types of Benefits: Free, Specialized health care facilities exclusively for the elderly

people through the State health delivery system.#Target_shots Addition

Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) Wave-1 ReportAbout Report:

● Released by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare● It is a full scale national survey of scientific investigation of the health, economic, and

social determinants and consequences of population ageing in India. It wascommissioned in 2016.

Key findings:● In the 2011 census, the 60+ population accounted for 8.6% of India’s population,

accounting for 103 million elderly people.● Growing at around 3% annually, the number of elderly people will rise to 319 million in

2050.● 75% of the elderly people suffer from one or the other chronic disease. 40% of the

elderly people have one or the other disability and 20% have issues related to mentalhealth.

● The self-reported prevalence of diagnosed cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is 28%among older adults aged 45 and above.

G Kishan Reddy committee● Centre has decided to form a committee to protect the language, culture and land of

Ladakh and ensuring citizen's participation in the Union Territory's development.● Background : The decision to form the Committee came after Union Home Minister

Amit Shah met a 10-member delegation from Ladakh who expressed their views aboutthe need to protect Ladakh's unique cultural identity.

Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) Scheme● The Ministry of Education launched the IoE scheme in 2018.● Institutions of Eminence scheme has been launched in order to implement the

commitment of the Government to empower the Higher Educational Institutions and tohelp them become world class teaching and research institutions.



● The scheme was announced by the Finance Minister in his budget speech of 2016.● This will enhance affordable access to high quality education for ordinary Indians.● IoEs scheme: Launched in order to empower the Higher Educational Institutions and to

help them become world-class teaching and research institutions.● Objectives: To develop the capacity of the students and researchers to compete in the

global tertiary education marketplace through the acquisition and creation of advancedknowledge in those areas.

● As per scheme, 20 institutions were to be selected (10 public and 10 private ones ) thatwould enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.

● Why in news?: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has amended its regulations,allowing Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) to set up campuses abroad after receiving noobjection certificates from the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi● It is implemented as a central sector scheme by the Government of India.● This scheme was introduced to augment the source of income of many small and

marginal farmers.● Under the Scheme an amount of Rs.6000/- per year is transferred directly into the bank

accounts of the farmers, subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to higher incomestatus.

● The entire responsibility of identification of beneficiaries rests with the State / UTGovernments.

● The Scheme initially provided income support to all Small and Marginal Farmers’ familiesacross the country, holding cultivable land upto 2 hectares.

● Its ambit was later expanded w.e.f. 01.06.2019 to cover all farmer families in the countryirrespective of the size of their land holdings.

Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana ( MKSP )● It is a sub component of the Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM).● It seeks to improve the present status of women in Agriculture, and to enhance the

opportunities available to empower her.● MKSP recognizes the identity of “Mahila” as “Kisan” and strives to build the capacity of

women in the domain of agro-ecologically sustainable practices.● It has a clear vision to reach out to the poorest of poor households and expand the

portfolio of activities currently handled by the Mahila Kisan.● The focus of MKSP is on capacitating smallholders to adopt sustainable climate resilient

agro-ecology and eventually create a pool of skilled community professionals.

Office for International Affairs in Education institutions● The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently asked the higher education institutes

across the country to establish an office for international affairs.



About the Office of International Affairs● The Office of International Affairs will be an integral part of internationalisation of higher

education in India.● They will be responsible for academic and research collaborations with foreign institutes.● The Offices will act as a liaison body between foreign students and sponsoring agency.● It will address the grievances of foreign students.● The Office for International affairs will facilitate networking and extend all support to

foreign students to adapt to the country.● The office will disseminate information related to admission process among prospective

foreign students.● It will engage in promotional activities and brand campaigns abroad.● The Office will coordinate all matters related to welcoming and supporting foreign

students.

Rakshita:● It is a bike-based casualty transport emergency vehicle.● Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi based DRDO

laboratory, handed over Rakshita to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).● The bike ambulance will help in overcoming the problems faced by Indian security forces

and emergency healthcare providers.

NEP 2020: Implementation Plan for School Education● It is the third in the series of National Education Policies (1968 and 1986 modified in

1992) in India and is the first education policy of the 21st century.● NEP 2020 covers major reforms in wider spectrum of school education from pre-primary

to senior secondary.● The recommendations under NEP have varied timelines as the policy is made for next

20 years. Therefore, the implementation of NEP is being carried out in a phased manner.So far steps taken includes

● National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement (NISTHA), aninitiative to build capacities of teachers and school principals at the elementary stage.

● Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) Portal was launched to expandE-learning by providing access to a large number of curriculum linked e-content.

● Approval for setting up of the National Mission on Foundational Literacy and NumeracyMission.

● ’Manodarpan’ initiative for mental health and wellbeing of students aiming to provideemotional support and counselling to the students under distress.

● Development of Indian Sign Language dictionary (for deaf community ) for schooleducation has been proposed.

● Existing schemes, Samagra Shiksha, Mid Day Meal and Padhna Likhna Abhiyan arebeing aligned with the recommendations of NEP 2020.



● States and UTs are also constituting their own Task Force to steer implementation of theNEP

Project ECHO● Project ECHO began in 2003 as a healthcare initiative.● ECHO India is a not-for-profit organization operational since 2008 and working towards

both building capacity and extending access to speciality care for underservedcommunities.

● The organization was started with a mandate to replicate the impact of the telementoringmodel perfected by Project ECHO.

● Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) helps improve accessto preventive and specialty care for people living in remote or underserved areas in Indiaand Vietnam.

● ECHO started as a strategy for treating Hepatitis-C, and is now responsible for newlytrained experts in HIV, Malaria, Tuberculosis, addictions, mental health and many otherconditions.

Shramshakti Portal● Launched by The Union Minister of Tribal Affairs● It is a National Migration Support Portal.● It will record various data including demographic profile, livelihood options, skill mapping

and migration pattern.● It would effectively help in the smooth formulation of state and national level programs

for migrant workers.● The tribal migration repository, ShramShakti would be able to successful able to address

the data gap and empower migrant workers who generally migrate in search ofemployment and income generation.


Recent Government Initiatives to Help Migrant Workers:● ASEEM Portal:

○ The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched‘AtmaNirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)’ portal to helpskilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities.

● NMIS Dashboard:○ The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has developed an online

dashboard called ‘National Migrant Information System (NMIS)’.○ It would maintain a central repository of migrant workers and help in speedy

inter-state communication to facilitate the smooth movement of migrant workersto their native places.



National Girl Child Day ( 24 Jan )● The objective is to raise awareness on the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR).● The celebrations will also mark the anniversary of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP)

scheme.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP)● Launch and expansion: Launched in January, 2015 at Panipat in Haryana. All India

Expansion of BBBP covering all 640 districts (as per Census 2011) was launched atJhunjhunu, Rajasthan on 8th March 2018.

● It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health &Family Welfare and Human Resource Development.

● Implementation: A Central Sector Scheme with 100% financial assistance for Districtlevel component and the fund are directly released to the DC/DM’s account for smoothoperation of the Scheme.

● Objectives:○ Main Objective of the scheme is to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR)

and related issues of empowerment of women over a life-cycle continuum.○ The specific objectives of the scheme include preventing gender biased sex

selective elimination; ensuring survival and protection of the girl child andensuring education and participation of the girl child.

● Performance of BBBP Scheme:○ Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) has improved by 16 points from 918 (2014-15) to 934

(2019-20), as per the Health Management Information System (HMIS) data.○ ANC Registration: Percentage of 1st Trimester ANC (AnteNatal Care)

Registration has shown an improving trend from 61% in 2014-15 to 71% in2019-20.

○ Institutional Deliveries: Percentage of Institutional Deliveries has shown animproving trend from 87% in 2014-15 to 94% in 2019-20.

○ Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): GER of girls in the schools at secondary level hasimproved from 77.45 (2014-15) to 81.32 (2018-19) as per Unified DistrictInformation System for Education (UDISE) provisional data.


Others Steps Taken by Government

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana:● It is a small deposit scheme for the girl child launched as a part of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti

Padhao’ campaign.● A Sukanya Samriddhi Account can be opened any time after the birth of a girl till she

turns 10, with a minimum deposit of Rs 250 (Earlier it was Rs 1,000). In subsequentyears, a minimum of Rs 250 and a maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh can be deposited during theongoing financial year.



● The account can be opened in any post office or authorised branches of commercialbanks.

● The account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of its opening or till themarriage of the girl after she turns 18.

● To meet the requirement of her higher education expenses, partial withdrawal of 50% ofthe balance is allowed after she turns 18.

UJJAWALA Scheme:● It is a comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation

and Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

National Education Policy (NEP)-2020● It has introduced a “Gender Inclusion Fund’‘ for targeting the development of girl child.● The fund will focus on ensuring 100% enrollment of girls in schooling and a record

participation rate in higher education, decrease gender gaps at all levels, practicegender equity and inclusion in society.

KIRAN’ Scheme● The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has launched ‘Knowledge

Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN)’ Scheme to providevarious career opportunities to women scientists and technologists.

SERB Women Excellence Award● Program for Gender Advancement in S&T Institutions which started in 2020,● Aims to develop a Charter for Gender Equality in STEM with a focus on bringing about

transformational changes at the institutional level.● The project aims to create a new ecosystem based on building competencies of

institutions and provide them with ongoing mentoring support to achieve transformation.

‘Ayushman Bharat: Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (AB PM-JAY)● It was launched as the National Health Protection Mission and renamed later.● The world’s largest health insurance/ assurance scheme fully financed by the

government.Features of PM-JAY:

● It provides cover of 5 lakhs per family per year, for secondary and tertiary carehospitalization across public and private empaneled hospitals in India.

● Coverage: Over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable entitled families (approximately 50crore beneficiaries) are eligible for these benefits.

● Provides cashless access to health care services for the beneficiary at the point ofservice.

Eligibility:● No restrictions on family size, age or gender.



● All pre–existing conditions are covered from day one.● Covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post-hospitalization expenses

such as diagnostics and medicines.● Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country.● Services include approximately 1,393 procedures covering all the costs related to

treatment, including but not limited to drugs, supplies, diagnostic services, physician’sfees, room charges, surgeon charges, OT and ICU charges etc.

● Public hospitals are reimbursed for the healthcare services at par with the privatehospitals.

Bodos● Bodos are the single largest tribal community in Assam, making up over 5-6 per cent of

the state’s population. They have controlled large parts of Assam in the past.● The four districts in Assam — Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang — that constitute

the Bodo Territorial Area District (BTAD), are home to several ethnic groups.


The Bodoland dispute:● In 1966-67, the demand for a separate state called Bodoland was raised under the

banner of the Plains Tribals Council of Assam (PTCA), a political outfit.● In 1987, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) renewed the demand. “Divide Assam

fifty-fifty”, was a call given by the ABSU’s then leader, Upendra Nath Brahma.● The unrest was a fallout of the Assam Movement (1979-85), whose culmination — the

Assam Accord — addressed the demands of protection and safeguards for the“Assamese people”, leading the Bodos to launch a movement to protect their ownidentity.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar● Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is given under two categories:

○ Bal Shakti Puraskar, and○ Bal Kalyan Puraskar.

Bal Shakti Puraskar● It is given by the Government of India every year to recognize exceptional achievements

of children in various fields i.e., innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts& culture, sports and bravery.

● Eligibility : A child who is an Indian Citizen and residing in India and is between 5-18years of age.

● Award : A medal, a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000, book vouchers worth Rs.10,000, acertificate and citation.



● Background: It was instituted in 1996 as the National Child Award for ExceptionalAchievement, renamed from 2018 as Bal Shakti Puraskar.

Bal Kalyan Puraskar● Background : It was instituted in 1979 as the National Child Welfare Awards, renamed

from 2018 as Bal Kalyan Puraskar.● It is given as recognition to Individuals and Institutions, who have made an outstanding

contribution towards service for children in the field of child development, child protectionand child welfare.

● Eligibility: An individual who is an Indian Citizen and residing in India and should haveattained the age of 18 years or above (as on 31st August of respective year). She shouldhave worked for the cause of children for not less than 7 years.

● The institution should not be entirely funded by the government and should have beenin the field of child welfare for 10 years and performing consistently in the field.

● Award : Three awards are given in each of the two categories - Individual and Institution- along with cash prizes (Rs. 1,00, 000 and Rs. 5,00, 000 respectively).

STARS project● Strengthening Teaching-Learning And Results for States (STARS) project.● The STARS project would be implemented as a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under

the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education (MoE).● Supported by World Bank● The agreement has been signed with an aim of improving the quality and governance of

school education in six states of India.● The 6 Indian states include- Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan,

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Odisha.● Aim : To improve the overall monitoring and measurement activities in the Indian school

education system through interventions in selected states.● Coverage: The project covers 6 States: Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra,

Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Odisha.● Implementation :

○ At National level, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministryof Education(MOE) will be the main implementing agency.

○ At the State level, the project will be implemented through the integrated StateImplementation Society(SIS) for Samagra Shiksha.

PARAKH:● A major component of the project is the establishment of PARAKH (Performance

Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) as aNational Assessment Centre.

● Included in the National Education Policy 2020, this autonomous institution under theUnion Education Ministry will set norms for student assessment and evaluation for all



school boards across the country, most of which currently follow norms set by Stategovernments.

● It will also guide standardised testing to monitor learning outcomes at the State andnational levels, according to the NEP.

The Gender Park● The gender park was established by the government of Kerala in 2013.● It is an initiative that work towards gender equality and empowerment in Kerala.● The headquartered for the initiative is in the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.● The park has been set with its main focus on gender justice. The platform will provide an

environment for policy analysis, research, capacity development, advocacy, economicand social initiative. The park will be operational under the Department of Social Justice.This space is first of its kind across the world.

● Aim: The gender park was established with the aim of creating relevant interventions soas to address a range of gender-based issues. It includes both off-campus andon-campus activities and other projects that work to empower the individuals andcommunities.

International Relation, Organisation & Reports.

Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act● The United States recently passed the Malala Yousafzai Act for Pakistani Women.

Key Features:● The Act requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to

award at least 50% of scholarship to Pakistani women between 2020 and 2022.● It requires the USAID to leverage investments by Pakistani private sector in the United

States. This is being done to improve and expand access to education programs inPakistan.

● The act makes it mandatory for the USAID to brief the US Congress about the number ofscholarships provided under the programme

● The USAID has so far awarded more than 6000 scholarship to the young women ofPakistan since 2010.

● These scholarships help the Pakistani women to receive Higher Education in Pakistan.


United States Agency for International Development (USAID)● USAID is an independent agency of the US government that administers civilian foreign

aid and development assistance.● Created by John F Kennedy in 1961.



● The Agency’s aids are authorised by the US Congress.● It works chiefly in the areas of reducing poverty and furthering democratic governance.● Mission: On behalf of the American people, we promote and demonstrate democratic

values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.● Objective: To support partners to become self-reliant and capable of leading their own

development journeys.

A “solidarity and stability” deal● Gulf leaders have signed a “solidarity and stability” deal after leaders of Saudi Arabia

and Qatar publicly embraced, bringing Doha back into the regional fold after athree-year-long rift.

● Members of the GCC signed a deal in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia to remove all the sanctionsover Qatar and re-open their land, sea and air borders to Qatar.

○ Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE are the members of GCC.● Reasons of Sanctions on Qatar:

○ Qatar was charged to be too close to Iran and backed radical Islamist groups.○ The country was alleged to support and fund terror through its support of Iran and

Muslim Brotherhood (a Sunni Islamist political group outlawed by both SaudiArabia and the UAE).


Gulf Cooperation Council● Political and economic alliance of countries in the Arabian Peninsula.● Established in 1981 to foster socioeconomic, security, and cultural cooperation.● Members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

(UAE). All these member the Persian Gulf Region.

World Food Price Index: FAO● Introduced in 1996● A public good to help in monitoring developments in the global agricultural commodity

markets.● The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) is a measure of the monthly change in international

prices of a basket of food commodities.● It measures changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.● Base Period: 2014-16.● The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index averaged 107.5 points

in December 2020, up 2.3 points from November 2020.




Food and Agriculture Organization● FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to

defeat hunger.● Headquarters : Rome, Italy.● Founded : 16 October 1945.● World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16th October.● India released a commemorative coin of Rs. 75 denomination to mark the 75th

Anniversary of the FAO (16th October 2020).● It is one of the UN food aid organisations based in Rome (Italy). Its sister bodies are the

World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).● Composed of 197 member states, the FAO is governed by a biennial conference

representing each member country and the European Union, which elects a 49-memberexecutive council.

Initiatives Taken:● Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).● Monitors the Desert Locust situation throughout the world.● The Codex Alimentarius Commission or CAC is the body responsible for all matters

regarding the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.● The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was

adopted by the Thirty-First Session of the Conference of the Food and AgricultureOrganization in 2001.

Flagship Publications:● The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).● The State of the World's Forests (SOFO).● The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).● The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA).● The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO).

Global Economic Prospects Report● Released by World Bank

Key findings● According to the report the Indian economy is to contract by 9.6% in 2020-21.● The Indian economy is to recover 5.4 percent in 2021-22.● The contraction in Indian economy will be mainly due to sharp decline in household

spending and private investment.● The informal sector that accounts to four fifth of employment in the country has been

badly affected.● On the other hand, the world economy is to expand by 4% in 2021.● The services and manufacturing sector are gaining Momentum.● According to World Bank India is facing its first technical recessionary phase.

Technical recessionary phase



● When the GDP growth is negative for two consecutive quarters or more than the period itis called technical recessionary phase.

● In India, the Gross Domestic Product declined by 23.9 percent between April and Junequarter.

● The Gross Domestic Product growth rate contracted by 7.5 % during the July andSeptember quarter.

H1B Visa● What is it?: It is a non-immigrant visa given by the US to employ skilled workers from

other countries for various specialised fields of occupation for a certain period of time.● Duration: They are generally approved for three years, after which holders often change

employers and continue working for other companies based in the US.● The biggest beneficiaries of H-1B visas are Indians, followed by the Chinese.● Present Status of Providing H-1B Visa : The selection of H-1B work visas was done

by a randomised lottery system, which did not take into account factors such as wage,experience or any other requirements and demands.

3rd South Asia multilateral meet● The third and recent January 6 meeting was attended by all five countries that have

taken part in these dialogues — Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka andBangladesh. India, Bhutan and the Maldives were not present at the virtual event

● aimed at “anti-epidemic cooperation and poverty reduction cooperation”● The first such meeting was convened by China in July, and was attended by Pakistan,

Nepal and Afghanistan.● The second meet was held in November by a five-member grouping attended by China,

Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.● All three dialogues have been attended by Pakistan and Nepal, which are emerging as

two lynchpins in China’s regional strategy.

Trade Policy Review Mechanism● The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) was an early result of the Uruguay Round.● It is the main transparency instrument of the WTO, affording opportunities for a process

of collective evaluation of the trade policies and practices of individual members.● Objectives: to Facilitating the smooth functioning of the multilateral trading system by

enhancing the transparency of Members’ trade policies.● To examine the impact of a Member’s trade policies and practices on the multilateral

trading system.● Mechanism: The reviews take place in the Trade Policy Review Body which is actually

the WTO General Council — comprising the WTO’s full membership — operating underspecial rules and procedures.

● All WTO Members are subject to review under the TPRM.



● Function:○ The trade policy review allows members to put the overall trade and economic

policies of a country under the scanner.○ The trade policies of developing countries are taken up for review every four

years while developed ones face similar scrutiny every two years.○ The mandate of the TPRM was broadened to cover services trade and

intellectual property.

India-Japan Economic Relations● India and Japan have had a long and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation

since 1958.● In the last few years, the economic cooperation between India and Japan has

strengthened and grown into strategic partnership.● Japan was the 4th largest investor for India in FY2019.● India has been the largest recipient of Japanese ODA Loan for the past decades. Delhi

Metro is one of the most successful examples of Japanese cooperation through theutilization of ODA.

● Further, Japan continues to cooperate in supporting strategic connectivity linking SouthAsia to Southeast Asia through the synergy between ''Act East'' policy and ''Partnershipfor Quality Infrastructure.''

Henley Passport Index● The Henley Passport Index (HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel

freedom for their citizens.● The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association

(IATA).● The HPI consists of a ranking of passports according to how many other territories can

be reached ‘visa-free’.

Key Highlights● Top Performer: Japan , Singapore , South Korea & Germany● Pakistan (rank 107) and Nepal (rank 104) continue to be in the 'worst passports to hold'

category● About India:

○ India ranks 85th in the most powerful passport report with a visa-free score of 58.○ India slipped nine places on the list, from 77 in 2010 to 86 in 2019.○ The position of India among the BRICS countries is Brazil (19th), Russia (50th),

India (85th), China (70th) and South Africa (54th).

United Nations Security Council (UNSC)● Established in 1945



● Headquarter: Newyork USA● The UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with

the maintenance of international peace and security.● Powers: Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the

establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action throughSecurity Council resolutions.

● Members:● Five permanent members: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United

Kingdom, and the United States.● Ten non-permanent members: Elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

○ Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of tenin total) for a two-year term. The ten non-permanent seats are distributed on aregional basis.

Adaptation Gap Report 2020● The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report 2020

estimated the annual cost of adaptation to the effects of climate change for developingcountries to at least quadruple by 2050.

● Adaptation is adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expectedclimatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficialopportunities.

● Adaptation is a key pillar of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.● It aims to reduce countries’ and communities’ vulnerability to climate change by

increasing their ability to absorb impacts.● It provided a preliminary framework for assessing adaptation gaps and proposed three

dimensions: the funding gap, the technology gap and the knowledge gap.Overall Findings of the Report:

● Though countries have made progress in planning for climate change adaptation, thereare significant financing shortfalls in getting them to the stage where they provide realprotection against droughts, floods and rising sea levels.


United Nations Environment Programme● The UNEP is a leading global environmental authority established on 5th June 1972.● Functions: It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the sustainable

development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocatefor global environment protection.

● Major Reports : Emission Gap Report, Global Environment Outlook,Frontiers, Invest intoHealthy Planet.

● Major Campaigns : Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment Day, Wild for Life.● Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.



Difficult four countries● Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and India.● These are the Countries where citizens do not have the capacity to fight for their rights.● The classification has been made by Chatham House, the century-old UK-based policy

institute also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs.● Why the report chose to characterise India as such?

○ Because of a critique of India’s domestic political developments.○ The report notes how “the overt Hindu nationalism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata

Party is weakening the rights of Muslims and other minority religious groups,leading to a chorus of concern that intolerant majoritarianism is replacing thevision of a secular, democratic India bequeathed by Nehru”.

The Open Skies Treaty (OST)● It is an accord between over 30 countries that allows participants to fly unarmed

reconnaissance flights over any part of their fellow member states.History

● First proposed in 1955 by former US President Dwight Eisenhower as a means todeescalate tensions during the Cold War,

● Signed in 1992● Effective in 2002● Members: Ratified by 34 States ( Kyrgyzstan has not yet ratified ) .India is not a member

of this treaty.● Aims of the OST : Build confidence among members through mutual openness, thus

reducing the chances of accidental war.Features of the treaty:

● Under the treaty, a member state can “spy” on any part of the host nation, with thelatter’s consent.

● A country can undertake aerial imaging over the host state after giving notice 72 hoursbefore, and sharing its exact flight path 24 hours before.

● The information gathered, such as on troop movements, military exercises and missiledeployments, has to be shared with all member states.

● Only approved imaging equipment is permitted on the surveillance flights, and officialsfrom the host state can also stay on board throughout the planned journey.

Why in News?: Recently, Russia pulled out of the Open Skies Treaty (OST) citing earlierwithdrawal of the USA from the treaty.

Flint Water Crisis● The Flint Water Crisis is an ongoing investigation on public health crisis.● The issue began when the City of Flint in the state of Michigan shifted its water supply

from Lake Huron to Flint river.● The city has a population of 100,000 people. The shift caused water distribution pipes to

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● This resulted in leaching of lead and other contaminants into the municipal drinkingwater.

● The city suffered from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease due to the leaching of lead.This is referred to as Flint Water crisis.

The Davos Agenda Summit● Organised by the World Economic Forum● The theme of the Davos Agenda Summit, 2021 is “Stakeholders for a cohesive and

sustainable world”.● The following discussions will be the key focus at the Davos Agenda Summit, 2021:● America First: The America First policy of USA has created huge breakdown in

international agreements in the last few years. It has undermined several globalagreements including Paris Climate Change deal.

● Tensions in Iran: Upon the authorisation of the US President Donald Trump, GeneralQasem Soleimani was killed by the US army in a drone attack. This has increased thegeopolitical tensions between USA and Iran.

● Russia’s annexation of Crimea has strained the tensions between US and Russiamore than at any time since the cold war.

Global Firepower Index, 2021● The Global Firepower Index ranks the countries based on their potential military

strength.● The Global Firepower Index ranked 138 countries.● The countries were evaluated based on prolonged offensive and defensive military

campaigns.● The Global Firepower Index is calculated using fifty individual factors from geography to

logistical capability. It also includes manpower, land forces, airpower, natural resources,naval forces, logistics and financials.

● Ranking: Top five : USA , Russia , China , India & Japan

Article 19 of the UN Charter● According to the Article 19 of the UN Charter, a member shall have no voting rights if it

has arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the UN.● The Charter provided two years of grace period.● That is, if the arrears are pending for more than two years, then the voting rights are

suspended.

Global Risks Report, 2021● Released virtually by World Economic Forum (WEF)



● Report findings are based on the Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS). GRPS wasundertaken by more than 650 members of leadership communities of WEF (WorldEconomic Forum).

● Aim: To highlight the risks and consequences of widening inequalities and increasingsocietal fragmentation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021 and over the nextdecade.

Key Takeaways● Top Risk by Impact: The risk posed by infectious diseases has been ranked as no. 1 on

the list of risks, while in 2020 was listed at 10th place.● Impact of Covid-19 : The immediate human and economic cost of COVID-19 is huge.● It threatens to scale back years of progress on reducing global poverty and inequality. It

will also damage social cohesion and global cooperation.● Widening digital gaps : Digitalization which was accelerated by the pandemic is

widening the digital gap between individuals and across countries. Thereby it isaggravating existing inequalities, polarization, and regulatory uncertainties.

● Climate concerns: Despite the impact of COVID-19, climate-related matters make upthe bulk of this year’s risk list. The report has described these threats as an existentialthreat to humanity.

Global Climate Risk Index 2021● Released annually by Germanwatch-a NGO based in Bonn, Germany.● The index analyses the impact of extreme climate events on the country and the

economy.● It analyses how countries have been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss

events.● The index is prepared on the basis of data from Munich Re’s NatCatSERVICE.

Key Findings of the report● As per the report, monsoon continued for a month longer than normal in India in the year

2019.● In the period of June to September 2019, 110% of the long-period average was

recorded.● Heavy rain caused the severe flooding in India that resulted into death of 1,800 across14

states. The flood also caused the displacement of 1.8 million people.● As per the report, eight tropical cyclones cam in India. Six of them intensified to be very

severe.● Report further highlights that, ‘Extremely severe’ cyclone Fani affected 28 million people

and killed 90 people in India and Bangladesh.

The Financial Action Task Force ( FATF )● an inter-governmental body established in 1989 on the initiative of the G7.



● It is a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to bringabout national legislative and regulatory reforms in various areas.

● The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris.Roles and functions:

● Initially it was established to examine and develop measures to combat moneylaundering.

● In October 2001, the FATF expanded its mandate to incorporate efforts to combatterrorist financing, in addition to money laundering.

● In April 2012, it added efforts to counter the financing of proliferation of weapons of massdestruction.

What is FATF Blacklist?● It is a list of countries that the intra-governmental organisation considers non-cooperative

in the global effort to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

LongOps Project● The LongOps Project is a collaboration between UK and Japan● Aim: Under the operation, the scientists from Japan and UK will develop new and safe

technologies to dismantle old nuclear facilities such as the Fukushima that were severelydamaged by tsunamis and earthquakes.

● The project is to use long-reach robotic arms and hence is called “LongOps Project”. Theproject will reduce the risks to human health and will speed up decommissioning ofnuclear reactors that are non-operational.

Oxfam International● Oxfam International is a group of independent non-governmental organisations formed

in 1995.● The name “Oxfam” comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, founded in

Britain in 1942.● The group campaigned for food supplies to starving women and children in

enemy-occupied Greece during the Second World War.● It aims to maximize efficiency and achieve greater impact to reduce global poverty and

injustice.● The Oxfam International Secretariat is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons● The Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted on July 7, 2017.● The treaty entered into force on January 22, 2021.● The treaty is the first legally binding international agreement that aim to eliminate nuclear

weapons completely.● only 120 members have signed the treaty.



● Major nuclear powers that did not support the treaty were China, US, India, France,Japan, North Korea, Russia, Pakistan and Israel.

Key Features● The treaty prohibits the use of nuclear weapons on national territories.● The signatories should provide adequate assistance to individuals affected by the testing

of nuclear weapons. They should also take required environmental remediation in areasunder its jurisdiction that was contaminated as result of nuclear weapon testing.

● A state party joining the treaty should declare if it has eliminated its previous nuclearweapon programme. The party should also disclose if it holds nuclear weapons of othercountries in its territories. In case if the party holds other countries’ nuclear weapons itmust remove them before signing the treaty.

● The non-nuclear weapon states should have a minimum safeguards agreement with theInternational Atomic Energy Agency.

Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty● Signed in 1987● Its a cold war era treaty between Russia and USA to end arms race● US has recently announced that it will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range

Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty● INF treaty prohibits US and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying

ground-launched cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers● it does not cover air-launched or sea-launched weapons● INF like many arms control treaty faces enforcement lacunas as parties take

advantage of absence of verification process

New START Treaty● START : Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

Key Features:● The New START Treaty was signed between United States and Russia in 2010 in

Prague (capital of Czech Republic). It entered into force in 2011.● The formal name of New START Treaty is “Measures for the further reduction and

Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms”.● The treaty was signed to reduce nuclear arms production and utilisation by US and

Russia.● Under the treaty, the countries will reduce their strategic nuclear missile launchers by

half.● The treaty established an inspection and verification regime replacing SORT.● It reduced the number deployable strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550. This was 10%

lower than the strategic warhead limit set by Moscow treaty signed by the countries in2002.

● It reduced the number of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, inter-continental ballisticmissile launchers, heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments to 800.



● It reduced the number of heavy bombers equipped nuclear armaments to 700.● The New START Treaty is to lapse in February 2021.

WHO Funds● There are 4 kinds of contributions that make up funding for the WHO.● These are:● Assessed contributions are the dues countries pay in order to be a member of the

Organization. The amount each Member State must pay is calculated relative to the● country’s wealth and population.● Voluntary contributions come from Member States (in addition to their assessed

contribution) or from other partners. They can range from flexible to highlyearmarked.

● Core voluntary contributions allow less well-funded activities to benefit from abetter flow of resources and ease implementation bottlenecks that arise whenimmediate financing is lacking.

● Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Contributions were started in 2011 toimprove and strengthen the sharing of influenza viruses with human pandemicpotential, and to increase the access of developing countries to vaccines and otherpandemic related supplies.

Investment Trends Monitor Report: UNCTAD● According to the recent Investment Trends Monitor Report issued by the United Nations

Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) collapsed in 2020 by 42% to an estimated USD 859 billion from USD 1.5 trillion in2019.

Global Trend:● India and China:

○ India witnessed a 13% year-on-year rise, the highest among key nations, in FDIinflows in 2020, China’s rose by 4%.

○ In absolute terms, China remained way ahead, with an inflow of as much as $163billion, while India’s stood at $57 billion.

● Advanced Economies: The UK and Italy saw an over 100% crash each in FDI inflows,followed by Russia (96% drop), Germany (61%), Brazil (50%), the US (49%), Australia(46%) and France (39%).

● Developing Economies:○ Developing economies drew as much as 72% of global FDI in 2020 – their

highest share on record.○ Asian nations did particularly well, attracting USD 476 billion in FDI in 2020.

● In 2020, schemes like production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for electronicsmanufacturing, have been notified to attract foreign investments.



● In 2019, the Central Government amended FDI Policy 2017, to permit 100% FDI underautomatic route in coal mining activities.

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)● a permanent intergovernmental body established in 1964.● headquartered at Geneva in Switzerland.● Objective: It promotes development-friendly integration of developing countries into the

world economy.● Reports Published:

○ Trade and Development Report○ World Investment Report○ The Least Developed Countries Report○ Information and Economy Report○ Technology and Innovation Report○ Commodities and Development Report.

INDIA INTERNATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL● Held annually at Shillong Meghalaya● These beautiful flowers can be spotted across Meghalaya during this time of the year. It

is expected that the flowers will continue to bloom till the end of November.

International Energy Agency (IEA)● India signs Strategic Partnership Agreement with International Energy Agency (IEA).● The agreement seeks to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation & enhance global

energy security, stability and sustainability.Benefits:

● It will lead to a wider exchange of knowledge and will be a step towards making India afull member of the IEA.

● Strengthen mutual trust and cooperation & enhance global energy security, stability andsustainability.

● A phased increase in benefits and responsibilities for India as an IEA strategic partner.


About IEA:● Established in 1974 as per framework of the OECD, IEA is an autonomous

intergovernmental organisation.● Its mission is guided by four main areas of focus: energy security, economic

development, environmental awareness and engagement worldwide.● Headquarters (Secretariat): Paris, France.

Roles and functions:



● Established in the wake of the 1973-1974 oil crisis, to help its members respond to majoroil supply disruptions, a role it continues to fulfil today.

● IEA’s mandate has expanded over time to include tracking and analyzing global keyenergy trends, promoting sound energy policy, and fostering multinational energytechnology cooperation.

Members:● It has 30 members at present. IEA family also includes eight association countries. A

candidate country must be a member country of the OECD. But all OECD members arenot IEA members.

Reports By IEA :○ Global Energy & CO2 Status Report.○ World Energy Outlook.○ World Energy Statistics.○ World Energy Balances.○ Energy Technology Perspectives.

World Economic Outlook 2021 : IMF● Released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Key Findings of report

About Global :● The report further highlights that the global growth for 2021 will be 5.5 percent as

compared to 5.2 percent October 2020.● The economic growth of the world is projected at 4.2 percent in 2022.● As per the report, U.S. will experience the growth to 5.1 percent in 2021 from 3.1 percent

in 2020.● Report projects that, there will be slight variation in China’s growth in 2021. The growth

will lower down to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent.India Specific Projections:

● The report highlights that, India will witness the strongest growth among the maineconomies.

● FY 2020-21: For the current fiscal, the IMF had forecast a record 10.3% contraction.● FY 2021-22: For the next fiscal, starting from April 1st, GDP growth projection is at

11.5%, 2.7% higher than the projection made in October, 2020.● FY 2022-23: In FY 2022-23, the economy will likely grow 6.8%.

The Great Reset Initiative of WEF● It is based on the assessment that the world economy is in deep trouble.



○ Situation has been made a lot worse by many factors, including the pandemic’sdevastating effects on global society, the unfolding technological revolution, andthe consequences of climate change.

● Agenda:○ The world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and

economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Everycountry must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must betransformed.

○ In short there should be a ‘Great Reset’ of capitalism.


World Economic Forum● The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss nonprofit foundation established in 1971,

based in Geneva, Switzerland.● Recognized by the Swiss authorities as the international institution for public-private

cooperation.● Mission: Committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political,

academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

Other reports published by WEF are:○ Energy Transition Index.○ Global Competitiveness Report.○ Global IT Report○ WEF along with INSEAD, and Cornell University publishes this report.○ Global Gender Gap Report.○ Global Risk Report.○ Global Travel and Tourism Report.

UNEP Global Climate Litigation Report 2021● Released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)● Published by the UNEP in cooperation with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at

Columbia University.● The report highlights that the Climate litigation cases have increased in recent years.● The litigations have made the courtroom increasingly relevant to efforts to address the

climate change across the world.

Key Findings of the report● As per the report, climate cases have nearly doubled over the last three years.● Increasing climates cases are increasingly compelling the governments and corporate

actors to implement their climate commitments.● The cases are also compelling the government to pursue more ambitious climate change

mitigation and adaptation goals.



● As per the data provided by the report, in 2017 884 cases were brought in 24 countries.While as of 2020, cases have increased to 1,550 filed in 38 countries and the EuropeanUnion courts.

● Report finds that the climate litigation continues to be concentrated in high-incomecountries and the trend might further grow in the global south.

Vaccine Maitri Initiative● The Vaccine Maitri or the Vaccine Friendship initiative was started on January 20, 2021.● Under the initiative, India will supply Made-in-India Covid-19 vaccines to its

neighbouring.● Other key partners of the Neighbourhood First Policy will also be getting the vaccine.



Defence & Security.

Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO)● Objective: To foster innovation and indigenisation for self-reliance in defence in keeping

with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.The NIIO is a three-tiered organisation.

● Naval Technology Acceleration Council (N-TAC) will bring together the twin aspectsof innovation and indigenisation and provide apex level directives.

● A working group under the N-TAC will implement the projects.● A Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC) has also been created for

induction of emerging disruptive technology in an accelerated time frame.● Functions of NIIO: The NIIO puts in place dedicated structures for the end users to

interact with academia and industry towards fostering innovation and indigenisation forself-reliance in defence in keeping with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Sea Vigil 21● The biennial pan-India coastal defence exercise● The exercise is conducted by the Indian Navy.● First Sea Vigil exercise held in 2019● India's largest coastal defence drill.● Aim: To check the efficacy of the measures initiated to plug gaps in coastal security

following the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.● Geographical Extent: The 2021 exercise is being undertaken along the entire 7516 km

coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India.● The Indian Air Force, National Security Guard, the Border Security Force, oil handling

agencies and airports also participate in the exercise.● It involves all the 13 coastal States and Union Territories along with other maritime

stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.

TAPAS UAV● TAPAS is Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance beyond horizon. It is also

known as RUSTOM-2.● It was developed by India on the lines of American Predator Drones. The first flight of

TAPAS took place in 2016.● TAPAS 201 is India’s indigenously developed long-endurance combat-capable drone.

Tejas:● Tejas is a single-seat, single-jet engine, multirole light fighter.● It replaced the ageing Mig 21 fighter planes.



● It is the smallest and lightest multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in the Indian Air Force.● It has been designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Features:● It is designed to carry a range of air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided, and standoff

weaponry.● Air to air refuelling capability.● Maximum payload capacity of 4000 kg.● It can attend the maximum speed of Mach 1.8.● The range of the aircraft is 3,000km

India’s Eight Point Action Plan to UNSC to combat terrorism● All the member nations should fulfil their obligations in international counter-terrorism

conventions and instruments.● The countries should not bring in double standards in the battle. For instance, there are

countries that support terrorism by offering financial support. Such countries are blacklisted by the international bodies such as FATF (Financial Action Task Force). Thesecountries are being referred to double standard countries.

● The working methods of the committees dealing with counter-terrorism should bereformed.

● The enlisting and delisting of individuals and entities under the United Nations should bedone objectively and not for political and religious considerations.

● The linkages between transnational organised crime and terrorism should be addressedvigorously.

● The FATF should continue to identify weaknesses in anti-money laundering andcounter-terror financing frameworks.

● Adequate funding should be allocated to the UN Counter terrorism bodies.

Rakshita● Recently, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has handed over

‘Rakshita’ to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).● It is a bike-based casualty transport emergency vehicle developed by Institute of Nuclear

Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS).● It is fitted with a customized reclining Casualty Evacuation Seat (CES), which can be

fitted in and taken out as per requirement.● The other major features are the head immobilizer, safety harness jacket, hand and foot

straps for safety, adjustable footrest, physiological parameter measuring equipment withwireless monitoring capability and auto warning system for driver.

● Significance of Rakshita:○ The bike ambulance will help in overcoming the problems faced by Indian

security forces and emergency healthcare providers.



○ It will provide life-saving aid for evacuation of injured patients from low intensityconflict areas.

○ It will be handy in the congested streets and remote locations, where accessthrough ambulance is difficult and time consuming.

Desert Knight-21● A bilateral Air exercise Indian Air Force (IAF) and French Air and Space Force will

conduct● The exercise is unique as it includes fielding of Rafale aircraft by both sides and is

indicative of the growing interaction between the two premier Air Forces.● Defence Exercises between India and France:

○ Varuna – Naval exercise○ Garuda – Air exercise○ Shakti – Army exercise


Other Exercise:● Gagan Shakti is conducted by the Indian Air Force to showcase its air dominance over

the entire extended area of the Indian Ocean Region.● Garuda Shakti is the joint military exercise between India and Indonesia.● Mitra Shakti is the joint military exercise between India and Sri Lanka.

S-400 Triumf Missile● S-400 Triumf is one of the world’s most advanced air defence systems.● It is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system(SAM) designed by Russia.

Key Features:● Range of 250km.● It is capable of firing four types of missiles to create a layered defence.● The system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial

vehicles(UAV) and ballistic and cruise missiles within the range of 400km, at an altitudeof up to 30km.

● It can track 100 airborne targets and engage six of them simultaneously.


CAATSA● Enacted in 2017, it is a US federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and

Russia.● It includes sanctions against countries that engage in significant transactions with

Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors.



● Its “ultimate goal”, “is to prevent revenue from flowing to the Russian Government.

STARStreak Air Defence System● The STARStreak is a short-range surface-to-air missile.● It was earlier called as the Shorts Missile System.● It travels at Mach 3 speed● The minimum range of the system is 0.3 km and the maximum range is 7 km.

Exercise Kavach● It is a Joint Military exercise involving assets of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air

Force,and Indian Coast Guard.● Conducted under: The exercise will be conducted under the aegis of the Andaman and

Nicobar Command, the only Joint Forces Command of the country.● The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is the first integrated theatre command in

India with headquarters at Port Blair.● Aim:

○ To fine-tune joint war-fighting capabilities and Standard Operating Procedures(SOPs) for enhancing operational synergy.

○ To execute multi-domain, high-intensity offensive and defensive maneuvers in theAndaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.

● The exercise involves synergized application of maritime surveillance assets,coordinated air and maritime strikes, air defense, submarine and landing operations.

Smart Anti Airfield Weapon● DRDO has successfully conducted captive and release trial of indigenously developed

Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) from Hawk-I of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) off the Odisha coast.

● Smart Anti Airfield Weapon is a 125 Kg class smart weapon, capable of engagingground enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxi tracks, and runways, etc. upto a range of 100 kms.

Smart Anti Airfield Weapon ( SAAW )● The system belongs to the glide bomb category and its development began around

2012-13, with crucial inputs from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the first test was carriedout in 2016.

● Manufactured by: DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) Hyderabad.● Features:

○ It is a long-range precision-guided anti-airfield weapon.○ The weapon is designed to strike ground targets, especially adversary airfield

infrastructure or similar strategically important installations.



○ This is a 125-kilogram class smart weapon, capable of engaging ground enemyairfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxi tracks, and runways, up to a range of100 kilometres.

○ The high precision guided bomb is lightweight compared to weapon systems ofthe same class.

RUDRAM● It is India’s first indigenous anti-radiation air-to-surface missile for Indian Air Force(IAF).● The missile is integrated on SU-30 Mk1 fighter aircraft.● Purpose: It is designed to detect, track and neutralise the adversary’s radar,

communication assets and other radio frequency sources which are generally part oftheir air defence systems.

Operation Sard Hawa● The Operation Sard Hawa was launched by the Border Security Force in the western

border of Rajasthan.● Purpose: The main purpose of the operation is to check the instances of infiltration due

to dense fog in the region.● The Operation has also been launched to enhance the security ahead of Republic Day.

The operation is to run till January 27, 2021.About Operation Sard Hawa

● The operation was launched to keep a hawk’s eye in the international border.● Under the operation, the jawans will patrol with advanced weapons in the police station

areas near to the border.● The number of jawans deployed in the border has been increased under the operation.● The intelligence wing of Border Security Force is also to be in active mode during

Operation Sard Hawa.

Akash NG (New Generation) Missile● It is a new generation Surface-to-Air Missile meant for use by the Indian Air Force.● Purpose : It aims at intercepting high maneuvering low RCS aerial threats.● Features : It is an advanced variant of Akash missile. It comes with an Active

Electronically Scanned Array(AESA) multi-function radar that features all three functions– search, track and fire control in one platform.

● Range: The earlier variant has a maximum range of 30 km while Akash- NG can striketargets up to 70 km.

AMPHEX 21: A Tri-Services Exercise● In this exercise, the Naval ships, amphibious troops of the Army and different types of

aircraft from the Air force participated.



● The exercise was conducted with the aim of validating India’s capabilities to safeguardthe territorial integrity of the island territories.

● The exercise was also aimed at enhancing the operational synergy and joint warfightingcapabilities between the three Services.

● Exercise KAVACH for the defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands was also the part ofAMPHEX – 21.



Geography.

Volcano of Indonesia● Indonesia, with the maximum number of active volcanoes in the world, is prone to

seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific’s Ring of Fire.● Semeru volcano (Java), the Merapi volcano (Java) and Sinabung volcano (Sumatra),

erupted recently.● Semeru - also known as "The Great Mountain"

Pacific Ring of Fire:● The Ring of Fire, also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific

Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.● It traces boundaries between several tectonic plates—including the Pacific, Cocos,

Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates.● 75% of Earth’s volcanoes i.e. more than 450 volcanoes are located along the Ring of

Fire. 90% of Earth’s earthquakes occur along its path.● The abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes along the Ring of Fire is caused by the

amount of movement of tectonic plates in the area.


Island Arcs:● They are long, curved chains of oceanic islands associated with intense volcanic and

seismic activity and orogenic (mountain-building) processes.● An island arc typically has a land mass or a partially enclosed, unusually shallow sea on

its concave side.● Along the convex side there almost invariably exists a long, narrow deep-sea trench.● The greatest ocean depths are found in these depressions of the seafloor, as in the case

of the Mariana (deepest trench in the world) and Tonga trenches.● Prime examples of this form of geologic feature include the Aleutian-Alaska Arc and the

Kuril-Kamchatka Arc.

Western Disturbance● It is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden

winter rain to the north-western parts of the Indian sub-continent.● It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies.● Extratropical storms are a global phenomenon with moisture usually carried in the upper

atmosphere, unlike their tropical counterparts where the moisture is carried in the loweratmosphere.

● In the case of the Indian subcontinent, moisture is sometimes shed as rain when thestorm system encounters the Himalayas.

● Formation:JOIN Us : https://targetupsc.in/ 8830115524

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○ Western Disturbance originates in the Mediterranean Sea as extra- tropicalcyclones.

○ A high-pressure area over Ukraine and neighbourhood consolidates, causing theintrusion of cold air from Polar Regions towards an area of relatively warmer airwith high moisture.

○ This generates favourable conditions for cyclogenesis in the upper atmosphere,which promotes the formation of an eastward-moving extratropical depression.

○ They gradually travel across the middle-east from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistanto enter the Indian sub-continent.

● Impact:○ Plays important role in bringing moderate to heavy rain in low-lying areas and

heavy snow to mountainous areas of the Indian Subcontinent.○ This disturbance is usually associated with cloudy sky, higher night temperatures

and unusual rain. This precipitation has great importance in agriculture,particularly for the Rabi crops. Wheat among them is one of the most importantcrops, which helps to meet India’s food security.

● Excessive precipitation due to this disturbance can cause crop damage, landslides,floods and avalanches.

Tsari Chu river:● Satellite image shows China built new village in Arunachal.● The settlements are situated on the banks of Tsari Chu river in Upper Subansiri district of

Arunachal.● The village lies south of the McMahon Line. The McMahon Line demarcates between

Tibet and India’s Northeast, which is disputed by China.

K2 mountain● K2 is the only mountain over 8,000 metres that had not been summitted in winter.● It is situated in the Karakoram Range to the northeast of the Himalayas.● K2 is surrounded by five of the world’s 17 highest mountains.● K2 is the world's second tallest peak after Mount Everest. Located in Pakistan occupied

Kashmir.

Jiadhal River● It is a Northern Sub-tributary of the river Brahmaputra originates in the sub-Himalayan

mountains of Arunachal Pradesh.● After passing through a narrow gorge in Arunachal Pradesh, the river enters the plains of

Assam in Dhemaji district where it flows in braided channels.● The river is also known as ‘Kumotiya’ and ‘Sampara’ at some places.



● The river finally joins Subansiri river, a major tributary of Brahmaputra River. JiadhalRiver is known as ‘Sorrow of Dhemaji’ for the heavy damage caused by annual flood anderosion.

Naku La Pass● Naku La sector is a pass at a height of more than 5,000 meters above Mean Sea

Level(MSL) in the state of Sikkim.● It is located ahead of Muguthang or Cho Lhamu (source of River Teesta).● The other passes located in the state of Sikkim are Nathu La Pass and Jelep La Pass.● While Nathu La pass is located on the east side of Sikkim, Naku La pass is located on

the northern border of Sikkim.



History , Art & Culture.

Yakshagana● Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form of Karnataka.● It is a temple art form that depicts mythological stories and Puranas.● It is performed with massive headgears, elaborate facial make-up and vibrant costumes

and ornaments.● It combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a

unique style and form.● Usually recited in Kannada, it is also performed in Malayalam as well as Tulu (the dialect

of south Karnataka).● It is performed with percussion instruments like chenda, maddalam, jagatta or chengila

(cymbals) and chakratala or elathalam (small cymbals).● The most popular episodes are from the Mahabharata i.e. Draupadi swayamvar,

Subhadra vivah, etc. and from Ramayana i.e. Rajyabhishek, Lav-Kush yuddh, etc.


Other Theatre Forms○ Nautanki: Uttar Pradesh○ Tamasha: Maharashtra○ Jatra: West Bengal/Orissa and eastern Bihar○ Koodiyattam: Kerala○ Mudiyettu: Kerala○ Bhaona: Assam○ Maach: Madhya Pradesh○ Bhand: Pather Kashmir

The ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’● Foundation stone laid for ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’ in Basavakalyan, the place where

12th century poet-philosopher Basavanna lived for most of his life.● The project will showcase the 12th Century Anubhava Mantapa (often referred to as the

“first Parliament of the world”) established by him in Basavakalyan, where philosophersand social reformers held debates.

● The building will adopt the Kalyana Chalukya style of architecture.About Basavanna:

● Basavanna was a 12th-century philosopher, statesman, Kannada poet and a socialreformer during the reign of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka,

● Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas.● Basavanna rejected gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals.



● The tradition of Lingayatism is known to have been founded by him.● He introduced new public institutions such as the Anubhava Mantapa (or, the “hall of

spiritual experience”), which welcomed men and women from all socio-economicbackgrounds to discuss spiritual and mundane questions of life, in open.

● As a leader, he developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas,or “ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva”. This movement shared its roots in the ongoingTamil Bhakti movement, particularly the Shaiva Nayanars traditions, over the 7th- to11th-century.

● Basava championed devotional worship that rejected temple worship and rituals led byBrahmins, and replaced it with personalized direct worship of Shiva through practicessuch as individually worn icons and symbols like a small linga.


Sharana Movement:➢ The Sharana movement he presided over attracted people from all castes, and like most

strands of the Bhakti movement, produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas, thatunveiled the spiritual universe of the Veerashaiva saints.

➢ The egalitarianism of Basavanna’s Sharana movement was too radical for its times.➢ He set up the Anubhava Mandapa, where the Sharanas, drawn from different castes and

communities, gathered and engaged in learning and discussions.➢ Sharanas challenged the final bastion of the caste order: they organised a wedding

where the bridegroom was from a lower caste, and the bride a Brahmin.

Jagannath Temple● History: The temple is believed to be constructed in the 12th century by King

Anatavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty (Reigned from Kalingafrom as early as the 5th century to the early 15th century).

● Jagannath Puri temple is called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’ where, according to the Hindu beliefs,the power of ‘Yama’, the god of death has been nullified in Puri due to the presence ofLord Jagannath.

● This temple was called the “White Pagoda” and is a part of Char Dham pilgrimages(Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram).

● Features:○ There are four gates to the temple- Eastern ‘Singhdwara’ which is the main gate

with two crouching lions, Southern ‘Ashwadwara’,Western 'Vyaghra Dwara andNorthern ‘Hastidwara’. There is a carving of each form at each gate.

○ In front of the entrance stands the Aruna stambha or sun pillar, which wasoriginally at the Sun Temple in Konark.



National Youth Parliament Festival 2021● Organized by : National Service Scheme (NSS) and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan

(NYKS) under the aegis of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.● Objective: To propagate the concept of national integration, spirit of communal harmony,

brotherhood, courage and adventure amongst the youth by exhibiting their culturalprowess in a common platform.

● Purpose: It is organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of youth icon SwamiVivekananda.

● Eligibility: Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years are invited to participate in thefestival.

● Theme: The theme for the festival is “YUVAAH—Utsah Naye Bharat Ka”.


Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)● He was born as Narendranath Datta on 12th January, 1863.● Introduced the world to the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga.● He was the chief disciple of the 19th-century mystic Ramakrishna Paramhansa.● Laid the greatest emphasis on education for the regeneration of our motherland. He

advocated a man- making character-building education.● Established the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897.● It is an organization which works in the area of value-based education, culture, health,

women's empowerment, youth and tribal welfare and relief and rehabilitation.● He died at Belur Math in 1902. Belur Math, located in West Bengal, is the headquarters

of Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission.

Indian harvest festivals● Makar Sankranti: The festival of Makar Sankranti will be celebrated in Karnataka when

the Sun enters the Makar zodiac and the days begin to lengthen compared to nights.● Pongal: In South India and particularly in Tamil Nadu, it’s the festival of Pongal which is

being celebrated over 4 days at harvest time.● Magha Bihu: In Assam and many parts of the North East, the festival of Magha Bihu is

celebrated. It sees the first harvest of the season being offered to the gods along withprayers for peace and prosperity.

● Uttarayan: Gujarat celebrates it in the form of the convivial kite festival of Uttarayan.● Maghi: In Punjab, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Maghi. Bathing in a river in the early

hours on Maghi is important.● Saaji: In Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh, Makara Sankranti is known as Magha

Saaji. Saaji is the Pahari word for Sankranti, start of the new month. Hence this daymarks the start of the month of Magha.

● Kicheri: The festival is known as Kicheri in Uttar Pradesh and involves ritual bathing.



● Makaravilakku festival: Annual festival held on Makar Sankranti in Kerala, at the shrineof Sabarimala. It includes Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments of Ayyappan)procession and congregation at the hill shrine of Sabarimala.

● Lohri: Lohri is primarily celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus.○ It marks the end of the winter season and is traditionally believed to welcome the

sun to the northern hemisphere.○ It is observed a night before Makar Sankranti, this occasion involves a Puja

Parikrama (revolve) around the bonfire with prasad.

Caves with Paintings in India● Ajanta :

○ This cave is located in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.○ Famous fresco paintings of Ajanta are dying princesses, flying apsara and

preaching Buddha.● Ellora :

○ It is located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.○ It is famous for the largest monolithic excavation in the world- the great Kailasa.

● Elephanta :○ It is located on Elephanta Islands in Mumbai.○ There are seven cave excavations in the Elephanta group.

● Bhimbetka :○ It is located between Hoshangabad and Bhopal, in the foothills of the Vindhya

Mountains.○ It has one of the oldest paintings in India and the world.

● Why in news?:○ Recently, archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known cave art

which is a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was painted at least 45,500 yearsago in Indonesia.

Saint Thiruvalluvar● Thiruvalluvar is an ancient saint born in the BC era.● The earliest references of the poet are found in the text Tiruvalluva Maalai.● He is credited and revered by Tamil people for writing a collection of 1330 poem couplets

called ‘Thirukkural’.● It talks about ethics and morality, and is considered to be a guideline to lead a good and

righteous life.● It is widely read and respected by the people of Tamil Nadu irrespective of the faith they

belong to.● In the early 16th century, a temple dedicated to Thiruvalluvar was built within the

Ekambareswarar temple complex in Mylapore, Chennai.● In 1976, a temple-memorial called Valluvar Kotam was built in Chennai and houses one

of the largest auditoriums in Asia.



Jallikattu● The bull-taming sport is popular in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai and

Dindigul districts — known as the Jallikattu belt.● Jallikattu is celebrated in the second week of January, during the Tamil harvest festival

Pongal.● A tradition over 2,000 years old, Jallikattu is a competitive sport as well as an event to

honour bull owners who rear them for mating.● It is a violent sport in which contestants try to tame a bull for a prize; if they fail, the bull

owner wins the prize.● Importance ? : Jallikattu is considered a traditional way for the peasant community to

preserve their pure-breed native bulls.

Parakram Divas● January 23, birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, would be celebrated as

“Parakram Divas”, day of courage, every year.● 2021 will be 125th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose.

About Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose:● Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had announced the establishment of the provisional

government of Azad Hind in occupied Singapore in October 1943● Known as Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, it was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial

Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic, and their allies.● He had launched a struggle to free India from British rule under the banner of the

provisional government-in exile during the latter part of the Second World War.● Under his provisional government, the Indians living abroad had been united.

○ The Indian National Army drew ex- prisoners and thousands of civilian volunteersfrom the Indian expatriate population in Malaya (present-day Malaysia) andBurma (now Myanmar).

● Under the provisional government, Bose was the head of the state, the prime ministerand the minister for war and foreign affairs.

● Subhash Chandra Bose was twice elected President of the Indian National Congress,(1938-Haripur and 1939-Tripuri).

● He resigned from the Congress Presidentship in 1939 and organised the All IndiaForward Bloc a faction within the Congress in Bengal.

● Started the newspaper Swaraj and took charge of publicity for the Bengal ProvincialCongress Committee

● Also the editor of the newspaper "Forward", founded by Chittaranjan Das● He had written a book called “The Indian Struggle”.● The term “Jai Hind” was coined by Netajji Subhash Chandra Bose..

Risa● Risa is a customary hand woven cloth used by Tripura’s indigenous tribal communities.



● It is one of the three parts of customary Tripura female attire, the other two being theRignai and Rikutu.

● The Risa is used as a head gear, stole and female upper cloth or presented to honour adistinguished recipient.

Lala Lajpat Rai● Rai is remembered for his role during the Swadeshi movement and for his advocacy of

education.● He became a follower of Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj and went on to

become one of the society’s leaders.● He also helped found the Punjab National Bank.● In 1885, Rai established the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore and remained a

committed educationist throughout his life.● Rai, Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal (called Lal-Bal-Pal) fervently advocated the use of

Swadeshi goods and mass agitation in the aftermath of the controversial Partition ofBengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon.

● He founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York City in 1917.● He was elected President of the Indian National Congress during its Special Session in

Kolkata in 1920, which saw the launch of Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperationMovement.

● The patriot died at Lahore in 1928 after he was attacked by police during a protest rallyagainst the Simon Commission.

● His important works include: ‘The Arya Samaj’, ‘Young India’, ‘England’s Debt to India’,‘Evolution of Japan’, ‘India’s Will to Freedom’, ‘Message of the Bhagwad Gita’, ‘PoliticalFuture of India’, ‘Problem of National Education in India’, ‘The Depressed Glasses’, andthe travelogue ‘United States of America’.

Ram Setu● Ram Setu is a 48-km long bridge-like structure between India and Sri Lanka.● It is also known as Adam’s bridge.● The Ramayana mentions the bridge but there is little scientific knowledge about its

formation.● It connects Dhanush Kodi tip of the Pamban Island (Rameswaram Island) of Tamil Nadu

with north-western coast of Sri Lanka.● It separates Gulf of Mannar from the Palk Strait.

Kala Utsav:● Kala Utsav is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now called

Ministry of Education) under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan● Aim: to promote arts in education by nurturing and showcasing the artistic talent of

school students at the secondary stage in the country.



● Objective: To promote arts in education by nurturing and show casing the artistictalents of school students. Children with special needs too will have the opportunity todisplay their talents.

Patharughat: The forgotten peasant uprising of Assam in 1894● Patharughat peasant uprising took place on January 28, 1894 in Assam.● The unarmed peasants were protesting against the increase in land revenue levied by

the colonial administration, when the military opened fire.What led to the Patharughat uprising?

● After the British annexation of Assam in 1826, surveys of the vast lands of the statebegan. On the basis of such surveys, the British began to impose land taxes, much tothe resentment of the farmers.

● In 1893, the British government decided to increase agricultural land tax reportedly by70- 80 per cent. Up until then the peasants would pay taxes in kind or provide a servicein lieu of cash.

● In Patharughat, despite these gatherings being democratic, the British perceived themas “breeding grounds for sedition” and opened fire.

Why was the incident significant?● For the larger Assamese community, Patharughat comes second only to the Battle of

Saraighat, when the Ahoms defeated the Mughals in 1671.



Places in News.

Gibraltar● Location: It is located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. it is bordered to the

north by Spain.● Governance : Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory. Under the Gibraltar constitution of

2006, Gibraltar is self-governing, with some responsibilities, such as defence and foreignrelations, remaining with the British government.

●● Strait of Gibraltar: It is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the

Mediterranean Sea and separates Gibraltar and Peninsular Spain in Europe fromMorocco and Ceuta (Spain) in Africa.

● Significance: It remains strategically important, with half the world's seaborne tradepassing through the strait. It is also an important Tourist and cargo ship refuelling centre.

Pong Dam Or Beas Dam● It is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh.● The lake created by the dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar, is a renowned bird sanctuary.● The purpose of the dam is water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power

generation.● Why in news?: More than 1,400 migratory birds were found dead recently due to an

unexplained cause in the Pong Dam area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh.



Deepor Beel● Deepor Beel is located to the south-west of Guwahati city, in Kamrup district of● Assam, India.● It is a permanent freshwater lake, in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River, to the

south of the main river.● It is a wetland under the Ramsar Convention which has listed since● November 2002, for undertaking conservation measures on the basis of its biological

and environmental importance.● Considered as one of the largest beels in the Brahmaputra valley of Lower Assam.● It is also an important bird sanctuary habituating many migrant species.● Fauna: Siberian Crane (CR), Lesser Adjutant Stork, Asian elephants, etc.● Freshwater fish is a vital protein and source of income for these communities; the health

of these people is stated to be directly dependent on the health of this wetlandecosystem.

Place in news: Thousand Islands● The Thousand Islands (officially Kepulauan Seribu) are a chain of islands to the north of

Jakarta’s coast.● It forms the only regency of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.● It consists of a string of 342 islands stretching 45 km (28 mi) north into the Java Sea at

West Jakarta Bay and in fact north of Banten Province.

Dzukou Valley:● Located at the borders of the states of Nagaland and Manipur.● known as the ‘valley of flower’, Famous for the Dzüko Lily and it is found only in this

valley.● The Asian Highway 1 and also the NH-2 passes through its foothills.


Forest Fires● Wildfire, also called forest, bush or vegetation fire, can be described as any uncontrolled

and non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants in a natural setting such as a forest,grassland, brush land or tundra, which consumes the natural fuels and spreads basedon environmental conditions (e.g., wind, topography).

● Causes:○ Wildfire can be incited by human actions, such as land clearing, extreme drought

or in rare cases by lightning.○ One of the major reasons for forest fires in the north-east is slash-and-burn

cultivation, commonly called jhoom or jhum cultivation.



● The fires happen between the months of January and March. The north-east has tropicalevergreen forests and, unlike the dry deciduous forests of central India, these are notlikely to catch fire easily.

West Bank● It is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia,● Bordered by Jordan to the east and by the Green Line separating it and Israel on the

south, west and north.● The West Bank also contains a significant section of the western Dead Sea shore.

●



CA January 2021 Topicwise - Target UPSC

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