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Gujarati poet Sitanshu Yashaschandras "Vakhar" chosen for Saraswati Samman - 01 May 18
Highlights:
- Eminent Gujarati poet Sitanshu Yashaschandras poetry
collection "Vakhar" has been chosen for the Saraswati Samman for 2017.
- The award is to be conferrers by the K K Birla Foundation.
- The books were discussed thoroughly and Vakhar (poetry) by
Shri Sitanshu Yashaschandra has been selected for Saraswati Samman, 2017.
- This book was published in 2009.
- Instituted in 1991, the prestigious award recognises an
"outstanding" literary work every year written in any Indian language
and published during the last 10 years.
- Brief History:
- He was born in 1941 in Bhuj, Gujarat.
- Yashaschandra is one of the most eminent representatives of
contemporary Gujarati literature.
- A poet, playwright, translator and academic, he has authored
three books of poetry, "Vakhar" being one of them.
- The collection engages with larger and more immediate human
conditions and hence with the political.
- His other poetry works include Odysseusnu Halesu-n and
Jatayu.
- He has also authored 10 books of plays and three books of
criticism.
- Yashaschandra has also been the recipient of Sahitya Akademi
Award, Kabir Samman and Padma Shri among others.
- Last year Saraswati Samman was given to Konkani novelist
Mahabaleshwar Sail.
- The recipients of the award are given a cash prize of Rs 15
lakhs, a citation and a plaque.
Asia Pacific Regional Workshop of UNCCD held in New Delhi
- 01 May 18
Highlights: 
- The four-day Asia Pacific Regional Workshop of the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in New Delhi.
- The four-day Workshop
being held from April 24-27, 2018.
- It is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and UNCCD Secretariat, to build the capacity of the
Asia-Pacific Region to monitor and report on land degradation.
- The workshop will enable country Parties to participate
effectively and efficiently in the UNCCD reporting process, to submit the
national report in time and in particular for Target 15.3 on Land Degradation
Neutrality (LDN).
- The workshop has not only provided a diverse and
multi-disciplinary knowledge sharing platform addressing desertification, land
degradation and drought (DLDD) issues, but also provided an opportunity to
bring all key stakeholders from Asia to India and discuss key aspects of
Reporting, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Land Degradation Neutrality
(LDN).
- The targets under the Convention can be achieved through
carbon sequestration and preventing soil erosion by enriching forests.
- The report has highlighted that Desertification, Land
Degradation and Drought (DLDD) factors had cost India about 2.54% of its Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014-15.
- Globally, drylands lose 23 hectares per minute to drought
and desertification which translated into a loss of 20 million tonnes of
potential foodgrain production in a year.
- The Government that have been launched for capacity-building
of the stakeholders at multiple levels.
- It had mentioned some of the schemes including - Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Soil
Health Card Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PKSY), Per Drop
More Crop, Swacch Bharat mission, Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) and National Rural
Drinking Water Programme.
- It trained the participants in the use of an innovative land
degradation monitoring tool by Conservation International, for the reporting
process of UNCCD.
- This can significantly increase access to large amounts of
Earth observation data and make it available in a comprehensible form for
decision-makers at national and state level, thereby contributing to achieving
the objectives underlined in the Convention.
- The training also focused on the use of new data and methods
to estimate the extent and severity of land degradation, and shed light on the
declining condition of India’s land resources and its impact on livelihoods.
- The data presented in the land degradation Tool will be used
for reporting to the UNCCD and as part of the indicator framework for the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Participants included delegates from about 40 Asia Pacific
countries, as well as representatives from 12 Indian states affected by land
degradation, scientists and researchers from scientific institutions of
national importance and line-Ministries.
- The participants were
trained in the use of the state-of-the-art tool called ‘Trends.Earth’ developed
by Conservation International, an NGO.
- The loss of productivity in both natural and managed
ecosystems has serious ramifications for food security and nutrition, water
availability and employment.
- The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
is the only legally binding international agreement on land issues.
- The Convention promotes good land stewardship. Its 197
Parties aim, through partnerships, to implement the Convention and achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals.
- The end goal is to protect land from over-use and drought,
so it can continue to provide food, water and energy.
- The first Earth Summit held in 1992 in Rio De Janerio, Brazil.
International Buddhist Conference was held in Lumbini - 01 May 18
Highlights:
- International Buddhist Conference was held in Lumbini, Nepal
on 29 and 30 April 2018 to commemorate 2562nd Buddha Jayanti.
- The theme of the conference was ‘Lumbini Nepal: The
birthplace of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and world peace’.
- Lumbini is a fountain of light that candles Buddha's quest
for enlightenment.
- Messages of Buddha always guide in pursuant to peace,
tolerance and harmony. Participants from more than 20 countries including India
attended two day conference.
- It was organised as part of 2562nd Buddha Jayanti
celebrations.
- The basic objective of the conference was to disseminate
teachings of Gautam Buddha and spread the messages of nonviolence, brotherhood,
co-existence, love and peace to the international community.
- At end of the conference, 10 point Lumbini Declaration was
adopted.
- It includes issues such as interfaith dialogue,
infrastructure development, connecting Buddhist attractions in Nepal and India,
and implementing Greater Lumbini Area Master Plan.
Sikkim's Pawan Chamling Becomes India's Longest-Serving Chief Minister - 01 May 18
Highlights:
- Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling became the
longest-serving chief minister of any state as he completed 25 uninterrupted
years in office.
- He broke the record of former West Bengal Chief Minister
Jyoti Basu, who held office for 23 years.
- The founding president of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front
(SDF) became chief minister in December 1994.
- With the slogan "New Sikkim, Happy Sikkim", he
launched policies and programmes to transform the state.
- The celebrations in state capital Gangtok, however, looked
muted, though his supporters organised an event to honour him.
Brief History:- He was born at Yangang in south Sikkim.
- He is a matriculate and calls himself a self-educated
person.
- In 1973, when he was only 22, he took his plunge into
politics as negotiations were underway for the merger of the kingdom of Sikkim
with India.
- In 1975, Mr Chamling became the block president of the Youth
Congress and was elected secretary of the Prajatantra Congress in 1978.
- In 1983, he was elected president of the Yangang gram
panchayat unit unopposed.
- In 1993, Mr Chamling formed the Sikkim Democratic Front
Party.
HDFC Bank launches interactive humanoid IRA 2.0 in Bengaluru - 01 May 18
Highlights:
- HDFC Bank has announced the launch of IRA 2.0, its
interactive humanoid.
- In its new avatar, IRA will enhance user experience for
customers visiting the Koramangala branch in Bengaluru.
- IRA will interact with customers, answer bank-related
queries, frequently asked questions, and guide them inside the branch with
voice-based navigation.
- HDFC Bank also launched its virtual assistant ‘EVA’ on
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
- IRA 2.0 has been developed by HDFC Bank in collaboration
with its technology partners Invento Makerspaces and Senseforth Technologies.
- HDFC Bank first launched a humanoid for customer service in
January 2017 at the bank’s Kamala Mills Branch in Mumbai.
- The first version of IRA is currently stationed at the
Palarivattom branch in Kochi.
- HDFC Bank’s virtual assistant ‘EVA’ has been integrated with
Amazon Alexa, making it possible to offer voice banking experience on Alexa.
- Since its launch, EVA, which stands for ‘Electronic Virtual
Assistant’ has addressed over 65 lakh queries on voice and chat-based channels
with over 85% accuracy.
- In the first phase, customers can ask EVA on Alexa about
bank’s product features, fee and charges, interest rates, credit card reward
points / payment date / expiry date, and branches (address, IFSC). Customers
can also enquire about how to block / unblock card, what to do if one forgets
pin, and updating personal information.
- EVA on Alexa will support banking transactions and deliver
hyper-personalised services using voice,” the bank said.
- EVA has been integrated with Google Assistant, making it
available on millions of Android devices, as well as on Google Home.
- Customers can directly ask their queries to EVA on Google
Assistant using voice, instead of manually typing on Google search.
Kanpur city most polluted cities in the World: WHO Report - 02 May 18
Highlights: 
- According tothe WHO, Uttar Pradesh’s industrial city Kanpur has topped the list
of 20 most polluted cities in the World (in terms of air pollution) that was
released by on 2 May 2018.
- According to WHO's global air pollution database released in
Geneva, India has 14 out of the 15 most polluted cities in the world in terms
of PM 2.5 concentrations.
- UP’s Kanpur - the
worst being with a PM 2.5 concentration
of 173 micrograms per cubic metre, followed by Faridabad, Varanasi and Gaya.
- Other Indian cities that registered very high levels of
PM2.5 pollutants are Delhi, Patna, Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon,
Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur, followed by Ali Subah Al-Salem in Kuwait and a few
cities in China and Mongolia.
- The study considered PM2.5 (particulate matter of diameter
less than 2.5 micrometres) and PM10. PM2.5 is more dangerous than PM10.
- The
period considered for the study was 2010 to 2016.
Eminent leftist leader and scholar Ashok Mitra passed away - 02 May 18
Highlights:
- Noted scholar and the first Finance Minister in the Left
Front government in West Bengal Ashok Mitra passed away in a private hospital
in Kolkata on 1 May 2018 at the age of 90.
- Mitra was the first Finance Minister in the Left Front
government after it came to power in Bengal in 1977 but resigned later
following his differences with the Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.
- Besides serving the State Government, he also worked with
the Central Government as the Chief Economic Adviser and was a member of Rajya
Sabha.
- He was also associated with World Bank for many years.
Subhash Chandra Khuntia appointed the new Chairman of IRDA - 02 May 18
Highlights:
- Subhash Chandra Khuntia was appointed the new Chairman of the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on 2 May 2018.
- Subhash Chandra Khuntia is a retired 1981 Karnataka cadre IAS
officer.
- He held several positions at the Centre, including that of
Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Petroleum and
Natural Gas.
- He will have tenure of 3 years.
- He replaces T.S. Vijayan who retired from the post on 21
February 2018.
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) is an autonomous, statutory body tasked with apex regulating and promoting the insurance and re-insurance industries in India.
- It's head quarter is located at Hyderabad.
- It was established in 1999.
Asian Development Bank board to discuss ‘Strategy 2030’ to build ‘prosperous’ Asia - 02 May 18
Highlights:
- The board of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
will discuss its long term strategy for 2030 to keep up with changing needs of
the region.
- The ADB board of governors from 67 member nations would meet
here on May 5 for the bank’s 51st annual meeting and deliberate on the theme -
‘Linking people and economies for inclusive development’.
- Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg will
represent India at the meet.
- The ADB ‘Strategy 2030’ for achieving a prosperous,
inclusive and resilient and sustainable Asia is likely to be adopted by the
multilateral lender later this year.
- Under Strategy 2030,ADB will sustain its efforts to
eradicate extreme poverty, given the region’s unfinished poverty agenda, and
expand its vision to achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and
sustainable Asia and the Pacific.
- ADB had projected developing Asia to clock economic growth
of 6 % in 2018 and 5.9 % in 2019.
- It cited global trade friction and capital outflows as
potential risks to the outlook. India would remain the fastest growing Asian
nation with a 7.3 % growth this fiscal
and 7.6 % in 2019-20.
- With representations by over 3,000 delegates from across the
world, the ADB meetings would also discuss the impact of technology on jobs, as
also ways to deal with climate change.
- The deliberations will have views from over 200 civil
society groups.
- The role of private sector in meeting Asia’s huge
infrastructure needs estimated at USD 1.7 trillion annually until 2030.
- ADB is based in Manila as its head quarters .
- It works towards reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific
through inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and regional integration.
- It was established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members-48
from the region.
FDI Confidence Index: India slips 3 notches to 11th spot in AT Kearney - 03 May 18
ighlights:
- India has slipped by three notches to 11th position in the
FDI Confidence Index 2018 of global consultancy firm A T Kearney.
- India falls by three spots, reversing its two-year streak of
rising in the rankings.
- India fell out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015.
- China (5), India (11), and Singapore (12) all rank lower
this year, while Australia rises to 8th and New Zealand jumps to the 16th spot
in only its second year on the Index.
- Japan and South Korea hold steady at 6th and 18th,respectively.
- India was ranked 8th in 2017, while it was at 9th rank in
the previous year.
- The 2017 nationwide goods and services tax (GST), for
example, has faced implementation challenges, and the 2016 demonetisation
initiative disrupted business activity and weighed on economic growth.
- Just four emerging markets appear among the top 25 countries
for FDI intentions: China, India, Mexico, and Brazil.
- This suggests that confidence in investing in specific
emerging markets has declined.
- Investors based in the Americas and in the industry sector
rank India the highest in terms of their intention to invest there.
- This confidence may be a result of the governments Make in
India initiative, which aims to boost investment in India’s manufacturing
sector as well as its pursuit of closer ties with the US.
- FDI in the India grew by a marginal 0.27 % to USD 35.95 billion
during April-December 2017.
BARC developed state-of-the-art bullet-proof jacket named as “Bhabha Kavach” - 03 May 18
Highlights: 
- “Bhabha Kavach” is the name given to the newly developed
state-of-the-art bullet-proof jacket developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre (BARC).
- It can withstand eight 7.62mm bullets fired from an AK-47
rifle from a distance of 5-10 metres.
- It will be used by the Central Armed Police Force (CARF).
- It can even withstand the 5.56mm bullet of the Indian Small
Arms System (INSAS) or that of the now decommissioned 7.65mm bullet of
self-loading rifle (SLR).
- This jacket will reduce the weight by nearly 50%. At
present, CAPF use heavy steel-armoured jackets that weigh between 10kg to 17kg.
- It is made of boron carbide and carbon nanotube polymer
composite.
Pakyong is to become the 100th operational airport in India - 03 May 18
Highlights:
- Pakyong (Sikkim) airport is set to become the 100th operational
airport in India.
- The information has disclosed by Civil Aviation Minister Jayant
Sinha on 2 May 2018.
- It is commissioned in June 2018.
- This happened as
low-cost airline SpiceJet has been granted permission to fly to Pakyong from
Kolkata under the civil aviation ministry’s regional connectivity scheme.
- Sikkim was the only state without an airport in the country.
- The
state would now enter India’s aviation map soon when Pakyong airport becomes
operational.
India overtook France to become world’s top five military spenders - 03 May 18
Highlights:
- According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) , India overtook France to become one of the world’s top five
military spenders in 2017.
- India’s defence spending rose by 5.5% to US$63.9 billion in
2017.
- Now, it overtaking that of France as it became one of the world’s top five
military spenders.
- This was disclosed in a report published by Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on 2 May 2018.
- The United States, China, Saudi Arabia and Russia were the
leading four last year in military spending. The list of the world’s biggest
military spenders has remained largely consistent in recent years, dominated by
the US and China, which spent US$610 billion and US$228 billion during 2017.
Union Government plans to double farmers’ income by 2022 - 03 May 18
Highlights: 
- The central government has approved the continuation of the Agri-umbrella
programme, ‘Green Revolution - Krishonnati Yojana’ for two more years.
- The Union Cabinet is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- The outlay of this programme is Rs 33,000 crore.
- The programme merged 11 schemes for a holistic and scientific
approach towards agriculture with an aim to double farmers’ income by 2022.
- The Krishonnati Yojana was launched last year.
- It will get centre’s share of Rs 33,279 crore for three
years - 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.
- The ambitious programme has schemes such as Mission for
Integrated Development of Horticulture with a central outlay of Rs 7,533 crore;
National Food Security Mission Rs 6,893 crore; National Mission for Sustainable
Agriculture Rs 3,981 crore; and Submission on Agriculture Extension Rs 2,961
crore.
- Earlier,in February this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
shared his four-point strategy to boost farmers’ income.
- The government stress on how to decrease the production cost
of farmers, increase their minimum support price, stop wastage of crops and
provide additional income to farmers.
- The Union Cabinet also approved subsidy of Rs 5.5 per
quintal for sugarcane farmers to help cash-starved millers.
- Recently, the government had increased the minimum support
price (MSP) of raw jute by Rs 200 per quintal to Rs 3,700 per quintal for the
2018-19 crop season.
- In the Budget 2018, the government vowed to increase MSP to
one-and-half times of the production cost.
- The government faced multiple farmers’ protests in many states
as they faced losses due to two consecutive droughts.
- Noted agriculture economist Ashok Gulati, during Mumbai’s
farmers protest had suggested the government to provide direct income support
for a year or two to farmers.
Xiaomi smartphone maker filed for $10 billion IPO in Hong Kong ,world’s biggest IPO - 04 May 18
Highlights:
- Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi filed for $10 billion IPO
in Hong Kong on 3 May 2018, which is expected to be world’s biggest IPO since
Alibaba’s debut IPO in 2014.
- The Chinese smartphone maker became the first major
company to use Hong Kong’s new rules for going public.
- This IPO is expected to be the biggest
IPO since Alibaba’s $25 billion debut in 2014.
- Though Xiaomi suffered through a challenging 2016, the
company bounced back by revamping its sales model and expanding in India, where
it rivals Samsung Electronics Co. as the biggest vendor.
- Xiaomi is looking to enter developed markets for smartphones
as it consolidates its position in emerging markets.
- It entered Spain last year
and is also said to be talking to U.S. carriers to sell devices on Apple Inc.’s
home turf.
Dakota DC-3 VP 905 aircraft was formally inducted into the IAF, Hindon air base,Ghaziabad - 04 May 18
Highlights:
- A restored Dakota DC-3 VP 905 aircraft was formally inducted
into the IAF.
- It has inducted at a grand ceremony at Hindon air base,Ghaziabad.
- The key was
received by the Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa from Air Commodore
(retd) M.K. Chandrasekhar whose son and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar
bought and restored the aircraft.
- Dakota was bought by the MP from "scrap" and got
restored in the UK.
- The restored Dakota has been rechristened as 'Parashuram'.
- This aircraft commenced its journey from the UK on 17 April with a joint crew
of IAF and Reflight Airworks.
- It flew a total of 9,750 km during its ferry
en-route halts in France, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman, and finally
landed on Indian soil at air force station Jamnagar on 25 April 2018.
- The Dakota popularly known as the ‘Gooney Bird’ was the
first major transport aircraft inducted in the fledgeling Indian Air Force.
- It
was at the forefront of operations from 1947 to 1971.
- Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s father M.K. Chandrasekhar, who flew
the aircraft during his service in the IAF, has been deeply attached with the
aircraft and felt the need to restore it back to the service.
PM-led panel to make Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary a global event - 04 May 18
Highlights:
- The first meeting of the national committee for
commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, held in Delhi.
- It resolved to create a smaller executive committee chaired
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for better planning.
- the event should serve to increase awareness about Gandhiji
globally.
- It is important that this occasion be celebrated in a manner
that ensures Mahatma Gandhi continues to be an inspiration for future
generations.
- several committee members, including Union ministers, chief
ministers and others, made suggestions on how the commemoration.
- It will run from October 2, 2018 to October 2, 2020, could
be planned.
- The 114-member committee will discuss policies, plans and
preparatory activities for commemoration of birth anniversary.
- Chief Ministers of different states, leaders of various
political parties, Gandhians, spiritual leaders and social workers are expected
to attend the meeting.
- Opposition chief ministers such as Mamata Banerjee of West
Bengal and Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal; all NDA chief ministers and some of their
non-NDA counterparts such as Tamil Nadu’s E K Palaniswami, Odisha’s Naveen
Patnaik, and V Narayansamy (Puducherry).
DoT releases draft of new telecom policy, importance on public and stakeholder views - 04 May 18
Highlights: 
- The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has unveiled the
broad framework of the new telecom policy.
- It will aim to attract investments to the tune of $100
billion by 2020 in the digital communications sector.
- The policy is aims at the creation of four million
additional jobs and enhancing the sector’s contribution to 8 % of India’s GDP
from about 6 % in 2017, while adhering to the principles of net neutrality.
- It aims to propel India’s rank in the ICT development index
to top 50, from 134 in 2017.
- Under the National Digital Communications Policy, 2018, the
government plans to optimally price spectrum, review levies such as license
fees and spectrum usage charges as well as mergers and acquisition (M&A)
rules to ease exits.
- The government is also focusing on spectrum sharing, leasing
and trading guidelines.
- The policy aims for regulatory reforms to ensure that the
regulatory structures and processes remain relevant, transparent, accountable
and forward-looking.
- Additionally, the policy aims to remove regulatory barriers
and reduce the regulatory burden that hampers investments, innovation and consumer
interest.
- Therefore, the DoT plans to review levies and fees including
license fee, Universal Service obligation Fund (USOF) levy and concept of pass
through revenues in line with principles of input line credit.
- It also plans to focus on fibre connectivity and uniform
right of way for development of infrastructure needed for broadband
connectivity across the country.
- Under the 2022 Secure India goals, the government aims to
establish a comprehensive data protection regime for digital communications
that safeguards the privacy, autonomy and choice of individuals and facilitates
India’s effective participation in the global digital economy.
- The government also plans to explore and utilise the
opportunities presented by next generation-networks like 5G and other access
technologies including satellite communications to promote broadband for all
across the country.
- The DoT recognises airwaves as a key natural resource which
is to be used for public benefit.
- For this, it plans to make available adequate contiguous
spectrum, timely identify new spectrum bands for 5G, further liberalize
bandwidth sharing, leasing and trading rules, optimally price airwaves to
ensure sustainable and affordable access to Digital Communications by all.
- The policy also will create a roadmap for emerging
technologies and its use in the communications sector, such as 5G, Artificial
Intelligence, Robotics, Internet of Things, cloud computing and M2M.
- The goals also include development and deployment of robust
digital communication network security frameworks, capacity building for
security testing and establishing appropriate security standards and
importantly, enforcing accountability through appropriate institutional
mechanisms to assure citizens of safe and secure digital communications
infrastructure and services.
- Under Connect India, the government has set mission of
providing universal broadband coverage at 50 Mbps to every citizen by 2022.
- And also 1 Gbps connectivity to all gram panchayats of India
by 2020 and 10 Gbps by 2022 and enabling fixed line broadband access to 50 % of
households.
China removes import duties on 28 medicine s - 04 May 18
Highlights: 
- China has removed import duties on 28 medicines, including
all cancer drugs, from May 1,2018.
- It is a move which would help India to export these
pharmaceuticals to the neighbouring country.
- The development assumes significance as India has time and
again asked for greater market access for its goods and services, including IT,
pharmaceuticals and agriculture, in the Chinese market to reduce the widening
trade deficit.
- China on its part promised to address the trade gap issue.
- Trade deficit with China stood at USD 36.73 billion during
April-October 2017-18.
- It was USD 51 billion in 2016-17.
- China would further improve business environment by halving
time required to open a business.
- The neighbouring country has agreed to set up industry park
in India to increase investments and bridge trade deficit.
Cabinet approves Restructuring of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) - 05 May 18
Highlights: 
- The Union Cabinet has approved the Restructuring of the
Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).
- It is chaired by chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi.
- The main purpose is for upgradation, creation and abolition
of certain posts of Joint Secretary-level and above.
- The total cadre strength of Indian Bureau of Mines has been
maintained at the existing strength of 1477.
- The restructuring would help in enabling the IBM to
effectively discharge its function to help reform and transform the regulation
of the mineral sector.
- It will enable the adoption of IT and space technology by
the IBM to improve its effectiveness in mineral regulation and development.
- Further, the posts entail a great deal of decision-making
and accountability in the functioning of the organization.
Impact:- The proposal will create direct employment opportunities for
technical personnel with higher responsibility for contribution in faster
development of mineral sector, thereby generating more employment avenues in
the sector as a whole.
- The improved and enhanced performance of IBM would benefit
the mining sector.
- Details:
- The upgradation, creation and abolition of certain posts of
Joint Secretary-level in IBM consists of:
- Creation of 1 post of Chief Controller of Mines in Level 15
and 3 posts of Controller of Mines in Level 14;
- Upgradation of 11 posts i.e. 1 post of Controller General
from Level 15 to 16, 2 posts each of Chief Controller of Mines and Director
(Ore-Dressing) from Level 14 to 15 and upgradation of 8 posts (5 posts of
Controller of Mines, 1 each of Chief Mineral Economist, Chief Ore-Dressing
Officer and Chief Mining Geologist) in the existing Level of 13A to 14; and
- Abolition of 1 existing cadre post of Deputy Director
General (Statistics), an officer of Indian Statistical Service in Level 14 in
pay matrix.
Background:- IBM was set up by the Government of India on 1st March, 1948.
- It is working under
the Ministry of Works, Mines and Power.
- Primarily, it as an advisory body to help in formulation of
policy and legal framework for mining sector and advising Central and State
Governments on development and utilization of mineral resources.
- The role and responsibility of IBM have changed with
emerging needs of the sector as facilitator and regulator of mining sector
(other than coal, petroleum and atomic minerals).
- Ministry of Mines had constituted a Committee for
comprehensive 'Review and Restructuring of the Functions and Role of IBM' in the
light of the 'National Mineral Policy' (NMP) 2008 The Committee submitted its
report on 04.5.2012 which was accepted in the Ministry.
- The restructuring of IBM was essential to enable it
organisationally to take up the responsibilities entrusted in the role with the
recent changes in the policy and legislations, revised charter of function of
IBM and the new activities and initiatives undertaken by IBM.
- IBM is also engaged in handholding the States for auction of
mineral blocks for greater transparency in allocation of mineral concessions.
- IBM is helping the States in preparation of auction blocks,
publishing of average sale price, assisting in post auction monitoring and
approval process.
- The relocation of offices of IBM has already been effected
for carrying out the responsibilities given to IBM.
- New Regional Offices at Raipur and Gandhinagar have been
opened and the sub-regional office at Guwahati has been upgraded to Regional
office.
- The existing Regional Offices at Kolkata and Udaipur have
been upgraded to the Zonal office (East) and Zonal Office (North).
- For the purpose of Skill Development, an Institute of
Sustainable Development Frame Work' at Udaipur and 'Remote Sensing Centre' at
Hyderabad and National Level Training Centres 'Institute of Sustainable Mining’
at Kolkata have been opened and Skill Development Centre at Varanasi is also
shortly being opened.
CBDT signs 200th Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreement - 05 May 18
Highlights:
- The CBDT has signed its 200th unilateral advance pricing
agreement (UAPA).
- It aimed at promoting government's resolve of
non-adversarial tax regime.
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had entered into
one UAPA during April, thus taking the total count to 200.
- The UAPA entered into during April 2018 pertains to
provision of sourcing support services.
- With the signing of one agreement in April, the total number
of UAPAs entered into by the CBDT has gone up to 220, including 20 bilateral
ones.
- The Indian APA programme has been appreciated nationally and
internationally for being able to address complex transfer pricing issues in a
fair and transparent manner.
Cabinet approves Umbrella Scheme ‘Green Revolution- Krishonnati Yojana’ - 05 May 18
Highlights:
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its
approval for the Umbrella Scheme, "Green Revolution – Krishonnati
Yojana" in agriculture sector.
- The Cabinet Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi.
- It is beyond 12th Five Year Plan for the period from 2017-18
to 2019-20 with the Central Share of Rs. 33,269.976 crore.
- The Umbrella scheme comprises of 11 Schemes/Missions.
- These schemes look to develop the agriculture and allied
sector in a holistic and scientific manner to increase the income of farmers by
enhancing production, productivity andbetter returns on produce.
- The Schemes
will be continued with an expenditure of Rs.33,269.976 crore for three
financial years, i.e., 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.
The Schemes
that are part of the Umbrella Schemes are :-- (i) Mission for
Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) with a total central share of Rs.
7533.04 crore, MIDH aims to promote holistic growth of horticulture sector; to
enhance horticulture production, improve nutritional security and income
support tofarm Households.
- (ii) National
Food Security Mission (NFSM), including National Mission on Oil Seeds and Oil
Palm (NMOOP), with a total central share of Rs.6893.38 crore.
- It aims to increase production of rice, wheat, pulses,
coarse cereals and commercial crops, through area expansion and productivity
enhancement in a suitable manner in the identified districts of the country.
- (iii) National
Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) with a total central share of
Rs.3980.82 crore.
- NMSA aims at promoting sustainable agriculture practices
best suitable to the specific agro-ecology focusing on integrated farming,
appropriate soil health management and synergizing resource conservation
technology.
- (iv) Submission on
Agriculture Extension (SMAE) with a total central share of Rs.2961.26
crore. SMAE aims to strengthen the
ongoing extension mechanism of State Governments, local bodies etc.
- (v) Sub-Mission on
Seeds and Planting Material (SMSP) with a total central share of Rs.920.6
crore.
- (vi) Sub-Mission
on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) with a total central share of Rs.3250
crore.
- (vii) Sub Mission
on Plant Protection and Plan Quarantine (SMPPQ) with a total central share of
Rs.1022.67 crore.
- (viii) Integrated
Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics and Statistics (ISACES) with a total
central share of Rs. 730.58 crore.
- (ix) Integrated
Scheme on Agricultural Cooperation (ISAC) with a total central share of Rs.
1902.636 crore.
- (x) Integrated
Scheme on Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) with a total centralshare of 3863.93
crore. ISAM aims to develop agricultural marketing infrastructure.
- (xi) National
e-Governance Plan (NeGP-A) with a total central share of 211.06 crore aims to
bring farmer centricity & service orientation to the programmes; to enhance
reach & impact of extension services.
- In 2017-18, it has been decided to club all these schemes /
missions under one umbrella scheme 'Green Revolution - Krishonnati Yojana'.
CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award: BCCI to honour Diana Edulji and late Pankaj Roy - 05 May 18
Highlights: 
- Former India women's team captain and current CoA member,
Diana Edulji to be confers for the prestigious CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement
Award.
- Along with Edulji, former India openerl late Pankaj Roy will
also be awarded posthumously.
- Diana Edulji refuses to accept BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Edulji had played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs in a career spanning
over 17 years, taking 63 and 46 wickets respectively.
- She played at a time when the game was run by Women's
Cricket Association of India (WCAI) which was mostly cash strapped and couldn't
arrange for international matches.
- Edulji's contribution as a pioneer of women's cricket
movement in the country is unquestionable.
- The three-member panel that send the recommendations
comprised eminent journalist N Ram, acting president CK Khanna and acting
secretary Amitabh Choudhary.
- The committee is headed by Mr N Ram.
- While last year when Shantha Rangaswamy got the award,
Edulji and COA members were party to the decision unlike this time.
- In fact, Edulji was part of the panel that recommended the
names alongside Ramachandra Guha and N Ram.
- Roy played 43 Tests scoring 2442 runs with five hundreds.
- He will always be remembered for his world record opening
stand of 413 runs with Vinoo Mankad against New Zealand in Chennai (Madras) in
1956.
- The record stood for 52 years.
Karnataka set to be 5th state to grant farm loan waiver since last year - 06 May 18
Highlights:
- Karnataka to be the fifth state announcing farm loan waiver waivers
which started in UP last year, triggering similar demands in other states.
- Earlier, three states - UP, Maharashtra and Punjab having
already implemented it as part of their poll promises.
- Rajasthan, which is going to polls later this year, also
recently announced a waiver for small and marginal farmers.
- UP had announced a waiver for crop loans of up to Rs 1 lakh
for nearly 87 lakh small and marginal farmers while Punjab had promised waiver
for farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers with less than 5 acres of land.
- The scheme is being implemented in the state in a phased
manner, depending on the size of landholdings and loan amount.
- UP has already waived off over Rs 36,000 crore farm loans
after BJP took office last year.
- On the other hand, Maharashtra had announced to waive loans
of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for about 87 lakh farmers.
- In Karnataka, this could benefit more than 22 lakh farmers.
- Farm loan waiver has always been a major demand of farmers
across the country.
- Before the UP government’s move, a mega loan waiver scheme
in the country was implemented in 2008.
- The then UPA government had initially announced a waiver of
Rs 60,000-crore loan for small and marginal farmers.
- It was later extended to the large farmers as well.
China launches new communication satellite APSTAR-6C - 06 May 18
Highlights:
- China launched a new communication satellite “APSTAR-6C” at
the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
- The satellite was sent into orbit by the Long March-3B
carrier rocket. This was the 273rd mission of the Long March rocket series.
- Both the satellite and the rocket were developed by the
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
- The user of the satellite is Hong Kong-based APT Satellite
Co. Ltd.
- The satellite will provide TV transmission, communication,
Internet and multimedia services to customers across the Asia-Pacific region.
- APSTAR-6C joins fleet of four fully operational satellites
belonging to APT Satellite Co.
- It will replace the in-orbit Apstar-6 satellite.
- The Apstar-6C satellite is based on DFH-4 platform.
- It is equipped with
45 transponders in C, Ku, and Ka bands, with designed service life of 15 years.
Govt launches National Water Informatics Centre to maintain data on water resources - 06 May 18
Highlights:
- The government has set up a central body - National Water
Informatics Centre (NWIC) - to maintain a comprehensive water resources data.
- It will be a single window source of updated data on water
resources in India.
- The NWIC will also collaborate with leading national and
international research institutes .
- The main purpose is to provide technical support to central and
state organisations dealing with water emergency response of hydrological
extremes.
- The Union cabinet had recently approved setting up such a
body which can provide value-added products and services to all stakeholders
for management and sustainable development of water resources in the country.
- It will be easier to take a decision even on settling
inter-state river water sharing dispute.
- The absence of such updated data currently presents a
roadblock in the decision-making process in such disputes as states always
counters claims of each other while seeking a share of water in a particular
river.
- The NWIC will work under the Union water resources ministry
as its subordinate office.
- It’ll be headed by a joint secretary level officer.
- The management of water resources is a highly complex and
tedious task that involves the expertise in multi-disciplinary domains.
- It also depends on historical and real-time reliable data
and information.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to become biennial event from 2019 - 06 May 18
Highlights:
- Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ,the special event will be
celebrated every alternate year.
- It is an attempt to engage and bring in line the interests
of the Indians, living within and outside the country.
- A series of sessions, pertaining to the event, will be held
to mark its importance.
- It was declared by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, recently.
- There will be some theme-based sessions conducted in which
the Ministry of External Affairs will invite about 12 people including both the
nationals and the non-resident Indians.
- The themes for the upcoming sessions are being decided to be
around 'role of diaspora in capacity-building and artificial intelligence' and
'how diaspora gives back to India and their role with respect to the challenges
in India'.
- Until now, 10 sessions have been conducted in a build-up to
next year's programme, which will be held in Varanasi in January.
- Under the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the
Bhartiya Janata Party in 2003 had thought to dedicate one day in a year to the
Indians residing abroad.
- It s noted that Mahatma Gandhi was the most famous NRI of
India, the day he returned to the country is regarded as the Pravasi Bhartiya
Diwas, which is January 9.
The‘First Apex Conference for the CEOs of Smart Cities’ in Bhopal - 07 May 18
Highlights:
- The ‘First Apex Conference for the CEOs of Smart Cities ‘
being held in Bhopal on 8th May 2018.
- It has been inaugurated by Shri Hardeep Puri, Minister of
State (I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs.
- Since its launch on 25 June 2015, the Smart Cities Mission
(SCM), has been one of the most transformational urban missions.
- Key projects such as digitally integrated smart city
centers, street re-design, installation of solar rooftop on buildings, etc.,
have thus initiated the process of urban transformation, enhancing the
liveability of cities.
- The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the Smart City
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPVs) have been instrumental in achieving
transformational outcomes envisaged under the Mission.
- The two-day conference is being organised for providing a
platform for cross learning and knowledge sharing among the Smart City CEOs on
8-9 May 2018.
- The conference will enable the CEOs to learn from the
experiences of all city leaders to understand in greater details both successes
and failures.
- The convergence of all the best practices in Smart city
missions across the country on a single platform will help the city leaders to
not waste time in 'reinventing the wheel' but use the collective learning to
accelerate the progress of work.
- The plenary sessions will feature panel discussions and
presentations by Smart City CEOs highlighting their high impact projects under
Mission, which can be disseminated as learning for other cities.
- There will also be an exhibition showcasing the different
projects being undertaken by Cities under Smart Cities Mission.
- The two-day Apex Conference also provides an opportunity for
the participating Smart City CEOs to visit the locations and appreciate the
smart city projects implemented by Bhopal Smart City Limited.
- The Apex Conference is being organized with an objective to
provide momentum to the cities and a platform for cross-learning, sharing and
disseminating the experience gained over the past two and a half years.
- The exhibition and presentations by the CEOs will provide
useful insights for accelerating project implementation and enable cross
learning among Smart Cities.
First census for Indus dolphins to be carried out in India - 07 May 18
Highlights:
- The Punjab government along with WWF-India are conducting
the first organised census on Dolphin population in India.
- Indus river Dolphins have been sighted in Harike Wildlife
Sanctuary and Beas river.
- Indus dolphins are one of the world’s rarest mammals.
- The Indus dolphins are confined to only a 185 km stretch
between Talwara and Harike Barrage in India’s Beas river in Punjab.
- They are found only in India and Pakistan.
- The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-a leading organisation in
wildlife conservation and endangered species has been assisting the wildlife
department to carry out the first census.
- Earlier, officially in 2007 the number of Platanista
Gangetica popularly known as Indus river Dolphins were believed to be more than
a dozen in number which face danger from indiscriminate fishing and rising
pollution levels.
- The species of dolphin are found in abundance across
Pakistan where their numbers are estimated to be around 1,800 over a stretch
1,500-km stretch of the Indus river.
- Only about 1,000 to 2,000 of this unique dolphin species
exist in the lower reaches of the Indus river in Pakistan.
- However, their numbers had dramatically declined since the
construction of irrigation system in the Indus.
- In 2017, during the opening of barrage for repairs led to
sightings of this mammal on the Indian side of the river.
Third edition of UNPCAP underway in Delhi - 07 May 18
Highlights:
- The third edition of the United Nations Peacekeeping Course
for African Partners (UNPCAP) was inaugurated in New Delhi.
- The main purpose is to build and enhance the capacity of the
African Troop Contributing Countries to the UN.
- The UNPCAP sessions will be held from May 7-25.
- The course is conducted by the Centre for United Nations
Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in partnership with the US.
- The first and second editions of the course were held in New
Delhi in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
- The inaugural session for this course was conducted on May 7
at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi.
- Other eminent speakers included Director General Staff
Duties Lt Gen Ajae Kumar Sharma and US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster.
- The course is aimed to build and enhance the capacity of the
African Troop Contributing Countries to the UN and to further train the
trainers from these countries.
- The course, revolves around the concept of training the
trainers, is one of the many steps that India has initiated towards active
contribution to peace support activities.
Maharashtra at forefront prefer to adopt girls among Indian states - 07 May 18
Highlights:
- According to Child Adoption Resource Authority (CARA),nearly
60% of children adopted in the last six years were girls across states in India.
- In state- wise, it is led by Maharashtra which also recorded
the highest number of adoptions in recent years.
- Of the 3,276 children adopted in the country in 2017-18, a
total of 1,858 were girls, the data showed.
- The number of girls adopted in 2017 was 353 out of a total
of 642 adoptions in the state.
- Karnataka followed with 286 adoptions, 167 of them girls,
CARA, the apex body for adoption in the country.
- Maharashtra has the highest number of adoption agencies in
the country at 60 while other states that are bigger have on an average 20
adoption agencies.
- In 2017-18, there was an increase in the number of
in-country adoptions.
- Of the 3,276 children adopted within India, 1,858 were girls
and 1,418 boys.
- The inter-country adoption also saw an increase, with the
number rising from 578 in 2016-17 to 651 in 2017-18.
- In 2016-2017, out of the 3,210 children adopted within
India, 1,915 or almost 60% were girls. Maharashtra (711) and Karnataka (252)
again recorded the highest numbers, followed by West Bengal (203).
- Data for the past five years showed that on an average,
59.77% of couples adopted a girl and 40.23% a boy.
- Moreover, people feel that it is easier to manage a girl
child than a boy, and that's another big plus point for the girl child to be
considered for adoption.
- It is not that availability of the girl child is higher but
that parents are opting more for a girl child. We give them three choices - one
can either opt for a girl or a boy or can give no preference.
- The percentage of those opting specifically for girls to
boys would be 55:45.
- The data comes amid a report by NITI Aayog which said the
sex ratio at birth in India had seen a decline in 17 out of the 21 large
states.
Thalassaemia Patients: Over one lakh thalassaemia patients die before 20 yrs. age - 08 May 18
Highlights:
- India is one of the worst thalassemia affected countries in
the world.
- India has with more than 4 crore carriers and over 1 lakh
thalassaemia majors under blood transfusion every month.
- With the World Thalassaemia Day around the corner, the focus
falls back on the efforts to contain the blood disorder.
- Over 1 lakh thalassemia patients across the country die
before they turn 20 due to lack of access to treatment.
- In India, people suffering from thalassaemia are unknowingly
passing on this genetic disorder to their children.
- Every year more than 10,000 children with thalassaemia major
are born in India.
What Thalassemia ?- Itis an inherited condition which is carried in the genes
and passed on from parents to children.
- One of the major types of thalassemia, Beta thalassemia,
happens when the gene that controls the production of a protein called beta
globin becomes defective.
- The rising number of thalassemic children is posing a threat
on the public health of our country.
- Lack of awareness of the problem, failure in planning, no
provisions for prevention and inadequate treatment leading to premature death
among the affected children are the leading causes for the crisis.
Impact:- The inherited blood disorder destroys the red blood cells
extensively, leading to anaemia, in which the body does not produce enough
normal healthy blood cells.
- Thalassemia could be one of the important factors causing
high anaemia rates in Pune.
- As per government data, around 53 % of children between the
age of 6 to 59 months are anaemic in urban Pune.
Symptoms:- Children with mild thalassemia do not show any symptoms, and
doctors may not diagnose it until a routine blood test reveals anaemia.
- Only on further investigation and testing for
iron-deficiency, is when thalassemia is detected generally.
- The focus needs to be on early diagnosis, which gives the
patient and family due time to contain the disease.
- Children who have mild thalassemia may feel tired or
irritable.
- They have shortness of breath, feel dizzy or lightheaded,
and have pale skin, lips or nail beds compared to their normal color.
- In more severe cases, they may also have heart palpitations,
jaundice, enlarged liver or spleen, enlarged bones, mainly in the cheeks and
forehead, and slowed growth which is caused by the late onset of puberty caused
by anaemia.
India to host 15th Asia Media Summit from May 10 - 08 May 18
Highlights:
- India will host the 15th Asia Media Summit from May 10-12 ,2018.
- Representatives from nearly 40 countries will delever on
issues related to the media sector.
- The theme of the summit is “Telling Our Stories Asia and
More”.
- India is hosting the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific
Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) Kuala Lumpur for the first time.
- Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani would be
presiding as the chief guest over the inaugural ceremony of the summit on May
10.
- Over 200 foreign delegates representing 39 countries and
over 100 Indian delegates would participate in the event, the ministry said in
a release.
- The summit would encourage regional and bilateral dialogue
and cooperation to respond to challenges to the broadcasting sector in the
region.
- It would provide a unique opportunity for broadcasters in
the Asian region to share their thoughts on software and hardware aspects of
broadcasting.
- The summit will be hosted by the Information and
Broadcasting (I-B) Ministry, jointly with the Indian Institute of Mass
Communication (IIMC), and public sector firm Broadcast Engineering Consultants
India Ltd (BECIL).
- Participants would represent organisations like ministries
responsible for information and broadcasting in the Asian region, international
organisations UNESCO, FAO, UN; regulators; radio and television broadcasting
companies and television channels.
- World Television Awards 2018 would be presented by Minister
of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
- The next summit to be hoist by the Philippines.
UNSC Membership: India and Guatemala support each other for non-permanent membership - 08 May 18
Highlights:
- India and Guatemala have agreed to support each other's
candidature for the non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC).
- The decision was taken after Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu
held extensive talks with the President Jimmy Morales, Vice President Jafeth
Cabrera and Parliament Speaker of Guatemala Alvaro Arzu Escobar.
- This is the first ever visit by an Indian Vice President to
the Republic of Guatemala.
- Both countries agreed to take the "complementary"
relationship to a new high taking advantage of the emerging opportunities in
both countries.
- India agreed to Guatemala's request to supply solar panels
to its airports.
- India will also train Guatemalan diplomats, and English teachers
in the country.
- Guatemala will support India's candidature for UNSC
membership for 2021-22, while New Delhi will do so in 2031-32 for Guatemala.
- India is keen about enhancing its engagement with Latin
America and looks at Guatemala, the most populous and biggest economy in
Central America, as the gateway.
- Franco also invited India to send a delegation to the
Conference of Ibero America to be held in Guatemala City in November this year
which is to be attended by all the Latin American Countries besides Spain and
Portugal.
- This is the first time India got such an invitation for the
conference held once in three years.
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)was signed between the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, and the Ministry of External Affairs
of India through their respective Foreign Service Institutes.
India signs an agreement with World Bank for POSHAN Abhiyaan worth $200mn loan - 08 May 18
Highlights:
- India has signed an agreement with the World Bank for a USD
200-million loan for the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan).
- The main purpose is to achieve its goal of reducing stunting
in children aged 0-6 years from 38.4 % to 25 % by 2022.
- The loan will support the first phase of scaling up of
interventions in 315 districts across all states and union territories,
according to an official statement.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on March 8 in Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.
- The POSHAN scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in March this year at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.
- The POSHAN scheme aims to ensure holistic development and
adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children.
- It also targets to reduce the level of stunting,
under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth rate.
- A large component of POSHAN Abhiyaan involves gradual
scaling-up of the interventions supported by the ongoing World Bank-assisted
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems Strengthening and
Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) to all districts in the country over a
three-year period.
- The project will include investments in improving the skills
and capacities of ICDS staff and community nutrition workers.
- It will focus on grievance
redress and establishing mobile technology based tools for improved monitoring
and management of services for better outreach to beneficiaries during the
critical 1,000 day window for nutrition impact.
- The project will additionally ensure convergence of all
nutrition-related schemes and provide performance-based incentives to states
and community nutrition and health workers, facilitating a focus on results.
Global Optimism Index : India slips to 6th position - 09 May 18
Highlights:
- According to Grant Thornton’s International Business Report
(IBR) ,India was ranked 6th on Global Optimism Index released as part of in the
first quarter of 2018.
- India is at the sixth place in the index with a score of 89.
- The top five nations are Austria, Finland, Indonesia, the
Netherlands and the US.
- The conclusions are based on a quarterly global business
survey of 2,500 businesses in 37 economies.
- The underlying pessimism is reflected in other parameters as
well including revenue, selling prices, profitability, employment and exports
expectations.
- India has been topping the chart since the new government
came into power in 2014.
- However, the confidence has shaken since Q3 2017 due to
weakness in Indian rupee and surge in oil prices.
- However, India’s ranking has dropped to 31st and 30th
positions respectively in the last two quarters.
- When it comes to investment in research and development,
India’s ranking has been in the range of 5-6th position since 2014.
- However, this parameter witnessed a drastic fall in Q4 2017
and Q1 2018 sinking to 24th position.
- Indian businesses have cited regulations and red tape,
availability of skilled workforce, lack of ICT infrastructure and shortage of
finance as the biggest growth constraints.
- Even after India’s significant jump in World Bank’s ease of
doing business ranking, the country still continues to rank first and second in
quoting these reasons as the key hurdles for growth.
India ranks 4th in Asia-Pacific on power index - 09 May 18
Highlights: 
- According to the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, India
has ranked fourth out of 25 nations in the Asia-Pacific region on an index that
measures their overall power.
- The Lowy Institute Asia Power Index measures power across 25
countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region, reaching as far west as
Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New
Zealand and the US.
- Japan and India share major power status. Tokyo is a smart
power, while New Delhi is a giant of the future.
- Among the key findings from the inaugural 2018 index are
that US remains the pre-eminent power in Asia, while China, the emerging
superpower, is rapidly closing in on US.
- Three of the world’s four largest economies are in Asia, and
the fourth, the United States, is a Pacific power. By 2025, two-thirds of the
world’s population will live in Asia, compared with just over a tenth in the
West.
- India is ranked fourth on the parameters economic resources,
military capability, diplomatic influence and fifth on resilience.
- It scores well on the parameters of cultural influence and
future trends, ranking third in both.
- However, it scores
low on the measure of economic relationships, ranking seventh and in defence
networks, ranking 10th.
- India ranks third for its aggregate resources score and is
set to become the fastest-growing economy in the region, predicted to grow 169%
between 2016 and 2030.
- It also stands to gain an additional 169 million people to
its working-age population by 2030.
- However, the economic giant suffers from a poor track record
of converting its sizeable resources base into strategic gain in Asia-despite
New Delhi’s ‘Act East Policy’.
- It trails behind in the influence measures, most notably in
defence networks and economic relationships.
- The US claims the top spot in five of the eight Index
measures and a 10-point lead over China in overall power.
- The country retains the most powerful military force in Asia
and is at the centre of a network of regional alliances that Beijing cannot
match, reflected by a 65-point lead over China in defence networks.
- China holds a top-two position across all but one measure
and ranks first in economic relationships, diplomatic influence and future
trends.
- Russia, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Taiwan, Philippines and
North Korea are ranked as “middle powers”.
- Bangladesh, Brunei, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Mongolia,
Laos and Nepal as “minor powers.”
Power Index:- Power Index can be defined as a country’s overall power is its weighted average.
- It refers eight measures of power-economic resources, military capability, resilience, future trends, diplomatic influence, economic relationships, defence networks and cultural influence.
Indian GDP growth at 7.4 % in FY-2019:IMF Report - 09 May 18
Highlights:
- According to IMF, Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.4 %
in the Current Fiscal (F.Y 2018-19) and accelerate further to 7.8 % as it
recovers from the impact of demonetisation and GST roll out.
- According to IMF’s Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and
Pacific (REO), Asia, accounting for more than 60 % of global growth -
three-quarters of which comes from China and India alone.
- Asian economy is
expected to grow at 5.6 % this year.
- China is projected to grow at 6.6 % in the current year
which will moderate to 6.4 % next year.
- Present rates of inflation in Asia are some of the lowest in
decades.
- It has seen some upward movement since September 2017 on the
back of rising oil prices.
- In 2017, headline inflation on average was 0.6 % lower than
target in Asian advanced economies, and 0.8 % under target in Asian emerging
market economies.
- The latest report explores why inflation has been so low.
- And it finds that first that temporary global factors,
including commodity prices and imported inflation, have been key drivers of low
inflation. But these factors could reverse, and inflation could rise.
- According to the report, inflation has become more
backward-looking, meaning that past inflation drives current inflation more
than future expectations.
- Further, there is some evidence that the sensitivity of
inflation to economic slack has decreased (i.e., the Phillips curve has
flattened), suggesting that if inflation rises, there may be a large hit to
output when reducing it.
- All of these mean that central banks should watch out
closely for signs of inflation pressure now and stand ready to respond.
Madhya Pradesh Gets India's First Smart Cities Control Centre - 09 May 18
Highlights:
- Madhya Pradesh government launched India's first Integrated
Control and Command Centre (ICCC) for all seven smart cities of the state in
Bhopal.
- It is a major step towards realising the centre's smart city
mission (SCM).
- The ICCC, installed in a building in Barkheda area of the
state capital.
- It would enable the authorities to monitor the status of
various smart civic amenities in real-time through the sensors connected to it.
- Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Satna, and Sagar
are the seven smart cities under SCM in Madhya Pradesh.
- Madhya Pradesh has now come out from the category of BIMARU
states.
- ICCC would keep an eye on civic amenities in the smart
cities like the USA's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- About 1,300 projects are underway in 99 smart cities and
half of the projects are being carried out under the PPP mode.
- A total of one crore houses would be constructed for the
rural homeless families by the end of December 2018.
- ICCC is a cloud-based Universal Internet of Things (UIoT)
platform developed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).
- It can run multiple city command centre operations through
its multi-efficiency capabilities.
- ICCC would integrate a multitude of citizens' services
applications and sensors running across selected cities of Madhya Pradesh.
- ICCC enables the government to remotely manage and control
various citizen services like smart lighting, smart parking, smart traffic and
transport, waste management, water supply etc. through a single platform.
- The government can take pro-active measures and informed
decisions on the basis of the data on a single dashboard.
- This system would
control street lights, parking lights, parking, traffic (including violations
and congestions), waste management, water supply etc. through sensors.
- ICCC is the first such centre in the country developed with
future-focused vision.
- For example, dump trucks in Bhopal travel about 22,000 kms
every day to collect garbage.
- Some of the trucks are overfilled and sometimes a part of
garbage falls on streets.
- It will help in notifying the centre about those bins which
are 70-80 % full, so that trucks can go and collect garbage from those
particular dumps instead of them travelling across the whole city.
- The command centre would also help in ensuring the safety of
women and children.
Union Govt approves green licence plates for e-vehicles - 10 May 18
Highlights:

- The government has approved green licence plates bearing
numbers in white fonts for private e-vehicles and yellow for taxis to promote
electric vehicles in India,
- The government also plans to allow youth in the age bracket
of 16-18 years to drive electric scooters, besides mandating taxi aggregators
to have a certain percentage of e-vehicle fleet.
- The purpose behind distinctive number plates is their easy
identification for preferential treatment in parking, free entry in congested
zones besides other proposed benefits like concessional toll.
- The measure is aimed at promoting e-vehicle’s use and the
government is considering exemption from permits for such vehicles.
- Exemption from permit will be a game changer as restricted
permit regime is a major concern.
- E-rickshaw growth is attributable to the permit exemption
and there is scope to extend the exemption to the e-buses, e-taxis, e-autos and
e-bikes.
- E-auto and e-buses may have a big impact since getting a new
permit is extremely difficult.
- Besides, the government is contemplating permitting youth in
the age group of 16-18 years to drive e-scooters, which are gearless and this
will lead to a big demand for e-scooters.
- The government is also contemplating to ask taxi aggregators
to have an incremental share of electric vehicles from 2020 onwards, which
could be 1 per cent of the fleet every year.
- Similarly, all public transport operators may also be
mandated to provide 1 % incremental fleet from 2020 onwards.
- The rate of depreciation on EVs may be allowed at 50 % as
against the rate of 15 % for conventional vehicles.
- The proposals include bringing down the GST on batteries to
12 % at par with the GST on EVs.
- As per an estimate, India at present has 1 to 1.5 lakh
electric vehicles and it is projected to grow to about 5 per cent of the total
vehicles in the next five years, an official said.
- Of the about 24 million vehicles sold in India in 2017-18,
electric vehicles accounted for barely about 1 %.
- India, currently, has four kinds of number plates — white
licence plates with numbers on black font for private cars, yellow plates with
fonts in black for commercial vehicles, black plates with yellow font letters
for self-driven rental vehicles and blue plates with white font letters for
Embassies and High Commissions.
‘70% of Ganga will be cleaned by May 2019’ - 10 May 18
Highlights:
- According to Union Ministry, a sum of Rs.8,000-Rs.10,000 crore to be spent
cleanness of river Ganga.
- The government will spend the amount this year to ensure that at least 70% of the
Ganga will be clean by next May.
- The government has only spent Rs.4,500 crore since 2015 when
the Rs.20,000-crore tranche for cleaning the 2,500-km long river was
operationalised.
- A total of 195 projects worth Rs.20,959 crore have been
sanctioned for various activities such as sewage infrastructure, ghats and
crematoria development, river-front development and river surface cleaning.
India's longest road-rail Bogibeel bridge to be inaugurated by this year end - 10 May 18
Highlights:
- India's longest road and railway bridge connecting Dibrugarh
in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh is likely to be inaugurated later
this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- All the civil work would be completed by July this year.
- Two more months would be needed to finish the electrical and
signalling work on the 4.94 km bridge.
- The Bogibeel bridge is likely to be inaugurated by the end
of this year.
- The bridge is to be the second longest in Asia.
- It has three lane roads on top and double line rail below.
- The bridge is 32 metres above the water level of the
Brahamaputra and is fashioned on a bridge that links Sweden and Denmark.
- The bridge is both a symbol of development in the northeast
as well as part of a strategic move solving logistical issues for the armed
forces stationed at the China border to get supplies from Tezpur.
- Bogibeel is part of infrastructure projects planned by India
to improve logistics along the border in Arunachal Pradesh.
- This includes the construction of a trans-Arunachal highway
on the north bank of the Brahmaputra, and new road and rail links over the
mighty river and its major tributaries such as the Dibang, Lohit, Subansiri and
Kameng.
- India and China share a nearly 4,000 km border.
- India slowly building military muscle from Ladakh to
Arunachal on the China front
- As of now, the rail and road link to Arunachal is through
three Assam bridges -- Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district, Saraighat near
Guwahati, and Kolia-Bhomora between Sonitpur and Nagaon.
- This means that a cargo from Dibrugarh in the north-eastern
corner of Assam takes over a 600 km detour merely to cross the Brahmaputra.
- Though approved in 1996, construction of the bridge was
initiated by the first BJP-led NDA government in 2002.
- The Congress-led UPA government had declared it a national
project in 2007.
Government likely to withdraw tax notice on free banking services - 10 May 18
Highlights:
- The tax department will likely withdraw a show-cause notice
issued to several banks asking them to pay the service tax on ‘free services’
provided to customers.
- The department of financial services (DFS) has presented the
views of the banks that have opposed the tax to the revenue department.
- The (DGGSTI) had issued the notice to some private banks,
including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank,.
- It also issued notice to few public sector banks,
including State Bank of India (SBI).
- It asking them to pay penalty and interest on
the unpaid service tax in this regard for the period July 2012-June 2017.
- The DGGSTI was in the process of issuing similar notices to
other banks when the finance ministry intervened.
- Every bank offers a different slab of minimum balance to
customers, based on which ‘free services’ are provided.
- The tax demand was made for customers maintaining a minimum
balance in their deposits and availing certain free services from banks,
including a few cash withdrawals from ATMs, cheque books, account statements,
internet banking, debit cards and PIN change.
- The GST intelligence department interpreted that such
services can be taxed. It was interpretational in nature as the banks have been
doing business by offering these services.
- However, after the stiff opposition from the industry, the
Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs is doing a rethink.
- Meanwhile, the banks were in the process of responding to
the notice individually in the normal course of business.
- The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has hired a consultant
to represent the views of the industry collectively to the government.
- It would be prudent not to proceed further with the issue of
levying the service tax on free services. There is a merit in saying that
charged levied without any corresponding services should not be liable to
service tax.
- Efforts to avoid litigation would be appreciated by
businesses,” said MS Mani, partner at Deloitte India.
- Last year, the GST intelligence department had issued a
notice to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
- It asking them to explain a possible default on payment of
service tax and sought to examine the PF department’s records till 2016-17.
- The DGGSTI, in July last year, had written to the EPFO
informing about a probe into non-payment of service tax between July 2012 and
March 2016.
- The EPFO had raised the issue with the finance ministry
through the labour ministry, following which the case was not taken forward.
Centre will set up Separate NIA unit to probe funding of Naxalites - 10 May 18
Highlights:
- The Centre will be created a separate unit in
the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for investigating important cases of
Left Wing Extremism.
- It fell that Maoist leaders having amassed huge assets in property and cash.
- The government has also
set up a multi-disciplinary group to initiate action to choke funding sources
of Maoists and to seize assets of their leaders.
Composition:Multi-agency group- The group comprises officers from various central agencies
and the State police departments.
- It is headed by an additional secretary and has
representatives from the Intelligence Bureau, Enforcement Directorate,
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, NIA and the CBDT (Central Board of Direct
Taxes) and the CBI, as also State intelligence departments and CID.
- The move follows information about a large part of extortion
money allegedly collected by Maoists getting diverted towards personal wealth
of their leaders, the official said.
- Maoists are forcing children to join their squads, but
their double standards are exposed by kind of education and other facilities
they provide their children and families.
Tracking money:- The LWE movement in the country
is financed through a large network of dubious activities.
- It include
illegal levy collected from private contractors including those involved in
execution of government works and schemes, mining contractors, transporters and
owners of small and medium industries.
- Similarly, funds are to be garnered through collections
from illegal stone crushing and distribution of Maoist ideology papers.
- Investigations have revealed that one Pradyuman Sharma,
member of Bihar-Jharkhand special area committee of the CPI (Maoists) paid Rs.22
lakh towards fees for admission of his niece in a private medical college last
year.
- Another member of the CPI (Maoist), Sandeep Yadav, gave Rs.15
lakh for exchange during the demonetisation, the official claimed.
- Mr. Yadav’s daughter had studied in a reputed private
institute and his son is studying in a private engineering college, the
official said.
- Similarly, another senior leader Arvind Yadav paid Rs.12 lakh
towards fees for his brother to study in a private engineering college.
- The Enforcement Directorate has registered cases against
these four individuals under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, attached
properties worth Rs.1.5 crore and 32 acres land, seized Rs.2.45 crore in cash,
including Rs.1 crore during demonetisation.
Telangana govt launches Rs 8,000/acre investment support scheme for farmers - 11 May 18
Highlights:
- The Telangana government has launched a first-of-its kind
investment support scheme for all farmers who will get Rs 8,000 per acre every
year as crop investment support.
- About 58 lakh farmers who till over 1.42 crore acres are
expected to be benefitted from the initiative, called the Rythu Bandhu scheme.
- Farmers will directly get the financial support twice every
year to maximise agricultural production and productivity.
- The state government has already set aside Rs 12,000 crore
in the 2018-19 budget exclusively for this scheme.
- Telangana is the first state to implement a farmer
investment support scheme.
- Rs 8,000 per acre will be paid annually in two pay order
cheques of Rs 4,000 per crop season.
- The state government has already implemented loan waiver of
crop loans of Rs 16,124 crore benefitting 35.30 lakh farmers.
- It was followed by
fresh loans at 25 paise interest.
- Telangana is the only state that supplies 24-hour free
electricity to farmers.
- The state government has waived crop loans and was also
implementing a Rs 5 lakh insurance scheme.
- The state government
has also announced waiver of Rs 700-crore water dues of farmers.
India's growth to accelerate to 7.3% in FY19: Fitch - 11 May 18
Highlights:
- According to Fitch, India's economic growth will accelerate
to 7.3 % in the current fiscal (2018-19) and 7.5 % in the next fiscal year.
- The money supply has recovered to its pre-demonetisation
level and disruptions related to the rollout of GST have diminished.
- Fitch, which last month kept India's sovereign rating unchanged
for the 12th year in a row.
- The Indian economy continued to bounce back in the final
quarter of 2017, growing 7.2 %.
- The money supply recovered to its pre-demonetisation level
in mid-2017 and is now increasing steadily, similar to the previous trend.
- Meanwhile, disruptions related to the rollout of the goods
and services tax in July 2017 have gradually diminished.
- The budget deficit target for FY-2019 is set at 3.3 % of
GDP, down from an expected 3.5 % in FY-2018, implying fiscal slippage of 0.3 %
of GDP in both FY-2018 and FY-2019 relative to last year's budget targets.
SC directed to HCs to Set up anti-sexual harassment panels in all courts - 11 May 18
Highlights:
- Nation’s apex judicial body the Supreme Court directed the
heads of all high courts to set up anti-sexual harassment committees in all
courts across the country within two months in accordance with a 2013 law.
- The bench is headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra.
- It also asked the registrars general of the high courts to file
a compliance report regarding setting up of these committees in courts, where
it has not been constituted so far, by July 15.
- The chief justices of each of the high courts are requested
to constitute the committees in high courts as well as the district courts, if
not already constituted, within a span of two months.
- The directions came on a petition filed by a woman advocate
who had alleged that she was assaulted by some lawyers observing a strike at
the Tis Hazari district court complex.
- The bench asked its registry to communicate the order to the
registrars general of each high court for necessary action by the chief justice
or the acting chief justice.
- The registrars general of the high courts shall send a
compliance report with regard to constitution of the Committee(s) in the high
courts and/or the district courts on or before 15th July 2018.
- The court also directed the acting chief justice of the
Delhi high court to set up the anti-sexual harassment committee in all courts
in the capital as per the mandate of the Sexual Harassment of Women at
Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, with "quite
promptitude".
- The court had earlier granted protection to the woman lawyer.
- An officer of the rank of assistant commissioner of police
(ACP), Crime Branch, New Delhi shall investigate both the FIRs.
- There shall be a fair trial and none of the parties or any
member of the Bar shall create any obstruction in the judicial proceedings.
- It also allowed the woman lawyer to approach the ACP, Crime
Branch in case of apprehension to her security, and the police officer,
"if satisfied, shall make arrangement for her security".
Swachh Bharat Mission in 2018-19: Central Government approved Rs 16,500 cr for the mission - 11 May 18
Highlights:
- The union government has approved a sum of Rs 16,500 crore for
implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in 2018-19.
- The amount is over and above the budget of ministries
in-charge of sanitation in the country i.e. the Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation for Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and the Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs for Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
- The Swachhata Action Plan (SAP) 2018-19 was launched by
Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha at a meeting of Union secretaries and senior
officials.
- The SAP Compendium 2018-19 was also released on this
occasion.
- The Committee of Secretaries led by the cabinet secretary
today reviewed the implementation of SAP 2017-18 by Union
ministries/departments.
- During last year, the ministries had allocated over Rs
18,000 crore.
- At the review
meeting, the cabinet secretary underlined that efforts under SAP needed to be
sustained by the respective ministries.
- The cabinet secretary emphasised that all secretaries needed
to personally monitor implementation of SAP on a regular basis.
- Each ministry should look beyond its own programmes and
schemes, and bring innovation in the implementation of SAP.
- Sinha also called for a higher allocation of funds and
higher utilisation in SAP.
- Parameswaran Iyer, secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation, gave a presentation on the performance of the Swachhata Action Plan
for the year 2017-18 at the meeting.
- The SAP will be implemented by ministries and departments
during the current financial year.
Indo-Myanmar Pact : Both Nation sign seven agreements - 12 May 18
Highlights: 
- India and Myanmar have signed seven agreements including one
on land border crossing issues related to peace and security and developments
in the Rakhine State.
- From the Rakhine State thousands of Rohingya Muslims had
fled to Bangladesh after violence last year.
- Mrs.Swaraj, on a two-day visit met Myanmar’s State
Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Bilateral Issues:- i) boundary and
border related issues.
- ii) return of
displaced persons.
- ii) India’s development assistance to Myanmar.
- iv) ongoing projects, and other issues of mutual interest.
- v) peace and security matters
- vi) developments in the Rakhine State
Seven agreements/MoUs signed :- MoU on restoration and preservation of earthquake damaged
pagodas in Bagan.
- MoU on assistance to the joint ceasefire monitoring
committee, an MoU on training of Myanmar foreign service officers.
- MoU on setting up Industrial Training Centre (ITC) at Monywa.
- MoU on ITC at Thaton and Exchange of Letters on extending a
maintenance contract for ITC Myingyan were also signed.
- The MoU on restoration of pagodas at Bagan underlines the
enduring cultural and historical links between the two countries.
- The other MoUs on technical assistance and capacity building
reflect India’s continuing support to Myanmar in accordance with this country’s
own development plans and priorities.
- The first major project is the construction of prefabricated
housing in Rakhine State to meet the needs of displaced persons.
- An estimated 7,00,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar’s
Rakhine State since August last year after large-scale violence following a
military crackdown.
International Nurses' Day being observed globally - 12 May 18
Highlights: 
- International Nurses' Day being observed as it celebrates
every year on this day throughout the
globe.
- On International Nurses' Day, President Ram Nath Kovind lauded
the dedication and contribution of nurses to the nation and stressed on the
need for strengthening the nursing sector.
- He also conferred the prestigious Florence Nightingale
awards to 35 nurses for their outstanding services at a function at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Nurses play a very important role in the lives of people and
their dedication and services is recognised by all.
- The entire nation is grateful to the nursing community for
their vital role in keeping the country healthy.
- At present, there are 1.7 nurses per 1,000 people in India,
and the world average is 2.5 nurses.
- In the past few years, the number of registered nurses and
other health workers has crossed 27 lakh (till March 2017).
- Indian nurses' services and dedication are recognised all
over the world, especially in the Gulf region where they are employed in a
large number.
- The nurses who have been awarded today represent the
country's diversity in unity, the president said.
- The Florence Nightingale awards are given to outstanding
nursing personnel employed with the Centre, states or Union Territories.
- The Florence Nightingale Awardees of 2018 will inspire the
nursing fraternity to rededicate themselves to quality healthcare.
- International Nurses Day is an international day celebrated around the world on 12 May of each year, to mark the contributions nurses make to society.
- The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965.
- In January 1974, 12 May was chosen to celebrate the day as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
India have talent surplus of 245 mn workers by 2030: Korn Ferry - 12 May 18
Highlights:
- According to organisational consulting firm Korn Ferry,India
is projected to have a skilled labour surplus of 245 million workers by 2030.
- It is due to mainly on the back of “vast supply of working
age citizens.
- Most of the developed and developing economies are expected
to grapple with talent crunch at that time.
- There is likely to be a “talent deficit of 85.2 million
workers” by 2030 across the 20 major developed and developing economies.
- This global skills shortage could result in USD 8.452
trillion in unrealised annual revenue by 2030 – equivalent to the combined GDP
of Germany and Japan.
- India is the only country expected to have a surplus of
highly skilled financial and business services labour by 2030.
- India,the only country expected to have a surplus, owing
mainly to its vast supply of working-age citizens and government programmes to
boost workers’ skills.
- India is expected to overtake China to become the world’s
most populous country in the next six years.
- India’s median age is predicted to be just over 31 by 2030,
meaning it has a vast supply of working-age citizens.
- The government has also been announcing programmes to boost
workers’ skills and capacities.
- Industries, where the talent surplus will be the most
visible in India, include the financial services with a surplus of 1.1 million,
technology, media, telecommunications (TMT) at 1.3 million and manufacturing at
2.44 million of extra manpower in 12 years.
- It also noted that by 2030, all countries except India would
be gripped by TMT talent deficits.
- The government, as well as industry, have made significant
efforts to address both issues through programmes like ‘Skill India’.
- Besides India, 19 other major developing and developed
economies were covered in the study.
- They are Brazil, Mexico, the US, France, Germany, the
Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE, the UK, Australia, China,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
World’s second oldest rock has been discovered in Odisha state - 12 May 18
Highlights:
- The world’s second oldest rock dating back to 4.2 billion
years has been discovered in Indian state, Odisha as was reported during May
2018.
- A rock sample recovered nearly eight years ago from Champua
in Odisha’s Kendujhar district has put India at the forefront of geological
research in the world.
- Geologists from the University of Calcutta and Curtin
University, Malaysia, along with researchers from the Chinese Academy of
Geological Sciences, Beijing, made the discovery, which was published during
May 2018 in ‘Scientific Reports’ journal.
- The only instance of zircon older than this discovery was
the one found in Jack Hill, Western Australia, which was 4.4 billion years old
and is the oldest known rock sample.
Mahathir Mohamad won a historic election in Malaysia - 12 May 18
Highlights:
- Malaysia's opposition alliance headed by veteran ex-leader
Mahathir Mohamad won a historic election according to official results that
were released on 10 May 2018.
- The south eastern country Malaysia the opposition alliance won a historic election and thus ending the six-decade rule of the ruling coalition.
- It ends the six-decade rule of the
Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
- The results from the Election Commission showed the
opposition grouping, “Pakatan Harapan”, plus a party in the Borneo state of
Sabah they are allied with, winning 115 seats, over the threshold of 112 seats
needed in parliament to form a government.
- Mahathir, who is now poised to become the world's oldest
elected prime minister, came out of retirement to take on Prime Minister Najib
Razak, who has become embroiled in massive corruption scandal surrounding state
fund 1MDB.
Indian tea industry records highest ever production, export in FY-2018 - 13 May 18
Highlights:
- The Indian tea industry recorded the highest ever production
as well as export for the 2017-18 financial year.
- Tea production for the financial year was recorded at
1,325.05 million kg, up from 1,250.49 million kg – an increase by 74.56 million
kg or 5.96%.
- Meanwhile tea export stood at 256.57 million kg, an increase
of 28.94 million kg or 12.71%, compared with last year’s tea export of 227.63
million kg.
- The amount of foreign exchange obtained from tea exports for
2017-18 was $785.92 million.
- In contrast tea exports earned $690.73 million in
2016-17 – an increase of $95.19 million or 13.78%.
India and Peru signs agreement in field of Renewable Energy - 13 May 18
Highlights:
- India and Peru signed agreement in field of Renewable
Energy.
- The pact was signed after bilateral meeting between Vice President M
Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister of Peru Cesar Villanueva Arevalo in Lima.
- Vice President’s visited Peru was last leg of his first
state visit to three Central American nations Guatemala, Panama and Peru.
- This was very important visit as it will help to enhance and
strengthen India’s bilateral relations with these nations and will increase
trade, investments cooperation among these countries.
- During the meeting, India and Peru discussed various
bilateral and international issues of mutual interest. The discussions were
held in field of pharmaceuticals, space, defence, supply of LPG, clean energy,
agriculture and science & technology.
- They also discussed possibility of collaboration in Quinoa
cultivation and processing with Peru.
- Peru is important country for multilateral issues for India
and it supported India’s candidature for permanent seat in United Nations
Security Council (UNSC).
- Both countries agreed to work together to combat menace of
terrorism.
Janakpur and Ayodhya connected through a bus service as part of the “Ramayan Circuit” - 13 May 18
Highlights:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepali PM K. P. Sharma
Oli jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between Janakpur and Ayodhya two
sacred cities.
- Nepal’s Janakpur and India’s Ayodhya have been connected
through a bus service as part of the “Ramayan Circuit” to promote religious
tourism in Nepal and India.
- The service was jointly inaugurated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K. P. Sharma Oli on 11 May
2018.
- Janakpur is known as the birth place of Sita, the wife of
Lord Rama.
- Janaki temple was built in memory of Sita in 1910.
- The Indian government has identified 15 destinations in
India for development under the Ramayana Circuit theme namely Ayodhya,
Nandigram, Shringverpur & Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh), Sitamarhi, Buxar
& Darbhanga (Bihar), Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Mahendragiri (Odisha),
Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh), Nashik & Nagpur (Maharashtra), Bhadrachalam
(Telangana), Hampi (Karnataka) and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu).
Dena Bank kept under the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) by the RBI - 13 May 18
Highlights:
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 12 May 2018 directed Dena
Bank not to issue any fresh loans and hire new personnel as it was brought
under the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) mechanism.
- This was done as the bank’s
asset quality continues to be worst.
- The public sector bank was kept under the PCA mechanism due to worsening asset quality.
- Already, there are 11 banks, out of 21 state-owned banks,
under the PCA of the Reserve Bank because of their weak financials.
Electric vehicles (EVs) in India will soon sport unique green license plates - 13 May 18
Highlights:
- Electric vehicles (EVs) in India will get number plate of Green colour, as was approved by the Union Government during May 2018.
- The Union Government has given its approval to a proposal in this regard.
- Green number plates will make EVs eligible for benefits like concession on tolls, preferential parking and more.
- The government has approved the use of green license plates with white fonts on personal EVs and with yellow fonts on EVs used for commercial purposes.
- The step has been taken to promote the adoption of EVs in the country.
Noted Indian physicist E.C.G. Sudarshan passed away - 14 May 18
Highlights:
- Noted Indian physicist E.C.G. Sudarshan passed away
in the US on 14 May 2018.
- He died aged 86 in Texas ,United States.
- He was known for making path-breaking discoveries "Quantum Optics"of physics.
- Ennackal Chandy George Sudarshan, popularly known as E.C.G.
Sudarshan.
- He made path-breaking discoveries in the realm of Quantum Optics.
- He was recommended for
the Nobel Prize nine times, but never awarded.
- Professor Sudarshan was a faculty at the University of Texas
for the past 40 years.
- He made significant contributions to the field of
theoretical physics - optical coherence,
tachyons, quantum zeno effect, open quantum system, spin-statistics theorem,
non-invariance groups, positive maps of density matrices and quantum
computation, to name a few.
- He worked for a brief period with Homi Bhabha, father of
Indian nuclear programme before moving to the US.
Guwahati railway station is the first in North-East to run completely on solar power - 14 May 18
Highlights:
- Indian Railways' Guwahati station is the first in North-East
to run completely on solar power.
- Indian Railways looks to go green and energy efficient.
- Solar energy is being used across the national transporter's
network to power stations and even trains.
- The solar power plant at the Guwahati railway station is
one-of-its kind. Commissioned in April 2017,
- The solar power plant at Guwahati railway station is
expected to not only reduce the carbon footprint significantly, but also result
in electricity cost savings.
- The 700 KWp grid interactive solar power plant has been set
up over the roof of the Guwahati railway station.
- The total cost of the project, as per Indian Railways
estimates, is approximately Rs 6.7 crore.
- The agency which has provided fund for the green project is
CONCOR.
- The solar plant has been installed by Sahibabad's Central
Electronics Ltd.
- According to Indian Railways, the total saving of
electricity cost on account of the solar plant is Rs 67 lakh.
- The total generation of the solar power plant between April
12, 2017 to May 10, 2018 was 7,96,669 KWH.
- The average
generation per day is 2048 KWh.
- As many as 2352 solar modules have been installed at the
roof-top solar power plant. From April 12, 2017 to May 10, 2018 the carbon
dioxide benefit from the solar power plant stands at 6.3 lakh kg!
First all-woman Post Office Passport Seva Kendra starts operations - 14 May 18
Highlights:
- India's first, a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) run
by an all-woman team has started operations at Phagwara .
- Phagwara is a city and it recently became municipal corporation in Kapurthala district in the central part of Punjab - located in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab.
- The seva kendra was inaugurated by Union Minister Vijay
Sampla in the local head Post Office.
- It was 192nd POPSK in the country, but first one to be
operated by an all-woman team.
- It was part of the Centre’s initiative for women empowerment.
- The other two women staff members - Postal Assistants - will
be from the Post Office Department.
- The printing and issuing of passports will be done by
Jalandhar office.
- At present, 50 applications will be received and processed and
the number will be increased to 100 in future.
- This kendra will cater to needs of Kapurthala, Nawandhar and
Jalandhar rural districts.
- Phagwara POPSK will benefit people immensely as the town was
an NRI hub of Doaba region of the state.
- People of the region will now get all facilities related to
applying for and processing of passport applications.
South Africa mourns death of musician who worked for Hindu-Muslim unity - 14 May 18
Highlights:
- Popular musician and singer Ramesh Hassan died of heart
attack at the age of 73.
- The South African Indian community is mourning the demise of
musician and singer who considered the face of Hindu-Muslim unity in the
country.
- He had changed his Muslim birth name of Hassan Saib to
Ramesh Hassan because he wanted to foster harmony between Hindus and Muslims
living in South Africa through music.
- Hassan had planned a series of comeback shows over the next
few months.
- He started performing at the age of 14, belting out cover
versions of popular songs of singers like Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard among
others.
- He later shifted his skills to singing in Hindi, Tamil,
Telugu, Gujarati, Urdu and the indigenous languages -Afrikaans, Zulu and
Sesotho.
- In the early 1990's, boosted by the national public
broadcast Indian radio station Lotus, Hassan became a household name with a
song about how his wife had reacted in Tamil when she saw him with an another
girl.
- He toured throughout South Africa and became one of the
first local Indian artists to stage a show at the then biggest entertainment
venue in southern Africa, the Sun City.
- Like almost all South African Indian musicians, Hassan could
not afford to depend financially on his performances only, so he also had business
interests alongside the singing profession.
- More than a million people from across Southern Africa had
been expected to flock to Lesotho in 1988 because of the scheduled visit of the
Pope.
- Hassan had several thousand Basotho blankets made, bearing
the images of the Pope, to sell them to the people in the region who
traditionally use such blankets.
Government launches full-fledged Green Skill Development Programme - 15 May 18
Highlights:
- The Environment Ministry launches full-fledged
Green Skill Development Programme for skilled workers in India.
- It aims to train over 5.5 lakh workers in environment and
forest sectors in the country through 30 courses by 2021.
- Environment minister Harsh Vardhan also unveiled a related
mobile app (GSDP-ENVIS).
- It is an ambitious programme of the ministry that will help
boost employability and entrepreneurship of the youth in the country.
- The GSDP was launched last year as a pilot project in 10
districts of the country wherein 154 youths (mainly school dropouts) were
trained as parataxonomists and biodiversity conservationists.
- After the pilot project, the government going to launch GSPD
on a large scale and 80,000 youths in the country will be trained at 80
institutions in next one year.
- The number will be raised to over 2 lakh in the following
year and by 2021 a total over 5.5 lakh youths will be trained as green skilled
workers.
- The ministry through its Environment Information
System(ENVIS) hubs and resource partners as well as other institutions across
the country.
- It will take up skill development of youth in the
environment and forest sectors through 30 courses.
- Many of these course are open for admission to 10th and 12th
dropouts.
- The courses include some interesting ones like- river
Dolphin conservator, water budgeting and auditing, forest fire management,
management of small botanical gardens, propagation and management of bamboo,
bird identification and basic ornithology, city environment surveyors among
others.
International Day of Families observes on 15th May - 15 May 18
Highlights:
- The International Day of Families is observed every year on 15th
of May across world.
- The main purpose is to promote awareness of issues relating
to families and increase knowledge of social, economic and demographic
progression that affects families which are the basic unit of society.
- It has inspired a series of awareness-raising events,
including national family days.
- In many countries, this day is an opportunity to highlight
different areas of interest and importance to families.
- Activities include workshops and conferences, radio and
television programmes, newspaper articles and cultural programmes highlighting
relevant themes.
- 2018 -Theme: “Families and inclusive societies”
- This year’s observance will explore the role of families and
family policies in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 16 in terms of promoting
peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.
India third largest solar market in the world: Mercom Communications - 15 May 18
Highlights:
- According to Mercom Communications India ,India emerged as
the third largest solar market in the world in 2017 behind China and the US.
- India set a new record with 9.6 GW of solar installations in
2017, which was more than double the 4.3 GW installed in 2016.
- As per the report, India set a new record with 9.6 GW of
solar installations in 2017, which was more than double the 4.3 GW installed in
2016.
- The robust growth boosted the country's total solar
installed capacity to 19.6 GW as of December 2017.
- In 2017, larger players started consolidating their
positions at the top as India quickly emerged as one of the most important
solar markets in the world for suppliers and vendors.
- As of 2017-end, large-scale project development accounted
for 92 % of the all-time cumulative solar installations in India with 19.6 GW,
and 2017 alone made up 90 per cent of such installations with 8.6 GW.
- Of the total 1.6 GW cumulative solar rooftop installations in
India by 2017, 995 MW was installed last year.
IIM-A centre unveils $25 million initiative to fund start-up - 15 May 18
Highlights:
- Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabads (IIM-As) centre
for innovation, incubation, and entrepreneurship launched a $25-million Bharat
Inclusion Initiative.
- It will look to mentor and invest in start-ups in the early
stage and seed segment over the next three-four years.
- The initiative received an initial pledge of $12.5 million
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
- This includes a $5 Million commitment for providing support
to startups through acceleration programs, research, training workshops and
piloting partnerships.
- The initiative aims to channelize approximately $25 Million
over the next 3-4 years in backing startups using digital technology to offer
services to the unserved.
- The Bharat Inclusion Initiative aims to provide a continuum
of solutions to inclusion focused tech entrepreneurs across the pre-incubation,
seed and scale-up stage and help them jump to the next orbit.
- CIIE will also invest in seed and pre-Series-A startups
through a dedicated Bharat Inclusion Seed Fund - which announced its initial
closing at $7.5 million and is expected to make a final close at $15Million by
July, 2018.
WHO launches 'REPLACE' to eliminate trans fat in foods by 2023 - 16 May 18
Highlights:
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a
comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced artificial trans fats
from the global food supply by 2023.
- The global health body estimates that every year,
trans fat intake leads to over 5,00,000 deaths worldwide from cardiovascular
diseases.
- Industrially-produced trans fats are contained in hardened
vegetable fats such as margarine and ghee, and are often present in snack,
baked, and fried foods.
- Implementing the six strategic actions in the 'REPLACE'
package will help achieve the elimination of trans-fat, and represent a major
victory in the global fight against cardiovascular diseases,
- The initiative provides six strategic actions to ensure the
prompt, complete, and sustained elimination of industrially-produced trans fats
from food supply.
- In Denmark, the first country to mandate restrictions on
industrially-produced trans fats, the trans-fat content of food products
declined dramatically and cardiovascular disease deaths declined more quickly,
- New York city eliminated industrially-produced trans-fat a
decade ago, following Denmark's lead.
- Trans-fat is an unnecessary toxic chemical that kills, and
there is no reason people around the world should continue to be exposed to it
- Action is needed in low and middle-income countries, where
controls of use of industrially-produced trans fats are often weaker, to ensure
that the benefits are felt equally around the world.
Atal Pension Yojana subscribers base crosses 1 crore mark - 16 May 18
Highlights:
- APY was launched by the Prime Minister of India in Kolkataon , recently and the current number of
subscribers stands at 1.10 Crore.
- Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a guaranteed Pension Scheme for
citizens of India announced by the Government of India, is focused on the
unorganised sector workers which constitute more than 85% of workforce.
- Under the APY, the guaranteed minimum pension of Rs. 1,000/-
or 2,000/- or 3,000/- or 4,000/ or 5,000/- per month will be given at the age
of 60 years depending on the contributions by the subscribers.
- The Spouse of the Subscriber is also eligible for pension
and the nominee would be receiving the accumulated pension wealth.
- Atal Pension Yojana (APY) Scheme's subscriber base crossed 1 crore on completion of 3 years of the Scheme launch.
- To commemorate the 3 years of completion of the Scheme and
its launch, Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) in
coordination with the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance,
- Government of India organised a massive outreach campaign
APY Formation Day across the country to enhance the enrolments in APY by the
banks and Department of Posts.
- The subscriber base in APY has grown manifold to reach the
current position and APY is offered by all the banks and post offices.
- Across the country, 1.60 lacs branches which include 20
thousand post offices offer the services of opening APY account for their
customers.
- Out of this branch network, nearly 90% of the branches have
mobilised one or more APY account in the last 3 years.
- Till date Rs. 3950 crores of contribution has been collected
under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) Scheme.
- The Scheme has generated around.9.10 % CAGR since its
inception till March 2018.
- PFRDA appreciates the efforts taken-out by the APY Service
Providers (Banks/DoP) for their contribution towards making India a Pensioned
Society.
Indore, Bhopal & Chandigarh cleanest cities in India - 16 May 18
Highlights:
- Indore and Bhopal have retained their position as the top
two cleanest cities for the second consecutive year and Chandigarh has been
ranked as the third cleanest city.
- New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) as the cleanest city
among municipal bodies with less than three lakh population while Greater
Mumbai was found to be the cleanest among all state capitals.
- According to the survey report, Vijayawada is cleanest among
big cities having more than one million population while Mysuru has emerged as
the cleanest among cities with population of three lakh to one million.
- During Swachh Survekshan, 37.66 lakh citizens gave their
feedback, which covered 4,203 municipal areas across the country.
- In 2017, only 434 municipal areas having one lakh or more
population were ranked on sanitation parameters.
- The on-field survey for Swachh Survekshan has been conducted
by an independent agency and the data for ranking of the cities has been
collected from three sources - service level progress; direct observation by
random field visits, and the third was citizen feedback.
- Unlike in the past, the sanitation survey has ranked at
national level and cities with population of less than one lakh were ranked at
zonal level – North, South,East, West and North East.
- India will be clean once corruption is swept away from govt
bodies who manage cities and towns.
Union Cabinet approves National Biofuel Policy - 16 May 18
Highlights:
- The Union Cabinet has approved the National Policy on Biofuels, recently.
- It allows doping of ethanol produced from damaged
foodgrains, rotten potatoes, corn and sugar beet with petrol to cut oil imports
by Rs 4,000 crore this Financial Year(F.Y).
- Till now only ethanol produced from sugarcane was allowed to
be mixed in petrol.
- The Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
approved the new policy.
What is Biofuel Policy? - The National Policy on Biofuels is an unique project which allows doping of ethanol produced from damaged foodgrains, rotten potatoes, corn and sugar beet with petrol to cut oil imports.
- It categorises biofuels as First Generation (1G), which
produce bio-ethanol from molasses and bio-diesel from non-edible oilseeds.
- Second Generation (2G) ethanol can be produced from
municipal solid waste and Third Generation (3G) fuels like bio-CNG.
- The Policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol
production by allowing use of sugarcane juice, sugar containing materials like
sugar beet, sweet sorghum, starch containing materials like corn, cassava,
damaged food grains like wheat and broken rice, and rotten potatoes.
- It also allows use of surplus food grains for production of
ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel
Coordination Committee.
- Under the policy, a viability gap funding scheme for 2G
ethanol bio refineries of Rs 5000 crore in 6 years in addition to additional
tax incentives, higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels will be provided.
- The policy also encourages setting up of supply chain
mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds, used cooking oil
and short gestation crops.
- Mixing of one crore litre of bio-ethanol in petrol saves Rs
28 crore of foreign exchange on oil imports.
- The ethanol supply year 2017-18 is likely to see a supply of
around 150 crore litres of ethanol which will result in savings of over Rs 4000
crore of forex.
- It is estimated that annually 62 million tonnes of municipal
solid waste gets generated in India.
- There are technologies available which can convert
waste/plastic and municipal solid waste to drop in fuels.
- One ton of such waste has the potential to provide around 20
% of fuel.
- Rs 800 crore is investment needed to set up a 100 kilolitre
per day bio refinery.
- At present Oil Marketing Companies are in the process of
setting up 12 2G bio refineries with an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore.
- Further addition of 2G bio refineries across the Country
will spur infrastructure investment in the rural areas and create jobs,.
- By adopting 2G technologies, agricultural residues/waste
which otherwise are burnt by the farmers can be converted to ethanol and can
fetch a price for these waste if a market is developed for the same.
International Rail Coach Expo to be hosted by Integral Coach Factory Chennai - 16 May 18
Highlights:
- For the first time an International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE)
to focus on Rail Coaches and train sets, is being held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu,
from 17th to 19th May, 2018, in the ICF RPF Parade Grounds, Chennai.
- Many reputed rail car and equipment builders will be
showcasing their technology and products. It will be a unique platform to bring
different suppliers under one roof and create synergy for “Make in India”.
- The expo is being hosted by Integral Coach Factory,
popularly known as ICF, under the Ministry of Railways, in coordination with
CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) and RITES Ltd. a PSU under Ministry of
Railways.
Features:-- Exclusive Rail Coach and train sets for display for the
first time in India
- 100+ exhibitors from 10+ countries
- Conferences/seminars on specialized subjects on Rail Coach
and Train sets
- Key brands from rail coach and train sets will be displaying
products focusing on innovation and future technologies
- Exclusive platform to meet and interact with the decision makers
and senior officials of ICF and other Indian Railway production units
- Display of Rolling Stock designs viz. train sets for 160
kmph
- Display of Rolling stock designs including interiors,
passenger amenities and other comfort features
- Development of Rolling Stock including emerging technologies
in manufacture of train coaches with Stainless Steel, Aluminium Car body and
others
- The development of High Speed Trains and the options
available for Indian Railways
- The IRCE will be inaugurated on 17th May, 2018, at 10.00 hrs
and will be open from 10.00 hrs. to 18.00 hrs. for 3 days viz. 17th to 19th
May, 2018.
- The inaugural function will be attended by Hon'ble Governor
of Tamil Nadu, Minister of State of Railways, Minister for Industries Tamil
Nadu, Chairman Railway Board, Railway Board Members, GMs and other HODs from
all Indian Railways.
- The expo will be of interest for train enthusiasts, railway
suppliers, designers, developers, and general public.
- The Expo will be open for public viewing between 15.00 hrs.
to 18.00 hrs. on 17th and 18th May, 2018.
National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMH) to be establish at Bhopal - 17 May 18
Highlights:
- The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of National
Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) at Bhopal as a Society under
the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of the Department of
Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
- The Union Cabinet Chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi.
- The estimated cumulative cost of the project is Rs. 179.54
crore in first three years.
- This includes non-recurring expenditure of Rs. 128.54 crore
and recurring expenditure of Rs. 51 crore.
- The Union Cabinet has also approved the proposal to create
three Joint Secretary level posts, which include one post of Director of the Institute
and two posts of Professors.
Objectives :- The main objectives of the NIMHR are to provide
rehabilitation services to the persons with mental illness, capacity
development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, policy framing and
advanced research in mental health rehabilitation.
- The Institute will have nine Departments/Centres and will
conduct 12 courses to offer diploma, certificate, graduate, post graduate,
M.Phil degrees in the area of mental health rehabilitation.
- Within a span of 5
years, the student intake of the institute in various courses is expected to be
over 400.
- Government of Madhya Pradesh has allocated 5 acres of land
in Bhopal for setting up of this Institute.
- The Institute will be established in three years in two
phases.
- The civil and electrical work of the
institute will be completed within two years.
- The Institute will run in a suitable rented building in Bhopal to
conduct certificate/diploma courses and also OPD services.
- Subsequently, the
Institute will provide complete set of rehabilitation services for persons with
mental illness and conduct courses upto Master's degree and M.Phil.
- NIMHR will be the first of its kind in the country in the
area of mental health rehabilitation.
- It will serve as an institution of excellence to develop
capacity building in the area of mental health rehabilitation and also help the
Government to develop models for effective rehabilitation of persons with
mental illness.
New All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) set up in Deoghar, Jharkhand - 17 May 18
Highlights: 
- The Cabinet gave approval for setting up of a new All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Deoghar, Jharkhand.
- The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved
a provision of funds worth Rs 1,103 crore for the project.
- the AIIMS will be set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya
Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
- the AIIMS will consist of a hospital with a capacity of 750
beds, trauma centre facilities and a medical college with an intake of 100 MBBS
students per year.
- The institute will also have a nursing college with an
intake of 60 B. Sc (Nursing) students per year, residential complexes and
allied facilities broadly on the pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi.
- Moreover, there will be 20 specialty and super specialty
departments including 15 operation theatres.
- There will also be an Ayush department with 30 beds for
providing treatment facilities in the traditional system of medicines.
Investment in NCD control leads to improvement in health,economy: WHO - 17 May 18
Highlights:
- According to latest WHO report, the world’s poorest
countries can gain USD 350 billion by 2030.
- The countries are scaling up investments in preventing and
treating chronic diseases like cancer and heart ailments, which will save more
than 8 million lives.
- The report is titled as ‘Saving lives, Spending Less: a
Strategic Response to NCDs’.
- It reveals for the first time the needs and returns on
investment of WHO’s cost-effective and feasible “best buy” policies to protect
people from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the leading causes of ill health
and death.
- For every USD 1 invested in scaling up actions to address
NCDs in low and lower-middle-income countries.
- There will be a return to society of at least USD 7 in
increased employment, productivity and longer life.
- The overarching message of this powerful new WHO report is
optimistic.
- Tackling NCDs is an opportunity to improve health and
economies.
- If all countries use these interventions, the world would
move significantly closer to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 to
reduce premature death from NCDs by one-third by 2030.
- NCDs impose huge economic costs that fall heaviest on the
low- and middle-income countries that can least afford them.
- This report outlines some of the most effective ways to
reduce their toll, which can help to direct more resources to where they are
needed most.
- Low and lower-middle-income countries currently bear the
brunt of premature deaths from NCDs, almost half (7.2 million) of the 15
million people who die globally every year between the age of 30 and 70 are
from the poorest countries.
75% households feel corruption went up,27% paid bribe: India Corruption Study - 17 May 18
Highlights:
- According to a latest survey by,the ‘India Corruption
Study’ about 75% of households across 13 states feel that the level of
corruption has increased or remained the same during the last one year, while
27 % confessed to paying a bribe to avail public services in the last one year.
- The study conducted by the Centre For Media Studies.
- It has covered more than 2,000 households from over 200
rural and urban clusters of 13 states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat,
Karantaka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu,
Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal.
- The report covered 11 public services - public distribution
system (PDS), electricity, health, school education, water supply , banking
services, police, judicial services, land/housing and transport and Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS, only rural).
- The study by CMS, a not-for-profit, multi-disciplinary
development research and facilitative think-tank set-up in 1991.
- It estimates that households in the 13 states that were part
of the study would have paid between Rs 2,500 to Rs 2,800 crore during a year
to avail these public services.
- People had to pay a bribe even for getting basic
identification documents as seven per cent paid a bribe to get an Aadhaar card
and three per cent to get a voter ID card.
- Between 2005 and 2018, there was a significant decline in
households that experienced corruption. While 52 % households had said that
they faced corruption in 2005, the number has reduced to 27 % this year.
- About 73 % households in Telangana were
asked to pay bribe to avail public services, while that number in the national
capital stood at 29 %.
Cabinet approves Corpus for Micro Irrigation Fund with NABARD under PMKSY - 18 May 18
Highlights:
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved an initial Corpus of
Rs.5,000 crore for setting up of a dedicated “Micro Irrigation Fund” (MIF) with
NABARD under Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (PMKSY).
Outlay:- The allocation of Rs. 2,000 crore and Rs. 3,000 crore will
be utilised during 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively.
- NABARD will extend the loan to State
Governments during this period.
- Borrowings from NABARD shall be paid back in 7 years including the grace
period of two years.
- The lending rate under MIF has been proposed at 3% lower
than the cost of raising the fund by NABARD.
- This cost shall be met from the ongoing scheme of PMKSY-PDMC
by amending the existing guidelines
- The total financial implication on interest subvention comes
to about Rs 750 crore.
Benefits:- The dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund would supplement the
efforts of Per Drop More Crop Component (PDMC) of Pradhan
MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana in an effective and timely manner.
- With the additional investment for micro irrigation
accessing MIF, innovative composite/ commodity/ community/ cluster based micro
irrigation projects/ proposals may bringabout 10 lakh ha.
- The Fund will facilitate States to mobilise resources for
theirinitiatives, including additional (top up subsidy) in implementation of
PMKSY-PDMC toachieve the annual target of about 2 Million ha/year during the
remaining period of 14thFinance Commission under Per Drop More Crop Component
of PMKSY as recommended by the Group of Secretaries.
- Implementation
Strategy and targets:
- States may access MIF for innovative integrated projects,
including projects in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and also for
incentivizing micro irrigation through an additional (top up) subsidy over and
above the one available under PMKSY-PDMC Guidelines and for covering additional
areas. It should not be a substitute for State's share in PMKSY-PDMC.
- Farmers Producers Organization (FPO)/Cooperatives/State
Level Agencies can also access the funds with State Government Guarantee or
equivalent collateral. Farmers Co-operatives may access this fund for
innovative cluster based Community Irrigation Projects.
- An Advisory Committee to provide policy direction and ensure
effective planning, coordination and monitoring along with a Steering Committee
for examining and approving the Projects/proposals from State Governments
(total cost, eligible loan amount to the State and phasing), coordination and
monitoring to ensure time bound implementation of the assisted
projects/proposals within approved cost and phasing is proposed to be
constituted.
Coverage:- The approval shall have Pan India coverage. With the
operation of MIF, it is expected that the States which are lagging behind in
adoption of Micro Irrigation would also be encouraged to take advantage of the
fund for incentivizing farmers as being done by the good performing States.
Besides, community driven and innovative projects to be taken up by the States
would bring additional coverage of Micro Irrigation.
Rationale:- The Task Force on Micro Irrigation had estimated a potential
of 69.5 m ha under micro irrigation, whereas the area covered so far is only
about 10 m. ha (14%).
- Further, the Group of Secretaries, 2017, emphasized on
target of 10 million ha under micro irrigation over the next 5 years, which
would require an additional annual coverage of about 1 million ha compared to
the present pace of implementation.
- This can be accomplished by effective
utilization of the resources of both PMKSY-PDMC and MIF in any or both of the
following manner:
- To facilitate the
States in mobilising the resources for expanding coverage of Micro Irrigation
by taking up special and innovative projects
- To incentivise
micro irrigation beyond the provisions available under PMKSY-PDMC to encourage
farmers to install micro irrigation systems
Indian economy projected to grow 7.6% in 2018-19: UN - 18 May 18
Highlights:
- According to the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects
(WESP), India's economy is projected to grow 7.6 % in fiscal year 2018-19.
- It is the fastest growing economy in the world, as robust
private consumption and benefits from past reforms help the country's GDP gain
momentum but sustained recovery in private investment remains a crucial
challenge.
- GDP growth in India is expected to climb to 7.5 and 7.6 % in
fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively.
- This is a substantial recovery from the 6.7 % growth India
registered in fiscal year 2017.
- Among the major economies, growth in India is gaining
momentum, underpinned by robust private consumption, a slightly more supportive
fiscal stance and benefits from past reforms.
- Although capital spending has shown signs of revival, a more
widespread and sustained recovery in private investment remains a crucial
challenge in India.
- Chinese economy is projected to gradually moderate from 6.9
% in 2017 to 6.5 % in 2018 and 6.3 % in 2019.
- The growth in the world economy is surpassing expectations
and global GDP is now expected to expand by more than 3% this year and in 2019,
reflecting strong growth in developed countries and broadly favourable
investment conditions.
- World economic growth is now forecast to reach 3.2 % both in
2018 and 2019, an upward revision by 0.2 and 0.1 % points, respectively.
- This revised outlook reflects further improvement in the
growth forecast for developed economies due to accelerating wage growth,
broadly favourable investment conditions, and the short-term impact of a fiscal
stimulus package in the US.
- World trade growth has also accelerated, reflecting a
widespread increase in global demand.
- Many commodity-exporting countries will also benefit from
the higher level of energy and metal prices.
- GDP growth in the region is expected to strengthen to 6.6 %
in 2018 and 6.8 % in 2019, following an expansion of 6.0 % in 2017.
- GDP growth forecasts in 2018 have been upwardly revised in
nearly 40 % of countries since the previous forecast presented in the WESP
Report 2018 was released last December.
International Museum Day observes on 18 May - 18 May 18
Highlights:
- The worldwide community of museums will celebrate
International Museum Day on and around 18 May 2018.
- The theme chosen for 2018 is "Hyperconnected museums:
New approaches, new publics".
- The objective of International Museum Day is to raise
awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural
exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding,
cooperation and peace among peoples.
- Organised on and around 18 May each year, the events and
activities planned to celebrate International Museum Day can last a day, a
weekend or a whole week.
- Participation in International Museum Day is growing among
museums all over the world.
- In 2017, more than 36,000 museums participated in the event
in some 157 countries.
- International Museum Day was instituted in 1977 by
International Council of Museums (ICOM).
- It was created in 1946 and is headquartered in Paris,
France.
- It serves as a network of museum professionals (35,000
members in 137 countries) acting in wide range of museum- and heritage-related
disciplines.
Ramalingam Sudhakar sworn-in as Chief Justice of Manipur HC - 18 May 18
Highlights:
- Justice Ramalingam
Sudhakar was sworn-in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur.
- The Acting Governor of Manipur Jagdish Mukhi administered
the oath of office to Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar at Raj Bhavan.
- He is a Senior most judge from the Madras high court.
- He was acting as the chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir high
court before his present appointment.
Brief History:- Justice Sudhakar hails from
Panapakkam village in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu.
- He graduated with a
bachelor’s degree in life sciences from Loyola College, Chennai, and obtained a
law degree from Madras Law College.
- He was enrolled as an advocate in 1983 and started practice
as an associate of senior advocate Habibullah Badsha, former advocate general
of Tamil Nadu.
- He was appointed as a judge of the Madras high court in 2005.
- In 2016, Justice Sudhakar was appointed as a judge of the Jammu and Kashmir
high court.
- He was appointed as the acting chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir
high court this year.
Cyclone Sagar: IMD issues advisory to 5 states, 1 UT - 19 May 18
Highlights:
- The India Meteorological Department issued an advisory to
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and the Lakshadweep archipelago
over cyclonic storm 'Sagar'.
- The cyclonic storm lay centered over the Gulf of Aden, about
390 km east-northeast of Yemen's Aden city and 560 km west-northwest of Socotra
Islands.
- It is very likely to intensify further slightly during the
next 12 hours and continue to move westwards for some more time and then move
west-southwest wards thereafter.
- Fishermen are advised not to venture into Gulf of Aden and
adjoining areas of west central and southwest Arabian Sea during the next 48
hours.
- Gale winds speed reaching 70-80 kilometers per
hour gusting to 90 kmph are very likely around the system centre covering Gulf
of Aden and adjoining areas of west central and southwest Arabian Sea during
the next 24 hours and gradually decrease thereafter.
- Sea condition will be high around the system
centre covering Gulf of Aden and adjoining areas of west central and southwest
Arabian Sea during the next 24 hours
Zojila Pass tunnel inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi - 19 May 18
Highlights:
- Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 19 May 2018 inaugurated Zojila Pass tunnel ambitious tunnel project.
- It will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh and, at
14.2 km, will also be the country’s longest road tunnel.
- The tunnel will cut down the time taken to cross the Zojila
pass from the 3.5 hours to 15 minutes.
- It will also be Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel and
will be built at a cost of Rs. 809 crore. It is expected to be completed in
five years.
- The pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 ft. on the
Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway and remains closed during winters due to
heavy snowfall, which cuts off Ladakh region from Kashmir.
Uttam Pacharne appointed the new Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi - 19 May 18
Highlights:
- Noted artist and sculptor Uttam Pacharne was appointed the
chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi.
- He was till now member of
the advisory committee, Kala Academy, Goa and member of advisory committee, P L
Deshpande State Lalit Kala Academy and director, Janseva Sahakari Bank,
Borivali.
- Pacharne is the recipient of National Lalit Kala Award 1985,
Maharashtra Gaurav Puraska 1985 from Government of Maharashtra, Junior National
Award 1986 and Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar 2017 from Prafulla Dahanukar Foundation.
- Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's
national academy of fine arts.
- It is an autonomous organisation, established in
New Delhi in 1954 to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in and
outside the country.
“Akademik Lomonosov”: The first floating nuclear power station that was launched by Russia - 20 May 18
Highlights:
- The world’s first floating nuclear power
station named as “Akademik Lomonosov”was launched by Russia during May 2018 as part of its plan to
develop oil resources in Arctic.
- “Akademik Lomonosov” is a floating nuclear
power station built by Russia.
- It was officially launched on 19 May 2018
primarily to meet Russia’s growing electricity needs in its drive to develop
oil resources in remote Arctic regions.
- Built in Saint Petersburg, the nuclear ship was loaded with
nuclear fuel in Murmansk before heading to eastern Siberia.
- The 144-by-30-metre (472-by-98-foot) barge holds two
reactors with two 35 megawatt nuclear reactors that are similar to those used
to power icebreaker ships.
Government earns Rs 1,400 crore as revenue from e-tourist visa - 20 May 18
Highlights:
- The government has earned Rs 1,400 crore as revenue from the
highly successful e-Visa scheme, offered to citizens of 163 countries visiting
India as tourists, since its launch in 2014.
- The popular e-Visa scheme
was availed by 19 lakh tourists in 2017 and it is expected that more than 25
lakh tourists will avail the facility in 2018.
- Since its launch in 2014, the e-Visa scheme has earned
revenue of more than Rs 1,400 crore.
- The e-Visa fees are divided into four slabs of zero, $ 25, $
50 and $ 75 which were fixed on reciprocity and depending on nationality.
- The e-Visa scheme has been implemented by the foreigners
division of the home ministry with a view to improve the efficiency and transparency
of various services being provided to foreign nationals.
- The facility is now available for nationals of 163 countries
for entry into India through 25 international airports and five sea ports.
- Under the e-visa scheme, an applicant, when an online
application is submitted, receives an e-mail authorising him or her to travel
to India after it has been approved.
- The tourist can travel with a print-out of this
authorisation.
- On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to
the immigration authorities who would then allow the entry into the country.
- The window for application under e-Visa scheme has been
increased from 30 days to 120 days and duration of stay on e-Visa has been
increased from 30 days to 60 days with double entry on e-tourist and e-business
visa and triple entry on e-medical visa.
- Cruise tourists with
e-Visas has been exempted from the requirement of biometric enrolment till
December 31, 2020 as many of the cruise ships coming to India are mega ships
with 2,000-4,000 passengers on board.
MCX launches India’s first copper options - 20 May 18
Highlights:
- Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (MCX) has launched
India’s first options contract on copper futures.
- The contract has clocked a traded volume of 461 lots with
value of Rs. 21.89 crore.
- The option contract will provide physical market
participants additional instrument to hedge their price risk.
- The copper option contracts were launch with lot size of 1
tonne in three contracts expiring in June, August and November 2018.
- Copper ranks as the third-most-consumed industrial metal in
the world, after iron and aluminium.
- The world’s refined copper usage has
surged in the last few years, owing to the growing demand in sectors like electrical
and electronic products, building construction, industrial machinery and
equipment, transportation equipment, and consumer and general products.
- Copper ore production in India stood at 3,846 thousand
tonnes in 2016-17.
- India's consumption demand for refined copper stood at 820
thousand tonnes in the F.Y-2016.
Navika Sagar Parikrama: Indian Navy’s all-women crew completes circumnavigating globe expedition - 20 May 18
Highlights:
- An all-woman crew commanding the INSV Tarini returned to INS
Mandovi boat pool in Panaji, Goa.
- It has returned after successfully circumnavigating the
globe in a 55-foot sailboat in more than eight months.
- It is the first-ever Indian expedition steered by women
sailors.
- The 'Navika Sagar Parikrama' expedition was flagged off on
September 10.
- The ship covered a total of 21,980 nautical miles in INSV
Tarini, inducted into the Indian Navy on February 18 last year.
- The six women officers were trained for the project under
Captain Dilip Donde, the first Indian to solo-circumnavigate the globe between
August 19, 2009, and May 19, 2010, onboard the Indian-built vessel INSV Mhadei.
- The expedition was completed in six legs, with stopovers at
Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland
Islands), Cape Town (South Africa) and Mauritius.
- The crew covered 21,600 nautical miles in the Indian-built
sailing vessel INSV Tarini that visited five countries and crossed the Equator
twice.
- It sailed across four continents and three oceans, and
passed south of the three Great Capes - Leeuwin, Horn and Good Hope.
IIT-K establishes country’s first centre for energy regulation - 21 May 18
Highlights:
- The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) has set up first
of its kind Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) in the country.
- The aim is to strengthen policy and regulatory limitations
in energy and power sector.
- The CERC unveiled the centre’s logo and its web portal at
the launch ceremony held in New Delhi on May 17.
- The centre was set up with assistance of the UK Government.
- It would adopt innovative approach to engage with
stakeholders in the power sector, especially the electricity regulatory
commissions, electric utilities and the academia.
- The centre would also develop a regulatory database to
enable stakeholders in taking more informed decisions.
- The online learning modules and tools would help enhance
understanding of the regulatory and policy aspect for the beginners as well as
advanced learners and the centre’s output can later be accessed from its web
portal cer.iitk.ac.in.
- The centre was expected to play a key role in providing
independent advisory on the policy and regulatory matters.
- The sector would be benefited by the centre’s activities,
particularly regulatory research based on its knowledge base comprising
regulatory database and learning tools.
Gina Haspel sworn in as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - 21 May 18
Highlights:
- Gina Haspel was sworn in as the new Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) on 21 May 2018.
- She become the first-ever woman
Director of US’ intelligence agency.
- Earlier ,the US Senate on 17 May 2018
had voted to confirm Haspel's nomination, 54 to 45, despite lingering concerns
about the role she played in the brutal interrogation of suspected terrorists
captured after the 11 Sept 2001, attacks.
“Black Panther”: The anti-Naxal combat force for the state of Chhattisgarh - 21 May 18
Highlights:
- “Black Panther” will be the name of the proposed specialized
anti-Naxal combat force for the state of Chhattisgarh that will be constituted
on the lines of the Greyhounds.
- This was announced by Union Home Minister
Rajnath Singh on 21 May 2018.
- He was speaking to reporters after chairing a
meeting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).
- The Greyhounds is a special force in Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh that specialises in anti-insurgency operations against Naxals and
Maoists.
India successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise - 21 May 18
Highlights:
- India successfully test-fired the Indo-Russian joint venture
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a test range along the Odisha coast to
validate some new features.
- The missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher stationed
at Launch pad 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur by Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- The trial was conducted to validate its "life
extension" technologies developed for the first time in India by DRDO and
team BraHmos.
- The successful test will result in huge savings of
replacement cost of missiles held in the inventory of the Indian Armed Forces.
- The two-stage missile - first being solid and the second
one, a ramjet liquid propellant - has already been introduced in the Army and
Navy, while the Air Force version had witnessed successful trial.
- BrahMos variants can be launched from land, air, sea and
under water.
- India successfully launched the world's fastest supersonic
cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30 MKI combat jet for the first time against a
target in the Bay of Bengal in November.
- The missiles land and naval variants are already in service.
- At least two Su-30 squadrons with 20 planes each are planned
to be equipped with the air-launch variant BrahMos missile, 500 kg lighter than
land/naval variants.
- India has already extended the range of the three-tonne
missile from its earlier 290 km to 400 km and successfully test-fired the
variant in March 2017.
- Increasing the missile's range from 400 km to further 800 km
is now possible after India's induction into the Missile Technology Control
Regime in June 2016.
- India was bound by restrictions that limited the range of
the missile, which is an Indo-Russian joint venture product, to less than 300
km.
- Currently, the Army is equipped with three regiments of
Block 111 version of BrahMos missile. Induction of the first version of BrahMos
missile system in Indian Navy began with INS Rajput in 2005. It is now fully
operational with two regiments of the Army.
- After two successful test trials of BrahMos missile from INS
Kolkata in June 2014 and February 2015, the test firing from INS Kochi on
September 30, 2015, had validated the newly commissioned ship's systems.
- The air launch version and the submarine launch version of
the missile system are in progress.
- So far, the Army has placed orders for the BrahMos missile
which are to be deployed by three regiments. Two of them are already
operational.
- The last land-based trial was conducted from the same base on
March 11, 2017 successfully.
“Nipah” : A deadly virus that struck the state of Kerala - 21 May 18
Highlights:
- “Nipah” is the name
of a deadly virus that struck causing large-scale panic in the state of Kerala during May 2018.
- It induces
flu-like symptoms that often lead to encephalitis and coma.
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), fruit bats are
considered the main carrier of the virus for which there is no vaccination.
- The traces of this virus were found in blood and body fluid
samples of two persons who died of viral fever in Kerala’s coastal Kozhikode
region.
- It was confirmed by laboratory results from National Institute of
Virology, Pune.
- By 21 May at least 11 persons died in Kerala, including a nurse
who treated a Nipah patient.
- Nipah was first identified in Malaysia in 1998.
- In India the
disease was first reported in 2001 and again six years later, with the two
outbreaks claiming 50 lives.
- There is no effective treatment of Nipah and
treatment mostly focuses on managing symptoms like fever.
Sterlite’s copper smelter plant Case: at least 10 people were killed in police firing - 22 May 18
Highlights:
- Sterlite’s copper smelter plant situated in Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district of Tamil Nadu came into news at least 10 people were killed in police
firing on 22 May 2018 after protests against the plant turned violent.
- Sterlite Industries, a unit of London-based Vedanta
Resources, established India’s biggest copper smelter in Thoothukudi district
of Tamil Nadu (also known by its British name Tuticorin).
- But since opening in 1996 this plant has split Tuticorin
between residents who say it is crucial for the local economy and farmers and
fishermen who see it as a health hazard.
- The plant has numerous controversies associated with it.
- It was alleged that the poisonous gases leaked from the
plant on 23 March 2018, which the company denied.
- A huge protest was staged by locals against the proposed
doubling of capacity of this plant on 22 May 2018.
- At least 10 people were killed in police firing when the
police tried to quell the protestors.
- After this the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)
ordered the closure of the plant with immediate effect and disconnected
electricity supply to the unit on 24 May 2018.
India’s largest banking entity SBI net loss Rs. 7,718.17 crore - 22 May 18
Highlights:
- India’s largest banking
entity SBI net loss of Rs. 7,718.17 crore for the quarter ending March 2018 compared to a profit of Rs. 2,814.82 crore a year ago, as was reported by the bank on 22
May 2018.
- This is SBI’s loss for the second consecutive quarter as bad
loans continued to mount and provisions soared.
- The bank had posted a net loss of Rs. 2,416 crore in the
fiscal third quarter (ending December 2018).
- Provisions and contingencies surged 139.32% to Rs.28,096.07
crore in the quarter from Rs. 11,740.09 crore a year ago.
- On a quarter-on-quarter basis, they rose 48.8% from
Rs.18,876.21 crore.
First commercial aircraft launched from Pasighat to Guwahati - 22 May 18
Highlights:
- The long-cherished dream of the people of Arunachal Pradesh
to have air connectivity was fulfilled with flagging off of the first
fixed-wing commercial aircraft.
- The First commercial
aircraft launched from Pasighat to Guwahati.
- In the second round of bidding i.e. Regional Connectivity
Scheme-UDAN 2, eight locations in Arunachal Pradesh were selected by bidders.
- The 42-seat Alliance Air ATR will fly between Guwahati and
Pasighat thrice a week for the start. Besides Alliance Air, which is a
subsidiary of Air India, Zoom Air and Turbo Jet are set to commence their
services soon.
- There are about 120 helipads and 10 Advance Landing Ground
(ALG) - Ziro, Pasighat, Aalo,Tuting, Mechuka, Vijaynagar, Walong, Tezu,
Daporijo and Alinye, in the state.
- Khandu along with Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein,
Assembly Speaker T.N.
- Thongdok and other cabinet ministers and legislators became
the first passengers of the maiden flight from Guwahati airport.
International Day for Biological Diversity observe 22 May - 22 May 18
Highlights: 
- The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 as the
International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and
awareness of biodiversity issues.
- It was first created by the Second Committee of the UN
General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December.
- In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as
IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992
by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text
of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- This was partly done because it was difficult for many
countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29
December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.
- Themes: 2018 –“ Celebrating 25 Years of Action for
Biodiversity".
India ranks 145th among 195 countries in healthcare access, quality: Lancet - 23 May 18
Highlights:
- According to a Lancet study, India ranks 145th among 195
countries in terms of quality and accessibility of healthcare, behind its
neighbours like China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
- The Global Burden of Disease study, however, mentioned that
India has seen improvements in healthcare access and quality since 1990.
- In 2016, India's healthcare access and quality scored at
41.2 (up from 24.7 in 1990).
- Although India's improvements on the (healthcare access and
quality) HAQ index hastened from 2000 to 2016, the gap between the country's
highest and lowest scores widened (23·4-point difference in 1990, and
30·8-point difference in 2016).
- It said that Goa and Kerala had the highest scores in 2016,
each exceeding 60 points, whereas Assam and Uttar Pradesh had the lowest, each
below 40.
- India lags behind China (48), Sri Lanka (71), Bangladesh (
133) and Bhutan (134) while its health index was better than those of Nepal
(149), Pakistan (154) and Afghanistan (191).
- The five countries with the highest levels of healthcare
access and quality in 2016 were Iceland (97.1 points), Norway (96.6), the
Netherlands (96.1), Luxembourg (96.0), and Finland and Australia (each with
95.9).
- The countries with the lowest scores were the Central
African Republic (18.6), Somalia (19.0), Guinea-Bissau (23.4), Chad (25.4), and
Afghanistan (25.9).
- According to the study, India performed poorly in tackling
cases of tuberculosis, rheumatic heart diseases, Ischaemic heart diseases,
stroke, testicular cancer, colon cancer and chronic kidney disease among
others.
- Subnational inequalities were particularly pronounced in
China and India, although high-income countries, including England and the US,
also saw considerable local gaps in performance, it said.
- The study stated large disparities in subnational levels of
personal healthcare access and quality emerged for several countries,
especially China and India.
- The study used an index to measure the quality and
accessibility of healthcare, based on 32 causes of death which should be
preventable with effective medical care.
- Each of the 195 countries and territories assessed were
given a score between 0-100.
- For the first time, the study also analysed healthcare
access and quality between regions within seven countries: Brazil, China,
England, India, Japan, Mexico, and the US.
- At least two prime ministers were given Bharat Ratna for
this achievement.
- Shame on the successive PMs who are masters of making empty
promises.
- In 2016, the global average healthcare access and quality
score was 54.4, increasing from 42.4 points in 2000.
- Disparities between countries remained similar in 2016 and
2000, with a 78.5 point gap between the best and worst performing countries in
2016 (18.6 in the Central African Republic and 97.1 in Iceland), compared with
79.3 points in 2000 (13.5 in Somalia and 92.8 in Iceland).
H.D. Kumaraswamy was sworn in as 24th Chief Minister of Karnataka - 23 May 18
Highlights:
- Janata Dal (Secular) Legislature Party leader H.D.
Kumaraswamy was sworn in as Chief Minister on 23 May 2018.
- He became the 24th
Chief Minister of Karnataka.
- Congress party's G. Parameshwara was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.
- Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of
office and secrecy to JDS’ H.D. Kumaraswamy on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha.
- The presence of a galaxy of national leaders, who are in the
forefront of an effort to form a united non-BJP coalition, was the highlight of
this oath ceremony.
- The 58-year old Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the Chief Minister
for the second time.
- He was the Chief Minister for 20 months in the JD(S)-BJP
coalition government during 2006-07.
- Earlier BJP’s B.S. Yeddyurappa resigned from the post of Chief
Minister on 19 May 2018, just two days after taking oath as he could not cobble
up the required majority in the House.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY): Finance ministry ties up with e-commerce firms to give loans - 23 May 18
Highlights:
- The finance ministry has joined hands with over two dozen
e-commerce firms, including major players like Amazon, Flipkart, Ola and Uber
to provide easy finance to small entrepreneurs under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra
Yojana (PMMY).
- The three way partnership between lenders, industry and the
government aims to facilitate small business loans.
- PMMY is a flagship scheme of the government to provide loans
of up to Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs.
- The loans are being given by banks, small finance banks,
non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and micro finance institutions.
- The scheme aims to strengthen forward and backward linkages
for robust value chains anchored by industries, aggregators, franchisors and
associations.
- There are companies like Ola, Flipkart, Uber, dabbawalas,
cable operators, Zomato, which have several small entrepreneurs as partners who
require loans.
- The bank looks for good entrepreneurs, the companies look
for supporting their partners and we are just trying to connect these dots.
- Other companies participating in the scheme include
MakeMyTrip, Oyo, Meru Cab, Big Basket, Carz on Rent, Habib Salon, among others.
- Last financial year, the government had extended Rs 2.53
lakh crore credit under the Mudra scheme, taking the total credit extended in
the last three years to Rs 5.73 lakh crore.
Rajasthan launches ‘Nidaan’ software for disease monitoring - 23 May 18
Highlights:
- A new software, ‘Nidaan’, has been launched by state
government of Rajasthan.
- The main purpose is to provide presumptive diagnosis and
monitoring of seasonal and non-communicable diseases as well as the trends of
ailments found in specific areas.
- It is expected to help in formulation of specific action
plans for control of diseases.
- The new arrangement would also help strengthen tele-medicine
services in the government hospitals.
- “Nidaan” will facilitate online entries of as many as 46
diseases and healthcare services available for their treatment in different
institutions.
- A simultaneous monitoring of the programmes run under the
National Health Mission would help in an effective policy formulation in the
health sector.
- The availability of quality healthcare services is the
primary objective of this exercise.
- The monitoring of activities of District Early Intervention
Centres is equally important for ensuring timely prevention of diseases.
AB de Villiers retires from international cricket with immediate effect - 24 May 18
Highlights:
- South Africa's cricket star AB de Villiers has decided to retire from international with
immediate effect.
- This shocking announcement comes on the back of his stint
with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2018 Indian Premier League.
- AB de Villiers had carved his niche as one of the greatest
batsmen to have played the game.
- AB de Villiers played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is for South Africa .
- In 114 Tests, he scored 8765 runs; in 228
ODIs, he scored 9577 runs.
- He last played for South Africa in the four-Test series
against Australia at home and scored 427 runs including one hundreds.
- AB de
Villiers was also the second highest run-scorer in the three-Test series
against India.
- The 34-year-old de Villiers also holds the record for the
fastest fifty, fastest hundred and and fastest 150 in ODIs.
India’s billionaire count to rise 3 times by 2027 - 24 May 18
Highlights:
- According to AfrAsia Bank Global Wealth Migration Review, India has the third largest number of billionaires in the world.
- In the next decade, as many as 238 additional ultra high net worth individuals will join this elite club.
- India currently has 119 billionaires, and this number is expected to swell to 357 by 2027.
- Over the next 10 years, while India is expected to create 238 additional billionaires, its neighbour China is likely to add as 448 such individuals.
- By 2027, the United States is likely to have the maximum number of billionaires at 884, followed by China (697), and India (357) in the second and third positions, respectively.
- Billionaires refer to individuals with net assets of USD 1 billion or more.
- Russian Federation (142), United Kingdom (113), Germany (90) and Hong Kong (78). Globally, there are 2,252 billionaires at present, and this number is expected to increase to 3,444 by 2027.
- India is the sixth wealthiest country in the world with a total wealth of USD 8,230 billion.
- The US is the wealthiest country in the world with a total wealth of USD 62,584 billion, followed by China (USD 24,803 billion) and Japan (USD 19,522 billion).
- Factors that will help in wealth creation in India include, large number of entrepreneurs, good educational system, robust outlook for IT, business process outsourcing, real estate, healthcare and media sectors which will result in a 200 % rise 10-year wealth growth forecast.
- Meanwhile, global wealth is expected to rise by 50 % over the next decade, reaching USD 321 trillion by 2027.
- The fastest growing wealth markets are expected to be Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, China, Mauritius.
India seeks Australia's help to combat Nipah virus - 24 May 18
Highlights:
- The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has written
to the Queensland government in Australia asking it to provide an antibody
developed there to test if it can "neutralise" the virus in humans.
- The antibody has not been tested on humans so far.
- India asked Australia to give her monoclonal antibody for
conducting a test in India to find out if it can neutralise the Nipah virus in
humans."
- In Australia, it has only been tried in vitro (happening
outside the body in artificial conditions, often in a test tube) and has been
found to be effective.
- But it has not been tested on humans.
- ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation,
coordination and promotion of biomedical research.
- Australia is ready to share as it will help generate data on
the efficacy of the antibody.
- the infection caused by Nipah virus has a high mortality
rate (50-70 pc).
- According to National Vector Borne Disease Control
Programme, the drug ribavirin has been shown to be effective against the
viruses in vitro, but human investigations to date have been inconclusive and
the clinical usefulness of the drug remains uncertain.
- The death toll due to outbreak of Nipah virus rose to 12 in
the southern state of Kerala, with one more person succumbing to the deadly
virus in Kozhikode this morning.
- Meanwhile, there are reports of dead bats being found on the
premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh, samples of which have been
sent for testing to NIV, Pune, to ascertain the reason behind their deaths.
- Out of the 12 deaths in Kerala so far due to the virus, nine
people died in Kozhikode district and three in Mallappuram.
- Besides, about 160 samples have been sent for testing at the
virology institute.
- What is Nipah virus (NiV) ?
- Nipah virus (NiV)infection is a newly emerging zoonosis
that causes severe disease in both animals and humans.
- The natural host of the
virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.
- Currently, there is no vaccine or drug for the treatment of
the NiV infection. The treatment for human cases is supportive and management
treatment along with intensive supportive care.
- The virus spreads through close contact with people's
secretions and excretions. Eating food which may have the droplets of saliva
and urine of infected bats can lead to the transmission of the virus.
- Earlier, cases of Nipah virus were reported from Siliguri in
2001 and Nadia in 2007 in West Bengal and around 47 deaths were reported.
UGC permission to top Indian universities and colleges to offer online courses from 2018-19 - 24 May 18
Highlights:
- The University
Grants Commission (UGC) on 24 May 2018 gave permission to top
Indian universities and colleges to allowed them to offer online courses
from 2018-19.
- The University Grants Commission (UGC) is a Higher education regulator in India.
- It approved new rules allowing top Indian universities and colleges
to offer online courses including degrees and diplomas from the 2018-19
academic year.
- The higher educational institutions will
be eligible to offer online programmes if they have been in existence for at
least five years and are accredited by the National Assessment and
Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a valid minimum score of 3.26 or A+
categorisation on a 4-point scale.
- To be allowed to offer online courses, institutions should
also be in the top-100 in overall category in the National Institutional
Ranking Framework (NIRF) for at least two years in the previous three years. However,
NAAC and NIRF conditions shall not be applicable to existing government open
universities.
- However, online programmes requiring practical/laboratory
courses as a curricular requirement shall not be permitted.
Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve awarded the India Biodiversity Award 2018 - 25 May 18
Highlights: 
- Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve Management
Committee (SBVCR) of Arunachal Pradesh was awarded the India Biodiversity Award
2018 on 22 May 2018, on the occasion of the International Day for Biological
Diversity.
- SBVCR was awarded the India Biodiversity Award for its effort to conserve a critically endangered bird.
- This community was awarded this prestigious award for its
effort to conserve the critically endangered bird – ‘Bugun liocichla’.
- This
bird was discovered in 2006 in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
- The
bird has been named in honour of the efforts of the Bugun community of
Singchung village in West Kameng district in conserving the wildlife and forest
of the area.
- The known population of this species is between 14 and 20
individual birds and occupies an extremely small (3 to 4 square kilometre) area
in the temperate forest around 2,200m which is entirely within the traditional
lands of Singchung village.
TCS became first-ever Indian company to surge past market capitalization Rs.7 trillion - 25 May 18
Highlights:
- Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS) corporate entity on 25 May 2018 became the
first-ever Indian company to surge past market capitalization of Rs. 7
trillion.
- Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.’s (TCS) is one of the Software major company in India.
- TCS’s market cap
jumped to Rs. 703,309 crore in intraday trading on the BSE.
- TCS market cap had
earlier this year surged past the Rs. 6 trillion mark, making it the second
company to achieve the milestone after Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).
Brief History:- Tata Consultancy Services Limited is an Indian multinational information technology service, consulting and business solutions company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group and operates in 46 countries.
- Revenue: 1,908 crores USD (2018)
- Founded: 1968
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Founders: F. C. Kohli, J. R. D. Tata
India’s first-ever national sports university will be established in Imphal - 25 May 18
Highlights:
- The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to
set up India's first national sports university.
- This proposed university
will be established in Manipur.
- The pertaining bill is already pending in parliament and the
Union Government on 23 May 2018 approved an ordinance in this regard.
- The Manipur government has already allocated land for the
proposed university.
- This was disclosed by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad.
- The Union Government is of the view that a void exists in the
sports environment of the country in various areas such as sports science,
sports technology, high performance training and the proposed university is
expected to bridge this gap.
“Bangladesh Bhavan” was inaugurated by PM in Santiniketan - 25 May 18
Highlights:
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the
Bangladesh Bhavan in Santiniketan (West Bengalon) 25 May 2018.
- Bangladesh
counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
- The two Prime Ministers also attended the convocation
ceremony of Visva-Bharati University.
- The Bangladesh Bhavan at Santiniketan will house a library,
a state-of-the-art archival centre, and a seminar hall, besides a sprawling
space for cultural get-togethers.
- Apart from the literary works of Rabindranath
Tagore, the centre will also showcase books and photographs on the Bangladesh
Liberation War and India's role in it.
SEBI notice to ICICI Bank, CEO Kochhar for Videocon loan matter - 26 May 18
Highlights:
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued
notice to ICICI Bank and its managing director and chief executive officer
(MD&CEO) Chanda Kochhar in the Videocon loan matter.
- It also involves Nupower Renewables, a company promoted by
her husband Deepak Kochhar.
- The MD&CEO and the bank received a notice from SEBI on
May 24, 2018.
- The notice has been issued based on information furnished by
the bank/its MD&CEO to queries made by SEBI concerning dealings between the
bank and Videocon Group and certain dealings allegedly between Videocon Group
& Nupower, an entity.
- Mr. Deepak Kochhar is spouse of the MD&CEO, ICICI has
economic interests.
- The watchdog has issued the notice for the bank’s alleged
non-compliance with certain provisions of Securities Contracts (Regulation)
(Procedure for Holding Inquiry and Imposing Penalties by Adjudicating Officer)
Rules 2005 and also SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)
Regulations 2015.
- The capital market regulator could impose a monetary penalty
on the entities to whom the notice has been sent.
- The case pertains to a loan of Rs.3,250 crore given by ICICI
Bank to Videocon Group in 2012.
- In March, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had
started a preliminary inquiry into the loan and is looking into an alleged link
between the loan and the funding of NuPower Renewables, a company founded by
Mr. Kochhar and others.
- The CBI has already examined some officials of ICICI Bank in
connection with the probe and has also questioned Rajiv Kochhar, the
brother-in-law of Ms. Kochhar.
- Meanwhile, the PE has named Videocon Group promoter Mr
Dhoot, Deepak Kochhar and unidentified others.
Nepal became the first from South-East Asia Region to eliminate trachoma - 26 May 18
Highlights: 
- Nepal became the first from South-East Asia Region to eliminate trachoma, which is
the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.
- A letter acknowledging Nepal’s historic achievement of
eliminating trachoma was presented to Nepal by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) in a programme held in Geneva, Switzerland on 21 May 2018.
- Nepal thus became the first country in WHO’s South-East Asia
Region to defeat trachoma, which is rated as the world’s leading infectious
cause of blindness.
- It is worth mentioning that trachoma was the second leading
cause of preventable blindness in Nepal in the 1980s.
- In 2002, the Government of Nepal stepped up efforts to
eliminate the disease with the establishment of a national trachoma programme.
- The fight against trachoma in Nepal gained momentum due to
strong government commitment and leadership backed by community engagement and
the support of health workers and volunteers.
Professor Ganeshi Lal and Kummanam Rajasekharan appointed Governors of Odisha and Mizoram - 26 May 18
Highlights:
- Haryana BJP leader Professor Ganeshi Lal has been appointed
as the Governor of Odisha while party's Kerala unit chief Kummanam Rajasekharan
is set to take over as the Governor of Mizoram.
- Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik was additionally discharging
the duties of Odisha Governor since March, 2018.
- The tenure of Lt Gen (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma, the incumbent
Mizoram Governor, ends on May 28.
- Prof. Lal, a former Haryana MLA was once the state BJP
chief. He is currently part of BJP's Disciplinary Committee, according to the
party's website.
- Mr. Rajasekharan, who began his political journey as an RSS
pracharak, is the Kerala BJP chief.
- He was instrumental in bringing together various Hindu
outfits in Kerala under the umbrella of Hindu Aikya Vedi.
- While BJP is the principal opposition party in Odisha, it
has no presence in the Mizoram Assembly.
PM laid the foundation of the first phase of Patratu Super Thermal Power Project - 26 May 18
Highlights:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the
first phase of 2,400 Megawatt (Mw) capacity of NTPC's Patratu Super Thermal
Power Project on 25 May 2018.
- This super thermal power plant being established at a cost
of around Rs. 18,000 crore is in Jharkhand
- NTPC's Patratu Super Thermal Power Project is situated in
NTPC's Patratu village in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district.
- The project is a Joint Venture with 74% stake of the
Jharkhand government and Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd’s (PVUNL) 26% stake.
PVUNL is a subsidiary of NTPC.
- PVUNL plans to develop the project in two phases with 2,400
MW capacity including three units of 800 MW capacity each to be commissioned in
Phase-I and 1,600 MW with two units of 800 MW capacity each in Phase-II.
- The project will allocate 85% of the power generated to
Jharkhand.
- This first unit is expected to be commissioned in 2022.
Toyota Motor Corp and Suzuki Motor Corp entered int technology transfer agreement - 27 May 18
Highlights:
- Toyota Motor Corp. entered into a technology transfer
agreement with auto company Suzuki Motor Corp. for the development of an ultra
high-efficiency power train for India and other global markets.
- Toyota Motor Corp. is presently world’s largest automaker.
- Under the agreement, Suzuki will receive support for the
development of a compact, ultra high-efficiency power train that is vital to
the company.
- While Denso and Toyota will provide Suzuki with
technological support for the compact power train, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt.
Ltd will produce models developed by Suzuki for sale in India.
- It is worth mentioning that in March 2018,Toyota and Suzuki
had agreed to sell cars from their respective stables on both platforms, to deepen
their ties.
Supreme Court set up Committee to look into grievances of CLAT students status report - 27 May 18
Highlights:
- The Supreme Court asked a two-member committee headed by
former Kerala high court judge to examine their grievances before declaring the
results for admission in law colleges.
- CLAT 2018 was conducted on May 13 by National University of
Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi and the result is scheduled to be
declared on May 31.
- Many law aspiring students from almost 200 online
examination centres faced problems in taking the exam.
- The problems included power cuts, failure of log-in system
and slow biometric verification, resulting in substantial loss of time for the
candidates.
- After the intervention of the Supreme Court which asked
NUALS to come out with some solution to address the grievances of students.
- The University told a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and
Indu Malhotra that it had appointed a two-member committee headed by retired
Kerala high court judge Justice MR Hariharan Nair to look into the issue.
- It asked the committee
to scrutinise all complaints which were filed earlier or will be filed in the
coming days till May 27 and recommend remedial action to be taken by the
appropriate authority.
- The court asked the committee to file the status report by
May 30 when it will further hear the case, a day before the result is to be
declared.
- The court was hearing the pleas filed by six candidates who
appeared for the CLAT, seeking a direction to quash the examination and hold it
afresh.
- They alleged that the candidates faced several technical
problems during the on-line test, besides poor infrastructure at examination
centres and lack of proper guidance from staffers.
- As some of the students have approached high courts of
Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Bombay, Punjab and Haryana and Rajasthan on the problems
faced by them in examination.
- It had earlier asked the high court not to proceed in those
cases as the matter was being examined by it.
India’s first 14-lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway inaugurated - 27 May 18
Highlights:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 May 2017 inaugurated
the first phase of India’s first 14-lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
- The expressway will connect Delhi to Meerut, and on completion will reduce the
travel time between Delhi and Meerut to 45 minutes from the present about 3-4
hours.
- It has been built at a cost of Rs. 841 crore.
- The first package of the DME will provide a major relief to
the commuters in Delhi-Noida and starts from Nizamuddin Bridge to UP Border
having a 6 lane Expressway and 4+4 lane Highway.
- DME is the first bridge in the country that have vertical
gardens with solar power system and drip irrigation.
- The scheduled time period
for the construction of this project was 30 months whereas the project has been
completed in 17 months.
- The Prime Minister also inaugurated the 135-km Eastern
Periphery Expressway (EPE) which bypasses Delhi on the eastern side.
- The
expressway provides connectivity between Delhi and the cities of Ghaziabad,
Faridabad, Greater Noida, Baghpat and Sonipat.
- The expressway has been
constructed at a cost of Rs. 11000 crores to relieve traffic congestion in the
Faridabad-Ghaziabad stretch and also to prevent pollution causing commercial
vehicles from entering Delhi.
- The EPE has several unique features and is India's first
highway to be lit by solar power besides provisions of rain water harvesting on
every 500 metres on both sides.
ASEAN India Film Festival being held in - 27 May 18
Highlights:
- India has hosted the
ASEAN India Film Festival.
- The ASEAN India Film Festival began in New Delhi.
- Minister of State (I/C) for Information & Broadcasting
and Sports & Youth Affairs, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has inaugurated the Film Festival in Siri Fort Auditorium on
25th May 2018.
- The Film Festival will be a platform for people of the film
industry of member countries to explore areas of cooperation in the domain of
“cinema and cultural cooperation.
- The festival would celebrate the excellence of cinema by
exhibiting films from various ASEAN countries.
- ASEAN India Film Festival will build bridges and bring
harmony amongst the ASEAN countries.
- The festival would provide more
people-to-people contact between member countries especially youth. As a
vehicle of Cultural Exchange, the Directorate of Film Festival aims to provide
access to new trends in film making by providing the platform for an exchange of
ideas, culture and experiences in the field of cinema.
- The ASEAN film festival will have countries which have
immense and colourful cultural diversity but share common historical thread.
- This will be showcased through screenings of films,
alongside exchange of ideas, discussions between the film personalities and
interactive sessions with the audience.
- Around 32 films from 11 countries are to be screened during
the Festival. Beyond films, the Festival will also panel discussions on various
aspect of cinema.
Background:- The Directorate of Film Festivals is organising ASEAN India
Film Festival from 25th to 30th May, 2018 in Delhi in collaboration with the
Ministry of External Affairs (ASEAN Multilateral Division) as part of the
series of events to commemorate the 25 years of ASEAN and India relations.
- The Film Festival will be non-competitive. The tagline of
the Festival is proposed to be ‘Friendship through Films’.
About ASEAN:- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a
regional intergovernmental organization.
- It comprises ten Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
and Vietnam) which promotes Pan-Asianism and intergovernmental cooperation and
facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and
socio-cultural integration amongst its members and other Asian countries, and
globally.
- Its principal aims include accelerating economic growth,
social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members, alongside the
protection of regional stability and the provision of a mechanism for member
countries to resolve differences peacefully.
- ASEAN is an official United Nations observer, as well as an
active global partner.
- It also maintains a global network of alliances, and is
involved in numerous international affairs. Communication by member states takes
place in English.
Aim of the Festival:- As a vehicle of Cultural Exchange, the Directorate of Film
Festival aims to provide access to new trends in filmmaking by providing the
platform for an exchange of ideas, culture and experiences in the field of
cinema.
- The ASEAN film festival will have countries which have
immense and colourful cultural diversity but share common historical thread.
This will be showcased through screenings of films, alongside exchange of
ideas, discussions between the film personalities and interactive sessions with
the audience.
- The invited guests from the member countries and India will
be on the panel for discussions. Following are the tentative topics for
discussions:-
- I. India-ASEAN
Film Market – Co-Production Opportunities.
- II. Cinema as a
Vehicle for Cultural Friendship.
- III. Portrayal
of Woman in ASEAN Cinema.
IPL-2018: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the title - 27 May 18
Highlights:
- Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad
(SRH) by 8 wickets to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title for 2018 on 27
May 2018 at a grand final match in Mumbai.
- CSK has now won three IPL titles and on par with Mumbai
Indians (MI) for title wins.
- Sunil Naraine (Kolkata Knight Riders) was named the most valuable player (or Man of
the Series) of IPL 2018.
- CSK made a fairytale return to IPL as they won the 2018 Vivo
IPL on 27 May 2018 by defeating SRH by 8 wickets in the finals played at
Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
- CSK were out of the last two editions of IPL after
being handed a ban by the BCCI.
- Needing 179 runs to win the title, CSK, powered by a
brilliant 117 runs off 57 deliveries by Australian veteran Shane Watson,
achieved the target with nine balls to spare.
- This was the third IPL title for
CSK and the team has equaled Mumbai Indians’ record for three wins. CSK’s
earlier titles came on 2010 and 2011 while MI won the title in 2013, 2015 and
2017.
- Sunil Narine of KKR was named Most Valuable Player, also
known as Man of the Series, while Rishabh Pant of Delhi Daredevils (DD) was
named the Emerging Player of the Tournament.
- Andrew Tye, of Kings XI Punjab,
was awarded the Purple Cap for finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the
tournament with 24 wickets, while Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson
won the Orange Cap for the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 735 runs.
Rustom-2 drone to be delivered to armed forces by 2020: DRDO - 28 May 18
Highlights:
- Rustom-II UAV to be delivered to armed forces by 2020.
- The drone is being developed for use by all three services
of the Indian Armed Forces, primarily for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) operations.
- Rustom-II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is being developed
by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
What is Rustom 2
drone?- Rustom II has completed one test at Chitradurga in
Karnataka.
- At present, the bird (basic UAV system) is being perfected.
- Attempts are also being made to increase the altitude.
- DRDO successfully carries out test flight of indigenous
Rustom-2 drone
- The drone is being developed for use by all three services
of the Indian Armed Forces.
- The medium-altitude prototype can fly at over 22,000 feet
and is a long-endurance UAV that has an 20 hours approximate flight time.
- The manufacturing will be done by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd
and Bharat Electronics Ltd, as per the contract.
Indian Railways launches revamped reservation website - 28 May 18
Highlights:
- The Indian railways launched a revamped reservation website
with a new feature which will predict (in percentage terms) the likelihood of
waitlisted tickets getting confirmed
- The department has unveilled the beta version of the Indian
Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) portal .
- The website is passenger-friendly and clutter-free with
easier log-in and navigation which would ensure faster and easier booking of
tickets.
- The new feature called ‘waitlist prediction’ would reflect
the chance of waitlisted or RAC tickets getting confirmed on the basis of
historical booking trends.
- The railways had analysed data for two years to come up with
the probability of getting a waitlisted or RAC ticket confirmed.
- In the new user interface, the user can search trains and
check availability of seats without logging in unlike earlier when a user had
to log in at the beginning to access the site.
- Users will also be able to change the font size throughout
the website.
- Different filters as per departure/arrival time, class,
train and quota have been provided to help passengers plan their journey.
- The website will allow seamless navigation on mobiles,
desktops, laptops and tablets.
- While booking tickets, separate card for each passenger has
been provided wherein users can fill details as per passenger requirements.
- Pre-filled particulars will ensure quicker booking. Users
can manage payment options by marking six banks as preferred banks under the
‘my profile’ section.
- On completion of payment, details of the booking shall be
displayed in a user friendly manner.
- There were a number of additional features such as filters
on ‘my transactions’ where users can view booked tickets based on journey date,
booking date, upcoming journey and completed journey.
- Passengers can perform multiple activities through booked
history like cancellation, printing, request for SMS, selection of alternative
train by exercising the option of ‘Vikalp’ and changing of boarding point if
required.
Nari Shakti Puraskar presented to INSV Tarini team - 28 May 18
Highlights:
- President Ram Nath Kovind had conferred the Nari Shakti
Puraskars on International Women's Day in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Members of the Indian Navy Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini team
were presented with the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017 by union minister for women
and child development Maneka Gandhi.
- As the INSV Tarini team was sailing then, the award could
not be presented to the team.
- The crew of the INSV 'Tarini' is a part of the Indian Navy's
unique project 'Navika Sagar Parikrama', an all-women team circumnavigating the
globe, promoting ocean sailing activities in the Navy and depicting government
of India's commitment towards women empowerment.
- Each crew member has minimum of 20,000 nautical miles
sailing experience.
- The project aims to demonstrate the thrust of Nari Shakti on
the world platform.
- The voyage also showcased the Make in India initiative by
sailing on-board the indigenously built INSV Tarini.
- The six-member all-women team, led by Lieutenant Commander
Vartika Joshi circumnavigated and managed the whole operation in this first
ever global journey.
- The voyage which lasted for 254 days, with 199 days at sea
covered 21,600 nautical miles, had 5 port calls in Fremantle, Australia;
Lyttelton, New Zealand; Port Stanley, Falklands; Cape Town, South Africa and
finally at Mauritius before returning home to Goa.
- All six members of the crew were trained for over three
years under Captain DilipDonde, who is also the first Indian to successfully
carry out solo-circumnavigation of the globe between 2009 and 2010.
European country Ireland voted to overturn the ban on abortion - 28 May 18
Highlights:
- The European country Ireland voted overwhelmingly to overturn the ban on abortion.
- A historic referendum was held in Ireland on 25 May 2018 to
know the view of citizens on the issue of overturning the ban on abortion
imposed in the country.
- Currently, abortion is only allowed when a woman's life
is at risk, but not in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality.
- The results of the referendum were declared on 26 May 2018
in which the citizens of the country voted overwhelmingly to overturn the
abortion ban by 66.4% to 33.6%.
- With this result, the Eighth Amendment, which grants an
equal right to life to the mother and unborn, will be replaced.
- A vote in
favour of repeal paves the way for the Irish Parliament to legislate for change
which would see the introduction of a much more liberal regime.
Colombia will join the 29-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) - 28 May 18
Highlights:
- The Latin American country Colombia is poised to become the first country in
Latin America to join NATO as a "global partner", as was announced .
- It will join the 29-nation North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO) alliance making it the only Latin American nation in the
alliance.
- This was announced by its President Juan Manuel Santos on 25 May 2018.
- Colombia will join as a “global partner”, which means it
will not necessarily have to take part in military action, and will be fully
accredited in Brussels.
- Other global partners include Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq,
Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
- Juan Manuel Santos had signed a peace deal with the
left-wing FARC guerrillas in 2016, ending the longest-running civil conflict in
the western hemisphere and winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
- NATO is a military alliance, head quarters located in Brussels (Belgium).
National Data Centre of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) inaugurated at Bhubaneswar - 29 May 18
Highlights:
- The Union Government has set up a cloud-enabled National Data Centre of the National
Informatics Centre (NIC) at Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha.
- IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on 28 May 2018 inaugurated the NIC.
- This is the fourth NDC of the NIC after Delhi, Hyderabad and
Pune.
- The new NDC will offer round-the-clock operations with
secure hosting for e-governance applications of ministries and departments.
- The data centre is important as data sanctity is vital and in the IT ecosystem.
- It adds to the digital clout of a state or location and gives boost to its global profile.
- This world class digital infrastructure developed by the NIC will also boost the digital development of Odisha.
- The new data centre will offer round-the-clock operations with secure hosting for various e-governance applications of both Central and State Governments.
- It has a capacity to support 35, 000 virtual servers,
Man Booker International Prize for 2018 conferred to Olga Tokarczuk - 29 May 18
Highlights:
- Olga Tokarczuk (Poland) won the Man Booker International Prize for 2018.
- Olga Tokarczuk became the first Polish writer to win the Man
Booker International Prize.
- Tokarczuk thus became the first-ever Polish writer to win
the coveted prize.
- The annual award goes to the best work of translated fiction
from around the world.
- The prize is different from the Man Booker Prize, which is
given to the best original English language novel each year.
- Ms. Tokarczuk shared the prize of 50,000 British pounds,
around $67,000, with the book’s English-language translator, Jennifer Croft.
- The Man Booker International Prize is awarded by the same
organization that gives the Man Booker Prize for fiction.
- It is for a single work of fiction that has been translated
into English and published in the United Kingdom in the last year.
- Ms. Tokarczuk, 56, was born in Poland.
- In 2008 she won the Nike Award, Poland’s highest literary accolade,
for “Flights.”
- Ms. Tokarczuk won the award again in 2015 for “The Books of
Jacob,” a novel about the 18th-century Polish-Jewish religious leader Jacob
Frank.
- Last year’s prize was awarded to the Israeli author David
Grossman for his novel “A Horse Walks Into a Bar,” translated by Jessica Cohen.
- Tokarczuk is a writer of wonderful wit, imagination and
literary panache.
Sudha Balakrishnan appoints as first CFO of RBI - 29 May 18
Highlights:
- NSDL Vice-President Sudha Balakrishnan has been appointed as
the first chief financial officer (CFO) of the Reserve Bank.
- Balakrishnan, a chartered accountant, will hold the rank of
executive director.
- The CFO will be responsible for reporting of financial
information of the central bank, establishing accounting policies and ensuring
compliance with regulations.
- The CFO will also be entrusted with communicating RBIs
expected and actual financial performance and overseeing its budget processes.
- Till now, the central bank did not have a dedicated official
handling the finance function, and the tasks were being carried out internally.
- Patel’s predecessor Raghuram Rajan had pursued an idea of
creating a chief operating officer for the apex bank but the government shot
down the proposal as it involved changing the RBI Act.
- She has been tasked to oversee several portfolios including
government and bank accounts, corporate strategy and budget and will report to
Deputy Governors Viral Acharya and B.P. Kanungo.
- Her job profile includes
timely presentation and reporting of financial information, establishing
accounting policies and ensuring compliance with financial regulations and
standards.
Nasir Ul Mulk appointed Pakistan’s care-taker Prime Minister - 29 May 18
Highlights:
- Nasir Ul Mulk was appointed Pakistan’s care-taker Prime Minister on
28 May 2018.
- Nasirul Mulk is a Pakistani jurist and former chief justice of Pakistan.
- He previously served as the 22nd Chief Justice of Pakistan.
- Nominated as Chief Justice by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his appointment as CJP was confirmed by President Mamnoon Hussain on 6 July 2014.
- He also previously served as the acting Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, from 30 November 2013 to 6 July 2014.
- Prior to be elevated as Senior Justice in 2005, Mulk tenured as the chief justice of Peshawar High Court in 2004.
- Since joining the supreme court, Mulk has taken textualist approach on human rights and non-discrimination issues.
- Nasir
Ul Mulk as interim prime minister until general elections are held on 25 July
2018.
- His appointment ended weeks of wrangling between President Shahid Khaqan
Abbasi's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and opposition leader Syed
Khurshid Ahmed Shah's Pakistan People's Party.
- Mulk, who also served as the interim chief of the Election
Commission of Pakistan, will head a technocratic government until elections as
the current government and parliament will be dissolved on 31 May 2018.
Indian botanist Kamaljit S. Bawa receive the prestigious Linnean Medal - 29 May 18
Highlights:
- Kamaljit S. Bawa became the
first ever Indian to receive the prestigious Linnean Medal in Botany.
- Indian botanist Kamaljit S. Bawa is president of
Bengaluru-based non-profit Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the
Environment (ATREE).
- He received the prestigious Linnean Medal in Botany from the
Linnean Society of London on 24 May 2018.
- He is the first Indian to win the award ever since it was
first constituted in 1888.
- He is recognised for his pioneering research on the
evolution of tropical plants, tropical deforestation, non-timber forest
products and for decades of work on the biodiversity of forests in Central
America, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalaya.
World Bank to provide $21.7 mn loan for Rajasthan financial management - 30 May 18
Highlights:
- The World Bank will provide a USD 21.7 million loan for
strengthening the public financial management in Rajasthan to improve budget
execution and greater revenue efficiency.
- An agreement for IBRD credit of USD 21.7 million was signed
for Project duration of 5 years.
- The project size is approximately USD 31 million, of which
USD 21.7 million will be financed by the World Bank, and the remaining amount
will be funded-out of the state budget.
- The objective of the project is to contribute to improved
budget execution, enhanced accountability and greater efficiency in revenue
administration in Rajasthan.
- It involves strengthening of the Public Financial Management
Framework; strengthening of expenditure and revenue systems; and project
management and capacity building among others.
Patanjali launched its own SIM card in collaboration with BSNL - 30 May 18
Highlights:
- Yog guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali entered the telecom
space on 28 May 2018 by launching its own SIM card.
- This SIM has been launched in collaboration with the telecom
entity Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
- Patanjali gaining popularity in the consumer goods market.
- This SIM card has been named ‘Swadeshi Samriddhi SIM’.
- Alongside the data and voice calling benefits, the Swadeshi
Samriddhi SIM also offers health, accidental and life insurances to the
customers.
- This SIM card and its benefits will be available only to
Patanjali employees for now.
- As of now, there's no information on when the SIM
card will be available publicly.
Singapore Airlines to launch world’s longest commercial flight in October 2018 - 30 May 18
Highlights:
- Singapore Airlines airline will launch world’s longest commercial
flight in October 2018 covering 15,329 km.
- The Airlines would
launch the commercial flight , a near-19 hour
non-stop journey from Singapore to the New Jersey area.
- The 15,329 km flight from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey
with 161 business class and premium economy seats.
- It will eclipse the around
14,535 km Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Auckland as the world’s longest.
Singapore Airlines to launch world’s longest commercial flight in October 2018 - 30 May 18
Highlights:
- Singapore Airlines airline will launch world’s longest commercial
flight in October 2018 covering 15,329 km.
- The Airlines would
launch the commercial flight , a near-19 hour
non-stop journey from Singapore to the New Jersey area.
- The 15,329 km flight from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey
with 161 business class and premium economy seats.
- It will eclipse the around
14,535 km Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Auckland as the world’s longest.
Pankaj Sharan appointed as the new Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) - 30 May 18
Highlights:
- Pankaj Sharan has been appointed as the new Deputy National Security
Advisor (DNSA) by the Union Government on 29 May 2018.
- In a major development, the Government of India the appointed senior diplomat as Deputy National Security Advisor
(DNSA).
- Saran is currently serving as India's Ambassador to Russia.
- Sharan, the 1982 batch officer of Indian Foreign Service
(IFS), was in November 2015 appointed as India's envoy to Russia.
- He had held
various positions in India and abroad including the country's High Commissioner
to Bangladesh.
- Former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, Ajit Doval is the
National Security Adviser.
- He is assisted by Deputy National Security Advisers.
Andhra Pradesh government announced Black Buck as symbols its state - 31 May 18
Highlights: 
- Andhra Pradesh government has announced separate symbols for the state after
the bifurcation of Telangana.
- "Black Buck" declared as the new state animal of Andhra Pradesh while Neem has been declared the state tree.
- Rose-ringed Parakeet will be the state bird while Jasmine
will be the state's flower.
- This was announced through an official order by the Andhra
Pradesh government on 30 May 2018.
- It is worth mentioning that Black Buck was the state animal
of the undivided Andhra state while Telangana adopted spotted dear (Chital) as
its official animal.
- The government felt that it is necessary to have separate
symbols for the state after the bifurcation of Telangana from it in June 2014.
UAE bans fruits from Indian state after Nipah virus outbreak - 31 May 18
Highlights:
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned imports of fresh
vegetables and fruits from the southern Indian state of Kerala.
- As many as 13 people
have died due to an outbreak of the rare brain-damaging Nipah virus.
- The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment also
notified other local authorities, including the Abu Dhabi Food Control
Authority and the municipalities of its emirates, to prevent the entry of any
fresh produce from Kerala.
- The ministry suspects that fruit bats are the source of the
virus.
- It has banned fresh produce, including mangoes, dates and
bananas - the bats’ preferred fruits.
- Indian health officials have not been able to trace the
origin of the Nipah outbreak and have begun a fresh round of tests on fruit
bats from Perambra, the suspected epicenter of the infection.
- Kerala has sent 116 suspected cases for testing in recent
weeks, 15 have been confirmed with the deadly disease and 13 of these people
have died, with two patients still undergoing treatment.
- There is no vaccine for the virus, which is spread through
body fluids and can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
- The Gulf state has also banned imports of live animals from
South Africa, based on a notification from the World Organization for Animal
Health (OIE) of the registration of Rift Valley Fever disease.
- The disease is spread by mosquitoes and its potential to
spread was reduced by the onset of the dry winter season in the region.
- Humans can be infected with Rift Valley Fever if contact is
made with the blood or other body fluids of a diseased animal.
WTO to set up dispute panel on India-US case on export subsidies - 31 May 18
Highlights: 
- Global trade regulator WTO bid to set up a panel vigil the
dispute between India and USA on export
subsidies .
- All WTO members, including India, are required to provide
subsidies consistent with provisions of the WTO’s Agreement on Subsidies and
Countervailing Measures, including refraining from providing subsidies
contingent upon export performance.
- The US has alleged that India appears to be providing such
subsidies through various export promotion programmes, special economic zones
and duty-free imports for the exporters’ programme.
- During consultation process, the US has alleged that India
was continuing to grant these export-contingent subsidies and even expanded the
scope and scale of the subsidies.
- India has disappointed that the US chose to move forward with
a request for a panel, as it believed bilateral consultations held on April 11
were constructive.
- During the consultations, India provided a detailed
understanding of the schemes implemented under its Foreign Trade Policy by
answering all the questions raised by the US.
- The schemes identified by the US do not violate India’s WTO
obligations and are in conformity with all the elements of the agreement.
- India’s exports to the US stood at USD 42.21 billion in
2016-17, while imports aggregated at USD 22.30 billion during the same fiscal.
4th International Yoga Day Celebrations main event to be held in Dehradun - 31 May 18
Highlights: 
- The main event of 4th
International Yoga Day celebrations (IDY-2018)
will be held on 21st June 2018 at Dehradun in Uttrakhand.
- Shri Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha,
Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH announced today that Dehradun (Uttarakhand)
has been selected as the venue for Mass Yoga Demonstration (Main Event) of 4th
International Day of Yoga on 21st June, 2018.
- Shri Kotecha is in Dehradun to initiate the preparations
regarding this mega event. In this
regard, Shri Kotecha along with concerned Joint Secretary has met Chief
Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand to discuss various arrangements for
organizing Mass Yoga Demonstration of 4th International Day of Yoga at
Dehradun.
- Three places- Forest Research Institute (FRI), Gorkha
Training Centre (GTC) and Maharana Pratap Stadium have been identified for the
event.
- On this occasion AYUSH Ministry is also planning to give two
Yoga Awards known as PM Yoga Award to national and international participants.
- The idea of celebrating the International Yoga Day was
pitched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) in September 2014.
- The first International Yoga Day (IYD) was celebrated across
the world on 21 June 2015.