WBCS Current Affairs 02/04/2016 to 08/04/2016

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1. The third phase of Union Health Ministry’s universal vaccination programme Mission Indradhanush began on 7 April, 2016. It will cover 216 Districts across several States including Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Under it, children will be vaccinated against seven preventable diseases. Under the last two phases nearly 39 lakh children have been fully immunised across the country. Mission Indradhanush: It depicts 7 colours of the rainbow which aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated against 7 vaccine preventable diseases. The diseases include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B. Under this universal vaccination programme, all vaccines will be made available free of cost.

2. The East Coast Railway (ECoR) Zone headquartered in Bhubaneswar (Odisha) has emerged as largest Freight Loading Railway Zone the country in year 2015-16 in terms of revenue loading performance. During 2015-16, the ECoR loaded 173.49 million tonnes of freight as compared to 161.91 during the 2014-15, registering a 7.1 per cent growth. Similarly, the zone earned about 15978.28 crore rupees during the financial year 2015-16 which is 14.13 per cent more than the previous financial year. Altogether, the ECoR carried 131.2 rakes loading per day from its jurisdiction in 2015-16 against 122.4 rakes per day in 2014-15. It mainly included coal, cement, iron ore, food grains, POL and other commodities.

3. Iceland ruling coalition Government has named Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson (53) as the new Prime Minister after igmundur Gunnlaugsson had stepped down . Prior to this, he was Agriculture and Fisheries Minister (since 2013) and deputy leader of the Progressive Party of the Ireland. Earlier from May 2013 to December 2014 he also had served as Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources. Background Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson’s appointment comes after Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson had stepped down as PM in the wake of the leaked Panama Papers. The leaks of Panama Papers from Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca, a law firm specialises in setting up offshore companies showed Gunnlaugsson owned an offshore firm with his wife. Gunnlaugsson was the first casualty after the explosive leaks of confidential documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca surfaced. The leak had disclosed up to 11 million documents revealing how the rich and powerful people across the world hide their wealth, potentially to evade taxes.

4. A bronze bust of ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhatta was unveiled at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. It was unveiled by Union Human Resource and Development Minister Smriti Irani. She was in the French capital to attend the International Conference on Zero. The bust has been sculpted by renowned Indian sculptor Ram Sutar who was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian awards for his contribution to the world of art. International Conference on Zero The international conference was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France from 4 April – 5 April 2016. It was hosted by the permanent delegation of India to UNESCO along with Pierre and Marie Curie University. The Conference was held on the following topics: (i) Gems of Ramanujan and their Lasting Impact on Mathematics. (ii) Indian Mathematics: Negative Numbers, Zero, Infinity and Beyond. (iii) Zero: Infinity and Set Theory (iv) Panel discussion on the Arabic traditions in Mathematics and (v) Mathematics in Indian Music. It shared the rich and remarkable history of mathematics, through the participation of some brilliant minds.

5. Odisha Government has launched Adarsh Vidyalaya (AV) project to provide modern schools facilities on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas in the underdeveloped rural areas of the state. It was launched by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Sasan Ambagaon village in his home constituency Hinjli in Ganjam district.

6. The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval to Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Sweden on Technical Cooperation in the Railway Sector. It was signed between both countries on 15th February, 2016 and it will enable technical cooperation in the following areas Benchmark railways Policy of development, organization, regulations and specific characteristics for each country. Exchange of knowledge, innovation, technology, technical expertise, sustainable solutions and research. Other cooperation projects such as, tilting coaches/trains, freight operations in cold regions, capacity allocation (time tabling) and optimisation of maintenance and improved freight/combination traffic. Continuing education program in maintenance and reliability of rail transport system for railway engineers and managers.

7. Public Sector Power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a seasonwise tiltable canal top solar PV plant at Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. It is the first canal top project in Andhra Pradesh and also of its kind project to be executed by BHEL. Key facts The project has been developed by New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd (NREDCAP). Its power generation is about 10 per cent more than a fixed Module Mounting Arrangement (MMA). It also has movable walkway which provides easy access, facilitating efficient maintenance of the plant. The plant has elevated control room with bottom cable entry which prevents it from the water during floods. The Module Mounting Structure (MMS) of the plant has a unique design which incorporates additional functionalities like cable support, lighting and fencing.

8. Every year World Health Day (WHD) is being observed on 7 April to disseminate knowledge and awareness about human health. The day focuses on increasing life expectancy by adding good health to the lives of people and promoting healthier living habits across the globe. 2016 theme: “Beat Diabetes”. Background World Health Organisation (WHO) is marking its annual World Health Day (7 April), to celebrate Organization’s founding in 1948 on this day in the first World Health Assembly. Since then the World Health Assembly decided to celebrate 7 April of each year with effect from 1950 as the World Health Day. It is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by WHO along with World Tuberculosis Day, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Immunization Week, World Hepatitis Day, World AIDS Day and World Blood Donor Day. What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic, progressive non-communicable disease (NCD) characterized by elevated levels of blood sugar (blood glucose). It occurs when (i) the pancreas does not produce enough of the insulin hormone, which regulates blood sugar (ii) the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. According to World Health Organization (WHO) the number of people living with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults over 35 years of age with most living in developing countries. Factors driving this dramatic rise include overweight and obesity. It now affects nearly one in every eleven people around the world. Measures to reduce diabetes risk factors Expanding health-promoting environments like physical inactivity and unhealthy diets and strengthening national capacities to help people with diabetes receive the treatment and care. Global commitments to reduce diabetes Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.4 calls for reducing premature death from NCDs, including diabetes by 30% by 2030. Governments have also committed to achieving 4 time-bound national commitments set out in the 2014 UN General Assembly “Outcome Document on Noncommunicable Diseases”. They are also attaining the 9 global targets of WHO laid out in the “Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs” which include halting the rise in diabetes and obesity.

9. The Union Cabinet has given its approval to replace the existing policy on crude oil import by Oil PSUs and vest the oil PSUs with the power to evolve their own policies. This decision will provide operational efficiency, commercial flexibility and dynamic policy for crude oil procurement for PSUs based on their commercial requirements that will eventually benefiting the consumers. However their policies will be consistent with CVC guidelines and approved by the respective Boards. It will enable Oil PSUs to adopt the most effective procurement practices for import of crude oil with the changing times and changing geo-political environment.

10. Indian men have won the 2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament by defeating Vietnam in the final round by 3-1 score played in Abu Dhabi. In the final round match, Indian Grandmasters S P Sethuraman and K Sasikiran won on the 2nd and 4th boards while, B Adhiban and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew their respective matches on top and 3rd boards. With this win India gained 17 points, two more than World and Olympiad champions China. India drew Mongolia and beat the rest of the teams in a 22-team tournament. It was overall third time, Indian men won the event earlier they had won at Esfahan, Iran in 2005 and Kolkata 2009. In the women’s section, top seed China won the title with 15 points followed by Uzbekistan (14 points) at second Kazakhstan (13 points) at third position respectively. Indian women finished fourth position with 12 points.

11. Lamborghini India Pvt. Ltd has appointed Sharad Agarwal as its country head with immediate effect. In his new role, Agarwal will oversee the functions of sales, marketing, after sales and network development of the company. He was previously the head of Field Force for Audi India. Sharad Agarwal was associated with Audi India since May 2012 as head of corporate sales, fleet and leasing and financial services. Later in 2015, he had moved as head of Field Force.

12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Stand-up India scheme aimed at providing credit to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and women borrowers in the non-farm sector. The scheme is intended to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST and women and further give a push to government’s financial inclusion programme. The broad features of the scheme Composite loan between 10 lakh rupees and up to 1 crore rupees will be provided to SC/ST and women and also inclusive of working capital component for setting up any new enterprise. Debit Card (RuPay) for withdrawal of working capital. Credit history of borrower to be developed of these under-banked sections of society. Refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount of 10,000 crore rupees. Creation of a corpus of 5,000 crore rupees for credit guarantee through National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC). Handholding support for borrowers with comprehensive support for pre loan training needs, facilitating loan, factoring, marketing etc. Web Portal for online registration and support services will be provided. Under the scheme, 1.25 lakh bank branches will provide loans up to 1 crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs. Thus it will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs throughout the country.

13. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted high-level committee to suggest ways to tighten security along India-Pakistan border. The committee will be headed by former Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta. It will suggest (i) ways to strengthen the security along the India-Pakistan Border and (ii) address the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing. Terms of References of the Committee Study all types of gaps in the fencing and all other vulnerabilities along the India-Pakistan border. Suggest a comprehensive approach to fix them on interim and permanent basis. It will submit its report in three months i.e. till June 2016.

14. Five-time world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand (46) will be honoured with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award. Maharashtra State Governor C Vidyasagar Rao will bestow award upon him at an event to be held in Mumbai on April 12, 2016.

15. Scientists have discovered a rare triple-star system named KELT-4Ab with a gas giant planet similar in size to Jupiter. It was discovered by the researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in the United States. The research was published in The Astronomical Journal. Key facts Known planets with three stars appearing in their sky are rare and the new discovery is just the fourth and the closest one yet. In KELT-4Ab triple-star system, the main star named KELT-A is brighter than the other stars that serve as suns for their planets. It has a gas giant planet, similar in size to Jupiter takes approximately three days to make its way around its sun (star) KELT-A. The other two stars are named KELT-B and C. They are much farther away and orbit one another over the course of approximately 30 years. It takes the pair of stars approximately four thousand years to orbit KELT-A. They appear much dimmer due to their great distance.

16. India’s First Semi-High Speed Train (SHST) Gatimaan Express was flagged off between New Delhi and Agra. It was flagged off by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu from Nizamuddin Railway station in New Delhi and reached Agra on time in 100 minutes. It is faster than Shatabdi Express which takes 117 minutes between two destinations. Key facts The Nizamuddin-Agra Gatiman Express runs at a speed of 160 kilometres per hour. For first time train hostesses will be present on board of the train. It covers the 200 km distance between two destinations in one hours and 40 minute (100 minutes). The train will run six days a week except Friday in both directions. The train is equipped with a 5,500 HP electric locomotive, 2 Executive AC Chair Cars and 8 AC Chair Car coaches. It has enhanced passenger amenities including better catering service, improved coach interiors with wide windows, bio-toilets. It has high-power emergency braking system, automatic fire alarm, GPS—based passenger information system and sliding doors in the coaches. Besides there are also free multimedia services enabling passengers to view movies, news and cartoons during their journey to Agra. Wi-Fi hotspot devices also have been installed at coaches to enable passengers to access multimedia services free of cost directly on their smartphones, tablets or laptops.

17. Bihar Government has taken a decision to completely ban on all types of liquor (alcohol) throughout the state including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Decision in this regard was taken by the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna. Earlier on 1st April 2016, state government had banned country made liquor in the state except IMFL in the first phase. Now in the second phase, foreign liquor (IMFL) will also be banned with immediate effect. The production, sale and business of all types of liquor have been banned in the state. Henceforth person found indulging in manufacturing trade, transportation, sale and consumption of liquor across the state will be punished under the stringent provisions of the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016. The Act has various stringent provisions including awarding ‘capital punishment’ for those who manufacture and sell illicit liquor that causes death. Alcohol prohibition in India is in force: Gujarat, Nagaland, Lakshadweep (UT) and parts of Manipur. Since 2014, Kerala has been implementing prohibition in a phased manner.

18. DCB Bank has launched an India’s first of its kind Aadhaar-based Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) usage facility. Currently, this ATM has been placed in pilot site at DCB Bank at Peninsula Business Park, Lower Parel, Mumbai. Key facts Under this facility, DCB customers can transact using his biometric details instead of the PIN. Thus it is a cardless and PIN less ATM. The ATM will dispense cash from the bank account by accepting Aadhaar number and Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) of the customer instead of ATM/Debit Card and PIN. The customer can swipe the card at an ATM or key-in the 12-digit Aadhaar number to start a transaction. But at the stage of confirming the identity, it requires biometric details rather than the PIN.

19. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut down repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 per cent from 6.75 per cent, with immediate effect. It was announced in the first bi-monthly monetary policy review of the RBI for the 2016-17 fiscal. First bi-monthly monetary policy for the 2016-17 says Repo rate: RBI has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.75 per cent to 6.5 per cent. It is the rate at which RBI lends to the financial system. Cash reserve ratio (CRR): RBI has unchanged CRR and kept it at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL). Reverse repo rate: RBI has adjusted (hiked) reverse repo rate under the LAF to 6 per cent. It is the rate at which banks can keep excess funds with the RBI. The RBI also introduced number of measures to smoothen liquidity supply so that banks can lend to the productive sectors.

20. The world’s first public dengue vaccination programme was launched in the Philippines with a French drug Dengvaxia (world’s 1st dengue fever vaccine) to combat mosquito-borne disease. Several hundred children aged between 9 and 10 were vaccinated with the injections in front of government health workers at a public school in eastern Manila. Mexico was first country in the world to approve first-ever Dengvaxia Dengue fever vaccine for the public use and Philippines was the first county in Asia to allow it.

21. World’s first White Tiger Safari was inaugurated at Mukundpur in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. It was inaugurated and opened to public by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The first of its kind safari is situated adjacent to the Mukundpur Zoological Park. It is spread over an area of 25 hectares and has been built at cost of 50 crore rupees. The safari houses three white tigers, including two females named Vindhya and Radha and one male named Raghu. Background The first white tiger in Madhya Pradesh’s was spotted in Vindhya region in 1915. However, the rare breed of the big cat spotted for first time died in 1920. In 1951, a white tiger cub named Mohan was captured by Rewa Maharaja Martand Singh. Later the cub later became the progenitor of all known white tigers in the world after the Maharaja arranged for its breeding. White Tigers in India: It is a pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger. They have been reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar. These tigers have white fur because lack of the pigment pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal tigers with orange colour fur.

22. Tran Dai Quang has sworn in as the ninth President of Vietnam after he was elected by country’s National Assembly. He succeeds Truong Tan Sang and shall have term of five years. He was elected as President after he had secured 91.5% votes i.e. 452 valid votes out of the total 494 members of the unicameral house.

23. Renowned Latin jazz saxophonist Leandro Gato Barbieri passed away in New York, US due to pneumonia. He was 83. He had won a Grammy Award for best instrument

24. Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed (56) took oath as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing to an end the three-month Governor’s Rule in the state. She was administered oath to the office by Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan in the winter capital city of Jammu. Along with her 22 member council of ministers from BJP-PDP alliance also took oath. BJP leader Nirmal Singh took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of the state. Mehbooba Mufti succeeds her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in the role who had died in January 2016. She is also second Muslim woman to become the Chief Minister of a state in India after Syeda Anwara Taimur who had served as the first Muslim woman CM of Assam from 1980 to 1981.

25. India and Saudi Arabia have singed five agreements to boost the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. The agreements were signed during the two day official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. The visit to Saudi Arabia was part of PM Modi’s three-nation visit to Belgium,United States for Nuclear Security Summit and Saudi Arabia. Five agreements singed are Agreement on Labour Co-operation: It was singed for recruitment of general category workers between the Ministry of Labour, Saudi Arabia and Ministry of External Affairs, India. Technical Cooperation Program: It was signed between Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Executive Program for Cooperation in the Field of Handicrafts: It was signed between Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and Export Promotion Council for Handicraft (EPCH). MoU in the Exchange of Intelligence related to Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing and Related Crimes: It was signed between Financial Intelligence Unit of India and Saudi Arabia concerning Cooperation. Framework for Investment Promotion Cooperation: It was signed between Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and Invest India.

26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour- the King Abdulaziz Sash. The prestigious award was bestowed upon Indian Prime Minister by incumbent Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Royal Court.

27. West Indies has won the ICC Cricket World Men’s T-20 Cup 2016 by defeating England by 4 wickets in the final match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In the final match, England batting first had scored 155 runs for 9 wickets. West Indies successfully chased the target by scoring 161 runs in 19.4 over at the loss of 4 wickets. With this win, West Indies became the only team to win the ICC World Twenty20 title twice. Earlier it had won its first title in 2012 by defeating Sri Lanka. Captains of the two teams West Indies: Darren Sammy. England: Eoin Morgan. Awards Player of the match: Marlon Samuels (West Indies). Player of the series: Virat Kohli (India). ICC Cricket World Women’s T-20 Cup 2016 West Indies has won their maiden Women’s World T-20 title by defeating reigning champions Australia by 8 wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Batting first Australia had score of 148 runs for 5 wickets. West Indies in reply scored 149 runs in 19.3 over at the loss of 2 wickets. Captains of the two teams West Indies: Stafanie Taylor. Australia: Meg Lanning. Awards Player of the match: Hayley Matthews (West Indies). Player of the series: Stafanie Taylor (West Indies).

28. India has been ranked sixth among the world’s Top-Ten largest manufacturing countries in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 2015 Yearbook report. In this edition of report India has jumped by three positions to sixth position compared to earlier ninth position in the previous report. Key facts Top 5: China, United States, Japan, Germany and South Korea. Indonesia was placed at the bottom at the tenth position. Indian Scenario: Manufacturing Value Added has grown by 7.6 per cent in 2015 compared to the year 2014. Quarterly index of industrial production (IIP) has shown 1% growth of manufacturing output in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to the same period of the year 2014. Global Scenario: The global growth rate of manufacturing production has slowed to 2.8 per cent in 2015. This slowdown could be due to reduced manufacturing growth rates recorded by major developing and emerging economies. UNIDO It is a specialized agency in the United Nations and is member of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG). It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Objective: Promotion and acceleration of industrial development in developing countries and countries with economies in transition and the promotion of international industrial cooperation.

29. Indian scientists have developed an eco-friendly biopolymer using nanotechnology for water-softening and water purification applications. It was developed by the team of scientists from Guwahati (Assam) based Institute of Advance Study in Science & Technology (IASST). Key highlights of research The eco-friendly biopolymer has been created using a naturally occurring substance, called chitosan. The chitosan has been obtained naturally from the hard outer skeleton of shellfish including crab, lobster, and shrimp as a backbone for the carbon nanoparticles to sit on. In this biopolymer, nanoparticles are the functional parts of the technology as they remove calcium and magnesium components of water through ion exchange. Thus, it shows the same process that is used by common water purifiers. Significance: This natural material is the first of its kind with potential to act as a biodegradable and green material for water-softening applications. Potential Applications: This eco-friendly biodegradable biopolymer can be used in civic water treatment plants for generating potable water. It will reduce dependency on conventional water-softening techniques that uses synthetic resins as they do not have very effective water-softening methods and produced very crude treated water.

30. The Haryana Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed two bills to make minimum educational qualification criteria mandatory for the urban local bodies election (ULBs). These bills are (i) The Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (ii) Haryana Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2016. These bill seeks to amend the amend Section 13 A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 and Section 8 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 respectively. Key features of the Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2016 Minimum educational qualification for a candidate contesting ULBs election in the general category would be Class X i.e. matriculation. Female candidate from open category and a male candidate from Scheduled Caste (SC) will be required to be at least 8th standard pass. Minimum educational qualification for SC women candidates will be 5th standard pass. Candidate should not be convicted or have charges framed against him in a criminal case by a court for an offence punishable with imprisonment for not less than 10 years. There should be no pending arrears of electricity bills against the candidate contesting the elections to ULBs. Candidates must have a functional toilet at their residence. Comment These amendment bills were proposed on the lines of Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015 which had prescribed similar mandatory educational qualifications for contesting candidates in Panchayati Raj elections in the state.

31. The Union Finance Minister has extended the safeguard duty on import of some steel products by two years i.e till March 2018. In this regard, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has issued a notification mentioning that safeguard duty will be reduced to 10% in stages till 2008 from current 20%. The safeguard duty will be imposed on steel products hot-rolled flat products of non-alloy and other alloy steel in coils of 600 mm width. The duty will be on the products which are imported at or above the minimum import price (MIP), which helps to set a floor price mainly to discourage imports below this price. The main intention of this move is to protect domestic industry from onslaught of cheap steel supplies (imports) from China amid a global glut. What is Safeguard Duty? The safeguard duty is tariff barrier imposed by government on the commodities to ensure that imports in excessive quantities do not harm the domestic industry. It is mainly temporary measure undertaken by government in defence of the domestic industry which is harmed or has potential threat getting hared due to sudden cheap surge in imports.

32. India’s homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart has acquired a Bengaluru-based mobile payments company PhonePe for an undisclosed sum. PhonePe has been co-founded by ex-Flipkart employees Sameer Nigam and Rahul Chari. After the acquisition, the mobile payments company will function as an independent business unit.

33. India has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States for setting up Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in India. LIGO is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect gravitational waves. The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. Key facts The agreement was signed between the US’s National Science Foundation (NSF) and India’s Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST). As part of the agreement, the scientists of DAE, DST and NSF will form a Joint Oversight Group (JOG) for better coordination of the project. Background Earlier in February 2016, the Union Cabinet had approved Rs 1200 crores for the LIGO India project. It will be third LIGO interferometer in the world and it is expected to be functional by 2023. It will significantly improve the ability of scientists to pinpoint the sources of gravitational waves and analyse the signals. Presently there are twin LIGO Observatories at Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana. They are funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and were conceived, built, and are operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Caltech.

34. The fourth edition of Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) began in Washington, United States to discuss a gamut of issues pertaining to nuclear security. In this edition of summit, heads of about 53 countries and representatives of five international organisations including the UNO, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), European Union (EU), Interpol are taking part. India is being represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the two-day summit. The fourth summit is the last summit under the current format and also under the presidency of Barack Obama. Key facts The summit will highlight achievements and commitments of several countries towards safeguarding nuclear devices and technologies and reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism. This edition of summit is expected to take stock of the measures being taken by all countries to safeguard nuclear materials and facilities and also prevent non-state actors gaining access to them. It is also a crucial element of the US strategy to keep terrorists from acquiring fissile material to make nuclear weapons. The prime focus of the summit will be on North Korea and the terrorist organisation ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Background The idea of Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was mooted by the US President Barack Obama in 2009 and the first summit was held in 2010 in Washington. It is a signature event of global diplomacy in Obama’s presidency that aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe. India has been contributing its bit to strengthen nuclear security by taking an active part in the summit ever since its inception in 2010. The second, third summits were held in Seoul (South Korea) and The Hague (Netherlands) in 2010, 2012 and 2014 respectively. Key outcomes of last three Summits Motivated countries to tighten national laws, rules pertaining to nuclear safety, launch Nuclear Safety Fund (NSF) and set up Nuclear Safety training and Support Centres to impart training in safe use of nuclear devices. Helped countries to enhance physical protection at 650 international radiological facilities and 32 nuclear plants besides putting in place radioactive detection equipment at 328 border crossings, airports and seaports across the globe.

35. Researchers from the Purdue University in Indiana in United States have achieved a breakthrough by revealing the first 3D map of the Zika virus structure It is considered as one of the major breakthrough in the battle against the mosquito-borne Zika virus. Study in this regard was published in the journal Science. Key discovery The first 3D map of the Zika virus structure was produced at the atomic level. The 3D map reveals insights of virus that are critical to finding an effective antiviral treatment or vaccine for the virus. Applications: It will help to compare structure of the virus to its related viruses such as dengue and West Nile virus which it does have some similarities. The structure of the virus provides a map that shows potential regions of the virus that could be targeted by a therapeutic treatment. Thus support to create an effective vaccine or to improve ability to diagnose and distinguish Zika infection from that of other related viruses.

36. Vietnam’s National Assembly (NA) has elected Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan as the country`s first female house speaker She was sworn in as speaker after getting elected for the post with 472 (95.5%) yes votes in her favour out of 481 valid ballots at the ongoing 11th session of the 13th NA. She was also elected as the Chairperson of the National Election Council of the Vietnam with 467 yes votes in her favour out of 477 valid ballots.

37. The 13th edition of India-European Union Summit was held on in Brussels, capital of Belgium. Prime Minister Narendra Modi represented Indian side in the summit. While the European Union (EU) was represented by President of the European Council, Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The 13th summit laid out concrete priority actions for the strategic bilateral partnership in areas like trade and investment, climate, energy, water and migration in the next five years. Key Outcomes EU-India Agenda for Action 2020: Both sides endorsed the agenda to concrete the road-map for the EU-India Strategic Partnership for the next five years. EU-India Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA): Both sides agreed to further the negotiations on early conclusion of the BTIA. Terrorism: Both sides adopted a Joint Declaration on Counter-terrorism to step up cooperation to counter radicalisation and violent extremism. It will also allow jointly countering the flow of sources of terrorist financing, Foreign Terrorist Fighters and arms supply. Loan assistance to Lucknow Metro: The European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed to lend loan of 450 million Euros for the construction of the first metro line in Lucknow. G20 Skills Strategy: Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to implement the G20 Skills Strategy and also expressed their intention to organise a high level skills seminar. India-EU Water Partnership: The Joint Declaration was adopted in this regard to enhance cooperation on environment issues, including on the ‘Clean Ganga’ and ‘Clean India’ flagship programmes. India-EU Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement: Both sides agreed to extend this agreement until 2020 to boost innovation and research in India and Europe. Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility: Both sides agreed to establish this agenda in order to enhance involvement of citizens’ in the strategic partnership. Arbitration procedure on the Italian Marines: Both sides expressed their confidence in solving the marine case currently underway in the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Note: The EU-India strategic partnership was launched in 2004. The last summit i.e. 12th edition was held in 2012 in New Delhi. Tags: Energy • India-EU • India-International Relations • Terrorism • Trade Supreme Court approves Union Government’s guidelines to protect Good Samaritans March 31, 2016No comments Supreme Court has approved Union Government’s guidelines to protect Good Samaritans, who help road accident victims, from being unnecessarily harassed by police or any other authority. These guidelines based on the recommendations K S Radhakrishnan committee were approved by the SC bench comprising justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra. These guidelines will be binding on all states and Union Territories until the Union government enacts a law to this effect. The bench also has asked the Union Government to give wide publicity to these guidelines so that people who help others in the time of distress are not victimised by any authority. It should be noted that SC took on record these guidelines to protect Good Samaritans placed by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The Ministry had approached the SC for issuing these guidelines on all states and Union Territories by its order as it was facing difficulty to enforce them in the absence of any statutory backing. Background The guidelines of the Transport Ministry were based on the recommendations of the three-member committee headed by former judge K S Radhakrishnan. The committee was appointed by the SC in 2014 to monitor steps taken by the Centre and state governments to ensure road safety. The committee had given 12 major recommendations including setting up of State Road Safety Councils, evolving a protocol for identification of black spots, their removal and monitoring to see the effectiveness of the action taken. The committee had also suggested strengthening of enforcement relating to drunken driving, red light jumping, over-speeding and helmet or seat belt laws.

38. The Union Government has launched the Startup India portal (http://startupindia.gov.in) and mobile application. It was launched by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) Ramesh Abhishek in New Delhi as an integral component of the Action Plan of the Startup India. Key features Information Availability: The portal and mobile app provide up-to- date information issued by various Government ministries/ departments. They will also provide information regarding incubators and funding agencies recognized for the purpose of recommending Startups. Startup India Hub: It was established within Invest India, will be a single point of contact for the entire Startup ecosystem. It would enable exchange of knowledge and will work in a hub and spoke model with Governments, Angel Funds, VCs, Incubators, Mentors, etc. It will assist Startups on all aspects through their lifecyclesuch as providing mentorship, incubator facilities, IPR support, funding etc. Application for Startup Recognition: It provides simple and user friendly process of recognition for start-ups listed in the Startup India Action Plan. Real Time Startup Recognition: Provide a real time digital version final recognition certificate is provided to Startups on completion of the application process. Verification of Recognition Certificate: The portal and mobile app will help in process of verification of certificates by entering the Startup Recognition/ Certificate Number. Approval of Inter-Ministerial Board: Inter-Ministerial Board set up DIPP will verify the eligibility of Startups opting to avail Tax and IPR related benefits. Background The “Startup India” initiative was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, 2016 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. As part of it Startup India Action Plan was released. It highlights initiatives envisaged by the Government to develop a conducive Startup ecosystem in the country.