West Bengal Civil Service (Executive), popularly known as W.B.C.S.(Exe), is the civil service of the Indian state of West Bengal. For the W.B.C.S.(Exe) and other comparative posts, Public Service Commission of West Bengal arranges competitive examinations in three phases every year.Knowing the syllabus of W.B.C.S. Examination thoroughly is the first step towards this exam.The mains syllabus of W.B.C.S. is very descriptive.Following the previous years question papers are very important while preparing for this examination.1) Scientists from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru have indigenously developed country’s first super critical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton Test Loop facility. The facility was inaugurated at the IISc campus. It is first test loop technology coupled with solar heat source in world that will generate clean energy from power plants, including solar thermal. Key Facts: The facility is part of Indo-US consortium- Solar Energy Research Institute for India and United States (SERIIUS). It was developed by research group at inter-disciplinary centre for energy research of IISc as part of consortium. Funding was provided by Department of Science and Technology (DS&T) under Indo-US Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Centre programme. This facility uses supercritical CO2 (SCO2) instead of steam to generate more power. Supercritical refers to state of CO2 above its critical temperature of 31 C and critical pressure of 73 atmospheres, which makes it twice as dense as steam. S-CO2 operated in closed loop Brayton cycle increases efficiency of energy conversion by as much as 50% or more. Significance: This next generation, efficient, compact, waterless super critical CO2 Brayton cycle test loop for power generation will be useful for meeting energy needs of the country. It has potential to replace steam based nuclear and thermal power plants, thus reducing the carbon foot print significantly. Besides, increasing power generation and making process more efficient, the new technology will make power plants cheaper with lower operating costs. It will be indigenous initiative for setting up next generation of solar thermal power plants. This gives India opportunity to become world leader in this technology, and fulfil major objective of National Solar Mission which emphasizes indigenous manufacturing.Continue reading WBCS Current Affairs 17 February 2018 To 23 February 2018.

2) The first sale of electoral bonds will start from March 1, 2018 for period of 10 days at four main branches of State Bank of India in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and New Delhi. These bonds will have a life of 15 days, and citizen of India or an entity incorporated or established in the country can purchase them. Electoral bonds: The electoral bonds scheme was announced in Union Budget 2017 with an aim for increasing transparency in political funding. It makes India first country in the world to have such unique bonds for electoral funding. These bonds are bearer instrument in nature of promissory note and interest-free banking instrument. It aims at rooting out current system of largely anonymous cash donations made to political parties which lead to generation of black money in the economy. Key Facts: These electoral bonds can be bought for any value in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh or Rs 1 crore after fulfilling all existing Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and making payments from bank account. It will not carry name of payee. The bond deposited by any eligible political party to its account shall be credited on the same day. No payment shall be made to any payee political party if bond is deposited after expiry of validity period. SBI has been allowed to issue and encash these bonds initially at its four authorised branches. Eligible political parties can encash electoral bonds only through their bank accounts. Only registered political parties, that have secured not less than 1% of votes polled in last election of Lok Sabha or legislative assembly of state, will be eligible to receive electoral bonds. Background: The sale of electoral bonds comes ahead of elections in number of states through year. Karnataka is likely to go to polls in April-May followed by elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram later in year.

3) The 44th edition of Khajuraho Dance Festival 2018 was held at Khajuraho temple, a UNESCO world heritage site in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh. It was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and was organised by culture department of state government. Key Facts: Khajuraho Dance Festival is annual cultural festival that highlights richness of various Indian classical dance styles. The 6-day festival showcased classical dances including Kathak, Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Mohiniattam. Art Mart, which is part of festival showcased paintings of international artists from Germany, France and China among other countries. During the festival, dances were performed in an open- air auditorium, in front of Vishwanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Chitragupta Temple dedicated to Sun God. Khajuraho Temple: It is a group of Hindu and Jain Temples in Madhya Pradesh build by Chandela Dynasty between 950 and 1050 AD. They are UNESCO World heritage Site. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures (about 10% of total sculptures). The temples at Khajuraho are all made of Sandstone. The largest temple at Khajuraho is the Kandariya Mahadeva temple which is attributed to king Ganda. All the towers or shikhara of temple rise high, upward in curved pyramidal fashion, emphasizing temple’s vertical thrust ending in horizontal fluted disc called Amalaka topped with Kalasha or vase. The erotic expression of sculptures in these temples gives equal importance in human experience as a spiritual pursuit, and it is seen as a part of the larger cosmic whole.

4) The first meeting of Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) for North East Region (NER) is scheduled to be held in March 2018. It will be co-chaired by Secretaries of Ministry of Development of North-East Region (MDoNER) and AYUSH. It will comprise members from various Ministries, Departments and several organisations in relevant fields. Key Facts: MDoNER will be coordinator for IMC of MAPs. IMC will suggest actionable measures for enhancing the livelihood and economic transformation based on cultivation and sustainable management of MAPs resource in North East Region. IMC will review existing mechanism or institutional arrangements for management and development of MAPs resources of NER. It will identify gaps in existing mechanism or institutional arrangements, suggest policy intervention for optimally harnessing MAPs resources of NER and accelerate development of MAPs sector, suggest Plan of Action for dovetailing of schemes and programmes of concerned Ministries and Departments. It will also suggest actionable measures for enhancing livelihood and economic transformation based on cultivation and sustainable management of MAPs resource in NER. Background: IMC on MAPs was set up for North Eastern Region (NER) after meeting between Secretaries of DoNER and AYUSH. It aims to create synergy in various programmes of Union Government to enable medicinal and aromatic plants sector become vibrant and develop resources to its potential. Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (MAPs): MAPs are botanical raw materials i.e. herbal drugs that are primarily used for therapeutic, aromatic and culinary purposes. They are mainly used as components of cosmetics, medicinal products, health foods and other natural health products. They are also starting materials for value-added processed natural ingredients such as essential oils, dry and liquid extracts and oleoresins.

5) Venezuela become first sovereign country to officially launch its own cryptocurrency called Petro backed by oil, gas, gold and diamond reserves to circumvent US-led financial sanctions. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has claimed that the pre-mined cryptocurrency Petrohas raised US $735 million on the first day of its pre-sale. Key Facts: The Petro aims to help Venezuela to advance in issues of monetary sovereignty, to make financial transactions and overcome financial blockade. It is based on blockchain technology. Its value will be pegged to price of barrel of Venezuelan oil from the previous day. Government will accept Petro as a form of payment of national taxes, fees, contributions and public services Venezuelian government will issue 100 million coins of Petro of which 38.4 million is available for pre-sale and 44 million coins will be offered in Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) in March 2018. The rest 17.6 million coins will be retained by Venezuelan Superintendency of Currency and Related Activities (SUPCACVEN). Petro Gold: With encouraging response to Petro, Venezuelan government is planning to launch another cryptocurrency based on gold called Petro Gold which will be backed by gold. It will be more powerful and strengthen the Petro. But Petro Gold will, be not the first cryptocurrency based on gold. Many such currencies are traded in market including one called RMG created by The Royal Mint in Britain. Comment: The success of Petro depends a lot on how global crypto-community responds to its offer. Moreover, governments and regulators across the globe have already started warning investors against the financial and legal risks associated with digital or crypto-currencies. However, Venezuela is successful in managing digital assets, it will be able to circumvent sanctions imposed on it and it could open new ways for other sanctioned countries to be financially stable despite the curbs. Background: Venezuela, an OPEC member has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. It has over 300 billion barrels oil reserves — largest in the world. The socialist country earns 95% of its forex from oil exports is going through one of the biggest financial crisis in its history. With new official cryptocurrency, Venezuela hopes to overcome economic blockade imposed by United States which has resulted in 99% depreciation of value of its fiat currency Bolivar.

6) First night trial of nuclear-capable surface-to-surface short-range ballistic Prithvi-II missile was successfully conducted from a defence facility off Odisha coast. The indigenously developed missile mounted on Mobile Tatra transporter-erector Launcher (MTL) was test fired from launching complex III (LC-III) of Integrated Test Range (ITR). It was equipped with state of art guidance system and was fired in real-time situation. Prithvi-II missile: Prithvi-II is India’s first developed indigenously and inducted indigenous surface-to-surface strategic missile. It is first missile to be indigenously developed by DRDO under India’s prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). The tactical missile is capable of attacking targets at range of 350 km. It is capable of carrying 500 to 1,000 kg of nuclear as well as conventional warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. It is 8.56 meter long and has 1m diameter. It can target mobile targets including unmanned aerial vehicles. The missile can deliver warheads deep into enemy territory and inflict heavy damage to forward airfields. It is designed in such a way that it can be taken close to the forward line over any kind of terrain. The missile was inducted into Indian armed forces in 2003 and since then it is into series of production.

7) India has contributed $1 million aid Tonga for rehabilitation efforts after island was hit by Tropical Cyclone Gita which had caused massive destruction across the pacific ocean archipelago. India will provide $500,000 for immediate relief assistance and remaining $500,000 from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund (UNDP) for the rehabilitation efforts. Background: Tonga was recently hit by worst Tropical Cyclone Gita. US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had reported it Category 4 cyclone and was the worst on record to hit Tonga. Wind gusts of cyclone with intensity between 225 and 279 km/hr had destroyed nation’s parliament and affected about 70% island’s population. Tongatapu, where country’s capital NukuEalofa is situated was among the worst hit areas. India-UN Development Partnership Fund: The fund was set up as a partnership between India and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). It was formed on 9 June 2017 on occasion of the World Oceans Day. It is being utilized to carry out country-level projects that would be catalytic towards achieving 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) of 2030 Agenda. The fund is managed by UNOSSC. The fund prioritises projects reducing poverty and hunger, improving health, education and equality, and expanding access to clean water and energy and livelihoods. It mainly focuses on transformational sustainable development projects in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States. The projects under fund are implemented by UN agencies in close collaboration with partnering governments.

8) India is going to host first International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit in March 2018 in New Delhi. It will be hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by leaders from over 50 member countries. It will include French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid. During the summit, two new programmes — on scaling solar e-mobility and storage, and on rooftop solar will be inaugurated. International Solar Alliance (ISA): The ISA was one of key takeaways at Paris Climate summit, 2015 (2015 UN Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11). It is aimed at tapping solar energy in the countries that lie partially or fully between Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. ISA is first treaty-based intergovernmental organisation (entered into force in December 2017) to be headquartered at Gurugram, India. Its major objectives include global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation of investment of over US $1000 billion into solar energy by 2030. It also aims to bring together countries with rich solar potential to aggregate global demand, thereby reducing prices through bulk purchase, facilitating deployment of existing solar technologies at scale and promoting collaborative solar R&D and capacity building.

9) Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave approval to procure BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles for Indian Army and survey training vessel for Indian Navy at cost of Rs. 1, 850 crores. DAC is Defence Ministry’s highest decision-making body on procurement. BMP-2 infantry vehicles: The number of combat infantry vehicles to be procured through this contract is 110 at a cost of Rs 1,125 crores. At present, Army has nearly 2,500 such vehicles fitted with machine guns and short range artillery gun to take on enemy tanks and their combat vehicles. Their thick armour plate shields soldiers sitting inside from enemy fire and travel fast on uneven terrain. Survey Training Vessel: The cost of the ship will be about Rs 626 crores and will be constructed at Indian shipyard under Buy Indian-IDDM category of Defence Procurement Procedure. It aims to augment Indian Navy’s growing hydrographic needs in ports, harbours and exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Indian Navy has been undertaking hydrographic survey for number of friendly nations in Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond.

10) Flying officer Avani Chaturvedi (24) created history by becoming first Indian woman pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) to complete a solo flight in a MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft. She had achieved this feat by completing half-an-hour long solo flight in Russian-origin jet in the skies over Jamnagar Air Base, Gujarat. The first solo flight is just initial step in exhaustive operational syllabus that transforms rookie pilots into full-fledged fighter pilots capable of handling high-voltage combat flying. Avani Chaturvedi: She is from Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh and was born on 27 October 1993. She is posted to No. 23 Squadron (Panthers) based in Suratgarh in Rajasthan. She is from first batch of three women officers who were commissioned as fighter pilots in IAF. She has completed her training at Hyderabad Air Force Academy. Prior to solo flight, she had undertaken flights in twin-seater training jets, accompanied by Qualified Flying Instructors of IAF. After completing her basic flying training on Pilatus aircraft at Air Force Academy, she had undertaken six months of training on Kiran trainer jets at Hakimpet, followed by year-long training stint on Hawk advanced trainer jets at Bidar Air Base. Significance: This is a major milestone in training of a fighter pilot and first time Indian woman has flown a fighter aircraft solo. It demonstrates IAF’s enduring commitment to ‘Nari Shakti’. Three women officers Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawna Kanth and Mohana Sing were selected to be fighter pilots in June 2016 when IAF had agreed to induct women as fighter pilots on “an experimental basis” for an initial period of five years. Before 2016, women made up just 2.5% of India’s armed forces, working in mainly non-combat roles. Pakistan has about 20 female fighter pilots since Pakistan Air Force (PAF) began inducting women into combat roles in 2006.

11) The Uttar Pradesh government signed 1,045 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) amounting to proposed investments worth Rs 4.28 lakh crore at UP Investors Summit 2018 in Lucknow. The summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and gave 4-P mantra: Potential, policy, planning and performance which leads to progress. It witnessed presence of business leaders such as Mukesh Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, N Chandrasekaran, Gautam Adani, among others. They announced investment plans in UP over the next three to five years. Key Facts: The mega event was organised to bring together heads of states and governments, ministers, leaders from corporate world, senior policy makers, heads of international institutions and academicians from around world to further cause of economic development in Uttar Pradesh and promote cooperation to pave way for better investments. PM Narendra Modi announced setting up of defence industrial corridor in Bundelkhand region along with Defence Investors’ Cell will be set under Defece Ministry to ensure speedy development of the corridor. Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries announced that Jio will invest another Rs 10,000 crore over next 3 years. Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group announced investment of Rs 35,000 crore over next 5 years. Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran announced setting up new campus for 30,000 people in state along with opening IT centre in Varanasi. Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla announced investments of Rs 25,000 crore over next five years, spread across group’s multiple businesses in state.

12) The Gandhi Nagar railway station in Jaipur, Rajasthan became the country’s first major non-suburban railway station to be fully-managed by women. It is the second in the country to be managed solely by women – the first being Matunga in Mumbai. It is step towards empowering women and set example for women across the country that they can independently handle a major railway station. Key Facts: Gandhi Nagar is important railway station in Jaipur situated on Jaipur-Delhi rail route. More than 50 trains pass through the station daily out of which 25 halting at station. The station has footfall of more than 7,000 passengers every day. There are 40 women staff deployed at station besides women personnel of railway protection force (RPF) at station. These women employees have been trained to manage all operations at the station. At this station, 10 women each have been posted in transport and commercial sections, while 4 have been posted for ticket checking, along with total of RPF personnel.

13) India’s indigenous developed light transport aircraft SARAS PT1N has successfully completed second test-flight. It was the second of the 20 test flights planned for SARAS PT1N, before it is frozen to production version. The first successful test was carried out in January 2017. Indian Air Force (IAF) has committed to induct 15 aircrafts initially. SARAS PT1N: SARAS PT1N is first Indian multi-purpose civilian aircraft in light transport aircraft category as designed by the CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL). ts development is seen as culmination of efforts of CSIR-NAL, IAF-ASTE, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), HAL and Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA). SARAS PT1N upgraded version of envisioned Saras aircraft programme aircraft. It is 14-seater and the production version aircraft will have 19-seat capacity. It weighs 7-tonne and has been designed to travel at 425 km/h. It has maximum continuous flight time of around five hours. The upgraded version of plane is equipped with more modern avionics system, improved radar, linear wing flap actuator, engine flap actuators, environment control, better flight control system, larger metallic rudder for enhanced control, redesigned landing-gear actuators,brand-new brake system, and fire resistant design for aircraft’s nacelle. Background: The aircraft programme is named after Indian crane Saras. It was first conceptualised in 1990s to establish short-haul civil aviation market. The original design of plane included maximum take-off weight of 6,100kg and a maximum payload of 1,232kg. The first prototype of the plane had made its first flight in May 2004. SARAS PT1N is upgraded version of plane, after second prototype of SARAS that had crashed during test flight killing all three crew members on board in March 2009.

14) Government has constituted Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) to select 20 Institutions of Eminence from among 104 institutions (public or private) that have applied for the status. The committee will be headed by former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N Gopalaswami. Its other members are Professor Tarun Khanna, director of South Asia Institute at Harvard University, Renu Khator, president of University of Houston and former director of IIM Lucknow, Pritam Singh. Institutions of Eminence: The scheme of Institutions of Eminence was rolled out by University Grants Commission (UGC). It aims to help 20 higher education (10 public and 10 private) institutions from country break into top 500 global rankings in 10 years, and then eventually break into top 100 over time. These selected institutions are proposed to have greater autonomy compared to other higher education institutions. They will be free to decide their fee for domestic and foreign students and have flexible course duration and structure. They will be exempted from approvals of government or UGC for academic collaborations with foreign institutions, except institutions in MEA and MHA’s list of negative countries. Once identified, the target for Institutions of Eminence will be to break into top 100 bracket in one internationally reputed ranking framework in 10 years. The 10 government institutions selected will also get Rs 1,000 crore each from HRD Ministry to achieve world-class status. There will be no financial assistance to the private institutions. Only higher education institutions, currently placed in the top 500 of global rankings or top 50 of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), are eligible to apply for eminence tag. The private Institutions of Eminence can also come up as greenfield ventures provided sponsoring organisation submits convincing perspective plan for 15 years.

15) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted an expert committee to look into the entire gamut of issues relating to classification of bad loans, effectiveness of audits and rising incidents of frauds. The committee will be headed by Y H Malegam, a former member of Central Board of Directors of RBI. Terms of References: The committ will look into reasons for high divergence observed in asset classification and provisioning by banks vis-à-vis RBI’s supervisory assessment. It will suggest steps needed to prevent it, factors leading to increasing incidence of frauds in banks and measures (including IT interventions) needed to curb and prevent it. It will also look into role and effectiveness of various types of audits conducted in banks in mitigating the incidence of such divergence and frauds. Background: The committee was set up in wake up of Rs 11,400 crore SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication)-related fraud in Punjab National Bank (PNB) and RBI’s drive of strengthening supervisory framework in the country to avoid frauds. Government also had asked RBI whether it has at any stage detected fraud, involving letter of undertaking (LoUs) issued to foreign branches of Indian banks on behalf of companies promoted by Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

16) Northeast India’s first regional Centre for Agriculture with collaboration of Israel will be inaugurated in Mizoram in March 2018. It will be first such centre in North East region of India being established with Israeli collaboration. There are 22 such operational centres setup across India with support of Israel including in states of Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. The first centre was established in 2008 in Haryana. Centre for Agriculture: This centre will be exclusively for processing of citrus fruits and will cater to the whole north east. It has been set up with tripartite collaboration of Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of Israel and Mizoram Government. Israel will provide expertise knowledge and professional support to the centre. Significance: It will benefit the farmers of the north eastern region in the long run and will also encourage the farmers from other regions. It will serve as model of learning for other countries in Indian sub-continent. It will benefit the people of North East in the area of innovation, especially for start-ups.

17) The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved setting up of tribunal for adjudication of long-pending dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over Mahanadi river waters. The tribunal was constituted under Inter-State River Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956 on request of Odisha and is in line with Supreme Court’s order issued in January 2018. Odisha was repeatedly sought formation of tribunal stating that negotiations have failed to resolve the matter. Key Facts: The Tribunal shall determine water sharing among basin States on the basis of the overall availability of water in complete Mahanadi basin, contribution of each State, present utilization of water resources in each state and potential for future development. As per provisions of ISRWD Act, 1956, the Tribunal will consist of Chairman and two other members nominated by Chief Justice of India (CJI) from amongst Judges of Supreme Court or High Court. Further, services of two assessors who are water resources experts having experience in handling sensitive water-related issues will advise Tribunal in its proceedings. The Tribunal will have to submit its report and decision within period of 3 years as per ISRWD Act, 1956 which can be extended to further period not exceeding 2 years due to unavoidable reasons. Background: Since mid-80s, Odisha and Chhattisgarh are locked in dispute over sharing of water of Mahanadi River. Odisha has claimed that Chhattisgarh government has been constructing dams in upper reaches of Mahanadi, depriving its farmers who are heavily dependent on river water. Chhattisgarh has been against the setting up of a tribunal, and argued that water sharing agreement was with erstwhile Madhya Pradesh government, before state bifurcated in 2000. Mahanadi: Mahanadi is major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 square kilometres and has total course of 858 kilometres. It flows through Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It originates from highlands of Chhattisgarh through collection of array of streams and reaches Bay of Bengal. It left bank tributaries are Shivnath, Mand, Ib, Hasdeo and right bank are Ong, parry river, Jonk, Telen.

18) The Union Ministry for Development of North-East Region (DoNER) is setting up the ‘NITI Forum for North-East’ to identify constraints and recommend suitable interventions for speedy and sustainable growth in North East Region (NER). The forum will be co-chaired by Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog and Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER). It will have its Secretariat in the Ministry of DoNER. NITI Forum for Northeast: The forum is tasked to identify various constraints on way of accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in NER. It will recommend suitable interventions for addressing identified constraints. It will also review development status in NER. It may also examine and address any other issues which are of importance but not specifically spelt out in its Terms of Reference. It may devise its own procedure to conduct its business, meetings, field visits or constitution of Sub-Groups etc. Members of the Forum: It will include Secretaries of Ministries of Road Transport & Highways, Power, Railways, Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Health & Family Welfare, New & Renewable Energy, Human Resource Development, Environment, Forest & Climate Change. Chief Secretaries of 8 Northeastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim will also be members of the Forum. Secretary, North East Council (NEC), Shillong will be Member Secretary. Joint Secretary (NE), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), besides a number of experts from various fields will also be members of Forum.

19) The Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare have launched six new features of National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Platform to make it more users friendly. The six new features are e-NAM Mobile App, BHIM payment facility, new and improved Website with eLearning Module, MIS Dashboard, Grievance Redressal Management System for Mandi Secretaries and Integration with Farmer Database. e-NAM Platform: e-NAM is one of major and important flagship schemes implemented by Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. Its objective is to provide competitive and remunerative price to farmers for their produce through online competitive and transparent bidding process. e-NAM is pan-India e-trading platform. It is designed to create unified national market for agricultural commodities. Its objective is to provide competitive and remunerative price to farmers for their produce through online competitive and transparent bidding process. It integrates Central Farmer Database to increase the efficiency and reduce queue time. It was launched in 21 Mandis in April 2016 and now expanded to 479 Mandis across 14 states and 1 Union Territory. It is now available in 8 different languages and its live trading facility is available in six different languages. Using it, farmers can showcase their produce online from their nearest market and traders can quote price from anywhere. It seeks to increase number of traders and greater competition. It will also ensure open price discovery and better returns to farmers.

20) The Union Cabinet has approved creation of Rs. 60,000 crores National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) to finance Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) which aims to build 1.2 crore affordable houses in urban areas by 2022. National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF): NUHF will be placed under aegis of Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC). It will be raised from non-budgetary sources and will tap into existing government entities such as Housing and Urban Development Corp. (Hudco). NUHF will facilitate raising requisite funds in next four years and plug any budgetary shortfalls. It will smoothly sustained and construction of houses to address gap in Urban Sector progresses by maintaining flow of Central Assistance under different verticals i.e. Affordable Housing in Parternership (AHP), Beneficiary Linked Construction (BLC), In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) and Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) is. Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC): BMTPC is an autonomous body under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and is primary task is the mainstreaming of new construction technologies. It is responsible to undertake research, development and large scale application of new building material technologies. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban): PMAY(U) provide houses to all poor in urban areas by 2022. It is new version of Prime Minister’s Housing For All by 2022 vision. Its objective is to construct two crore houses across nation. It covers entire urban area consisting of 4041 statutory towns with initial focus on 500 Class I cities. Intended beneficiaries of scheme are Poor people (BPL) and People living under Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and LIG (Low income Group) categories in urban establishments of country. It also targets people living under MIG (middle income Group). Government will provide subsidy ranging between 1 lakh to 2.30 lakh to people from above categories in order to make them secure.

21) The International Mother Language Day (IMLD) was observed across the world on 21 February to promote awareness of linguistic, multilingualism and cultural diversity. This year it is the 18th anniversary of IMLD. The observance of this day signifies importance of mother language as the greatest weapon to express one’s feeling. Mother Language of one country is the sign of independence of that country. It is most powerful instruments of preserving and developing tangible and intangible heritage. The theme of 2018 International Mother Language Day is ‘Linguistic diversity and multilingualism count for sustainable development‘. It requires mastery over mother tongue to foster sustainable development. It seeks to highlight importance local languages that transmit cultures, values and traditional knowledge for promoting sustainable futures. Observance of this day also supports target 6 of Goal 4 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which states that ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy. Background: The International Mother Language Day was instituted by tUnited Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by passing resolution 61/266 in 2007. The resolution had called upon member states “to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world. Since 2007, it is observed annually by member states to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The day was first proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The day, February 21 in 1952 assumes special significance in Bangladesh where scores of people (activists), mostly students and teachers of the Dhaka University, were mercilessly shot down by the Pakistani army when Bangladesh was East Pakistan. The activists had protested against imposition of Urdu as the national language side-stepping Bengali – their mother tongue and the protest came to be known as Language Movement.

22) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved methodology for auction of coal mines/blocks for sale of coal to private sector under Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 and Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. This decision opens coal sector to commercial mining by private eblntiti, ending 41 year old monopoly ot state owned Coal India Ltd (CIL). It will allow power cement and steel producers to source fuel more efficiently. Background: Supreme Court in its September 2014 order had cancelled 204 coal mines and blocks allocated to various Government and Private Companies since 1993 under the provisions of Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973. The pursuance of this order, Parliament had enacted Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 to bring transparency and accountability for allocation of coal mines by way of auction and allotment for the sale of coal. Under this methodology: The auction will be ascending forward auction whereby bid parameter will be price offer in Rs./tonne which will be paid to State Government on actual production of coal. There shall be no restriction on the sale and utilization of coal from coal mine. Moreover, the entire revenue from auction of coal mines will accrue to coal bearing States. It will incentivise these states to utilize this increased revenue for growth and development of backward areas and their inhabitants including tribals. Significance: The methodology gives highest priority to transparency, ease of doing business and ensuring that natural resources are used for national development. It opens commercial coal mining for private sector and will help in boosting the economy. It is most ambitious coal sector reform since the nationalisation of this sector in 1973. It will bring efficiency by moving coal mining from era of monopoly to competition and enable use of best possible technology. It will also attract higher investments and create more jobs in mining sector. It will also lead to the availability of low cost power as 70% of India’s electricity is generated from thermal power plants. States in Eastern part of the country will be especially benefited from this new methodology.

23) Surface-to-surface Agni-II ballistic missile was successfully test-fired from the Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast. The test was conducted as part of user trial by Strategic Forces Command (SFC) with logistics support from Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO). It was aimed at re-establishing operational effectiveness of weapon system. Agni-II: Agni-II is two-stage nuclear capable surface-to-surface missile developed indigenously by DRDO. It is 21-metre long and weighs 17 tonnes. It has strike range of 2000 kilometres, which can also be increased to 3000km by reducing the payload. It is propelled by the solid rocket propellant system. It can carry a nuclear payload of 1 thousand kilograms. It is one of the sophisticated weapons that can act as a deterrent against nuclear-armed neighbours. It is equipped with advanced high accuracy navigation system. It is guided by a novel scheme of state of the art command and control system. It can be fired from both rail and road mobile launchers and it takes only 15 minutes for the missile to be readied for firing.

24) The Union Cabinet has approved Cooperation Agreement between India and Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF) to develop long-term cooperation and partnership in different areas of railway sector. The Cooperation Agreement was signed in December 2017 to enable technical cooperation in training and staff development; expert missions, exchange of experience and personnel and mutual technical assistance, including exchanging of experts. Background: The Ministry of Railways had signed MoUs for technical cooperation in Rail sector with various foreign Governments and National Railways. The identified areas of cooperation include high-speed corridors, raising speed of existing routes, heavy haul operations, development of world class stations and modernization of rail infrastructure, etc. The cooperation is achieved through exchange of information on developments in areas of railways technology and operations, technical visits, knowledge sharing, training & seminars and workshops in areas of mutual interest.

25) The Parliament House is setting up crèche facility on its premises for establishing inclusive and supportive work environment for its women employees. This is in line with provisions of Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017. It will be 1500 sq-foot centre and guarded by professionals, ensuring all-round development of children and will also have separate feeding room to aid mothers. This will help to bring in visible impact by pushing other private establishments, central and state owned organizations to set up crèche facility, to aid mothers. Background: The Ministry of Women and Child Development had requested Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to set up of a crèche at Parliament premises. It had pointed out that since over one-third of total number of the officials working in the Parliament were women, the provision of a crèche facility was crucial. Moreover, the issue was also raised by MPs in both the Houses of Parliament too during debate on Maternity Benefit amendments. Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017: The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 makes it mandatory for workplaces with more than 50 employees to provide mandatory crèche facility. The provisions Act mandate healthy workplace diversity and direct establishments of crèche facility. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are followed while accepting employees’ request for Crèche registrations.

26) Maharashtra government will roll out Asmita Yojana on the International Women’s Day (March 8, 2018) to provide affordable (subsidised) sanitary pads to school girls and women. Under the scheme, schoolgirls studying in Zilla Parishad schools will get sanitary napkin packet at Rs 5 while rural women can avail it at subsidised rate of Rs.24 and Rs.29. Asmita Yojana: The state government has appointed “Umed’, the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission, as a nodal agency for effective implementation of the scheme. Under the scheme, beneficiary girls will be given Asmita Cards. Participating Self Help Groups (SHGs) will be entrusted with the task of supply and sale of sanitary pads and counselling the girls and women. The SHGs will procure sanitary napkins from suppliers by registering on Asmita mobile application and distribute them to rural women and girls as per requirement and demand. The SHGs concerned will earn Rs 5 in profit per sanitary packet. Background: There is very little awareness about menstrual hygiene during periods among girls in the age group of 11 to 19 years and women in general in rural areas of Maharashtra. Only 17% of them use sanitary napkins. The main reasons for such low usage of sanitary napkins are high costs of pads, their unavailability in rural areas and awkwardness among women to purchase them from male chemists. Significance: The scheme will promote menstrual hygiene and increase awareness among young girls on usage of sanitary pads. It will help to reduce school absenteeism i.e. boost school attendance among school girls. Similarly, it will help to create employment opportunities for women in rural areas and create awareness about health and education.

27) United Kingdom and India have launched joint research projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’. The ‘Water Quality Research’ programme has 8 projects and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ programme has 4 projects, with total joint investment of up to £15 million. Key Facts: These projects aim to deliver mutual benefits and research solutions not only to UK and India but also to address shared global sustainable development goals – clean water and clean energy. These eight collaborative research projects should bring benefits to both people and the environment, and we are delighted that the programme is being launched today. India-UK water quality programme: This India-UK water quality programme is supported jointly by Department of Science and Technology (DST) in India and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in UK. It aims to equip local communities, policymakers, regulators and businesses with information and solutions they need to secure provision of clean water, rejuvenate rivers and restore ecosystems.

28) India will be the Global Host for World Environment Day (WED) 2018 which is observed annually on 5 June. The central theme for this year is ‘Plastic Pollution”. In this regard, Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between India and UN Environment in New Delhi. WED 2018 will be celebrated across the length and breadth of the country. It will involve all States and Union Territories, districts, local bodies and organizations. Moreover, a week-long environmental awareness campaign and pollution mitigation activities will be planned in Delhi and other parts of the country. Background: World Environment Day (WED) observed annually on 5 June for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. It was established by United Nations General Assembly to mark opening of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. The first World Environment Day was observed in 1973 and since then it is being held every year with different themes. WED serves as a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.

29) The Union Power Ministry has extended waiver of inter-state power transmission charges and losses for solar and wind power projects commissioned till 31 March 2022 in order to give boost to clean energy sources. Key Facts: The waiver will be available to solar and wind projects for 25 years from date of commissioning provided developers sign power purchase agreements with entities, including power distribution companies (discoms), for sale of power for compliance of their renewable purchase obligation. Moreover, the waiver will be available to only those projects which are awarded through competitive bidding process as per guidelines issued by central government. These new conditions for wavier of transmission charges and losses irrespective of purchasing entity will be applicable prospectively. Significance: The order assumes significance in view of India’s ambitious target of having 175GW of renewable energy capacities (100GW of solar, 60GW of wind energy, 10GW energy from Biomass and 5 GW from Hydel). At present, India’s installed renewable generation capacity is 62.84 GW excluding large hydro projects above 25 MW. The Union Government also has planned to auction 40GW of solar energy capacities and 20GW of wind projects in 2018-19 and 2019-20 to meet the tall order. Background: Earlier, the waiver was available to solar and wind power projects commissioned till 31 December 2019, and 31 March 2019, respectively. It was available for a period of 25 years from date commissioning of the project. Moreover, under it incentive was not available to firms other than discom. Thus, other entities procuring clean energy from these projects were at disadvantageous position.

30) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated World Information Technology Congress (WITC) 2018 in Hyderabad, Telangana via video conference. The theme of this edition of conference was ‘Future Enterprises.’ It was hosted by Telangana Government, in association with country’s top IT body, National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and global IT organization World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA). Key Facts: This is for first time India is hosting WITC. It will second time that the event will be taking place in Asia after it was hosted in Kualalumpur, Malaysia in 2008. Around 2500 delegates and top IT honchos from across the world participated in the maga IT event. Representatives from IT industries from around 80 countries took part in the conference. Moreover, at least 20 CEOs from Fortune 500 companies and 100 other top executives attended the conference. World Information Technology Congress (WITC): WITC is a biennial event and considered as the biggest event of its kind. It aims provide single platform to IT experts, policy and decision makers and Government officials from all over the world together to discuss various challenges and possible solutions to them. It is unique in its global perspective on ICT issues and its ability to draw users, providers, media and academia from around the world. It was first held in 1978 since then held after every two years. The 2014 WITC was held in Mexico and had focused on the theme of ‘Digital World’ and 2016 edition was held in Brasilia, Brazil.

31) 42 languages or dialects in India are considered to be endangered and are believed to be heading towards extinction as only few thousand people speak them. According to report of Census Directorate, there are 22 scheduled languages and 100 non-scheduled languages in country, which are spoken by large number of people — one lakh or more. There 42 languages are spoken by fewer than 10,000 people. A list prepared by UNESCO also has mentioned them as critically endangered languages. The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore is working for protection and preservation of these languages under central scheme Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India. Background: According UNESCO, promoting idea of language is an inalienable cultural right. It has already built it into charter of sustainable development goals (SGDs). India is a formal signatory to charter. It is the state’s obligation to secure and protect the community’s right to its language. From 1971 onwards, the Census is disclosing names only of those languages which have more than 10,000 speakers. It has resulted decline in list of languages to 108 languages in 1971 Census, as against the 1,652 a decade ago. The 2001 language data from Census have mixed list of 22 scheduled languages and hundred other languages. The 2011 Census data have been not disclosed yet.

32) The 8th edition of Theatre Olympics was inaugurated by Vice president Venkaih Naidu in New Delhi. The event was organised by National School of Drama (NSD) under Ministry of Culture. The theme of the festival is – “Flag of Friendship“. Key Facts: 51-day long nationwide theatre extravaganza was held in various cities. It featured Indian and international theatre groups, eminent theatre personalities along with their performances. 30 countries participated in the festival from across the globe. It will include 60 ‘living legends’ series conversing with theatre enthusiasts and 50 ‘master classes’ on various art forms. It also included exhibitions, seminars, symposia, interactive discussions and workshops with well-known authors, actors, designers and directors. The Theatre Olympics: The Theatre Olympics is an international festival that brings together finest productions of well-known theatre practitioners from around the world. It was established in 1993 in Delphi, Greece as an initiative of noted Greek theatre director Theodorus Terzopoulus. Greece was the first country to host the Theatre Olympics in 1995. Since then it was held in Japan (1999), Russia (2001), Turkey (2006), South Korea (2010) and China (2014). The 7th edition of mega carnival of theatre was held in Poland in 2016.

33) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had recently organized Youth Exchange Programme- Watan Ko Jano programme. Under it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh met youth of Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi. Around 200 youth from state visited different places of country as part of the programme. Watan Ko Jano: The programme is sponsored jointly by Ministry of Home Affairs, Central Government (Kashmir Cell) and J&K State Rehabilitation Council Social Welfare Department. It aims to give exposure to youth and children of J&K about the cultural and socio-economic development taking place in other parts of country. Youth and children hit by militancy and from weaker sections from J&K are selected for the programme.

34) The Virgin Group led by Richard Branson has signed an intent agreement with Maharashtra Government to build world’s first hyperloop transportation system between Mumbai and Pune. The foundation stone for the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on first day of Magnetic Maharashtra investor summit held in Mumbai. Key Facts: The proposed hyperlook transportation system will link central Pune with megapolis as well as Navi Mumbai international airport. It aims to reduce travel time between two mega cities to 20 minutes from three hours at present. Details of project cost and time-line are yet to be announced. The proposed loop will be a fully electric system and will have the capability travel up to 1,000 km per hour. It will be able to ferry 150 million passengers every year. It will transform transportation system and make Maharashtra global pioneer in this space. The project will create thousands of jobs and has numerous socioeconomic benefits. Hyperloop Technology: Hyperloop Technology is dubbed as fifth mode of transportation. It is system of magnetically levitating capsules (pods) that are sent at high speeds through low-pressure tubes. It envisages tube modular transport system that runs free of friction. It uses linear Induction motors in it to control speed of pods. It is still in trial stages in different countries and not been implemented for practical use anywhere in world yet. Advantages: Hyperloop is two-to-three times faster than fastest high-speed rail and claimed to have speeds even greater than commercial air travel. It has smaller civil engineering footprint, with no direct emissions or noise compared to railways. Hyperloop system’s capital cost per mile is 60% that of high-speed rail, and is less expensive to operate. Furthermore, Hyperloop departures could happen with a low frequency of a pod every 20 seconds which is not possible in railways. Challenges: It requires heavy investments and therefore effective public and private sector coordination is prerequisite for implementing it. It consumes high-power compared to railways. Technical challenges and accidents may hamper its progress.

35) The Union Government has formulated ambitious water conservation scheme Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) to tackle ever-deepening crisis of depleting groundwater level. The Rs 6,000-crore will be piloted under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. It is awaiting cabinet’s clearance. Atal Bhujal Yojana: The objective of scheme is to recharge ground water and create sufficient water storage for agricultural purposes. It also focuses on revival of surface water bodies so that ground water level can be increased, especially in the rural areas. It will give emphasis to recharging ground water sources and ensure efficient use of water by involving people at local level. The scheme after Cabinet’s clearance will soon be launched in water-stressed states: Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. It will cover 78 districts, 193 blocks and more than 8,300 gram panchayats across these states. Centre will support half of the total project cost and rest of the budgetary cost will be shared by the World Bank. Significance: This scheme will help those who are in need for constant ground water supply especially farmers who have been hard impacted by acute shortage of ground water for past several years. Its focus is primarily on involvement of communities and convergence with different water schemes. Its major component is making society responsible and bringing about behaviour change to manage groundwater resource. It will help improve overall outlook towards water resource. Background: The current status of groundwater is alarming, primarily due to non-uniform ground water development and its over-exploitation. According to report published by the Central Ground Water Board (Ground Water Assessment, 2011), out of 6,607 assessed administrative units 1,071 units are over ground water exploited, 217 units are critical, 697 units are semi-critical, and 4,530 units are safe. Moreover, there are 92 units are completely saline. The number of over-exploited and critical administrative units is significantly higher in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and also in Union Territories of Puducherry and Daman and Diu. The declining ground water levels have resulted in failure of wells or deepening of extraction structures, leading to additional burden on farmers.

36) Saudi Arabia has allowed women to open their own businesses and benefit from government e-services without having to prove consent from husband or male guardian. This move marks major step away from country’s strict guardianship system that has ruled it for decades. The expansion of female employment is under Saudi Arabia’s new reform plan for a post-oil era. Key Facts: Earlier, under guardianship system, women were required to present proof of permission from husband, male guardian, father or brother, to do any government paperwork, travel or enrol in classes. Waiver of this requirement is a significant move on part of Saudi government’s initiative to create gender-neutral society. The development is also in line with Saudi Arabia’s effort to expand its fast-growing private sector. It is also in line with it move to expand its private sector in order to reduce long dependent on crude oil production for economic revenue. Background: Oil rich Saudi Arabia is witnessing series of new progressive reforms since Mohammed Bin Salman (32) was appointed as the Crown Prince in June 2017. Under his leadership, oil-rich kingdom is undergoing an economic reform to reduce its dependency on oil and make country more liberal and modern economy. The prince had pledged ‘moderate and open’ Saudi Arabia in October 2017, breaking with decades old ultra-conservative rule for catering needs of foreign investors and appease Saudi youth. Prince is also chief architect behind Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ reform programme, which seeks to elevate percentage of women in workforce from 22% to nearly one-third.

37) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Fourth Container Terminal (FCT) of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. With this, JNPT doubled its container handling capacity. The new FCT will add capacity of 24 lakh containers per year in Phase-I and after completion of Phase-II in 2022, the capacity of JNPT will be 100 lakh containers per year. Key Facts: The new FCT of JNPT has been developed on Design, Built, Fund, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis for a concession period of 30 years at estimated cost of Rs. 7915 crore. The project was implemented in two Phases. i.e. Phase I and Phase II. The indicative cost of the project for Phase I was Rs.4719 Crore. Its foundation stone was laid PM Narendra Modi in October 2015 and was completed in record time. The terminal has deepest berths to handle “Mother Ships. It can handle biggest container ships from quay length of 1 km and cranes that can reach 22 rows wide or greater. It can also handle three container ships at one go with sufficient yard space. The new FCT is also linked to dedicated rail freight corridor and can receive about 350 containers per rake. The rail facilities will be largest in India with only on-dock Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) compliant facility in India. It is capable of handling 1.5km long, 360 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) container trains on completion of DFC. It also has provision for storing 1,600 reefer (refrigerated) containers to handle agricultural and horticulture produce.

38) India and Iran have signed nine agreements, including one on connectivity related to strategic Chabahar port and on double taxation avoidance. These agreements were signed after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The bilateral talks focused to boost cooperation in key areas of security, trade and energy. This was Hassan Rouhani’s first official state visit to India after he was elected Iran’s President in 2013. He had started his three-day visit from Hyderabad as the city has a long history of cultural and religious ties with Iran. Signed Agreements are: Agreement for Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on Income. It will avoid burden of double taxation between two countries in order to promote flow of investment and services. MoU on Exemption from Visa requirement for holders of Diplomatic Passports. It will waive requirement of visa for travel of diplomatic passport holders in each country. Exchange of Instrument of Ratification of Extradition Treaty. It brings into effect the Extradition Treaty signed between India and Iran in 2008. Lease Contract for Shahid Beheshti Port- Phase 1 of Chabahar during Interim Period. It was signed between Port and Maritime Organization (PMO), Iran and India Ports Global Limited (IPGL). Leasing is for 18 months to take over operation of existing port facilities. MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine. It seeks to develop and strengthen cooperation in traditional systems of medicine including regulation of teaching, practice, drugs and drugless therapies. MoU on establishment of an Expert Group on Trade Remedy Measures to promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest. It aims to establish a framework of cooperation in area of Trade Remedial Measures viz. anti-dumping and counterveiling duty. MoU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors. It includes joint activities, programmes, exchange of information and personnel, cooperation in field of agricultural crops, agricultural extension, horticulture, machinery, postharvest technology, plant quarantine measures, credit and cooperation, soil conservation, seed technology, livestock improvement, dairy development. MoU on Cooperation in field of Health and Medicine. It seeks to establish comprehensive inter-ministerial and inter-institutional cooperation between two sides. MoU on Postal Cooperation. It includes exchange of experience, knowledge and technology in e-commerce and logistics services; cooperation on philately, feasibility studies on using air and surface transit capacities of both countries.

39) Scientists have confirmed discovery of nearly 100 new exoplanets outside our solar system based on data from second mission of NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope (K2 mission) released in 2014. With this total number of exoplanets found using NASA’s K2 mission has reached almost 300. Key Facts: The discovery had started out by analysing 275 candidates of which 149 were validated as real exoplanets. In turn, 95 of these planets have proved to be new discoveries. One of planets detected was orbiting a very bright star called HD 212657 with 10-day orbit period. HD 212657, is now the brightest star found by either the Kepler or K2 missions to host validated planet. Significance: Exoplanets are very exciting field of space science. This discovery will help astronomers to develop much better picture of nature of exoplanets which in turn will allow us to place our own solar system into galactic context. Discovery of planets around bright stars will help astronomers to learn about them from ground-based observatories. Kepler Mission: NASA had launched Kepler spacecraft in 2009 to hunt for exoplanets in single patch of sky. The spacecraft had crippled the telescope in 2013 due to mechanical failure. However, by changing its field of view periodically, astronomers and engineers had then devised way to repurpose and save the space telescope which had paved way for K2 mission. The telescope hunts exoplanet transits by registering dips in light caused by shadow after it crosses in front of its host star. Exoplanet: It is a planet that does not orbit Sun and instead orbits different star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf. It is also termed as extrasolar planet. The first such planet orbiting star similar to our own Sun was detected only in 1995. Today some 3,600 exoplanets have been found, ranging from rocky Earth-sized planets to large gas giants like Jupiter.

40) The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and UK’s Natural History Museum (NHM) have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in field of genetic and taxonomic studies, research and training, conservation in India, including species and habitat conservation assessments. Objectives of MoU: Open up mediums of collaboration in science, support further research and boost scientific study for benefit of both India and UK. Help both nations keep up with their commitment to use scientific evidence to support goals of Convention on Biological Diversity, CITES and Nagoya Protocol. Capacity building and scientific exchanges between two nations and learn from each other and work collaboratively to address important scientific questions and deliver benefit to humanity. Significance of MoU: It will pave way for BSI staff to work in NHM and for staff there to work in BSI. It will enable exchange of knowledge and information between two esteemed research organisations. Both organisations will be able to share fairly benefits that may arise from collection, study and conservation of plant materials such as seeds, herbarium specimens and tissue samples and exchange associated data and images. NHM will also help BSI in capacity building in areas of systematic botany and long-term conservation of plant genetic resources in India. Botanical Survey of India (BSI): BSI is the apex research organization under Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEFCC) for carrying out taxonomic and floristic studies on wild plant resources of country. It was established in 1890 with objective to explore plant resources of country and to identify plants species with economic virtues. It has nine regional circles situated at different regions of the country. Primary functions of BSI: Exploration, inventorying and documentation of phytodiversity in general and protected areas, hotspots and fragile ecosystems in particular. Publication of National, State and District Floras. Identification of threatened and red list species and species rich areas needing conservation. Ex-situ conservation of critically threatened species in botanical gardens. Survey and documentation of traditional knowledge (ethno-botany) associated with plants. Develop National database of Indian plants, including herbarium and live specimens, botanical paintings and illustrations, etc.

41) The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has allowed Facebook-owned WhatsApp to beta test its BHIM UPI beta payments service with limited user base of 1 million and low transaction limit. Four banks will join social messaging app’s BHIM UPI model in phases and full feature product will be released after beta test is successful. Key Facts: The multi-bank model will offer advantages such as transaction load distribution between banks and helps to integrate popular apps easily with BHIM UPI. The inter-operability will allow to send and receive money through any BHIM UPI ID, intent and collect call and read and generate BHIM/Bharat QR code that are required in final BHIM UPI app. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI): NPCI is the umbrella organisation for all retail payments system in India. It is being promoted the Reserve Bank of India. It was founded in 2008 as a not-for-profit organisation registered under section 25 of the Companies Act, 2013. It has successfully played pioneering role in development of a domestic card payment network called RuPay, reducing the dependency on international card schemes.

42) Pakistan Army has announced to deploy troops in its close ally Saudi Arabia under existing bilateral security cooperation agreement. The decision comes after meeting between Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi. Key Facts: The troops have been deployed for training and advise mission. They will not be employed outside Saudi Arabia. The move comes three years after Pakistan decided against sending soldiers to join the Saudi-led military intervention in strife-torn Yemen. Already around 1,000 Pakistani troops have been deployed in Saudi Arabia, a close ally of Pakistan in various advisory and training roles. Pakistan is treading fine line in maintaining relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar and other regional players. The decision of deploying troops may annoy Saudi Arabia’s regional rivals like Iran and Qatar. Background: Pakistan army maintains bilateral security cooperation with many other Gulf/regional countries. Saudi Arabia has been pushing its fellow Sunni-majority ally Pakistan to provide troops since 2015 when it joined Yemen’s civil war but Pakistan steadily refused, saying it would not become party to any regional conflict. Pakistan also had joined Islamic Military Alliance (IMA) set up by Saudi Arabia and is led by former Pakistan Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif which is still in an early stage to play any role in the conflict.

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