TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. National Affairs

2. Economy, Banking and Finance

3. Science and Technology

4. Environment and Ecology

5. International Affairs, Bilateral Issues and Geopolitics

6. Miscellaneous

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 NATIONAL AFFAIRS

 Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls launched by Ministry of
Women and Child Development
 Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls - a web based on line monitoring will
facilitate the monitoring of the scheme and taking corrective measures by ensuring faster flow of
information, accurate targeting of the beneficiaries and reduction of leakages.
MWCD is implementing the Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) in selected 508 districts across the
country. SAG aims at empowering out of school adolescent girls of 11 to 14 years by improving their
nutritional and health status, upgrading their skills. In addition to the nutritional support under the
scheme, the girls are equipped with information on health, hygiene and guidance on existing public
services. The Scheme aims to mainstream out of school girls into formal education or non-formal
education. The scheme is being implemented using the platform of Integrated child Development
Services Scheme. Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) are the focal point for the delivery of the services.
Scheme for Adolescent Girls is a centrally sponsored scheme, implemented through Centre and State
share in the ratio of 50:50, for nutrition component 60:40 for the rest of the activities for State and
UTs with legislation, 90:10 for NE and three Himalayan States and 100% for UTs without legislation.

 Scheme For Promoting Decentralized Solar Power Production

 Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan or KUSUM scheme would provide extra
income to farmers, by giving them an option to sell additional power to the grid through
solar power projects set up on their barren lands.
 The components of the scheme include building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren lands and
providing sops to DISCOMS to purchase the electricity produced, ‘solarising’ existing pumps of
7250 MW as well as government tube wells with a capacity of 8250 MW and distributing 17.5 lakh
solar pumps.
 The 60% subsidy on the solar pumps provided to farmers will be shared between the Centre
and the States while 30% would be provided through bank loans. The balance cost has to be borne
by the farmers.

 An Initiative To Step Up Research Investments: RISE

 Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022 will aim to step up
investments in research and related infrastructure in premier educational institutions, including
health institutions.
 A total investment of Rs 1,00,000-crore in the next four years. Higher Education Financing Agency
(HEFA) would be suitably structured for funding this initiative.
 If an institution escrows Rs 10-crore, it can get approval for a Rs100-crore project. It has to escrow
Rs 10-crore each year for 10 years, which will take care of the principal amount.

 New Constitution Bench To Examine Citizenship Act

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 The Supreme Court decided to refer to a fresh Constitution Bench pleas to examine the validity of
various aspects of a provision of the Citizenship Act 1955, including the cut-off date for awarding
citizenship to Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam.
 Section 6A of the Act relates to provisions for citizenship of people covered by the Assam
Accord.
 In December 2014, a two-judge Bench of the apex court had framed 13 questions, for deliberation
by a larger Bench, which included whether Section 6A violates the Articles of the Constitution by
diluting the political rights of residents of Assam.
 It had also framed a question about the scope of fundamental right contained in Article 29(1),
relating to the right to conserve a distinct language, script or culture, and also about the
meaning of expressions ‘culture’ and ‘conserve.’
 The section 6A of the act says that all those who came to Assam on or after 1 January, 1966,
but before 25th March, 1971 from the specified territory (it includes all territories of Bangladesh
at the time of commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 1985), and since then are
residents of Assam, must register themselves under section-18 for citizenship. Therefore, this act
fixes March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for granting citizenship to Bangladeshi migrants in
Assam
The years between 1979 and 1985 witnessed huge political instability, collapse of state government,
president’s rule and unprecedented ethnic violence in Assam. The elections conducted by the
government were totally boycotted and violence based on linguistic and communal identities killed
thousands in the state. Finally, to cope up with the situation, the then Rajiv Gandhi government signed a
Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) with the leaders of the movement on 15 August 1985 called Assam
Accord. As per this accord:
 All those foreigners who had entered Assam between 1951 and 1961 were to be given full
citizenship including the right to vote.
 Migrants those who had done so after 1971 were to be deported.
 Those who entered between 1961 and 1971 were to be denied voting rights for ten years but
would enjoy all other rights of citizenship.

Constitution bench is the name given to the benches of the Supreme Court of India which consist of at
least five judges of the court which sit to decide any case “involving a substantial question of law as to
the interpretation” of the Constitution of India. This provision has been mandated by Article 145 (3) of
the Constitution of India. The Chief Justice of India has the power to constitute a Constitution Bench and
refer cases to it

 Google, NCERT Partner For Internet Safety Training In Schools

 Google and NCERT signed a pact to integrate a course on ‘Digital Citizenship and Safety’ in
information and communication technology curriculum.
 The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has curriculum on IT and
communication technologies embedded in teachers training programme.
 The curriculum developed by NCERT in collaboration with Google will be used to train
students from class I to class XII across 1.4 million schools in India where they will learn how
to become good and responsible digital citizens.

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 The curriculum is spread into four themes -- being smart, being safe, being a digital citizen and
being future ready.

 Google Unveils Security Campaign To Protect Users From Cyberbullying, Fraud

 The programme called '#SecurityCheckKiya' is targeted at young and first-time users to protect
themselves from account hijacking. It is also aimed at shielding their Android mobile devices
from malicious apps and secure all their personal data if they lose them.
 India has the second largest Internet user base in the world. In 2017 the country crossed over
400 million Internet users and this number is expected to reach 650 million in the next two years,
according to Google.
 Google has recommended three simple steps that can help everyone start their journey towards
internet safety and safeguard their online experience. This includes reviewing security settings and
Google account activity with one click for all Android devices and Gmail users.

 Cabinet Approves Ratification Of The Minamata Convention On Mercury

 The approval entails Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury along with flexibility for
continued use of mercury-based products and processes involving mercury compound up to 2025.
 The Minamata Convention on Mercury will be implemented in the context of sustainable
development with the objective to protect human health and environment from the anthropogenic
emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.
 The Minamata Convention on Mercury will further urge enterprises to move to mercury-free
alternatives in products and non-mercury technologies in manufacturing processes. This will drive
research & development, and promote innovation.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and
the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The
Convention is named after the Japanese city Minamata. This naming is of symbolic importance as the
city went through a devastating incident of mercury poisoning.

 Mercury is a naturally occurring element. It can be released to the environment from natural
sources – such as weathering of mercury-containing rocks, forest fires, volcanic eruptions or
geothermal activities – but also from human activities.
 It is extensively used to extract gold from ore in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. It is
contained in products such as electrical switches (including thermostats), relays, measuring
and control equipment, energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs, batteries and dental
amalgam. It is also used in laboratories, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, including in vaccines as a
preservative, paints, and jewellery. Mercury is also released unintentionally from some industrial
processes, such as coal-fired power and heat generation, cement production, mining and other
metallurgic activities such as non-ferrous metals production.

 Cabinet Approves Implementation Of ‘Prime Minister Research Fellows (PMRF)

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 Under this scheme, the best students who have completed or are in the final year of B. Tech
or Integrated M.Tech or M.Sc. in Science and Technology streams from
IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIITs will be offered direct admission in PhD programme in the IITs/IISc.
 Such students, who fulfill the eligibility criteria, and shortlisted through a selection process, as laid
down in the PMRF Guidelines, will be offered a fellowship of Rs.70,000/- per month for the first two
years, Rs.75,000/- per month for the 3rd year, and Rs.80,000/- per month in the 4th and 5th years.
 Apart from this, a research grant of Rs.2.00 lakh will be provided to each of the Fellows for a period
of 5 years to cover their foreign travel expenses for presenting research papers in international
conferences and seminars. A maximum of 3000 Fellows would be selected in a three year period,
beginning 2018-19.

 Inland Waterways Authority of India signs project agreement with the World Bank for Jal
Marg Vikas Project on Ganga
 Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a project agreement with the World Bank today,
even as the latter entered into a US $ 375 million loan agreement with the Department of Economic
Affairs, Ministry of Finance for Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP).
 The JMVP, which is expected to be completed by March, 2023, is being implemented with the
financial and technical support of the World Bank. The project will enable commercial navigation of
vessels with the capacity of 1500-2,000 tons on NW-I (National Waterways 1 on River Ganga
from Varanasi to Haldia).
 The project includes development of fairway, Multi-Modal Terminals at Varanasi, Haldia and
Sahibganj, strengthening the river navigation system, conservancy works, modern River Information
System (RIS), Digital Global Positioning System (DGPS), night navigation facilities, modern
methods of channel marking, construction of a new state-of-the-art navigational lock at Farakka etc.
The National Waterway-1 along with proposed Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and National Highway-2,
constitutes the Eastern Transport Corridor of India connecting the National Capital Region (NCR) with the
eastern and north-eastern states and will function as a link to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and
other east and south-east Asian countries through the Kolkata Port and Indo- Bangladesh Protocol Route.

 “DASTAK” Campaign Launched by the UP Government

 Uttar Pradesh State Government, in association with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has
launched ‘DASTAK’ on 5th February 2018.
 ‘DASTAK’ is a door to door campaign to eradicate deadly Acute Encephalitis (AE) Syndrome and
Japanese Encephalitis (JES) disease from the state.
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus. It belongs to the same genus as dengue, yellow fever
and West Nile viruses. It primarily affects children. Most adults in endemic countries have natural immunity
after childhood infection, but individuals of any age may be affected.
It is transmitted by rice field breeding mosquitoes (primarily Culex tritaeniorhynchus group). The mosquitoes
transmit JE by feeding on domestic pigs. and wild birds infected with the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). It is
not transmitted from person-to-person.

 National Deworming initiative

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 The National Deworming Day is a single fixed-day approach to treating intestinal worm infections in
all children aged 1- 19 years and is held on 10 February and 10 August each year.
 Any child not dewormed on National Deworming Day due to absenteeism or sickness, will be
dewormed on mop-up day, 15 February.
 According to World Health Organization 241 million children between the ages of 1 and 14 years
are at risk of parasitic intestinal worms in India, also known as Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH).
 Helminths (worms) which are transmitted through soil contaminated with faecal matter are
called soil-transmitted helminths (Intestinal parasitic worms). Roundworm (Ascaris
lumbricoides), whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) and hookworms (Necator americanus and
Ancylostoma duodenale) are worms that infect people.
 The objective of National Deworming Day is to deworm all preschool and school-age children
(enrolled and non-enrolled) between the ages of 1-19 years through the platform of schools and
Anganwadi Centers.
 It aims to create mass awareness about the most effective and low-cost STH treatment—
administering Albendazole tablets.

 ASH TRACK Mobile App For Better Management Of Fly Ash Produced By Thermal Power
Plants By Ministry Of Power
 a Web based monitoring System and a Fly Ash mobile application named ASH TRACK will
enable better management of the ash produced by thermal power plants by providing an
interface between fly ash producers (Thermal Power Plants) and potential ash users such as
– road contractors, cement plants etc.
 Quality-wise Indian coal has much more ash content than other countries. Hence, the need for
diverse approaches for the fly ash management.
 There is a need to prevent the ash from coming to the power plant by washing the coal at its place
of origin. Further, promoting R&D for increasing efficiency of power plants and reducing the ash
generation is required.

 India Health Fund To Boost Research On TB, Malaria

 The India Health Fund (IHF), an initiative by Tata Trusts, in collaboration with the Global Fund
has come forward to financially support innovations and technologies designed to
combat tuberculosis and malaria.
 The IHF aims to support individuals and organisations with already germinated innovative
strategies, services, products, such that they become sustainable and scalable solutions in
addressing TB and malaria. It is not a fellowship to do research from scratch.
 The four areas of research for which applications are invited are: use of technology and data
science to strengthen surveillance of TB and malaria, inform early warning systems, and
improve early detection and prompt treatment; promotion of robust molecular diagnostic
facilities feasible for primary healthcare in low-resource settings; innovations on effective
communication strategies that will prevent transmission of TB and malaria, and enable
people to protect themselves from the diseases, and, finally, research on innovative approaches
to vector surveillance.

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  World Sustainable Development Summit 2018
 WSDS is the flagship forum of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
 The goal of the World Sustainable Development Summit(WSDS) is to bring together global leaders
and thinkers in the fields of sustainable development, energy and environment sectors on a
common platform.
 The theme of the 2018 edition is Partnerships for a Resilient Planet
 It calls to create an action framework to solve some of the most urgent challenges faced by the
developing economies in the milieu of climate change.

TERI (THE ENERGY RESOURCES INSTITUTE)

 TERI is a non-profit research institute
 It conducts research work in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development
 It was established in 1974 as Tata Energy Research Institute and renamed to The Energy Resources Institute
in 2003
 WSDS is the flagship
‘Mission forumtoofImprove
Buniyaad’ TERI which came intoSkills
Learning existence in 2005
 Previously WSDS was called as Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS)
 To ensure that students studying in primary schools in the Capital(New Delhi) develop age-
appropriate and class-appropriate reading and maths skills, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
government has partnered with the municipal corporations and other local bodies to launch
“Mission Buniyaad”.
 The project is on the lines of government’s previous scheme called Chunauti, which assessed
students of Class 6 to Class 9. The students will be assessed on reading abilities and basic
mathematics before being divided into groups for focused teaching.
 Under Buniyaad, students will be divided into three categories. Those who perform at par will be
taken into the ‘Ujjawal’ group; those who score medium-level marks will be placed in ‘Utkarsh’ while
those who are behind their peers will be placed in ‘Udyam’.
 The entire programme will run from Classes 3 to 5 in MCD schools and in Classes 6 to 8 in
government schools. The scheme will run for three months from April to June.

 No Date Extension For NRC In Assam, Says SC

 The Supreme Court declined pleas to extend the date for the final publication of National Register
of Citizens (NRC) in Assam by two months from May 31 to July 31 of this year.
 The NRC is being prepared to identify illegal migrants residing in the north-eastern State.

 Cauvery A National Asset, No Exclusive Ownership, Says Supreme Court

 Supreme Court says principle of equality among riparian States does not imply equal division of
water; suggests just and reasonable use.
 An inter-State river like Cauvery is a ‘national asset’, and being in a state of flow, no State can
claim exclusive ownership of its waters or assert a prescriptive right so as to deprive other States of
their equitable share.
 Basing its judgment on the equitable utilisation of inter-State river waters, the court said the
precious right should be equally and reasonable shared by all States concerned

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 The Supreme Court referred to the Helsinki Rules of 1966, which recognise equitable use of
water by each basin State taking into consideration the geography and hydrology of the
basin, the climate, past utilisation of waters, economic and social needs, dependent population and
availability of resources..
 The judgment also refers to the Campione Rules in the context of the Cauvery dispute. These
Rules hold that basin States would in their respective territories manage the waters of an
international drainage basin in an equitable and reasonable manner.

 Complaints Over Medical Bills: Centre Seeks States’ Response

 The ministry of health and family welfare has sought a response from all states on implementation
of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 that aims to monitor, assess
and regulate laboratories, hospitals and health centres.
 The Act that has been enacted by the Central Government aims at registration and regulation of all
clinical establishments in the country, prescribing minimum standards of facilities and services
provided by them at a reasonable charge.
 Only one rate has to be informed to the patients and the same should be charged till
discharge of the patient. Most of the states are yet to prescribe rates of procedures and
services under the Act
 The Act is applicable to all types (both therapeutic and diagnostic types) of clinical establishments
from the public and private sectors, belonging to all recognized systems of medicine, including
single doctor clinics.

 Supreme Court Curtails Tamil Nadu’s Share Of Cauvery Water

 The Supreme Court in a verdict on the Cauvery river water dispute, reduced the allocation of water
from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu.
 Declared the Cauvery a “national asset” and largely upheld the water-sharing arrangements
finalised by the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) in its award on February 5, 2007
 Karnataka will now supply 177.25 tmc instead of 192 tmc - a reduction of 14.75 tmc, from its
Billigundlu site to Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu.
 The court observed that Bengaluru had attained the “global status” and its drinking water
requirement had increased multi-fold. Need for drinking water was at the top of the hierarchy.
 The court allocated 4.75 tmc to Bengaluru, even though the city is located outside the Cauvery
basin.
 The court said that subject to the formulation of a scheme, the water allocation arrangement should
stand unchanged for the next 15 years.
Kaveri (anglicized as Cauvery), is an Indian river flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is
the third largest after Godavari and Krishna in south India and the largest in Tamil Nadu.It rises in Brahmagiri
hills, Kodagu, Karnataka. Its Tributaries including Harangi, Hemavati, Kabini, Bhavani, Arkavathy, Lakshmana
Tirtha, Noyyal and Arkavati.

 UGC Forms Four-Member Empowered Expert Committee

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 The University Grants Commission has constituted a four-member Empowered Expert Committee
(EEC), which is being entrusted to conduct the appraisal of applications for short listing 20
Institutions of Eminence (IoE).
 N Gopalaswami, former chief election commissioner of India is the chairperson of the
committee.
 The IoE project for internationalisation of Indian campuses and creating world class
universities was rolled out by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in
September 2017.
 As per the guidelines issued by the UGC, those institutions in the top 50 of the National Institute
Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings or those who have secured ranking among top 500 of the
Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS University Rankings or Shanghai Ranking
Academic Ranking of World Universities are eligible to apply.
 The institutions declared as Institutions of Eminence will be free from the usual regulatory
mechanism to choose their path to become institutions of global repute.
 Unlike the other institutions in the country, these institutions will have the liberty to enrol up to 30
per cent foreign students.
 Moreover, selected public institutions will be able to recruit up to 25 per cent foreign faculty, while
there will be no such limit for selected private institutions.
 Robots To Soon Clean Up Manholes In Kerala
 In a first for Kerala, the state government will soon be employing the services of robots to clean
sewer holes
 The trial runs of the robot, developed by a start-up company, GenRobotics, have been successfully
held.
 The robot, equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and control panels, has four limbs and a bucket
system attached to a spider web-like extension to scoop out waste from sewers.
 Initially, the services of the robot, christened ‘Bandicoot’ will be utilised in Thiruvananthapuram,
which has more than 5,000 manholes.
 The robot is powered by pneumatics (using gas or pressurised air) since using heavy electronic
equipment in sewers is risky as they can react with the explosive gases present in the manhole.

 World Congress on IT 2018: India To Be The Host For The First Time
 . World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) to be held in 2018, will be hosted by
Hyderabad, India.
 The conference, which is scheduled to be held in the first half of 2018, will be first for the country
and second for Asia.
 The theme set for the conference will be 'Future Enterprises.
About WCIT:
 First held in 1978, the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) is unique in its
global perspective on ICT issues and its ability to draw users, providers, media and
academia from around the world.
 The congress is held after every two years, during which senior global business,

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 government and academic leaders discuss emerging markets, legal and policy issues,
political and economic trends, emerging technologies, ICT user perspectives and business
opportunities in the global marketplace.

 Union Home Minister Meets J&K Youth Under Youth Exchange Programme ‘Watan Ko Jano
 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been organising programme “Watan Ko Jano” to give
exposure to the youth and children of Jammu and Kashmir about the cultural and socio-economic
development taking place in other parts of the country.
 Around 200 youth from the state are on a visit to different places of the country as part of the
programme from 11th Feb-20th Feb, 2018. one more group of 500 students will also visit various
parts of country after this group.

 Myanmar Dam On Border Worries Manipur Village

 The dam, called Tuidimjang, is on the Twigem river flowing into Myanmar
from Manipur. Khangtung, inhabited by the Thadou tribe, is 137 km south of Manipur capital Imphal.
 International rules warrant border countries to check activities in No Man’s Land – a 150-metre strip
on either side of the boundary line.
 Controversy has also dogged Tipaimukh, the mega hydroelectric project proposed on river Barak in
Manipur 35 years ago. Dhaka is against the project, as Barak flows into Bangladesh from Manipur
through southern Assam and feeds the Surma and Kushiara rivers in the country.

 UP CM Yogi Adityanath To Launch 'One District, One Product' Scheme

 One district One Product (ODOP) is aimed at giving a major push to traditional industries
synonymous with the respective districts of the state.
 UP is uniquely famous for product-specific traditional industrial hubs across 75 districts, including
Varanasi (Banarasi silk saris), Bhadohi (carpets), Lucknow (chikan), Kanpur (leather goods), Agra
(leather footwear), Aligarh (locks), Moradabad (brassware), Meerut (sports goods) and Saharanpur
(wooden products).
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 ODOP is basically a Japanese business development concept, which gained prominence in 1979.
 It is aimed at promoting a competitive and staple product from a specific area to push sales and
improve the standard of living of the local population. Over time, it has been replicated in other
Asian countries as well.

 On Women’s Day, Centre Launches Biodegradable Sanitary Napkins At Rs 2.50 Per Pad
 The sanitary napkins under the name ‘Suvidha’, will be available in a pack of four pads for Rs 10
across over 3,200 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras.
 While other sanitary napkins available in markets are non-biodegradable, these are biodegradable.
 The Department of Pharmaceuticals is under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers
 International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8th March every year.

 SC Constitution Bench Holds Passive Euthanasia, Living Wills Permissible

 In a historic decision, the Supreme Court declared passive euthanasia and the right of persons,
including the terminally ill, to give advance directives to refuse medical treatment permissible.
 Highlights:
 Fundamental right to life and dignity (Article 21) includes right to refuse treatment and die
with dignity.
 The fundamental right to a "meaningful existence" includes a person's choice to die without
suffering.
 judgment includes specific guidelines to test the validity of a living will, by whom it should
be certified, when and how it should come into effect, etc. The guidelines also cover a
situation where there is no living will and how to approach a plea for passive euthanasia.
 Active euthanasia is unlawful.
 Article 21 provides that “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal Liberty except according
to procedure established by Law”.
 Living Will is a written document that allows a patient to give explicit instructions in advance about
the medical treatment to be administered when he or she is terminally ill and no longer able to
express informed consent.
Passive euthanasia is a condition where there is a withdrawal of medical treatment with the deliberate
intention to hasten the death of a terminally ill patient. It is legal in India unlike the controversial active
Euthanasia which entails the use of lethal substances to either voluntarily or involuntarily end life.

 Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Medicine Availability

 Advanced medicines to treat Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) were available for only about
1,000 patients.
 Tighter control of new drugs is necessary to ensure patients do not become resistant to the newer
therapies. “Bedaquiline & delamanid are Cardiotoxic & side effects associated need to be strictly
monitored.
 As per WHO recommendation all Drug resistant patients don't need new drugs which are
cardiotoxic.
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 There are two main types of drug resistant TB, MDR-TB and XDR-TB.
 MDR TB is the type of drug resistant TB, when the bacteria are resistant to the TB drugs rifampicin
and isoniazid
 MDR (multi drug resistant) TB is the name given to TB when the bacteria that are causing it are
resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, two of the most effective TB drugs.
 XDR-TB (extensively drug resistant TB) is defined as strains resistant to at least rifampicin and
isoniazid. This is in addition to strains being resistant to one of the fluoroquinolones, as well
as resistant to at least one of the second line injectable TB drugs amikacin, kanamycin or
capreomycin.

 Government Okays Rs 2,919cr Nirbhaya Fund For Creating ‘Safe Cities’

 Eight cities where these initiatives will take shape include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad,
Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Lucknow.
 Dedicated women safety patrol vans will be added to the existing fleet of the Delhi Police. These
vans will be equipped with GPS tracking and on-board video feed sharing. Mumbai has been
sanctioned Rs 252 crore to enable GIS mapping of criminal hotspots, video surveillance, training of
investigating officers and quick response police teams.
 The project will also strengthen “Police Didi” programme wherein female police officers interact with
women living in slums
 The project includes creation of safe-zone clusters at hot crime zones, GIS-based crime mapping,
security in public transport, capacity building of police authorities as well as a helpdesk service for
women.

 Karnataka State Flag Unveiled

 The Siddaramaiah Government unveiled the State flag (nada dhwaja) for Karnataka. If approved by
the Centre, Karnataka will be the second State to have a flag after Jammu and Kashmir.
 The yellow-white-red flag has the State emblem at the centre. The proposal will be now sent to the
Union Home Ministry for approval, since a State has no powers to announce its own flag.

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 Cooperative Election Authority Soon In Haryana
 Establishment of a Cooperative Election Authority for superintendence, direction and control of the
election process in the cooperative organisations/bodies.
 It is established with reference to Article 243ZK of the constitution.

 Government has sanctioned a sum of Rs. 1000 crore for the phase two of
the Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) India programme.
 IMPRINT-2 has been approved by Government of India (GoI) with a revised strategy under which,
this national initiative will be jointly funded and steered by MHRD and Department of Science and
Technology (DST).
 Under the IMPRINT-I Programme, 142 projects at a cost of Rs. 318.71 crore are already under
implementation. These projects cover crucial domains like security and defence, information
technology, energy, sustainable habitat, advance materials, health care, nano technology, climate
change, etc. All these projects are expected to result in publications and also patents.

 #YesIBleed Menstrual Hygiene Campaign

 The objective of the campaign called "#Yes I Bleed" is to create a holistic approach to the issue of
menstruation, which is an experience that transcends culture, class, and caste.
 The United Nations has recognised menstrual hygiene as a global public health and a human rights
issue yet across the globe. "Period poverty" as some call it, is a reality for millions of women and
girls.

 Ministry of Power Launches National E-Mobility Programme in India

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 The Programme aims to provide an impetus to the entire e-mobility ecosystem including vehicle
manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, fleet operators, service providers, etc
 The Programme will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) which will
aggregate demand by procuring electric vehicles in bulk to get economies of scale. These electric
vehicles will replace the existing fleet of petrol and diesel vehicles
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, is working
towards mainstreaming energy efficiency and is implementing the world’s largest energy efficiency portfolio
in the country. Driven by the mission of Enabling More – more efficiency, more innovation, EESL aims to
creating market access for efficient and future ready transformative solutions that create a win-win situation
for every stakeholder

 WINGS INDIA 2018’

 WINGS INDIA 2018 is a platform for interactions, forging alliances, investments and air connectivity
between the States and the global aviation players & stakeholders. It is jointly organized by Ministry
of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India and FICCI
 The theme of the four-day biennial event at Hyderabad this year is ‘India-Global Aviation Hub’.

 NITI Aayog launches Women Entrepreneurship Platform on International Women’s Day

 The initiative is aimed at building an ecosystem for women across India to realize their
entrepreneurial aspirations, scale-up innovative initiatives and chalk-out sustainable, long-term
strategies for their businesses.
 Established under the leadership of Ms Anna Roy, Adviser (Industry) of NITI Aayog, the platform
aspires to substantially increase the number of women entrepreneurs who will create and empower
a dynamic New India.These aspirations are manifest in the three pillars on which WEP is
built: Ichha Shakti (motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to start their enterprise),Gyaan
Shakti (providing knowledge and ecosystem support to women entrepreneurs to help them foster
entrepreneurship) &Karma Shakti (providing hands-on support to entrepreneurs in setting-up and
scaling up businesses).

 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme expanded from 161 districts to all 640 districts in India
 The main objective is to prevent gender biased sex selective elimination by strict enforcement of
laws with stringent punishment to violators.
 It is designed to address the issue of declining CSR (child Sex Ratio) and related issues of
disempowerment of women through a life cycle continuum.
 The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), is the nodal agency for the
implementation of the scheme.

 I-Metros - a platform for mutual sharing of ideas & experiences for nurturing excellence in
performance for Indian Metro Rail companies
 The platform will be a forum for exchange of ideas, pooling of knowledge and sharing of
experience, best practices, innovations etc. among the Indian Metro Rail companies to nurture
excellence in performance.
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 NHPS Beneficiaries To Be Drawn From Economic, Caste Census
 The National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) will cover an estimated 9.91 crore households
across the country, and beneficiaries have been selected on the basis of “deprivation and
occupational criteria” as per Socio-Economic and CastE Census (SECC) data.
 NHPS will target 7.56 crore of 17.97 crore rural households, and 0.16 crore automatically included
households based on any of five parameters: households without shelter, destitute living on alms,
manual scavenger families, primitive tribal groups and illegal released bonded labour
 A National Health Agency (NHA) is also to be set up to manage NHPS.
 SECC was conducted in 2011 and is meant to provide data on various socio-economic indicators,
and most importantly, on caste. It was the first paperless Census of India.

 Free Viral Load Testing For People With HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
 The Health Ministry has launched ‘Viral load testing for all People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV)’.
 The viral load is used to monitor the effectiveness of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) over time. It
measures the amount of HIV genetic material (RNA) in the blood and reports how many
copies of the virus are present.
 India has the third largest population of people with HIV after South Africa and Nigeria,
according to UNAIDS.

 'India Size Chart' Survey: 25,000 People Across 6 Cities

 Seeking to come up with a standardised "India size chart" for the garment industry, the NIFT, under
the aegis of the ministry of textiles, will soon begin a national survey that will sample 25,000 people
using high-tech 3D whole body scanners.
 The National Sizing Survey will cost nearly Rs 30 crore and entail studying a population, aged
15-65 across six cities, with men and women in equal numbers.

 SC Shuts The Door On Foreign Law Firms

 Keeping India’s legal market exclusively for Indians, the Supreme Court has ruled that foreign law
firms or foreign lawyers can’t practise law in the country either on the litigation or non-litigation side.
 This means overseas lawyers or firms cannot open offices in the country, appear in courts or before
any authority or render other legal services, such as giving opinions or drafting documents.
 The expression ‘fly in and fly out’ will only cover a casual visit not amounting to ‘practice’,”
 The court also ruled that Foreign law firms and lawyers did not have an “absolute right” to conduct
arbitration proceedings and disputes arising out of contracts relating to international commercial
arbitration. Though they might not be debarred from conducting arbitration in India arising out of
international commercial arbitration, they would be governed by the code of conduct applicable to
the legal profession in India.

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 Karnataka govt gives separate religion status to Lingayat community declaring that the
Lingayat community would be a minority religion distinct from Hinduism
 The government also decided to extend the minority status to any of the Veerashaiva community
(believers in Hindu gods) who express faith in the philosophy of Lingayat leader Basaveshwara
(Basavanna), who propounded the equality of all, prayer to atma\ishta linga (the soul as god) and
removal of caste and rituals.
Though many people believed for a long time that Lingayats and Veerashaivas were one and the same, and
that the words were interchangeable, they are very different. Lingayats are followers of Basavanna, the
12th-century social reformer who rebelled against Hindu society and established a new dharma.
Veerashaivism, as the name suggests, is an order of Shaiva faith, which in turn is one of the two major
Vedic faiths – the other one being the Vaishnava faith. Both Shaiva and Vaishnava followers constitute
the sanatana dharma.

The essential difference between the Lingayata dharma and the Veerashaiva is that the latter accepts the
Vedic texts and practices like caste and gender discrimination, while Basavanna not only protested these,
he offered an alternative that is an anti-thesis of sanatana dharma.

For Details about Veershaiva and Lingayats , refer to miscellaneous section.

 Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has constituted
Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal for adjudication of Mahanadi Water dispute
 Tribunal for adjudication of longstanding disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over sharing of
Mahanadi river water.
 The tribunal will have three members. Chief Justice of India (CJI) has nominated Supreme Court
Judge A M Khanwilkar as chairman of Tribunal.
 The tribunal will determine water sharing among basin States on basis of overall availability of water
in complete Mahanadi basin, contribution and present utilisation of water resources in each state
and potential for future development.
For details on Mahanadi River and Inter State Water Disputes Act refer to previous edition of
Revision Friendly current Affairs.

 India Aims To Eliminate Tuberculosis By 2025

 India has set a target for complete elimination of Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, five years ahead of the
global target of 2030.
 Launching the TB Free India Campaign at ‘Delhi End TB Summit’, PM Modi said his government
is implementing a national strategic plan (NSP) to end TB by 2025 with funding of over Rs12,000
crore for the next three years to ensure every TB patient has access to quality diagnosis, treatment
and support.
 The new NSP adopts a multi-pronged approach which aims to detect all TB patients with an
emphasis on reaching TB patients seeking care from private providers and undiagnosed TB in high-
risk populations, treat all patients irrespective of where they seek care adopting a patient-centric
approach, prevent emergence of TB in susceptible population groups and build empowered
institutions and human resources to streamline implementation

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 For details on RNTCP refer to previous edition of Revision friendly current affairs.

 NITI Aayog Released SATH-Education Roadmaps 2018-2020

 The roadmaps for the Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education
(SATH-E) Project of NITI Aayog, being undertaken in partnership with three participating States of
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, were released.
 SATH-E has been envisaged as a programme which aims to transform elementary and secondary
school education across these three states. SATH-E roadmap refers to a time-bound, goal-driven
exercise that will reach its logical culmination by the end of the academic year 2020.
 The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership
(PFEL) were chosen as knowledge partners for the project facilitating review, data collection and
implementation.

 Tribal Diaries’ Mobile App To Strengthen Internal Monitoring

 The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has developed an android based mobile application called Tribal
Diaries for internal monitoring as also connecting with officers/officials concerned with
implementation of schemes / programmes for tribal development.
 This application provides an opportunity for visual feedback in terms of photographs, videos,
uploading reports of official tours / inspections and sharing of best practices etc. The application is
being extensively used to get an overview of the Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs)
funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
The Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) is a scheme run by the Government of India (Tribal ministry)
that sets up a model residential school for Indian tribals (Scheduled Tribes (ST) spread over 20 acres.

The schools will have special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports
and skill development. Under the scheme, the government offers `30 lakh as one-time grant to establish
school, thereafter it gives `30 lakh per school annually. Till 2007, 72 such schools were established and
functional in tribal areas across India, including the highest of 10 in Orissa.

Recently govt. has proposed to set up EMRS in every block that has over 50 per cent ST population and
20,000 ST people.

 Cabinet Approves Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM)

 The scheme has the benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. The target beneficiaries of the
proposed scheme will be more than 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population
based on SECC database. AB-NHPM will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored schemes -
RashtriyaSwasthyaBimaYojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS).
Important Salient Features
 AB-NHPM will have a defined benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.
 Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under the
scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled hospitals
across the country.

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 AB-NHPM will be an entitlement based scheme with entitlement decided on the basis of deprivation
criteria in the SECC database,
 The beneficiaries can avail benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities. All public
hospitals in the States implementing AB-NHPM, will be deemed empanelled for the Scheme.
 To control costs, the payments for treatment will be done on package rate (to be defined by the
Government in advance) basis. The package rates will include all the costs associated with
treatment.
 States will be free to choose the modalities for implementation. They can implement through
insurance company or directly through Trust/ Society or a mixed model.
 For giving policy directions and fostering coordination between Centre and States, it is proposed to
set up Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-NHPMC) at apex level
Chaired by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister. It is proposed to have an Ayushman Bharat
National Health Protection Mission Governing Board (AB-NHPMGB)
 In partnership with NITI Aayog, a robust, modular, scalable and interoperable IT platform will be
made operational which will entail a paperless, cashless transaction.

 Cabinet Clears Decks For National Surrogacy Board

 Once enacted by the Parliament, the National Surrogacy Board will be constituted at the central
level, while the states and Union Territories will constitute the State Surrogacy Boards and State
Appropriate Authorities within three months of the notification by the Central Government.
 The proposed legislation Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, ensures effective regulation of
surrogacy, prohibit commercial surrogacy and allow altruistic surrogacy to the needy Indian infertile
couples.

 Govt. To File Review Plea In Supreme Court Against Ruling On SC/ST Act
 Government is “preparing” to file a review petition against the top court’s ruling on the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 that puts a stop to
immediate arrests in complaints filed under its provisions.
 In a recent order, the Supreme Court had banned automatic arrests and registration of criminal
cases under the Act..
 The court had laid down stringent guidelines such as written permission from the appointing
authority before a public servant could be arrested.

 Govt Likely To Relax Restrictions For Foreigners To Visit Forbidden Areas.

 Under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958, all areas falling between the Inner line and
the International Border of some states have been declared as protected areas. A permit is
required to visit these areas.
 The protected areas currently include whole of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland
and Sikkim, besides parts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
Some parts of Sikkim fall under the protected area regime while others under the restricted area.
 In cases of the citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and foreign nationals of Pakistani
origin, no permit, however, can be issued without the prior approval of the Union home ministry.
Page 18 of 75
 Ministry of Home Affairs will coordinate with other agencies and the state governments to identify
the possible locations for which the Protected Area Permit and the Restricted Area Permit
provisions may be relaxed.

 Cabinet approves formulation of a new Integrated Scheme for School Education from 1st
April, 2018 to 31st March, 2020
 An Integrated Scheme on School Education by subsuming SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (SSA),
RashtriyaMadhyamikShikshaAbhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
 The vision of the Scheme is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from nursery to
senior secondary stage in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal for Education. The
main emphasis of the Integrated Scheme is on improving quality of school education by focussing
on the two T's - Teacher and Technology.
 The Cabinet also approved an estimated allocation of Rs 75,000 crore over the period, which is a
20% increase over the current allocations.

 Cabinet approves certain official amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC)
Bill
The Amendments include:
 Final MBBS Examination to be held as a common exam across the country and would serve as an
exit test called the National Exit Test (NEXT)
 The provision dealing with bridge course for AYUSH practitioners to practice modern medicine to a
limited extent has also been removed.
 Fee regulation for 50% seats in private medical institutions and deemed universities
 Number of nominees from States and UTs in NMC increased from 3 to 6
 Monetary penalty for a medical college non-compliant with the norms replaced with provision for
different penalty options
 Stringent punishment for unqualified medical practitioners or quacks

 Aadhaar linking deadline for govt schemes extended to 30 June

 The Government extended the deadline for linking Aadhaar to avail of various services, subsidies
and benefits under section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies,
Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, by three months to 30 June,2018.
 Subsidies for cooking gas and kerosene, and even scholarships are transferred to citizens from the
Consolidated Fund of India under section 7 of the Aadhaar Act.
 The deadline for linking bank accounts and mobile phone numbers with the 12-digit biometric
identifier Aadhaar has already been extended indefinitely, till the five-judge Constitution bench
delivers its judgement on petitions challenging the validity of the biometric scheme and the enabling
law

Page 19 of 75
 Section 7 of the Act provides that Central or State Government may make possession of an
Aadhaar number or Aadhaar Authentication, a condition for receipt of subsidies, benefits or
services, which are funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

 Atal Amrit Abhiyan

 Atal Amrit Ahiyan is a unique health assurance scheme launched by the Government of Assam on
December 25, 2016 for the benefit of economically poor people of the State. Under the scheme
patients suffering from six critical diseases such as cancer, cardio vascular disease, kidney
disorder, neurological conditions, burn injuries and neo-natal complications get monetary
assistance upto 2 lakh rupees a year.
Economy, Banking and Finance

 Electric Vehicles: Charging Infrastructure Needs A Jolt To Meet 2030 Target

 Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a government firm, has put in motion plans to procure 10,000 e-
vehicles and has already given out tenders to the likes of Tata Motors and M&M.
 The Government also notified the scheme for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &)
Electric Vehicles in India (FAME), as a part of its National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020.
 The scheme has four focus areas: technology development, pilot project, charging
infrastructure and demand creation. The scheme has been extended till March 31, 2018.
 The fact that the government has also made a distinction between EVs and hybrid vehicles under
the GST regime is seen as a problem. While EVs are to be taxed at 12%, hybrid vehicles are
taxed at 28% plus a 15% cess.
 While sector specialists said that EVs can be charged at home using AC power, this would take
about 5-8 hours for a full charge. DC chargers, on the other hand, can do the same in a fraction of
the time. Most of the chargers being installed across the country, however, are AC chargers.

 GeM 3.0 launched: GeM Announces National Sellers On-boarding Campaign

 Government e Marketplace (GeM), has been envisaged by Government of India as the National
Procurement Portal of India.
 GeM strives to keep pace with ever-evolving technological challenges and stake holder aspirations
and in line with this endeavour, GeM is coming up with a scaled up third version. The GeM 2.0 was
launched as a pilot in August 2016 and its success led to this massive transformation program .
 GeM 3.0 which would offer
standardised and enriched catalogue
management, powerful search
engine, real time price comparison,
template-based Bid and RA creation,
demand aggregation, e-EMD, e-PBG,
user rating, advanced MIS and
analytics and more.
 Coinciding with the migration to the
3.0 version, National Sellers On-
Page 20 of 75
 boarding Campaign has been launched to train sellers/ service providers for transition from
GeM 2.0 to GeM 3.0. All MoU signed 20 State Capitals will be trained by GeM MSP trainers

 National Institute of Public Finance and Policy

 The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) is an autonomous research institute
under India's Ministry of Finance. Based in New Delhi, India, the centre conducts research on public
finance and contributes to the process of policy-making relating to public finance. The NIPFP also
works jointly with the Department of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance to research the
effects of past economic policy
 NIPFP is overseen by a governing board comprising a chairman and representatives from the
Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission of India and Reserve Bank of India. Vijay Kelkar is the
present chairman and Rathin Roy is the present director of the Institute.

 What REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) mean for Indian Real Estate
 REIT or Real Estate Investment Trust refers to an entity created with the sole purpose of
channelling investible funds into operating, owning or financing income-producing real estate.
 REITs are modelled on the lines of mutual funds and provide investors with an extremely
liquid way to get a stake in real estate. It is a type of security that provides all types of investors,
big or small, an outlet for regular income, portfolio diversification, and long-term capital
appreciation.
 Like any other security, REITs can enlist themselves on a stock exchange. There are primarily two
types of REITs – equity and mortgage.
 With the Union Budget 2017-18 clearly favouring first- time home buyers, 2017 may certainly be the
year to make home ownership a reality.

 NPPA Cuts Stent Price Again; MNC Demand For Sub-Categories Rejected
 A stent is a tiny tube that your
doctor can insert into a
blocked passageway to keep
it open. The stent restores the
flow of blood or other fluids,
depending on where it’s
placed.
 Stents are made of either
metal or plastic. Stent grafts
are larger stents used for
larger arteries. They may be
made of a specialized fabric.
Stents can also be coated
with medications.
 Stents are usually needed when plaque blocks a blood vessel. Plaque is made of cholesterol and
other substances that attach to the walls of a vessel.

Page 21 of 75
 RBI To Link Base Rate With MCLR From 1 April
 Although the RBI had introduced the MCLR(Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rates )
system with effect from April 1, 2016, the central bank in a statement said that a large proportion
of bank loans continue to be linked to the base rate.
 The apex bank had decided to harmonize the methodology of determining benchmark rates by
linking base rate to MCLR, as it is more sensitive to policy rate signals.
 The MCLR is more sensitive to monetary policy transmission and is closely linked to the actual
deposit rates. MCLR is calculated on the basis of incremental cost of funds, making it a more
reliable benchmark rate as compared to the base rate, usually calculated by taking into account
average cost of funds
 Right now the base for fixing base rate and MCLR is different. It is likely that the components
of calculating the two will be aligned. Also, MCLR is reviewed on a monthly basis and base
rate on a quarterly basis. With the harmonization of the two, it is likely that base rate will be
reviewed on a monthly basis as well.
 The marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) refers to the minimum interest rate of a bank
below which it cannot lend, except in some cases allowed by the RBI. It is an internal benchmark or
reference rate for the bank. MCLR actually describes the method by which the minimum interest rate for
loans is determined by a bank - on the basis of marginal cost or the additional or incremental cost of
arranging one more rupee to the prospective borrower.
 The Base Rate is the minimum interest rate of a bank below which it cannot lend, except in some cases
allowed by the RBI. It is the minimum interest rate of a bank below which it is not viable to lend. The
base rate, introduced with effect from 1st July 2011 by the Reserve Bank of India, is the new benchmark
rate for lending operations of banks. Thus all categories of domestic rupee loans should be priced only
with reference to the Base Rate,

 Cabinet Approves Proposal For Amendment To The Micro, Small And

Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006
 Change in the basis of classifying Micro, Small and Medium enterprises from ‘investment in plant &
machinery/equipment’ to ‘annual turnover
 At present the MSMED Act (Section 7) classifies the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) on the basis of investment in plant and machinery for manufacturing units, and
investment in equipment for service enterprises
Section 7 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006 will accordingly be amended to
define units producing goods and rendering services in terms of annual turnover as follows:

 A micro enterprise will be defined as a unit where the annual turnover does not exceed five crore rupees;

 A small enterprise will be defined as a unit where the annual turnover is more than five crore rupees but does
not exceed Rs 75 crore;

 A medium enterprise will be defined as a unit where the annual turnover is more than seventy five crore rupees
but does not exceed Rs 250 crore.

 Additionally, the Central Government may, by notification, vary turnover limits, which shall not exceed thrice
the limits specified in Section 7 of the MSMED Act.
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 IBBI Amends Regulations For Insolvency Resolution Process
 The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has amended the rules to mandate resolution
professional to appoint two registered valuers to determine the fair value and the liquidation value of
the corporate debtor
 Under the revised framework, the resolution plan — approved by the committee of creditors —
should be submitted to the adjudicating authority “at least 15 days before the expiry of the
maximum period permitted for the completion of the corporate insolvency resolution process.
 After the receipt of resolution plans, the resolution professional shall provide the fair value and the
liquidation value to each member of the committee of creditors in electronic form, on receiving a
confidentiality undertaking.

 CRISIL, SIDBI Launch India’s First MSE Sentiment Index

 CriSidEx is a composite index based on a diffusion index of 8 parameters and measures MSE
business sentiment on a scale of 0 (extremely negative ) to 200 ( extremely positive) .
 CriSidEx will have 2 indices , one for the ‘survey quarter’ and another for the ‘next quarter’ once a
trend emerges after few rounds of the survey , providing independent time series data.
 The crucial benefit of CriSidEx is that its readings will flag potential headwinds and changes in
production cycles and thus help improve market efficiencies. And by capturing the sentiment of
exporters and importers , it will also offer actionable indicators on foreign trade.

 ONGC Picks Up 10% Stake In ADNOC Offshore Oil Concession; Shares Jump 4%
 ADNOC(Abu Dhabi National Oil Co)
had signed an agreement on Saturday
with ONGC Videsh-led consortium
giving the group 10 per cent stake in
the new Lower Zakum offshore
concession
 The consortium includes Indian Oil
Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petro
Resources Ltd, an upstream arm of
refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL).

 Malegam To Head RBI Panel To Review Frauds

 The Rs11,500-crore fraud at the Punjab National Bank has prompted the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
to set up a committee under former board member Y.H. Malegam to look into the reasons and
suggest steps to prevent such occurrences.
 The committee will also look into the issue of huge non-performing asset divergences — between
what banks classify and what is detected in RBI inspection — and recommend steps to address the
issue

Page 23 of 75
 Cabinet Nod To Amend Chit Funds Act
 Ammendments would be made to the Chit Funds Act, 1982by the Chit Funds (Amendment)
Bill, 2018 is being done to facilitate orderly growth of the chit funds sector and remove bottlenecks
being faced by the industry, thereby enabling people access to a bigger basket of financial
products.
 One of the amendments is the use of the words “Fraternity Fund” for chit business in the Act, to
signify its inherent nature, and distinguish its working from ‘Prize Chits’ which are banned under a
separate legislation.
 The bill also proposes to amend a Section of the Act to remove the ceiling of ₹100 set in 1982 at the
time of framing the Chit Funds Act, “which has lost its relevance.
 The bill also proposes to allow two minimum required subscribers to join through video conferencing
duly recorded by the foreman .Other amendment includes raising the ceiling of foreman’s
commission.
 Functionally, Chit funds are included in the definition of Non- Banking Financial Companies by RBI
under the sub-head miscellaneous non-banking company (MNBC). But RBI has not laid out any
separate regulatory framework for them.

As per Section 2 (b) of the Chit Funds Act 1982, chit means “a transaction whether called chit, chit fund, chitty,
kuri or by any other name by or under which a person enters into an agreement with a specified number of
persons that every one of them shall subscribe a certain sum of money (or a certain quantity of grain instead)
by way of periodical installments over a definite period and that each such subscriber shall, in his turn, as
determined by lot or by auction or by tender or in such other manner as may be specified in the chit
agreement, be entitled to the prize amount. A transaction is not a chit within the meaning of this clause, if in
such transaction,

 some alone, but not all, of the subscribers get the prize amount without any liability to pay future
subscriptions; or
 all the subscribers get the chit amount by turns with a liability to pay future subscriptions;

 Cabinet Approves Creation Of National Urban Housing Fund

 The Union Cabinet has given approval for creation of National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) for
Rs.60,000 crores. This fund will be situated in Building Materials and Technology Promotion
Council (BMTPC), an autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860
under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
 NUHF will facilitate raising requisite funds in next four years so that flow of Central Assistance under
different verticals i.e. Beneficiary Linked Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in
Parternership (AHP), In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) and Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme
(CLSS) is sustained and construction of houses to address the gap in Urban Sector progresses
smoothly.

 Virgin Set To Build Hyperloop Between Pune And Mumbai

Page 24 of 75
 Los Angeles-based Virgin Hyperloop One announced its intent to build a hyperloop between Pune
and Mumbai, beginning with an operational demonstration track.
 The Hyperloop route will link central Pune, Navi Mumbai International Airport, and Mumbai in 25-
minutes.
For Details on Hyperloop Technology, refer to the Jun-Nov Edition of Revision friendly current affairs.

 Cabinet Clears Private Commercial Mining In Coal

 The Centre has set up a steering committee to go into various issues relating to Fintech space in
India. The committee will be headed by Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs.
 The committee will consider means of using data with GSTN and data residing with information
utilities such as credit information companies (CICs) and others in open domain with a view to
developing applications for financing of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
 It will also develop regulatory interventions e.g., regulatory sandbox model, that will enhance the role
of Fintech in sectors identified for focused interventions.
 It will also look into the possibility of international co-operation opportunities in Fintech with countries
such as Singapore, the U.K., China and others.

 Cabinet approves continuation of Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme

(PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20
 Scheme will create sustainable estimated employment opportunities for 15 lakh persons in three
financial years.
 Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is the nodal implementation agency at the national
level. At the State/district level, State offices of KVIC, Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs)
and District Industry Centres (DIC) are the implementing agencies.
 PMEGP is a major credit-linked subsidy programme being implemented by the Ministry of MSME
since 2008-09 The Scheme is aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through
establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and
unemployed youth in rural as well as urban areas.

 Airtel Acquires India Leg Of GBI Submarine Cable

 Under the agreement, Airtel will acquire the
ownership of the India leg of GBI’s(Gulf Bridge
International) India-Middle East-Europe submarine
cable. Airtel will also pick up a significant capacity on
Middle East-Europe leg of GBI’s cable system.
 Submarine cables are considered backbone of
internet.
 GBI’s cable asset comes in addition to Airtel’s
existing global network — IMEWE, EIG, SMW4 and
MENA submarine cables. GBI is a multilayer

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 terrestrial and subsea cable meshed network bridges the east to the west through the Middle East.

 Udyam Sakhi Portal

 UDYAM SAKHI is a network for nurturing social entrepreneurship creating business models
revolving around low-cost products and services to resolve social inequities.
 UDYAM SAKHI network is a platform for emerging Women Entrepreneurs of India to get support to
understand current scenario of industries and to get guidance in various aspect of
entrepreneurship.
 The portal has been launched by MSME ministry.

 Agricultural Mechanization for in-situ Management of Crop Residues

 A special scheme to support the efforts of the Governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
and NCT of Delhi to address air pollution and to subsidize machinery required for in-situ
management of crop residue for the period 2018-19 to 2019-20 has been approved.
 The scheme is a Central Sector Scheme (100% Central share) being implemented by the Ministry of
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Components of the Scheme
 Establish Farm Machinery Banks for Custom Hiring of in-situ crop residue management machinery:
Financial assistance @80% of the project cost
 Financial Assistance to the farmers for Procurement of Agriculture Machinery and Equipment for in-
situ crop residue management: Financial assistance @50% of the machinery/ equipment
 Information, Education and Communication for awareness on in-situ crop residue management:
Financial assistance will be provided to the State Government/ KVKs, ICAR Institutes, Central
Government Institutes, PSUs, etc. for the activities to be undertaken towards information, education
and communication.

 DoP Seeks Support From Other Departments To Reduce India’s Dependence On APIs
 The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has requested other government departments to chip in
with measures to curb imports of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)from China.
 APIs are used as raw material ingredients to prepare finished medicines.India imports around 66 %
APIs from China
 The Department of Commerce has been asked to put up a system of ‘canalisation’, meaning
forcing the imports through a govt. corporation
The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) is the part of any drug that produces its effects. All drugs are
made up of two core components: API and excipient. API is the central ingredient. Excipient is the substance
inside the drug that helps deliver the medication to body system.

.
 Cabinet approves Establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)
 The decision aims at establishment of NFRA as an independent regulator for the auditing profession
which is one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act, 2013.
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 The jurisdiction of NFRA for investigation of Chartered Accountants and their firms under section 132
of the Act would extend to listed companies and large unlisted public companies.
 The inherent regulatory role of ICAI(Institute of chartered Accountants of India) as provided for in the
Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 shall continue in respect of its members in general and
specifically with respect to audits pertaining to private limited companies, and public unlisted
companies below the threshold limit to be notified in the rules.
 Further, ICAI shall continue to play its advisory role with respect to accounting and auditing
standards and policies by making its recommendations to NFRA.

 Cabinet approves Action Plan for Champion Sectors in Services

 . To give focused attention to 12 identified Champion Services Sectors for promoting their
development, and realizing their potential.
 These include Information Technology & Information Technology enabled Services (IT & ITeS),
Tourism and Hospitality Services, Medical Value Travel, Transport and Logistics Services,
Accounting and Finance Services, Audio Visual Services, Legal Services, Communication Services,
Construction and Related Engineering Services, Environmental Services, Financial Services and
Education Services.
 A dedicated fund of Rs. 5000 crores has been proposed to be established to support initiatives for
sectoral Action Plans of the Champion Sectors.
 Informal WTO Ministerial Meeting At New Delhi
 The Indian commerce ministry is organizing the meeting after the 11th ministerial conference of
the WTO, held in Buenos Aires in December,2017, failed to reach a consensus on how to take
forward negotiations on key issues such as agriculture and services.
 The rules-based system that drive WTO through the dispute settlement mechanism—so far the only
arm of the multilateral body that was functioning well—is now being threatened by the US.
 The US wants to go back to the pre-WTO system where abiding by a verdict of the dispute
settlement mechanism was not binding and the winning country had to sit down and negotiate with
the losing party.
 The US has also questioned the special and differential treatment enjoyed by large
developing countries like India and China which gives them more time to comply with WTO
rules than developed countries.
 Special and differential treatment remains a critical aspect of the WTO’s framework and that this is
non-negotiable for India.

 Government launches Sand Mining Framework

 The framework addresses the issues of state objectives, demand-supply assessment, measures to
sand availability, allocation model, transportation and monitoring mechanisms.
 Besides, it also includes suggestions for faster clearances /approvals and using its interventions in
complete process chain of sand mining.
 The framework also lays emphasis on the possible alternatives of sand, including its import.

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.

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 Science and Technology

 A Game Of Chicken: How India’s Poultry Farms Are Spawning Global Superbugs
 The medicines, antibiotics, are given to the birds to protect them from diseases or to make them
gain weight faster, so that more can be grown each year for greater profit. One drug typically
given this way is Colistin.
 Doctors call it the ‘last hope’ antibiotic because it is used to treat patients critically ill with infections
that have become resistant to nearly all other drugs.
 Colistin is the last line of defence. It is the only drug left to treat critically ill patients with a
carbapenem-resistant infection.
 In India, 57% of the Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria — which commonly cause urine, lung
and bloodstream infections — are resistant to last-line antibiotics known as carbapenems.
 Bugs bred in the country spread globally. One which particularly worried scientists is a gene
called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1), which makes bugs resistant to
carbapenem antibiotics

 New Nano Technology To Diagnose And Treat Cancer

 Under a project funded by the department of biotechnology, scientists have turned nano-particles of
calcium phosphate—a bio mineral naturally found in human bones—into fully biodegradable radio
frequency (RF) agents that can be imaged in MRI and CT scans.
 Calcium phosphate is naturally found in human bones and is non-toxic and fully
biodegradable. Now that its nanoparticles have been made imageable by MRI and CT scans, their
accumulation in tumours can be verified and the MRI contrast used for image-guided surgical
treatment of cancer.
 Currently, the most common treatment for cancer involves radiation and use of gamma rays to kill
cancer cells. However, this inflicts collateral damage—healthy cells also get destroyed along with
cancer cells. Radiation treatment with a cyber-knife is much more precise, but very expensive.
 The main advantage of calcium phosphate is that our body does not treat it as foreign
material, leading to minimum toxicity and immune rejection compared to other engineered nano
particles which are non-biodegradable.

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 Eyes To The Island
 The Nicobar archipelago is separated from the Andaman cluster by the Ten Degree Channel.
 A public health project in Car Nicobar set out to eliminate a rare occurrence of hyperendemic
trachoma, an infectious condition known to cause blindness.
 Nicobar is India’s southernmost district. Car Nicobar is its northernmost island and headquarters.
 Mass Drug Administration is the medical response to a public health concern that entails treating
the entire population of a specified area with a prescribed dosage of pharmaceutical.
 Trachoma occurs upon repeated infections from the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It thrives in
congested living conditions among populations that have limited access to water and healthcare. It
is transmitted by flies, and aided by poor personal hygiene and fomites (shared objects such as
towels, utensils and bedding, which are likely to carry the infection).
 Trachoma is “hyperendemic in many of the poorest and most rural areas of 41 countries of Africa,
Central and South America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East,” says the WHO, which has been
pushing the GET 2020 (Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020) alliance since 1996. India is a
partner.
 India has changed its over four- decade-old definition of blindness, bringing it in line with
the WHO criteria. According to the new definition, a person who is unable to count fingers from a
distance of three metres would be considered "blind" as against the earlier stipulation of six metres,
which was adopted in 1976.
India was the first country to launch the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) in 1976, as a
100% centrallysponsored Programme. ill few years ago, National Programme for Control of Blindness
(NPCB) was a cataract centred programme. However, currently it is funding for management of Diabetic
Retinopathy {DR}, Glaucoma, Ocular Trauma, Childhood Blindness, Keratoplasty, Squint, Low Vision,
Retinopathy of Prematurity {ROP} in addition to ongoing schemes through successful Public Private
Partnership (PPP)
 India Launches High Performance Computer System Mihir
 The HPC (High performance computer) will be India’s largest in terms of peak capacity and
performance and will propel the country’s ranking from the 368th position to the top 30 in list of HPC
facilities across the world.
 India will now also be ranked 4th, after Japan, UK and US for dedicated HPC resources for
weather/climate community
 The new HPC facility is expected to improve weather forecasts at the block level across India,
predict extreme weather events, and offer high resolution seasonal and extended range forecasts
of active/break spells of the monsoon.
 The facility will also make possible very high resolution coupled models for prediction of cyclones
with more accuracy and lead time. Further, the services that will improve with the new facility are
ocean state forecasts including marine water quality forecasts at very high resolution, tsunami
forecasts with greater lead time, air quality forecasts for various cities and climate projections at
very high resolution.

 Japan Launches Smallest Rocket Ever To Carry Satellite Into Orbit

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 The country's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched the smallest-ever
rocket to carry a satellite into orbit, a modest SS-520 sounding rocket .
 The rocket was carrying TRICOM-1R, a three-unit cubesat measuring just 13.6 inches long.
For details related to cubesats, refer to the Revision Friendly current Affairs (Jun-Nov).
 SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy, World’s Most Powerful Rocket
 The Falcon Heavy rose from the same launch pad used by NASA nearly 50 years ago to send
men to the moon. With liftoff, the Falcon Heavy became the most powerful rocket in use today.
 SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk owns the rocketing Tesla Roadster, which is shooting for a
solar orbit that will reach all the way to Mars.
 The Falcon Heavy is a combination of three Falcon 9s, the rocket that the company uses to
ship supplies to the International Space Station and lift satellites. Spacex is reusing first-stage
boosters to save on launch costs.
 The Heavy is intended for massive satellites, like those used by the U.S. military and major-league
communication companies.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., doing business as SpaceX, is a private American aerospace manufacturer
and space transport services company. Founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing
space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX has since developed the Falcon
launch vehicle family and the Dragon spacecraft family, which both currently deliver payloads into Earth orbit.

 UK Doctors Select First Women To Have ‘Three-Person Babies’

 Britain’s fertility regulator Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
(HFEA) has allowed doctors to create
country’s first ‘three-parent’ babies
through mitochondrial donation
therapy (or MRT).
 MRT or Mitochondrial donation is medical
technique in which defective mitochondria
carried by a woman is replaced with the
healthy mitochondria of a donor. Through
invitro fertilization technique (IVF), the
egg is then fertilised with the partner’s
sperm. Thus the embryo remains free
from any such defects.

 NASA’s Kepler Space Craft Finds A 100 New Planets Beyond Our Solar System
 Scientists have confirmed nearly 100 new planets outside our solar system, bringing the total
number of exoplanets found using NASA’s K2 mission to almost 300.
 The Kepler spacecraft was launched in 2009 to hunt for exoplanets in a single patch of sky,
but in 2013, a mechanical failure crippled the telescope. However, astronomers and engineers
devised a way to repurpose and save the space telescope by changing its field of view periodically.
For details on Kepler Mission, refer to Previous editions of Revision Friendly Current affairs.

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 Physicists Gather To Analyse Solar Cycles
 One of the oldest modern observatories was first set up in Madras by William Petrie. Known as the
Madras Observatory, it was what gave birth to the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO).
 Two major initiatives were on the horizon. The Aditya-L1 solar physics space mission and the
National Large Solar Telescope project at Merak in Jammu and Kashmir.
 Influence of the Sun on the Earth is modulated by solar activity cycle. The 11-year cycle is one of
the most striking phenomena in solar physics.

 Electrons Behind Colourful Auroras Observed For The First Time

 Scientists have, for the first time, directly observed the shower of electrons bouncing across Earth’s
magnetic field, which causes the spectacular, colourful phenomenon commonly known as the
Northern Lights.
 This wonder is caused by the hard-to-detect interaction between electrons and plasma waves.
This interaction takes place in the Earth’s magnetosphere, the region surrounding the Earth in
which the behaviours of the electric particles is usually governed by the planet’s magnetic field.
 Auroral sub storms are caused by global reconfiguration in the magnetosphere, which releases
stored solar wind energy,
 The global reconfiguration often drives a specific type of plasma waves called chorus waves, to rain
electrons into the upper atmosphere. This stabilizes the system, and gives off a colourful light as
the electrons fall.
 The results have been obtained from sensors on Exploration of energization and Radiation in
Geospace (ERG) satellite, also known as the Arase spacecraft, launched by the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency.

 Indian Scientists Develop Next Generation Technology Loop To Generate Clean Energy
 Indian scientists have developed a super critical carbon di oxide Brayton test loop facility that
would help generate clean energy from future power plants including solar thermal. This next
generation technology loop was developed indigenously by Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
 The technology is perhaps the first test loop coupled with solar heat source in the world.
 This early stage research could potentially be useful for meeting the energy needs of the country.
The new generation high efficiency power plants with closed cycle CO2 as the working fluid have
the potential to replace steam based nuclear and thermal power plants, thus reducing the carbon
foot print significantly.
 This test loop is designed to generate the necessary data for future development of scaled up S-
CO2 power plants, which would require overcoming several technological challenges –developing
critical components such as the turbine, compressor and heat exchangers that can work at the
desired pressure and temperature ranges and using materials that can withstand these conditions.
 Today’s thermal power plants use steam to carry heat away from the source and turn a turbine to
generate power. However, it could generate more power if, instead of steam, supercritical CO2
(SCO2) is used. The term “supercritical” describes the state of carbon dioxide above its

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 critical temperature of 31°C and critical pressure of 73 atmospheres making it twice as
dense as steam.
The efficiency of energy conversion could also be significantly increased by as much as 50 percent or more if S-
CO2 is operated in a closed loop Brayton cycle. Besides increasing power generation and making the process
more efficient, there are other advantages of using this new technology. Smaller turbines and power blocks can
make the power plant cheaper, while higher efficiency would significantly reduce CO2 emissions for fossil fuel
based plants. Moreover, if the power plant used solar or nuclear heat source, it would mean higher capacity at
lower operating costs.

 A New State Of Matter Created

 An international team of physicists have successfully created a “giant atom” and filled it
with ordinary atoms, creating a new state of matter termed “Rydberg polarons”.
 These atoms are held together by a weak bond and is created at very cold temperatures..
 It uses ideas from two different fields: Bose Einstein Condensation and Rydberg atoms.
 A BEC (Bose Einstein Condensate) is a liquid-like state of matter that occurs at very low
temperatures. A BEC can be perturbed to create excitations which are akin to ripples on a lake.
 Electrons in an atom move in orbits around the nucleus. A ‘Rydberg atom’ is an atom in which
an electron has been kicked out to a very large orbit
 In this work, the authors used laser light on a BEC of strontium atoms so that it impinges on one
strontium atom at a time. This excites an electron into a large orbit, forming a Rydberg atom. This
orbit is large enough to encircle many other strontium atoms inside it.
 As the electron moves around many strontium atoms, it generates ripples of the BEC. The Rydberg
atom becomes inextricably mixed with these ripples and forms a new super-atom called a ‘Rydberg
polaron’.

 JNCASR’s Novel Material To Convert Waste Heat Into Electricity

 The compound, silver copper telluride (AgCuTe), shows promise as a thermoelectric material for
converting waste heat into electricity.
 The novel compound exhibits poor thermal conductivity in the 25-425 degree C range but shows
good electrical conductivity has been developed by Bengaluru’s Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for
Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR).
 Since nearly 65% of utilized energy is wasted as heat, the focus is on developing materials that
exhibit good thermoelectric property with both glass- and metal-like properties.
 By combining silver and copper with tellurium , they have made the material as a combination of
glass and metal — poor thermal conductivity and good electrical conductivity. It has
efficiency of around 14%.
 It is a challenging task to have glassy and metallic properties in a single material, which is
the fundamental challenge in the field of thermoelectrics.

 A rare mineral with potential industrial and medical applications has been discovered on
alpine plants at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
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 They found that the mineral vaterite, a form (polymorph) of calcium carbonate, is a dominant
component of the protective silvery-white crust that forms on the leaves of a number of alpine
plants.
 Vaterite has special properties that make it a potentially superior carrier for medications due to its
high loading capacity, high uptake by cells and its solubility properties that enable it to deliver a
sustained and targeted release of therapeutic medicines to patients.
 Other potential uses of vaterite include improving the cements used in orthopaedic surgery and as
an industrial application improving the quality of papers for inkjet printing by reducing the lateral
spread of ink.

 SpaceX Launches Hispasat Satellite on Landmark 50th Falcon 9 Flight

 SpaceX successfully launched a Spanish communications satellite (March 6) on the landmark 50th
flight of the company's workhorse Falcon 9 .
 Hispasat 30W-6. the satellite will hover above the planet’s surface, providing ‘television,
broadband, corporate networks and other telecommunications solutions.
For Details about spaceX, Please refer to previous editions of Revision Friendly current affairs.

 Electricity From Soil Bacteria And Reading Lights From Plants

 These microbes live beneath plants in the soil, where the plants drop their roots. The plant does
photosynthesis, using sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon dioxide, generating food in the form
of carbohydrates and oxygen for our breathing
 The microbes in the soil use some of this organic material coming out of the plants into the ground,
metabolize them and, in the process, generate carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions and electrons.
 While the plant above the ground does photochemistry, the bacteria beneath
do electrochemistry, generating positive and negative ions.
 Scientists have placed positive and negative electrodes in appropriate positions and obtained an
electric current, just as we do with batteries
 This method of producing electricity is through what is termed as plant microbial fuel cells
(PMFC)
 A firefly glows because it has an enzyme that converts a molecule called luciferin into oxyluciferin,
and the energy released in this reaction comes out in the form of visible light. The enzyme is
called luciferase. Plants do not have luciferin or luciferase

 Neutrino Project Gets Environmental Nod

 The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project has got a fresh lease of life as it got
environmental clearance to set up the lab in Bodi West hills(TN).
 While granting EC, the committee stipulated specific conditions, of which two are key for the project
to take off. One is the consent to establish and operate to be obtained from the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).

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 Also, the INO team has to obtain the necessary forest and National Board for Wild Life clearances
as per law. The Mathikettan Shola National Park in Idukki district, Kerala, is situated within
five km from the project site.
India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a particle physics research project under construction to primarily
study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300 meters (4,300 ft) deep cave under West Bodi hills near Theni, Tamil
Nadu, India. A neutrino is a fermion (an elementary particle with half-integer spin) that interacts only via
the weak subatomic force and gravity. The mass of the neutrino is much smaller than that of the other
known elementary particle

 NASA’s HAMMER To Deal With Asteroids Heading For Earth

 Named HAMMER (Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response vehicle),
the Asteroid deflector is nine metres tall and weighs more than 8000 kg.
 HAMMER can be used as a kinetic impactor (spacecraft at high speed to give the push), or
as a carrier for some other nuclear device which can do the same job.
 Its possible mission is to deflect 101955 Bennu, a massive asteroid around 500 metres (1,640 ft),
more than five football fields, in diameter.
Please Refer to NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex for details about Asteroid Bennu from the previous edition
of revision friendly current Affairs.

 India Joins Europe’s Satellite Data Sharing Pool

 India has joined Europe’s mega global arrangement of sharing data from Earth observation
satellites, called Copernicus.
 The space-based information will be used for forecasting disasters, providing emergency response
and rescue of people during disasters; to glean land, ocean data; and for issues of security,
agriculture, climate change and atmosphere.
 Under this arrangement, the European Commission intends to provide India with free, full and open
access to the data from the Copernicus Sentinel family of satellites using high bandwidth
connections. Reciprocally the Department of Space will provide the Copernicus programme and its
participating states with a free, full and open access to the data from ISRO’s land, ocean and
atmospheric series of civilian satellites (Oceansat-2, Megha-Tropiques, Scatsat-1, SARAL, INSAT-
3D, INSAT-3DR) with the exception of commercial high-resolution satellites data.
 The Copernicus emergency response mapping system was activated on at least two Indian
occasions — during the 2014 floods in Andhra Pradesh in October 2014 and after the 2013
storm in Odisha.
For Details on Copernicus and Sentinel programme, refer to previous editions of Revision
Friendly current affairs.

 Indian Company Among Finalists In ‘Water From Air’ Competition

 Indian startup Uravu that has developed a technology to create water from the air is among the
five finalists in a global competition. The two-year competition is to create a device that extracts a
minimum of 2,000 liters of water per day from the air using 100% renewable energy.

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 Los Angeles-based XPRIZE, which designs incentive competitions to solve humanity’s big
challenges, is running the water abundance prize with the support of the Tata Group and Australian
Aid.
 The Hyderabad-based company(Uravu) will compete with four other companies in the final round
of the Water Abundance XPRIZE, worth $ 1.75 million.

 GSAT-6A Still Eludes ISRO

 GSAT-6A was sent to space on March 29 on ISRO’s GSLV rocket. However it stopped sending
signals soon after the second routine orbit raising exercise was performed on March 31.
 The satellite is said to be important for strategic communications in remote areas and for the armed
forces.
 If contact is not established, the satellite will continue to go around Earth idly until it loses height
and comes down one day.

GSAT 6A is a satellite is launched to support the GSAT 6 satellite which launched in August 2015 by ISRO. GSAT 6
satellite launched to improve the communication system, now with the GSAT 6A launch the communication will
be
 better.
VikasAsEngine
two satellite were used in the communication system, so the communication will be two-way
communication.
 The Vikas (an acronym for Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai) is a family of liquid-fuelled rocket
engines conceptualized and designed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in the 1970s.
 It is used in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch
Vehicle (GSLV) series of expendable launch vehicles for space launch use.
 Vikas engine is used to power the second stage PSLV, boosters and second stage of GSLV Mark I
and II and the first stage of GSLV Mark III.
 The Vikas engine was used in the 2nd stage during the launch of GSAT-6A it produced 6%
greater thrust that gave 70kgs of additional payload gain in this mission.
 UH 25 is a fuel mixture for rockets and is used in GSLV MKIII. UH 25 is a mixture
of 75% UDMH(Unsymmetrical DimethylHydrazine) and 25% hydrazine hydrate.

 Meet Your Interstitium, A Newfound "Organ"

 Scientists have discovered new organ in human body and have named it as ‘interstitium’. It will be
the 80th organ in the human body. It might be might be also the biggest organ in human body.
 Interstitium, the organ is mesh-like layer made up of collagen and fluid-filled compartments.
It can be found just under the skin, surrounding veins, arteries and the tissue between muscles, as
well as lining the digestive tract, lungs and urinary systems. The organ was previously thought to be
connective tissue.

 Indian Brain Template

 A group of scientists is preparing a one-of-its-kind database of brain images that, when compiled
together, could result in a so-called Indian Brain Template (IBT) at National Brain Research Centre
(NBRC),Haryana.

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 They will be looking out for the quantity of a molecule called glutathione, an antioxidant known to
help repair cell damage.
 Reduced glutathione concentrations in the parietal cortical region — near the back of the brain near
where the skull bulges — may help predict Alzheimer’s disease
 It will serve as a guide to neuroscientists and surgeons, who have so far based their knowledge of
intricate brain anatomy on Caucasian models.

 NASA Resuming Search For Alien Life, To Launch Probe Hunting Exoplanet On 16 April
 Nasa’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which will hunt for planets that have the
potential to harbour alien life, is set to launch on 16 April from the US
 Four wide-field cameras will give TESS a field-of-view that covers 85% of our entire sky. Within this
vast visual perspective, the sky has been divided into 26 sectors that TESS will observe one by
one.
 The spacecraft will be looking for a phenomenon known as a transit, where a planet passes in
front of its star, causing a periodic and regular dip in the star’s brightness..

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 Environment and Ecology

 Dust Mitigation Plan Must For Firms

 Road dust contributed 56% of all PM10 pollution, while it was 38% for PM2.5. Another estimate by
the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune had different numbers but still ranked dust as the
major contributor — 52% — to the city’s PM10 load.
 Dust is a generic term for a vast mix of metals and non-metals — silicon, aluminium,
titanium, manganese, copper, barium, antimony, selenium and zinc.
 The Environment Ministry has made it mandatory for companies seeking environment clearance to
ensure that they put in place a dust mitigation plan.
 The requirements, specified say that
 roads leading to or at construction sites must be paved and black-topped.
 There could be no soil excavation without adequate dust mitigation measures in place.
 No loose soil, sand, construction waste could be left uncovered.
 A water sprinkling system was mandatory, and the measures taken should be prominently
displayed at the construction site.
 Moreover, the grinding and cutting of building materials in open area were prohibited and
 no uncovered vehicles carrying construction material and waste would be permitted.
 The standards were developed by the Central Pollution Control Board as part of the National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and will now empower the organisation to fine companies
and agencies for not complying with norms.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). It was established in 1974 under the Water
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. CPCB is also entrusted with the powers and functions
under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. It serves as a field formation and also
provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the provisions of the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It Co-ordinates the activities of the State Pollution Control Boards by
providing technical assistance and guidance and also resolves disputes among them. It is the apex
organisation in country in the field of pollution control, as a technical wing of MoEF.

 First Family Tree For Tropical Forests

 They may be oceans apart, but tropical forests in different continents across the world are
related and share a common ancestry.
 The team built a family tree to see how the trees are related to each other through millions of years
of evolution. With this, they identified five major forest regions in the tropics: the Indo-Pacific,
Subtropical, African, American and Dry forests.
Findings
 Another finding is that dry forests found in India, America, Africa and Madagascar are also closely
related to each other
 According to their results, tropical forests in Africa and South America are closely related, with most
of the differences between them occurring within the last 100 million years.
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 This likely reflects patterns of plate tectonics, as South America and Africa broke apart resulting in
the formation of the Atlantic Ocean that started approximately 140 million years ago.
 India plays a central role in this story because many of the plant species in the Asian tropics
reached Asia via India about 45 million years ago, including the very important tree family of
Dipterocarpaceae (Asia’s main timber group)

 Centre Approves A River Cleaning Project For Goa

 The Centre has approved a project to abate pollution of river Sal at Navelim in Goa at an
estimated cost of Rs 61.74 crore.
 The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had in 2015 identified the river stretch at Navelim as
one of the 302 polluted river stretches across the country based on Biochemical Oxygen Demand
(BOD) levels - a key indicator of organic pollution showing water quality.
 Cost of the project, covering setting up sewage treatment facilities and sewer network, will be
shared equally between the Centre and state government.
 The project was approved by the Union environment ministry last week under its National River
Conservation Plan (NRCP) which covers 31 rivers (other than Ganga and its tributaries) in 14
states.
 At present, several projects worth Rs 2,691 crore are being implemented under the NRCP in eight states.
It includes pollution abatement of Mula-Mutha River at Pune, Maharashtra (estimated cost of over Rs
990 crore) and Sabarmati river conservation phase-II at Ahmedabad, Gujarat (estimated cost of over Rs
444 crore) among others.
 Though pollution abatement effort under the NRCP is an old programme, the environment ministry has
recently approved a new 'basin management' approach to conserve and clean rivers, unlike the current
strategy where conservation is limited only to tackling pollution load from domestic wastewater and
regulation of industrial pollution.
 Under the new approach, the projects will take care of entire catchment area of the river through
multiple measure including rejuvenation of lakes and wetlands, construction of a small-check dam to
ensure continuous water flow and afforestation.
 The 31 rivers include: Adyar, Cooum, Beas,Satluj,Bhadra,Brahmini,Cauvery,Diphu &
Dhansiri,Ghaggar,Godavari,Krishna,Mahanadi,Mandovi,Mindhola,Musi,mula-
Muth,Narmada,Pamba,Panchganga,Pennar,Rani-
chi,Sabarmati,Subarnrekha,Tapti,Tapi,tunga,Tungabhadra,Tamrabarani,Vennar,Vagai,Wainganga ,Puri
coastal town.

 Nationwide Tiger Census Kicks Off With More Cameras, Mobile App
 The all-India tiger census 2018 will use more technology, including a mobile app, with more
intensive ground coverage and a higher focus on the northeast to determine the country's big cat
numbers.
 The basic census methodology - double sampling based on ground-based surveys for tiger signs
and actual images captured on camera-traps, along with statistical extrapolation - remains
unchanged.
 First introduced in 2006 after the previous "pugmark" surveys were found woefully inaccurate, the
double sampling method had estimated India's big cat numbers that year at just 1,411.

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 Giving details of this year's exercise, officials from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and
Wildlife Institute of India, which conducts the census, said that ground staff involved in the
count will be using a mobile app, MSTrIPES, for the first time.
 The app records the staff's path through the forest and helps upload geo-tagged pictures into the
central database. This will make the exercise speedier and more accurate.
 Another big focus of the census
will be to cover northeast India
intensively, which hopefully will
provide more robust tiger
numbers from the region.
 The census isn't about the tiger
alone. The 2014 exercise had
resulted in the first ever
estimate of India's leopard
population, which was put at
11,000. "This exercise will go
further, giving us estimates of
various carnivores, ungulates
and other animals in India's
forests.
 India’s Tiger Census will see
coordination with Bhutan,
Nepal and Bangladesh.
For details on M-Stripes, refer to the Revision Friendly current affairs (jun-nov) issue.

 World Wetlands Day: 2nd February

 The World Wetland Day (WWD) is observed every year on 2 February to raise awareness about
the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet.
 This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands (also called as Ramsar
Convention) in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of Caspian sea.
 The theme for year 2018 is “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future“. The theme underlines the
importance of wetlands and that the future of urban centres hinges on wetlands.
 The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is the intergovernmental treaty that
provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The
Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
 The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands. This includes all lakes and rivers,
underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries,
deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made
sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans

 Floating ‘Island’ To Clean Up Neknampur Lake

 The Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad city, will be cleaned using a Floating Treatment Wetland.

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 Several plants on this FTW help clean the lake by absorbing nutrients such as excess nitrates and
oxygen present in the water. They thus reduce the content of these chemicals.
 FTW is a joint effort of Dhruvansh, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, the
Ranga Reddy district administration and other organisations. It has already been recognised
by the India Book of Records as the largest FTW in the country.
 Based on the soil-less hydroponics technique, the FTW comprises four layers. Floatable bamboo
forms its base, over which Styrofoam cubicles are placed. The third layer consists of gunny bags.
The final layer is of gravel. “Hydroponics permits plants to grow only on sunlight and water. There is
no need of soil. There are small holes at the bottom which facilitate the flow of nutrients from the
water to the plants (biological uptake process)
 Cleaning agents planted on the FTW include vetivers, canna, cattalis, bulrush, citronella,
hibiscus, fountain grass, flowering herbs, tulsi and ashvagandha.

 Green, Good Deeds Movement

Green Good Deeds” campaign, launched by the MOEFCC Ministry to sensitise the people and
students, in particular, about climate change and global warming. It’s a people-oriented
campaign. The plan is to broad-base it with the involvement of teachers, students and other voluntary
organisations.

 First-ever Pelican Festival at Atapaka Bird Sanctuary, Kolleru lake

 It was jointly organised by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA) and Krishna district
administration.
 Recently, Atapaka Bird Sanctuary was recognised as one of the largest pelicanry in the world.
 Kolleru Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India located in Andhra Pradesh. It is located between
Krishna and Godavari deltas.
 It was declared as wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. and
designated wetland of international importance in November 2002 under Ramsar Convention

 Rhododendron Park In Tawang

 The park would not only add to the scenic enhancement of the city, but would also offer an
opportunity for conservation of rhodo species, which are under serious threat due to various
ongoing road and land acquisition projects by the Army and BRO.
 Once Tawang district was home to about 100 species of rhododendron but has been reduced
to only 50 plus species due to construction activities in border areas.
 Rhododendron is a genus of 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae),
either evergreen or deciduous.
 The genus Rhododendron L. (Ericaceae) is represented by about 80 species in India. It is
distributed mainly in different regions and altitudes of Himalayas with a greater concentration in the
eastern Himalayas. Of the four parallel ranges in Himalayas, rhododendrons are practically absent
in the Siwaliks, a few are found in the lesser Himalayas and majority of them are in the greater
Himalayas. Only one species occurs in Trans-Himalayan region located in extreme north-west of
India (including the cold deserts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

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 One subspecies nilagiricum of Rhododendron arboreum occurs in Western Ghats.
 Rhododendrons, in general, grow in well-drained acidic soils, which are rich in organic matter and
low in elements

 Atal Bhujal Yojana: Government Formulates Ambitious Water Conservation Scheme.

 The Union Government has formulated ambitious water conservation scheme Atal Bhujal Yojana
(ABY) to tackle ever-deepening crisis of depleting groundwater levels.
 The Rs 6,000-crore will be piloted under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development &
Ganga Rejuvenation.
 The objective of scheme is to recharge ground water and create sufficient water storage for
agricultural purposes.
 It also focuses on revival of surface water bodies so that ground water level can be increased,
especially in the rural areas.
 Centre will support half of the total project cost and rest of the budgetary cost will be shared by the
World Bank.

 India to Host World Environment Day (WED)

 Theme for World Environment Day-2018, held every year on June 5, is "Beat Plastic Pollution".
 When big plastics degrade into small pieces, it gets into the ocean. Small plastic particles are eaten
by fish. We eat fish and the plastic gets into our body. So plastic pollution is a huge environment
and health issue.
 First held in 1974, WED has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on
emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming,
to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime

 Centre's mega water and sanitation push in Uttarakhand, Uma Bharti launches Ganga Gram,
New Swajal Project and Gangotri Swachh Iconic Place
 As a special initiative, Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, launched the Bagori Ganga
Gram project, New Swajal Project at Bagori and Gangotri Iconic Place at Dunda village in
Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Besides creating cleanliness, providing basic amenities to the
people of Ganga bank villages, these projects would also generate employment.
 Swajal is a community owned drinking water programme for sustained drinking water supply.
 The Union Minister also launched Gangotri as Swachh Iconic Places. ONGC with its CSR fund will
help in taking Gangotri to a higher level of swachhta. DPR for this has been completed by the
district administration. The SIP project is being coordinated by Ministry of Drinking Water &
Sanitation (MDWS), in collaboration with Union Ministries of Housing & Urban Affairs, Tourism,
Culture, state governments, municipal and local agencies.

 India’s Endangered Asiatic Lion Population Increases To 600

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 The lion, which once roamed across southwest Asia but is now restricted to the 1,400 square
kilometre (545 square mile) Gir sanctuary in Gujarat state, was listed as critically endangered in
2000, with its population under threat due to hunting and human encroachment on its habitat.
 In the late 1960s only about 180 Asiatic lions were thought to survive but an improvement in
numbers prompted conservationists to raise their assessment to endangered in 2008.\
 The cats are cousins of the African lion — they are believed to have split away 100,000 years ago
— but are slightly smaller and have a distinctive fold of skin along their bellies.
 A recent unofficial count found more than 600 lions in the area, up from 523 in a 2015 census.

 Arctic Permafrost May Unleash Carbon Within Decades: NASA

 Permafrost in the coldest northern Arctic will thaw enough to become a permanent source of carbon
to the atmosphere this century, with the peak transition occurring in 40 to 60 years, a NASA study
warns.
 Permafrost is soil that has remained frozen for years or centuries under topsoil. It contains
carbon-rich organic material, such as leaves, that froze without decaying.
 As rising Arctic air temperatures cause permafrost to thaw, the organic material decomposes and
releases its carbon to the atmosphere in the form of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and
methane.

 Animal Welfare Board of India headquarters shifted from Chennai to Haryana

 Rule 3 of the Animal Welfare Board (Administrative) Rules, 1962 reads as -- 'The Headquarter of
the Board hall be at New Delhi or at such other place as the central government, may, after
consultation with the Board direct.
 After consultation with the board, the headquarters of the AWBI has been shifted to Haryana for
"better coordination between the ministry and the AWBI for carrying out the animal welfare
activities.
 The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), headquartered at Ballabhgarh in Haryana state, is a
statutory advisory body advising the Government of India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change.It was previously based at Chennai.
 The Animal Welfare Board of India was established in 1962 under Section 4 of The Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals Act,1960.Well-known humanitarian Rukmini Devi Arundale was instrumental in
setting up the board and was its first chair.
 The Board oversees Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs) by granting recognition to them if they
meet its guidelines.
 The Board provides financial assistance to recognised Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs), who
submit applications to the Board.
 The Board suggests changes to laws and rules about animal welfare issue.
 The Board issues publications to raise awareness of various animal welfare issues

 CSIR Signs Mou With IORA: CSIR-CIMAP To Host Coordinating Center On Medicinal Plan

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 Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has entered into a MoU with the Regional Center
for Science and Technology Transfer (RCSTT) of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for
designating Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow (CSIR-CIMAP) as
Coordinating Center on Medicinal Plants.
 The IORA Center at CSIR-CIMAP will establish a database on the important medicinal plants, their
value added products, related experts and industries of the IORA member states and organize
meetings and training programmes to promote trade, commerce and scientific exchanges to
complement the strength and limitation of the member states.
 The IORA is an association of 21 countries and 7 dialogue partners which have identified 6
areas of cooperation including medicinal plants.
Indian-Ocean Rim Association: The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), formerly known as the
Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), is
an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean. The IORA is a
regional forum, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Business and
Academia, for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among them.

 International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels 2018

 Jointly being organized by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India and Biofuture platform .
 The sustainable Biofuels have ability to reduce the GHG emission load and this consideration led to
establishment of Sustainable Biofuel Innovation Challenge (SBIC) under Mission Innovation (MI).
 The sustainable biofuel innovation challenge will build on existing knowledge of individual
participating countries and international institutes like IEA, IRENA and in collaboration of Biofuture
Platform coordinated by Brazil as program Secretariat. A major aim of this cooperation is to avoid
duplication of efforts and define clear areas of collaboration for speeding up of innovations in this
area.
 Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission
(on behalf of the EU) partnering to reinvigorate and accelerate clean energy innovation with the
objective of making clean energy more widely affordable.

 In A Record, Over 4 Lakh Olive Ridleys Nest At Rushikulya

 The endangered species of olive ridley turtles has created an all-time record of mass nesting at the
Rushikulya rookery coast in the Ganjam district of Odisha this year.
 Mass nesting of olive ridley turtles has not yet started on the coasts along the Gahirmatha beach
and the mouth of the Debi river, two other major nesting sites in Odisha.
 Increasing number of nests at Rushikulya indicate that the environment of this coast continues to be
conducive for their mass nesting. In 2016, for some unexplained reason, there was no mass nesting
at this coast
 The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the
world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. The species is
recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.

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 The Global Seed Vault: Humanity’s Back-Up
 Dubbed the ‘Doomsday Vault’ and ‘Noah's Ark of food crops’, the Global Seed Vault, located in
Svalbard, Norway, seeks to protect the world’s crops and serve as humanity's back-up.
 Also called the Global Seed Vault, the facility has been established deep inside Platåberget, an icy
mountain on the remote island of Svalbard in Norway.
 it seeks to protect the world's crops from disasters, natural and man-made.
 The Seed Vault was constructed by the Norwegian Government. It owns and administers it. The
Crop Trust, an international non-profit organisation, and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center
(NordGen) jointly take care of the maintenance and operations. The funding comes from various
organisations and governments worldwide, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
 India has a similar seed repository established at Chang La in the Himalayas, 75 km east of
Leh. Nestled at an altitude of about 17,500 feet, the facility was opened in December 2009. It is
setup by National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources and the Defence Institute of High Altitude
Research under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

 13 Per Cent Of Tiger Conservation Areas Meet Global Standards

 It is a survey of over a hundred tiger conservation areas by 11 leading conservation organisations
and countries with tiger ranges that are part of the Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards
(CA|TS) Partnership.
 According to survey, despite poaching being one of the greatest threats faced by the big cats, 85
per cent of the areas surveyed do not have the staff capacity to patrol sites effectively.
CA|TS is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger
conservation. CA|TS is organised under seven pillars and 17 elements of critical management activity.
13 tiger Range countries :
CA|TS was developed by tiger and protected area experts. Officially launched in 2013, CA|TS is an important
India,Nepal,Bhutan,Bangaldesh,Myanmar,Thailand,Cambodia,Laos,Vietnam,Malayasia,
partIndonesia,China,Russia.
of Tx2, the global goal to double wild tiger numbers by the year 2022

 What Is A 'Bomb Cyclone'?

 If a winter storm is dubbed a bomb cyclone, or “bombogenesis,” by meteorologists, it means it
is expected to rapidly intensify. The term bombogenesis is used by meteorologists to refer to a
rapidly intensifying area of low pressure.
 The central pressure of an area of low pressure [winter storm] must drop at least 24 millibars
in 24 hours to qualify,
 The formation of this rapidly strengthening weather system is a process called ‘bombogenesis,’
which creates what is known as a bomb cyclone.
 A bombogenesis storm can be tropical or non-tropical.
 In 2018, two winter storms hit the northeastern coast of the U.S. that were classified as bomb
cyclones(In January and in march).

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 Danger Islands
 Scientists have discovered a previously
unknown 'supercolony' of Adélie penguins,
hidden in plain sight on Antarctica's remote
Danger Islands.
 There are more than 750,000 pairs of
penguins living on the islands - 1.5 million
animals in total - which is more than the
rest of the Antarctic Peninsula combined.

 International Solar Alliance Drops Limits On Membership

 India, a founding member of the International Solar Alliance, has said that membership of the
body will be thrown open to all countries that want to join the grouping, with no restrictions
on duration of sunlight or geographical location.
 When the International Solar Alliance was announced in 2015, 121 nations situated between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and receiving 300 days of sunlight were deemed
eligible for membership.
 The European Investment Bank announced it was providing €1 billion as support for the
International Solar Alliance.
For Details on ISA , refer to previous editions of Revision Friendly current affairs.

 India Commits $1.4 Billion For Solar Energy Worldwide

 India announced one of the world’s largest investment plans in solar energy at the Founding
Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
 The $1.4 billion line of credit will cover 27 projects in 15 countries and boost the much-required
financial power to the solar sector..
 Mr. Modi presented a 10-point action plan aimed at making solar power more affordable while
raising the share of power generated.
 The International Solar Alliance has been working on a $300-billion risk mitigation fund as part of a
strategy to create a sustainable financing architecture for solar projects worldwide.
 The fund will be used to insure solar power projects against risks such as default in payment by
electricity procurers, foreign exchange fluctuations and regime change.

 ISA-ADB, NDB, GCF, AfDB and AIIB Joint Declarations Of Financial Partnership
 The International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the African Development Bank (AfDb), the Asian
Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Green climate fund
(GCF), and the New Development Bank (NDB) signed Joint financial partnership Declarations at
the first ISA founding conference.
 The International Energy Agency (IEA) also signed a Joint partnership Declaration with the ISA.
Page 46 of 75
 The objective of the agreements is to deepen their cooperation in support of Renewable Energy.
The previous three partnerships were signed by ISA with the World Bank, the European Investment
Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
 ISA is working for deployment of over 1000 GW of solar energy and mobilising more than US$ 1000
billion into solar energy by the year 2030.
 The African Development Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa aims to achieve universal access
to energy in Africa by 2025. AfDB’s transformative Desert to Power initiative in the Sahel and
Sahara regions of Africa envisages 10 GW of solar power generation and providing clean
energy to 90 million people.
 The International Energy Agency is an autonomous agency within the framework of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which works to ensure reliable,
affordable and clean energy for its 30 member countries and beyond. The IEA has four main areas
of focus: energy security, economic development, environmental awareness and engagement
worldwide.
 The International Renewable Energy Agency is a universal international intergovernmental
organisation that plays a leading role in the global energy transformation by supporting countries in
achieving the increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy.
 Coral Sediments In Oceans Could Dissolve By Next Century
 Coral reefs are formed by not just the calcium carbonate skeletons that tiny animals called
coral ‘polyps’ create, but also carbonate sediments which accumulate on them over thousands of
years.
 Ocean acidification – lowering of sea water’s pH when it absorbs the excess, human-caused carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere – prevents polyps from building their stony skeletons.
 It was found that the link between sediment dissolution and acidification is stronger than that
between acidification and coral formation.
 Coral reefs span 3,062 sq. km in India. Many coral species are afforded protection at par with
tigers: they are included in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
For details about coral bleaching refer to previous edition of Revision friendly Current affairs.

 The Terrapin Races Against Extinction In The Wild

 A small group of one of India’s most-threatened turtles, the northern river terrapin, is finding refuge
in four breeding ponds in the Sundarbans in West Bengal, under an ambitious plan to
repopulate the species in the wild.
 India’s “top five” at risk include Batagur baska, the northern river terrapin found in the Sundarbans,
and the red-crowned roof turtle, Batagur kachuga,from the National Chambal Sanctuary, spread
across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
 Others are Chitra indica, the South Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle in the gangetic river
system, Nilssonia nigricans, or black softshell turtle, encountered in temple ponds in north Bengal
and Assam, and Pelochelys cantorii, the Asian giant softshell turtle in the east.
 The northern river terrapin, the red-crowned roof turtle and giant softshell turtle are critically
endangered, says the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while the black
softshell is extinct in the wild, and the narrow-headed softshell is endangered.

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 For Chitra indica a conservation colony has come up at Kukrial in Lucknow and for Nilssonia
nigricans, a nest protection initiative in Assam.

 Environment Ministry Notifies Rules To Regulate The Use Of Persistent Organic Pollutants
 The environment ministry has notified new Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)
Rules, 2018 which ban the manufacture, trade, use, import and export of the seven toxic chemicals
listed under the Stockholm Convention.
 POPs are organic chemical substances—toxic to both humans and wildlife—which once released
into the environment remain intact for years on end, become widely distributed throughout the
environment as a result of natural processes involving soil, water and air, and accumulate in the
fatty tissues of living organisms including humans.
 seven chemicals—Chlordecone, Hexabromobiphenyl, Hexabromodiphenyl ether and
heptabromodiphenyl ether, Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and pentabromodiphenyl ether,
Pentachlorobenzene, Hexabromocyclododecane and Hexachlorobutadine.
 It further held that the waste containing these chemicals “shall be disposed of as per the provisions
of the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.
 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed in
2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent
organic pollutants (POPs).
 The Stockholm Convention aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of all intentionally produced
POPs found in industrial chemicals and pesticides. India signed the Convention in May 2002 and ratified it in
January 2006.
 Specific effects of POPs can include cancer, allergies and hypersensitivity, damage to the central and
peripheral nervous systems, reproductive disorders, and disruption of the immune system.

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 International affairs, Bilateral Issues and Geopolitics

 Exclusive - Tests Link Syrian Government Stockpile To Largest Sarin Attack

 Laboratories working for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons compared
samples taken by a U.N. mission in the Damascus.
 Under a U.S.-Russian deal after the Ghouta attack in 2013, Damascus joined the OPCW and
agreed to permanently eliminate its chemical weapons programme, including destroying a 1,300-
tonne stockpile of industrial precursors that has now been linked to the Ghouta attack.
 Two compounds in the sample, one formed from sarin and the stabiliser hexamine and another
specific fluorophosphate that appears during sarin production.
 Sarin, or NATO designation GB ,is a highly toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound
 A colorless, odorless liquid, it is used as a chemical weapon due to its extreme potency as a nerve
agent. Exposure is lethal even at very low concentrations, where death can occur within one to ten
minutes after direct inhalation of a lethal dose.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental
organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered
into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 192 member states, has its seat in The
Hague, Netherlands, and oversees the global endeavour for the permanent and verifiable
elimination of chemical weapons. The organisation was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for
its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons"

 Pakistan Extends Thar Link Express for 3 years

 The Thar Link Express that connects Khokhrapar in Pakistan and Munabao in Rajasthan
received an extension for three more years.
 The weekly train connects Jodhpur and the bordering region of Rajasthan with the province of
Sindh in Pakistan.
 The agreement to run the Thar Link Express was signed in 2006 and is one of the cheapest means
of transport between the two rival countries.
 The two sides currently have only two trans-border trains. The Samjhauta Express operates on the
Delhi-Lahore route via the Attari-Wagah border crossing and carries both passengers and freight.
 The Thar Express links Jodhpur and Karachi via the Munabao-Khokhrapar border crossing and
carries only passengers. The Munabao-Khokhrapar link was destroyed during the 1965 war
between the two countries. The service was revived after 41 years in February 2006.

 Indian Aid For Palestine Diplomatic Institute

 Mr. Modi’s visit was the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine and came weeks after India
voted in favour of Palestine’s rights over Jerusalem in the United Nations General Assembly.
 The Government of India has already sanctioned US$4.5 million for the Indo-Palestine
Diplomatic Institute which will be a unique institute in the region .

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 A new agreement on IT-training was sealed during President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to Delhi on
May 16, 2017 .
 New Delhi also pledged $1.25 million humanitarian assistance to UNRWA (UN Relief and Works
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) in 2016.

 India Joins Ashgabat Agreement

 India has joined
the Ashgabat agreement which
envisages setting up of an
international transport and transit
corridor linking central Asia with the
Persian Gulf to significantly ramp up
trade and investment
 Besides Turkmenistan, the other
founding members of the
agreement are Iran, Oman and
Uzbekistan and these countries
had signed the pact on April 25,
2011.
 The Ashgabat agreement is a multimodal transport agreement
between India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for creating
an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods
between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.

 India, UAE signed 5 agreements related to energy sector, railways, manpower and financial
services.
 An MoU between an Indian consortium comprising OVL, BPRL and IOCL and Abu Dhabi National
Oil Company (ADNOC) was signed for acquisition of a 10 per cent participating interest in Abu
Dhabi's offshore Lower Zakum Concession.
 This is the first Indian Investment in upstream oil sector of UAE, transforming the traditional buyer-
seller relationship to a long-term investor relationship.
 An MoU for technical cooperation in railways was also signed between the two sides. To deepen
bilateral cooperation in the field of finance, an MoU between Bombay Stock Exchange and Abu
Dhabi Securities Exchange was also signed.
 The sixth edition of World Government Summit (WGS) 2018 was held at Madinat Jumeirah in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 11 to 13, 2018. India was guest country at this
year’s event.
 India’s Aadhaar and Umang App have won awards at recently concluded 6th World Government
Summit 2018 in Dubai. Umang App won in Best m-Government Service Award for Accessible
Government Category and Aadhaar won in the Best Government Emerging Technologies .
The World Government Summit is an annual event held in Dubai,UAE. It brings together leaders in government
for a global dialogue about governmental process and policies with a focus on the issues of
futurism, technology and innovation, as well as other topics. The summit acts as a knowledge exchange hub
Page 50 of 75
 between government officials, thought leaders, policy makers and private sectorleaders, and as an analysis
platform for the future trends, issues and opportunities facing humanity. The summit hosts over 90 speakers
from 150 participating countries along with over 4000 attendees.

 Kailash Yatra via Nathu La To Resume: MEA

 China has confirmed restarting of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass.
 The trek through the Nathu La pass was cancelled by China in June last year.
 Lake Manasarovar , also called Mapam Yumtso, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the
Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
 The lake is revered a sacred place in four religions: Hinduism, Bön, Buddhism and Jainism
 Lake Manasarovar is near the source of the Sutlej, which is the easternmost large tributary of
the Sindhu. Nearby are the sources of the Brahmaputra River, the Indus River, and the Ghaghara,
an important tributary of the Ganges.
 Another route to Lake Mansarovar is through Uttarakhand which makes use of Lipulekh Pass.

 India Contributes $1 mn to UN Development Partnership Fund

 India has contributed an additional $1 million to the India-UN Development Partnership
Fund earmarked for South-South cooperation.
 The fund focuses on the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
 Managed by the UNOSSC(UN Office of South-South Cooperation), it has "has developed an
impressive portfolio of projects" including in climate resilience, improving maternal health, youth
employment, agricultural development, and infrastructure, according to the organisation. The fund is
also helping with reconstruction efforts in hurricanes-affected countries.
 Its first project is a Climate Early Warning System for Pacific Island Countries.
 The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) was established to promote, coordinate and
support South-South and triangular cooperation globally and within the United Nations system.
 UNOSSC, hosted by UNDP since 1974, was established by the UN General Assembly with a mandate to advocate
for and coordinate South-South and triangular cooperation on a global and UN system-wide basis.
 South–South Cooperation is a term historically used by policymakers and academics to describe
the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries, also
known as countries of the Global South.

 Sweden Commits Record $370m Aid To UN World Food Programme

 Sweden has signed Strategic Partnership Agreement with UN for committing record $370 million
dollars to UN World Food Programme. The contribution is for next four years i.e. 2018-2021.
 Sweden has been the largest donor of flexible and predictable funds to WFP for almost a
decade. The Swedish contribution comes at time of record need as the world is facing worst
humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II with multiple large-scale hunger emergencies
occurring across the plane.

Page 51 of 75
 The WEF is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations. It is the world’s largest humanitarian
organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. It works to help people who cannot
produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families.
 It was established in 1961 after the 1960 Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Conference.

 THE World Rankings 2018: More Indian Universities In Asia's Top 200, But Lose Rank
 The world ranking as released by the World University Ranking are:
o Indian Institute of Science (IISc) - 29
o Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay - 44
o Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur - 60
o Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee - 65
o Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur - 81
o Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi - 86
 Though representation of India has increased in the list,
several of the universities have fallen down the rankings in
comparison to last year. Both IISc and IIT Bombay have
dropped two places each to 29th and 44th position respectively.

 India And Palestine Have Signed Six MoUs In Different Areas.

PM Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Palestine. He was conferred Grand Collar of the
state of Palestine, the highest order given to foreign dignitaries.
Signed agreements are:
 MoU for setting up of India-Palestine Super-specialty hospital at Beit Sahour in Bethelhem
Governorate.
 MoU for construction of Turathi: India Palestine Centre for Empowring women.
 MoU for setting up of new National Printing Press at Ramallah.
 MOU for construction of school in Tamoon village in Tubas Governorate
 MoU for providing assistance for construction of additional floor to Jawahar Lal Nehru for
Boys at Abu Dees.
 MoU for Construction of school in Muthalth Al Shuhada Village.

 32nd edition of Saudi Arabia’s National Heritage Festival in Janadriyah village, Riyadh.
 Jenadriyah is cultural and heritage festival of Saudi Arabia. It is held annually at Jenadriyah
village near Riyadh. It is organised every year by National Guard.
 This year India is guest of honor country.The India Pavilion at festival was based on the theme
‘Saudi ka dost Bharat’. It showcased traditional and modern aspects of India and its culture.
 The festival normally falls during the month of February or March. The activities in festivals
include camel race, horse race, sports, dance, arts, history, falconry, and traditional arts and
crafts.
 Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trade partner after China, US and UAE. It is major source of
India’s energy security requirement as it accounts.

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 Plans on for ‘parallel’ Belt and Road
 Australia, the U.S., India and Japan are talking about establishing a joint regional infrastructure
scheme as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative

 India Gives $1 mn For Rehabilitation Work In Cyclone-Hit Tonga

 India has contributed USD one million for the rehabilitation efforts in Tonga after the Tropical
Cyclone Gita caused massive destruction in the Pacific island nation.
 India has allocated USD 500,000 in the India-UN Development Partnership Fund for the
rehabilitation efforts while USD 500,000 will be provided for immediate relief assistance.
 Last year, following devastation caused by the hurricanes
Irma and Maria, India provided a sum of USD 2 million for
rehabilitation projects in Antigua and Barbuda and
Dominica through the India-UN Development Partnership
Fund.
For details on India-UN Partnership development fund, refer
to this version of current affairs (read above)

 India’s Ranking In Corruption Perception Index Falls To 81

 India’s ranking in the annual corruption index, released by Berlin-based non-government
organisation Transparency International (TI), slid to 81 among a group of 180 countries.
 In 2016, India was in the 79th place among 176 countries. India’s ranking in the index had
plummeted in 2013 and 2014 in the wake of the spectrum and coal scams.
 The index, which measures perception of corruption in the public sector, uses a scale of 0 to 100,
where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. India’s score remained intact at 40 points in both
2016 and 2017.
 New Zealand and Singapore scored the highest scores with 89 and 84 out of 100, respectively.
Somalia was found to be the most corrupt country in the world.

 British Bank RBS Hires 'Digital Human' Cora On Probation

 A life-like avatar called Cora is being put through her paces by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L),
helping customers with basic queries and giving its digital banking drive a more human face.
 NatWest said its prototype, which can have a two-way verbal conversation with customers via
computers, tablets or mobile phones and learn from mistakes, could boost efficiency and provide
another channel for customers to get support.

 UK And India Upgrade Joint Research On Clean Water And Clean Energy
 The ‘Water Quality Research’ programme has eight projects and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in
Built Environment’ programme has four projects, with a total joint investment of up to £15 million.
 These projects aim to deliver mutual benefits and research solutions not only to the UK and India
but also to address shared global sustainable development goals – clean water and clean energy.
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 FATF Grey Listing To Take Its Toll On Pakistan Economy
 Pakistan’s economy will be adversely impacted after decision by the Financial Action Task Force
(FATF) to put the country in the ‘grey list’ for failing to fulfil obligations to prevent terror financing.
 The decision is both appropriate and overdue, given Pakistan’s blatant violation of its obligations to
crack down on groups banned by the Security Council 1267 sanctions committee that monitors
groups affiliated to the Taliban (which originally included al-Qaeda affiliated groups), such as the
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Haqqani network
 The country may suffer a risk downgrade by multilateral lenders such as IMF, World Bank, ADB and
also a reduction in risk-rating by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch.
 The Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF), also known by
its French name, Groupe d'action financière(GAFI), is an intergovernmental organization founded
in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering. In 2001 its
mandate expanded to include terrorism financing.

 Myanmar Puts Off Border Pact With India

 Myanmar has indefinitely deferred signing an agreement with India to streamline the free
movement of people within 16 km along the border.
 On January 3, the Union Cabinet had approved
the agreement between India and Myanmar on
land border crossing to enhance economic
interaction between people of the two countries.
 To give it shape, the Centre had asked four
States — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland,
Manipur and Mizoram — that share the
unfenced border with Myanmar to distribute
“border pass” to all the residents living within 16
km from the border.
 India and Myanmar share a 1,643 km unfenced
border along Arunachal Pradesh (520 km),
Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and
Mizoram (510 km) and permit a ‘free movement’
regime upto 16 km beyond the border.

 Russia, India Ink Cooperation MoU With Bangladesh On Rooppur N-Plant

 Russia, India and Bangladesh signed a trilateral agreement to cooperate in the construction of
the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh.
 An inter-agency agreement was signed last year between the Global Centre for
Nuclear EnergyPartnership (GCNEP), Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and India's
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for cooperation on nuclear projects in Bangladesh.
 As per this agreement, the DAE through GCNEP would provide training services to BAEC
personnel involved in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project.

Page 54 of 75
  Plant will have two VVER 1200 type reactors for a total capacity of 2,400 MW.

Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership is World's first nuclear energy partnership centre
at Bahadurgarh, Haryana India. This center will facilitate deliberation and discussions of international experts on
various issues including innovation in nuclear reactors and the nuclear fuel cycle, development of proliferation-
resistant reactors, security technologies and the effects of radiation exposure

 “Namaste Shalom”, A Magazine On India-Israel Relations

 It will be a regular monthly magazine on bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.
 The magazine is planned to carry forward the great initiative of Modi and Netanyahu to strengthen
India-Israel relations and provide a platform for exchanging views between Indians and Jews the
world over.

 Pakistan Elects Its First Dalit Woman Senator- Krishna Kumari Kohli’
 She won the election for the reserved seat for women from Sindh Province.
 Her election represents a major milestone for women and minority rights in Pakistan. Earlier, the
PPP had elected first Hindu woman named Ratna Bhagwandas Chawla as a Senator.
 Pakistan’s Hindus, who make up around 2% of the country's 200 million people, have long faced
economic and social discrimination.

 Egypt Hosted India By The Nile, A Showcase Of Indian Classical Traditions

 The mega annual cultural festival 'India by the Nile', was organised to celebrate Indian culture and
its diversity, with the main focus on classical culture this year.
 The 12-day event, the biggest foreign festival in Egypt.
 This year, It also featured two new events , a fashion show and Bollywood screening of movies

 Iraq Pips Saudi Arabia To Become India’s Top Crude Oil Supplier
 Iraq has overtaken Saudi Arabia by a wide margin to become India’s top crude oil supplier, meeting
more than a fifth of the country’s oil needs in the current financial year.
 This is the second year in a row that Iran has occupied the third position.
 Venezuela is India’s fourth largest supplier.

 Sovereign Cryptocurrency: Marshall Islands To Launch World-First Digital Legal Tender

 The nuclear-ravaged nation has partnered with Israeli company Neema to issue 24 million units of
the Sovereign (SOV) digital currency. It will cap the number to prevent inflation.
 Unlike the Petro, the SOV will be recognized in law as legal tender, holding equal status as
the US dollar, which is the Pacific island nation's current currency.

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 Unlike most popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, the SOV will require currency
holders to identify themselves, hopefully avoiding the problems of regulating an anonymous
currency.

 Sri Lanka Declares State Of Emergency After Communal Violence

 Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide state of emergency for the first time since the civil war era in
response to days of violent unrest between Sinhalese and Muslim communities.
 Tensions between Muslims, who make up about 10% of the population, and the majority Sinhala
Buddhist community have existed for decades but have become more acute since the end of the
civil war.

 India-bound Gas Pipeline TAPI Breaks Ground On Afghan Section

 Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India ceremonially broke ground on the Afghan
section of an ambitious TAPI pipeline. It is funded by ADB.
 The quartet aims to complete the 1,840-kilometre (1,143-mile) pipeline and begin pumping natural
gas from Turkmenistan’s giant Galkynysh gas field by the beginning of 2020.
 Turkmenistan sits on the world’s fourth-largest gas reserves

 India, Nepal To Hold Joint Exercise In Pithoragarh

 Surya Kiran Military exercise is a regular military exercise being organised annually between the
armies.of Nepal and India.
 The military exercise will include training on jungle warfare, anti-terrorism combat as well as
disaster response activities

 Quadrilateral Coordination Group

 The QCG comprises Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and the United States. It was set up in
January 2016 to find a political solution to the Afghan conflict.
 Russia, China and Pakistan have arranged table talks for the peace process of Afghanistan after
the failure of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG).
Page 56 of 75
 India likely to push for dropping ‘Asian premium’ on oil prices
 There is a widely held perception that Asia has been paying a premium for its crude oil, the so-
called ‘Asian premium’.
 Till last year, Asian premium was prevalent, which makes crude coming to countries like India
expensive by anything between 2 cents and $2/barrel. However, the scenario is changing as West
Asia suppliers are looking to sell more crude to Asian buyers.
 International Energy Forum, represents 90% of world consumption and production of oil and gas.
 IEF countries distinguished consumers in Asia from the U.S. and European countries in deciding oil
prices.
 The 16th IEF International Energy Forum Ministerial will take place on 10-12 April in New Delhi
under the theme “The Future of Global Energy Security: Transition, Technology, Trade and
Investment”.
 IEF is the worlds largest gathering of Energy Ministers. It is unique in that participants not only
include IEA and OPEC countries, but also key international actors such as Brazil, China, India,
Mexico, Russia, and South Africa.

 Finland is The Happiest Country In The World, Says UN Report

 Finland has overtaken Norway to become the happiest nation on earth, according to a UN report.
 For the first time the UN also examined the happiness levels of immigrants in each country, and
found Finland also scored highest.
 The report, an annual publication from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
 India now lags all SAARC nations barring war-torn Afghanistan in the global happiness index. India
ranks 133.
 Burundi is the least happy country.

 The first ever Indo-French Knowledge Summit ends successfully with a landmark agreement
on mutual recognition of educational qualifications between the two countries
 The summit was organized by the French Embassy in India and co-hosted by the Ministry of
Human Resource Development, Government of India.
 A Franco-Indian Education Trust was also unveiled. It will be funded by the Indian industry and
French Companies in India to offer educational scholarships and merit based financial support to
Indian students.
 The Knowledge Summit is the First Franco-Indian Summit for university, scientific
and technology cooperation with the broader objective to design a roadmap of Franco-India
cooperation for the next five years, in collaboration with companies.

 Oklahoma to become first U.S. state to use nitrogen gas for executions

Page 57 of 75
 Nitrogen is an odorless and tasteless gas that makes up about 78 percent of the air humans
breathe but causes death when inhaled without any oxygen.

 Invasive Beetle Threatens Japan’s Beloved Cherry Blossoms

 The alien invader is Aromia bungii, otherwise known as the red-necked longhorn beetle, which
is native to China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and northern Vietnam.
 The beetles live inside cherry and plum trees, stripping them of their bark. In serious cases, an
infestation can kill a tree.
 Cherry Blossom Viewing is known as Hanami in Japanse.

 KISS, Odisha to host ‘Commonwealth Big Lunch’

 British Council is celebrating its 70 years of inception in the Commonwealth countries of the world.
On this occasion, the Council is organizing this kind of mega lunches. KISS(Kalinga Institute of
Social Sciences) was the only organization selected from Asia along with four other Commonwealth
countries including Australia, South Africa, Ghana and Edinburgh (UK) to host this mega lunch.
 The main objective of this programme was to encourage people to get together to celebrate their
Commonwealth connections through food.
The Commonwealth of Nations(formerly the British Commonwealth),also known as simply the Commonwealth,
is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire.
It was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as "free and
equal". The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth,
 Permanent Indus
Commission Meets in
Delhi
 According to the treaty
provisions, the 114th
meeting of the Permanent
Indus Commission (PIC)
took place in India on
March 29-30, 2018 in New
Delhi and held technical
deliberations on various
issues.
 The last PIC meeting was
held in Islamabad in
March 2017
 Pakistan has asked India
to allow its officials to
undertake a tour for
inspecting Indian projects
in the Indus river basin, which New Delhi said will be arranged in line with the provisions of the
Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Page 58 of 75
 Pakistan has been raising objections over the designs of Pakal Dul (1000 MW) and Lower Kalnai
(48 MW) projects -- located in the Chenab basin in Jammu and Kashmir -- contending that they
violate the IWT, signed in 1960. On the other hand, India has been maintaining that the designs of
the projects are very much in line with the provisions of the water sharing pact.
For details on Pakal and Lower kalnai, refer to Previous edition of REvison Friendly current affairs.

 Seychelles Opposition Blocks Military Deal With India

 Assumption Island Project in Seychelles is a
joint project that India is executing at the
request of the Government of Seychelles.
The objective is to assist Seychelles secure
the vast EEZ, including near Mozambique
Channel, located over a thousand kilometres
from the main island of Mahe. The proposed
facility will be owned by Seychelles and
jointly managed by both sides: An MEA
statement by India on March 7,2018.
 The agreement had been signed in 2015
during the visit of PM Modi but it ran into
trouble because it had not been ratified by
the Seychelles parliament
 The agreement is very important for India, as it works hard to mark a military presence on both
Seychelles and Mauritius (Agalega island), in its drive to extend its strategic footprint in the Indian
Ocean

 List of Military Exercises

Participating ARMY NAVY AIRFORCE
country

Russia Indra
USA, Japan Malabar
Japan Sahyog-Kaijin
USA YudhAbhyas Red Flag
China Hand in Hand
France Shakti Varuna Garuda
UK Ajeya Warrior Konkan Indradhanush

Nepal Surya Kiran

Bangladesh Sampriti

Page 59 of 75
Sri Lanka Mitra Shakti SLINEX
Thailand Maitree
Indonesia Garuda Shakti CORPAT
UAE Desert Eagle

Oman Naseem AlBahr Eastern Bridge

Kazakhstan Prabal Dostyk
Mongolia Nomadic Elephant
Seychelles LAMITIYE
Singapore Bold Kurukshetra SIMBEX
Australia Ausindex
Kyrgyzstan Khanjar
ASEAN + Force 18
Maldives Ekuverin
South Africa,Brazil IBSAMAR

 Indexes and India’s Rankings

Index Published by India’s
ranking
(2017)
Global Competitiveness index World Economic Forum 40
Global Innovation index Cornell University, INSEAD and 60
WIPO
Global Peace index Institute of Economics and Peace 137
Human Development index United Nation Development 131
Programme (UNDP)
World Happiness Index United Nation Sustainable 133
Development Solutions Network
Prosperity Index Legatum Institute 100

Ease of Doing Business index World Bank 100

Correction Perception Index Transparency International 79

Global Talent Competitiveness Global business school INSEAD in 81

index partnership with Adecco Group and
Human capital Leadership Institute
(HCLI) of Singapore.

Page 60 of 75
Inclusive development Index World Economic Forum 60
Climate Change Performance German NGO and Climate Action 20
Index Network Europe
Logistics Performance Index World Bank 35
World Press Freedom Index Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) 136

Sustainable Development Goals Sustainable Development Solutions 116

Index Network(SDSN)
International Intellectual US Chamber of Commerce’s GIPC 43
Property Index
Global Hunger Index International Food Policy Research 100
Institute (IFPRI)
Global Human Capital Index World Economic Forum 103

Travel and tourism World Economic Forum 40

Competitiveness Index

Global Passpoert Power Rank Canada based global financial 75

advisory firm Arton Capital

Miscellaneous

 Massive Mayan Ruins Found In Guatemala

 Researchers using a high-tech aerial mapping technique have found tens of thousands of
previously undetected Mayan houses, buildings, defence works and pyramids in the dense jungle of
Guatemala’s Peten region.
 The discoveries, which included industrial-sized agricultural fields and irrigation canals.
 Researchers used a mapping technique called LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection And
Ranging. It bounces pulsed laser light off the ground, revealing contours hidden by dense foliage.

Page 61 of 75
 The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Maya peoples, and
noted for its hieroglyphic script—the only known fully developed writing system of the pre-
Columbian Americas—as well as for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar,
and astronomical system. The Maya civilization developed in an area that encompasses
southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El
Salvador.

 Competition Commission Fines Google Rs 136 Crore For Search Bias

 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said Google, the core unit of U.S. firm Alphabet Inc,
was abusing its dominance in online web search and online search advertising markets.
 Google was found to be indulging in practices of search bias and by doing so, it causes harm to its
competitors as well as to users.
 The Indian watchdog's order is the latest antitrust setback for Google. Last year, The European
Commission imposed a record 2.4 billion euro ($3 billion) fine on the company for favouring its
shopping service and demoting rival offerings.
 The Indian ruling brings to an end a probe first started by the watchdog in 2012 on complaints filed
by matchmaking website Bharat Matrimony and a not-for-profit organisation, Consumer Unity and
Trust Society (CUTS).
Competition Commission of India is a statutory body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing The
Competition Act, 2002 throughout India and to prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on
competition in India. It was established on 14 October 2003. The Commission comprises a Chairperson and six
members

 Khelo India School Games

 Khelo India School Games (KISG), meaning Play India School Games, held annually beginning
from 31 January 2018, are the national level multidisciplinary grassroot games in India for the
under-17 years school kids.
 Every year best 1000 kids will be given an annual scholarship of INR500,000 for 8 years to prepare
them for the international sporting events.

Page 62 of 75
 Small state of Haryana (108 medals including 38 golds, 26 silver and 38 bronze) was the top
team in 2018, followed by Maharashtra (110 medals including 36 golds) and Delhi (94 medals
including 25 golds)

 ‘Exam Warrior’ by Prime Minister Modi Launched.

 The book is a compilation of the Prime Minister’s advice to students on busting exam stress in his
monthly radio programme, Mann ki Baat.
 The book is available on the “Narendra Modi app” and students can communicate with the
Prime Minister through it.

 India Gets Access To Strategic Oman Port Duqm

For Military Use
 In a strategic move to expand its footprint in the
Indian Ocean region, India has secured access to
the key Port of Duqm in Oman for military use and
logistical support.
 The Port of Duqm is situated on the southeastern
seaboard of Oman, overlooking the Arabian Sea and
the Indian Ocean.
 It is strategically located, in close proximity to the
Chabahar port in Iran. With the Assumption Island being developed in Seychelles and Agalega in
Mauritius, Duqm fits into India’s proactive maritime security roadmap.

Page 63 of 75
 The Port of Duqm also has a special economic zone, where about $1.8 billion investments are
being made by some Indian companies. The Adani group had signed an MoU with Duqm port
authorities last year, but no investments have been made so far

 88th Mahamastakabhishek At Shravanbelagola.

 Mahamasthakabhisheka is the head anointing ceremony is performed once in 12 years of 57
feet tall monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali Gommateshwara at Shravanbelagola.
 According to Jain texts, Bahubali had attained liberation from cycle of births and deaths (moksha) at
Mount Kailash and is revered as a liberated soul(siddha0 by Jains.
 Bahubali is also called Gommateshwara because of Gommateshwara statue dedicated to
him and as lord Kammateswara.
 Gommateshwara statue was built by Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya
in around 981 AD. It is a 57-foot monolith, making it one of largest free standing statues in the
world.

 Western Command Conducts Tri-Service Maritime Exercise Paschim Lehar

 Around 40 ships, submarines and fighter aircraft participated in Paschim Lehar, a tri-service
maritime exercise off India’s western coast.
 The objective of the exercise is to build interoperability.

 NAL Saras
 The NAL Saras (Sanskrit: "Crane") is the first Indian multi-purpose civilian aircraft in the light
transport aircraft category as designed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).It’s a 19-
seater turboprop aircraft.
 The development of Saras, which began 18 years ago, was stopped in 2009 after it crashed during
a test flight and two pilots died. Work started again in 2016 at Bengaluru's National Aerospace
Laboratories.

 42 Indian Languages Stare At Extinction

 According to a report of the Census Directorate, there are 22 scheduled languages and 100 non-
scheduled languages in the country, which are spoken by a large number of people — one lakh or
more.
 However, there are 42 languages which are spoken by fewer than 10,000 people. These are
considered endangered and may be heading towards extinction. A list prepared by UNESCO has
also mentioned about the 42 languages or dialects in India that are endangered
 The languages or dialects which are considered endangered, include 11 from Andaman and
Nicobar Islands (Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Lamongse, Luro, Muot, Onge, Pu, Sanenyo,
Sentilese, Shompen and Takahanyilang), seven from Manipur (Aimol, Aka, Koiren, Lamgang,
Langrong, Purum and Tarao) and four from Himachal Pradesh (Baghati, Handuri, Pangvali and
Sirmaudi).

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 The other languages in the endangered category are Manda, Parji and Pengo (Odisha), Koraga
and Kuruba (Karnataka), Gadaba and Naiki (AP), Kota and Toda (Tamil Nadu), Mra and Na
(Arunachal Pradesh), Tai Nora and Tai Rong (Assam), Bangani (Uttarakhand), Birhor (Jharkhand),
Nihali (Maharashtra), Ruga (Meghalaya) and Toto (West Bengal).
 The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, has been working for the protection and
preservation of endangered languages in the country, under a central scheme.

 International Mother Language Day 21 February

 International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote
linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
 2018 Theme: Linguistic diversity and multilingualism count for sustainable development
 International Mother Language Day also supports target 6 of Goal 4 of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs): "Ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men
and women, achieve literacy and numeracy."

 Indian Engineer Awarded Sci-Tech Oscar Award

 The Scientific and Engineering Award is given for scientific achievements that produce a definite
influence on the advancement of the motion picture industry.
 Vikas Sathaye, a Pune-born person has been honoured with the Scientific and Engineering
Academy Award at the Oscars Scientific and Technical Awards 2018 .
 Awarded for his contribution towards conceptualisation, designing, engineering, and the
implementation of the 'Shotover K1 Camera System' .
 This innovative six-axis stabilised aerial camera mount, with its enhanced ability to frame
shots while looking straight down, enables greater creative freedom and results in clear,
unwavering photography and videography. It is attached to a helicopter base.

 Gandhi Nagar In Jaipur Becomes The Country’s First All-Woman Managed Railway Station
 Gandhi Nagar is important railway station in Jaipur situated on the Jaipur-Delhi rail route with more
than 50 trains passing through the station out of which 25 halting at the station
 There is 40 women staff at the station besides women personnel of the railway protection force
have been deployed at the station.
 Being an all-woman railway station, sanitary napkin vending machine has also been installed at the
station along with the ones installed at stations, including Ajmer, Udaipur, Abu Road, Bikaner and
Sadulpur.

 National Virtual Library Of India: C-DAC Spearheads Massive Virtual Library Project
 Spearheaded by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC),
headquartered in Pune, the massive the National Virtual Library of India (NVLI) will be an online
platform covering tens and hundreds of fields, ranging from arts, music, dance, culture, theatre,
science and technology to education, archaeology, literature, museums, cartography maps, e-
papers and manuscripts, among others.

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 This programme is a part of the National Mission on Libraries initiated by the National Knowledge
Commission under the Ministry of Culture
 Once formally launched, this could be one of the world’s largest virtual libraries where information
on such diverse subjects are available. Currently, Australia operates a similar facility named
Treasure Trove.
 ther partnering institutions for this project include IIT-Mumbai, Indira Gandhi National Open
University (IGNOU), Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata, and Kalyani University,
West Bengal.
 Once launched, the platform will be freely accessible for editing or contributions from outsiders or
subject experts, making it more user-friendly.

 Threat Of New Malware Looms Over Cyberspace

 A new threat looms large on the horizon
of cyberspace. After Mirai and Reaper,
cybersecurity agencies have detected a
new malware called Saposhi, which is
capable of taking over electronic
devices and turning them into ‘bots’,
which can be then used for any
purpose, including a Distributed Denial
Of Service attack.
 Malwares like Saposhi, Reaper and
Mirai are primarily aimed at DDoS
attacks, in which the malware first
creates a network of bots — called a
botnet — and then uses the botnet to
ping a single server at the same time.
As the number of pings are far beyond
the server’s capacity, the server
crashes and denies service to its
consumers

 Balkrishna Doshi Wins Architecture’s Top Pritzker Prize, First Indian To Do So

 Nonagenarian architect and reputed urban planner Balkrishna Doshi has been named this year’s
winner of architecture’s highest honour — the Pritzker Prize, becoming the first Indian to do so.
 His designs include the IIM-Bangalore; Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology,
Ahmedabad; cultural spaces in Ahmedabad such as Tagore Memorial Hall, the Institute of Indology,
and Premabhai Hall; and private residence Kamala House (Ahmedabad), among many others.

 Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Programme

 To ensure energy security, the Government of India had decided to set up 5 million metric tons (MMT)
of strategic crude oil storages at three locations namely, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore and Padur (near
Udupi).

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 In the 2017-18 budget, it was announced that two more such caverns will be set up Chandikhole in
Jajpur district of Odisha and Bikaner in Rajasthan as part of the second phase.
 The construction of the Strategic Crude Oil Storage facilities is being managed by Indian Strategic
Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), a Special Purpose Vehicle, which is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB)under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
 Apart from this,India is planning to expand more strategic crude oil facilities in second phase
at Rajkot in Gujarat and Padur in Udupi district of Karnataka.
 UAE will be the first country which will participate in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves
Programme. It will provide oil reserves for Mangalore site.

 Hello, I am CIMON!
 Airbus, an aeronautics company based in Netherlands, is developing CIMON (Crew Interactive
MObile CompanioN), an AI-based space assistant for Germany’s DLR Space Administration.
 The technology demonstrator, which weighs around five kilogrammes, will be tested on the ISS by
German Astronaut during the European Space Agency’s Horizons mission.
 CIMON will be the first AI-based mission and flight assistance system.
 The entire structure of CIMON is made up of plastic and metal, created using 3D printing. CIMON
has a brain-like AI network and is designed to support astronauts in performing routine work.

 Sukhad Yatra app to provide real time updates on waiting time at toll plazas, toll fee payment
 The public-friendly app developed by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) enables users to
report accidents, enter road quality information and locate facilities like restaurants, petrol pumps
and hospitals on national highways.
 The app can also be used to buy the FASTag, an RFID-enabled tag to promote automatic
deduction of toll charges which would let commuters pass through the toll plaza without stopping for
a cash transaction.
 A toll-free number -1033 was also launched to enable users to report an emergency. The service
has also been integrated with various ambulance/tow away services along the road to ensure a
rapid response time in an emergency.

 Delhi Airport Tops Service Quality Awards 2017

 Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become the worlds number one airport in the
highest category - over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) - as per Airports Council
International (ACI) - ASQ 2017 rankings.
 It is now the seventh busiest airport in Asia and among the top 20 busiest airports across
the world.

 SRIJAN’ (Station Rejuvenation Initiative through Joint ActioN), an idea competition for 635
Station Development on Indian Railways
 It's a first-of-its-kind crowd-sourcing competition open to all to invite innovative, scalable, low-cost-
and-high-impact ideas from stakeholders for upgrading the look and feel of the railway stations and
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 thereby transform the functional utility, raise the revenue generation capacity and lower operations
and maintenance cost of railway stations.
 The SRIJAN (or station rejuvenation through joint action) has been launched on the mygov.com
portal by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC), a Railways' joint
venture company in charge of the national transporter's mega station redevelopment project.
 Mumbai To Become 1st Indian City To Join World Cities Culture Forum
 Mumbai is set to be the newest member and the first Indian city on the World Cities Culture Forum
(WCCF), a platform for cities to share their culture
 The WCCF enables the policy makers of member cities to share research and intelligence, while
exploring the vital role of culture in prosperity
 The forum, which began in 2012 with eight members, is a network of 32 key cities today, including
London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Dakar, Edinburgh, Lisbon, San Francisco, Shanghai,
Singapore, Toronto and many others.

 Diu Becomes First UT To Run 100% On Solar Power

 The harnessing of solar energy has made Diu the country’s first
energy surplus Union territory.
 Diu generates a total of 13 megawatts of electricity from solar
power generating facilities daily while the peak demand is
around 7 MW .

 Multilateral Naval Exercise Begins In Andamans: MILAN

 The biennial exercise — Milan— took place in the backdrop of imposition of state of emergency in
Maldives and Sri Lanka.
 With the underlying theme of 'Friendship Across the Seas', MILAN 2018 witnessed a diverse mix
of professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures.
 Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New
Zealand, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam participated.

 Rustom 2 Drone
 India's Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully completed the test flight of
its Rustom 2 drone at the Aeronautical Test Range. Rustom 2 is part of the Rustom line of
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that includes Rustom-I, Rustom-H and Rustom-C.
 The drone was developed for use by all three services of the Indian armed forces, primarily for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.Its a Medium Range , Long
Endurance(MALE) type drone.
 Rustom 2 can fly missions on manual as well as autonomous modes.

 India Signs Second Loan Agreement with New Development Bank for USD 100 Million for
Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for Desert Areas

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 The objective of this Project is to rehabilitate the 678 km long Indira Gandhi Canal system built
during 1958-63 to prevent seepage, conserve water, and enhance water use efficiency as
mandated by both national and state level policies on water use.

 India Successfully Tests 3rd-Gen Anti-Tank Missile NAG In Desert Conditions

 The Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) NAG, developed by Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), is a Fire and Forget type missile.

 Kuthiyottam Ritual
 The Kuthiyottam ritual is usually performed every year during the Pongala festival at the Attukal
Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
 The Kuthiyottam ritual is usually performed every year during the Pongala festival .
 the Attukal Pongala festival is the largest congregation of women for a festival in the world.
Pongala, which means 'to boil over’, is a ritual in which women prepare a pudding made from rice,
jaggery, coconut and plantains cooked together, and offer it to the goddess. The ritual can only be
performed by women.
 The ritual also reportedly involves piercing the child’s side with a small hook and knotting a thread
through it to symbolise their bond with the Goddess.

 UIDAI's Blue Coloured New Aadhaar Card

 UIDAI has now also introduced a blue coloured 'Baal Aadhaar' card for children below the age of 5
years.
 Biometrics is not developed for children before five years of age. According to UIDAI, a child's blue
coloured Aadhaar data does not include biometric information like fingerprints and iris scan. Once
the child crosses the age of five, biometrics should be updated.

 World’s Largest Solar Park Shakti Sthala Launched In Karnataka

 The Karnataka government inaugurated the first phase of a 2,000 megawatts (MW) solar park in
the drought-prone Pavagada region of Tumkur district,
 The solar project, touted as the largest in the world, is spread over 13,000 acres and five villages. It
is part of the “Karnataka Solar Policy 2014-2021” which aims to decrease dependence on traditional
power sources and move to environmentally friendly ones to meet the growing power needs of the
state.
 KSPDCL uses the “plug and play” model, under which it acquires and develops land as blocks
for solar power generation, embedded with the required government approvals, and gives it out to
solar power developers (SPDs) through auctions.

 Paschim Lehar: Tri-service Maritime Exercise Concludes

 Tri-service maritime exercise Paschim Lehar conducted by Indian Navy concluded off western
coast in Arabian Sea.

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 The objective of the exercise was to build interoperability between Indian Navy, Indian Army, Indian
Air Force and Coast Guard.

 One Planet City Challenge: 3 Indian Smart Cities Among Finalists

 To highlight some of the most inspiring cities and their innovative solutions, WWF created the One
Planet City Challenge (OPCC). Three Indian cities—Panaji, Pune and Rajkot— have been selected
as national finalists in the 2017-2018 edition of WWF’s OPCC.
 The One Planet City Challenge, previously known as the Earth Hour City Challenge, invites
cities in participating countries to report ambitious and innovative climate actions and plans
in different sectors including energy, transport, housing and waste, on the international
carbonn® Climate Registry platform.
 Since the inception of the Challenge in 2011, WWF has engaged over 411 cities across 5
continents. India became part of this global platform in 2012 and was the first developing country to
join this initiative. Since then, WWF-India has engaged with 24 cities for this challenge, out of
which, Delhi, Coimbatore, Thane and Rajkot have been the National Earth Hour Capitals in the
earlier editions.

 India In Final Rounds Of Negotiations For S-400 Misile System From Russia
 The S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as the S-300PMU-
3, is an anti-aircraft weapon system developed in the 1990s by Russia's Almaz Central Design
Bureau as an upgrade of the S-300 family. It has been in service with the Russian Armed
Forces since 2007. The S-400 uses four missiles to fill its performance envelope: the very-long-
range 40N6 (400 km), the long-range 48N6 (250 km), the medium-range 9M96E2 (120 km) and the
short-range 9M96E (40 km). The S-400 has been described, as of 2017, as "one of the best air-
defence systems currently made.

 Antibiotic Resistance: Vultures Wintering In India Show Pattern

 Escherichia coli, a pathogen seen in over 90% of Egyptian vultures that migrate to northwest India
to spend the winter, tend to show significant difference in resistance to antibiotics within a single
season.
 The diversity of E. coli community in vultures changed and became homogenised by the end of the
wintering period. This is due to the environment that the vultures were exposed to — carcasses,
garbage, and domestic animals.
 The vultures were resistant to certain antibiotics when they arrived and developed resistance to
certain other antibiotics when they left.

 When In Sydney, Meet The Quoll

 A species of spotted marsupial devastated by
foxes has been returned to the wild in mainland
Australia for the first time in almost 50 years.
 The eastern quoll — a furry carnivore about
the size of a domestic cat — disappeared

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 from the mainland in the 1960s, but clung on in the island state of Tasmania.
 They have now been reintroduced to their native environment,Boodree National Park, Sydney on
the country’s east coast after a 15-year project .

 ICMR Wins The 2017 Kochon Prize For TB Research

 The $65,000 Prize is awarded annually by Stop TB Partnership to individuals and/or
organizations that have made a significant contribution to combating TB.
 Award to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) , recognises decades of ground-breaking TB
research by India, which shaped the global DOTS strategy.

 Who are Veerashaivas?

 Veerashaivas are the followers of the five peethas (religious centres), called pancha peethas.
These peethas are set up on similar lines to the four peethas set up by Adi Shankara. They
even claim a mythological background. They believe that they are born straight out of
the Shivalingam – the phallic symbol worshipped by Shaivas
 The Veerashaiva faith is identical to the Brahmanical belief that they are born from the ears of
Brahma. Basavanna had rejected all such Brahmanical notions.
 Basavanna’s spiritual ideology and revolutionary socio-political reforms were so radical that they
attracted many like-minded people from across the country. In his time, some Shaivite Brahmins
from Andhra Pradesh were attracted to the reformist movement and converted. But after about a
century or so, their descendants started mixing practices from their former religion with Lingayatism.
Another reason is that Basavanna’s movement culminated in all the sharana writers and thinkers
being hounded out of Bijjala’s kingdom. In that process, much of sharana literature was destroyed
and some it that was hidden. This created an intellectual vacuum for the Lingayat people, as well as
the descendents of the Veerashaivas. But the Vedic texts were available and they were taught at all
the gurukuls. So naturally, Veerashaivas and Lingayats gravitated towards a more Brahmanical way
of life.

 Who are Lingayats?

 Lingayats are followers of Basavanna and the sharanas, whose philosophy is expressed in
thousands of vachanas. In several vachanas, the sharanas have rejected the
Vedas, shastras, smritis and the Upanishads. They also rejected the system of caste based on
the varnashrama, rebuffed faith in karma based on caste, denied the concept
of paap and punya which was based on karma, spurned the notion of heaven and hell as based on
paap and punya. They scorned temple and idol worship.
 The rejected the phallic linga symbol of Shiva and opted for ishta linga, which represents
inner conscience. They declared that work was worship and tried to break the barriers of caste by
inter-caste dining. They fought against discrimination on the basis of gender and birth. They
abhorred superstitions. They ignored Sanskrit – which was understood by very few – and
addressed the people in Kannada. Essentially, Basavanna and all sharanas rejected everything
about the Hindu religion and rebelled against it.

Practice Veerashaiva Lingayat

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The founder Panchacharyas Basavanna
Religious
Vedas, Agama, Siddhanta Shikhamani Vachana literature
script
Caste and Complete equality of men and
No equality. It puts Aradhyas at the top of the
gender women in religious, political and social
ladder, while there is no gender equality
equality practices
The statue of Shiva, and Shiva as Shiva (ishta linga) as a formless,
Worship envisaged in the Vedas with snake around timeless entity that resides in each
the neck etc and every life form
Temples and Bans temple worship. Worships only
Has a system of temples and priests
priests ishta linga
 NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau ) Launches Mobile App Useful For Citizens
 NCRB has introduced a Mobile App template, which is a bouquet of 9 police related services, for
the citizen. These services will provide smooth interface between Citizens and Police. States/UTs
upon customization can host this App on their CCTNS platform through which citizens can register
Police Complaint, and can check the Status of their complaint. Another feature of the App also
enables a complainant to download FIR (except those categorized as "Sensitive").
 Clicking SOS button of the App, automatically sends an emergency SMS to friends and family with
user’s current location. Locate Police Station feature helps a citizen to locate nearby police station
details and route to approach using GPS technology. Emergency Contact List provides helpline
numbers, which are useful during emergency or regular services like Fire Brigade, Ambulance,
Medical Emergency, Women Helpline, Railway Helpline and Child Helpline.there are other features.

 ISRO–BHEL Tie up for the Production of Space Grade Lithium-Ion Cells

 ISRO has entered into a Technology Transfer Agreement (TTA) with Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited (BHEL), to transfer the technology for the manufacture of space grade Li-Ion cells.
 ISRO uses Li-Ion batteries as power sources for satellite and launch vehicle applications due
to their high energy density, reliability and long cycle life.
 The lithium-ion battery is light weighted and is one-third the weight of lead acid batteries. It
is nearly 100% efficient in both charging and discharging as compared to lead battery which has
70% efficiency.
 The rechargeable lithium-ion battery has life cycle of 5000 times or more compared to just
400-500 cycles in lead acid. It also maintains constant voltage throughout the entire discharge
cycle whereas voltage in lead acid battery drops consistently throughout its discharge cycle

 Saudi Citizen ‘Sophia’ the Robot Appears On Cover Of Cosmopolitan India

 A creation of the Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, the robot has been designed in actress
Audrey Hepburn's image. And while there are actually 12 Sophia robots around the world, the most
famous iteration of the robot was awarded citizenship by Saudi Arabia.

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 National Artificial Intelligence Mission (N-AIM)
 A central task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has suggested creating a National Artificial
Intelligence Mission (N-AIM).
 The panel has recommended an inter-ministerial National Artificial Intelligence Mission (N-
AIM), that will act as a nodal agency for coordinating AI related activities in India.
 The core activities include funding establishment of a network among Academia, services industry,
product industry, startups and Government ministries, besides helping studies to identify concrete
projects in each domain of focus.
 Enabling policies and forging bilateral cooperation with countries like Canada, Germany, Israel, UK
and US to develop AI solutions for social and economic problems and sharing the best practices
were also recommended.

 MP’s Black Chicken Kadaknath Wins GI Tag, Beats Chhattisgarh’s Claim

 Madhya Pradesh has won the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a black-feathered
chicken known for its flavourful meat and found mainly in the tribal district of Jhabua, trumping
Chhattisgarh’s claim over the breed.
 Kadaknath is in demand not only because of its taste but also due to its low cholesterol and high
protein content.
 The Chhattisgarh government had applied for the GI tag following the success of a breeding project
in Dantewada
 The GI registry recently dismissed Madhya Pradesh’s plea for inclusion of basmati rice
grown in the central Indian state.

 New Robot Fish From MIT To Study Ocean Life

 Scientists have created a remote-controlled robot, named “SoFi” that swims quietly through
coral reefs and schools of fish and uses a fisheye lens to capture high-resolution photos and video
with a camera built into its nose.
 SoFi's “soft artificial muscle” tail is made of silicone elastomer, a type of rubber. Its nose
houses the electronic elements. It has two side fins for maneuvering..
 The untethered robot navigates for up to 40 minutes at depths reaching almost 60 feet and is
operated using a Super Nintendo controller.
 Existing autonomous underwater vehicles typically are tethered to boats and powered by propellers
or jets that can disrupt the natural environment. SoFi swims alongside fish and other marine
creatures without sending them fleeing.
 The robot can be used as a marine biology instrument and also to measure pollution in coastal
waters, to create maps, to do inspection, to monitor and track.

 Artificial Reefs To Fishermen's Rescue

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 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) which has developed artificial reefs as a
fishing aid and has started the project of artificial reefing to assist fishermen from the hamlets near
Pulicat lake by sinking fish aggregating devices in different shapes along the seabed.
 The funding for the reefs has been provided by the International Funding for Agriculture
Development.
 Algae grows on these artificial reefs which in turn attract several species of fish that feed on it
and make the devices their home.
 Artificial reefs, made of concrete, have been found to be capable of preventing further erosion of
ecologically sensitive islands and also regenerate coral biodiversity in the Gulf of Mannar region.
 Deployment of artificial reefs parallel to the sinking island in the seaward side reduces the effect of
currents and waves, enhances fish habitats for higher fish production and protection of fish
diversity. Natural corals get attached to artificial reefs over time and start regeneration.
 India’s first artificial reefs were established in Kovalan Kerala in 2010.Alabama(US state) is
presently leading in artificial reefs and has lead to huge increase in fish catch.

 Government To Auction Enemy Property For Rs 1 Lakh Crore

 An enemy property is the one which is left behind by the people who took the citizenship of
Pakistan and China during and after the partition.
 The Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968. It regulates the enemy properties and lists the
custodian's powers. In the wake of a claim by the heirs of Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad
Khan (better known by Raja of Mahmudabad), the government amended the Enemy Property
(Amendment and Validation) Act in 2017.
 The move comes after the amendment of the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation)
Act 2017 and the Enemy Property (Amendment) Rules, 2018
 Now the act ensures that: the heirs of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during and
after the partition will have no claim over the properties left behind in India.
 According to the amended act, the definition of 'enemy property' means any property which belongs
or is managed and held on behalf of an enemy, enemy firm and enemy subject. The properties
identified so far have been put under the administrative control of the Custodian of Enemy Property
for India.
 Out of the 9,400 enemy properties, more than 9,200 are left behind by the Pakistani
nationals.
 The highest number of properties are in Uttar Pradesh followed by West Bengal.

 Maldives Crisis Explained

 India is closely monitoring the situation in Maldives which has been plunged into turmoil
since February 1, 2018.
So, what happened?

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 President Abdulla Yameen has declared a state of emergency in Maldives, an Indian Ocean
archipelago which is a big draw for tourists.
Why did he do so?
 The apex court of Maldives overturned terrorism convictions against nine leaders opposed
to Yameen. The court ordered those in jail to be freed. Yameen defied the ruling and refused to
comply with requests from foreign countries.
Then, what happened?
 Former president Mohamed Nasheed, in a tweet on February 5, sought help from India. It seems
that judges loyal to former President Gayoom — who fell out with Yameen and has now joined
hands with Nasheed — have turned their back on Yameen. If the President has lost majority, he
can be impeached. The opposition has said that it is committed to protesting until the government
enforces the court ruling.
What did Nasheed want?
 1. India to send envoy, backed by its military, to release judges & political detainees including
President Gayoom. We request a physical presence. 2. The US to stop all financial transactions of
Maldives regime leaders going through US banks.”
What was India’s reaction?
 A day after Nasheed’s plea, India said it was “disturbed” by the emergency imposed in Maldives.
India has issued a strong statement, asking the Yameen government to implement the court’s order
Has India intervened in Maldives in the past?

 Yes. In 1988 there was an attempt by a group of Maldivians led by Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by
armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation
Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in Maldives. The coup failed
due to the intervention of the Indian Army, whose military operations efforts were code-named
Operation Cactus.

Ten Degree channel: separates Andamans from Nicobar (Little Andaman from Car Nicobar)

Nine Degree channel: Separates Kavarartti from minicoy

Eight degree Channel: separates Minicoy (India) from Maldives

Duncan Passage : Lies between south Andaman and Little Andaman

St Georges channel: separates Little Nicobar and Great Nicobar.

Coco channel: Separates Cocos Island (Myanmar) and North Andaman

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