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Hyperloop June 2018

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HYPERLOOP

JUNE 2018

CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR ESE 2019


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Hyperloop June 2018


Contents 1. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES ............................................................................................ 7

1.1 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................................ 7

Centralised Authority for Advance Rulings ......................................................................................... 7

Methanol Economy .............................................................................................................................. 7

Monetary Policy Tools .......................................................................................................................... 8

Co-op banks can become small finance banks .................................................................................... 9

Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes ........................................................................................ 10

Low recoveries of NPAs ...................................................................................................................... 10

Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency ........................................................................................ 11

MCLR and base rate merger ............................................................................................................... 11

Annual Meeting of AIIB ...................................................................................................................... 11

SEBI set to open commodities to MFs ............................................................................................... 12

1.2 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................ 13

Mandatory pre-litigation mediation in commercial disputes .......................................................... 13

Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan ......................................................................................................................... 14

JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA .................................................................................................................... 14

Consortium to help women entrepreneurs....................................................................................... 15

Draft Pesticides Management Bill ..................................................................................................... 15

New technology for shrimp feed ....................................................................................................... 16

Solar Charkha Mission ........................................................................................................................ 16

The new National Auto Policy ............................................................................................................ 16

National Strategy for Standardization ............................................................................................... 17

Water aerodromes ............................................................................................................................. 17

The Kaleshwaram project .................................................................................................................. 17

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ....................................................................... 18

Sagarmala receives Gold Award ........................................................................................................ 19

1.3 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................ 20

SATH program ..................................................................................................................................... 20

Cauvery Water Management Authority ............................................................................................ 20

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana ............................................................................................................ 20

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Reduction of Maternal Mortality ....................................................................................................... 22

QS World Best Universities Ranking 2019 ......................................................................................... 23

The DAY-NRLM awards ...................................................................................................................... 24

New Swachh Iconic Places ................................................................................................................. 24

Government opens doors to lateral entry ......................................................................................... 24

World Hindi Conference ..................................................................................................................... 25

Polio-free status ................................................................................................................................. 25

Proposed National Dam Safety Authority ......................................................................................... 26

The National Health Resource Repository (NHRR) ........................................................................... 26

India Smart Cities Award 2018 .......................................................................................................... 27

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Rural Roads Project ................................................................ 28

2. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................ 28

2.1 ENERGY ......................................................................................................................................... 28

KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan)Scheme launched ................................ 28

Lithium Ion Battery project ................................................................................................................ 29

World's largest IAEA fusion energy conference ................................................................................ 30

Artificial leaf that creates biofuel ...................................................................................................... 30

3+ carbon neutrality ........................................................................................................................... 31

National targets for off-shore wind power ....................................................................................... 31

Smart electricity meters ..................................................................................................................... 31

India begins importing LNG from Russia ........................................................................................... 32

2.2 ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................. 33

Groundwater recharge ....................................................................................................................... 33

‘Blue Flag’ tag ..................................................................................................................................... 33

Biodiversity ......................................................................................................................................... 34

Nitrogen emissions going up .............................................................................................................. 34

What caused the Dec. 1, 2015 Chennai downpour? ......................................................................... 34

Severe uranium contamination in India’s groundwater ................................................................... 35

India’s to phase out single-use plastics by 2022 ............................................................................... 35

Composite Water Management Index .............................................................................................. 36

Atal Bhujal Yojana ............................................................................................................................. 37

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The Ken- Betwa river interlink project .............................................................................................. 38

Drone Surveillance ............................................................................................................................. 38

Impact of sand mining ........................................................................................................................ 39

EU High Level Event on Climate Change ............................................................................................ 39

Plastic ban in Maharashtra ................................................................................................................ 40

Rhino habitat under threat ................................................................................................................ 40

Waste water reusable pilot project ................................................................................................... 41

Malnutrition in trees .......................................................................................................................... 41

The Caribbean reef (The Mesoamerican Reef) under recovery........................................................ 42

Air pollution sensors to be certified .................................................................................................. 42

The Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016 ................................................................................. 43

3. ICT AND APPLICATIONS .................................................................................................................. 43

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission .................................................. 43

Indigenous device to track-and-kill enemy drones ........................................................................... 44

Brain passwords ................................................................................................................................. 44

AI outperforms doctors in detecting skin cancer .............................................................................. 44

Rail Madad App .................................................................................................................................. 44

National Digital Library of India ......................................................................................................... 45

Use of Aadhaar biometric data for investigating crime not allowed ............................................... 45

Space2030 agenda: ............................................................................................................................. 46

NIMHANS Digital Academy ................................................................................................................ 46

Web Application Attacks .................................................................................................................... 47

4. KEY GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES ..................................................................................................... 47

Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) ............................................ 47

SHe-box Portal .................................................................................................................................... 48

National Food Security Mission ......................................................................................................... 48

National Social Assistance Program (NSAP) ...................................................................................... 48

UDAAN (Giving Wings to Girl Students) ............................................................................................ 49

SANKALP and STRIVE .......................................................................................................................... 49

Mission Parivar Vikas ......................................................................................................................... 49

Operation Digital board ..................................................................................................................... 50

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Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKY) .................................................................. 50

Solar City ............................................................................................................................................. 50

National LED Programme ................................................................................................................... 50

Logistic Efficiency Enhancement Programme (LEEP) ........................................................................ 51

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) ................................... 51

Aarambh ............................................................................................................................................. 51

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) ........................................................................................................... 51

Jalmani Programme............................................................................................................................ 52

National Rural Drinking Water Programme ...................................................................................... 52

SWAYAM ............................................................................................................................................. 52

Diksha Portal ...................................................................................................................................... 52

Swabhimaan ....................................................................................................................................... 53

Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) .................................................... 53

Sudoor Drishti: .................................................................................................................................... 54

TAMRA: ............................................................................................................................................... 54

Portal PENCIL ...................................................................................................................................... 54

Jeevan Pramaan ................................................................................................................................. 54

Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) ........................................................... 54

LPG PANCHAYAT ................................................................................................................................. 55

MERIT Portal ....................................................................................................................................... 55

Mobile Applications launched by Ministry of Power: ....................................................................... 55

Central sector schemes and Centrally Sponsored Scheme ............................................................... 55

5. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ...................................................................................................................... 56

Nuclear-capable Agni-5 ...................................................................................................................... 56

Discovery of new planet ..................................................................................................................... 56

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ........................................................................................ 57

Rani Rashmoni commissioned ........................................................................................................... 58

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1. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1.1 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Centralised Authority for Advance Rulings

India is looking at creating a centralised Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) for

the goods and services tax (GST).

● The AAR is a quasi-judicial body that allows assesses to get guidance on

their potential tax liabilities relating to any transaction beforehand.

● The rulings by the AAR are case-specific.

Methanol Economy

NITI Aayog has drawn out a comprehensive plan to replace 20% of crude imports

from Methanol alone.

Benefits:

● Adopting Methanol in this scale would bring down pollution in the country

by more than 40%.

● Methanol is a clean burning drop in fuel.

● Because it requires minimal infrastructure modifications and capital and

can replace both petrol & diesel in transportation & LPG, Wood, Kerosene

in cooking fuel.

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● A methanol reformer is a device in the area of fuel cell technology, which

can produce pure hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide by reacting a

methanol and water (steam) mixture

● Methanol burns efficiently in all internal combustion engines, produces no

particulate matter, no soot, almost nil SOX and NOX emissions

● The gaseous version of Methanol – DME (Dimethyl ether, also known as

methoxymethane) can blended with LPG and can be excellent substitute for

diesel in Large buses and trucks.

Monetary Policy Tools

Repo Rate:

● Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (Reserve Bank

of India in case of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of

any shortfall of funds.

● Repo rate is used by monetary authorities to control inflation.

Reverse Repo Rate:

● Reverse repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country

(Reserve Bank of India in case of India) borrows money from commercial

banks within the country.

● It is a monetary policy instrument which can be used to control the money

supply in the country.

Marginal Standing Facility (MSF):

● Marginal standing facility (MSF) is a window for banks to borrow from the

Reserve Bank of India in an emergency situation when inter-bank liquidity

dries up completely.

● Banks borrow from the central bank by pledging government securities at a

rate higher than the repo rate under liquidity adjustment facility

Statutory Liquidity Ratio:

● The ratio of liquid assets to net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) is called

statutory liquidity ratio (SLR).

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● Apart from Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), banks have to maintain a stipulated

proportion of their net demand and time liabilities in the form of liquid

assets like cash, gold and unencumbered securities.

● Treasury bills, dated securities issued under market borrowing programme

and market stabilisation schemes (MSS), etc also form part of the SLR.

● Banks have to report to the RBI every alternate Friday their SLR

maintenance, and pay penalties for failing to maintain SLR as mandated.

Cash Reserve Ratio:

● Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) is a specified minimum fraction of the total

deposits of customers, which commercial banks have to hold as reserves

either in cash or as deposits with the central bank.

Inflation:

Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is

rising and, consequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling

Co-op banks can become small finance banks

The Reserve Bank of India has decided to allow urban co-operative banks (UCB) to

convert into small finance banks (SFB).

About UCB:

● The term Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) refers to primary cooperative

banks located in urban and semi-urban areas.

● They essentially lent to small borrowers and businesses. Today, their scope

of operations has widened considerably.

About Small Banks

• Banks with a small finance bank license can provide basic banking service of

acceptance of deposits and lending.

• The aim is to provide financial inclusion to sections of the economy not

being served by other banks, such as small business units, small and

marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganized sector

entities

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_deposit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_loan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_inclusion

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• The banks will not be restricted to any region.

• 75% of its net credits should be in priority sector lending and 50% of the

loans in its portfolio must in ₹25 lakh range

Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes

The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018 was approved by the

Union Cabinet.

● The Bill imposes complete prohibition of unregulated deposit taking

activity.

● Designation of courts to oversee repayment of depositors and to try

offences under the Act

● The Bill enables creation of a central online database, for collection and

sharing of information on deposit taking activities in the country.

Ponzi schemes:

● A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment that involves the payment of

purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new

investors.

Low recoveries of NPAs

The public sector banks have claimed

a Rs. 1,50,960 crore reduction in

their non-performing asset (NPA)

levels over 2017-18, about 55% of

this was due to write-offs and only

27% was actual recoveries.

● A non-performing asset (NPA)

refers to a classification for

loans or advances that are in

default or are in arrears on

scheduled payments of

principal or interest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priority_sector_lending

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rupee

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● In most cases, debt is classified as nonperforming when loan payments

have not been made for a period of 90 days.

Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency

● A Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency would take on public sector

banks’ chronic bad loans and focus on their resolution.

● This would allow government-owned banks to focus on their core

operations.

About Bad Bank:

● A bad bank is one, set up to buy the bad loans of another.

● By transferring such assets to the bad bank, the original institution may

clear its balance sheet.

Balance sheet:

● A balance sheet reports a company's assets, liabilities and shareholders'

equity at a specific point in time

MCLR and base rate merger

Base Rate:

● Base rate is the minimum rate set by the Reserve Bank of India below which

banks are not allowed to lend to its customers.

● Base rate is decided in order to enhance transparency in the credit market.

About MCLR:

● Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) is the minimum interest

rate, below which a bank is not permitted to lend, barring a few exceptional

cases as permitted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

● MCLR is more sensitive to policy rate signals

● It has been decided to link the base rate to the MCLR.

● MCLR replaced the existing base rate system from 1 April 2016

Annual Meeting of AIIB

The third annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) held

in Mumbai.

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● The theme for this year’s meeting is “Mobilizing Finance for Infrastructure:

Innovation and Collaboration.”

● Aims ideas for a sound infrastructure investment.

● The meeting will launch the inaugural Asian Infrastructure Forum

Infrastructure

● Infrastructure can include a variety of systems and structures as long as

there are physical components required.

● Soft infrastructure: These types of infrastructure makeup institutions that

help maintain the economy. Examples include the healthcare system,

financial institutions, governmental systems, law enforcement and

education systems.

● Hard Infrastructure: These make up the physical systems that make it

necessary to run a modern, industrialized nation. Examples include roads,

highways, bridges, as well as the capital/assets needed to make them

operational (transit buses, vehicles, oil rigs/refineries).

● Critical Infrastructure: These are assets defined by a government as being

essential to the functioning of a society and economy, such as facilities for

shelter and heating, telecommunication, public health, agriculture, etc.

SEBI set to open commodities to MFs

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as the next set of reforms in the

commodity market plans to allow mutual funds to participate in the commodity

market.

Commodity market

• A commodity market is a physical or virtual marketplace for buying, selling

and trading raw or primary products.

• Commodities are split into two types: hard and soft commodities.

• Hard commodities are typically natural resources that must be mined or

extracted (such as gold, rubber and oil), whereas soft commodities are

agricultural products or livestock

• A futures contract obligates the holder to buy or sell a commodity at a

predetermined price on a delivery date in the future.

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Derivatives

• A derivative is a contract between two or more parties whose value is

based on an agreed-upon underlying financial assest

• Common underlying instruments include bonds, commodities, currencies,

interest rates, market indexes and stocks.

Physical settlement:

● A SEBI committee is looking into the issue of physical settlement for

commodity derivative contracts.

● Physical settlement refers to the system where the contract on the day of

expiry is settled through the delivery of the underlying commodity instead

of the current practice of cash.

● The regulator will have to first frame the warehousing guidelines for non-

agriculture commodities

1.2 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

Mandatory pre-litigation mediation in commercial disputes

The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division

of High Courts (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, amends the Commercial Courts

Act of 2015. It has introduced the mandatory pre-litigation mediation in

commercial disputes.

Commercial disputes:

● Disputes in commercial and business contracts, construction contracts,

shareholder agreements, licensing agreements, etc.

Amendment

● The person filing the suit should exhaust the remedy of pre-litigation

mediation before filing in the court.

● Any settlement arrived at through mediation will have the status of an

arbitral award on agreed terms and be enforceable like a decree of court.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/interestrate.asp

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● The process is managed by a neutral person called the mediator but has no

authority to impose a settlement.

● The participation of the disputants is voluntary.

● The discussions are confidential.

Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan

The Krishi kalyan Abhiyaan runs from 1st June, 2018 till 31st July, 2018 so as to aid,

assist and advice farmers on how to improve their farming techniques and raise

their incomes.

● The Krishi kalyan Abhiyaan will be undertaken in 25 Villages each in

identified Districts.

● The overall coordination and implementation is done by Krishi Vigyan

Kendra of that district.

● The demonstration programs on Micro Irrigation and Integrated Cropping

Practice.

● Training programs by ICAR/KVSs for Bee Keeping, Mushroom cultivation

and Kitchen garden.

● Women participants and farmers will be given preference for the training

program.

About Krishi Vigyan Kendra:

● Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) are agricultural extension.

● It is created to serve as a single window mechanism for addressing the

technology needs of farmers and acts as a link among researchers,

extension functionaries like NGOs and farmers.

● KVK operates under the administrative control of State Agricultural

University (SAU) or central institute.

JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA

Union Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Road Transport & Highways,

Shipping launched the ‘JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA’, the Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary

Napkin, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

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● Jan Aushadhi Suvidha comes with a special additive, which makes it

biodegradable when it comes in contact with oxygen after being discarded.

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP):

● To provide quality medicines at affordable prices through special kendra‘s

known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra.

● Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India is co-coordinating

procurement, supply and marketing of generic drugs through PMBJK.

Consortium to help women entrepreneurs

The UN India Business Forum and the Women Entrepreneurial Platform of NITI

Aayog formed a consortium to reduce gender disparities in start-up investments.

● Women entrepreneurs will be identified through key partners, including

WEP, UN Women, and UNDP.

● The consortium secretariat will then connect entrepreneurs, according to

their requests, with relevant members.

● The UN India Business Forum, an alliance of India’s businesses, financial

institutions, the government and the UN, aims to accelerate India’s rapid

growth and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Draft Pesticides Management Bill

The Bill is intended to replace and update the Insecticides Act, 1968.

Objectives:

● Ensuring availability of quality pesticides

● Minimizing the contamination of

agricultural commodities by pesticide residue

● Creating awareness among users

regarding safe and judicious use of pesticides.

● The maximum punishment for violation

● The bill has tightened the guidelines for registration and licensing of new

molecules.

● The state governments have to report all cases of poisoning to the Centre

on a quarterly basis

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● States can also ban chemical pesticides for up to six months.

● It provides for paying compensation to the affected farmers or.

● The draft Bill will allow importers to register readymade products without

registering the active ingredients.

New technology for shrimp feed

The Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University has developed a new feed

that will aid in the growth of the vannamei shrimp and the tilapia fish.

Nutrifloc

● Using biofloc the feed called Nutrifloc has been developed.

● The Technology balance the carbon-nitrogen ratio in the water due to

which certain microbes develop.

● These microbes help maintain the quality of the water and reduce

formation of sludge

● The technology reduces the use of water, which earlier had to be changed

on a regular basis.

● Obviates the need for the use of plankton in aquaculture

Solar Charkha Mission

The Solar Charkha Mission is of the Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises

(MSME).

● The objective is to link 5 crore women to this initiative.

● 15 new state-of-the-art technology centers are being set up all over the

country including North-East

● The Mission will cover 50 clusters and every cluster will employ 400 to 2000

artisans.

The new National Auto Policy

● It envisages having a single nodal regulatory body for the automobile

industry.

● Strengthening the FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of

Electric & Hybrid Vehicles) scheme further for the faster adoption of eco-

friendly automobile technologies.

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● Emission-linked taxation on automobiles

● Rationalisation of the GST structure for automobiles that is currently based

on length, engine displacement, engine type and ground clearance.

National Strategy for Standardization

The 5th National Standards Conclave - Implementing the Indian National Strategy

for Standardization was held in New Delhi.

INSS:

● INSS is the result of the combined efforts of Ministry of Commerce and

Industry, Ministry of Consumer Affairs and industry stakeholders.

● It provides a vision for the country to achieve the highest quality standards

in production and distribution of goods and services.

● The INSS report addresses four broad pillars of Quality Ecosystem:

(i) Standards Development

(ii) Conformity Assessment and Accreditation

(iii) Technical Regulations and SPS Measures

(iv) Awareness and Education.

Water aerodromes

Water aerodromes, where amphibian planes can land and takeoff, are likely to be a reality soon, with aviation regulator DGCA(Directorate General of Civil Aviation) issuing licensing norms for setting up such facilities.

● Water aerodromes will help pave the way for operations of seaplanes,

which are also known as amphibian aircraft

● Water bodies can be coastal/ river/ canal as well as terrestrial

The Kaleshwaram project

The country’s biggest irrigation project, the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, in

Telangana will start receiving water from the Godavari River.

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● The project envisages to irrigate 18 lakh acres of Telangana.

● It will also provide drinking water to several towns and cities,

● Provides water for industries in many districts.

● Telangana will harness water at the confluence of three rivers with

Godavari

● And reverse pump the water into the main Godavari River and divert it into

a huge and complex system of reservoirs, water tunnels, pipelines and

canals.

Lift Irrigation

● The project had to be built at such a size and scale because while the

Godavari flows at 100 metres above mean sea level (MSL), Telangana

region is located at 300 to 650 metres above MSL.

● The first time in the world an irrigation project is using 139 MW pumps to

lift huge volume of 2 TMC of water.

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission

● The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), India is a

quasi-judicial commission in India which was set up in 1988 under the

Consumer Protection Act of 1986.

● Its head office is in New Delhi.

● The commission is headed by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme

Court of India along with eight members.

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● It provides for a 3-tier structure of the National and State Commissions and

District Forums for speedy resolution of consumer disputes.

● Called the District Forums, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal

Commissions and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission

respectively.

● The provisions of this Act cover ‘goods’ as well as ‘services’.

Sagarmala receives Gold Award

The Ministry of Shipping’s flagship programme for port-led-prosperity ‘Sagarmala’

received the ‘Gold Award’ in infrastructure sector in the recently concluded 52nd

Skoch Summit 2018 in New Delhi.

Skoch Awards:

● The Skoch Awards recognize leadership and excellence in accelerating

socio-economic changes.

● These awards have become a benchmark of best practices in India in the

fields of governance, infrastructure, finance, banking, technology,

corporate citizenship, economics and inclusive growth.

About Sagarmala :

● It is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Shipping for port-led-

development of the country.

● India has potentially navigable waterways

● India is strategically located on key international maritime trade route.

● The programme hinges on four pillars, namely; Port Modernization, Port

Connectivity, Port-linked Industrialization and Coastal Community

Development.

● The programme aims to double the share of domestic waterways (inland &

coastal) in the modal mix and generate logistic cost savings

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1.3 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

SATH program

● NITI Aayog has launched SATH, a program providing ‘’Sustainable Action for

Transforming Human capital with the State Governments’’

● The vision of the program is to initiate transformation in the education and

health sectors.

● SATH aims to identify and build three future ‘role model‘ states for health

and education systems.

Cauvery Water Management Authority

The central government has issued a notification for the Cauvery Water

Management Authority following Supreme Court order.

About the authority.

● The authority will decide the sharing of the river water between Karnataka,

Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry.

● The chairman of the authority will be appointed by the Central

government.

● Four part-time members are nominated by the party State governments

and Union territory administration respectively.

Mandate

a) To monitor the storage of water

b) Apportion of shares

c) Supervise operation of the reservoirs

d) Regulate water releases with the assistance of the Regulation Committee.

Water share of each state will be determined on the basis of water flows together

with the available carry-over storage in the reservoirs

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Government plans to build around three crore houses in rural areas and one crore

houses in urban areas by 2022.

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● The size of houses built have been increased to 25 square metre from 20

square metres.

● The financial assistance for the scheme has also been enhanced upto Rs.

1,25,000.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) PMAY(U):

● Intended beneficiaries of scheme are Poor people (BPL) and People living

under Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and LIG (Low income Group)

and MIG (middle income Group)categories.

● Provides central assistance to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and other

implementing agencies for:

a) In-situ Rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a

resource through private participation

b) Credit Linked Subsidy

c) Affordable Housing in Partnership

d) Subsidy for Beneficiary-led individual house

construction/enhancement.

● Credit linked subsidy component will be implemented as a Central Sector

Scheme while other three components will be implemented as Centrally

Sponsored Scheme

● Use of innovative and fast-track construction technology has been adopted

in a big way under the scheme.

● The progress of the houses on the ground has been monitored through

geo-tagging using space technology.

● The Ministry has further rolled out eight models of Public-Private

Partnerships for Affordable Housing.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin:

● It replaces Indira Awas Yojana (IAY).

● Beneficiaries are people belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded labourers and

non-SC/ST categories, widows or next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in

action, ex-servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary forces,

Disabled persons and Minorities

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● Beneficiaries of the rural houses would be chosen according to data taken

from the Socio-Economic Caste Census of 2011.

Reduction of Maternal Mortality

According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin (2016), India has

shown impressive gains in reduction of Maternal Mortality with 22% reduction in

since 2013.

● Maternal Mortality Ratio of India has declined from 167 in 2011-2013 to

130 in 2014-2016.

● Three states have already met the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

target for MMR of 70 per 100,000. These are Kerala, Maharashtra and

Tamil Nadu.

● The initiatives like Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission

Indradhanush have helped.

● Other major initiatives under the umbrella of National Health Mission

(NHM) like augmentation of infrastructure and HR, Capacity Building, JSSK

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which provides for free transport and care for pregnant women have also

contributed to the success.

QS World Best Universities Ranking 2019

24 universities feature from India, of which 7 improve their rank, 9 remain stable

and 5 are newly-ranked.

Highlights:

● In the QS World Best Universities Ranking, 9 Indian institutions have been

individually ranked in the top-500 as against 6 last year.

● Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore is 170th

● Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topping the list for a record

seventh consecutive year

● Government's flagship initiatives are:

a) Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana-which is industry-academia partnership for

finding solutions by teams of faculty and students of IITs to customised

requirements of the industries,

b) Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) -foreign faculties coming to

India to courses in specialised topics for students in Indian Higher

Educational institutions

c) Smart India Hackathon, a competition to find digital solutions to various

problems faced by the people

d) IMPacting Research, INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT) promotion of

research & innovation activities in 10 domains

e) Higher Education Financing Agency-coupled with more funds for research

infrastructure through HEFA

f) The launch of Prime Minister’s Research Fellowships

About QS World Best Universities Ranking:

● QS World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings

by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

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The DAY-NRLM awards

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM)

awards are conferred on the Best Performing Community Based Organizations

(Self Help Groups and Village Organizations).

SHGs

● The SHGs are a perfect example of how livelihoods of households can

transform through a collective approach.

● The SHG has contributed to several community level activities for the

common good.

● These include awareness promotion for constructing household toilets,

environmental sanitation, liquid waste management and support for

maintenance of village commons.

New Swachh Iconic Places

Ten new heritage sites of the country are declared as Swachh Iconic Places.

● It constitute Phase-III of the Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) is the initiative of

the Swachh Bharat Mission.

● Phase-I started in 2016 and Phase-II started in 2017 for ten iconic places

respectively

● The initiative aims to achieve a distinctly higher level of sanitation at these

places, especially in the peripheries and approach areas

● The special Swachhata initiatives at these places have received CSR support

from public and private companies.

● SIP Sites Resolve to go 100% Plastic Free

Government opens doors to lateral entry

Government has opened lateral entry for the joint secretary level at the Centre.

● The joint secretary level positions are normally filled by career bureaucrats,

who join the service after passing UPSC exam.

● This is the first move towards implementing the idea of lateral entry.

● The lateral entry candidates would bring in a vast number of fresh and

vibrant ideas.

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● It may affect the regular selection candidates through entrance exam and

promotions

World Hindi Conference

The 11th World Hindi Conference is in Mauritius. The World Hindi Secretariat

(WHS) supported by India is located in Mauritius.

Objectives:

● To produce concrete guidelines for the promotion of Hindi as a language of

globalisation and possibly at the United Nations

● The World Hindi Conference is a major event organised every three years

by the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Polio-free status

India is maintaining polio-free status for more than seven years and is ensuring

that every child is vaccinated against the disease.

Steps Taken:

● There are both mass polio vaccination campaigns and childhood

immunization.

● There are two types of polio vaccine - oral polio vaccine and injectable polio

vaccine.

● The last case of polio in India was reported in January 2011.

Facts about polio certification by WHO

● For certification, all countries in the WHO Region need to have no case of

wild polio for 3 consecutive years in presence of high quality AFP(acute

flaccid paralysis) surveillance systems.

● No single country can be certified as polio-free. WHO regions as a whole

are certified as polio-free.

● There are certification of polio eradication at the country level.

● Three regions (Americas, 1994; Western Pacific, 2000; Europe, 2002) have

already been certified as polio-free.

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Proposed National Dam Safety Authority

The Bill:

● The Bill envisages a National Dam Safety Authority

● For standardising safety-related data and practices.

● The NDSA will investigate dam failures and have the authority to fine the

States that are found remiss in implementing safety measures.

● It will look into unresolved points of issues between the States which share

dam territory

The National Health Resource Repository (NHRR)

Country’s first ever national healthcare facility registry of authentic, standardized

and updated geo-spatial data of all public and private healthcare establishments.

Vision

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● To strengthen evidence-based decision making.

● It will be the ultimate platform for comprehensive information of both,

Private and Public healthcare establishments

● It shall also enhance the coordination between central and state

government for optimization of health resources

India Smart Cities Award 2018

Nine awards in three categories, i.e., Project Award, Innovative Idea Award and

City Award have been announced under the India Smart Cities Awards.

The city award:

● The city award is being given to Surat for showing great momentum in

implementation of projects.

The Innovative Idea award:

● The Innovative Idea award is being given to a project/idea particularly

remarkable for its innovative, bottom-up and transformative approach

towards achievement of sustainable integrated development.

● Joint winners in this category are Bhopal for their Integrated Command and

Control Centre (ICCC) and Ahmedabad for Safe and Secure Ahmedabad

(SASA) Project.

The Project awards:

● The Project awards are being given to most innovative and successful

projects in seven categories that have been completed by April 1, 2018.

About Smart cities:

● The objective is to promote sustainable and inclusive cities that provide

core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean

and sustainable environment and application of Smart Solutions.

● Shillong is the 1ooth Smart City

● Core infrastructure elements

1) Water Supply

2) Assured electricity supply

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3) Sanitation, including solid waste management

4) Efficient urban mobility and public transport

5) Affordable housing, especially for the poor

6) Robust IT connectivity and digitalization

7) Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation

8) Sustainable environment

9) Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly

10) Health and education

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana Rural Roads Project

The Government of India and the World Bank signed a $500 million loan

agreement to provide additional financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak

Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project, implemented by Ministry of Rural

Development, Govt. of India.

● The World Bank has supported PMGSY since its inception in 2004

● The additional finance will bring a new shift in construction technology

using green and low carbon designs and climate resilient construction

techniques

About Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana:

● PMGSY aimed at providing all-weather road connectivity to unconnected

habitations.

● It is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme and 50% of the Cess on High

Speed Diesel (HSD) is earmarked for this Programme.

● The unit of this programme is habitation and not revenue villages.

● Major District Roads, State Highways and National Highways cannot be

covered under the PMGSY

2. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

2.1 ENERGY

KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan)Scheme launched

a) For promoting solar farming.

b) KUSUM scheme will start with building 10,000 MW solar plants on barren

lands and providing 1.75 million off-grid agricultural solar pumps.

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c) It will provide extra income to farmers, by giving them an option to sell

additional power to grid through solar power projects set up on their

barren lands

d) It will help in de-dieselisation of the agriculture sector

Lithium Ion Battery project

CSIR lab to give technology for India’s first indigenous Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Battery project.

● Currently, Indian manufacturers source Lithium Ion Battery from China,

Japan and South Korea among some other countries.

● India is one of the largest importers and in 2017

Li-Ion batteries

Li-Ion batteries have applications in Energy Storage System – from hearing aid to

container sized batteries to power a cluster of villages, Electric Vehicles (2-

wheeler, 3-wheeler, 4-wheeler and Bus.

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ISRO offers battery technology

ISRO invites multiple qualified companies or startups to use its power storage

technology to produce a range of Li ion cells for many purposes, mainly EVs or

electric vehicles.

● The Li ion cell production initiative is part of the government’s plan to

achieve 100% EVs in the country by 2030.

World's largest IAEA fusion energy conference

India will host the world’s largest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

fusion energy conference (FEC) at the Institute of Plasma Research (IPR) in Bhat in

Ahmedabad.

About the Conference:

● The conference will be a forum for discussing key physics and technology

issues.

● The conference will address emerging challenges faced by fusion energy

community - technological feasibility of fusion power plants and the

economic considerations related to the introduction of fusion energy.

About International Atomic Energy Agency:

● Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace” organization within the

United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation

in the nuclear field.

Artificial leaf that creates biofuel

IISc scholars have developed an artificial ‘leaf’ that’ll help reduce carbon footprint

and create biofuel.

Key findings:

● The researchers used copper aluminium sulphate and zinc sulphide.

● The two materials, which are otherwise wide band gap semiconductors,

became low band gap semiconductors when combined.

● The lower the band gap, the better conductivity a substance will have.

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● Basically, for photosynthesis or the process of plants taking in carbon

dioxide to produce oxygen and glucose. For this process to happen, a high

energy photon, electron and sunlight are needed.

● The electron needs to have a lot of kinetic energy.

● This quantum leaf had a much better rate of energy conservation compared

to natural leaves .

● Sulphate format bio fuel allows for 100% combustion and its carbon dioxide

emissions can be recycled by the quantum leaves.

Wide band gap semiconductors and low band gap semiconductors

● The term "band gap" refers to the energy difference between the top of the

valence band and the bottom of the conduction band.

● Wide-band gap semiconductors (WBG or WBGS) have a relatively large

band gap compared to typical semiconductors.

3+ carbon neutrality

The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has set itself an ambitious

target of running Airport completely on solar power by 2020.

● A combination of solar power, rainwater harvesting and water conservation

and LED lighting could ensure “3+ carbon neutrality”, the highest level of

environmental impact achievement for airports.

National targets for off-shore wind power

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy recently invited Expressions of Interest

(EoI) for the first 1 GW offshore wind project in India.

● The offshore wind turbines are of much larger dimensions and capacities

than onshore turbines.

● Globally there has been installation of about 17 to 18 GW of off-shore wind

power led by countries such as UK, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands &

China.

Smart electricity meters

Under the Uday scheme old meters are being replaced with new smart meters. It

was done in district Panipat as a pilot project.

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● Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under

Union Ministry of Power will assist the state discoms through the Smart

Meter National Programme (SMNP).

● First in the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, states with AT&C losses as

large as 28.42% and 34.36% respectively

About Smart Meters and Smart Grids

● The first step towards realising Smart Grids is the implementation of

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).

● AMI is a collective term for an integrated infrastructure of Smart Meters,

two way-communication networks, control centre equipment, and the

applications that enable near real-time gathering and transfer of energy

usage information.

● A smart, automated metering system reduces meter-reading, data-entry

errors and costs

● These meters are connected through a web-based monitoring system

● These smart meters would be GPRS equipped

Advantages of Smart meters:

● To improve the financial condition of power distribution companies

● Reduction of Aggregate Transmission and Commercial (AT&C) losses and

billing inefficiencies

● This would enable electricity distribution companies to collect real time

data on usage

India begins importing LNG from Russia

India has begun importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia as part of its

strategy to diversify its supply sources and cater to the rapidly rising local energy

needs.

● Russia is the latest country to begin supplying long-term LNG to India after

US, Australia and Qatar.

● India imports 45% of the total amount of natural gas it consumes.

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2.2 ENVIRONMENT

Groundwater recharge

Intensity of rainfall determines the ground water recharge.

● Rainfall is classified as low-intensity if the amount is between 1-35 mm per

day.

● High-intensity rainfall is characterised by rainfall in excess of 35 mm per

day.

● Alluvial aquifers take longer time to get recharged in response to rainfall

● Low-intensity rainfall provides maximum time for water to percolate and

recharge the aquifer and so is favourable for groundwater in north India.

● Aquifers across north India, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, are

characterised by alluvial soil

● In contrast, hard-rock and basaltic aquifers are seen in south India

● High-intensity rainfall contributes more to groundwater recharge than low-

intensity rainfall in south India

● The study found the decline in groundwater recharge between 1996 and

2016 is strongly associated with decline in low-intensity rainfall in north-

west and north-central India.

‘Blue Flag’ tag

The Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast of Odisha will be the first beach in

Asia to get the Blue Flag certification.

● It is the tag given to environment-friendly and clean beaches, equipped

with amenities of international standards for tourists.

● Twelve more beaches in the country are being developed by the Society for

Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an Environment Ministry’s body

working for the management of coastal areas

Standards to get blue flag tag:

● To achieve the Blue Flag standards, a beach must be plastic-free and

equipped with a waste management system.

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● Clean water should be available for tourists, apart from international

amenities.

● The beach should have facilities for studying the environmental impact

around the area.

Biodiversity

As many as 539 new species of plants and animals were discovered by scientists

and taxonomists in the country in 2017

● The Western Ghats and the Himalayas are home to most of the plant and

animal discoveries.

● Among the States, Kerala recorded the highest number of discoveries.

● Tamil Nadu and West Bengal follows.

Nitrogen emissions going up

Nitrogen particles make up the largest fraction of PM2.5, the class of pollutants

closely linked to cardiovascular and respiratory illness.

● The burning of crop residue is said to be a key contributor to winter smog in

many parts of North India

● The non-agricultural emissions of nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide are

from sewage and fossil-fuel burning.

● Indian NOx emissions continues its growth

● Cattle account for 80% of the ammonia production.

● India is globally the biggest source of ammonia emission.

What caused the Dec. 1, 2015 Chennai downpour?

On December 1, 2015 Chennai and its surrounding regions experienced an

unprecedented, heavy rainfall. Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, links the

presence of the Eastern Ghats to this phenomenon.

The Link

● When clouds give out water droplets, the droplets evaporate mid-air, as

they fall down. This cools the surrounding air, forming a cold pool of air

which sinks down and flows horizontally.

● The interaction between mountains, clouds and cold pools became clear

after performing the model experiments.

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● According to the model, the cold pool was obstructed by the Eastern Ghats

from flowing downward.

● Hence it piled up and remained stationary over the Chennai region

Severe uranium contamination in India’s groundwater

Scientists have found widespread uranium contamination in groundwater from

aquifers across 16 states in India, much above the WHO provisional standard for

the country.

The Standards

● The WHO has set a provisional safe drinking water standard of 30

micrograms of uranium per litre for India

● Uranium is not yet included in the list of contaminants monitored under the

Bureau of Indian Standards’ Drinking Water Specifications

Causes

● The primary source of uranium is geogenic (naturally occurring)

● The study suggests that contribution of human factors such as groundwater

depletion and nitrate pollution may be aggravating the already present

natural uranium contamination to dangerous levels.

● Many of India’s aquifers are composed of clay, silt and gravel carried down

from Himalayan weathering by streams or uranium-rich granitic rocks.

● When over-pumping of these aquifers’ groundwater occurs and their water

levels decline, it induces oxidation conditions that, in turn, enhance

uranium enrichment

India’s to phase out single-use plastics by 2022

India has announced that it will phase out single-use plastics by 2022.The theme of World Environment Day – 2018 is Beat Plastic Pollution.

Single use Plastics

Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are

thrown away or recycled.

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● The nature of petroleum based disposable plastic makes it difficult to recycle

and they have to add new virgin materials and chemicals to it to do so.

● There are only a limited number of items that recycled plastic can be used.

● Although plastic will not biodegrade, it will break down into tiny particles after

many years.

● In the process of breaking down, it releases toxic chemicals (additives that

were used to shape and harden the plastic) which make their way into our

food and water supply.

● These toxic chemicals can be found in our bloodstream.

● We produce hundreds of millions of tons of plastic every year, most of which

cannot be recycled.

Composite Water Management Index

NITI Aayog has come up with the Composite Water Management Index as an

useful tool to assess and improve the performance in efficient management of

water resources.

The Index:

● The index comprises of nine parameters and 28 indicators.

● These include various aspects of ground water, restoration of water bodies,

irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance.

● Gujarat has ranked as the top state in composite water management in the

country followed by Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and

Maharashtra

● Nearly 600 million Indians faced high-to-extreme water stress and about

2,00,000 people died every year because of inadequate access to safe

water.

● The critical groundwater resources, which accounted for 40% of the water

supply, are being depleted at unsustainable rates and up to 70% of the

supply is contaminated.

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Atal Bhujal Yojana

The World Bank has approved Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), a Rs.6000 crore Central

Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga

Rejuvenation.

● The scheme will address the criticality of groundwater resources in a major

part of the country.

● aims to improve ground water management in priority areas in the country

through community participation.

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● The priority areas identified under the scheme fall in the states of Gujarat,

Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar

Pradesh.

● They also cover two major types of groundwater systems found in India -

alluvial and hard rock aquifers.

The Ken- Betwa river interlink project

The Ken- Betwa river interlink project is accorded clearance by the National

Wildlife Board.

About Project:

● It is India’s first river interlinking project that will connect Ken river in

Madhya Pradesh with the Betwa in Uttar Pradesh.

● To transfer surplus river water to dry and arid areas of Bundelkhand region.

● Provide drinking water

● It will generate 78 megawatt of power.

Drone Surveillance

The Gurugram forest department on Saturday completed the drone mapping of

two villages in the first phase to check encroachment or illegal activities in the

Aravallis.

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Drone Surveillance will help in:

● High-resolution mapping of the forested terrain

● Making 3D models of the forest and wildlife

● Gathering information on the terrain and vegetation

● Tracking encroachments, if any

● Helping develop decision support systems

● Tracking traps laid by poachers, if any

● Determining the extent of water scarcity

● Mounting rescue operations

Impact of sand mining

● Excessive instream sand-and-gravel mining causes the degradation of

rivers.

● Depletion of sand in the streambed and along coastal areas causes the

deepening of rivers and estuaries, and the enlargement of river mouths and

coastal inlets

● It may also lead to saline-water intrusion from the nearby sea

● Sand mining also affects the adjoining groundwater system

● Many hectares of fertile streamside land are lost annually

● Degraded stream habitats result in lost of fisheries productivity,

biodiversity, and recreational potential

● Affects Stability of Structures

● Increased riverbed and bank erosion increases suspended solids in the

water

● reduced water quality

EU High Level Event on Climate Change

Second Ministerial on Climate Action (MoCA) by the EU, China and Canada

happened in Brussels

● The discussions were on the outcome for COP 24 and its main deliverables.

● Key matters of the Paris Agreement Work Programme

About MoCA

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● The MoCA brings together Ministers and high-level representatives from

the world’s largest economies and other countries from the different

regional groups

● The MoCA to encourage global leadership and ambition in the fight against

climate change by building momentum for the implementation of the Paris

Agreement

Plastic ban in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government enforcing a ban on plastic from this year

environmental day.

The Plan:

● Ban the manufacture, use, transport, distribution, wholesale and retail sale,

storage and import of plastic bags.

● The ban also covers disposable products, made from plastic and thermocol

(polystyrene), such as single-use disposable dishes, cups, plates etc.

● The ban is not applicable to PET bottles.

● Plastic manufactured for export in SEZs and plastic to wrap the material at

the manufacturing stage are excluded from the ban.

● The ban is applicable to manufacturers and consumers as well as the chain

in between, which includes shops, hawkers, vendors and offices.

Rhino habitat under threat

The rampant mining, quarrying and stone crushing activities are threatening the

ecology of the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape.

The Threat:

● The stone mining/quarrying and stone crushers are responsible for the

destruction of wildlife corridors and wildlife habitat.

● They are also responsible for drying up and siltation of several natural

streams and rivulets

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Waste water reusable pilot project

In an effort to upgrade technology that would make waste water more reusable,

the Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University has initiated a pilot project

along with L&T Construction for sewage treatment.

Water Treatment Method:

● The biological method using microbes

● Would also use a UV LED disinfection system to remove coliform bacteria.

● Aeration is the process of adding air to allow biodegradation of pollutants

● Decanting is a process to separate sediments.

● The various treatment processes like filling, settling, aeration and decanting

would be done in the same reactor instead of different reactors.

Malnutrition in trees

Air pollution is causing malnutrition in trees by harming a fungi that is important

for providing mineral nutrients to tree roots.

Mycorrhizae

● Mycorrhizal fungi is hosted by the trees in their roots.

● These fungi provide essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and

potassium from soil in exchange for carbon from the tree.

● This plant-fungal relationship is an example of symbiotic relationship

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Effects of pollution:

● High levels of the nutrition elements like nitrogen and phosphorus in the

mycorrhizae changes them to act as pollutants rather than as nutrients

● The signs of malnutrition can be seen in the form of discoloured leaves and

excessive falling of leaves

● Ecosystem changes can determine which species of mycorrhizae fungi

would be present and their numbers.

The Caribbean reef (The Mesoamerican Reef) under recovery

The reef

● Second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia

● A popular spot with divers

● One of the largest ecosystems in the Atlantic.

● The portion 380 kilometers in the waters off Belize is covered by World

Heritage status.

● Was placed on endangered status in 2009 because of Belize’s plans to allow

oil exploration nearby and the general lack of laws to protect the site

Present Status

● Is now be removed from UNESCO's list of threatened World Heritage Sites

● In an informal referendum in 2012 in which 96 per cent of Belizeans voted

against offshore oil exploration.

Air pollution sensors to be certified

The government plans on certifying pollution monitoring instruments to improve

the measurement and forecast of air pollution episodes.

● To boost local manufacturing anticipating a massive demand for such

instruments as part of the government’s National Clean Air Programme

(NCAP)

NCAP

● The NCAP envisions setting up 1,000 manual air-quality-monitoring stations

and 268 automatic stations.

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● It also plans to set up pollution-monitoring stations in rural areas.

Certification

● The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Physical

Laboratory (NPL) will be the certification agency for air quality

measurement instruments

The Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016

● Strengthen the concept of ‘extended producers responsibility’ whereby

plastics manufacturers and retail establishments that use plastic are legally

bound to introduce a system of collecting back plastic waste.

● They envisage promoting the use of plastic waste for road construction, or

energy recovery, or waste to oil, etc.,

● They mandate an increase in the thickness of carry bags and plastic sheets

from 40 to 50 micron.

● Local bodies and gram panchayats are responsible for implementing and

coordinating a waste management system

● The amendment also provides for a centralised registration system

3. ICT AND APPLICATIONS

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration

Probe (IMAP) mission will help researchers

better understand the boundary of the

heliosphere.

Heliosphere

● It is a sort of magnetic bubble

surrounding and protecting our solar system.

● Heliosphere is the region where the constant flow of particles from Sun,

called the solar wind, collides with material from the rest of the galaxy.

● This collision limits the amount of harmful cosmic radiation entering the

heliosphere.

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● Cosmic rays created locally and from the galaxy and likely play a role in the

presence of life itself in the universe.

Indigenous device to track-and-kill enemy drones

Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has developed a ground-based

system

● can be deployed at airstrips, border areas and hilly regions

● Uses a radar, and electro-optical and electromagnetic sensors.

● The soft-kill option has a jammer that can interfere with the drone’s

electronics and radio frequency. Jamming prevents the operator from

communicating with the drone

● The technology can disable a drone in the range of 50 metre to 3km.

Brain passwords

Scientists have developed a security system that identifies a person by reading

their brainwaves in response to a series of pictures.

● The "brain password," would require users to wear a headset.

● The original brain password can be reset unlike other biometrics like

fingerprint.

● The most accessible way to record brain activity is through

electroencephalography, which uses electrodes to measure the brain's

unique patterns of electrical activity.

AI outperforms doctors in detecting skin cancer

● The machine is a deep learning convolutional neural network or CNN.

● Most dermatologists were outperformed by the CNN

Applications

AI may be a useful tool for faster, easier diagnosis of skin cancer, allowing surgical

removal before it spreads.

Rail Madad App

Minister of Railways & Coal launched a new App “Rail Madad” – An App to

expedite & streamline passenger grievance redressal.

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● Rail MADAD (Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel)

registers a complaint with minimum inputs from passenger

● Relays the complaint online to relevant field officials for immediate action.

● Displays various helpline numbers (e.g., Security, Child helpline etc) and

provides direct calling facility

● All modes of filing complaints including offline and online modes are being

integrated on a single platform.

● The data analysis would also generate trends on various performance

parameters of a selected train/station like cleanliness, amenities etc thus

making managerial decision more precise and effective.

National Digital Library of India

The Union Human Resource Development Minister launched the new digital

initiative of HRD Ministry ‘National Digital Library of India’ on the occasion of

National Reading Day.

Highlights:

● Under the aegis of National Mission on Education through Information and

Communication Technology (NMEICT).

● The objective of NDL is to make digital educational resources available to all

citizens of the country.

● National Digital Library of India is developed by IIT Kharagpur.

● NDL is the Single Window Platform that collects and collates metadata from

premier learning institutions in India and abroad, as well as other relevant

sources.

● It is a digital repository containing textbooks, articles, videos, audio books,

lectures, simulations, fiction and all other kinds of learning media.

● Apart from website, NDL is also available on the Mobile app.

Use of Aadhaar biometric data for investigating crime not allowed

UIDAI asserted that use of Aadhaar biometric data for criminal investigation is

not allowed under the Aadhaar Act.

Aadhar Act

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● Under Aadhaar Act, the biometrics data collected by UIDAI can be used

only for the purpose of generating Aadhaar and for authentication of

identity of the Aadhaar holders and cannot be used for any other purpose.

● Section 33 of the Aadhaar Act permits use of or access to Aadhaar

biometric data in cases involving national security only after pre-

authorisation by an oversight committee headed by the cabinet secretary.

About UIDAI:

● Unique Identification Authority of India, abbreviated as UIDAI, is a

government-run organization based in Delhi, India.

● This agency is the only authorized agency that works in order to issue

Aadhaar unique identification numbers (UIDs) and cards to the people of

India.

● It has been mandated by the government to develop, identify and set up

the necessary infrastructure and aides for issuing Aadhaar cards.

Space2030 agenda:

The Space2030 agenda will map out how spaceflight and space-related activities

can help achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the

peaceful exploration and uses of outer space.

About UNOOSA:

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) works to

● promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of

space

● utilisation of space science and technology for sustainable economic and

social development.

NIMHANS Digital Academy

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the NIMHANS Digital

Academy.

● The objective is increasing skilled capacity in mental health in the country.

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● NIMHANS Digital Academy will provide large scale training to healthcare

service providers like Medical Officers, Psychologists, Social Workers and

Nurses.

● The courses would be digitally delivered to remotely located healthcare

providers across the country.

About NIMHANS:

● The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences is a medical

institution located in Bangalore, India.

● The apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the

country, operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare

Web Application Attacks

India ranked fourth in the list of top 10 target countries for Web Application

Attacks as bot-driven abuse and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks

continued to rise.

● India ranked eighth globally in the list of Web Application Attack source

countries.

● Bot-based credential abuse targets the hospitality industry

● Credential abuse is the deliberate theft and use of stolen username and

password to access sensitive or high-value data for personal gain,

espionage, or other malicious intent.

● Threats include advanced DDoS attacks

● Denial-of-service attack is a cyber-attack in which the perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users

4. KEY GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)

● It is a Central Sector Scheme that aims to provide skills that give

employability to women and to provide competencies and skill that enable

women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs.

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● The Scheme is intended to benefit women who are in the age group of 16

years and above across the country.

SHe-box Portal

● SHe-box (Sexual Harassment electronic box) is an online platform launched

by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

● The platform is to enable women employees to file complaints related to

sexual harassment at the workplace.

● It enables both public and private sector employees to lodge their

complaints.

National Food Security Mission

● It is launched to enhance the production of Rice, Wheat, Pulses, Coarse

Cereals and commercial crops (Cotton, jute and Sugarcane).

● It would be implemented through cluster demonstration, distribution of

high yield seeds with farm mechanization, & Integrated pest management.

(Note - National Food Security Act is different from the Mission and the act is

administered by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs).

National Social Assistance Program (NSAP)

● It is a social security and welfare programme to provide support to aged

persons, widows, disabled persons, belonging to below poverty line

households.

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● It comprises of five schemes, namely - (1) Indira Gandhi National Old Age

Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), (2) Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension

Scheme (IGNWPS), (3) Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme

(IGNDPS), (4) National Family Benefit Scheme NFBS) and (5) Annapurna.

UDAAN (Giving Wings to Girl Students)

● This project aims at addressing the lower enrollment of girls in engineering

colleges/IITs and technological institutions.

● It involves training 1000 selected girl students to compete for admission at

premier Engineering colleges in India by providing course in an online and

offline format.

● Another scheme of the same name is implemented by Ministry of Human

Resource Development.

SANKALP and STRIVE

● Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion

(SANKALP) aimed at providing market relevant training to youths across the

country.

● Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) aimed at

improving the quality and the market relevance of vocational training

provided in ITIs.

● The project will also strengthen the apprenticeship programme

● Both Schemes are under the Ministry of Skill Development and

Entrepreneurship and supported by World Bank loan assistance.

● The two schemes will help in setting up national body for vocational

education – Vocational Education and Training (VET).

● SANKALP is a centrally sponsored scheme and STRIVE is a central sector

scheme

Mission Parivar Vikas

● The aim of the mission is to accelerate access to high quality family

planning

● It will focus on 146 high fertility districts in 7 states with high TFR (Total

Fertility Rate).

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Operation Digital board

● Aimed at providing better digital education in all schools.

● This will offer new opportunities and ways of teaching and learning in

schools.

Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKY)

● It is a programme launched to provide for the welfare of areas and people

affected by mining related operations.

● The main objective is to minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts of mining

● It is implemented by the District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

● 60% of the funds will be utilised for high priority areas such as Drinking

water supply, health care, sanitation, education, skill development, women

and child care, welfare of aged and disabled people and environment

conservation.

● 40% of the fund will be utilised for physical infrastructure, irrigation, energy

and watershed development.

Solar City

● The basic aim is to motivate the local Governments for adopting renewable

energy technologies and energy efficiency measures.

● The Solar City aims at minimum 10% reduction in projected demand of

conventional energy at the end of five years.

● In a Solar City all types of renewable energy based projects will be installed.

National LED Programme

● It is to ensure promotion of energy efficiency in the country.

● It has two components - Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) and

Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP).

● DELP - UJALA Scheme was launched to provide LED bulbs to domestic

consumers.

● SLNP - It aims to replace conventional street light with smart and energy

efficient LED street lights by March, 2019.

● The project is funded by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a Public

Energy Services Company under the administration of the Union Ministry of

Power.

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Logistic Efficiency Enhancement Programme (LEEP)

● The programme is aimed at enhancing the freight transportation in India

● Through infrastructure, procedural and Information Technology (IT)

interventions.

● The logistic parks are expected to serve four key functions - freight

aggregation and distribution, multimodal freight movement, storage and

warehousing, and value-added services such as custom clearances.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

● To enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days

of guaranteed demand based wage employment in a financial year to every

household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

● No contractors and machinery is allowed.

● Wages are linked to Consumer Price Index (Agriculture labour).

● If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to

an unemployment allowance.

● MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayats.

● At least one-third beneficiaries shall be women.

● Social audit has to be done by the gram sabha atleast once in every 6

months.

● Focuses on creation of durable assets as per local needs.

Aarambh

● Aarambh is a mobile App for road maintenance in rural areas.

● The app aims at use of GIS based mapping for making road inventories,

condition surveys, producing cost estimates and other relevant data for

preparation and monitoring of annual road maintenance plans.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

● It will be an Innovation Promotion Platform involving academics,

entrepreneurs, and researchers.

● The platform will also promote a network of world-class innovation hubs

and grand challenges for India.

● Under this mission two major schemes were rolled out such as:

● Atal Tinkering Labs

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● Atal Incubation Centres

Jalmani Programme

● This programme is launched to provide value and quality addition to the

ongoing Rural Drinking Water Supply Programme

● It involves installation of Stand Alone Purification System in rural Schools

● It is implemented by the State Governments through the Gram

Panchayat/Village Water and Sanitation Committees/Self Help Groups.

National Rural Drinking Water Programme

● The programme will cover all the rural population across the country to

reach the goal of increasing coverage of sustainable piped water supply.

● There will be 2% earmarking of funds for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) /Acute

Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) affected areas.

● There is a new sub-programme ―National Water Quality Sub-Mission

(NWQSM) to cover all rural population in Arsenic/Fluoride affected

habitations.

SWAYAM

● Study Webs of Active Learning For Young Aspiring Minds is an indigenous IT

platform for hosting the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

● It targets those students who could not complete their studies and

professionals who wish to upgrade their knowledge.

● Professors of centrally funded institutions like IITs, IIMs, central universities

will offer online courses to citizens of India through this platform.

● However, it would not run courses such as engineering, medicine, dental,

pharmacy, nursing, architecture, and physiotherapy.

Diksha Portal

● Ministry of HRD and National Council for Teacher Education collaborated to

build Diksha portal.

● DIKSHA will serve as National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers.

● It will aid teachers to learn and train themselves for which assessment

resources will be available.

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● It will help teachers to create training content, profile, in-class resources,

assessment aids, news and announcement and connect with teacher

community.

● States, government bodies and even private organisations, can integrate

DIKSHA into their respective teacher initiatives

Swabhimaan

● Swabhimaan is a campaign which aims to bring banking services to large

rural areas

● This campaign is to be operated by the Ministry of Finance and the Indian

Banks' Association (IBA).

Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)

● PMEGP is a major credit-linked subsidy programme

● Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is the nodal implementing

agency at the national level.

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Sudoor Drishti:

● It is a project launched by the Indian Bureau of Mines in collaboration with

National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and Department of Space for

monitoring of Mining activity through satellite.

● Bhuvan-based services will be used for the monitoring of periodic changes

of the mining areas

● A mobile app for field data collection to verify the ground realities.

TAMRA:

● Transparency, Auction Monitoring and Resource Augementation (TAMRA)

is a web portal and mobile application, to streamline the process of various

statutory clearances required for mining operations.

● It will display block-wise, state-wise and mineral-wise information of the

blocks to be auctioned.

Portal PENCIL

● PENCIL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is an

electronic platform by the Labour Ministry.

● For enforcement of the legislative provisions of National Child Labour Policy

(NCLP).

● This online portal aims to connect the Centre to the state government,

district and to all project societies for effective implementation of NCLP.

● The portal has a component of child tracking system.

Jeevan Pramaan

● It is an AADHAR Biometric Authentication based digital life certificates for

Pensioners.

● It will do away with the requirement of a pensioner having to submit a

physical Life Certificate every year.

Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)

● It is a Mission Mode Project (MMP) under the National e-Governance Plan.

● A nationwide networked infrastructure for evolution of IT-enabled state-of-

the-art tracking system around ―investigation of crime and detection of

criminals

● To automate police functions at police Station and higher levels.

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● It will also create facilities and mechanism to provide public services like

registration of online complaints, ascertaining the status of case registered

at the police station, verification of persons etc

LPG PANCHAYAT

● Union Petroleum Ministry has launched LPG Panchayat, aimed at

encouraging rural communities to turn to clean fuel.

● It created an interactive platform to discuss safe and sustainable usage of

LPG, its benefits and linkages between using clean fuel and empowering

women.

MERIT Portal

● MERIT - Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and

Transparency

● The portal has been developed by Ministry of Power in association with

POSOCO and Central Electricity Authority.

● Information available in the Portal shall help State Discoms to optimize

their power procurement in more efficient way leading to lower cost of

power to consumers.

Mobile Applications launched by Ministry of Power:

● Grameen Vidyutikaran (GARV) app to help citizens track rural

electrification under DDUGJY.

● Vidyut Pravah app to provide real time information of electricity price and

availability

● URJA (Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan) app for Urban Power Distribution Sector to

enhance Consumer Connect, Project Monitoring of projects and providing

information on the monthly performance on parameters like Consumer

complaints redressal, Release of New service connection etc.

● E-Tarang app to monitor the real time status of Transmission System

● E-Trans app to help in better price discovery in respect of Inter State

Transmission projects.

Central sector schemes and Centrally Sponsored Scheme

● Central sector schemes are 100% funded by the Union government and

implemented by the Central Government machinery.

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● Central sector schemes are mainly formulated on subjects from the Union

List.

● In Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) a certain percentage of the funding is

borne by the States and the implementation is by the State Governments

● Centrally Sponsored Schemes are formulated in subjects from the State List

to encourage States to prioritise in areas that require more attention.

5. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Nuclear-capable Agni-5

Long-range ballistic missile Agni-5 was successfully test fired off Odisha coast

proving its reliability.

● This is the sixth successful test of the missile.

● Agni-5 can carry nuclear warhead weighing 1.5 tonnes to a distance of over

5,000 km

● Is the longest missile in India’s arsenal.

● The missile features many new indigenously-developed technologies,

including the very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation

System (RINS).

● Micro Navigation System (MINS) improves the accuracy of the missile.

● The indigenously designed and developed carbon-carbon composite heat

shield continues to burn sacrificially, protecting the payload and

maintaining the inside temperature below 50 degrees Celsius.

Discovery of new planet

A team from the Physical Research

Laboratory, ISRO, Ahmedabad, has

spotted for the first time a distant

planet six times bigger than Earth and

revolving around a Sun-like star about

600 light years away.

● With this discovery India has

joined a handful of countries which

have discovered planets around stars

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● Measured the mass of the planet using the indigenously designed PRL

Advance Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search or PARAS spectrograph

● The spectrograph is the first of its kind in the country.

● The planet will be known as EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b.

● This discovery is very important for understanding the formation

mechanism of such super-Neptune or sub-Saturn kind of planets.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

India and Pakistan are making their maiden appearance as full members of the

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The Qingdao declaration:

● The 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit concluded with

the adoption of the Qingdao declaration.

● The Qingdao declaration calls for implementing three-year plan to combat

terrorism, separatism and extremism.

About SCO:

● The SCO was formed in 2001

● Is an economic, political and security organisation headquartered in Beijing,

China.

● The six founding states are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

and Uzbekistan.

● The main objective is military cooperation between members.

● It also works towards intelligence-sharing, counter-terrorism operations in

Central Asia.

● The full members of the organization are China, Russia, Kazakhstan,

Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan.

● Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia currently enjoy observer status of

SCO.

● Sri Lanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue

partners of SCO.

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Rani Rashmoni commissioned

The last of the five Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) project of Indian Coast Guard ‘Rani

Rashmoni’ was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard.

Highlights:

● The FPVs are equipped with advanced sensors and state-of-the-art

equipment and are designed to perform multifarious tasks such as

surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue, anti-smuggling and anti-

poaching, operations

● The patrol vessel is fitted with an advanced Global Maritime Distress and

Safety System (GMDSS), to carry out search and rescue operations

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