Table of Contents...(PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 (Relevant for GS ... stickers as proof of compliance with Government requirements; or commits fraud

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Table of Contents

Polity & Governance ..................................................................................... 1

1. Cabinet approves the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation)

Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ............................................................ 1

2. Cabinet approves Establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (Relevant for

GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ..................................................................................................... 2

3. Cabinet approves the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018 (Relevant for

GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ..................................................................................................... 3

4. Cabinet approves the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Division

of High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ......... 5

5. Centre Constitutes Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains

Paper II) .......................................................................................................................................... 7

6. Executive Committee under POSHAN (PM s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment)

Abhiyaan held its first meeting (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ........................ 8

7. NITI Aayog releases Baseline Ranking of Aspirational Districts (Relevant for GS prelims,

GS Mains Paper II) ......................................................................................................................... 9

8. Cabinet approves certain official amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC)

Bill (Relevant for GS prelims, GS mains Paper II) ..................................................................... 10

Economics ..................................................................................................... 12

1. Cabinet approves Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS

Mains Paper II and III) ................................................................................................................ 12

2. Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2018 passed by Parliament (Relevant for GS

prelims, GS Mains Paper III) ............................................................................................................ 13

3. SARAS Aajeevika Mela (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper III) .................................... 14

4. India s Contribution to World s GDP (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains paper III) ............ 15

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Social Issues .......................................................................................... 16

1. Survey on Higher Education (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I) ............................. 16

Miscellaneous .............................................................................................. 17

1. Second India-Korea Business Summit Held Today (Relevant for GS prelims) ...................... 17

2. Cabinet approves continuation of Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme

(PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 (Relevant for GS

Prelims) ......................................................................................................................................... 17

3. Inauguration 1st Mega Food Park in Maharashtra at Satara on 01.03.2018 (Relevant for

GS Prelims) ......................................................................................................................................... 18

4. Government announces launch of SUVIDHA – Rs. 2.50, 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary

Napkin – under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) (Relevant

for GS Prelims) ................................................................................................................................... 18

5. Udyam Sakhi Portal Launched for Women Entrepreneurs (Relevant for GS Prelims) ......... 18

6. Key initiatives for Digital literacy and Education (Relevant for GS Prelims) ....................... 19

7. Central Fraud Registry (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...................................................................... 20

8. Multilateral air Exercise Samvedna (Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................................ 20

9. National Testing Agency to conduct entrance examinations for Higher Education

Institutions (Relevance for GS Prelims) ........................................................................................ 21

10. Atal Bhujal Yojana (Relevant for GS Prelims) .............................................................................. 21

11. Initiatives for digitalization of education (Relevant for GS prelims) ...................................... 22

12. LaQshya program (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................................................... 23

13. Proposal for Nuclear Power Plants in States (Relevant for GS prelims) ................................. 23

14. Krishi Unnati Mela (Relevant for GS Prelims) .............................................................................. 24

15. Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (Relevant for GS prelims) ..................................................................... 25

16. NITI Aayog to Release SATH-E Roadmaps (Relevant for GS Prelims) ..................................... 25








17. ASI has identified 100 monuments as Adarsh Smarak for upgradation of existing tourist

facilities/amenities (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................................................. 26

18. NITI Aayog Released SATH-Education Roadmaps 2018-2020 (Relevant for GS Prelims) ... 26

19. Poet Kedarnath Singh dead (Relevant for GS Prelims) .............................................................. 27

20. National Cultural Audiovisual Archives (NCAA) becomes the World s First Trusted Digital

Repository (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................................................................ 27

21. Cabinet approves North-East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) 2017 (Relevant for

GS Prelims) ......................................................................................................................................... 28

22. Cabinet approves closure of India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (Relevant

for GS Prelims) ................................................................................................................................... 30

23. 36 sites from India inscribed on World Heritage List (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................. 30

24. 31.20 crore accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) with

aggregate deposit balances Rs. 75,572.09 crore as on 28.2.2018. (Relevant for GS Prelims)

.............................................................................................................................................................. 31

25. First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 Words Launched (Relevant for GS

prelims) ............................................................................................................................................... 31

26. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima

Yojana (PMSBY) (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................................................................................. 32

27. National Conference on Down Syndrome held (Relevant for GS prelims) ........................... 32

28. E-Tribes India (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...................................................................................... 33

29. Location of coal mines and coal repositories (Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................ 34

30. Skill India joins hands with Ministry of Power to support household electrification scheme

Saubhagya (Relevant for GS Prelims).......................................................................................... 35

31. High Speed Rail Corridors (Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................................................. 36

32. Setting up of National Academic Depository (NAD) for Digitalization of School Records

(Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................................................................................................ 36

33. Cabinet approves continuation of the Credit Guarantee Fund for Education Loans Scheme

and continuation and modification of Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme (Relevant

for GS Prelims) ................................................................................................................................... 37

34. Rajasthan s first mega food park in Ajmer (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................................... 38






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Polity and Governance 1. Cabinet approves the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Union Cabinet has approved the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 for introduction in the Parliament. The objective of the bill is to address the issue of trafficking from the point of view of prevention, rescue and rehabilitation. The Bill broadly has the following features: 1. The bill includes all the aggravated forms of trafficking, which includes trafficking for the purpose of forced labour, begging, trafficking by administering chemical substance or hormones on a person for the purpose of early sexual maturity, trafficking of a woman or child for the purpose of marriage or under the pretext of marriage or after marriage etc. 2. Punishment for promoting or facilitating trafficking of person which includes producing, printing, issuing or distributing unissued, tampered or fake certificates, registration or stickers as proof of compliance with Government requirements; or commits fraud for procuring or facilitating the acquisition of clearances and necessary documents from Government agencies. 3. The confidentiality of victims/ witnesses and complainants by not disclosing their identity. Further the confidentiality of the victims is maintained by recording their statement through video conferencing (this also helps in trans-border and inter-State crimes). 4. Time bound trial and repatriation of the victims - within a period of one year from taking into cognizance. 5. Immediate protection of rescued victims and their rehabilitation. The Victims are entitled to interim relief immediately within 30 days to address their physical, mental trauma etc. and further appropriate relief within 60 days from the date of filing of charge sheet. 6. Rehabilitation of the victim which is not contingent upon criminal proceedings being initiated against the accused or the outcome thereof. 7. Rehabilitation Fund created for the first time. To be used for the physical, psychological and social well-being of the victim including education, skill development, health care/psychological support, legal aid, safe accommodation, etc. 8. Designated courts in each district for the speedy trial of the cases.






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9. The Bill creates dedicated institutional mechanisms at District, State and Central Level. These will be responsible for prevention, protection, investigation and rehabilitation work related to trafficking. National Investigation Agency (NIA) will perform the tasks of Anti-Trafficking Bureau at the national level present under the MHA. 10. Punishment ranges from rigorous minimum 10 years to life and fine not less than Rs. 1 lakh. 11. In order to break the organized nexus, both at the national and international level, the Bill provides for the attachment & forfeiture of property and also the proceeds for crime. 12. The Bill comprehensively addresses the transnational nature of the crime. The National Anti-Trafficking Bureau will perform the functions of international coordination with authorities in foreign countries and international organizations; international assistance in investigation; facilitate inter-State and trans-border transfer of evidence and materials, witnesses and others for expediting prosecution; facilitate inter-state and international video conferencing in judicial proceedings etc. Background: Trafficking in human beings is the third largest organized crime violating basic human rights. There is.no specific law so far to deal with this crime. Accordingly, the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 has been prepared. The Bill addresses one of the most pervasive yet invisible crimes affecting the most vulnerable persons especially women and children. The new law will make India a leader among South Asian countries to combat trafficking. Trafficking is a global concern also affecting a number of South Asian nations. Amongst them, India is now a pioneer in formulating a comprehensive legislation. UNODC and SAARC nations are looking forward to India to take lead by enacting this law. The Bill has been prepared in consultation with line Ministries, Departments, State Governments, NGOs and domain experts. A large number of suggestions received by the Ministry of WCD in hundreds of petitions have been incorporated in the Bill. The Draft Bill discussed in regional consultations held in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bombay with various stakeholders including over 60 NGOs. (Adapted from PIB)

2. Cabinet approves Establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) and creation of one post of Chairperson, three posts of full-time Members and one post of Secretary for NFRA.






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The decision aims at establishment of NFRA as an independent regulator for the auditing profession which is one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act, 2013. The inclusion of the provision in the Act was on the specific recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance (in its 21st report). Impact: The decision is expected to result in improved foreign/domestic investments, enhancement of economic growth, supporting the globalisation of business by meeting international practices, and assist in further development of audit profession. Jurisdiction: The jurisdiction of NFRA for investigation of Chartered Accountants and their firms under section 132 of the Act would extend to listed companies and large unlisted public companies, the thresholds for which shall be prescribed in the Rules. The Central Government can also refer such other entities for investigation where public interest would be involved. The inherent regulatory role of ICAI as provided for in the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 shall continue in respect of its members in general and specifically with respect to audits pertaining to private limited companies, and public unlisted companies below the threshold limit to be notified in the rules. The Quality Review Board (QRB) will also continue quality audit in respect of private limited companies, public unlisted companies below prescribed threshold and also with respect to audit of those companies that may be delegated to QRB by NFRA. Further, ICAI shall continue to play its advisory role with respect to accounting and auditing standards and policies by making its recommendations to NFRA. Background: The need for establishing NFRA has arisen on account of the need felt across various jurisdictions in the world, in the wake of accounting scams, to establish independent regulators, independent from those it regulates, for enforcement of auditing standards and ensuring the quality of audits to strengthen the independence of audit firms, quality of audits and, therefore, enhance investor and public confidence in financial disclosures of companies. (Adapted from PIB) 3. Cabinet approves the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Union Cabinet has approved the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018 for introduction in the Parliament. It is a part of the efforts of the Government to encourage institutional arbitration for settlement of disputes and make India a centre of robust Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.






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Benefits: The Amendments in the Act of 1996 will facilitate achieving the goal of improving institutional arbitration by establishing an independent body to lay down standards, make arbitration process more party friendly, cost effective and ensure timely disposal of arbitration cases. Salient features: i. To facilitate speedy appointment of arbitrators through designated arbitral institutions by the Supreme Court or the High Court, without having any requirement to approach the court in this regard. It is envisaged that parties may directly approach arbitral institutions designated by the Supreme Court for International Commercial arbitration and in other cases the concerned High Courts. ii. The amendment provides for creation of an independent body namely the Arbitration Council of India (ACI) which will grade arbitral institution and accredit arbitrators by laying down norms and take all such steps as may be necessary to promote and encourage arbitration, conciliation, mediation and other ADR Mechanism and for that purpose evolve policy and guidelines for the establishment., operation and maintenance of uniform professional standards in respect of all matters relating to arbitration and ADR mechanism. The Council shall also maintain an electronic depository of all arbitral awards, iii. The ACI shall be a body corporate. The Chairperson of ACI shall be a person who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or Chief Justice or Judge of any High Court or any eminent person. Further, the other Members would include an eminent academician etc. besides other Government nominees, iv. It is proposed to amend sub section (1) of section 29A by excluding International Arbitration from the bounds of timeline and further to provide that the time limit for arbitral award in other arbitrations shall be within 12 months from the completion of the pleadings of the parties. v. A new section 42A is proposed to be inserted to provide that the arbitrator and the arbitral institutions shall keep confidentiality of all arbitral proceedings except award. Further, a new section 42B protects an Arbitrator from suit or other legal proceedings for any action or omission done in good faith in the course of arbitration proceedings. vi. A new section 87 is proposed to be inserted to clarify that unless parties agree otherwise the Amendment Act 2015 shall not apply to (a) Arbitral proceedings .which have commenced before the commencement of the Amendment Act of 2015 (b) Court proceedings arising out of or in relation to such arbitral proceedings irrespective of whether such court proceedings are commenced prior to or after the commencement of the Amendment Act of 2015 and shall apply only to Arbitral proceedings commenced on or after the commencement of the Amendment Act of 2015 and to court proceedings arising out of or in relation to such Arbitral proceedings.






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Background: The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, was amended by the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015 in order to make arbitration process user friendly, cost effective and ensure speedy disposal and neutrality of arbitrators. However, to give a boost to institutional, arbitration vis-a-vis ad hoc arbitration and to remove some practical difficulties in applicability of the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015, a High-Level Committee (HLC) under the Chairmanship of Justice B. H. Srikrishna, Retired Judge, Supreme Court of India, was constituted by the Central Government, The HLC was given the mandate • to examine the effectiveness of existing arbitration mechanism by studying the functioning and performance of Arbitral Institutions in India; • to devise a road map to promote institutionalized arbitration mechanisms in India; • to evolve an effective and efficient arbitration eco-system for commercial dispute resolution and submit a Report on suggested reforms in the statute. The HLC submitted its Report on 30th July 2017 and has recommended for amendments in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The proposed amendments are as per the recommendations of the High-Level Committee. (Adapted from Pib) 4. Cabinet approves the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Division of High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018 for introduction in the Parliament. The Bill seeks to achieve the following objectives: • The Bill brings down the specified value of a commercial dispute to 3 Lakhs from the present one Crore: Therefore, commercial disputes of a reasonable value can be decided by commercial courts. This would bring down the time taken (presently 1445 days) in resolution of commercial disputes of lesser value and thus further improve India's ranking in the Ease of Doing Business. • The amendment provides for establishment of Commercial Courts at district Judge level for the territories over which respective High Courts have ordinary original civil jurisdiction i.e in the cities of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and State of Himachal Pradesh. The State Governments, in such territories may by notification specify such pecuniary value of commercial disputes to be adjudicated at the district level, which shall 'not be less than three lakhs rupees and not more than the pecuniary jurisdiction of the






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district court. In the jurisdiction of High Courts other than those exercising ordinary original jurisdiction a forum of Appeal in commercial dispute decided by commercial courts below the level of District judge is being provided, in the form of Commercial Appellate Courts to be at district judge level. • The introduction of the Pre-Institution Mediation process in cases where no urgent, interim relief is contemplated will provide an opportunity to the parties to resolve the commercial disputes outside the ambit of the courts through the authorities constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.will also help in reinforcing investor's confidence in the resolution of commercial disputes. • Insertion of new section of A which enables the Central Government to make rules and procedures for PIM. • To give prospective effect to the amendment so as not to disturb the authority of the judicial forum presently adjudicating the commercial disputes as per the extant provisions of the Act. Background: With the rapid economic development there has been considerable increase in commercial activities and consequent steep rise in number of commercial disputes at domestic and international level. Increase of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and overseas commercial transactions have further contributed to a significant increase of commercial disputes. With a view to address the issue faster resolution of matters relating to commercial disputes and to create a positive image particularly among the foreign investors about the independent and responsive Indian legal system, the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Act, 2015 was enacted and commercial courts were established at District Levels in all jurisdictions, except in the territories over which the High Courts have original ordinary civil jurisdiction. These five High Courts i.e. the High Courts of Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and of Himachal Pradesh, exercise ordinary original civil jurisdiction in regard to territories of cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and the territory of the State of Himachal Pradesh respectively. In such territories of these High Courts as per proviso to sub-section (1) of section 3 there are no commercial courts at district level and instead Commercial Divisions have been constituted in each of these High Courts. The specified value of such commercial disputes to be adjudicated by the Commercial Courts or the Commercial Division of High Court, as the case may be is presently Rs. one Crore. Ease of Doing Business is an index of World Bank which inter alia refers to the dispute resolution environment in a country which facilitates the investors in deciding for setting up of and operation of a business. This index has been created by the World Bank Group and since 2002, it has been evaluating almost all the countries of the world. A high ease of






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doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of the business. On 31st October, 2017, World Bank released its latest annual 'Ease of Doing Business' report for the year 2018 in which India has emerged out as one among top ten improvers and for the first time ever, India has jumped 30 positions and reached 100th ranked country in terms of 'Ease of Doing Business' amongst 190 countries. This manifests that India is fast adopting the best practices in regulatory framework for Ease of Doing Business at all fronts. (Adapted from pib) 5. Centre Constitutes Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has issued a notification constituting the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal. The Tribunal will have its headquarters at Delhi and will have the following members nominated by the Chief Justice of India: 1. Mr Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Judge, Supreme Court of India as Chairman 2. Dr Justice Ravi Ranjan, Judge, Patna High Court as Member 3. Mrs Justice Indermeet Kaur Kochhar, Judge, Delhi High Court as Member The Tribunal has been constituted following orders of the Supreme Court dated 23rd January, 2018 in a suit filed by the Government of Odisha. The Government of Odisha had sought to refer the water dispute regarding the inter-state river Mahanadi and its river valley to a Tribunal for adjudication under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. CONSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM TO RESOLVE INTERSTATE WATER DISPUTES (ARTICLE 262) Art. 262 of constitution provides for adjudication of interstate water disputes. It makes two provisions: 1.Parliament by law provide for mechanism to adjudicate interstate water disputes. 2.Parliament may also provide that neither Supreme Court nor any other court exercises jurisdiction over interstate water disputes. First provision has been incorporated so that Parliament by law can provide for effective mechanism for resolution of interstate water disputes. Such mechanism is expected to resolve the disputes within a limited time frame. Second provision bars interference of Judiciary because in case interstate water dispute are taken up by regular courts, it may take long time to be resolved. The regular courts are






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already overburdened. Thus, there is a need for dedicated mechanism to resolve the interstate water disputes. Under provision of Art. 262, Parliament has passed two laws: 1.River Boards Act, 1956: Provides for the establishment of river boards for the regulation and development of interstate rivers and river valleys. A river board is established by the Central Government on the request of concerned states to advice the states. 2.Interstate water disputes act, 1956: Empowers the Central Government to set up an ad-hoc tribunal for the adjudication of a dispute between two or more states in relation to the waters of an interstate river. The decision of the tribunal would be binding and final. Neither Supreme Court nor any other court has jurisdiction over water disputes referred to such tribunals. Created under Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956 As per provisions of the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, the Tribunal shall consist of a Chairman and two other Members nominated by the Chief Justice of India from amongst the Judges of the Supreme Court or High Court. Further, services of two Assessors who are water resources experts having experience in handling sensitive water-related issues will be provided to advise the Tribunal in its proceedings. As per provisions of the ISRWD Act, 1956 the Tribunal is required to submit its report and decision within a period of 3 years which can be extended to a further period not exceeding 2 years due to unavoidable reasons. It is expected that with adjudication of dispute by the Tribunal, the long-pending dispute between States of Odisha and Chhattisgarh on Mahanadi river will come to a final settlement. (Adapted from PIB) 6. Executive Committee under POSHAN (PM s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyaan held its first meeting (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The Executive Committee which is the Apex body for all Nutrition related activities under the POSHAN Abhiyaan, held its first meeting to decide on the roadmap for the Mission. The Committee is headed by Sh. Rakesh Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development. The Committee, inter alia, has taken the following decisions: a. India Nutrition Report shall be released every year by the Government after a detailed survey. b. On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti (14th April) this year, Gram Panchayats across the country will hold meetings to discuss on the Nutritional aspects and their implementation






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along with Health and Sanitation issues. All the Gram Panchayats will be advised to weigh the children and display the weights in the Anganwadi centres c. Instead of blindly adopting the Nutritional practices of other countries, best practices of states across the country which are successful in reducing Stunting, Anaemia and Malnutrition are to be studied and successful models to be adopted at National level. d. For special focus on the deprived sections of the Society, District Collectors will hold a detailed survey of the people who are outside the Anganwadi System. For the financial year 2017-18, 315 districts have been identified in the descending order of prevalence of stunting. Video conferencing with these districts for orientation is being held on 15th March 2018. A National Seminar is also being organised on 20th March 2018 for taking the Mission forward. Some of the key Nutrition strategies and interventions are supplementary nutrition, IYCF (Infant and Young Child Feeding) immunisation, food fortification, adolescent nutrition, dietary diversification and maternal health & nutrition among others. National Council on India s nutritional challenges under chairmanship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, has also been set up under the POSHAN Abhiyaan. The Council shall submit report to the Prime Minister every 6 months. Secretary WCD being the Member convenor of National council, would formally request vice-chairman NITI Aayog to convene meeting of National Council on India s nutritional challenges. (Adapted from Pib) 7. NITI Aayog releases Baseline Ranking of Aspirational Districts (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper II) The NITI Aayog launched the baseline ranking for the Aspirational Districts based on published data of 49 indicators (81 data points) across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure. The ranking was released by Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog. The CEO also announced that the Champions of Change Dashboard for real-time data collection and monitoring will be open for public viewing from 1 April. The dashboard will facilitate District Collectors of all the aspirational districts to input the latest available data of their respective districts. Rationale behind ranking To create competition at the State, District and even the block level. Ranking will also give insights why do some districts lag on crucial indicators of human development while other districts in the same State excel.






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About Transformation of Aspirational Districts programme Launched by the Hon ble PM in January, the Transformation of Aspirational Districts programme aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country. The broad contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level Prabhari Officers & District Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a Mass Movement or a Jan Andolan. With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts. The Government is committed to raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all – Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. On April 1, 2018 districts will start entering data. Beginning May 2018, districts will be ranked based on progress made ( delta ranking ) on a real-time basis. The dashboard will be open to the public to monitor the progress of the Aspirational Districts. (Adapted from PIB) 8. Cabinet approves certain official amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill (Relevant for GS prelims, GS mains Paper II) The Union Cabinet has approved certain official amendments to the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill. Details: The Amendments include: • Final MBBS Examination to be held as a common exam across the country and would serve as an exit test called the National Exit Test (NEXT): Having considered the common demand by the students not to subject them to an additional licentiate exam for the purpose of getting license to practice, the Cabinet has approved that the final MBBS examination would be held as a common exam throughout the country and would serve as an exit test to be called the National Exit Test (NEXT). Thus, the students would not have to appear in a separate exam after MBBS to get license to practice. NEXT would also serve as the screening test for doctors with foreign medical qualifications in order to practice in India. • Provision of Bridge course for AYUSH practitioners to practice modern medicine removed: The provision dealing with bridge course for AYUSH practitioners to practice modern medicine to a limited extent has also been removed. It has been left to the State Governments to take necessary measures for addressing and promoting primary health care in rural areas.






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• Fee regulation for 50% seats in private medical institutions and deemed universities: The maximum limit of 40% seats for which fee would be regulated in private medical institutions and deemed universities has been increased to 50% seats. Further, it has been clarified that the fee would also include all other charges taken by the colleges. • Number of nominees from States and UTs in NMC increased from 3 to 6: Responding to the demands from States to increase their representation in the NMC, the nominees of States and UTs in the NMC have been increased from 3 to 6. The NMC will comprise of 25 members of which at least 21 will be doctors. • Monetary penalty for a medical college non-compliant with the norms replaced with provision for different penalty options Another major concern gathered during discussion with stakeholders was the wide range of monetary penalty, ranging from one half to ten times the annual fee recovered from a batch, to be imposed in a graded manner on a medical college non-compliant with the norms. The clause has been replaced with a provision which provides different options for warning, reasonable monetary penalty, reducing intake, stoppage of admission leading up to withdrawal of recognition. • Stringent punishment for unqualified medical practitioners or quacks: The government is concerned about the quality and safety of health care being made available to the citizens and the need to act strictly against unqualified practitioners or quacks. The punishment for any unauthorized practice of medicine has been made severe by including a provision for imprisonment of up to one year along with a fine extending up to Rs. 5 lakhs. (Adapted from PIB)






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Economics 1. Cabinet approves Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II and III) The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to introduce the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 in Parliament. The Bill would help in laying down measures to deter economic offenders from evading the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts. The cases where the total value involved in such offences is Rs.100 crore or more, will come under the purview of this Bill. Impact: The Bill is expected to re-establish the rule of law with respect to the fugitive economic offenders as they would be forced to return to India to face trial for scheduled offences. This would also help the banks and other financial institutions to achieve higher recovery from financial defaults committed by such fugitive economic offenders, improving the financial health of such institutions. It is expected that the special forum to be created for expeditious confiscation of the proceeds of crime, in India or abroad, would coerce the fugitive to return to India to submit to the jurisdiction of Courts in India to face the law in respect of scheduled offences. Salient features of the Bill: i. Application before the Special Court for a declaration that an individual is a fugitive economic offender; ii. Attachment of the property of a fugitive economic offender; iii. Issue of a notice by the Special Court to the individual alleged to be a fugitive economic offender; iv. Confiscation of the property of an individual declared as a fugitive economic offender resulting from the proceeds of crime; v. Confiscation of other property belonging to such offender in India and abroad, including benami property; vi. Disentitlement of the fugitive economic offender from defending any civil claim; and vii. An Administrator will be appointed to manage and dispose of the confiscated property under the Act. If at any point of time in the course of the proceeding prior to the declaration, however, the alleged Fugitive Economic Offender returns to India and submits to the appropriate jurisdictional Court, proceedings under the proposed Act would cease by law.






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All necessary constitutional safeguards in terms of providing hearing to the person through counsel, allowing him time to file a reply, serving notice of summons to him, whether in India or abroad and appeal to the High Court have been provided for. Further, provision has been made for appointment of an Administrator to manage and dispose of the property in compliance with the provisions of law. Implementation strategy and targets: In order to address the lacunae in the present laws and lay down measures to deter economic offenders from evading the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts, the Bill is being proposed. The Bill makes provisions for a Court ('Special Court' under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002) to declare a person as a Fugitive Economic Offender. A Fugitive Economic Offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution. A scheduled offence refers to a list of economic offences contained in the Schedule to this Bill. Further, in order to ensure that Courts are not over-burdened with such cases, only those cases where the total value involved in such offences is 100 crore rupees or more, is within the purview of this Bill. (Adapted from PIB) 2. Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2018 passed by Parliament (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper III) Objective of amendment The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2018 has been passed by parliament. The bill ensures harmony amongst employees in the private sector and Public-Sector Undertakings/Autonomous Organizations under Government who are not covered under CCS (Pension) Rules. These employees will be entitled to receive higher amount of gratuity at par with their counterparts in Government sector. Whom does the act apply? The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 applies to establishments employing 10 or more persons. The main purpose for enacting this Act is to provide social security to workman after retirement, whether retirement is a result of superannuation, or physical disablement or impairment of vital part of the body. Therefore, the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 is an important social security legislation to wage earning population in industries, factories and establishments. What is the recent amendment? The present upper ceiling on gratuity amount under the Act is Rs. 10 Lakh.






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The provisions for Central Government employees under Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 with regard to gratuity are also similar. Before implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission, the ceiling under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 was Rs. 10 Lakh. However, with implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission, in case of Government servants, the ceiling has been raised to Rs. 20 Lakhs. Therefore, considering the inflation and wage increase even in case of employees engaged in private sector, this Government decided that the entitlement of gratuity should also be revised in respect of employees who are covered under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972. Accordingly, the Government initiated the process for amendment to Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 to increase the maximum limit of gratuity to such amount as may be notified by the Central Government from time to time. In addition, the Bill also envisages to amend the provisions relating to calculation of continuous service for the purpose of gratuity in case of female employees who are on maternity leave from 'twelve weeks' to such period as may be notified by the Central Government from time to time. After enactment of the Act, the power to notify the ceiling of the amount of gratuity under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 shall stand delegated to the Central Government so that the limit can be revised from time to time keeping in view the increase in wage and inflation and future pay commissions. (Adapted from PIB) 3. SARAS Aajeevika Mela (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper III) Union Minister of Rural Development is implementing the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission which aims at making the rural women confident, aware and self-dependent. The SARAS Aajeevika Mela is an attempt to provide direct marketing platform to the rural women producers so that they get proper prices for their products by eliminating middle men. DAY-NRLM Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) is one of the flagship programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India to alleviate rural poverty. The programme aims at mobilizing all rural poor women into self-managed community institutions (Self Help Groups, Village Organisations, Cluster Level Federations, Producer Groups/Companies), in a phased manner. The Mission also aims at promoting financial inclusion of the community institutions and provide support for strengthening and diversification of livelihoods resources of the women member households.






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Since its launch in 2011, the Mission has expanded to 4456 Blocks of 584 Districts, across 29 States and 5 Union Territories. Mahila Kisan Sahshaktikaran Pariyojana Under a sub-scheme called Mahila Kisan Sahshaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), the Mission has been supporting about 33 lakh women farmers to enhance farm productivity and diversify their livelihood asset base. In addition, the Mission is promoting individual and collective enterprises of SHG women both under farm and non-farm sector. The Ministry is also implementing sub-schemes under DAY-NRLM to support skill training and placement support under Deen Dayal Upadhyay -Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) scheme and for enterprise support under Start Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) and Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana. About SARAS SHG members are producing various kinds of agricultural and non-agricultural/handicraft products but face problems in marketing their produce. In order to promote marketing of the products of these SHG women, Ministry of Rural Development has been supporting organisation of exhibitions under the brand name of SARAS where Self Help Groups from different states participate to exhibit and sell their products. At present, two SARAS Fairs in State are sponsored by the Ministry in each state during a financial year by way of providing assistance upto Rs 40.00 lakh per fair in Metropolitan cities (Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad) and upto Rs 35.00 lakhs per fair in non-Metropolitan cities. (Adapted from PIB) 4. India s Contribution to World s GDP (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains paper III) As per the information available from World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), the contribution of India to world s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), measured as share of GDP of India in world GDP (at current prices in US$ terms) is consistently increasing since 2014 as shown in the table below. As per the available data, this share in 2017 is the highest. India's share in world GDP at current prices in US$ terms (per cent)

2014 2015 2016 2017

Share of India in world GDP 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.1

(Adapted from PIB)






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Social Issues 1. Survey on Higher Education (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I) To portray the status of higher education in the country, Ministry of Human Resource Development has started an annual web-based All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). The first survey was conducted in the year 2011 for the survey year 2010-11. Since then the survey is continuously being conducted annually by the Ministry through web-based portal www.aishe-gov.in. The survey covers all the Institutions in the country engaged in imparting of higher education. Data is being collected on several parameters such as teachers, student enrolment, number of programmes, examination results, and infrastructure. Indicators of educational development such as Institution Density, Gross Enrolment Ratio, Pupil Teacher Ratio, Gender Parity Index etc. are calculated from the data collected through AISHE. The results of important parameters of the survey such as Institution Density, Gross Enrolment Ratio, Pupil-Teacher Ratio, Gender Parity Index for the last three years of the survey is given as under:

Important Results of the Survey 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17

Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) 24.3 24.5 25.2

No. of Colleges per lakh population 27 28 28

Gender Parity Index 0.92 0.92 0.94

Pupil Teacher Ratio 21 21 22

(Adapted from pib)






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Miscellaneous 1. Second India-Korea Business Summit Held Today (Relevant for GS prelims) Second India-Korea Business Summit organized by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Invest India, was held today in New Delhi. Aim of the summit is to strengthen the economic relationship, boost trade relations and increase investments between India and Republic of Korea. Highlights of the summit The summit began with a roundtable of Korean CEOs which was chaired by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. The roundtable gave the Korean companies an opportunity to discuss their investment plans and resolve any pending issues being faced by the Korean companies in their India operations. The roundtable included delegates from both Governments and 25 CEOs from leading Korean companies with an estimated revenue of USD 575 billion. (Adapted from PIB)

2. Cabinet approves continuation of Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the continuation of Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 with a total outlay of Rs. 5,500 crores. Scheme will create sustainable estimated employment opportunities for 15 lakh persons in three financial years. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is the nodal implementation agency at the national level. At the State/district level, State offices of KVIC, Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs) and District Industry Centres (DIC) are the implementing agencies. Applications are invited and processed on-line on PMEGP-e-portal. Background: PMEGP is a major credit-linked subsidy programme being implemented by the Ministry of MSME since 2008-09 The Scheme is aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and unemployed youth in rural as well as urban areas. A total of 4.55 lakh micro enterprises have been assisted with a margin money subsidy of Rs 9564.02 crore providing employment to an estimated 37.98 lakh persons from inception till 31.01.2018. (Adapted from PIB)






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3. Inauguration 1st Mega Food Park in Maharashtra at Satara on 01.03.2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims) The first Mega Food Park in the state of Maharashtra at Village Degaon, District Satara has been inaugurated by Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries. This is the 10th Mega Food Park being operationalized in the country. What are Mega food parks? Mega Food Parks create modern infrastructure facilities for food processing along the value chain from farm to market with strong forward and backward linkages through a cluster-based approach. Common facilities and enabling infrastructure is created at Central Processing Centre and facilities for primary processing and storage is created near the farm in the form of Primary Processing Centers (PPCs) and Collection Centers (CCs). Under the Scheme, Government of India provides financial assistance upto Rs. 50.00 Crore per Mega Food Park project. (Adapted from PIB) 4. Government announces launch of SUVIDHA – Rs. 2.50, 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin – under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) (Relevant for GS Prelims) Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar announced the launch of Suvidha , the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), here today. The affordable sanitary napkin will be available for Rs. 2.50 per padat over 3200 Janaushadhi Kendras across India and would ensure Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha for the underprivileged Women of India. (Adapted from pib) 5. Udyam Sakhi Portal Launched for Women Entrepreneurs (Relevant for GS Prelims) On the occasion of International Women s Day today, March 8,the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) launched a portal for women entrepreneurs of India: www.udyamsakhi.org. How will the portal help? The portal is a network for nurturing entrepreneurship and creating business models for low cost products and services in order to empower women and make them self-reliant and self-sufficient.






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The portal provides assistance through its platform for entrepreneurship learning tools, incubation facility, training programs for fund raising, providing mentors, one-on-one investor meet, provide market survey facility and technical assistance. (Adapted from pib) 6. Key initiatives for Digital literacy and Education (Relevant for GS Prelims) Ministry of Human Resource Development has some major key initiatives to promote Digital Education, which are as follow: 1. SWAYAM: SWAYAM will provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses, using information and communication technology (ICT) and covering all higher education subjects and skill sector courses. As on date, more than 28 Lakhs learners have been enrolled in 1000+ MOOCs courses that have been run through SWAYAM. 2. SWAYAM Prabha: SWAYAM Prabha is an initiative to provide 32 high quality educational channels through DTH (Direct to Home) across the length and breadth of the country on 24X7 basis. 3. National Digital Library (NDL): The National Digital Library of India (NDL India) project is to develop a framework of virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window search facility. As on date about 1.5 Crore e-books and documents are available on NDL contributed by 160 Content contributors and 30 lakh users from 9 thousand educational institutions were registered on NDL 4. e-Shodh Sindhu: The main objective of the e-Shodh Sindu: Consortia for Higher Education E-Resources is to provide access to quality electronic resources including full-text, bibliographic and factual databases to academic institutions at a lower rate of subscription. 5. The Free and Open Source Software for Education (FOSSEE): FOSSEE project has been promoting use of open source software in educational institutions. 6. Virtual Lab: The project aims to provide remote-access to virtual laboratories in various disciplines of science and engineering for students at all levels from under-graduate to research. Foreign Universities are welcome to offer their courses on SWAYAM Platform and the examinations shall be done through SWAYAM following SWAYAM Guidelines. This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Dr. Satya Pal Singh today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question. (Adapted from pib)






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7. Central Fraud Registry (Relevant for GS Prelims) What is Central Fraud Registry? Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put in place a Central Fraud Registry. It has informed that 13,083, 16,468 and 13,653 cases of ATM/Debit Card and Internet Banking frauds, where the amount involved is Rs. 1 lakh and above, were reported by commercial banks during financial years 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 respectively. As per RBI s instructions, banks are required to report cases of fraud to law enforcement agencies. No centralised information is maintained regarding the outcome of investigations by law enforcement agencies. Cyber Security Framework to banks and Cyber Security Instructions to issuers of pre-paid instruments For security of e-transactions, RBI has issued Cyber Security Framework to banks and Cyber Security Instructions to issuers of pre-paid instruments ( wallets ). Further, CERT-In issues alerts and advisories to financial institutions regarding latest cyber-threats/vulnerabilities and counter measures. RBI reviews cyber security developments and threats on an ongoing basis and takes necessary measures to strengthen cyber-resilience of banks. No liability of Customers To protect customers, RBI has issued instructions providing for zero liability of a customer where an unauthorised electronic transaction occurs due to contributory fraud or negligence or deficiency on the part of the bank, irrespective of whether or not the transaction is reported by the customer, and where a third-party breach occurs and the deficiency lies neither with the bank nor with the customer but elsewhere in the system, and the customer notifies the bank within three working days of receiving communication from the bank regarding the transaction Further, under RBI s Banking Ombudsman Scheme, customers can lodge a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman against banks, for non-adherence to RBI s instructions regarding mobile/electronic banking services. (Adapted from PIB) 8. Multilateral air Exercise Samvedna (Relevant for GS Prelims) A Multilateral Air Force exercise, Ex Samvedna , is being spearheaded by Indian Air Force from 12-17 Mar 18. Samvedna means Empathy and will ensure better understanding and sharing of response procedures between a number of friendly neighbouring nations. What is so special about the exercise? It is the first composite Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Air exercise in the South Asian region and would be focused on practicing Air Force centric






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This exercise would help in putting in place a basic framework for conduct of Joint Air HADR operations, which will be further refined during subsequent exercises. This exercise is expected to lead to more coordinated and efficient HADR Air operations in the entire South Asian region when the need arises. Who all are participating? HADR solutions in a Multi-national cooperative Disaster Management environment. Air Forces of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE and Myanmar have already committed resources and personnel for the exercise. Few other Air Forces from the region are also expected to join in. (Adapted from PIB) 9. National Testing Agency to conduct entrance examinations for Higher Education Institutions (Relevance for GS Prelims) The Union Cabinet in November,2017 approved creation of the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country. Which exams will NTA conduct? The NTA would initially conduct those entrance examinations which are currently being conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The examinations will be conducted in online mode twice a year in order to give adequate opportunity to candidates to bring out their best. Where will NTA centres would be located? In order to serve the requirements of the rural students, NTA would locate the centres at sub-district/district level and as far as possible would provide hands-on training to the students. (Adapted from PIB) 10. Atal Bhujal Yojana (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Government has proposed Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) aimed at sustainable ground water management with community participation in select over-exploited and ground water stressed areas in seven States (Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh). ABHY is designed as a Central Sector Scheme with a total outlay of Rs. 6,000 Crore and is proposed to be implemented with World Bank assistance. What is the administrative structure of the scheme? Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) is regulating ground water development in 23 States/UTs. For enforcement of the regulatory measures in these areas, concerned Deputy Commissioners/ District Magistrates have been directed under Section 5 of The






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Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to take necessary action in case of violations of directives of CGWA. No data regarding illegal mineral water/soft drink bottling plants functioning in the country is available with the Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR. Need for the scheme As per the assessment of dynamic ground water resources of country (As on 31st March 2013) carried out jointly by CGWB and State Ground Water Departments, out of the total 6584 numbers of assessment units (Block/ Taluks/ Mandals/ watershed/ Firkka), 1034 units have been categorized as Over-exploited . Charges for ground water use CGWA has prepared draft guidelines which stipulates existing & new industries, infrastructure & mining projects etc. to obtain No Objection Certificate (NOC) . In the draft guidelines framed by CGWA, it is proposed to levy a water conservation fee for issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) for ground water abstraction. The rates of water conservation fee have been proposed based on the quantum of ground water abstracted, category of ground water assessment unit and use of ground water. Details of rates proposed are given in the table below. Water Conservation Fee will be utilized by the respective State Governments for implementation of ground water recharge/ water conservation measures. Primary responsibility of State governments Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources to ensure sustainability and availability are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments. (Adapted from PIB) 11. Initiatives for digitalization of education (Relevant for GS prelims) The Government has taken various initiatives for digitalization of education. Some of these are- (i) E-Pathshala, a web portal has been designed to disseminate e-resources including e-books developed by NCERT, SCERT/SIEs, State Boards. (ii) Shagun portal has been designed to showcase the innovative and successful models implemented by all States and UTs in diverse circumstances. (iii) The National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER) is an initiative to bring together all digital and digitisable resources across all stages of school education and teacher education. (iv) SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active learning for Young Aspiring Minds), a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform has been launched to offer various online courses for school education and higher education.






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(v) SWAYAM PRABHA DTH-TV programme for utilization of satellite communication technologies for transmission of educational e-contents through 32 National Channels has been launched. (Adapted from PIB) 12. LaQshya program (Relevant for GS Prelims) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently announced the launch of program LaQshya , aimed at improving quality of care in labour room and maternity Operation Theatre (OT). Where is the program being implemented? The LaQshya program is being implemented at all Medical College Hospitals, District Hospitals and First Referral Unit (FRU), and Community Health Center (CHCs) and will benefit every pregnant woman and new-born delivering in public health institutions. What will be the benefit of the program? LaQshya will reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, improve quality of care during delivery and immediate post-partum period. What is the ultimate objective? India has come a long way in improving maternal survival as Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has reduced from 301 maternal deaths in 2001-03 to 167 in year 2011-13, an impressive decline of 45% in a decade. India is further committed to ensuring safe motherhood to every pregnant woman in the country. (Adapted from PIB) 13. Proposal for Nuclear Power Plants in States (Relevant for GS prelims) The Government has accorded administrative approval and financial sanction for construction of twelve (12) nuclear power reactors in the country. The details of these projects are given below:

State Location Project Capacity(MW)

Madhya Pradesh Chutka Chutka-1&2 2 X 700

Karnataka Kaiga Kaiga-5&6 2 X 700

Rajasthan Mahi Banswara Mahi Banswara- 1&2 2 X 700






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Haryana Gorakhpur GHAVP– 3 & 4 2 X 700

Rajasthan Mahi Banswara Mahi Banswara- 3&4 2 X 700

Light Water Reactor (LWR) to be set up in cooperation with Russian Federation

Tamil Nadu Kudankulam KKNPP– 5&6 2 X 1000

In addition, the Government has accorded In principle approval of the following sites for setting up nuclear power plants in future.

State Site Capacity(MW)

Madhya Pradesh Bhimpur 4 X 700

Maharashtra Jaitapur 6 x 1650

Andhra Pradesh Kovvada 6 x 1208

Gujarat Chhaya Mithi Virdi 6 x 1000*

West Bengal Haripur 6 x 1000*

Role of NPCIL The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is a Public-Sector Enterprise of the Department of Atomic Energy and fully owned by the Government of India. The mandate of NPCIL is implementation of the first stage of the indigenous three-stage nuclear power programme comprising of natural uranium fuelled Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and Light Water Reactors (LWRs) set up with foreign technical cooperation. NPCIL activities include all aspects of commercial nuclear power reactors encompassing Design, Construction, Commissioning, Operation & Maintenance, Renovation & Modernisation, Research & Development, Upgrades, Life Management and Waste Management. (Adapted from PIB) 14. Krishi Unnati Mela (Relevant for GS Prelims) Krishi Unnati Mela is a three-day event launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 March 2016 in Pusa campus of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Delhi. The






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event was launched to provide information on new farm schemes and technologies that will help farmers double their incomes within the next few years. About 2018 Krishi Unnati Mela During the event Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also unveil a portal on organic farming and lay the foundation stone of 25 Krishi Vigyan Kendras. A theme pavilion on doubling of farmers income, organic farming, cooperatives, farm inputs, will be there to further assist farmers with the latest developments in the farming techniques. He gave away the Krishi Karman Awards and the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Krishi Protsahan Puraskar. (Adapted from PIB) 15. Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (Relevant for GS prelims) The scheme Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) is under implementation in the country. The details of scheme and salient features are given below: The Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) has been set up under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, as a Society. The RAN was set up to provide financial assistance to patients, living below poverty line and who are suffering from major life-threatening diseases, to receive medical treatment at any of the super speciality Hospitals/Institutes or other Government hospitals. The financial assistance to such patients is released in the form of one-time grant , which is released to the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital in which the treatment has been/is being received. Under RAN Revolving Funds have been set up in 13 Central Government Hospitals/Institutions located all over India for providing financial assistance for treatment up to Rs. 2 lakh. In addition, financial assistance is provided for individual cases referred by Government hospitals/institutions, which do not have a Revolving Fund and for cases referred by 13 Government hospitals/institutions with Revolving Funds for assistance exceeding Rs. 2 lakh. (Adapted from PIB) 16. NITI Aayog to Release SATH-E Roadmaps (Relevant for GS Prelims) NITI Aayog will release comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) project. These roadmaps, which operate between 2018 to 2020, lay out detailed interventions which will taken by the three participating States- Jharkand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha – aiming to become Role Model States in school education. These roadmaps present the first-of-its-kind, customized, action-oriented programmes, outlining interventions at the individual, district and State level.






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The roadmaps were jointly prepared by NITI Aayog, the three States and the knowledge partners of the SATH Initiatives, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership (PFEL). (Adapted from PIB 17. ASI has identified 100 monuments as Adarsh Smarak for upgradation of existing tourist facilities/amenities (Relevant for GS Prelims) What are Adarsh Smarak? The scheme requires the following criteria fulfilment at monuments under Adarsh Smarak scheme. 1. To make monument visitor friendly. 2. To upgrade/provide wash rooms, drinking water, signages, cafeteria and wi-fi facility 3. To provide Interpretation and audio-video centre 4. To streamline waste water and garbage disposal and rain water harvesting system 5. To make monument accessible to differently abled 6. To implement Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Adapted from PIB) 18. NITI Aayog Released SATH-Education Roadmaps 2018-2020 (Relevant for GS Prelims) The roadmaps for the Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) Project of NITI Aayog, being undertaken in partnership with three participating States of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, were released by Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. About SATH-E In May 2017, the NITI Aayog wrote to all States offering assistance for improving their health and education sectors. 16 States responded favorably. Following presentations and consultations with MHRD, the three States of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha were selected for the programme. The Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital-Education (SATH-E) was thus, born. The SATH-E initiative in based on formal agreements with the States and will be funded through a cost-sharing mechanism between NITI Aayog and the participating states. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership (PFEL) were chosen as knowledge partners for the project facilitating review, data collection and implementation. What does SATH-E seeks to achieve? SATH-E has been envisaged as a programme which aims to transform elementary and secondary school education across these three states. SATH-E roadmap refers to a time-






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bound, goal-driven exercise that will reach its logical culmination by the end of the academic year 2020. Further, the foundations of other long-term interventions, as is found necessary by each state, would be laid during this period. Limiting interventions to only those where there is complete state buy-in for sustainability, the whole process would be done in consultation with the states and MHRD. This will be facilitated by the National Steering Group (NSG), chaired by the CEO of NITI Aayog and including the Chief Secretaries of the States, which will continuously monitor progress, introduce course-corrections and offer a platform for addressing issues in implementation. Thus, SATH-E aims to create role model States for education and mainstream islands of excellence across the country to facilitate qualitative and quantitative transformation of learning outcomes. Marrying technology with need-based, data-driven assessment and a giving it what it takes approach - be it innovation, incubation, external third-party funding

and Public- Private- Philanthropic Partnership (PPPP) experimentation – SATH-E puts the States in the driver s seat to transform education at scale. (Adapted from PIB) 19. Poet Kedarnath Singh dead (Relevant for GS Prelims) Veteran hindi poet Kedarnath Singh was awarded with Jnanpith Award in 2013. He was known for his literary works including "Abhi Bilkul Abhi", "Jameen Pak Rahi Hai"and "Akaal mein Saaras". About Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is an Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India and English, with no posthumous conferral. Bharatiya Jnanpith a literary and research organization, based in New Delhi, India, was founded on February 18, 1944 by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain of the Sahu Jain family and his wife Rama Jain to undertake systematic research and publication of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali and Apabhramsha texts and covering subjects like religion, philosophy, logic, ethics, grammar, astrology, poetics (Adapted from PIB) 20. National Cultural Audio-visual Archives (NCAA) becomes the World s First Trusted Digital Repository (Relevant for GS Prelims) National Cultural Audiovisual Archives (NCAA) project of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, implemented by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been certified as the world s first Trusted Digital Repository as per ISO 16363:2012 standard, granted by Primary Trustworthy Digital Repository Authorisation Body Ltd.






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(PTAB), United Kingdom. Leveraging this historic achievement, the plan for the next phase is to integrate about three lakh hours of audiovisuals materials, a corpus estimated based on a scoping survey conducted in 25 cities across the country, on this platform over the next five years. National Cultural Audio-visual Archives (NCAA) The primary objective of the NCAA is to identify and preserve the cultural heritage of India available in audio-visual form through a process of digitization and making it accessible to the people. By March 2018, a corpus of 30,000 hours of unpublished, non-commercial audio & video recordings will be made online at http://ncaa.gov.in/repository, out of which approximately 15,000 hours are already hosted online along with contextual metadata, representing the cultural diversity of India in the broadest sense. Over 23,000 hours of unpublished audiovisual recordings have already been digitized. NCAA pilot digital repository was developed in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Digital Preservation by C-DAC, Pune. NCAA digital repository is established with and powered by DIGITĀLAYA () which is developed by C-DAC Pune in compliance with Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model ISO 14721:2012. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts has been set up by the Government of India, as a premier research institute dedicated to holistic understanding and expression of Indian arts in their inter and multi-disciplinary nature. One of the principal aims of the centre is to serve as a major national resource centre for the arts. The IGNCA has been designated by the Government of India as the nodal agency for a data bank on art, humanities and cultural heritage. The Centre has also been identified by UNESCO as nodal agency for the development of regional databases for South and South East Asian countries on art, cultural heritage and life-styles through the application of state-of-the-art technologies for standardization, exchange and dissemination of data. (Adapted from PIB) 21. Cabinet approves North-East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) 2017 (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS), 2017 with financial outlay of Rs.3000 crores up to March 2020. Government will provide necessary allocations for remaining period of scheme after assessment before March 2020. NEIDS is a combination of the incentives covered under the earlier two schemes with a much larger outlay. Details: In order to promote employment in the North East States, Government is incentivizing primarily the MSME Sector through this scheme.






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Under the Scheme, the following incentives shall be provided to new industrial units set up in the North Eastern States including Sikkim:

Central Capital Investment Incentive for Access to Credit

(CCIIAC)

30% of the investment in Plant & Machinery with an upper

limit of Rs.5 Crore on the incentive amount per unit.

Central Interest Incentive

(Cll)

3% on working capital credit advanced by eligible Banks/ Financial institutions for first 5 years from the date of

commencement of commercial production by the unit.

Central Comprehensive

Insurance Incentive (CCII)

Reimbursement of 100% insurance premium on insurance

of building and Plant & Machinery for 5 years from the date of commencement of commercial production by the

unit.

Goods and Service Tax (GST) Reimbursement

Reimbursement up to the extent of Central Govt. share of

CGST and IGST for 5 Years from the date of commencement

of commercial production by the unit.

Income-Tax (IT) Reimbursement

Reimbursement of Centre's share of income tax for first 5 years including the year of commencement of commercial

production by the unit.

Transport Incentive (TI) 20% of the cost of transportation including the

subsidy currently provided by Railways/ Railway PSU

for movement of finished goods by rail. 20% of cost of transportation for finished goods,

for movement through InlandWaterways Authority

of India. 33% of cost of transportation of air freight on

perishable goods (as defined by IATA) from the airport

nearest to place of production toany airport within the

country.

Employment Incentive (EI) The Government shall pay 3.67% of the employer s






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contribution to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) in

addition to Government bearing 8.33% Employee Pension

Scheme (EPS) contribution of the employer in the Pradhan

MantriRojgarProtsahanYojana (PMRPY).

The overall cap for benefits under all components of incentives will be of Rs. 200 crores per unit. (Adapted from PIB) 22. Cabinet approves closure of India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Union Cabinet has given its approval for closure of India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDF-OI) to enhance synergies in channelizing Diaspora's contributions to Government of India's flagship programmes such as National Mission for clean Ganga and Swachh Bharat Mission. Background: a. IDF-OI was set up by Government of India with the approval of Cabinet in 2008 as an autonomous not-for-profit Trust, to facilitate Overseas Indian philanthropy into social and development projects in India. b. As the Foundation received only Rs. 36.80 Lakhs between December 2008 and March 2015 as donation from overseas Indian community, a comprehensive review of IDF-OI was undertaken in 2015. Promotion of Government of India's Flagship programmes - National Mission for Clean Ganga and Swachh Bharat Mission; and Social and Development projects identified by State Governments - was added to the mandate of IDF-OI. c. Although, between April 2015 and March 2018, the Trust received Rs.10.16 crore, most of the contribution received were for either projects related to National Mission for Clean Ganga or Swachh Bharat Mission, which are separately administered by their respective Administrative Agencies. In order to enhance synergies, improve efficiencies and avoid duplication of work, it was decided by the 9thMeeting of Board of Trustees of the IDF-OI that the Trust would be closed down by March 31, 2018. (Adapted from PIB) 23. 36 sites from India inscribed on World Heritage List (Relevant for GS Prelims)






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36 Sites from India are inscribed on the World Heritage List which include 28 Cultural, 7 Natural and 1 Mixed category site. During the last three years, the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda (Bihar); The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, Chandigarh and Historic City of Ahmedabad under cultural category and Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim under mixed category are added to the World Heritage List. Moreover, the Vishnu Temple, Wynad (Kerala) is added to the protection list of ASI. (Adapted from PIB) 24. 31.20 crore accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) with aggregate deposit balances Rs. 75,572.09 crore as on 28.2.2018. (Relevant for GS Prelims) As informed by banks, as on 28.2.2018, 31.20 crore accounts have been opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) with aggregate deposit balances Rs. 75,572.09 crore. Of these, 25.18 crore (81%) Jan-Dhan accounts are operative. Jan Dhan Yojana The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is India s National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, banking, savings and deposit accounts, remittance, credit, insurance, etc. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 August 2014. The scheme provides for the following: 1. Account holders are provided bank accounts with no minimum balance. 2. RuPay debit cards are issued. 3. Accidental insurance cover of Rs.1 lakh is ensured. 4. After six months of opening of a bank account, holders are eligible for Rs.5000 overdraft from the bank. (Adapted from PIB and Background from PrepMate-Cengage Economics Book, Chapter 7, Page 114) 25. First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 Words Launched (Relevant for GS prelims) First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 words was launched. The dictionary has

been developed by Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLR&TC) under Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), M/o Social Justice & Empowerment. The English and Hindi terms for the dictionary will also help deaf children to learn English. The ISL dictionary consists of words of five categories:





https://prepmate.in/product/economics-civil-services/

https://prepmate.in/product/economics-civil-services/


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1. Everyday Terms - This category includes terms that are used in everyday communication. The videos contain the sign and the corresponding English term. 2. Legal Terms – This category includes videos for 237 legal terms help explain complicated legal terminology like Affidavit , Acquittal , etc. That are used in various legal situations. 3. Academic Terms - To help deaf children understand complex academic concepts, the academic dictionary contains explanations for terms like Nervous System , Rotation and Revolution , etc. The words are from various subjects like Physics, Geography, Biology,

Maths, etc. This category contains 229 videos for 212 terms. 4. Medical Terms – This category includes 200 sign videos for 200 medical terms will help the deaf community to better understand medical terminology used in hospitals and in medical situations. 5. Technical Terms - This category has 206 videos of sign and explanations in ISL for 204 technical terms that are used in vocational training or in computer courses. (Adapted from PIB) 26. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) (Relevant for GS Prelims) Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) were launched on 9th May, 2015. The cover period under these Schemes is 1st June of each year to 31st May of subsequent year. These Schemes are offered/administered through both Public and Private Sector Insurance companies, in tie-up with scheduled commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks. PMJJBY PMJJBY offers a renewable one-year term life cover of Rupees Two Lakh to all subscribing bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 50 years, covering death due to any reason, for a premium of Rs.330/- per annum per subscriber, to be auto debited from subscriber s bank account. PMSBY PMSBY offers a renewable one-year accidental death cum disability cover to all subscribing bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 70 years for a premium of Rs.12/- per annum per subscriber to be auto debited from subscriber s bank account. The scheme provides a cover of Rs. Two Lakh for accidental death or total permanent disability and Rs One Lakh in case of permanent partial disability. (Adapted from PIB) 27. National Conference on Down Syndrome held (Relevant for GS prelims)






33



A National Conference on Down Syndrome was organised by the National Trust under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment here today. What is Down Syndrome? Down Syndrome is a chromosomal condition associated with intellectual and learning disabilities. Delayed development and behavioural problems are often reported in children with it. For seeking commitments of various stakeholders and increasing their awareness about Down Syndrome, National Trust organised this National Conference on Down Syndrome. (Adapted from PIB) 28. E-Tribes India (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India, (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is going Digital as per the vision document of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. The e-Tribes India would be launched tomorrow by the Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Shri Jual Oram. What is e-Tribes India? TRIFED has developed its own e-commerce (electronic commerce) website i.e., tribesindia.com for sale of all its products and to tap m-commerce (mobile commerce) too. An Android App is also in place as well on Google store (Tribes India) which can be downloaded on any Android enabled smart phone and sale can happen from this mobile app through android smart phone. Going Digital will lead to expansion of tribal commerce and the availability of tribal products over large area, reaping greater benefits for tribal artisans. Retail Trade of tribal products would expand all over the country and the world. What is TRIFED? The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED), a multi-State Cooperative Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is promoting and marketing tribal products, tribal art and crafts within the country and abroad by providing marketing support to tribal products through its network of 31 retail outlets TRIBES INDIA , 37 consignment outlets of various State Emporia and 16 franchisee outlets. It also organizes exhibitions like National Tribal Craft Expo called Aadi Mahotsav etc. in which it promotes and markets tribal products. It also facilitates the participation of tribal artisans to enable them to interact directly with art lovers to assess the market needs. In the last three years, it has begun providing e-commerce platforms to the tribal artisans to sell their products. (Adapted from PIB)






34



29. Location of coal mines and coal repositories (Relevant for GS Prelims) State-wise number of working coal mines across the country, State/UT-wise is given below: (Just see table for reference but don t learn it)

Sl. No. State Number of working coal mines

1 West Bengal 75

2 Jharkhand 140

3 MP 70

4 UP 4

5 Chhattisgarh 57

6 Maharashtra 60

7 Odisha 29

8 Assam 4

9 Telangana 47

10 Jammu & Kashmir 4

11 Meghalaya 3

Total 493

New coal resources are continuously explored mainly through regional exploration. The State-wise details of Regional exploration done in coal sector during 2016-17 is given below. The extraction from these blocks will start after completing detailed exploration and obtaining required clearances which will take about 70 months. (Learn this table)

State Coalfield

West Bengal Raniganj

MP Singrauli






35



MP Sohagpur

Chattisgarh Bishrampur

Nagaland Melak-Tsurang Valley

(Adapted from pib) 30. Skill India joins hands with Ministry of Power to support household electrification scheme Saubhagya (Relevant for GS Prelims) Aiming to empower and uplift the rural youth and development, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship partnered today with the Ministry of Power to ensure access to electricity for every household in the country through an ambitious scheme, Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna (SAUBHAGYA). The scheme aims to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of the country at a cost of Rs 16,320 crore, including Gross Budgetary Support of Rs 12,320 crore from the government. Rationale behind the merger In order to successfully deliver a project of this magnitude, huge volume of skilled workforce would be required across different job roles to enable completion of various components of the work. To support the successful execution of the scheme, the vocational training program has been launched in Six States namely Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. A total estimated number of participants to be trained between the two job roles of Lineman Distribution (Multiskilled) and Techical Helper is 47000 in these six focus states and more than 55000 across the country. The scheme is undertaken as a special project under the government s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Training at District level As the scheme is to be implemented across the country with 200 districts as major focus area, the skilling initiatives are proposed to be delivered in a decentralized mode at district level. The training infrastructures available with ITI s at district level as well as the infrastructures available with the State Power Distribution Utilities will be utilized for skill training of the candidates ensuring successful implementation of the scheme. Major component of Saubhagya is wages Saubhagya is a scheme with estimated expenditure of 16000 crore our of which 25% is estimated cost against wages and margin for human resource being deployed for the project. This is a big employment opportunity for skilled workforce and we will work jointly with Ministry of Power across the nation to ensure that we avail this opportunity for our youth and help them better their livelihood.






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The measure of success is to map the accomplishments that we achieve on ground. We need more than 5000 lakh man hours today to ensure successful completion of our projects and around 35000 trained manpower for Saubhagya alone. Our targets for skilling workforce will be set in accordance with our local requirements . (Adapted from pib) 31. High Speed Rail Corridors (Relevant for GS Prelims) At present, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Rail corridor is the only sanctioned High Speed Rail Project in the country and implemented with technical and financial assistance of Government of Japan. The estimated cost of the Project is Rs. 1,08,000 crore. Government of Japan has agreed to provide a soft loan of 81% of total project cost with 0.1% rate of interest per annum. The time period for repayment of loan is 50 years with 15 years grace period. Six corridors on Diamond Quadrilateral connecting metropolitan cities and growth centres of the country (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Kolkata) have been identified for feasibility study for high speed rail connectivity viz : (i) Delhi-Mumbai, (ii) Mumbai-Chennai, (iii) Chennai-Kolkata, (iv) Kolkata-Delhi and both diagonals i.e. (v) Delhi-Chennai and (vi) Mumbai-Kolkata routes. (Adapted from pib) 32. Setting up of National Academic Depository (NAD) for Digitalization of School Records (Relevant for GS Prelims) What is NAD? Government has setup National Academic Depository (NAD) which is a 24x7 online store house of academic awards digitally lodged by various academic institutions/school boards/eligibility assessment bodies. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has been designated as authorized body to operationalise NAD. What will it cover? The academic awards to be lodged on NAD cover degrees, diplomas, certificates, mark-sheets including awards issued for skill development. The framework of NAD includes various Central Universities, Central Higher Educational Institutions, State Universities, deemed to be universities, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), State School Education Boards etc. located in various States/Union Territories including the State of Maharashtra. What does NAD comprise of? NAD comprises of two interoperable digital depositories viz., NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML) and CDSL Ventures Limited (CVL). What is the benefit of NAD?






37



Maintenance of academic awards in a digital depository not only enables online access, retrieval and verification of these awards, but also helps eliminating fraudulent practices such as forging of certificates and mark-sheets etc. NAD at school level CBSE has introduced Parinam Manjusha which acts as: - • Academic Repository • Facilitates Online Verification and • Students can get digital documents such as Mark Sheet, Pass Certificates and Migration Certificates of CBSE examination through Digi Locker. (Adapted from pib) 33. Cabinet approves continuation of the Credit Guarantee Fund for Education Loans Scheme and continuation and modification of Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme (Relevant for GS Prelims) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for continuation of Credit Guarantee Fund for Education Loans Scheme and continuation and modification of Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme with a financial outlay of Rs. 6,600 crore for period from 2017-18 to 2019-20. This will provide education loans to 10 lakh students during this period. Modifications in the present proposal: i. In order to allow more students to access the benefit, (and also considering that the average loan size has been only Rs. 4 lakhs), the ceiling on the loan amount has been refixed at Rs. 7.5 lakhs. ii. The moratorium period would be course period + 1 year. iii. To promote quality education, the scheme would cover loans for pursuing professional/technical courses from NAAC/NBA accredited Institutions/programmes or Institutions of National Importance or Central Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs). This condition would however, be applicable with prospective effect, and would not apply to the current loans. iv. A dashboard would be put in place for better monitoring of the scheme. Coverage: As against the scheme which ran since 2009, in which average educational loans per year were only 2.78 lakhs, under the revised scheme, the number of loans per year are expected to be at least 3.3 lakhs, showing a 20% increase over the previous scheme. The above restructuring of the scheme is in accordance with the policy of the Government to make good quality education affordable to all.






38



Background: Central Sector Interest Subsidy (CSIS) Scheme was launched on 1st April, 2009. Under the Scheme, full interest subsidy is provided for the education loan taken from Scheduled Banks under the Model Education Loan Scheme of Indian Banks' Association, covering a period of course duration + 1 year. This is made available for all the professional/technical courses in India and students with annual gross parental income up to Rs. 4.5 lakhs were eligible. The loans are disbursed without any collateral security and third-party guarantee. An amount of Rs. 9,408.52 crore has been disbursed towards interest subsidy and 25.10 lakh students have benefitted till date. Credit Guarantee Fund for Education Loans (CGFEL) Scheme provides guarantee for the education loan under the Model Education Loan Scheme of Indian Banks' Association, disbursed by the banks without seeking any collateral security and third-party guarantee, for a maximum loan amount of Rs. 7.5 Lakhs. A third-party evaluation of the scheme has been made by IIM Bangalore, which suggested that the scheme should be rationalised to serve more students from economically weaker sections. (Adapted from PIB) 34. Rajasthan s first mega food park in Ajmer (Relevant for GS Prelims) The first mega food park in Rajasthan has been opened at Roopangarh Village in Ajmer. The Food Park is being set up at a cost of Rs 113.57 crore and will benefit around 25,000 farmers in Ajmer as well as neighbouring districts. Mega Food Parks The Mega Food Parks Scheme is a scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing, Government of India. Its purpose is to increase processing of perishables from 6% to 20%. The idea behind the promotion of mega food parks is that small- and medium-scale individual food-processing units cannot afford to invest in capital-intensive support services such as food testing, irradiation, grading, waxing, etc. In food parks, common support services are arranged for food-processing units. Thus, these services become affordable to them. Further, financial assistance is provided by the government to establish common facilities. Highlights of the scheme The government provides grants up to Rs.50 crore for each food park to a consortium of companies. Around 30–35 food-processing units are expected to be established in each mega food park with a collective investment of at least Rs.250 crore.






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A turnover of Rs.400–500 crore and employment generation of at least 30,000 from each mega food park is expected. Status A sanction of 42 food parks has been planned. According to the government, as of October 2016, eight mega food parks have become operational and all 42 would be operational in the next 2 years. (Adapted from PIB)





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Table of Contents...(PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 (Relevant for GS ... stickers as proof of compliance with Government requirements; or commits fraud