WBCS Current Affairs 15/05/2016 to 21/05/2016

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1. Australian researchers have built the world’s first Scanning Helium Microscope (SHeM) to examine materials without disturbing them. The SHeM was developed by the team of researchers from University of Newcastle (UON) led by Professor Paul Dastoor in collaboration with researchers from the University of Cambridge. Working of SHeM SHeM possesses short De Broglie wavelength of the helium ions and very high source brightness. It enables to obtain high quality data which is not at all achievable with conventional microscopes which use photons or electrons as the emitting source. SHeM vs Conventional microscopes The SHeM is an imaging technology based on a scanning helium ion beam to penetrate samples without damaging them. However, conventional electronic microscopes use light to penetrate samples, which has major drawback as it can damage them. Significance: The SHeM facilitate scientists to study human, animal, and plant samples, as well as pharmaceutical drugs and computer chips, without damaging or changing them. It will also provide new insights into structures at a microscopic level. Applications: SHeM will be useful in major industries such as defence, explosives, information technology and solar energy. It will also help in clean-up of toxic or radioactive spills, without harming the surrounding flora or fauna.

2. United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Mary Robinson and Macharia Kamau as UN’s Special Envoys for El Nino and Climate. These appointments come at a time of great urgency as the drought and flooding associated with El Niño have created massive needs across the world. The El Niño has worst affected four regions of East Africa, Southern Africa, Central America and the Pacific. Key facts These UN Special Envoys will provide the leadership required to tackle challenges and responses to climate change and El Niño in order to scale up our humanitarian response. Mary Robinson: She is former President of Ireland. Previously she had worked as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and as UN special envoy for climate change. Macharia Kamau: He is Kenyan diplomat. Presently, he is working as ambassador to the United Nations. He is also former president of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Board. He also had served as co-chair of the UN General Assembly working group on sustainable development goals. El Niño: It is a weather phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years. It affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding.

3. Himachal Pradesh Government has launched ‘PEHAL’, a vision document of the Shimla District administration for raising education standards. It was launched by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in Shimla. PEHAL is an attempt to integrate the various stakeholders in the development story of the district.

4. Cyclonic Storm Roanu, an active tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal has hit the eastern coast of India. It is the first tropical cyclone of the annual cyclone season. Roanu originated from a deep depression (low pressure) area that formed south of Sri Lanka and later gradually drifted north and intensified into a cyclonic storm. Key facts In its early stages, the storm was responsible heavy rainfall in Sri Lanka causing flooding in its northern parts. It also brought torrential rainfall to the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and is also affecting Odisha and West Bengal. It is forecast to make a landfall on the coast of Bangladesh. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the Roanu Cyclone is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm. It also has issued heavy to very heavy rainfall warning to coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and coastal West Bengal under the influence of the cyclonic storm coupled with gusty winds speeds reaching 90-100 kmph.

5. Tsai Ing-wen (59) has sworn-in as the first female and 14th President of Taiwan on 20 May 2016 in front of national flag. She succeeds outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou. She is the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which favours independence from China. Background Earlier in January 2016, Tsai led the DPP had won the Parliamentary and Presidential elections. Ms Tsai’s victory was the biggest mandate ever won by a DPP President and is only the second-ever victory for the DPP since Taiwan split with China in 1949. The first was Chen Shui-bian who also was pro-independence (from China) advocate. During his time as President between 2000 and 2008 tensions had escalated with China. China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province (island) which will one day be reunited with the mainland. China also has threatened to take back by force, if necessary.

6. The first World Conference on Tourism for Development (WCTD) was held in Beijing, China from May 18 to 21, 2016. It was held under the theme ‘Tourism for Peace and Development’ to advance the contribution of tourism to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

7. Ruling All India Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has emerged victorious in the 2016 West Bengal Assembly Election. TMC has won 211 seats i.e. two-third seats of total 295 seats. Coalition of Indian National Congress (INC) and Left combine has won 76 seats emerging as largest opposition front. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC Supremo Mamta Banerjee has won from Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency. Party wise Result All India Trinamool Congress (TMC): 211 seats. Indian National Congress (INC): 44 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M): 26 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 3 seats. Revolutionary Socialist Party: 3 seats. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha: 3 seats. Communist Party of India (CPI): 1 seat. Independent: 1 seat. Background West Bengal legislative assembly election was held for the 294 seats (out of 295 seats). The Election Commission of India had conducted election in six phases between 4 April 2016 and 5 May 2016. The first phase was held in Naxalite-Maoist affected Red corridor areas with two polling dates, April 4 and April 11, 2016.

8. The Union Government has launched the Centre for Environmental Health in New Delhi to assess the impact of environment-related problems on health. The centre was launched by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda on in New Delhi. Its mandate is capacity-building, advocacy, outreach and remedial issues. Key facts The centre will assess the impact of environment-related problems like climate change, air pollution, pesticide use and sanitation on health. It is a joint initiative of the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). The centre will conduct research across wide range of environmental health issues, including water, chemical exposure and hygiene. It will also establish a policy engagement platform with regular meetings with the civil society, government, academia and private sector to develop strategies for better implementation of the eco-friendly policies.

9. India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend the bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). The protocol was signed by Ambassador of India to Slovenia Sarvajit Chakravarti and the Slovenian Minister of Finance Dusan Mramor in Ljubljana.

10. President i Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated an Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also launched a mobile application ‘Monitor’ for transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township. During the launching ceremony President announced that President’s Estate will work around the ‘4H’ theme of a humane, Hi-Tech, Heritage and Happy Township. Key facts Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC): It is a software solution to provide intelligent insights by collecting the rich data streaming in from several sources within the Estate. It is designed by IBM. It offers near real-time collaboration, integrated data visualization and deep analytics that will help agencies to prepare for problems, enhance efficiency of services and also coordinate and manage response efforts. Monitor App: It is a Residents collaboration tool of the Intelligent Operation Centre. It will help residents and domain (Energy, Horticulture, Waste, Water and Security) supervisors to collaborate in a smarter way for their observations. It will enable residents to report issues such as electricity failure, broken street lights, water wastage etc. and also help to check resolution status using their mobile devices. This app will also allow residents to report these issues on a real time basis using their mobile devices in the Estate. It will help the residents of the Estate become more socially responsible and collaborative.

11. An Indian-American biotechnologist Rupa Iyer has been awarded Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Excellence Award, University of Houston’s highest teaching award. She was bestowed with this award for her sustained and significant contributions in the field of education. Presently, she is Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Houston’s College of Technology.

12. Ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Party under the leadership of Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has emerged victorious in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly Election. AIADMK Party emerged victorious by winning 134 seats (38.4% votes) out of 234 seats of the Legislative Assembly in the state. The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has won 89 seats (35.6% votes) while Indian National Congress (INC) won 8 seats. With this victory, AIADMK Chief J. Jayalalitha became the first Chief Minister in 32 years to be voted back to power. She won from Dr. RK Nagar constituency in Chennai. DMK Patriarch M. Karunanidhi has won for a record 13th time (since 1956) from his home turf of Tiruvarur. Background The election for fifteenth Assembly of Tamil Nadu was held in single phase on 16 May 2016 for the 234 seats.

13. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partners have won an absolute majority in 2016 Assam state assembly election by winning 87 seats (16.46% votes) in the 126 member House. BJP alone has won 60 seats (29.5% votes) on its own, thus making history by winning an Assam assembly election for the first time. BJP’s ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has won 14 seats (8.1% votes) while another ally Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) has bagged 13 seats (3.9% votes). Indian National Congress (INC) has won 26 seats (31% votes), while its ally All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won 13 seats (13% votes) and one seat was won be an independent candidate. BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal has won from Majuli seat, defeating his nearest rival by more than 18000 votes. Outgoing Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has won in Titabar seat, with a margin of over 17000 votes. Background The general election for the 14th Assam legislative assembly was held in two phases on April 4 and 11, 2016 to elect members of the 126 constituencies in Assam. The overall voter’s turnout was 84.72% which is highest in the history of Assam. The turnout saw an increase from the 2011 Assembly election turnout which was 75%. Election Commission of India (ECI) also conducted trials of 2300 Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines attached along with EVMs (electronic voting machines) in 10 assembly constituencies in the state.

14. The coalition of Left Democratic Front (LDF) has won the 2016 Kerala Assembly Election by the absolute majority by winning 91 seats (44.94% votes) of the total 140 seats. Among the LDF, Communist Party of India (Marxist) by winning 58 seats has emerged single largest party. Other LDF allies have won Communist Party of India: 19 seats. Janata Dal (Secular): 3 seats. Nationalist Congress Party: 2 seats. Other LDF supporters: 9 seats. The United Democratic Front (UDF) led by outgoing Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has emerged as largest opposition front. It has won total 47 seats (45.83% votes). Party wise result is as follows Indian National Congress: 22 seats. Indian Union Muslim League: 18 seats. Kerala Congress (M): 6 seats. Kerala Congress (Jacob): 1 seat. BJP opens account in Kerala Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) for the first time has managed to open an account in Kerala by winning single seat from the Nemom constituency, a suburb of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. BJP was able to secure 10.60% votes in this election. The seat was won by former Union minister O Rajagopal (86) who won by over 8000 votes. He becomes first BJP MLA in Kerala’s 140-member assembly history. Background The general election for the 14th Kerala legislative assembly was held on May 16, 2016 in single phase to elect representatives of the 140 constituencies. The voter turnout for this assembly election was higher at 77.35 per cent as compared to 75.12 per cent in the previous 2011 general election.

15. Scientists from The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) have developed world’s first genetically engineered clone of the Zika virus strain. They have dubbed it as infectious complementary DNA (cDNA) clone. It allows researchers to make Zika virus from test tube and cells on petri dishes. The clone comprises of five fragments of complete zika viral genome which were individually cloned and assembled into the full-length Zika virus clone. Significance: It will help scientists to quickly develop countermeasures and also to explore evolution of Zika virus and how it spread more quickly. This biological breakthrough will also aid the development of vaccine and therapies against the infection of vector borne Zika virus which has been linked to serious birth defects. Other developments UTMB Scientists also developed mosquito infection models and Zika mouse model which will help in deciphering why the virus is tied to serious diseases. Furthermore, scientists also engineered a luciferase reporter Zika virus. Luciferase is the chemical in fireflies that gives them their signature glow. The glowing reporter virus will be used for antiviral drug screening and to track Zika virus infection in the host Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and small animal models.

16.HDFC Bank, India’s second-largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has launched SmartUp, a dedicated solution for startups to fulfil all their banking needs. It was launched in association with a Mumbai-based start-up accelerator Zone Startups India (ZSI). Key facts SmartUp is tailored to meet all the requirements of a startup. It is a complete banking solution meant for startups. It will be offering banking and payment solutions, along with forex and advisory services to startups. SmartUp will provide facility of current account. It will include waiver of AMB (average monthly balance) for the first six months and extendable to 12 months/ It will also include salary account for employees by waiving the minimum number of employees criteria. SmartUp will also provide HDFC’s ‘PayZapp’ for business – a payment and collection solution and a dedicated relationship manager. Accountholders will also get recommendations of regulatory and compliance issues and also chartered accountant for tax related issues. Startups will also get the opportunity to showcase their products on SmartBuy to 32 million HDFC Bank customers. Zone Startups India (ZSI): It is a joint venture of Canada based Ryerson University and Bombay Stock Exchange Institute (BSEI). It has been operational for over two years and has helped over 70 startups.

17. The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to merge its five associate public sector banks (PSBs) and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself. In this regard, SBI has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that it is seeking in-principle approval for acquisition from the Union Government. 5 subsidiary banks are: (i) State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, (ii) State Bank of Hyderabad, (iii) State Bank of Mysore, (iv) State Bank of Patiala and (v) State Bank of Travancore. Besides, the boards of the subsidiary banks and the SBI also met individually in Mumbai to begin merger talks to acquire the businesses including assets and liabilities. Key facts The merged entity will increase SBI’s market share from 17 per cent to 22.5-23 per cent the country with total business of over Rs. 35 lakh crore. It will have one-fourth of the deposit and loan market in the country and SBI’s staff strength will increase by 35-49 per cent. The merged entity will also increase branch network by 6,000. At present, SBI alone has more than 15,000 branches in the country. Background The merger move comes after the Union Government had announced a road map for bank consolidation during the 2016-17 Union Budget. This was seen as necessary to meet the huge infrastructure financing needs of the country. It also seeks to feature Indian Bank in the top 50 banks of the world in terms of size as no bank in the country features in it.

18. The world’s first robot lawyer named ‘ROSS’ has been employed by a US law firm BakerHostetler. The first of its kind artificial intelligence (AI) lawyer will assist the law firm and its various teams in legal research. The robot was built by the company ROSS Intelligence and its working is based on cognitive computing. The project had started in 2014 out of research at the University of Toronto to build an artificial intelligence legal research assistant to allow lawyers to enhance and scale their abilities. The ROSS started functioning with first ten months after they began teaching it bankruptcy law. Key facts The ‘ROSS’ robot is built upon IBM’s cognitive computer Watson. It will function using Watson’s cognitive computing and natural language processing capabilities. Lawyers can ask ROSS their research question and which it will answer by reading through the law, gathered evidence, drawn inferences. ROSS will also monitor the law around the clock to notify users of new court decisions that can affect a case. It is programmed to continually learn from the lawyers who will in turn use it to bring back better results each time. What cognitive computer? Cognitive computing is the simulation of human thought processes in a computerized model. It involves self-learning systems that use pattern recognition, data mining and natural language processing to mimic the way the human brain works. The objective of cognitive computing is to create automated IT systems that are capable of solving problems without requiring human assistance. Cognitive computing systems use machine learning algorithms to continually acquire knowledge for processing desired information from the data fed into them by mining data.

19. Union Government has opened a special Tatkal like window to expedite examination process of patent applications by start-ups as well as of entities choosing India for filing the first patent. In this regard, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has as amended patent rules.

20. Indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile was successfully test-fired from a test range at Chandipur in Odisha. Missile test: It was carried out by Strategic Force Command (SFC) from a mobile launcher at launch complex-3 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha. About Prithvi-II Missile Prithvi-II is a tactical short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) developed by indigenously by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is the first missile indigenously developed by DRDO under India’s prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). Powered by: Can operate with both liquid and solid fuel twine engines. Warheads: Capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of nuclear as well as conventional warheads. Strike Range: It has strike range of 350 km. It has the ability to dodge enemy missiles and uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target. It has advanced inertial navigation, control and guidance system. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvering trajectory. The missile was inducted into Indian armed forces in 2003. Variants: Prithvi-I for the Indian Army; Prithvi-II for the Indian Air Force; and the Dhanush for the Indian Navy. The last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted on February 16, 2016 from the same test range in Odisha.

21. The Union Government has constituted a five member committee to comprehensively review and give recommendations on the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) roadmap for the future. Composition: The committee will be headed by Former Revenue Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP, NK Singh. Its members are former Finance and Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose, Chief Economic Adviser (CEC) Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Deputy Governor of RBI Urijit Patel and Director of National Institute Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) Rathin Roy. The committee was constituted as per the announcement made by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his 2016-17 Budget speech. It will submit its Report to the Union Government by the 31st October, 2016. Terms of Reference of the Committee Review the working of the FRBM Act, 2003 over last 12 years and suggest the way forward. The suggestions should be submitted keeping in view the broad objective of fiscal consolidation and prudence and the changes required in the context of the uncertainty and volatility in the global economy Look into various factors, aspects, considerations going into determining the FRBM targets Consider the possibility of replacing absolute fiscal deficit targets with a target range that may be adjusted in line with the overall credit trends in the economy. Examine the need and feasibility of aligning the fiscal contraction and expansion with credit expansion or contraction respectively in the economy.

22. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched a super pressure balloon to conduct near-space scientific investigations. It was launched from South Island Wanaka Airport, New Zealand in the fifth attempt. Earlier four attempts to get the massive balloon airborne were thwarted by bad weather. Key facts The balloon is 532,000 cubic metres and aims to remain airborne for more than 100 days. It is expected to circumnavigate the globe in the mid-latitudes of southern hemisphere once every one to three weeks, depending on wind speeds in the stratosphere. Balloon’s operational float altitude is 33.5 kms and it will be visible from the ground, particularly at sunrise and sunset in the southern hemisphere’s mid-latitudes. Its flight operations throughout the mission will be controlled by NASA’s balloon experts at Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. Note: Long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes play an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology.

23. Odisha Government has decided to launch Green Passage scheme for orphan students to ensure that they get free of cost higher education in the state. A proposal of the higher education department in this regard, was approved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. As per the scheme Orphan students pursuing higher education (from Plus-II level) to post-graduation level, will no longer have to bear the education expenses. Students pursuing higher education will be exempted of tuition fees, admission fee and laboratory fees for higher studies. It will be applicable to all government, government aided, private colleges and universities. Students also will be provided free hostel facilities and food. These educational institutions have to ensure that the orphan students are not charged in any form.

24. World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 MegaWatt (MW) capacity was inaugurated at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab. This is the largest Solar Power Plant spread over 82 acres of rooftop in single campus on multiple roofs with installed capacity of 19.5 MW. Key facts The plant has been set up with the cost of 139 crore rupees and would generate clean and green energy sufficient to power approximately 8,000 homes. It will also help in abating 4-lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the next 25 years. The clean power produced from this plant will be purchased by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) as per the power purchase agreement signed Dera for 25 years. The first phase (7.5 MW) of this project was launched in September 2013 and was synchronised with the grid in April 2014. Later, the second phase (12 MW) was launched in February 2015 and synchronised in December 2015. Besides, seven rooftop solar power plants of 8MW capacity were also inaugurated in Beas Dera campus. With this it becomes the highest single campus generating solar power of 19.5 MW at multiple rooftops in the country. Currently, Punjab is generating 470 MW of solar power and projects of 500 MW capacities are in the pipeline. On completion of these projects, state would be able to generate solar power of close to 1,000 MW by the end of FY 2016-17.

25. The Income Tax (IT) department has launched electronic grievance redressal system ‘e-nivaran’ to fast track taxpayer grievances and ensure early resolution of their complaints. In this regard, a separate and dedicated window for grievance redressal has been launched in the Income Tax Business Application (ITBA). Key facts The e-nivaran system also called as unified grievance management system seeks to integrate all online and physical complaints gathered by the department. The complaints at this platform will be monitored by the Assessing Officer upto the supervisory officers in a paperless environment. The system records the origin of the grievance on the electronic platform and also keeps tracking it till it reaches its logical conclusion for final resolution. It will also ensure that grievances related to any section or domain of the IT department is transferred quickly to the concerned department.

26. Indian American teenager from Texas Syamantak Payra (15) has won the $50,000 Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award. Payra won this prestigious award along with Kathy Lu (17). He won the award for his work in making a low-cost electronically-aided knee brace device which allows people with weakened legs to be able to walk better. Payra had tested his design on two people that were left partially disabled after suffering from polio. His device has allowed them to walk more naturally, and improved their mobility. He had won this award after beating out 1,700 young scientists from 419 fairs held in 77 countries around the world. In this edition of Young Scientist Award, there were five Indian Americans out of 22 “Best of Category” winners, each of whom received $5,000 in prize money.

27. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) conducted the trial run of the country’s first ever Metro train equipped to run in the driverless mode. The train was ceremonially flagged off by Union Minister for Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The driverless trains will run on the over 58 km-long Majlish Park-Shiv Vihar (Line 7) and the over 38 km-long Janakpuri (West)- Botanical Garden (Line 8) corridors of the Phase-III.

28. The Union Government has launched three IT and ITES initiatives for best practices in road transport sector. They are INFRACON, ePACE and up-Scaled INAM PRO. They were launched by the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari as part of the Digital India Programme. These innovative IT initiatives were developed in house by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL). They aimed at making the road building procedure faster, more transparent and more efficient. Key facts ePACE (Projects Appraisal & Continuing Enhancements): It is an online integrated Management Information System (MIS) portal. It will bring projects from all wings of the Union Transport Ministry under a common platform, for ensuring their effective and real time tracking. It will provide information like real time status, fund utilization etc of more than 2000 projects being executed by multiple agencies. It has facility of GIS interface to enable easy geo-tracking of the projects. It also has facility to allow validation of checks to prevent wrongful entries, making it difficult to fudge figures. INFRACON: It is National Portal for Infrastructure Consultancy Firms and Key Personnel. It will act as a linking bridge between consultancy firms working in road engineering and construction sector and domain experts and key personnel deployed for project preparation and supervision. The portal will host the credentials of consultancy firms and also of key personnel and shall have linkages to Aadhar and Digi-locker for data validation and purity. INAM PRO: It is a web-based application for Infrastructure and Material Providers launched in March 2015. It is web based single market place that will bring together material suppliers/providers and the prospective buyers on a common platform. Facilitate cement buyers engaged in executing construction of roads, highways and bridge to order cement online with the registered cement companies at competitive rates. It will help the Ministry to track and monitor the activities of buyers and suppliers, and remove impediments of both the parties.

29. Nandini Bhandaru, a PhD student at IIT-Kharagpur has won the Young Scientist Award of the European Materials Research Society’s (E-MRS) for contribution to materials science. She had won the award for her outstanding contribution to materials science and nanotechnology, particularly nano-patterning of soft films and surfaces. Presently, Ms. Bhandaru is working at the Instability and Soft Patterning Laboratory of the institute IIT-Kharagpur. Her area of doctoral research is on nano-fabrication, including soft-lithography, polymer blend films, thin film dewetting and self-assembly.

30. The World Bank’s Board has approved 625 million dollars loan to support India’s grid connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy. The loan will be provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), lending arm of World Bank and has a maturity of 20 years and a 19.5 year grace period. Key facts The project will finance the installation of at least 400 MW of grid connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (GRPV) across India. These solar PV installations will provide clean, renewable energy and reduce Green House Gases (CHGs) emissions by displacing thermal generation. The project will also strengthen the capacity of key institutions and support the development of the overall solar PV market. It will be implemented by the State Bank of India (SBI) which will on-lend funds to solar PV aggregators/developers and end-users, who wish to invest in mainly industrial and commercial rooftop PV systems. Financing to these aggregators/developers will be provided to those with sound technical capacity, creditworthiness and relevant experience as per SBI standards. The Board also approved a co-financing loan of 120 million dollars on concessional terms and a 5 million dollars grant from Climate Investment Fund’s (CIF) Clean Technology Fund. The co-financing loan has maturity of 40 years and a 10 year grace period.

31. State-run power producer NTPC has signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) with state-run miner Coal India Limited (CIL) to revive plants of the Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL). The agreement will pave the way for NTPC to foray into fertilizer sector and revive existing fertilizer plants of FCIL. Under the agreement A joint venture (JV) company will take up the revival of FCIL plants at Sindri in Bihar and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh by setting up an ammonia urea plant at each location. The JV company would initially be incorporated with 50:50 equity participation from both state run entites. It also contain provisions of inducting strategic partners at a later date depending upon business requirement of JV company.

32. Justice Deepak Gupta has sworn-in as the new Chief Justice (CJ) of the Chhattisgarh High Court. He was administered the oath of office as per by Chhattisgarh Governor Balram Das Tandon at Raj Bhawan in Raipur as per the provisions of the Article 219 of Constitution. Background Justice Deepak Gupta was transferred from Tripura High Court by President Pranab Mukherjee as per provisions Article 222 of Constitution. He was transferred by President following recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) T.S. Thakur. Prior to the transfer, Justice Naveen Sinha was Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court since 2013.

33. India and United States (US) held their first Maritime Security Dialogue in New Delhi for deepening the evolving partnership in the maritime domain between both countries. The first round of discussions under the recently-constituted dialogue was held between officials of India’s Defence and External Affairs Ministries and their US counterparts. Key facts about first Dialogue Both sides discussed various issues including naval cooperation, Asia-Pacific maritime challenges and multilateral engagement. They agreed to include the conclusion of a white shipping technical arrangement to improve data sharing on commercial shipping traffic. Both sides also undertook Navy-to-Navy discussion on submarine safety and anti-submarine warfare was also undertaken. Background The Maritime Security Dialogue was one of the several new initiatives agreed between Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart Ashton Carter during the latter’s visit to India in April 2016. It was agreed as part of the maritime security objectives under the India-US Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region.

34. South Korean author, Han Kang, has won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for her novel ‘The Vegetarian’. With this Han becomes the first South Korean to win this prestigious literary prize. The writer and her British translator Deborah Smith will share the 72,000 dollars prize money. Han’s novel ‘The Vegetarian’ tells a story of a wife (Yeong-hye lead character) who decides to become a vegetarian. The decision provokes cruelty from her husband, and from her father, and obsession from her sister’s husband, as the woman, she dreams obsessively about becoming a tree. The novel was picked unanimously by the panel of five judges chaired by Boyd Tonkin. It was chosen amongst six other novels. About Man Booker International Prize Man Booker International Prize is an international literary award. The award given to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or generally available in English translation. The Man Booker International Prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

35. Indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, Ashwin was successfully test fired. The test was the twelfth test of interceptor missiles fired from a warship in the Bay of Bengal. Of the 11 tests held earlier, 9 were successful. Test: The interceptor missile was test fired from the complex of Abdul Kalam Island (formerly known as Wheeler Island) in Balasore district off Odisha coast. It hit the target which another ballistic missile i.e. a modified version of Prithvi weapon system. The missile also validated various parameters of the interceptor in flight mode. Key facts AAD interceptor missile Ashwin is the advanced version of low altitude supersonic ballistic interceptor missile. It is indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile. Features: It is capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile is 7.5-meter long and weighs around 1.2 tonnes. It has a diameter of less than 0.5 meter. It is single-stage solid rocket propelled guided missile. It is equipped with a hi-tech computer, a navigation system and an electro-mechanical activator. The missile also has its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars Comment With this successful test India became the fourth country in the world to have full-fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system. Other three countries are United States, Russia and Israel. The successful test will also pave the way for the induction of the supersonic interceptor missiles in the Indian armed forces. It will also strengthen India’s position in the very exclusive and elite Ballistic Missile Defence club of the other three countries.

36. China has successfully launched Yaogan-30 remote-sensing satellite into sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) using the Long March-2D rocket. The rocket was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in Gobi desert in northwest China’s Gansu Province. It was the 227th flight of the Long March rocket series and was also the second orbital launch from the Jiuquan Satellite launch Center in 2016.

37. Former ISRO Chairman and space scientist Prof Udupi Ramachandra Rao became the first Indian to be given ‘Hall of Fame’ Award by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). Mr. Rao has been selected for the prestigious award for his outstanding contribution to the progress of astronautics within the framework of the IAF activities. He will receive the award at the 67th International Astronautical Congress to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico in September 2016.

38. Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen (18) from Netherlands created history by becoming Formula One’s youngest race winner. He achieved this feat after winning the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, which was his debut race for Red Bull at the age of 18. He was able to win the Spanish Grand Prix by maintaining lead position after Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Roseberg crashed into each other in the 1st lap of race.

39. The Income Declaration Scheme 2016 or four month window for declaration of domestic black money shall come into effect from 1st June 2016. The window provides an opportunity to all persons who have not declared income correctly in earlier years to come forward and declare their undisclosed incomes. Under this scheme The declared income would be taxed at the rate of 30 per cent plus ‘Krishi Kalyan’ cess of 25 per cent on taxes payable and a penalty at the rate of 25 per cent of the taxes payable. Thus the total tax to be paid will be 45% of the income declared under the scheme. The declarations can be filed online or with the Principal Commissioners of Income-tax. The surcharge and penalty must be paid by 30th November, 2016. Assets specified in the declaration will be exempted from Wealth tax. These declarations will also enjoy immunity from prosecution under the IT Act and Wealth Tax Act and also the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988. Non-payment of total taxes, penalty and surcharge in time or declaration by misrepresentation or suppression of facts shall render the declaration void. Other penal consequences will also follow accordingly. The scheme is part of Finance Act, 2016 and will remain in force till 30th of September. However, foreign assets or income to which the Black Money Act 2015 applies are not eligible for declaration under this scheme.

40. Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Mukul Mudgal has been appointed as Deputy Chairman of FIFA Governance Committee.