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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ART AND CULTURE

FESTIVALS

DANCE

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

PANTINGS

SHIVLINGAS IN INDIA

TEMPLES IN INDIA

ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMEMT

ANIMAL KINGDOM

WILDLIFE AND THEIR IUCN STATUS

GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS

IN NEWS

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND PROTOCOLS

GEOGRAPHY IN NEWS

NATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

ECONOMY NEWS

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

IN NEWS

SPACE

DEFENCE

MILITARY EXERCISE

ORGANISATIONS/INSTITUTIONS/AGENCY

SCHEMES

PERSONALITY

AWARDS/ACHIEVEMENTS/RANKINGS

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ART AND CULTURE

A. FESTIVALS

Thiru Onam

It is also the state festival

of Kerala.

The festival falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam

(August- September).

It is reminiscent of Kerala’s agrarian past and is considered to

be a harvest festival.

Tendong Lho Rum Faat

An annual festival of the

ethnic Lepcha tribe of

Sikkim

Celebrated annually in the month of August in Sikkim.

It is a three day festival and on the first day, the tribe worships

the Mount Tendong which is located in South Sikkim by offering

of prayers.

Chapchar Kut

The traditional festival of

the Mizos

Celebrated across the north-eastern state of Mizoram and also

in the Mizo-inhabited areas in the neighbouring states.

It is a spring festival celebrated every year in month of March.

It is celebrated after completion of their Jhum operation(shifting

agriculture by clearing jungle by burning and cultivating in

remnants of burning).

Losar

In Ladakh region of

Jammu and Kashmir

Losar is Tibetan word for ‘new year’ and this festival is an

important social and religious celebration in Ladakh.

Traditional celebration of festival following the old tradition,

people from Ladakh visit graveyards of ancestors and pray for

peace for the departed souls.

Hundred Drums Wangala

Festival

Wangala Festival is an annual post-harvest festival of the Garos

tribes of North east India.

It is a thanks giving ceremony for Misi Saljong, which is also

known as Pattigipa Ra∙rongipa (The Great Giver) for blessing

the people with rich harvest of the season.

Jallikattu

In Sangam literature it is

called ‘Yeru thazhuvuthal’

(means to embrace bulls).

It is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu on Mattu Pongal

day as a part of Pongal celebrations i.e. harvest festival.

It is one of the oldest living ancient traditions practiced in the

modern era.

Jallikattu has been derived from the words ‘calli’ (coins) and

‘kattu’ (tie), which means a bundle of coins is tied to the bull’s

horns.

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Sajibu Cheiraoba Celebrated in Manipur to mark the beginning of a new year with

cultural gusto and religious fervour.

B. DANCES

S.No. State Name of Dances

Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi, Kolattam, Dhimsa, Veeranatyam

Arunachal

Pradesh

BardoChham

Assam Bihu, Jumar, Bagurumba

Bihar Paika, Kajari, Bidesia

Chhattisgarh Panthi, RautNacha

Gujarat Raas, tippani, Padhar, Garba

Haryana Dhamal, Daph, Phag, Ghoomar, Jhumar, Loor

Himachal

Pradesh

KinnauriNati, Namgen

Jharkhand Karma

Jammu &

Kashmir

Kud, Dumhal,BhandPather, BachhaNagma, Hafiza dance

Karnataka Yakshagna, Bayalata, DolluKunitha, Veeragaase dance

Kerala Mohiniattam,Kathakali,Padayani,Thirayattam,Theyyam,Thullal

Madhya Pradesh Tertali, Charkula, Jawara, Matki dance, Phulpati dance, Maanch,

Gaur

Maharashtra PavriNach, Lavani, Dangi, Koli

Manipur Thang Ta, DholCholom

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Some Famous Folk Dances Of North East States

1. Tripura

Hajgiri: Hajgiri is a famous folk dance of Tripura. Hajgiri dance is performed by young

girls who display a series of balancing skills and instruments of their kind.

Garia: Garia dances are held for the wealth and welfare of the people; dances of the

Reang community.

Bizu: Bizu dances are performed by the Chakma community denoting the end of the

Bengali calendar year.

Mizoram Cheraw dance

Nagaland Chang Lo or SuaLua

Odisha Ghumura, Chau, GotiPua, Nacni, Odissi, Dhap, Dalkhai,

Punjab Bhangra, Jhumar, Karthi,MalwaiGiddha

Rajasthan Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Bhavai, Chirami, Gair, TeraTali

Sikkim Singh Chaam

Tamil Nadu BharataNatyam, Devarattam, Kamandi, Kummi

Telangana Perini Thandavam, Lambadi, Dappu

Tripura Hojagiri

Uttar Pradesh Charkula, Kathak, Karma, Dadra

Uttarakhand BaradaNati, Botiya, Cancheri, Chhapelia

Goa Dekhnni, Fugdi, Corridinho, Dashavatara

Meghalaya Nongkrem, Shad Suk mynsiem

West Bengal Gambhira, Kalikapatadi, Nanci, Alkap, Domni

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2. Sikkim

Lu Khangthamo: Lu Khangthamo is a Bhutia folk dance that is celebrated to thank all

the Gods and deities of the three worlds (heaven, hell and earth). On occasions like

house-warming and New Year celebrations, this dance is performed accompanied by

pleasing songs and music.

Rechungma: Rechungma is a kind of typical Sikkimese dance that is performed to show

gratitude towards God for his continued blessings. It is usually arranged on occasions

like childbirth, marriage and other social gatherings.

TamangSelo: TamangSelo is a Nepali form of dance that depicts the 'Tamangs'

community of the Nepalese.

Limboo or Subba Folk Dance: Limboo or Subba is a traditional folk dance of the

Sikkimese. In this dance, the dancers hang the 'Chyap-brungs', a musical instrument

around their necks. The drum is beaten with a palm on one side and with a stick on the

other side. This fancy trick creates two different sounds.

3. Meghalaya

Nongkrem Dance: Nongkrem dance is part of a religious festival for thanksgiving to

God Almighty for good harvest, peace, and prosperity of the community. It is held

annually during October – November.

Wangala Festival: A major festival of the Garos, celebrated during autumn, after the

harvesting season. It culminates in the warrior's dance called the Dance of a Hundred

Drums on the final day, which is a spectacular sight.

Dorsegata Dance: Doregata dance festival is another dance in which, while dancing

the women try to knock off the turbans of their male partners. If the women succeed, it

is followed by peals of laughter.

Lahoo Dance: The Lahoo dance is performed by both male and female for

entertainment. Attired in their best costumes, usually two young men on either side of a

woman hold arms together and dance in step.

4. Assam

Bihu Dance - This is the most popular folk dance of Assam and as the name suggests, it

is related to the Bihu festival, which is celebrated with much pomp and glory throughout

the state.

JumurNach - This is a typical folk dance performed by the tea community in the state,

locally called ‘ChahBaganarJumurNach’ or the Jumur dance of tea garden. Boys and

girls hold each other’s waist and dance to the tunes of the Jumur dance, with exact

precision of foot work.

Deodhani - Deodhani is a dance form associated with the worship of the snake goddess

Manasa. This dance is performed by a girl who, in a trance-like inspired state, goes on

dancing to the beats of the Ciphung (flute) and the Kham (drum).

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Barpeta’sBhortalNritya - This form of dance is mainly a propagation of the Sankari

culture of Assam and was originally developed by the well-known Satriya artist,

NarahariBurhaBhakat.

Dhuliya and Bhawariya - This is basically a form of theatrical performance, using

masks, drums and cymbals.

5. Nagaland

Chang Lo or SuaLua: This dance of the Chang tribe of Nagaland was performed to

celebrate the victory over enemies in the earlier times.

Nruirolians or cock dance: Which corresponds to the attribute of a cock, Gethinglim or

cricket dance in which there is the to and fro movement of hands etc.

Temangnetin: Men generally perform the dances which include the Temangnetin or the

fly dance with the company of music and songs. Music played includes cymbals, beaten

in regular intervals as the singers stand along one side or make a circle in order to

provide space for the dancers performing at centre.

Traditional Naga dance is performed by men during Hornbill festival, initiated by a

message in order to conserve the Hornbill. Hornbill is Nagaland's state bird.

C. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

1. Ghana Vadya- solid instruments e.g. Jhanj Player- Konark Temple

2. Tata Vadya- String instruments: Banam, Kamaicha, Santoor, Sarod, Sarangi, Sitar, Tanpura,

Ravanhatta.

3. SushiraVadya- Wind Instruments: Flute, Algoza, Kuzhal, Nadeswaram, Shehnai, Sundari, Pepa,

Been

4. AvanaddhaVadya- Percussion Instruments: Dhol, Damru, Tabla, Chenda, Nagada, Sambal,

Pakhwaj, Mridangam, Duff, Khanjira, Kartal.

D. INDIAN PAINTINGS

Some traditional Indian paintings, like those of Ajanta, Bagh and Sittanvasal, depict a love for nature

and its forces.

Cave Painting

Cave paintings of India date back to the prehistoric times. The finest examples of these paintings

comprise of the murals of Ajanta, Ellora, Bagh, Sittanavasal etc. which reflect an emphasis on

naturalism. Ancient cave paintings of India serve as a window to our ancestors, who used to inhabit

these caves.

Bhimbetka is a famous cave painting- Located in central India, Bhimbetka contains over

600 rock shelters decorated with prehistoric cave paintings. Executed mainly in red and white with

the occasional use of green and yellow the paintings usually depict the lives and times of the people

who lived in the caves. Animals such as bisons, tigers, lions, and crocodiles have also been

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abundantly depicted in some caves. The oldest paintings are considered to be 12,000 years old.

Madhubani Painting

Madhubani painting originated in a small village, known as Maithili, in the state of Bihar state, India.

Initially, the womenfolk of the village drew the paintings on the walls of their home, as an illustration

of their thoughts, hopes, and dreams. With time, the paintings started becoming a part of festivities

and special events, like marriage.

MiniaturePainting

Miniatures paintings are beautiful handmade paintings, which are quite colourful but small in size.

The highlight of these paintings is the intricate and delicate brushwork, which lends them a unique

identity.

MughalPainting

Mughal painting reflects an exclusive combination of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. As the

name suggests, these paintings evolved as well as developed during the rule of Mughal Emperors

in India, between 16th century and 19th century.

Mysore Painting is a form of classical South Indian painting, which evolved in the Mysore city of

Karnataka. During that time, Mysore was under the reign of the Wodeyars and it was under their

patronage that this school of painting reached its zenith.

PahariPainting

Pahari painting is the name given to Rajput paintings, made in the states of Himachal Pradesh and

Jammu & Kashmir of India. These painting developed as well as flourished during the period of 17th

to 19th century. Indian Pahari paintings have been done mostly in miniature forms.

RajputPainting

Rajput painting originated in the royal states of Rajasthan, somewhere around the late 16th and

early 17th century. The Mughals ruled almost all the princely states of Rajasthan at that time and

because of this most of the schools of Rajput Painting in India reflect strong Mughal influence.

TanjorePainting

Tanjorepainting is one of the most popular forms of classical South Indian painting. It is the native

art form of Thanjavur (also known as Tanjore) city in Tamil Nadu. The dense composition, surface

richness and vibrant colours of Indian Thanjavurpaintings distinguish them from the other types of

paintings.

Shadanga of Indian painting

Around the 1st century BC the Shadanga or Six Limbs of Indian Painting, were evolved, a series of

canons laying down the main principles of the art. Vatsyayana, who lived during the third century

A.D., enumerates these in his Kamasutra having extracted them from still more ancient works.

These 'Six Limbs' have been translated as follows:

1. Rupabheda: The knowledge of appearances.

2. Pramanam: Correct perception, measure, and structure.

3. Bhava: Action of feelings on forms.

4. LavanyaYojanam: Infusion of grace, artistic representation.

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5. Sadrisyam: Similitude.

6. Varnikabhanga: Artistic manner of using the brush and colours. (Tagore.)

The subsequent development of painting by the Buddhists indicates that these ' Six Limbs ' were

put into practice by Indian artists, and are the basic principles on which their art was founded.

Genres of Indian Painting

Indian paintings can be broadly classified as murals and miniatures. Murals are large works

executed on the walls of solid structures, as in the Ajanta Caves and the Kailashnath temple.

Miniature paintings are executed on a very small scale for books or albums on perishable material

such as paper and cloth. The Palas of Bengal were the pioneers of miniature painting in India. The

art of miniature painting reached its glory during the Mughal period. The tradition of miniature

paintings was carried forward by the painters of different Rajasthani schools of painting like the

Bundi, Kishangarh, Jaipur, Marwar and Mewar. The Ragamala paintings also belong to this school,

as does the Company painting produced for British clients under the British Raj.

Murals

The highest achievements of 2nd century BC to 8th – 10th century AD are the caves of Ajanta,

Bagh, Sittanavasal, Armamalai Cave (Tamil Nadu), RavanChhaya rock shelter, Kailasanatha

temple in Ellora Caves.

Murals from this period depict mainly religious themes of Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu religions. There

are also the locations where paintings were made to adorn mundane premises, like the ancient

theatre room in Jogimara Cave and possible royal hunting lodge circa 7th-century AD –

RavanChhaya rock shelter.

In eastern India, the principal centres of artistic and intellectual activities of the Buddhist religion

were Nalanda, Odantapuri, Vikramshila and Somarpura situated in the Pala kingdom (Bengal &

Bihar).

Eastern India painting

In Eastern India miniature painting developed in the 10th century. These miniatures, depicting

Buddhist divinities and scenes from the life of Buddha were painted on leaves (about 2.25 by

3 inches) of the palm-leaf manuscripts as well as their wooden covers. Most common Buddhist

illustrated manuscripts include the texts AstasahasrikaPrajnaparamita, Pancharaksa, Karandavyuha

and Kalachakra Tantra. The earliest extant miniatures are found in a manuscript of the

AstasahasrikaPrajnaparamita dated in the sixth regnal year of Mahipala (c. 993), presently the

possession of The Asiatic Society, Kolkata. This style disappeared from India in the late 12th

century.

Western Indian Miniature Painting

Miniature painting developed during the 10th century in western part of India, that is modern state of

Rajasthan.These paintings are seen in hastprat [mini books written by hands] of Vaishnav and Jain

sects. These paintings were made to make the subject of the book more interesting and to decorate

the books. Rajasthan state was integrated into western India of that time. Particular manuscript

miniature painting developed in the western part of India that is modern state of Rajasthan. From

17th century “Rajput miniature painting”developed in the western part of India that is modern

western state of Rajasthan. “Rajput miniature painting” has its own style and beauty.

Subjects- The subjects of these miniature paintings are in relation to the subjects of the

manuscripts, i.e.mainly religious and literary. Many paintings are from Sanskrit and folk literature. It

is on the subject of love stories. Some paintings are from Vaishnav sect of the Hindu religion and

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some are from the Jain sect. The paintings of Vaishnav sect are regarding various occasions of the

life of Lord Krishna and Gopis. Vaishnav paintings of "Gita Govinda" are about Lord Krishna. The

paintings of Jain sect are concerning Jain Lords and religious subjects.

Equipment- These paintings were created on "Taadpatra" that means the leaf of the palm tree, and

paper. During that period earlier manuscripts were created from the leaf of the palm tree, and later

on from the paper.

Characteristics- In these paintings very few human characters are seen with front face. Most of the

human characters are seen with their side profile. Big eyes, pointed nose and slim waist are the

features of these paintings. The skin colours of human being are brown and fair. The skin colour of

the Lord Krishna is Blue. The colour of the hair and eyes is black. Women characters have long

hair. Human characters wear jewellery on hand, nose, neck, hair, waist and ankles. Men and

women wear traditional Indian dress, slippers, and shoes.

Men have turbans on the head. In these paintings trees, rivers, flowers, birds, the land, the sky,

houses, traditional chairs, cushions, curtains, lamps, and human characters have been depicted.

Colours- Mostly Natural colours have been used in these paintings. Colours such as black, red,

white, brown, blue, and yellow are used to decorate the paintings.

Promoters- Kings, Courtiers of the kings, wealthy businessmen, and religious leaders of the time

were the promoters of these miniature paintings.

Painters - Painters of these pictures were from the local society."Vaachhak"was a famous painter

of the time.Painters tried to make the subject of the manuscript live by these pictures so that the

readers of the manuscript could enjoy reading.

Vernacular Indian Painting

Vernacular art is an art alive (contemporary art), based on the past (the myths, the traditions and

the religion) and made by defined groups. Vernacular art is based on the collective memory of this

group. Examples of vernacular Indian painting:

Bhil painting

Warli painting

Gond painting

Kalighat Paintings

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Kalighat painting derives its name from its place of origin Kalighat, in Kolkata. It developed

during the nineteenth century in response to the sudden prosperity brought to Calcutta by

the East India Company trade. But Kalighat painting started getting thier due attention and

appreciation only in the twentieth century.

These are characterized by generously curving figures of both men and women and an

earthy satirical style. The most interesting aspect of Kalighat painting is perhaps its strong

social themes and consciousness. Kalighat painting was the first of its kind in the Indian

subcontinent that expressed underlying sentiment and addressed customers directly. Like

most other Indian art forms, Kalighat paintings too started with a religious note.

E. SHIVLINGAS IN INDIA

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Somnath Temple in Gujarat

Jyotirlinga is situated at SomnathPatan

(the south coast of Saurashtra), near

Veraval in (PrabhasKshetra)

KathaiwadDistrict in Gujarat.

* Accounts of glory and wealth of Somnath by

the Arab traveler Al Biruni prompted a visit by

Mahmud of Ghazini who ransacked and

destroyed the temple in 1025 CE. It was

immediately rebuilt by King Bhima of Gujarat

and King Bhoja of Malwa.

* Somnath temple was destroyed again by

Alaf Khan, the general of AllauddinKhilji in

1300 CE. It was rebuilt again by King

Mahipala of the Chudasama dynasty.

* Somnath shrine was destroyed yet again in

1390, 1490, 1530 and finally in 1701 by

Aurangzeb.

Mallikarjun Temple in Andhra Pradesh

Temple is situated on Shri Shaila

Mountain(Nalla Mala Hills) on the banks of

the Patal Ganga, Krishna River in the

southern part of Andhra Pradesh. Also known

as Kailash of the South,

Mallika means Parvati, while Arjuna is

another name of Shiva.

Architecture of Mallikarjun Temple

The huge temple is built in the Dravidian style

with lofty towers and sprawling courtyards

and is considered to be one of the finest

specimens of Vijayanagar architecture.

Temple of Tripurantakam, Siddavatam,

Alampura and Umamaheswaram located in

the vicinity of MallikarjunaJyotirlina are

considered to be the four gateways to Sri

Sailam.

Bhramaramba Shrine

Located adjacent to the Mallikarjun Temple is

a shrine dedicated to Goddess Jagdamba

who is known as Bhramaramba here.

Mahakaleshwara Temple in Ujjain.

Mahakaleshwara Temple is located on the

banks of theRiver Kshipra, in the dense

Mahakal forests in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Brass lamps light the way to the underground

sanctum or GarbhaGriha where the

Jyotirlinga is situated.

Temple has also been referred to in the Tamil

hymns of the Nayanmar saints of the 1st

millennium CE.

Vaidyanath Temple at Deogarh: In this temple complex there are twenty-two

other temples. The Baijnath or Vaidyanath

temple faces east. Near the temple is the

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Shivaganga Lake.

Bhimashankar Temple in Pune

is situated in the ghat region of the Sahyadri

hills in the village of Bhavagiri, near Pune in

Maharashtra. Bhima Shankar Temple lies on

the banks of the River Bhima. Bhimashankar

is also the source of the River Bhima, which

flows southeast and merges with the Krishna

River near Raichur.

Structure of Bhimashankara Temple

dates back to mid-18th century and is a

composite of old and the new structures and

is built in the Nagara style of architecture.

The shikara of the temple was built by Nana

Phadnavis. Shivaji - the great Maratha ruler is

said to have facilitated the carrying out of

worship services.

Rameshwaram Temple in Tamil Nadu It is situated in the island of Rameswaram, off

the Sethu coast of Tamil Nadu and can be

reached via Pamban Bridge across the sea.

The huge temple is known for its long ornate

corridors, towers and 36 theerthams.

RameswaramJyotirlinga also boasts of a

4000 feet long pillared corridor with over

4000 pillars, supposedly the longest in the

world.

Nageshwar Temple in Dwarka

Nageshwar Temple is located on the route

between Gomati Dwarka and the Bait Dwarka

Island on thecoast of Saurashtra in Gujarat.

The eastern Rajagopuram towers to a height

of 126 feet and has nine levels. The Western

Rajagopuram is also quite impressive though

not as tall as the Eastern one.

Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi

Vishwanath Temple is located in the holy city

of Varanasi also known as Kashi and

Benares on the banks of the River Ganga.

The KashiVishwanath Temple is also

popularly known as the 'Golden Temple' due

the gold plating done on its 15.5-meter high

spire. One tonne of gold donated by

Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been used in the

gold plating of the spire.

The latest structure standing here dates back

to the 18th century. It is said that once Lord

Shiva came in the dream of Rani Ahilya Bai

Holkar of Indore. She, being a devotee of

Lord Shiva, got the current temple built in

1777 at a distance from the original one.

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Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nasik

Trimbakeshwartemple is located near the

mountain named Brahmagiri from which the

River Godavari flows. Godavari is also known

as Gautami Ganga and is the most sacred

river in South India.

Reconstruction efforts of the temple were

undertaken by the PeshwaBalajiBajiraoin the

mid-18th century. The temple is built of black

stone in the Nagara style of architecture and

is enclosed in a spacious courtyard.

Kedarnath Temple in Himalayas

Kedarnath Temple is located at a height of

12000 feet on a mountain named Kedar.

Near Kedarnath is the source of the River

Mandakini that joins Alakananda at

Rudraprayag.

The temple at Kedarnath enshrining the

Jyotirlingam of Shiva opens only 6 months a

year (April-November) when the sun enters

the zodiac sign of Aries and it is closed when

the sun enters Scorpio. The priests then go to

Ukhimath, where the worship of

Kedareshwara is continued during the winter

season.

The temple was restored by

AdiSankaracharya in the 8th century.

Grishneshwar Temple in Daulatabad

Grishneshwar Temple is located at a village

called Verul, which lies 20 km from

Daulatabad (near Aurangabad in

Maharashtra).

The Grishneswar Temple was constructed by

AhilyabhaiHolkar who also re-constructed the

KashiViswanatha Temple at Varanasi and the

Vishnu Paada Temple at Gaya. The

Grishneshwar Temple is also known by

several other names like Kusumeswarar,

Ghushmeswara, Grushmeswara and

Grishneswara.

F. FAMOUS PILGRIMAGE PLACES IN INDIA

Badrinath Temple

Situated close to the Alaknanda River, the

abode of Lord Badrinath is located in the

ChamoliDistrict, a small town of Badrinath

(Uttarakhand) It is one of the 108 temples

dedicated to Lord Vishnu (DivyaDesams).

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The Konark Sun Temple The Sun temple is situated in the small town

of Konark, which is situated in the Puri district

of Odisha. The temple has been built in the

shape of a chariot, which has twelve wheels

and is depicted as being dragged by seven

horses.

The temple is believed to be constructed in

the 13th century by a king called

Narasimhadeva. The mesmerizing beauty of

the place was best summed up by the

Rabindranath Tagore through these words:

‘Here the language of stone surpasses the

language of man.’

Brihadeeswara Temple

Made entirely of granite stone, it was built as

per the principles of VaastuShastras and

Agamas.

UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Also known as PeruvudaiyarKovil and

RajaRajeswaram, this 11th century temple

was built by the Chola emperor Raja

RajaChola I. Dedicated to Lord

Shiva, Brihadeeswara temple is the largest

temple in India that is situated at Thanjavur

city of Tamil Nadu.

Sanchi Stupa

It is home to several Buddhist structures built

in between 3rd century BC to 12th century

AD. The most significant of them all is

the Sanchi Stupa, also known as the Great

Stupa

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this famous

pilgrimage site in India was built by the great

emperor Asoka in the 3rd century BC. There

are four intricately designed gateways

surrounding the Stupa known as Toranas,

each individually symbolizing the four

emotions of love, peace, courage and trust.

The Great Stupa is 16 metres high and 37

metres in diameter and preserves the relics

of Buddha.

Vaishno Devi Mandir It is located at an altitude of 5200 feet in a

mountain called Trikuta.

Lord Jagannath Temple

Built in the 12th century, Jagannath temple is

situated in Puri (Orissa) and is popularly

called JagannathPuri. Dedicated to Lord

Krishna, with the idol of Lord Krishna

(Jagannath) in between, the idols of Lord

Balabhadra (brother) and Goddess Subhadra

(sister) are placed.

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Meenakshi Temple

This architectural wonder is situated in

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and is dedicated to

Goddess Parvati (also known as Meenakshi)

and her husband Lord Shiva. Madurai is the

second biggest city of India and is also one of

the oldest continuously populated cities of the

world.

A dip in the Golden Lotus tank, situated in the

temple, is considered auspicious and is

usually taken before visiting the main shrine

of the God and Goddess. As per a legend,

the pond was created by Shiva and is even

older than the temple. The temple has a hall,

which consists of 985 pillars; each pillar is

differently and intricately carved. The 12th

century colourful temple was among the 30

nominees of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the

World’.

Lingaraja Temple

Lingaraja temple is one of the oldest and

largest temples of the ‘Temple City of India’ –

Orissa. Drenched in the architectural style

typical of Kalinga, the temple doesn’t only

attract religious devotees but also the

historians.

The idol of Lingaraj usually represents Lord

Shiva, but over here it symbolizes both Shiva

and Vishnu. The combined form of both the

Gods is referred to as Harihara. A large lake

called BinduSagar touches the temple from

one side and is said to have healing powers.

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Kanchipuram Temples:

‘The City of Thousand Temples’ –

Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) is one of the

seven sacred places in India wherein the

people can attain Moksha, as per the Hindu

religion. Every temple in Kanchipuram is a

fascinating piece of architecture.

Among the most revered temples of Kanchi 3

major ones are mentioned below:

Kamakshi Amman Temple: Goddess

Kamakshi is one of the manifestations of

Parvati and unlike the standing poses in

which we usually find her idols, the

enchanting idol at Kamakshi temple is sitting

in Padmasana (a yogic sitting posture).

Ekambareswarar Temple: This shrine of Lord

Shiva is also the largest among all the

temples of Kanchipuram. The main lingam of

the Ekambareswarar temple is made of sand

and is said to be built by the Goddess

Parvati.

VaradarajaPerumal Temple: It is one of the

108 temples of Vishnu (DivyaDesams). This

temple along with the temples of Kamakshi

and Ekambareswarar are collectively called

Mumurtivasam (home of trio).

Khajuraho Temple Khajuraho is a town in the state of Madhya

Pradesh, which houses several temples built

between 10th to 12th centuries. Spread

across an area of 20 sq. km, the monuments

of the town are recognized as UNESCO

World Heritage Site. The temples are built of

sandstone and dedicated to the deities of

Hindus and Jains.

Virupaksha Temple

Built in the 7th century, the temple is famous

for being a functioning temple ever since it

came into the existence. Located in the

village of Hampi, it is one of the most famous

temples among the various other temples of

Hampi. All heritage sites of Hampi have been

recognized by the UNESCO.

Shri Digambar Jain LalMandir

Built during the reign of Mughal emperor

Shah Jahan in 1656, Shri Digambar Jain

LalMandir is the oldest Jain temple in Delhi.

Made in the honour of the 23rd Tirthankara,

Parashvanath, the temple is made in red

sandstone.

Page 18 of 93

Gomateshwara Temple

The most important event occurs in the

temple after every 12 years. It is called

Mahamastakabhishek and is a very important

festival for Jains.

Situated in the Shravanabelagola town of

Karnataka, Gomateshwara temple is

dedicated to Lord Bahubali also known as

Gomateshwara. Built in the 10th century it is

one of the most important pilgrimage places

for Jains. The statue standing at an

enormous height of 58.8 feet the idol is

carved out of a single granite rock.

Ranakpur Temple Ranakpur is a village in the Pali district

of Rajasthan and falls between Udaipur and

Jodhpur. One of the very famous pilgrimage

sites in India, the majestic 15th century Jain

temple is dedicated to Lord Adinatha. It is

counted among the five major sacred places

of Jains.

SreePadmanabhaswamy Temple Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of

Kerala is the place where one of the 108

DivyaDesams (sacred dwellings of Lord

Vishnu) is situated in the form of Lord

Padmanabhaswamy.

SreePadmanabhaswamy temple can be

visited only by the Hindus.

Page 19 of 93

ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

A. ANIMAL KINGDOM

Assam state legislature has passed

Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition,

Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2015.

This law was prepared in order to reign in the

rising incidents of witch hunting cases across

the state.

‘Indirana Salelkari’ Wildlife researchers have discovered new

frog species in Netravali Forest Sanctuary of

Goa.

Named after Netravali Range Forest Officer

Prakash Salelkar for his contribution to

conservation of wildlife.

Crab Species:

Researchers have discovered four

new crab species namely Paguristes

luculentus, Diogenes canaliculatus,

Pagurus spinossior and

Afropinnotheres ratnakara in Kerala.

Paguristes luculentus: It is a hermit crab

species belonging to the family Diogenidae

was collected off the coast of Kollam.

Diogenes canaliculatus: It is a hermit crab

species belonging to the family Diogenidae

has light brown or tan colour.

Pagurus spinossior: It is hermit crab

belonging to Paguridae family which are right

handed crabs. It is tan in colour and was

collected from Neendakara, Kollam. Its name

spinossior refers to species strong armature

on the clawed legs.

Afropinnotheres ratnakara: It is a new

species of pinnotherid crab genus. The

genus was reported for the first time from the

Indian Ocean.

Ghatixalus magnus

Researchers have discovered

a new species of tree frog

named as Ghatixalus magnus

in the Western Ghats in

Kadalar High Ranges of Idukki

District, Kerala.

Ghatixalus magnus is species of

Rhacophorid tree frog of the genus

Ghatixalus. It is large in size and biggest

known tree frog from the Western Ghats. In

their exploration, researchers also have

rediscovered Raorchestes flaviventris, an

elusive rhacophorid bush frog species in the

Kadalar High Ranges of Idukki District in

Kerala.

Moray eel (Gymnothorax mishrai) Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India

Page 20 of 93

The Eels are mainly snake-like

fish with fins and gills and are

mostly found at bottom of

rivers and seas.

(ZSI) have a discovered a new species of eel

named Bengal moray eel (Gymnothorax

mishrai) along the coast of Digha in Purba

Medinipur district of West Bengal.

Species of Wasps

Researchers from India have

discovered 5 new long-haired

species of wasps from different

parts of the country.

They were discovered by researchers from

National Bureau of Agricultural Insect

Resources.

Key facts: These species have been named

‘adikeshavus’ which in Sanskrit means ‘first

one to have long hairs’.

Micrixalus herrei

Researchers have discovered

Sand-eating tadpole species

named Micrixalus herrei in the

Western Ghats.

The tadpole belongs to the so-called Indian

Dancing Frog family, Micrixalidae.

Falcated Duck

Birdwatchers for first time have

sighted Falcated Duck in Goa

which is considered as rare

vagrant migrant bird species to

the south of India.

Falcated Duck is a migratory bird, breeding

in Russia and north China in summers and in

winter migrates towards north of India.

Conservation prioritisation: Falcated Duck is

classified as near threatened by IUCN.

Bramble Cay melomys

Australian Great Barrier Reef

rodent (also known as Bramble

Cay melomys) has become the

first mammal species driven to

extinction by human-induced

climate change.

It is a small rat-like (rodent) animal species in

the family Muridae.

It is Great Barrier Reef’s only endemic (found

nowhere else) mammal species.

It was mainly found in a small coral cay

called Bramble Cay located off the north

coast of Queensland in the Torres Strait

between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Frankixalus Researchers have discovered a new genus

of tree hole-breeding frogs named

Frankixalus in the forests of northeast India

and bordering parts of China.

Himalayan Forest Thrush Scientists have discovered a new bird

species named Himalayan Forest Thrush in

northeastern India and adjacent parts of

Page 21 of 93

China.

National CAMPA Advisory Council National CAMPA Advisory Council has

approved the funding for recovery

programme of various endangered species.

These include Gangetic River Dolphin with

budgetary support of Rs. 23 crore, Dugong

(VU) with a budget of Rs. 23.58 crore, Great

Indian Bustard (CR) with Rs. 108.25 crore,

Manipur Brow Antlered deer (EN) with

support of Rs. 99.95 crore and Wild Buffalo

(EN) with Rs. 2 crore.

Melanophidium khairei Researchers have discovered new species

of burrowing snake named Melanophidium

khairei or Khaire’s Black Shieldtail in

Northwestern Ghats.

Hydroid polyps emitting green

fluorescence

An international team of biologists have

discovered a new species of hydroid polyps

emitting green fluorescence in the Red Sea.

These species were found during the

investigations of the biodiversity of coral

reefs of the archipelago Farasan south of the

Red Sea near Saudi Arabia.

B. WILDLIFE AND THEIR STATUS IN IUCN LIST

Indian Elephant or the Asian Elephant

Habitat: Tropical forest habitats from moist,

evergreen lowland forest to dry semi-

deciduous teak forests to cooler mountain

forests up to 10,000 feet. They also frequent

adjacent grasslands and farm areas.

National Parks: Bennarghatta National

Park, Karnataka, Kaziranga National Park,

Assam, Periyar National Park, Kerala

Status in the Wild: Endangered

Asiatic Lion

Habitat: Grasslands and plains

National Parks: Found only at the Gir

National Forest, Gujarat.

Status in the Wild: Endangered.

Page 22 of 93

Lion Tailed Macaque

Habitat: Lion-tailed macaques live in

southwest India in pockets of evergreen

forests, called sholas, in the Western Ghats

range. They live at elevations between 2,000

and 3,500 feet. Lion-tailed macaques are

unique to India. Today, they only live in

mountain forests scattered across three

Indian states: Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil

Nadu.

National Parks: Kalakkadu

Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu,

Mundanthuri Wildlife Sanctuary,

Tamil Nadu

Status in the Wild: Endangered

Great Indian Rhinoceros

Habitat: Found only in the tall grasslands

and forests in the foothills of the Himalayas.

National Parks: Kaziranga National Park,

Assam; Manas National Park, Assam

Status in the Wild: Vulnerable

Leopard

Habitat: The leopard lives in all types of

habitats from open country to thick forest.

National Parks: Ranthambore National

Park, Rajasthan; Sariska National Park,

Rajasthan

Status in the Wild: Near Threatened

Neelgai

Habitat: They live on a variety of land types

from hillsides to level ground with scattered

grass steppes, trees, and cultivated areas,

but not in thick forests.

National Parks: Sultanpur

National Park, Haryana

Status in the Wild: Secure

Royal Bengal Tiger

Habitat: Habitats include dense thickets,

long grass, or tamarisk shrubs along river

banks.

National Parks: Kanha National

Park, MP; Bandavgarh National

Park, MP

Status in the Wild: Endangered

Wild Ass

Habitat: Flat grassland covered expanse

known as bets (islands where coarse grasses

springs up during the monsoon).

National Parks: Little Rann Of

Kutch, Gujarat

Status in the Wild: Endangered

Pangolin or Scaly Anteater

Habitat: Variety of habitats - forests, hills,

cultivated land, rocky crevices. Found in

much of Eastern and Northern India and in

Tamil Nadu and Kerala also.

National Parks: Found in many

National Parks

Status in the Wild: Endangered

Page 23 of 93

C. GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS

Feni Feni is a form of spirit produced exclusively in the coastal state of Goa. It is a distilled brew

made from coconut or cashew fruits. It was accorded Geographical Indication (GI) tag in

2000. It is the first liquor product in the country to obtain this status.

Moa of

Jainagar,

Sarpuria of

Krishnagar,

Mihidana and

Sitabhog of

Burdwan

West Bengal government is planning to get Geographical Indication (GI) tag for four

traditional sweet delicacies of the state. These four traditional sweet delicacies are Moa of

Jainagar, Sarpuria of Krishnagar, and Mihidana and Sitabhog of Burdwan.

Geographical Indication (GI) tag: It is given to products that have a specific geographical

origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In India, GI

registration is governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and

Protection) Act, 1999.

Chengalikodan

banana

Chengalikodan banana variety from Thrissur district of Kerala has been accorded

Geographical Indication (GI) status by the Chennai based Central GI registry. Other GI

status products from Kerala Vazhakkulam pineapple, Central Travancore jaggery, Pokkali

rice, Palakkadan matta rice, Wayanadan scented rice varieties Jeerakasala and

Gandhakasala are other agricultural products from Kerala already having GI status.

Chinkara

Habitat: Grasslands and dessert

National Parks: Kutch Dessert

Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, Gir

National Forest, Gujarat

Status in the Wild: Least

concern

NilgiriTahr

Habitat: Hills of southern India at elevations

of about 1,800m (6,000 ft.)

National Parks: Eravikulam

National Park, Kerala

Status in the Wild: Endangered

Indian Flying Fox

Habitat: This species roosts in large

colonies of hundreds to thousands of

individuals on large trees in rural and

urban areas, close to agricultural fields,

ponds and by the side of roads. It feeds

on a wide variety of fruits and flowers,

both wild and cultivated.

Status in the Wild: Least concern

Page 24 of 93

Basmati rice The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) has ordered Chennai based

Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) to issue ‘Geographical Indication’ tag for basmati

rice. This GI tag will be issued to basmati rice variety grown in 7 states in the Indo-

Gangetic Plains (IGP) on the foothills of the Himalayas. These states are Punjab, Haryana,

Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. This tag

will help to preserve the unique identity of India’s aromatic basmati rice in the international

markets.

D. IN NEWS

Bharat Stage (BS)

Union Ministry of Road Transport &

Highways has decided to

implement the stricter emission

norms of Bharat Stage (BS) VI from

1st April 2020 in a bid to curb

vehicular pollution. Government will

directly switch over to BS-VI

emission norms from the present

BS-IV emission norms and

completely skip BS-V emission

norms altogether.

Bharat Stage emission standards: Bharat stage

emission standards also known as “Bharat Stage” are

emission standards instituted by the Government of

India in accordance with European regulation standard

‘Euro norms’ to regulate the output of air pollutants that

vehicles emits. India adopted “Bharat stage” in

accordance with ‘Euro norms’ from year 2000 and

stage wise introduced Bharat Stage compatible fuel

and ungraded and modified vehicles throughout the

country. Each stage specifies a certain limit on the

pollutants released, Higher the Bharat Stage goes

lesser it emits pollutants. The BS-IV complaint vehicles

release less pollutants {Carbon Mono-oxide (CO),

Hydrocarbon (HC), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and

Sulphur (SOx)} i.e. 0.025 Respirable suspended

particulate matter (RSPM) as compared to its preceding

Bharat Stage complaint vehicles. Stages: BS-I Euro

1 2000, BS-II Euro 2 2005 ,BS-III Euro

3 2010 ,BS-IV Euro 4 2015 (63 cities till 1 April

2015) Note: Earlier Saumitra Chaudhri Committee had

recommended to introduce even lesser pollutant

releasing BS-V (0.005 rspm) and BS-VI (0.0025 rspm)

throughout the nation by 2022 and 2024 respectively.

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)

Union Government has released a

commemorative postage stamp to

mark the Centenary year of ZSI.

ZSI is the apex institution on animal (fauna) taxonomy

in India. Established: 1 July 1916. Objective: To

promote the survey, exploration, research and

documentation on various aspects of animal taxonomy

in the Indian subcontinent. It also seeks advancement

of knowledge on animal taxonomy.

Headquarter: Kolkata. It also has 16 regional centres

located in different parts of the country. Functions

under the aegis of Union Ministry of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It activities

are coordinated by the Conservation and Survey

Division of MoEFCC.

Page 25 of 93

Tiger Conservation Project.:

Maharashtra government has

roped Cricket legend Sachin

Tendulkar and Actor Amitabh

Bachhan as its ambassador for the

Tiger Conservation Project.

Maharashtra state has six tiger reserves viz. Tadoba,

Melghat, Pench, Nagzira, Sahyadri and Bor. It should

be noted that except Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (located

in Konkan region) remaining five are located in

Vidharbha region of state.

School Nursery Yojana Union Government has launched the School Nursery

Yojana in a bid to bring school students closer to nature

by involving them in raising of saplings in school

nurseries.

Union Cabinet gave its nod to a

proposal to sign an agreement with

UNESCO for establishment of a

Centre for World Natural Heritage

Management and Training for Asia-

Pacific region.

This centre will be established as a category-2 centre

(C2C) of the UN body at the Wildlife Institute of India

(WII) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Union Government has launched

Green Highways (Plantation,

Transplantation, Beautification&

Maintenance) Policy-2015 to

promote greening of National

Highway corridors across the

country.

Key features of Green Highways Policy 2015: Promote

greening and development of eco-friendly National

Highway corridors across the country with participation

of farmers, private sector and government institutions

including Forest Department.

Page 26 of 93

What is Bioethanol?

It is an alcohol derived by process

of fermentation mostly from

carbohydrates of plant produce and

feedstocks. Commonly obtained

from crops such as sugarcane,

cassava, corn, potato, beetroot and

recently grapes, banana and dates

etc.

Punjab Government has announced to set up bio-

ethanol refinery in the state to tackle the menace of

wheat and paddy straw burning.

Benefits of bio-ethanol refinery: Would play an

important role in solving the chronic problem of straw

burning of leftover agro-based produce especially from

wheat and rice feedstocks.

Ketoprofen:

Tamil Nadu state government has

banned Ketoprofen, a non-steroid

anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to

save critically endangered vulture

population in the state.

Ketoprofen is extensively used for veterinary purposes

and as an alternative to banned veterinary painkiller

Diclofenac. It is believed that Ketoprofen causes same

effect on the vulture population caused by Diclofenac.

India’s first Dolphin Community

Reserve will be established in West

Bengal to protect the endangered

mammal, Gangetic river dolphins.

The reserve would be set up in the Hooghly River

between Malda and Sundarbans as per provisions of

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Clean UP, Green UP initiative:

UP government’s ambitious Clean

UP, Green UP initiative has earned

itself a place in the Guinness Book

of World Records.

Under state government’s green drive initiative 10 lakh

saplings were planted in one day within a span of eight

hours on November 7, 2015 at 10 locations in the state.

Musa indandamanensis:

A sweet banana species with

orange pulp named as Musa

indandamanensis has been

discovered in Andamans.

It was discovered by a team of scientists from the

Botanical Survey of India (BSI) from a remote Krishna

Nalah tropical rain forest on the Little Andaman Islands.

Key facts about Musa indandamanensis: Musa

indandamanensis is thrice the size of a regular banana

species and has unique green flowers and fruit bunch

lux (axis).

Odisha Government has imposed

seven-month ban till May, 2016 on

fishing along the Puri coast in order

to protect the vulnerable Olive

Ridley sea turtles. This ban comes

prior to arrival of Olive Ridley turtles

for nesting in winters along the east

coast of Odisha.

Olive Ridley Turtles Scientific name: Lepidochelys

olivacea. They are also known as the Pacific Ridley sea

turtle. Generally found in warm and tropical waters,

primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Protection

Status: Listed as vulnerable species in IUCN Red Data

Book because of their few remaining nesting sites in

the world. Protected under Schedule-I of Wildlife

(Protection) Act, 1972 of India.

Page 27 of 93

Biodiesel for trains The South Western Railways (SWR) Zone with

headquarters in Hubli, Karnataka has introduced

biodiesel for trains, operating under its zone.

National Chambal Sanctuary: NCS

was set up in 1979 as a riverine

sanctuary along the Chambal

River.

It is managed by the Wildlife wing of the Uttar Pradesh

Forest Department and its headquarters are located at

Agra. The sanctuary is the main area for the Gharial

(Gavialis gangeticus), a fresh water critically

endangered (CR) crocodile species.

Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake:

Myanmar has launched the

country’s first United Nation

Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere

Reserve Inle Lake in Shan state.

With this launch Myanmar opens a new chapter in its

commitment to bio-diversity and eco-system

conservation. In June 2015, the lake was officially

designated as Myanmar’s first biosphere reserve under

UNESCO’s Man and the Bioshpere (MAB) programme.

About Inle Lake: Inle Lake is located in Taunggyi

District in Myanmar’s eastern Shan state. It is the

second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated

surface area of 116 km2

National Green Tribunal (NGT) has

banned age-old agricultural

practice of straw burning in

pollution-ravaged New Delhi and 4

northern western states of Punjab,

Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar

Pradesh.

Effects:The menace of straw

burning is making the atmosphere

in national capital Delhi more

blinding and suffocating as smoke

from it moves towards the city. The

open field burning emits Carbon

Dioxide (CO2), Carbon monoxide

(CO) and Nitrous Oxide (NO) along

with particulate matter.

The best remedy to stop this

menace is to set up bio-ethanol

refineries in order to extract

sustainable bio-fuel from

agricultural residue with the help of

private-public-partnership (PPP)

and private model.

National Green Tribunal NGT is a special fast-track

court to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases

pertaining to environmental issues. It has been

established under the National Green Tribunal Act,

2010 to assure the right to a healthy environment of the

citizens of India enshrined in Article 21 of Constitution.

Page 28 of 93

Convention on Conservation of

Migratory Species (CMS) The CMS

(also known as Bonn Convention)

under the aegis of the United

Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP) aims to conserve migratory

species throughout their range.

India had become a party to the

CMS since 1st November 1983.

Pakistan and Nepal are the Indian

neighbours who are signatories to

this MoU.

India has signed ‘Raptor MoU’, a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) on conservation of birds of prey

in Africa and Eurasia. With this India becomes 56th

county to sign the Raptor MoU under the Convention

on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS).

About Raptor MoU: It is an agreement under Article IV

paragraph 4 of the Conservation of Migratory Species

(CMS) and is not legally binding on signatory parties.

Of the total 76 species of birds that fall in Raptor MoU,

46 species occur in India including vultures, falcons,

eagles, owls, hawks, kites, harriers, etc.

It is also in conformity with the provisions of Wild Life

(Protection) Act, 1972 wherein the birds have been

accorded protection in India.

Northeast India’s first exclusive

hospital for elephants has been

established at the Kaziranga

National Park in Assam.

Kaziranga National Park It is located in the Golaghat

and Nagaon districts of Assam and is circumscribed by

the Brahmaputra River. It was designated with National

Park status in 1968 and was declared UNESCO World

Heritage Site in 1985 for its unique natural

environment. The park hosts two-thirds of the world’s

great one-horned rhinoceroses which are listed as

vulnerable on the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species.

It is also home to large breeding populations of tigers,

elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.

Kaziranga is also recognized as an Important Bird Area

by BirdLife International for conservation of avifaunal

species.

About Himalayan Brown Bears

They are also known as the

Himalayan red bear, Isabelline bear

or Dzu-The. They are a subspecies

of the brown bear.

Description: These bears are the largest mammal in the

Himalayan region, males reach up to 2.2 m long while

females are a little smaller. They are omnivorous and

hibernate in a den during the winter. In India, they are

found in 23 protected areas of the northern states of

Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and

Uttaranchal. In J&K, they are found in Suru, Zanskar,

Drass and Kargil in the Ladakh region. IUNC Status:

Critically endangered.

Page 29 of 93

175 nations including India have

signed the historic Paris Climate

Agreement at United Nations

Headquarters in New York marking

a significant step to combat global

warming.

The Paris Climate Agreement was formulated within the

framework of the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Facilitates

enforcement of global GHGs reduction measures,

adaptation and finance in the post-2020 i.e. in post

Kyoto Protocol scenario. The agreement was adopted

by representatives of 195 countries at the 21st

Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC held in Paris

(France) in December 2015. In the agreement, all

countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise

to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5

degrees Celsius. Takes into account the principle of

equity (climate justice) and common but differentiated

responsibilities (CBDR) and respective capabilities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

inaugurated the third edition of Asia

Ministerial Conference on Tiger

Conservation at Vigyan Bhavan in

New Delhi to save wild tigers.

Ministers and government officials from all 13 tiger

range countries (TRCs) participating in the conference.

These 13 TRCs are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia,

China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,

Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Union Cabinet has given its

formal approval for adopting the

Statute of the South Asia Wildlife

Enforcement Network (SAWEN).

SAWEN is regional inter-governmental wildlife law

enforcement support body launched in January, 2011

in Paro, Bhutan. It aims at working collectively as a

strong regional inter-governmental body to combat

wildlife crime by attainting common mutual goals and

approaches for combating illegal trade in the region.

SAWEN’s regional network comprises of eight South

Asia countries: Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Nepal,

Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives

International Coordinating Council

of the Man and the Biosphere

(ICCMAB) programme of UNESCO

that concluded recently in Lima,

Peru.

With the addition of the Agastyamalai Biosphere

Reserve, total 10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in the

country have made it to the list of World Network of

Biosphere Reserves. The other nine Biosphere

Reserves are: Nilgiri (Western Ghats), Gulf of Mannar

(Tamil Nadu), Sunderban (West Bengal), Nanda Devi

(Uttarakhand), Nokrek (Meghalaya), Pachmarh

(Madhya Pradesh), Similipal (Odisha), Achanakmar-

Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh) and

Great Nicobar.

Union Ministry of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change

(MoEFCC) has notified new Plastic

Waste Management (PWM) Rules.

These new rules seek to curb over 6000 tonnes of

uncollected plastic waste generated daily by industries.

The PWM Rules 2016 will replace the Plastic Waste

(Management and Handling) Rules 2011.

Page 30 of 93

The Union Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change

(MoEFCC) has released a new

Four-Colour Classification Scheme

for industries based on their

pollution potential.

The four-colour classification scheme of industrial

sectors based on the Pollution Index (PI) which is a

function of the (i) Emissions (air pollutants) (ii) Effluents

(water pollutants) (iii) Hazardous wastes generated and

(iv) Consumption of resources.

‘Swachh Parayatan’ mobile

application

Union Government has launched ‘Swachh Parayatan’

mobile application to keep tourist places clean. It was

launched by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Tourism,

Culture and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma in New

Delhi. Initially the application facility will be available for

25 Adarsh Smarak Monuments protected by

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The Union Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change has

launched Environment Information

System (ENVIS) portal and mobile

application.

ENVIS is central sector Scheme of

the MOEFCC implemented since

1982.

The purpose of the scheme is to integrate country-wide

efforts in environmental information collection, storage,

collation, retrieval and dissemination. The ENVIS

network presently consists of 69 centres, of which 29

are under environment departments of various state

governments/UT administrations while remaining 40

are operated by environment-related government and

non-governmental organisations.

Wild Pig (sus scrofa) as vermin in

Uttarakhand

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate

Change (MoEFCC) has declared Wild Pig (sus scrofa)

as vermin in Uttarakhand for a year. In this regard,

MoEFCC has used its powers enshrined to it by section

62 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972.

National Air Quality Index:

The National AQI is published for

every month by CPCB along with a

numerical value and a colour code

which helps in comparing air

pollution levels in cities.

It is determined on the basis of concentration of 8

pollutants, including Particulate Matter (PM 2.5, PM

10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2),

carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), ammonia (NH3)

and lead (Pb). The colour categories are classified into

6 categories depending upon numerical value as Good

(0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), Moderately polluted (101-

200), Poor (201-300), Very poor (301-400) and Severe

(401-500).

Fulbright – Kalam Climate

Fellowship

India and United States have launched the Fulbright –

Kalam Climate Fellowship enabling Indian research

scholars to work with American institutions in the field

of climate change.

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Gangetic River Dolphin as official

mascot

Assam’s Guwahati became the first city in the country

to have its own city animal after Kamrup metropolitan

district administration declared Gangetic River Dolphin

as its official mascot.

Swachh Saathi Programme :

Swachh Saathi programme is a

youth-based programme of Swachh

Bharat Mission.

Under it, more than 2000 interns will be enrolled to

coordinate around 10000 schools across India. They

also will ensure that all students in the schools across

India take the pledge for Clean India.

RAJ-VAYU App:

RajVayu Information provided on

RajVayu app is based on the data

collected by sophisticated air

quality monitoring equipment and

weather sensors.

The app has been designed by Rajasthan State

Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) jointly with Indian

Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). It would share

details about the air quality, such as levels of pollutants

likes SOx, NOx, CO, Ozone particles and Particulate

Matter (PM) with the city residents and tourists.

Asia’s first ‘Gyps Vulture

Reintroduction Programme’

Haryana Government has launched Asia’s first ‘Gyps

Vulture Reintroduction Programme’ at the Jatayu

Conservation Breeding Centre at Pinjore

Scientists from United States have

discovered a way to take carbon

dioxide (CO2) from the air and

convert it into valuable

manufacturing material carbon

nanofibres (CNFs).

CNF is cylindric nanostructures with graphene layers

arranged as stacked cones, cups or plates structure. It

has high tensile strength, less distortions with changes

in temperature and high electromagnetic shielding.

Graphene layers of CNFs wrapped into perfect

cylinders are called carbon nanotubes.

As per a new study Antarctic

Ocean has been absorbing

increasing levels of Carbon Dioxide

(CO2), a potent greenhouse gas

(GHG) over the past decade.

Researchers have found that since the beginning of the

millennium, Antarctic Ocean’s carbon sink has become

much stronger, regaining its expected strength.

Antarctic Ocean seasonally absorbs vast amounts of

CO2 from the atmosphere and releases it back later in

the year. The seas surrounding Antarctica on an annual

average absorb significantly more CO2 than they

release.

Norway has become the first

country in the world to prohibit

deforestation.

In this regard, Norwegian Parliament had pledged to

make government’s public procurement policy

deforestation-free

E. INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND PROTOCOLS

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1. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)

➢ Also known as the Earth Summit

➢ Was a major United Nations conference held in Rio deJaneiro in 1992.

➢ In 2012, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development was also held in Rio (also called

Rio+20 or Rio Earth Summit 2012.)

➢ Legally binding agreements (Rio Convention) were opened for signature:

1. Convention On Biodiversity (CBD)

2. UNFCCC

3. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD)

➢ Earth Summit resulted in the following documents:

1. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

2. Agenda 21

3. Forest Principles

Agenda 21 : It is a non-binding, voluntarily implemented action planof the United Nations

with regard to sustainable development.It is a comprehensive blue print of action tobe taken

globally, nationally and locally byorganisations of the UN, governments,and major groups in

every area in whichhumans directly affect environment.The number 21 refers to an agenda

for the21st century

2. Convention On Biodiversity (CBD)

Legally binding: First time recognised that the conservation of biological diversity is “a

common concern of humankind” and is an integral part of development process.

Agreement covers all species, ecosystem, genetic resources

Three main goals of CBD:

o The conservation of biodiversity,

o Sustainable use of the components of biodiversity,

o Sharing of benefits arising from the commercial andother utilisation of genetic

resources in a fair and equitable way

Parties to the Convention: One hundred and ninety-five states and the European Union are

parties to theconvention. All UN member states—with the exception of the United States—

have ratified theTreaty. Non-UN member states that have ratified are the Cook Islands,

Niue, andPalestine.

Meeting of the Parties to the Convention

Conference of Parties:

1994, COP1 – Nassau, Bahamas

2010, COP 10 – Nagoyo, Japan – Nagoyo protocol on access tobiodiversity and benefit sharing and

Aichi targets

2012, COP 11 – Hyderabad, India

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2014, COP 12 in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.

2016, COP 13 in Los Cabos, Baja California South, Mexico

COP 11, Hyderabad

1. Commitment to double the international financialflows for bio diversity by 2015

2. India – Hyderabad pledge – US $50 million – tostrengthen institutional mechanism for

biodiversityconservation in the country

3. India took charge of the presidency of CBD from Japan

Nagoya Protocol

o It provides a transparent legal framework for the implementation of one of the three

objectives of the CBD: “The fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the

utilization of genetic resources, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable

use of biodiversity.”

o The Protocol was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, and entered into

force on 12 October 2014. It has been ratified by 60 parties.

o Relevance: The Nagoya Protocol is intended to create greater legal certainty and

transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources by:

Access obligations

Benefit-sharing obligations to provide for the fair and equitable sharing of

benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources with the contracting

party providing genetic resources. Benefits may be monetary or non-monetary

such as royalties and the sharing of research results.

Utilization includes research and development on the genetic or biochemical

composition of genetic resources, as well as subsequent applications and

commercialization. Sharing is subject to mutually agreed terms.

3. United Nation Framework Convention On Climate Change (UNFCCC)

❖ Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by WMO and

the UNEP.It is a scientific intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United Nations.

It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.

❖ IPCC adopted UNFCCC in 1992. The conference of parties (COP) to UNFCCC is held

annually. IPCC produces reports that support the UNFCCC, which is the main international

treaty on climate change.

Note –

➢ IPCC does not carry out its own original research,

➢ Nor does it do the work of monitoring climate or related phenomena itself.

➢ The IPCC bases its assessment on the published literature.

Legality –

➢ Legally non-binding,

➢ No enforcement mechanism

➢ But framework for negotiating Specific international treaties (Protocols), that may set binding

limits on Green House Gases

Funding mechanism-

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➢ Special climate change fund,

➢ Global climatefund,

➢ Global environment facility

➢ Reducing emission from Deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), REDD+

Few COPs:

❖ Kyoto Protocol (1997) – COP 3 – (CDM, JI, Emission trading)

❖ Bali Action Plan(2007), COP 13

❖ Copenhagen Accord (2009), COP 16

❖ CancúnAgreements (2010), COP 17

❖ Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (2012). COP 19

❖ Lima Conference, Paris, COP 21, 2015

Kyoto Protocol:

➢ Was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February

2005.

➢ Currently 192 Parties, Canada withdrew, effective December 2012.

➢ Some of the principal concepts of the Kyoto Protocol are:

❖ Binding commitments for the Annex I Parties.

❖ The commitments were based on the Berlin Mandate, which was a part of UNFCCC

negotiations leading up to the Protocol

❖ Implementation - Annex I Parties are required to prepare policies and measures for the

reduction of greenhouse gases in their respective countries.

❖ In addition, they are required to increase the absorption of these gases and utilize all

mechanisms available,

✓ such as joint implementation,

✓ the clean development mechanism and

✓ emissions trading,

❖ In order to be rewarded with credits that would allow more greenhouse gas emissions at

home.

❖ Minimizing Impacts on Developing Countries by establishing an adaptation fund for climate

change

Categorization of Countries:

Annex I Countries –

➢ Accepted legally binding commitment to reduce GHG

➢ 43 Parties, including theEuropean Union.

➢ These parties are classified as industrialized (developed) countries and "economies in

transition" (EITs).

Annex II countries –

➢ Agreed to give financial assistance to developing countries in mitigation and adaptation

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➢ 24 Parties including the European Union

➢ These Parties are made up of members of the OECD.

Non Annex Countries –

➢ Annex A – List of 6 GHG that need to be controlled (CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, PFC, HFC)

➢ Annex B – Quota for each Annex I countries

Green Climate Fund:

➢ Article 11 of UNFCCC (Financial mechanism)

➢ GCF Support projects, programmes, policies and activities in Developing

countries(Governed by GCF board)

➢ World bank – Interim trustee of GCF

➢ By 2020 developed countries will contribute $100 billion to the fund

➢ GCF is based in Incheon, South Korea.

Adaptation Fund:

To finance concrete adaptation projects in developing countries (KP)

Financed from – share of proceeds from CDM projects (2% of certified emission reductions issued

for CDM projects)

Supervised by – Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) – 16 members

World Bank serves as an interim trustee to the Adaptation Fund.

4. UN- Convention To Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Desertification Is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes

increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife

Dry-lands occupy approx. 40–41% of Earth’s land area and is home to more than 2 billion people.

At least 90% of the inhabitants of dry-lands live in developing nations, where they also suffer from

poor economic and social conditions

UNCCD-

➢ Is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through

national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international

cooperation and partnership arrangements.

➢ 196 parties. In 2013, Canada became the first country to announce its intention to withdraw

from the convention

➢ UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and

development to sustainable land management.

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5. CITES(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora)

It is an international agreement between governments entered into force in 1975.

181 parties signed; Administered through UNEP; Secretariat – Geneva, Switzerland

Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties, it does not take the place of national laws.

Rather it provides a framework respected by each Party, which must adopt their own

domestic legislation to implement CITES at the national level.

Roughly 5,000 species of animals and 29,000 species of plants are protected by CITES

against overexploitation through international trade.

3 Appendices – Different regulations, permits and certificate

Appendix I

Species threatened with extinction and provide the greatest level of protection –

Gorilla, Sea turtles, Lady slipper Orchids, Giant pandas

Appendix II

Currently not threatened with extinction, but may become extinct without tradecontrols

Appendix III

Includes species for which a range country has asked other parties to help incontrolling international

trade – Map turtles, Walruses, Cape stag beetles

Limitations of CITES:

1. No Enforcement authority of their own

2. Release of seized non-native species into ecosystem

3. Black market due to regulation – Rhino Horn, TigerBone (Chinese medicine), Elephant ivories

6. Convention On Migratory Species (Bonn Convention)

➢ It is a legally binding intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of UNEP. It has

120 signatories.

➢ Aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.

➢ Concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale.

➢ Complements and cooperates with a number of other international organisations, NGO’s

and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.

➢ Species coverage:

• Appendix I – Threatened Migratory Species

.

• Appendix II – Migratory Species requiring international cooperation

Memorandum of Understanding came into effect on 1 July 1993 and was amended in January

1999.

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7. Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety -(CPB)

➢ It is the first international regulatory framework for safe transfer, handling and use of Living

Modified Organisms (LMOs) . (Legally binding)

➢ The Protocol applies to the trans-boundary movement, transit, handling and use of all living

modified organisms that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use

of biological diversity, taking also intoaccount risks to human health.

➢ It seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by GMOs resulting from

modernbiotechnology.

➢ Protocol has 170 parties, which includes 167 United Nations member states, Niue, the State

of Palestine, and the European Union.

➢ Procedures for moving LMOs across borders:The "Advance Informed Agreement" (AIA)

procedure applies to the first intentional trans-boundary movement of LMOs for intentional

introduction into the environment of the Party of import.

➢ Biosafety Clearing-House:The Protocol established a Biosafety Clearing- House (BCH), in

order to facilitate the exchange of scientific, technical, environmental and legal information

on, and experience with, living modified organisms; and to assist Parties to implement the

Protocol

Biological Diversity Act, 2002:

➢ The Act was enacted to meet the obligations under CBD

➢ The Act also defines biological resources as “plants, animals and microorganismsor parts

thereof, their genetic material and by-products (excluding value added products) with actual

or potential use or value, but does not include human genetic material”

National Biodiversity Authority

➢ Statutory autonomous body,

➢ HQ-Chennai, under the MOEF,

➢ Established in 2003 to implement the provisions under the Act.

➢ State Biodiversity Boards (SBB) has been created in 28 States along with 31,574 Biological

management committees (for each local body) across India.

8. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

➢ An international legally binding environmental treaty,

➢ Signed in 2001, Effective from May 2004,

➢ Aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

➢ Signatories – 152, Parties – 179

➢ Summary of Provisions:

• Developed countries provide new and additional financial resources and measures to

• Eliminate production and use of intentionally produced POPs,

• eliminate unintentionally produced POPs where feasible

• And manage and dispose of POPs wastes in an environmentally sound manner.

POPs

Are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food

web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment.

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They are carbon compounds.

The 12 initial POPs are placed under 3 categories:

1. Pesticides – Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, Dieldrin, Endrin, Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene, Mirex,

Toxaphene

2. Industrial Chemicals – Hexachlorobenzene, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)

3. By Products – Hexachlorobenzene, Polychlorinated dibenzo p dioxins, Polychlorinated

dibenzofurans

(PCDD/PCDF) and PCB

9. Basel Convention - on the Control of Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes

and their Disposal

An international non-binding treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of

hazardous waste between nations,

And specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed

countries (LDCs)

Does not address the movement of radioactive waste.

Adopted 22 March, 1989, came into force on 1992

Parties –

182 states and the European Union

Haiti and the United States have signed but not yet ratified it

10. Rotterdam Convention

Formally-the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain

Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade)

Is a multilateral legally binding treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to

importation of hazardous chemicals.

Promotes open exchange of information and calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to

use proper labelling, include directions on safe handling, and inform purchasers of any

known restrictions or bans.

Signatory nations can decide whether to allow or ban the importation of chemicals listed in

the treaty, and exporting countries are obliged to make sure that producers within their

jurisdiction comply.

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GEOGRAPHY

Pattiseema lift irrigation project

Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated India’s first river linking

project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project connecting Godavari

River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-

purpose Irrigation Project. The project has been completed in a

record time of one year by the Hyderabad-based Megha

Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).

The interlinking irrigation project located at Pattisam village in

West Godavari district will pump Godavari River’s water into a

canal 4 km under the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme. The

pumped water will meet Krishna River at Ibrahimpatnam in

Vijaywada district through 174 km long link canal.

Name of North America Mount McKinley

changed to its original native name

Denali

United States has changed the name of tallest mountain in North

America Mount McKinley to its original native name Denali.

Key facts: The summit elevation of Mount Denali is 6,190 m

above sea level. It is located in the Alaska Range and Denali

National Park in the US state of Alaska. Till 1896, it was named

as Denali (meaning as High One or Great One) among the

natives of Alaska, but was renamed as Mount McKinley in the

honour of William McKinley after he was nominated to become

the US President.

India’s first River Information System

(RIS)

India’s first River Information System (RIS) was launched by

Union Government to facilitate safe and accurate inland

waterway navigation. It has been launched in phases and the first

phase will cover 145-km stretch of National Waterways 1 (Phase

I- Haldia to Farakka) on the Ganges River.

Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI), a statutory body under

the aegis of Union Ministry of Shipping is implementing the RIS in

India.

About River Information Services (RIS): RIS are combination of

modern tracking equipment comprising of hardware and software

designed to optimize transport and traffic processes in inland

water navigation.

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Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)

project

The much-awaited ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)

project of government has announced to commission its first 56-

kilometer stretch in Bihar. Out of total 3,300 km stretch the 56

kilometres developed between Durgawati and Sasaram

commissioned.

Dedicated Freight Corridor is double track, broad gauge freight-

specific lines envisaged by government in 11th Five Year

Plan (2007–2012). It is in developing stage under the aegis of

Railway Ministry covering 3,300 km long stretch.

It is projected to develop in two routes. The Eastern Corridor

from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni in West Bengal that covers

1,839 Km. The Western Corridor from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai that covers 1,483

Km. These two corridors interlink at Khurja in Uttar Pradesh.

West-Central Railway (WCR) zone The West-Central Railway (WCR) zone headquartered in

Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh has become the first Railway Zone in

Indian Railways to eliminate all unmanned level crossings.

Cyclone Chapala

A rare tropical Cyclone Chapala has

slammed into Yemen triggering heavy

flooding and causing damage in coastal

region of the war racked country. The

cyclone made landfall in the south

eastern provinces of Hadramawt and

Shabwa along the Gulf of Aden coast of

Yemen in Arabian Sea bringing winds of

speed more than 100 kms per hour. Key

facts: Indian Meteorological Department

(IMD) has categorized Cyclone Chapala

as a Category 4 equivalent storm on the

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based

on a hurricane's sustained wind speed.This scale estimates

potential property damage.

Hurricanes reaching Category 3 and higher are considered major

hurricanes because of their potential for significant loss of life and

damage. Category 1 and 2 storms are still dangerous, however,

and require preventative measures. In the western North Pacific,

the term "super typhoon" is used for tropical cyclones with

sustained winds exceeding 150 mph.

The cyclone prone eastern coast of

India will get a new doppler radar to

boost the weather forecasting system. It

will be commissioned by the India

Meteorological Department (IMD) in

Gopalpur in Odisha

It will be the sixth such radar on the country’s east coast and the

other such 5 radars are located in Kolkata, Chennai,

Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam and Paradip.

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NATIONAL NEWS 2015-16

Two Indian cities for first time have been designated as members of UNESCO’s Creative

Cities Network (UCCN). Two cities are

o Varanasi: It has been added in the City of Music category of network.

o Jaipur: It has been added in the City of Crafts and Folk Art category of network.The

Network covers seven creative fields including Crafts and Folk Arts, Film, Media Arts,

Gastronomy, Design, Literature and Music.

Ministry Health and Family Welfare has released National Health Profile (NHP) 2015, which

provides comprehensive information related to health sector. NHP focuses on key health

information under six major indicators viz. demographic, socio-economic, health finance and

health status indicators, comprehensive information on health infrastructure and human

resources in health in India.

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has banned the sale of Diclofenac in multi-dose

vial. Henceforth, it will be sold only in single-dose vial packaging for human use. Diclofenac

and Vulture extinction:- Diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is

administered as painkiller to cattle, is the chief cause of mass extinction of vultures.

MISSION INDRADHANUSH

➢ It depicts 7 colours of the rainbow

➢ It aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially

vaccinated against 7 vaccine preventable diseases.

➢ The diseases include:diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles

and hepatitis. Under this universal vaccination programme, all vaccines will be made

available free of cost.

Union government has found residues of pesticides in vegetables, fruits, milk and other food

items collected from various retail and wholesale outlets across the country.

In 1,180 vegetables samples, non-approved pesticides residues pesticides such as

bifenthrin, triazofos, acephate, metalaxyl acetamiprid and malathion were detected in 225

fruit samples, non-approved pesticides such as acephate, acetamiprid, carbosulfan,

cypermethrin, profenofos, quinalphos and metalaxyl were found. In 43 pulses samples,

residues of non-approved pesticides especially of profenophos, hexaconazole and metalaxyl

were found. In 30 rice samples, residues of triazofos, metalaxyl, carbaryl and acephate were

detected.

Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has made a major modification in the National

Blood Policy (NBP), 2002 to allow blood banks to borrow units from one another in case of a

shortage.

The Union Government has launched Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) injection as part of the

global polio endgame strategy in New Delhi. It was launched as part of India’s next step in

Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) to fight against polio virus in the country. IPV

injections do not contain an attenuated vaccine virus which is used in Oral Polio Vaccine

(OPV). Thus it reduces the chances of Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (VDPV).

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Haryana became the first state in the country to implement the use of injectable

contraceptives as a family planning measure. In this regard, Chief Minister Manohar Lal

Khattar has launched ‘Project Salamati’ in assistance of Pathfinder International.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched India’s first indigenous Rotavirus

Vaccine named Rotavac to combat infant mortality due to diarrhoea.

The Rotavirus is a genus of double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae. It is most

common causative agent of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among infants below 11

months age group and death among children less than five years of age.

Scientists at Lucknow based CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

(CIMAP) have found that mint plant has medicinal values that can cure cancer. They have

identified that a medicinal compound called ‘L-Menthol’ derived from Mentha plant popularly

known as mint.

Indian scientists for first time have claimed to have developed herbal medicine against

mosquito borne dengue fever using traditional Indian medicine system Ayurveda. The herbal

dengue medicine was developed using alcoholic extract of Cissampelos pariera Linn (Cipa

extract) derived from velvetleaf, a species of flowering plant. The drug has proved to be

potent inhibitor to all four types (strains) of dengue virus.

The Union Government has launched ‘Qora’, an indigenously developed affordable Faecal

Incontinence Management System (FIMS). What is faecal incontinence? Faecal

incontinence (FI) is a medical condition marked by inability to control one’s bowel

movements. It causes faeces (stool) to leak unexpectedly from the rectum.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched the country’s first

anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug named BGR-34 for type two Diabetes mellitus. BGR-34 stands

for Blood Glucose Regulator

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a poly-herbal

medicine by the trade name of Lukoskin for the treatment of Leucoderma. About

Leucoderma Leukoderma (also known as vitiligo): It is a cutaneous acquired condition

causing a rare skin disease which results white patches on skin. This condition is caused

due to loss of pigmentation of the skin that may occur after any number of inflammatory skin

conditions such as burns, postdermabrasion, intralesional steroid injections etc.

The Union textile Ministry has bestowed the Indian Handloom Brand tag on Chettinad cotton

saris for its unique designs and identity. This tag was bestowed under the India Handloom

Brand Scheme after checking its various quality parameters stipulated by the Standard

Operating Procedure (SOP).Chettinad cotton saree is also known as “kandaangi”. It is the

traditional sari of the Chettinad region in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu.

Recently scientists have discovered presence of several colonies of an invasive species of

snowflake coral (Carijoa riisei) off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari.

Union Government has launched an e-payment module to make the payment of

compensatory levies into the Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority

(CAMPA) Funds.

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What is CAMPA Fund? Levies are imposed on development projects that seek land inside a

Reserved Forest or a Protected Area (PA) in a sanctuary or a national park. These collected

levies are accrued in the CAMPA Funds which are to be utilised to plant trees elsewhere in

order to ostensibly compensate the loss of forest due to development projects.

It was established after Supreme Court order in 2002.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the setting

up of Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC). ISLRTC will be set up

as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and initially will be located at the

Institute for Physically Handicapped, New Delhi. It will be established under the aegis of the

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities which comes under Union Ministry

of Social Justice & Empowerment.

Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM): It was launched in 2010 by the Union

Government with a target to setup 20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022. Later

in 2014, the target was enhanced upto 1,00,000 MW.

Gujarat is set to become the first state in India to launch ‘Agro-Solar Policy’ to encourage the

farmers to tap the solar energy. The new policy seeks to encourage the farmers in the state

to tap free solar energy from sun, which will in turn help them to earn additional income from

power generation companies.

Perumanna Grama Panchayat in Kozhikode District of Kerala has become the first

Panchayat in the State, to declare its own water policy. The water policy has been framed in

the lines of the State government’s water policy declared in 2008.

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) of Kerala has become the first airport in the world to

fully operate on solar power

Union Government is going to develop Bodhgaya in Gaya district of Bihar as Spiritual

Capital of the country in order to serve the civilizational bond between India and the

Buddhist world.

About Bodhgaya: Bodhgaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the

Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district of Bihar. Significance: It is famous because it

place where Gautama Buddha (Founder of Buddhism) is said to have obtained

Enlightenment (Bodhimandala) under the peepal tree which is known as the Bodhi Tree. For

Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important place and one of the main four pilgrimage sites

related to the life of Gautama Buddha. Other three are Kushinagar, Lumbini, and Sarnath. In

2002, Mahabodhi Temple located in Bodh Gaya was accorded with UNESCO World

Heritage Site status.

Union Cabinet has approved Marginal Fields Policy (MFP) to auction small and marginal

unexploited hydrocarbon discoveries by state owned oil companies. Key facts about

Marginal Fields Policy (MFP): 69 unexploited oil fields owned by Oil and Natural Gas

Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) will be opened for competitive bidding to

private and foreign companies based on revenue sharing model.

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The Eighth edition of National Seed Congress (NSC) has begun in Hyderabad to deliberate

on advanced seed development technologies and regulatory measures.

The Tenth World Hindi Conference (विश्िह िंदीसम्मेलन) has begun in Bhopal, Madhya

Pradesh with the theme of Hindi Jagat-Vistar and Sambhavnaye.

Senior IAS officer Alok Rawat became first male person to be appointed as a member of

National Commission for Women (NCW). National Commission for Women NCW is a

statutory body established under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. It was

established in January 1992 to review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women. It

recommends remedial legislative measures, advise Government on all policy matters

affecting women and facilitate redressal of grievances related to women.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Indian Police Foundation (IPF) and

Indian Police Institute (IPI) in New Delhi. Indian Police Foundation will be a think tank for

suggesting reforms in the Indian Police. It will bring together the police professionals,

academia and other stake holders and provide a platform to research, ideate, discuss and

seek the answers. Indian Police Institute will be a research and training institute for police

officers in the Indian Police for the pursuit of professional excellence. It has been set up in

line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a SMART, people-centric and professionally

competent police.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved setting up of a

National Resource Facility for Bio-medical Research (NARF) at Genome Valley in

Hyderabad, Telangana.

Union Government has launched the Technology Acquisition and Development Fund

(TADF) under the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP), 2011.

The Union Cabinet has approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Union

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Mozambique in the field of renewable energy.

Maharashtra government has decided to impose ‘drought tax’ in a bid to raise funds to tackle

the drought like situation in the state.

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty

(MLAT) between India and Maldives in case of criminal matters. Key facts of Treaty: Aims to

enhance effectiveness of both signatory countries in investigation and prosecution of crime.

Seeks to enhance cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

Supreme Court has declared National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act,

2014 and 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014 unconstitutional and void

The Supreme Court (SC) of India has stayed Rajasthan High Court’s order declaring

Santhara, a Jain ritual of voluntary and systematic fasting to death illegal.

What is Santhara? Santhara is a religious custom of Jain religion that embraces voluntary

death in order to purge oneself of bad ‘karma’ and attain ‘moksha’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone Amaravati, a new capital city of

Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of Dussehra and Vijaya Dashmi.

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India’s first Paragliding World Cup has begun at Bir Billing near Baijnath town in Kangra

district of Himachal Pradesh. Snow leopard is the official mascot of this World Cup.

Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple: It is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in

Thrissur district of Kerala. It has monumental towers on all four sides and also has a

Kuttambalam displaying vignettes carved in wood. It is a classic example of the architectural

style of Kerala and has Mural paintings depicting various episodes from Mahabharata,

declared as a National Monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites

and Remains Act, 1958.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has decided to set up the National

Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) in Sikkim.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the permanent campus of National Institute of

Science Education and Research (NISER) in Jatani near Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has declared Naga militant outfit National Socialist

Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) formally known as NSCN (K) as a terrorist organisation and

all its formations and front organisations have been declared as a terrorist organisation

under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas PBD is being held annually since 2003 by MOIA to foster greater

interaction between the Indian Diaspora and Indian government. It provides the diaspora a

single platform to put forth their issues and grievances before the government and in turn

government can leverage their resources in nation building activities. It is held annually on 9

January to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India i.e. on 9 January,

1915.

Union Government has decided to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with

the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). This decision has been taken to avoid duplication of

work and to improve efficiency in line with Union Government’s broad principle of minimum

government, maximum governance.

The Union Government has reserved 33 per cent posts of constables for women in Central

Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to enhance their representation.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has celebrated the 6th National Voters’ Day across

the country. Theme for year 2016 is Inclusive and Qualitative Participation. National Voters’

Day was initiated in 2011 to commemorate the foundation day of the Election Commission of

India (ECI). Significance of Day: This day marks the foundation day of ECI which came into

existence on 25th January 1950.

Additional Solicitor General: An Additional Solicitor General acts as law officer to advice the

Union government on various legal matters. He is the third ranking lawyer of the Union

Government. Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals mainly assist the Union

Government’s top legal adviser Attorney General (highest law officer of the country). It

should be noted that office and duties of Attorney General is created by the Constitution

under the Article 76. While, Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals’ office and

duties are governed by Law Officers (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1987 and not by the

Constitution.

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Article 341: It empowers Parliament to include or exclude castes from the list of Scheduled

Castes in the notification. It also empowers the President to specify castes which will be

deemed as Scheduled Castes through a notification.

Lok Sabha has passed Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to grant voting rights to

people who became citizens of India following the exchange of enclaves between India and

Bangladesh. The bill seeks to amend the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950 and

the Delimitation Act, 2002. These Acts regulate allocation of seats to the Lok Sabha and

state legislatures and delimitation (fixing boundaries) of parliamentary and state assembly

constituencies. Key facts: This bill aims to empower the Election Commission of India (ECI)

to carry out delimitation in areas that were affected by the enactment of the Constitution

(100th Amendment) Act, 2015.

Gujarat state government has decided to set up India’s first aviation park near Bagodara

village in Ahmedabad district to strengthen the aviation sector. In this regard, state

government has given this task to Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Ltd

(GUJSAIL) to carry out the project

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first phase Kerala Tourism’s Muziris Heritage

Project (MHP) at Trissur in Kerala to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of

Muziris. Muziris was an ancient seaport and urban centre which dates from at least the 1st

century BC and located at the mouth of the Periyar River in Kerala.

The Parliament has passed National Waterways Bill, 2015 to clear decks for the conversion

of 106 rivers and creeks across India into transport waterways.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) to

make India disaster resilient and reduce loss of lives. The first of its kind of national plan is

based on the four priority themes of the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

2015-30”. They are (i) Understanding disaster risk (ii) Improving disaster risk governance (iii)

Investing in disaster risk reduction (through structural and non-structural measures) and (iv)

Disaster preparedness, early warning and building back better in the aftermath of a disaster.

Union Government has announced it plans to implement the Sendai framework for Disaster

Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in letter and spirit. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk

Reduction 2015-2030: It was adopted during the third UN World Conference on Disaster

Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015. Its adaptation involves adopting

integrated and inclusive institutional measures in order to work towards preventing

vulnerability to disaster.

The second World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM) has started in

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Key fact: Address and discuss issues such as

implementation of the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction.

Kolkata-Ashuganj-Tripura transit facility under the revised Inland Water Transit and Trade

Protocol between India and Bangladesh became operational. The facility running through a

land and river route crossing Bangladesh territory cuts the Kolkata-Agartala distance via

Siliguri’s ‘chicken neck’ from 1600 km to 800 km. It also has reduced the time of the journey

from 30 days (via Siliguri corridor) to just 10 days.

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Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958: Empowers armed forces to deal effectively in

‘Disturbed Areas’ declared by both state and Central government. Parliament had enacted it

in 1958 to provide special legal security to the armed forces for carrying out operations in the

troubled areas of seven sisters states of North East. The act was extended to Jammu and

Kashmir in 1990 in order to confront the rising insurgency in the area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 103rd edition of the Indian Science Congress

(ISC) on January 3, 2016 in Mysuru, Karnataka. The theme of this edition of the Congress is

“Science and Technology for Indigenous Development in India.” During the inaugural speech

Prime Minister gave a new mantra comprising five Es – “Economy, Environment, Energy,

Empathy and Equity”.

Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project: It is a 9900 MW power project proposed by Nuclear Power

Corporation of India (NPCIL) at Madban village of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. On

completion, it will become the largest nuclear power generating station in the world by net

electrical power rating. It consists of 6 European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) of 1650 MW

each. France is going to supply technology for construction and also nuclear fuel for 25

years for this plant.

The India Meteorology Department (IMD) has deployed indigenously developed Drishti, an

instrument that will provide real time visibility information to pilots. Drishti has been

developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore.

Heavy water (deuterium oxide D2O): It is used for cooling the nuclear reactor core i.e. as

coolant and neutron moderator. PHWR is commonly using unenriched natural uranium as its

fuel.

President Pranab Mukherjee has formally declared Kerala as the country’s first digital state.

It was announced by President after launching a digital empowerment campaign of state at a

function to be held in Kozhikode. The campaign aims at bridging the digital divide by 2020.

State has successfully linked all villages in the state with broadband connectivity under the

National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project. It is first state in country to do so. Apart from

NOFN it, two projects started by the government in 2002 viz. Akshaya and IT@School – also

has helped it to attain high e literacy.

E-Tourist Visa Scheme Union Government had launched e-Tourist Visa Scheme (as Tourist

Visa on Arrival scheme) in November 2014. The e-Tourist Visa Scheme facilitates pre-

authorization of Visa i.e. electronic travel authorisation given to foreigners prior to travel.

India’s first indigenously developed lightest revolver (gun) Nidar weighing merely 250 grams

was successfully launched. It has been designed and manufactured by the state-run rifle

factory Ishapore located in West Bengal giving boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative in small

manufacturing sector. Key facts: Nidar is much lighter than ‘Nirbheek’ (500 grams) revolver

which was exclusively designed for women.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 2015-16

World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially declared India as Maternal and Neonatal

Tetanus free country, i.e. mothers and new-borns are free from tetanus at the time of birth.

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Sub-Regional Drug Focal Point Meeting and Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme

(CPDAP), South Asia under the Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) Expert Group Consultation

has begun in New Delhi. Main objective is to review the progress of the Drug Demand and

Supply Reduction activities in the South Asia region. Drug Menace in South Asia region

South Asia region is present on the so called Golden Crescent (overlaps Afghanistan, Iran

and Pakistan) and Golden Triangle (overlaps Myanmar, Laos and Thailand) which are two

main opium-producing areas in the world.

Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) which was launched in 1988 has played pivotal role

in eradication of wild poliovirus. When the initiative was launched the wild poliovirus existed

in 125 countries. Now, it exists in two countries Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Chinese scientists have developed a new bio-artificial liver that can help patients to survive

from liver failure long enough for an organ transplant. It has been developed by team of

researchers from the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences and doctors from Nanjing

Drum Tower Hospital.

Researchers from France have found first evidence that mosquito-borne Zika virus might

cause a severe neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS is a rare

condition in which the body’s immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that

controls muscle strength leading to muscle weakness in the legs and arms. The syndrome

is also be caused by bacterial infections as well as the dengue and chikungunya viruses

transmitted by be vector Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (also host for Zika Virus).

World’s first fast-acting anti-rabies drug Rabies Human Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb) will be

launched in India. RMAb drug is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that instantly

deactivates rabies virus by specifically binding to a conformational epitope of G glycoprotein

of the virus. It is 25% cheaper compared to the existing expensive human rabies

immunoglobulin (hRIG) treatment.

The world’s first public dengue vaccination programme was launched in the Philippines with

a French drug Dengvaxia (world’s 1st dengue fever vaccine) to combat mosquito-borne

disease. Dengvaxia has been manufactured by French pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi

Pasteur

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Thailand has become the first

Asian country to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission. Previously, Cuba was the only

other country and first country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission under

the WHO’s criteria back in July 2015.

Scientists have genetically modified malaria-causing mosquito Anopheles gambiae species

to fight the deadly disease of malaria. The research was successfully carried by team of

researchers led by London based Imperial College and was published in the journal Nature

Biotechnology. Key facts: Scientists have genetically modified Anopheles gambiae mosquito

species so that they carry a modified gene disrupting egg production in female mosquitoes.

For this they had used a technology called gene drive which uses the technique of recessive

genes, so that many mosquitoes will inherit only one copy of the gene.

India and Nepal have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of

Raxaul-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline. This pipeline will be the first of its kind project between two

neighbouring countries in the SAARC region in the oil and gas sector. It will be constructed

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by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on behalf of Indian Government at a cost of 200 crore

rupees.

Bangladesh has become the first country in the world to receive funds from United Nations

for its fast growing Solar Home Systems. In this regard, UN Framework Convention for

Climate Change (UNFCCC) has issued carbon credits (CC) worth 3.56 million US dollars to

two Bangladeshi organisations. The two organisations are: Grameen Shakti: Founded by

Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus with an aim to take clean solar power systems and

communication technology to villages. Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL): It

is state-owned development financial institution in Bangladesh. It finances and promotes

infrastructure and renewable energy projects in the country.

TAPI Project: It is a proposed trans-country natural gas pipeline from Caspian Sea,

Turkmenistan to India through Afghanistan and Pakistan. Countries involved: The

abbreviation TAPI itself indicates its member countries- Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan

and India. Distance: The pipe line connects central Asia with south Asia covering 1,800 km.

Reserves: Gas reserves are 16 trillion cubic feet. Operational from: expected to be fully

operational from 2018. Runs through: Galkynysh field, Turkmenistan – Herat and Kandahar

province of Afghanistan – Multan via Quetta, Pakistan and ends at Fazilka (Punjab) in India.

United Nations 193 member states have reached an agreement on the outcome document

New Sustainable Development Agenda for the next 15 years i.e. till 2030. The new agenda

draft document called “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable

Development” was built on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Capital city of Zhejiang Province Hangzhou in East China has been chosen by the Olympic

Council of Asia (OCA) to host the 2022 Asian Games.

Fukushima Nuclear disaster In March 2011: Fukushima Nuclear disaster, an energy

accident had occurred in Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant located in north-eastern

Japan. It was triggered by a powerful earthquake and followed by tsunami. It is the largest

nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986

South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMEx) India has taken the lead to

begin SAADMEx, a simulation exercises on disaster management in the region.

NASA and US Agency for International Development (USAID) have started the SERVIR-

Mekong project, to strengthen the environmental monitoring in Southeast Asia region. It has

been launched in the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok, Thailand to serve the

five countries of the Mekong River Basin viz. Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and

Vietnam.

On 22 October 2015, guided missile destroyer USS Lassen had entered the 12-nautical mile

zone claimed by China around Zhubi reefs in the Spratly archipelago in South China Sea.

China is claiming its full sovereignty over these disputed islands and its adjacent waters in

South China Sea

The Third India and Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) have adopted a Delhi Declaration 2015

and India-Africa Framework for Strategic Cooperation. These agreements were adopted at

the conclusion of third Summit which was attended by India and all 54 African countries in

New Delhi. Delhi Declaration-2015: Calls for continued collaboration in the fields of peace

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and security between India and Africa. Aims to provide a concrete foundation for the

consolidation of our strategic partnership between both sides.

Islamic State (IS) militant group has destroyed part of historical Temple of Bel in the ancient

site of Palmyra in Syria. The ancient temple was dedicated to the Palmyrene gods and was

one of the best preserved parts of the historical sites of Palmyra. About Palmyra: Oasis town

of Palmyra is known as the Pearl of the Desert. In ancient time the city was famous as a

stopping point for caravans travelling on ancient Silk Route which connected East Asia and

West Asia. Prior to Syrian civil war which began in 2011, Palmyra’s ruins were a major

attraction as about 150,000 tourists visited city in a year. Earlier in August 2015, IS militant

group had destroyed the ancient Temple of Baalshamin in same region of Palmyra.

BRICS nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa signed Moscow Declaration for

partnership in addressing common regional and global socio-economic challenges by

utilising Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). It was signed at the third meeting of the

BRICS Ministers for Science, Technology and Innovation held in Moscow, Russia.

China, world’s most populous country has announced to abandon its three decades-long

one-child policy and changed it two-child policy. China had introduced its One-Child Policy in

1978 and was implemented in 1980 to rein in population growth in order to alleviate social,

economic and environmental problems in China.

Canberra based art gallery in Australia has agreed to return a 2,000-year-old Indian-origin

sculpture of Gautama Buddha back to India. The Sitting Buddha sculpture which was

displayed in this gallery has its roots traceable to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. The sculpture is

made of sandstone is an image and depicts very unique art of the ancient Mathura region.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) played important role in negotiating the legality of

returning this statue. Earlier, Germany had returned 10th century Durga idol in

Mahishasuramardini avatar to India which had gone missing from a temple at Pulwama in

Kashmir in 1990s.

12 other Pacific Rim countries have signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement

which covers about 40 per cent of the world economy. These 12 countries are: Singapore,

Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Canada, United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile,

Australia and New Zealand.

South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program Set up in 2001 to bring

together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka in a project-based

partnership. This sub-regional partnership aims to strengthen regional economic

cooperation, Boosting trade among member countries,Promote regional prosperity by

improving cross-border connectivity, Build a better quality of life for the people of the

subregion.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Friendship Motor Car Rally was flagged off

from Silchar, Assam. The international rally aims at highlighting connectivity in the sub-

region and seamless movements of vehicles across the borders in the four nations through

implementation of BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA).

Every year on 25th November is observed as International Day for the Elimination of

Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) across the world. Significance of Day: Raise awareness

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about violence against women and girls, End the violence against the women, Show that

prevention is possible against violence of women.

India and Singapore have signed a joint declaration envisaging a Strategic Partnership to

elevate bilateral relations of both countries. The focus of the visit included ‘five S plank’ i.e.

scaling up trade and investment, smart cities, speeding up connectivity, skills development

and state focus. Key facts: The strategic partnership aims to catalyse the strategic relations

between both countries ranging from political, defence and security cooperation to

economic, cultural and people-to-people contacts.

Every year October 2 is being observed as International Day of Non-violence throughout the

world on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)

under Category ‘B’ at 29th session of the IMO Assembly held in London.

China has operationalised the Zam Hydropower Station built on Brahmaputra River which

has raised concerns in India over the likelihood of disrupting water supplies of River.

Germany celebrated 25 years of reunification on 3 October 2015 marking the day in 1990

when communist East Germany and capitalist West Germany reunited country. On 3

October 1990, Unification Treaty came into effect uniting two halves together of then divided

Germany. Since then this date is marked as Germany’s national day.

Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO): JETCO aims to further improve, deepen

and strengthen the existing trade relationship between India and Ecuador. It will function as

the primary forum for discussion and other promotional activities on trade and investment

issues

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has launched Trident Juncture Military

Exercise in Italy to test the alliance’s ability to respond to new security threats. It will also

demonstrate NATO’s capability to deal with conventional military engagements to more

subtle hybrid warfare techniques and propaganda.

United States and Spain have reached an in principle agreement to clean up land at

Palomares site (in Spain) contaminated by plutonium radiation from undetonated US nuclear

bombs.

Powerful Typhoon Koppu (also known as Lando) has hit the northern Philippines battering

the coast with powerful winds with speed of 240 kph.

South African city of Durban has been selected as the host for the 22nd edition of

Commonwealth Games to be held in 2022

Indian and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conserve,

develop and publicize written heritage at the National Library in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Hurricane Patricia has struck Mexico’s Pacific coast with destructive winds

As per recently released report of United Nations (UN), mortality rate among Indian girls

below the age of five higher than the boys. It was mentioned in recently published UN

Report titled The World’s Women 2015.

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Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): Established to finance infrastructure projects

including energy, transport and infrastructure projects in Asia. AIIB is seen as a rival to the

World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) which is managed by most prominent

countries like US, Japan and European etc. Authorized capital: It will be of 100 billion US

dollars. The initial subscribed capital will be around 50 billion US Dollar and the paid-in ratio

will be 20 per cent.

International Indigenous Terra Madre- 2015 kicked off in Shillong, Meghalaya with the

theme, The Future We Want: Indigenous Perspectives and Actions. The five day-long

unique event will bring over a 100 tribes from 58 countries including from 17 Asian countries,

14 African countries, 12 American countries, 8 European countries and 7 Oceanian

countries. Key facts: It has been organised as collaboration between Slow Food, North East

Slow Food and Agro biodiversity Society (NESFAS) and Indigenous Partnership for Agro

biodiversity and Food Sovereignty (Indigenous Partnership).

Saudi Arabia has launched Islamic Military Coalition, a new military alliance of 34 nations,

mainly Muslim nations to fight terrorism. It has been established in pursuance of the

objectives and principles of the charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Member nations: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh,

Bahrain, Turkey, Benin, Togo, Chad, Djibouti, Tunisia, Sudan, Senegal, Sierra Leone,

Gabon, Somalia, Guinea, Comoros, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Cote d’Ivoire, Lebanon,

Maldives, Libya, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Yemen.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organisation that seeks to

promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose,

including nuclear weapons. It was established as an autonomous organisation in 1957

through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute. The IAEA has its headquarters in

Vienna, Austria.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) has included China’s Yuan into its elite reserve currency

basket mainly used as an international reserve asset with an effect from effect from 1st

October 2016.

Chinese Currency Renminbi which in Mandarin (China’s official language) means the

people’s currency was officially introduced by the Communist Government of China led by

Mao Zedong in 1949 after it came to power. Prior to Renminbi, Yuan was the official name of

Chinese currency which means dollar-silver coin in Mandarin and was minted by the

Spanish empire to trade with China for over four centuries

India officially became the Associate Member State of European Molecular Biology

Organisation (EMBO). EMBO is a professional organisation of life scientists in Europe.

Presently, it has more than 1700 leading researchers. Founded: 1964 Headquarters:

Heidelberg, Germany. Functions: It promotes research in life science and enables

international exchange of scientific information between scientists.

Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC): Seeks to

establish a uniform global legal regime for compensation to victims in the unlikely event of a

nuclear accident. It was adopted on 12 September 1997. It can enter into force after

ratification by at least five countries having minimum of 400,000 units of installed nuclear

capacity. It has been framed in consistency with the principles of Vienna Convention on Civil

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Liability for Nuclear Damage (1963) and the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the

Field of Nuclear Energy (1960).

Powerful Typhoon Melor (also known as Nona) has hit the central Philippines battering the

coast with powerful winds with speed of 200 kph followed by intense rainfall.

India has emphasised to Iran for early completion of all necessary procedures for its

participation in the Farzad-B gas field worth 5 billion US dollars.

The Union Cabinet has approved the reconstruction and completion of Salma Dam Project

in Afghanistan at the Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) of 1775.69 crore rupees. The Afghan-

India Friendship Dam was earlier known as Salma Dam. It is built on Hari River in Chishti

Sharif District of Herat Province neighbouring Iran and is earth and rock fill dam. It is a

multipurpose project built to generate 42 MW of power, irrigate 75000 hectares of land,

water supply and other benefits to the people of Afghanistan. By irrigating 75000 hectares of

land it is expected to significantly boost the agricultural economy of the province.

The 68th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has declared year 2016 as the

International Year of Pulses (IYP). It was launched under the slogan ‘nutritious seeds for a

sustainable future’. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of UN has been

nominated to facilitate the implementation of the Year in collaboration with all stakeholders.

G-20 leaders have decided to tackle global uneven economic growth and reaffirmed their

commitment to fight terrorism unitedly at 2015 G-20 summit held at Antalya in Turkey.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC is regional economic forum comprising of 21

member countries accounting nearly half of the world’s trade and about 57 per cent of global

gross domestic product (GDP). It was established in 1989 in order to leverage the growing

interdependence of Asia-Pacific region’s economies and promote free trade in the region.

Headquarters: Singapore. 21 Members are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada,

Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand,

United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru,

Russian and Vietnam. India is observer of APEC since 2011 and has applied for

membership. However some countries have objected to granting membership to India as it

does not border the Pacific Ocean, which all current members do.

31 members of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have

signed corporate tax avoidance agreement in a bid to stem fiscal (tax) evasion by

multinational companies (MNCs). OECD is an international economic organisation of 34

countries to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Founded: 1961. Headquarters:

Paris, France.

International Energy Agency (IEA): It is Inter-governmental organisation established in 1974

as per framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Members: Presently it has 29 member countries. Headquarters (Secretariat): Paris, France.

IEA mandate: To focus on the “3Es” of effectual energy policy: energy security, economic

development and environmental protection.

World Economic Forum (WEF) WEF is an international institution founded by Klaus Schwab

that works to improve the state of the world through public-private cooperation.

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The first Ministerial Meeting of Arab-India Cooperation Forum was held Manama, capital city

of Bahrain. The meeting was inaugurated by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al

Khalifa and was attended by representatives of 22 Arab League nations.

EU-India Agenda for Action 2020: Both sides endorsed the agenda to concrete the road-

map for the EU-India Strategic Partnership for the next five years. EU-India Broad-based

Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA): Both sides agreed to further the negotiations on

early conclusion of the BTIA.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Unites States Agency for International

Development (USAID) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for

development of solar parks in India. The MoU will facilitate 848 million US dollars in funding

to develop solar parks across India. The collaboration of ADB and USAID will initially focus

on the state of Rajasthan. Under this agreement, USAID will align the technical resources of

its existing Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment (PACE-D) Program.

Ashgabat Agreement: It is a transit agreement established in year 2011. It establishes

international transport and transit corridor between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf

countries. Its founding members are Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Oman. Kazakhstan

had joined the grouping in 2015.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina along with Chief

Minister of Tripura inaugurated two historical projects between two countries via video

conference. These projects are 100 MW power export via transmission lines between

Surjamaninagar (Tripura) and South Comilla in Bangladesh. Announcement of India’s 3rd

Internet Gateway optical fibre connection between Cox Bazaar in Bangladesh and Agartala

(Tripura).

Nepal was officially made a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

(SCO), a Beijing-based regional security grouping. SCO is a Eurasian economic, political

and military organisation. 8 Members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,

Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. Observers: Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus.

Headquarters: Beijing, China.

International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions: The ICC

Bureau is an important human rights body that serves as the Management Committee of the

International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC). It

implements all the decisions of the ICC General Meetings and directs the operations of the

ICC between these meetings. ICC Bureau consists of sixteen ‘A’ status NHRIs four from

each region namely, Americas, Europe, Africa and the Asia-Pacific.

International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD): IFAD was established in 1977 as the

13th Specialised Agency of the United Nations. India is a founder member of IFAD and a

key contributor among the member countries. It is mandated to work towards removing

poverty and hunger in rural areas all over the world especially in developing countries. Goal:

Empower poor rural men and women in developing countries to achieve higher incomes and

improved food security.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and European Union (EU) have signed an

agreement to improve Cooperation in Cyber Defence to counter modern forms of hybrid

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warfareIt was signed between NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (NCIRC) and

the Computer Emergency Response Team – European Union (CERT-EU).

Union Government has sanctioned about 580 crore rupees for Agartala-Akhaura Railway

Link Project to connect Kolkata (West Bengal) with Tripura via Bangladesh.

Agartala-Akhaura Railway Link Project: It is 15 km long strategic railway route that would

connect the Indian Railways with the Bangladesh Railways. The work on this project is

expected to complete by 2017.

The first phase of the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant was launched in

the Souss-Massa-Drâa area in Morocco. It is part of Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex which

will produce enough energy for more than one million Moroccan households on completion

by 2018.

India hosted BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave in Mumbai (Maharashtra), financial capital

of India from April 14 to 16, 2016. It was attended by the top Urban Policy makers and

Planners from BRICS Nations viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

2016 theme declared by United Nations: “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender

Equality”.

The Kenyan Government has decided to close Dadaab refugee camp which is often referred

to as the world’s largest refugee camp over the issue of national security. The camp is home

to 330000 refugees mostly from Somalia who have fled from the civil war in their country.

The Group of 7 (G-7) countries’ Foreign Ministers have issued Hiroshima Declaration that

calls for a world without nuclear weapons.

For the first time, United Nations (UN) will observe the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R.

Ambedkar, father of the Indian Constitution on April 13, 2016, a day before his date of birth.

The main focus of this observance will be on combating inequalities to achieve Sustainable

Development Goals (SDGs).

UNIDO: It is a specialized agency in the United Nations and is member of the United Nations

Development Group (UNDG). It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Objective: Promotion

and acceleration of industrial development in developing countries and countries with

economies in transition and the promotion of international industrial cooperation.

Chabahar port is strategically located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich

Persian Gulf nation’s southern coast.

The official trip of US President Barack Obama comes more than seven decades after an

American plane, dropped its payload (nuclear bomb), dubbed ‘Little Boy’ over the western

Japanese city. The bombing had claimed lives of about 140,000 people and affected many

from radiation-related illnesses. Three days later (On 9 August 1945) US dropped a second

bomb dubbed as ‘Fat Man’ on the city of Nagasaki in which 70,000 more people were killed.

Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has decided to open its first branch in India

at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The IDB is a multilateral development financing institution based in

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Presently, it has 56 Islamic countries as its members. It was founded

in 1973 by the Finance Ministers at the first Organisation of the Islamic Conference (now

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation).

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Russia has launched the new Project 22220 nuclear powered icebreaker dubbed ‘Arktika’. It

is the world’s largest and most powerful vessel of its kind. It was launched from the Baltic

Shipyard located in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg. It has dual-draft design

which makes it possible to use it in Arctic waters and in estuaries of polar rivers. It can break

through 13 feet (3 metres) thick ice.

UNGA President: President of UNGA presides over the sessions of the General Assembly

which begins every year in September. The President is elected annually on rotational basis

between the five geographic groups namely African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin

American and Caribbean and Western European and other States. Interesting fact: Vijaya

Lakshmi Pandit was first and only Indian to serve as President of UNGA in 1953. She was

also the first woman President of UNGA.

The world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel Gotthard Base Tunnel was inaugurated in

Switzerland. The full service of twin-bore tunnel will begin in December 2016. The Gotthard

Base Tunnel is 57-kilometer long and connects northern and southern Europe and also

shortens travel time for many rail routes. It has overtaken Japan’s Seikan tunnel, which

measures 53.9 kilometres, as the longest rail tunnel in the world.

Civil Nuclear Deal: Later in the delegation level talks, Namibia has invited Indian companies

to directly mine Uranium from the country. However, it has asked India to enter into similar

nuclear agreements it has reached with other countries in order to convince the member-

states of the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty (ANWFZT) which is also known as

Pelindaba treaty.

India has joined a group of nearly 40 countries that have signed a Europe-led clampdown on

tax evasion and corruption. Under this group countries are committed to automatically

exchange information on beneficial ownership between law enforcement agencies and tax

authorities of partner countries.

According to recently released BP Statistical Review of World Energy, India has surpassed

Japan to become the world’s third-largest oil consumer. With demand of 4.1 million barrels a

day (bpd), India is the third-largest consumer behind the United States (19.39 million bpd)

and China (11.96 million bpd).

In recently released 2015 Good Country Index (GCI), India has been placed at 70th position

in the list of 163 countries. The list has been topped by Sweden as the best country in the

world when it comes to serving the interests of its people and contributing to the common

good of humanity.

The first long distance cargo train connecting Iran and China has arrived in the Iranian

capital city Tehran after starting its journey from China. The train had started its journey from

China’s eastern Zhejiang province and it took 14 days to reach final destination. It had

covered around 9,500-kilometre distance and passed through two Central Asian countries

Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Asia’s largest annual security forum Shangri-La Dialogue was inaugurated in Singapore to

talk about security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The forum has been organised by the

London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). The three day event will be

attended by at least 20 Defence Ministers from Asia-Pacific countries including India

represented by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

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ECONOMICS CURRENT AFFAIRS

➢ Search engine giant Google Inc. has announced formation of a new holding or parent

company called Alphabet Inc. to encompass its search engine unit and all other subsidiaries

➢ Union Government has launched a seven pronged plan called Indradhanush Mission to

revamp functioning of public sector banks (PSBs). The seven shades of Indradhanush

mission include appointments, de-stressing PSBs, capitalisation, empowerment, framework

of accountability and governance reforms. It seeks to achieve the objective of economic

growth revival through improving credit and minimising the political interference in the

functioning of PSBs.

➢ Union Government has decided to set up a Bank Board Bureau (BBB) to monitor key

performance indicators of two dozen public sector banks (PSBs).

➢ Anti-Dumping:

European Union (EU) has imposed a provisional anti-dumping duty of up to 31.2 per

cent on imports of sewage and water steel pipes from India for six months to protect its

domestic industry.

India has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty for period of five years on Potassium

Carbonate imports from Taiwan and South Korea

Finance Ministry has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty on ‘flax’ or ‘linen’ fabric

imports from China and Hong Kong for a period of five years.

To safeguard the interest of domestic industries of India, government on 6 August

extended anti-dumping duty on import of all forms and grades of Vitamin C from China

for the period of five years.

Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty on import of cold-rolled flat products

of stainless steel for five years from seven countries. These countries are China, South

Korea, United States, South Africa, Thailand and Taiwan and the European Union.

➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suspends licence of seven non-banking finance companies

(NBFCs). The seven NBFCs whose licences were suspended are – Religare Finance,

Artisans Micro Finance, Eden Trade & Commerce, RCS Parivar Finance, Nott Investments,

Dewra Stocks & Securities, Swetasree Finance. Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is

a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956, whose principal business is lending,

investments and receiving deposits. At present there are around 12,000 NBFCs in India.

➢ Kerala government has signed a MoU with Gautam Adani-led Adani Ports and Special

Economic Zone (APSEZ) for building 7,525 crore rupees Vizhinjam seaport project near

Kovalam beach. Vizhinjam seaport project: It is Kerala government ambitious project which

was initiated 25 years ago in 1991 to build a deepest and natural draft port near Kovalam

beach in Thiruvananthapuram.

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➢ A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee has recommended conversion of Urban

Cooperative Banks (UCBs) with business size of 20,000 crore rupees or more into regular

banks. This recommendation was given by the High Powered Committee on UCBs headed

by RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi in its report.

➢ Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) on Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory

Information.

➢ Union Government has inked a loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for US

123.51 million dollars for Infrastructure Development Investment Program. The 3 tranche

loan will be used for upgrading tourism infrastructure and services in three states Punjab,

Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

➢ The Union Cabinet has allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) under the

automatic route for white label ATM operations (WLAO). Private non-bank companies that

own and operate their own brand of ATMs are termed as White labelled ATMs. They were

meant to expand the reach of ATMs in Tier III to VI centres.

➢ Union Government has notified the merger of commodities market regulator Forward

Markets Commission (FMC) with Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) with an effect

from 28th September 2015. With this merger, all three national and six regional commodity

exchanges will come under the ambit of national capital market regulator SEBI.

➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed non-resident Indians (NRIs) to subscribe to the

National Pension System (NPS) enabling them access old age income security.

Key facts: NPS will act as an investment option for NRIs under Foreign Exchange

Management Act (FEMA), 1999. NRIs may subscribe to the NPS through normal banking

channels and the person is eligible to invest as per the provisions of the PFRDA Act, 2013.

➢ What is Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs)? APA usually is signed between a taxpayer

and the central tax authority (in case of India it is CBDT) for multiple years on an

appropriating transfer pricing methodology. The APA Programme was introduced in 2012 as

per the provisions of the Income Tax (IT) Act, 1961. It helps in determining the price and

ensuing taxes on intra-group overseas transactions.

➢ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved World Bank assisted

National Watershed Management Project- Neeranchal. The project will ensure access to

irrigation to every farmland (Har Khet Ko Pani) and help to achieve objectives of Pradhan

Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) for efficient use of water (Per Drop More Crop).

➢ The Union Cabinet has given its nod for formation of Indian Skill Development Service

(ISDS). ISDS will be a Group A Service of the technical cadre of the Union Ministry of Skill

Development and Entrepreneurship (MSD&E).

➢ Expert Committee to simplify income tax laws headed by Justice (retired) R.V. Easwar has

submitted its report to Union Finance Ministry. The 10 member committee has

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recommended simplifying provisions related to tax deduction at source (TDS), tax refunds

and claims of expenditure for deduction from taxable income. It also has suggested several

taxpayer-friendly measures to improve the ease of doing business in the country, accelerate

process of tax dispute resolutions, and reduce litigation.

➢ Union Ministry of Urban Development has come out with a Smart National Common Mobility

Card (NCMC) model to enable seamless metro travel, shopping.

➢ India has been ranked 131 out of 167 nations on ICT Development Index (IDI) that

measures the level of information and communication technology access. It was revealed in

UN International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) flagship annual Measuring the

Information Society (MISR) Report.

➢ India has been placed at 130th position in the 2015 Human Development Index (HDI)

among the 188 countries. It was unveiled in the recently released Human Development

Report 2015 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Sri Lanka has

maintained its high ranking in 2015 HDI in the South Asia Region. Sri Lanka was ranked

73rd with an HDI value of 0.757. Key facts: Rankings of other seven South Asian Countries

are Maldives (104), India (130), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (142), Nepal (145), Pakistan

(147) and Afghanistan (171).

➢ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved introduction of Amended

Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) for technology upgradation of the textiles

industry. ATUFS targets employment generation (including women) and global export by

encouraging garment and apparel industry. Promotes Technical Textiles which is a sunrise

sector for export and employment creation

➢ National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 aims at providing legal entitlement to 5 kg of

subsidised food grains to the identified person per month. Grains like wheat, rice and coarse

grain will be distributed at the price of Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Rs. 1. Pregnant women and lactating

mothers and children are entitled to get meals under the prescribed nutrition by MDM and

ICDS. The age group would be 6 months to 14 years. NFSA 2013 will provide high nutrition

food to the age group of 6 years. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will be entitled to

get maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000.

➢ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its in principle approval for

the Hybrid Annuity Model for implementing the National Highway Projects. The main

objective of this model is to revive highway projects in the country by making it as one more

mode of delivery of highway projects.

Key features of Hybrid Annuity Model Investment: Government will invest 40 per cent of the

construction cost for building highways and the balance 60 per cent will come from the

private developer. Government investment will be based on the targeted completion of the

road project in five equal instalments. Recovery: The private developer will be able to

recover his investment from the government by receiving annuity payments over a period of

15 years. Toll collection: There is a separate provision for operation and management

payments by the government to the concessionaire. The highway toll tax will be collected by

the government i.e. by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) unlike in the build,

operate and transfer (BOT) toll model in which the private sector collects it.

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➢ India has been ranked 76th out of 168 countries in the recently released 2015 Corruption

Perception Index (CPI). The 2015 CPI was the 21st edition of the annual index and was

published by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).

➢ The Union Cabinet has approved creation of a Credit Guarantee Fund (CGF) for Micro Units

Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) loans. The CGF is expected to guarantee more

than 1,00,000 crore rupees worth of loans to micro and small units in the first instance.

Features of scheme Credit Guarantee Fund for MUDRA Units (CGFMU) will guarantee

loans sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) to reduce the credit risk to

Banks and other financial intermediaries who are Member Lending Institutions (MLIs).

➢ The Union Cabinet has approved the Stand Up India Scheme to promote entrepreneurship

among Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) and Women entrepreneurs.The Stand-

up India is component of Start-up India, Stand up India slogan anchored by Department of

Financial Services (DFS) to encourage greenfield enterprises by Women and SC/ST

entrepreneurs. It will refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India

(SIDBI) with an initial amount 10,000 crore rupees. Under it, a credit guarantee mechanism

would be created through the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC). It will

be the operating agency for the loan.

➢ Border Haats: The Border Haats in Indian language means Rural Market. It aims at

promoting the well-being of the people dwelling in remote areas across the borders of two

countries. It seeks to establish traditional system of marketing the local produce thorough

local markets in local currency or according to barter basis.

➢ India’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched dedicated specialized branch

for start-ups called ‘SBI InCube’ in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

➢ The Russian Government has approved a deal of ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) to acquire 15%

stake in Vankor oilfield from Rosneft. The deal was signed between the OVL and Rosneft in

September 2015 and is worth 1.3 billion US dollars. Vankor is Russia’s second biggest oil

field with capacity of total 2.5 billion recoverable reserves barrels (or 500 million tonnes).

➢ India and China have led the developing countries in investments made in renewable energy

in 2015. It was revealed by the ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment’ Report

published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

➢ Kisan Suvidha is an omnibus mobile app that will provide basic information on subjects such

as market prices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, weather, and agriculture machinery.

➢ India and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have decided to set up South Asia Regional

Training and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTC) in New Delhi.

➢ Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Setu Bharatam Project to make all national

highways free of railway crossings by 2019. This project will be implemented by the Union

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

➢ The Union Finance Ministry has approved the proposal of four states for the issuance of

Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) bonds. These four states are Uttar Pradesh,

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Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. These states account for around about 35 per cent

or around 1.5 lakh crore rupees of the outstanding loans of State electricity distribution

utilities in the country.

➢ Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI): DRI is the major intelligence agency enforcing

prohibition of smuggling of gold, diamonds, electronics, narcotics, foreign currency,

counterfeit Indian currency etc. It was formally established on 4th December 1957/ DRI

functions under the aegis of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in the

Department of Revenue of Union Ministry of Finance.

➢ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended currency swap arrangement to South Asian

Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations till mid-November 2017. All seven

SAARC member countries including Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal,

Pakistan and Sri Lanka can avail the facility. Under the arrangement, RBI will be offering

swap arrangement up to an overall amount of US 2 billion dollars both in foreign currency

and Indian rupee.

➢ Union Ministry of Tourism has launched 24×7 Toll Free Multi-Lingual Tourist Info Line for

international tourists in 12 international languages. The 12 languages include 10

International languages besides English and Hindi, namely, French, Arabic, Italian, German,

Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.

➢ India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries on the basis of their ability

to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy. It was revealed by Global Energy

Architecture Performance Index (GEAPI) Report compiled by World Economic Forum

(WEF). Key facts: Top 10 countries in GEAPI Report: Switzerland (1st), Norway (2nd),

Sweden (3rd), France (4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New

Zealand (9th) and Uruguay(10th)

➢ Under National Manufacturing Policy (NMP), Union Government in 2014 had announced to

set up 16 NIMZs to boost manufacturing sector. 8 of them are along the Delhi Mumbai

Industrial Corridor (DMIC). NMP aims to enhance the share of manufacturing sector in GDP

to 25% and create 100 million employment opportunities over a decade. The Union

Government has given its final approval to setting up of National Investment &

Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in Kalinganagar, Odisha.

➢ The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 (FRBMA) is an Act of

the Parliament of India to institutionalise financial discipline, reduce India's fiscal deficit,

improve macroeconomic management and the overall management of the public funds by

moving towards a balanced budget. The main purpose was to eliminate revenue deficit of

the country (building revenue surplus thereafter) and bring down the fiscal deficitto a

manageable 3% of the GDP by March 2008. However, due to the 2007 international

financial crisis, the deadlines for the implementation of the targets in the act was initially

postponed and subsequently suspended in 2009. In 2011, given the process of ongoing

recovery, Economic Advisory Council publicly advised the Government of India to reconsider

reinstating the provisions of the FRBMA.

➢ Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA): The TFA is the WTO’s first-ever multilateral accord that

aims to simplify customs regulations for the cross-border movement of goods. It was

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outcome of WTO’s 9th Bali (Indonesia) Ministerial Package of 2013. The agreement

includes provisions for lowering import tariffs and agricultural subsidies: It will make it easier

for developing countries to trade with the developed world in global markets. Abolish hard

import quotas: Developed countries would abolish hard import quotas on agricultural

products from the developing world and instead would only be allowed to charge tariffs on

amount of agricultural imports exceeding specific limits. Reduction in red tape at

international borders: It aims to reduce red-tapism to facilitate trade by reforming customs

bureaucracies and formalities

➢ The Union Cabinet has given its approval for expansion of India-Chile Preferential Trade

Agreement (PTA) between India and Chile.

➢ As per recently report of World Bank, India remained the world’s largest remittance recipient

in 2015. It was revealed by the World Bank’s annual report Migration and Development

Brief. In 2015, India attracted about 69 billion US dollars in remittances, down from 70 billion

in 2014

➢ The Union Cabinet has given its approval for National Capital Goods Policy 2016 to give an

impetus to the capital goods sector and the Make in India initiative. This is first ever policy

for Capital Goods sector framed by the Union Government (Ministry of Heavy Industry &

Public Enterprise). Key features of policy objectives: (i) Increase production of capital goods

from 2,30,000 crore rupees in 2014-15 to 7,50,000 crore rupees in 2025. (ii) Raise direct and

indirect employment from the current 8.4 million to 30 million. (iii) Increase exports from the

current 27% to 40% of production. (iv) Increase the share of domestic production in India’s

demand from 60% to 80% to make India a net exporter of capital goods. Aim of Policy: (i)

Facilitate improvement in technology depth across sub-sectors, (ii) Ensure mandatory

standards, (iii) Increase skill availability and promote growth and (iv) Capacity building of

MSMEs.

➢ What are Participatory notes? Participatory Notes are offshore/overseas derivative

instruments (ODIs) issued by registered foreign institutional investors (FII) to overseas

investors. They are commonly known as P-Notes. The market regulator Securities and

Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has tightened the Participatory Notes (P-note) norms. The

main purpose of this decision is to keep vigil on foreign investments to curb black money

inflows in the country.

➢ Civil Aviation Policy 2016 aims at making India 3rd largest civil aviation market by 2022 from

current 9th position. Increase domestic ticketing to 30 crore by 2022 from 8 crore in 2015.

Increase airports having scheduled commercial flights from 77 in 2016 to 127 by 2019.

Increase cargo volumes to 10 million tonnes i.e. by 4 times by 2027. Under Regional

Connectivity Scheme, enabling Indians to fly at Rs. 2,500 per hour at unserved airports. For

starting international operations, requirement of 5 years of domestic flying removed.

Liberalized and Flexible ‘open skies’ and ‘code share’ agreements. Incentives to

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) sector in order to develop India as hub for South

Asia. Ensure availability of quality certified 3.3 lakh skilled personnel by 2025.

➢ The Montreal Convention, 1999: It establishes airline liability in the case of injury, death or

delay to passengers. It also includes liability in cases of damage or loss or delay of baggage

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and cargo. It also mandates that every five years, limits of liability of the air carriers should

be reviewed

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

A. IN NEWS

Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas

(MoPNG) has released the Hydrocarbon

Vision 2030 for north-east India.

The states covered under it are Assam,

Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur,

Nagaland, Sikkim, Mizoram and Tripura.

Union Government has launched KISAN

(Crop Insurance using Space Technology

and Geoinformatics) Project to benefit

farmers.

This project will favour use of satellites,

drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) and other

geospatial technology to collect crop yield

data and to assess damage from natural

calamities.

N-Butyl Alcohol: It is a by-product of the

fermentation of sugar and other

carbohydrate.

It is used as artificial flavouring and is present

in many foods and beverages.

Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill,

2015:The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime

Minister Narendra Modi has given its

approval for introduction of Regional Centre

for Biotechnology Bill, 2015.

The bill aims for establishment of a Regional

Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) in Faridabad,

Haryana and provide a legal status to the

Centre.

Titanium Sponge Plant :

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

on 10 August has fully commissioned and

started commercial production at the first

indigenous Titanium Sponge Plant at

Chavara in Kerala.

Titanium Sponge: It is a Titanium (Ti) alloy

products produced by conversion of raw

titanium through Kroll process which is

subjected to leaching or heated vacuum

distillation to remove impurities and gaining

the purest form (99.7 per cent) of Titanium

Sponge. India has become the seventh

country in the world producing Titanium

sponge commercially.

‘Organoid’:

Scientists from United States (US) have

successfully grown a replica of a human brain

in a laboratory dish.

This medical breakthrough research was

undertaken team of researchers from Ohio

State University led by Professor Rene

Anand. Key facts: The brain called ‘Organoid’

was created from reprogrammed skin cells. It

is about the size of a pencil eraser.

ZipDose 3D printing technology: The

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

was first to develop Powder-liquid three-

dimensional printing (3DP) technology in

1980s.

Aprecia started developing ZipDose 3DP

technology in 2007 which was designed to

enable delivery of high-dose medications in a

rapidly disintegrating form.

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China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer has

emerged as the world’s most powerful

supercomputer system for the sixth

consecutive time. It was unveiled in 46th

edition of Top500 list of supercomputers.

Supercomputer Tianhe-2 or Milky Way 2 has

been developed by China’s National

University of Defence Technology.

The Chinese Supercomputer is capable of

performing calculations with processing

speed of 33.86 petaflops per second

(Pflop/s). It has held the title since June 2013.

Supercomputer Titan of the US Department

of Energy has been placed at second

position. It has a performance of 17.59

Pflop/s. Supercomputer Sequoia of Tech

giant IBM was placed at third position. It has

processing speed of 17.17 Pflop/s. K

computer of Fujitsu was placed at fourth

position. It has processing speed of 10.51

Pflop/s. Supercomputer Mira of IBM placed at

fifth position. It has processing speed of 8.58

Pflop/s.

Loon project:

Union Government has given in principle

approval to work on Loon project of internet

search engine giant Google for providing

Internet connectivity by using large balloons.

The project will be started on a pilot basis

and state run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

(BSNL) will be partner with the project in

order to expand Internet connectivity in the

country.

What is Google’s Loon project? It is Google’s

ambitious research and development project

that aims at providing low-cost Internet

access to rural and remote areas. Under the

project, high altitude floating telecom tower

balloons are positioned at a height of 20 km,

above earth’s surface for transmission of

internet services. Each balloon can provide

full wireless broadband internet coverage up

to an area of 40 km. These balloons are

mainly powered though solar panels. These

balloons have transceivers which can

connect to cell phone networks in order to fill

the gaps in their networks especially in

remote areas such as mountains and

deserts. Google already has successfully

tested this technology in New Zealand,

California and Brazil. Apart from Project

Loon, Google has also partnered with the

Common Service Centre (CSC) and Internet

Sathi programme (ISP) to expand Internet

reach in 3 lakh villages particularly for women

training.

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)? UCG

is a clean coal extraction technology for

extracting energy from the coal seams and

lignite resources which cannot be mined

through traditional mining technology.

It is mainly an industrial process which

converts coal into product gases such as

methane, hydrogen, CO and CO2 that are

combusted for electricity generation. The

gasification process is carried out in non-

mined coal seams using injection of oxidants

which brings the product gas to surface

through production wells drilled from the

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surface.

IMPRINT:

President Pranab Mukherjee launched

Impacting Research Innovation and

Technology (IMPRINT) India to boost

research in the country. The initiative is joint

venture of Indian Institutes of Technology

(IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISC).

Key facts: IMPRINT India initiative seeks to

develop a roadmap for research in order to

solve major engineering and technology

challenges in 10 identified technology

domains. These 10 domains are: Health

Care, Computer Science and ICT, Advance

Materials, Water Resources and River

systems, Sustainable Urban Design,

Defence, Nano-technology Hardware,

Environmental Science and Climate Change

and Energy Security.

Scientists from China and United States have

developed a 3-D printing method to produce

highly uniform ‘blocks’ of embryonic stem

cells. The method was developed by the

researchers from Beijing based Tsinghua

University (China) and Philadelphia based

Drexel University (US).

Key facts: The new method used extrusion-

deposition based 3-D printing technology to

produce a grid-like 3-D (three dimensional)

cell structure to grow embryoid body. This 3D

printed embryoid body demonstrated cell

viability and rapid self-renewal for 7 days by

maintaining high pluripotentcy. The grown

embryoid body in such a controlled manner is

uniform and homogenous and serves as a

basic starting point for further tissue growth.

Indian Computer Emergency Response

Team (CERT-In) has signed cybersecurity

agreement with its counterparts in Malaysia,

Singapore and Japan

Indian Computer Emergency Response

Team (CERT-In) is nodal department under

the aegis of Union Ministry of

Communications and Information Technology

that deals with cyber security threats like

hacking and phishing in India. Headquarters:

New Delhi. Objective: To protect Indian

cyberspace and software infrastructure

against destructive and hacking activities.

Strengthen security-related defence of the

Indian Internet domain.

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‘CIRB Gaurav’:

Scientists at the Central Institute for

Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar,

Haryana have successfully produced a

cloned buffalo offspring named ‘Cirb Gaurav’.

With this achievement, CIRB becomes

the India’s second and world’s third institute

to produce cloned buffalo. Karnal (Haryana)

based National Dairy Research Institute

(NDRI) was the India’s first institute to

produce a cloned calf.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): John McCarthy is

being credited with coining the term artificial

intelligence in 1955. He had defined it as the

science and engineering of making intelligent

machines.

In other terms, AI is the computer science

field that studies the synthesis and analysis

of computational agents that act intelligently.

It deals with creation of computers along with

software that make machine hardware

capable of intelligent behaviour.

A team of scientists in US led by an Indian-

origin Ashutosh Tiwari has discovered Tin

Monoxide (SnO) conductor to replace silicon.

SnO is a new kind of 2D semiconducting

material for electronics that opens the door

for much speedier computers and

smartphones that consumes less power.

LIGO-India project (Laser Interferometer

Gravitational-wave Observatory in India):

The Union Cabinet has approved the LIGO-

India project (Laser Interferometer

Gravitational-wave Observatory in India)

proposal for research on gravitational waves.

The approval coincides with the historic first

time detection of gravitational waves that had

opened up of a new window on the universe

to unravel some of its greatest mysteries.

Key facts: LIGO-India project is piloted by

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and

Department of Science and Technology

(DST). It will give impetus to scientific

research in the country. It will establish a

state-of-the-art Gravitational Wave

Observatory in India in collaboration with the

US based LIGO Laboratory run by Caltech

and MIT.

NRDC has signed a Memorandum of

Agreement (MoA) with IACS for

commercialisation of technologies and

intellectual properties (IP) developed at IACS.

Indian Association for the Cultivation of

Science (IACS) based in Kolkata is an

autonomous and oldest research institute in

India. It is devoted to the pursuit of

fundamental research in the frontier areas of

Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Polymer,

Energy and Materials.

As per recently released Index of Internet

Readiness of Indian States (IIRIS) report,

Maharashtra has topped in terms of the

overall Internet readiness index.

The report has been compiled and published

by Internet and Mobile Association of India

(IAMAI) and Indicus Analyticsence Film

Festival held in Mumbai.

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Canal top solar PV plant at Bhimavaram Public Sector Power equipment manufacturer

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has

commissioned a seasonwise til table canal

top solar PV plant at Bhimavaram, Andhra

Pradesh. It is the first canal top project in

Andhra Pradesh and also of its kind project to

be executed by BHEL.

Indian scientists have developed an eco-

friendly biopolymer using nanotechnology for

water-softening and water purification

applications.The eco-friendly biopolymer has

been created using a naturally occurring

substance, called chitosan. The chitosan

has been obtained naturally from the hard

outer skeleton of shellfish including crab,

lobster, and shrimp as a backbone for the

carbon nanoparticles to sit on.

In this biopolymer, nanoparticles are the

functional parts of the technology as they

remove calcium and magnesium components

of water through ion exchange. Thus, it

shows the same process that is used by

common water purifiers. Significance: This

natural material is the first of its kind with

potential to act as a biodegradable and green

material for water-softening applications. This

eco-friendly biodegradable biopolymer can be

used in civic water treatment plants for

generating potable water.

Chinese researchers have developed

Graphene based all-weather solar cell that

can generate electricity even during rains.

Key facts: The new all-weather solar cell is

made up of highly efficient dye-sensitised

solar cell coated with a very thin film of

graphene. Graphene is a two-dimensional

(2D) form of carbon in which the atoms are

bonded into a honeycomb arrangement.

National Technology Day is being observed

across India on May 11 to glorify the

importance of science in day-to-day life and

motivate students to adopt science as a

career option. 2016 Theme: ‘Technology

enablers of Startup India’. Several events are

organized in various engineering colleges

and technical institutes to mark the occasion.

Significance of the day: The day is being

commemorated to celebrate the anniversary

of first of the five tests of Operation Shakti

(Pokhran-II) nuclear test, held on 11 May

1998 in Pokhran, Rajasthan. Apart from

Pokhran nuclear test, on this day first

indigenous aircraft Hansa-3 was test flown at

Bangalore. India also conducted successful

test firing of the Trishul missile on the same

day.

A team of scientists from Harvard University

(United States) has created a unique bionic

leaf that uses sunlight (solar energy) to split

water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen

and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce

liquid fuels from CO2.

This artificial photosynthesis device has been

dubbed bionic leaf 2.0. The new system can

convert solar energy to biomass with 10%

efficiency. Its efficiency is much higher than

the 1% seen in the fastest growing plants.

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The International Union of Pure and Applied

Chemistry (IUPAC) has announced four

proposed names for the four new elements

that were added in periodic table in January

2016.

International Union of Pure and Applied

Chemistry (IUPAC): IUPAC is panel of

scientists that governs chemical research and

the admission of the new elements in the

periodic table. Under its rules, names of the

elements must reflect one of the physical

characteristics or chemical properties, a

place, a mineral, a scientist (living or dead),

or a mythological concept.

Atomic No Element Name Element Symbol

Facts:

113 Nihonium Nh: It was created by a group

of Japanese researchers. The element

incorporates word “Nihon” which means

Japan in Japanese.

115 Moscovium Mc: It has been named after

Russian capital Moscow.

117 Tennessine Ts: It has been named after

American state of Tennessee by American

researchers.

Indian scientist Susanta Lahiri also had

played an important role in discovering it. 118

Oganesson Og Named in honour of Russian

researcher Yuri Oganessian. It is only the

second element to be named after a living

scientist.

Poly-Metallic Sulphides (PMS):

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for

signing of 15 years contract for undertaking

exploration and other developmental

activities related to Poly-Metallic Sulphides

(PMS). The contract was approved between

the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences and the

International Seabed Authority (ISA).

Poly-Metallic Sulphides (PMS): PMS are

mineral deposit with three or more metals in

commercial quantities that may occur in

volcanogenic, magmatic or hydrothermal

environments. Deep seabed PMS mainly

contain iron, silver, gold, zinc, copper,

platinum in variable constitutions.

Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC)

Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) The NFC is a

major industrial unit of Department of Atomic

Energy (DAE), for the supply of nuclear fuel

bundles and reactor core components.

It was established in 1971 and has its

headquarters at Hyderabad, Telangana. It is

India’s unique nuclear facility where natural

and enriched uranium fuel, zirconium alloy

cladding and reactor core components are

manufactured under single roof.

B. OUTER SPACE

➢ For the first time, a team of scientists have discovered two complex organic molecules viz.

Ethyl alcohol and a simple sugar known as glycolaldehyde on a comet. These molecules

were discovered on Comet Lovejoy from gas emitted by a comet by scientists from NASA,

the Paris Observatory, and other organisations.

➢ Scientists have discovered a rare triple-star system named KELT-4Ab with a gas giant

planet similar in size to Jupiter.

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➢ Cepheid stars: These stars pulsate at rates that correspond to their true brightness. This can

be compared with their apparent brightness as seen from Earth in order to accurately

determine their distance.

➢ Type Ia supernovae: It is another commonly used cosmic yardstick. They are exploding

stars that flare with the same brightness and are brilliant enough to be seen from relatively

longer distances.

➢ Scientists from Iceland have discovered a new way to trap the greenhouse gas (GHG)

carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground by changing it into rock. The new way was

discovered by Scientists from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory as

part of a pilot program called CarbFix project. The pilot programme was launched in 2012 at

the Hellisheidi power plant- the world’s largest geothermal facility in Iceland.

➢ EINSTEIN RING:An international team of astrophysicists have discovered an unusual

astronomical object — an Einstein ring. This phenomenon was predicted by Einstein’s

theory of General Relativity and has been given its own name “The Canarias Einstein ring”.

In observational astronomy, an Einstein ring (Einstein-Chwolson ring) is the deformation

(distortion) of the light from a source (such as a star or galaxy) into a ring through

gravitational lensing of the source’s light by an object with an extremely large mass (such as

a black hole or another galaxy).

➢ Kepler spacecraft: Kepler was launched in March 2009 and was tasked with determining

how commonly, Earth-like planets occur throughout the Milky Way galaxy. Since its launch,

the mission has been incredibly successful and has led to finding of more than 1,000 alien

planets of which half are exoplanets to be ever discovered.

India’s Space Program

➢ ISRO has successfully placed communication satellite GSAT-6 into its intended

geosynchronous transfer orbit. It was launched by the indigenously built Geosynchronous

Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-D6 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

GSAT-6 satellite was carrying S-Band and C-Band transponders meant for public and

strategic purposes. The satellite has S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of 6 m diameter. This is the

largest antenna ever made by ISRO for a satellite. It has been collocated with other four

communication satellites INSAT-4A, IRNSS1C, GSAT 12 and GSAT 10. GSLV-D6 is three-

stage heavy weight rocket with indigenously made Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS). It is

fuelled by liquid Oxygen and liquid Hydrogen propellants. CUS provides rocket more thrust

for every kilogram of propellant it burns compared to earlier solid and earth-storable liquid

propellant rocket stages..

➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted hotbed test of

the indigenously developed high-thrust cryogenic engine (CE20) of the GSLV Mark 3

(LVM3) rocket for the upper stage. The long-duration test was conducted at ISRO

Propulsion Research Centre at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu and lasted for 640 seconds. It was

conducted with Mixture Ratio Controller (MRC) in a closed loop mode.

➢ Indigenously developed Communication satellite GSAT-15 of Indian Space Research

Organisation was successfully launched from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana. It

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was launched by Ariane-5 VA-227 rocket (launch vehicle) of Arianespace into a

Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) along with Arabsat-6B (BADR-7) satellite of Airbus

Defence and Space. About GSAT-15: GSAT-15 is a high power satellite being inducted into

the INSAT/GSAT communication satellite system and weighs around 3,164 kg. Carries a

total of 24 communication transponders in Ku-band along with GPS Aided GEO Augmented

Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands It is the 3rd satellite to carry

GAGAN payload after GSAT-8 and GSAT-10 which already are providing navigation

services from orbit.

➢ Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM): Mangalyaan is indigenously designed, built and launched by

ISRO in record period of less than two years in 450 crore rupees (73 million US dollars)

budget which is considered as cheapest inter-planetary mission till date to reach Mars. The

spacecraft has five instruments mounted on it for collecting scientific data of Mars

morphology, atmospheric processes, surface temperature, surface geology and atmospheric

escape process. These five instruments are Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP), Methane

Sensor for Mars (MSM), Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA), Thermal

Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) and Mars Colour Camera (MCC)

➢ ISRO has successfully placed six commercial satellites from Singapore in their dedicated

orbits. These satellites were launched using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C29) from

the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This

successful launch coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic

relations between India and Singapore in year 2015. Key facts: The PSLV-C29 was

launched in the core-alone version. It was overall PSLV’s 32nd space flight and the 31st

consecutively successful one. The major payload was TeLEOS-One remote sensing satellite

weighing 400 kg. It would be used for urban planning and disaster monitoring of Singapore.

The other five satellites included two micro satellites and one nano satellite. These satellites

are VELOX-CI (123 kg), VELOX-II (13 kg) 6U-Cubesat technology demonstrator, Athenoxat-

1, Kent Ridge-1 (78 kg) and Galassia (3.4 kg) 2U-Cubesat.

➢ India’s first dedicated satellite for astronomy research Astrosat has been successfully

launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. It was launched along with 6

foreign satellites by the ISRO’s work horse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C30 (PSLV-C30).

The first and third stages of PSLV-C30 launch were powered by solid fuel while the second

and fourth stages are powered by liquid fuel. Astrosat is India’s first dedicated multi-

wavelength space observatory.

➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scripted history by launching a record

number of 22 satellites in a single mission in May 2016. These satellites (micro and nano)

were launched using ISRO’s workhorse Polar rocket PSLV C34. It was carrying India’s

Cartosat 2C along with 21 other satellites from other countries, including US, Canada,

Indonesia and Germany as co-passengers. Earlier in 2008, ISRO had sent ten satellites into

orbit in a single mission.

➢ India will launch Indonesia’s second multi-spectral remote sensing satellite LAPAN A2/Orari.

➢ Asia’s largest and first of its kind optical telescope Aryabhatta Research Institute of

Observational Sciences (ARIES) was unveiled at Devasthal in Nainital District, Uttarakhand.

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Aries telescope was joint collaborative technological effort between Indian and Belgian

scientists.

➢ India’s first indigenous composites sonar dome, a ship’s underwater eyes and ears, was

dedicated to the nation and will be delivered to Mazgaon Docks, Mumbai for use in the

warships of Indian Navy. Sonaris an acronym for SOund Navigation And Ranging. It is a

technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater) to navigate, communicate with

or detect objects on or under the surface of the water, such as other vessels.

➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has installed the Gadanki Ionospheric

Radar Interferometer (GIRI) Radar System near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It was installed at

the National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), which is an autonomous research

institute of the Department of Space (DoS).

➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the country’s first solar

mission called Aditya-L1. Aditya-L1 satellite will be placed in an orbit about 15 lakh

kilometres from the earth in a halo orbit around the L1 Lagranian point. It will be launched by

using the PSLV XL. Its primary objective will be to study the solar corona and the

chromosphere in different wavebands, dynamic nature of the sun’s outer most layers, and

collect data about Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).

➢ Lagrangian points: They are the locations in space where the combined gravitational pull of

two large masses roughly balance each other. There are five such points in Sun-Earth

system and they are denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5. In this location, small mass remains

at constant distances relative to the large masses. Halo orbit: It is a periodic three-

dimensional (3D) orbit near the Lagrangian points L1, L2 or L3.

➢ Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working to establishment of a Satellite

Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility for ASEAN Member

countries in Vietnam.

➢ The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has decided to test an Air-breathing

Propulsion System after successful test of Reusable launch Vehicle- Technology

Demonstration (RLV-TD). The testing of air-breathing propulsion system aims to capitalize

on the oxygen in the atmosphere instead of liquefied oxygen while in flight. ISRO is evolving

and testing various technologies to bring down the cost of launch vehicles and the air-

breathing propulsion system is part of its new space endeavour.

➢ India has joined the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC), a

global ballistic missile proliferation regime.The HCoC is a voluntary, legally non-binding

international confidence building and transparency measure that seeks to prevent the

proliferation of ballistic missiles that are capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction

(WMD). It was established on 25 November 2002 as a result of international efforts to

regulate access to ballistic missiles which can potentially deliver WMDs

International Space Program

➢ Russia’s newest defence satellite dubbed as EKS Kosmos-2510 was successfully launched

into space and has been placed into its dedicated orbit. It was launched using Russian

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Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome which is a military facility in north-

western Russia.

➢ China’s first lunar rover, Yutu, has set the new record for the longest stay by a rover on the

lunar surface. With working on the Moon for almost two years it has surpassed previous

record of Soviet Union’s (USSR’s) 1970 launched rover Lunokhod 1, which had spent 11

months on the Moon.

➢ China has successfully launched Tianhui-1C, a third mapping satellite of the Tianhui-1 series

into its designated orbit.

➢ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched the

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Jason-3 Ocean-monitoring satellite. Jason-3 is the 4th

mission in the joint US-European series of satellite missions that measure the height of the

ocean surface.

➢ An unmanned spacecraft named ExoMars 2016 was successfully launched jointly Europe

and Russia to search for biosignatures on Mars (or Martian life) in past or present.ExoMars

2016: It consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and

landing demonstrator module. TGO’s sole purpose is to search (trace) evidence of methane

(CH4) and other atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or

geological processes on Mars. TGO has four suites of science instruments. They are ACS

(Atmospheric Chemistry Suite), FREND (Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector),

CaSSIS (Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System) and NOMAD (Nadir and Occultation for

MArs Discovery)

➢ IRNSS system is similar to other satellite navigation systems like US GPS (Global

Positioning System), Russia’s Glonass, Japan’s Quasi Zenith, Europe’s Galileo and China’s

Beidou.

➢ Japan has successfully launched ASTRO-H space observation satellite to probe mysterious

black holes.

➢ China has successfully launched its most sophisticated observation satellite Gaofen-4, as

part of the country’s high-definition (HD) earth observation Gaofen project. It was launched

aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the

southwestern province of Sichuan. Gaofen-4 is China’s first geosynchronous orbit high-

definition optical imaging satellite and world’s most sophisticated HD geosynchronous orbit

remote sensing satellite. It is located at the orbit 36,000 km away from the earth and moves

synchronously with the earth.

C. DEFENCE

❖ Indian Navy has commissioned INS Kochi, a Kolkata-class Guided Missile Destroyer in its

contingent to showcase India’s indigenous efforts in the field of underwater warfare.It has

been built at Mazagaon Docks (MDL), Mumbai and it is the 10th destroyer in India’s combat

fleet.

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❖ India’s first Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) was

commissioned in Kochi, Kerala. First of its kind system in the country is part of initiatives to

strengthen and beef up coastal security in the western coastline. IUHDSS has been

designed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Consists of advance sensors, coastal

surveillance radars and sound navigation and ranging systems (SONAR). Capable of

detecting, tracking, identifying and generating warning for all types of underwater and

surface threats to harbour security.

❖ Seychelles government allowed India to build its first Naval Base on the Assumption Island

in the Indian Ocean region (IOR) as a joint project between both countries. India’s first Naval

Base project has acquired significance following China acquiring its first African naval base

in Djibouti (near Horn of Africa) in November 2014.

❖ India’s first indigenously designed warship INS Godavari has been decommissioned after 32

years of service. INS Godavari was the first of the three in her Class of guided-missile

frigates and was commissioned into Indian Navy on 10 December 1983. The ship was

considered as a symbol of India’s growing military might and self-reliance. It was first of

three Godavari Class frigates, others being Ganga and Gomati.

❖ INS Vishwakarma, the erstwhile Shipwright School (SWS) and a premier training

establishment of the Indian Navy has been commissioned. INS Vishwakarma was

commissioned in keeping with the Navy’s thrust towards indigenisation and ‘Make in India’

initiative.

❖ Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette INS Kadmatt has been commission in the Indian

Navy by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan at naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

It is the second ship of Project 28 (P28) class ASW corvettes and is the latest ship after

Shivalik class, Kolkata class and INS Kamorta.

❖ India’s first indigenously built nuclear armed submarine INS Arihant has successfully passed

several deep sea diving drills as well as weapons launch tests. These successful tests

undertaken off Vishakhapatnam coast. INS Arihant’s design is based on the Russian Akula-

1 class submarine. It is a 6,000-tonne nuclear powered submarine and is 112 metre long.

❖ The Indian Navy has commissioned indigenously built highly manoeuvrable Fast Attack

Craft INS Tarmugli at the commissioning ceremony held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra

Pradesh.INS Tarmugli is indigenously conceived, designed and built by M/s Garden Reach

Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE). It is the first Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft

(WJFAC) and is an improved version of WJFAC, earlier constructed by GRSE.

❖ Nuclear capable submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLMB) code named K-4, was

successfully test fired from an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal.The K-4 is part of

the K-family of missiles, a series of SLBMs (Submarine-launched ballistic missile). The

series is named after former president and scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

❖ Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai,

Maharashtra. This is India’s first ever Maritime Summit and the flagship event organised by

Union Ministry of Shipping.The main focus of summit is to give impetus to Make In India and

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blue economy under the Union Government’s ambitious Sagarmala Project emphasising on

port-led development

❖ The Southern Command of the Indian Navy has inaugurated a naval detachment at Androth

Island of the Lakshadweep archipelago. The naval detachment seeks to strengthen maritime

security in and around Arabian Sea and enhance surveillance of crucial shipping lanes.

❖ The International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016, an international military exercise hosted and

conducted by Indian Navy was inaugurated in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Theme of

this edition on IFR is “United through Oceans” and its objective is to enhance mutual trust

and confidence with neighbouring navies by inviting their ships to participate in the event.

❖ Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of Union Government has given its

final approval to Kerala Government’s approval to set up India’s first Defence Industrial Park

at Ottappalam.

❖ Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the world’s

Highest Terrestrial Research Centre near Pengong Lake at Changla in Ladakh. The centre

dubbed as Extreme Altitude Research Centre is located at 17,600 feet above mean sea

level.

❖ An indigenously developed ( by BDL) second generation anti-tank guided missile, Amogha-I

was successfully test fired. It has maximum target range of 2.8 kms.

❖ Lakshya: It is remotely piloted high speed target drone system developed by Aeronautical

Development Establishment, a Bengaluru unit of DRDO in 1985.

❖ Indigenously developed by DRDO under Ballistic Missile Defence Programme, the

supersonic Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile was successfully test fired from

the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.

❖ Indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, Ashwin was

successfully test fired. The test was the twelfth test of interceptor missiles fired from a

warship in the Bay of Bengal. Of the 11 tests held earlier, 9 were successful.AAD interceptor

missile Ashwin is the advanced version of low altitude supersonic ballistic interceptor

missile.

❖ Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM):Co-developed by India and Israel was

successfully test-fired for the first time from an Israeli Naval Platform.LRSAM is also called

Barak 8 missile in Israel which in Hebrew language means lightning. Barak 8 is an

advanced, long-range missile defence and air defence system. Its main features are long

range, active radar seeker missile, vertical launch and multiple simultaneous engagements.

❖ The nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile was successfully test fired from warship

Subhadra, off the Puri coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal.The surface-to-surface missile is

a naval variant of Prithvi-II missile and can carry both conventional as well as a nuclear

payload of 500 kg.

❖ Nuclear capable surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile was successfully test-fired by the Indian

Army’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC).Agni-IV is a surface-to-surface missile and is

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capable of hitting a target at a distance of 4,000 km. The two-stage solid-propelled missile is

about 20 metres tall and weighs 17 tonnes. It is equipped with modern and advanced ring

laser gyro-based Inertial Navigation system (RINS).

❖ Indian Army has successfully test fired the Brahmos supersonic land attack cruise missile at

Pokhran in Jaisalmer District of Rajasthan.

❖ Indigenously-built surface-to-air Akash missile was successfully test fired from complex-3 of

the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipuri in Odisha.It has been indigenously developed

by DRDO under the Integrated Guided-Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). The

missile has supersonic speeds ranging from Mach 2.8 to 3.5. It has capability to carry

warhead of 60 kg. It can engage aerial targets up to a range of approximately 25 kms.

❖ The indigenously-built , by DRDO under IGMDP, third generation anti-tank missile Nag was

successfully test fired at Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. It is fire-and-forget anti-

tank missile. HeliNa is a helicopter-launched version of Nag missile. Operational range:

500m to 4km (Land version), 7-10km (Air-launched).

❖ India’s biggest ever land, naval and homeland security exhibition Defence Expo 2016 began

in Goa. This for the first time, the Expo is being held outside the national capital New

Delhi.The 2016 theme is “Rise of Futurism” and its vision is to make India prosperous by

establishing world class science and technology base in defence sector.DRDO will display

live demo of Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEWCS), Light Combat Aircraft

(LCA) Tejas, Main Battle Tank (MTB) Arjun, Wheeled Armoured Platform AKASH, Air

Defence System, Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher, state of art Radars, and other

equipment.

❖ A joint US-Australian military research team successfully tested a hypersonic technology in

the Australian desert.Hypersonic flight involves travelling at more than 5 times the speed of

sound (Mach 5). For this purpose, scientists working in the Hypersonic International Flight

Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) programme are developing an engine that can fly at

Mach 7 speed. HiFiRE programme consists of a scramjet engine attached to a rocket

booster. Scramjetis a supersonic combustion engine that uses oxygen from the atmosphere

for fuel. It is lighter and faster than fuel-carrying rockets and is suitable for flying at

hypersonic (Mach 5 and above) speed

❖ PRITHVI:-Indigenously developed short range nuclear capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface

missile was successfully test-fired from a test range at Chandipur in Odisha.

❖ Military Exercise

YUDH ABHYAS 2015 India-US Combined Military Training Exercise YUDH ABHYAS 2015 held from

9th September 2015 at Joint Base Lewis McChord in United States.

MALABAR trilateral

naval Exercise

India, Japan and United States (US) navies have kicked off 2016 MALABAR

trilateral naval Exercise near South China Sea. This year it is the 20th edition of

the naval exercise in which over 100 aircraft and 22 naval ships including a

nuclear submarine are participating.

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AUSINDEX15 Inaugural bilateral maritime exercise between India and Australia AUSINDEX15,

commenced off coast of Visakhapatnam. The inaugural biennial exercise began

with briefings and practical demonstrations ashore between Royal Australian

Navy and Indian Navy before moving to sea.

KUVERIN 2015 The sixth Indo-Maldives joint Training Exercise, KUVERIN 2015 has

commenced at Pangode Military Station in Thiruvananthapuram district of

Kerala.

MITRA SHAKTI 2015 India-Sri Lanka joint military training exercise MITRA SHAKTI 2015 held at

Aundh Military Station in Pune, Maharashtra. It is third edition of the joint training

exercise between both countries that seeks to build Military to Military co-

operation and interoperability.

SLINEX 2015 The fourth edition of Sri Lanka-India bilateral naval exercise SLINEX 2015

began off Trincomalee coast, Sri Lanka.

‘Shatrujeet’ The Indian Army conducted major battle exercise named as ‘Shatrujeet’ in the

Thar Desert of Rajasthan near to the border with Pakistan.

Surya Kiran IX The 9th edition of India-Nepal Combined Military Exercise Surya Kiran IX has

commenced at Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.

Hand-in-Hand series of

India-China Joint

Exercises

For the first time, border troops of India and China have held their first joint

tactical exercise codenamed Sino-India Cooperation 2016 in Chushul-Moldo in

Jammu and Kashmir. This exercise is complement to the Hand-in-Hand series

of India-China Joint Exercises and the recently conducted joint exercise in

Sikkim.

‘Nomadic Elephant –

2016’

The eleventh edition of India-Mongolia joint military training exercise ‘Nomadic

Elephant – 2016’ has commenced at Mongolia. It seeks to promote military

associations between India and Mongolia. The first joint exercise was held in

2004 and since then it is annually held.

‘Indra-2015’ The seventh edition India-Russia Joint Military exercise ‘Indra-2015’ has begun

in Bikaner District of Rajasthan. This edition of exercise is focusing on ‘Counter

Terrorism Operations in Desert Terrain under a United Nations Mandate’.

INDRA NAVY-15 The eighth edition of India-Russia joint naval exercise-INDRA NAVY-15 - in

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

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Cobra Gold 2016 For the first time, India has participated in the Cobra Gold 2016 multilateral

amphibious exercise hosted by Thailand after a 12 member Indian Army

delegation joined it.

Cobra Gold multilateral amphibious exercise is the largest Asia-Pacific military

exercise held annually in Thailand. It was first held in 1982 in order to improve

relations and coordination between the armed forces of Thailand and US in both

humanitarian and hostile military efforts

LAMITYE 2016 The 7th edition of India, Seychelles joint military exercise LAMITYE 2016 has

begun in Victoria, Seychelles. The fourteen day exercise has been conducted at

Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Victoria till February 28, 2016

Shakti-2016 India and France had their eight-day counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency

bilateral military exercise Shakti-2016 in Rajasthan.

‘Sahayog-Kaijin 2016’ The 15th edition of bilateral exercise by the Indian Coast Guard and its

Japanese counterpart titled ‘Sahayog-Kaijin 2016’ has begun off the coast of

Chennai, Tamil Nadu in the Bay of Bengal.

Garuda Shakti The fourth edition of the India-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise Garuda Shakti

has begun at Magelang in Indonesia. The 13 days (till 23 March) bilateral

exercise aims at (i) Building and promoting positive relations between the

Armies of India and Indonesia. (ii) Enhancing their abilities to undertake joint

tactical level operations in a counter insurgency environment under United

Nations Charter.

ORGANISATION/AGENCY/INSTITUTE/BODY

Food Safety and Standards Authority

of India (FSSAI)

FSSAI was established under the

Food Safety and Standards Act,

2006 and operates under aegis of

Union Ministry of Health & Family

Welfare.

FSSAI is a nodal statutory agency

responsible for protecting and promoting

public health in India through the

regulation and supervision of food safety.

Functions: FSSAI has been established to

lay down science based standards for

various food products in order ensure

availability of safe and wholesome food

for human consumption. It also regulates

the manufacture, storage, distribution,

sale and import of food products for

human consumption.

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Law Commission of India (LCI)

The LCI is a non-statutory and

non-constitutional body

constituted by the Union

Government from time to time.

The first commission was constituted in

1955 and since then various commissions

were re-constituted every three years. It is

usually headed by a retired Supreme

Court judge or former Chief Justice of a

High Court.

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)

NADA was set up as a registered

society under the Societies

Registration Act of 1890, in

November 2005, with a mandate

for dope free sports in India.

It functions under the aegis of

Union Ministry of Youth Affairs

and Sports.

It is national organisation responsible for

promoting, coordinating, and monitoring

doping control programme in sports in all

its forms.

The primary objectives of NADA are:

Implement anti-doping rules as per World

Anti-Doping Code, Regulate dope control

programme, Promote education and

research and Create awareness about

doping and its ill effects.

Union Public Service Commission

(UPSC)

UPSC is a constitutional body

which conducts the prestigious

civil services examination to

select IAS, IFS and IPS officers

among others.

It has been established under Article 315

of the Constitution and consists of a

Chairman and ten Members; appointed

and removed by the President.

The Chairman and Members of the

Commission hold office for a term of six

years or until they attain the age of 65

years, whichever is earlier.

National Monuments Authority (NMA)

NAM is quasi-judicial body that

functions under the aegis of Union

Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

It has headquarter in New Delhi.

It is empowered to make

recommendations to Union Government

for grading and classifying centrally

protected monuments and protected

areas declared as being of national

importance.

National Investment and Infrastructure

Fund (NIIF)

The NIIF has been established by

Union Government as a Category

II Alternate Investment Funds

(AIF) as per the regulations of the

Securities and Exchange Board of

The objective of NIIF is to maximize

economic growth of the country mainly

through infrastructure development in

commercially viable projects (both

greenfield and brownfield), including

stalled projects.

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India (SEBI).

G 20[Members: Brazil, China, Russia,

India, South Africa, Australia, Argentina,

Canada, France, Indonesia, Germany,

Italy, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia,

Turkey, South Korea, United Kingdom

(UK), United States (US) and European

Union (EU).]

India is going to chair Group of

Twenty (G20) nations forum in

year 2018 and New Delhi could

be the host of the prestigious

annual G20 summit.

Established: in 1999 as a meeting

of Finance Ministers and Central

Bank Governors on member

countries in the aftermath of the

1997 Asian financial crisis.

Group of Twenty (G20) G20 is the premier

forum (It is not an organisation) for global

economic and financial cooperation. Being

a forum it does not have any permanent

secretariat or management and

administrative structure.

The forum brings together 20 nations that

represent world’s major advanced and

emerging economies, representing around

85 per cent of global GDP. Presidency of

the G20: Every year one nation holds the

chair of G20 known as Presidency which

rotates annually among its member

groups. The presidency establishes a

temporary secretariat for the duration till it

holds the Chair.

Women-20(W-20)

It has hosted its first summit in

October 2015 in Istanbul after all

member countries appoint their

respective nominees.

Gulden Turktan from Turkey has

been appointed as the first

President W20 forum

Group of Twenty (G-20), a forum of

world’s 20 largest economies, including

India launched Women-20 (W20), an

engagement grouping of women leaders

in order to push for gender inclusive

global economic growth. It was launched

in the on-going G-20 Summit of Finance

Ministers and Central Bank Governors in

Ankara under the Turkish Presidency.

G-4

G-4 countries viz. Brazil,

Germany, India and Japan have

issued a Joint Statement on

United Nations Security Council

Reforms (UNSC).

G-4 leaders in meeting stressed on more

legitimate, representative and effective

UNSC reforms to address the global

conflicts and crises which have spiralled in

recent years.

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Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

NSG is a multinational body

concerned with reducing nuclear

proliferation by controlling the

export and re-transfer of materials

that may be used for development

of nuclear weapons.

It was set up in 1974 as a reaction to

India’s first successful nuclear tests (code

name: Smiling Buddha; conducted on 18

May 1974) to stop so called misuse of

nuclear material meant for peaceful

purposes.

Currently NSG has 48 members.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Headquarter: Manila, Philippines

It is owned by 67 members – 48 from the

region including India. It is dedicated to

reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific

through inclusive economic growth,

environmentally sustainable growth, and

regional integration.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Long-pending 2010 Quota and

Governance Reforms have finally

become effective. These

proposed reforms are the biggest

change in the governance of the

IMF (lender of last resort) since it

was established after World War

II in 1945 after the Bretton Woods

Conference.

Key facts: Gives boost the representation

of emerging economies like India, China,

Brazil, Russia and increases their power

and greater say in IMF.

The doubling of quotas means that the

shares (roles) of advanced European and

Gulf countries have been reduced and

that of emerging nations particularly China

have been increased.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC)

Headquarters: Geneva,

Switzerland. Established: In 1988

by the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP)

and the World Meteorological

Organisation (WMO).

IPCC is the leading international body for

the assessment of climate change.

Members: Open to all member countries

of UN and WMO. Currently 195 countries

are its members.

TRAFFIC:

➢ Founded in 1976, Cambridge, U K.

➢ It is a Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network.

➢ It is a global network,research-driven and action-oriented,committed to delivering innovative

and practical solutions to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the

conservation of nature.

➢ Is a joint programme ofWorld Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)and IUCN(the World

Conservation Union )

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➢ Also works in close co-operation with the Secretariat of CITES.

WWF FOR NATURE (WWF):

➢ An international NGO, Founded in 1961.

➢ It is the world's largest conservation organisation ,working on issues regarding conservation,

research and restoration of the environment.

➢ Mission is "to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future

in which humans live in harmony with nature."

United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)

➢ Was established by ECOSOC in 2000

➢ Objective –“to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all

types of forests and to strengthen long term political commitment to this end”

➢ Based on Rio Declaration, Forest Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21

➢ Membership – Universal

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SCHEMES

Digital Saksharta

Abhiyan (DISHA):

The Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (DISHA) mission was launched on 21 August 2014

that envisages providing digital literacy to non IT literate citizens. The scheme

imparts IT training to 52.5 lakh persons that include Anganwadi and ASHA

workers and authorised ration dealers in all the States/UTs across the country.

Suraksha Bandhan

drive

Union Government has launched Suraksha Bandhan drive in a Mission Mode

through participating insurance companies and banks. The drive aims at taking

forward Union Government’s objective of creating a universal social security

system in the country, especially for the poor and the under-privileged sections.

‘SAMANVAY’ web

portal

Union Ministry of Rural Development has launched ‘SAMANVAY’ web portal to

monitor progress and implementation of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

(SAGY) for development of Gram Panchayats. SAMANVAY web portal consist a

compilation of all Government schemes of both Central and State governments

for Gram Panchayats.

Pratyaksha Hastaantarit

Laabh (PAHAL)

Union Government’s ambitious Pratyaksha Hastaantarit Laabh (PAHAL) scheme

has been acknowledged as the world’s largest cash transfer programme

(households) by the Guinness Book of World Records. Pratyaksha Hastaantarit

Laabh (PAHAL) scheme The scheme was formally launched as Direct Benefit

Transfer Scheme for LPG subsidy in 2013 in 291 districts under the aegis of

Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Three gold related

schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched three gold related schemes viz. Gold

Monetization Scheme (GMS), Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme (SGBS) and Indian

Gold Coins (IGC). These ambitious schemes were launched to reduce the

physical demand for gold and fish out 20,000 tonnes of the precious metal lying

idle with households and institutions.

APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut

Yojana

Maharashtra Government has approved APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojana scheme

to provide one full hot cooked nutritious food to pregnant, lactating women in the

tribal areas.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal

Bima Yojana

Farmers will pay uniform premium of 2 per cent for all Kharif crops and 1.5

percent for all Rabi crops. In case of annual horticultural and commercial crops,

farmers will pay 5 per cent premium. These premium rates are very low.

Government will pay balance premium to provide full insured amount to the

farmers against crop loss on account of natural calamities.

Government subsidy: There will be no upper limit subsidy given by Government

even if balance premium is 90 percent.

Capping the Premium: The provision of capping the premium rate has been

removed and farmers will get claim against full sum insured without any reduction.

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e-Vahan Bima Scheme Telangana Government has launched e-Vahan Bima Scheme to issue motor

insurance policy in digital form.

Ujwal DISCOM

Assurance Yojana

(UDAY)

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its nod Ujwal

DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) for financial restructuring of debt of power

distribution companies. The Scheme aims for financial turnaround and revival of

Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs) and also ensures a sustainable

permanent solution to the problem.

Mahila E-HAAT Mahila E-HAAT is an online marketing platform to facilitate women entrepreneurs

to sell their products to buyers. It is an initiative mainly for women across the

country and is part of Union Government’s flagship ‘Digital India’ and ‘Stand Up

India’ initiatives. Objective: To strengthen the financial inclusion of women

entrepreneurs by providing continued support to their creativity. Joint initiative of

Union Women and Child Development Ministry and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh

(RMK) for meeting the needs of women entrepreneurs.

National Rurban

Mission (NRM)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Rurban Mission (NRM) from

Kurubhat in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh.

National Rurban Mission (NRM)

Twin objectives: (i) Strengthening of rural areas and de-burdening the urban

areas. (ii) Balanced regional development and growth of the country by

simultaneously benefiting the rural as well as urban areas of the country.

Fourteen components: Optimum level of development components include (a)

Skill development training (b)Agro Processing/Agri Storage/ Services and

Warehousing (c) Sanitation (d) Digital Literacy (e) Solid and liquid waste

management (f) Provision of piped water supply (g) Village streets and drains (h)

Street lights (i) Upgrading school/higher education facilities (j) fully equipped

mobile health unit (k) Service Centres for electronic delivery of citizen centric

services/e-gram connectivity (l) Public transport (m) Inter-village road connectivity

(n) LPG gas connections.

‘sikkim.data.gov.in’ Sikkim became the first state in India to have an open government data portal

linked ‘sikkim.data.gov.in’.

Project Sunrise Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda has launched Project

Sunrise on for prevention of AIDS especially among people injecting drugs in the

eight North-Eastern states. The AIDS prevention special project aims to diagnose

90 per cent of such drug addicts with HIV and put them under treatment by 2020.

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Sugamya Bharat

Abhiyan (Accessible

India Campaign)

Union Government has launched Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India

Campaign), a nationwide campaign in a bid to achieve universal accessibility to

persons with disabilities.

Target set by the campaign: Envisages making all railway stations of A1, A & B

categories and the international airports in the country fully accessible to the

disabled by July 2016.

JANANI-SEWA The Union Ministry of Railways launched three passenger service initiatives viz. a

Janani Sewa for mothers, optional catering in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains on a

pilot basis and a children’s menu on trains.

Janani Sewa: Under this scheme hot milk, hot water and baby food will be

available at railway stations. Initially on pilot basis this scheme will be available at

25 railway stations including New Delhi, Howrah, Mumbai, Chennai, Surat and

Lucknow.

web-based portal

www.vidyalakshmi.co.in

Government launched a web-based portal www.vidyalakshmi.co.in for the

students seeking educational loans. In order to ensure that no student misses out

on higher education due to lack of funds, Finance Minister in the Union Budget for

2015-16 had proposed to set up a fully IT-based Student Financial Aid Authority.

In line with this proposal this portal was launched with an aim to administer and

monitor scholarship as well as educational loan schemes under the Pradhan

Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram (PMVLK). The launch of this portal also aims to

bring all banks providing educational loans under one roof.

SEHAT Union Government has launched a telemedicine initiative dubbed as Sehat to

provide quality and affordable healthcare facilities in rural areas in collaboration

with Apollo Hospitals. Under the Sehat initiative people will be able to consult

doctors through video link i.e. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and also order

generic drugs.

multilingual knowledge

portal

www.bharatvani.in

The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has launched the

multilingual knowledge portal www.bharatvani.in

Bharatavani is the largest online repository of dictionaries in India consisting more

than 130 dictionaries, glossaries and terminology books. It will ensure

universalization of education and also towards creation of a knowledge society in

the digital age.

Swadesh Darshan Key facts Ramayana Circuit: Under it 11 tourist destinations spread across six

states have been proposed. The covered destinations are: Uttar Pradesh:

Ayodhya, Shringhverpur Nandigram and Chitrakoot (ii) Bihar: Sitamarhi, Buxar

and Darbhanga (iii) Telangana: Bhadrachalam (iv) Chattisgarh: Jagdalpur (v)

Karnataka: Hampi (vi) Tamil Nadu: Besides expert committee has suggested to

include Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Mahendragiri (Odisha), Nagpur and Nashik

(Maharashtra) in the proposed circuit. Krishna Circuit: Under it 12 destinations

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spread across 5 states have been proposed. The destinations covered are: (i)

Gujarat: Dwarka (ii) Rajasthan: Nathdwara, Jaipur and Sikar (iii) Uttar Pradesh:

Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Gokul, Nandgaon and Govardhan (iv) Odisha:

AboutSwadesh Darshan Scheme:

The Union Ministry of Tourism had launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in

2014-15 with an aim to develop theme based tourist circuits in the country. These

tourist circuits will be developed on the principles of high tourist value,

competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner. They will be

developed by synergizing efforts to focus on concerns and needs of all

stakeholders to enrich tourist experience and enhance employment opportunities.

Under this scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development.

They are Buddhist Circuit, North-East India Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Himalayan

Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Tribal Circuit,

Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.

Surya Mitra mobile App The Union Ministry of Power has launched Surya Mitra mobile App to serve

customers in the field of renewable energy. The App will serve customers at their

doorsteps with quality installation, repair, and Observations and Measurements

(O&M) in the field of renewable energy. The App has been developed by National

Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institution of Union Ministry of

New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).

‘Internet Saathi’

programme

The Indian unit of search giant Google Inc. and Tata Trusts have jointly launched

‘Internet Saathi’ programme in Purulia district of West Bengal. The initiative has

been launched as part of Google’s ‘Helping Women Get Online’ campaign, in

order to create awareness about the benefits of Internet among women in rural

India.

Global Initiative of

Academic Networks

(GIAN) Scheme

Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has launched Global

Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) Scheme to boost the quality of higher

education in India GIAN Scheme aims at improving the quality of higher education

in the country through international collaboration.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij

Kshetra Kalyan Yojana

(PMKKKY)

Union Government has launched the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan

Yojana (PMKKKY) for the welfare of people affected by mining related operations.

The new scheme is meant to provide for the welfare of people and areas affected

by mining related operations by using the funds collected by District Mineral

Foundations (DMFs).

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Ganga Gram Yojana The Union Government has launched Ganga Gram Yojana to develop 1600

villages in Uttar Pradesh (UP) situated along the banks of Ganga River. Under

this programme, these selected villages will be developed under the Sichewal

model (Village in Punjab) which is based on cooperation of the villagers for water

management and waste disposal. Union Ministry of Water Resources, River

Development and Ganga Rejuvenation also deployed the first company of Ganga

Task Force Battalion to fast track implementation of Namami Gange Programme.

‘Gram Uday Se Bharat

Uday Abhiyan’ (Village

Self Governance

Campaign)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan’

(Village Self Governance Campaign) to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and

ensure social harmony in villages. It was launched on the occasion of 125th birth

anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at his birthplace at Mhow, Madhya

Pradesh.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala

Yojana (PMUY)

The Union Government launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for

providing free of cost LPG (cooking gas) connections to women from BPL

Households. It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Maldepur

Morh, Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. The tagline for the scheme is Swachh Indhan,

Behtar Jeevan. Key facts Under PMUY, each of the beneficiaries will receive

monetary support of about 1,600 rupees to get a connection of cooking gas. It

includes administrative cost, pressure regulator booklet and safety hose. The

scheme seeks to empower women and protect their health by shifting them from

traditional cooking based on unclean cooking fuels or on fossil fuels to clean

cooking gas. It is being implemented by Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural

Gas. It is for the first time this Ministry is implementing a welfare scheme. The

identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the State

Governments and the Union Territories. It will be implemented over three years’

time frame namely in the FY 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19.

NOTE: Only those Schemes which were not covered in first uploaded file are mentioned

here.

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PERSONALITY

Ustad Ali Ahmad

Hussain Khan

Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan was famously known for his innovative style and mastery

over the classical and semi-classical and folk music repertoire. He had played Shehnai at

the inauguration ceremony of Doordarshan television channel in 1973 with Pandit Ravi

Shankar and also had rendered its signature tune.

Srinivasa

Ramanujan

Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22nd December, 1887 in Erode district of Tamil Nadu.

He was considered as doyen of number theory, infinite series, mathematical analysis,

and making formulas and equations without any formal training in pure mathematics.

Dr B R

Ambedkar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released 2 commemorative coins on Dr B R

Ambedkar as part of the 125th birth anniversary year celebrations of the

architecture of Indian Constitution.

The coins are of 10 rupee and 125 rupee denomination and were issued on the

60th Mahaparinirvan Divas of Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The ‘Constitution Day’ of India is being observed on 26th November to spread

awareness of Indian Constitution and its architect Dr. B R Ambedkar.

2015 Constitution Day is the first edition of this day and part of year-long

nationwide celebrations of 125th birth Anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar,

Chairman of the Drafting Committee of Constituent Assembly.

Rani Gaidinliu Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 August 2015 inaugurated birth centenary

celebrations of freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu. On this occasion he launched

commemorative coin of 100 rupees and circulation coin of 5 rupees of Rani Gaidinliu to

mark her birth centenary celebrations.

About Rani Gaidinliu: Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga political and spiritual leader who had led

a revolt against British colonial rule in India. Her political struggle in present North east

India was based on Gandhian principles of Satyagraha, non-violence, self-reliance. She

had also played an important role in India’s wider freedom movement by spreading the

message of Gandhi ji in Manipur region.

Lala Lajpat Rai 150th birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai, also known as Punjab

Kesri is being celebrated 28th January 2016.

Lala Lajpat Rai He was born on 28 January 1865 in Dhudike (now Moga District) of

Punjab. He was a lawyer by profession and had practiced his legal profession for few

years but later curtailed it to focus all his efforts on the freedom struggle. He was

popularly known as Punjab Kesari meaning The Lion of Punjab and also known as Sher-

E- Punjab in Punjabi for his contribution to the freedom movement.

Freedom Movement: He was part of the Lal Bal Pal trio of assertive nationalists that

included Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal from 1905 to 1918.

Lal Bal Pal trio had advocated the Swadeshi movement involving the boycott of all

imported items and the use of Indian-made goods in 1907 during the anti-Partition

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agitation in Bengal which began in 1905. He was also associated with the foundation of

Punjab National Bank in 1895 and later Lakshmi Insurance Company.

President of INC: In 1888 and 1889 he was a delegate to the annual sessions of Indian

National Congress (INC) and was elected as its President in the Calcutta Special Session

of 1920.

Social Work: In 1921, he had founded Servants of the People Society, a non-profit

welfare organisation, in Lahore, which shifted its base to Delhi after partition, and has

branches in many parts of India.

Arya Samaj: He also had helped to establish the nationalistic Dayanand Anglo-Vedic

School and became a follower of Dayanand Saraswati (founder of the Arya Samaj).

His books: As an author he had written many books which includes The Story of My

Deportation (1908), Arya Samaj (1915), The United States of America: A Hindu’s

Impression (1916), Unhappy India (1928) etc.

Death: He died on 17 November 1928 after sustaining serious injuries in lathi charge

carried by the police when he leading a non-violent protest against the Simon

Commission.

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AWARDS/RANKING/ACHIEVMENTS

Rajiv Gandhi Khel

Ratna Award

President Pranab Mukherjee presented Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award to Sania

Mirza– In recognition of her outstanding achievements in game of Tennis. Presently

she is ranked no 1 women’s player in Women’s Double category.

Most attractive

travel hotspot in

the world

India’s historic Mughal mausoleum Taj Mahal has been ranked fifth position in the

prestigious list of most attractive travel hotspots in the world. It was revealed in the

recently released Ultimate Travelist of Lonely Planet which has described the

monument as a magnificent Mughal masterpiece.

Top Four travel hotspot in the world:

The Temples of Angkor: It was placed at first position in the list. These temples are

UNESCO World Heritage site located in northern Cambodia. It has more than 1,000

temples, shrines and tombs which attracts more than 2 million tourists annually. The

Great Barrier Reef: A UNESCO World Heritage located in Australia is placed at

number two position.

Inca city of Machu Picchu: It was placed at third position. It is also UNESCO World

Heritage site, located in Peru.

Great Wall of China: It was placed at fourth position in the list. It is also a UNESCO

World Heritage site, located in China.

AWARD: Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical

mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most

amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and

ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.

The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper

Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

2015 UNESCO

Fellini Medal

Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali and Bengali film Cinemawala are among the

twelve films shortlisted for prestigious 2015 UNESCO Fellini Medal.

UNESCO prize

‘Award of

Excellence’ 2015

India has won the UNESCO prize ‘Award of Excellence’ 2015 for the conservation

efforts of the Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala. The top award was given in

the Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Sahitya Akademi

Award

Sahitya Akademi Award is conferred on writers of outstanding works in one of the

twenty-four major Indian languages (22 Scheduled Languages+ English and

Rajasthani). 24 major Indian languages are: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri,

English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri,

Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu,

and Urdu.

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Krishi Karman

Award

Madhya Pradesh has been conferred the Union Government’s prestigious Krishi

Karman Award in maximum food grains production category for year 2014-15 for the

4th consecutive year.

Other Awardees

Haryana, Assam: Rice.

Rajasthan: Wheat.

Chhattisgarh: Pulses.

West Bengal: Oil Seeds

Skoch Order-of-

Merit national

award

Haryana Government has won the Skoch Order-of-Merit national award for

implementing six e-Governance and IT initiatives in the state.

Golden Beaver

Best Film Award

‘‘Nagaland is changing, But…’ film has won the Golden Beaver Best Film Award in

the institutional category at the 6th National Science Film Festival held in Mumbai.

Ranking/Achievements

India has been placed at 55th position on 2015 Global Competitiveness Index of the world’s

most competitive economies. It was published in Global Competitiveness Report of World

Economic Forum (WEF) which has assessed total 140 countries.

India has emerged as the world’s largest cotton producer in the season ending in September

30, 2015 by surpassing China.

As per latest report published by credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings, Maharashtra is the

biggest economy among the states in India. Maharashtra accounts for 16.87 lakh crore

rupees in terms of gross state domestic product (GSDP) and is followed by Tamil Nadu and

Uttar Pradesh.

Telangana has become the first state in the country to introduce compulsory gender

education at the graduate level. In this regard, state government has introduced bilingual

textbook titled ‘Towards a World of Equals’ on a pilot basis in engineering colleges.

Kerala has become the first Indian state to achieve 100 per cent primary education.

Kerala Tourism’s campaign titled ‘New Worlds’ has won the prestigious ‘Golden City Gate

Award’ at the at the Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016.

Haryana is set become the first state in the country to complete aquifer mapping for its

groundwater resources by May 2016. Aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing rock

from which groundwater can be extracted. Key facts about Aquifer mapping: It is scientific

mapping of aquifers to assess the groundwater situation. Objective: To prepare

management plans in consultation with stakeholders and state governments to take

measures to replenish the declining groundwater. Nodal Agency: This aquifer mapping is

undertaken by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) on the scale of 1:50,000 in 3D.

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Technology: For this purpose, CGWB is using advanced technologies like heli-borne

geophysical surveys and sophisticated software for preparing management plans.

Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to have a State Data Centre (SDC),

designed using green data centre concept. It was launched by Chief Minister Virbhadra

Singh in Shimla.

Key Facts: The SDC will offer 101 people-oriented services online through an integrated

data base. It would integrate the websites of various departments and all services can be

accessed through the integrated data base.

Sikkim has formally become India’s first fully organic state after it successfully implemented

organic farming practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.

Mysuru city from Karnataka has been ranked first in terms of cleanliness for second time in

row among the 73 surveyed cities in Swachh Sarvekshan 2016.The rankings of the Swachh

Survekshan Survey 2016 were conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI) as part of

‘Swachh Bharat Mission’.

India has overtaken Thailand as the world’s largest rice exporter in the year 2015 by

shipping (exporting) 10.23 million tonnes of rice.