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Daily Prelims Notes May, 2020

Santosh Sir All 6 Prelims qualified

If I can do it, you can too

asksantoshsir@gmail.com, https://t.me/asksantoshsir

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Table of Contents History........................................................................................................................................................... 3

Answer .................................................................................................................................................... 30

Geography .................................................................................................................................................. 31

Answer .................................................................................................................................................. 47

Indian Polity ................................................................................................................................................ 48

Answer .................................................................................................................................................. 70

Economics ................................................................................................................................................... 71

Answer ................................................................................................................................................ 148

General Science ........................................................................................................................................ 149

Answer ................................................................................................................................................ 199

Environment ............................................................................................................................................. 200

Answer ................................................................................................................................................ 231

Current Affairs .......................................................................................................................................... 232

Government Scheme ................................................................................................................................ 248

Answer ................................................................................................................................................ 255

International Relations ............................................................................................................................ 256

Answer ................................................................................................................................................ 279

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History 1. May Day Context: May Day is a celebration of labour and labourers, the creators of the wealth of nations. It is a day to demonstrate the strength of the working people, the alliance of workers and peasants, unity of the trade unions and labour movements and to express solidarity, nationally and internationally Concept:

May Day has a glorious history. For the first time in May 1886, the Chicago Haymarket Square witnessed a heroic struggle of the working people who demanded an eight-hour working day.

It was to convey the message that working people would fight for their rights. In this heroic struggle, several workers were martyred.

The Haymarket struggle inspired the working masses of the world.

The Second International of the workers of the world in which Friedrich Engels, the companion and comrade of Karl Marx, played a leading role declared in 1889 that May Day would be observed as an international day for working people.

Second international

To unite the socialist parties in various countries into an international organization, a Congress was held in Paris in 1889, the centenary of French Revolution of 1789 which resulted in the formation of the Second International.

The period after the formation of the Second International saw a steady increase in the strength of the socialist parties and of trade unions.

The Second International also condemned colonialism & committed the socialist parties to oppose robbery &subjugation of colonial peoples.

It emphasized on asserting the principle of the basic equality of all peoples and their right to freedom and national independence.

Workers movement in India

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It is a matter of pride that May Day was first observed in India way back in 1923 in Chennai.

Trade union movements started emerging during British and French rule in India.

The jute workers of Calcutta were organised under a trade union in 1854.

The Madras Press Workers Union was formed in 1903 and Coral Mill workers union in 1908.

Though the AITUC was founded in 1920 and celebrating its centenary this year, the B&C Mill workers in Chennai organised a trade union and got it registered on April 3, 1918. This was the first registered trade union in India.

During the days when the people of India were fighting for independence from colonial rule, the trade unions stood at the frontline of the national movement. Their struggles got intertwined with political struggles.

2. AITUC Context: AITUC is working for welfare of laborers in its centenary year Concept:

The All India Trade Union Congress was founded on October 31, 1920. The Indian National Congress president for the year, Lala Lajpat Rai, was elected as the first president of AITUC and Dewan Chaman Lal as the first general secretary.

Lajpat Rai was the first to link capitalism with imperialism— “imperialism and militarism are the twin children of capitalism”.

The prominent Congress and swarajist leader C.R. Das presided over the third and the fourth sessions of the AITUC. The Gaya session of the Congress (1922) welcomed the formation of the AITUC and a committee was formed to assist it.

C.R. Das advocated that the Congress should take up the workers’ and peasants’ cause and incorporate them in the struggle for swaraj or else they would get isolated from the movement.

Other leaders who kept close contacts with the AITUC included Nehru, Subhas Bose, C.F. Andrews, J.M. Sengupta, Satyamurthy, V.V. Giri and Sarojini Naidu.

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In the beginning, the AITUC was influenced by social democratic ideas of the British Labour Party. The Gandhian philosophy of non-violence, trusteeship and class collaboration had great influence on the movement.

AITUC in its second session in 1921 in Jharia had adopted a resolution of Swaraj (Complete independence from British rule), almost eight years before the platform of freedom struggle- the Indian National Congress adopted such resolution in 1929.

In the aftermath of second World War the AITUC played significant role in the foundation of World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), in the conference held in London with 204 delegates and observers representing 670 million workers from all parts of the world. AITUC was represented by S.A. Dange, R.A. Khedgikar and Sudhindra Pramanik. This conference adopted workers charter.

1. Which of the following parties were established by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar?

1. The Peasants and Workers Party of India 2. All India Scheduled Castes Federation 3. The Independent Labour Party

Select the correct answer using the codes given below: A. 1 and 2 only B. 2 and 3 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

2. Who among the following were the founders of the “Hind Mazdoor Sabha” established in 1948?

A. B. Krishna Pillai, E.M.S. Namboodiripad and K.C. George B. Jayaprakash Narayan, DeenDayal Upadhyay and M.N. Roy C. C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer, K. Kamaraj and Veeresalingam Pantulu D. Ashok Mehta, G G Mehta , T S Ramanujam

3. With reference to the Indian Factory Act, 1881, consider the following statements: 1. It has special provisions for regulation of child labour. 2. Nationalist newspapers opposed factories Act, 1881. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only

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B. 2 only C. Both 1 and 2 D. Neither 1 nor 2

4. Who was the first Indian to be member of Communist International?

A. M N Roy B. S S Dange C. Lala Lajpat Rai D. Muzzafar Ahmad

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Todas Context: Toda embroidered masks help in the fight against COVID-19 Concept:

The Toda are tribal pastoral people who live in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu

The Toda have developed a cult that revolves around sacred cows and dairies. They believe that God resides within their herds of buffalo which also provide them milk and butter. The so called “sacred cows” (in this case buffalo) have traditionally been more than simply objects of worship.

Toda tribals are actively involved in the embroidery business and produce a wide range of products like shawl, table mat, wall hangings, bags and shopping bags. Registrar of Geographical Indication gave GI status for this unique embroidery, a practice which has been passed on to generations.

The ancient tribal art mainly use nature as models like flowers, animals, plants or building patterns as motifs.

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3. Bengal School of Art Context: National Gallery of Modern Art pays tribute to the pioneering artist Jamini Roy on his 133rd Birth Anniversary year through virtual tour.

Concept:

The Bengal School, founded by Abanindranath Tagore and Kala Bhavana in Santiniketan under Nandalal Bose rejected European naturalism and the use of oil as a medium and were exploring new ways of representation.

Jamini Roy, too, consciously rejected the style he had mastered during his academic training and from the early 1920s searched for forms that stirred the innermost recesses of his being. He sought inspiration from sources as diverse as East Asian calligraphy, terracotta temple friezes, objects from folk arts and crafts traditions and the like.

From the end 1920s, Jamini Roy rejected the European oil medium and began to use the traditional pigments from vegetable and mineral sources. The imagery was often drawn from village life.

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Jamini Roy invested in the portrayal of peasants, artisans, followers of religious cults, village women and adivasis with immense dignity.

Features:

They broke away from the tradition of oil painting

They broke away from the realistic style of Raja Ravi Varma and company artists

The turned to the inspiration to medieval Indian traditions of the miniature paintings and ancient art of mural paintings in Ajanta Caves. The paintings of Ajanta and Bagh, Mogul, Rajput and Pahari miniatures provided the models.

The continuity of earlier traditions was sought to be maintained by borrowing from legends and classical literature like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Gita, and Puranas, the writings of Kalidasa and Omar Khayyam.

At the same time, these artists were also influenced by the art of the Japanese artists who visited India at the time to develop an Asian Art movement. The initial artists are known for borrowing in profusion from Chinese calligraphy, Japanese colouring and Persian finish.

Prominent artists of Bengal school of art EB Havell, Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Gaganendranath Tagore, Asit Kumar Haldar, Jamini Roy, Ramkinkar Baij and Rabindranath Tagore 5. What is common among these personalities: EB Havell, Abanindranath Tagore, and Nandalal Bose? (a) They were all freedom fighters (b) They were President of Indian National Congress (c) They were artists of Bengal School of Art (d) None of the above

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4. Puri Jagannath temple Context: Puri Jagannath temple panel recommended for construction of chariots. But holding rath yatra will depend on unfolding pandemic situation during June. Concept:

It is one of the Dhamas (Holiest of the holy place) out of four Dhamas i.e. Puri, Dwarika, Badrinath & Rameswar, in India.

Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and elder brother Balabhadra are being worshipped in Puri (The Purusottama Kshetra).

Shree Jagannath Puri Temple is one of the most impressing monuments of the Indian State Odisha, was constructed by a famous king of Ganga Dynasty Ananta Varman Chodaganga Deva dating back to 12th century at the seashore Puri.

The main temple of Jagannath is an impressing and amazing structure constructed in Kalinga architecture, with a height of 65 meters placed on an elevated platform.

There are so many festivals of Sri Jagannath during the year observed in Puri. The most important festival is the World famous Rath Yatra (Car Festival) & Bahuda Yatra. A large crowd is gathered to witness Lord Jagannath durig this festival.

Odisha Temple Architecture

The main architectural features of Odisha temples are classified in three orders, i.e., rekhapida, pidhadeul and khakra.

Most of the main temple sites are located in ancient Kalinga—modern Puri District, including Bhubaneswar or ancient Tribhuvanesvara, Puri and Konark.

The temples of Odisha constitute a distinct substyle within the nagara order. In general, here the shikhara, called deul in Odisha, is vertical almost until the top when it suddenly curves sharply inwards. Deuls are preceded, as usual, by mandapas called jagamohana in Odisha.

The ground plan of the main temple is almost always square, which, in the upper reaches of its superstructure becomes circular in the crowning mastaka. This makes the spire nearly cylindrical in appearance in its length. Compartments and niches are generally square, the exterior of the temples

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are lavishly carved, their interiors generally quite bare. Odisha temples usually have boundary walls.

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5. Buddha Purnima Context: Ministry of Culture, Government of India in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), a global Buddhist umbrella organization is holding a Virtual Prayer Event with the participation of all the supreme heads of the Buddhist Sanghas from around the world. Concept:

Buddha Purnima marks the birth anniversary, enlightenment and Mahaparinirvan of Gautam Buddha in the month of Vaisakh in the Hindu calendar on a full moon day

Buddha, who was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563-483 BCE), attained salvation or nirvana under the Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar.

Buddha Purnima is celebrated in countries across the world including India, Korea, China, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.

The Three Universal Truths:

Everything is impermanent and changing

Impermanence leads to suffering, making life imperfect

The self is not personal and unchanging. The Four Noble Truths

All life involves suffering (the Truth of Suffering)

Suffering is caused by desire and attachment (the Origin of Suffering)

Desire and attachment can be overcome (the Truth of Cessation)

The way to overcome them is by the Eightfold Path (the Truth of the Path). The Eightfold Path The Eightfold Path is eight ways of behaving and each way has to be followed because they depend on each other. They relate to wisdom, morality and meditation.

Right seeing and understanding – e.g. the Noble Truths

Right thought or intention – e.g. acting considerately

Right speech – e.g. avoiding lies or gossip; saying what you mean

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Right action – e.g. honesty and not harming living things

Right work or livelihood – e.g. avoiding jobs that harm other beings

Right effort – e.g. seeking to overcome desire, selfi shness and attachment

Right mindfulness – e.g. thinking before acting; meditation

Right concentration – e.g. freeing the mind of distractions before meditation

Three Jewels Buddhists sometimes speak of their most precious beliefs as The Three Jewels – belief in the Buddha, the Dharma and the community (or monastic order) of the sangha.

In the period after the Buddha’s death divisions arose leading to the development of two main schools of Buddhist thought – the Mahayana tradition (most commonly found to the north and east of India) and the Theravada tradition (found mainly in southern and south eastern Asia).

Theravada Buddhists (‘the Way of the Elders’) believe that the Buddha was a perfect model to imitate but only human.

Mahayana Buddhists (‘the Great Vehicle’) believe that Siddhartha was not the only Buddha – others had come before him and there will be others yet to come. They believe in the bodhisattva (‘enlightened essence’) – one who delays entry into nirvana in order to help others to gain enlightenment.

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In adapting to different cultures Mahayana Buddhism has given rise to distinct branches – Vajrayana or Tibetan Buddhism (led by the exiled Dalai Lama); the Chinese Pure Land tradition centred around the compassionate Amida Buddha; and Japanese Zen Buddhism, which is very popular in the West, emphasising meditation as the way to enlightenment.

6. Consider the following statements

1. In Hinayana Gautam Budha is considered as a God, whereas in Mahayana Buddha is considered just a common monk.

2. Hinayana is individualistic, whereas Mahayana is altruistic. Which of the above is/are correct?

A. 1only B. 2 only C. 1 and 2 Both D. None

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6. Sohrai Khovar painting, Telia Rumal Context: Recently Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting and Telangana’s Telia Rumal has given Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry. Concept:

Sohrai Khovar painting

Sohrai Khovar painting is primarily being practised only in the district of Hazaribagh. However, in recent years, for promotional purposes, it has been seen in other parts of Jharkhand.

Traditionally painted on the walls of mud houses, they are now seen on other surfaces, too.

The style features a profusion of lines, dots, animal figures and plants, often representing religious iconography.

In recent years, the walls of important public places in Jharkhand, such as the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, and the Hazaribagh and Tatanagar Railway Stations, among others, have been decorated with Sohrai-Khovar paintings.

Telia Rumal

Telia Rumal is made in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana. History:

Telia Rumal is not from Telangana. It is from Chirala, Andhra Pradesh. Chirala is a coastal town and it always had trade with Arabs since Medieval

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times and this Telia Rumal export was a special trade that was happening from there. The place has always been a weaving cluster in AP. Originally even ikat was woven and exported from Chirala.

When weavers migrated from Chirala to Puttapaka, they carried their tradition along with them, but eventually, it died out almost completely, barring very few revivers working on it.

Characteristics:

Telia Rumal cloth involves a number of intricate handmade work with cotton loom displaying a variety of design and motifs in 3 particular colours -- Red, Black and White.

The process of preparation uses gingelly oil and natural vegetable dye which gives it a distinct and unique quality in the form of its texture and smell.

Telia Rumals are simple in design, but skillful in application, with the weft, warp and double Ikat technique and geometric designs.

These Rumals were also called Asia Rumal, and thousands of these telia rumals were exported to Persian Gulf, Middle East, Aden, East Africa, Singapore and Burma.

7. Sohrai Khovar painting is a traditional and ritualistic art found in the state of

A. Jammu and Kashmir B. Tamil Nadu C. Jharkhand D. Madhya Pradesh

8. Consider the following sets of pair: GI Tags States

1. Dindigul Locks - Tamilnadu 2. Telia Rumal - Karnataka 3. Pawndum - Manipur

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? A. 1 only B. 1 and 3 only C. 2 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

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9. Ikat refers to

A. Land revenue system during Mughals

B. Dyeing technique used to pattern textiles

C. Traditional sports

D. Traditional folk music

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7. Thanjavur Netti Works and Arambavur Wood Carvings Context: Thanjavur Netti Works (pith works) and Arambavur Wood Carvings belonging to the central region of Tamil Nadu were awarded the Geographical Indication Tag Concept:

Thanjavur Netti Works (Thanjavur Pith Work) is made from Netti (pith) from a marshy plant called as Aeschynomene Aspera, a hydrophyte plant - found abundantly in lakes and marshy lands surrounding Thanjavur.

This is a traditional art form and has been transferred from one generation to the next. The Netti Works are widely found in the Brihadeeshwara Temple, Hindu Idols, Garlands, door hangings and decorative pieces. The government has recognized the pith work industry as one of the major handicraft symbols.

The pith work models are delicate to handle and are usually preserved inside glass boxes. They resemble ivory and marble handicrafts in looks.

Arumbavur wood carvings by the artisans of Perambalur are primarily made out of the wooden logs of, Mango, Lingam tree, Indian Ash tree, Rosewood, Neem tree are used for making sculptures.

Several temple cars with artistic features are even seen at the temples in the districts of Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruchy, Salem, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Madurai which were crafted by the forefathers of Arumbavur Temple car sthapatis (idol makers)

One of the uniqueness of the craft is the entire design carved out of a single block of wood given that a single error could damage the entire piece.

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8. Saharia Tribe Context: The enduring restriction on movement due to lockdown has denied saharia tribe three to four months’ worth wheat they earn from the migration Concept:

Most of the Saharia (or Sor) of India live in the state of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

They are one of the particularly vulnerable tribes.

They speak a Munda language that belongs to the Austro-Asiatic language family.

The tribe possesses rich cultural traditions a paradigm of which is the Swang Nritya– literally implying dance drama. It is an open air performance conducted by a group of about a dozen people and involves mimicry, acting, dialogues, songs and dance.

The Saharia are a tribal people who have had little contact with the outside world.

The Sahariyas are expert woodsmen and forest product gatherers. They are particularly skilled in making catechu from Khair trees.

In 2000, around 1,650 sahariya tribes were evicted from the Kuno- Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary

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9. Raja Ram Mohan Roy Context: 248th birth anniversary of Raja Ram Mohan Roy has been celebrated. Concept:

Raja Ram Mohan Roy is considered as the pioneer of modern Indian Renaissance for the remarkable reforms he brought in the 18th and 19th century India.

The title 'Raja' was bestowed upon him by the Mughal emperor Akbar II, in 1831.

In 1828, Roy set up the Brahmo Samaj, a reformist movement of the Hindu religion that aimed at fighting social evils that were prevalent in the society.

He opposed superstitious practices, customs such as Sati, polygamy, child marriage, the rigidity of the caste system and its excesses, and sought property inheritance rights for women.

As a result of his hard work in fighting Sati, the governor of the Bengal Presidency, Lord William , formally banned the practice on December 4, in the year 1829.

Roy, who regarded education as an effective vehicle to achieve social reform, was a strong advocate of introducing western learning in India. He was instrumental in setting up several institutions including the Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817, in collaboration with David Hare; the Anglo-Hindu School in 1822; and the Vedanta College, a synthesis of western and Indian learning, in 1826. He also helped establish the Scottish Church College in 1830.

Raja Rammohan Roy started the first Bengali language weekly newspaper and also the first newspaper in an Indian language.

His pioneering forays in journalism were aimed at educating Indians on a wide range of issues. His newspaper Sambad Koumudi helped people form an opinion about the issues affecting their daily life in British India. In 1822, Roy published the journal Mirat-ul-Akbar in Persian.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale called Roy the ‘Father of Modern India’.

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10. Open skies treaty Context: US announces decision to leave open skies surveillance treaty Concept:

Signed March 24, 1992, the Open Skies Treaty permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the others' entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities.

The treaty is also aimed at building confidence and familiarity among states-parties through their participation in the overflights.

President Dwight Eisenhower first proposed that the United States and the Soviet Union allow aerial reconnaissance flights over each other's territory in July 1955. Claiming the initiative would be used for extensive spying, Moscow rejected Eisenhower's proposal. President George H.W. Bush revived the idea in May 1989 and negotiations between NATO and the Warsaw Pact started in February 1990.

Treaty Status: The treaty entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently 34 states are party to the treaty while a 35th, Kyrgyzstan, has signed but not ratified it.

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11. India and Nepal fighting over Kalapani Context: Nepal issues a new map claiming contested territories with India as its own Concept:

The bone of contention is the Kalapani-Limpiadhura-Lipulekh trijunction between Nepal-India and China (Tibet). Located on the banks of the river Kali at an altitude of 3600m, the Kalapani territory lies at the eastern border of Uttarakhand in India and Nepal’s Sudurpashchim Pradesh in the West.

Nepal’s claims to the region is based on this river as it became the marker of the boundary of the kingdom of Nepal following the Treaty of Sugauli signed between the Gurkha rulers of Kathmandu and the East India Company after the Gurkha War/Anglo-Nepal War (1814-16). The treaty was ratified in 1816.

According to the treaty, Nepal lost the regions of Kumaon-Garhwal in the west and Sikkim in the east. According to Article 5, the King of Nepal gave up his claims over the region west of the river Kali which originates in the High Himalayas and flows into the great plains of the Indian subcontinent. According to the treaty, the British rulers recognised Nepal’s right to the region that fell to the east of the river Kali.

The dispute is mainly because of the varying interpretation of the origin of the river and its various tributaries that slice through the mountains. While Nepal’s claim of the territory east of Kali is based on the Limpiyadhura origin, India says the river actually takes the name Kali near Kalapani.

Kali River

Rises in the high glaciers of trans-Himalaya.

It forms the boundary between Nepal and Kumaon.

It is known as the Sarda after it reaches the plains near Tanakpur.

It joins Ghagra river in Uttar Pradesh, which is a tributary of Ganga.

River Projects: Tanakpur hydro-electric project, Chameliya hydro-electric project, Sharda Barrag

Anglo-Nepalese War

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The Gorkhas wrested control of Nepal from the successors of Ranjit Malla of Bhatgaon in 1760. They began to expand their dominion beyond the mountains.

They found it easier to expand in the southern direction, as the north was well defended by the Chinese.

In 1801, the English annexed Gorakhpur which brought the Gorkhas’ boundary and the Company’s boundary together.

The conflict started due to the Gorkhas’ capture of Butwal and Sheoraj in the period of Lord Hastings (1813-23).

The war, ended in the Treaty of Sagauli, 1816 which was in favour of the British. As per the treaty,

Nepal accepted a British resident.

Nepal ceded the districts of Garhwal and Kumaon, and abandoned claims to Terai.

Nepal also withdrew from Sikkim. This agreement brought many advantages to the British—

the British empire now reached the Himalayas;

it got better facilities for trade with Central Asia;

it acquired sites for hill stations, such as Shimla, Mussoorie and Nainital; and

the Gorkhas joined the British Indian Army in large numbers.

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12. Guru Arjun Dev Context: 414th Martyrdom day of Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth sikh guru was observed Concept:

Born on 15 April 1563 to Guru Ramdas and Bibi Bhani, Arjan Dev was chosen by his father as his successor even though he was the youngest son.

One of the most visible, tangible and iconic contributions of Guru Arjan Dev is that he was the one who conceived of and began the construction of Harmandir Sahib, or the Golden Temple, in Amritsar.

Guru Arjan Dev is credited with compiling the Adi Granth which was completed in 1604. It is a compilation of the hymns composed by Guru Nanak and 32 other Hindu and Muslim saints including more than 2,000 hymns that he composed himself. This included works of Sheikh Farid, Bhagat Kabir, Bhagat Ravi Das, Dhanna Namdev, Ramannand, Jai Dev, Trilochan, Beni, Pipa, and Surdas.

The Adi Granth was later declared as the ultimate Guru Bani or word of god by Guru Gobind Singh. He added 115 hymns composed by Guru Tegh Bahadur in the second rendition and the Adi Granth became the Guru Granth Sahib.

In the year 1606 Guru Arjan Dev was captured by Mughal Emperor Jahangir and imprisoned in Lahore Fort. Part of the reason was the fact that he had blessed Jahangir’s rebellious son Khusrau, and part because of his growing influence in Northern India and fast conversions to Sikhism that threatened the orthodox Muslim clergy as well as the Hindu elite.

After imprisoning the guru, Jahangir demanded Rs 2 lakh as a fine plus elimination of all texts from the Adi Granth, the Sikh holy book the guru had compiled, that could be ‘offensive’ to Hindus or Muslims.

But the guru was unrelenting and refused to omit anything from the Granth, so the Mughal emperor condemned him to be tortured to death.

It is said that when he was allowed to take a bath in River Ravi on 30 May 1606, he never returned. It is here that Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore stands.

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13. Purandara Dasa Context: Department of Archaeology, Heritage and Museums of Karnataka takes efforts to solve mystery over birthplace of Purandara Dasa. There is a belief that the mystic poet was born in today’s Maharashtra, but many in Malnad claim he belongs to the region Concept:

According to scholars, Purandaradasa, one of the pioneers of the Bhakti movement in Karnataka, is said to have composed 4,75,000 songs, but barely 3,000 have been retrieved and less than half of them are in circulation.

Purandaradasa, born to a jeweller and originally named Srinivasa Nayaka is said to have been obsessed with material wealth and renounced everything when he was around 40 year old and became a wandering minstrel, and travelled the entire Vijayanagara Empire with a Tambura bringing out his devotional compositions and lyrical hymns in simple Kannada.

The Vijayanagar king Sri Krishnadevaraya, a devotee of the Dasa, built a mantapa and dedicated it to Purandaradasa.

Sri Krishnadevaraya used to listen to Purandaradasa’s compositions at his darbar and at the Vittala temple often.

Purandara Dasa is considered to be the father of Carnatic Music, as he formalized the music system which was a blend of various traditions of South India and the musical science as explained in the Vedas.

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14. V.D.Savarkar Context: Vice President and Prime Minister paid tributes to freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar on his birth anniversary Concept:

He was commonly known as Veer Savarkar (“brave” in his native Marathi language)

He was an independence activist, politician, lawyer, writer, and the formulator of the Hindutva philosophy

Vinayak Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Savarkar started Mitra Mela, a revolutionary secret society in Nasik in 1899.

It was one among several such melas (revolutionary societies) functioning in Maharashtra at that time, which believed in the overthrow of British rule through armed rebellion.

In 1904, in a meeting attended by 200 members from various towns in Maharashtra, Vinayak Savarkar renamed it Abhinav Bharat.

He was also involved in the Swadeshi movement and later joined Tilak’s Swaraj Party. His instigating patriotic speeches and activities incensed the British Government. As a result the British Government withdrew his B.A. degree.

Savarkar was a radical and his Hindutva too was a radical break in the Hindu thought: anti-caste, reformist, modernist and futuristic. It was a modern Hindu response to the modern world

In June 1906, Veer Savarkar, left for London to become Barrister. However, once in London, he united and inflamed the Indian students in England against British rule in India. He founded the Free India Society. The Society celebrated important dates on the Indian calendar including festivals, freedom movement landmarks, and was dedicated to furthering discussion about Indian freedom.

In 1908, brought out an authentic informative researched work on The Great Indian Revolt, which the British termed as “Sepoy Mutiny” of 1857. The book was called “The Indian War of Independence 1857”.

Vinayak Savarkar was a president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943. When congress ministries offered resignation on 22nd oct 1939, Hindu

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mahaasabha under his leadership cooperated with Muslim league to form government in provinces like Sindh, Bengal and NWFP.

Veer Savarkar also founded the two-nation theory in his book ‘Hindutva’ calling Hindus and Muslims two separate nations.

A fierce critic of the Indian National Congress (INC) and Mahatma Gandhi; Savarkar opposed the ‘Quit India Movement’ and later objected to INC’s acceptance of Indian partition. He proposed the co-existence of two nations in one country.

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15. Warkaris Context: Amidst the rising scare of coronavirus, the Maharashtra government has decided to cancel the much-revered annual “palkhis” (palanquins) of the pre-eminent saints of Maharashtra – Saint Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram Maharaj. Instead, it may be carried by the air from Pune to Pandharpur. Concept:

Pandharpur Wari or Wari is an annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur - the seat of the Hindu god Vithoba in Maharashtra, in honour of the deity.

It is believed that the Pandharpur pilgrimage tradition has been followed for at least 800 years.

One finds mention of the annual pilgrimage in the writings of 13th-century saint, Sant Dyaneshwar, who, in one of his popular ovis, thanks his father for taking him to the pandhri yatra.

Sant Tukaram, a 17th century saint who is among the most prominent saints of the Bhakti tradition in the state, used to go on an annual pilgrimage by wearing Dyaneshwar’s padukas (footwear) around his neck.

Upon reaching Pandharpur on Ashadi Ekadashi, these devotees take a holy dip in the sacred Chandrabhaga River/Bhima River before proceeding to visit the Vitthal temple.

Saint Dnyaneshwar

He was famous poet saint of Maharashtra was born in the year 1275.

His poems were the result of the perfect blending of spirituality and poetry, with bhakti, jnana and yoga.

Jnaneshwar, when just fifteen years of age, delivered an extempore presentation of the Bhagavad Gita. This was written down by his disciple, Satchidanand Baba, and came to be known as “Jnaneshwari” or “Bhavartha Deepika”.

The exposition of the Great Sanskrit Text, into Marathi, was a great boon to the common man, who was now able to comprehend it. Apart from “Jnaneshwari “he also composed a treatise called “Amritanubhava” Tukaram

Sant Tukaram (1577–1650) was Varkari Sant and spiritual poet of the Bhakti.

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He is widely considered to be the first modern poet of Marathi.

His poetry is considered to be the zenith of the literary development by the Varkari sect in Marathi Language.

He is best known for many Abhangas written by him.

The Abhangas are the devotional poetry sung in praise of Vithoba, first by the Varkari saints like Namdev, Dhyaneshwar, Eknath and Tukaram in Marathi.

Responsible for creating a background for Maratha nationalism.

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Answer 1. B 2. D 3. C 4. A 5. C 6. B 7. C 8. A 9. B

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Geography 1. The Baltic Region

Context: Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have opened their borders to one another, creating a coronavirus "travel bubble". Baltic Region: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

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2. Onset of Monsoon forecast:

The onset of south-west monsoon over Kerala is likely to be delayed by four days and is expected to arrive on June 5, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.

The onset over Kerala marks the beginning of the four-month monsoon season when India receives 70% of its annual rainfall. IMD’s south-west monsoon forecasts provide critical information to at least 700 million people in India, who are directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for livelihood.

The delay could have implications for farmers impacted by economic slowdown associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown imposed to check its spread. The lockdown has disrupted the traditional farm-to-fork supply chains.

The monsoon is crucial for the yield of rice, wheat, sugarcane, and oilseeds in a country where farming accounts for about 15% of the economy but employs over half of its people. The monsoon generally starts in June before it begins to retreat by Sept 1. In 2019, the monsoon started with the driest June in five years. Below-average precipitation followed in July before heavy rains caused flooding in August.

An abnormally higher number of western disturbances affecting the western Himalayan are among the reasons that can make monsoon advancement slightly sluggish and delay its onset over Kerala.

Western disturbances are low-pressure systems that generally originate over the Mediterranean region and are known to bring winter rain in India. Their intensity reduces in summer when they move to upper latitudes.

The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ It is a belt of low pressure which circles the Earth generally near the equator where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. It is characterized by convective activity which generates often vigorous thunderstorms over large areas

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Mechanism of Onset of the South-West Monsoon

The location of ITCZ shifts north and south of the equator with the apparent movement of the Sun.

During the month of June, the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer and the ITCZ shifts northwards.

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The southeast trade winds of the southern hemisphere cross the equator and start blowing in southwest to northeast direction under the influence of Coriolis force.

These winds collect moisture as they travel over the warm Indian Ocean.

In the month of July, the ITCZ shifts to 20°-25° N latitude and is located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the south-west monsoons blow from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The ITCZ in this position is often called the Monsoon Trough.

The shift in the position of the ITCZ is also related to the phenomenon of the withdrawal of the westerly jet stream from its position over the north Indian plain, south of the Himalayas.

The easterly Jet Stream (Somali Jet) sets in along 15°N latitude only after the western jet stream has withdrawn itself from the region. This easterly jet stream is held responsible for the burst of the monsoon in India.

As these winds approach the land, their southwesterly direction is modified by the relief and thermal low pressure over northwest India. The monsoon approaches the Indian landmass in two branches:

The Arabian Sea branch - The monsoon winds originating over the Arabian Sea.

The Bay of Bengal branch - The Arakan Hills along the coast of Myanmar deflect a big portion of this branch towards the Indian subcontinent. The monsoon, therefore, enters West Bengal and Bangladesh from south and southeast instead of from the south-westerly direction.

Another phenomenon associated with the monsoon is its tendency to have ‘breaks’ in rainfall. The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time. They are interspersed with rainless intervals. These breaks in monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon trough.

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3. Super Cyclone Context: The storm system in the Bay of Bengal, Amphan, developed into a super cyclone and is expected to make landfall along the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast, according to the India Meteorological Department. Concept:

Though there have been two or three super cylones in the past, Super Cyclone Amphan is only the second after the Odisha Super Cyclone of 1999 to form in the North Indian Ocean. The Odisha Super Cyclone remains the strongest cyclone in the history of cyclones in this region.

The Bay of Bengal records at least five cyclones in a year of which one is formed during the May-June period and the other four are formed during October-December period. Sea surface temperature (SST) is one of the key elements that determine the formation of cyclones. Since SSTs are high during summer months, conditions are favorable for cyclone formation in May and June

Tropical cyclone Category

A "Cyclonic Storm" or a "Cyclone" is an intense vortex or a whirl in the atmosphere with very strong winds circulating around it in anti-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and in clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cyclones are intense low pressure areas - from the centre of which pressure increases outwards.

The amount of the pressure drop in the centre and the rate at which it increases outwards gives the intensity of the cyclones and the strength of winds.

The criteria followed by the Meteorological Department of India to classify the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea as adopted by the World Meteorological Organisation (W.M.O.) are:

Types of Disturbances Associated wind speed in the

Circulation 1. Low Pressure Area

Less than 17 knots ( < 31 kmph)

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2. Depression

17 to 27 knots ( 31 to 49 kmph)

3. Deep Depression

28 to 33 knots ( 50 to 61 kmph)

4. Cyclonic Storm

34 to 47 knots ( 62 to 88 kmph)

5. Severe Cyclonic Storm

48 to 63 knots ( 89 to 118 kmph)

6. Very Severe Cyclonic Storm

64 to 119 knots ( 119 to 221 kmph)

7. Super Cyclonic Storm 120 knots and above ( 222 kmph and above)

Storm Surges

Storm surge is the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured as the height of the water above the normal predicted astronomical tide. The surge is caused primarily by a storm’s winds pushing water onshore.

Sea water inundates the coastal strip causing loss of life, large scale destruction to property & crop.

Storm surge depends on intensity of the cyclone (Maximum winds and lowest pressure associated with it) and coastal bathymetry (shallower coastline generates surges of greater heights).

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4. Pangong Tso India –China Context: Two weeks after Indian and Chinese troops came to blows near Pangong Tso, the Chinese have stepped up patrols and deployed more boats on the lake. Concept:

In the Ladakhi language, Pangong means extensive concavity, and Tso is

lake in Tibetan.

Pangong Tso is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft in the Ladakh Himalayas.

The 135 km-long lake sprawls over 604 sq km in the shape of a boomerang, and is 6 km wide at its broadest point.

The brackish water lake freezes over in winter, and becomes ideal for ice skating and polo.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) cuts through the lake, but India and China do not agree on its exact location.

As things stand, a 45 km-long western portion of the lake is in Indian control, while the rest is under China’s control. Most of the clashes between the two armies occur in the disputed portion of the lake.

The difference in perception over where the LAC lies on the northern bank of the lake, makes this contested terrain.

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5. Hotter Ocean and Super Cyclone Context: Higher than normal temperatures in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the lockdown, indirectly, may have played a role in formation of super cyclone said atmospheric science experts Concept:

Cyclones gain their energy from the heat and moisture generated from warm ocean surfaces. This year, the BoB has posted record summer temperatures a fall out of global warming from fossil fuel emissions that has been heating up oceans.

Some of the buoys have registered maximum surface temperatures of 32-34° C consecutively, for the first two weeks of May.

Increased temperature may also be due reduced particulate matter emissions during the lockdown meant fewer aerosols, such as black carbon, that are known to reflect sunlight and heat away from the surface.

Every year, increased particulate pollution from the Indo Gangetic plains is transported towards the BoB and this also influences the formation of clouds over the ocean

Fewer clouds and more heat in the Bay of Bengal may have amplified the strength of the cyclone

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6. Awa Guaja Concept:

The Awa Guaja is a hunter gatherer tribe of around 400 people in the Amazon rainforest.

An indigenous group in Brazil that traditionally has no contact with the outside world is suffering a “genocide” because of illegal loggers' encroachment on their land.

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7. Nile river Context: Dam on River Nile may trigger water wars in East Africa Concept:

When completed, the Grand Rennaissance Dam hydropower project being constructed by Ethiopia, will be Africa’s largest.

Ethiopia’s mega project on the Nile allows the country to control the river’s waters, and this is essentially what concerns Egypt because it lies downstream.

While the main waterways of the Nile run through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt, its drainage basin runs through other countries in East Africa, including Ethiopia.

Ethiopia began construction of the dam in 2011 on the Blue Nile tributary that runs across one part of the country. Egypt has objected to the construction of this dam and in Sudan has found itself caught in the midst of this conflict.

Due to the importance of the Nile as a necessary water source in the region, observers are concerned that this dispute may evolve into a full-fledged conflict between the two nations.

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8. Heat waves Context: The IMD has predicted heat wave to severe heat wave conditions over the plains of the Northwest, Central and adjoining Peninsular India. Concept:

A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western parts of India.

Heat Waves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till July. The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has given the following criteria for Heat Waves

Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a place reaches at least 40°C or more in plains, 37°C or more in coastal regions and 30°C or more for Hilly parts

Heat wave is a departure from normal between 4.5°C to 6.4°C while severe heat wave is when it is > (more than) 6.4°C

Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heat waves are becomingly increasingly frequent globally due to climate change. India too is feeling the impact of climate change in terms of increased instances of heat waves which are more intense in nature with each passing year, and have a devastating impact on human health thereby increasing the number of heat wave casualties.

Health Impacts of Heat Waves The health impacts of Heat Waves typically involve dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. Warnings: The IMD issues colour-coded warnings depending on the intensity of any weather system in ascending order green, yellow, orange and red.

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9. Flash flood Context: Cyclonic storm, heavy rains trigger flash floods, landslides in Meghalaya Concept:

Flash floods are the most dangerous kind of floods, because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed.

Flash floods occur when heavy rainfall exceeds the ability of the ground to absorb it.

Flash floods have a different character than river floods, notably short time scales and occurring in small spatial scales, which make forecasting of flash floods quite a different challenge than traditional flood forecasting approaches.

Two causative events: heavy rainfall and rainfall on saturated soils.

To improve preparedness for flash floods, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is working on a Flash Flood Guidance System

(FFGS) that will predict the possibility of flash floods up to six hours in

advance and alert disaster relief forces as well as residents.

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10. Locust attack and IOD Context: A pattern of warming in the Indian Ocean may be a trigger locust attack warns experts Concept:

The Indian Ocean Dipole was so strong that it overrode concerns of a drought in India last June and brought torrential rainfall — the most India has seen in decades.

It also lasted nearly a month more than what is normal. This extended rainfall continued in several parts of West Asia, Oman, Yemen and in the Horn of Africa — Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya — so much so that that the dry sand became heavily moisture laden, facilitating the formation of several locust swarms.

While this dipole was beginning to take shape by late 2018 — and locust outbreaks were growing in Africa — it increased last year.

Due to favourable winds, it helped swarms to fly and breed in traditional grounds in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Indian Ocean Dipole

Sustained changes in the difference between sea surface temperatures of the tropical western and eastern Indian Ocean are known as the Indian Ocean Dipole or IOD.

The IOD is one of the drivers of Indian Monsoon. The IOD has three phases: neutral, positive and negative

Neutral IOD phase: Water from the Pacific flows over to East Indian Ocean ( between the islands of Indonesia). Air rises above this area and falls over the western half of the Indian Ocean basin, blowing westerly winds along the equator. Temperatures are close to normal across the tropical Indian Ocean, and hence the neutral IOD does not affect the Indian Southwest Monsoon.

Positive IOD phase: Westerly winds weaken along the equator allowing warm water to shift towards Africa. Changes in the winds also allow cool water to rise up from the deep ocean in the east. This sets up a temperature difference across the tropical Indian Ocean with cooler than normal water in the east and warmer than normal water in the west.

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Generally this means there is more moisture than normal in the atmosphere over West Indian Ocean & Arabian Sea. This changes the path of weather systems coming towards India, often resulting in more rainfall during Southwest Monsoon.

Negative IOD phase: Westerly winds intensify along the equator, allowing

warmer waters to concentrate near Equatorial East Indian Ocean. This sets up a temperature difference across the tropical Indian Ocean, with warmer than normal water in the east and cooler than normal water in the west. A negative IOD typically adversely affects the Indian Southwest Monsoon rainfall resulting in below-average rainfall over India.

1. Consider the following statements

1. Locusts are insects belonging to grasshopper family named Acrididae. 2. In their solitary phase, locusts are unassuming insects and avoid other

locusts. 3. Gregarious locusts are colorful, move faster, and are attracted to other

locusts Which of the above statements are correct?

A. 1 only B. 1 and 2 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

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2. Which of the following is the correct sequence of locust attack from starting to ending

A. Outbreaks< Upsurge< Plagues B. Plagues<Upsurge<Outbreaks C. Upsurge<Outbreaks<Plagues D. Plagues<Outbreaks<Upsurge

3. Consider the following statements:

1. The difference between sea surface temperatures of the tropical western and eastern Indian Ocean are known as the Indian Ocean Dipole

2. Positive Indian Ocean Dipole positively impacts South West Indian Monsoon.

3. Negative Indian Ocean Dipole adversely affect South West Indian Monsoon. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only B. 2 only C. 1 and 2 only D. 1,2 and 3

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Answer 1. D 2. A 3. D

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Indian Polity 1. Central administrative Tribunal Context: Nine months after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir under the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, the Government of India has shifted all service matters pertaining to the employees of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to Chandigarh Bench (Central Administrative Tribunal) Concept:

Earlier, Article 323 (A) was not applicable to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, neither the central tribunal had the powers to decide service matters of Jammu and Kashmir employees and officials, nor the erstwhile State tried to create tribunals. Hence, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had the jurisdiction to deal with all the service matters.

The original Constitution did not contain provisions with respect to tribunals. The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 added a new Part XIV-A to the Constitution. This part is entitled as ‘Tribunals’ and consists of only two Articles—Article 323 A dealing with administrative tribunals and Article 323 B dealing with tribunals for other matters.

Administrative tribunals

Article 323 A empowers the Parliament to provide for the establishment of administrative tribunals for the adjudication of disputes relating to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services of the Centre, the states, local bodies, public corporations and other public authorities.

In other words, Article 323 A enables the Parliament to take out the adjudication of disputes relating to service matters from the civil courts and the high courts and place it before the administrative tribunals.

In pursuance of Article 323 A, the Parliament has passed the Administrative Tribunals Act in 1985.

The act authorizes the Central government to establish one Central administrative tribunal and the state administrative tribunals. This act opened a new chapter in the sphere of providing speedy and inexpensive

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justice to the aggrieved public servants. Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)

The CAT exercises original jurisdiction in relation to recruitment and all service matters of public servants covered by it. Its jurisdiction extends to the all-India services, the Central civil services, civil posts under the Centre and civilian employees of defence services. However, the members of the defence forces, officers and servants of the Supreme Court and the secretarial staff of the parliament are not covered by it.

The CAT is a multi-member body consisting of a chairman and members. Earlier, the CAT consisted of a Chairman, Vice-Chairmen and members. With the amendment in Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 in 2006, the members have been given the status of judges of High Courts. At present (2013), the sanctioned strength of the Chairman is one and sanctioned strength of the Members is 65. They are drawn from both judicial and administrative streams and are appointed by the president. They hold office for a term of five years or until they attain the age of 65 years, in case of chairman and 62 years in case of members, whichever is earlier.

The CAT is not bound by the procedure laid down in the Civil Procedure Code of 1908.It is guided by the principles of natural justice.

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2. Role of PMO Context: With high-Profile transfers from PMO to Key Ministries, government machinery is preparing for post-coronavirus economic battle Concept:

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) consists of the immediate staff of the Prime Minister of India, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the Prime Minister.

The PMO is headed by the Principal Secretary

The PMO was originally called the Prime Minister's Secretariat until 1977, when it was renamed during the Morarji Desai administration

It got the status of department under Allocation of Business rules 1961. This staff agency is mainly concerned with providing assistance in decision making at top level of government of India. But even though its importance it is accorded as extra constitutional body.

Principal functions of the PMO: o To deal with all references which under the rules of business have to

come to the PM o To help the PM in the discharge of his overall responsibilities as the

Chief Executive like liaison with the Union Ministries and the State govts on matters which the PM may be interested.

o To help the PM in the discharge of his responsibilities as the Chairman of Planning Commission.

o To deal with Public relations side of the PMO. o To provide PM assistance in the examination of cases submitted to him

for an order under prescribed rules. 1. Which is the highest decision making authority in India?

A. PMO B. Cabinet Secretary C. President D. Cabinet

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3. Press Freedom Index Context: Reporters without Borders released its latest ratings on Press Freedom. India has dropped two places on the World Press Freedom Index, now ranking at 142 out of 180 countries.

o Norway is ranked first in the index while China is at 177. North Korea is at 180. Scandinavian countries like Norway, Finland and Denmark made up the top 3.

o Communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir, which made it increasingly difficult for journalists to report on what is happening in the region, played a significant role in the ranking as per the report.

2. World Press Freedom Index is brought out by

A. United Nation B. Amnesty International C. World Economic Freedom D. Reporters without Borders

3. World Press Freedom day is celebrated on

A. 21st April B. 24th April C. 9th December D. 3rd May

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4. Cauvery Water Management Authority Context: Centre brings Cauvery Water Management Authority under Jal Shakti Ministry Concept:

As per the Government of India (allocation of business) 1961, all river boards including Cauvery, Godavai River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board brought under the Department of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvantion in the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the notification issued by President of India stated.

The notifications is just an allocation of business rule which means the Authority will have to report to the Jal Shakti Ministry, said an official. It clarified that the notification has no impact on the independent nature of the functioning of the authority.

CWMA

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6A of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 the Central Government notified the Cauvery Water Management Scheme , constituting the ‘Cauvery Water Management Authority’ and the ‘Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’ to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified by the Supreme Court.

The authority would comprise a chairman, eight members besides a secretary. Out of eight members, two each will be full-time and part-time members, while the rest four would be part-time members from states.

The chairman of the authority should either be a "senior and eminent engineer" with an experience of water resource management and handling of inter-state water dispute or an IAS officer with an experience in water resources management and handling the interstate dispute. He will have the tenure of five years or until he reaches the age of 65, whichever is earlier.

4. Kabani, Bhavani, Noyil and Amaravati are tributaries of

A. Krishna B. Godavari C. Cauvery D. Bharatpuzha

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5. Panchayat Raj Context:

A principal reason for Kerala’s amazing performance in “flattening the curve” is their robust system of effective devolution that has enabled the Kudumbashree programme to function in association with the panchayats.

Planning for withstanding the ingress of COVID-19 requires the full deployment of the mechanisms for district planning envisaged in Article 243 ZD involving all three tiers of the panchayats and the municipalities brought together in the district planning committee, claims former minister

Concept: 73rd amendment act of 1992

This act has added a new Part-IX to the Constitution of India. It is entitled as The Panchayat and consists of provisions from Articles 243 to 243 O. In addition, the act has also added a new Eleventh Schedule to the Constitution. This schedule contains 29 functional items of the panchayats. It deals with Article 243-G.

The act has given a practical shape to Article 40 of the Constitution.

The act gives a constitutional status to the panchayati raj institutions. It has brought them under the purview of the justiciable part of the Constitution. In other words, the state governments are under constitutional obligation to adopt the new panchayati raj system in accordance with the provisions of the act.

The provisions of the act can be grouped into two categories—compulsory and voluntary.

The compulsory (mandatory or obligatory) provisions of the act have to be included in the state laws creating the new panchayati raj system. The voluntary provisions, on the other hand, may be included at the discretion of the states.

Article 243 ZD

Added by 74th amendment in Part IX A

Every state shall constitute at the district level, a district planning committee to consolidate the plans prepared by panchayats and

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municipalities in the district, and to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole. The state legislature may make provisions with respect to the following: o The composition of such committees; o The manner of election of members of such committees; o The functions of such committees in relation to district planning; and o The manner of the election of the chairpersons of such committees.

The act lays down that four-fifths of the members of a district planning committee should be elected by the elected members of the district panchayat and municipalities in the district from amongst themselves. The representation of these members in the committee should be in proportion to the ratio between the rural and urban populations in the district.

The chairperson of such committee shall forward the development plan to the state government.

In preparing the draft development plan, a district planning committee shall (a) Have regard to (i) matters of common interest between the Panchayats and the Municipalities including spatial planning, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation; (ii) the extent and type of available resources whether financial or otherwise; and (b) Consult such institutions and organizations as the Governor may specify

5. The Constitution (Seventy-Third Amendment) Act, 1992, which aims at Promoting the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country, provides for which of the following?

1. Constitution of District Planning Committees. 2. State Election Commissions to conduct all panchayat elections. 3. Establishment of State Finance Commissions.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below: A. 1 only B. 1 and 2 only C. 2 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

6. Consider the following sets of pair: Schedule Contains 1. Eleventh Panchayat Raj (rural local government)

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2. Tenth Anti Defection 3. Sixth Tribals 4. Second Forms of oaths and Affirmations of offices for elected officials including judges Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

A. 1 and 2 only B. 1, 2 and 3 only C. 2 and 3 only D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

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6. National Crisis Management Committee

Context: National Crisis Management Committee met to review the situation of gas leak. Concept:

At the national level, Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) are the key committees involved in the top-level decision-making in Disaster Management (DM). It deals with major crisis which have serious or national ramifications.

Key functions: o Oversee the Command, Control and Coordination of the disaster

response. o Give direction to the Crisis Management Group (CMG) as deemed

necessary.

Composition: o Cabinet Secretary (Chairperson). o Secretaries of Ministries / Departments and agencies with specific

Disaster management responsibilities.

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7. Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 Context: Migrant Workmen Act, 1979, must be rationalized to remove requirements that disincentive formalization Concept:

Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979. t was enacted to prevent the exploitation of inter-state migrant workmen by contractors, and to ensure fair and decent conditions of employment.

The law requires all establishments hiring inter-state migrants to be registered, and contractors who recruit such workmen be licensed.

Contractors are obligated to provide details of all workmen to the relevant authority.

Migrant workmen are entitled to wages similar to other workmen, displacement allowance, journey allowance, and payment of wages during the period of journey.

Contractors are also required to ensure regular payment, non-discrimination, provisioning of suitable accommodation, free medical facilities and protective clothing for the workmen.

Status of implementation The onerous requirements set out in this law incentivize contractors and employers to under-report inter-state workmen rather than to register them.

Since the Act is barely implemented, it exists as another law that potentially provides rent-seeking opportunities to enterprising government inspectors while failing in its main objective.

Another consequence of weak implementation is the absence of government preparedness and the consequent failure in preventing genuine hardships for vulnerable groups.

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8. PM Cares Context: Support pours in for PM-CARES Fund as India gears up for battle Concept:

Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or the PM CARES Fund, was set up to tackle distress situations such as that posed by the COVID19 pandemic.

The fund receives voluntary contributions from individuals and organisations and does not get any budgetary support. Donations have been made tax exempt, and can be counted against a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations.

It is also exempt from the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, and accepts foreign contributions, although the Centre has previously refused foreign aid to deal with disasters such as the Kerala floods.

The Prime Minister chairs the fund in his official capacity, and can nominate three eminent persons in relevant fields to the Board of Trustees. The Ministers of Defense, Home Affairs and Finance are ex officio Trustees of the Fund.

Concerns

It is not clear whether the fund comes under the ambit of the RTI Act or oversight by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, although independent auditors will audit the fund

The PM CARES web page is opaque regarding the amount of money collected, names of donors, expenditure of the fund so far, or names of beneficiaries. The PMNRF provides annual donation and expenditure information without any detailed breakup.

The PM CARES Fund’s trust deed is not available for public scrutiny.

The decision to allow uncapped corporate donations to the fund to count as CSR expenditure, a facility not provided to PMNRF or the CM’s Relief Funds goes against previous guidelines stating that CSR should not be used to fund government schemes.

A government panel had previously advised against allowing CSR contributions to the PMNRF on the grounds that the double benefit of tax exemption would be a “regressive incentive”

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9. Chief Secretary Context: Punjab cabinet meeting scrapped as ministers walk out after ‘fight’ with chief secretary. In the pre-cabinet meeting, two Punjab ministers have heated exchange with chief secretary on the issue of excise revenue generation. Concept:

The post of Chief Secretary is the senior-most position held in the civil services of the states and union territories of India. The chief secretary discharges vital functions which Include:

Chief- Secretary acts as an advisor to the CM. Being head of the permanent executive branch he strives for a sound administration.

Chief-Secretary acts as a secretary to the state cabinet. Chief Secretary is the administrative head of the cabinet secretariat and attends the meeting of the cabinet and its sub-committees.

State Cabinet Secretariat is headed by Chief-Secretary whose functions include Secretarial assistance, implementation of decisions, policy coordination and providing information.

Chief- Secretary acts as the head of the state civil services. Important cases pertaining to appointments, transfers and promotion of senior state civil servants go to his/her desk.

Chief Secretary ensures inter departmental coordination. Chief Secretary advises the secretaries on inter departmental difficulties. He is the chairman of coordination committees which are set up for resolving inter-departmental disputes.

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10. Doctrine of Harmonious Construction: It is one of the cannons of interpretation used for Interpretation of Statues. The Doctrine states that, a provision of the statue should not be interpreted or construed in isolation but as a whole, so as to remove any inconsistency or repugnancy. 11. Article 248 Residuary powers of legislation (1) Parliament has exclusive power to make any law with respect to any matter not enumerated in the Concurrent List or State List. (2) Such power shall include the power of making any law imposing a tax not mentioned in either of those Lists. 7. Residuary power of legislation resides with

A. President B. Parliament C. State Assembly D. Governor

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12. FRA, 2006 Context: Tribals of Pidadamaha village in Odisha’s Kandhamal district have alleged that without the consent of their gram sabha, Forest Department officials were trying to destroy the biodiversity of traditional community forest and forcing commercial plantation on them. Concept: History of forest laws

In the colonial era, the British diverted abundant forest wealth of the nation to meet their economic needs. While procedure for settlement of rights was provided under statutes such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927, these were hardly followed. As a result, tribal and forest-dwelling communities, who had been living within the forests in harmony with the environment and the ecosystem, continued to live inside the forests in tenurial insecurity, a situation which continued even after independence as they were marginalized.

The symbiotic relationship between forests and forest-dwelling communities found recognition in the National Forest Policy, 1988.

The policy called for the need to associate tribal people in the protection, regeneration and development of forests.

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, was enacted to protect the marginalised socio-economic class of citizens and balance the right to environment with their right to life and livelihood.

Preamble: The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) was enacted to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded. Provisions:

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The act recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in Forest land in forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD)who have been residing in such forests for generations.

The act also establishes the responsibilities and authority for sustainable use, conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecological balance of FDST and OTFD.

It strengthens the conservation regime of the forests while ensuring livelihood and food security of the FDST and OTFD.

The act identify four types of rights: o Title rights: It gives FDST and OTFD the right to ownership to land

farmed by tribals or forest dwellers subject to a maximum of 4 hectares. Ownership is only for land that is actually being cultivated by the concerned family and no new lands will be granted.

o Use rights: The rights of the dwellers extend to extracting Minor Forest Produce, grazing areas, to pastoralist routes, etc.

o Relief and development rights: To rehabilitation in case of illegal eviction or forced displacement and to basic amenities, subject to restrictions for forest protection

o Forest management rights: It includes the right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource which they have been traditionally protecting and conserving for sustainable use.

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13. Zero FIR Concept:

Zero FIR is a FIR lodged in any police station irrespective of the location of incidence or jurisdiction.

Justice Verma committee set up to look at amendments to criminal laws in India, first suggested the concept of a ‘Zero FIR’ – a document that can be registered by any police station for a cognizable offence, without bothering about whether the case is in their jurisdiction or not.

14. Article 19 and migrant workers Context: In a two-pronged strategy to secure migrant workers, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up a Migration Commission for employment of such labourers in the state and made it clear that any state that wants them from UP has to seek its permission. Concept:

As per Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, every citizen has a right to migrate to any part of the country in quest of better job opportunities and prospects.

Even the Supreme Court held that the “the right to live, a fundamental right, and the right to work are integrated and interdependent”.

UP government’s decision may not find Constitutional justification.

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15. Parliamentary Committee System Context: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has asked for a review of the parliamentary committee system Concept:

The Constitution of India makes a mention of these committees at different places, but without making any specific provisions regarding their composition, tenure, functions, etc. All these matters are dealt by the rules of two Houses.

Accordingly, a parliamentary committee means a committee that: o Is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker /

Chairman1 o Works under the direction of the Speaker / Chairman o Presents its report to the House or to the Speaker / Chairman o Has a secretariat provided by the Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha

The introduction of 17 department-related standing committees (DRSCs) on March 31, 1993 was a significant innovation that increased parliamentary scrutiny and gave MPs a larger role in examining legislation and important decisions of the day.

There are 24 DRSCs — 16 from Lok Sabha and 8 from Rajya Sabha. Each committee has 21 MPs from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.

The role: Given the volume of legislative business and the time constraints it is not possible for MPs to discuss and scrutinise all bills in the House.

Parliamentary committees, either formed for a specific bill (select committee) or permanent (standing committees that are reconstituted annually) allow for a scrutiny with the possibility of tapping subject experts from outside and other stakeholders in an environment where MPs are not bound by party positions or whips.

A problem: The committee system, however, has been affected by delays in preparing reports and incidence of absenteeism. Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu had pointed out in March this year that 95 MPs did not attend even a single meeting of the parliamentary standing committees that reviewed allocations for

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16. SLP and Art 136 Context: Reports show that SLPs comprise about 60-70% of the Supreme Court’s docket. Out of this, 80-90% of SLPs are dismissed, which means only 1020% of such cases raise important questions of law. This takes up a lot of time of the Court. Concept:

Under Article 136, the Constitution of India gives power to the Supreme Court to grant special permission or leave to an aggrieved party to appeal against an order passed in any of the lower courts or tribunals in India.

This provision contains the four aspects as under: o It is a discretionary power and hence, cannot be claimed as a matter

of right. o It can be granted in any judgement whether final or interlocutory. o It may be related to any matter—constitutional, civil, criminal,

income-tax, labour, revenue, advocates, etc. o It can be granted against any court or tribunal and not necessarily

against a high court (of course, except a military court).

Thus, the scope of this provision is very wide and it vests the Supreme Court with a plenary jurisdiction to hear appeals.

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17. Delimitation Commission Context: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has nominated the Associate Members of Delimitation Commission for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 5 of delimitation Act. Concept:

Jammu and Kashmir at present has no legislative assembly as it is a Union Territory with a provision of a legislature. Members of Parliament and legislative assemblies of states are drawn in as associate members to assist the panel in its task.

Under Article 82 of the Constitution, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after every census.

The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India

Composition: o Retired Supreme Court judge o Chief Election Commissioner o Respective State Election Commissioners

Functions: o To determine the number and boundaries of constituencies to make

population of all constituencies nearly equal. o To identify seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled

Tribes, wherever their population is relatively large. o In case of difference of opinion among members of the Commission,

the opinion of the majority prevails.

The Delimitation Commission in India is a high power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.

Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.

The present delimitation of constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001 census figures under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002.

Notwithstanding the above, the Constitution of India was specifically amended in 2002 not to have delimitation of constituencies till the first census after 2026.

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18. State Election Commissioner appointment Context: The Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the state government to reinstate Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar as the State election Commissioner (SEC). The court also struck down the government’s appointment of retired judge V Kangaraj as the SEC in the same order. Concept:

The super-intendance, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of all elections to the panchayats and municipalities shall be vested in the state election commission. (Article 243K, Article 243ZA)

It consists of a state election commissioner to be appointed by the governor.

His conditions of service and tenure of office shall also be determined by the governor.

He shall not be removed from the office except in the manner and on the grounds prescribed for the removal of a judge of the state high court.

His conditions of service shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.

Removal of high court judges:

A judge of a high court can be removed from his office by an order of the President. The President can issue the removal order only after an address by the Parliament has been presented to him in the same session for such removal. The address must be supported by a special majority of each House of Parliament (i.e., a majority of the total membership of that House and majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting).

The grounds of removal are two—proved misbehavior or incapacity. 8. Consider the following statements regarding State Election Commissioner

1. He is a constitutional authority. 2. He is appointed by the President. 3. He can be removed by the Governor as per his wish.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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A. 1 only B. 1 and 2 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 2 and 3 only

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19. PM CARES not under RTI Act Context: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has refused to disclose details on the creation and operation of the PM CARES Fund. Concept:

Reason cited for denial is PM CARES Fund is not a Public Authority under the ambit of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

“Public authority” is defined in Section 2(h) of the RTI Act.

It states: “public authority” means any authority or body or institution of selfgovernment established or constituted— (a) by or under the Constitution; (b) by any other law made by Parliament; (c) by any other law made by state legislature; (d) by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government, and includes any— (i) body owned, controlled or substantially financed; (ii) non-Government organization substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government

The RTI Act empowers citizens with the right to access information under the control of ‘public authorities’.

Accordingly, RTI Act creates a legal framework to make good this right by defining public authorities, allowing citizens to ask public authorities for information, and imposing penalties on officials of public authorities for failing to disclose ‘information’ defined in Section 2(f).

The RTI Act also mandates that “every public authority shall pro-actively disclose information pertaining to it, and maintain its documents and records to facilitate the right to information under the Act”.

9. Which of the following can be notified as public authority

1. Bodies owned by the government 2. Bodies controlled by government 3. Non -Govt Bodies substantially financed by government

Which of the above statements is/are correct? A. 1 only B. 1 and 2 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

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Answer 1. D 2. D 3. D 4. C 5. C 6. B 7. B 8. A 9. D

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Economics 1. Real GDP Context: CRISIL Research has stated that the current coronavirus pandemic could lead to a four per cent permanent loss to real Indian gross domestic product (GDP) and said that more fiscal stimulus will be required. Concept:

Real gross domestic product (GDP) is an inflation-adjusted measure that reflects the value of all goods and services produced by an economy in a given year, expressed in base-year prices, and is often referred to as "constant-price," "inflation-corrected".

GDP

Unlike nominal GDP, real GDP accounts for changes in price levels and provides a more accurate figure of economic growth.

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2. GI tag Context: GI tag to Manipur black rice, Gorakhpur terracotta and Tamil Nadu's peanut

candy.

Concept:

A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin

A geographical indication right enables those who have the right to use the indication to prevent its use by a third party whose product does not conform to the applicable standards.

Geographical indications are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.

Validity:

In much sui generis legislation, registrations for geographical indications are not subject to a specific period of validity. This means that the protection for a registered geographical indication will remain valid unless the registration is cancelled.

Geographical indications registered as collective and certification marks are generally protected for renewable ten-year periods.

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Enforcement:

Under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, geographical indications are covered as an element of IPRs.

They are also covered under Articles 22 to 24 of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, which was part of the Agreements concluding the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations.

India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection)Act, 1999 has come into force with effect from 2003. This Act seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India. The Act would be administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks- who is the Registrar of Geographical Indications.

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3. Forex Reserve Fall Context: After rising for the past few weeks, the country's foreign exchange reserves declined $113million to $479.45 billion in the week to April 24 according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India. Concept:

The reserves had touched a lifetime high of $487.23 billion in the week to March 6, after it rose by $5.69 billion.

During 2019-20, the country's foreign exchange reserves rose by almost $62 billion.

In the reporting week ended April 24, the foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves, decreased by $321 million to $441.56 billion.

Expressed in dollar terms, the FCAs include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.

Gold reserves rose by $221 million to $32.901 billion in the reporting week, the RBI data showed.

The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) fell $6 million to $1.42 billion.

The country's reserve position with the IMF also was down by $8 million to $3.57 billion during the reporting week, the data showed.

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4. Kashmir saffron and Karewa Context: Kashmir Saffron gets Geographical Indication tag Concept:

Kashmiri saffron, known for its quality and aroma worldwide, has been witnessing an invasion by cheaper Iranian saffron.

Kashmir saffron is renowned globally as a spice.

It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes. It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.

The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemicalfree processing, and high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).

Iran is currently the largest producer of saffron in the world, cultivating over 300 tonnes every year on 30,000 hectares of land. India is a close competitor.

The term Karewa is derived from the Kashmiri dialect which means, “elevated tableland.”

Karewas are lacustrine deposits [deposits in lake] in the Valley of Kashmir and in Bhadarwah Valley of the Jammu Division. These are the flat topped

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mounds that border the Kashmir Valley on all sides. They are characterized with fossils of mammals and at places by peat.

During the Pleistocene Period (1 million years ago), the entire Valley of Kashmir was under water. Subsequently, due to endogenetic forces, the Baramullah Gorge was created and the lake was drained through this gorge. The deposits left in the process are known as karewas. The thickness of karewas is about 1400 m.

In fact, the karewas have been elevated, dissected and removed by subaerial denudation as well as by the Jhelum River giving them the present position.

The karewas are mainly devoted to the cultivation of saffron, almond, walnut, apple and orchards.

1. Karewas, a type of lacustrine deposits are found in which state?

A. Kerala B. Bihar C. Jammu and Kashmir D. Uttrakhand

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5. National infrastructure pipeline Context: Task Force on National Infrastructure Pipeline submits final report to Finance Minister. The final report projects total infrastructure investment of Rs 111 lakh crore during the financial period 2020-25. Concept:

National Infrastructure Pipeline is the investment plan unveiled by the Central Government for enhancing infrastructure in identified sectors for a period of five years from 2020-25.

Finance Minister announced Rs 102 lakh crore ($1.4 trillion) National Infrastructure Pipeline to spend in the infrastructure sector over a five-year period (2020-25). The plan will help India to reach $5 trillion economy by 2025.

The funding of the National Infrastructure Pipeline will be jointly made by the Centre, states and the private sector in the proportion of 39:39:22 (39 % each by the centre and states and 22% by the private sector).

National Infrastructure Pipeline will ensure that infrastructure projects are adequately prepared and launched. Each Ministry/ Department would be responsible for the monitoring of projects so as to ensure their timely and within-cost implementation.

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2. Consider the following statements regarding National Infrastructure Pipeline:-

1. Under “national infrastructure pipeline” ₹102 lakh crore infrastructure investment would take place in next 5 years

2. The Centre and State Governments will provide 50:50 of the funds. 3. It specify sector wise targets.

Which of the following options is correct? A. 1, 2 and 3 only B. 1 and 3 only C. 2 and 3 only D. 1 and 2 only

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6. Commercial papers (CPs), debentures and certificates of deposit (CDs): Context:

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a special liquidity window of ₹50,000 crore for mutual funds. Under the scheme, the RBI will conduct repo (repurchase agreement) operations of 90day tenor at a fixed repo rate of 4.40% for banks.

According to the RBI, banks can avail funds under this facility exclusively for meeting the liquidity requirements of mutual fund houses by extending loans and undertaking outright purchase of and/or repos against the collateral of investment grade corporate bonds, commercial papers (CPs), debentures and certificates of deposit (CDs) held by the fund houses

Concept: Commercial paper

Commercial paper, also called CP, is a short-term debt instrument issued by companies to raise funds generally for a time period up to one year.

It is an unsecured money market instrument issued in the form of a promissory note and was introduced in India for the first time in 1990.

Companies that enjoy high ratings from rating agencies often use CPs to diversify their sources of short-term borrowings. This gives investors an additional instrument.

They are typically issued by large banks or corporations to cover short-term receivables and meet short-term financial obligations, such as funding for a new project.

CPs have a minimum maturity of seven days and a maximum of up to one year from the date of issue.

Since such instruments are not backed by collateral, only firms with high ratings from a recognised credit rating agency can sell such commercial papers at a reasonable price. CPs are usually sold at a discount to their face value, and carry higher interest rates than bonds.

Debentures

Debentures are the debt instruments which may be issued by a listed or non-listed firm to raise funds in a security market. They are of many types,

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viz., Redeemable, Nonredeemable, Partially Convertible and Fully Convertible.

Certificates of deposit (CDs):

Certificate of Deposit (CD) refers to a money market instrument, which is negotiable and equivalent to a promissory note. It is either issued in demat form or in the form of a usance promissory note.

This instrument is issue in lieu of the funds deposited at a bank for a specified time period. These are similar to savings accounts and virtually risk free.

A Certificate of Deposit in India can be issue by: o All scheduled commercial banks excluding Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)

and Local Area Banks (LABs) o Select All India Financial Institutions permitted by RBI

Minimum amount for Certificate of Deposit has been fixed at Rs. 1 Lakh, to be accepted from a single subscriber. Larger amounts have to be in the multiples of Rs. 1 Lakh.

Their maturity period is between seven days to one year for commercial banks. For Financial Institutions, the maturity is not less than a year and not more than three years.

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7. Cancellation of cooperative bank license Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of Mumbai based The CKP Cooperative Bank Ltd as the lender’s financial position had deteriorated and it was not in a position to repay depositors Concept: The depositors of the bank will get a maximum of ₹5 lakh from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), as per law. The financial position of the bank is highly adverse and unsustainable. There is no concrete revival plan or proposal for merger with another bank. Credible commitment towards revival from the management is not visible according to RBI Cooperative banks Co-operative banks are financial entities established on a co-operative basis and belonging to their members. This means that the customers of a co-operative bank are also its owners. These banks provide a wide range of regular banking and financial services. Structure:

Broadly, co-operative banks in India are divided into two categories - urban and rural.

Rural cooperative credit institutions could either be short-term or long-term in nature. Further, short-term cooperative credit institutions are further sub-divided into State Co-operative Banks, District Central Co-operative Banks, and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies.

Meanwhile, the long-term institutions are either State Cooperative Agriculture or Rural Development Banks (SCARDBs) or Primary Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (PCARDBs).

On the other hand, Urban Co-operative Banks (UBBs) are either scheduled or nonscheduled. Scheduled and non-scheduled UCBs are again of two kinds- multi-state and those operating in single state.

Regulation:

In India, co-operative banks are registered under the States Cooperative Societies Act. They also come under the regulatory ambit of the Reserve

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Bank of India (RBI) under two laws, namely, the Banking Regulations Act, 1949, and the Banking Laws (Cooperative Societies) Act, 1955.

They were brought under the RBI's watch in 1966, a move which brought the problem of dual regulation along with it.

DICGC

Deposit insurance is a protection cover for deposit holders in a bank when the bank fails and does not have money to pay its depositors.

This insurance is provided by Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the RBI.

DICGC insures all bank deposits, such as savings, fixed, current and recurring deposit for up to the limit of Rs 5 lakh per bank.

DICGC covers depositors of all commercial banks and foreign banks operating in India, state, central and urban co-operative banks, local area banks and regional rural banks provided the bank has bought the cover from DICGC.

The DICGC does not include the following types of deposits: o Deposits of foreign governments. o Deposits of central/state governments. o Inter-bank deposits. o Deposits of the state land development banks with the state co-

operative bank. o Any amount due on account of any deposit received outside India. o Any amount specifically exempted by the DICGC with previous approval

of RBI. 3. Cooperative Banks are regulated by

A. RBI B. State Government C. Both D. None

4. Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation insures which of the following

1. Deposits of foreign governments. 2. Deposits of central/state governments. 3. Inter-bank deposits.

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Select the correct answer using code below? A. 1 only B. 1and 2 only C. 1, 2 and 3 D. None

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8. Keynesian economics Context: In India’s battle to revive the economy amidst COVID 19, there is need to look on Keynesian economy. Concept:

John Maynard Keynes, after whom Keynesian Economics is named, states that aggregate demand is the sum of consumption (C), investment (I), government spending (G) and net exports (NX). GDP = C + G + I + NX

With C, I and NX slowing down, state spending emerges as the last bastion of hope, and Keynes would propound its expansion.

Essentially, Keynesian economics subscribes to the view that market failures are real, and the State is needed to correct such failures.

Keynes developed his theories in response to the Great Depression, and was highly critical of classical economic arguments that natural economic forces and incentives would be sufficient to help the economy recover.

Active fiscal and monetary policy are the primary tools recommended by Keynesian economists to manage the economy and unemployment.

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9. Tax from liquor Context: Queues after easing of restrictions, and a price hike in Delhi, are pointers to the importance of liquor as a source of revenue. Concept:

Liquor contributes a considerable amount to the exchequers of all states and Union Territories except Gujarat and Bihar, both of which have enforced prohibition.

Generally, states levy excise duty on manufacture and sale of liquor.

Some states, for example Tamil Nadu, also impose VAT (value added tax). States also charge special fees on imported foreign liquor; transport fee; and label & brand registration charges. A few states, such as Uttar Pradesh, have imposed a “special duty on liquor” to collect funds for special purposes, such as maintenance of stray cattle.

A report published by the Reserve Bank of India last September (‘State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2019-20’) shows that state excise duty on alcohol accounts for around 10-15 per cent of Own Tax Revenue of a majority of states.

In fact, state excise duties on liquor is the second or third largest contributor to the category State’s Own Tax revenue; sales tax (now GST) is the largest. This is the reason states have always wanted liquor kept out of the purview of GST.

According to the RBI report, in 2019-20, state GST had the highest share, 43.5%, in states’ Own Tax Revenue, followed by Sale Tax at 23.5% (mainly on petroleum products which are out of GST), state excise at 12.5%, and taxes on property and capital transactions at 11.3%.

States’ revenue

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The states’ revenues comprise broadly two categories — Tax Revenue and Non-Tax Revenue.

Tax revenue is divided into two further categories: State’s Own Tax Revenue, and

Share in Central Taxes.

Again, Own Tax Revenue comprises three principal sources: o Taxes on Income (agricultural income tax and taxes on professions,

trades, callings and employment) o Taxes on Property and Capital Transactions (land revenue, stamps

and registration fees, urban immovable property tax) o Taxes on Commodities and Services (sales tax, state sales tax/VAT,

central sales tax, surcharge on sales tax, receipts of turnover tax, other receipts, state excise, taxes on vehicles, taxes on goods and passengers, taxes and duties on electricity, entertainment tax, state GST, and “other taxes and duties”).

In case of alcoholic liquor for human consumption, States would continue to levy the taxes presently being levied, i.e., State Excise Duty and Sales Tax/VAT. Taxes Subsumed under GST At the Central level, the following taxes are being subsumed:

a. Central Excise Duty, b. Additional Excise Duty, c. Service Tax, d. Additional Customs Duty commonly known as Countervailing Duty, and e. Special Additional Duty of Customs.

At the State level, the following taxes are being subsumed:

a. Subsuming of State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax, b. Entertainment Tax (other than the tax levied by the local bodies), Central

Sales Tax (levied by the Centre and collected by the States), c. Octroi and Entry tax, d. Purchase Tax, e. Luxury tax, and f. Taxes on lottery, betting and gambling.

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5. GST has subsumed which of following taxes 1. Central Excise Duty 2. Service Tax 3. Octroi tax 4. VAT

Select the correct answer? A. 1 and 2 only B. 1 and 3 only C. 1 , 2 and 4 only D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

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10. Microfinance institutions Context: Moratorium on loans critical for microfinance institutions Concept:

o After the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed lenders to give an option to borrowers to defer their loan repayments for three months, most MFIs have extended this moratorium to their customers. But MFIs have to repay loans that they have raised from banks

o Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services

o Microfinance sector has grown rapidly over the past few decades. Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus is credited with laying the foundation of the modern MFIs with establishment of Grameen Bank, Bangladesh in 1976. Today it has evolved into a vibrant industry exhibiting a variety of business models.

o Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in India exist as NGOs (registered as societies or trusts), Section 25 companies and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), cooperative societies and other large lenders have played an important role in providing refinance facility to MFIs. Banks have also leveraged the Self-Help Group (SHGs) channel to provide direct credit to group borrowers.

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11. MSME definition Context: Medium, Small, Micro Enterprises worst hit by Covid-19 lockdown Concept:

Formally, MSMEs are defined in terms of investment in plant and machinery

But this criterion for the definition was long criticised because credible and precise details of investments were not easily available by authorities.

In February 2018, the Union Cabinet decided to change the criterion to “annual turnover”, which was more in line with the imposition of GST.

According to the proposed definition, which is yet to be formally accepted, a micro enterprise will be one with an annual turnover less than Rs 5 crore; a small enterprise with turnover between Rs 5 crore and Rs 75 crore; and a medium enterprise with turnover less than Rs 250 crore.

Category and distribution

According to the latest available (2018-19) Annual Report of Department of MSMEs, there are 6.34 crore MSMEs in the country.

Around 51 per cent of these are situated in rural India. Together, they employ a little over 11 crore people but 55 per cent of the employment happens in the urban MSMEs.

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99.5 per cent of all MSMEs fall in the micro category. While micro enterprises are equally distributed over rural and urban India, small and medium ones are predominantly in urban India.

The medium and small enterprises — that is, the remaining 0.5% of all MSMEs — employ the remaining 5 crore-odd employees.

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12. Unemployment: Context: As per CMIE’s data, the monthly unemployment rate in April stood at 23.52 per cent, up from March’s 8.74 per cent. Findings: Amid suspended economic activity to counter the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s unemployment rate surged to 27.11 per cent for the week ended May 3 from the level of 6.74 per cent in the week ended March 15, the data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed. Unemployment rate had moderated to 21.05 per cent in the previous week (which ended April 26) from 26.19 per cent in the week before. State-wise data shows that as of April-end, Puducherry had the highest number of unemployment at 75.8 per cent, followed by neighboring Tamil Nadu 49.8 per cent, Jharkhand 47.1 per cent and Bihar 46.6 per cent. Maharashtra’s unemployment rate was recorded at 20.9 per cent, while the same for Haryana stood at 43.2 per cent, Uttar Pradesh at 21.5 per cent and Karnataka at 29.8 per cent, CMIE data showed. As per CMIE’s data, the monthly unemployment rate in April stood at 23.52 per cent, up from March’s 8.74 per cent. Concept: Unemployment What is Unemployment? Unemployment occurs when a person who is actively searching for employment is unable to find work. Unemployment is often used as a measure of the health of the economy. The most frequent measure of unemployment is the unemployment rate, which is the number of unemployed people divided by the number of people in the labor force. Types of Unemployment in India

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1. Disguised Unemployment: o It is a phenomenon wherein more people are employed than actually

needed. o It is primarily traced in the agricultural and the unorganized sectors of India.

2. Seasonal Unemployment:

o It is an unemployment that occurs during certain seasons of the year. o Agricultural labourers in India rarely have work throughout the year.

3. Structural Unemployment: o It is a category of unemployment arising from the mismatch between the

jobs available in the market and the skills of the available workers in the market.

o Many people in India do not get job due to lack of requisite skills and due to poor education level, it becomes difficult to train them.

4. Cyclical Unemployment:

o It is result of the business cycle, where unemployment rises during recessions and declines with economic growth.

o Cyclical unemployment figures in India are negligible. It is a phenomenon that is mostly found in capitalist economies.

5. Technological Unemployment:

o It is loss of jobs due to changes in technology. o In 2016, World Bank data predicted that the proportion of jobs threatened

by automation in India is 69% year-on-year. 6. Frictional Unemployment:

o The Frictional Unemployment also called as Search Unemployment, refers to the time lag between the jobs when an individual is searching for a new job or is switching between the jobs.

o In other words, an employee requires time for searching a new job or shifting from the existing to a new job, this inevitable time delay causes the frictional unemployment. It is often considered as a voluntary unemployment because it is not caused due to the shortage of job, but in fact, the workers themselves quit their jobs in search of better opportunities.

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7. Vulnerable Employment: o This means, people working informally, without proper job contracts and

thus sans any legal protection. These persons are deemed ‘unemployed’ since records of their work are never maintained.

o It is one of the main types of unemployment in India. 6.Unemployment due to mismatch between skill and job available in the market is called (a) Seasonal Unemployment (b) Frictional Unemployment (c) Disguised Unemployment (d) Structural Unemployment

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13. Bharat Market Context: Traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said it will soon launch a national e-commerce marketplace ‘bharatmarket’ for all retail traders in collaboration with several technology partners. Concept:

The marketplace will integrate the capabilities of various technology companies to provide end-to-end services in the logistics and supply chains from manufacturers to end consumers, including deliveries at home.

It will include nationwide participation by retailers and aims to bring 95 per cent of retail traders on board the platform, who would exclusively run the portal.

It has been already started as a pilot project, initially with a limited number of essential commodities, in six cities — Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Bengaluru.

This will be an effective way to get essential commodities to consumers during the lockdown period and within containment zones.

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14. MCLR Context: State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender slashed its marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 15 bps across all tenors. Concept:

The marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) is the minimum interest rate that a bank can lend at.

MCLR is a tenor-linked internal benchmark, which means the rate is determined internally by the bank depending on the period left for the repayment of a loan.

MCLR is closely linked to the actual deposit rates and is calculated based on four components:

o marginal cost of funds o negative carry on account of cash reserve ratio o operating costs o Tenor premium.

The Reserve Bank of India has made it mandatory for all banks to link all new floating rate loans (i.e. personal/retail loans, loans to MSMEs) to an external benchmark with effect from 1st October 2019.

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15. What are micro enterprises? Context: Micro enterprises best placed to help economy come out of Covid-19 crisis: Report by Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) and TransUnion CIBIL Findings:

As per the report, micro enterprises have been classified as those with borrowings of less than Rs 1 crore.

In a joint report, the two entities said leverage ratios and non-performing assets (NPAs) of micro enterprises are the lowest in the commercial segment.

From the NPA perspective, bad loans in the very small (under Rs 10 lakh exposure) segment stood at 11.3 percent as of December 2019, as compared to stress of 17.3 percent in the overall commercial lending segment, 18.7 percent for the medium corporate segment and 19.1 percent for the large corporate segment.

Both the entities analysed the response from a loan delinquency perspective after both the GST implementation and the drying up of financing by the non-bank lenders following the IL&FS crisis to show that the NPA accretion by micro enterprises was low.

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16. RBI gold reserve Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bought 40.45 tonnes of gold in financial year 2019-20, taking its total holdings of the yellow metal to 653.01 tonnes. Findings:

As much as 360.71 tonnes of gold was held overseas in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank for International Settlements, while the remaining gold is held domestically, the RBI said in its ‘Report on Management of Foreign Exchange Reserves’.

In value terms (USD), the share of gold in the total foreign exchange reserves rose from about 5.59 per cent as of March 2019 to about 6.40 per cent by March 2020.

During the half-year period under review, Currency and Gold Revaluation Account (CGRA) reserves followed an increasing trend from $445.11 billion as of October 2019 to $481.26 billion by February 2020. Thereafter, reserves decreased to $477.81 billion as of March 2020, the RBI report said.

Concept: There are five components in the RBI’s capital reserve. Following are the five components of the RBI’s capital reserve.

Contingency Fund (CF): The CF is a fund set apart for meeting the unforeseen contingencies, including depreciation in the value of securities, risks arising out of monetary/exchange rate policy operations, systemic risks and any risk arising on account of the special responsibilities enjoined upon the Bank.

Asset Development Fund (ADF): The Asset Development Fund (ADF) has been set aside for investment in subsidiaries and associates and internal capital expenditure.

Currency and Gold Revaluation Account (CGRA): The CGRA shows fund that is available to compensate RBI’s loss in the value of gold and foreign exchange reserve holdings. Gains and losses of the values of Gold and Foreign Currency Assets decreases or increases the CGRA money. CGRA provides a buffer against exchange rate/gold price fluctuations. Increase in gold price and depreciation of the rupee increases the CGRA fund.

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Investment Revaluation Account (IRA): Buffer amount available with the RBI to compensate losses and to accommodate gains in (i) foreign securities and (ii) domestic securities.

Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts Valuation Account (FCVA): The FCVA measures marked to market (periodic) gains and losses for the RBI from foreign exchange forward contracts.

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17. Bad Bank Context: Rising of non-performing assets (NPAs) in banks due pandemic and the economic slowdown makes banking sector to prepare groundwork for creation of a bad bank to tackle bad assets Concept:

A bad bank is one, set up to buy the bad loans and other illiquid holdings of another financial institution. The entity holding significant nonperforming assets will sell these holdings to the bad bank at market price. By transferring such assets to the bad bank, the original institution may clear its balance sheet—although it will still be forced to take write-downs.

The idea of forming a 'bad bank' in India was initially floated in January 2017 when the Economic Survey of India suggested setting up a Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency (PARA). RBI, too, came up with a suggestion to form two entities to clean up the bad loan problems ailing PSBs -- PAMC (Private Asset Management Company) and NAMC (National Assets Management Company).

In 2018 the government proposed a five-pronged strategy under Project Sashakt to tackle stress in the banking sector, and had formed a panel led by Sunil Mehta. Under the project, the committee had to float an AMC and an AIF to resolve non-performing assets (NPAs) over ₹ 500 crore.

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18. Bond Yield and fiscal deficit: Context: The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond surged following the government's announcement of higher borrowing for the current fiscal amid the pandemic-induced lockdown. India’s fiscal deficit will widen to 7% of gross domestic product versus the 3.5% target. Concept:

Fiscal Deficit is the difference between the total income of the government (total taxes and non-debt capital receipts) and its total expenditure.

Yield of a bond is the effective rate of return that it earns. But the rate of return is not fixed, it changes with the price of the bond. Every bond has a face value and a coupon payment. There is also the price of the bond, which may or may not be equal to the face value of the bond.

Rise in demand of bond lead to rise in price of bond which in turn decreases bond yield.

Yield Curve:

A yield curve is a graphical representation of yields for bonds (with an equal credit rating) over different time horizons.

Typically, the term is used for government bonds — which come with the same sovereign guarantee. So the yield curve shows how yields change when the tenure (or the time for which one lends to the government) changes.

If bond investors expect the economy to grow normally, then they would expect to be rewarded more (that is, get more yield) when they lend for a longer period. This gives rise to a normal upward sloping yield curve.

The steepness of this yield curve is determined by how fast an economy is expected to grow. The faster it is expected to grow the more the yield for longer tenures.

When the economy is expected to grow only marginally, the yield curve is “flat”.

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Yield inversion happens when the yield on a longer tenure bond becomes less than the yield for a shorter tenure bond.

A yield inversion typically portends a recession. An inverted yield curve shows that investors expect the future growth to fall sharply; in other words, the demand for money would be much lower than what it is today and hence the yields are also lower.

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19. Trade Union and ILO: The ILO Convention 144 Context: Trade unions plan to move ILO after Indian states' proposed to liberalize labor laws in order to boost economy. Concept:

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the United Nations agency for the world of work.

It sets international labour standards, promotes rights at work and encourages decent employment opportunities, the enhancement of social protection and the strengthening of dialogue on work-related issues.

The ILO has a unique structure, bringing together governments, employers’ and workers’ representatives.

The ILO has 187 member States and is one of the oldest

The ILO is founded as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the First World War, to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace cannot be achieved without social justice.

The International Labour Conference (ILC) meets once a year to adopt new international labour standards and to approve the ILO’s work plan and budget. The Governing Body is the executive council of the ILO and meets three times a year in Geneva.

Core Conventions of the ILO: - The eight Core Conventions of the ILO (also called fundamental/human rights conventions) are: o Forced Labour Convention (No. 29) o Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No.105) o Equal Remuneration Convention (No.100) o Discrimination (Employment Occupation) Convention (No.111) o Minimum Age Convention (No.138) o Worst forms of Child Labour Convention (No.182). These are ratified by

India. o Freedom of Association and Protection of Right to Organised

Convention (No.87) o Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (No.98) These

two have not been ratified by India

The Convention on Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards), 1976 (No.144) , promotes the application of a founding

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principle of the ILO: bringing together governments, employers and workers through tripartite social dialogue to develop, implement and promote international labour standards governing all aspects of the world of work.

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20. E-NAM Context: 177 new mandis integrated with eNAM platform for marketing agricultural produce Concept:

The National Agricultural Market (eNAM) is a pan India electronic trading portal with the objective of integrating the existing Mandis to “One Nation One Market” for agricultural commodities in India, was launched on 14th April 2016

Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing eNAM under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.

The NAM portal provides a single window service for all APMC related information and services which includes commodity arrivals, quality & prices, provision to respond to trade offers and electronic payment settlement directly into farmers’ accounts and helping them for better market access

Its vision is to promote uniformity in agriculture marketing by streamlining of procedures across the integrated markets, removing information asymmetry between buyers and sellers and promoting real time price discovery based on actual demand and supply.

New features were recently added to National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) Platform to strengthen agriculture marketing by farmers which will reduce their need to physically come to wholesale mandis for selling their harvested produce, at a time when there is critical need to decongest mandis to effectively fight against COVID-19.

These software modules are namely (i) Warehouse based trading module in e-NAM software to facilitate trade from warehouses based on e-NWR (ii) FPO trading module in e-NAM whereby FPOs can trade their produce from their collection center without bringing the produce to APMC.

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21. Industrial output Context: India’s factory output contracted a record 16.7% in March with economic activity coming to a standstill due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Findings:

Production output of eight core industries shrunk by -6.47 in March 2020%, down from 7.1% in the previous month.

The eight Core Industries in decreasing order of their weightage: Refinery Products> Electricity> Steel> Coal> Crude Oil> Natural Gas> Cement> Fertilizers.

Capital goods production is an indicator of investment activity which saw the steepest fall in output at 35.6%

Consumer durables output is a reflection of urban demand. It shows fall of 33%.

Output of consumer non-durables, an indicator of rural demand, shrank 16.2% in March.

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22. Self-Reliant Mission Context: Prime Minister has announced the Atma-nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (or Self-reliant India Mission) worth Rs 20 lakh crore or 10% of India’s GDP in 2019-20. Concept:

It would cover “land, labour, liquidity, and laws”, industry and businesses of all sizes, and farmers, entrepreneurs, and the middle class.

The mission will stress on the theme of self-reliance and the importance of keeping manufacturing, markets and supply chains local.

The mission amount includes the ~1.7 lakh crore cash transfer and food package aimed at the most vulnerable and the measures announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

RBI has announced liquidity infusion and targeted credit measures aggregating anything between ~4.5 lakh crore.

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23. Force Majeure under RERA Context: Finance minister has announced extension of six months for registration and completion dates of all projects under Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) by considering COVID as force majeure Concept:

The term ‘force majeure’ has been defined in Black’s Law Dictionary, as ‘an event or effect that can be neither anticipated nor controlled.

From a contractual perspective, a force majeure clause provides temporary reprieve to a party from performing its obligations under a contract upon occurrence of a force majeure event.

While force majeure has neither been defined nor specifically dealt with, in Indian statutes, some reference can be found in Section 32 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 (the "Contract Act") envisages that if a contract is contingent on the happening of an event which event becomes impossible, then the contract becomes void.

Force majeure clauses can usually be found in various contracts such as power purchase agreements, supply contracts, manufacturing contracts, distribution agreements, project finance agreements, agreements between real estate developers and home buyers, etc.

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24. Credit guarantee Context: In the latest tranche of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package, 100% credit guarantees to MSMEs has been announced. Concept:

Loans to MSMEs are mostly given against property (as collateral) because often there isn’t a robust cash flow analysis available.

But in times of crisis, banks are less willing to extend loans

A credit guarantee by the government helps as it assures the bank that its loan will be repaid by the government in case the MSME falters.

Instead of directly infusing money into the economy or giving it directly to MSMEs in terms of a bailout package, the government has resorted to taking over the credit risk of MSMEs should they want to remain in business. These credit guarantees should help the formal banking system meet the credit demand of the MSME sector.

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25. Import dependent sector Context: Prime Minister brought up the importance of local manufacturing and consumption of locally produced goods, stating that Indians needed to become “vocal for local” Concept:

Electrical equipment such as smartphones and computers are a key part of India’s import bill. The value addition in India’s electronics industry is limited to mostly assembly, while the country depends on imports to access most of the primary and critical components used to make them, including printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Around 88 per cent of the components used by the mobile handsets industry are imported from countries like china, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Over 60 per cent of the country’s medical devices are imported.

Other products heavily imported into the country are cells and modules used by the country’s solar power industry.

India’s pharmaceutical industry is capable of making finished formulations, and also has domestic manufacturers of several key ingredients used to make them. However, the industry also imports some key ingredients for antibiotics and vitamins currently not manufactured in India.

Some auto manufacturers depend on imports for various components, while the country’s electric vehicles industry is dependent, “to a large extent” on Chinese imports for chemicals used to make cathodes and battery cells, it said.

Local dyestuff units in India are also heavily dependent on imports of several raw materials, while specialty chemicals for textiles like denim are also imported.

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26. MSME new definition Context: Government changed the definition of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (self-reliant India) economic relief package. Concept:

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Act, 2006 defines MSMEs engaged in manufacturing based on their investment in plant and machinery

In the new definition announced, the investment limit has been revised upwards and an additional criterion of turnover introduced.

The distinction between manufacturing and services has been done away with too.

Benefits:

Low threshold in MSME definiton have created a fear among MSMEs of graduating out of the benefits and hence the killing the urge to grow. There has been a long pending demand for revisions.

The definition matters for companies as there are benefits linked to it. These range from loans under the priority sector lending scheme, a 25% share in procurement by government and government-owned companies, promoters being allowed to bid for stressed assets under insolvency law (unlike big companies) as well as relief from the government and regulators from time to time.

Turnover brings in greater transparency in the classification, as it is easier for the government to verify a company’s turnover using the GST data than the investment in machinery etc.

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27. Care economy Context: The “care economy” provides immense scope for increasing employment. Concept:

Care work and care economy is a system that consists of activities and relationships involved in meeting the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of care remains an integral but undervalued component of economies all over the world, ensuring the welfare of communities.

Care work can be direct or indirect, paid or unpaid, short-term (maternity needs) or long-term (care for the disabled and elderly).

Care work also encompasses a range of sectors such as education, health, and social work involving teachers, nurses, community health workers, social workers, and domestic workers.

The demand for care work is set to surge by 2030 due to a number of factors.

o First, demographic transition in low- and middle-income countries will lead to a higher proportion of the elderly at the expense of the working-age population.

o Second, urbanization is changing the traditional joint-family structure in these regions to nuclear, single-parent, and transnational households, alienating them from community care bonds.

o Third, climate change has accentuated water scarcity and rural food distress which increases care burden on women and children. In these circumstances, excessive and strenuous unpaid care activities can compromise the quality of care received.

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28. CHAMPION portal Context: Union Ministry of MSME has launched CHAMPIONS portal which aimed at assisting Indian MSMEs march into big league as National and Global CHAMPIONS. Concept:

The CHAMPIONS is an acronym for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength

As the name suggests, the portal is basically for making the smaller units big by solving their grievances, encouraging, supporting, helping and handholding.

It is a technology packed control room-cum-management information system.

Three basic objectives of the CHAMPIONS: o How to help the MSMEs in this difficult situation in terms of finance,

raw materials, labour, permissions, etc. o How to help them capture new opportunities like manufacturing of

medical accessories and products like PPEs, masks, etc. o How to identify the sparks, i.e., the bright MSMEs who can not only

withstand but can also become national and international champions.

In addition to ICT tools including telephone, internet and video conference, the system is enabled by Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Machine Learning.

It is also fully integrated on real time basis with GOI’s main grievances portal CPGRAMS and MSME Ministry’s own other web based mechanisms.

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29. Global Energy Transition Index Context: World Economic Forum released global energy transition index Concept:

In its report, the WEF studied readiness for clean energy transition in 115 economies and showed that 94 have made progress since 2015, but environmental sustainability continues to lag.

India has moved up two positions to rank 74th on a global ‘Energy Transition Index’ with improvements on all key parameters of economic growth, energy security and environmental sustainability

For India, gains have come from a government-mandated renewable energy expansion programme, now extended to 275 GW by 2027. India has also made significant strides in energy efficiency through bulk procurement of LED bulbs, smart meters, and programs for labelling of appliances. Similar measures are being experimented to drive down the costs of electric vehicles, the WEF said.

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30. Agriculture reforms Context: Finance minister has announced Rs 1.63 lakh crore packages for agriculture and allied sectors aimed at strengthening infrastructure, logistics and capacity building at farm gate. Package: 1. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers 2. Formalization of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE) 3. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

It is for integrated, sustainable, inclusive development of marine and inland fisheries.

Rs 11,000 crore for activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture and Rs. 9000 crore for Infrastructure - Fishing Harbours, Cold chain, Markets etc shall be provided.

Cage Culture, Seaweed farming, Ornamental Fisheries as well as New Fishing Vessels, Traceability, Laboratory Network etc. will be key activities.

The focus will be on Islands, Himalayan States, North-east and Aspirational Districts.

4. National Animal Disease Control Programme 5. Setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund 6. Promotion of Herbal Cultivation

National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has supported 2.25 lakh hectare area under cultivation of medicinal plants. 10,00,000 hectare will be covered under Herbal cultivation in next two years

7. Beekeeping initiatives 8. From ‘TOP’ to TOTAL

Operation Greens will be extended from tomatoes, onion and potatoes to ALL fruit and vegetables.

9. Amendments to Essential Commodities Act and APMC Reforms

Government will amend Essential Commodities Act to enable better price realization for farmers.

Agriculture foodstuffs, including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato, will be deregulated

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Concept: Operation greens

Operation Greens was announced in the Budget speech of 2018-19 with an outlay of Rs 500 crores to stabilize the supply of Tomato, Onion and Potato(TOP) crops and to ensure availability of TOP crops throughout the country round the year without price volatility

NAFED will be the Nodal Agency to implement price stabilization measures. MoFPI will provide 50% of the subsidy on the following two components:

o Transportation of Tomato Onion Potato(TOP) Crops from production to storage;

o Hiring of appropriate storage facilities for TOP Crops; ECA

The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 was enacted to ensure the easy availability of essential commodities to consumers and to protect them from exploitation by unscrupulous traders.

At present, there are seven commodities scheduled under the EC Act, 1955 as essential.

o Drugs o Fertilizer, whether inorganic, organic or mixed o Foodstuffs, including edible oilseeds and oils o Hank yarn made wholly from cotton o Petroleum and petroleum products o Raw jute and jute textile o seeds of food-crops and seeds of fruits and vegetables, seeds of

cattle fodder, jute seeds and cotton seed

Exercising powers under the Act, various Ministries/Departments of the Central Government and under the delegated powers the State Governments/UT Administrations have issued Control Orders for regulating production, distribution, pricing and other aspects of trading in respect of the commodities declared as essential.

The enforcement/implementation of the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 lies with the State Governments and UT Administrations

APMC

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Most states have Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts, to regulate, control, and monopolise the functioning of markets.

The original idea behind setting up of APMCs was to protect farmers from wily, middlemen, ensuring competitive prices to farmers and optimising farm incomes from agrarian produce.

APMC Acts empower state governments to demarcate their geographical region into various ‘notified market areas’, headed by a market committee for each market area.

Over time these committees became authoritarian, leading to a monopolistic structure, antithetical to the cause of welfare of the farming community.

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31. CCI and Anti –trust Context: Competition Commission of India (CCI) is looking into allegations that WhatsApp may be abusing its dominant social media position to gain an edge in the payments domain. As the antitrust regulator, the CCI seeks to ensure fair competition in India. Concept: CCI:

The Competition Act, 2002 follows the philosophy of modern competition laws.

The Act prohibits anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant position by enterprises and regulates combinations (acquisition, acquiring of control and M&A), which causes or likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition within India.

The objectives of the Act are sought to be achieved through the Competition Commission of India, which has been established by the Central Government on 2003.

CCI consists of a Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central Government.

It is the duty of the Commission to eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India.

The Commission is also required to give opinion on competition issues on a reference received from a statutory authority established under any law and to undertake competition advocacy, create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.

Antitrust:

Antitrust law also referred to as competition laws aims to protect trade and commerce from unfair restraints, monopolies and price fixing.

They ensure that fair competition exists in an open-market economy.

The Competition Act, 2002 is India’s antitrust law

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32. Essential Commodities Act Context: Cabinet will soon promulgate ordinance to amend Essential Commodities Act Changes to be made:

Commodities such as cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato are expected to be deregulated.

Stock limit will be imposed under very exceptional circumstances like national calamities, famine with surge in prices.

Further, no such stock limit shall apply to processors or value chain participant, subject to their installed capacity or to any exporter subject to the export demand

Describing the EC Act as “anachronistic”, the Economic Survey 2019-20, too, recommended amending or dropping this law.

Concept:

The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 was enacted to ensure the easy availability of essential commodities to consumers and to protect them from exploitation by unscrupulous traders.

At present, there are seven commodities scheduled under the EC Act, 1955 as essential.

o Drugs o Fertilizer, whether inorganic, organic or mixed o Foodstuffs, including edible oilseeds and oils o Hank yarn made wholly from cotton o Petroleum and petroleum products o Raw jute and jute textile o seeds of food-crops and seeds of fruits and vegetables, seeds of

cattle , fodder, jute seeds and cotton seed

Exercising powers under the Act, various Ministries/Departments of the Central government and under the delegated powers the State Governments/UT Administrations have issued Control Orders for regulating production, distribution, pricing and other aspects of trading in respect of the commodities declared as essential.

The enforcement/implementation of the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 lies with the State Governments and UT Administrations

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33. Reforms announced Context: Union finance minister announced the fourth set of the 20-lakh crore Covid economic package as part of the “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-reliant India campaign)” that were targeted towards eight sectors—coal, minerals, defence production, civil aviation, power distribution, social infrastructure, space and atomic energy. Concept:

Coal sector

Government will bring in commercial mining in the country’s coal sector and that the government monopoly in coal mining will be removed.

It will be done on the basis of a revenue-sharing mechanism instead of regime of a fixed rupee per tonne. Anycompany can bid for a coal block and sell in the open market.

India has the third-largest coal availability within its untapped mines and yet India still imports coal. Because of this, the emerging sectors suffer because of lack of raw material availability.

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Mining sector

Structural reforms in the mining of minerals through the introduction of a seamless composite exploration-cum-mining-cum-production regime under which 500 mining blocks would be auctioned.

Also, a joint auction of bauxite and coal mineral blocks would be done to enhance the aluminium industry’s competitiveness by reducing the cost of electricity generation.

The government will also remove the distinction between captive and non-captive mines to allow the transfer of mining leases and the sale of surplus unused minerals, leading to better efficiency in mining and production.

Defence production

FDI limit in defence manufacturing under automatic route will be hiked from 49 per cent to 74 per cent.

The government will also begin time-bound defence procurement and faster decision making

Government will notify a list of weapons/platforms banned for imports. Civil aviation

Restrictions on the utilisation of Indian airspace are going be eased so that the flying of civilian aircraft becomes more efficient.

Six more airports are now up for auction under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model.

What is airspace? Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. Power distribution sector

Power distribution companies in the union territories (UT) will be privatised.

The tariff policy will have reforms, including consumer rights, promotion of industry and sustainability of the sector.

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Social-infrastructure projects

Government has made a provision of Rs 8,100 crore which will be through viability gap funding (VGF).

In most projects supported by centre/states/statutory bodies, 20 per cent is given as VGF. The centre will give 30 per cent VGF, increasing the quantum by 10 per cent.

Space sector

The government wants the private sector to be a participant in the country’s space journey.

Government will provide a level playing field for private companies in satellites, launches and space-based services.

Future projects for planetary exploration and outer space travel will be open to the private sector. There will be a liberal geo-spatial data policy for providing remote-sensing data to tech-entrepreneurs.

Atomic energy

The finance minister said that the government will establish a research reactor in the PPP model for the production of medical isotopes to promote the welfare of humanity through affordable treatment for cancer and other diseases.

They will be establishing facilities under PPP mode to use irradiation technology for food preservation.

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34. Poison pills Context: In order to protect themselves from hostile takeovers during these testing times, many companies across the world are taking ‘poison pills’ to ward off hostile takeovers. Concept:

The term poison pill refers to a defense strategy used by a target firm to prevent or discourage a potential hostile takeover by an acquiring company.

Potential targets use this tactic in order to make them look less attractive to the potential acquirer.

The typical poison pill is structured as a shareholder rights agreement, where the existing shareholders of the target company get rights to buy additional shares the moment a takeover is announced. These shares may carry a steep discount to the market price or additional voting rights.

The mechanism protects minority shareholders and avoids the change of control of company management. Implementing a poison pill may not always indicate that the company is not willing to be acquired. At times, it may be enacted to get a higher valuation or more favorable terms for the acquisition.

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35. Criteria for Medium Enterprise Context: Government to further revise criteria for classifying 'medium' enterprises under MSME definition Concept:

The government has decided to further revise the criteria for medium units by enhancing the investment and turnover limits to up to Rs 50 crore and Rs 200 crore respectively

Unveiling the contours of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package, Finance Minister had last week announced a change in the definition of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

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36. Air space unlock Context: Under the civil aviation sector, Finance Minister announced policy reforms for Airports, Airspace management, and Maintenance Repair &Overhaul (MRO). Concept:

Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere.

Out of the total Indian airspace only 60 per cent is freely allowed for commercial aviation usage which is set to be further increased. This will lead to optimal utilization of airspace; reduction in fuel use, time and will have positive environmental impact.

This move will bring a total benefit of about Rs 1000 crores per year for the aviation sector.

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37. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) and National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Context: State-owned National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) may provide credit guarantee to the proposed Rs 3-lakh crore loan scheme for MSMEs, announced as part of economic package under COVID-19 crisis. Concept:

Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme is to enable additional funding of up to Rs. 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested MUDRA borrowers.

Under the Scheme, 100% guarantee coverage to be provided in the form of a Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility.

National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company

National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 on 2014, established by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, as a wholly owned company of the Government of India, to act as a common trustee company for multiple credit guarantee funds.

Credit guarantee programmes are designed to share the lending risk of the lenders and in turn, facilitate access to finance for the prospective borrowers.

The common architecture of NCGTC has been designed to handle multiple guarantee programmes under a single umbrella organization.

The intent of NCGTC is therefore, to manage multiple guarantee schemes as part of a larger financial inclusion programme of the government covering different cross sections and segments of the economy like students, micro entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, SMEs, skill and vocational training needs, etc.

Currently, the company provides credit guarantee to six schemes of the government, including Standup India.

Impact

In view of the critical role of the MSME sector in the economy and in providing employment, the proposed Scheme is expected to provide much needed relief to the sector by incentivizing MLIs to provide additional

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credit of up to Rs.3 lakh crore to the sector at low cost, thereby enabling MSMEs to meet their operational liabilities and restart their businesses.

By supporting MSMEs to continue functioning during the current unprecedented situation, the Scheme is also expected to have a positive impact on the economy and support its revival.

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38. Scheme for Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (FME) Context: The Union Cabinet has given its approval to "Scheme for Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (FME)" for the Unorganized Sector on all India basis with an outlay of Rs.10,000 crore. Concept: Status of FMEs

There are about 25 lakh unregistered food processing enterprises which constitute 98% of the sector and are unorganized and informal. Nearly 66 % of these units are located in rural areas and about 80% of them are family-based enterprises.

Challenges

This sector faces a number of challenges including the inability to access credit, high cost of institutional credit, lack of access to modern technology, inability to integrate with the food supply chain and compliance with the health &safety standards.

Salient features:

Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Expenditure to be shared by Government of India and States at 60:40.

2,00,000 micro-enterprises are to be assisted with credit linked subsidy.

Scheme will be implemented over a 5 year period from 2020-21 to 2024-25.

Cluster approach.

Focus on perishables. Impact and employment generation:

Nearly eight lakh micro- enterprises will benefit through access to information, better exposure and formalization.

Credit linked subsidy support and hand-holding will be extended to 2,00,000 micro enterprises for expansion and upgradation..

Scheme envisages increased access to credit by existing micro food processing entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in the Aspirational Districts.

Better integration with organized markets.

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Increased access to common services like sorting, grading, processing, packaging, storage etc.

Strengthening this segment will lead to reduction in wastage, creation of off-farm job opportunities and aid in achieving the overarching Government objective of doubling farmers' income.

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39. Pradhan Mantra Matsya Sampada Yojana Context: The Cabinet has approved the “Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, a scheme to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India with highest ever investment of Rs. 20050 crores in fisheries sector. Concept: Status:

Fisheries and aquaculture are an important source of food, nutrition, employment and income in India.

The sector provides livelihood to more than 20 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and twice the number along the value chain.

The Gross Value Added (GVA) of fisheries sector in the national economy is 1.24% of the total National GVA and 7.28% share of Agricultural GVA.

Fisheries sector in India has shown impressive growth with an average annual growth rate of 10.88% during the year from 2014-15 to 2018-19. The fish production in India has registered an average annual growth of 7.53% during last 5 years and stood at an all-time high of 137.58 lakh metric tons during 2018-19.

Features:

The PMMSY will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate Components namely Central Sector Scheme (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).

Under the Central Sector Scheme Component an amount of Rs. 1720 crores has been earmarked. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Component, an investment of Rs. 18330 crores has been envisaged, which in turn is segregated into Non-beneficiary oriented and Beneficiary orientated sub-components/activities under the following three broad heads:

o Enhancement of Production and Productivity o Infrastructure and Post-harvest Management o Fisheries Management and Regulatory Framework

Cluster or area-based approach would be followed with requisite forward and backward linkages and end to end solutions.

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Thrust will be given for infusing new and emerging technologies like Re-circulatory Aquaculture Systems, Biofloc, Aquaponics, Cage Cultivation etc. to enhance production and productivity, quality, productive utilization of waste lands and water for Aquaculture.

Special focus on Coldwater fisheries development and expansion of Aquaculture in Brackish Water and Saline Areas.

Activities like Mariculture, Seaweed cultivation and Ornamental Fisheries having potential to generate huge employment will be promoted.

Focused attention would be given for fisheries development in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Islands, Northeast, and Aspirational Districts through area specific development plans.

PMMSY envisages promotion of high value species, establishing a national network of Brood Banks for all commercially important species, Genetic improvement and establishing Nucleus Breeding Center for self-reliance in Shrimp Brood stock, organic aquaculture promotion and certification, good aquaculture practices, end to end traceability from ‘catch to consumer’, use of Block Chain Technology, Global Standards and Certification, Accreditation of Brood banks, Hatcheries, Farms, residues issues and aquatic health management supported by a modern laboratory network.

Collectivization of fishers and fish farmers through Fish Farmer Producer Organizations (FFPOs) to increase bargaining power of fishers and fish farmers is a key feature of PMMSY.

Aquaparks as hub of fisheries and aquaculture activities with assured, affordable, quality inputs under one roof, post-harvest infrastructure facilities, business enterprise zones, logistic support, business incubation centers, marketing facilities etc.

Youth would be engaged in fisheries extension by creation of 3347 Sagar Mitras in coastal fisher villages.

Major investments in construction and modernization of Fishing Harbours and Landing centers for hygienic handling of fish, urban marketing infrastructure to deliver quality and affordable fish, development of state of the art whole sale fish markets, retail markets, E-marketing and E-trading of Fish etc.

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40. Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs/HFCs Context: The Government has proposed a framework for addressing the liquidity constraints of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) through a Special Liquidity Scheme. Concept: Features:

A large PSB would set up SPV to manage a Stressed Asset Fund (SAF) which would issue interest bearing special securities guaranteed by the Government of India, to be purchased by RBI only.

The proceeds of sale of such securities would be used by the SPV to acquire short term debt of NBFCs/HFCs.

The Scheme will be administered by the Department of Financial Services.

The scheme would also act as an enabler for the NBFC to get investment grade or better rating for bonds issued. The scheme is likely to be easier to operate and also augment the flow of funds from the non-bank sector.

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41. Negative Economic Growth: Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Friday offered the first official acceptance that GDP growth will slip into negative territory this year. What are the factors responsible for negative growth?

According to RBI, economic activity in India was severely impacted by the nationwide lockdown in the last two months. The biggest blow to the economy has come from the slump in private consumption. Consumer durables production has reduced 33% in the March. Electricity consumption has also plunged. Service sector has contracted — passenger and commercial vehicle sales, domestic air passenger traffic and foreign tourist arrivals have slumped in March.

Further, growth has been impacted by supply disruption. Negative growth is a contraction in business sales or earnings. It is also used to refer to a contraction in a country's economy, which is reflected in a decrease in its gross domestic product (GDP) during any quarter of a given year. Negative growth is typically expressed as a negative percentage rate.

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42. RBI announces additional measures for strengthening the Economy Context: RBI has announced yet another set of measures to smoothen the flow of finance and preserve financial stability in the turbulent and uncertain times ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic Concept: Changes in rates: The repo rate has been reduced by 40 basis points from 4.4% to 4.0%. With this, the RBI has slashed the repo rate by 115 points since the lockdown commenced March 25.The Marginal Standing Facility rate and the Bank rate have been reduced from 4.65% to 4.25%. The reverse repo rate has been reduced from 3.75% to 3.35%. Need for changes:

to keep the financial system and financial markets sound, liquid and smoothly functioning

to ensure access to finance to all, especially those that tend to get excluded by financial markets

to preserve financial stability Will monetary easing help? Or is it losing its effectiveness? Demand for credit is likely to remain low as, with continuing economic and health uncertainty, firms and households will postpone their decisions. Moreover, risk averse banks are likely to hold back even if there are borrowers. The challenge of ensuring liquidity flows to the stressed parts of the system will remain. Higher-rated borrowers are likely to continue to get easy funding, while lower-rated borrowers will struggle — evidenced in higher credit spreads. The credit guarantees provided by the central government for lending to MSMEs, NBFCs, MFIs could help moderate sectoral risk aversion, but only to some extent. The reaction of the bond market to the policy statement was also muted. Perhaps greater clarity over the scale of the RBI’s open market operations, and the Centre and states’ borrowing programme for the year, is being awaited. Alongside monetary easing, the central bank also extended the moratorium on paying instalments on term loans for another three months, providing further relief to borrowers, both industry and households — though this means that the extent of the stress stemming from this lockdown on the financial system will only be accurately gauged once this period is over.

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Measures to Improve the Functioning of Markets a) Refinance Facility to SIDBI extended for another 90 days In order to enable increased supply of affordable credit to small industries, the RBI had earlier announced a special refinance facility of ₹15,000 crore to SIDBI at RBI’s policy repo rate for a period of 90 days. This facility has now been extended by another 90 days. b) Relaxation of Rules for Foreign Portfolio Investment under Voluntary Retention Route The VRR is an investment window provided by RBI to Foreign Portfolio Investors, which provides easier rules in return for a commitment to make higher investments. The rules stipulate that at least 75% of the allotted investment limit be invested within three months; considering the difficulties being faced by investors and their custodians, the time limit has now been revised to six months. Measures to Support Exports and Imports

Exporters can now Avail Bank Loans for Higher Period

Loan facility to EXIM Bank

More time for Importers to Pay for Imports Measures to Ease Financial Stress a) Extension of Regulatory Measures by another 3 Months

The RBI has extended the applicability of certain regulatory measures announced earlier, by another three months from June 1, 2020 till August 31, 2020.

The aforesaid regulatory measures are: (a) 3-month moratorium on term loan installments; (b) 3-month deferment of interest on working capital facilities; (c) easing of working capital financing requirements by reducing margins or reassessment of working capital cycle; (d) exemption from being classified as ‘defaulter’ in supervisory reporting and reporting to credit information companies; (e) extension of resolution timelines for stressed assets; and (f) asset classification standstill by excluding the moratorium period of 3 months, etc. by lending institutions.

b) Provision to convert Interest on Working Capital into Interest Term Loan c) Increase of Group Exposure Limit to Increase Fund Flow to Corporates The maximum credit which banks can extend to a particular corporate group has been increased from 25% to 30% of the bank’s eligible capital base.

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d) Measures to ease financial constraints faced by State Governments: States allowed to borrow more from Consolidated Sinking Fund. The Consolidated Sinking Fund is being maintained by state governments as a buffer for repayment of their liabilities.

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43. Status Paper on Government Debt Context: Central Government has released the Ninth Edition of the Status Paper on the Government Debt, which provides a detailed analysis of the Overall Debt Position of the Government of India. The Central Government has been bringing-out a Status Paper on Government Debt since 2010-11. Findings:

The central government’s debt as a percentage of GDP dropped marginally by 0.1% from 45.8% in fiscal 2017-18 to 45.7% or Rs 86.73 lakh crore in FY19.

Following a similar trend, the general government debt to GDP ratio, which includes the combined debt of the Centre and states, declined by the same percentage from 68.7% in March 2018 to 68.6% or Rs 1.3 crore crore (Rs 130 trillion) in March last year.

The government’s finances were largely protected from currency risks as external debt stood at 2.7% of GDP or Rs 5.12 lakh crore in FY19. Further, as this was entirely from official sources, India was protected from volatility in international markets.

94.1 per cent of total Central Government debt at end-March 2019 was domestic debt

The average interest cost (AIC) for the Centre remained unchanged over FY18 to FY19 at 7.1%. Thus nominal GDP growth net of AIC was 3.9% in FY19, however, this was within the limits of sustainable debt parameters.

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44. Competition Act and Covid-19 Context: Industry body CII has recommended that companies collaborating with competitors, in efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, document their work and avoid sharing competitively sensitive information to avoid any violations of the Competition Act. Concept:

Ordinarily, companies are not allowed to collaborate as concerted actions between competitors are presumed to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition.

But the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had in April published an advisory stating businesses could work together to improve efficiency in delivery of essential goods and services to consumers during the pandemic.

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45. Chardham Pariyojana Context: Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways has inaugurated an event of Chamba Tunnel in Uttarakhand under Chardham Pariyojana through video conference. Concept:

By using the tunnel, troops, artillery guns and vehicles will be able to quickly reach important places along the border with China such as the Nelong Valley.

Char Dham Pariyojana, a project worth about Rs 12,000 crore to improve and develop 889 km of national highways to provide all-weather connectivity to the four holy places in Uttarakhand- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

The project will also provide better connectivity to troops to the Line of Actual

Control.

The works under Char Dham Pariyojna are being implemented on Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode of contract. These projects are being implemented by 3 executing agencies viz, Uttarakhand State PWD, Border Road Organization (BRO) and National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

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46. Financial Stability and Development Council Context: FSDC is going to meet to discuss the impact of coronavirus on economy Concept:

Recommendations for FSDC, a super regulatory body were first mooted by the Raghuram Rajan Committee in 2008.

Finally in 2010, the then Finance Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee, decided to set up such an autonomous body dealing with macro prudential and financial regularities in the entire financial sector of India.

FSDC has replaced the High Level Coordination Committee on Financial Markets (HLCCFM), which was facilitating regulatory coordination, though informally, prior to the setting up of FSDC.

It is non statutory body Composition:

Chairperson: The Union Finance Minister of India

Members: Heads of the financial sector regulatory authorities (i.e., RBI, SEBI, IRDA, and PFRDA), Finance Secretary and/or Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (Union Finance Ministry), Secretary, Department of Financial Services, and Chief Economic Adviser. FSDC can invite experts to its meeting if required.

Functions:

To strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism of maintaining financial stability, Financial Literacy, Financial Inclusion, financial sector development, interregulatory coordination along with monitoring macro-prudential regulation of economy.

FSDC was formed to bring greater coordination among financial market regulators.

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47. Commodity derivatives Context: Markets regulator SEBI issued uniform guidelines to be followed by stock exchanges while identifying and selecting a location as a delivery centre for commodity derivatives contracts. Concept:

Commodity derivatives are defined as the exchange traded or over the counter like futures, forwards and swaps with the underlying being non-financial commodities.

It's a derivative contract with a commodity as the underlying asset.

Producers who want to manage the risk of future price uncertainty for their commodities enter into commodity derivatives.

In India, like a stock market NSE provides a platform to trade in different shares, the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) and National commodity derivative Exchange (NCDEX) facilitate for the commodities.

MCX is known for the trading of Bullions metals (Gold, Silver, etc), Base Metals (Zinc, Aluminium, etc) and Energy (Crude Oil and Natural Gas). The NCDEX is known for trading in Derivative contract of agricultural produces.

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48. Banks Board Bureau Context: Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has selected chairman and MD for Delhi-based Oriental Insurance Company (OIC) after an online video interview process in the wake of the lockdown. Concept:

The Bureau started functioning from April 01, 2016 as an autonomous recommendatory body.

It is tasked to improve the governance of Public Sector Banks, recommend selection of chiefs of government-owned banks and financial institutions and to help banks in developing strategies and capital raising plans

It will have three ex-officio members and three expert members in addition to

Chairman

It is part of Mission Indradhanush for PSBs

The BBB separates the functioning of the PSBs from the government by acting as a middleman.

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49. Monetisation of deficit Vs Open Market Operation Context: Former governors of the Reserve Bank of India and other experts believe that the central bank will have to partly monetise the government’s fiscal deficit, which is likely to balloon as it battles the impact of the coronavirus. Concept:

Monetising deficit refers to the exercise of RBI purchasing government bonds directly in the primary market and financing this debt by printing more money.

In the pre-reform era, the RBI used to directly monetise the government’s deficit almost automatically.

That practice ended in 1997 with a landmark agreement between the government and the RBI. It was agreed that henceforth, the RBI would operate only in the secondary market through the OMO route.

The implied understanding also was that the RBI would use the OMO route not so much to support government borrowing but as a liquidity instrument to manage the balance between the policy objectives of supporting growth, checking inflation and preserving financial stability.

Open market operations is the sale and purchase of government securities

and treasury bills by RBI.

When the RBI wants to increase the money supply in the economy, it purchases the government securities from the market and it sells

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government securities to suck out liquidity from the system. RBI carries out the OMO through commercial banks and does not directly deal with the public.

OMO is one of the tools that RBI uses to smoothen the liquidity conditions through the year and minimise its impact on the interest rate and inflation rate levels.

Although they are both potentially inflationary, the inflation risk they carry is different. OMOs are a monetary policy tool with the RBI, deciding on how much liquidity to inject and when.

In contrast, monetisation is a way of financing the fiscal deficit with the quantum and timing of money supply determined by the government’s borrowing rather than the RBI’s monetary policy.

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50. RKVY Context: Under RKVY, sanction for hiring of vehicles, tractors and for purchase of pesticides has been issued for Rajasthan worth Rs. 14 crores while sanction for purchase of vehicles, spray equipments, safety uniform, android application and training has also been issued for Gujarat at a cost of Rs. 1.80 crores. Concept:

Concerned by the slow growth in the Agriculture and allied sectors, the National Development Council (NDC), in its meeting on 2007 resolved that a special Additional Central Assistance Scheme (RKVY) be launched.

The NDC resolved that agricultural development strategies must be reoriented to meet the needs of farmers and called upon the Central and State governments to evolve a strategy to rejuvenate agriculture.

The NDC reaffirmed its commitment to achieve 4 per cent annual growth in the agricultural sector during the 11th plan.

The Department of Agriculture, in compliance of the above resolution and in consultation with the Planning Commission, has prepared the guidelines for the RKVY scheme, to be known as National Agriculture Development Programme (RKVY).

Objectives of the programme

To incentivize the states that increase their investment in Agriculture and allied sectors

To provide flexibility and autonomy to the States in planning and executing programmes for agriculture

To ensure the preparation of Agriculture Plans for the districts and states

To achieve the goal of reducing the yield gaps in important crops

To maximize returns to the farmers

To address the agriculture and allied sectors in an integrated manner

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51. Inclusion of 23 additional MFP items in MSP List Context: Tribal Affairs Ministry announces inclusion of 23 additional Minor Forest produce items in Minimum Support Price List Concept:

This decision enhancing the coverage from 50 to 73 items comes in view of the exceptional and very difficult circumstances currently prevailing in the country on account of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the potential of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs scheme to offer the much needed support to the tribal MFP gatherers.

An important source of livelihoods for tribal people are non-wood forest products, generally termed 'Minor Forest Produce (MFP)' means all non-timber forest produce of plant origin and will include bamboo, canes, fodder, leaves, gums, waxes, dyes, resins and many forms of food including nuts, wild fruits, Honey, Lac, Tusser etc.

Govt. of India has decided to introduce the scheme of “Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and development of value chain”.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. shall be the Nodal Ministry for implementation and monitoring of the scheme. Ministry of Tribal Affairs shall announce Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the selected MFPs with the technical support from TRIFED.

TRIFED shall be Central Nodal Agency for implementation of the scheme through State level implementing agencies.

ii)TRIFED

The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) came into existence in 1987. It is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India.

The ultimate objective of TRIFED is socio-economic development of tribal people in the country by way of marketing development of the tribal products on which the lives of tribals depends heavily as they spend most of their time and derive major portion of their income.

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It empowers tribal people with knowledge, tools and pool of information so that they can undertake their operations in a more systematic and scientific manner.

It involves capacity building of the tribal people through sensitization, formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and imparting training to them for undertaking a particular activity, exploring marketing possibilities in national as well as international markets, creating opportunities for marketing tribal products on a sustainable basis, creating a brand and providing other services.

iii) Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram

The programme launched in 2018 aims to tap into the traditional knowledge and skill sets of tribal people by adding technology and Information Technology for upgradation of output at each stage and to convert the tribal wisdom into a remunerative economic activity.

Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram seeks to promote and leverage the collective strength of tribal people to achieve a viable scale

The proposition is to set-up tribal community owned MFP-centric multi-purpose Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (the Kendra) in predominantly tribal districts.

About 3000 Van DhanKendrasare proposed to be set up in span of 2 years i.e. 1500 Kendras to be set-up in each year. Each Kendra would act as common facility centres for procurement cum value addition to locally available MFPs and skill based handicraft.

A typical Van Dhan Vikas Kendra shall constitute of 10 tribal Van Dhan Vikas Self Help Groups (SHG), each comprising of upto 30 MFP gatherers or tribal handicraft artisans

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52. Provisional Estimates of Annual National Income, 2019-20 Context: The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, has released the Provisional Estimates of National Income for the financial year 2019-20, both at Constant (2011-12) and Current Prices. Concept:

The provisional figure, which is likely to be revised again by January next year when MoSPI releases the First Revised Estimates for FY20, states that the Indian economy grew by 4.2% in 2019-20.

This is the lowest annual growth rate of GDP registered under the new GDP data series which uses 2011-12 as the base year.

The provisional GDP estimates for 2019-20 support the notion that the

growth deceleration since 2016-17 simply became worse as the last financial year progressed.

In the last quarter of the last financial year, the economy grew by just 3.1%. It shows that the economy had already become quite vulnerable before Covid-19 hit India at the end of March.

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Answer

1. C 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. D 6. D

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General Science 1. Anosmia Context: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) introduced “a new loss of taste or smell” in a list of COVID-19 symptoms. Concept:

Loss of smell is known as anosmia.

Anosmia, however, is a less common symptom. Johns Hopkins University too lists unexplained loss of taste or smell, alongside cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrohoea, headache and also fatigue among the symptoms of COVID.

It can happen even during a severe cold, when we say the nose is “blocked”. Only, this is hyposmia, a reduced sense of smell rather than a complete loss of it.

Anosmia and hyposmia, the inability or decreased ability to smell, is estimated to afflict 3-20% of the population.

Risk of olfactory dysfunction increases with old age and may also result from chronic sinonasal diseases, severe head trauma, and upper respiratory infections, or neurodegenerative diseases.

Other diseases with anosmia among its symptoms include Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. In such cases, it is permanent.

1. Anosmia refers to A. Loss of appetite B. Loss of sense of smell C. Loss of memory D. Loss of immunity

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2. GAVI Context: Dr Seth Berkley is CEO of GAVI urged countries to have global access agreements before a vaccine is developed for COVID Concept:

Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization is a public-private global health partnership committed to increasing access to immunization in poor countries

It is a global Vaccine Alliance with the goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.

It does this by bringing together all the stakeholders – donor governments, developing countries, World Bank, UNICEF, WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, international finance and development organizations, and pharmaceutical industry – in one decision making body

Gavi was launched in 2000. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland

India started receiving support for its immunization programme from GAVI in 2002. Apart from that, India is the largest supplier of vaccines to GAVI

GAVI’S IMPACT

More children survive. The increase in immunisation has helped halve childhood mortality by preventing approximately 13 million deaths and dramatically driven down the incidence of deadly and debilitating infectious diseases.

Nation building thrives. As children become healthier, they, their families, communities and countries are more able to be economically prosperous and socially stable.

Global health security improves. In the face of global challenges, such as climate change, urbanisation, human migration, fragility and conflict, Gavi has helped countries broaden vaccine coverage and improve their health systems. This makes them less susceptible and better able to prevent disease outbreaks that pose a threat to people in these countries, protecting millions of others around the world.

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3. DCGI Context: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said it has become the first company in India to receive approval from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct clinical trials of Favipiravir antiviral tablets for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Concept:

Under the Drug and Cosmetics Act, the regulation of manufacture, sale and distribution of Drugs is primarily the concern of the State authorities.

The Central Authorities are responsible for approval of New Drugs, Clinical Trials in the country, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs, coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations and providing expert advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The CDSCO is the Central Drug Authority for discharging functions assigned to the Central Government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Drug Controller General of India is responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of Drugs such as blood and blood products, I. V. Fluids, Vaccine and Sera

It comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

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4. Rice BioPak Context: MS Swaminathan Research Foundation in partnership with the Department of Agricultural Research, Yenzin, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar has established a Rice Biopark at Nay Pyi Taw Concept:

The rice biopark initiative is part of the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Project, funded by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

The rice biopark concept was conceived by Prof M S Swaminathan, Founder of MSSRF.

After developing the idea of Rice Bio-Park, the first one was established at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at Los Banos, Philippines. The second one was in Myanmar.

Rice is the major livelihood supporting crop of Myanmar. However, farmers have been largely using only the rice grain and were wasting the other rice biomass.

The straw at 1:1 grain to straw ratio is either burnt resulting in pollution or thrown away in many places. Farmers are unaware of the rich income potential from biomass, by creating value added products from the straw, husk, and bran.

The initiative, when it becomes fully functional is to increase income of farmers and provide jobs in value addition with goal of moving from poverty to prosperity.

2. Rice Biopark, an initiative by The M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) is carried out in which country?

A. Bangladesh B. Srilanka C. Myanmar D. Maldives

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5. ChAdOx1 nCoV19 Context: On April 23, Oxford University initiated a phase-1 human clinical trial of its vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Concept:

The vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, uses the common cold virus (adenovirus) that causes infections in chimpanzees.

The adenovirus has been genetically altered so that it does not grow once injected. The construct carries the genetic material of the novel coronavirus that makes the spike protein.

The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus and plays a crucial role in binding to specific human receptors found on cell surfaces and entering the cells.

By introducing the genetic material of the spike protein, the candidate vaccine will help the body recognize it and make antibodies against the spike protein.

The antibodies produced will help mount an immune response and prevent the virus from entering the human cells and causing an infection.

Oxford University has used vaccines made from the adenovirus construct to over 320 people and has found it to be safe and well tolerated. It does cause transient side effects such as a fever, headache or a sore arm but is otherwise safe.

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6. Anti-body test and herd immunity Context: In the COVID-19 fight, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had advised States to use antibody testing for surveillance and reiterated that the focus has always been on real time RT-PCR (or real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests for diagnosis. Concept: Herd immunity happens when so many people in a community become immune to an infectious disease that it stops the disease from spreading. This can happen in two ways:

Many people contract the disease and in time build up an immune response to it (natural immunity).

Many people are vaccinated against the disease to achieve immunity. When a large percentage of the population becomes immune to a disease, the spread of that disease slows down or stops. Many viral and bacterial infections spread from person to person. This chain is broken when most people don’t get or transmit the infection. This helps protect people who aren’t vaccinated or who have low functioning immune systems and may develop an infection more easily

PCR test:

The standard test for COVID-19 so far has been the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

The test involves extracting RNA or ribonucleic acid, the genetic material of the virus, and checking if it shares the same genetic sequence as the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If it is a match, the sample is deemed positive.

It is done after taking nasal or throat swabs of the patient, from which RNA is extracted and converted to DNA, which is then amplified before being checked for confirmation of the virus.

The PCR test takes up to nine hours. Antibody test:

In this person’s plasma is tested for presence of antibodies against the antigen like COVID 19 Virus

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Blood has two components, a matrix called plasma and the blood cells. The plasma minus the components of whole blood that cause it to clot is known as serum.

It takes less than 30 minutes.

It is an indirect test because it cannot find the virus, but it can determine if the immune system has encountered it.

Issues:

Antibodies can show up between nine to 28 days after an infection has set in; by that time, an infected person, if not isolated, can spread the disease.

Sometimes the antibodies may be produced in response to a closely-related pathogen and sometimes they may not be the right kind to counter the infection. These are the factors that can make an antibody test erroneous.

Uses:

Given that they are not useful for directly detecting the presence of the virus, antibody tests can be used to gauge the extent of infection in a community or a large group of people who may have had exposure to the virus.

Much like pregnancy detection kits, rapid-test kits change colour when particular molecules are detected.

Two kinds of antibodies result from an infection: Immunoglobulin M and Immunoglobulin G (IgM and IgG). In response to an infection, the IgM is first produced within a week of infection. Two weeks later, the levels of IgM reduce and are replaced by IgG. The latter is a longer-lasting antibody and, depending on the infectious agent involved, can offer different durations of immunity.

Rapid antibody tests can also play a role in determining the degree of “herd immunity” in a population. Studies in India too have shown that for every symptomatic positive, there are two asymptomatic or presymptomatics (those who do not visibly manifest the disease). Thus, antibody tests could also be used for such estimates in India.

Antibody tests are fast and relatively inexpensive. The current RT-PCR technology requires RNA extracting machines, a specialised laboratory, and trained technicians. And at least a minimum of 30 samples are needed to make the process economically viable

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Antibodies to the chickenpox virus last for decades. Those to influenza viruses and even other coronaviruses (that cause the common cold) last no more than a year or two. This is why people need flu shots at regular intervals, and one of the reasons why it is practically pointless to have a vaccine for the common cold. It is too early in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to determine how long immunity lasts.

3.Consider the following statements:

1. Anti-body test directly detect the virus in the human body. 2. Antibodies acquired due to infection remain forever in the body. 3. Anti-body test have 100% accuracy.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect? A. 1 and 2 only B. 1 and 3 only C. 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

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7. Tapestry Pooling Context: IIT Bombay researchers have developed an algorithm which can be used to help conduct pooled testing of samples for COVID19. Pooling of samples is one way of reducing the number of test kits used and increases testing capacity. Concept:

The Android application named BYOM Smart Testing, which was developed by Shop 101, guides the user on how to perform the test.

The technician enters how many samples they want to test, and the prevalence rate. They are given a pooling matrix.

“Samples are pooled according to this pooling matrix. Pools are tested and the quantitative reading from the tests is entered into our algorithm, which reconstructs the list of positives, negatives, and their viral loads,”

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5. National Institute of Animal Biotechnology and biosensors Context: Researchers from the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, have developed a biosensor that can detect the novel coronavirus in saliva samples. Concept:

The new portable device named eCovSens, can be used to detect the presence of novel coronavirus antigens in human saliva within 30 seconds using just 20 microlitres of the sample.

The inhouse built biosensor consists of a carbon electrode and the coronavirus antibody. The antibody is capable of binding with the spike protein found on the outer layer of the virus. An electrical signal is generated when the antigen and antibody binds.

Electrical components in the device further amplify this signal, process it, and convert it to digital readings on an LCD display. The device can also be connected to a computer or cellphone via Bluetooth and studied. The signal’s intensity was found to be proportional to the concentration of the antigen in the sample.

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6. Bioavailability Concept:

In pharmacology, bioavailability (BA or F) is a subcategory of absorption and is the fraction (%) of an administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation.

By definition, when a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%. However, when a medication is administered via routes other than intravenous, its bioavailability is generally lower than that of intravenous due to intestinal endothelium absorption and first-pass metabolism.

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7. E Skin application Concept: Electronic skin refers to flexible, stretchable and self-healing electronics that are able to mimic functionalities of human or animal skin. The successful combination of flexible and stretchable mechanical properties with sensors and the ability to self-heal would open door to many possible applications including soft robotics, prosthetics, artificial intelligence, and health monitoring. Self-healing, or re-healable, the electronic skin is often achieved through a polymer-based material or a hybrid material.

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8. R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 Context: The R&D Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 is based on the national S&T survey 2018 brought out by the National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS). Concept:

The Gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) in the country has been consistently increasing over the years and has nearly tripled from Rs. 39,437.77 crore in 2007- 08 to Rs.1,13,825.03 crore in 2017-18.

India’s per capita R&D expenditure has increased to PPP $ 47.2 in 2017-18 from PPP $ 29.2 in 2007-08.

India spent 0.7% of its GDP on R&D in 2017-18, while the same among other developing BRICS countries was Brazil 1.3%, Russian Federation 1.1%, China 2.1% and South Africa 0.8%.

DST and DBT were the two major players contributing 63% and 14%, respectively of the total extramural R&D support in the country during 2016-17.

Women participation in extramural R&D projects has increased significantly to 24% in 2016-17 from 13% in 2000-01 due to various initiatives undertaken by the Government in S&T sector

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), India’s Patent Office stands at the 7th position among the top 10 Patent Filing Offices in the world.

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9. Rdrp Context: Researchers from various institutions have imaged the high-resolution structure of the SARS-CoV-2 replicase complex, with remdesivir bound to it. The structure shows where the virus’s RNA template enters the copy machine, where remdesivir is incorporated, and where the process of replication is terminated. Concept:

Remdesivir is designed to obstruct the stage of replication, when the virus creates copies of itself.

Once the virus enters the human cell, it releases its genetic material, which is then copied using the body’s existing mechanism.

At every stage of infection, various human proteins, virus proteins, and their interactions come into play.

At the replication stage, the key viral protein at play is an enzyme called RdRp (an enzyme is a kind of protein that speeds up chemical reactions within a cell). In scientific literature, such an enzyme is called a polymerase (the p is RdRp stands for polymerase) or a replicase.

It is RdRp that makes the copies, by processing components of the RNA of the virus.

In any case, this is the enzyme that is targeted by remdesivir.

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In order to replicate, the copy machine processes raw material from the virus RNA, broken down by another enzyme with that specific function. When a patient is given remdesivir — the inhibitor — it mimics some of this material, and gets incorporated in the replication site. With remdesivir replacing the material it needs, the virus fails to replicate further.

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10. Africa Swine Fever Context: As Assam grapples with coronavirus, the state is now gearing up to tackle another problem - African Swine Fever. Around 2,800 pigs have died in Assam since February due to the virus making the state the epicentre of ASF in India. Concept:

The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, has confirmed that it is African Swine Fever (ASF). The central government has informed that it is the first instance of the disease in the country.

African swine fever (ASF) is a severe viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs. It is responsible for serious production and economic losses

It is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family, which also infects ticks of the genus Ornithodoros.

ASF is a disease listed in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported to the OIE.

This transboundary animal disease (TAD) can be spread by live or dead pigs, domestic or wild, and pork products; furthermore, transmission can also occur via contaminated feed and fomites (non-living objects) such as shoes, clothes, vehicles, knives, equipment etc. due to the high environmental resistance of ASF virus.

ASF is not a risk to human health.

There is no approved vaccine against ASF (unlike classical swine fever (‘Hog Cholera’) which is caused by a different virus)

Historically, outbreaks have been reported in Africa and parts of Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. More recently (since 2007) the disease has been reported in multiple countries across Africa, Asia and Europe, in both domestic and wild pigs.

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11. Space station Context: China successfully launched a new rocket and prototype spacecraft in a major test of the country’s ambitions to operate a permanent space station Tiangong 2 and send astronauts to the Moon. Concept:

A space station is an artificial satellite placed in orbit and is used as a long-term base for manned operations in space.

US and Russia has already launched their space stations.

The International Space Station, which launched its first piece in 1998, is a large spacecraft which orbits around the Earth and is home to the astronauts. It is a joint project between five participating space agencies -NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).

4. International Space Station is a space station which is a joint project of

1. NASA (United States) 2. Roscosmos (Russia) 3. JAXA (Japan) 4. ESA (Europe) 5. CSA (Canada).

Select the Correct code: A. 1 only B. 1 and 2 only C. 1, 2 and 4 only D. 1,2,3,4 and 5

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12. Israel vaccine Context: Israel minister claims ‘breakthrough’ in developing antibody against coronavirus Concept:

A “significant breakthrough” in developing an antibody to the novel coronavirus has been made by Israel’s main biological research institute IIBR that can attack the virus and neutralise it within the bodies of those who contract it, country’s Defence Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed.

It has isolated an antibody “that attacks the virus in a monoclonal way and can neutralise it within the bodies of those ill”.

According to PTI, the IIBR has conducted some clinical trials. The researchers have identified the protein that is efficient in killing the virus in a patient’s body, and the institute would be publishing a paper soon about the findings, PTI stated.

This institute had made a significant breakthrough in understanding the biological mechanism and qualities of the virus, including better diagnostic capability, production of antibodies for those who already have the virus and development of a vaccine.

Monoclonal antibody

One way the body's immune system attacks foreign substances is by making large numbers of antibodies. An antibody is a protein that sticks to a specific protein called an antigen. Antibodies circulate throughout the body until they find and attach to the antigen. Once attached, they can force other parts of the immune system to destroy the cells containing the antigen.

Researchers can design antibodies that specifically target a certain antigen, such as one found on cancer cells. They can then make many copies of that antibody in the lab. These are known as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs or Moabs).

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13. Gas leak Context: A gas leak, reminiscent of the 1984 Bhopal tragedy, has claimed at least 11 lives and affected thousands of residents in five villages in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. There was 1,800 tonnes of styrene stored at the plant at the time of the leak. Concept: While it unclear at the moment whether the deaths are due to direct exposure to styrene gas or one of its byproducts, Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Meena has maintained that the gas is “non-poisonous” and is only fatal when exposed for longer durations. A statement from LG Polymers said that stagnation and changes in temperature inside the storage tank could have resulted in auto polymerization and could have caused vaporization. Styrene gas

It is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex. According to Tox Town, a website run by the US National Library of Medicine, styrene is also found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, and in natural foods like fruits and vegetables.

According to the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules 1989, styrene is classified as a “hazardous and toxic chemical”. Styrene monomer, which was being used at the manufacturing plant to produce expandable plastics, needs to be stored at a temperature below 17 degrees Centigrade.

As per the US-based Environment Protection Agency (EPA), short-term exposure to the substance can result in respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation in the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal issues.

And long-term exposure could drastically affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy. It could also lead to cancer and depression in some cases.

However, EPA notes that there is no sufficiet evidence despite several epidemiology studies indicating there may be an association between styrene exposure and an increased risk of leukemia and lymphoma.

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5. Consider the following regarding Styrene Gas

1. It is a nonflammable gas.

2. It is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics 3. It is found in vehicle exhaust. 4. Naturally, it is available in fruits and vegetables.

Which of the above statements is/are correct? A. 1 and 2 only B. 1, 2 and 4 C. 2, 3 and 4 D. 1, 2 3 and 4

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14. Solidarity trials Context: Solidarity Trial’ for drugs to treat Covid-19 will take place at four government hospitals — in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot. Concept:

"Solidarity” is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by the World Health Organization and partners.

The Solidarity trial will compare four treatment options against standard of care, to assess their relative effectiveness against COVID-19.

By enrolling patients in multiple countries, the Solidarity trial aims to rapidly discover whether any of the drugs slow disease progression or improve survival.

Over 90 countries including India are working together to find effective therapeutics as soon as possible, via the trial.

Four treatment options: i) The chloroquine-hydroxychloroquine combination to prevent entry of

virus using ACE 2 receptor ii) Lopinavir-ritonavir to prevent replication of virus by inhibiting enzymes

used for replication iii) By understanding structure iv) By understanding virus behavior

WHO says that while randomized clinical trials normally take years to design and conduct, the Solidarity Trial will reduce the time by 80%.

The Union health ministry has permitted the trial for four drugs: Remdesivir, Lopinavir, Interferon (beta-1a) and hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine.

6. Solidarity trials refers to clinical trials for cure of

A. HIV B. COVID 19 C. TB D. None

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15. Bio secure Context: The United Kingdom is mulling a mid-June restart of the Premier League after the suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic and cricket is also exploring a return to action without fans in attendance. Concept:

Secure stadiums: It is playing in conditions that are entirely infection-free, where all those involved, from players and support staff to officials, are tested for Covid-19 in advance and then kept in a “bio-secure” environment, sealed off from the outside world. Only people who were virus-free or have immunity are allowed into the bubble.

Apart from the standard practices of social distancing, England’s Test cricketers have been told to expect daily temperature checks, regular swabs, weekly Covid-19 tests, and possibly nine weeks away from their families.

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16. Luhan 16 A Luhman 16 is a binary star system, the third closest system to the Sun after Alpha Centauri and Barnard’s star. It is one of a pair of binary brown dwarfs in the Vela constellation. Brown dwarfs are also called failed stars, because their masses are intermediate to the largest planets and the smallest main sequence stars. Their masses being too small, they are unable to sustain fusion of their hydrogen to produce energy. It is believed that some of the more massive brown dwarfs fuse deuterium or lithium and glow faintly.

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17. New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative Context: The CSIR has sanctioned a project led by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to develop human monoclonal antibodies as a therapy for Covid-19 in the next six months. The project was approved under CSIR’s flagship programme, New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI). Concept:

New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) is the largest public-private-partnership effort within the R&D domain in the country.

It looks beyond today’s technology and thus seeks to build, capture and retain for India a leadership position by synergizing the best competencies of publicly funded R&D institutions, academia and private industry.

Advantages:

Enable CSIR to experiment newer models of innovation development in Public- Private-Partnership (PPP) mode, which could later become models for others to emulate;

Encourage to develop products / processes based on innovation and thereby help Indian industry emerge as a technology leader in the identified domain;

Encourage venture capital funds to venture into more risky R&D areas;

Act as a catalyst to bring better co-ordination among various departments of government in the R&D sphere and avoid unnecessary duplication, apart from generating intellectual capital, technologies and products in cutting edge areas; and enhance national competitiveness.

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18. Super Flower Moon Context: There’s an ongoing debate between experts whether the full moon on Thursday, May 7, 2020, will be the final ‘supermoon’ of the year or not. Concept:

The Supermoon of the month of the May is known as flower moon. According to American periodical Farmers' Almanac, it is because, in most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere at this time of the year.

A supermoon is an astronomical phenomenon in which Earth’s moon is full, on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun (a state called syzygy), and at its closest point to the planet (a state called perigee).

The coincidence of these lunar events usually only happens occasionally, even as infrequently as once a year.

Scientifically referred to as a perigee-syzygy moon, a supermoon can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee, or the point when it’s furthest away from the Earth.

Syzygy

In astronomy, the word syzygy requires at least three “celestial bodies” positioned in a straight line. So, at the Full Moon, the Earth is exactly between the Sun and Moon and at the New Moon, the Moon is exactly between the Sun and Earth.

But to be a true syzygy, the alignment must have gravitational effects within the system.

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19. ELISA Test Context:

National Institute of Virology develops ELISA test to detect antibodies, which is first indigenous ELISA test developed for coronavirus

NIV’s antibody testing kit will play a crucial role in COVID-19 surveillance

The kit is cost-effective, rapid and can test a large number of samples at any level of clinical setting, public health centers and hospitals

Concept:

ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a plate-based assay technique designed for detecting and quantifying peptides, proteins, antibodies and hormones.

In an ELISA, an antigen must be immobilized to a solid surface and then complexed with an antibody that is linked to an enzyme.

Detection is accomplished by assessing the conjugated enzyme activity via incubation with a substrate to produce a measureable product. The most crucial element of the detection strategy is a highly specific antibody-antigen interaction.

Types: ELISAs can be performed with a number of modifications to the basic procedure: direct, indirect, sandwich or competitive.

The key step, immobilization of the antigen of interest, can be accomplished by direct adsorption to the assay plate or indirectly via a capture antibody that has been attached to the plate.

The antigen is then detected either directly (enzyme-labeled primary antibody) or indirectly (enzyme-labeled secondary antibody). The detection antibodies are usually labeled with alkaline phosphatase (AP) or horseradish peroxidase (HRP).

A large selection of substrates is available for performing the ELISA with an HRP or AP conjugate. The choice of substrate depends upon the required assay sensitivity and the instrumentation available for signal-detection (spectrophotometer, fluorometer or luminometer).

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20. National technology day Context: May 11 is National Technology Day, celebrated to mark the day on which India successfully test-fired its nuclear bombs in 1998 Concept:

India is currently among eight countries in the world that have a publicly known nuclear weapons programme.

At the time of India’s independence, the country’s leaders were opposed to fully embracing nuclear weapons. Just two years before in 1945, the world had witnessed the horrific nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mahatma Gandhi called the use of nuclear weapons morally unacceptable. His protege and India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was also sceptical, but kept the door open for future consideration

This future beckoned early, as India’s defeat in the 1962 Sino-Indian War gave rise to legitimate fears about national security.

Then in 1974, India conducted its first nuclear test, codenamed “Smiling Buddha”, at Pokhran in Rajasthan. Then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called the test a “peaceful nuclear explosion.” India demonstrated to the world that the country could defend itself in an extreme situation and chose not to immediately weaponise the nuclear device it tested at Pokhran.

The Pokhran II test

India detonated another device in 1998, again at Pokhran. Then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee publicly declared India’s status as a nuclear weapons power.

The tests were conducted by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who led the scientific team that made preparations for the tests. Assigned the code name Operation Shakti, the mission was initiated on May 11, 1998.

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21. Endemic Vs Epidemic Vs Pandemic Context: WHO warned that coronavirus may become endemic and never go away like HIV. Concept:

An epidemic, as explained by the WHO, is the regional outbreak of an illness that spreads unexpectedly. It refers to an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease beyond what is normally expected in the population of an area. Examples of epidemics in India in the past include the outbreaks of chikungunya and dengue fever.

Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread across countries and continents — the worldwide spread of a new disease.

The term endemic refers to the constant presence and/or usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area. For example, chickenpox is considered endemic in the UK, but malaria is not.

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22. Quinine Nongladew Context: Meghalaya village Quinine Nongladew latches on to its past in search for COVID-19 cure Concept:

The village is named after the alkaloid quinine extracted from the bark of cinchona, a plant belonging to the Rubiaceae family and classified as either a large shrub or a small tree.

The cinchona nursery was raised in the 19th century, probably around 1874, when Shillong became the British administrative headquarters for Assam Province.

Large swathes of Meghalaya used to be, and still are, malaria-prone.

The British had the foresight to start the plantation to combat malaria and other diseases caused by mosquitoes.

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23. International Day of Light Context: The United Nations marks the International Day of Light (IDL),an annual initiative held globally to raise awareness on the critical role played by light-based technologies in everyday life on May 16 Concept:

The day selected, May 16, marks the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman.

In 2015, to raise global awareness of the achievements of light science and its applications, the UN observed the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015 (IYL 2015).

LASER

Laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

A laser is created when the electrons in atoms in special glasses, crystals, or gases absorb energy from an electrical current or another laser and become “excited.” The excited electrons move from a lower-energy orbit to a higher-energy orbit around the atom’s nucleus. When they return to their normal or “ground” state, the electrons emit photons (particles of light)

Laser light has four unique characteristics that differentiate it from ordinary light: these are

o Coherence: Electron transition occurs in specific time. All the photons emitted in laser have the same energy, frequency, or wavelength

o Directionality: All photons will travel in same direction. Therefore, laser emits light only in one direction.

o Monochromatic: light contains only one wavelength (one specific color).

o High intensity

Lasers have many uses. o They are used in precision tools and can cut through diamonds or

thick metal. o They can also be designed to help in delicate surgeries.

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o Lasers are used for recording and retrieving information. They are used in communications and in carrying TV and internet signals.

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24. ARCI scientists develop next-generation biodegradable metal implants

Scientists at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram both autonomous institutes under the Department of Science & Technology (DST) have jointly developed new generation Iron-Manganese based alloys for biodegradable metal implants for use in humans.

Biodegradable materials (Fe, Mg, Zn, and polymer), which can participate in the healing process and then degrade gradually by maintaining the mechanical integrity without leaving any implant residues in the human body are better alternatives to currently used metallic implants which remain permanently in the human body and can cause long-term side effects like systemic toxicity, chronic inflammation, and thrombosis.

The ARCI team employed both conventional melting and powder metallurgy techniques in manufacturing of the new Fe-Mn based biodegradable alloys and stent having dimensions as Diameter: 2 mm, Length: 12 mm and Wall thickness: 175 μm.

Iron-Manganese based alloy Fe-Mn (having Mn composition of more than 29% by weight) is a promising biodegradable metallic implant which exhibits single austenitic phase (nonmagnetic form of iron) with MRI compatibility.

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25. Herd immunity Context: WHO warned that aiming to achieve herd immunity naturally is ‘dangerous’ Concept: Herd immunity happens when so many people in a community become immune to an infectious disease that it stops the disease from spreading. This can happen in two ways:

Many people contract the disease and in time build up an immune response to it (natural immunity).

Many people are vaccinated against the disease to achieve immunity. When a large percentage of the population becomes immune to a disease, the spread of that disease slows down or stops. Many viral and bacterial infections spread from person to person.

This chain is broken when most people don’t get or transmit the infection. This helps protect people who aren’t vaccinated or who have low functioning immune systems and may develop an infection more easily.

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26. Human challenge Context: More than 20,000 people from 102 countries have enrolled on a US website to voluntarily infect themselves with the virus. Concept:

“Controlled human infection studies (or ‘human challenge studies’) involve the deliberate infection of healthy volunteers.

Such studies can be particularly valuable for testing vaccines.

They can be substantially faster to conduct than vaccine field trials.

World Health Organization (WHO) has given the go-ahead, subject to a set of preconditions being met.

Earlier human challenges:

Human challenge trials are routinely done for diseases such as malaria, dengue, influenza and cholera

Back in 1796 Edward Jenner, father of the smallpox vaccine, infected his gardener’s son with the smallpox virus after having used his newly developed vaccine on the eight-year-old. The child did not get smallpox. Later, Jenner used the deliberate infection strategy on 6,000 other people to test the efficacy of his vaccine that eventually became the principal reason why smallpox could be eradicated.

In 1976, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases did a challenge study against cholera.

WHO says that in the last 50 years, challenge studies have been performed safely in tens of thousands of consenting adult volunteers under the oversight of research ethics committees.

These studies have recently helped to accelerate the development of vaccines against typhoid and cholera among others.

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27. Eventbot Context: The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued an advisory warning people against a Trojan called EventBot. Concept:

Trojan is essentially a type of malware that is attached to what seems to be a legit programme.

The EventBot is a banking Trojan or a banker Trojan that specifically targets the financial apps on the phone and the financial data of its victim.

The EventBot trojan has over 200 different financial applications under its target, including banking applications, money-transfer services, and crypto currency wallets, or financial applications based in the US and European region.

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28. Vaccine Action Programme Context: India and U.S. is going to collaborate on vaccine trials. Focus is on safe, cost effective vaccines against a various range of infectious diseases Concept:

The Indo-U.S. Vaccine Action Program (VAP) is a bilateral program, which supports a broad spectrum of activities relating to immunization and vaccine related research.

The program was designed to encompass laboratory-based research, epidemiological studies, field trials, vaccine quality control, and delivery of vaccines.

Under the VAP, U.S. and Indian scientists carry out collaborative research projects directed toward development of vaccines and immunodiagnostic reagents, or to address other issues which are important for vaccine research.

All work is carried out within areas designated as priorities by the VAP Joint Working Group (JWG), which is comprised of scientists and officials from both countries.

The “nodal agencies” for this cooperation are India’s Department of Biotechnology and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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29. Agappe Chitra Magna for detection of COVID 19 Context: The commercial launch of Agappe Chitra Magna developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) - Trivandrum, an Institute of National Importance of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has been organised Concept:

It is a magnetic nanoparticle-based RNA extraction kit for use during testing for detection of COVID-19

The kit can be used for RNA extraction for RT-LAMP, RT-qPCR, RT-PCR and other isothermal and PCR based protocols for the detection of SARS-COV-2.

The magnetic nanoparticle beads bind to the viral RNA and, when exposed to a magnetic field, give a highly purified and concentrated RNA.

As the sensitivity of the detection method is dependent on getting an adequate quantity of viral RNA, this innovation enhances the chances of identifying positive cases.

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30. Solar minimum Context: Sun reportedly entering Solar Minimum phase Concept:

The solar cycle is based on the Sun's magnetic field, which flips around every 11 years, with its north and south magnetic poles switching places. It's not known what drives these cycles - recent research suggests it has to do with an 11.07-year planetary alignment - but the poles switch when the magnetic field is at its weakest, also known as solar minimum.

According to NASA's recent revelation, Sun is filled with many sunspots and magnetic explosions. However, after every 11 years or so, these sunspots fade away. The fading away of these sunspots brings a period of relative calm which is scientifically denoted as Solar Minimum.

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31. New ways to prevent memory loss due to Alzheimer Context: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have found ideas that can help prevent or reduce short-term memory losses associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Concept:

A defining hallmark of Alzheimer’s is the accumulation of amyloid beta peptides in the brain. They seek methods to reduce the accumulation of these peptides, in order to arrest the progression of Alzheimer’s.

They found that application of a low-voltage, safe electrical field can reduce the formation and accumulation of toxic neurodegenerative molecules that cause short term memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease. They found that external electric/magnetic field modulates the structure of these peptide molecules, thereby preventing aggregation.

Working further in this area, the scientists explored the possibility of using ‘Trojan peptides’ to arrest aggregation of these neurotoxic molecules.

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32. Remedy to rice crop residue burning Context: Scientists at Pune based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology found alternative dwarfing genes in wheat which helps to eliminate rice crop residue burning Concept:

They mapped two alternative dwarfing genes Rht14 and Rht18 in wheat. These genes are associated with better seedling vigour and longer coleoptiles (sheath protecting the young shoot tip).

It can be utilized as an alternative dwarfing gene to Rht1 for deep sowing conditions or in fields with retained stubble.

The improved wheat lines which are being developed at ARI will help reducing stubble burning incidences under the rice-wheat cropping system.

These lines will also allow deeper sowing of wheat seeds to avail advantage of residual moisture in the soil, therefore, saving valuable water resources and reduce the cost of cultivation to farmers.

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33. Quantum Entanglement Context: Scientists from S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology have developed a novel protocol to find out whether a pair of electrons is in an entangled state so that they can be safely used as resources for facilitating quantum information processing tasks. Concept:

Quantum entanglement is one of the peculiarities of quantum mechanics, which makes phenomena such as quantum teleportation and super-dense coding possible.

It is the physical phenomenon that occurs when a pair or group of particles is generated, interact, in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of the state of the others.

Entangled states are key resources to facilitate many quantum information processing tasks and quantum cryptographic protocols.

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34. Electrochemical sensing platform Context: Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, has developed an electrochemical sensing platform for detecting carcinogenic or mutagenic compound sometimes found in food items like cured meat, bacon, some cheese, and low-fat milk. Concept:

The scientists pointed out that with changing food habits of urban Indians, they are exposed to harmful chemicals belonging to Nitrosamine family in cured meats, bacon, some cheese, low-fat dry milk, and fish.

Such chemicals include carcinogenic ones like N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and NNitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which may also alter the chemical composition of our DNA. Hence it is important to develop detection techniques to detect them.

They have fabricated an electrochemical biosensor using DNA immobilized on the surface of carbon dots for sensitive and selective detection of N-nitrosamine.

Mutagens are chemical compounds or forms of radiation (such as ultraviolet (UV) light or X-rays) that cause irreversible and heritable changes (mutations) in the cellular genetic material, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

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35. Blood clots and COVID19 Context: Blood clots in the lung is major cause behind COVID-19 deaths Concept:

Unlike in a other viral infections in the lungs, it is early and progressive clotting of blood in the lungs (pulmonary thrombosis) which impairs blood supply and gas exchange leading to respiratory failure.

Evidence:

It has been recognised from the very early reports that very high proportions of patients with COVID-19 infection presenting to hospitals had elevated levels of d-dimer, a general marker of thrombosis in blood vessels.

The strongest evidence for this extensive microvascular thrombosis comes from several autopsy studies from different countries. All these have shown extensive blood clots in the small vessels of the lung (microvascular thrombosis - MVT) with only modest evidence of the pneumonia suggesting that it is the blood clots which cause poor oxygenation and respiratory failure.

The manifestation of ‘silent pneumonia’ or ‘silent hypoxia’ that is being increasingly recognised where relatively well-looking people have low blood oxygen and then suddenly collapse, most likely due to extending pulmonary thrombosis.

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36. Dark web Context: Cyber security researchers have claimed that a hacker has posted personal details of nearly 2.9 crore Indian job seekers at one of the hacking forums on the Dark Web for free. Concept:

In simple terms, the dark web is that part of the Internet that cannot be accessed through traditional search engines like Google.

Anything present on the dark web will not be pulled up in internet searches, thereby offering a high degree of anonymity.

Dark web users refer to the regular web as surface web.

The dark web is accessed by anonymous networks with the most well-known one being the TOR browser, short for “The Onion Ring”

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37. RT-LAMP Context: CSIR-IIIM & Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to develop Reverse Transcriptase-Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) based test for Coronavirus Concept:

COVID-19 RT-LAMP test is a nucleic acid based test carried out from nasal/throat swab sample from patients.

The test recipe has been developed and successfully demonstrated using synthetic templates. It is rapid (45-60 min), cost effective and accurate test.

Issues with PCR tests

The current COVID-19 testing is done by real-time PCR their components are mostly imported.

Further these tests are expensive; require highly trained manpower, costly instruments and a relatively high-end lab and cannot be deployed at remote locations in quarantine centers, airports and railway stations, etc.

Advantages with RT-LAMP

RT-LAMP test can be done in a single tube with minimal expertise in a very basic lab setup like mobile units / kiosks for testing at Airports, Railway Stations, Bus Stands and other public places.

The end detection of the test is a simple colored reaction, which is easily visible in UV light, and now is being modified such that it can be detected in regular light.

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38. Open source software Context: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has released the source code of Aarogya Setu app to promote transparency and collaboration with the software developer community. Concept:

Software can be divided into two broad categories, proprietary and open source.

Any software that has to be bought or licensed from the creator of the software is called a proprietary or closed-source software. Examples: Microsoft Windows, Google Earth and Adobe Photoshop. The intellectual property rights of the software, even if bought or licensed, remains with the creator.

Open-source software requires no licensing and need not be bought. Its source code is open for everyone to download, examine, redistribute, and improve upon if they can, with an acknowledgment to the original software coder or the company. Examples: Word Press, VLC Media Player, and the Mozilla browser.

Need for making Aarogya setu app open source:

When launching the app on April 2, the IT ministry had explicitly mentioned in the terms of use that no one was allowed to reverse-engineer the app or alter with the coding of the app.

This led to critics questioning whether the app could be used for surveillance and go beyond its mandate of contact tracing.

After the source code has been released, software developers from around the world will be able to go through the code and point out vulnerabilities or fix loopholes, if any, by writing fresh codes and suggesting these to the government.

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39. Culture of Virus Context: The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, CCMB has established stable cultures of Corona virus from patients’ samples. Concept:

CCMB is now in a position to isolate and maintain viral strains from different regions and working towards producing viruses in huge quantities that can be inactivated and used in vaccine development and antibody production for therapeutic purposes.

The ability to culture the virus in lab enables the scientists to work towards vaccine development and testing of potential drugs to fight COVID-19.

Once inactivated virus is injected into the body, the human immune system triggers the production of germ-specific antibodies. The inactivated virus can trigger antibody response, but does not infect and make us sick as they cannot reproduce.

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40. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Context: DGFT lifts restrictions on export of paracetamol API Concept:

All drugs are made up of two core components: the API, which is the central ingredient, and the excipient, the substances other than the drug that helps deliver the medication to our system. Excipients are chemically inactive substances, such as lactose or mineral oil in the pill.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients or APIs can be defined as the chemicals used to manufacture pharmaceutical drugs.

The active ingredient (AI) is the substance or substances that are biologically active within the drug and is the specific component responsible for the desired effect it has on the individual taking it.

Background:

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the 3rd largest in the world by volume.

However, despite this achievement, India is significantly dependent on import of basic raw materials, viz., Bulk Drugs that are used to produce medicines. In some specific bulk drugs the import dependence is 80 to 100%.

Of which, two-thirds of the total imports of Bulk Drugs/ Drug Intermediates is from China.

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41. pH responsive smart bandage Context: Scientists from Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India have developed a pH responsive smart bandage Concept:

It can deliver the medicine applied in the wound at the pH that is suitable for the wound.

The scientists have developed the delivery system by fabricating a nanotechnologybased cotton patch that uses cheap and sustainable materials like cotton and jute.

A nano composite hydrogel bound compact cotton patch incorporated with jute carbon dots was fabricated to carry out the drug release. Jute has been used for the first time as a precursor in synthesizing fluorescent carbon dots, and water was used as the dispersion medium.

Herbal formulation neem leaf (Azadirachta indica) extract was taken as the model drug to exemplify the release study.

Around any wound, pH changes due to bacterial infections. Hence they developed a pH-responsive drug delivery system with the cotton patch.

Carbon dots which are zero-dimensional nanomaterials, due to their unique carbon core and surface functional groups can be designed to exhibit different behaviour towards different pH. They are also known for their low toxicity and great biocompatibility. Therefore, different carbon dots were used as a nano-filler in fabricating hybrid cotton patches to check the drug release behaviour.

The development of such a stimuli-responsive behavior of hybrid cotton patch paves the way for utilizing it as smart wound-dressing or bandage material. Use of cheap and sustainable material like cotton and jute to fabricate the patch makes the whole process biocompatible, non-toxic, low cost and sustainable.

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42. Bio banks/ bio repositories Context: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has notified 16 bio-repositories for collecting, storing and maintaining clinical samples (oropharyngeal/ nasopharyngeal swabs, broncheoalveolar lavage, sputum, blood, urine and stool) of COVID-19 patients. Concept:

Bio-banking involves the collection, processing, storage, and dissemination of biological samples and their associated clinical data and information, organized in a systematic way.

A well-managed biobank is a critical prerequisite for high-quality biomedical research.

Recent advances in the tools and technology of molecular biology and genetics have increased the demand for well-annotated, properly preserved specimens.

These designated bio repositories will use the clinical samples for R&D purpose in their respective Institutes.

In addition, they are also authorized to share the samples with academia, industry and commercial entities involved in development of diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines etc., after scrutinising the purpose of the request and ensuring benefit to the country.

Sharing of bio specimens both Clinical and Viral is going to be key for new technology and product development by our researchers, start-ups and industry, a critical step in our journey towards becoming an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

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Answer

1. B 2. C 3. D 4. D 5. D 6. B

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Environment 1. Algal bloom and food chain Context: Blooms of algae turn out to be a death zone for fishes in the Arabian Sea, scientific studies have revealed.

What is algal bloom? An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in freshwater or marine water systems, and is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from their pigments Findings:

Global warming has exerted a disproportionately strong influence on the Eurasian land surface, causing a steady decline in snow cover [in the Himalayas].

This has disrupted “winter convective mixing" which occurs when cold winter winds blow over the Arabian Sea, driving the surface waters down, which are in turn replaced by nutrient rich waters from below.

That process allows photosynthetic phytoplankton, the basic building block of our ocean food chain to thrive, along with all the fish species that eventually result in the seafood bounty so many of us rely on.

Disrupted winter convective mixing led to spectacular growth of Noctiluca which demonstrates the scale of the threat to nutritional security. The

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brilliance of their appearance is due to the phenomenon called bioluminescence. Nicknamed ‘Sea Sparkle’, these pretty spots ironically indicate zones of decline as fish cannot thrive and sometimes die because of these blooms. The algae feeds voraciously on planktonic organisms at the base of the fish-food chain called diatoms. They also excrete large amounts of ammonia, which is linked to high fish mortality.

And also Noctiluca are not a preferred food for higher trophic organisms, they mostly attract only salps, jellyfish and turtles, thereby short-circuiting the food chain in the Arabian Sea.

1.What are the possible effects of Eutrophication in a water body?

1. Increased biodiversity 2. New species invasion 3. Toxicity of water increases due to certain Algal bloom

Select the correct answer using the codes given below. A. 2 only B. 1 and 2 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 2 and 3 only

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2. Manas NP Context: Villagers near Manas NP get respite as hanging fence deters jumbos. Concept: Manas, at the base of foot hills of the Bhutan-Himalayas in the state of Assam, with unique biodiversity and landscape is one of the first reserves included in the network of tiger reserve under Project tiger in 1973

In 1985, the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was inscribed as World Heritage Site.

In 1989, Manas acquired the status of a Biosphere reserve. It extends over an area of 2837 Sq. Km from Sankosh River in the west to Dhansiri river in the east, with a core area of 500 Sq. Km. of the National park, which declared in 1990.

The river Manas flows into the national Park from the gorges of Bhutan.

About the half of the Park is covered by Grasslands of Terai and Bhabar type, the riparian areas have colonizing grasslands and woodlands of several species. The thick woodlands are called Eastern Moist Deciduous Forests of various types. The undergrowths are very thick. There are more than 650 species of Angiosperms alone. The commonly seen trees are the Simul, Oxi, Sissoo, Khaie, Gamari, etc.

Manas is the only landscape in the world where pristine Terai Grasslands are seen merging with the Bhabar grasslands interspersed with diverse habitats ascending to Semi-Evergreen forests and then to Bhutan Himalayas. The Biodiversity is very rich here.

The last population of the Pygmy Hog survive in the wilds of Manas and nowhere else in the world.

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3. Biofuel policy and National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) Context: The press release said the National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) has decided to use “surplus” rice available with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for conversion to ethanol. Concept:

The new National Policy on Biofuels had a target of 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol and 5 per cent blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030.

This was to be achieved by increasing production using second generation biorefineries and developing new feedstock for biofuels. It allowed the production of ethanol from damaged food grains like wheat and broken rice, which are unfit for human consumption.

The new policy allowed the use of excess food grain for ethanol in a bounty crop year, so long as the surplus is endorsed by the Union Ministry of Agriculture.

The approval for this is to be given by the National Biofuel Coordination Committee, chaired by the Union Minister Petroleum and Natural Gas.

It includes representatives from 14 other central departments.

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2. National Biofuel Coordination Committee is chaired by

A. Union Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change

B. Union Minister of Renewable Energy

C. Union Minister Petroleum and Natural Gas.

D. Prime Minister

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4. Endemic species Context: Study of flowering plant endemism of Northern Western Ghats highlights importance of plateaus in conservation plans Findings:

Scientists at the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology have come up with plant data of the Northern Western Ghats which indicates that plateaus, in addition to the forests, should be prioritized for conservation of the Northern Western Ghats.

It is the plateaus and the cliffs that harbour most of the endemic species, thus increasing their importance in conservation plans.

The Western Ghats of India is one of the global biodiversity hotspots owing to the endemism that is sheltered by a chain of mountains. The northern part of this biodiversity hotspot, along with the Konkan region, is considerably different from its southern and central counterparts on account of lesser precipitation and extended dry season.

A notable geographical feature of the Northern Western Ghats is the presence of plateaus and cliffs that display maximum endemic species, unlike forests. Forests of the Northern Western Ghats harbour many species which are not endemic.

Concept: Endemic species are plants and animals that exist only in one geographic region. Species can be endemic to large or small areas of the earth: some are endemic to a particular continent, some to part of a continent, and others to a single island. Usually an area that contains endemic species is isolated in some way, so that species have difficulty spreading to other areas, or it has unusual environmental characteristics to which endemic species are uniquely adapted. 3. Consider the following sets of pair:

1. Endemic Species - Plants and animals that exist only in one geographic region.

2. Keystone Species - Organisms that have an extremely high impact on a particular ecosystem relative to its population.

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3. Indicator Species - an organism whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? A. 1 and 2 only B. 1 and 3 only C. 2 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

4. Three of the following criteria have contributed to the recognition of Western Ghats-Sri Lanka and Indo-Burma regions as hotspots of biodiversity

1. Species richness 2. Vegetation density 3. Endemism 4. Ethno-botanical importance 5. Threat perception 6. Adaptation of flora and fauna to warm and humid conditions

Which three of the above are correct criteria in this context? A. 1, 2 and 6 B. 2, 4 and 6 C. 1, 3 and 5 D. 3, 4 and 6

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5. EIA Context: In an affidavit submitted to the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), the company admitted that as of May 10, 2019, the unit did not have a “valid environmental clearance substantiating the produced quantity, issued by the competent authority for continuing operations”. Concept:

Environment Impact Assessment or EIA can be defined as the study to predict the effect of a proposed activity/project on the environment. A decision making tool, EIA compares various alternatives for a project and seeks to identify the one which represents the best combination of economic and environmental costs and benefits.

Till 1994, environmental clearance from the Central Government was an administrative decision and lacked legislative support.

On 27 January 1994, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF), Government of India, under the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986, promulgated an EIA notification making Environmental Clearance (EC) mandatory for expansion or modernisation of any activity or for setting up new projects listed in Schedule 1 of the notification.

The MoEF recently notified new EIA legislation in September 2006. The notification makes it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure (road, highway, ports, harbours and airports) and industries including very small electroplating or foundry units to get environment clearance.

Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006 has decentralized the environmental clearance projects by categorizing the developmental projects in two categories, i.e., Category A (national level appraisal) and Category B (state level appraisal).

o Category A projects are appraised at national level by Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) and the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and Category B projects are apprised at state level.

o State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) are constituted to provide clearance to Category B process.

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5. Environment Impact Assessment is statutorily backed by (a) National Green Tribunal. 2010 (b) Environment Protection Act in 1986, (c) The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (d) The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972;

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6. NGT Context: The NGT also directed LG Polymers India Pvt to submit Rs 50 crore an interim amount for damage to life. A bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, set up a 5-member Committee to probe gas leak incident in the chemical factory Findings:

The NGT said that Styrene gas is a hazardous chemical as defined under Schedule I to the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 and the Rules require on-site and off-site Emergency Plans to ensure prevention of damage

Leakage of hazardous gas at such a scale adversely affecting public health and environment, clearly attracts the principle of 'Strict Liability' against the enterprise engaged in a hazardous or inherently dangerous industry

Concept:

It is a specialized body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.

With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third country in the world to set up a specialised environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing country to do so.

NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.

Structure of NGT The Tribunal comprises of the Chairperson, the Judicial Members and Expert Members. They shall hold office for term of five years and are not eligible for reappointment. The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with Chief Justice of India (CJI)

Powers & Jurisdiction The Tribunal has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving substantial question relating to environment. The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, but shall be guided by principles of 'natural justice'.

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The NGT deals with civil cases under the seven laws related to the environment, these include:

o The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, o The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977, o The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, o The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, o The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, o The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and o The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Two important acts - Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 have been kept out of NGT’s jurisdiction.

Strict liability Vs absolute liability

Under “strict liability principle”, a party is not liable and need not pay compensation if a hazardous substance escapes his premises by accident or by an “act of God’” among other circumstances

Under the “absolute liability principle”, a company in a hazardous industry cannot claim any exemption. It has to mandatorily pay compensation, whether or not the disaster was caused by its negligence. Hazardous enterprise has an “absolute non delegable duty to the community”

The Supreme Court, while deciding the Oleum gas leak case of Delhi, found strict liability woefully inadequate to protect citizens’ rights in an industrialised economy like India and replaced it with the ‘absolute liability principle’

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7. Locust Context:

At a time India is battling COVID, locusts present a new worry with their potential for exponential growth and crop destruction.

While locusts are seen in India as well, that is normally only during July-October and mostly as solitary insects or in small isolated groups. Their being spotted along the India-Pakistan border before mid-April this time — and coming after the damage they caused to the growing rabi crops along western Rajasthan and parts of northern Gujarat during December-January — has raised the alarm bells.

Concept:

Desert Locusts are a group of short-horned grasshoppers that multiply in numbers as they migrate long distances in destructive swarms.

India has a locust control and research scheme that is being implemented through the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), established in 1939 and amalgamated in 1946 with the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, according to the PPQS.

The LWO’s responsibility is monitoring and control of the locust situation in Scheduled Desert Areas, mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and partly in Punjab and Haryana

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Although no locust plague cycles have been observed after 1962, during 1978 and 1993, largescale attacks were reported. India is most at risk of a swarm invasion just before the onset of the monsoon. The swarms usually originate in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.

Locusts are polyphagous, i.e. they can feed on a wide variety of crops. Secondly, they have an ability to multiply rapidly. A single female desert locust lays 60-80 eggs thrice during its roughly 90-day life cycle.

The favourable conditions for breeding include moist sandy or sand / clay soil to a depth of 10-15 cm below the surface, or some bare areas for egg-laying, and green vegetation for hopper development.

In the current case, climate change-induced unseasonal rain or frequent cyclones have been considered to be the main reasons for the infestations.

Ten types of chemicals divided into three categories are recommended to be used for controlling locusts by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

o The first category is mycoinsecticide. This is of low risk to non-target organisms including birds and reptiles which ingest the treated locusts.

o The second category is insect growth regulators (like diflubenzuron, teflubenzuron and triflumuron). It is very low human toxicity and is less hazardous in comparison to neurotoxic insecticides although there are some adverse effects on certain non-target organisms, especially aquatic arthropods.

o The Organophosphates should be the last resort, according to the FAO.

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8. Sal tortoise Context: Sal forest tortoise habitat stretches over unprotected areas as protected areas are designated in a largely mammal-centric way, many equally threatened reptiles and amphibians live outside Concept:

The sal forest tortoise is widely distributed over eastern and northern India and Southeast Asia. However, it is not common in any of this terrain.

In fact, 23 of the 29 species of freshwater turtle and tortoise species found in India come under the threatened category in the IUCN red list and are under severe existential threat due to human activities.

Also known as the elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), the sal forest tortoise, recently assessed as critically endangered, is heavily hunted for food. It is collected both for local use, such as decorative masks, and international wildlife trade.

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9. Forest Advisory Committee Context:

The Forest Advisory Committee has once again deferred its decision on a controversial hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh.

The 3,097 mw Etalin Hydropower project, in the State’s Dibang Valley, has been delayed for over six years. This is because it required diverting 1,165 hectares of forest in a region of rich biodiversity.

Concept:

It is a statutory body which was constituted by the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980.

It comes under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

It considers questions on the diversion of forest land for non-forest uses such as mining, industrial projects, townships and advises the government on the issue of granting forest clearances.

Its role is advisory in nature.

Director General of Forests is chairperson of the committee.

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10. Global Forest Resource Assessment 2020 Context: Food and Agriculture Organisation has released Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020). Concept: FRA 2020 examines the status of, and trends in, more than 60 forest-related variables in 236 countries and territories in the period 1990–2020. Key findings

More than half (54 percent) of the world’s forests are in only five countries –the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America and China.

Ninety-three percent of the forest area worldwide is composed of naturally regenerating forests and 7 percent is planted. The area of naturally regenerating forests has decreased since 1990 (at a declining rate of loss), but the area of planted forests has increased by 123 million ha.

Loss and Gain

The world has lost 178 million ha of forest since 1990, which is an area about the size of Libya. The rate of net forest loss decreased substantially over the period 1990–2020 due to a reduction in deforestation in some countries, plus increases in forest area in others through afforestation and the natural expansion of forests.

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Africa had the largest annual rate of net forest loss in 2010–2020, at 3.9 million ha.The rate of net forest loss has increased in Africa in each of the three decades since 1990.

Asia had the highest net gain of forest area in 2010–2020. Forest risks

About 98 million ha of forest were affected by fire in 2015; this was mainly in the tropical domain, where fire burned about 4 percent of the total forest area in that year. More than two-thirds of the total forest area affected was in Africa and South America.

Insects, diseases and severe weather events damaged about 40 million ha of forests in 2015, mainly in the temperate and boreal domains.

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11. Gharial Context: In Uttar Pradesh, forty gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) were released into the Ghaghara river. Concept: River Ghaghara

The Ghaghara acts as an important aquatic corridor for gharials in Uttar Pradesh.

The river is a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. Gharials

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as the gavial, and fish-eating crocodile is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae, native to sandy freshwater river banks in the plains of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent.

Gharials are critically endangered in the IUCN red list

The species is also listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

A major chunk of gharials in India is found in the Chambal river, which has about 1,000 adults. However, there are satellite populations of less than 100 adults in the Girwa river (Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh), the Ramganga river in Jim Corbett National Park and the Sone river.

Chambal River in National Chambal Sanctuary is the natural habitat of gharial.

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12. Pre monsoon shower and yellow alert Context: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued yellow alerts in nine districts of Kerala. Concept: Pre-monsoon shower

The pre-monsoon showers also called mango showers or summer rain, occurs from March to May

It is characterized by squally winds i.e, they come with sudden, sharp winds that last for a long time and occur during the rain, and thunderstorms or heavy snows.

They also bring with them heat and humidity in the day and night.

The rains are sharp and intense but go away, after one downpour. The rains are usually patchy.

In the south, thunderstorms occur in Kerala and adjoining parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu particularly in the evenings and nights. These pre-monsoonal showers are called by various names:

Tea showers in Assam ( they are good for tea, jute and rice)

Mango showers in Kerala and coastal areas of Karnataka as they help in the early ripening of mangoes.

Cherry Blossoms/ Coffee showers in Kerala and nearby areas (good for coffee plantations)

Alerts:

The cyclone warnings are issued to state government officials in four stages:

1st stage: "PRE CYCLONE WATCH" issued 72 hours in advance Information: Early warning about the development of a cyclonic disturbance in the north Indian Ocean, its likely intensification into a tropical cyclone and the coastal belt likely to experience adverse weather.

2nd stage: "CYCLONE ALERT" issued at least 48 hrs in advance of the expected commencement of adverse weather over the coastal areas.

Information: Location and intensity of the storm likely direction of its movement, intensification, coastal districts likely to experience adverse weather and advice to

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fishermen, general public, media and disaster managers.

3rd stage: "CYCLONE WARNING" issued at least 24 hours in advance of the expected commencement of adverse weather over the coastal areas.

Information: Landfall point is forecast at this stage. These warnings are issued at 3 hourly interval giving the latest position of cyclone and its intensity, likely point and time of landfall, associated heavy rainfall, strong wind and storm surge along with their impact and advice to general public, media, fishermen and disaster managers.

4th stage:"POST LANDFALL OUTLOOK" issued at least 12 hours in advance of expected time of landfall.

Information: It gives likely direction of movement of the cyclone after its landfall and adverse weather likely to be experienced in the interior areas.

Different colour codes as mentioned below are being used since post monsoon season of 2006 the different stages of the cyclone warning bulletins as desired by the National Disaster Management.

Stage of warning Colour code Cyclone Alert Yellow.

Cyclone Warning Orange.

Post landfall out look Red.

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13. Rare palm critically endangered Context: A rare palm endemic to the South Andaman Island is finding a second home at Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Palode Trivandrum. Concept:

Pinanga andamanensis, a critically endangered species and one of the least known among the endemic palms of the Andaman Islands.

But its entire population of some 600 specimens naturally occurs only in a tiny, evergreen forest pocket in South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Park.

Five or six specimens were introduced at the Field Gene Bank at Palode in 1994. By conserving the germplasm on the Indian mainland, JNTBGRI can ensure its continued survival in the event of its minuscule original home getting wiped out

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14. Ecologically Sensitive Area of Western Ghats Context: Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change interacted with Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers of six states viz, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu through Video Conference to discuss issues relating to notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) pertaining to Western Ghats. Concept: ESZ:

The basic aim of ESZ is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas

ESZs are notified by MoEFCC, Government of India under Environment Protection Act 1986.

The guidelines include a broad list of activities that could be allowed, promoted, regulated or promoted. This is an important checklist for conservationists to keep in mind while identifying threats in ESZs.

For this purpose, the ministry has asked all states to constitute a committee comprising the wildlife warden, an ecologist and a revenue department official of the area concerned to suggest the requirement of an eco-sensitive zone and its extent.

The width of the ESZ and type of regulation may vary from protected area to area. However, as a general principle, the width of the ESZ could go up to 10 kms around the protected area.

Western Ghats:

Still there is no consensus among six states and union over notification of ESZ in western ghats, as there is need for balance between ecology and economic growth

Union Government in 2010 had set up the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by Dr Madhav Gadgil. In his report submitted in 2011, Dr Gadgil had recommended that large swathes of areas falling within the Western Ghats be marked as ecologically sensitive areas and excluded from damaging activities.

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However, owing to opposition from states, the MoEF set up another committee in August 2012 called the High Level Working Group headed by former ISRO Chief Dr K Kasturirangan who further reduced the area to be notified as ESAs. However, this report too was rejected by many states.

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15. International Day for Biological Diversity 2020 Context: In a virtual celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2020, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched several initiatives. Concept:

Theme: “OUR SOLUTIONS ARE IN NATURE”

National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Biodiversity Samrakshan Internship Programme wishes to engage dynamic and creative students, who are willing to learn about natural resource management and biodiversity conservation and to support the projects of NBA in various State and Union Territories and to technically assist the State Biodiversity Boards/UTs Biodiversity Council in discharge of their mandates

The virtual event also saw the Launch of UNEP Campaign on Illegal Trafficking of Endangered Species: ‘Not all Animals Migrate by Choice’. Illegal trade in wildlife carries the risk of spreading dangerous pandemics.

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16. Renewable Energy Certificates Context: Recent official data shows sales of renewable energy certificates reduced over 35 per cent to 2.37 lakh units in April compared to 3.68 lakh in the same month a year ago. Concept:

Central Electricity Regulatory Commission introduced REC mechanism to ease the purchase of renewable energy by the state utilities and obligated entities, including the states which are not well endowed with RE sources. REC framework seeks to create a national level market for renewable generators to recover their cost.

It is a market based mechanism which will help the states meet their regulatory requirements (such as Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs)) by overcoming the geographical constraints on existing renewable potential in different states.

One REC is created when one megawatt hour of electricity is generated from an eligible renewable energy source.

RECs help in incentivizing the production of renewable energy over and above the RPO state limit as tradable certificates are not constrained by the geographical limitations of commodity electricity.

Under the REC mechanism, a generator can generate electricity through the renewable resources in any part of the country. For the electricity part, the

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generator receives the cost equivalent to that from any conventional source while the environment attribute is sold through the exchanges at the market determined price. The obligated entity from any part of the country can purchase these RECs to meet its RPO compliance.

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17. Charru mussel Context: An invasive mussel is spreading quickly in the backwaters of Kerala, elbowing out other mussel and clam species and threatening the livelihoods of fishermen engaged in molluscan fisheries. Concept:

Charru mussel is an invasive mussel native to the South and Central American coasts

Surveys show the presence of the Charru mussel in the Kadinamkulam, Paravur, Edava-Nadayara, Ashtamudi, Kayamkulam, Vembanad, Chettuva and Ponnani estuaries/backwaters. Ashtamudi Lake, a Ramsar site in Kollam district, remains the worst-hit.

With a population as high as 11,384 per sq metre here, it has replaced the Asian green mussel (Perna viridis) and the edible oyster Magallana bilineata (known locally as muringa).

Reasons for invasion

In all probability, the mussel reached the Indian shores attached to ship hulls or as larval forms in ballast water discharges.

Cyclone Ockhi may have simply sped up their invasion of inland waters. Impacts:

Economic and biodiversity loss

May affect indigenous fishes and threaten livelihoods of fishers.

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18. Dugong Context: World Dugong Day has been celebrated on May 28, 2020. Concept:

Commonly known as "sea cows," dugongs graze peacefully on sea grasses in shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

IUCN: Vulnerable

Dugongs are an endangered marine species like sea turtles, seahorses, sea cucumbers and others. They are protected in India under Schedule I of the Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972.

There were just 250 dugongs in the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat according to the 2013 survey report of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

In order to conserve and manage the declining populations of dugong in

India, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change under the Government of India constituted a ‘Task Force for Conservation of Dugongs’ to look into the entire gamut of issues related to conservation of dugongs and implementation of the ‘UNEP/Convention on Migratory Species Dugong MoU’ in India

Threats to dugongs

Human activities such as the destruction and modification of habitat, pollution, rampant illegal fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching and unplanned tourism are the main threats to dugongs.

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The loss of seagrass beds due to ocean floor trawling was the most important factor behind dwindling dugong populations in many parts of the world.

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19. CNG and City Gas Distribution (CGD) network Context: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas dedicates 56 CNG stations spread over 11 States/UTs. Concept: CNG Vs H-CNG

CNG is compressed natural gas. With natural gas mainly composed of methane, CNG emits less air pollutants — carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter — than petrol or diesel.

Environmental Benefits: No impurities, No Sulphur (S), No lead (Pb) and Very low levels of polluting gaseous emissions without smell and dust. Molecular structure compactness prevents the reactive processes which lead to the formation of Ozone (O3) in the troposphere

Safety Benefits: Lighter than air - in case of leak no dangerous puddles Unlikely to ignite due to: High ignition temperature, Narrow range of ignition

H-CNG is a blend of hydrogen and CNG, the ideal hydrogen concentration being 18%. Compared to conventional CNG, use of H-CNG can reduce emission of carbon monoxide up to 70%, besides enabling up to 5% savings in fuel.

While recommending the use of H-CNG as an alternative fuel, the NITI Aayog-CII Action Plan for Clean Fuel notes that physical blending of CNG and hydrogen involves a series of energy-intensive steps that would make H-CNG more expensive than CNG.

City gas distribution network

Purpose for development of CGD networks is to increase the availability of cleaner cooking fuel (i.e. Piped Natural Gas) and transportation fuel (i.e. Compressed Natural Gas) in the country.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) authorizes entities to develop Natural Gas Distribution Network as per PNGRB Act, 2006 and the Regulations notified thereunder. PNGRB identifies the Geographical Areas (GAs) for the development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network depending on the natural gas pipeline connectivity/natural gas availability and techno-commercial viability

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20. Amery Ice Shelf Context: NCPOR study found that there will be major impact on climate due to extension of Amery Ice Shelf Concept: The Amery Ice Shelf is one of the largest glacier drainage basins in the world, located on the east coast of Antarctica.

There would be a 24 per cent increase in the expansion of the Amery Ice

Shelf (AIS) boundaries in Antarctica by 2021 and another 24 per cent by 2026 from its 2016 positions, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa has predicted.

NCPOR observations revealed a critical cooling of the sea surface temperature, resulting in an advancement of the ice shelf by 88 per cent in the past 15 years.

These changes would contribute in a major way to climate variability.

The study clearly demonstrated the future dynamism of ocean heat fluctuation and Antarctic Amery ice shelf mass shifting-extent.

The floating sheets of ice called ‘ice shelves’ play a multi-faceted role in maintaining the stability of a glacier. Ice shelves connect a glacier to the landmass.

The ice sheet mass balance, sea stratification, and bottom water formation are important parameters for the balancing of a glacier.

The insulation of ice shelves from atmospheric forcing is dependent on a temperature gradient that the ocean cavity beneath the ice shelves provides.

It is the pressure exerted by the ice shelves upon the ocean cavity that determines this temperature gradient.

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Answer

1. D 2. C 3. D 4. C 5. B

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Current Affairs 1. Disability Act and Arogya Setu Context: The government’s Aarogya Setu app to track COVID19 cases is not accessible to persons with disabilities (PwD), particularly those with hearing and visual challenges, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has informed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the app developer, the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Concept: Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016

The Act replaces the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It fulfills the obligations to the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory. The Act came into force during December 2016.

The types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will have the power to add more types of disabilities.

Persons with "benchmark disabilities" are defined as those certified to have at least 40 per cent of the disabilities specified above.

Responsibility has been cast upon the appropriate governments to take effective measures to ensure that the persons with disabilities enjoy their rights equally with others.

Additional benefits such as reservation in higher education (not less than 5%), government jobs (not less than 4 %), reservation in allocation of land, poverty alleviation schemes (5% allotment) etc. have been provided for persons with benchmark disabilities and those with high support needs.

Every child with benchmark disability between the age group of 6 and 18 years shall have the right to free education.

Government funded educational institutions as well as the government recognized institutions will have to provide inclusive education to the children with disabilities.

For strengthening the Prime Minister's Accessible India Campaign, stress has been given to ensure accessibility in public buildings (both Government and private) in a prescribed time-frame.

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2. Global energy review 2020 report Context: International Energy Agency (IEA) has released its Global Energy Review 2020 report. Other reports of International Energy Agency: 1. Global Energy & CO2 Status Report. 2. World Energy Outlook. 3. World Energy Statistics. 4. World Energy Balances. 5. Energy Technology Perspectives.

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3. Stringency Index Context: A Stringency Index was created by Oxford University Concept:

It shows how strict a country’s measures were, and at what stage of the spread it enforced these.

India imposed its strictest measures much earlier than others.

It is among the metrics being used by the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker. These indicators examine containment policies such as school and workplace closings, public events, public transport, stay-at-home policies. The Stringency Index is a number from 0 to 100 that reflects these indicators. A higher index score indicates a higher level of stringency.

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4. Labour welfare laws Context: The relaxation of rigid and archaic labour laws by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat is expected to help restart economic activity, attract investments, and in the long run, create more jobs by ushering in labour market flexibility. Trade unions, however, attacked the relaxations as retrograde and warned of erosion of rights of workers. Concept:

Article 19(1) (c) of the Indian Constitution gives everyone the right "to form associations or unions". The Trade Unions Act 1926, amended in 2001 and contains rules on governance and general rights of trade unions.

The Payment of Wages Act 1936:- This act ensures that workers must get wages/salaries on time and without any unauthorized deductions. Section 6 of the Wages Act 1936 says that workers must be paid in money rather than in kind.

Minimum Wages Act, 1948: This act ensures minimum wage/salary to workers of different economic sectors. State and Central governments have the power to decide wages according to the kind of work and location.

Maternity Benefits Act: This Act entitles maternity leave for pregnant women employees’ i.e. full payment despite absence from work.

Sexual Harassment of Women employees at Workplace Act, 2013:-This act prohibits any kind of sexual Harassment of the women workers at the workplace.

At present, Ministry has been taking steps for drafting four Labour Codes on Wages; Industrial Relations; Social Security; and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions respectively, by simplifying, amalgamating and rationalizing the relevant provisions of the existing Central Labour Laws.

The 4 Labour Codes contain provisions relating to wage, social security, safety, health and grievance redressal mechanism for workers.

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5. NDMA guideline Context: NDMA issues guidelines for restart of industrial units after lockdown Concept:

Due to several weeks of lockdown and the closure of industrial units during the lockdown period, it is possible that some of the operators might not have followed the established Standard operating Procedure. As a result, some of the manufacturing facilities, pipelines, valves, etc. may have residual chemicals, which may pose risk. The same is true for storage facilities with hazardous chemicals and flammable materials.

National Disaster Management Authority has issued – o Guidelines on Chemical Disasters, 2007 o Guidelines on Management of Chemical (Terrorism) Disasters, 2009

and o Strengthening of Safety and Security for Transportation of Petrol Oil

Liquid Tankers,2010, which are relevant for chemical industries. o The Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules,

1989 under Environment Protection Act, 1986 provide the statutory requirements for these industries.

State Governments shall also ensure that the off-site disaster management plans of the respective Major Accidental Hazard (MAH) units are up to date and preparedness to implement them is high.

It is also advised that all the responsible officers of the district shall ensure the Industrial On-Site Disaster Management Plans are also in place and cover Standard Operating Procedures for safe re-starting of the industries during & after COVID 19 lockdown.

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6. Operation Samudra Setu Context: Naval ship reaches Kochi with 698 repatriated Indians Concept:

Indian Navy as part of Operation Samudra Setu under the Vande Bharat Mission has deployed INS Magar for second phase of repatriation of Indian citizens from Maldives

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7. Super spreader Context: 334 Covid-19 'super-spreaders' found in Ahmedabad Concept:

Super-spreaders' are the infectious disease carriers who could transmit the pathogen to a large number of people. They could be vegetable vendors, grocery and milk shop owners, petrol pump attendants or garbage collectors, who by the nature of their job carry the risk of getting infected and infecting other

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8. Global Nutrition Report Context: India is among 88 countries that are likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025, according to the Global Nutrition Report 2020 Concept:

The Global Nutrition Report was conceived following the first Nutrition for Growth Initiative Summit (N4G) in 2013. The first report was published in 2014.

The Global Nutrition Report acts as a report card on the world’s nutrition—globally, regionally, and country by country—and on efforts to improve it.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a Global Nutrition Report Partner.

It assesses progress in meeting Global Nutrition Targets established by the World Health Assembly.

In 2012, the World Health Assembly identified six nutrition targets for maternal, infant and young child nutrition to be met by 2025.

These require governments o To reduce stunting by 40% in children under five o To reduce prevalence of anaemia by 50% among women in the age

group of 19- 49 o To ensure 30% reduction in lowbirth weight o No increase in childhood overweight o Increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months up

to at least 50%. o To reduce and maintain childhood wasting to less than 5%.

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9. Integrated Battle Groups Context: Indian army will be soon operationalizing Integrated Battle Groups Concept:

IBGs are brigade-sized, agile, self-sufficient combat formations, which can swiftly launch strikes against adversary in case of hostilities.

Each IBG would be tailor-made based on Threat, Terrain and Task and resources will be allotted based on the three Ts. They need to be light so they will be low on logistics. They will be able to mobilise within 12-48 hrs based on the location.

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10. National Migrant Information System (NMIS) Context: The Centre has launched an online dashboard to monitor and facilitate the smooth movement of migrant workers and their contact-tracing during lockdown across the country. Concept:

In order to capture the information regarding movement of migrants and facilitate the smooth movement of stranded persons across States, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has developed an online Dashboard - National Migrant Information System (NMIS).

The online portal would maintain a central repository on migrant workers and help in speedy inter-State communication/co-ordination to facilitate their smooth movement to native places. It has additional advantages like contact tracing, which may be useful in overall COVID-19 response work.

The key data pertaining to the persons migrating has been standardized for uploading such as name, age, mobile no., originating and destination district, date of travel etc.,which States are already collecting.

States will be able to visualize how many people are going out from where and how many are reaching destination States. The mobile numbers of people can be used for contact tracing and movement monitoring during COVID-19.

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11. Defence Expenditure Context: Government has announced reforms to slash defence import expenditure Concept:

India has become the third largest military spender in the world, after the US and China according to the SIPRO report on “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019”

India’s military expenditure has risen significantly over the past few decades. It grew by 259 per cent over the 30-year period 1990 and 2019 and by 37 per cent over the decade 2010–19. However, its military burden fell from 2.7 per cent of GDP in 2010 to 2.4 per cent in 2019.

Announcements:

‘Make in India’ for Self-Reliance in Defence Production: o Notify a list of weapons/platforms for ban on import with year wise

timelines; o Indigenisation of imported spares; o Separate budget provisioning for domestic capital procurement. o Will help reduce huge Defence import bill.

Improve autonomy, accountability and efficiency in Ordnance Supplies by Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board.

FDI limit in the defence manufacturing under automatic route will be raised from 49% to 74%

Time-bound defence procurement process and faster decision making will be ushered

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12. e-Vidhya programme Context: During the last tranche Covid-19 packages, Finance Minister informed that the government has taken various steps to boost online education during lockdown and said government will launch PM e-Vidya programme for multi-mode access to digital/ online education Concept:

Under the PM e-Vidya programme, there will be 12 DTH channels introduced, with one each dedicated to classes 1 to 12

The government has launched Swayam Prabha DTH channels to support and reach those who do not have access to the internet, now 12 more channels will be added

The Swayam Prabha is HRD ministry’s free-to-air education channels, which is a group of 32 DTH channels that provide educational content. The channels teach on topics like arts, science, commerce, performing arts, social sciences and humanities subjects, engineering, technology, medicine, and agriculture.

All of the 32 Swayam Prabha channels offer users around six hours of pre-recorded content on four different subjects daily. It also allows students to clear their doubts by calling on a dedicated helpline.

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13. Syndemic Context: The World Health Organization has announced that COVID19 will likely never go away. Experts warn that there will be a second wave of infections. Meanwhile, some people have also raised the alarm about diseases like dengue and malaria emerging with the upcoming monsoon season in tropical South Asia. Concept: A syndemic is a situation when two or more epidemics interact synergistically to produce an increased burden of disease in a population, a situation first described by medical anthropologist Merrill Singer in the mid1990s.

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14. Star rating of garbage free cities Context: For the assessment year 2019-2020, a total of six cities have been certified as 5-Star (Ambikapur, Rajkot, Surat, Mysuru, Indore and Navi Mumbai), 65 cities as 3-Star and 70 cities as 1-Star. Concept:

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) has launched the protocol for Star Rating of Garbage Free cities.

The star rating conditions have been designed in a way as to enable cities to gradually evolve into a model (7-star) city, with progressive improvements in their overall cleanliness.

The protocol, with increasing levels of stringency with increasing star rating, will also be aspirational in nature, feeding cities’ ambitions and dreams of becoming an ideal city for its residents, and a role model for other cities to follow.

The star rating conditions are based on 25 key parameters across the solid waste management spectrum and has been designed to both help cities assess their progress while encouraging them to move towards a better rating thereby improving their cities’ overall cleanliness and aesthetics

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15. Ghost Villages Context: Uttarakhand using 'ghost' villages in Pauri district as COVID-19 quarantine centres Concept:

Abandoned houses in Pauri district's 'ghost' villages, called so as they have become empty after their residents left them, are proving useful for the administration which is converting them into quarantine centres for migrants returning in droves to Uttarakhand.

Poor infrastructure, difficult living conditions and lack of employment have been cited as the reasons for the mass migration of locals from such villages which have been lying vacant for years now.

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16. Khudol Context: Manipur’s ‘khudol’ (gift) has been listed by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth as one of the top 10 global initiatives for an inclusive fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Concept:

Khudol is a crowdfunded initiative of YaAll, an Imphal-based NGO.

The initiative entails ensuring food supplies and health services for the LGBTQI+ community, people living with HIV, daily-wage earners, children and adolescents.

17. Missile Park 'Agneeprastha' Context: Foundation Stone for a Missile Park "AGNEEPRASTHA" was laid at INS Kalinga Concept:

'AGNEEPRASTHA ' aims to capture glimpses of Missile History of INS Kalinga since 1981 till date.

The Missile Park has been set up with a replica of missiles and Ground Support Equipment (GSE) that showcase the evolution of missiles handled by the unit.

'AGNEEPRASTHA' will also provide a one-stop arena for motivation and stimulation of inquisitive minds regarding the missiles and related technologies, from school children to Naval personnel and their families.

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Government Scheme 1. One Nation One Ration Card Context: Five more states Bihar, UP, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Daman and Diu have been integrated with the 'one nation, one ration card' scheme Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said. Concept:

Under the 'one nation, one ration card' initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any fair-price shop in the country. The scheme was announced in June 2019.

This means poor migrant workers will be able to buy subsidised rice and wheat from any ration shop in the country, so long as their ration cards are linked to Aadhaar.

Launched by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. It will be available across the country from July 1, 2020.

It would integrate the existing PDS systems/portals of States/UTs with the Central systems/portals.

A standard format for ration card has been prepared after taking into account the format used by different states.

For national portability, the state governments have been asked to issue the ration card in bi-lingual format, wherein besides the local langauge, the other language could be Hindi or English.

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2. Informal workforce definition and schemes Context: COVID-19 is causing havoc across the world, destroying both lives and livelihoods. Developing countries such as India are particularly vulnerable as their vast informal workforce is woefully ill-equipped to cope with the medical and economic shocks of the virus Concept:

Informal workforce includes those who are employed in informal enterprises (unincorporated small or unregistered enterprises) as well as informal workers in the formal sector (workers in the formal sector who are not provided any social security benefits by employers).

At the last count, 90.6 per cent of India’s workforce was informally employed (Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2017-18).

In order to provide social security benefits to the workers in the unorganized sector, the Government has enacted the Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008.

The 2008 Act stipulates formulation of suitable welfare schemes for unorganized workers on matters relating to: (i) life and disability cover, (ii) health and maternity benefits, (iii) old age protection.

The social security schemes being implemented by various ministries/departments for unorganized workers listed in Schedule I such as: o Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (Ministry of Rural

Development) o National Family Benefit Scheme (Ministry of Rural Development) o Janani Suraksha Yojana (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) o Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare)

The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) along with the health coverage provided under 'Ayushman Bharat' and life & disability coverage provided under 'Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana' and 'Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, will ensure comprehensive social security coverage for the workers in theunorganized sector at their old age.

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3. Nigah Scheme of HP Context: The Himachal Pradesh Government is to launch a new programme called “Nigah”. The programme aims at educating family members that are coming from other Concept: The Nigah Programme is to deploy ASHA, anganwadi and health workers to create awareness about maintaining social distancing during home quarantine. Under the programme the health workers will sensitize the members of the family that are arriving from other states. About accredited social health activist (ASHA)

One of the key components of the National Rural Health Mission is to provide every village in the country with a trained female community health activist ASHA or Accredited Social Health Activist. Selected from the village itself and accountable to it, the ASHA will be trained to work as an interface between the community and the public health system.

Empowered with knowledge and a drug-kit to deliver first-contact healthcare, every ASHA is expected to be a fountainhead of community participation in public health programmes in her village.

ASHA will be a health activist in the community who will create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilise the community towards local health planning and increased utilisation and accountability of the existing health services.

ASHA will provide information to the community on determinants of health such as nutrition, basic sanitation & hygienic practices, healthy living and working conditions, information on existing health services and the need for timely utilisation of health & family welfare services.

She will counsel women on birth preparedness, importance of safe delivery, breastfeeding and complementary feeding, immunization, contraception and prevention of common infections including Reproductive Tract Infection/Sexually Transmitted Infections (RTIs/STIs) and care of the young child.

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4. Vande Matarm Mission Context: First two AI Express flights land in Kerala with 363 stranded Indians from UAE Concept:

The massive repatriation exercise is named ''Vande Bharat Mission due to the international travel lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The evacuated citizens will be sent to the Institutional Quarantine facilities set up by the district administrations in their respective districts

Pregnant women, people needing immediate treatment, those returning to attend ceremonies connected to death of a close relative, aged people needing continuous assistance and children under 10 years will be permitted to go to their houses, where they will be under strict home quarantine (selfisolation) for 14 days.

1. Vande Mataram mission relates

A. Anti –terror operations in J K B. Communal Harmony C. Repatriation of Indians from corona hit countries D. None

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5. Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) It is a retail marketing led value addition plan for Minor Forest Produce (MFP), meant for forest-based tribes to optimize the tribal income, locally. Under the program, MFP-based tribal groups / enterprises of around 300 members are formed for collection, value addition, packaging & marketing of Minor Forest Produces (MFPs). These tribal enterprises will be in the form of Van Dhan SHGs which will be a group of 15-20 members and such 15 SHG groups will further be federated into a larger group of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKS) of around 300 members. TRIFED will support the VDVKs through providing them with model business plans, processing plans & tentative list of equipment for carrying out the value addition work of MFPs.

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6. Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Programme Context: Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series is promoting spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat through virtual tours of different parts of the country. Concept:

The programme was announced by the Prime Minister in 2015 on the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Subsequently, the initiative was announced in the Union Budget for 2016-17.

It is propounded that cultural diversity is a joy that ought to be celebrated through mutual interaction & reciprocity between people of different States and UTs so that a common spirit of understanding resonates throughout the country.

Every State and UT in the country would be paired with another State/UT for a year or till the next round of pairings, during which they would carry out a structured engagement with one another in the spheres of language, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, tourism etc.

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7. Responsible AI for Youth Context: Minister for Electronics & Information Technology launched a National Program for the youth, “Responsible AI for Youth”. Concept:

The aim of this Program is to give the young students of our country a platform and empower them with appropriate new age tech mind-set, relevant AI skill-sets and access to required AI tool-sets to make them digitally ready for the future.

The Program has been created and launched by the National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics & IT in collaboration with Intel India, with support from Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Human Resource Development.

“Responsible AI for Youth” will empower the youth to become AI ready and help reduce the skill gap, while enabling youth to create meaningful social impact solutions.

The National Programme is open to students of classes 8 - 12 from Central and State government-run schools from across the country and aims to bring about a change in the thought process and create a bridge for the digital divide.

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Answer 1. C

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International Relations 1. USCIRF and CPC list Context: USCIRF recommends 14 nations, including India, for designation as 'countries of particular concern' Concept:

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad.

It makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief.

In the 2020 edition of its annual report on International Religious Freedom, the USCIRF alleged that in 2019, religious freedom conditions in India "experienced a drastic turn downward", with religious minorities under increasing assault.

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2. BRICS AND NDB Context:

In the global war against the novel coronavirus, emerging economies, many belonging to BRICS, have reached out to other countries humbled by the pandemic

As the world’s largest producer of hydroxychloroquine, India has recently exported the drug not only to SAARC countries and to its “extended neighbourhood” in the Gulf, but also to Russia, Brazil, Israel and the U.S.

This has set the stage for India to forge an inclusive BRICS-driven pharma alliance, which could also actively explore the production of vaccines.

Concept:

BRICS is the group composed by the five major emerging countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -, which together represent about 42% of the population, 23% of GDP, 30% of the territory and 18% of the global trade.

The acronym BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs in 2001 to indicate the emerging powers that would be, alongside the United States, the five largest economies of the world in the 21st century.

In 2006, BRIC countries started their dialogue, which since 2009 takes place at annual meetings of heads of state and government.

In 2011, with South Africa joining the group, the BRICS reached its final composition, incorporating a country from the African continent.

Since the beginning of their dialogue, in 2006, these countries have sought to establish fairest international governance, one that would be more suitable to their national interests.

Throughout its first decade, BRICS has developed sectorial cooperation’s in different areas, such as science and technology, trade promotion, energy, health, education, innovation and fight against transnational crime.

At the Fortaleza Summit (2014), in Brazil, important institutions were created: the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

So far, the NDB has approved more than 8 billion-dollars in infrastructure and renewable energy financing projects in the BRICS countries.

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In the Fortaleza Declaration, the leaders stressed that the NDB will strengthen cooperation among BRICS and will supplement the efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global development.

The bank will be headquartered in Shanghai, China.

Unlike the World Bank, which assigns votes based on capital share, in the New Development Bank each participant country will be assigned one vote, and none of the countries will have veto power.

Bank’s Articles of Agreement specify that all members of the United Nations could be members of the bank; however the share of the BRICS nations can never be less than 55% of voting power.

The CRA is operational and is an important financial stability mechanism for countries affected by crises in their balance of payments.

1. With reference to the New Development Bank, consider the following statements: 1. Only members of BRICS can become member of NDB. 2. The bank’s headquarter is in Beijing, China. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both 1 and 2 D. Neither 1 nor 2

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3. Declaration of Windhoek for press freedom Context: The World Press Freedom Day is celebrated every year on May 3. Concept:

The East-West Roundtable sought to address numerous challenges generated by the end of the Cold War including the democratization of the media landscape in Central and Oriental European countries.

However, no final text was adopted despite the participation of several journalists from Soviet Block, Europe and North America. Some African diplomats who attended the East-West Roundtable had asked the Director General that a similar conference be held on their continent, leading to the Windhoek seminar next year.

A group of African journalists produced a Declaration at a UNESCO seminar, "Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press," held in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, from 29 April to 3 May 1991.

The Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press or Windhoek Declaration, as it would subsequently, known as is considered to be a landmark document on media pluralism and independence.

Windhoek Declaration led to developing countries drafting several similar documents: The Alma-Ata Declaration for central Asia, Sana'a Declaration for the Middle East, and the Santiago Declaration for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Proclamation made to celebrate world press freedom day by UN General Assembly in December 1993 following a recommendation adopted at UNESCO's General Conference in 1991.

According to the UN, the day is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom throughout the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

2. Declaration of Windhoek pertains to A. Freedom from hunger B. Freedom from domestic violence C. Press Freedom D. Freedom from exploitation

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4. Virtual NAM Context: Prime minister has participated in a video conference meeting of non-alignment movement (NAM) on COVID crisis. Concept:

This is the first time Prime minister is taking part in a NAM meeting since 2014. The last time any Indian PM participated at Tehran NAM meet was in 2012 when Manmohan Singh was the PM of the country.

Both in 2016, 2019 summits of NAM, India was represented by Vice President.

The last NAM Summit happened in 2019 in Azerbaijan, before that it was 2016 in Venezuela.

Azerbaijan is the president of the grouping till 2022 and the meet is being organized under the leadership of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The title of the summit is "We stand together against COVID-19”.

Background

The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the Cold War, as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral.

The basic concept for the group originated in 1955 during discussions that took place at the Asia-Africa Bandung Conference held in Indonesia. Subsequently, a preparatory meeting for the First NAM Summit Conference was held in Cairo, Egypt from 1961.

Non-Aligned Movement is an idea that emerged in 1950 and the initiative was led by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and President of erstwhile Yugoslav Josip Broz Tito.

NAM is the second-largest platform globally in terms of country membership after the UN. While it currently has 120 member states, 17 states which are observers in the last few years the grouping has lost the main rationale of the existence of remaining equidistant to 2 powers--US and Soviet Union, after the disintegration of the latter.

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5. Toman Context: The head of Iran's Central Bank announced Monday that the nation's currency was set to be renamed and re-valued. Concept:

Long called the rial, Iran's money will soon likely be called the Toman, and an impressive four zeros will be shaved off all denominations. What was previously 10,000 rials will become one Toman under the plans, which were approved by the Iranian parliament.

Since 2018 when the US administration repudiated the nuclear agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran, the value of Iran’s currency has fallen by roughly 60 percent.

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6. World health Assembly Context: Taiwan makes new push for inclusion in World Health Assembly. Taiwan has been praised over its handling of the pandemic; the island nation of 23 million people has recorded just 438 cases of COVID-19 and six deaths Concept:

WHO membership is only given to countries that are members of the United Nations which does not recognize Taiwan - or whose applications are approved by the World Health Assembly.

This means that Taiwan has been excluded from emergency meetings and important global expert briefings on the coronavirus pandemic. It has been denied permission to attend the World Health Assembly's annual meetings in recent years.

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO.

It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.

The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.

The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland. 3. With reference to the World Health Assembly, consider the following statements:

1. World Health Assembly determines the policies of the Organization 2. World Health Assembly appoints the Director-General 3. The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? A. 3 only B. 2 and 3 only C. 1 and 3 only D. 1, 2 and 3

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7. Row over new link road to Kailash Mansarovar Context: India’s plan to shorten the travel time for pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar ran into a diplomatic trouble as Nepal strongly objected to the new link road from India to China which was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Concept:

The Government of Nepal has said ‘Link Road’ connecting to Lipulekh passes through Nepali territory This is against the understanding reached between the two countries that a solution to boundary issues would be sought through negotiation referring to the agreement to work out the “outstanding boundary issues” on Kalapani (where Lipulekh lies) and Susta.

Kalapani is a 372-sq km area at the China-Nepal-India tri-junction. India claims Kalapani as a part of Uttarakhand while Nepal depicts the area in its map

Under the treaty of Sugauli signed between Nepal and the British East India Company in 1816, the Kali River was located as Nepal’s western boundary with India. It, however, made no mention of a ridgeline and subsequent maps of the areas drawn by British surveyors showed the source of the Kali River at different places.

This discrepancy has led to the boundary disputes between India and Nepal, with each country producing maps including the territory in their own area to support their claims. The exact size of the Kalapani territory also varies in different sources.

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8. Mission Sagar Context: India launches Mission Sagar to assist island nations in Eastern Indian Ocean Concept:

Indian Naval Ship Kesari has departed for Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, to provide Food Items, COVID related Medicines including HCQ Tablets and Special Ayurvedic Medicines with Medical Assistance Teams embarked.

This deployment as ‘Mission Sagar’ is in line with India’s role as the first responder in the region and builds on the excellent relations existing between these countries to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and its resultant difficulties.

The deployment is in consonance with the Prime Ministers' vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region ‘SAGAR’ promulgated in March 2015.

SAGAR highlights the importance accorded by India to relations with her neighbouring countries and further strengthens the existing bond.

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9. Nathula and Line of Actual control Context: Several soldiers injured during faceoff between India and China along Sikkim border. Concept:

Line of Actual Control (LAC), is 4,057-km porous border running through glaciers, snow deserts, mountains and rivers separate India and China.

The LAC traverses three areas — Western (Ladakh, Kashmir), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).

Transgressions along the LAC into India from the Chinese side are more frequent in the Western sector.

China illegally occupies 38,000sqkm of land in Jammu & Kashmir. It also holds 5,180km of Indian territory in PoK under the Sino-Pak agreement of 1963.

In 1993, India and China signed an accord to reduce tensions along their border and respect the LAC. Three years later in 1996 the two countries agreed to delimit the LAC and institute confidence building measures.

In January 2012, the two sides signed a Joint Boundary mechanism to remove misunderstanding on a real time basis in case of any transgression along the LAC.

In October 2013, the two sides signed the Boundary Defence Cooperation Agreement to prevent any flare up along the un-demarcated border. This encompasses both military level and diplomat level dialogue mechanism.

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10. Spirit of Wuhan and Mahabalipuram Context: Striking a conciliatory note after incidents on the India-China border, India invoked the spirits of the Wuhan and Mahabuliparam summits in which both sides had reaffirmed to make efforts to “ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas” Concept:

Faceoffs between border guarding troops do occur along the LAC due to the differing perceptions of the alignment of boundaries which are not resolved.

Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Naku La area in north Sikkim and Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh were involved in scuffles and stone-pelting in the first week of May.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in their informal Summits in Wuhan (2018) and in Chennai (2019), had reaffirmed both sides will continue to make efforts to ensure peace in the border areas.

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11. West bank Context: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the country’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Concept:

The West Bank is a chunk of land east of Israel.

Its home to nearly three million Palestinians, and would make up the heart of any Palestinian state.

Israel snatched it during the Six Day War of 1967, and has allowed Jewish settlers to move in, but Palestinians (and most of the international community) consider it illegally occupied Palestinian land.

Are these Israeli settlements illegal?

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), an occupying power “shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies”.

Under the Rome Statute that set up the International Criminal Court in 1998, such transfers constitute war crimes, as does the “extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly”.

Under the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, both Israel and the Palestinians agreed that the status of settlements would be decided by negotiations. But the negotiations process has been all but dead for several years now.

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12. Commonwealth: The Commonwealth of Nations, generally known simply as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 54 member states, nearly all former territories of the British Empire The chief institutions of the organization are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on nongovernmental relations between member states.

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13. WHO resolution Context: India is among 62 countries that have moved a proposal at the World Health Assembly to “identify the zoonotic source” of the coronavirus and asked for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the WHO’s response to Covid-19. Concept:

The resolution is being backed by three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council- UK, Russia and France along with Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey, among others.

China and the US are not part of the resolution.

This is the first time India has taken a position in an international forum on the origin of the virus and the need for an independent evaluation of WHO’s response to the crisis.

So far, New Delhi had maintained that it is engaged in the fight against Covid-19, and will revisit the issue after the crisis is over.

It asks the WHO chief to work with the World Organisation for Animal Health to conduct “scientific and collaborative field missions” and “identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts”.

What is World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)?

The OIE is the intergovernmental organization responsible for improving animal health worldwide.

The need to fight animal diseases at a global level led to the creation of the Office International des Epizooties through the international Agreement signed on January 25, 1924.

In May 2003 the Office became the World Organisation for Animal Health but kept its historical acronym OIE.

It is recognised as a reference organisation by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in 2018 has a total of 182 Member Countries.

Objectives: o Ensure transparency in the global animal disease situation o Collect, analyse and disseminate veterinary scientific information o Encourage international solidarity in the control of animal diseases

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o Safeguard world trade by publishing health standards for international trade in animals and animal products

o Promotion of veterinary services o Improve the legal framework and resources of national Veterinary Services o To provide a better guarantee of food of animal origin and to promote

animal welfare through a science-based approach.

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14. Belt and road initiative Context: Growing concerns about debt repayments from many partner countries because of the coronavirus pandemic, China has indicated a shift in how it will pursue its signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Concept:

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious programme to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks along six corridors with the aim of improving regional integration, increasing trade and stimulating economic growth.

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The name was coined in 2013 by China’s President Xi Jinping, who drew inspiration from the concept of the Silk Road established during the Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago – an ancient network of trade routes that connected China to the Mediterranean via Eurasia for centuries. The BRI has also been referred to in the past as 'One Belt One Road'.

The BRI comprises a Silk Road Economic Belt – a trans-continental passage that links China with south east Asia, south Asia, Central Asia, Russia and Europe by land – and a 21st century Maritime Silk Road, a sea route connecting China’s coastal regions with south east and south Asia, the South Pacific, the Middle East and Eastern Africa, all the way to Europe.

The initiative defines five major priorities: policy coordination; infrastructure connectivity; unimpeded trade; financial integration; and connecting people.

The programme is expected to involve over US$1 trillion in investments, largely in infrastructure development for ports, roads, railways and airports, as well as power plants and telecommunications networks.

The BRI’s geographical scope is constantly expanding. So far it covers over 70 countries, accounting for about 65 per cent of the world’s population and around one third of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

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15. Interpol and red notice Context: A red Corner Notice (RCN) has been issued by the Interpol against diamantaire Nirav Modi’s brother has been made public again. This is likely to expedite his arrest in the multi-thousand crore cheating case. Concept:

It is an intergovernmental organization that helps coordinate the police force of 194 member countries.

The General Secretariat provides a range of expertise and services to the member countries.

It is headquartered in Lyon, France

The General Assembly is our governing body and it brings all countries together once a year to take decisions.

In each country, an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) provides the central point of contact for the General Secretariat and other NCBs. An NCB is run by national police officials and usually sits in the government ministry responsible for policing. In India CBI is designated authority.

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4. Which of the following is/ are the types of notices issued by Interpol

1. Red Notice 2. Blue Notice 3. Green Notice 4. Black Notice

Which of the statements given above is/are correct? A. 1 only B. 1 and 4 only C. 1, 2 and 3 only D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

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16. International Peace Keepers Day Context: The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is being celebrated on May 29. Concept:

The objective is to pay tribute to the invaluable contribution by the uniformed and civilian personnel and to honour more than 3,800 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while rendering peacekeeping services.

The theme for International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers 2020 is 'Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace' to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

History

The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces are employed by the World Organization to maintain or re-establish peace in an area of armed conflict. The UN may engage in conflicts between states as well as in struggles within states.

Over the past 20 years, protection of civilians has increasingly been at the heart of UN peacekeeping.

UN peacekeepers often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light blue berets or helmets can include soldiers, police officers, and civilian personnel.

The first UN peacekeeping mission was established on 29th May 1948, when the Security Council authorized the deployment of a small number of UN military observers to the Middle East.

Since then, more than one million men and women have served in 72 UN peacekeeping operations, directly impacting the lives of millions of people, protecting the world’s most vulnerable and saving countless lives.

Peacekeeping and India

India is the 4th largest troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping missions. UN peacekeeping has helped countries move from war to peace.

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At present, India contributes about 6,400 peacekeepers to various missions across the world.

UN Resolution 1325

Resolution 1325 addresses two major points – the inordinate impact of violent conflict and war on women and girls, as well as the crucial role that women should, and already do play in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peacemaking and peacebuilding.

The Resolution urges all actors to increase the participation of women and additionally incorporate gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts.

Parties engaged in conflict must take special measures to protect women and girls from all forms of gender-based violence, especially rape and other forms of sexual violence that are particularly widespread during times of violent conflict.

Each of its mandates falls into one UNSCR 1325’s four basic pillars: participation, protection, prevention and relief and recovery.

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17. D10 - 5G club Context: UK plans for new 5G club of 10 democracies Concept:

The British government has approached the US with the prospect of creating a 5G club of 10 democracies, including India, amid growing security concerns related to Chinese telecom giant Huawei

A so-called “D10" club of democratic partners, including G7 countries – UK, US, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and Canada – plus Australia, South Korea and India will aim to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies to avoid relying on China

The move to speed up such a club comes as the UK launched an inquiry into Huawei’s involvement in the country’s mobile network upgrade in the wake of US sanctions against the company.

The US in recent months has increased its action against Huawei, China's first global tech brand and a maker of network equipment and smartphones, preventing it from doing business in the US, as it believes the company known for its technological advancement in 5G is being used by the Chinese leadership to serve their interest.

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18. US severed link with WHO Context: US President announced severing of ties with the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the COVID19 pandemic. Concept:

Mr. Trump initially suspended funding to the WHO last month, accusing it of not doing enough to curb the early spread of the virus and being too lenient with China, where the virus emerged late last year.

The decision is major blow for the agency’s finances, as the U.S. is by far its biggest contributor, pumping in $400 million last year.

WHO funding:

WHO depends on two types of funding — assessed contributions from member nations and voluntary contributions

The share of assessed contributions in WHO’s annual budget has declined over the years, to the extent that they now constitute just 24%

The rest is through voluntary contributions not just from member nations but also from private organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, universities and even other UN bodies like UNICEF and UNDP

The US is the largest contributor to the WHO, with a share of 22% (India’s share is 0.8341%).

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Answer 1. D

2. D

3. D

4. D