December-Monthly-Current-Affairs-2020.pdf - Synopsis IAS

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Hindu and Indian Express in 5 Minutes Krishna (Free Course)

Synopsis IAS

The Hindu and Indian Express in 5 Minutes

December, 2020

Contents

1. Polity ........................................................................ 2

2. Governance .............................................................. 3

3. International Relations ............................................. 5

4. Economy ................................................................ 10

5. Art and Culture ...................................................... 15

6. Society ................................................................... 18

7. Environment and Geography ................................. 23

8. Science and Technology ........................................ 30

9. Security .................................................................. 34

10. Miscellaneous ...................................................... 36

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1. Polity

Not Using Masks Defy Fundamental Rights

• People who do not wear masks in public

and follow physical distancing norms

violate the fundamental rights of

others. - Supreme Court.

• Right to Life (Article 21).

Right to Food case

• Supreme Court declared Right to Food as part

of Article 21 of the Constitution.

NALSA v/s Union of India, 2014

• Right to choose gender: It is part of the right

to life and life with dignity.

• Sex: ‘Third gender’ to be included in all

official documents, along with male and

female.

• Choose any of the three genders: It should be

only the person’s choice.

• Provision for reservation within OBC quota.

• A commission to protect rights of this

community must be setup on lines of

NCSC/STs.

Saurav Yadav vs state of U.P.

• Groups eligible for horizontal reservation

cannot be excluded from the open category

seats because they are from other vertically

reserved category communities, like SC or

OBC.

• Women from all categories are eligible to be

considered for the open category.

• The open category seats are not meant to be a

quota for the non-reserved categories.

Farmers have constitutional right to continue

protest: SC

• As long as their dissent does not convert into

violence.

• Subject to public order.

• Court suggested forming an impartial and

independent committee.

Amendment in French constitution

• To be adopted by both houses of Parliament.

• Must be adopted by a simple majority in a

referendum, or by a three-fifths

supermajority of the French Congress, a

joint session of both houses of Parliament

(article 89).

Breach of privilege notice against media outlets

• Parliamentary Privileges are certain rights

and immunities enjoyed by members of

Parliament, individually and collectively,

so that they can “effectively discharge

their functions”.

Postal ballots to NRIs

• Needed to amend the Conduct of Election

Rules, 1961.

• Postal ballots to send electronically and then

have them sent back via post.

Pardoning power of President

• Trump pardons more allies.

Inner Line Permit

• It is an official travel document issued by the

concerned state government to allow inward

travel of an Indian citizen into a protected

area for a limited period.

• This is an effort by the government to regulate

movement to certain areas located near the

international border.

• At present, four Northeastern states are

covered: Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram,

Manipur and Nagaland.

• An ILP is only valid for domestic tourists.

• The ILP is an extension of the Bengal Eastern

Frontier Regulation Act 1873.





2. Governance

“Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” Programme

• Aim: to celebrate the Unity in Diversity of

the country.

• To maintain and strengthen, traditionally

existing emotional bonds between the people.

• To promote the spirit of national

integration through a deep engagement

between all States and UTs.

• Objective: to showcase the rich heritage,

culture, customs & traditions.

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

• Flagship program to provide assistance to

India’s top athletes.

• Fully functional for probable athletes identified

for the Tokyo-2021, Paris-2024 and Los

Angles-2028 Olympic Games.

• By Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.

Mission Amrut, 2015

• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and

Urban Transformation.

• Ensure that every household has access to

a tap water and sewerage connection.

• Increase the amenity value of cities by

developing greenery and well-maintained

open spaces (e.g. parks).

• Reduce pollution by switching to public

transport or constructing facilities for

non-motorized transport (e.g. walking and

cycling).

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme. (80:

20 Ratio)

National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

(NREGA)

• Introduced under The Mahatma Gandhi

National Rural Employment Guarantee

Act, 2005.

• Implemented by Ministry of Rural

Development.

• Aims:

o Enhancing the livelihood security

of people in rural areas.

o By guaranteeing 100 days of

wage to a rural household.

o Aims to enforce the ‘right to

work’.

• The central government bears the full cost of

unskilled labour, and 75% of the cost of

material (the rest is borne by the states).

The Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020

• Central government notified the rules.

Electricity is a Concurrent List (Seventh

Schedule) subject: central government has the

authority to make laws on it.

• Aim: To make power distribution companies

more accountable to the end consumer. A

grievance redressal and compensation

mechanism etc.

• Discoms will now have to compensate

consumers for long power cuts, delays in

granting electricity connections, and other such

lapses in service.

• Issue: Power distribution companies,

whether public or private entities, are

essentially geographical monopolies. This

leaves the end consumer with no option of

exit unlike the telecom sector. Still

unaddressed.

New Parliament Building

• Central Vista project.

Chardham Project

• Improvement & development of 889 km

length of national highways.

• Connects Badrinath Dham, Kedarnath

Dham, Gangotri, Yamunotri , and part of

route leading to Kailash Mansarovar

yatra.

• Environmentalist concern: In image.

My Stamp Scheme

• Scheme by India Post for personalised sheets

of postage stamps.





• Any person may submit soft or hard copies of

their photographs to publish them on stamps.

Anand Sharma committee

• A national database of migrant workers

should be collated, to fight any repeat of a

COVID-19-like pandemic.

• Issue: Central government does not have any

data of the migrant workers.

o Economic survey proxy data using

general coach train tickets.

• An urgent review of the Epidemic Diseases

Act, 1897.

o Act is outdated as it was framed in the

colonial era, which was even well

before the Spanish flu of 1918.

Mission COVID Suraksha

• To enable the development of indigenous,

affordable and accessible vaccines.

• Mission focus:

o From preclinical development

through clinical development and

manufacturing.

o Regulatory facilitation for

deployment, would consolidate all

available and funded resources

towards accelerated product

development.

• Led by Department of Bio-Technology.

Implemented by Biotechnology Industry

Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

Digital Ocean platform

• By Indian National Centre for Oceanic

Information Services (INCOIS).

• One stop-solution for all data for varied users.

o Eg. research institutions, operational

agencies, strategic users, academic

community, maritime industry, and

the public.

• Ministry of Science and Technology.

• Digital Ocean (www.do.incois.gov.in) is

expected to bring a sea-change in how the

oceanographic data.

PM-WANI (Wi-FI Access Network Interface)

• To accelerate the broadband Internet

services by setting up of public WiFi

hotspots across the country.

• Public Data Offices (PDOs): facilitators

between service providers and users.

• Public Wi-Fi Networks by Public Data Office

Aggregators (PDOAs).

• To provide public Wi-Fi service through Public

Data Offices (PDOs) spread across the country.

CO-Win App

• Digital platform developed by Health

Ministry.

• For real-time monitoring of COVID-19

vaccine delivery and related database.

Shakti Act, 2020

• Maharashtra Bill on Sexual Crime

enacted as Shakti Act.

• Bill proposes death penalty.

Jal Jeevan Mission, 2019

• Centre’s ambitious flagship scheme. In

partnership with the States to ensure that every

rural household of the country gets assured

drinking water supply by 2024.

• State government and local bodies to protect

the source of water.

• Emerging as a key scheme in NDA’s second

term.

o Almost replicating the

implementation of its flagship scheme

of building toilets in the first term.

o It has achieved 32.3% coverage of tap

connections in rural India.

o Almost 1 lakh new connections are

getting added on daily basis.





3. International Relations

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

• It is a regional development bank established in

1966.

• Aim: To reduce poverty in Asia-Pacific

through economic growth, environmentally

sustainable growth & regional integration.

• Headquarter — Manila, Philippines.

• Members:

o It admits the members of United

Nations Economic and Social

Commission for Asia and the Pacific

(UNESCAP) and non-regional

developed countries.

o It has 68 members.

• Top 5 shareholders: Japan (15.6%), USA

(15.6%), China (6.4%), India (6.3%) &

Australia (5.8%).

• Voting rights: It is modeled closely on

the World Bank. It has a similar

weighted voting system where votes are

distributed in proportion with members'

capital subscriptions.

• It is an official United Nations Observer.

• ADB-Japan Scholarship Program

(ADB-JSP): enrolls 300 students

annually in academic institutions located

in 10 countries within the Region.

Bhasan Char (Floating Island)

• Also known as Char Piya or Thengar Char

Island in Hatiya, Bangladesh.

• It surfaced only 20 years ago and was never

inhabited.

• Formed with Himalayan silt from the

mouth of River Meghna in 2006 spanning

40 square kilometers.

• The island, which was once

regularly submerged by monsoon rains,

now has flood protection embankments etc.

• Recently, Bangladesh sent

1,500 Rohingya Refugees here.

World Trade Report (WTR) 2020

• By World Trade Organisation.

• Aim: understanding about trends in trade,

trade policy issues & multilateral

trading system.

• It looks the role of innovation &

technology policies in an increasingly

digitized world economy.

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

• Inter-governmental body established in

1989 on the initiative of the G7.

• The FATF Secretariat is housed at the

OECD headquarters in Paris.

• Established to examine and develop

measures to combat money laundering &

terrorist financing.

• G7 members- France, Germany, Italy,

Japan, United States, United Kingdom, and

Canada.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• Political, economic and military

organization.

• Aims- maintain peace, security and stability

in the region.

• Headquarter is in Beijing.

• The SCO is regarded as the "Alliance of the

East".

• Covering three-fifths of the Eurasian

continent and nearly half of the human

population.

• Members: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan,

Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and

Pakistan.

• Observer states: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran

and Mongolia.

• First ever SCO Online Exhibition on Shared

Buddhist Heritage:

o Launched by the Vice President of

India.

o In 19th Meeting of the SCO Council of

Heads of Government in New Delhi.





International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• Launched by France &India.

• HQ: Gurugram, India.

• It is an alliance of “Sunshine Countries”

i.e countries b/w tropic of cancer &

tropic of Capricorn.

• Aim: to remove obstacles to massive

deployment of solar energy in terms of

technology, finance & capacity.

Culture of Peace

• In 1992, UNESCO adopted a Culture of

Peace Programme.

• The Declaration and Programme of

Action on a Culture of Peace was

adopted by the United Nations General

Assembly in 1999.

• International Year for the Culture of

Peace (2000).

• International Day of Non-Violence: in

2007, the General Assembly decided to

observe it on 2 October.

• At the latest session, India asked the

United Nations to expand its criticism of

hatred and violence against religions

beyond the three Abrahamic religions —

Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Anglosphere

• Not a formal group or agreement.

• UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

are at the core of the Anglosphere.

• Some includes India, Ireland, Singapore and

Japan as part of rebuilding the Anglosphere.

• “Five Eyes” arrangement for intelligence

sharing.

Global Wage Report 2020

• Released by International Labour

Organizations (ILO).

• Report titled – “Wages and minimum

wages in the time of COVID19”

• ILO headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland.

• Minimum Wages- “the minimum amount

of remuneration to be paid by an employer,

which cannot be reduced by collective

agreement or an individual contract”.

Islamic Cooperation Countries (OIC)

• The second largest inter-governmental

organization after the United Nations consists

of 57 members.

• It is “the collective voice of the Muslim world”.

• Works to “safeguard and protect the interests

of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting

international peace and harmony”.

• Permanent Secretariat: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

India – Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline

• Petroleum ‘friendship’ pipeline from

Siliguri, West Bengal to Dinajpur,

Bangladesh.

• Project being built with grant assistance

from India, worth Rs 346 crore.

Chilahati- Haldihari Rail Link

• British-era Rail line, abandoned after the

India-Pakistan war in 1965 (when

Bangladesh was East Pakistan).

• Will be the fifth rail route connecting

Bangladesh with Bengal.

Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA), USA

• Opening of a U.S. consulate in Lhasa.

• It underlines U.S. backing for the Dalai Lama

to determine his successor.

o Such decisions should be made by the

appropriate religious authorities

within the Tibetan Buddhist

tradition with the wishes of 14th

Dalai Lama.

• Succession by China: It is “a clear violation

of the fundamental religious freedoms for

Tibetan Buddhists and the Tibetan people”.

• China: Issues related to Tibet, Taiwan and

Hong Kong concern China's sovereignty and

territorial integrity, and internal affairs.





OPEC plus

• It is the alliance of crude producers, who have

been undertaking corrections in supply in the

oil markets since 2017.

• OPEC plus countries: Azerbaijan, Bahrain,

Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman,

Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.

• OPEC members: Algeria, Angola, Equatorial

Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya,

Nigeria, Congo, Saudi Arabia (the De facto

leader), UAE, and Venezuela.

• A larger group called OPEC+ was formed in

late 2016, to have more control on global crude

oil market.

OPEC

• The Organization of the Petroleum

Exporting Countries is an intergovernmental

organization of 13 countries.

• An International cartel: Economists often cite

OPEC as a textbook example of a cartel that

cooperates to reduce market competition.

• Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, although

Austria is not an OPEC member.

• The member countries accounted for 44% of

global oil production and 81.5% of the world's

"proven" oil reserves.

• Demand for OPEC oil has fallen to a 30-year

low in the second quarter of 2020.

Legion of Merit award, USA

• Awarded to members of the U.S. Armed

Forces, to members of foreign Armed Forces

and sometimes heads of state or government.

• Awarded to Indian, Australian, and former

Japanese Prime Minister.

6th India- CLMV Business Conclave

• CLMV- Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar &

Vietnam.

• Organized by CII + Ministry of Commerce

& Industry.

• Significance:

o Proximity of northeastern states.

o Easier access to ASEAN market.

o Historical & cultural contact.

o High economic growth & macro

economic stability of CLMV

countries.

o Cheap labour & open trade is

opportunistic for India.

US Commission on International Religious Freedom

(USCIRF)

• An independent, bipartisan federal

government entity established by the U.S.

Congress.

• To monitor, analyze and report on threats

to religious freedom abroad.

• To deter religious persecution and

promote freedom of religion and belief.

• The commission had recommended

sanctions against Mr. Modi for 2002, and

the U.S. government had subsequently

cancelled his visa.

International Association of Insurance Supervisors

(IAIS)

• Voluntary membership organization of

insurance supervisors and regulators.





• International standard-setting body for

the supervision of the insurance sector.

• Headquarters: Switzerland

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

• To promote, coordinate and monitor the

fight against drugs in sports.

• Headquartered: Montreal, Canada.

• Key activities: scientific research,

education, development of anti-doping

capacities, and monitoring of the World

Anti-Doping Code.

• WADA lists the prohibited substance:

steroids, anabolic agents, stimulants etc.

• Doping means athletes taking performance-

enhancing drugs (PED), which causes the

body to build more muscles by limiting

muscle fatigue.

Investment Promotion Award (IPA) 2020

• Invest India is winner of the 2020 United

Nations Investment Promotion Award by

UNCTAD.

• United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development (UNCTAD)

o Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

o Objective: to formulate policies

relating to all aspects of development

including trade, aid, transport,

finance and technology.

• Invest India- National investment promotion

and facilitation agency.

o Under Ministry of Commerce &

Industry.

o Focuses on sector-specific investor

targeting and development of new

partnerships for sustainable

investments in India.

Partners in Population and Development (PPD)

• An intergovernmental organization for

promoting South-South cooperation in

the fields of reproductive health,

population, and development.

• Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.

One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial

Resistance

• Launched by World Health Organisation

(WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation

(FAO) and World Organisation for Animal

Health (OIE).

• To catalyze global attention and action to

preserve antimicrobial medicines.

• To avoid the disastrous consequences of

antimicrobial resistance.

Global Innovation & Technological Alliance (GITA)

• It is “not–for–profit”, Public Private

Partnership (PPP) company.

• Function: encourages industrial investments

in innovative technology solutions by:

o Mapping technology gaps.

o Evaluating technologies offers across

the globe.

o Facilitating techno–strategic

collaborative partnerships appropriate

for Indian economy.

o Providing soft funding for technology

development.

• Promoted by the Technology Development

Board (TDB), Department of Science &

Technology and Confederation of Indian

Industry (CII).

US lifts Sudan off Terror List

• U.S. removed Sudan from its state sponsors of

terrorism blacklist, less than two months after

the Arab nation pledged to normalize ties with

Israel.

Better than Cash Alliance

• Partnership of 75 governments, companies

& international organizations.

• To accelerates the transition from cash to

responsible digital payments to progress the

SDG.

• India is member.





Digital Nations

• The group wants to mobilize digital

technologies to enhance the quality of life

for their citizens.

• Estonia, Israel, New Zealand, Korea, United

Kingdom are the founding members of the

D5.

• Canada and Uruguay joined the group to

form the D7.

• In 2018, Mexico and Portugal joined to form

the D9.

• Denmark joined as the tenth member of

Digital Nations in 2019.

Democracy Ten (D10)

• India+ South Korea+ Australia + G7.

• G7 countries – US, Canada, UK, Italy,

Germany, France and Japan.

• Aim: to create alternative suppliers of 5G

equipment, telecom products and other

technologies to avoid relying on China.

Artemis Accords

• These agreements outline a set of principles

for the cooperative and transparent

exploration, cooperation in the civil

exploration and use of outer space.

• The Accords were signed by the directors of

the national space agencies of the United

States, Australia, Canada, Japan,

Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom,

United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and Brazil.

India is not a signatory.

• Outer Space Treaty negotiated in 1967 and

the Moon Treaty of 1979 need to be

supplemented.

Arab Spring

• It was a series of anti-government protests,

uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread

across much of the Arab world in the early

2010s.

• It began in Tunisia.

Human Development Index

• Published by United Nations Development

Programme.

• A new metric introduced to reflect the impact

caused by each country’s per-capita carbon

emissions and its material footprint. It

measures the amount of fossil fuels, metals

etc.

For mains

• India dropped two ranks to 131.

• If the Index were adjusted to assess the

planetary pressures caused by each nation’s

development, India would move up eight

places in the ranking.

• No country has yet been able to achieve a very

high level of development without putting a

huge strain on natural resources.

• Australia falls 72 places, while the United

States and Canada would fall 45 and 40 places

respectively. China would drop 16 places from

its current ranking of 85.

Sahrawi Tribes, Western Sahara

• In the 1970s, with the name of Polisario Front,

they did guerrilla warfare against Spanish

colonialists.

• However, Morocco still controls the area.

• Morocco has become the fourth Arab country

to normalise ties with Israel in five months.

• In return, the U.S. has recognised Morocco’s

sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed

territory in northwestern Africa.





4. Economy

Kuznets curve (K Curve)

• It is the hypothesis that as an economy

develops, market forces first increase and then

decrease economic inequality.

• Eg. Between people, industries, financial

entities etc.

• Given by economist Simon Kuznets in the

1950s and 1960s.

• Widening the arm of K implies increasing in

inequality.

K-Shaped Recovery

• It occurs when, following a recession, different

parts of the economy recover at different rates,

times, or magnitudes.

• This is in contrast to an even, uniform recovery

across sectors or industries.

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

• Form of market intervention by the

Government of India to insure agricultural

producers against any sharp fall in farm prices.

• Objectives:

o to support the farmers from distress

sales.

o to procure food grains for public

distribution.

• The minimum support prices are announced in

beginning of the sowing season for certain

crops.

• On the basis of the recommendations of the

CACP

• CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs

and Prices): Under Ministry of

Agricultural.

• CACP recommends MSPs of 23 commodities:

o 7 cereals (paddy, wheat, maize,

sorghum, pearl millet, barley and

ragi)

o 5 pulses (gram, tur, moong, urad,

lentil),

o 7 oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed-

mustard, soyabean, seasmum,

sunflower, safflower, nigerseed),

o 4 commercial crops (copra,

sugarcane, cotton and raw jute). Positive Pay System

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to introduce

system for cheque transactions above Rs

50,000.

• the cheque issuer submits certain minimum

details of the cheque electronically to the

drawee bank. Eg. date, name of beneficiary,

amount etc.

• These details are cross-checked with the

presented cheque by Cheque Truncation

System (CTS).

Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC)

• a rail route created for Freight

Transportation.





• This is one of largest railway infrastructure

project.

• Benefits:

o Reduce logistic cost &congestion at

various terminals.

o Boost to industrial region.

o Help railway to regain market share.

o Faster speed of freight movement.

Ethanol Interest Subvention Scheme

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs,

chaired by the Prime Minister, approved a

modified scheme for interest subvention for

ethanol production.

• Included grain-based distilleries, along with

just molasses-based ones.

• Those grain-based distilleries that use dry

milling process and new molasses-based

distilleries that install any method approved

by CPCB.

Aim:

• To boost production and distillation capacity to

1,000 crore litres.

• Meeting the goal of 20% ethanol blending with

petrol by 2030.

Industry Status

• Given by Maharashtra government to

Film & Entertainment Sector.

• The term ‘industry status’ is not

specifically defined in any legislation in

India.

• Conferring industry status basically

entails an inclusion in the State/Central

industrial policy.

• Benefits:

o Getting loans with less trouble at

lower interest rates.

o Enabling large investors to be

financing partners.

o Attracting equity investment in

the sector.

o Enabling developers to refinance

their existing debts.

Assets Under Management (AUM)

• It measures the total market value of all

the financial assets which a financial

institution manages on behalf of its clients

and themselves.

• Indicator of the size and success of a

given fund house.

Social commerce

• The use of networking websites such as

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as vehicles

to promote and sell products and services.

• The success of a social commerce campaign is

measured by the degree of retweets, likes, and

shares etc.

• In India is expected rise tenfold to touch $ 16-

20 billion.

Vanchit Ikai Samooh Aur Vargon ki Aarthik

Sahayta (VISVAS) Yojna

• An Interest Subvention Scheme (benefit of 5%

in interest rate).





• For financial empowerment of economically

marginalized SHGs and individuals.

• By Ministry of Social Justice &

Empowerment.

• Loan benefits:

o OBC/SC SHGs- 4 lakh

o OBC/SC Individuals- 2 lakh

Cairn Energy wins arbitration award against India

• Cairn had challenged the Indian government

seeking taxes over an internal business

reorganisation using the 2012 retrospective

tax law, under the UK-India Bilateral

Investment Treaty.

• In 2011, Cairn Energy sold its majority stake in

Cairn India to Vedanta Ltd.

• In 2014, the Indian tax department had

demanded $1.4 billion in taxes.

• The proceedings were under the Permanent

Court of Arbitration.

• The order does not contain a provision for

challenge or appeal against the award, but the

Indian government may challenge it.

• Recently, Vodafone Group Plc had won an

international arbitration case.

Public Financial Management (PFM)

• Are set of laws, rules, systems &

processes used by sovereign nations.

• To mobilise revenue, allocate public funds,

undertake public spending, account for

funds and audits results.

• To improve financial management procedures

and operational efficiencies.

Actionable Claims

• A claim to any debt other than a debt secured

by mortgage of immovable property or

hypothecation or pledge of movable

property.

o Hypothecation occurs when

an asset is pledged as collateral

to secure a loan.

• Some examples of actionable claims:

o Claim for arrear of rent is

actionable claim since it is not

secured on anything.

o Right to claim provident fund.

o Claim for unsecured debt.

o Claim in profit by a partner in a

firm.

• Only activities relating to lottery, betting

and gambling are subject to GST and

except these three, no actionable claim

is covered under GST by virtue of

Schedule III.

Development Finance Institution (DFI)

• Established mainly to cater demand of long

term finance of agriculture, industries, trade,

transport & basic infrastructure.

• Work as bridge financer.

• Examples: NABARD, SIDBI, EXIM Bank

etc.

• Recently Ministry of Finance (MoF) proposes

DFI tag to IIFCL.

• India Infrastructure Finance Company

Limited (IIFCL)-:

o Government owned entity which

provides long term finance to viable

infrastructure projects.

o Through Scheme for Financing

Viable Infrastructure Projects

(MoF).

Municipal Bonds

• Issued by urban local bodies.

• To raise money for financing

infrastructure projects.

• Regulated by SEBI.

Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)

• Are Financial institution which ensure

adequate credit for agriculture & rural

sectors.

• Objective: credit dispersal to small,

marginal farmers & socio-economically

weaker section of population.





• Setup on the recommendation of

Narasimham Working Group (1975).

• Equity held in proportion of 50:15:35 by

Central government, concerned state

government & sponsor bank.

Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs)

• Primary cooperative banks located in urban &

semi urban areas.

• Registered as cooperative societies under State

Cooperative Societies Act or Multi State

Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.

• Regulation & supervision by RBI under

provision of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)

• A company registered under Companies

Act, 1956.

• Business: loans & advances, acquisition of

shares/stocks/bonds/securities issued by

government, insurance business, chit

business etc.

• Regulation & supervision by RBI under

RBI Act.

Vadhavan Port Project

• Will be India’s 13th major port .

• Located in North of Mumbai.

• An ‘All Weather, All Cargo’ satellite

port.

• Developed on a “landlord model” .

o In the landlord port model, the

publicly governed port authority

acts as a regulatory body and as

landlord while private companies

carry out port operations.

• To enhance capabilities in handling deep

draft ships and larger vessels.

• India's first foreshore port.

• Part of the Centre’s Sagarmala initiative

that aims to make Indian ports major

contributors to the country’s GDP.

• Jointly administered by Jawaharlal Nehru

Port Trust with 74% equity stake, and the

Maharashtra Maritime Board with 26%

holdings.

KG basin’s D6 block

• Three deep water gas projects in KG-D6: R-

Cluster, Satellites Cluster and MJ.

• These together will meet 15% of India’s gas

demand by 2023.

• R-Cluster, the ultra-deepwater gas field:

Located at a water depth of greater than 2,000

m, it is the deepest offshore gas field in Asia.

U.S. puts India on ‘currency manipulators’

monitoring list

• US Treasury Department’s semi-annual

foreign-exchange report.

• Currency manipulator: This is a label given

by the US government to countries it feels are

engaging in “unfair currency practices” by

deliberately devaluing their currency against

the dollar.

Criteria:

• Countries must at least have a $20 billion-plus

bilateral trade surplus with U.S.

• Foreign currency intervention exceeding 2% of

gross domestic product.

• A global current account surplus exceeding 2%

of GDP.

Trade Receivable & Discounting System (TReDS)

• An electronic platform for facilitating the

financing / discounting of trade receivables of

MSMEs through multiple financiers.

• These receivables can be due from corporates

and buyers, including Government

Departments and Public Sector Undertakings

(PSUs).

• Banks, NBFC and other financial

institutions are permitted by RBI to participate

as financiers in TReDS.

• Receivable Exchange of India was set up by

SIDBI and National Stock Exchange.

• Benefits: ensure timely payments to MSMEs,

lower discount rates, an alternate source of

creating credit history etc.





Vehicle Insurance in India

• According to Insurance information

Bureau (IIB), 57% of vehicles were

uninsured.

• IIB is set up by Insurance Regulator &

Development Authority of India

(IRDAI).

• According to Motor Vehicle Act, 2019- it

is mandatory for vehicle to be insured

with third-party vehicle insurance

policy.

K. Keshava Rao committee

• Parliamentary Standing Committee

• Government must unveil stimulus to spur

demand.

• A report on downturn and revival of

Automobile Sector.

Country reached self-sufficiency in agricultural

production

• India produces more than the estimated amount

required to feed the entire population

• In 2018-19, India produced 280 million tons of

food grains.

• The country ranks first in millets and second in

rice and wheat production.

• India’s horticultural crops are also in surplus

(over 300 million tons in 2018-19).





5. Art and Culture

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

• In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created

Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs).

• PTGs renamed as PVTGs in 2006.

• Total 75 PVTGs out of 705 Scheduled Tribes.

The highest number of PVTGs are found in

Odisha.

• Characteristics: mostly homogenous, small

population, relatively isolated, no written

language, relatively simple technology etc.

• Ministry of Tribal Affairs: scheme of

Development of PVTGs.

• PVTGs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Onge,

Jarawa, and Shompens.

Anthropological Survey of India

• Under the Ministry of Culture.

• It is headquartered in Kolkata.

• Aim: To study the tribes and other

communities that form the population of India

both from the biological and cultural point of

view.

Hampi

• Last capital of Vijaynagar Kingdom.

• Vijayanagara Empire arose from the

ruins of the Kampili kingdom.

• Founded by Harihara and Bukka I in 1336.

• UNESCO World Heritage site.

• On bank of Tungabhadra river (old name

Pampa).

• Hampi chariot is one among the three

famous stone chariots in India , the other

two in Konark (Odisha) and

Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu).

Mahaparinirvan Divas

• Mahaparinirvan: The death of Lord Buddha

at the age of 80 is considered as the original

Mahaparinirvan.

• On 6 December, death anniversary of Dr.

Babasaheb Ambedkar.

• Ambedkar followers believe that he was as

influential, pure and blessed as Lord Buddha.

Surgery in Ayurveda

• Two Branches:

o Shalya Tantra- general surgery.

o Shalakya Tantra- surgeries

related to the eyes, ears, nose,

throat and teeth.

Hornbill Festival

• Celebrated by indigenous warrior tribe of

Nagaland.

• Hornbill is state bird of Arunachal

Pradesh but Hornbill Festival is celebrated

in Nagaland.

Monpa paper or Mon Shugu, Arunachal Pradesh

• The art of making fine-textured handmade

paper originated among the Monpas.

• It is made from the Shugu Sheng tree, which

has medicinal values too.

Gatka

• Punjabi Martial Arts.

• Originated when the 6th Sikh Guru

Hargobind adopted ‘Kirpan’ for self-

defense during the Mughal era.

Guru Nanak Jayanti

• First of 10 Sikh Guru & founder of

Sikhism.

• Advocated Nirguna form of Bhakti. Nirguna-

worship of formless divine.

• Mantra- ‘Ek Onkar’ (treating all equally,

without any discrimination on the basis of

caste, creed & gender).

The grave of Naushera ka Sher

• Brigadier Mohammad Usman, the senior-most

officer killed in the first India-Pakistan war of

1947-48.

• The grave is located on the Jamia Millia

Islamia (JMI) campus.





Trinities of Carnatic music

• Saint Tyagaraja: Composed devotional

compositions, mostly in Telugu in the praise of

Lord Rama.

• Muthuswami Dikshitar: His compositions

are noted for their elaborate and poetic

descriptions of Hindu gods and temples.

o His compositions are predominantly

in Sanskrit. He also composed some

Kritis in Manipravalam (a mixture

of Sanskrit and Tamil).

o 245th birth anniversary. Youngest of

the Carnatic Trinity.

• Saint Syama Sastri: composed Kritis in a

more formal form of Telugu which borrows

heavily from Sanskrit. The oldest among the

Trinity.

Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati

• 138th birth anniversary (11th December 2020).

• He was a Tamil writer, poet, journalist, Indian

independence activist, social reformer and

polyglot (बहुभाषी). Popularly known as

Mahakavi Bharathiyar.

• A pioneer of modern Tamil poetry and is

considered one of the greatest Tamil literary

figures of all time.

• Worked for many newspapers, including The

Hindu, Bala Bharata, Vijaya, Chakravarthini,

Swadesamitran and India.

• His works included fiery songs kindling

patriotism during the Indian Independence

movement.

• He fought for the emancipation of women,

against child marriage, stood for reforming

Brahminism and religion.

• He was also in solidarity with Dalits and

Muslims.

• International Bharti Awards 2020:

o Received by Scholar Shri Seeni

Viswanathan.

o Organized by the Vanavil

Cultural Centre (Tamil Nadu).

Aadi Mahotsav, Madhya Pradesh

• National tribal festival.

• This year virtual edition.

• Joint initiative of the Ministry of Tribal

Affairs & Tribal Cooperative Marketing

Development Federation of India

(TRIFED).

• Showcases traditional art and

handicrafts and cultural heritage of the

country.

NEOM, The City of Prince

• Futuristic megacity of Saudi Arabia.

• This city will be completely powered by Green

Hydrogen Fuel.

• City opens in Red Sea.

Tharu Tribe

• Belongs to the Terai lowlands:

Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Nepal.

• They are followers of Theravada

Buddhism.

• Tharu women have stronger property

rights as compared to North Indian Hindu

women.

Manipur observes 81st year of ‘women’s war’

• It was on December 12, 1939, that the women

fought against the British after some of its

officials colluded with traders to export the

nutritious Manipuri rice, pushing people to

the point of starvation.

• Following their protest, the export order was

revoked.





Pathalgadi cases

• The movement was started by the indigenous

people in the tribal heartland for their right

for self-government. The entry of outsiders

was restricted.

• Criminal cases against persons associated with

the movement.

Expert Panel for Ram Temple

• Headed by VS Raju.

Tomb of Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana

• His tomb is situated in Nizamuddin, near

Humayun's Tomb, in New Delhi.

• It was built by him for his wife in 1598, and his

body was placed in it in 1627.





6. Society

International Year of Indigenous Language (IYIL)

• Year 2019 declared by United Nation General

Assembly.

• Aim: to preserve, support and

promote indigenous languages at the national,

regional and international levels.

New School Bag Policy 2020

• By Ministry of Education.

• School bag not more than 10% of the body

weight of students (Class I to X).

• No bags in pre-primary.

• Suggest maximum homework time for

students.

• Weight of each textbook printed by the

publishers.

• Good quality mid-day meal & potable

water to all students.

Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Tribals

• Under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme for needy

students of class IX & X.

• Objectives: Minimized the incidence of drop-

out. Improve participation in pre-matric stage.

Anand Sharma panel

• There should be a comprehensive Public

Health Act with suitable legal provisions to

keep checks and controls over private

hospitals.

• To curb black marketing of medicines.

COVID-triggered fungal Infection

• Caused by a group of molds called

mucormycosis.

• Non communicable.

International Branch Campuses (IBC)

• An entity that is owned by a foreign higher

education provider

Yuelu Proclamation, 2018

• By UNESCO.

• Adopted at the first international conference

on language resources protection in

Changsha, China.

• Aim: protection and promotion of the world's

linguistic diversity.

Deen Dayal Upadhaya Grameen Kaushalaya Yojana

(DDU-GKY)

• Placement linked skill development

programme.

• Under National Rural Livelihood Mission,

Ministry of Rural Development.

• Dual Objectives:

o Adding diversity to income of rural

poor families.

o Cater to career aspiration of rural

youths.

• Mandatory coverage of Socially

Disadvantaged group- SC/ST- 50%,

Minorities- 15%, Women- 33%.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, 2014

• By Ministry of Education.

• Aims to link the Higher Education

Institutions (HEIs) with at least 5 villages

for their holistic development.

• Two major domains: human

development and material (economic)

development.

• IIT, Delhi designated as National

Coordinating Institute (NCI).

• Objectives:

o To engage the faculty and

students of HEIs in identifying

development issues in rural areas.

o Identify & select existing

innovative technologies.

o Enable customization of

technologies for innovative

solutions.

R P Tiwari committee

• Panel to work out common entrance test.





Eat Right India movement

• Launched by FSSAI. Tagline ‘Sahi Bhojan.

Behtar Jeevan’.

• Whole of the government approach: since

the movement brings together food-related

mandates of the agriculture, health,

environment and other ministries.

• Whole of society approach: bringing all

stakeholders on a common platform.

Objective:

• To improve public health and combat negative

nutritional trends to fight lifestyle diseases.

• To usher in a ‘new food culture’ by nudging

businesses and consumers to adopt safe,

healthy and sustainable food practices and

habits.

Global Teacher Prize 2020

• Founded by Varkey Foundation.

• Won by Ranjitsinh Disale, primary school

teacher from Maharashtra.

• For his efforts to promote girls’ education &

trigger a QR coded textbook revolution in

India.

• I am a teacher of the 20th century, who is

teaching students who is teaching students of

the 21st century with syllabus that belongs to

the of 19th century and and techniques of the

18th century.

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Project, 2005

• Inaugurated by Ministry of Science &

Technology.

• To create indigenous, open-source and

comprehensive database of molecular profiles

of all cancers patients in Indian population.

Cannabis

• News: United Nations Commission on

Narcotic Drugs (UNCND) removes

cannabis from most dangerous drugs.

• Cannabis is a generic term used to denote

the several psychoactive preparations of

the plant.

• The major psychoactive constituent is

Delta-9 tetra-hydro-cannabinol (THC).

• The Mexican name marijuana is

frequently used.

Fluorosis

• Caused by excess intake of fluorides in hard

& soft tissues of body.

• Through drinking water, food products &

industrial pollutants over a long period.

• Affects the teeth & bones.

WHO prequalification programme

• To ensure that diagnostics, medicines,

vaccines and immunization-related

equipment and devices for high burden

diseases meet global standards of

quality, safety and efficacy, in order to

optimize use of health resources and

improve health outcomes.

• Eg. HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

• Used by UN and other procurement

agencies to make purchasing decisions

regarding diagnostics, medicines and/or

vaccines.

RT-LAMP

• Reverse Transcriptase Loop-mediated

isothermal Amplification Technology.

• LAMP is validated by ICMR with:

o Sensitivity- 98.7%, Specificity-

100%

• It is a new technology for detecting

COVID19 involving:

o One step nucleic acid

amplification method that

multiply specific sequences of

RNA of the coronavirus.

• This technology has advantage over RT-

PCR technology.





Social Endeavor for Health and Telemedicine

(SEHAT) Scheme, 2015

• It is a telemedicine health initiative in India. To

be launched in J&K.

Superinfections

• A Superinfection is:

o a second infection superimposed on

an earlier one,

o especially by a different microbial

agent of exogenous or endogenous

origin,

o that is resistant to the treatment being

used against the first infection.

• It is an overgrowth of an opportunistic

pathogen from the bacterial or yeast imbalance

of systemic antibiotics.

• For example: influenza is caused by

a virus, but the most common cause of

death in influenza patients is

secondary pneumonia, which is caused

by bacteria.

World Malaria Report 2020

• Released by WHO.

• High Burden to High Impact (HBHI)

initiative: Initiated by WHO in 11 high

malaria burden countries, including

India.

• Malaria:

o Caused by 4 types of Parasite:

Plasmodium falciparum, P.

vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae

o Spread by Female Anopheles

Mosquitoes.

World AIDS Day 2020

• Observed on 1st December every year.

• Founded by the World Health Organization

(WHO).

• Theme for 2020: “Global solidarity, resilient

HIV services.”

• “90-90-90” targets for 2020:

o 90% of people living with HIV are

aware of their status.

o 90% of people diagnosed with HIV

are receiving treatment.

o 90% of all people

receiving treatment have

achieved viral suppression.

AYUSH Export Promotion Council

• Set up by Ministry of Commerce and

Industry + Ministry of AYUSH.

• By standardized their HS codes used for

global trade.

• BIS helps in developing international

standards for AYUSH products.

• HS codes: It is an internationally standardized

system of names and numbers to classify traded

products.

Molnupiravir

• An experimental antiviral drug for the

treatment of influenza.

• CSIR holding discussion to initiate clinical

trials.

Department of Integrative Medicine

• Set up by AYUSH Ministry + AIIMS.

• A progressive step towards integration of

traditional medicines with modern medicine.

UN Population Award 2020

• Given to Queen Mother of Bhutan (Her

Majesty) & HelpAge India.

• Established by the United Nations General

Assembly in 1981.

• Recognizes contributions in the fields of

population and reproductive health.





Odisha’s brides go missing in ration cards

• Inordinate delay in name inclusion.

Matru Sahyogini Samiti or Mothers’ Cooperation

Committees in M.P.

• Committees led by mothers to ensure better

monitoring of services delivered at anganwadi

or day care centres.

• To strengthen community response to the

problem of hunger and malnutrition.

Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for drugs and

vaccines

• The conventional process to approve new

drugs or vaccines is to subject them to a

clinical trial process. (Animals > Phase wise

testing.

o In India, the regulatory authority is the

Central Drugs Standard Control

Organisation (CDSCO).

• In emergency situations, regulatory authorities

grant interim approvals if there is sufficient

evidence to suggest a medical product is safe

and effective.

• India does not have an explicit EUA provision.

However, a section in the New Drugs and

Clinical Trials Rules, 2019' mentions an

‘accelerated approval process’.

Vaccine Literacy

• Before a new vaccine is introduced, it is

absolutely essential to build the

confidence of people which is only

possible by openness and transparency in

sharing critical data.

Mixopathy

• It refers to integrate different kinds of

alternative medicine systems, like

homeopathy and Ayurveda, with modern

medical science.

• The Indian Medical Association (IMA)

has demanded withdrawal of such order

by Central Council of Indian Medicine

(CCIM).

• Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), a

statutory body under the AYUSH Ministry.

NFHS (National Family Health Survey)

• Conducted under the Health Ministry.

• Nodal Agency: International Institute for

Population Sciences (IIPS).

• It is a large scale, multi round survey

conducted in a represented sample of

households throughout India.

• NFHS-5 provides indicator for tracking

30 Sustainable Development Goals that

the country aim to achieve by 2030.

o Includes new topics- preschool

education, disability, access to

toilet facility, death registration

etc.

Gaps in Internet Use

• Data by 5th National Family Health

Survey.

• There is urban-rural gap & gender

divide in across India.

• In Urban India, approx. 50% women never

used internet. In rural India, it

significantly dropped.

Child Marriage in Madhya Pradesh

• Encouraged by Pandemic (Lockdown) &

Poverty.

• Loss of livelihoods has pushed poor families

to opt for early marriages.

• According to ChildLine India (NGO),

across India, 5000+ child marriages were

reported in the first four months of the

lockdown between March and June.

Hunger Watch survey

• Carried out by Anna Suraksha Adhikar

Abhiyan (ASAA), Gujarat.

• Nutritional quality and quantity of diets

worsened in of two third population in

lockdown.





• The World Health Organization calls stunting

“a marker of inequalities in human

development”.

• Only about 30% of the funds released for

Poshan Abhiyaan from 2017-18 onwards had

been utilized.

Dawoodi Bohra Child Custody Norm

• The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious

denomination within the Shia Islam.

• this norm allows a man to take over from

his estranged wife the custody of their

child who is above seven without any

due process of law.

• Estranged- means that the couple has

separate and are now living as strangers.

... When you are an estranged wife, you

cannot be an ex, because your legal status

will still say married.

Alarming trend of extremely high C-section Births

• A caesarean delivery (C-section) is a surgical

procedure used to deliver a baby through

incisions in the abdomen and uterus.

• According to the World Health

Organization, a reasonable percentage of

births by C-section is between 10-15%.

• According to NFHS-5 data, several states have

C-section between 30-40%. In Telangana, it is

over 60%.

Cyberspace

• fishing channels see a rise in subscribers.

COVID-triggered fungal Infection

• Caused by a group of molds called

mucormycosis.

Institutes of Excellence (IoE)

• Exempted from reservation policies under the

Central Educational Institutions (Reservation

in Teachers’ Cadre) Act (CEI Act) of 2019.

• Eg. Homi Bhabha National Institute, Tata

Institute of Fundamental Research, Space

Physics Laboratory and Indian Institute of

Remote Sensing etc.

• V. Ramgopal Rao Committee: Scrap quotas

for faculty in IITs.

Global Hunger Index 2020

• 4 components

o Percentage of undernourished

population.

o Wasting of children under the age of

five, a sign of acute undernutrition.

o Stunting of children under the age of

five, a sign of chronic

undernutrition.

o Mortality rate of children under the

age of five.

• Published by the Welthungerhilfe and

Concern Worldwide. International Food

Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) exited.

• India the 94th rank among 107 countries.

World Food Programme (WFP)

• It is the food-assistance branch of the United

Nations.

• Founded in 1961, it is headquartered in Rome.

• It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020

to provide food assistance in areas of conflict,

and to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of

war and conflict.

• It is an executive member of the United

Nations Development Group, a consortium of

UN entities that aims to fulfil the 17

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with

a priority on achieving SDG 2 for "zero

hunger" by 2030.





7. Environment and Geography

10 Chemicals of Major Health Public Concern

Indentified by WHO.

1. Air pollution

2. Arsenic

3. Asbestos

4. Benzene

5. Cadmium

6. Dioxin and dioxin-like substances

7. Inadequate or excess fluoride

8. Lead

9. Mercury

10. Highly hazardous pesticides

System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and

Research (SAFAR)

• Government-run monitoring agency for AQI

(Air quality Index).

Organochlorines

• Organochlorine pesticides are chlorinated

hydrocarbons

• Used extensively from the 1940s through the

1960s in agriculture and mosquito control.

• Belong to the class of Persistent Organic

Pollutants (POPs).

• Examples: DDT, industrial chemicals,

methoxychlor, dieldrin, chlordane, toxaphene,

mirex, kepone, lindane, and benzene

hexachloride.

• Stockhome Convention on POPs.

• Reason behind Eluru mystery illness in

Andhra Pradesh.

Green Charcoal Hackathon

• Launched by NVVN (NTPC Vidyut

Vyapar Nigam).

• Aim to fast-track technology developments

conducted by NVVN + EESL (Energy

Efficiency Services Ltd).

• To leverage the innovative Indian mind to

bridge the technology gap .

• Objectives:

o Clean the air by eliminating farm

fire.

o Producing renewable energy out

of the agro residue.

o Promote local entrepreneurship.

o Increase the income of the

farmers.

o Reduce the carbon footprint of

the nation.

Eco-Bridges or Eco-ducts

• To enhance wildlife connectivity that can be

disrupted because of highways.

• Includes:

o canopy bridges (usually for monkeys,

squirrels and other arboreal species).

o concrete underpasses or overpass

tunnels (usually for larger animals).

o amphibian tunnels or culverts.

• Ramnagar Forest Division (Uttarakhand)

recently built its first eco-bridge for reptiles

and smaller mammals.

Ammonia in rivers

• Induced by industrial effluents.

• Treatment by Ozone based units.

Electronic waste

• In 2019, India became the third largest

electronic waste generator in the world after

China and the United States, at 3.2 million

tonnes.

Climate Ambition Summit 2020

• Hosted by UN + UK + France + Chile + Italy.

• Objective: Fulfill commitments of

the Paris Agreement that are mitigation,

adaptation and finance commitments.





• Provide platform for businesses, cities and

others to accelerate the systemic change

required to reduce emissions and build

resilience.

Microclimatic Zone Shifting

• Micro climatic zones: These are the regions

where the weather is different from the

surrounding areas.

• Reasons of MZS: change in land-use patterns,

deforestation, encroachments upon mangroves,

disappearing wetlands and natural ecosystems

by encroachment, and urban heat islands that

trap heat locally.

Apex Committee for Implementation of Paris

Agreement (AIPA)

• AIPA is a 17-member inter-ministerial

committee.

• Constituted under Environment

(Protection) Act, 1986.

• Function:

o Coordinate communication &

reporting of NDCs to UNFCCC.

o Develop policies & programmes,

to make India’s domestic climate

action compliant with

international obligations.

o As a National Authority to

regulate carbon market in India.

M.M. Kutty Commission

• Centre’s Commission for Air Quality

Management in the NCR

Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction

• If two celestial bodies visually appear close to

each other from Earth, this position is called

conjunction.

• The term great conjunction to describe

meetings of the two biggest planets i.e.

Jupiter and Saturn.

• It happens about every 20 years.

• Jupiter orbits the sun about every 12

years, and Saturn about every 29 years.

• The conjunction will be on 21st December

2020, also the date of the December Solstice.

African Cheetah Reintroduction Programme

• Shortlisted sites: Kuno Palpur sanctuary,

Nauradehi Sanctuary, Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

& Madhav National park all are in Madhya

Pradesh.

• Best habitat should be based upon prey base,

safety & topography.

• Cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.

• African Cheetah:

o IUCN Status- Vulnerable.

o Found in wild in Africa.

• Asiatic Cheetah:

o IUCN - Critically Endangered.

o Found only in Iran.

o Much stronger & faster than African

cheetah.

Cyclone Burevi

• Named by: Maldives

• Cyclone Burevi would not strengthen

beyond the intensity of a cyclonic

storm because of upwelling caused by

Nivar (named by Iran).

1st UT to become 100% organic

• Lakshadweep.

• All farming is carried out without the use

of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides.

• Providing access to safer food choices

and making agriculture a more

environment-friendly activity.

• Ministry of Agriculture has declared an

Island as organic.

• Sikkim was 1st state that becomes wholly

organic.





Aurora Borealis & Aurora Australis

• Often called the northern lights and

southern lights.

• Aurora (Polar light) - display of light in

the sky seen in the high latitude regions

(Arctic and Antarctic).

• Happening due to a solar flare, emerged

from a Sunspot.

National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan

Ecosystem (NMSHE)

• Launched under National Action Plan on

Climate Change (NMSHE).

• For sustaining & safeguarding the Himalayan

glaciers & mountain ecosystem.

• Coordinated by Ministry of Science &

Technology.

• Includes enhanced monitoring of Himalayan

ecosystem, promoting community based

management, human resource development

etc.

Tibetan Gazelles or Goa

• It is a species of antelope that inhabits the

Tibetan plateau.

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened.

Iceberg A68a

• It calved from Antarctica in 2017.

• It has been floating off the coast of South

Georgia island.

• Ice calving or glacier calving or iceberg

calving, is the breaking of ice chunks from the

edge of a glacier.

Portulaca laljii

• New species of sun rose in the Eastern Ghats.

Tso Kar wetland, Ladakh

• 42nd Ramsar site of India in Changthang region

of Ladakh, India.

• High-altitude wetland complex: two

waterbodies, Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake

and Tso Kar itself, a hyper saline lake.

• Tso Kar means white lake, because of the

white salt efflorescence or evaporites.

• It is an Important Bird Area (IBA)

designated by BirdLife International.

Typhoon Phanfone

• It is a typhoon that lashed the central

Philippines recently.

• A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone.

Minor irrigation through sub-surface porous vessels

(SSPV)

• For farmers with small land holdings in the

villages of the Thar desert.

Ken-Betwa Interlinking Project

• Aims to transfer surplus water from the

Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP to

irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand

region.





• Ken and Betwa rivers are tributaries of

Yamuna.

• Rajghat, Paricha and Matatila dams are

over Betwa River.

• Ken River passes through Panna tiger

reserve.

Great Barrier Reef

• World’s most extensive and spectacular

coral reef ecosystem.

• Composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and

900 islands.

• Location: Coral Sea, off the coast of

Queensland, Australia.

• Great Barrier Reef is in a critical state

due to climate change. - IUCN

Mount Ili Lewotolok (erupts recently)

• Located in Eastern Indonesia on Lembata

Island.

• Other active volcano of Indonesia recently

erupted:

o Mt. Sinabung on Sumatra Island.

o Merapi on Java Island

• Indonesia is home to nearly 130 active

volcanoes, due to its position on the “Ring of

Fire”, or the Circum-Pacific Belt.

Kilauea Volcano

• Erupts on Hawaii's Big Island.

Elephant Corridors

• Narrow strips of land that connect two

large habitats of elephant.

• Crucial to reduce animal fatalities due to

accidents and other reasons.

• Elephant:

o Declared as the National Heritage

Animal of India in 2010.

o Karnataka (6049), Assam (5719) &

Kerala (3054) top states in elephant

population with 27312 totals in

India.

o IUCN- Endangered.

India’s leopard population rises by 60% in four

years, crosses 12,000

• There is increase in the leopard-human

conflict, with the wild cat forced to venture out

of forest due to fragmented habitats.

Rescue and rehabilitation centre for monkeys

• At Gandi Ramanna Haritavanam in Nirmal

district in Telangana.

• It is the second such facility for the primates in

the country. The other facility in the country

was in Himachal Pradesh.

Coevolution

• It occurs when two or more species

reciprocally affect each other's evolution

through the process of natural selection.

• Reason of why elephants and tigers did not go

extinct in India.

Firefly bird diverter

• For overhead power lines in areas where

Great Indian Bustard (GIB) populations are

found in the wild.

• MoEFCC, along with Wildlife Conservation

Society, India.

Ugly orchid: Gastrodia agnicellus

• A newly discovered orchid has been named

“the ugliest orchid in the world.”

• Found in Madagascar, it feeds on fungi. It has

no leaves.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

• Heaviest flying bird.

• These birds are often found associated in the

same habitat as blackbuck.

• One of the most critically threatened species

in India, with fewer than 150 birds left in wild.





Protection

• IUCN Status: Critically endangered

• CITES Appendix I.

• Schedule 1: Wildlife (Protection) Amendment

Act 2002

Habitat

• Arid and semi-arid grasslands with scattered

short scrub, bushes and low intensity

cultivation in flat or gently undulating terrain.

It avoids irrigated areas.

• Found in India and the adjoining regions of

Pakistan

Protected areas

• Desert National Park Sanctuary, Rajasthan

• Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh

• Karera Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh

Himalayan trillium

• IUCN status: endangered.

• A common Himalayas herb.

• It has become one of the most traded

commercial plants of the Himalayan region,

due to its high medicinal quality.

Black giant squirrel or Malayan giant squirrel

• One of the world’s largest squirrel species.

• Giant squirrels are diurnal (active during the

day), arboreal (tree-dwelling)

and herbivorous.

• India is home to three giant squirrel

species- other two are Indian Giant

Squirrel and Grizzled Giant

Squirrel which are found in peninsular

India.

• Conservation Status:

o IUCN Red List: Near

Threatened.

o CITES: Appendix II. Wildlife

Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.

Peacock soft-shelled turtle

• Males possess relatively longer and

thicker tails than females.

• Habitat: It is a riverine turtle endemic to

India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

• They are

generally omnivorous (predominantly

carnivorous) and nocturnal.

• IUCN status: Vulnerable

Siberian primrose

• Plant endemic to Nordic countries.

• Specialized in growing on seashore

meadows with low vegetation.

• Nordic countries- Finland, Denmark,

Norway, Sweden & Iceland.

Dhole or Asian wild dog

• The only endangered large carnivore besides

the tiger.

Ischaemum janarthanamii

• Species of Murain grass found in

Western Ghats of Goa.

• Grows in the outskirts of Bhagwan

Mahavir National Park, Goa.

• Murain grasses are known for their

ecological and economic importance, such

as fodder.

Rare Myristica (Tree Frog)

• A rare arboreal species endemic to the

Western Ghats.

• Scientific name Mercurana myristicapalustris.

• Found in Shencottah gap, Kerala.

• Shencottah Gap: Located between the

Nagercoil and the Cardmom hills links

Thiruvanathpuram and Madurai.

Habitats Trust awards for conservation

• The Metastring Foundation.

• For Mahseer fish and Malabar Tree Toad.

Mahseer fish

• Called the tiger of the water and found only in

the Cauvery river basin.

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.

Malabar Tree Toad

• IUCN Status: Endangered.

• Found only in the Western Ghats.



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Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve

• Situated in Rajasthan.

• At junction of Aravali & Vindhaya hill

ranges.

• Bounded to the north by the Banas River and

to the south by the Chambal River.

Mini Kaziranga

• Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (Assam) is

also known as Mini Kaziranga.

• It has the highest density of one-horned

rhinos in the world.

• Death of two rhinos proves that many

cattle robbing rhinos of nutrition.

• Maximum number of One-horned Rhinos

are in Kaziranga National Park.

Himalayan serow

• IUCN Status: Vulnerable

• Schedule I of The Wildlife Protection Act,

1972.

• Resembles a cross between a goat, a donkey, a

cow, and a pig.

• Herbivorous mammal.

• Sighted for the first time in the Himalayan cold

desert in Spiti.

• All species of serows are found in Asia.

• Rupi Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary, Kinnaur,

Himachal Pradesh.

• Great Himalayan National Park in Kullu,

Himachal Pradesh.

Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bat

• Habitat: It is endemic to India. Only in Kolar

caves, Karnataka.

• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: NA.

• News: The Karnataka Forest Department,

along with the BCIT, trying to save it from

extinction.

• Bat Conservation India Trust (BCIT),

Bengaluru: An NGO.

About Bats:

• One of the least studied mammals in the

country, despite 130 species in India.

• They are pollinators, their main diet being

nectar.

• Help in insect control.

• Highly adaptable creatures: often found near

human habitation or even in urban settlements.

It makes them vulnerable.

Emission Gap Report (EGR) 2020

• Released By United Nation Environment

Program (UNEP).

• Provided a yearly review greenhouse

emissions gap for 2030 to avoid the worst

impacts of climate change.

• Key Analyses:

o Low-carbon recovery measures.

o Summarizes the scale of new net-

zero emissions pledges by nations.

o Looks at the potential of the lifestyle,

aviation and shipping sectors to

bridge the gap.

Kerala to augment wildlife rehab

• It was only a month ago that a 10-year-old

tigress was transferred to the Neyyar Lion

Safari Park, National park in Kerala.

• Tiger cubs rescued from Mudumalai Tiger

Reserve in Nilgiris, TN were shifted to the

Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai

for specialised neonatal care.





Koliwar Bridge

• Constructed over Sone River in Bihar. Length

1.5 km.

Western Ghats grasslands

• Tropical montane grasslands (TMG) in the

Shola Sky Islands of the Western Ghats have

suffered big reductions due to invasions by

exotic trees such as acacias, pines and

eucalyptus.

• Restoration: Using remote sensing for

invasive tree species management, and in the

identification of restoration sites. Satellite

images with a high spatial resolution

(RapidEye)

• In India, grasslands are classified as

wastelands in forest management plans since

unlikely to generate revenue. Eg.

Hesaraghatta grasslands in Bengaluru.

Hazardous Himalayas

• Two hydropower projects in Arunachal

Pradesh on the tributaries of the Brahmaputra:

o The 600 MW Kameng project on the

Bichom and Tenga Rivers.

o The 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower

Hydroelectricity Project.

• About 15% of the great earthquakes of the 20th

century (magnitude of more than 8) in the

Himalayan region.

• Earthquake of 1950 near McMahon Line

was of 8.6 magnitude. It was the largest

continental event ever recorded, and

devastated Tibet and Assam.





8. Science and Technology

Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR)

technique

• A remote sensing technology that uses light in

the form of pulsed laser to measure ranges

or distances to the Earth.

• System of Pulse and Return.

• Used to generate precise and 3D

information.

• It is similar to Radar & Sonar.

Diem (crypto currency)

• Earlier name Libra (Facebook)

• Crypto Currency: type of digital

currency that use cryptography for

security & anti-counterfeiting measures.

o Control through distributed ledger

technology called blockchain.

o Examples- bitcoin, ethereum &

ripple.

Facial Recognition System (FRS)

• It is a technology capable of matching a

human face from a digital image or a video

frame against a database of faces.

• It is employed to authenticate users through ID

verification services.

• It works by pinpointing and measuring facial

features from a given image.

Issues

• False positive: somebody is recognised as

somebody they are not.

• False negative: the system refuses to recognise

the person as themselves.

News

• It has seen rapid deployment by multiple

government departments recently.

• There are no specific laws or guidelines to

regulate the use of this potentially invasive

technology.

• Threat to the fundamental rights to privacy

and freedom of speech and expression: It

does not satisfy the threshold set by the

Supreme Court in its landmark privacy

judgment in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy case.

Lab Grown Meat (LGM)

• Scientists will use animal’s stem cells, the

building blocks of muscle and other organs, to

begin the process of creating the cultured

meat.

• Singapore Food Agency (SFA) approved

its sale.

Technical Textiles

• Technical textiles are functional fabrics.

• This is a Sunrise Sector.

• Applications: automobiles, civil

engineering, construction, agriculture,

healthcare, industrial safety (fire proof

jackets), personal protection (bullet proof

jackets), space applications etc.

• There are 12 technical textile segments:

Agrotech, Meditech, Buildtech, Mobiltech,

Clothtech, Oekotech, Geotech, Packtech,

Hometech, Protech, Indutech and Sportech.





Hayabusa2 Project

• Hayabusa2 is an asteroid sample-return

mission operated by the Japanese space

agency, JAXA.

• Returned back from asteroid Ryugu (C-type

asteroid).

• C-type asteroid- contains organic matter and

trapped water.

• Brings soil samples and data from Ryugu:

Could provide clues for origins of the solar

system.

Arecibo Telescope, Puerto Rico

• Collapsed recently.

• Built in 1963, it is the second-largest

single-dish radio telescope in the world.

• Being the most powerful

radar, scientists employed it to observe

planets, asteroids and the ionosphere.

• Making several discoveries over the

decades, the first exoplanets, and the

first millisecond pulsar (kind of a star).

Low Frequency Array (LOFAR)

• A radio telescope in the Netherlands.

100 Octane Petrol: XP100

• Launched by Indian Oil.

• World-class premium grade petrol.

• Octane number- measure of resistance

of fuel to ignite prematurely.

• Octane number is a standard measure of

the performance of an engine or aviation

gasoline.

• Higher the Octane number, more stable

the fuel.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) test

• An analytical chemistry technique used in

quality control and research.

• For determining the purity & molecular

structure of a product.

• Honey samples from brands such as

Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu,

Hitkari and Apis Himalaya, all failed the

internationally accepted NMR test.

• The NMR test is not required by Indian

law for honey that is being marketed

locally but is needed for export.

Satellite-Based Narrowband-IoT Network

• World’s first, satellite-based

narrowband-IoT network in India.

• New ‘Made in India’ Solution,

indigenously developed by Skylo, will

connect with BSNL Satellite

• Provide PAN-India coverage, including

Indian seas.

Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technologies Park

(ARTPARK)

• Set up in Bengaluru.

• Established by Indian Institute of Science,

Bengaluru + AI Foundry.

• Aim: To leverage AI & Robotics; Improving

Access to AI awareness, education &

enablement.

• Under National Mission on Inter-

disciplinary Cyber-Physical System

(NM-ICPS).

• NM-ICPS- Implemented by Science and

Engineering Research Board.

Quantum Computing

• Able to perform computations nearly 100

trillion times faster than world’s most

advanced supercomputer.

• To Harnesses Quantum mechanics to

deliver huge leaps forward in processing

power.

• Use quantum bits, or qubits, to encode

information as 0, 1, or both at the same

time.

• Two key principle of Quantum Physics:

o Superposition

o Entanglement

• China becomes 1st country to develop this

technology.





Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Technology

• Recently tested by DRDO.

• Quantum Cryptography or QKD

technology uses quantum physics to secure

the distribution of symmetric encryption

keys.

• In QKD, encryption keys are sent as qubits

in a fiber optic cable.

• Address the issue of long-term security in

communication.

Mock eggs

• Developed from a plant-based crop proteins.

• Looks and tastes like egg but also remarkably

close in nutritional profile to a poultry egg.

• It meets the protein needs of the diet-specific,

health conscious and vegetarian people.

• First prize at some UNDP contest.

BBX11 gene

• It facilitates the greening of plants by playing

a crucial role in regulating the levels of

protochlorophyllide.

• Protochlorophyllide: an intermediate in the

biosynthesis of the green pigment

chlorophyll.

Nanomicelles: using nanoparticles for cancer

treatment

• These are globe-like structures with a

hydrophilic outer shell and hydrophobic

interior, making them perfect carriers for

delivering drug molecules.

• Similar to nanoshells and nanovesicles,

nanomicelles are extremely small structures

and are noted as an emerging platform in

targeted therapy.

Titan

• The Apple electric car project

India’s first Lithium refinery in Gujarat

• It looks to promote electric vehicles.

Plant Based Vaccine (PBV)

• These are a kind of recombinant vaccines that

introduce antigens against particular

pathogens into the selected plant. It aims to

engineer a virus like protein (VLP) in living

plants.

• VLC mimics a virus and is recognised by the

immune system.

• World’s first plant-based vaccine against

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was approved

in USA for poultry.

• Economically effective for they are free of

cold-chain transport

• No contamination by toxins and pathogens,

which usually occurs in bacterial vaccines

production.

Dry Swab- Direct RT-PCR method

• Developed by CSIR-Centre for Cellular and

Molecular Biology (CCMB).

• ICMR approves this method to ramp up

COVID19 testing.

• Involves collecting and transporting the nasal

swab in dry state to:

o Makes the transportation and

handling of the samples is easy.

o Less prone to spillage and spread of

infection.

• Benefits: Cost effective, Easy to implement.

New height of Mount Everest

• ‘Peak of friendship’ for Nepal and China

• They jointly announced the new height of

Mount Everest as 8,848.86 meters— 86 cm

taller than the widely accepted previous height,

which was calculated by the Survey of India in

1954.

Optical Fibre Cable

• Laying of optical fibre cable to connect

11 islands of Lakshadweep with Kochi.

• The project will be funded by the

Universal Service Obligation Fund.

Tokamak or EAST: The Artificial Sun of China

• It is a device which uses a powerful

magnetic field to confine hot plasma in the

shape of a torus.





• It is being developed to produce controlled

thermonuclear fusion power.

• China’s largest and most advanced nuclear

fusion experimental research device.

• Mission Name: Experimental Advanced

Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).

• Location: Sichuan province

• Artificial sun- due to enormous heat &

power it produces.

Beresheet 2

• Unmanned lunar mission by Israel for 2024.

• It will involve launching two landing craft

and an orbiter.

• Objective: Conducting experiments and

collecting data on behalf of school students.

• Only three nations landed on the moon: USA,

Soviet Union and China.

Justice Jain Committee

• To investigate the rogue officials

responsible for the infamous ISRO

“frame-up” case of 1994.

• It destroyed the career of Nambi

Narayanan.

• Mr. Narayanan was working on cryogenic

engine technology.

• He was charged with passing on

documents of ISRO relating

to Viking/Vikas engine technology,

cryogenic engine technology and PSLV

flight data/drawings to Pakistan.

Techno-nationalism

• This idea establishes the belief that the

“success of a nation can be determined by how

well that nation innovates and diffuses

technology across its people.”

• Eg. use of technology as the key subject in a

Nationalist project.

Chang’e-5 Spacecraft

• China’s unmanned lunar mission. It would

make China the 3rd country to have retrieved

lunar rock samples, joining the United States

and the Soviet Union.

• Rock samples collected from a massive lava

plain known as Oceanus Procellarum, or

“Ocean of Storms”.

• Help scientists learn about: Moon’s origins.

Volcanic activity on its surface and its interior.

World’s largest hybrid renewable energy park

• 30,000 MW Renewable energy Park in Kutch,

Gujarat.

• To generate power through solar panels and

windmills, along the India-Pakistan border.

CMS-01 Communications satellite

• Launched by PSLV-C50 (XL) with six strap on

motors.

Note: EOS-01 Earth observation Satellite.

SolarWinds hack

• A recent cyberattack in the United States. In

fact, it is likely a global cyberattack.

• Related names: Campaign UNC2452,

Sunburst malware etc.

• Emerged as one of the biggest ever targeted

against the US government, its agencies and

several other private companies.

• A state-sponsored attack. (By Russia?)

• A ‘Supply Chain’ attack: Instead of directly

attacking, the hackers target a third-party

vendor, which supplies software to them. Eg.

an IT management software Orion from

SolarWinds.





9. Security

Boko Haram

• Militant group of Northern Nigeria.

• Fighting to overthrow the government &

create an Islamic State.

Passage Exercise (PASSEX) 2020

• Between Indian & Russian Navies.

Passage Exercise (PASSEX)

• Indian and Vietnamese Navy in the South

China Sea (SCS).

Mission Sagar-III

• Indian Navy ship INS Kiltan to Vietnam to

deliver relief material.

• Launched in line with the vision of SAGAR or

security and growth for all in the region

• It reiterates India’s position as a dependable

partner and the Indian Navy as the preferred

security partner and first responder.

Tour of Duty recruitment model

• The Army proposed the ‘Tour of Duty’ model

of recruitment.

• Young individuals voluntarily serve for a

temporary period of three years.

China to launch third aircraft carrier

• The launching of China’s third and largest

aircraft carrier is expected in 2021.

• Shandong: Second aircraft carrier of China,

the first to be built at home. It is already been

deployed in the Taiwan Straits and in the South

China Sea, is likely to be combat ready next

year.

• Liaoning: First aircraft carrier of China,

developed by retrofitting a Soviet-era cruiser

and commissioned in 2012.

Microwave weapons

• These are a type of direct energy

weapons.

• A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a

ranged weapon that damages the target

with highly focused energy. Eg, sonic,

laser, microwaves and particle beams.

Microwaves

• These are the electromagnetic

radiations with a frequency between 300

MHz to 300 GHz and wavelength from 1

mm to around 30 cm.

• Properties:

o Reflected by metal surfaces.

o Absorbed by water.

o Microwave transmission is

affected by wave effects such as

refraction, reflection,

interference, and diffraction.

o Pass through glass and plastic.

Cabinet gives approval for Akash missile export

• Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air

missile defense system developed by the

Defence Research and Development

Organisation (DRDO).

ATAGS: Indigenous artillery guns

• Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System

(ATAGS) developed by DRDO jointly with

private industry.

• The ATAGS is a 155-mm, 52-calibre artillery

gun.

Offshore Patrol Vessel Saksham

• The Samarth-class offshore patrol vessel are a

series of eleven offshore patrol vessels being





built by Goa Shipyard Limited for the Indian

Coast Guard.

• The construction of Samarth class was

motivated by a desire to triple the Coast

Guard assets in the aftermath of 2008

Mumbai attacks.

• They are an improvement over the earlier

Sankalp class, with a larger beam and more

powerful engines.

Stealth Frigate Himgiri

• It is a Nilgiri-class frigate, built under Project

17A for the Navy.

• Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and

Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

• Project 17A: It is a follow-on of the Project

17 Shivalik-class frigate for the Indian Navy.

A total of seven ships will be built at Mazagon

Dock and GRSE.

New systems by DRDO

• To army: Border Surveillance System

(BOSS)- All-weather electronic surveillance

system

• For navy: Indian Maritime Situational

Awareness System (IMSAS)

• For Air Force: ASTRA Mk-I Beyond Visual

Range (BVR) Missile.

F/A-18 Super Hornet

• Fighter jets from USA.

• Short Takeoff but Arrested Recovery

(STOBAR) system

Ka-226T helicopters

• Twin-engine utility helicopters.

• In 2015, India and Russia had concluded an

Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for at

least 200 Ka-226T.

• 60 helicopters to be directly imported and 140

manufactured locally.

• They are to replace the ageing and obsolete

Cheetah and Chetak fleet.

• A joint venture India Russia Helicopters

Ltd. (IRHL) has been set up between

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and

Russian Helicopters (RH) to assemble the

helicopters in India.





10. Miscellaneous

Smuggling in India Report, 2019-20

• Compiled by the Directorate of Revenue

Intelligence (DRI).

• DRI is under the Central Board of Indirect

Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Department of

Revenue, Ministry of Finance.

Indian Energy Index (IEX)

• First & largest energy exchange in India.

• It is regulated by Central Electricity

Regulatory Commission.

• Provide a programme for physical delivery of

electricity, Renewable Energy Certificates &

Energy Saving Certificate.

• Other energy exchange – Power Exchange

India Ltd. (PXIL).

Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2020

• Released by Germanwatch and Climate

Action Network.

• The four categories assessed are: GHG

Emissions (40%); Renewable Energy (20%);

Energy Use (20%); Climate Policy (20%).

Urban Government Index (UGI) 2020

• Released by Praja Foundation.

• Ranks states in terms of real empowerment of

grassroot democracy & local self government.

• Topped by Odisha, while Manipur & Nagaland

are at bottom.

Urban Quality Index

• Released by IIT-Bombay.

Human Freedom Index 2020

• Published by American think tank Cato

Institute and Fraser Institute in Canada.

• A global ranking of personal, civil and

economic freedom.

Singapore’s hawker culture

• UNESCO added the city-state’s “hawker

culture” to its Representative List of the

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

• Hawker centre: These centres serve as

community dining rooms.

Russia banned from Olympics

• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

banned Russia from all international sport

for four years. It reduced to two years.

• Reason: data provided by the Russian Anti-

Doping Agency had been manipulated by

Russian authorities.

• Russian athletes can participate without their

flag and national anthem.

Yogasana recognised as competitive sport

• By the Youth Affairs and Sports and AYUSH

Ministries.

Merger of four film media units

Cabinet approved merger of four film media units with

the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC)

Ltd.

• Films Division.

• Directorate of Film Festivals.

• National Film Archives of India.

• Children’s Film Society, India.



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