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  • WBCS Current Affairs 5th August to 12th August 2017 (Part 1)
    Posted on August 5th, 2017 in Current Affairs, Weekly Current Affairs
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    WBCS Current Affairs 5 Aug to 12 Aug 2017 (Part 1)

    1. The Lok Sabha has passed the State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017. The bill seeks to repeal the two Acts namely State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959, and State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956. It also seeks to amend the State Bank of India (SBI) Act, 1955 to remove references to subsidiary banks and powers of SBI to act as an agent of the RBI for subsidiary banks. Key Facts: Repealing of SBI (Subsidiary Banks) Act and State Bank of Hyderabad Act: These two acts have established the State Bank of Bikaner, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Hyderabad and State Bank of Travancore. These banks were subsidiaries of the SB). This repealing of two acts is consequent to the decision of the Union Cabinet February 2017 to approve merger of five subsidiary banks of SBI were merged with it. Amendments to the SBI Act: The Bill removes references related to subsidiary banks from the parent Act. These references include the definition of a subsidiary bank and powers of SBI to act as an agent of the RBI for subsidiary banks. Background: The Union Cabinet had approved the merger of five associate banks along with Bharatiya Mahila Bank with SBI. The five banks were State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of Patiala. After the acquisition by SBI, the subsidiaries banks have ceased to exist and, therefore, it was necessary to repeal the two Acts. The merger had made State Bank of India one of the 50 biggest banks of the world. The main motive behind the merger was to increase the capital base of the bank to enable it to disburse more loans.Continue Reading WBCS Current Affairs 5th August to 12th August 2017 (Part 1).

    2. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed an interim ban on use of non-biodegradable plastic bags which are less than 50 microns in the entire national capital Delhi. It also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on anyone found in possession of non-biodegradable plastic bags less than 50 microns, which is the thickness of a human hair. NGT order: NGT ordered Delhi government to seize entire stock of the banned plastic bags within a week. Besides, it asked Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Delhi Government to file an affidavit on steps taken to implement the ban. It also imposed an environment compensation of Rs. 10,000 on vegetable vendors and slaughter houses for throwing garbage in public places. Plastic waste: Non-biodegradable plastic waste has been identified as one of the major source of environmental pollution as they don’t decay naturally. These bags have zero reusable value. Besides choking drains, water-bodies and adding to the load of the already-exhausted landfill sites, there are also cases of cattle eating and dying after choking on plastic bags. According to plastic bag manufacturers, the market share of thin plastic bags (less than 50 microns) is not more than 25%. Mostly the banned bags are made by unregistered units which find many takers because of their cheaper products. Most of the garbage bags used at homes are above 50 microns. Their use and manufacturing is already banned under the Plastic Management Handling Rules, 2016. The NGT in 2017 had banned the use of disposable plastic in Delhi and NCR with effect from January 1, 2017 and directed the city government to take steps to reduce dumped waste.

    3. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has announced that the first phase of National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) has become operational. NCCC has been set up to scan the country’s web traffic to detect cyber security threats. It scans the cyberspace in the country for cyber security threats at metadata level to generate situational awareness. Key Facts: NCCC is a multi-stakeholder cyber-security and e-surveillance agency implemented by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It derives its powers as per provisions of section 69B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Rules notified thereunder. It will be India’s first layer for cyber threat monitoring and all communication with government and private service providers will be monitored by it. Its mandate is to scan internet traffic and communication metadata coming into the country to detect real-time cyber threat and alert various organisations as well as internet service providers (ISPs) for timely action. NCCC also will coordinate between intelligence agencies, specifically during network intrusions and cyber-attacks. It will have virtual contact with the control room of all ISPs to scan traffic within the country, flowing at the point of entry and exit, including international gateway. Apart from monitoring the Internet, the NCCC will also look into various threats posed by cyber-attacks. It will have top experts from the cyber security field and will run like similar organisation in other countries such as the US, the UK, France, Germany, etc.
    4. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a full-fledged niche Earth observation (EO) satellite — called the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (HySIS). The HySIS satellite has critical chip called an “optical imaging detector array’” indigenously developed by ISRO. Its launch will allow ISRO to enter the domain of operational hyperspectral imaging from earth orbit. Hyperspectral Imaging: Hyperspectral imaging or hyspex imaging (imaging spectroscopy) combines the power of digital imaging and spectroscopy. It collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum. Hyspex’ imaging enables distinct identification of objects, materials or processes on Earth by reading the spectrum for each pixel of a scene from space. The hyspex technology is still an evolving science. In recent times, it has become trend that is being experimented globally. It has ability to add a new dimension to plain-vanilla optical imagers. Key Facts: HySIS satellite developed by ISRO can see in 55 spectral or colour bands from 630 km above ground. It can be used for a range of applications from monitoring the environment, crops, looking for oil and minerals, military surveillance. The architecture of the optical imaging detector array chip on board of satellite has been designed by the payloads development centre, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. It was manufactured at ISRO’s electronics arm, the Semi-Conductor Laboratory, Chandigarh. It can read upto 1000 x 66 pixels. Background: ISRO for first time had tried out hyspex imaging technology in an 83-kg IMS-1 experimental satellite in May 2008. The same year, it also had mounted hyperspectral camera on Chandrayaan-1 and used to map lunar mineral resources. Globally so far, very few space agencies have such a satellite.

    5. The Uttar Pradesh Government has launched Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra, an awareness drive along banks of Ganga River to maintain cleanliness. The campaign was flagged off by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from the state capital in Lucknow. Key Facts: The drive has been organised by Uttar Pradesh Homeguard volunteers to spread awareness in 25 districts situated on the banks of river Ganga for maintaining the cleanliness and ever-flowing nature of the river. It will pass through 108 blocks of 25 districts of UP from Bijnore to Ballia along Ganga covering around 1,025 kms. Under it, above one lakh Homeguard volunteers will organise public gathering and other awareness programmes in the district under Namami Gange Project. It will urge people to refrain from practices and other things that pollute the Ganga River.

    6. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has launched a web portal for supply of textbooks to schools and individuals. The web portal of NCERT will enable schools to place orders for their books online. It will also enable individual buyers to place their orders by logging onto the portal and books will be delivered at their doorstep. Key Facts: The portal will ensure better distribution of textbooks across the country and also address the apprehensions of schools and parents regarding unavailability of NCERT textbooks. It will enable schools to place orders for the session 2018-19 by enabling them to log on to the portal, by entering their respective Boards’ affiliation numbers and other details. Moreover, schools will also have option of directly procuring textbooks either from their nearest NCERT vendors or from the Regional Production-cum-Distribution Centres (RPDCs) of the NCERT’s located at Kolkata, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. The move will help parents save money spent on sourcing expensive books from private publishers, often due to non-availability of NCERT books. NCERT is also exploring the option of having ecommerce vendors such as Flipkart and Amazon host its books and deliver them too to streamline the process further. About National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT): The NCERT is an autonomous organisation set up in 1961 by the Union Government as a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies’ Registration Act. Its mandate is to assist and advise the Union and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education. Its major objectives are to undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education, prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, organise pre-service and in-service training of teachers etc. It acts as a nodal agency for achieving goals of Universalisation of Elementary Education. In addition, NCERT is an implementation agency for bilateral cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education. Textbooks published by NCERT are prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from classes I to XII.

    7. India has ratified the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (or Doha Amendment) that commits countries to contain the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In this regard, India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol. With this, India became the 80th country to accept the amendment relating to the second commitment period (2013- 2020) of the Kyoto Protocol. About Kyoto Protocol: The Kyoto Protocol is an international GHGs emissions reduction treaty linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It commits its Parties by setting internationally binding GHGs emission reduction targets. It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and entered into force in February 2005. The protocol is based on principle of equity and Common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR). It places obligations on developed nations to undertake mitigation targets to reduce emissions and provide financial resources and technology to developing nations. Developing countries like India have no mandatory mitigation obligations or targets under the Kyoto Protocol. The first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol was from 2008-2012. The second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol or Doha Amendment for 2013-2020 period was adopted in 2012. The amendment includes new commitments for parties to the Protocol who agreed to take on commitments in a second commitment period and a revised list of GHGs to be reported on by Parties. Comment: The ratification of second protocol reaffirms India’s stand on climate action. It also further underlines India’s leadership in the comity of nations committed to global cause of environmental protection and climate justice. It will encourage other developing countries also to undertake this exercise. Under the second commitment period, implementation of clean development mechanism (CDM) projects will help Indian attract some investments.

    8. India was ranked last at 43rd position in 2017 Global Retirement Index (GRI) published by French asset management company Natixis Global. The index ranks 43 countries on the basis of four factors viz. the material means to live comfortably in retirement (Material Well-being); access to quality health services (Health); access to quality financial services to help preserve savings value and maximize income (Finances) and a clean and safe environment (Quality of Life ). The 43 countries include members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Monetary Fund (IMF) advanced economies and the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Key Highlights of 2017 GRI: Top three countries in 2017 GRI are Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. India ranks 43rd and has the same score compared to 2016 GRI. India also ranks the lowest among the BRIC economies. India’s rank in all sub-indices is also in the bottom five. India position in all sub-indices is Material Well-being (41st), Health (43rd), Finances (39th) and Quality of Life (43rd). India has the lowest income per capita of all countries in the GRI. Additionally, its score for the income equality indicator has declined compared to 2016 GRI. It has the lowest scores for all indicators within the sub-index including in insured health expenditure compared to 2016 GRI. India ranks first in old-age dependency, second in tax pressure and sixth in interest rates. Interms of governance indicator India ranks as the fifth worst among all countries in the GRI. It also has the tenth-lowest score for the bank non-performing loans indicator. India ranked last in the Quality of Life sub-index. India’s environmental factors indicator has improved due to progress in CO2 emissions per GDP. But it still ranks in bottom for happiness, water and sanitation, and air quality as well as scores second-worst for biodiversity and habitat among all GRI countries.

    9. The Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has released Swachh Survekshan Gramin 2017, third party survey report to assess the progress Swachh Bharat Mission in rural India. The survey was undertaken by the Quality Council of India (QCI) between May and June 2017 to take into account status of rural sanitation in all States and UTs. The survey covered 4626 villages across all States and Union territories. Key Highlights of Swachh Survekshan Gramin: QCI claims that 62.45% of the households have access to a toilet and 91.29% of the people who had access to a toilet also used it. Over 4.54 crore household toilets have been constructed since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin. 160 districts, 2,20,104 villages and 5 States declared have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). Sanitation Coverage has increased from 39% in October 2016 to 66% in August 2017. Top performing states: Northeastern States of Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur with 95% rural households covered by toilets were top performers. Himalayan States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were also top performers with over 90% toilet coverage of the rural houses. Performance of Big States: Almost all rural households in Kerala and Haryana have access to a toilet. In, Gujarat 85% of rural households have access to toilets. Tamil Nadu has 79% rural households access to a toilet. Worst performing States: Bihar (30% coverage) and Uttar Pradesh (37%), Jharkhand (37%) were among the worst performers in terms of rural sanitation. About Quality Council of India (QCI): QCI was set up in 1997 by Union Government jointly with Indian Industry as an autonomous body. Its mandate is to establish and operate the National Accreditation Structure (NAS) for conformity assessment bodies and providing accreditation in the field of health, education and quality promotion. It also promotes the adoption of quality standards relating to Food Safety Management Systems (ISO 22000 Series), Quality Management Systems (ISO 14001 Series) and Product Certification and Inspection. It has been assigned task of monitoring and administering the National Quality Campaign and also oversee function of National Information and Enquiry Services.

    10. The Union Ministry of Shipping is planning to expand Logistics Data Bank (LDB) project to the country’s southern region. So far, it had covered only the western logistics corridor. The LDB project was launched at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Mumbai in July 2016, making it first port in India to provide this service. Later its operations were expanded to the container terminals at Adani Port Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), Mundra and Adani Hazira Port — both in Gujarat. About Logistics Data Bank (LDB) project: The LDB project was unveiled in July 2016 to make India’s logistics sector more efficient through the use of Information Technology. Under this project, every container in the port facility is attached to a Radio Frequency Identification Tag (RFID) tag and then tracked through RFID readers. It is being implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Logistics Data Services Ltd. (DLDSL). DLDSL is jointly (50:50) owned by the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Trust and Japanese IT services major NEC Corporation. The LDB project covers the entire movement of containers through rail or road till the Inland Container Depot and Container Freight Station. Its service integrates information available with the agencies across the supply chain to provide detailed, real-time information within a single window. Significance of project: It has helped to cut the overall lead time of container movement as well as reduced transaction costs that consignees and shippers incur. It also has aided importers and exporters in tracking their goods in transit. It is billed as a major ‘ease of doing business’ initiative aimed at boosting India’s foreign trade and ensuring greater transparency.

    11. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Google India have launched Android Skill Development programme to improve mobile developer ecosystem in the country. The programme aims to impart mobile development training on the android OS and web platform and also improve the quality of mobile app development ecosystem in India. Key Facts: Under the initiative, NSDC will introduce a specific course to create applications for the mobile platform that can be used on smartphones and tablets running on the Android OS. NSDC’s partner agencies will design and deliver 100-hour duration course outside the formal education system. Under the programme, Google India and NSDC will work together to focus on up-skilling Android trainers. The programme will accelerate mobile skill training and create opportunities for youth in the country. It will focus on achieving the target of the Union Government’s ambitious Skill India initiative. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC): The NSDC is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Its objective is to create training capacity in the country; fund vocational training initiatives and create a market ecosystem for skill development. Its mandate is to train 150 million people by 2022.

    12. The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has announced partnership with three states each to radically transform their Health and Education sectors under its Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital (SATH) initiative. The shortlisted states for transforming their health sector are Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Karnataka. Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha were selected for transforming their education sector. Key Facts: NITI Aayog had invited all states and Union Territories to participate in its SATH initiative to transform Health and Education sectors in order to give major push to competitive, cooperative federalism. Under this initiative, a Program Management Unit will now be available in the six chosen States for a period of 30 months to push for efficiency and efficacy in governance structures and service delivery. It is expected that these three years of focussed attention and support from NITI Aayog will lead to a marked transformation and provide a model for other States to replicate and adapt. It will be three-way partnership between NITI, State Governments and knowledge partner for each of the sectors is part of the SATH initiative of NITI Aayog. Selection of States: These six states were chosen after a rigorous competitive process based on comprehensive metrics to determine potential for impact and likelihood of success. States had made presentations for each sector which was assessed by a committee comprising of senior members of NITI Aayog and Human Resources Development and Health ministries. The States had highlighted the initiatives undertaken by them and their willingness to accelerate improvement. On thorough technical evaluation, the chosen States have committed to time-bound, governance reforms in both sectors. Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital (SATH) initiative: NITI Aayog is working to foster co-operative federalism by ranking states through health, water, education, and agricultural indices. The SATH initiative was launched to go beyond ranking states and to handhold them in improving their social sector indicators. The vision of SATH initiative is to initiate transformation in the education and health sectors by providing technical support to states from NITI. It aims to identify and build three future ‘role model’ states for health and education sectors. Under it, NITI will work in close collaboration with state machinery to design a robust roadmap of intervention, develop governance structure, set up monitoring and tracking mechanisms and provide support on a range of institutional measures to achieve the end objectives. NITI Aayog: NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Union Government, providing both directional and policy inputs. It is essentially an advisory body that seeks to provide critical directional and strategic inputs across spectrum of key elements of policy to the centre.

    13. The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has started the process of shutting down Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), over 100-year-old government procurement arm, in this fiscal. Earlier, the Union Cabinet in April 2017 had ordered the DGS&D to wind up operations by October 2017. Now the public procurement of goods and services will be managed by the Government’s e-market platform (GeM). Before closing, the Commerce Ministry will decide upon the issues concerning manpower, land and office spaces of the directorate, which are present all over the country. In 1951, the set-up of Purchase and Inspection was reorganised and DGS&D was constituted, in its present form, to handle all government purchases centrally. A minor restructuring was undertaken in 1974 to allow defence and railways to procure items meant for their exclusive use. The directorate has two professional service cadres — Indian Supply Service (ISS) and Indian Inspection Service (IIS). Currently, the directorate has four regional offices including Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. It has 12 Purchase Directorates (Commodity-wise) at its headquater in New Delhi. Besides, there are 20 offices and the staff strength is over 1,200. Need for shutting down DGS&D: The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry had launched GeM (Government’s e-market platform) to bring greater transparency and efficiency in public procurement. At present, the Union and state governments procure goods and services worth over Rs. 5 lakh crore annually. Currently, over 20,000 sellers are registered on this GeM portal for selling over 50,000 products. The GeM portal has eliminated human interface in the procurement process such as order placement, vendor registration and payment processing to a great extent.

    14. The 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement was observed across the country. This year’s theme was “Sankalp se Siddhi- the attainment through resolve”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his recent Mann Ki Baat programme had called for launching the mega campaign Sankalp Se Siddhi. The campaign pledges to build new India by 2022. It calls on everyone to pledge together towards Clean India, Poverty–free India, Corruption-free India, Terrorism-free India, Communalism-free India, Casteism-free India. Prime Minister Modi also had termed the month of August as a month of revolution as the non-cooperation movement was launched on August 1, 1920, Quit-India movement on August 9, 1942 and on August 15, 1947 India became independent. Quit India Movement: The Quit India Movement (Bharat Chhodo Andolan or the August Movement (August Kranti)) was an important milestone in the Indian freedom struggle. It was a civil disobedience movement launched at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 demanding an end to British Rule of India. It was launched after Mahatma Gandhi had made a call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech delivered in Bombay at the Gowalia Tank Maidan on 7 August 1942. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table as the Cripps Mission had failed. Quit India Resolution drafted by Jawaharlal Nehru and was moved by him on 8th August 1942 in AICCC session and Sardar Patel seconded it. Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, people across India came together to uproot imperialism.

    15. President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Justice Dipak Misra (63), senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as the next Chief Justice of India. He will be 45th CJI and succeeds Justice JS Khehar. He will have tenure of over 13 months till October 2018. He will be the third person from Odisha to be appointed the CJI, after Justices Ranganath Misra and G B Pattanaik. About Justice Dipak Misra: Justice Dipak Misra was born on 3 October 1953. He is the nephew of Justice Ranganath Misra who was CJI from September 1990 – November 1991. He had enrolled as an advocate in 1977 and had practised in constitutional, civil, criminal, revenue, service and sales tax matters in the Orissa High Court and Tribunals before was elevated to the High Court bench. He was appointed Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court in January 1996 and later was transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court in March, 1997 where he became a permanent judge. In 2009, Justice Misra was elevated as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and later as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in May, 2010. He was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court in October 2011. In Supreme Court he has already presided over several key cases and verdicts. He had led the SC bench which rejected the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon’s appeal to stop his execution. He also had led a three judge SC bench which had upheld the death sentence awarded to the four convicts of the Nirbhaya rape case in May, 2017. He also has given significant judgment directing states and Union Territories to upload First Information Reports (FIRs) on websites within 24 hours of their registration for enabling accused and others to file appropriate pleas in the courts for redress.

    16. The Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers has constituted a committee of joint secretaries for ensuring enhanced affordability, availability and accessibility of drugs for the citizens. The committee will suggest ways to make pricing policy in favour of poor patients. Terms of reference of the committee: The committee will review the scope of Drugs (Price Control) Order 2013 (DPCO 2013) and suggest ways for strengthening the regulatory provisions of the order. It will also suggest ways to make DPCO 2013 more comprehensive in light of past experience of implementing the order. It will also delve into making the existing mechanism for collection of market based data on prices of medicines more robust. It will also suggest ways for strengthening the existing pharmaceutical database management system. It will also look at procedural improvements and process of re-engineering in National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to ensure better and quicker implementation of the government policy and bring greater transparency to reduce litigations and review petitions.

    17. The 2030 Water Resources Group (2030WRG) has decided to help the Maharashtra Government to raise $270 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The amount raised will be invested in state government’s integrated watershed programmes such as Jalyukt Shivar Yojana which has successfully augmented the ground water in drought affected areas of the state. Moreover, the raised fund will be also used to further connect efficient use of water at the village level, where the fund will be useful for technology and infrastructure development. It will also be used in crop diversification and adding market linkages. Maharashtra Water Resources Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MWRMP): 2030WRG along with the Maharashtra Government have launched the MWRMP to address critical water resources challenges in the State. The platform will be chaired by the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra. The platform aims to accelerate water use efficiency programme in irrigated areas, along with agriculture growth and income enhancement. It will also develop public-private-community partnership models for implementation of the programmes. It will develop viable financing solutions, including blended finance models for promoting efficient use of water. 2030WRG: The 2030WRG is hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. It is a public-private-civil society collaboration for water resources reform in developing economies. Its ultimate aim is to close the gap between water demand and supply by the year 2030. It facilitates open, trust-based dialogue processes to drive action on water resources reform in water stressed countries in developing economies. Green Climate Fund (GCF): The GCF is a fund under the UN. It is guided by the principles and provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It aims to help developing countries to finance clean energy projects other mitigation efforts and adaptation to climate change.

    18. India and Iran have expressed commitment for early completion and operationalisation of Chabahar Port besides strengthening bilateral ties. Both countries in a series of meetings held during the Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari two-day visit to Iran to attend the inauguration of Hassan Rouhani second tenure as President. Key Facts: Both countries reviewed and assessed the progress in implementation of the decisions taken during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Iran in 2016, including the progress in the development of Chabahar Port. India also has conveyed its readiness to aid Iran in taking up operations in Chabahar Port during the interim period between the actual activation of contract. Background: India had requested Iran for an early submission of loan application for Chabahar Port Development to Exim Bank of India so that the contract agreement can be activated. The Iranian side earlier had requested India to provide up to $150 million credit and had made it a condition for activation of the Chabahar Port contract. The application for loan to Exim Bank of India is still awaited. Chabahar Port: Chabahar port is strategically located in the southeastern Sistan-Balochistan province, on the Gulf of Oman, near Iran’s border with Pakistan. In May 2016, India and Iran had signed a bilateral agreement, under which India agreed to refurbish one of the berths at Shahid Beheshti port, and reconstruct a 600-metre long container handling facility at the port. Significance of Chabahar Port: Alternative route to Afghanistan: The Chabahar port, intended to provide an alternative route for trade between India and Afghanistan, by bypassing Pakistan. It will also ensure in the establishment of a politically sustainable connectivity between India and Afghanistan which will lead to better economic ties between them. It will also ease connectivity to Zaranj-Delaram road constructed by India in 2009 which give access to Afghanistan’s Garland Highway. From a diplomatic perspective, Chabahar port can also be used for humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. INSTC: It will boost India’s access to Iran, the key gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) that has sea, rail and road routes between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia. It can significantly boost import of iron ore, sugar and rice to India from Afghanistan. It can also help to reduce import cost of oil to India. Countering Chinese presence: It will be beneficial to India in countering Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea as China with help of Pakistan is developing the Gwadar port which is less than 400 km from Chabahar by road and 100 km by sea.

    19. The Union Home Ministry has declared entire Assam state as a disturbed area under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for one more month, citing various violent activities by insurgent groups ULFA, NDFB, and others. The Home Ministry also declared 20 km belt along Meghalaya’s border areas adjoining Assam and three districts in Arunachal Pradesh (Tirap, Changlang and Longding) as disturbed under the AFSPA for two more months. Background: AFSPA has been continuing in Assam since November 1990. In 2016, there were 75 incidents of violence reported in Assam in which 33 people, including four security personnel, were killed and 14 others were abducted. The violence was perpetrated in Assam by insurgent groups like ULFA, NDFB and others. Similarly, continuing violence perpetrated by NSCN(K), NSCN(IM), ULFA, NDFB, and others were key reasons for continuing with AFSPA in Arunachal Pradesh. Meghalaya too has witnessed violence by ULFA, NDFB militants in the recent past. About Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act: The AFSPA was enacted by the parliament in 1958. It grants extra-ordinary powers and immunity to the armed forces to bring back order in the disturbed areas. Some of these extra-ordinary powers include fire upon anyone after giving warning who is acting against law & order in the disturbed area, arrest anyone without warrant, stop and search any vehicle or vessel, legal immunity to armed forces personnel for their actions. Note: Presently AFSPA is enforced in the 6 states of North East (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland) and Jammu and Kashmir. It was lifted in Tripura in May 2015.

    20. The Union Home Ministry has merged three-decade old National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) with Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD). The merger aims at improving administrative efficiency and optimal utilisation of resources for development works related to policing. It will also boost crime data collection and research efforts. Key Facts: Now BPR&D will oversee all the data collection related to Crime in India, Suicides and Accidental Deaths, Prison Statistics and Fingerprints which was earlier done by NCRB. The BPRD Director General (DG) will be the head of the merged new entity, where the NCRB Director, an Additional DG rank post will report to the former. Reasons for merger: BPR&D has been given charge of NCRB so that there is more research based and methodological data collection in future as data collection by NCRB as of now was that of taken from states and was sometimes inaccurate. It was also felt that if the researchers of BPR&D there will be more accurate and research based data collection. About NCRB and BPRD: The NCRB was established in 1986 as the central police organisation to collect crime data, on various parameters, from across all the states of the country. The BPRD was established in 1970 as the national police organisation to study, research and develop on subjects and issues related to policing. Both the organisations were functioning under the aegis of Union Home Ministry.

    21. India at 8th Mekong Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting held in Manila, Philippines has called for expanding the areas of cooperation among the member countries of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) bloc. MGC countries have proposed to add newer areas of cooperation to the traditional areas on tourism, culture, education, transport and communication to further deepen mutually beneficial partnership and cooperation. Key Facts: India and member states agreed to look forward to sustain this progress in the years to come and in further deepening our mutually beneficial partnership and cooperation. They also have shared the concept notes on formation of task forces on maritime connectivity and extension of (India-Myanmar-Thailand) trilateral highway into Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam .Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) bloc: The MGC is an initiative by India and five ASEAN countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and communications. It was launched in 2000 at Vientiane, Laos. It is named after Ganga and the Mekong which both are civilisational rivers. MGC initiative aims to facilitate closer contacts among the people inhabiting these two major river basins.

    22. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the second phase of measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign to reduce measles morbidity and mortality, The second phase of campaign will cover 8 states and union territories namely Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana and Uttarakhand. Key Facts: The Health Ministry has initiated MR vaccination campaign in the age group of 9 months to less than 15 years in a phased manner in the country. It was started across the country under the universal immunisation programme (UIP). The campaign aims to rapidly build up immunity for both measles and rubella diseases in the community to knock out the disease. Under the second phase, more than three crore children are expected to be covered in these 8 states. Under this campaign, MR vaccine has replaced two doses of measles vaccine provided in the routine immunisation programme in these states. For those children who have already received such vaccination, the campaign dose will provide additional boosting to them. Measles-rubella (MR): Measles is one of the important causes of death in children. It is highly contagious and spreads through coughing and sneezing of an infected person. It can also make a child vulnerable to life threatening complications such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and brain infection. Symptoms of the infection can include cataracts and deafness. It can also affect the heart and the brain. Rubella disease is commonly known as German Measles (or three-day measles). It is symptomatically similar to measles. It is generally a mild infection, but has serious consequences if infection occurs in pregnant women, causing congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). CRS is characterized by congenital anomalies in the foetus and newborns affecting the eyes (cataract, glaucoma), brain (microcephaly, mental retardation), ears (hearing loss) and heart defects.

    23. Research conducted on Cycas pschannae, a lone tree found in the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, West Bengal has revealed two new species of Cycas to the world. This discovery takes the total number of Cycas species found in India to 14. Cycas: Cycas are one of the most ancient plants whose fossils date to the Jurassic period. They are often referred to as living fossils. They have evolved on the earth as the first seeded plants and they grow very slowly, adding only a few centimetres every year. Nearly 65% of Cycas are threatened. There are over 100 species of Cycas found across the globe. Key Facts: Initial studies on the lone Cycas pschannae tree revealed that it was Cycas, a gymnosperm. Further research based on its anatomical and morphological characters led to the discovery of new species of Cycas pschannae and later Cycas dharmrajii in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Cycas dharmrajii is characterised by the abnormal branching habit of its giant trunk and its swollen base. It has well-defined 10 to 28 hook-like structures in the apex of the mega sporophyll which makes it distinct from other Cycas found in the country. Sporophylls are spore-bearing leaf-like female sex organ of the plant. The sporophylls of Cycas pschannae are characterised by the presence of two lateral horn-like structures.

    24. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers from Bengaluru have developed a highly sensitive, low cost nanometre-scale carbon monoxide (CO) sensor, with potential applications in environmental pollution monitoring. The sensor was developed using novel fabrication technique that does not involve costly and time consuming lithography technology. Carbon Monoxide (CO): CO is a colorless, odorless gas. It is harmful when inhaled in large amounts The greatest source of CO is internal combustions (IC) engines of cars, trucks and other vehicles or machinery that burn fossil fuels. Breathing high concentration of CO reduces the amount of oxygen that can be transported in the blood stream to critical organs like the heart and brain. Key Facts: The nanometer-sized sensor was made using zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanostructure on a silicon wafer substrate. Tiny polystyrene beads were also used on the wafer. These beads were first added on the on the oxidised silicon wafer arrange themselves into what is called a hexagonal close-packed structure. Reasonable level of vacuum is maintained between the wafer and beads. When a high voltage is applied, it etches away the surfaces of the beads until a gap of desired thickness is formed between adjacent beads. Then ZnO is deposited on the system. This occupies the spaces between the beads, forming a honeycomb like nano-mesh that can function as a nanosenor. Significance: The nanometre-scale CO sensor is able to detect a difference in CO level as low as 500 parts per billion (ppb). It can selectively respond to CO even in the presence of other gases. It also significantly cuts down the time and cost involved in making nanostructured gas sensors.

    25. An all-women team of researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has developed a new drug delivery platform using nanoparticles. The nanotechnology-based drug delivery system has ability to boost the efficacy of antibiotics at the cellular level and improve chances of recovery from cancer-related bacterial infections. Need: In traditional drug delivery system, if the bacterial infection in cancer remains untreated, it can infect the host even after the cancer cells are killed by chemotherapy. Similarly antibiotics used in most conventional therapeutics has several issues such as improper biodistribution, lack of target specificity, poor water solubility and loss of efficacy over time due to the emergence of drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria. Moreover, 50% of these antibodies prescribed to humans are either not needed or not effectively utilised as prescribed. Key Facts: In the nanotechnology-based drug delivery system, a peptide called sushi-peptide was conjugated [bound] to gold nanoparticles. It was found that this peptide bound to gold nanoparticles was able to kill E. coli and Salmonella typhi bacteria more efficiently at lower dosages at much lower concentration than free peptides. The nanoconjugate was able to kill 50% of bacteria at much lower concentration (400 nM) while the free peptide’s antibacterial activity was not significant at the same concentration.

    26. Astronomer’s using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found that exoplanet WASP-121b which provides strongest evidence about existence of a stratosphere on it along with glowing water molecules. The stratosphere is a layer of atmosphere in which temperature increases with higher altitudes. Key Facts: Scientists had used spectroscopy in order to study the exoplanet’s stratosphere and to analyse how the planet’s brightness changed at different wavelengths of light. The discovery shows common trait of most of the atmospheres in our solar system, which is a warm stratosphere and can also be found in the atmospheres of exoplanets. This phenomenon can be compared with the same processes that happen under different sets of conditions in our own solar system. About WASP-121b exoplanet: The WASP-121b exoplanet is gas giant commonly referred to as a ‘hot Jupiter’. It has 1.2 times greater mass and 1.9 times greater radius than Jupiter. It is located approximately 900 light years from Earth. It orbits around its host star every 1.3 days in very close proximity.

    27. The National Handloom Day is being observed every year on 7 August to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also carter an impetus to India’s handloom industry. This year it was third edition of the National Handloom Day after it was instituted in 2015. The celebration of the day seeks to highlight the contribution of handloom to the socioeconomic development of the country and promote handlooms to increase income of weavers and also enhance their pride. Background: The Union Government had declared 7 August as the National Handloom Day in July 2015 with the objective to generate awareness about importance of India’s handloom industry. The date August 7 was chosen to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this date in 1905 in the Calcutta Town hall to protest against partition of Bengal by the British Government. The movement had aimed at reviving domestic products and production processes. The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated on 7 August 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Comment: Handloom sector contributes to nearly 15% of the cloth production in the country and also contributes to the country’s export earnings. 95% of the world’s hand woven fabric comes from India.

    28. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed senior IAS officer from Gujarat S. Aparna as Executive Director of the World Bank. At the World Bank, she will represent the constituency of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka for three years. She will replace Subhash Garg, who was recently appointed Economic Affairs Secretary, Union Ministry of Finance. About S. Aparna: She is 1988-batch IAS officer, currently Principal Secretary to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Besides, she also has senior positions in Gujarat such as Economic Affairs, Surat Municipal Commissioner and Joint Secretary, Urban Development at centre. About World Bank: World Bank is one of five institutions created at the Breton Woods Conference in 1944. It is part of the United Nations system, but its governance structure is different. Its headquarter is situated at Washington DC. World Bank provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes. World Bank comprises only two institutions viz. the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA). In contrast, World Bank Group comprises three more viz. Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

    29. The Union Government has appointed economist Rajiv Kumar as the new vice-chairman of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog. Rajiv Kumar will succeed Arvind Panagariya. As Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog he will hold cabinet minister rank. Prime Minister is ex-officio Chairperson of the Aayog. Government also appointed Vinod Paul, head of the Pediatrics department at AIIMS as a member of the NITI Aayog. About Rajiv Kumar: Rajiv Kumar holds a DPhil in economics from Oxford and PhD from Lucknow University. He is a senior fellow at public policy think-tank Centre for Policy and Research (CPR). He has authored several books on the Indian economy and India’s national security. Kumar also has served as Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He had also held positions as Director and Chief Executive of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and chief economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), as well as in positions with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Indian Ministry of Industries, and Ministry of Finance. Moreover, he is also member of boards of several international and national institutions, including the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre in Riyadh, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and Asia (ERIAA) in Jakarta, State Bank of India (SBI), and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). He was also member of the Indian Government’s National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) from 2006 and 2008. NITI Aayog: NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Union Government, providing both directional and policy inputs. It had replaced the 65-year old Planning Commission established in 1950.

    30. Former union minister Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu (68) was elected as 13th Vice President of India. He will succeed Hamid Ansari, who held the position for two consecutive terms of 5 years. With this victory, BJP has occupied top three constitutional posts of India- President, Vice-President and Prime Minister. Background: Over 98% voting was recorded in the 2017 vice-presidential election. 98.21% polling was registered for the election with 771 out of 785 MPs casting their vote, 11 votes were found to be invalid. 381 votes was the quota set to win the polls. M. Venkaiah Naidu emerged victorious by winning 516 votes, whereas opposition nominee Gopalkrishna Gandhi has secured 244 votes. About M. Venkaiah Naidu: Venkaiah Naidu was born on July 1, 1949 in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh in farmer’s family. He holds a law degree with a specialisation in international law from the Andhra University College of Law in Vishakhapatnam. He had first entered in the mainstream politics with 1972 ‘Jai Andhra Movement’ and later joined BJP in 1980. He won the assembly election twice in 1978 and 1983 from Udayagiri constituency and became the Rajya Sabha MP thrice in 1998, 2004 and 2010. He was elected as the national President of BJP in 2002. He served as a cabinet minister both NDA governments under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999-2004) and Narendra Modi (2014-present). He was Cabinet Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Minister of Urban Development and also as a Parliamentary Affairs Minister under Modi government. Vice-President Elections: The Vice-President is selected through a secret ballot by the members of the electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. The nominated Members of Rajya Sabha as well as of Lok Sabha are also eligible to be included in the Electoral college and, therefore, are entitled to participate in the election.

    31. The Union Finance Ministry has launched second exchange-traded fund (ETF), named Bharat 22. It will help to speed up Government’s disinvestment programme budgeted to raise a record Rs 72,500 crore in the FY 2018. Bharat 22 comprise of 22 stocks including those of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs), public sector banks (PSBs) and its holdings under the Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SUUTI). Exchange-traded funds (ETFs): Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are essentially index funds that are listed and traded on exchanges like stocks. They are basically basket of stocks with assigned weights that reflects the composition of an index. They are similar to mutual funds in a certain manner but are more liquid as they can be sold quickly on stock exchanges like shares.The ETFs trading value is based on the net asset value of the underlying stocks that it represents. Key Facts: Bharat 22 is a well-diversified ETF spanning six sectors — basic materials, energy, finance, industrials, FMCG and utilities. The sector wise weightage in the Bharat 22 Index is basic materials (4.4%), energy (17.5%), finance (20.3%), FMCG (15.2%), industrials (22.6%), and utilities (20%). The banking segment includes stocks from State Bank of India (SBI), Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda (BoB), Indian Bank, Rural Electrification Corporation and Power Finance Corporation. The energy segment includes Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BP), and Coal India. Background: The first CPSE ETF was launched in March 2014. The first CPSE ETF consisted of stocks of 10 public sector entities. It is currently managed by Reliance Capital Ltd. Government was able to raise Rs. 8,500 crore by selling it in three tranches.

    32. The Indian Railways has signed its first EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) contract with Larsen and Turbo (L&T) for electrification of railway lines. The contract valuing Rs 1,050 crore was awarded by Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE) and Konkan Railways for electrification of 781 route kilometres (RKM). It will cover Delhi Sarai Rohilla – Rewari and Alwr – Bandikui – Jaipur – Phulera – Ajmer (353 rkm) section and Roha – Verna (428 rkm) of Konkan Railway. Besides, eight such agreements were also exchanged between Zonal Railways and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) for 1,735 rkm of electrification projects valuing Rs 1,746 crore. Background: The EPC contracts were awarded as part of a strategy to speed up the electrification of railway lines under ‘Mission Electrification’ plan unveiled November 2016. So far only 42% of the lines are currently electrified. The Rail ministry is planning to increase its electrified network to 52,400 rkm by 2021. The Indian Railways is expecting to cut its fuel bill by Rs. 3,300 crore annually by 2020-21, by electrifying 90% of all broad gauge tracks under ‘Mission Electrification’ plan. In 2017-18 Budget, it was announced the Railways would tap the EPC route for expediting electrification projects. Comment: Indian Railways consumes 2% of the country’s total power generation. The power could be effectively utilized in other sectors. The Mission Electrification plan will help in reducing the energy bill of railways considerably. It would also make the travel through Railways faster.

    33. The ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) and CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have signed MoU to make indigenous regional positioning system-NavIC independent from the US clock system. Until now, the satellites on NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) managed by the ISRO relied on the US GPS to ensure that the clocks aboard were working at the high-precision required in satellite-based communication. Significance of MoU: The MoU will help the NAVIC to get formally synchronized with the Indian Standard Time (IST) which is being maintained by the Delhi-based NPL – the timekeeper of India. It will also help in making NAVIC to get fully operational in the market for commercial purposes as time synchronisation is essential for all kinds of services such as financial transactions, digital archiving, stock handling, time stamping, national security or prevention of cyber-crimes etc. NavIC: Formally called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary. NavIC System consists of constellation of seven satellites (namely IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F and 1G) of which three are geostationary and four are non-geostationary. National Physical Laboratory (NPL): The NPL is part of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CISR). It is the measurement standards laboratory of India. It maintains standards of SI units in India and calibrates the national standards of weights and measures. It is only agency in India authorised to maintain Indian Standard Time (IST) and hosts most accurate clocks in the country with accuracy of ±20 nanoseconds through the Primary Time Scale (PTS), an ensemble of five caesium clocks and one hydrogen maser.

    34. India has signed a loan agreement with China led-Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for financing of $329 million for Gujarat Rural Roads Project (GRRP). The objective of the GRRP is to improve the rural road connectivity and accessibility by providing all weather road connectivity to 1,060 villages in all the 33 districts of Gujarat, benefiting about 80 lakh people. It will also benefit the service providers such as public transport operators, hospitals, educational institutions, local markets and traders. About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): AIIB is a multilateral development bank backed by China, seen as a rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB). It was established to fund various infrastructure projects including energy, transportation, urban construction and logistics as well as education and healthcare in Asia-Pacific region. The AIIB was officially established with 57 founding members and started to function in January 2016. But as of May 2017, the bank has 52 members. It has an authorised capital of US $100 billion. It is headquartered in Beijing. Voting Share: China is the largest shareholder with 26.06% voting shares. India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5% voting shares followed by Russia (5.93%) and Germany (4.5%).

    35. The Union Government is going to launch AGRI-UDAAN Food and Agribusiness Accelerator 2.0 programme in an attempt to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in agriculture. It will mentor startups and help them connect with potential investors. Key facts: The programme will help convert innovative ideas from India’s rural youth into viable businesses startups and help them connect with potential investors. It aims to attract the youth from rural India and elsewhere, and train them so they can add value to the farmers’ produce. It is managed by ICAR-NAARM’s (Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management) technology incubator, a-IDEA along with IIM Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation. Under the programme, start-ups will get incubation space to run their businesses and have access to research laboratories and libraries. It will also help the selected start-ups with regulatory services like company registration and environmental compliances. In the first round of the programme 40 start-ups will be shortlisted who will pitch their ideas to a panel of evaluators. Out of these, 8 to 12 start-ups will be selected for the final capacity building workshop. Following an intensive training lasting six months, the new start-ups will be connected to investors for funding.

     

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