WBCSMadeEasy

31. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the first foreign leader to have a White House dinner after the US President Donald Trump assumed power. Key Takeaways Pakistan India and the US have asked Pakistan to make sure that its soil is not used for cross-border terror strikes. Both the countries have asked Pakistan to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai and Pathankot attackers to justice. Drones The US has cleared the sale of Guadian Unmanned Aerial Systems to India. The drones would help India to keep a closer watch over the strategically important Indian Ocean. Hizbul chief The US has designated Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist. The 71-year-old Salahuddin also leads the United Jihad Council, which is an umbrella organisation of militant groups operating in Kashmir. Trade Barriers Donald Trump has asked India to maintain a fair and reciprocal trade relationship and has called for the removal of barriers for the export of US goods into Indian markets. GST Donald Trump has given a thumbs up to India’s GST that will come into effect on July 1. Naval Exercise Donald Trump has said that India and the US would join Japan to conduct the largest maritime war game ever conducted in the Indian Ocean. Afghanistan India and the US have expressed concern over the rising instability in Afghanistan and vowed to strengthen cooperation for establishing peace in the war-torn country. North Korea Trump and Modi have labelled the missile programs of North Korea as a grave threat to global peace. Areas of Cooperation Prime Minister Modi has named trade, commerce and investment as key areas of mutual co-operation. In addition, he also said that India is actively looking at technology, innovation and knowledge economy

32. In Romania, President Klaus Iohannis has appointed outgoing economy minister Mihai Tudose as Prime Minister and thus paved the way for the formation of a new leftist Social-Democrat-led government in that country. According to the President of Romania, the decision has been taken keeping in mind the political crisis that risked damaging the country’s record economic recovery. The ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) was ousted from the power following an internal power struggle. PSD filed a no-confidence motion against ex-Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu for causing delays in implementing reforms. Grindeanu has been ousted from power barely six months after PSD swept back to victory in elections. The Prime Minister-designate Mihai Tudose will have 10 days to gain the vote of confidence. Romania Romania is the second poorest country of the European Union. It is the largest of the Balkan countries and has a coastline on the Black Sea. Romania was under the rule of the Roman, Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian Empires. In the 2004 Romania got admitted into NATO and in 2007 it joined the European Union (EU).

33. Context: ISRO’s satellite-based chips are set to alert people at unmanned rail crossings Salient Facts Satellite-based chip systems developed by ISRO will be used to alert road users at unmanned level crossings about approaching trains. These chips will also help the railways in tracking train movement on a real-time basis. Initially, on a pilot basis the ISRO-developed integrated circuit (IC) chips will be installed in the Mumbai and Guwahati Rajdhani trains. Hooters will be installed at 20 unmanned level crossings on Rajdhani routes for Guwahati and Mumbai. The system will warn the road users by hooters once a train approaches an unmanned level. The hooters will get activated when the train is present at a distance of about 500 metres from the level crossing, warning both road users as well as the train driver near the crossing. The sound of the hooters will become louder as the level crossing nears, and finally it will become silent after the passage of the train. In a phased manner, more trains would be equipped with the ISRO-developed integrated circuit (IC) chips. The satellite based system will also be used for tracking trains about their movement on real time basis. It will be useful to passengers as at present the movement of trains are tracked manually. Need Safety at unmanned level crossings is a matter of concern for the Indian Railways as around 40% of accidents involving the railways happen in unmanned crossings. India has a total 10,000 unmanned railway crossings in the country. The railways has set a target for eliminating all the railway crossings in the next 2-3 years. It has eliminated 1,148 unmanned crossings in 2014-15 and 1,253 in 2015-16. The new technology will also help Indian railways at the time of train accidents as it can be used to get details about the exact location of trains and topography.

34. Nashik’s army doctor Srinivas Gokulnath and Nagpur’s doctor Amit Samarth has created history by becoming the first Indians to complete the 4,900-km Race Across America (RAAM) in the solo 18-59 age category. While Srinivas Gokulnath finished the distance of 4941kms in 11 days and 18 hours, Samarth took 11 days and 21 hours to finish the race. Among the 9 persons who managed to finish the race, Gokulnath stood 7th while Samarth finished at number 8. The race was won by Christoph Strasser. Srinivas Gokulnath is an aerospace medicine specialist and had participated in the 2016 edition of RAAM. However, he withdrew from the event after covering 2447 km. Gokulnath also has a national record for cycling 4,000km from Leh to Kanyakumari in 16 days in 2014. His feat got into the Limca Book of Records. Dr Amit Samarth is also a doctor and has a Master’s Degree in Public Health. In the three decades old history of RAAM, only three Indians had attempted RAAM solo but so far no one was able to finish the event in the solo category. RAAM RAAM is considered as the toughest cycle race in the world. It is about 30 percent longer than the Tour de France and the riders have to pedal over 400 km a day to finish the race in 12 days. The riders are allowed to rest for only a couple of hours a day. Racers have to pedal 2447 km across 12 states and climb over 1,70,000 vertical feet. The route traverses through three major mountain ranges (Sierra, Rocky and Appalachian) and crosses four of America’s longest rivers (Colorado, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio).

35. NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity has found rocks at the edge of Endeavour Crater that might have been a lake of liquid water. The scientists believe that the rocks were either transported by a flood or eroded in place by the wind. Salient Facts NASA’s Opportunity rover has been investigating on and near the western rim of Endeavour Crater since 2011. The Endeavour Crater is about 22 km across. Opportunity has found out a pattern of striations running east-west outside the crest of the rim. The features have been observed just outside the crater rim’s crest above “Perseverance Valley”. To ascertain whether the rocks are present in-place or got transported, scientists plan to drive Opportunity down Perseverance Valley. The Perseverance valley extends for a distance of about two football fields. It slopes down from the crest into the Endeavour crater. The scientists are looking into several hypotheses for the perched lake. As per one hypothesis, one of the possibility is that a flood might have brought in the rocks and carved out the Perseverance valley. Another believes that the area was fractured by the impact that created Endeavour Crater. Background Mars has a rich variety of geological features: huge craters, broad plains, tall mountains, deep canyons, and much more. NASA’s Opportunity, also known as MER-B is a robotic rover investigating the Martian surface since 2004. It was launched in 2003 as a part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover program. The rover landed on the Martian surface in 2004.

36. The World Bank has cleared a USD 250-million loan to aid the Skill India mission. The loan amount would be used for making Indian youth more employable through reskilling. Salient Highlights The USD 250 million Skill India Mission Operation (SIMO) is set to increase the market relevance of short-term skill development programmes (3-12 months or up to 600 hours) both at the national and state levels. It will help the government of India to better equip the young workforce with employable skills. SIMO will be a six- year programme in support of National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (2017-23). Under the programme, persons in the age group of 15-59 will acquire skill training irrespective of their employment status. This will benefit 1.2 crore youngsters in the age bracket of 15 and 29 years who are entering the labour market every year. The programme is expected to benefit approximately 15,000 trainers and 3,000 assessors. The programme has also a mandate to offer placement and entrepreneurship opportunities to women and increase their exposure to skill training. Need As per the official estimates, India is in need of additional 109 million skilled workers to work in 24 key sectors by 2022. SIMO will support the government’s vision of increasing women’s participation in the labour force and increase greater off-farm employment. Higher skilled labour force will have an improved employment opportunity to raise their earnings. World Bank World Bank is one of five institutions created at the Breton Woods Conference in 1944. World Bank is part of the United Nations system, but its governance structure is different. World Bank’s 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 the International Development Association (IDA). In contrast, World Bank Group comprises three more viz. International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

37. The HRD ministry has constituted a new nine-member panel headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan to frame a new National Education Policy (NEP). The other members of the panel include chosen experts and educationists from wide-ranging backgrounds. The panel includes former IAS officer K.J. Alphonse Kanamthanam, who was instrumental in making Kerala’s Kottayam and Ernakulam districts achieve 100% literacy. Another member of the panel will be Ram Shanker Kureel who has wide experience in the field of agricultural sciences and management. He is also the Vice-Chancellor of Baba Saheb Ambedkar University of Social Sciences, Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. The committee also comprises of M.K. Shridhar, former member secretary of the Karnataka State Innovation Council, T.V. Kattimani, an expert on language communication, Dr. Mazhar Asif, professor of Persian at Guwahati University, Krishan Mohan Tripathi, a former director of education, Uttar Pradesh, mathematician Manjul Bhargava from Princeton University and Vasudha Kamat, former vice chancellor of Mumbai’s SNDT University. The panel members belong to different sections and regions of the country reflecting the diversity of the country. Background In 2015, Narendra Modi Government had set up a committee under former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian to chalk out a new education policy. This committee had submitted its report in May 2016. The committee had presented its report in two volumes with around 90 suggestions. The other important past committees in Education includes Radhakrishnan Commission (1948-49) on higher education; Mudaliyar Commission (1952) on secondary education and the Kothari Commission (1964-66). The Kothari Commission had a mandate to advise the government on the development of education at all stage and in all aspects. The Kothari Commission’s report was used to formulate the Education Policy of 1968.

38. Indian shooters Yashaswini Singh Deswal and Anish Bhanwala has bagged gold in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol and Men’s 25m Standard Pistol competition respectively in the Junior World Rifle/Pistol Championship held in Germany. Yashaswini Singh Deswal fired a record 235.9 points to clinch the gold. Earlier in 2016, Yashaswini Singh Deswal had managed to clinch silver in the 10m air pistol event at the junior world cup held in Germany. In the Junior 25m Standard Pistol competition, pistol shooter Anish Bhanwala clinched gold with a world record score of 579 which was also instrumental in helping India bag the Team Silver in the event. Meanwhile, this result adds to India’s growing list of the gold medal tally. On Saturday, Anish Bhanwala also won gold in the Junior Men’s 25m Standard Pistol competition, with a world record score of 579. In the team event, Anish and his teammates bagged silver. The team had put a combined score of 1678.

39. Indian Army is considering doing away with the colonial-era Sahayak System and considers recruiting civilian staff in peace stations. The Indian Army’s move comes in the wake of rising cases of jawans coming out openly against the Sahayak system. Some jawans have accused of being treated as servants by their attached officers. The critics point that Sahayak System is liable to be misused, and is demeaning to the soldier. However, the army has said that Sahayaks would continue to be deployed in key bases and field areas as these areas will have defined military duties. Instead of Sahayaks, employment of civilian staff at peace stations will help the Indian Army in economising on its manpower as well. Sahayak System Sahayaks or buddy system is a system in which a soldier is attached to officers to help them carry out their responsibilities. Sahayaks are attached to Officers and Junior Commissioned Officer. The duties of Sahayaks include protecting the officers, maintaining their weapons and equipment among others. The Sahayak System was evolved during the colonial rule. The practice of Sahayak system is codified in the Indian Army. An estimated 50,000 sahayaks serve in the Indian Army. Indian Air Force and Indian Navy do not have sahayak system. In March 2017, the government had strongly supported the Sahayak system. However, it had said that it has issued exhaustive instructions not to make sahayaks perform menial tasks which are derogatory to the dignity of a soldier. In the annual conference of top Army commanders, deliberations regarding the sahayak system were held and it was decided to reorient the human resource policy of the Indian Army.

40. The world No.11 Kidambi Srikanth has sealed his second successive Super Series win by defeating reigning Olympic champion Chen Long in the Australian Open summit clash in Sydney. Chen Long is World No.6 and also the current All England champion. Srikanth had lost all of his previous five encounters with Chen Long. Srikanth has also become the fifth player in the world to take part in three successive Super Series finals by reaching the summit clash in Singapore, Indonesia and Australia. Last Week, Srikanth had won the Indonesian Open title. In the last edition of Australian Open tournament, Srikanth was a semi-finalist.

41. India and Portugal have signed 11 pacts after in-depth talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa in areas like counter-terrorism, space and climate studies. This is the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Portugal. India thanked Portugal for its support for India’s permanent membership of UNSC, and of Multilateral Export Control Regime. Agreements India and Portugal have agreed to set up a joint Science and Technology fund of four million euros. The two countries also signed MoUs for the creation of an India Portugal Space Alliance for advancing collaborative research. This agreement is expected to promote India’s science and technology partnership with Portugal and to set up Atlantic International Research Centre on the Azores Archipelago. This Centre will act as a research, innovation and knowledge hub for tratrans-Atlantic and north-south cooperation. The objective behind the Centre is to provide a shared environment for supporting new climate, earth, space and marine research. Other Agreements The other agreements cover cooperation in outer space, double taxation avoidance, nano technology, improving cultural ties, youth and sports, higher education and scientific research, and Portugal-India business hub and Indian Chamber of Commerce. They are: Protocol amending the Double Taxation Aviodance Agreement MoU on Nano Technology MoU on Public Administration & Governance Reforms MoU on Cultural Cooperation MoU on Youth & Sports MoU between Portugal India Business Hub & Indian Chamber of Commerce MoU on Cooperation in the fields of Higher Education and Scientific Research MoU on Biotechnology MoU on Collaborative Research MoU between Portugal India Business Hub & AICEP

42. According to ‘Handbook of Statistics on States 2016-17‘, the gross fiscal deficits of all the states have soared to Rs 4,93,360 crore in fiscal 2016 from Rs 18,790 crore in FY1991. This is the second edition of RBI’s statistical publication. Salient Highlights ‘Handbook of Statistics on States 2016-17 follows a ‘one-indicator-one table’ approach. It covers all sub-national statistics on socio- demographics, state domestic product, agriculture, industry, infrastructure, banking and other fiscal indicators across the states during the period 1950-51 to 2016-17. The handbook also provides data on the state-wise availability of power, per capita availability of power, installed capacity of power, and power requirement, the length of national highways, roads and state highways, and railheads. Uttar Pradesh had a fiscal deficit of Rs 3,070 crore in FY91, which has soared to Rs 64,320 crore in FY16. It is projected to improve to Rs 49,960 crore in FY17. Rajasthan had a fiscal deficit of Rs 540 crore in FY91, which has soared to Rs 67,350 crore in FY16. However, the gross fiscal deficit is projected to decline to Rs 40,530 crore in FY17. Maharashtra has a fiscal deficit of Rs 37,950 crore in FY16 which is projected to soar to Rs 35,030 crore in FY17. Gujarat which has seen rapid industrialisation in the period of data analysis has got its fiscal deficit increased from Rs 1,800 crore in FY91 to Rs 22,170 crore in FY16 and the deficit is projected to further deteriorate in FY17 to Rs 24,610 crore. In fact from FY01, Gujarat has not shown improvement in its macro numbers even for a single year. Andhra Pradesh has a deficit of Rs 17,000 crore in FY16 which is set to increase to Rs 20,500 crore in FY17. Tamil Nadu is also projected to have a higher deficit at Rs 40,530 crore in FY17. Karnataka is also estimated to post higher deficit in FY17 at Rs 25,660 crore. Bihar which has a fiscal deficit of Rs 28,510 crore in FY16 is slated to improve its finances with the fiscal deficit of Rs 16,010 crore in FY17. Similarly, West Bengal is also slated to improve its fiscal deficit to Rs 19,360 crore in FY17 .

43. A report by UNESCO has concluded that cutting down emissions and delivering the Paris Climate agreement to be the only ways out to save coral reefs the world over. Salient Highlights This is the first global assessment of the impact of climate change on world heritage listed coral reefs. The assessment studies the impact of climate change on 29 world Heritage-listed coral reefs. The assessment has found that local responses are no longer sufficient. The report has found that global warming caused by an increase in frequency, intensity, and duration of heat-stress events has massive consequences for the 29 world heritage sites. The report has warned that world’s coral reefs will die out completely by mid-century unless carbon emissions are reduced. The consequences could also be severe for millions of people worldwide. It is estimated that at least 25 coral reefs are set to experience twice-per-decade severe bleaching events by 2040. As per the report in the last three years, 25 out of 29 coral reefs which comprise three-fourths of the world’s reef systems has experienced severe bleaching events which are labelled as the worst-ever sequence of bleachings to date. According to the report, by 2100 most of the coral reef system would die unless carbon emissions are reduced. Coral Reefs Coral Reefs are often referred as the rainforests of the oceans. They occupy less than 1% of the ocean floor but provides habitat for a million species. The deposits of Coral Reefs are mostly made up of Calcium Carbonate. Conditions required for their growth: Warm tropical oceans located between 30 degree north and 25 degree south latitudes where a minimum temperature of 20 degree is found and this temperature favours the growth of coral organisms; Oceanic water free of sedimentation; Transparent parts of ocean bodies; Relatively low salinity ocean bodies. Bleaching of Coral occurs when the sea becomes too warm. Warm seas cause Corals to expel living algae and calcify turning into white. Scientists are concerned that climate change is killing the barrier reef. Rising temperatures by global warming increase the damage to the coral reefs harming the sensitive underwater ecosystem. The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest coral reef in the world. It was recorded as a World Heritage site in 1981.

44. Palbinder Kaur Shergill has become the first turbaned Sikh woman to be appointed as Canada’s Supreme Court judge. The announcement was made by the minister of justice and attorney general of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould. The appointment of Shergill as Supreme Court Judge of Canada is considered as a milestone for the Sikh community in Canada. Justice Palbinder Kaur Shergill was born in Rurka Kalan in Jalandhar district. At the age of four, justice Shergill had migrated to Canada. Justice Shergill has fought various cases and has actively represented the interests of Canadian Sikh community including the right of Sikh students to wear a ‘kirpan’ in schools.

45. India and Russia have finalized a roadmap to further boost bilateral defence cooperation during the 17th India-Russia intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation held at Moscow. The meeting was co-chaired by defence minister Arun Jaitley and his Russian counterpart General Shoygu. The agenda for the discussion ranged from joint development of futuristic weapon systems to a major upgrade of military-to-military ties. India and Russia had signed a protocol that aims to enhance cooperation between both the countries in the field of political and military dialogue, exercises, exchange of visits, military cooperation and training. Background The top-level bilateral meeting comes at the backdrop of Russia’s efforts to maintain its long-standing number one position as an arms supplier to India in face of stiff competition from the US, Israel, France and other countries. Russia is on course of getting defence projects worth $10.5 billion from the acquisition of five S-400 Triumf advanced air defence missile systems, four Grigorivich-class frigates and 200 Kamov-226T light helicopters and the lease of a second nuclear-powered submarine after INS Chakra. The meeting also comes in the backdrop of India being unhappy with Russia for delaying delivery schedules, increasing up costs mid-way as well as creating hurdles in technology transfer and providing unreliable spares support. India is also not happy regarding the economic and technical viability of going joint development and production of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) called the Sukhoi T-50 or Sukhoi PAK-FA. The Sukhoi PAK FA is a fifth generation fighter aircraft programme. PAK FA is a stealth, single seat aircraft that is intended to be the successor to the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian Airforce. The aircraft will serve as the basis for the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) being jointly developed by Sukhoi and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force.

46. The urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has launched its first liveability index which will rank the country’s 116 major cities on the basis of the quality of life. Salient Highlights The index named ‘City Liveability Index’ will cover cities with a population above one million, including the capital cities. The index will help cities to analyse where they stand in terms of the quality of life. It will help them to come up with interventions required to improve it. The index will assess cities based on a comprehensive set of 79 parameters such as availability of roads, education, healthcare, mobility, employment opportunities, emergency response, grievance redressal, pollution, availability of open and green spaces, cultural and entertainment opportunities etc. The rankings based on the index would be released in 2018. Soon, the government will select the agency for undertaking the assessment and data collection for the rankings would be completed in the next 6 months. Incentives to States The urban development minister has disbursed Rs500 crore as an incentive to 16 states that have performed well in implementing urban reforms during 2016-17. Andhra Pradesh has topped the list of 16 states with the highest score in implementing urban schemes. The second place has been occupied by Odisha which is followed by Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, Goa, Mizoram, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. While ranking, the progress achieved by these states in terms of reforms like e-governance, an audit of accounts, tax revision policies, extent of tax revenue collection, energy and water audit, establishing state level financial intermediaries for resource mobilisation and credit rating was taken into account. Further, it has been proposed by the government to increase the incentive fund to Rs 10,000 crore for the next three years to promote next generation urban reforms.

47. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Imran Khawaja as its deputy chairman. Imran Khawaja is Chairman of Associates counties and a veteran administrator from Singapore. Recently, the ICC Full Council had brought a constitutional change approving the creation of the post of deputy chairman. Imran Khawaja was part of a five member ICC working team that framed ICC’s new constitution last year. Following his election, Khawaja will deputise the ICC meetings in the absence of chairman Shashank Manohar. Imran Khawaja is a senior lawyer and has been serving in the ICC Board for several years. He had also served as a part of influential committees of the ICC. ICC The International Cricket Council (ICC), which is the international governing body of cricket was founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference. It was founded by the representatives of England, Australia and South Africa. The body was renamed as International Cricket Conference in 1965 and again renamed as International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989. The ICC consists of 105 members, out of which 12 are full members, 37 are associate members and another 56 are affiliate members. ICC is responsible for setting professional standards of discipline for international cricket.

48. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has received the highest prize in United Nations Public Service Award for the state government’s Kanyashree Prakalpa (Girl Child) scheme in The Hague, Netherlands. Kanyashree Prakalpa scheme of West Bengal came first among the 552 project nominations received by the UN from 62 countries. West Bengal has been awarded in the Asia-Pacific group for the category: ‘Reaching the Poorest and Most Vulnerable through Inclusive Services and Participation‘. Argentina was the winner in the Latin America-Caribbean Group for its programme for early childhood education. In the Western Group, the UK was the winner for its programme to prevent senior citizens from being defrauded. Background Kanyashree Prakalpa is an initiative of the West Bengal government to improve the lives and the status of the adolescent girls. The scheme provides financial help to the girls from disadvantaged families to pursue higher studies. It also aims to prevent child marriage. Increased educational attainment, prevention of child marriage and financial inclusion are the objectives of the scheme. The scheme was launched by Mamata Banerjee in October 2013. This is not the first time that Kanyashree Prakalpa has won an award. Earlier, it had also received the appreciation of the UNICEF. The scheme has covered 40 lakh school and college going girls under its umbrella. Under this scheme, cash transfers have been provided to them as scholarships as long as they continue going to school. The UN Public Service Awards were launched in 2003.

49. Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal has launched Weather Portal for Power Sector & Web Portal ‘MERIT’ (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency). POSOCO-IMD Weather Portal The weather portal has been developed in association with POSOCO and IMD. The portal will have information regarding weather forecast to the state Discoms. The weather variations have an impact on load demand, energy production, transport and distribution management, as well as on energy prices. Extreme events associated with weather like heat waves or cold waves, windstorms or floods can have adverse impacts on the production and can inflict physical damage to the infrastructure. Hence, the portal aims to provide weather related information and help states to take pro-active steps regarding management and plan for infrastructure availability as well as to ensure cost effective and reliable supply. MERIT MERIT (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency) has been developed by Ministry of Power in association with POSOCO and Central Electricity Authority. The Web portal provides information regarding the merit order of Electricity procured by States. The information includes daily state-wise marginal variable costs of all generators, daily source-wise power purchases of respective states/UTs with, energy volumes and purchase prices. The Portal will help state Discoms in optimising their power procurement more efficiently and will help in lowering the cost of power to consumers. The main advantages of the portal: Empowerment of consumers and facilitates participative governance; Disseminates information pertaining to marginal variable cost and source wise purchase of electricity transparently; Promotes economy and efficiency in operations; Optimization of the power procurement costs; Demystifies the utility portfolio and its complexity; Facilitates renewable integration and handling of the variability and uncertainty of renewables; and Indication of supply side reliability, adequacy, and cost of power procurement.


50. Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) is the world’s biggest telescope which would facilitate astronomers to observe the intricacies of the universe from earth. Salient Facts Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) is a multi- million dollar project being developed by an international consortium of Five countries including India. The other four countries are Canada, China, Japan and the U.S. In July 2013, five countries participating in the project had inked Master Partnership Agreement (MPA) for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). The ambitious next-generation telescope would be built at a cost of USD 1.47 billion. India will spend Rs 1,300 crore on the project. India’s contribution to the project will be more in terms of hardware than money. The telescope which was expected to be started at Mauna Kea, Hawaii was stalled following protests by locals. The project site is still being finalised by the consortium of countries involved in the project. Hanle in Ladakh is one among the new sites that are being explored for the construction of the telescope. The telescope is expected to be ready by 2020. The telescope when ready would offer astronomers with unparalleled power to observe the universe. India has a 10% partner in the telescope project. Indian astronomers will get observational time in proportion to India’s share in the total project cost. On the Indian side, the project will be handled by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy. The project would be led by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore, with the help of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune. TMT will be the first ground-based telescope to incorporate the technology of Adaptive Optics (AO) as an integral component of the telescope. India’s contributions will include fabrication of edge sensors, which sense relative displacement of segments due to gravity and temperature while tracking objects in the sky. India also has the responsibility to build the entire actuator system to provide the best possible image of objects in the sky.

51. NITI-Aayog has chosen the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad for hosting the ₹10-crore Atal Incubation Centre for biotechnology start-ups. Salient Facts The centre will identify promising start-ups and create facilities for them to succeed in the field of biotechnology. The CCMB is one of the 10 organisations that have been identified to host the ‘Atal Incubation Centre’. The government will release a Grant-in-aid of Rs 10 crore for a maximum of 5 years. After that, it is expected that the Centre would become self-sustainable. The CCMB is a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It is the only one in the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to be chosen as an incubation centre under Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). Background Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog is aimed at promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. It aims to create high-class incubation facilities with necessary infrastructure in terms of capital equipment and operating facilities, coupled with the availability of sectoral experts for mentoring the start-ups. The scheme is known as Atal Incubation Centre scheme. The incubation centres would support and encourage start-ups in the sectors like manufacturing, transport, energy, health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation etc. The scheme focuses on the establishment of incubation centres in underserved and unserved areas to support inclusive growth. Under the scheme, Atal Incubation Centre can be established either in Publicly funded institutions or Private sector funded institutions or in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

52. Nisha Dutt, Chief Executive Officer of Intellecap has become the first Indian woman leader to have been honoured with the “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” award at The 7th Asian Awards in London. Nisha Dutt has been honoured in recognition of her work in making Intellecap a globally known enterprise that focuses on social capital. Her key contribution lies in integrating technology with challenges of healthcare, financial services, incubation and conceptualising programs such as Innovations Labs. The previous winners of the award include Ratan Tata, Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Asha Bhosle, Zayn Malik etc. In the Social Entrepreneur category, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Masa Kogure and Vikram Patel have been honoured with the award in the past. Background The Asian Awards is an annual awards function which was founded by businessman and philanthropist Paul Sagoo. The annual award ceremony takes place in the United Kingdom. The awards reward exemplary achievement across 14 categories such as business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Initially, the awards were presented to only those people born in or with direct family origin from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. In 2013, the awards have been thrown open to people of South and Eastern Asian origin.

53. Department of Science and Technology has launched VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Faculty scheme that enables NRIs and overseas scientific community to participate and contribute to research and development in India. on 8th January 2017, during the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, Prime Minister had announced that a new scheme called VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Faculty scheme would be launched by the Department of Science and Technology. Salient Highlights The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology will implement the Scheme. Under this scheme, foreign researchers abroad of Indian origin or otherwise can collaborate with faculties in public funded Indian institutions. The researchers would receive endowments at par with those in their own countries. They would be given USD 15,000 in the first month of residency and USD 10,000, for the remaining months. The scheme would promote broad areas of research like energy, health, advance material among others. Public funded academic institutions and national laboratories will be eligible for hosting the VAJRA Faculty. The VAJRA faculty can reside in India for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 3 months a year. The applications received from the interested foreign researchers would be evaluated by a Selection Committee of eminent scientists. The Committee will meet twice a year in January and July and make recommendations. DST Department of Science & Technology (DST) was established in May 1971 and functions under the ambit of Ministry of Science and Technology. The department functions with an objective of promoting new areas of Science & Technology. It acts as a nodal department for organising, coordinating and promoting S&T related activities in the country. The DST funds scientific projects in India and supports researchers in the country to attend conferences abroad and to conduct experimental works.

54. NASA has launched world’s lightest satellite weighing only 64 grams designed by 18-year-old boy Rifath Sharook from Tamil Nadu. The tiny satellite has been named as KalamSat after the former President APJ Abdul Kalam. The tiny satellite was launched into space on a sounding rocket from NASA’s facility in Wallops Island. Salient Facts KalamSat is a 3-D printed satellite. This is the first time that 3-D printing technology is used to make satellites. To participate in NASA’s contest Cubes in Space in partnership with the global education company, I Doodle Learning, Sharook and his team had designed a 1 kg CubeSat. But as the CubSat was costly the group made a smaller version for the contest and came up with ‘KalamSat’. By using the concept called BalloonSats, the group created a Near Space Launch Vehicle (NSLV) to launch KalamSat. BalloonSats are designed to carry lightweight experiments into near-space. The tiny satellite weighs only 64 grams which is lighter than a smartphone. The satellite has been made of reinforced carbon fibre polymer. The satellite was operated for 12 minutes in a micro-gravity environment of space after its flight. The purpose behind the launch of KalamSat was to demonstrate the performance of 3D-printed carbon fibre.

55. Union Minister for Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, M. Venkaiah Naidu has announced a new batch of 30 smart cities under Smart City Mission, which was launched on June 25, 2015. Salient Highlights The newly selected cities include Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh, Rajkot in Gujarat, Amravati in Andhra Pradesh, Patna in Bihar, Karimnagar in Telangana, Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Puducherry, Gandhinagar in Gujarat, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, Karnal in Haryana, Satna in Madhya Pradesh, Bengaluru in Karnataka, Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, Dehradun in Uttarakhand, Tirupur in Tamil Nadu, Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra, Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir, Dahod in Gujarat, Tirunelveli, Thootukkudi and Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Aizawl in Mizoram, Allahabad and Aligarh in U.P. and Gangtok in Sikkim. With the addition of these 30 smart cities, the total cities picked up under the Smart City Mission has reached 90. The government has selected 30 cities against the available 40 smart city slots to ensure feasible and workable plans that fulfill the aspirations of the citizens. Out of the 30 cities, 26 had proposed affordable housing projects, 26 had proposed new schools and hospitals and 29 had proposed redesign and development of roads. The government will further select 10 more cities under smart city mission as 100 cities were supposed to be selected for the Smart Cities Mission in total. The remaining 20 cities that will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots are: Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Biharsharif (Bihar), Diu (Daman & Diu), Silvassa (Dadra and Nager Haveli), Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), Navimumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra), Imphal (Manipur), Shillong (Meghalaya), Dindigul and Erode(Tamil Nadu), Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal), Meerut,Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Sharanpur and Rampur (UP). Total proposed investment for the development of 30 cities is Rs.57,393 crores. It includes Rs.46,879 crores for ensuring core infrastructure and Rs.10,514 crores technology-based solutions for improving governance, service delivery and utilization of infrastructure. Background The Smart City Mission is flagship scheme of Union Government that will cover 100 cities and its duration is five years (2015-16 to 2019-20). The focus of the smart city mission is on sustainable and inclusive development and set examples which can be replicated in other parts of the city and other cities of the country. There are 10 core infrastructure elements viz. adequate water supply; assured electricity supply; sanitation, including solid waste management; efficient urban mobility and public transport; affordable housing, especially for the poor; robust IT connectivity and digitalization; good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation; sustainable environment; safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly; and health and education.

56. The United States has cleared the sale of the state-of-the-art Guardian 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India. The deal to sell UAV drones to India is estimated to be worth $2 to $3 billion. Though the deal has been approved by the State Department, an official announcement regarding the deal is yet to be announced. Significance The transfer of the state-of-the-art UAV technology to India will be the first significant progress after India’s entry into the exclusive Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and after the US has designated India as a major defence partner. India became the 35th full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016. The transfer of Guardian UAV technology is aimed at furthering mutual security interests to protect the Indian Ocean. The deal would also pave the way for the transfer of other key technology sales from the US to India. The Guardian unmanned aircraft has been classified as Category 1 aircraft with cutting edge technologies. Background Last year, the Indian Navy had requested for this intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. The US has designated India as a “major defence partner” under the Obama Administration. The US considers India as a key player to counter the Chinese threat. However, the Guardian UAV proposal was kept in abeyance under Obama administration.

57. Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu has launched India’s largest municipal bond programme. Salient Highlights The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) became the first municipal corporation in the country to tap money through municipal bonds in 14 years. The AA+ rated PMC’s municipal bonds raised Rs 200 crore at 7.59 per cent rate at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This is the first-ever mobilisation of debt capital by a municipal corporation on the BSE BOND platform. This will also be the first issuance since the publication of ‘Issue and Listing of Debt Securities by Municipalities Regulations, 2015’ by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The 10-year bonds will be used by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for a Rs 2,300-crore water project. The scheme is aimed at providing water 24×7 for all residents of Pune. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) was assisted by the US Department of Treasury to create a debt policy. PMC has also planned to prepare a case study based on its experience and share it with other urban bodies to help them raise money from the bond markets. Since the bonds do not have any guarantee from the state government, an escrow account has been created to deposit the funds for the comfort of investors. Municipality Bonds Municipality bonds can be issued by the city corporations to fund developmental projects. Institutional investors, as well as the public, can buy these bonds. The corporations can use the revenues earned from the developmental projects like Metro rail network to repay the interest and principal on these bonds. These municipal bonds have now been permitted for public offering by SEBI. Municipal bonds have been in existence in India from the year 1997. Cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Nashik and Madurai have already issued them. These bonds will help the city corporations to directly raise funds without the help of grants from the state governments or agencies such as World Bank.

58. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), rural Uttarakhand and rural Haryana have been declared as the 4th and 5th Open Defecation Free (ODF) States of India. Already, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, have been declared ODF. As per the government sources, nationally the sanitation coverage has increased from 42% to over 64% since the launch of SBM. Uttarakhand has 13 districts, 95 blocks, 7256 gram panchayats and 15751 villages while Haryana has 21 districts, 124 blocks, and 6083 gram panchayats. All these have been declared as ODF. With this, the total number of ODF states in the country have increased to 5 covering more than 2 lakh villages and 147 districts across the country. Background The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was launched in October 2014 to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation. The mission aims to achieve Swachh Bharat or make India clean by 2019, as a fitting tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The SBM consists of two sub-missions Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), implemented in rural areas, and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), implemented in urban areas. SBM-G seeks to eliminate open defecation in rural areas by improving access to sanitation by ensuring the use of toilets, besides their construction. It also seeks to generate awareness to motivate communities to adopt sustainable sanitation practices, and encourage the use of appropriate technologies for sanitation. Open defecation is an important factor for causing various diseases like intestinal worm infections, diarrhoea, polio, hepatitis etc.