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1. Eminent modern Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh was chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2016. He is the 52nd recipient of Jnanpith Award. He is sixth Bengali litterateur to bag this prestigious literary award after Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay (1966), Bishnu Dey (1971), Ashapoorna Devi (1976), Subhash Mukhopadhyay (1991) and Mahasweta Devi (1966). About Shankha Ghosh Born on 6 February 1932 in Chandpur now in Bangladesh. He is prolific poet, critic and academician. He is regarded a leading authority on Rabindranath in addition to being one of the most prolific writers in Bengali. He is considered as a poet with an eye to social milieu and his poems record both his time and space in a rare poetic style. His poems are often laden with messages, but are free from polemics. Some of his famous poems are ‘Adim lata-gulmomay’, ‘Kabir abhipray’, ‘Murkha baro, samajik nay’, ‘Mukh dheke jay bigyapane’, ‘Babarer prarthana’, Dinguli Raatguli and ‘Nihita Patalchaya’ His works have also been translated widely into several Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Assamese and Malayalam, as well as into some foreign languages. He also been awarded Sahitya Akademi Award, Saraswati Samman, Narsingh Das Puraskar and Rabindra Puraskar among others. About Jnanpith Award Jnanpith Award is India’s highest literary honour. Its name has been taken from Sanskrit words Jnana and Pitha which means knowledge-seat. It was instituted in 1961 by Bharatiya Jnanpith trust founded by the Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain family that owns the Times of India newspaper group. It is bestowed upon any Indian citizen who writes in any 22 official languages of India mentioned in VIII Schedule of Constitution of India and English. Prior to 1982, the award was only given for a single work by a writer. But after 1982, the award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian literature. The award carries cash prize of 11 lakh rupees, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge and wisdom Note: Bengali novelist Ashapoorna Devi was the first woman to win this award in 1976. She was honoured for her 1965 novel Pratham Pratisruti (The First Promise), the first in a trilogy.

2. The NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayoga along with Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has rolled out Performance on Health Outcomes index to rank States on the basis of their performance on measurable health indicators. The index was developed with inputs from domestic and international experts, including academicians and development partners as well as feedback from States. Key features of the index Capture the annual incremental improvements of the states, rather than focusing on historical achievements. Includes indicators in the domains of health outcomes governance and information and a few key inputs and processes. Envisioned to bring about the much required improvements in social sector outcomes, which have not so far kept pace with the economic growth of the country. Mainly will be used to propel actions of states to improve health outcomes and improve data collection systems. Includes monitorable indicators that form part of Sustainable Development Goal in Health. Serve as an input for providing performance-based incentives, assist in State-level monitoring of performance and improvement in health outcomes. Involves the participation of several partners including technical assistance from the World Bank, mentor agencies to hand-hold states and third party organisations to validate the data submitted prior to calculation of the index.

3. The National Consumer Day is observed every year in India on 24th December. On this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the President. Observance of this day provides an opportunity for individuals to highlight the importance of the consumer movement and promote the basic rights and responsibilities of all consumers The Department of Consumer Affairs under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution is celebrating this day this year with the theme Alternate Consumer Disputes Redressal. Consumer Protection Act, 1986 The enactment of this Act was considered as a historic milestone in the consumer movement in the country. This Act aims to provide consumers with effective safeguards against different types of exploitation such as defective goods, unsatisfactory services and unfair trade practices. It provides consumers with speedy and inexpensive redressal grievances mechanism and specific relief or award of compensation. It recognizes six of the eight rights of the consumer as provided in the UN charter. It envisages following rights of consumers (i) Right to Protection. (ii) Right of Information. (iii) Right of Choice. (iv) Right of Hearing. (v) Right of Redressal. (vi) Right of Education. Note: The World Consumer Rights Day is observed on 15th March.

4. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has approved the draft Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST) laws along with Compensation Bill to bring the GST into implementation, country’s biggest indirect tax reform. The CGST and SGST laws contains total of 197 provisions and five schedules. They were approved at the seventh GST Council meeting presided by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi. GST Council agreed upon The draft CGST and SGST laws do not include division of administrative turf between states and the centre. The Compensation Bill will have 2015-16 as base year and compensation to States for the loss of revenue from the GST rollout will be paid every two months. It provides legal backing to the centre’s promise to compensate states if their revenue growth rate were to fall below 14% in the first five years of GST. However few issues were left to be settled, such as source of compensation fund. Next meeting The next meeting of the Council scheduled early January 2017 will try to resolve the issue of dividing the administrative powers between the Centre and states. It will also take up the Integrated GST (IGST) Bill. It will also discuss the most contentious issue of ‘dual control’ or ‘cross empowerment’. About GST Council As per Article 279A of the Constitution, GST Council is joint forum of the Centre and the States. Composition: Union Finance Minister (Chairperson), Union Minister of State (MoS) in-charge of Revenue of finance (Member) and Minister In-charge of taxation or finance or any other Minister nominated by each State Government (Members). Functions: They are mention in Article 279A (4) of the Constitution. It will make recommendations on important issues related to GST, like (i) Goods and services that may be subjected or exempted from GST. (ii) Model GST Laws. (iii) Principles that govern Place of Supply, threshold limits, GST rates. (iv) GST rates will including the floor rates with bands and (v) Special rates for raising additional resources during natural disasters/ calamities, special provisions for certain States, etc.

5. ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank has launched EazyPay mobile application for merchants that allows all-in-one acceptance payments platform. This app consolidates all digital wallets, QR code, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and credit & debit cards modes of payments. With this, ICICI Bank became first bank in the country to roll out all-in-one payments platform.

6. The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed confidence that a prototype vaccine for Ebola may be 100% effective in protecting against the deadly virus. The vaccine was initially developed in Canada by public health authorities before being taken over by pharmaceutical giant Merck. Key Facts Earlier in a major experimental human clinical trial of this vaccine conducted on nearly 6,000 people in Guinea in 2015 was found to successfully. It was observed that no one from the 6,000 people contracted again to the lethal disease. The test results of the trial were released in The Lancet magazine. This new vaccine has not yet been approved by any regulatory authority. But it is said that the vaccine could become available in 2018 under a fast-track approval process. However, this new vaccine has some flaws as it appears to work against only one of the two most common strains of the Ebola virus. Thus, it may not give long-lasting protection and some of patients who were given this vaccine have reported side effects like joint pain and headaches.

7. The Union Ministry of Textiles has decided to establish a Bunkar Mitra-Handloom Helpline Centre where experts in the field of textiles will answer professional queries of weavers. This helpline initially will be provided in 7 languages viz., English, Hindi and 5 other regional languages Tamil, Telugu, Kannada Bengali and Assamese. Key Facts This helpline aims to overcome the problem of unavailability of single point of contact where weavers can seek solutions for their technical issues/problems. Currently there 28 Weavers’ Service Centres (WSCs) functioning across the country to provide technical assistance to handloom weavers in improving their skills. But for seeking assistance, weavers have to personally visit the WSCs.

8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) during his recent visit to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The scheme aims to provide apprenticeship training to over 50 lakh youngsters in order to create more jobs. It has budgetary outlay of Rs 10000 crore. About National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) NAPS is implemented by Director General of Training (DGT) under the aegis of Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). Under it, Central Government for the first time will provide financial incentives to the employers to engage actively in apprenticeship training. Central Government will also directly share 25% of the total stipend (maximum of 1,500 rupees per month per apprentice) payable to an apprentice with employers. In addition, it will support basic training which is considered an essential component of apprenticeship training. The Central Government will bear the 50% of the total expenditure incurred on providing basic training to an apprentice. All transactions including registration by employers, apprentices, registration of contract and payment to employers will be made in online mode.

9. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched a solid fuel rocket named Epsilon-2 from the Uchinoura Space Center in southern Japan. The 26-metre-long rocket released Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) satellite for studying radiation belts around the earth soon after the lift-off. Key Facts ERG satellite will orbit in a highly elliptical orbit, getting as close to Earth as 350 kilometers and as far away as 30,000 km. This path will take the satellite through the Van Allen radiation belts, where the earth’s magnetic field traps huge numbers of fast-moving electrons and other particles. These particles mainly damage the computer systems aboard satellites and pose a radiation danger to astronauts. The satellite will use nine different instruments for studying radiation belts over the course of a mission designed to last at least one year.

10. The Union Water Resources Ministry has reconstituted a committee that was tasked with assisting the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). The new committee will be headed by A.K. Bajaj, former chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC). Besides, Gopala Krishnan, R.P. Pandey, Pradeep Kumar Shukla and N.N. Rai will be its members. Terms and reference of Committee Assist KRMB to prepare a manual on how projects, common to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ought to be handled. Decide how the Godavari waters ought to be transferred to the Krishna Basin in accordance with the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award.

11. Recently released Global Wage Report 2016-17 released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that India suffers from huge gender pay gap. It shows that India has among the worst levels of gender wage disparity (men earning more than women in similar jobs) with the gap exceeding 30%. Key Facts Singapore has among the lowest gender wage disparity at 3%. Among major economies, South Korea only fared worse than India, with a gap of 37%. India’s position: In India, women formed 60% of the lowest paid wage labour, but only 15% of the highest wage-earners. It means that women are not only poorly represented in the top bracket of wage-earners but also gender pay gap at the bottom is also very wide in India. In other words, not only were women paid less, there were fewer women in highly paid occupations. Regional wage disparity: The share of women among wage earners was among the lowest in South Asia. Compared to a global average of 40%, and an Asia-Pacific average of 38%, in South Asia (whose dominant economy is India), only 20% of wage earners were women. Reasons for wage gap: Women’s educational choices produced occupational segregation. Care work mostly undertaken by women is undervalued because it may be seen as a natural female attribute rather than a skill to be acquired. Thus, there is higher representation of women in sectors where their work is undervalued results in a gender pay gap. Way Forward: Strong labour market institutions and policies such as collective bargaining and minimum wages will help to lower the pay gap. It is found that the gender pay gap is smallest (around 8%) in the group of countries where the collective bargaining rate is at least 80%, and widest in countries with weak collective bargaining and very low or no minimum wages. Income inequality: The report also highlighted income inequality. In India, the top 1% earns 33 times what the bottom 10% did. The top 10% also earned 43% of all wages. Since 2006, average wages rose by 60% in India, while they more than doubled in China.

12. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a complete ban on burning of waste in open places across the country and announced a fine of Rs. 25,000 on each incident of bulk waste burning. The green panel’s judgement was given on the petition seeking directions to local bodies in states and Centre for improving solid waste management methods. NGT Judgement Complete prohibition on open burning of waste on lands, including at landfill sites. For each such incident, violators will pay environmental compensation of Rs. 5,000 in case of simple burning and Rs. 25,000 in case of bulk waste burning, States and UTs to enforce and implement Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in a time-bound manner. Union Environment Ministry and all States must pass appropriate directions in relation to the ban on short-life Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and chlorinated plastics within a period of six months. Establish and operationalise of plants for processing and disposal of the waste and selection and specifications of landfill sites Non-biodegradable waste and non-recyclable plastic should be segregated from the landfill sites. It must be used for construction of roads and embankments in all road projects all over country. About National Green Tribunal (NGT) NGT is a statutory body established by a Government Notification using the powers of Section 3 of the NGT Act 2010. It is a special fast-track court to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. It has been established to assure the right to a healthy environment to the citizens of India as enshrined in Article 21 of Constitution.

13. The Union Ministry of Coal has launched Coal Mitra, a web portal for allowing flexibility in utilization of domestic Coal. It was launched by Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal in New Delhi.

14. China successfully launched TanSat, a global carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring satellite to understand the effects of climate change. It was launched on board of Long March-2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China’s Gobi Desert. It was the 243rd mission of the Long March series rockets. With this, China became third country after Japan and United States to have its own satellite to monitor greenhouse gases (GHGs). About TanSat satellite TanSat will thoroughly examine global CO2 levels every 16 days, accurate to at least 4 ppm (parts per million). It weighs 620-kg and will be located in sun synchronous orbit about 700 kms above the earth. It has three-year mission life. It will thoroughly monitor the concentration, distribution and flow of CO2 levels every 16 days, accurate to at least 4 ppm (parts per million) in the atmosphere. The satellite will help understanding of climate change and provide China’s policy makers with independent emissions data in first-hand and share it with researchers worldwide. It will give China a louder voice on climate change, carbon reduction negotiation and bigger say on carbon trading.

15. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet approved approved 5.13 trillion yen ($43.6 billion) in defence spending for the fiscal year starting in April 2017. It is Japan’s highest annual defence budget announced so far. It is up by 1.4% from the initial budget for the current fiscal year. Now it will be sent to Parliament (Diet) for debate and approval.

16. The National Mathematics Day is observed every year on 22nd December to celebrate birth anniversary of great Indian autodidact Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. This year, it is 129th birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. About Srinivasa Ramanujan Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22nd December, 1887 in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. He died at young age of 32 on 26 April 1920. He was considered as doyen of number theory, infinite series, mathematical analysis, and making formulas and equations without any formal training in pure mathematics.He in the same league as great mathematicians such as Euler and Gauss. He was deeply religious person and had credited his mathematical capacities to divinity. He had once said ‘”An equation for me has no meaning, unless it expresses a thought of God.” Key contributions: As a mathematical genius, he had compiled more than 3900 mathematical results and equations. His Ramanujan Prime and Ramanujan theta discoveries have inspired further research on this mathematical subject. Along with British Mathematician Godfrey Harold Hardy, Ramanujan had discovered the smallest number represented as sum of two cubes 1729 which is known as Hardy-Ramanujan number. Autobiography and Movie: The feature film “The Man Who Knew Infinity” was based on his life. It was based on his biography “The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan” written in 1991 by Robert Kanigel. Background The National Mathematics Day was instituted in 2011 by the Union Government to celebrate Ramanujan’s 125th birth anniversary. Besides, the year 2012 was also declared National Mathematics Year.

17. The Sahitya Academy has announced the names of 24 poets and authors who will be conferred the prestigious 2016 Sahitya Akademi Award. This award has recognised premier works in 24 Indian languages that includes 8 books of poetry, 7 books of short stories, 5 books of novels, 2 books of criticism and 1 book each of essays and play. Winners are Play: Swarajbir (Punjabi). Essay: Nrisinghaprasad Bhaduri (Bengali). Criticism: Aziz Hajini (Kashmiri) and Nizam Siddiqui (Urdu). Short stories: Chahatrapal (Dogri), Shyan Darihare (Maithili), Moirangthem Rajen (Manipuri), Asaram Lomate (Marathi), Paramita Satpathy (Odia), Bulaki Sharma (Rajasthani) Vannadhasan (Tamil). Poetry: Jnan Pujari (Assamese), Anju (Bodo), Kamal Vora (Gujarati), Prabha Varma (Malayalam), Sitanath Acharya (Sanskrit), Gobinda Chandra Majhi (Santhali), Nand Javeri (Sindhi) and Papineni Sivasankar (Telugu). Background All 24 awardees were chosen by a distinguished jury representing 24 Indian languages. The final approval was given by the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi chaired by its President Dr. Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari. They will be presented with awards at a special function to be held on 22 February 2016 during the Festival of Letters – the annual function of the Akademi. About Sahitya Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi Award is conferred annually on writers of outstanding works in one of the twenty-four major Indian languages (22 Scheduled Languages+ English and Rajasthani) The award consists of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of 1 Lakh rupees.

18. Hong Kong, a China-administered special territory has decided to withdraw visa-free facility for Indians from January 23, 2017. This decision was taken on the ground to prevent illegal immigration as number of Indian asylum seekers was on the rise. Over half a million Indians visit Hong Kong for business, trade and holidays. Under the new rules, Indian travellers will have to complete a pre-arrival registration. Such pre-registration would not be necessary for those transiting through the Hong Kong airport without leaving the airport transit area

19. The Union Cabinet has approved a draft ordinance to empower states and allow industries to pay workers’ wages digitally, through a direct bank transfer to accounts or by cheque in a bid to encourage cashless transactions. The draft ordinance proposes changes to the Section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 to encourage cashless transactions. It will need the President’s assent to become law as per article 123 of the Constitution. Key Facts It will allow industries to pay wages to workers earning up to Rs. 18,000/ month, without taking their explicit consent as required under present Act. However, wage payment through the banking system will only be optional, until State governments or Union Government come up with a notification for specific industries since Labour is in the concurrent list. The present law (1936 Act) states that all payment of wages should be in cash. Under it has mandatory provision asking employers to obtain written permission of the worker to pay either by cheque or by crediting wages to his or her bank account. Comment The payment of wages through cheque or DBT of employed persons has twin motives i.e. it will reduce complaints regarding non-payment or less payment of minimum wages and serve purpose of digital and less cash economy. The move is significant in view of the Union Government is promoting cashless transactions after its decision to scrap the old high value Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency notes. Earlier Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2016 introduced in the Lok Sabha during 2016 winter session but was not cleared owing to the impasse in Parliament.

20. According to report submitted by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, there is alarming rise in forest fires across India. It says that the number of forest fires have touched 24,817 in 2016 from 15,937 fires in 2015. It shows alarming rise 55% in the past year. The report primarily focuses on the prevention and containing of fires in the Himalayan forests spread across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Findings of Committee There increase in forest fires is seen even though 2015 was considered a drought year. But there is decline in frequency of forest fires by around 16%. The three central States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha contribute a third of the forest fires. Madhya Pradesh has seen a nearly ten-fold increase in forest fires, from just 294 in 2015 to more than 2,600 in 2016. In Himachal and Uttarakhand, over 17,502 acres have been ravaged in 2016 due to forest fires, a rise of over 171%. Large number of posts of front line forest staff were lying vacant, while fire-fighting equipment is rudimentary in many cases. Recommendations National policy on managing forest fires must be framed. Replacing pine reserve forests areas with “broad-leaf” plants. Procurement of sweeping machines to clear roadsides of Chir pine needles. Advocating large-scale incentives and programmes (including under MNREGA) to collect pines for use as fuel, and other incineration. Background The committee was formed after a series of devastating forest fires earlier in the year 2016 including the prolonged one that had charred 4,000 hectares of forest land across 13 districts of Uttarakhand in May 2016. The committee was headed by Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Choudhary.

21. Kaisa Matomaki and Maksym Radziwill have been jointly won the 2016 SASTRA-Ramanujan award for mathematics for their ‘revolutionary’ collaborative work on short intervals in number theory. Their mathematical work dwells on properties of numbers in “short intervals.” The two mathematicians worked with Fields medallist Terence Tao in making a breakthrough on the Chowla conjecture. They were presented with this prestigious award at inauguration of International Conference on Number Theory at SASTRA University at Kumbakonam. Kaisa Matomaki from Finland’s University of Turku is first woman to receive this prize since it was instituted in 2005. Maksym Radziwill is Assistant professor at McGill University, Canada. About SASTRA Ramanujan Prize It is an annual award bestowed on young mathematicians for his outstanding contributions to areas of mathematics influenced by the Srinivasa Ramanujan. It was established in 2005 by Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA) University. It is named after great Indian Mathematician autodidact Srinivasa Ramanujan. Criteria: The age limit for the prize is 32 because Ramanujan had achieved so much in his brief life of 32 years. The prize is given annually to recipient at Kumbakonam which is Ramanujan’s hometown.

22. Long range nuclear-capable subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay was testfired from the launch complex 3 of the Integrated Missile Test Range in Balasore, Odisha. The test was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). After blasting off from launch pad, the missile took a unique trajectory in its entire path to the target. However the test was an utter failure. It was fourth test of Nirbhay missile so far and out of four, three have ended in failure. The maiden launch was conducted in March 2013 but it was failure, the second test was conducted in October 2014 was a big success as it had travelled 1,010 km instead of the targeted 800 km. The third mission on October 16, 2015 was again a failure.

23. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the Cadre review and formation of a new service in the name of Indian Enterprise Development Services (IEDS). Decision in this regard was taken by the Union Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Key Facts The IEDS will be created in the Office of Development Commissioner (MSME), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Its creation will help to strengthen the organization and to achieve the vision of Startup India, Stand-up India and Make in India. It will also enhance the capacity and efficiency of the organization and help in achieving growth in MSME sector through a focused and dedicated cadre of technical officers.

24. According to report published in Forbes magazine, India has surpassed its colonial masters United Kingdom to become world’s sixth-largest economy in GDP terms for first time after nearly 150 years. Following the change in the rankings, India’s economy now stands behind the United States, China, Japan, Germany and France. Key Facts India has managed to overtake UK owing to Britain’s recent Brexit-related problems and its rapid economic growth followed by downslide in the value of the pound. UK’s economy is expected to grow by 1.8% in 2016 and slow down to 1.1% in 2017. Its economy and currency are struggling since it voted to leave lucrative common market of European Union. Whereas, India’s economy maintained its growth around 7% primarily due to price slump in global commodities, good rainfall, lower-than-expected inflation, reforms undertaken by Government to spur growth. Furthermore, this gap is expected to widen as India grows at 6 to 8% per annum as compared to UK’s growth of 1 to 2% until 2020, and likely beyond. Even if the currencies fluctuate that modify these growth figures to rough equality, India’s economy will be ahead of UK based on future growth prospects.

25. Researchers from United States have developed the first vaccine for Chikungunya fever made from an insect-specific Eilat virus. The newly-developed vaccine does not have any effect on people, which makes it safe and effective for humans. Its clinical trials on mice and non-human primates show that it quickly produces a strong immune defence and completely protects them from disease when exposed to the chikungunya virus. Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne virus that causes a disease. It is transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Its symptoms are characterised by abrupt fever and severe joint pain, often in hands and feet, and may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or rash. There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya. There is no commercial chikungunya vaccine. Chikungunya treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms, including the joint pain using anti-pyretics, optimal analgesics and fluids.

26. India ranked 4th in the Global Wind Power Installed Capacity index with cumulative installed wind power generation capacity of 25,088 MW in 2015. The index was released was released as part Global Wind Report: Annual Market, flagship publication of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Key facts The index was topped by China, followed by US and Germany with cumulative installed wind power generation capacity of 145362 MW, 74471 MW and 44947 MW respectively. Both Europe and the US markets performed better than expected and the European offshore sector set a new record, installing just over 3 GW. Canada, Mexico and Brazil all had strong years. South Africa was the first market in Africa to pass the 1,000 MW in 2015 and alongside Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Kenya were also leading development in that market. Brazil continues to lead in Latin America, followed by Chile and Uruguay and a potentially very large market is just now opening up in Argentina. India has achieved the largest-ever wind power capacity addition of 3,423 MW in 2015-16, exceeding the target by 44%.

27. India and Kyrgyzstan have signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MoU)/ Agreements including in the fields of tourism, agriculture and food industry etc. These agreements were signed after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev in New Delhi. Besides, both leaders also issued joint statement. Signed Agreements are MoU on cooperation in the field of Tourism MoU in the field of cooperation in youth exchange. MoU on cooperation in the field of Youth development MoU on exchange of information on training programmes of diplomats. Agreement on cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Food Industry. MoU on cooperation in the field of Broadcasting and exchange of audiovisual programmes. Besides, both countries initiated talks to conclude a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) in order to augment investments flowing between the two countries as it will protect the interest of investors. India considers Kyrgyzstan as a valuable partner in common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity.

28. Scientists including those from India have found a huge ‘dead zone’ of an estimated 60,000 square kilometres in Bay of Bengal. This area is said to supports microbial processes that remove vast amount of nitrogen from the ocean. The study published in Nature Geosciences. What is Dead zone? Dead Zone is an area in water body that contains little or no oxygen (or they are hypoxic) in bottom and near-bottom water. Mostly they occur naturally but it can be caused by excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors. They are well-known off western coasts of North and South America, off coast of Namibia and off west coast of India in Arabian Sea. In recent times, warming of the atmosphere through climate change is predicted to lead expansion of ‘dead zones’ in the ocean. Key Findings Researchers, including those from CSIR’s National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Goa, demonstrated that some oxygen does exists in the Bay of Bengal waters. But the concentration of oxygen is much less than standard techniques could detect and some 10,000 times less than that found in the air-saturated surface waters. The researchers also discovered that the Bay of Bengal hosts microbial communities that can remove nitrogen but at really slow rates. Removing more nitrogen from the oceans could affect the marine nitrogen balance and rates of marine productivity.

29. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of the country’s first Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh to make India the Skill Capital of the World. He also inaugurated the Kaushal Pradarshini (Skill Exhibition) for the youth of Uttar Pradesh to portray major skill development initiatives of the Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry. About Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) The IIS is being opened by the Union Skill Development Ministry in partnership with the Institute of Technical Education, Singapore. The idea of IIS was conceptualised by PM Modi during his visit to Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education. Its primary objective is to empower India’s youth to be more employable and self-sustainable. The Union Skill Development Ministry is also set up six such institutes across country in coming years. Kaushal Pradarshini is a skill exhibition for the youth of Uttar Pradesh to showcases state-of-the-art vocational training practices across different sectors.

30. Scientists have discovered as many as 163 new species in the ecologically diverse Greater Mekong region of the Southeast Asia. It includes 3 mammals species, 9 amphibians, 11 fish, 14 reptiles and 143 plants. These species were discovered in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand. It was revealed by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report. Key Facts The new species include lizard with dragon-like horns Acanthosaura phuketensis. It was discovered at the Thai tourist island of Phuket. New frog species Leptolalax isos which can fit on a fingertip was discovered in Cambodia and Vietnam. It also includes eye-catching Parafimbrios lao, a snake with rainbow-like scale colours around its head. It was found in the limestone karsts region of northern Laos. A new newt species Tylototriton anguliceps with dazzling red and black markings was also discovered. About Greater Mekong region The Greater Mekong region is one of the most diverse regions and biodiversity hotspot on the planet. It is a magnet for the world’s conservation because of the incredible diversity of species. It includes southwestern China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. Mekong river helps this diverse region to sustain. The region has a diverse geographic landscape including massifs, plateaus, and limestone karsts, lowlands, deltas, fertile floodplains, forests and grasslands. It is habitats for an estimated 20,000 plant species, 1,300 fish species, 1,200 bird species, 800 reptile and amphibian species and 430 mammal species. However, it is under intense pressure from dam and road building as well as a thriving illegal wildlife trade and climate change.

31. The Madras High Court has banned all unauthorised Sharia courts in mosques across Tamil Nadu, saying centres of worship were only to be used for religious purposes. The court’s pronouncement came in response to a PIL filed by a non-resident Indian mentioning that such sharia courts are operating as a court of law from mosques and dealt largely with matrimonial disputes, even going to the extent of passing divorce orders. Madras High Court Judgement Complete ban on all unauthorised Sharia courts functioning in premises of mosques. Religious places and other places of worships are meant only for religious purposes. Tamil Nadu State government to ensure that such unauthorised courts do not function. Background Earlier in 2014, Supreme Court had refused to ban Sharia courts saying the interpretations made by Islamic judges and are not legally binding. It even held that these courts could pass verdicts only when individuals submit to them voluntarily.

32. The Union Government has decided to set up a single permanent Tribunal to adjudicate all inter-State river water disputes. This single body will subsume all existing tribunals for resolving grievances of inter-State water disputes in a speedy manner. It will be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. The Tribunal will also have more teeth as whenever it gives order, the verdict gets notified automatically. Until now, the Union Government was required to notify the awards, causing delay in its implementation. Newly proposed mechanisms Benches for adjudicating inter-State river water disputes Besides the tribunal, the Union Government has also proposed to float some Benches by amending the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 to look into disputes as and when required. Unlike the tribunal, these benches will cease to exist once the disputes are resolved. Earlier water tribunals took decades to deliver final awards into disputes, whereas the proposed Tribunal is expected to deliver its verdict during a span of three years. Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) Along with the tribunal, the amendment also has been proposed to set up Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC). The DRC will be comprising experts and policy-makers. It is proposed to handle disputes prior to the tribunal. The Union Government will set up a DRC whenever a state will request. Most of the disputes will be resolved at the DRC’s level itself. But if a State is not satisfied, it can approach the tribunal. About Interstate River Water Disputes Act Inter-state River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (IRWD Act) was enacted by the parliament of India under Article 262 of Constitution. Its purpose is to resolve the water disputes that would arise in the use, control and distribution of an interstate river or river valley.

33. The Union government has formed a high-level inter-ministerial task force to look into all the strategic aspects of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. Mandate of Task force is to take all important strategic and policy decisions. Thus, it will be an all-powerful body which will take decisions regarding the treaty. It will be headed by Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra. Besides, other members of it include NSA Ajit Doval, foreign secretary S Jaishankar and secretaries in ministries of finance, power, water resource and environment. Besides, chief secretaries of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir are invitees in the task force. Background The high-level inter-ministerial task force has been formed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a review meeting on the 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan in the aftermath of series of cross-border terror strikes including Uri attack. In that meeting, it was also decided that India will exploit to the maximum water of Pakistan-controlled Rivers including Jhelum.

34. The Union AYUSH Ministry has launched ‘Swasthya Raksha Programme’ to promote health and health education in villages. The programme was initiated through Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) and Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS). It was launched by AYUSH Ministry in October 2015.

35. The Union Power Ministry is going to launch new mobile application GARV-II to provide real time data of all six lakh villages of the country. The purpose of the mobile application is to ensure transparency in implementation of rural electrification programme.

36. The Department of Telecom (DoT) will soon launch ‘Tarang Sanchar’ portal that will let users check radiation compliance status of mobile towers and transmitters across country. Using this portal user can also request to get a particular BTS tested by DoT to assess its electro-magnetic frequency (EMF) compliance level. Key Facts The portal has data from 12.5 lakh base transceiver stations (BTS). It will enable users to view tower-specific details such as the operator, the supporting technology (2G/3G/4G). It will also help user to check with mobile tower meets electro-magnetic frequency (EMF) by putting in a specific request to DoT. DoT will test mobile towers for free if the prescribed ceiling in a particular service area for testing of BTS has already been reached. It may also charge user fee of Rs. 5000 to get the radiation level checked of mobile towers in case the tests are not undertaken earlier.

37. The Supreme Court in a landmark verdict held that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and did not enjoy sovereign status, either under its constitution or that of India. The apex court made this observation while hearing on appeal filed by State Bank of India (SBI) and other banks over the issue of recovery of loans under Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002. It affirmed that J&K’s constitution was subordinate to the Indian Constitution and its permanent residents were Indian citizens. What is the issue? The SBI and other banks had appealed against Jammu and Kashmir High Court verdict given in July 2015. The J&K HC had held that the SARFAESI Act, 2002 enacted by the Parliament was not valid in respect of the permanent residents of the state as it collides with the Transfer of Property Act of Jammu & Kashmir, 1920. It had held that law made by Parliament which affects the laws made by a State legislature cannot be extended to J&K. In its judgment, the HC had repeatedly referred to the sovereignty of the state and held that Section 5 of the Constitution of J&K gives absolute sovereign power to state to legislate in respect of laws touching the rights of its permanent residents qua their immovable properties. Supreme Court Verdict set aside HC verdict and held that Section 3 of the constitution of J&K, states that the state of J&K is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India. This provision is beyond the pale of amendment. Thus, it is clear that J&K has no vestige of sovereignty outside the Constitution of India and its own constitution, which is subordinate to the Constitution of India. Preamble to the J&K’s constitution also does not talk about sovereignty of citizens of the state. Thus, J&K HC has gone out of its way “to refer to a sovereignty which does not exist. Permanent residents of J&K are citizens of India and there is no dual citizenship as is contemplated by some other federal Constitutions in other parts of the world. Therefore, it is wholly incorrect to describe it as being sovereign in the sense of its residents constituting a separate and distinct class in themselves. The provisions of the SARFAESI Act, 2002, are within the legislative competence of Parliament and can be enforced in J&K. Note: SARFAESI Act’s provision entitles banks to auction properties to recover loans.

38. The NASA has successfully launched constellation of eight mini-satellites as part Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) into space to improve hurricane forecasting. These satellites were air launched by aerospace company Orbital ATK onboard of Pegasus rocket fired from plane at height of 12km. NASA had opted for air launch rather than traditional rocket liftoff from the ground, to cut costs. Key Facts Each of the micro-satellite of CYGNSS weighs just 64 pounds (32kg) and has 5-foot wingspan. They will be placed into the orbit 500km above earth’s surface. They have GPS navigation receivers to frequently measure the surface roughness of oceans. It will allow scientists to calculate wind speed and storm intensity. Unlike weather satellites already in orbit, these satellites can peer through rain swirling in a hurricane, all the way into the core or eye.

39. India and Tajikistan have signed four agreements in areas including on double taxation avoidance, money laundering and counter-terrorism. These agreements were signed following delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon in New Delhi. Signed agreements are Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Broadcasting in Exchange of Audio Visual Programs MoU for cooperation in the exchange of financial intelligence related to money laundering, related crimes and financing of terrorism. Protocol amending the Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Announcement of initiation of Bilateral investment treaty between both countries.

40. The Union Government has appointed senior IPS officer Anil Dhasmana as new chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s external intelligence agency. He succeeds Rajinder Khanna who completes his two year tenure on 31 December 2016. He will have tenure of 2 years.

41. The Union Government has appointed Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat as new Chief of Army Staff (CoAS). He succeeds Army Chief General Dalbir Singh who retires on December 31, 2016. His appointment goes against the long-held tradition of appointing the senior-most eligible officer to the topmost post. With this criterion, he has superseded two seniormost commanders Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army Commander Lt Gen PM Hariz. About Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat Prior to this appointment, he was the Vice Chief of the Army. He is from the 5/11 Gorkha Rifles. Prior to taking over as the Vice Chief, he was the Southern Army Commander. He hails from Uttarakhand and had received the ‘sword of honour’ when he passed out from the Indian Military Academy in 1978. He has vast experience in high-altitude warfare and counter-insurgency operations. He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the LoC with Pakistan, LAC with China and North-East. He also had commanded an Infantry battalion at Kibithoo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern-most corner of Arunachal Pradesh and also the Dimapur-based 3 Corps. Note The last time the senior-most eligible army officer was not appointed was in 1983 when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi chose to appoint Lt. Gen. A.S. Vaidya as the Chief, contrary to appointment of his senior Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha. In protest, his senior Lt Gen SK Sinha had resigned.

42. The Union government has appointed senior IPS officer Rajiv Jain as the new chief of Intelligence Bureau (IB). He succeeds Dineshwar Sharma and shall have two years term. He is IPS officer of the 1980-batch of Jharkhand-cadre. He had joined the IB in 1989 as assistant director. Since then he has worked in different capacities including the sensitive Kashmir desk. He had handled various assignments as chief of Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), name given to IB units in state capitals. He had headed the Ahmedabad SIB (from 2005 to 2008) and later in Delhi SIB (from 2008 to 2012) which is considered politically sensitive. He was advisor to previous NDA government’s interlocutor on Kashmir K C Pant when talks were held with separatist leaders. He is recipient of President’s Police Medal. About Intelligence Bureau (IB) IB is India’s internal intelligence agency. It was recasted as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Established: 1887 by British India Government. Headquarters: New Delhi. Motto: जागृतं अहर्निशं (English : Always Alert).

43. The Union Government has appointed Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa as the next Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He succeeds Arup Raha who retires on December 31, 2016. Prior to this appointment he was Vice-Chief of IAF. He is the third person from Sikh community to head the IAF after Arjan Singh and Dilbag Singh.

44. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opposed a move to establish a separate entity to regulate payments and settlements as recommended by Ratan Watal Committee for Digital Payments. The 11-member committee was notified in September 2016 by the Union Finance Ministry to review existing payment systems in country and recommend appropriate measures for encouraging Digital Payments. What is the issue? One of the committee’s terms of reference was to study and recommend changes in the regulatory mechanism under various acts such as the RBI Act, Payments and Settlement Act, and the Information Technology Act among others. Based on it, the committee had recommended making regulation of retail payments independent from the function of RBI to give digital payments boost. It had called for establishing separate Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) as an independent body for retail payments and suggested that RBI’s regulation must be kept only for SIPS (systemically important payment system). What RBI says? According to the global practice both the SIPS and retail payment systems are under the central bank for a variety of reasons including issues of inter-connectivity between the systems and the role of the central bank as the lender of last resort (LOLR). RBI has mooted a monetary-policy-committee-style structure for the PRB, where outcomes are decided independently, but implementation remains with the banking regulator.