London. With re-election in IMO, India will continue to engage with the international maritime community to further her
CONTENTS PAGE: 3 - 10
INTERNATIONAL
11 - 22
NATIONAL
22 - 31
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
32 - 35
DEFENCE & INTERNAL SECURITY
36- 42
ECONOMY
43 - 48
ENVIRONMENT
48 - 54
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
55 - 57
SOCIAL ISSUES
58
IMPORTANT questions
INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES In News Every year, December 3 is observed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme for 2017 International Day of People with Disability is “Transformation
towards sustainable and resilient society for all”. The overarching principle of this theme is to ‘leave no one behind’ and empowers people
with disability to be active contributors of society. It is based on transformative changes envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
UN Effort To Tackle Disabilities Include: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, has advanced
the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which talks about leaving no one behind
Other international development frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, the New Urban Agenda, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development etc. have integrated the concerns regarding persons with disabilities in the policy formulation.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Background The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons
was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities
in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
•••••• BIMSTEC MEMBER STATES DISCUSS DRAFT TEXT OF COASTAL SHIPPING AGREEMENT In News Member States of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation) met this week to discuss modalities for promoting coastal shipping in the region. In this first meeting of the Working Group, member countries discussed the draft text of BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement drafted by the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India.
Objective To facilitate coastal shipping in the region, thereby giving a boost to trade between the
member countries The agreement would apply to coastal shipping, that is shipping within 20 nautical miles
of the coastline. The requirements for movement of vessels in this part of the sea are different from stand-
ard requirements of deep sea shipping. Coastal ship movements require smaller vessels and lesser draft, and therefore, involve
lower costs. Once the agreement is ratified by the member countries and becomes operational, a lot of
cargo movement between the member countries can be done through the cost effective, environment friendly and faster coastal shipping route.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS AAROGYAM – 2017 In News International AROGYA 2017 was the 1st International Exhibition & Conference on AYUSH
& Wellness was held in New Delhi It was organized by Ministry of AYUSH along with Department of Commerce, Ministry
of Commerce & Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry & Pharmexcil.
Objectives Of The Event To showcase the strength and scientific validation of Indian System of Medicine in the
Global Context. To promote and strengthen awareness and interest about AYUSH. To facilitate International promotion, development and recognition of Ayurveda, Yoga,
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy. To foster ineraction of stakeholders and market development of AYUSH at international
level. To give boost to AYUSH Products in International Market. To exhibit the research and latest developments in AYUSH sector. To harness the potential of this fast growing and globally emerging sector
••••••
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS INTERNATIONAL MARITIME COUNCIL In News India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization
[IMO] under Category “B” at the recently held 30th session of the Assembly of the IMO in London. With re-election in IMO, India will continue to engage with the international maritime
community to further her maritime interests and promote the welfare of her citizens.
Key Facts The IMO Council consists of 40-member countries. In Categories “A” and
“B” there are 10 members each and in Category “C” 20 members, who are elected by the IMO Assembly. IMO Council plays a crucial role to play in deciding various important
matters within the mandate of the IMO, in relation to the global shipping industry, including its work programme strategy and budget. India has been one of the earliest members of the IMO, having ratified its
Convention and joined it as a member-state in the year 1959. India has had the privilege of being elected to and serving the Council
of the IMO, ever since it started functioning, and till date, except for two years for the period 1983-1984. India is a party to 34 IMO Conventions and protocols and is currently
in the advanced stage of ratifying Ballast Water Convention and Bunker Convention. India has already deposited with the ILO, instrument of ratification of the
Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (revised), 2003 and Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
About IMO: The International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS It has 171 Member States and three Associate Members. The IMO’s primary purpose is to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory
framework for shipping and its remit today includes safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security and the efficiency of shipping.
IMO is governed by an assembly of members and is financially administered by a council
of members elected from the assembly. The IMO’s structure comprises the Assembly, the Council, the Maritime Safety Committee,
the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Legal Committee, the Technical Cooperation Committee, and the secretariat, headed by a Secretary-General
••••••
NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP (NSG) MEMBERSHIP In News Even as China continues to stall India’s Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership,
Russia has come out strongly in support of India saying that India’s application cannot be “inter linked” with that of Pakistan and that Moscow is discussing the issue with Beijing at different levels. China has favoured a criteria-based approach for expansion of the 48-member group,
which controls international nuclear commerce, instead of one based on merit, in what India sees an attempt to draw a false equivalence between India’s case and Pakistan’s.
NSG Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear
proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on existing materials. Interestingly, the NSG was set up in 1974 as a reaction to India’s nuclear tests to stop what it called the misuse of nuclear material meant for peaceful purposes.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Background: India sought membership of the NSG in 2008, but its application hasn’t
been decided on, primarily because signing the NPT or other nuclear moratoriums on testing is a pre-requisite. However, India has received a special waiver to conduct nuclear trade with all nuclear exporters. India, Pakistan, Israel and South Sudan are among the four UN member
states which have not signed the NPT, the international pact aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.
Why India should be granted NSG membership? In this game of developing nuclear weapons India has not indulged in any dubious/
clandestine activity and its programme has been developed solely by years of hard work indigenously. By this single act India has shown that developing a credible nuclear weapons programme through honest and civilian means is possible for any country having highlevel scientific manpower and materials. Besides, by declaring a voluntary moratorium on further underground nuclear tests India
has effectively acted in sense and spirit of NPT/CTBT provisions. By steering its programme only as a minimum deterrence and pledging NFU unless faced with an attack of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), India has established itself as a responsible nuclear state.
Benefits associated with NSG membership- Once admitted, an NSG member state gets: Timely information on nuclear matters. Contributes by way of information. Has confirmed credentials. Can act as an instrument of harmonization and coordination. Is part of a very transparent process.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS INDIA ADMITTED AS MEMBER INTO WASSENAAR ARRANGEMENT In News India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement as its 42nd member at a meeting of the group
in Vienna..
Background Since its civil nuclear deal with US, India has been trying to get into
export control regimes such as Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG), Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement that regulate the conventional, nuclear, biological and chemicals weapons and technologies. In June 2016, India had joined Missile Technology Control Regime
(MTCR), another key export control regime, as a full member.
The Wassenar Agreement The Wassenaar Arrangement has been established in order to contribute to regional and
international security and stability by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies thus preventing destabilising accumulations. Participating States seek through their national policies to ensure that transfers of these
items do not contribute to the development or enhancement of military capabilities which undermine these goals and are not diverted to support such capabilities. The aim is also to prevent the acquisition of these items by terrorists. Participating States apply export controls to all items set forth in the List of Dual-Use Goods
and Technologies and the Munitions List with the objective of preventing unauthorized transfers or retransfers of those items. To assist in developing common understandings of transfer risks, Participating States
regularly exchange information of both a general and a specific nature. Participating States are required to report their arms transfers and transfers/denials of certain dualuse goods and technologies to destinations outside the Arrangement.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS The decision to transfer or deny the transfer of any item is the sole responsibility of
each Participating State. All measures with respect to the Arrangement are taken in accordance with national legislation and policies and are implemented on the basis of national discretion.
••••••
ASEAN-INDIA CONNECTIVITY SUMMIT In News The ASEAN India Connectivity Summit (AICS) on the theme: Powering Digital and Physical
Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century. The AICS aims to accelerate existing connectivity prospects, identify issues of concern,
evolve suitable policy recommendations and develop strategies to enhance economic, industrial and trade relations between ASEAN and India. Its focus areas are infrastructure, roadways, shipping, digital, finance, energy and
aviation.
ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967
in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. At present there are 10 members namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam
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NATIONAL 6TH INTERNATIONAL TOURISM MART In News The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North Eastern
States is organising the “International Tourism Mart” (ITM) in Guwahati, Assam.
Key Facts The focus areas of 6th ITM was to spotlight on India’s “Act East Policy”,
blossoming ties with ASEAN and larger East Asia region, home to world’s rapidly growing economies and India’s emergingtourism markets. It also held oanel discussions, workshops, business to business (B2B)
meetings, cultural programs. Senior officials from Railways, Civil Aviation, DoNER, Road Transport ministry also shared their views for betterment of tourism sector of North East including Assam.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS International Tourism Marts: The International Tourism Marts are organised in the North Eastern States on rotation
basis. The earlier editions of this mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok and Imphal. This is the 6th International Tourism Mart and an annual event organised in the North
Eastern region with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets. It brings together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight North Eastern States.
••••••
BODHI PARVA In News: India is hosting the 2017 edition of “Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC Festival of Buddhist
Heritage” in New Delhi as part of celebrations of 20th Anniversary of BIMSTEC. The festival is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) along with Teamwork Arts.
Key Facts: Bodhi Parva’ has entwined various threads of the Buddhist heritage into a beautiful
melange including an exhibition of international and Indian Buddhist art and architecture, discourses by eminent scholars and practitioners of Buddhism, guided meditation
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS and chanting by Buddhist monks, screening of film on Buddhism, dance and music performances, quiz show and a food trail. These will help in building an awareness of BIMSTEC’s rich and common heritage.
About BIMSTEC: The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia. The BIMSTEC comprises of seven countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The main objective of BIMSTEC is technological and economical
cooperation among South Asian and South East Asian countries along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The headquarters of BIMSTEC is in Dhaka.
•••••• KACHEGUDA: INDIA’S ‘FIRST’ ENERGY-EFFICIENT RAILWAY STATION In News Kacheguda Railway Station in Hyderabad has become the first energy-efficient ‘A1 Cat-
egory’ railway station in India. It falls under the Hyderabad division of the South Central Railway (SCR).
Key Facts Kacheguda Railway Station attained the 100% energy-efficient status by replacing 1312
conventional. Lights with light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, 12 air conditioners (ACs) with energy efficient inverter type ACs and 370 ceiling fans with Brushless DC Electrical (BLDC) motors energy-efficient fans. On account of these changes, it will save about 1.76 lakh units and Rs. 14.08 lakh annually with reduction of the connected load by 46.18 kW for Railways.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Kacheguda Railway Station Kacheguda Railway station is one of the historic building in Hyderabad that has completed
100 years. It is situated in the heart of Hyderabad. It was built in 1916 by Nizam’s Guaranteed State
Railway during reign of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam.
••••••
27TH VYAS SAMMAN In News Eminent Hindi writer Mamta Kalia will be honoured with literary award Vyas Samman for
year 2017 for her novel “Dukkham Sukkham”. The author has earlier received “Yashpal Katha Samman” from Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan, “Sahitya Bhushan Samman” and “Ram Manohar Lohia Samman”.
About Vyas Samman Awards- Facts: The Vyas Samman is given to a Hindi literary work published in the past
10 years. Eminent literary critic and poet Ram Vilas Sharma is the first recipient
of this award in 1991. The writer will receive an amount of Rs 3.5 lakh as the prize money. It is awarded annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation.
•••••• INDIAN NAVY OP SAHAYAM FOR CYCLONE OCKHI In News Southern Naval Command continued ‘OP Sahayam’, an Indian Navy exercise for undertaking
Search and Rescue (SAR) and providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster relief (HADR) material support, over Southeast Arabian Sea and L& M islands in the aftermath of Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘OCKHI’.
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Highlights Nine naval ships including frontline ships from Western Naval Command INS Chennai,
Kolkata and four types of aircraft including long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8I, Dornier, SeaKing and Chetak were continued to be deployed over an extended SAR area up to 300 miles west of L& M islands and 450 miles off Kerala coast. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in India’s National Strategy Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations have attracted the
attention of the global community in recent years. Building capabilities, interoperability and a conceptual framework for participation in
these operations is gaining increasing urgency among Indian policymakers. The Indian armed forces have a wide experience of disaster relief operations both at home
and abroad, where they have been the core of relief operations. Due to its sub-continental size, geographical location and its vulnerability to disasters,
India has kept its forces ready to render assistance at short notice. In the six decades since independence, India has experienced a number of natural and
man-made disasters such as floods, earthquakes, famines, industrial accidents etc. At the same time, India has partnered the global community in providing relief in affected regions. As India moves to occupy an important position in the global community, it is in the
process of bolstering its capabilities to match the rising expectations. That India would play an important role
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS LOSAR FESTIVAL CELEBRATED IN LADAKH In News The traditional festival of Losar was celebrated in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir
to mark the beginning of New Year in this Himalayan region. The 10 day long festival began with illumination of religious and residential places and by visiting monasteries for prayer.
Losar Festival The Losar festival marks the beginning of New year in Ladakh and Tibet region and falls in
December. Losar is Tibetan word for ‘new year’. It is considered to be the most important festival of the region. It is an important social and religious celebration in Ladakh. Ladakhi Buddhists make
religious offering before their deities in the domestic shrines or in the Gompas. A medley of cultural events, ancient rituals and also traditional performances are
performed during this festival. There is blaring music events accompanied with dancing and celebration, dinner with relatives. Houses are decorated with good luck signs. Prayer flags are hoisted in important religious places to welcome the new year.
••••••
UNESCO RECOGNISES KUMBH MELA AS “INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE” In News Kumbh Mela has been recognised by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage of
humanity”. Kumbh Mela, considered the world’s largest congregation of religious pilgrims, joins new
elements from Botswana, Colombia, Venezuela, Mongolia, Morocco, Turkey and the UAE on the list.
About Kumbh Mela: Kumbh Mela is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth. The festival, held
in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, represents a syncretic set of rituals related to worship and ritual cleansing in holy rivers in India. As a religious festival, the tolerance and inclusiveness that Kumbh Mela demonstrates are especially valuable for the contemporary world.
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Background: In 2003, the UNESCO General Conference had adopted the Convention
for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage as an international treaty, acknowledging that cultural heritage was more than tangible places, monuments and objects.. The intangible cultural heritage is transmitted from generation to
generation, and is constantly recreated by communities and groups, in response to their environment, their interaction with nature, and their history. It provides people with a sense of identity and continuity, and promotes
respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. The UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage,
defines intangible cultural heritage as the practices, representations, expressions as well as knowledge and skills that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS SANKALP PROJECT In News A Financing Agreement for IBRD loan of USD 250 million (equivalent) for the “Skills
Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) Project” signed with the World Bank. The Financing Agreement was signed in New Delhi by Joint Secretary, Department of
Economic Affairs on behalf of Government of India and Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank.
Objective To enhance institutional mechanisms for skills development and increase access to quality
and market-relevant training for the work force.
Key Facts The Key result areas for the project include Institutional Strengthening
at the National and State Levels for Planning, Delivering, and Monitoring High-Quality Market-Relevant Training; Improved Quality and Market Relevance of Skills Development Programs; Improved access to and completion of skills training for female trainees and other disadvantaged groups; and Expanding skills training through private-public partnerships (PPPs).
•••••• SENDAI FRAMEWORK In News National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is conducting the first national-level Training of Trainers programme to sensitise various Central Ministries and Departments on utilisation of Sendai Monitor for developing action plans for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS The programme is being organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction-Global Education and Training Institute (UNISDR-GETI).
Key facts The SFDRR is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development
agenda and identifies targets and priority actions towards reducing disaster risks and implementing development that is both resilient and sustainable. India is a signatory to SFDRR and is thus committed to work
towards achieving the targets enshrined in the Framework. Discussions on monitoring and evaluation of action plans, and follow-up
activities to achieve the objectives outlined in the action plan were held. Participants were also briefed about the defined indicators that should be used for achieving the action plan.
Background Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction The Sendai Framework was adopted by UN Member States on 18 March 2015 at the
Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 outlines seven clear targets
and
Four priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks: Understanding disaster risk; Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; Investing in disaster reduction for resilience and; Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build Back Better” in
recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. It aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS TUITIAL HYDROELECTRIC POWER PROJECT In news The Tuirial HEPP has been constructed as a Central Sector Project and implemented by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. The 60 MW Tuirial Hydro Electric Power Project (HEPP) has been formally dedicated to the Nation.
About the project: The Project is the biggest power project located in the State of Mizoram
and will feed the entire energy to be generated to the home State, which will facilitate all-round development of the State and achieving Government of India’s ambitious and flagship Mission ‘24×7 Affordable Clean Power for All’. The Tuirial HEPP has been constructed as a Central Sector Project and
implemented by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Significance of this project: The State’s current demand of electricity is only 87 MW and this is being met by State’s mini power projects and availability of its share of power from central sector projects. With the additional 60 MW of electricity from the project, the State of Mizoram will now be the third power-surplus State in North East India after Sikkim and Tripura. Apart from attaining selfsufficiency in electric power, the project will fetch other spin-off benefits to the State of Mizoram like employment generation, navigation, water supply, pisciculture and wild life conservation, tourism etc.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS BHARATMALA In News In order to expedite implementation of the Bharatmala Pariyojna, the project launched by the Government of India with prime focus on optimizing efficiency of the movement of goods and people across the country, NHAI has decided to start an incentive scheme for its officials. The scheme not only envisages completing the projects earlier than the scheduled time,
but also aims at savings on account of cost overruns due to time delays. The scheme will reward hardworking, meritorious officials and will act as a catalyst to motivate other officials to work more efficiently. Under this scheme, cash incentives and other rewards such as Certificates, Trophy,
Appreciation letters, etc., would be given to the NHAI officials to complete the assigned task in a time bound manner.
••••••
North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) In news The Union Cabinet has approved
the introduction of new Central Sector Scheme of “North East Special
Infrastructure
Development Scheme” (NESIDS) from 2017-18 with 100% funding from the Central Government to fill up the gaps in creation of infrastructure in specified sectors till March, 2020. Physical infrastructure relating
to
water
supply,
power,
connectivity and specially the projects
promoting
tourism
;
Infrastructure of social sectors of education and health.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS NESIDS The assets to be created under the new scheme of NESIDS will not only strengthen health
care and education facilities in the region but will also encourage tourism thereby the employment opportunities for local youth. The scheme will act as a catalyst in overall development of the region in the years to come.
••••••
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE DARPAN PROJECT In News Ministry of communications has launched DARPAN (Digital Advancement of Rural Post
Office for A New India) project. It aims at realising financial inclusion of un-banked rural population. It is an IT modernization project, which also aims to improve the quality of service,
and add value to services. The project is targeted to be completed by March 2018.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Key Highlights It will provide a low power technology solution to each Branch Postmaster (BPM) which
will enable each of approximately 1.29 Lakhs Branch Post Offices (BOs) to improve the level of services being offered to rural customers across all the states. The Project shall increase the rural reach of the Department of Posts and enable BOs to: Increase traffic of all financial remittances, savings accounts, Rural Postal Life Insurance, and Cash Certificates; Improve mail operations processes by allowing for automated booking and delivery of accountable article; Increase revenue using retail post business; Provide third party applications; and make disbursements for social security schemes
such as MGNREGS DARPAN offers core-banking services. The core banking application covers following
services: cash deposit in savings bank (SB) and recurring deposit (RD), withdrawal from savings bank, new account opening for SB and RD, higher value withdrawal, mini statement, Aadhaar seeding and daily transaction report.
Key Facts The Key result areas for the project include Institutional Strengthening
at the National and State Levels for Planning, Delivering, and Monitoring High-Quality Market-Relevant Training; Improved Quality and Market Relevance of Skills Development Programs; Improved access to and completion of skills training for female trainees and other disadvantaged groups; and Expanding skills training through private-public partnerships (PPPs).
•••••• INDIA’S FIRST SOCIAL AUDIT LAW In News Meghalaya became the first state in India to operationalize a law that makes social
audit of government programmes and schemes a part of government practice.
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It has launched ‘The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit
Act, 2017’ that will allow citizens’ participation in the planning of development, selection of beneficiaries, concurrent monitoring of programmes, redress of grievances and audit of works, services and programmes on an annual basis.
Key Highlights The legislation is applicable to 11 departments and 21 schemes. A social audit facilitator will be appointed to conduct the audit directly with the people.
He will present findings to the Gram Sabha, who will add inputs and the result will finally go to the auditors. The new council would mobilise public and civil societies to carry out concurrent audit of all
development works in the State, thereby bringing greater transparency and accountability in government services.
Significance It will give people a direct say in how money will be spent. It would also fill an information
gap for officers as they will be directly in touch with the ground. So far, social audits of government programmes have been done at the initiative of
civil society organisations. These social audits had no official sanction. With this act, social audit has received official sanction. This is the institutionalisation of participatory democratic governance. As the audit is rolling along and not being done after all the money has been spent, it
would be easier to correct the course to achieve desired result. The real benefit of this process is “quick corrective action.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS The social audit facilitator will provide an outside perspective, but it will take into account
what people directly benefitting or meant to benefit from the scheme have to say. Hence, it will help in maximizing the impact of the schemes
Social Audit Social audits refer to a legally mandated process where potential and
existing beneficiaries evaluatethe implementation of a programme by comparing official records with ground realities. It is an extension of the larger accountability framework. It puts into
practice the signature slogan of the Right to Information movement in India — “Hamara Paisa, Hamara Hisab”. The public hearings that social audits conclude with remain its soul.
These audits were first made statutory in a 2005 Rural Employment Act.
Objectives of Social Audit: Accurate identification of requirements. Prioritization of developmental activities as per requirements. Proper utilization of funds. Conformity of the developmental activity with the stated goals. Quality of service.
Benefits of Social Audit: Involvement of people in developmental activities ensures that money is
spent where it is actually needed. Reduction of wastages. Reduction in corruption. Awareness among people. Promotes integrity and a sense of community among people. Improves the standard of governance
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS CONTROLLER GENERAL OF ACCOUNTS In News The Controller General of Accounts, Department of Expenditure has launched the
upgraded version of Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) primarily to cater to the needs of central civil pensioners and other stakeholders in the Ministries/Departments and Banks.
The website has been developed in-house by the NIC Wing of CPAO. The website provides
a single window for both accessing pension related information and facilitating grievance Redressal of pensioners. The Controller General of Accounts is the apex Accounting Authority of the Central
Government and exercises the powers of the President under Article 150 of the constitution for prescribing the forms of Accounts of the Union and State Governments on the advice of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Functions: It is the Principal Accounting Adviser to Government of India and is responsible
for establishing and maintaining a technically sound Management Accounting System. The Office of CGA prepares monthly and annual analysis of expenditure, revenues, borrowings and various fiscal indicators for the Union Government. Under Article 150 of the Constitution, the Annual Appropriation Accounts (Civil) and
Union Finance Accounts are submitted to Parliament on the advice of Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
••••••
MEA LAUNCHES SAMEEP In News As part of an “outreach” mission, the Ministry of External Affairs has launched a new
programme, SAMEEP - ‘Students and MEA Engagement Programme’. It aims to take Indian foreign policy and its global engagements to students across the
country and thereby bringing foreign policy to the masses. The idea is not only to get students to take interests in India’s global ambitions, but also
consider diplomacy as a career option.
Key Highlights Under this project, the Ministry Of External Affairs will ask all its officers on leave to
voluntarily travel to their hometowns and particularly their alma mater.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Their job would be to engage students in the schools and colleges in the jobs that the
ministry is engaged in, so as to give them a fair idea of how India engages with the world, what are its foreign policy priorities and how diplomacy is actually conducted. The Ministry would give them a standardized presentation and officials would be free to
improvise and add their personal experiences.
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NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON E-COURTS PROJECT In News The e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India, in association with the Department of
Justice (DoJ) of the GoI, held a two day National Conference in New Delhi. The Conference focused on the progress, sharing of best practices, experiences, important
issues and emerging challenges under the Project. e-Filing facility was launched during the conference. Through e-Filing software, registered
advocates and registered parties or persons will be able to file their cases in the district courts.
E-Courts Project The e-Courts Mission Mode Project (Phase I 2010-15; Phase II 2015-19) is a national e-
Governance project for ICT enablement of district and subordinate courts of the country. It aims to create a robust Court Management System through digitization, document
management, judicial knowledge management and learning tools.
The major objectives of the Project are: To make whole judicial system ICT enabled by putting in place adequate and modern
hardware and connectivity; automation of workflow management in all courts; electronic movement of records from taluka/trial to appeal courts; installation of video conferencing (VC) facility and recording of witness through Video Conferencing; connecting all courts in the country to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) through WAN and additional redundant connectivity; citizen centric facilities such as electronic filing, e-payment and use of mobile applications in all courts; touch screen based kiosks in each court complex, full computerisation of State and district level judicial and service academies and centres.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS An empowered committee has been constituted under the Chairpersonship of Secretary,
Department of Justice, to give strategic direction & guidance to the project. The project is being implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC). A project monitoring committee comprising of Department of Justice, representatives of
e-Committee and NIC meets on a monthly basis to monitor the progress of the project.
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COMPANIES AMENDMENT BILL PASSED BY PARLIAMENT In News The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2017, which is aimed at making some major changes
to the Companies Act, 2013, was passed in Rajya Sabha by voice vote. The bill, which was adopted by the Lok Sabha in July, will now have to receive the assent
of the President to become law.
Aim of the bill: The bill is aimed at strengthening corporate governance standards, providing for strict
action against defaulting companies and improving ease of doing business in the country.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Some of the key amendments proposed by the bill: Simplification of the process through which companies raise funds through a private
placement of shares. Rationalisation of provisions pertaining to loans given to directors of companies Replacing the need to get approval from the central government for managerial pay above
the prescribed limit, after getting it approved from the company’s shareholders Aligning disclosure requirements in the prospectus with SEBI regulations. Making it a non-compoundable offence to flout provisions pertaining to deposits. The Bill also provides for maintenance of register of significant beneficial owners and
makes offence for contravention of provisions relating to deposits as non-compoundable. It also provides for stringent penalties in case of non-filing of balance sheet and annual
return every year, which will act as deterrent to shell companies. This would facilitate ease of doing business, and result in harmonization with SEBI, RBI and rectify certain omissions and inconsistencies in the existing Act
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Medical Council of India In news: The Union Cabinet has cleared the National Medical Commission Bill, which does away with the Medical Council of India (MCI) and replaces it with a regulator that will do away with “heavy handed regulatory control” over medical institutions and will also bring in a national licentiate examination.
Key features The bill provides for the constitution of four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting
undergraduate and postgraduate education, assessment and accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under the National Medical Commission. As per the Bill, the government, under the National Medical Commission (NMC), can
dictate guidelines for fees up to 40% of seats in private medical colleges. This is aimed at giving students relief from the exorbitant fees charged by these colleges and is a standout feature of the bill.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS The bill also has a provision for a common entrance exam and licentiate (exit) exam that
medical graduates have to pass before practising or pursuing PG courses. For MBBS, students have to clear NEET, and before they step into practice, they must pass the exit exam. Recognised medical institutions don’t need the regulator’s permission to add more seats
or start PG course. This mechanism to reduce the discretionary powers of the regulator. Earlier, medical colleges required the MCI’s approval for establishment, recognition,
renewal of the yearly permission or recognition of degrees, and even increase the number of students they admitted. Under the new bill, the powers of the regulator are reduced to establishment and recognition. This means less red tape, but also less scrutiny of medical colleges.
Background: The Medical Council of India was first established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933. This Act was repealed and replaced with a new Act in 1956. Under the 1956 Act, the objectives of MCI include: Maintenance of standards in medical education through curriculum
guidelines, inspections and permissions to start colleges, courses or increasing number of seats. Recognition of medical qualifications. Registration of doctors and maintenance of the All India Medical
Register. Regulation of the medical profession by prescribing a code of conduct
and taking action against erring doctors.
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DEFENCE & INTERNAL SECURITY BORDER PROTECTION GRID (BPG) In News The Union Home Minister recently highlighted the importance of having Border Protection
Grid (BPG) in the country. The concept was highlighted during the recently held meeting of the Chief Ministers of the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) States, in Kolkata.
Key Facts Border security is important to facilitate legitimate trade and commerce between the
countries. India has friendly relations with Bangladesh and there is a need to facilitate genuine trade and legitimate cross-border movement of people while curbing radicalization, illegal migration, and smuggling of cattle, fake Indian currency notes and drugs etc. BPG will ensure greater help for the States in the overall border security. Secure borders are also necessary to prevent entry of illegal migrants some of whom have
links with extremist groups for furthering anti-national activities with ulterior motives and posing threat to internal security
About BPG Border Protection Grid (BPG) is a multi-pronged and foolproof mechanism to secure
border. The grid will comprise of various elements namely physical barriers, non-physical barriers, surveillance system, Intelligence agencies, State Police, BSF and other State and Central agencies. BPG will be supervised by a State Level Standing Committee under the Chairmanship
of respective Chief Secretaries. Border security is important to facilitate legitimate trade and commerce between
the countries. Secure borders are also necessary to prevent entry of illegal migrants some of whom
have links with extremist groups for furthering anti-national activities with ulterior motives and posing threat to internal security. PIB Compilation
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS ‘HAMESHA VIJAYEE’ EXERCISE In News The Southern Command of Indian Army conducted major army exercise called ‘Hamesha
Vijayee’ in deserts of Rajasthan from December 16 to 22, 2017. The purpose of the exercise was to evaluate capability of armed forces to strike deep into enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle. The Southern Command (hearquaters Pune) undertakes such exercises at regular intervals
to ensure high degree of battle readiness as well as validation of operational plans using modern weapons and equipment.
Key Facts: The ‘Hamesha Vijayee’ exercise was conducted in battle like conditions that aimed at
fine tuning surveillance and destruction mechanisms to support precision strikes and manoeuvres by network enabled forces. The Southern Command (hearquaters Pune) undertakes such exercises at regular intervals
to ensure high degree of battle readiness as well as validation of operational plans using modern weapons and equipment. The exercise show cased high degree of synergy between Indian Army and Air Force along
with new generation aviation assets of army which were reviewed to obtain inputs for further refinement of operational procedures. With emphasis on joint operations, the exercise would test robust sensor to shooter
grids by employing a vast array of surveillance and air assets networked with land based strategic and tactical vectors.
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VIGILANT ACE: SOUTH KOREA, US LAUNCH LARGEST AIR EXERCISE South Korea and United States have launched Vigilant Ace, their largest-ever joint aerial
drills. The exercise comes after North Korea tested Hwasong-15, its most advanced and powerful Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) as part of its weapons programme.
Vigilant Ace Vigilant Ace is annual US-South Korean drill designed to enhance their readiness and
operational capability and to ensure peace and security on Korean peninsula. More than
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS 12,000 service members from US will join airmen from South Korea in air combat exercise. Troops from US Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy will train with 230 South Korean and US aircraft, including six F-22 Raptors and 18 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Of 18 F-35s, six are F-35A models from Air Force and 12 are F-35B models from Marine Corps. The fighters will fly to Korean Peninsula from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan.
Background The isolated and impoverished North Korea has staged six increasingly
powerful atomic tests since 2006 – most recently in September 2017. It nuclear and missile programmes have made significant progress under leader Kim Jong-Un, who has overseen four nuclear tests and dozens of missile launches since taking power in 2011. Recently in November 2017, North Korea had claimed that Hwasong 15
ICBM is capable of delivering a “super-large” nuclear warhead anywhere in US mainland. Even experts supported the claim and held that latest test showed a big improvement in potential range. They are also sceptical that North Korea has mastered sophisticated technology required to protect such warhead from extreme temperatures and stresses encountered during re-entry of missile to Earth.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Exercise EKUVERIN-2017 In news It is a joint military exercise between India and Maldives. The eighth edition of the exercise is being held in Belagavi, Karnataka.
Key facts The bilateral annual exercise is a 14-day joint military training between
the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), which is held alternatively in India and Maldives since 2009. The seventh edition of the exercise was held at Kadhdhoo, Lammu Atoll, Maldives in December, 2016. The exercise will be an opportunity for the two armies to activate the Joint
Operations Centre at Belagavi. The focus of the exercise is to acquaint both armies with each other’s
operating procedures in the backdrop of a counter-insurgency or counterterrorist operations in an urban or semi-urban environment under the United Nations (UN) Charter, with an overall aim to enhance interoperability between the two armies. ‘Ekuverin’ means ‘friends’ in the Maldivian language
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ECONOMY RBI KEEPS REPO RATE UNCHANGED AT 6% In News The six member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
decided to maintain status quo in policy rates by keeping repo rate unchanged at 6.0% under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF). It was RBI’s fifth bimonthly policy review for financial year 2017-18. The decision was in
line with market expectations and consistent with neutral stance of monetary policy in consonance with objective of achieving medium-term inflation target of 4% within a band of +/- 2%, while supporting growth.
Policy Rates Repo rate: It is rate at which RBI lends to its clients generally against government
securities. It was unchanged at 6%. Reverse Repo Rate: It is rate at which banks lend funds to RBI. It was unchanged at
5.75%.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate: It is rate at which scheduled banks can borrow
funds overnight from RBI against government securities. It is very short term borrowing scheme for scheduled banks. It was unchanged at 6.25%. Bank Rate: It is rate charged by central bank for lending funds to commercial banks. It
was unchanged 6.25%. It influences lending rates of commercial banks. Higher bank rate will translate to higher lending rates by banks. Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): It is amount of funds that banks have to keep with RBI. It
was unchanged at 4%. The RBI uses CRR to drain out excessive money from system. Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): It was changed to 19.5% from 20%. It is amount that
banks have to maintain a stipulated proportion of their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) in form of liquid assets like cash, gold and unencumbered securities, treasury bills, dated securities etc.
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GOVERNMENT TO EXPAND BPO SUBSIDY SCHEME In News The Ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY) is in favour of expanding its BPO promotion
scheme, which aims to set up BPOs in small towns and rural areas. The strategy is to cover more non-metro towns and even villages. Since the present subsidy amount is available till March 2019 with the response from
companies being very optimistic, MeitY is planning to move a proposal to Finance Ministry for increasing the fund allocation.
BPO Promotion Scheme Viability gap funding: Under this initiative the government provides a subsidy of up
to Rs 1 lakh per seat in the form of viability gap funding (VGF) to companies setting up BPOs in small towns (tier II or tier III town). Disbursement of the funding is linked to employment generation. A similar scheme is for the Northeast India in the form of North East BPO Promotion Scheme (NEBPS). Other provisions: The scheme also allows for subsidy on operational expenditure and
lease and rent of space instead of just on outright purchases in capital expenditure. The scheme also provides for relaxation of norms for bank guarantee. The ministry has also
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS waived off the limit of only one third seats for one company in each location to provide more flexibility. Fund allocation: Currently, MeitY has earmarked Rs 493 crore for IBPS and an additional
Rs 50 crore for NEBPS. Seat allocation: A total of 48300 seats for IBPS and 5000 for NEBPS have to be allocated
based on population in the states. Of this, after rounds of open bidding, 18160 seats have been allocated
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Foreign Trade Policy: More Incentives For Exports, Focus On Ease Of Trading In News In the mid-term review of the foreign trade policy the government has unveiled several
initiatives to improve the ease of doing business. Commerce Ministry also unveiled more incentives to boost labor-intensive and employment
oriented merchandise and services exports in the mid-term review of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20. The annual incentive increased by 33.8 per cent or Rs 8,450 crore.
New Announcement MEIS incentives: The Commerce Department announced an increase in the Merchandise
Exports from India scheme (MEIS) incentives for two sub sectors of textiles i.e. readymade garments and made ups from 2 per cent to 4 per cent. SEIS incentives: The Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) incentives have also
been\ increased by 2 percentage points amounting to Rs.1140 crore. Duty credit scrip: MEIS and SEIS provide incentive in the form of duty credit scrip to the
exporter to compensate for his loss on payment of duties. The Commerce Department now has abolished the GST for transfer and sale of these scrips to zero from 12 per cent and increased the validity period for these tradable papers to 24 months from 18 months. Agriculture products: The mid-term review also advocated focusing on increasing exports
of value added agriculture products in the long term. And also called for creating cold chain and transport logistics infrastructure, promoting the export of organic products and setting up an organic export certification authority.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Trust-based self-ratification scheme: Government has introduced ‘trust-based self-
ratification scheme’ that allows duty free import of inputs for exports production after a self-declaration a against earlier exercise of getting ratification from the norms committee first. This will help reduce the turnaround time in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, and engineering. Round the clock customs clearance: The round the clock customs clearance facility has
been extended at 19 seaports and 17 air cargo complexes.
Creation of professional teams for ease of trading: To improve the ease of trading, the mid-term policy has envisaged the creation of professional teams to handhold, assist, and support exporters with their problems, accessing export markets, and meeting regulatory requirements. It has also called for reducing the dwell time at inland container depots, ports, and airports through coordination among the customs and infrastructure ministries. Institutions: A National Trade Facilitation Committee will be set up which will cover
issues such as simplification of procedures, infrastructure and risk-based assessment. The FTP also sought to establish an Export Promotion Mission to provide an institutional framework to work with state governments to boost India’s exports. Other institutions: A state-of-the-art Trade Analytics Division has been set up in
the Directorate General of Foreign Trade for data based policy actions. The initiative envisages processing trade information for specific policy interventions. Besides, a new Logistics Division has been created in Department of Commerce to develop and coordinate integrated development of the logistics sector
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GST Council Clears E-way Bill Mechanism In News The GST Council has decided to go for early implementation of e-way bill for interstate
movement of goods from February 1 and uniform mandatory roll out from 1st June 2018. An e-way bill is required for movement of goods worth over Rs.50000. When goods are
transported for less than 10 km within a state, the supplier or the transporter need not furnish details on the GST portal.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Over 150 items of common use including LPG cylinders, vegetables, food grain and jewellery
will be exempt from such transport permits, which can be checked by designated tax officials by intercepting a transporting vehicle. Goods moved on non-motorized conveyance such as carts have been left out. Unlike earlier when only an
invoice
was
generated
on
cargo transportation, the eway bill marries the cargo and its vehicle. This means each vehicle number has to be registered
with
the
GST
network and a new bill is generated
every
time
the
vehicle is changed Positives Removal of undue hardship: Currently,
the
States
are
authorised to carry their own separate eway bill systems. However, it was causing undue hardship in the inter-state movement of goods. Therefore, bringing in an early all-India system of e-way bill has become a necessity. Plug tax evasion: The e-way bill mechanism has been introduced in the GST regime to
plug tax evasion loopholes, as it will enable the government to track tax evasion far better. Tax evasion was one of the reasons cited by the government for a fall in GST revenue collection in October that stood at Rs. 83346 crore lowest since the implementation of GST. Check the correctness of input tax credit and refund claims: Moreover in the absence
of the GSTR1, GSTR2 and GSTR3 forms, which are now not required to be uploaded, the system is unable to match invoices to check whether the input credit and refunds being claimed by companies are correct or overstated.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Fight For Market Economy Status In News The U.S. has protested at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against China’s bid
for recognition as a market economy. Its opposition is a counter to China’s 2016 legal challenge against the U.S. and the European Union both of which refuse to accord China the coveted status it wants. EU and US says that the use of state subsidies in China distorts market prices. Under WTO norms, if a country gets MES (Market Economy Status), exports from it are
to be accepted at the production costs and selling price as the benchmark as per its own domestic market not in reference to a third country.
The Dispute Chinese government influence over prices: To deny China the MES, other countries are
also saying that unlike in market economies where prices are mainly determined by market forces there is significant government influence in China that in turn causes distortions in international trade. Other countries stand: As long as major trading powers treat China as a non-market
economy, they would insist on ascertaining the value of goods with reference to prices in a third country to ensure that domestic firms did not gain an unfair trade advantage. Chinese stand: Central to China’s quest is the acknowledgement from trading partners
that domestic prices are determined by open competition rather than by the government. This will help China counter attacks of unfair dumping. Protocol of Accession: The protocol to China’s 2001 WTO entry has been a subject of
controversy. Beijing insists that under Section 15 of the Protocol of Accession, the country’s upgrade to a market economy was automatic on the completion of 15 years of its WTO membership in 2016.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS First Employment Policy In Budget 2018 On Cards In News India will soon have its first National Employment Policy (NEP) that will outline a
comprehensive road map for creation of quality jobs across sectors through economic, social and labour policy interventions. The move is aimed at addressing the crucial issue of job creation in the country. The multi-pronged employment policy will include incentives for employers to create more
jobs, reforms to attract enterprises and help for medium and small scale industries that are major job providers.
Positive Impact Resolve twin issue: The idea is to address the twin issues of providing quality jobs to
over 10 million youth being added to the country’s workforce every year and ensuring that more of these are created in the formal sector. Social security: Creation of more jobs in the organized sector will provide workers with
minimum wages and enough social security. Poverty alleviation: The plan will also speed up job creation in sync with economic
growth so that incomes rise and millions of people are lifted out of poverty. Coordinated efforts: It will ensure coordinated efforts towards resolving unemployment
issue as currently employment related initiatives are scattered across different ministries.
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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INDIA AWARDED CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION BY CITES Why In News? India has been awarded with the Certificate of Commendation for its exemplary enforcement
action in its regional and global effort to combat illegal wildlife trade. The award was given to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau by the Convention on Illegal Trade on Endangered Species at Geneva.
Highlights The award has been presented to WCCB for its efforts in conducting and coordinating a
species-specific wildlife enforcement Operation, codenamed “Operation Save Kurma”. It was conducted in the country by the WCCB to combat the proliferating illegal trade in
live turtles and its parts from the country to destinations abroad.
Operation Thunderbird It is code-name of INTERPOL’s (International Criminal Police Organization) multi-national
and multi-species enforcement operation for wildlife protection. The operation brought about a unanimous approach by the state enforcement agencies in
the fight against wildlife crime in the country.
Operation Save Kurma It was species specific operation on turtles. Under it total of 15,739 live turtles were
recovered from 45 suspects, having inter-state linkages. It helped the enforcement agencies to focus on the existing trade routes and major trade
hubs in the country, which will be continued in future.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau WCCB is statutory multi-disciplinary body under the Union Ministry of Environment,
Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to combat organized wildlife crime in India. It was established in 2007 by the amendment made to Wildlife Protection Act (1972) It is headquartered in New Delhi and has five regional offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Chennai and Jabalpur; three sub-regional offices at Amritsar, Cochin, Guwhathi and Five borders.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Functions of WCCB It is mandated to collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime and
disseminate it to state and other enforcement agencies. It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of
flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, Cites and EXIM policies governing.
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STRATEGY ON RESOURCE EFFICIENCY (RE) In News: NITI Aayog and EU Delegation to India release the First ever Resource Efficiency (RE)
Strategy for India Using the resources efficiently to produce more while utilizing less has been one of the
tested and trusted ways for a sustainable future. It not only ensures the security of the resources but also minimizes the environment
impact. In order to ensure that the two ends meet, NITI Aayog in collaboration with the European Union delegation to India and the Confederation of Indian Industries, CII has released the first ever Strategy on Resource Efficiency for India which also includes an action plan for promoting resource efficiency in India .
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Highlights of the RE Strategy The Resource Efficiency Strategy includes the core-action plan for the period 2017-2018
and medium-term action plan for 2017 – 2020 with the following key elements: Institutional development including setting up an inter-departmental committee and Task
force of experts, Capacity development at various levels for strengthening of capacities and sharing of best
practices, Development of an indicator monitoring framework for baseline analysis Launch of Short term course on RE under the MHRD GIAN Programme Promotional and regulatory tools in selected sectors (automotive and construction) such
as Ecolabeling for Secondary Raw Material (SRM) products, recycling standards, R&D and Technology Development, Sustainable Public Procurement, development of Industrial clusters and waste-exchange platform, information sharing & awareness generation along with development of sectoral action plans. It is expected that the strategy will pave the way forward in taking the agenda towards
resource security and minimizing environment impact by setting up a framework. The strategy implementation would also identify need for setting up a Bureau for Resource Efficiency (BRE) which creates a prominence and enabling platform for this topic like the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in India
About InRP The new Indian Resource Panel (InRP) was officially unveiled in 2016,
making India one of the first emerging economies to set up a national advisory body on resource efficiency. The InRP was created with support from the International Climate Initiative as part of the project ‘Resource efficiency and secondary raw materials management as a contribution to climate change mitigation’. The InRP will issue recommendations to Indian businesses and policy-makers on improving the general conditions for resource efficiency.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS CLEAN SEA - 2017 In News: The Regional Level Marine Oil Pollution Response Exercise titled ‘Clean Sea – 2017’, was
recently conducted at sea off Port Blair. The objective of the exercise was to ascertain preparedness of the Indian Coast Guard,
resource agencies and other stakeholders in responding to a major oil spill in line with the provisions of NOS-DCP (National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan).
Background: Indian Coast Guard is responsible for marine environment protection in
the maritime zones of India and is the coordinating authority for response to oil spills in Indian waters. The Force has drawn up a National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) and has established three pollution response centres at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair.
National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan: India promulgated National oil spill Disaster contingency plan (NOS-DCP) in the year
1996. Coast guard was designated as central coordination authority.
The objectives: To develop appropriate and effective systems for the detection and reporting of spillage of
oil. To ensure prompt response to prevent, control, and combat oil pollution. To ensure that adequate protection is provided to the public health and welfare, and the
marine environment.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS To ensure that appropriate response techniques are employed to prevent, control, and
combat oil pollution, and dispose of recovered material in an environmentally accepted manner. To ensure that complete and accurate records are maintained of all expenditure to facilitate
cost of recovery.
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ODORRANA ARUNACHALENSIS: It is a recently discovered frog species from Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Subansiri district,
one of the five discovered in India in the recent times and the 59th in the world. Features: The species is sighted during the wet season, from April to September. They are not seen
in the dry seasons. It is a genus of true frogs (Ranidae) from East Asia and surrounding regions including
India. This new species inhabits moss and fern covered rocky stratum along hill streams in
mixed wet tropical forest type.
Location: The new species was discovered from Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS). Talley is a plateau with dense forest of silver fir trees, pine clad plateau of beautiful
grandeur, and a vast wasteland. The area has some of the most important endangered species including the clouded
leopard.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS INDIA LIKELY TO BE FIFTH LARGEST ECONOMY IN 2018 The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) consultancy’s ‘2018 World
Economic League Table’ (WELT) painted an upbeat view of the global economy and pointed out that India set to leapfrog Britain and France in 2018 to become the world’s fifth largest economy in dollar terms. India’s ascent is part of a trend that will see Asian economies increasingly dominate the
top 10 largest economies over the next 15 years and the region will dominating in terms of size in just over as decade.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PETRO: VENEZUELA LAUNCHES NEW VIRTUAL CURRENCY In News Venezuelan has launched its own cryptocurrency, called the “Petro,” which will be backed
by the country’s vast natural resource reserves. The country has also approved the creation of a BlockchainBase observatory to oversee the development and rollout of the new cryptocurrency.
Key Facts The Petro aims to help Venezuela to advance in issues of monetary
sovereignty, to make financial transactions and overcome financial blockade. Its value will be pegged to country’s vast reserves of oil and gas as well as its mineral wealth, including gold. In recent time, OPEC member Venezuela which boasts world’s largest
proven reserves of crude oil is struggling against plunge in oil prices which began in 2014. With new official cryptocurrency, Venezuela hopes to overcome economic
blockade imposed by US which has caused the country’s national currency Bolivar to lose around 57% of its value in the last four weeks.
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Cryptocurrencies Founded as a peer-to-peer electronic payment system, cryptocurrencies enable transfer of
money between parties, without going through a banking system. These digital payment systems are based on cryptographic proof of the chain of transactions, deriving their name, Cryptocurrency. These employ cryptographic algorithms and functions to ensure anonymity (privacy) of the users (who are identified by an alphanumeric public key), security of the transactions and integrity of the payment systems. “Decentralised Digital Currency” or “Virtual Currency” is also interchangeably used for a cryptocurrency.
••••••
ISRO and NASA Collaboration In news ISRO and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)/ NASA are jointly working on the development
of Dual Frequency (L&S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite named as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).
Other than Project The data obtained from NISAR mission is not meant for building climate resilience. However,
the data acquired from this mission will be useful in developing certain applications, which include Identifying crevasses in the glaciers hidden by fresh snow, where human movement takes
place, Identifying the snowpack parameters as an input in Avalanche forecasts,
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Studying Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) hazards, and Identifying inundated area due to floods/ cyclones. These applications could help in taking measures to minimise loss of human lives.
Key Facts The L-band SAR is being developed by JPL/NASA, while ISRO is developing S-band SAR. The L & S band microwave data obtained from this satellite will be useful for variety of application, which include natural resources mapping & monitoring; Estimating agricultural biomass over full duration of crop cycle; Assessing soil moisture; Monitoring of floods and oil slicks; Coastal erosion, Coastline changes & variation of winds in coastal waters; Assessment of mangroves; Surface deformation studies, Ice sheet collapses & dynamics etc.
ISRO and NASA As per the information received, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) under
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has been working in tandem with National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, USA) for development of high resolution seasonal and long-term climate forecasts through Monsoon Mission and Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR) Programmes. During 2010 to 2015, IITM and NOAA together developed high resolution models for
seasonal predictions of Indian Summer Monsoon and long term climate forecasts under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU, concerning the study of “Dynamical Short range, Extended Range and
seasonal Prediction of Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall”, has been extended till 2020, within the framework of the MoES-NOAA Partnership.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Deep learning neural networks In news Scientists have announced the discovery of two new exo planets, Kepler-90i and Kepler-80g. With this discovery, it is now clear that there is another star besides the Sun that has eight planets orbiting it.
Use of Deep learning neural networks: The new exoplanets have been discovered using a deep learning neural network — an artificial intelligence tool that mimics the workings of a human brain. Scientists “trained” their computer to analyse light readings made by NASA’s Kepler Space
Telescope, which are archived and made available for anyone to use. During its mission from 2009 to 2013, the Kepler Space Telescope surveyed nearly 200,000 stars, with 35,000 possible planet signals. The network was made to learn to identify true signals using 15,000 previously vetted signals. They then studied the weaker signals recorded from 670 star systems that had multiple
known planets orbiting them, finally coming up with this discovery. The network also identified another Earth-sized exoplanet, Kepler 80g, orbiting the star Kepler 80. This is a very stable system in which Kepler 80g and four of its neighbours are locked together in a so-called resonant chain.
Deep Learning Deep learning is a machine learning technique that teaches computers to do what comes
naturally to humans: learn by example.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS In deep learning, a computer model learns to perform classification tasks directly from
images, text, or sound. Deep learning models can achieve state-of-the-art accuracy, sometimes exceeding human-level performance. Models are trained by using a large set of labeled data and neural network architectures that contain many layers.
Application Deep learning is a key technology behind driverless cars, enabling them to recognize a
stop sign, or to distinguish a pedestrian from a lamppost. It is the key to voice control in consumer devices like phones, tablets, TVs, and hands-
free speakers. Deep learning is getting lots of attention lately and for good reason. It’s achieving results that were not possible before.
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INDIGENOUS GPS In news India has deployed its own regional navigational system, namely NavIC comprising of a
constellation of seven navigational satellites and associated ground segment for providing position, navigation and timing services to Indian region.
Key Facts The IRNSS (NavIC) enables providing position, navigation and timing
information that could be utilised for a large range of civil and strategic applications and services that include terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation; precise timing; disaster management and alert messages; mapping and Geodetic data capture; vehicle tracking and fleet management; visual & voice navigation for drivers, etc. Seven satellites of NavIC constellation are currently in orbit, the realization
of IRNSS-1I, by DOS/ISRO is under progress using a contract to a consortium of private companies for carrying out assembly, integration and testing of this satellite. The satellite is planned for launch during first quarter of 2018.
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IRNSS IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India
as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area. IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which
is provided to all the users and Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users. The IRNSS System is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area. NavIC provides signals in a space covering India and its surroundings, this could be
utilised by using receivers on ground to determine position and time accurately. Signal in space is provided globally by GPS of USA, GLONASS of Russia, Galileo of Europe
and Beiden of China. Current global trend is to make use of ground receivers which utilise as many signals as
available for providing timing and position solutions
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USE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE In news The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare is proposing a new
integrated programme, called National Programme on use of Space Technology for Agriculture (NPSTA), envisaging integrated use of Space and Geospatial Tools for Mapping,
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Monitoring and Management of Agriculture.
Highlights The programme will have four sub-programmes catering to various themes
viz. Crop Assessment & Monitoring; Agricultural Resources Management; Disaster Monitoring and Mitigation and Satellite Communication and Navigation Applications. All the current running programmes, such as FASAL (for crop
forecasting), NADAMS (for drought assessment), CHAMAN (for horticultural assessment and development), KISAN (for crop insurance) and Crop Intensification planning, will be subsumed under this proposed programme.
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SOCIAL ISSUES NATIONAL NUTRITION MISSION (NNM) In News The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of NNM commencing from 2017-18. The main
aim of this mission is to rein in malnourishment and stunted growth. NNM will address three aspects—the food that should be given to rein in stunting,
undernourishment, low birth weight and anaemia; the delivery system required for it; and monitoring of the entire process.
Features The NNM, as an apex body, will monitor, supervise, fix targets and guide the nutrition
related interventions across the Ministries. The proposal consists of mapping of various Schemes contributing towards addressing
malnutrition introducing a very robust convergence mechanism ICT based Real Time Monitoring system incentivizing States/UTs for meeting the targets
incentivizing Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for using IT based tools, eliminating registers used by AWWs introducing measurement of height of children at the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) Social Audits setting-up Nutrition Resource Centres, involving masses through Jan Andolan for their participation on nutrition through various activities, among others.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS MINORITY TAG FOR HINDUS: NCM FORMS COMMITTEE In News The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has formed a three-member committee to
look into whether Hindus should get minority status in eight states where they are not the dominant religious group. The committee will submit a report on this in three months.
About NCM: The Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) under the
National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. Six religious communities, viz; Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified in Gazette of India as minority communities by the Union Government all over India. Original notification of 1993 was for Five religious communities Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Christians and Muslims. The NCM adheres to the United Nations Declaration of 18 December 1992 which
states that “States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic, Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.”
Background: Hindus are in a minority in Lakshadweep (2.5%), Mizoram (2.75),
Nagaland (8.75), Meghalaya (11.53), J&K (28.44), Arunachal Pradesh (29) Manipur (31.39) and Punjab (38.4). It is argued that in the absence of the “minority” tag, benefits meant for the minority communities were being given away to majority community in each state in an illegal and arbitrary manner.
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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS Global Hunger Index In news As per 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), India ranks 100 out 119 countries.
Global Hunger Index (GHI) The Global Hunger Index is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and national levels. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) calculates GHI scores each year to assess progress and setbacks in combating hunger. To capture the multidimensional nature of hunger, GHI scores are based on four indicators as follows Undernourishment: the share of the population that is undernourished (that is, whose
caloric intake is insufficient); Child wasting: the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who
have low weight for their height, reflecting acute under-nutrition); Child stunting: the share of children under the age of five who are stunted (that is, who
have low height for their age, reflecting chronic under-nutrition); and Child mortality: the mortality rate of children under the age of five (in part, a reflection
of the mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments).
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U P S C I AS
Free Seminar & Scholarship Test :
March 31/April 1
NEW BATCHES START Batch 1 : 14-4-2018 (Saturday) Batch 2 : 18-5-2018 (Friday) Batch 3 : 3-6-2018 (Sunday)
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IMPORTANT questions
1.
What do you know about the AAROGYAM-2017? What is the requirement of such an event and how can it help bring a positive change in the AYUSH sector in India?
2.
On December 18, 2017, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) issued a draft notification to amend the Environment Impact Assessment Notification (2006) and subsequent amending notifications such as those issued in 2014 and 2016. Discuss these amendments and their significance.
3.
Urban transport investments have a limited understanding of the interrelationships between gender and transport. Discuss
4.
Is it right to use phrases such as ‘honour killing’, ‘gangarape’ and ‘love jihad’ more frequently to describe violent crimes against women? Justify
5.
Critically evaluate ASEAN’s contribution to regional peace and security.
6.
What does US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital mean to various stakeholders? With a brief note on historical background of the issue, comment critically
7.
Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill tries to bring global standards to resolution of financial firms. But there is a strong case for keeping deposits out of the bill’s purview. Analyse
8.
Recently, a new legal framework for wetlands was passed, the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, replacing the earlier Rules of 2010. Discuss the merits and demerits of these Rules.
9.
How does India’s re-election to IMO benefit India and why was it so important for India? Explain.
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