WBCS Current Affairs 05 May 2018 To 11 May 2018

The Importance of Current Affairs in W.B.C.S examinations is immense.Success inW.B.C.S  Prelims and W.B.C.S Mains Exam is mainly subjected to how well an aspirant is aware of the important current affairs. Preparation of current affairs for W.B.C.S is the key to unlock the exam.Continue Reading WBCS Current Affairs 05 May 2018 To 11 May 2018.

1) Telangana government has launched Rythu Bandhu (friend of farmers) Scheme, an investment support scheme to support livelihood of farmers. It is first of its kind investment support scheme for farmers to be launched by any state in India, Key Facts: Under this scheme, farmers will directly get financial support twice every year to maximise agricultural production and productivity. They will get investment support of Rs 8,000 per acre every year (Rs. 4000 each for monsoon and Rabi season) as crop investment support. About 58 lakh farmers who till over 1.42 crore acres of land in the state are expected to be benefitted from the initiative. The state government has already set aside Rs 12,000 crore in the 2018-19 budget exclusively for this scheme.

2) National Technology Day is being observed across India on May 11 to mark India’s technological advancements and to promote the development of technology in various fields. The official theme for this year is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”. Background: The day is being commemorated to celebrate the anniversary of first of the five nuclear tests of Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) nuclear test, held from 11 to 13 May 1998 in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The operation was led by former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who was then Director of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). After conducting nuclear tests as part of Pokhran-II, India was declared as nuclear state by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, making it sixth nation to join ‘nuclear club’ of nations as well as first country which was not a part of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT). India also conducted successful test firing of Trishul missile on May 11, 1998. Trishul missile was developed as part of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) by DRDO. Trishul Missile got inducted by Indian Army and Indian Airforce. Moreover, Hansa 3, India’s first indigenous aircraft was also first tested on May 11, 1998 in Bangalore. It was first of its kind general aviation two-seater plane used for flight training as well as personal flying. Based on these tremendous, groundbreaking achievements by Indian scientists, engineers, as well as technicians, May 11 was declared as the National Technology Day. To commemorate this day, Technology Development Board (TDB) has instituted National Award. This award is conferred on to various individuals and industries by the President for their successful achievement in commercialization of Indigenous Technology.

3) India and Panama have signed two agreements on exemption of Visas for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports and in the field of Agriculture. These agreements were signed in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela Rodrigues in Panama city. It was second leg of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s his first official foreign visit to three countries Guatemala, Panama and Peru to strengthen India’s relations with them. Key Facts: India and Panama always had cordial relations. These ties are based on our common values and shared commitment to democracy, pluralism, multi-culturalism, and the rule of law. During Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu’s visit, both countries resolve to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. India will set up two centres for Biodiversity and Innovation in Panama worth US $10 million and US $15 million each. Both countries have agreed to boost cooperation in key areas by strengthening cooperation in tax information, economic cooperation, air services, traditional medicines, culture and space.

4) India has sent Bangladesh its second relief consignment under Operation Insaniyat to help tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar into Bangladesh following military crackdown in violence-hit Rakhine state. Key Facts: Indian Navy Ship INS Airavat carrying 373-tonne relief consignment sailed from Vishakhapatnam and reached Chattogram port (formerly Chittagong) Port. The second consignment mainly contained 104 tonnes of milk powder, 102 tonnes of dried fish, 61 tonnes of baby food, 50,000 raincoats and 50,000 pairs of gum boots. The relief is in view of specific needs of large number of Rohingya women and children living in camps and onset of monsoon. Another tranche containing 1 million litres of kerosene oil and 20,000 cooking stoves will be sent soon. Background: Rohingya are stateless ethnic minority (mostly Muslim) from Rakhine province of Buddhist-majority Myanmar, who are forced leave their country due to communal violence and repeated military operations. According to UN estimates, over 6 lakh Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar’s violence hit Rakhine state into Bangladesh since August 2017 when fresh wave of violence had erupted in this province, triggering one of the world’s worst refugee crises. The violence had started after Rohingya militants belonging to Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (also known as Harakat al-Yaqeen or Faith Movement) had attacked police posts in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state. Following this attack, Myanmar’s military had launched violent crackdown on insurgents from Muslim Rohingya population which led to mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh. Earlier in December 2017, India had announced development assistance of US $25 million for Rakhine state. It also had sent relief materials for 300,000 Rohingyas in September 2017 under ‘Operation Insaniyat’ to support Bangladesh in its humanitarian efforts.

5) Indian Army’s month long Vijay Prahar exercise concluded in Suratgarh, Rajasthan. It was conducted by South Western Command of Indian Army. The month-long exercise was aimed to orchestrate wide spectrum of threats including Nuclear, Chemical or Biological (NCB) attack which are planned to be tackled through high tempo joint air and land operation. Vijay Prahar exercise: In this month long exercise, over 20,000 troops participated with fighting equipment for couple of weeks to fine-tune jointmanship with Indian Air Force. It involved hundreds of aircrafts, thousands of tanks and artillery pieces supported by real time intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and logistic support. The exercise was conducted to practice troops in penetrative manoeuvres across obstacle ridden terrain under a nuclear umbrella. In it, formations of South Western Command practised and operationalised certain innovative concepts of operating in network centric environment. It also deployed integrated employment of modern day sensors with weapon platforms, employment of attack helicopters in air cavalry role and bold offensive of application of Special Forces. The formations refined their drills and procedures for fighting in nuclear environment during course of the exercise. South Western Command: The South Western Command of the Indian Army was established in April 2005 and became fully operational on 15 August 2005. It is headquartered at Jaipur, Rajasthan. The command’s operational units include I Corps, formerly under Central Command, and X Corps transferred from Western Command.

6) The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) has launched the website of Digital India Internship Scheme. The portal will facilitate students to apply online for internship. It was launched by Information Technology Minister Ravi Prasad Shankar in New Delhi. Digital India Internship Scheme: Objectives- Provide opportunity for student to secure first hand and practical work experience under guidance of qualified and experienced Supervisor and Mentor. Ensure active participation of students in learning process through experimentation and putting into practice the knowledge acquired in the classrooms. Under this scheme, 25 interns will be inducted for period of three months. These interns will be paid a stipend of Rs. 10, 000 per month. Eligibility: Indian students from recognized universities in India who have secured at least 60% marks in the last held degree or certificate examination. Students pursuing B.E/B.Tech or M.E/M.Tech or dual degrees and are in their course of study can apply for internships on the portal. Duration of Internship: It will be offered two times in year i.e. summer Internship during May and June an winter Internship during December and January. The minimum duration of internship will be of two months and extendable up to three months, depending on the performance of the candidate. Proposed broad areas for Internship: R&D, Cyber Laws & Cyber Security, e-Governance, Digital Literacy (HRD), International Cooperation & Industrial Promotion, Hardware Industry and Digital Payments and Electronic Testing.

7) The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has approved green licence plates bearing numbers in white fonts for private e-vehicles and yellow for taxis to promote electric vehicles (e-vehicles) in India. The purpose behind distinctive green number plates is easy identification of electric vehicles for preferential treatment in parking, free entry in congested zones besides other proposed benefits like concessional toll. Need: As per estimate, India at present has 1 to 1.5 lakh electric vehicles. It is projected to grow to about 5% of total vehicles in next five years. Of the about 24 million vehicles sold in India in 2017-18, e-vehicles accounted for barely about 1%. Government has undertaken various measure aimed at promoting e-vehicle’s use and government is considering exemption from permits for such vehicles. Other Proposals: Besides, MoRTH is also contemplating permitting youth in age group of 16-18 years to drive e-scooters, which are gearless and this will lead to a big demand for e-scooters. Currently, under the Motor Vheicles Act, 1988, those in the age group of 16-18 years are granted licence for below 50 CC gearless scooters. It is also contemplating to ask taxi aggregators to have incremental share of e-vehicles from 2020 onwards, which could be 1% of the fleet every year. Similarly, all public transport operators are also mandated to provide 1% incremental fleet from 2020 onwards. It is also going to request Union Finance Ministry for 50% rate of depreciation on EVs as against the rate of 15% for conventional vehicles. The proposals also include bringing down GST on batteries to 12% at par with the GST on EVs. Number Plate regime in India: Currently, there are four kinds of number plates in India- white licence plates with numbers on black font for private cars, yellow plates with fonts in black for commercial vehicles, black plates with yellow font letters for self-driven rental vehicles and blue plates with white font letters for Embassies and High Commissions. Official vehicles of President and governors have red licence plates with the national emblem. Army vehicles follow different registration system given by Defence Ministry.Continue Reading WBCS Current Affairs 05 May 2018 To 11 May 2018.

8) United States President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew US from historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal signed between Iran and P5+1 countries. It also reimposed sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the JCPOA. Trump administration cited that it cannot prevent Iran nuclear bomb and nuclear deal is defective at its core as it does not target Iran’s ballistic missile programme, its nuclear activities beyond 2025, and its role in conflicts in Yemen and Syria. However other parties to the deal China, France, Russia, UK, Germany and European Union are still supporting it, thus avoiding entire collapse of JCPOA. Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA): It is informally called as ‘Iran nuclear deal’. It is multilateral nuclear deal signed between Iran and P5+1 (five permanent members of United Nations Security Council- US, China, France, Russia, and UK), plus Germany and European Union (EU), in Vienna in July 2015. The JCPOA is aimed at preventing Iran from building nuclear weapon, involved lifting of international sanctions in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear programme. This plan ensured that Iran will drastically reduce its uranium enriching capacity and levels, enriched stockpiles and centrifuges and will allow for stringent inspection and monitoring by international agencies including International International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In exchange for Iran compliance to deal, economic sanctions that had kept Iran away from international banking and the global oil trade were lifted It allowed Iran to make business deals and also unfroze billions of dollars Iran had overseas before multilateral sanctions were imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme.

9) The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FCC) headed by NK Singh has constituted Advisory Council to advise and assist Commission on issue or subject related to Terms of Reference (ToR) to quell strong opposition from some states over 2011 census. The council comprises Arvind Virmani, former chief economic advisor, Surjit S Bhalla, Sajjid Chinoy, Neelkanth Mishra, Sanjeev Gupta, and Pinaki Chakraborty. ToR of Advisory Council: It will also assist the commission in preparation of any paper or research study which would enhance Commission’s understanding on issues containing in its ToR. It will also help commission in broadening its ambit and understanding to seek best national and international practices on matters pertaining to fiscal devolution and improving the quality and reach and enforcement of its recommendations. Comment: The council’s role is advisory in nature and it cannot tweak on its own ToR of the 15th Finance commission. Any change in ToR will be made by Central Government with assent of President. The setting up of council by FFC will also serve to ease pressure on Centre over ToR. Some southern states have claimed that progressive states are ones stand to lose if FFC follows its ToR and takes 2011 census as basis for the devolution of central funds, instead of 1971, that was adopted earlier. Background: Finance Commission is constitutionally-mandated body established once every five years by President to devise a formula for distributing net tax proceeds between centre and states as well as among states and local bodies. The recommendations of 15th Finance Commission (FFC) will come into effect from 1 April 2020. The ToR of 15th Finance Commission have drawn protests from many states, especially from southern ones, over its mandate to use 2011 Census data over 1971 Census data for resource allocation. The ToR of FFC as decided by centre have been criticized by southern ones, as being against spirit of cooperative fiscal federalism. The centre has mandated toFFC that population data for determining states’ share of tax revenues should be based on the 2011 Census, rather than the earlier practice of using the 1971 Census. Issue with 2011 Census: Southern states, as well as states such as Punjab and Odisha have succeeded in reducing their population growth rates in recent decades while growth rates of most northern states including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have remained high. Southern states allege that if FFC uses 2011 Census data, more resources will be transferred to northern states, thus penalizing states that have succeeded in controlling population.

10) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook report has reaffirmed that India will be the fastest growing major economy in 2018, with growth rate of 7.4% and 7.8% in 2019. Key Facts: India’s medium-term growth prospects remain positive. India is recovering from effects of demonetisation and introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST). The recovery is expected to be underpinned by rebound from transitory shocks as well as robust private consumption. Medium-term consumer price index inflation is forecasted to remain within but closer to upper bound of Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) inflation-targeting band of 4% with a plus or minus 2% change. Given increased inflation pressure, monetary policy should maintain a tightening bias. India’s current account deficit in fiscal year 2017-18 is expected to widen somewhat but will remain modest, financed by robust foreign direct investment inflows South Asian Region: After India, Bangladesh is projected to be fastest-growing economy in South Asia followed by Sri Lanka and Nepal. (Pakistan, which is grouped with Middle East, was not covered in this report). Overall, South Asia continues will be both fastest-growing region in the world and main engine of world’s economy. The region contributes more than 60% of global growth and three-quarters of this comes from India and China, which is expected to grow 6.6 % in 2018 and 6.4% in 2019. US Government’s fiscal stimulus is expected to support Asia’s exports and investment. However, in the medium term downside risks dominate for region and these include tightening of global financial conditions, shift toward protectionist policies, and increase in geopolitical tensions. Because of these uncertainties countries in the region need to follow conservative policies aimed at building buffers and increasing resilience and push ahead with structural reforms.

11) According to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India’s installed clean (renewable) energy capacity has already touched 70 Gigawatts (GW) and 38 GW is under implementation. This shows that India is progressing fast in areas of renewable energy and it is committed to meeting target of having 175 GW renewable energy (100GW Solar, 60 GW Wind, 10 GW Biomass and 5 GW Hydro) by 2022. Key Facts: The 70 GW installed renewable energy capacity in country is double of capacity four year back. So far, around 56,000 solar power pumps were installed in FY 2017-18, which is highest ever in single year. The renewable energy capacity of 11,788 MW was s added during FY 2017-18, which was the highest ever in single year. MNRE has bid out 32,500 MW capacities in last fiscal, which is nearly 10 times capacity commissioned in 2013-14. It also has boasted about discovering lowest wind and solar power tariff of Rs 2.43 and Rs 2.44 per unit, respectively, in the last fiscal through tariff based competitive bidding. India also generated 100 billion units of electricity through renewables last fiscal, which is highest ever so far.

12) According to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India’s installed clean (renewable) energy capacity has already touched 70 Gigawatts (GW) and 38 GW is under implementation. This shows that India is progressing fast in areas of renewable energy and it is committed to meeting target of having 175 GW renewable energy (100GW Solar, 60 GW Wind, 10 GW Biomass and 5 GW Hydro) by 2022. Key Facts: The 70 GW installed renewable energy capacity in country is double of capacity four year back. So far, around 56,000 solar power pumps were installed in FY 2017-18, which is highest ever in single year. The renewable energy capacity of 11,788 MW was s added during FY 2017-18, which was the highest ever in single year. MNRE has bid out 32,500 MW capacities in last fiscal, which is nearly 10 times capacity commissioned in 2013-14. It also has boasted about discovering lowest wind and solar power tariff of Rs 2.43 and Rs 2.44 per unit, respectively, in the last fiscal through tariff based competitive bidding. India also generated 100 billion units of electricity through renewables last fiscal, which is highest ever so far.

13) Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has in its 2018 edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia approved modern, animal-free tests for drug manufacturers. It will spare animals from suffering due to drug experiments. 2018 Indian Pharmacopoeia: It provides guidelines on tests for drugs manufactured and marketed in India. It replaces pyrogen test carried out on rabbits and abnormal toxicity test carried out on guinea pigs and mice with tests that can be done in test tubes. These guidelines will come into effect from July 1, 2018. The pyrogen test will be replaced by bacterial endotoxin test or monocyte activation test which can be carried out in test tubes. For abnormal toxicity test, Vaccine manufacturers can apply for waiver by getting compliance certificate from National Control Laboratory. Background: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India was pushing for doing away with cruel methods of testing on animals for the past several years. It had written to IPC in 2015 with several suggestions. These suggestions were discussed in a meeting of expert committee on vaccine standards that was held in 2016 and few of them have finally approved by IPC. Pyrogen test is carried out to check impurity or substance that can cause adverse side-effects. For the test, drug is injected into rabbit and animal is closely observed for feverish symptoms. The abnormal toxicity test is carried out to check potential hazardous biological contamination in vaccine formulations. This batch test is done before product is approved for marketing. In this, mice or guinea pigs are injected with vaccine. The scientists observe if there is death of any animal. Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC): IPC is an autonomous institution of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to set standards of drugs in country. Its basic function is to update regularly standards of drugs commonly required for treatment of diseases prevailing in the region. These set of standards are published under title Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) similar to British Pharmacopoeia and United States Pharmacopeia. IPC publishes official documents for improving Quality of Medicines by way of adding new and updating existing monographs in form of IP. It also promotes rational use of generic medicines by publishing National Formulary of India. IPC was established by executive orders in 1945 according to Indian Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. It is headquartered in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

14) India and Guatemala have signed pact for strengthening diplomatic cooperation through Respective Foreign Service Institutes in educational field. The agreement was signed after meeting between Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his Guatemala counterpart, Jafeth Cabrera Franco in Guatemala City. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu visit Guatemala as part of his first official foreign visit to three countries Guatemala, Panama and Peru to strengthen India’s relations with them. Key Outcomes of meeting: Both countries agreed to support each other’s candidature for Non-Permanent Membership in United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Guatemala will support India’s candidature for UNSC membership for 2021-22 while New Delhi will do so for 2031-32 for Guatemala. Indian side also agreed to Guatemala’s request for supplying solar panels to its airports. They also signed MoU for training of diplomats and Letter of Intent (LoI) for training Guatemalan English Teachers in India. These agreements will be valid for three years and will be extended thereafter, if required. Guatemala: Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to north and west, Pacific Ocean to southwest, Belize to northeast, Caribbean to east, Honduras to east and El Salvador to southeast. It is the most populated state in Central America. Guatemala is largest and capital city of Guatemala. The diplomatic relations between India and Guatemala were established in 1972. Both nations were part of the Non-Aligned Movement.

15) Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd. (BSCDCL) has launched India’s first cloud-based Common Integrated Data Centre, Disaster Recovery Centre and Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC). It is powered by Hewlett Packard (HP) Enterprise’s Universal Internet of Things (IoT) Platform. Key Facts: ICCC will enable Madhya Pradesh State administration to monitor and administer multiple city civic utilities and citizen services across seven smart cities in state through central cloud. These seven cities include Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Ujjain, Satna, and Sagar. It will also enable state-wide monitoring of these cities from central command view and result in significant cost savings as compared to deploying full-fledged data and disaster recovery centre along with command control centres in each of these seven cities. HP has provided an end-to-end solution for BSCDCL that combines its Universal IoT platform, industry leading servers, Edge compute systems, HP Pointnext services and broad ecosystem of partners. HP Universal IoT platform is critical to ICCC, as it adapts and integrates thousands of discrete sensors and applications on platform. It will enable state government to remotely manage and control various citizen services via single platform. These services include Smart Parking, Smart Lighting, Smart Traffic and Transport, Smart Waste Management and Smart Water.

16) India was ranked fourth out of 25 nations in Asia-Pacific region in the inaugural Asia Power Index released by Australian think tank Lowy Institute. Asia Power Index: It measures overall power of countries and territories in Asia-Pacific region. A country’s overall power is its weighted average across eight measures of power – economic resources, military capability, diplomatic influence, economic relationships, resilience, future trends, defence networks and cultural influence. Key Facts: Three of the world’s four largest economies are in Asia and United States is Pacific power. By 2025, two-thirds of world’s population will live in Asia, compared to just over a tenth in the West. According to it, US remained to be pre-eminent power in Asia, while China, an emerging superpower is rapidly closing in on United States. It ranked Russia, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Pakistan, Philippines and North Korea as middle powers, while Bangladesh, Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Laos and Nepal as “minor powers.” The index held that Japan and India are countries sharing major power status. It labelled Japan as smart power and called India giant of future. India was ranked fourth on parameters of economic resources, military capability and diplomatic influence. It was ranked fifth on resilience. However, on the parameters of cultural influence and future trends, India scored well by ranking third in both. India also scored low on measure of economic relationships and defence networks, ranking seventh and seventh respectively.

17) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued draft Telecommunication Interconnection (Amendment) Regulations 2018 to amend interconnect regulations, proposing certain changes in terms and conditions for operators to seek fresh call connect ports from other telecom operators. Key Features of draft rules: Service provider can ask another operator for additional ports or Point of Interconection (POI), in case projected utilisation of capacity is likely to exceed 85% over 60 day period. The time frame for provisioning of ports for initial interconnection and augmentation is proposed to be increased to maximum 42 working days. Telecom operator will have to give forecast of outgoing call traffic of busy hours for each interconnect point once every six months (April 1 and October 1) to interconnecting service provider. The first such forecast has to be given within two months from commencement of these amended regulations. Background: The issue of inter-connectivity had been major flashpoint between Reliance Jio and incumbent telecom operators like Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone at the time when Jio launched its services in 2016. Jio had accused old operators of not providing it sufficient POIs leading to call failures, while operators blamed free calls offered by newcomer for tsunami of network traffic. In 2016, TRAI had also recommended imposing Rs. 1,050 crore penalty each on Airtel and Vodafone and Rs. 950 crore on Idea Cellular for violating quality of service rules.

18) The first edition of this year’s bi-annual Naval Commanders’ Conference was held in New Delhi from 8 to 11 May 2018. It discussed aspects concerning country’s maritime security, analyse mission-based deployments and larger issues of geo-strategic Indian Ocean Region (IOR), a region witnessing increasing Chinese presence. Key Facts: During the conference, top echelons of Indian Navy reviewed its new Mission-Based Deployments philosophy aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region. The new deployment philosophy is in furtherance of Prime Minister’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). It aims at sustained, peaceful and yet responsive presence of Indian Naval ships in critical areas and choke points. It also examined various measures taken to improve combat efficiency, including new transition cycle for ships for transition from maintenance periods through training phase and thereon to full scale operations will be examined at conference. Indian Navy’s focus over past year has been on combat efficiency and materiel readiness, and upkeep of its large fleet of 131 ships and submarines. It also reviewed measures to ensure safety, continued training, and checks and balances on crew proficiency on-board its frontline warships. It also undertook review of overhaul of training standards of units by revamping ‘Ship Operating Standards (SHOPS)’. The new SHOPS will be unveiled shortly and it focuses on Role-based training in realistic scenarios and sets standards to be met by units as also targets individual crew proficiency levels. It also deliberated upon steps to improve Teeth-to-Tail ratio and explore niche fields such as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics. Moreover, it also focused on harnessing cutting-edge technology, specifically those ‘Made-in-India’, to improve organisational effectiveness and efficiency. Background: Indian Ocean is considered the backyard of Indian Navy. It is critical to India’s strategic interests. Over the years, the region has witnessed increasing Chinese presence. China increased its presence in IOR by constructing deep-sea Gwadar Port in southern Pakistan and naval base in Djibouti in Horn of Africa. The region also has seen increase in deployment of Chinese ships for anti-piracy operations.Continue Reading WBCS Current Affairs 05 May 2018 To 11 May 2018.

19) Nepal Government has granted power generation licence to Indian government-owned subsidiary Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) from a 900-megawatt (MW) Arun-3 Hydropower Project located in eastern Nepal. The permit was granted in line with the decision of meeting of Investment Board Nepal (IBN) board of directors chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Key Facts: IBN also has granted several extensions for financial closure of the project. It includes local share and free energy to residents of affected area. Nepal government will also receive benefits worth Rs. (Nepali) 348 billion from project as royalty, income tax, customs tariff and free energy in concession period of 25 years. The project will also provide 21.9% or 197MW s of the generated energy free of cost to Nepal. Background: Arun-3 Project is largest capacity project in history of hydroelectricity of Nepa. It is scheduled to be constructed within next five years on Arun river. It is an export-oriented project and it will sell the electricity to India. Indian government so far has approved investment of Rs 57.24 billion proposed by SJVN in Arun-3. The project was supposed to be constructed under assistance of World Bank Group some two decades back. However, protests against reservoir projects back then forced World Bank to drop the project. The project was later awarded to the Indian company through competitive bidding 10 years ago.

20) India was ranked 6th on Global Optimism Index released as part of Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) in the first quarter of 2018. The report was prepared based on the results of a survey of 2,500 businesses in 37 economies. Key Facts: The top five nations are Austria, Finland, Indonesia, the Netherlands and US. India with a score of 89 was ranked at the sixth place in the index. India had topped the chart for four years, but business optimism in India deteriorated while entering the last year of the current Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Underlying pessimism in India’s Business Optimism is reflected in other parameters as well including revenue, selling prices, profitability, employment and exports expectations. Indian businesses have been citing regulations and red tape, availability of skilled workforce, lack of ICT infrastructure and shortage of finance as biggest growth constraints. Even aftersignificant jump in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, India still continues to rank first or second in quoting these reasons as the key hurdles for growth.

21) The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) is going to expand Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in tribal districts across the country. About 3000 such kendras are proposed to be set up in two years in all forested Tribal Districts. Initially, it will be taken up on priority in 39 districts with more than 50% tribal population and then gradually will be expanded to other Tribal Districts across the country. Van Dhan Yojana: It aims at mainstreaming tribal community by promoting primary level value addition to Non Timber Minor Forest Produce (MFP) at grassroots level. It also aims to promote MFPs-centric livelihood development of tribal gatherers and artisans. Through this initiative, the share of tribals in the value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce is expected to rise from present 20% to around 60%. Implementation: It will be implemented through Ministry of Tribal Affairs at Central Level and TRIFED as nodal agency at National Level. At State level, state nodal agency for MFPs and district collectors will play pivot role in scheme implementation at grassroot level. Van Dhan Vikas Kendra: TRIFED will facilitate establishment of MFP-led multi-purpose Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in the tribal areas. These kendras will be cluster of 10 SHGs comprising of 30 tribal MFP gatherers each. They will provide skill upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facility. Locally the Kendras will be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG) consisting of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in cluster.

22) The Union Government has signed $200 million loan agreement with World Bank for National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan) for 315 districts across all states and union territories. The loan proceeds will be used for reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4% to 25% by 2022 under POSHAN Abhiyaan. POSHAN Abhiyaan: POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) was launched in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan in March 2018. It aims to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children. It targets to reduce level of under-nutrition and other related problems by ensuring convergence of various nutrition related schemes. It also targets stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and low birth rate. It will monitor and review implementation of all such schemes and utilize existing structural arrangements of line ministries wherever available. Its large component involves gradual scaling-up of the interventions supported by ongoing World Bank assisted Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) to all districts in the country by 2022. Work Bank Load: The World Bank loan will be used for improving coverage and quality of ICDS nutrition services to pregnant and lactating women and children under 3 years of age. It will be also used for project in improving skills and capacities of ICDS staff and community nutrition workers, instituting mechanisms of community mobilization and behaviour change communication, strengthening systems of citizen engagement and grievance redress. It will be also used for establishing mobile technology based tools for improved monitoring and management of services for better outreach to beneficiaries during critical 1,000 day window for nutrition impact. It will additionally ensure convergence of all nutrition related schemes and provide performance based incentives to states and community nutrition and health workers, facilitating a focus on results.

23) The third edition of United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP) was held in New Delhi from May 7 to 25, 2018. The course was conducted by Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in partnership with United States. Key Facts: UNPCAP-03 was aimed at building and enhancing capacity of the African Troop Contributing Countries to UN and to further train trainers from these countries. The students who participated in this two week course included officers who are currently employed in their respective peacekeeping training centres. These African military officers will in turn train troops in their respective countries. The first and second editions of the course were held in New Delhi in 2016 and 2017. These courses are being seen as milestone in many ways at international forum, which also reflect India. India and UN Peacekeeping: India is the largest cumulative troop contributor to UN Peacekeeping Missions mandated to maintain stability and negotiate peace settlement in turbulent regions across the world. So far India has provided almost 200,000 troops in nearly 50 of 71 UN peacekeeping missions over past six decades, including 13 of current 16 missions.

24) The third edition of United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP) was held in New Delhi from May 7 to 25, 2018. The course was conducted by Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in partnership with United States. Key Facts: UNPCAP-03 was aimed at building and enhancing capacity of the African Troop Contributing Countries to UN and to further train trainers from these countries. The students who participated in this two week course included officers who are currently employed in their respective peacekeeping training centres. These African military officers will in turn train troops in their respective countries. The first and second editions of the course were held in New Delhi in 2016 and 2017. These courses are being seen as milestone in many ways at international forum, which also reflect India. India and UN Peacekeeping: India is the largest cumulative troop contributor to UN Peacekeeping Missions mandated to maintain stability and negotiate peace settlement in turbulent regions across the world. So far India has provided almost 200,000 troops in nearly 50 of 71 UN peacekeeping missions over past six decades, including 13 of current 16 missions.

25) Scientists have discovered a new species of shieldtail snake named Bhupathy’s shieldtail from the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu. It is presently only known to exist in Anaikatty hills of Tamil Nadu which is dominated by deciduous type of vegetation. Key Facts: Bhupathy’s shieldtail was named in honour of Dr Subramanian Bhupathy who was a noted Indian herpetologist. Scientifically it is named Uropeltis bhupathyi. It differs from other members of its group as it has a broader and longer head. It also has more number of scales on its belly. The news species is facing threats from habitat loss, road traffic and possible fungal infection that leads to deformed heads. It has been categorised it as ‘data deficient’ in IUCN Red list of threatened species as of now. Background: At present, there are 45 known species of shieldtail snakes around the world, of which 30 are endemic to India and 15 to Sri Lanka. The name ‘shieldtail’ derives from their heavily keeled tails that terminate in disk-like shields or multiple spines in most species. They are small sized snakes, typically 25 to 50 cm in length. They live in loose soil among plant roots or under decaying vegetation. They are non-venomous, inoffensive. They come in a variety of colors, mostly dark shades of grayish black or brown. They have short head and mouth and feed on earthworms and arthropods.

26) Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in its Programme Approval Board (PAB) meeting has approved setting up additional 100 One Stop Centres (OSCs) for women affected by violence. These OSCs will be set up in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. One Stop Centres (OSC) scheme: Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) had launched Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up One Stop Centres (OSC). It is funded from Nirbhaya Fund. The purpose of these OSCs is to provide integrated services for women affected with violence such as police assistance, medical aid, psycho-social counselling, legal aid and counselling, temporary stay for 5 days etc. under one roof. These Centres are being established across the country to provide integrated support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces in phased manner. So far, Ministry of WCD has set up 182 Centres since April, 2015. These centres have assisted over 1.3 lakh women affected by violence in 33 States/UTs. Every OSC is integrated with scheme of Universalization of Women’s Helpline (181) of the WCD Ministry which is operational in 30 States/UTs.

27) The NITI Aayog has signed Statement of Intent (SoI) with search engine giant Google to work together to foster growth for India’s nascent artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) ecosystem. Key Facts: Under the aegis of this program, Google will train and incubate Indian AI startups in accelerator program. These startups will be mentored and coached by Google and its affiliates to enable them to better leverage AI in their respective business models. Moreover, Indian researchers, scholars and university faculty will be funded to help bolster research ecosystem for conducting AI-based research. Further, Google will also bring its online training courses on AI to students, graduates and engineers to numerous cities across India, in form of study groups and developer-run courses. Google will also conduct hands-on training programs to sensitise policymakers and technical experts in governments about relevant AI tools, and to use them for streamlining governance. Under this partnership, NITI Aayog and Google will jointly organize AI/ML hackathon that will be focused on solving key challenges within healthcare, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, transportation and mobility etc. This hackathon may use Kaggle, a global platform to help facilitate international participation into these planned hackathon challenges. Background: NITI Aayog has been entrusted to setup national programme to conduct R&D in frontier technologies such as AI. In furtherance of this mandate, NITI Aayog has been developing India’s national strategy on AI along with National Data and Analytics Portal to enable wide deployment and use of AI.Continue Reading WBCS Current Affairs 05 May 2018 To 11 May 2018.

28) The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified protocol to amend existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between India and Kuwait. The DTAA between both countries was signed in June 2006 for the avoidance of double taxation and for prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Key Facts: The said protocol amends existing DTAA was entered into force in March 2018. It updates the provisions in DTAA for exchange of information as per international standards. Further, it enables sharing of information received from Kuwait for tax purposes with other law enforcement agencies with authorisation of competent authority of Kuwait and vice versa. Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA): DTAA is a tax treaty signed between countries (or any two/multiple countries) so that taxpayers do not pay double taxes on their income earned from source country as well as their residence country. So far, India has signed double tax avoidance treaties with more than 80 countries around the world. The need for DTAA arises out of imbalance in tax collection on global income of individuals. person aims to do business in foreign country, he may end up paying income taxes in both countries i.e. in the country where income is earned and country where individual holds his citizenship or residence. DTAA helps to taxpayers to do away issues of paying double taxes. Benefits of DTAA: Tax payers do not have to pay double taxes on the same income. It has lower withholding tax (Tax Deduction at Source or TDS). It provides tax credits, certain exemption from taxes. It also minimises opportunity for tax evasion for tax payers in either or both of countries between which the bilateral and multilateral DTAA agreement have been signed.

29) The First Apex Conference for CEOs of Smart Cities was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. It was organised by Union Urban Affairs Ministry and inaugurated by Minister of State (I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs.The conference aimed to provided single platform for convergence of all best practices in Smart city missions across country to help city leaders to use collective learning to accelerate progress of work. It also aimed to provide momentum to cities and platform for cross-learning, sharing and disseminating experience gained over past two and a half years. Key Facts: The two-day conference was organised for providing platform for cross learning and knowledge sharing among Smart City CEOs. It enabled CEOs to learn from experiences of all city leaders to understand in greater details both successes and failures. Apart from Smart City CEOs, the conference saw participation of representatives from municipal, State and Central Government and various other stakeholders in Smart City Mission from the civil society, academia, industry etc. Background: Since its launch in June 2015, Smart Cities Mission (SCM) has been one of the most transformational urban missions. Total 99 cities have been selected for development as Smart Cities. Under it, key projects such as digitally integrated smart city centres, street re-design, installation of solar rooftop on buildings etc. have initiated for the process of urban transformation, enhancing liveability of cities. So far 3,012 projects worth Rs. 1,38,984 crore have been identified for implementation under SCM. Out of which, over 750 projects of more than Rs 25,000 crore have been completed or are being implemented. The CEOs of Smart City Special Purpose Vehicle (SPVs) through their leadership role in driving the implementation of smart city projects have been instrumental in achieving transformational outcomes envisaged under the Mission.

30) India is going to host 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) in New Delhi from May 10-12, 2018. The summit is being organised by Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in collaboration with its partners and international organisations. Key Facts: The theme of the annual summit is “Telling our Stories- Asia and More”. It aims to provide unique opportunity for broadcasters in Asia to share their thoughts on broadcasting and information. It will be attended by media professionals, scholars, policy makers and stakeholders of news and programming from Asia, Pacific, Africa, Europe, Middle East and North America will attend the annual conference. Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD): AIDB is regional inter-governmental organisation servicing countries of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in field of electronic media development. It was established in 1977 under auspices of UNESCO. It is hosted by Government of Malaysia and its secretariat is located in Kuala Lumpur. The AIBD is mandated to achieve vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in Asia-Pacific region through policy and resource development. Currently it has 26 full members (countries), represented by 34 organisations and 67 Affiliate Members (organisations) and over 50 partners in Asia, Pacific, Europe, Africa, Arab States and North America.

31) Scientists from Tohoku University in Japan have found mineral called moganite in lunar meteorite that point to presence of abundant hidden reserves of water ice under the surface of the moon. The mineral discovered in a desert in northwest Africa could be potentially useful for future human exploration of moon. Key Facts: Moganite is a crystal of silicon dioxide (SiO₂). It is known to form on earth in specific circumstances in sedimentary settings from alkaline fluids. It was so far never detected in samples of lunar rock. Researchers believe that mineral formed on surface of moon in area called Procellarum Terrane as water which was originally present in lunar dirt that had evaporated due to exposure to strong sunlight. But in the subsurface, abundant water remains in the form of ice.

32) Researchers have found that dense vegetation in Western Ghats determines amount of rainfall that Tamil Nadu gets during the summer monsoon. The study highlights importance of urgent need to stop deforestation in the Western Ghats. Key Highlights of Study: Researchers had used models to compare contribution of Western Ghats with and without forest cover to study role of vegetation cover in Western Ghats in supplying moisture to southwest monsoon rainfall. They had selected three years (1993, 1999 and 2002) for their study when Tamil Nadu had experienced extreme deficit in summer monsoon rainfall. The study found that dense forests of Western Ghats contribute as much as 40% of moisture to southwest monsoon rainfall over Tamil Nadu during normal monsoon years. The average contribution is 25-30%, but during monsoon deficit years, contribution increases to as high as 50%. The forests of Western Ghats contribute as much as 3 mm per day of rainfall during August and September over majority of locations in Tamil Nadu and 1 mm per day during June and July. But when vegetation cover is removed from Western Ghats, there is significant drop in rainfall in range of 1-2.5 mm per day. This translates to average of 25% of total monsoon rainfall over Tamil Nadu. The deforestation of forests in Western Ghats has led to 0.25 degree C increase in surface temperature across state. It has reduced rainfall over the State by 40-50% during all three years. If there is no vegetation in Ghats then Tamil Nadu will be severely impacted especially during the monsoon-deficit years. The study shows that Western Ghats acts as capacitor and forest land and vegetation gets recharged with water during wet spell and during break periods moisture is released and which contributes to rainfall to state.

33) Researchers from Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar have successfully identified key peptide that can be used to develop a new preventive vaccine against leptospirosis. In their study, researchers had identified peptide sequences that could bind to vaccine for long-lasting immune response. Key Facts: The researchers had used bioinformatics (computational biology analysis) approach to study whole protein set of bacteria Leptospira interrogans key peptide and narrowed search down to one effective immunogenic protein. This protein was found to be present in almost all serovars (different types within species) of bacteria and can be effective vaccine candidate against most serovars. They had predicted antigenicity of peptide i.e. ability to bind to antibody present on T cells and B cells for inducing immune response. Among these proteins, they had further searched to identify outer membrane proteins as these are known to play important roles in interaction between bacteria and their host. Then they looked for sites on human T cells and B cells where antigen could bind. The identification of target sites is key step in vaccine design. Leptospirosis: Leptospirosis is an emerging tropical infectious bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It caused by corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Leptospira. It causes almost 60,000 deaths every year, globally. The bacteria can be transmitted via exposure to contaminated water or soil or direct contact with reservoirs hosts like wild or domestic animals. In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms such as mild headaches, muscle pains, and fevers to severe with bleeding from the lungs or meningitis. Currently there is no preventive vaccine for humans that are available in market.

34) NASA launched first-ever InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars. It was launched aboard United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket also launched two mini-spacecraft called Mars Cube One (MarCO) — MarCO-A and MarCO-B. Key Facts: InSight is solar and battery-powered terrestrial planet explorer (robotic lander) that aims to address one of most fundamental issues of planetary and solar system science. It will help in understanding processes that shaped rocky planets of inner solar system (including Earth) more than four billion years ago. The lander is expected to land on Mars in November 2018. The mission was envisaged as part of NASA’s Discovery Program mission that aims to place stationary lander equipped with seismometer and heat transfer probe on surface of Mars to study red planet’s early geological evolution. The lander is designed to operate for 26 Earth months, or one year on Mars. The robotic lander will perform a radio science experiment to study internal structure of Mars by deploying Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (seismometer) and Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (burrowing heat probe). It will measure Mar’s vital signs such as pulse (seismology), temperature (heat flow probe) and reflexes (precision tracking). It will let scientists understand how different its crust, mantle and core are from Earth. MarCO consists of two briefcase-sized CubeSats that will fly on their own path to Mars behind InSight lander, but is independent of InSight mission. They are first test of CubeSat technology in deep space or at another planet. They are designed to test new communications and navigation capabilities for future missions and may aid InSight communications. If successful, MarCOs will offer new kind of communication capability to deep space missions to Earth.

35) NITI Aayog has signed Statement of Intent (SoI) with IBM to develop crop yield prediction model using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide real time advisory to farmers in Aspirational Districts. The partnership aims to work together towards use of technology to provide insights to farmers to improve soil yield, crop productivity, control agricultural inputs with overarching goal of improving farmers’ incomes. Key Facts: The first phase of project will focus on developing model for 10 Aspirational Districts across states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The project will introduce and make available climate-aware cognitive farming techniques. The project will also identify systems of crop monitoring, early warning on pest and disease outbreak based on advanced AI innovations. It also includes deployment of weather advisory, rich satellite and enhanced weather forecast information along with IT and mobile applications with focus on improving crop yield and cost savings through better farm management. IBM will use AI to provide all relevant data and platform for developing technological models for improving agricultural output and productivity for various crops and soil types in identified districts. NITI Aayog will facilitate inclusion of more stakeholders on ground for effective last mile utilisation using insights generated through these models.

36) Punjab government along World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-India are conducting first organised census of Indus Dolphins, one of the world’s rarest mammals found only in India and Pakistan. The organised census aims at conservation of the species. Key Facts: The first organised census will be conducted over period of five days in 185 km stretch between Talwara and Harike Barrage in Beas River in Punjab were riverine fresh water Indus Dolphins are confined. It will be conducted two joint teams of Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Punjab and WWF-India. Its main objective is to establish accurate population of dolphins in order to plan conservation of species. Indus Dolphin: Indus Dolphin is subspecies of freshwater river dolphin (which also includes Ganges River dolphin) found in Indus river (and its Beas and Sutlej tributaries) flowing through India and Pakistan. It is national mammal of Pakistan. It is a key indicator species of river’s health. Its presence is considered as river is healthy. Indus dolphin like Ganges River dolphin is functionally blind and relies on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey in muddy river water. Only 1,816 Indus dolphins are reported to exist presently in lower parts of Indus River. They are patchily distributed in five small, sub-populations that are separated by irrigation barrages across course of Indus river and its tributaries. Their numbers have declined dramatically after construction of irrigation system. It listed by the IUCN as endangered on its Red List of Threatened Species. Indus Dolphin was also found in Sutlej decades back, but river pollution has caused its extinction in river.Continue Reading WBCS Current Affairs 05 May 2018 To 11 May 2018.

37) The 27th meeting of GST Council chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has approved proposal of convert GST Network (GSTN) into government entity from current private entity status by taking over stakes held by private entities. The council has agreed to buy out stake of private entities in GSTN. Following the move, central government will own 50% in GSTN and the remaining will be collectively held by state governments. Background: Majority of Goods and Services Tax (GST) processes including registration, filing of returns, payment of taxes, processing of refunds is IT driven and mainly through GSTN. For this, GSTN handles large-scale invoice level data of lakhs of business entities including data relating to exports and imports. Considering nature of state function performed by GSTN, it was felt that the network should be converted into fully government-owned company. Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN): GSTN was set up as not for profit, non-Government, private limited company in 2013. It was established primarily to provide IT infrastructure and services to Central and State Governments, tax payers and other stakeholders for implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Currently its 24.5% is owned by central government and similar percentage is held by state governments collectively. The remaining 51% I owned by five private financial institutions- ICICI Bank, NSE, HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank and LIC Housing Finance Ltd. Its revenue model after Goods and Services Tax (GST) was rollout out consisted of User Charge to be paid by stakeholders who will use the system and making it self-sustaining organization.

38) The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council in its 27th meeting chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced new and simplified return filing process. It was approved based on recommendations of Group of Ministers on IT simplification for GST implementation. Features of simplified return filing process: One monthly return: All taxpayers excluding few exceptions like composition dealer will file one monthly return. Return filing dates will be staggered based on turnover of registered person to manage load on IT system. Composition dealers and dealers having nil transaction will have facility to file quarterly return. Unidirectional flow of invoices: Seller will upload unidirectional flow of invoices on anytime basis during the month. This will be valid document to avail input tax credit by buyer and allow them to continuously see the uploaded invoices during the month. Invoices for B2B transaction will use HSN at four digit level or more to achieve uniformity in reporting system. Simple return design and easy IT interface: Taxpayer will be given user-friendly IT interface and offline IT tool to upload the invoices. The B2B dealers will fill invoice-wise details of outward supply made by them, based on which system will automatically calculate his tax liability. The input tax credit will be also calculated automatically by the system based on invoices uploaded by his sellers. No automatic reversal of credit: There will be no automatic reversal of input tax credit from buyer on non-payment of tax by seller. In case of default in payment of tax by seller, recovery will be made from seller but reversal of credit from buyer will be also option available with revenue authorities to address exceptional situations like missing dealer, closure of business by supplier or supplier not having adequate assets. Due process for recovery and reversal: Recovery of tax or reversal of input tax credit will be through due process of issuing notice and order. The process will be online and automated to reduce human interface. Supplier side control: Analytical tools will be used to identify and block unloading of invoices by seller to pass input tax credit who has defaulted in payment of tax above threshold amount to control misuse of input tax credit facility. Similar safeguards will be built with regard to newly registered dealers to prevent loss of revenue. Transition: The new simplified return filing process will be implemented in three-stage transition. The stage I is the present system of filing of return GSTR 3B and GSTR 1. GSTR 2 and GSTR 3 will be suspended in Stage I which will continue for maximum period of 6 months by which time new return software is ready. In stage 2, new return will have facility for invoice-wise data upload and also facility for claiming input tax credit on self-declaration basis, as in case of GSTR 3B now.

39) China successfully launched “APSTAR-6C”, a new communication satellite into orbit. It was launched onboard of Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. This was overall 273rd mission of Long March rocket series. Both satellite and rocket were developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. APSTAR-6C: The user of APSTAR-6C satellite is Hong Kong-based APT Satellite Co. Ltd. With is successful launch, it joins fleet of four fully operational satellites belonging to APT Satellite Co. It will replace the in-orbit Apstar-6 satellite. The Apstar-6C satellite is based on DFH-4 platform. It is equipped with 45 transponders in C, Ku, and Ka bands, with designed service life of 15 years. The satellite will provide TV transmission, Internet, communication and multimedia services to customers across Asia-Pacific region. It will also provide high-power transponder services for video distribution, broadband internet access, and cellular backhaul.

40) National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has partnered with board Survey of India, to facilitate the Ganga rejuvenation task under Namami Gange programme by using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Through the project, NMCG aims to strengthen planning and implementation at national, state and local levels. Key Facts: The project includes use of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) technology which ensures accurate data collection which is important aspect for river basin management planning. DEM technology enables identification of entire topography of area. It supports decision-making process by easily making available data for policy makers. Critical hotspots are also easily identified through this technology. Significance of GIS technology for Namami Gange programme: It will also ensure decentralisation. The data collected and subsequent actions can easily be shared with local public through geo portals and mobile apps. It will also enable people to send their feedback up to national level thereby providing interactive and transparent platform. It will map all types of other institutions from the source outlet to the public drainage network for effective discharge management. The high resolution GIS enabled data will also help in regulating proposed protected and regulatory zones along banks of river.

41) The GST Council in its 27th meeting has constituted two Group of Ministers (GoM) to consider issues related to Incentivizing digital payments in GST regime & Imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST. Both GoMs will submit their reports within period of 15 days. Key Facts: First GoM: It will consider the issues relating to incentivizing digital payments in GST regime. Sushil Kumar Modi, (Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar) is its convenor. Other members are Nitinbhai Patel (Dy. Chief Minister, Gujarat), Capt. Abhimanyu (Excise & Taxation Minister, Haryana), Dr. Amit Mitra (Finance Minister, West Bengal) and Shri Manpreet Singh Badal ( Finance Minister, Punjab). Second GoM: It will consider issues relating to imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST. Himanta Biswa Sarma (Finance Minister of Assam) is its convenor. Other members are Rajesh Agrawal (Finance Minister, Uttar Pradesh), Sudhir Mungatiwar (Finance Minister, Maharashtra), D. Jayakumar (Minister for Fisheries and Personnel & Administrative Reforms, Tamil Nadu) and Dr. T.M. Thomas Isaa (Finance Minister, Kerala).

42) Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) launched initiative of online professional development of 1.5 million higher education faculty using massive open online course (MOOC) platform SWAYAM. Under its first phase of implementation, 75 discipline-specific National Resource Centres (NRCs) have been identified. Key Facts: Under this initiative, all in-service teachers, irrespective of their subject and seniority will get opportunity to keep abreast of latest developments in their disciplines through technology based online refresher course. The training materials will be uploaded and made available through SWAYAM platform to all the teachers every year. NRCs will publish list of faculty who have been certified by December, 2018. UGC will issue order and regulations for the purpose of Career Progression and APIs. National Resource Centres (NRCs): These75 discipline-specific NRCS includes varied set of institutions under Ministry’s Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) located in Central Universities, IISc, IUCAA, IITs, IISERs, NITs, State Universities, UGC’s Human Resource Development Centres (HRDCs), National Institutes for Technical Teachers Training (NITTTRs), IIITs, Open Universities. These NRCs are tasked to prepare online training material with focus on latest developments in discipline, new and emerging trends, pedagogical improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum. SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) programme: SWAYAM aims to bridge digital divide for students (especially most disadvantaged) who have hitherto remained untouched by digital revolution and have not been able to join mainstream of the knowledge economy. It is an indigenous developed IT platform that facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from 9th grade till post-graduation. Courses hosted by it can be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time at free of cost. It objective is to achieve the three cardinal principles of education policy – access, equity and quality. The interactive courses on this platform are prepared by best teachers in the country.
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