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  • W.B.C.S Current Affairs 02 March 2019 to 08 March 2019.
    Posted on March 22nd, 2019 in Weekly Current Affairs
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    W.B.C.S Current Affairs 02 March 2019 to 08 March 2019.

    1) The Monster Salary Index report has highlighted the following findings: The gender pay gap is still high in India and women in the country earn 19 per cent less than men. Wage inequalities in favour of men are present in all the relevant sectors. The current gender pay gap in India stood at 19 per cent where men earned Rs 46.19 more per hour in comparison to women. The survey report puts the median gross hourly salary for men in India in 2018 stood at Rs 242.49, while for women it stood at around Rs 196.3. Gender pay gap encompasses across key industries, IT/ITES services showed a sharp pay gap of 26 per cent in favour of men, while in the manufacturing sector, men earn 24 per cent more than women. Even in sectors like healthcare, caring services, and social work which are notionally identified with women, men earn 21 per cent more than women. Only in Financial services, banking and insurance industry men earn just 2 per cent more. The report notes that the gender pay gap widens with the years of experience. In the initial years, the gender pay gap is moderate but rises significantly as the tenure increases and for those with over 10 years of experience, the gender pay gap in favour of men reaches the peak, with men earning 15 per cent more than women. The survey reports that the gap has narrowed only by one per cent in 2018 from 20 per cent in 2017. Monster Salary Index Report was prepared by Monster India in collaboration with Paycheck.in (managed by WageIndicator Foundation) with IIM-Ahmedabad as a research partner.Continue Reading W.B.C.S Current Affairs 02 March 2019 to 08 March 2019.

    2) International Women’s Day 2019 is celebrated on 8th March every year to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. International Women’s Day 2019: The theme of the International Women’s Day 2019 is “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. The theme focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure. Innovation and technology provide unprecedented opportunities. But trends indicate a growing gender digital divide. As a result, women are under-represented in the field of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and design. This prevents Women from developing and influencing gender-responsive innovations to achieve transformative gains for society. From mobile banking to artificial intelligence and the internet of things, it is vital that women’s ideas and experiences equally influence the design and implementation of the innovations that shape our future societies. To bring focus on these challenges “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change” is chosen as the theme of the International Women’s Day 2019. Genesis of the International Women’s Day:International Women’s Day (IWD) is being celebrated for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to 1911, the Socialist Party of America, the United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and other groups campaigned for women’s equality. The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in the International Women’s Year, 1975. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace.

    3) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has eased business guidelines for white label ATMs. These new guidelines increase the avenues of revenue earning for the white label ATMs. What are White Label ATMs? Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) set up, owned and operated by non-bank entities are called White Label ATMs. These White Label ATMs provide banking services to the customers of banks on the basis of the cards (debit/credit/prepaid) issued by banks. The non-bank entities which set up, own and operate ATMs are called White Label ATM Operators. Their role is confined to enabling the transactions of all banks customers by establishing technical connectivity with the existing authorized, shared ATM Network Operators or Card Payment Network Operators. These White Label ATM operators are entitled to receive a fee from the banks for the use of ATM resources by the bank’s customers and they are not permitted to charge bank customer directly for the use of WLAs. Fact Box: At present there are eight White Label ATM operators in the country – AGS Transact Technologies Ltd, BTI Payments Pvt Ltd, Hitachi Payment Services Pvt Ltd, Muthoot Finance Ltd, RiddiSiddhi Bullions Ltd, SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd, Tata Communications Payment Solutions Ltd, and Vakrangee Ltd. New Guidelines: The White Label ATM Operators are now allowed to buy wholesale cash, above a threshold of 1 lakh pieces (and in multiples thereof) of any denomination, directly from the Reserve Bank and currency chests against full payment. They are also allowed to source cash from any scheduled bank, including cooperative banks and regional rural banks. The White Label ATM Operators can also offer bill payment and Interoperable Cash Deposit services, subject to technical feasibility and certification by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The White Label ATM Operators can also display advertisements pertaining to non-financial products or services anywhere within the WLA premises, including the ATM screen, except the main signboard by ensuring that the advertisements running on the screen disappear once the customer commences a transaction. Banks can issue co-branded ATM cards in partnership with the authorised White Label ATM operators and may extend the benefit of ‘on-us’ transactions (where the customer or cardholder and ATM are of the same bank) to their WLAs as well. RBI has stated that all guidelines, safeguards, standards, and control measures applicable to banks relating to currency handling and cyber-security framework for ATMs, shall also be applicable to WLA operators.

    4) The government has increased the tax-free gratuity income limit to Rs 20 lakh. This move will benefit the public as well as private sector employees. What is Gratuity? Gratuity is the monetary benefit provided by the employer to his/her employee for the services rendered by him during the period of employment. A minimum of five years of service with an organisation is mandatory for availing the benefit of gratuity. The Payment of Gratuity Act 1972 makes it mandatory for the employers to pay their employees gratuity at the time of quitting, provided certain conditions were met. An organisation comes under the purview of the Payment of Gratuity Act 1972 if it has 10 or more employees on any single day in the preceding 12 months. The Payment of Gratuity Act follows the rule of ‘Once Covered, Always Covered’ which implies that that once an organisation comes under the Act, it will always remain covered even if the number of employees falls below 10. The Ministry of Finance has now enhanced the income tax exemption for gratuity under Section 10 (10) (iii) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to Rs 20 lakhs.

    5) The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the ordinance for the Reservation Roster for University Teachers. What was the issue? Following an order by the Allahabad high court in April 2017, the University Grants Commission had announced in March last year that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes candidates. This order of UGC led to a series of protests. The protestors were demanding the restoration of the 200-point roster and the government had filed a review petition against the verdict of the Allahabad High Court which was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The ordinance has been brought in by the Supreme Court to nullify the verdict of the Supreme Court. What is the 200-point Roster System? 200 point roster system is a roster system for faculty positions that includes 99 posts reserved for the SC, ST and OBC communities and 101 posts for the unreserved. Under this roster, in case there is a deficit of reserved seats in one department, it could be compensated by more people from the reserved communities in other departments in the university. It considers college or university as a unit for reservation in teaching posts. Whereas under the new 13 point roster proposed by the UGC, an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes candidates. This system had drawbacks for small departments of the university or college. Also, the 200 point roster system provided an advantage wherein the deficit in reservation in one department could be compensated by other departments. The government has brought an ordinance to restore the 200-point roster system.

    6) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has notified the norms for banks with regards to two per cent interest subvention or subsidy for short-term crop loans during 2018-19 and 2019-20 under the interest subvention scheme approved by the central government. Interest subvention scheme: Under the interest subvention scheme, the central government provides short term crop loan up to one year for a loan up to Rs. 3 lakhs. The Central government provides an interest subvention of 2 per cent for these short term crop loans. The RBI circular notes that interest subvention of 2 per cent will be calculated on the crop loan amount from the date of its disbursement/drawal up to the date of actual repayment of the crop loan by the farmer or up to the due date of the loan fixed by the banks whichever is earlier, subject to a maximum period of one year. For Farmers repaying the loan promptly an additional 2 per cent interest subvention is provided. This brings down the effective rate of short-term crop loans works out to be 4 per cent per annum.

    7) The government of Madhya Pradesh has announced the increase of the reservation quotas for the OBCs and has stated that it would also implement 10 per cent quota for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) under the general category. The government has proposed to increase the reservation for OBCs from the current 14% to 27%. Madhya Pradesh already has 36% reservation for scheduled castes and tribes. The increase in the reservation for OBCs and 10% reservation for EWS will take the reservation in the state to 73%. Legal Challenges: Since the reservations, breaches the 50 per cent cap set by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney case judgement, the proposed reservation module is said to be legally untenable. Even though states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh have reservations breaching the cap of 50% they were implemented well before the Indra Sawhney case judgement. Earlier states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra had announced reservations exceeding 50 per cent but they couldn’t implement it. Even the 10 per cent quota for EWS proposed by the Central government already questioned in Supreme Court, the decision of the Madhya Pradesh government is bound to face legal challenges.

    8) The government of Uttarakhand has launched the Mukhyamantri Anchal Amrit Yojana to provide milk at the Anganwadi Centres. About the Scheme: Under the Mukhyamantri Anchal Amrit Yojana, the government would provide 100 ml milk twice a week for 2.5 lakh children at 20,000 Anganwadi Centres in the state. Under the scheme flavoured, sweet and skimmed milk powder will be made available to the 20,000 Anganwadi Kendras. Children under six years of age in every Anganwadi centre will be provided milk under the Aanchal Amrit scheme. The scheme will come handy in tackling the malnutrition and building of fit and healthy children by providing them with a balanced diet as there are about 18,000 children suffering from malnutrition in Uttarakhand. Nutritional Value of Milk: Milk as a source of Protein, Calcium, Vitamins provides benefits like building and maintaining bone and teeth, improving the performance of the nerve system, helping in growth, improving the digestion process, boosting the immunity, treating the dehydration and providing the body with energy.

    9) With the inauguration of Nagpur Metro, Nagpur has become the second city of the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai to get a Metro Rail. Nagpur Metro: PM inaugurated a 13.5-kilometre stretch comprising five stations from Khapri to Sitabuldi. The Nagpur Metro consists of two corridors with a total length of 38 kilometres. The two corridors will comprise of 38 stations, two depots and a fleet of 69 metro cars. To emphasise on Women Safety and empowerment each train will comprise of a special “Nari Shakti” women’s coach. Nagpur Metro is also hailed as the green Metro since 65% of its electricity consumption from solar energy. Nagpur Metro has earned ₹51 crore from stamp duty and ₹6.87 crore from Transfer of Development rights even before the start of passenger operations. The population of the city of Nagpur is projected to double by 2050. Hence it was imperative to equip the city with 21st-century infrastructure, and the Metro Rail is one step in that direction.

    10) India and Russia have signed an agreement for the leasing of a nuclear-powered attack submarine for the Indian Navy for a period of 10 years. About the Agreement: Russia will be delivering the Akula class submarine, to be known as Chakra III, to the Indian Navy by 2025. India had earlier leased two nuclear submarines from Russia. They are INS Chakra leased in 1988 under a three-year lease and second INS Chakra was taken on lease in 2012 for a period of 10 years. Russia will lease Akula class submarine for the period of 10 years at the cost of USD 3 billion. Chakra III will be equipped with Indian communication systems and sensors, including the indigenously-developed USHUS integrated sonar system and Panchendriya sonar. Chakra III get a unified submarine sonar and tactical control system, which are already in use on the INS Arihant. The Chakra III will also get a refurbished hull. Chakra III weighing around 8,140-ton will have a submerged speed of 30 knots and an operating depth of 530 meters and will be capable of carrying a crew of 73. Chakra III will also be loaded with four 650-millimetre and four 533-millimetre launch tubes for firing Type 65 and Type 53 torpedoes. Both of these torpedoes are made in Russia. Chakra III will be powered with 190 mW nuclear reactor. Addition of a nuclear-powered submarine is an attempt to bolster the naval prowess of the country as a counter to attempts being made by China to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region. India has already commissioned French Scorpene submarine INS Kalvari and is in the process of inducting another French Scorpene submarine INS Khanderi.

    11) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the new series of visually impaired friendly coins of various denominations. About the Coins: The coins are of denomination Rs. 1, Rs. 2, Rs. 5, Rs. 10 and Rs.20. Rs 20 coin, the first-ever coin offering in Rs 20 denomination, has been created in the shape of a 12-edged polygon with a design of grains to denote farm dominance of the nation. Other than Rs 20 coins others are in round shape. The new series of coins are characterized by the increasing size and weight from lower to higher denominations. The coins designed by the National Institute of Design has been produced by Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited and the Finance Ministry. About Rs 20 Coin: The face of the coin has the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar with ‘Satyamev Jayate’ in Hindi inscribed below. The left periphery has the word ‘Bharat’ in Hindi and on the right periphery has the word “INDIA” in English. On the reverse denominational value “20” is inscribed in international numerals below the symbol of Rupee. The reverse side of the coin also has grains depicting the agricultural dominance on the left periphery of the coin. The top right and bottom right peripheries bear the word ‘Bees Rupaye’ in Hindi and “TWENTY RUPEES” in English. This new series of coins with various differentiating features will aid the visually impaired. These new coins will facilitate the visually impaired to do transactions with ease together with instilling confidence in them.

    12) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOCs) LNG terminal at Ennore. LNG Terminal: Ennore terminal is ambitious terminal for storage and re-gasification of imported LNG, built by the nation’s largest fuel retailer Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), at a cost of Rs 5,151 crore inside Kamaraj Port at Ennore. The project was commissioned by the IOC through its joint venture company IndianOil LNG Pvt Ltd. The capacity of the LNG terminal is 5-million tonnes per annum (MMTPA). The LNG terminal was commissioned through the shipload of LNG from Swiss trader, Gunvor carried from Qatar. Ennore LNG terminal is part of India’s plan to raise the share of natural gas in the country’s energy basket to 15 per cent by 2030. Together with associated pipeline infrastructure projects cumulatively accounts for Rs 9,000 crore.The imported LNG at the terminal will meet the requirements of Chennai Petroleum Corp Ltd, Madras Fertilisers Ltd, Tamil Nadu Petroproducts and Manali Petrochemicals Ltd together with catering to the requirements of the industries in Tamil Nadu and parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. IOC is laying a pipeline of 1244 Km for evacuation of gas from Ennore terminal. The pipeline passes through Manali-Thiruvallur-Puducherry-Nagapattinam-Madurai-Trichy- Tuticorin-Ramnathpuram and a separate line will go to Bengaluru through Hosur.

    13) The findings of the study published in the journal eLife suggest that mass measles vaccination campaign of India helped save the lives of tens of thousands of children between 2010 and 2013. Measles: Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. Measles has been an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. Findings of the Study: The study suggests that that the measles vaccine campaigns helped save 41,000 to 56,000 children in India during 2010 to 2013, or 39-57 per cent of the expected number of deaths nationally. The study found that found that mortality in children aged between one and 59 months fell more in the campaign states following launch (27 per cent) than in the non-campaign states (11 per cent). The study notes that eliminating deaths from measles in India could be possible, although it will require continued diligence to ensure high immunisation rates among Indian children and direct mortality monitoring. Measles mortality risk was notably lower for children living in the campaign districts and those born between 2010-2013. The campaign was particularly successful for girls, as there was a steeper decline in the mortality rates of girls than boys in the vaccination campaign states during the three-year period. But still, the mortality rates remain higher for girls reference for boys and/or lower levels of breastfeeding and healthcare access. The study adopted a novel statistical method on data from the Million Death Study (MDS), a nationally representative sample of all deaths in India, which includes detailed interviews with families about child deaths.

    14) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reduced the world economic growth forecasts for the year 2019. Economic Forecasts of OECD: The report notes that trade tensions and political uncertainty, including Brexit and erosion of business and consumer confidence are weighing on the world’s economy thereby contributing to the slowdown. OECD has cut its 2019 forecast for global economic growth to 3.3% for the current year, down from 3.5% it predicted earlier. OECD growth forecasts for Germany sank to 0.7% from 1.4%, while Italy’s fell from 0.9% growth into a recession at -0.2%. OECD forecasts noted that the sharp downturn in the two countries reflected “their relatively high exposures to the global trade slowdown. The forecasts for France have slipped from 1.5% to 1.3%. Britain’s growth forecast has been chopped from 1.4% to 0.8%. For the first time, the growth rates have fallen below 1% since 2009 following the global economic crisis. The 19-nation eurozone was particularly hard hit, with predicted growth dropping from 1.8 per cent to one per cent which was contributed to policy uncertainty including those over Brexit. The report notes that a sharper slowdown in China would have significant adverse consequences for global growth and trade. OECD’s forecasts are more downbeat than the IMF’s for many economies, particularly the euro region and the U.K.

    15) The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has amended the Hazardous and other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 to completely ban the import of solid plastic waste. Ban on Imports: The amendment notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change fixes a loophole which previously allowed the import of plastic waste into India for processing. The ban on the import of plastics is in lines with the principles of sustainable development. To ensure the ban doesn’t adversely impact the ease of doing business the amendment allows the reverse import of defective electrical and electronic assemblies and components manufactured in and exported from India, within a year of export. The reverse import can be undertaken without any prior permission from the Environment Ministry. The Hazardous and other waste management rules also provide an exemption to the exporters of Silk waste from requiring permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. India is exploring various options to discourage the use of single-use plastics and also is emphasising the recycling of the plastic waste to reduce the burden on the environment thereby providing economic benefits.

    16) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and France Space Agency CNES have agreed to collaborate on the following avenues: Maritime Surveillance- ISRO and CNES have signed an agreement to set up a maritime surveillance centre in the country. The agreement intends to supply an operational system for detecting, identifying and tracking ships in the Indian Ocean, provides for a maritime surveillance centre to be set up in India, sharing of capacity to process existing satellite data and joint development of associated algorithms. ISRO and CNES will build a constellation of satellites for maritime surveillance intended to identify and track ships in the Indian Ocean. Training for Gaganyaan project: ISRO and CNES have signed an agreement to train Indian Scientists for the ‘Gaganyaan’ project at the Toulouse Space Centre in France. Indian Scientists will also be trained at CADMOS, the centre for development of microgravity applications and space operations, and the MEDES Space Clinic in France. India has also signed an agreement with Russia for the Gaganyaan Project.

    17) The Union Defence Ministry as announced that permanent commission will be granted for Women in all the 10 branches of Indian Army. The extension of Permanent Commission to Women will provide women with a career in the Army till their retirement. The Short Service Commission entails an opportunity to serve as a Commissioned Officer for 10/14 years. At the end of 10 yrs, 3 options will be provided, either elect for a Permanent Commission or opt out or have the option of 4 years extension. Permanent Commission for Women: The Ministry of Defence has announced that necessary steps have been initiated to ensure women who were earlier inducted for short service commission (SSC) will now be granted PC in the Armed forces. The Women Officers will now get a permanent commission in branches such as signals, engineers, army aviation, army air defence, electronics and mechanical engineers, army service corps, army ordnance corps and intelligence. The Women Officers will be considered for grant of permanent commission based on suitability, merit and will be employed in various staff appointment. The extension of permanent commission for women will enable them to serve for a longer duration across all 10 branches and they will be able to pursue permanent careers in all branches of Indian Army. The Defence Ministry had earlier approved permanent commission for women in all branches of Air Force including fighter pilots.

    18) The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has unveiled a new scheme Yuvashree Plan II or Yuvashree Arpan to encourage entrepreneurship among youth. Under the Yuvashree Arpan Scheme around fifty thousand Youths who have passed out of ITI or other polytechnic institutes will be eligible to get financial support of Rs One Lakh from the state MSME department to set up their own business initiatives. Fact Box: The Chief Minister of West Bengal has laid the foundation stone for the state’s first Hindi University at Arupara, Howrah. About: Yuvashree I Yuvashree I was launched by the labour department of the state of West Bengal. Under the scheme, an unemployment allowance of Rs 1500 per month was provided per month to 1,00,000 unemployed youth.

    19) The Ministry of Personnel has notified the appointment of Ajit Kumar Mohanty as Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for the period of three years. Currently, he is the Director, Physics Group in BARC and Director, Saha Institute Institute of Nuclear Physics. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre: The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is India’s premier nuclear research facility headquartered in Trombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) was established by the government of India in 1954 to consolidate all the research and development activity for nuclear reactors and technology under the AEET. As a result, all the scientists and engineers engaged in the fields of reactor design and development, instrumentation, metallurgy and material science etc. were transferred with their respective programmes from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) to AEET, with TIFR retaining its original focus for fundamental research in the sciences. After the demise of Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha in 1966, AEET was renamed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). Over the years, BARC has emerged as the multi-disciplinary research centre with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development. Its R&D covers the entire spectrum of nuclear science, engineering and related areas. BARC’s core mandate is to sustain peaceful applications of nuclear energy, primarily for power generation.

    20) Japanese Architect Arata Isozaki has received the Pritzker Prize 2019. He is the 46th laureate and eighth architect from Japan to win the Pritzker Prize. Arata Isozaki will be awarded the prize of $100,000 (£76,000) and a bronze medallion in May at a ceremony at the Château de Versailles in France. Some of his major works include Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Palau Saint Jordi indoor sporting arena in Barcelona, he Allianz Tower in Milan, Italy, Qatar’s National Convention Centre, Kitakyushu’s Central Library in Japan, Thessaloniki concert hall’s second auditorium, M2, in Greece, Nara Centennial Hall in Japan etc. Pritzker Prize: Pritzker Prize is an annual award to honour a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision, and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture. The award constituted by Pritzker family of Chicago through their Hyatt Foundation in 1979. is often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel” and “the profession’s highest honour.” Earlier awardees of the coveted prize include India’s Balkrishna Doshi, Jorn Utzon who designed the Sydney Opera House, Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil and the British-Iraqi designer, Zaha Hadid.

    21) Malaysia has ratified the Rome Statute making it the 124th State party to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Even though Malaysia had helped to negotiate the Rome Statute, it has been long been reluctant to ratify it. Ratification after 20 years is seen as a welcome move. Why Malaysia has acceded to the Rome Statute after 20 years? The downing of flight MH17 and the Rohingya crisis have focused Malaysia’s attention on the ICC. After the election of Mahathir Mohamad for his second stint as Prime Minister in May 2018, there has been a significant shift in the relationship between the Malaysian government and monarchy. The earlier reluctance to ratify the Rome Statute has largely stemmed from a concern that the King, as the head of the armed forces could be held responsible for crimes committed by those under his command Mahathir’s relationship with the Sultans and the King is notoriously tense. During his first period as prime minister (1981-2003), Mahathir “stripped the sultans of their power to veto state and federal legislation”, removed their legal immunities, and established a special court to prosecute royal cases. The election of Mahathir and appointment of a new Attorney General, Tommy Thomas, has seen the main legal obstacles to ratification removed. The ratification has also stemmed from ambition to see Malaysia playing a more active role in ASEAN and the United Nations. International Criminal Court established by Rome Statute is a permanent international court with jurisdiction over those most responsible for committing the most serious human rights crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

    22) China has increased its defence budget by 7.5 per to $177.61 billion up from last year’s $165 billion. The 2019 Defence Budget of China stood at 1.19 trillion yuan (about $177.61 billion) which is three times the Indian Defence Budget. China’s Defence Budget: China’s Defence Budget growth rate stood at 7.6 per cent in 2016, 7 per cent in 2017 and 8.1 per cent in 2018. China’s defence spending at $177.61 billion makes it the highest spender on defence after the United States. China is equipping its People’s Liberation Army with state-of-the-art hardware, spending heavily on stealth warplanes, aircraft carriers and other weaponry. The Chinese government has stated that the increased spending will “strengthen military training under combat conditions, and firmly protect China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.” China has also resorted to major reforms of its military, which included giving priority to expanding its navy and air force to enhance its influence abroad. Increases Budget a Cause of Worry? China is demonstrating a more posture towards Taipei and China is facing competing claims in the South China Sea from Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan together with a territorial dispute with historic rival Japan in the East China Sea. Hence increased Defence Budget of China may be a precursor to a more aggressive stance against its neighbours. China has termed the increase in the defence budget as reasonable and appropriate aimed at meeting the country’s demand in safeguarding national security and military reform with Chinese characteristics. China also argues that China’s defence budget at 1.3 per cent of the GDP is much less than major developing countries which spend two per cent GDP on their defence. China also states that whether a country is a military threat to others or not is not determined by its increase in defence expenditure, but by the foreign and national defence policies it adopts.

    23) President Trump notified the Congress his intent to terminate trade benefits for both India and Turkey under the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) eligibility criteria. India and GSP: About 2,000 products, including auto components and textiles, can enter the US duty-free if the beneficiary developing country meet the eligibility criteria. India was the largest beneficiary of the GSP programme in 2017 with $5.7 billion in imports to the US given duty-free status. Why the US is planning to withdraw GSP for India? President Trump has accused India of failing to ensure the US of “equitable and reasonable” access to its markets. The US is pressing India to reduce US trade deficits and has repeatedly called out India for high tariffs. Withdrawal of GSP is part of the President Trumps plan to redress what it considers to be unfair trading relationships. India has sought talks with the US to avoid the withdrawal of the trade benefits under the GSP. India has offered a trade package to the US which promises of about Rs 35,000 crore annually in oil and gas imports from the US and another Rs 1,00,000 lakh crore in defence orders in the coming years.

    24) The IQAir AirVisual 2018 World Air Quality Report was compiled by Greenpeace in association with IQAir AirVisual. The index measures the presence of fine particulate matter PM2.5 in the air. Findings of the Report: Seven of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India. Gurugram led all cities in pollution levels in 2018, even as its score improved from the previous year. The five most polluted cities in the world are Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwadi (India) and Faisalabad (Pakistan). 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities are in India. Remaining five are in China, two is in Pakistan and one is in Bangladesh. Beijing, once among the most polluted cities in the world ranked 122nd in the list of the most polluted cities last year based on PM2.5 data. Faisalabad in Pakistan, Hotan in China and Lahore were the only three non-Indian cities in the top 10. 64% of the over 3000 cities studied exceeded the WHO’s annual exposure guideline for fine particulate matter PM2.5. 100% of measured cities within the Middle East and Africa exceeded this guideline, while 99% of cities in South Asia, 95% of cities in Southeast Asia, and 89% of cities in East Asia also exceed this targe. The report identifies some of the major sources or causes of ambient air pollution which include emission of a complex mixture of air pollutants from Industries, households, cars, and trucks. The report adds that fine particulate matter comes from fuel combustion, both from mobile sources such as vehicles and from stationary sources such as power plants, industry, households, agriculture or biomass burning.

    25) The World Bank will provide a $250-million loan for the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP). National Rural Economic Transformation Project is a new sub-component under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development. National Rural Economic Transformation Project: NRETP supports enterprise development programmes for rural poor women and youth by creating a platform to access finance including start-up financing options to build their individual and/or collectively owned and managed enterprises. The project also involves developing financial products using digital financial services to help small producer collectives scale-up and engage with the market. It also supports youth skills development, in coordination with the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana. The key focus of the project is to promote women-owned and women-led farm and non-farm enterprises across value chains, enabling them to build businesses that help them access finance, markets and networks; and generate employment. The $250-million loan from the World Bank has a 5-year grace period and a final maturity of 20 years.

    26) The Government of India, the State Government of Chhattisgarh and the World Bank signed a $25.2 Million Loan Agreement to support the State’s Reforms in Expenditure Management under Chhattisgarh Public Financial Management and Accountability Program. Chhattisgarh Public Financial Management and Accountability Program: The reforms encompass Expenditure Planning, Investment Management, Budget Execution, Public Procurement and Accountability. The programme will help the state of Chhattisgarh to strengthen its Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and Tax Administration Systems. The programme will build the capacity of the State’s Human Resources and the Institutions Handling Management of Public Finances. The World Bank will also facilitate cross-learning from Public Financial Management (PFM) Reforms undertaken by it in the other Indian States while bringing in global experiences. Improvements in Public Financial Management is a key step for achieving the development potential of the state. Improvements will ensure that the State can invest more and with greater efficiency, for it’s poor and vulnerable. The programme which focuses on IT solutions will benefit almost 11,000 Village Panchayats and 168 Urban Municipalities in the State. About 92 per cent households in the State of Chhattisgarh belongs to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. The Direct Benefit Transfers (DBTs) is being increasingly used by the Central and State Governments to channel resources to households and individuals. The Programme will support the development of systems that will facilitate inter-departmental data interaction under secured protocols and automate most of the processing and payment of DBTs in the State. Thus enhancing the efficiency of the system.

    27) The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of P V Ramesh appointed as the director-general of the National Archives of India. Currently, he is serving as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Rural Electrification Corporation. National Archives of India: The genesis of National Archives of India can be traced to the traced to the report of Sandeman, the Civil Auditor who had stressed the need of relieving the offices of congestion by the destruction of the papers of routine nature and transfer of all valuable records to a ‘Grand Central Archive’. In 1889 Professor G.W. Forrest of Elphinstone College, Bombay entrusted the job of examining the records of the Foreign Department of the Government of India made a strong plea for transferring all records of the administration of East India Company to a Central Repository. This led to the establishment of Imperial Records Department (IRD) on 11 March 1891 in the Imperial Secretariat Building at Calcutta (Kolkata). In 1911 the IRD was shifted to Delhi. After the Independence, the government of India rechristened IRD as the National Archives of India with Director of Archives as its head and in the year 1990 the office of the Director of Archives was redesignated as Director General of Archives. At present National Archives of India is an attached office under the Ministry of Culture and has a Regional Office at Bhopal and three Records Centres at Jaipur, Puducherry and Bhubaneswar.

    28) The government of Karnataka has launched the water conservation scheme Jalamrutha. The scheme focuses on drought-proofing measures, including protection and rejuvenation of water bodies. About the Scheme: The scheme will be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj of Karnataka. Under the scheme, scientific approaches will be deployed for water budgeting, water harvesting and water conservation through the use of geospatial data, satellite imagery, topographical and geological data. The scheme is community drive and will be implemented by key line departments of the government, Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and private sector institutions. The water conservation strategy under the scheme comprises of four components viz. water literacy, rejuvenation of waterbodies, creation of new waterbodies as well as the development of watersheds and afforestation activities. The scheme will operate on a four-tier institutional structure with planning and execution committees being set up at village, taluk, district and State levels. A State-level committee headed by the Chief Minister will be established for strategic monitoring, convergence, policy and programmatic guidance and the committee will design water conservation strategies for the State in consultation with all stakeholders. Emphasising on water conservation the government of Karnataka has announced 2019 as the ‘Year of Water’ to emphasise the importance of water becoming a scarce commodity and the need to conserve it.

    29) TVS Motor Company has bagged the international sustainability award Green Era Award for Sustainability in Lisbon, Portugal. Tata Motors also won the Quality and Business Excellence Award in acknowledgement of its endeavour to create new benchmarks in product quality. Green Era Award for Sustainability: The Green Era Award for Sustainability was awarded at the Green Economy Forum held on 10th of February 2019 at Lisbon. The forum witnessed the participation of renewable energy firms, environmental agencies and green companies from the 5 continents. The nominees for the Green Era Award for Sustainability are based on the following criteria’s: Energy Efficiency – representing a reduction of specific energy consumption through general housekeeping measures, best practices, retrofitting inefficient equipment and new projects in the use of energy. Creativity & Innovation – in terms of demonstrated systems and processes, influencing energy technologies, opportunities with potential for further development and transferability to others and productivity of the operations while making sure that the ecological balance is not impacted. Increase of Renewable Energy share in the energy source portfolio – use of renewable energy such as solar, wind, biomass, biogas and other cleaner energy sources and gradual reduction of dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Economic, Social & Environmental Impact. The Green Era Award for Sustainability recognises the true global exemplars who have been innovative and creative in pursuing the sustainable imperative. The awards are based on the conclusion of the research team of Otherways Management & Consulting, France.

    30) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of 8 crores on 3 banks viz. Karnataka Bank, United Bank of India and Karur Vysya Bank for non-compliance of directions on Swift messaging software. A fine of 4 crores was imposed on Karnataka Bank, 3 crores on United Bank of India and one crore on Karur Vysya Bank. SWIFT: SWIFT stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications is a messaging network that financial institutions use to securely transmit information and instructions through a standardized system of codes. Under SWIFT, each financial organization has a unique code which is used to send and receive payments. Suppose a customer of a Bank of America of New York Branch want to send money to the ICICI bank account in Bengaluru, he can approach the Bank of America’s New York Branch with the account number of ICICI to which the money needs to be deposited and ICICI Banks Swift Code for the Bengaluru branch. Bank of America’s New York Branch will send the payment message to the ICICI Bengaluru branch over the secure SWIFT network. Once ICICI ‘s Bengaluru branch receives the SWIFT message about the incoming payment, it will clear and credit the money to the account. SWIFT code is used when the transfer between two banks happens internationally as we use IFSC codes for the domestic transfers i.e. financial transactions within the geographical territory of India.

    31) The Indian Space Research organisation (ISRO) has launched the Young Scientist Programme (Yuva Vigyani Karyakram) to impart basic knowledge on space technology, space science and applications to the young ones to arouse their interest in space activities. Young Scientist Programme: For the Young Scientist Programme, ISRO will select over 100 students from across India and give them practical experience of how satellites are built. Three Students will be selected from each state/union territory to participate in the programme each year covering CBSE, ICSE and state syllabus on the basis of their academic performance and extracurricular activities. The Young Scientist Programme will involve a two-week residential training programme held each year during summer holidays for students from across the country who have completed class 8 and are studying in class 9. The students selected under the progranmme will also visit ISRO centres, interact with senior scientists, and will have access to research and development facilities. The students from rural areas will be given special weightage in the selection and all the expenses of travelling and boarding will be funded entirely by ISRO. ISRO will also launch Six incubation centres will be established in various parts of the country – North, South, East, West, Centre and North-East to allow students to use these centres for R&D purposes. The first such centre was established in Agartala of Tripura.

    32) The ‘Azaadi ke Diwane’ museum dedicated to the unsung heroes of the country’s freedom struggle was inaugurated at the Red Fort premises. Azaadi ke Diwane Museum: The Museum is built by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Museum pays homage to hundreds of freedom fighters who do not find mention in popular culture. The Museum has attempted to document these unsung hero’s contributions to India’s Freedom Struggle. The Museum pays tribute to the selfless sacrifices of the revolutionaries, brave women freedom fighters and valiant children. The Museum is part of Kranti Mandir Series to inspire the younger generation and to let them know the cost of freedom that the great fighters achieved by sacrificing their lives. Azaadi ke Diwane is a digitised and interactive museum with a state-of-the-art, informative and educational exhibition allowing the visitors to engage with the exhibits through multi-sensor technology. Kranti Mandir Series: Kranti Mandir is India’s tribute to the revolutionary zeal and courage of the great freedom fighters. Other Museums which are part of the Kranti Mandir series are Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Museum, Yaad-e-Jallian Museum and Museum on 1857- India’s first war of Independence were inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Republic Day.

    33) The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has launched 22 permanent global positioning system (GPS) stations across India to identify seismically hazardous zones and encourage mapping activities. These 22 stations are part of the 35 stations planned by GSI to establish and maintain a network of continuously operating 35 permanent GPS stations. Fact Box: Bhuvisamvad Bhuvisamvad is an app launched by the Ministry of Mines to facilitate interaction between geo-scientists and university and college students. GPS stations: 22 stations inaugurated are based at Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Pune, Dehradun, Chennai, Jabalpur, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Raipur, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar Vishakhapatnam, Agartala, Itanagar, Mangan, Jammu, Lucknow, Nagpur, Shillong and Little Andaman. 13 More Stations Would come up at Aizawl, Faridabad, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Cooch Behar, Zawar, North Andaman, Middle Andaman, South Andaman, Ranchi, Mangalore, Imphal and Chitradurga. These stations are meant to delineate high strain zones for earthquake probability, determine a seismic motion on faults that may lead to a rupture and produce thematic maps with high positional accuracy. Geological Survey of India: Geological Survey of India (GSI) was established in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways. Over the years GSI has not only grown into a repository of geoscience information required in various fields in the country but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute. The main functions of GSI attached to the Ministry of Mines is to create and update of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment through ground surveys, airborne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geotechnical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismotectonic study, and carrying out fundamental research.

    34) The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has decided to reintroduce Cricket in the 2022 Asian Games to be held at Hangzhou, China. Cricket in Asian Games: Earlier Cricket had featured in 2010 and 2014 Asian Games but was dropped from the 2018 Asian Games. In all probabilities mostly T20 version of cricket would be introduced in the Asian Games like it happened during the 2010 and 2014 edition in Guangzhou and Incheon respectively. In 2014, Sri Lanka and Pakistan won the men’s and women’s gold and in 2010 Bangladesh and Pakistan claimed the top honours. Indian Cricket Teams did not participate in both the editions. In another major decision, the OCA has agreed to invite Oceania countries including Australia to compete at the 2022 Asian Games. Oceania athletes participation is limited to sports which qualify for the 2024 Olympics through Asia, including volleyball, beach volleyball, basketball, soccer and fencing. Asian Games: Asian Games, also known as Asiad is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. Asian Games are organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in association with the host nation. Asian Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and are described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. The first Asian Games were held at New Delhi, India in 1951.

    35) The Crew Dragon capsule of Space X has successfully docked with the International Space Station. SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule: The demonstration mission is named as Demo-1. It was a test mission before it can begin taking US astronauts into space. After the successful docking, the crew members of International Space Station opened the hatch of the space capsule and, for the first time, penetrated its interior in space. The Dragon Capsule had carried Ripley, a test dummy named after the heroine from Alien Movies, an untethered plush toy, 400 pounds (about 181 kg) of supplies and experiments to the ISS. During the mission, Flight computers guided the spacecraft directly into a docking port, unlike the previous cargo Dragon spacecraft that were attached to the space station after captured by a robotic arm. International Space Station: The International Space Station is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS maintains an orbit with an altitude of between 330 and 435 km (205 and 270 mi) by means of reboost manoeuvres and circles the Earth in roughly 92 minutes and completes 15.5 orbits per day. The ISS programme is a joint project between five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). Demo-1 was a dress rehearsal to demonstrate that the vehicle is reliable and safe so that NASA can resume manned flights from US soil this year and reduce its reliance on Russia to ferry its astronauts to the space station since the end of the US space shuttle program in 2011 after a 30-year run.

    36) World Wildlife Day 2019 was observed on March 3rd with the theme ‘Life below water: for people and planet.’ World Wildlife Day Objectives: To provide an opportunity to celebrate the beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora.To raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people. At the same time. To remind the world of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species, which have a wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impact. World Wildlife Day also complements the efforts under the Sustainable Development Goal #15 which focuses on halting biodiversity loss. Life below water: for people and planet The theme of World Wildlife Day 2019 ‘Life below water: for people and planet’ complements the Goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG14) aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” Why March 3rd as World Wildlife Day? The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on its 68th session on 20 December 2013 decided to proclaim 3rd March as World Wildlife Day. March 3rd is the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

    37) Sampriti 2019, eight edition of India Bangladesh joint military exercise began on 3rd March 2019. The joint exercise is aimed to increase mutual cooperation, bonhomie and camaraderie between the armies of India and Bangladesh. Sampriti 2019: Sampriti 2019 is hosted by Bangladesh at Tangail will be held till March 15. Bangladesh is represented by 36 East Bengal Battalion and India side is represented by 9th Battalion the Rajputana Rifles. The Sampriti 2019 will see contingents from both sides honing their tactical and technical skills in countering the insurgency, counter-terrorism and aiding civil authorities for disaster management in the UN Peacekeeping scenarios involving a combined deployment at a battalion level. The exercise is aimed at increasing mutual cooperation, bonhomie and camaraderie between the two armies through interoperability and joint tactical exercises. The military exercise Sampriti began in 2009 as a platoon-level exercise and graduated to a company-level exercise in 2015 onwards. During the exercise, both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered during simulated UN peace keeping operations. During the joint military exercise experts from both sides also hold discussions to share each other’s experiences in varied topics for mutual benefits.

    38) Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been chosen for the first Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar constituted by the Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti. The award which carries a cash prize of Rs. 2.51 lakh, a memento and a citation will be presented to Abhinandan Varthaman on April 17 the Mahavir Jayanti. Abhinandan Varthaman: Abhinandan Varthaman, a wing-commander in the Indian Air Force shot into limelight in the ongoing bilateral tensions between Indian and Pakistan aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack. After India’s airstrike aimed at destroying the Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan, Pakistan retaliated with an intrusion into Jammu and Kashmir. Abhinandan Varthaman was flying MiG-21 as a part of a sortie that was scrambled to intercept an intrusion by Pakistan Air craft. In the dogfight that followed, he crossed into Pakistan territory wherein he was struck by missiles. Later he ejected and descended safely at the village of Horran in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir around 7 km from Line of Control. He was captured by the Pakistan Military and was later handed over to India.

    39) The Prayagraj Kumbh Mela 2019 has made into Guinness World Records in the following three sectors: Largest traffic and crowd management plan. Biggest painting exercise of public sites under paint my city scheme. Biggest sanitation and waste disposal mechanism. Kumbha Mela: Kumbh Mela, the festival of the sacred pitcher is the largest public gathering and collective act of faith, anywhere in the world. This Hindu pilgrimage Kumbh Mela is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years over four locations in India. The site of Kumbh Mela keeps rotating between one of the four pilgrimages on four sacred rivers as listed below: Haridwar on the Ganges in Uttarakhand. Ujjain on the Shipra in Madhya Pradesh. Nashik on the Godavari in Maharashtra. Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati in Uttar Pradesh. The Kumbh Mela has been inscribed on the list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO in 2017. Mythological Significance of Kumbh Mela: The origin of Kumbh Mela Can be traced to the works of the 8th-century philosopher Shankaracharya. The founding myth of the Kumbh Mela points out to the Puranas which recounts how Gods and demons fought over the sacred pitcher (Kumbh) of Amrit (nectar of immortality). It is widely believed that Lord Vishnu disguised as the enchantress Mohini whisked the Kumbh out of the grasp of the demons who had tried to claim it. As he took it heavenwards, a few drops of the precious nectar fell on the four sacred sites of Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and Prayag. The flight and the following pursuit is said to have lasted twelve divine days which are equivalent to twelve human years. Therefore the Kumbh Mela is celebrated every twelve years staggered at each of the four sacred sites in this cycle.

    40) The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) created a new Guinness World Record for the longest single moving line bicycle parade at the Yamuna Expressway. New World Record: The world record was attempted to commemorate the 50 years of the paramilitary force CISF. For creating the World Record the personnel of the central force rode 1,327 bicycles non-stop with a uniform distance between bicycles in a single line. The bicycle parade covered 3.2 km distance non-stop. The CISF personnel displayed a high degree of discipline as entire formation had to keep moving, keeping in mind that the distance between two cycles should not exceed the length of three, for the world record to be broken. The CISF broke the earlier record of Hubballi bicycle club of India which had 1,235 bicycles in a single chain. Central Industrial Security Force: The CISF came into existence in 1969 with a modest three battalions, to provide integrated security cover to the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) which had occupied the commanding heights of the economy in those days. In a span of five decades, the Force has grown several folds to reach one lakh forty-eight thousand and three hundred seventy-one personnel. With India embracing Globalization and liberalization, CISF is no longer a PSU-centric organization. Instead, it now a premier multi-skilled security agency of the country, mandated to provide security to major critical infrastructure installations of the country in diverse areas. CISF is currently providing security cover to nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power plants, sensitive Government buildings heritage monuments and even Private entities.

    41) The medal winners for India at the Dan Kovlov 2019 wrestling event is listed below: Bajrang Punia won gold in the Men’s freestyle wrestling 65kg category. Pooja Dhanda claimed gold in the Women’s 59kg category. Sakshi Malik claimed silver medal in the Women’s 65kg category. Sandeep Tomar claimed silver medal in the Men’s 61kg category. Vinesh Phogat claimed silver medal in the Women’s 53kg. The Wrestling event was being held at Ruse, Bulgaria. Dan Kovlov: The Wrestling event is named after wrestling legend Doncho Kolеv Danev better known by the ring name Dan Kolov. Dan Kolov was a Bulgarian wrestler and he was the first European freestyle wrestling champion from Bulgaria. Dan Kovlov had between 1,500 and 2,000 fights and won almost all of them and he has registered only three losses in official matches.

    42) Red Flag 19 military drill is being held in the US from March 3 to 16. The exercise gives aircraft crews an opportunity to experience advanced, relevant, and realistic combat-like situations in a controlled environment to increase their survivability in actual combat operations. Exercise Red Flag: Exercise Red Flag is an advanced aerial combat training exercise held several times a year by the United States Air Force. The exercise offers realistic air-combat training for military pilots and other flight crew members from the U.S., NATO and other allied countries. Each year the exercise will be held at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The exercise began in the year 1975. The origin of the exercise is traced to the unacceptable performance of U.S. Air Force fighter pilots and weapon systems officers (WSO) in air combat manoeuvring (ACM) (air-to-air combat) during the Vietnam War. Exercise Red Flag brings together aircrews from the United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN), United States Marine Corps (USMC), United States Army (USA) and numerous NATO and other allied nations’ air forces. In a typical Red Flag exercise, Blue Forces engage Red Forces in realistic combat situations.

    43) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared ‘April 2019-March 2020’ as Construction-Technology year at the Construction Technology India-2019 Expo-cum-conference in New Delhi. Construction-Technology year: Construction-Technology year emphasises the role of advanced technology to meet the increasing demand for housing in the country caused by rapid. The declaration of Construction year aims to give the housing sector a new pace by using the latest technologies available in the world. The integration of modern technology to the housing sector would make the sector more dynamic and vibrant. India has even launched the Global Housing Technology Challenge to fast-track the construction of affordable housing and meet the target of constructing 1.2 crore houses by 2022. Government is also focussing on bringing systematic reforms to provide technical skills to the youth and making changes in engineering and technology curriculum. At the Construction Technology India-2019 Expo-cum-conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched the GHTC-India mobile application, an interactive platform for all stakeholders for the exchange of knowledge on innovation and alternative housing technologies.

    44) The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for setting up of a Centre for Disability Sports at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The Centre for Disability Sports, Gwalior will be set up at an estimated cost f Rs 170.99 crore, spread over a period of 5 years. Centre for Disability Sports: The Centre of Disability Sports would be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The centre would create an improved sports infrastructure to ensure effective participation of persons with disabilities in sports activities and also enable them to compete at national and international levels. The centre would aid in developing a sense of belonging in Divyangjan to facilitate their integration in society. A governing body consisting of not exceeding 12 members would be set up for overall superintendence and supervision of the Centre with representation for experts from National Level Sports Federations apart from experts in para games. The announcement for setting up of Centre for Disability Sports was made in the Budget of 2014-15. The centre would aid in achieving the objective under the Section 30 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 which enjoins the Government to take measures to ensure effective participation of Persons with Disabilities in sports activities which inter-alia, includes a provision of infrastructural facilities for sports activities for them.

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