WBCS Current Affairs 01/10/2016 to 07/10/2016

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1. As per the new study Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) has played important role in reducing ‘socioeconomic disparities’ existing in maternal care. The study was conducted by researchers from Delhi based National Council of Applied Economic Research. This is for first time study has shown JSY has reduced socioeconomic inequalities in maternal care compared to earlier studies which showed impact of JSY in reducing maternal mortality. Key Findings JSY has led to reduction of prevalent differences in access to maternal care between individual people of higher or lower socioeconomic status. It has led to enhancement in utilisation of health services among all groups especially among the poorer and underserved sections in the rural areas. Utilisation of all three maternal healthcare services was remarkably higher among illiterate or less educated and poor women. Usage of all three maternal healthcare services by the Dalit, Adivasis, OBC and Muslim women increased between the surveys. However, inequalities still exist in access to maternal care but JSY has narrowed gap in access to healthcare between the marginalised group of women and financially better-off. Women in their early 20s more likely avail maternal health care services as compared to their older women. The incidence of women availing maternal healthcare decreases with the increase in the number of children.

2. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has detected Great Balls of Fire (GBF), a mysterious super-hot blobs of gas seen near a dying star. The plasma gas balls were observed near a red giant called V Hydrae, about 1,200 light years away from Earth. Red giants are dying stars that are nearing the end of their fuel supplies and have begun to expand and puff up. Key Facts HST had found that these GBFs from V Hydrae are double the mass of Mars and twice as hot as surface of sun. GBF have continued once every 8.5 years for at least past 400 years. They are moving so fast in space that they would take only half an hour cover distance between moon and Earth. If scientists are able to discover origin of these balls, it could explain other weird shapes seen in the cloud of gas around dying stars, which is difficult for scientists to explain at present. About Hubble Space Telescope (HST) HST is a space telescope that was launched in 1990 by NASA in collaboration with European Space Agency. It is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble and is still in operation. It is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Its operations are conducted by Baltimore based Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). It is located in low Earth orbit outside the distortion of Earth’s atmosphere that allows it to take extremely high-resolution images. Its successor, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is scheduled for launch in 2018.

3. The International Energy Agency (IAE) is going to partner with India to implement its Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) initiative globally for energy savings. IAE has been impressed with performance of India’s UJALA programme in terms of vastly improving access to LED lighting while reducing their cost drastically. Key Facts The UJALA scheme is implemented by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Union Ministry of Power. The price at which EESL has been purchasing LED lights to distribute under UJALA scheme has been consistently falling over the last couple of years Along with this, production has also been ramped up to about 4 crore per month from the 10 lakh a month in 2014 to support the implementation of scheme. About Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme UJALA scheme is LED-based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) that aims to promote efficient lighting, reducing energy consumption and energy savings. It was launched as National LED programme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2015. It was renamed UJALA in March 2016. Under it, every grid-connected consumer having a metered connection from their respective Electricity Distribution Company will get the LED bulbs at subsidized rates. Benefits: (i) Electricity savings (ii) Reduction of load (iii) Reduction of consumer bills (iv) Greenhouse gas emission reductions. Note: LED bulbs have a very long life, almost 50 times more than ordinary bulbs. They are 8-10 times that of CFLs, therefore provide both energy and cost savings in medium term.

4. The Union Government is going to soon float tenders to invite bids for the development for 36 inland waterways projects in the first phase. This move will help to tap the huge potential in the so-far-untapped inland waterways transport segment despite India being endowed with natural rivers suitable for it. Background Earlier, Parliament had enacted a legislation allowing 106 rivers across the country to be converted into National Waterways (NWs) in addition to the existing 5 such NWs. The law was enacted in a bid to boost movement of goods and passengers via rivers and reduce transportation costs substantially. Advantages of Inland water transport It is environment-friendly and cost-effective mode of transportation. It will reduce the logistics costs significantly which are currently as high as 18% in India. India has huge natural geographical potential for inland waterways as 14,500 km of river channels are navigable. Development inland waterways can spur industrial growth and tourism potential along the waterway especially in plain areas of North India. The statutory status to the inland waterways would pave for investments in inland waterways transportation sector which has been neglected in the past. It would provide a cheaper mode of transport and reducing traffic burden and congestion on roads and railways. Problems Seasonal variations in water level especially in the rain-fed rivers of the peninsula may cause hindrance to inland waterway projects. Diversion of river water for irrigation, industrial and domestic purpose may affect the viability of these projects. Inland waterways may cause serious environmental threat to Gangetic river dolphins, national Aquatic animal of India.

5. The Union Government has extended anti-dumping duty on import of certain Chinese products, used in garment, toys and footwear manufacturing, for another five years i.e. till 2021. Decision in this regard was taken by Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) based on recommendations of the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD). This extension will protect domestic industry from the harm caused by dumping (import) of the cheap Chinese products. Issue The DGAD made the case for continuation of the anti-dumping duty on Chinese products after its second sunset review of the anti-dumping duty in force on the imports. Earlier in October 2010, the Revenue Department of the Unio Finance Ministry had extended the levy (anti-dumping duty) till October 2015. What is Anti-Dumping Duty? Anti-Dumping Duty is a trade levy imposed by any government on imported products which have prices less than their fair normal values in their domestic market. Thus, it is protectionist tariff that seeks to stop dumping process where company exports a product at a price lower than price it normally charged in domestic market of importing countries’. Anti-Dumping Duty is imposed under the multilateral World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime and varies from product to product and from country to country. In India, anti-dumping duty is recommended by the Union Ministry of Commerce (i.e. by DGAD), while the Union Finance Ministry imposes it.

6. The World Mental Health Day (WMHD) is observed every year on 10 October to raise awareness about mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. Observance of the day seeks to provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work and measures to be taken to make mental health care a reality for the people. 2016 theme: “Psychological First Aid”. It highlights importance of both psychological and social support to persons suffering from mental health issues. The 2016 WMHD campaign aims to encourage people to take personal ownership of their own mental health and wellbeing. It focuses on a simple, personal mental health promise that can be made by anyone, regardless of their own mental health. Background: The World Mental Health Day is an initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and is recognised by World Health Organisation (WHO). It was first celebrated in 1992.

7. The World Post Day is observed each year on October 9 to spread awareness about the postal services and their role in the everyday lives of people and businesses. 2016 Theme: “Innovation, Integration and Inclusion”.

8. The first International Arbitration Centre of India was inaugurated in Mumbai, Maharashtra to provide an arbitration platform for Indian business houses to negotiate commercial disputes. The Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA) was launched by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Key Facts With this Maharashtra becomes first state in the country to clear policy for institutional arbitration. It is also considered as a major step towards making Mumbai an International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) The MCIA will be an independent, not-for-profit organization (NGO) governed by a council comprising eminent national and international legal luminaries. It will provide world-class infrastructure for arbitration, 24×7 functionality and live transcription services recording during arbitration proceedings for transparency. It will be in sync with the Make in India campaign and will provide a time bound and cost-effective facility to reinforce investor confidence. Background At present, in absence of an international arbitration centre in the country most of the business disputes involving Indian parties land in Singapore or London International Arbitration Centres. Indian parties make up an estimated 30% of the arbitration cases handled by the Singapore and London Arbitration Centres. The total outflow of funds to resolve such cases along with logistics and other related expenditure is around $5 billion. MCIA will significantly bring down this cost.

9. Indian pharmaceutical companies have ranked low at 19th position with an overall score of 59 out of 100 among in the Biopharmaceutical Competitiveness & Investment (BCI) Survey. The survey of 28 countries was commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and executed by the Pugatch Consilium. It was third edition of survey.

10. The Union Finance Ministry has set up a Public Debt Management Cell (PDMC) with the objective of deepening bond markets in the country. PDMC will streamline government borrowings and better cash management for deepening bond markets. Key Facts PDMC is an interim arrangement and will be upgraded to a statutory Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA). Thus, it will requisite preparatory work for PDMA. It will allow separation of debt management functions from RBI to PDMA in a gradual and seamless manner, without causing market disruption. The Middle Office of the Budget Division in the Union Finance Ministry will be subsumed into PDMC with immediate effect. The Joint Secretary (Budget), Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry will be the overall in-charge of the PDMC. PDMC will have only advisory functions in order to avoid any conflict with the statutory functions of RBI. Functions of PDMC Plan government borrowings, including market borrowings and other borrowings, like Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) issuance. Manage government’s liabilities, improve cash forecasting, monitor cash balances, foster a liquid and efficient market for government securities. Advise government on matters related to capital market operations, investment, administration of interest rates on small savings etc. Develop an Integrated Debt Database System (IDMS) as a centralised data base for all liabilities of government, on a near real time basis. IDMC will be an integral part of PDMC. Need The setting up of the PDMA is top priority of government for bringing financial sector reform. With establishing PDMA, Government seeks to divest the RBI of its dual and often conflicting roles as the banker and manager of the Central Government’s borrowing. It will also facilitate in better planning and management of domestic and foreign market borrowings of Central Governemnt. It will help in strengthen bond market and help to promote investment. It will be in pursuance global practice of shifting public debt management from central bank to a debt management office. Background Former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was first announced the setting up of PDMA in Budget 2011-12. However, RBI was first to recognise the need for PDMA in its Annual Report 2000-01. It was also supported by the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (2013).

11. India’s first Medipark (Medical Park) will be set up in Tamil Nadu at Chengalpet near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It will boast of the first medical devices manufacturing park in the country. In this regard, the Union Cabinet has allowed HLL Lifecare, a miniratna public sector company to sub-lease over 300 acres of land for the purpose. How it will be formed? The Medipark will be funded through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with HLL being a 50% shareholder. HLL will sublease 330.10 acres of land to investors, through a transparent bidding process to investors desirous to set up manufacturing units for medical equipment and devices. It will be developed in phases with completion period of seven years. In the first phase, physical infrastructure will be developed. Importance First manufacturing cluster in the medical technology sector in the country envisaged to boost local manufacturing of hi-end products at a significantly lower cost. Play a significant role in the development of medical devices and technology industry and allied disciplines under the Make in India initiative Help in providing in affordable healthcare delivery, particularly in diagnostic services to a large section of people. Significance The first of its kind Medipark project will lay roadmap to reduce the dependence on imports of medical equipment and devices. It will create a strong base for the growth of indigenous and domestic industry by providing access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology.

12. The Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) of BRICS nations viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was declared operational. It was announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who had chaired the Governing Council meeting of the BRICS’ CRA in New York, United States. What is BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA)? CRA was established in 2015 during 7th BRICS summit in July 2015. The Treaty for the establishment of BRICS CRA was signed at Fortaleza, Brazil in July 2014. It is a framework that aims at providing support through additional liquidity and other means to BRICS countries at a time of economic crisis. It will be providing support to BRICS countries through liquidity and precautionary instruments in response to actual or potential short-term balance of payments pressures. The initial total committed resources of the CRA will be 100 billion dollars with individual commitments as follows: China ($41 billion), India ($18 billion), Brazil ($18 billion), Russia ($18 billion) and South Africa ($5 billion). The CRA is generally seen as a competitor to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and along with BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) is viewed as an example of increasing South-South cooperation. Both CRA and NDB were annoucned as part of BRICS Fortaleza Declaration announed during 6th BRICS summit held in Fortaleza, Brazil in July 2014. Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Meeting Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also had chaired the Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Meeting at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington DC, US. During the meeting, two important issues were discussed and deliberated. They are (i) International Taxation-a Commonwealth Conversation around the Panama Paper (ii) Economics of Climate Change and Financing Climate Adaptation and Mitigation.

13. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asserted that adoption of GST (Goods and Services) tax will boost India’s medium-term growth. It was mentioned IMF’s latest Asia Pacific regional economic update. It mentioned that India has shown progress on reforms that could boost business investment and growth. IMF’s findings Greater labour market flexibility and product market competition in India remain essential to create jobs and raise growth. Priorities also include effective implementation of the new corporate debt restructuring mechanisms. India has shown progress on reforms that could initiate business investment, including already strong FDI inflows, which will further increase domestic demand. Over the medium term, a number of Asian economies stand to benefit from a demographic dividend. In some Asian economies like India and Indonesia the working-age population continues to grow, potentially helping sustain strong potential growth. India’s growth continues to benefit from large improvement in terms of trade, positive policy actions, including implementation of key structural reforms, enhancement in confidence and gradual reduction of supply-side constraints. What is GST? GST is uniform single indirect tax regime throughout the country that has subsumed central and state indirect taxes into single indirect tax. It aims to remove indirect tax barriers across states and integrate the country into a single common market, boosting government revenue and reducing business costs. The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016 gives the constitutional status to GST.

14. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced that India-Pakistan border will be completely sealed by December 2018. Announcement in this regard was made after Union Home Minister held meeting of representatives of 4 states sharing border with Pakistan in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Key Facts Central government has formulated time-bound action plan to completely seal the entire stretch of 3,323-km-long border between the two countries. The process of sealing border will be monitored at Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) level, Border Security Force (BSF) level and chief secretary of states level. Besides, a new concept of Border Security Grid (BSG) has been envisaged, in which all the stake holders related to border security are involved. Based on their suggestions, a final shape to BSG will be given. Background India-Pakistan share 3,323-km-long border which is termed as International Border. Border between both countries was created based upon the Radcliffe line in 1947. 4 states share this international border with Pakistan. Of this 1,225 km falls in Jammu and Kashmir (including Line of Control), 1,037 km in Rajasthan, 553 km in Punjab and 508 km in Gujarat. The Border Security Force (BSF) controls security of the 2,308 km-long border with Pakistan from Gujarat to Jammu and Kashmir. In Jammu, 192 km of International Border, referred to as a working boundary by Pakistan, is manned by the BSF, while the remaining 8 km is secured by the Indian Army. The 740 km Line of Control (LoC), running along Kashmir and separating Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is entirely secured by the Army.

15. The Supreme Court has stayed the commercial release of Genetically Modified (GM) mustard crop till October 17, 2016. It has asked the Central Government to seek public opinion before releasing the variety for cultivation purpose. Order in this regard was issued by SC Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar on petition filed by Aruna Rodrigues. What petition says? The petition had alleged that sowing of the GM Mustard seeds will be undertaken without relevant tests and without entire bio-safety dossier for commercial launch GM mustard. It also had urged the SC to prohibit open field trials and the commercial release of Herbicide Tolerant (HT) crops, including HT Mustard DMH 11 and its parent lines/variants. GM Mustard DMH-11 Mustard is one of India’s most important winter crops sown between mid-October and late November. It a self-pollinating crop difficult to hybridise naturally as it cross-pollinate. It is largest edible oil yielding crop of India. DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11 is genetically modified variety of mustard developed by Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants at Delhi University. It was Government sponsored project. But researchers at Delhi University have created hybridised mustard DMH-11 using “barnase / barstar” technology for genetic modification. It is Herbicide Tolerant (HT) crop. In February 2016, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GMEC) had allowed the commercial production of another GM crop viz. Mustard DMH-11. Arguments in Favour GM Mustard DMH-11 yields about 30% more than a traditional reference mustard variety. Help in boosting edible mustard oil production thus, reduce huge import bill for edible oil. Help to boost government-led scientific researches in Agriculture. Arguments against GM Mustard Approval to GM mustard would open a gate to several genetically modified food crops. Environmentalists are raising biosafety concern with GM crops as their introduction may adversely affect environment, human and animal health. As DMH-11 has external gene that makes the plant resistant to herbicide. Thus it will force farmers to use only select brands of agro-chemicals. Technical expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court in this regard earlier had found that HT crops completely unsuitable in the Indian context. The herbicide-resistant crops may adversely impact the manual labourers, for whom weeding provides livelihood.

16. Maharashtra became 17th state to Central Government’s Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) scheme. It will help Maharashtra to reap benefits worth Rs 9,725 crore by way of cheaper funds, transmission losses, energy efficiency and coal reforms during the period of the turnaround. Under the UDAY Scheme, Maharashtra has committed to take more than 75% of the discom’s non-capex debt of around 6,600 crore rupees in the current year. The balance 25% debt will be converted into bonds or re-priced at cheaper rates which will reduce the interest burden by 595 crore rupees. About Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna (UDAY) UDAY Scheme was launched by Union Ministry of Power for financial restructuring of debt of Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs). It aims for financial revival and turnaround of DISCOMs and also ensures a sustainable permanent solution to the problem. Power DISCOMs of states by joining this scheme can convert their debt into bonds which can be issued in market as well as roll out number of measures to improve efficiency at power plants. It will make DISCOMs financially and operationally healthy so they can supply adequate power at affordable rates. It will help in reduction in interest cost of DISCOMs and enforcing financial discipline in DISCOMs through alignment with State finances.

18. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has collaborated with social networking giant Facebook to register young voters in 5 states, which are going to polls in 2017. These five states are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakh.The purpose first-of-its-kind voter registration drive is to encourage youth to participate in the democratic exercise.

19. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued directions barred political parties from using public resources that amount to advertisement for parties or propagating their election symbols. The ECI has issued these directions in the wake of the High Court July 2016 order and considering the views of political parties. Key Facts ECI order bars political parties from using public space, public funds or government machinery for carrying out activities propagate party election symbols or advertise them. It has clarified that above directions violates the lawful direction of it within the meaning of paragraph 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order. The clause 16A of the Order confers power on ECI to suspend or withdraw recognition of a recognised political party fails to follow its lawful directions and instructions or to observe Model Code of Conduct. What do these directions mean? Henceforth, no registered political party in the country shall either use or allow the use of any public place or public funds or government machinery for carrying out any activity that would amount to advertisement for the party or propagating party’s allotted election symbol. It will further augment ECI’s goal of conducting free and fair election and level playing field for all stakeholders. Background The Delhi High Court in July 2016 had issued an order in Common Cause vs Bahujan Samaj Party case requesting ECI to issue appropriate directions or guidelines for preventing the recognised political party in power from using public resources for propagating the party’s election symbol. Delhi HC had mentioned that utilising public resources for promoting any political party or its election symbol is antithetical to the concept of free and fair election and the principle of level playing field for all stakeholders.

20. The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. He was selected for the prestigious award by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for his resolute efforts to bring the more than 50-year-long civil war of Colombia to an end. He is second Colombian to win Nobel Prize after writer Gabriel Gracia Marquez who had won the literature Prize in 1982. Santos is also second Latin American to receive Nobel Peace Prize after Guatemala’s Rigoberta Menchu had won it in 1992. Peace Agreement Manuel Santos had initiated the negotiations with the guerrilla (rebel) group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). These negotiations had culminated into a peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas. However in October 2016, the peace deal was rejected by a narrow majority by the Colombians when it was put to referendum. About Juan Manuel Santos Born on 10 August 1951 in Bogota, capital city of Colombia. He was elected Colombian President for first time in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Earlier he had served as defence minister from 2006 until 2009 Background The civil war in Colombia is one of the longest civil wars in modern times and the sole remaining armed conflict in the South America. The five decade long civil war has cost the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people. It was started in the 1960s as a rural uprising for land rights by FARC as communist-inspired guerrilla movement. The main aim of FARC was to reduce the gulf dividing rich and poor and land reform for equality in the Andean country. The conflict has drawn in various leftist rebel groups, drug gangs and right-wing paramilitaries over the decades. However in recent times, the FARC had shifted from their original ideology and were active in illegal drug trade, kidnapping and extortion activities.

21. The Union Ministry of Urban Development has approved projects worth Rs.114 crore under HRIDAY scheme for improving infrastructure facilities around core heritage sites in five cities. These five cities are: Varnasi (Uttar Pradesh), Amritsar (Punjab), Dwaraka (Gujarat), Puri (Odisha) and Warangal (Telangana). Projects in these districts were selected based on recommendation of inter-Ministerial HRIDAY National Empowered Committee. About Heritage Infrastructure Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) HRIDAY is a Central Scheme that aims to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country. The scheme will be completely funded by the Central Government to create infrastructure and provide facilities around the heritage sites to attract more tourists. It aims to bring urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation together for heritage cities. It seeks to promote an inclusive, sustainable and integrated development of heritage sites, focusing on maintenance of monuments and advancement of their entire ecosystem. Objectives of Scheme: (i) Bring urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation together for heritage cities. (ii) Beautification of heritage cities in an inclusive and integrated manner with prime focus on livelihoods, skills, cleanliness, security, safety, accessibility and faster service delivery. (iii) Guide conservation, restoration, future use and development of heritage cities. (iv) Create improved connectivity platform and access to tourists. It will help to harness full potential of India’s tourism sector which has total 35 UNESCO recognized natural, cultural and mixed heritage sites. India ranks second in Asia and fifth in the world interms of heritage sites.

22. India has reacted sharply to the extension of the “technical hold” on banning Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar by the United Nations 1267 Sanctions Committee. It clearly mentioned that being a global body, UN will be sending a “dangerous message” if it fails to act upon India’s demand for his designation as a global terrorist. India also criticised the complete non-transparent and anonymous manner of designating individuals by the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee. It also mentioned that, UN Sanctions Committee has already proscribed Pakistan-based JeM a terrorist organisation. However committee ignored the need to take action against the organisation’s main leader, motivator and financier who continues his terrorist actions unhindered. What is the case? In March 2016, India told the 1267 Committee of UN to designate Masood Azhar as an international terrorist citing to act against its main leader, financier and motivator of terrorist organisation. India had pressed case against Masood in UN following the January 2016 Pathankot attack which it blamed on the outfit JeM. Masood was also blamed as the mastermind behind recent September 2016 Uri attack in Jammu Kashmir. However in March 2016, China a veto-wielding permanent member of UNSC had blocked India’s move to put a ban on Azhar Masood under the al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee. China was the sole member in the 15-nation UNSC to put a hold on India’s application while the rest 14 members of the UNSC supported India’s bid. About United Nations Security Council 1267 Committee The UNSC 1267 Committee was established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999). It is also known as the AlQaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee. It was established for the purpose of overseeing the implementation of sanctions measures imposed on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan for its support of Osama bin Laden. However in course of time, the 1267 sanctions regime has been modified and strengthened by subsequent resolutions. If an individual or terrorist organisation is included in this list, it helps in restricting their movement, financial penalties and assets freeze among others. The Committee comprises all 15 members of the UNSC and makes its decision by consensus and secretly. If single member opposes it there is no consensus. That’s why China opposition to India’s bid is not allowing UNSC to designate Masood Azhar as an international terrorist and freeze his assets and travel ban. The committee is being criticised for being non transparent and in recent time there is demand for its reforms to address procedural shortcomings especially from India.

23. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has notified entities that have been granted a payments bank (PB) licence will need to take specific approval for products they would be offering to customers. In this regard, RBI has issued separate operating guidelines for payments banks in view to focus on financial inclusion. Key Facts Employee of Payment Bank should be available for sufficient duration at a fixed location to attend customers. They must at least have 25% of access points in un-banked rural areas. The main mandate of Payment Banks is to offer remittance services. They will be not allowed to lend. Payment Banks can also offer simple financial products like insurance and mutual funds. The RBI may place suitable restrictions on the design, functioning, or other features of the product of Payment Banks. RBI may even discontinue the product launched by Payment banks if it feels that the product is not suitable for customers. RBI it will have no objection to payments banks making arrangements with other scheduled commercial bank or small finance bank. Background RBI had granted in-principle licences to 11 payments banks in August 2015. While three out of 11 PBs have dropped out, others will have to start operations within 18 months of receiving in-principle approval.

24. Maharashtra Government has allocated 40.68 hectare land to Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to build LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) India Project at Dudhala village in Hingoli district. With this, India will join elite league of countries consisting of US, UK, Italy, Germany and Japan that support on-going research on gravitational waves. Besides, it will be third such laboratory in the world and first outside US. The existing two LIGO laboratories in US are located in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanford, Washington. Key Facts The LIGO-India Project will be piloted and overseen by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST). It will be international collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory of US and consortium of three leading Indian institutions. They are (i) Indore’s Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT): It will provide its expertise in lasers and laser technology; (ii) Pune’s Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA): It will provide the scientific teams, scientific data computation and data acquisition; (iii) Gandhinagar’s Institute for Plasma Research (IPR): It will contribute in cryogenic and high vacuum systems for the prestigious project.

25. Renowned Manipuri theatre legend Heisnam Kanhailal passed away. He was 75. He was actively been involved in threatre for the last 40 years in different roles of a playwright, director and also an actor.

26. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first edition of World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The summit was organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) with the theme Beyond 2015: People, Planet and Progress. Key Facts WSDS has replaced TERI’s earlier called Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS). The first DSDS was organised in 2005. It underscored need for businesses and private sector to take lead in poverty reduction and to ensure rapid and sustained adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It had brought together Nobel laureates, decision-makers political leaders from around the world to deliberate on issues related to sustainable development. The aim of the summit is to provide various stakeholders a single platform in order to provide long-term solutions for the benefit of the global community. 2016 WSDS also hosted events like World CEO Sustainability Summit, Thematic Tracks, Media Colloquium, Youth Leaders and Greenovation Exhibition.

27. Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was honoured with prestigious Sustainable Development Leadership Award of the The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). He was presented with the award by President Pranab Mukherjee during “World Sustainable Development Summit” in New Delhi. The award bestowed upon him in recognition of his vision and leadership in environment and sustainable development that made Sikkim India’s first into a fully organic state.

28. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Internal Working Group (IWG) on Rationalisation of Branch Authorisation Policy has proposed easing bank branch norms. It was chaired by Lily Vadera. It has proposed to relax norms that a bank branch has to follow, like a building, number of employees etc to facilitate financial inclusion. Key Recommendations Bank branches including those manned by business correspondents providing minimum 4 hours of service for 5 days a week, should be allowed to be treated as a full-service branch. Any other fixed point unit of the bank not complying with minimum working period should be considered a ‘part-time banking outlet’ A part-time banking outlet can be opened in any centre. It will be counted in for computing requirement of having 25% branches in rural areas. Redefined the un-banked rural centre (URC) as a rural (tier V and VI) centre that does not have a core banking solution-enabled ‘banking outlet.’ Comment The acceptance of recommendations will significantly help to reduce costs for a bank while for opening branches in un-banked rural centres. It will further help to enhance financial inclusion by taking idea of bank as an outlet that delivers basic banking services. Banks, even without traditional branches, can use technology to offer services in areas that so far had no access.

29. All Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected historical monuments and archaeological sites have declared polythene-free zones. Union Ministry of Culture has issued an advisory to all State Governments/UTs to support ASI in keeping monuments polythene free up to 300 meters from protected boundaries. Rani ki Vav (Gujarat), a 900-year-old World Heritage Site was declared as the cleanest iconic place (among top 25 Adarsh Monuments) in the country by the Union Ministry of Culture.It was presented with the “Cleanest Iconic Place” Award at the Indian Sanitation Conference (INDOSAN) 2016. ASI had ranked these 25 Adarsh Monuments on the basis of Cleanliness parameters such as amenities like toilets, Polythene Free Zone, green lawns, disabilities access, signage for awareness, drinking water and provision for garbage bins etc. Rani ki Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell): It was built in the 11th century AD as a memorial to a king by Queen Udaymat. It is located in Patan district of Gujarat. It was added as part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2014.

30. The Union Cabinet has given its approval to introduce amendments to the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014. The Bill seeks to safeguard the rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV. It seeks to prevent social stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV). It also seeks to strengthen legal accountability and establish formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances to probe discrimination complaints against those who discriminate against PLHIV. Key Features of Bill Prevent and control the spread of HIV and AIDS. It prohibits discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS. No person will be compelled to disclose his HIV status except with his informed consent, and if required by a court order Establishments keeping records of information of PLHIV must adopt data protection measures. Obligations on establishments to safeguard rights of persons living with HIV arid create mechanisms for redressing complaints. Lists various grounds on which discrimination against HIV-positive persons and those living with them is prohibited. These include the denial, discontinuation, termination or unfair treatment with regard to employment, educational establishments, health care services, renting property etc. Prohibits, requirement for HIV testing as a pre-requisite for obtaining employment or accessing health care or education. Prohibits any individual from publishing information or advocating feelings of hatred against HIV positive persons and PLHIV. Background There are approximately 21 lakh persons estimated to be living with HIV in India. The prevalence of HIV is decreasing over the last decade but percentage of PLHIV receiving Anti-Retroviral therapy (ART) treatment are merely 28.82% against global percentage of 41%. Comment The Bill would provide essential support to National AIDS Control Programme in arresting new spread of HIV infections and thereby achieving the target of “Ending the epidemic by 2030” to meet goal Sustainable Development Goals.

31. Trio of Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L Feringa have won the prestigious 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has chosen them for this award for their individual efforts in developing molecular machines. These three laureates will share the 8 million Swedish kronor (around $933,000) prize equally. What are molecular machines? Molecular machines or nanomachines are the world’s smallest machines. Their working is inspired by proteins that naturally act as biological machines within cells. Molecular machines are discrete number of synthetic molecular components fused together. They produce quasi-mechanical movements in response to specific external stimuli such as light or temperature change. Molecular machines can be put to work as tiny motors, pistons ratchets or wheels to produce mechanical motion and can move objects many time their size. Future Potential Applications: Molecular machines can be developed to function as artificial muscles to power tiny robots or even prosthetic limbs in case of Bionics. They may lead to developments like new sensors, materials and energy storage systems. They can be used to deliver drugs within the human body directly to target a specific area of tissue to medicate or cancerous cells. They can be used to design of a molecular computer which could be placed inside the body to detect disease even before any symptoms are exhibited. Contributions of Jean-Pierre Sauvage (France): He had taken first step towards a molecular machine in 1983, after he successfully linkied together two ring-shaped molecules to form a chain. J Fraser Stoddart (Britain): In 1991, he threaded a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and successfully demonstrated that the ring was able to move along the axle. Bernard L Feringa (Netherlands): He is the first person to develop a molecular motor. In 1999 successfully designed molecular rotor blade to spin continually in the same direction. He also had designed nanocar using molecular motors.

32. India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-18 was successfully launched from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana. The satellite was launched on board of heavy duty Ariane-5 VA-231 rocket of Arianespace. It was successfully injected into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). GSAT-18 was the 20th satellite from ISRO to be launched by the European space agency and overall 280th mission of the Arianespace rocket launcher family. Key Features of GSAT-18 GSAT-18 is indigenously built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It weighs around 3,404 kgs at lift-off. It has a mission life of about 15 years. It carries 48 communication transponders including Ku-band beacon for accurately pointing ground antennas towards the satellite. These transponders will provide services in Upper Extended C-band, Normal C-band and Ku-bands of the frequency spectrum. GSAT-18 will provide services like television, telecommunication, VSAT and digital satellite news gathering. The satellite will play important role in strengthening ISRO’s current fleet of 14 operational telecommunication satellites. It will also enable continuity of vital communication services by replacing ageing satellites of ISRO. Master Control Facility (MCF) of ISRO at Hassan, Karnataka will control the satellite.

33. he Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given approval ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) proposal to buy 11% stake in JSC Vankorneft. OVL will buy this stake in JSC Vankorneft from Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft), National Oil Company of Russia which operates Vankor oil fields. OVL will pay US 930 million dollars for acquiring 11% stake in Vankorneft. This acquisition is also in line with ONGC’s stated objective of adding high quality international assets to India’s Exploration and Production (E&P) portfolio for augmenting India’s energy security. Benefits Provide OVL 3.2 Million Metric Ton of Oil Equivalent (MMTOE) by 2017. Provide opportunity to Indian Oil and Gas companies especially PSUs to acquire new technologies from Rosneft. Background Earlier in May 2016, OVL had completed the formalities on acquisition of 15% stake in Vankorneft at a cost of US 1.284 billion dollars which gave OVL 4.11 MMTOE. Besides, consortium of Indian oil companies comprising of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Oil India Limited (OIL) and Bharat PetroResources Limited (BPRL) had acquired 23.9% stake in Vankorneft at a cost of US 2020.35 million dollars which gave them 6.56 MMTOE.

34. The Union Government has appointed senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sushil Chandra as the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Decision in this regard was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Sushil Chandra is IRS officer of 1980 batch. Prior to this appointment he was serving as member of CBDT. He will succeed Rani Singh Nair, who will retire on October 31, 2016. About Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) CBDT is nodal policy-making body of the Income Tax (IT) department under the Union Finance Ministry. It is a statutory authority established under The Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. It is also the supreme body in India for framing policies related to direct taxes. The composition of CBDT includes Chairman and six members.

35. Former ISRO Chairman and space scientist Prof Udupi Ramachandra Rao became the first Indian to be inducted in the Hall of Fame of International Astronautical Federation (IAF). He was inducted during the closing ceremony of the 67th IAF Congress 2016 held at Guadalajara, Mexico for his outstanding contribution to the progress of astronautics.

36. India and Singapore have signed three agreements (MoUs) in the fields of skill development and IPR to boost bilateral relations between them. These agreements were signed in New Delhi during Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s official state visit to India. Signed MoUs are MoU in the field of Industrial Property Cooperation: It was signed between Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Singapore MoU on collaboration in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training: It was signed between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and ITEES Singapore. MoU on collaboration in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training: It was signed between Government of Assam and ITEES Singapore. Besides, delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore Premier Lee Hsien Loong were also held in New Delhi.

37. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has launched the Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS). It was launched by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi as a major step towards ensuring safety of bridges in the country.

38. The Union Government has made Aadhaar card mandatory for availing cooking gas (LPG) subsidies after November 2016. In this regard, the Union Petroleum Ministry has asked Oil marketing companies (OMCs) to facilitate enrollments of Aadhaar of the consumers to avail the subsidy. Currently, the government gives 12 LPG cylinders at subsidised rates per household in a year. The subsidy on every LPG cylinder is transferred directly into bank accounts of individuals who then buy the cooking fuel at market rates. Why there is need of Compulsory Aadhar? The LPG subsidy is an expenditure incurred from Consolidated Fund of India. The use of Aadhaar as identifier for delivery of government services/subsidies/ benefits will simplifies the delivery processes of government. It will also bring in transparency and efficiency in the delivery processes by plugging leakages and enable beneficiaries to get their entitlements from Government directly to them without any middlemen. About Aadhaar Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique number which acts as a proof of identity and address anywhere in the country. It is considered as the world’s largest national identification project. Its objective is to collect the biometric and demographic data of residents, store them in a centralised database. The unique number is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

39. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy review for year 2016-17 has cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%. This monetary policy decision was taken by the newly constituted Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). This was also Urjit Patel’s maiden monetary policy announcement as RBI Governor. All the six members of MPC unanimously decided to cut key policy rate with the aim of achieving a midterm inflation target of 4% within a band of plus or minus 2%. With this, RBI moved away from tradition of RBI governor having the final say on monetary policy decisions. Policy Rates Repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF): Reduced by 0.25 basis points to 6.25 percent. Reverse repo rate under the LAF: It was adjusted to 5.75 per cent. Marginal standing facility (MSF) and Bank Rate: It was adjusted to 6.75 per cent. Reserve Ratios Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks: Unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liability (NDTL). Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR):20.75 per cent.

40. British trio of physicists David Thouless, F Duncan M Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz have won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics. They will share the 8 million Swedish kronor prize. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has selected them for their individual researches on theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter. Key Facts Their research work centres on Topology, a branch of mathematics involving step-wise changes like making a series of holes in an object. For example when matter goes from solid to liquid to gas different phases are obvious, but materials can also undergo topological step changes which affect their electrical properties. Such changes can be seen in a superconductor, which at low temperatures conducts electricity without resistance. These trio physicists had worked in the field of condensed matter physics and have discovered totally unexpected behaviours of solid materials. Based on their individual discoveries they came up with a mathematical framework in the field of topology to explain these weird properties. The discoveries have paved the way for designing new materials with all sorts of novel properties that have significant potential revolutionize advances in electronics and future quantum computers. About Awardees David J Thouless: He is Emeritus Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, US. Duncan M. Haldane: He is the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Princeton University, US. J Michael Kosterlitz: He is the Harrison E. Farnsworth Professor of Physics at Brown University, US.

41. The Union Finance Ministry also constituted four-member Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) with Financial markets expert MS Sahoo as its Chairman.About Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) IBBI has been tasked to regulate functioning of insolvency professionals, insolvency professional agencies and information utilities under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016. The Code was notified by the Union Government in May 2016 replacing existing bankruptcy laws. It seeks to consolidate and amend laws relating to reorganisation as well as insolvency resolution of corporate persons, individuals and partnership firms in a time-bound manner. Under this new law, employees, creditors and shareholders will have powers to initiate winding up process at first sign of financial stress such as serious default in repayment of bank loan.

42. India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has announced the opening up its foreign branch in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar. With this, SBI became the first domestic bank of India to open a branch in Myanmar. The Yangon branch is the 54th foreign branch of the SBI. This branch further extends the global presence of India’s largest lender in 37 countries through 198 offices. The Yangon branch was started after the Myanmarese central bank allowed SBI to open a branch with the primary objective of extending wholesale banking services to foreign corporates.

43. Yoshinori Ohsumi (71) of Japan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize for physiology or Medicine for his pioneering work on autophagy. With this he becomes the 23rd Japanese national to win a Nobel prize and overall the sixth Japanese medicine Nobel laureate. Mr. Ohsumi had received a PhD from the University of Tokyo in 1974. Currently, he is a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT). What is Autophagy? Autophagy is a process whereby cells “eat themselves”. It is a fundamental process in cell physiology dealing with how the body breaks down and recycles cellular components. It is essential for the orderly recycling of damaged cell parts and its better understanding has major implications for health and disease, including cancer. It was first observed by Belgian scientist Christian de Duve who had won Nobel Medicine Prize in 1974 for it. Christian de Duve had coined the term “autophagy”, which comes from the Greek meaning self-eating. Yoshinori Ohsumi’s Research in Autophagy Ohsumi’s discoveries in Autophagy have led to a new paradigm in the understanding of how the cell recycles its content. In his research, Mr. Ohsumi had used baker’s yeast to identify genes essential for autophagy. He explained the mechanisms for autophagy in yeast and showed that similar sophisticated machinery is used in human cells. Significance: Ohsumi’s research had located the genes that regulate this self-eating process and also related that errors in these genes can cause disease. His findings have opened new path to understand importance of autophagy in many physiological processes, such as how body adapts to starvation or responds to infection. It has helped to establish links to Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and other disorders that appear in the elderly. About Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel award for medicine is given to persons whose discoveries have significantly enhanced the understanding of life or the practice of medicine. The winners are chosen by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute and are always announced before the Nobel Prize for other categories. The prestigious award carries prize money of 8 million Swedish kroner or 1.1 million dollars. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite in 1895.

44. The Union Urban Development Ministry has declared urban areas of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh open defecation free (ODF). These are the first states to become open defecation free in urban areas. It was announced on the occasion of second anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission and 147th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi observed on October 2, 2016.

45. Jharkhand has become the first state in the country to implement Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Kerosene Scheme. The scheme is being implemented in four identified districts of the state from 1st of October 2017. These districts are Chatra, Hazaribagh, Khunti and Jamtara. About Direct Benefit Transfer in Kerosene (DBTK) scheme Under the DBTK scheme, PDS kerosene will be sold at non-subsidised price and the subsidy will be directly transferred to consumers directly into their bank accounts. This initiative was launched by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry on the lines of a similar DBT programme for LPG subsidy. It aims at rationalising subsidy based on the approach to cut subsidy leakages but not the subsidy. It will give priority to eliminate subsidized Kerosene from supply chain for better targeting of beneficiaries. It also seeks to eliminate pilferage and black-marketing and cut down adulteration of the Kerosene, a cheap cooking and lighting fuel with diesel.

46. Anil Ambani led Reliance Group and French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation have signed deal to set up a joint venture called Dassault Reliance Aerospace. The Dassault Reliance Aerospace will execute offsets for the recently concluded India-France deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets. It will be the largest offset contract to be executed by any defence company in India. The contract value is estimated up to Rs. 30,000 crore.

47. The parliament of Estonia has elected Kersti Kaljulaid (46) as the President of the Baltic country. With this, she became Estonia’s first female president. She had won vote 81-0, with 20 members absent in the parliamentary voting. She will be Estonia’s fifth President and is due to take office on 10 October 2016. She is also the youngest person to get elected as President of Estonia. About Kersti Kaljulaid Kersti Kaljulaid is trained biologist specialising in genetics and also holds an MBA from University of Tartu. In the late 1990s she had worked as investment banker at Hansapank that was later taken over by Swedbank. In 1999, she had joined the office of then Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar as an economic policy adviser. Since May 2011, she was serving as the representative of Estonia in the European Court of Auditors (ECA).

48. Indian-origin South African Kiara Nirghin (16) has won a $50,000 scholarship at the annual Google Science Fair held in United States. He has won this prestigious scholarship for developing a cheaper super-absorbent material using orange peel that helps soil retain water. She is Grade 11 student at private school St Martin’s. Kiara Nirghin’s project She had submitted her project titled ‘No More Thirsty Crops’ that aimed at alleviating the severe drought plaguing South Africa. Her solution to the problem of drought is simple and uses the peels from orange and avocado fruits, which were normally discarded. She had developed super-absorbent polymers (SAPs), which absorb and carry about 300 times its weight in liquid relative to their own mass. These SAPs are biodegradable and not costly and does not contain harmful chemicals. SAPs developed by her can retain large amounts of water, keep soil moist and also improve crop growth without regular water supplements. Google Science Fair: It is an annual programme of the search engine giant Google for any budding scientists between the ages of 13 to 18 who are invited something to solve the world’s biggest challenges using science and technology.

49. The World Habitat Day (WHD) is observed every year on the first Monday of October throughout the world. This year it was observed on 3 October 2016. 2016 Theme: “Housing at the Centre”. It aims to raise awareness about need for affordable housing for all in urban areas, cities and towns. Focus of the theme Access to adequate housing is a global challenge due growing fast with urbanization. Around one quarter of the world’s urban population continues to live in informal settlements and slums. An increasing number of urban dwellers, especially the poor and vulnerable groups are living in precarious conditions. Background The United Nations General Assembly had every year on the first Monday of October as World Habitat Day by passing resolution 40/202 in 1986. The observance of the day seeks to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the habitat of future generations.