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 JUNE 1
General Studies-02
Adivasis to declare self-rule in their habitations today
News: The aboriginal tribes in Telangana will go ahead with intensification of their
movement for removal of Lambada tribe from the list of Scheduled Tribes.

Beyond News:

 According to sources, the government had invited Adivasi leaders for talks with the Chief
Secretary.
 About 40 of them led by Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samithi leaders.
 They informed the top government official that would not compromise on the issue of
expelling Lambadas from the list of STs.
 The leaders apprised him of other problems related with land, employment and education
to which the Chief Secretary responded saying he would take it to the notice of Chief
Minister.
 The Adivasis however, said they were not satisfied with the talks and later decided to
continue with their agitational programme of declaring self rule in their habitations.

Nipah virus: UAE bans import of fruits, vegetables from Kerala

News: United Arab Emirates (UAE) banned import of fresh fruits and vegetables from Kerala in
the wake of outbreak of Nipah virus (NiV) in the state.

Beyond News:

 The UAE‟s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) said in a

statement that it has banned the imports of fresh vegetables and fruits from Kerala.
 It further said the decision is based on the information received and published on the
World Health Organisation (WHO) website regarding the outbreak of NiV infection in
Kerala.
 Preliminary information, it added indicates that the main host of the disease is the fruit
bat, where the virus is transmitted through secretions from the bat to the fruit that it feeds
on or touches. Mangoes, dates and bananas are the bat‟s most preferred fruit. There have
been cases of transmission of the disease among humans and between humans and
animals as well.
Sharp drop in smoking tobacco
in India, says WHO report
News: From 4% in 2000, the prevalence of
smoking tobacco in India dropped down to
11.5% in 2005, according to a World Health
Organisation report released.

Beyond News:

 The report projected the prevalence to

drop down further to 9.8% by 2020 and
8.5% by 2025.
 The prevalence of tobacco use has decreased more slowly in low and middle-income
countries than in high-income countries, because the introduction of strong tobacco
control policies by low and middle-income countries is impeded by relentless lobbying
from the tobacco industry, it stated.
 While the report only covered tobacco usage in the form of smoking, India has a large
population of chewing tobacco users, thus posing additional burden. Experts said the
decrease therefore is nothing to rejoice over.
 More than 3/4th tobacco users have it in the chewing form.
 According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, Most people know
that using tobacco causes cancer and lung disease, but many people are not aware that it
also causes heart disease and stroke the world‟s leading killers.”
 It also noted that while tobacco use has declined markedly since 2000, the reduction is
insufficient to meet globally agreed targets aimed at protecting people from death and
suffering from cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure were major causes of cardiovascular
diseases, including heart attacks and stroke, contributing to approximately three million
deaths per year. But evidence revealed a serious lack of knowledge of the multiple
health risks associated with tobacco.

General Studies-03
Upgraded Pinaka rocket successfully
test-fired
News: An upgraded version of Pinaka rocket, with
enhanced range and guidance system, was
successfully test-fired from Chandipur in Odisha for
the second consecutive day.
Beyond News:

 The test was carried out from a multi barrel launcher from the firing point of the Proof &
Experiment Establishment (PXE) under DRDO, a day after two rounds of the successful trial took
place yesterday, defenses sources said.
 The earlier Pinaka system, which was an unguided one, has now been transformed into a guided
version, with a navigation, guidance and control kit developed by the Research Centre,
Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, they said.
 The RCI comes under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
 The conversion helped in enhancing the range and accuracy of Pinaka. If its range was 40 km
earlier, it is more than 70 km now, a DRDO official said.
 Radars, electro-optical systems and telemetry systems at the defence range at Chandipur tracked
and monitored the rocket all through its flight path. The guided version is Pinaka mark-II, which
evolved from Pinaka mark-I. It can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds.
 The successful trial of the guided Pinaka has reinforced the technological strength of the country
in converting the unguided systems into weapons of high precision and accuracy, he said.
 The guided Pinaka has been developed jointly by the Armament Research and Development
Establishment (ARDE), Pune, the RCI, and the Defence Research and Development Laboratory
(DRDL), Hyderabad, for the Indian Army. The PXE, Chandipur, provided the range and launch
support.

Study shows big ecological impact of small hydro-power projects

News: The first-ever scientific study in India of small hydro-power projects (SHPs) has
revealed that despite their being promoted as generating clean energy, the plants have a
significant ecological impact and there is a correlation between the rise in SHPs and the
increase in human-elephant conflict.

Beyond News:

 According to a release issued by the Wildlife Conservation Society India Program, SHPs
also cause alterations in stream geometry and affect the water quality and freshwater fish
communities in the Western Ghats.
 SHPs are often promoted as a cleaner alternative to large hydro-power projects as they
are assumed to have little or no environmental impact. In India, they are defined as plants
generating up to 25 MW of power.
 The study area of the WCS and others was in the upper reaches of the river Nethravathi,
which is part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, and was conducted from
February to May 2014.
 The study found that SHPs affect the river flow by reducing it immediately below the
dam and causing fluctuation when the water is released back into the river after power
generation both of which have consequences on fish assemblages.
 The dammed streams studied had altered fish composition and reduced the number of
species, the release said.
  Study was one of the first to holistically assess the impact of SHPs in the forested regions
of the Western Ghats.

 The study also found that there was a reduction in the number of fish such as the
Mahseer, which are found only in the Western Ghats.
 The study has also revealed a correlation between the proliferation of SHPs and the
corresponding increase in human-elephant conflicts in those areas.
 The research showed that such conflicts increased in the regions where new SHPs were
being constructed.
 The researchers said that given the importance of the region as a watershed and a part
of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, there is an urgent need to monitor, regulate,
and evaluate the impact of large-scale infrastructure development.

Steps to check funding to Naxals

News: Top police officers of six State governments, Central investigating and intelligence
agencies held a meeting with the Union Home Secretary to discuss ways to choke funding
to Naxal operatives.

Beyond News:

 As decided, agencies like the

Enforcement Directorate will register
more money laundering cases in various
affected States.
 Apart from the senior functionaries of the
National Investigation Agency, the ED
and the Intelligence Bureau
Director, police chiefs of Odisha,
Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal were present at the review-
cum-coordination meeting.
 While the agencies gave a presentation on the action initiated against Naxal operatives
and the modus operandi adopted by banned outfits to extort funds and launder money,
they also deliberated on further possible measures to block the fund supplies.
 The Enforcement Directorate has already attached properties worth crores of alleged
Naxal leaders operating in the Bihar-Jharkhand belt in the past few months.
The Directorate has decided to register more cases under the Money Laundering Act in
other States, based on investigations police and other agencies.
 JUNE 2
General Studies-02
PM Modi meets US Defense Secretary in Singapore
News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis in Singapore,
days after the Pentagon renamed its Pacific Command as Indo-Pacific Command in a
largely symbolic move to signal India‘s importance to the US military.

Beyond News

 Prime Minister, of his three-nation tour, held a closed-door meeting during which both
sides discussed all security related issues of mutual and global interests.
 The meeting between the two leaders assumes significance as in his address Mr. Mattis
has stressed upon both countries working together and with other nations for ensuring
peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
 The meeting comes days after the S. renamed its oldest and largest military command –
the Pacific Command – to Indo-Pacific Command, amid heightened tensions with China
over the militarisation of the South China Sea.
 The U.S. move came in the wake of a series of measures by China that have raised
tensions in the South China Sea. China claims almost all of the South China Sea.
Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area.
The U.S. also rejects China‟s claims of ownership of the area. The Pentagon‟s move is
also reflective of the growing importance of India in U.S. strategic thinking.
 India was granted the „Major Defence Partner‟ status by the previous Barack Obama
Administration, providing for transfer of technology and deeper cooperation in the
defence sector.
 In 2016, India and the U.S. had signed a crucial logistics defence pact enabling their
militaries to use each other‟s assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies,
making joint operations more efficient. Soon after coming to power, the Trump
administration had renamed Asia Pacific as Indo-Pacific and identified India as one
bookend of the region.

WHO resolution on snakebites flags

the highly prevalent hazard at home
News: With the World Health Assembly adopting a
resolution formally, providing the World Health
Organisation (WHO) a strong mandate to develop
a comprehensive plan for effective treatment of
snakebite, India is now gearing up to tackle this
highly prevalent public health hazard.
Beyond News

 Of the 1,00,000 people who die globally every year from snakebite, one of the world‟s
most neglected tropical diseases (NTD), at least 46,000 are in India.
 The resolution that provides the WHO with a clear mandate to work with affected
countries, partners, stakeholders and industry, was proposed by several Member States
and coordinated by the governments of Colombia and Costa Rica. Aimed at stepping up
efforts to reduce the burden of snakebite envenoming, the resolution was strongly
supported by more than 31 countries.
 WHO has already set up a working group to prepare a strategic plan to assess and address
the global burden of snakebite envenoming, especially in mid- to low-income countries.
The plan, being developed by the 28-member working group of experts, is expected by
the end of 2018.
 In the wake of this, India‟s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will soon start a
process of consultation, and issue advisories to States on management and treatment of
snakebite victims. The process will begin after the team that has gone to WHO returns, a
top official in the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), in charge of Public
Health, told.
 The onus of tackling the problem rests with the States, who have to procure the anti-
snake venom vials depending on their individual requirements.
 India has been consistently recognised as one of the countries with highest mortality rate
from snakebites, largely because of poor access to healthcare. The Health Ministry has
framed guidelines to be followed by all State health institutions to tackle and deal with
the serious concern about deaths due to snakebites.
 National Snakebite Management Protocol is also in place.
 The protocol was framed by the DGHS with technical support from the WHO‟s country
office in India.
 It also recognises the fact that the earlier a patient is treated with Anti-Snake Venom
(ASV), the better the outcome. Admitting that there was a problem in availability of anti-
snake venom injections earlier, the DGHS official said it had been sorted out now.

45 brands of coconut oil banned

News : The Department of Food Safety has banned the manufacture, storage, sales, and
distribution of 45 brands of coconut oil in the Kerala State with immediate effect.

Beyond News

 Commissioner of Food Safety issued an order in this regard by invoking Section 36(3)(b)
of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
 The brands were banned after the samples collected by food safety officers in Kollam,
Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts were found
adulterated and unsafe for consumption.
 General Studies-03
India joins move to boost sweet
potato production
News: India is joining hands with other sweet
potato-producing countries in Asia and Africa
in an intercontinental initiative to augment
production of the root crop for food and
nutritional security.

Beyond News

 The four-day Asia Sweetpotato Breeders and Seed System meeting which concluded at
the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) decided to establish the network
linking institutes in Kenya, Mozambique, China, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh and India countries that have
achieved progress in sweet potato breeding and cultivation.
 Assistant Director General, ICAR (Horticulture Science) said the meeting provided a
platform to assess the strength of the nations in sweet potato production and bridge the
technology gaps in agricultural research.
 The discussions centred on how the member-states could benefit from the transfer of
genetic material and exchange of technology for molecular breeding and value addition.
 As a climate-resilient crop that can address malnutrition, sweet potato production
assumes significance across the world.
 Director, CTCRI said farmers in many States were switching over to sweet potato
because of the short crop duration, low input costs, high yield, disease tolerance and
climate resilience.

Whale dies in Thailand after swallowing 80 plastic bags

News : A whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags,
officials said, ending an attempted rescue that failed to nurse the mammal back to health.

Beyond News

 Thailand is one of the world‘s largest consumers of plastic bags, which kill hundreds of
marine creatures living near the country‘s
popular beaches each year.
 The small male pilot whale became the latest
victim after it was found barely alive in a canal
near the border with Malaysia, the Department
of Marine and Coastal Resources said.
 An autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags weighing
up to eight kilograms in the creature‘s stomach,
the department added.
 Photos accompanying the post showed a group of people using buoys to keep the whale
afloat after it was first spotted and an umbrella to shield it from the scorching sun.
 The whale vomited up five bags during the rescue attempt before it died.
 At least 300 marine animals including pilot whales, sea turtles and dolphins perish each
year in Thai waters after ingesting plastic.

JUNE 3 &4
General Studies-01
Guatemala volcanic eruption kills 25
News: A fiery volcanic eruption in Guatemala sent lava flowing into rural communities,
killing at least 25 as rescuers struggled to reach people where homes and roads were
charred and blanketed with ash.

Beyond News:

 The death toll rose with 18 bodies found in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes,
disaster agency spokesman said, adding to the seven victims previously confirmed
elsewhere earlier in the day.
 At least 20 people were injured, and authorities have said they feared the death toll could
rise with an undetermined number of people unaccounted for.
 Director of the country‟s seismology and volcanology institute, said the flows reached
temperatures of about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (700 Celsius).
 Guatemala‟s disaster agency said 3,100 people had evacuated nearby communities, and
ash fall from the eruption was affecting an area with about 1.7 million of country‟s 15
million or so people. Shelters were opened for those forced to flee.
 Guatemalan President said he would issue a declaration of a state of emergency to be
approved by Congress and urged people to heed warnings from emergency officials.
 Aviation authorities closed the capital‟s international airport because of the danger posed
to planes by the ash.
 One of Central America‟s most active volcanos, the conical Volcan de Fuego reaches an
altitude of 12,346 feet (3,763 metres) above sea level at its peak.

Limit global warming to curb dengue

News: Limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius could prevent around 3.3 million
cases of dengue fever ever year in Latin America and the Caribbean alone, a study has
found.

Findings

 The study limiting warming to the goal of the UN Paris Agreement would also stop
dengue spreading to areas where incidence is currently low.
 A global warming trajectory of 3.7 degree Celsius could lead to an increase of up to 7.5
million additional cases per year by the middle of this century.
 Since the mosquitoes that carry and transmit the virus thrive in warm and humid
conditions, it is more commonly found in areas with these weather conditions.
 There is no specific treatment or vaccine for dengue and in rare cases it can be lethal.
 There is growing concern about the potential impacts of climate change on human
health. While it is recognised that limiting warming to 1.5 degree Celsius would have
benefits for human health, the magnitude of these benefits remains mostly
unquantified,said lead researcher.
 The research team found that limiting global warming to 2 degree Celsius could reduce
dengue cases by up to 2.8 million cases per year by the end of the century compared to
a scenario in which the global temperature rises by 3.7 degree Celsius.
 Limiting warming further to 1.5 degree Celsius produces an additional drop in cases of
up to half a million per year.

1000-year-old mummy discovered in Peru

News: Scientists have discovered an intact mummy in Peru that is believed to have been
buried between 1000 and 1200 AD.

Significance:

 The finding confirms Pachacamac‘s status as a pre-

colombian pilgrimage site under the Inca empire.

Beyond News:

 Discoveries like this one are exceptionally scarce, and

this mummy is incredibly well preserved. Samples
were collected for carbon-14 dating, but the area in which it was discovered and the type
of tomb suggest this individual was buried between 1000 and 1200 AD.
 The excavation was carried out as a part of the „Ychsma‟ project, named after the
region‟s native people, under the supervision of professor Eeckhout.
 Due to how well it was preserved, the researchers will be able to study it without needing
to unwrap the bundle.
 They will soon examine the mummy using the latest techniques in medical imaging such
as X-ray scans, axial tomography and 3D reconstruction.
 This will enable them to determine the individual‟s position, any pathologies they might
have suffered from, but also what offerings might be inside the bundle.
 General Studies-02
Modi, Mattis pledge to continue strong
U.S.-India strategic partnership
News:India and the United States have pledged to
continue their strong bilateral strategic partnership, the
Pentagon said after a meeting between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.

Beyond News

 S. Defence Secretary met the prime minister on the sidelines of the International Institute
for Strategic Studies‟ 17th Asia Security Summit also known as the Shangri-La
Dialogue in Singapore .
 The two discussed the importance of the U.S.-India relationship, and the role of both
nations in cooperating to uphold international laws and principles, and to maintain a free
and open Indo-Pacific, defence spokesperson said .
 The two leaders “pledged to continue the strong US-India strategic partnership and
affirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

General Studies-03
India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-5
News: Long-range ballistic missile Agni-5 was successfully test fired off Odisha coast
proving its reliability. This is the sixth successful test of the missile and the second in its pre-
induction configuration.

Beyond News

 Agni-5 can carry nuclear warhead weighing 1.5 tonnes to a distance of over 5,000 km
and is the longest missile in India‘s arsenal capable of reaching most parts of China.
With a smaller payload, the range can go up much higher.
 The missile features many new indigenously-developed technologies, including the very
high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS), and the most
modern and accurate Micro Navigation System (MINS) which improves the accuracy of
the missile.
 The first test was conducted on April 19, 2012
and after two tests, the missile was tested in
canisterised configuration for improving its
mobility, reducing launch time and improving
safety and storage.
 Agni-5 is expected to be inducted into the
Strategic Forces Command very soon.
 The missile has been programmed in such a
way that after reaching the peak of its trajectory,
 it will turn towards the earth and continue its journey towards the intended target with an
increased speed due to the attraction of earth‘s gravitational pull.
 The path has been precisely directed by the advanced on-board computer and inertial
navigation system.
 As the missile enters the earth‘s atmosphere, the atmospheric air rubbing the skin of the
missile during the re-entry phase raises the temperature beyond 4,000 degrees Celsius,
sources said.
 However, the indigenously designed and developed carbon-carbon composite heat shield
continues to burn sacrificially, protecting the payload and maintaining the inside
temperature below 50 degrees Celsius, the sources added.
 Finally, commanded by the on-board computer with a support of ring laser gyro- based
inertial navigation system, the micro inertial navigation system, fully digital control
system and advanced compact avionics, the missile hit the designated target point
accurately, meeting all mission objectives, they said.
 It also has advantages of higher reliability, longer shelf life, less maintenance and
enhanced mobility, sources said.
 At present, India has in its armoury the Agni series Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2
with 2,000 km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.
 The first test of Agni-5 was conducted on April 19, 2012, the second on September 15,
2013, the third on January 31, 2015 and fourth on December 26, 2016. The last test was
held on January 18, 2018.

 All the five earlier trials were successful.

Traces of water, metal found in unique exoplanet

News:Scientists have identified traces of of multiple metals, along with possible signs of
water, in one of the least dense exoplanets ever found.

Beyond News:

 The team, from the University of Cambridge and the Instituto de

Astrofisica de Canarias, Spain used the Gran Telescopio
Canarias to observe WASP-127b, a giant gaseous planet with
partly clear skies and strong signatures of metals in its
atmosphere.

Odisha beach is Asia’s first to get ‘Blue Flag’ tag

News: The Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast of Odisha will be the first in Asia to
get the Blue Flag certification the tag given to environment-friendly and clean beaches,
equipped with amenities of international standards for tourists.

Beyond News:

 It will be awarded the honour on World Environment Day on June 5, Environment

Ministry sources say.
 Twelve more beaches in the country are being developed by the Society for Integrated
Coastal Management (SICOM), an Environment Ministry‘s body working for the
management of coastal areas, in accordance with the Blue Flag standards.
 Among them are the Chiwla and Bhogave beaches in Maharashtra and one beach each
from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
 SCIOM project head, said that to achieve the Blue Flag standards, a beach must be
plastic-free and equipped with a waste management system. Clean water should be
available for tourists, apart from international amenities. The beach should have facilities
for studying the environmental impact around the area.
 To achieve the Blue Flag standards, a beach had to strictly comply with 33 environment
and tourism-related conditions.
 The standards were established by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for
Environmental Education (FEE) in 1985.
 The Environment Ministry embarked on the Blue Flag project in December 2017.

JUNE 5
General Studies-02
Promotions in govt. offices should go on: Supreme Court
News: The Supreme Courtorally observed that promotions in government offices should go
ahead in ―accordance with law.‖

Beyond News:

 The court was responding to the government‟s complaint that the entire promotion
process was in limbo because of uncertainty over reservation in promotion for the
Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe employees.
 A Bench said nothing prevented the government from promoting employees in
accordance with law. But the court was not clear about the law it was referring to.
 Additional Solicitor-General Maninder Singh said promotions had come to a “standstill”
because of the status quo order passed by the court in 2015 after the High Courts gave
orders at cross-purposes.
 It is made clear that the Union of India is not debarred from making promotions in
accordance with law, subject to further orders, pending further consideration of the
matter, Justice observed.

Additional Solicitor-General said the petition before the Bench was the Centre‘s challenge to
the Delhi High Court‘s verdict of August 23 last, quashing the government order extending
reservation in promotion to employees of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes
beyond five years from November 16, 1992.
India’s per capita plastic use among lowest: Modi
News :India has among the lowest per capita consumption of plastic in the world, ―much
lower‖ than that of many developed countries, said Prime Minister at the World Environment
Day celebrations.

Beyond News

 The theme for this year‟s Environment Day, organised in partnership with the United
Nations Environmental Programme, is “Beat plastic pollution”.
 India is the global host nation for the 43rd edition of this event. Environment Ministers,
representatives from the United Nations and members from various industry bodies were
among the officials who attended the event.
 He said that as part of Nationally Determined
Contribution (NDC), India was committed to reducing
33-35% of emission intensity of its GDP during 2005-
2030.
 According to the Central Pollution Control Board, India
generates about 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day,
of which about 40% remains uncollected. About 70% of
the plastic packaging products become “waste” in a short
span of time.
 While plastics have a wide variety of applications, the
global rally is against the so-called “single use” or
disposable plastic used in bottles, cups, wrapping paper
and bags. Together, they account for over half the plastic produced.

General Studies-03
Centre to start measuring ‘green GDP’ of States
News :India‟s environmental diversity and riches are universally recognised but have never been
quantified.

Beyond News

 Starting this year, the government will begin a five-year exercise to compute district-level
data of the country‘s environmental wealth. The
numbers will eventually be used to calculate every
State‘s ‗green‘ Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
 The metric will help with a range of policy
decisions, such as compensation to be paid during
land acquisition, calculation of funds required for
climate mitigation, and so on.
 This is the first time such a national environment survey is being undertaken, said,
Senior Economic Adviser, Union Environment Ministry.
 A pilot project is set to begin this September in 54 districts. Land will be demarcated into
―grids‖ with about 15-20 grids per district. These will capture the diversity in the State‘s
geography, farmland, wildlife, and emissions pattern, and will be used to compute a
value, she added.
 Much of the data required for the inventory would be sourced from datasets that already
exist with other government ministries.
 The government has also launched a ‗green skilling‘ programme under which youth,
particularly school dropouts, would be trained in a range of ‗green jobs‘ as operators of
scientific instruments used to measure environmental quality, as field staff in nature
parks, and as tourist guides.
 Some of the labour required for the survey would also be sourced from the green-skilled
workforce.

SpaceX launches communication satellite, ditches old booster

News :SpaceX launched satellite for a Luxembourg communication
company.

Beyond News

 But it ditched the recycled booster in the Atlantic following liftoff.

 The powerful SES satellite, weighing 5,400 kg, will provide TV and
data coverage across Asia, the Pacific and the West Asia.

Eco-day bouquet: 539 species discovered in India in 2017

News :As many as 539 new species of plants and animals were discovered by scientists and
taxonomists in the country in 2017, say publications from two major survey organisations:
the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

Beyond News

 Besides these discoveries, the biodiversity in the country recorded another 263 species
with 174 new records of animals and 89 of plants found. The number of discoveries of
sub-species and varieties takes the number of floral discoveries to 352.
 Among the animal discoveries are 241 invertebrates. The number of vertebrates
discovered includes 27 species of fish, 18 of amphibians and 12 of reptiles.
 With these discoveries, the number of animal species in India stands at 1,01,167, which
is 6.45% of the faunal species found in the world. The number of plant species has
increased to 49,003, which is 11.4 % of the world flora.
 The Western Ghats and the Himalayas are home to most of the plant and animal
discoveries. While the Western Ghats contributed 19% of the discoveries of species and
sub-species of plants, the number was 37% in terms of animal discoveries.
 The Himalayas contributed to 35% of all plant discoveries (18% of the plant discoveries
from the western Himalayas and 17% from the eastern Himalayas). In terms of animal
discoveries, over 18% of the new species were discovered from both the eastern and
western Himalayas.
 Among the States, Kerala recorded the highest number of discoveries 66 species, sub-
species and varieties of plants and 52 species of animals. Tamil Nadu recorded 31 new
species of animals and 24 species, sub-species and varieties of plants.
 West Bengal, which has both Himalayan and coastal ecosystems, recorded 27
discoveries in categories of plants and 45 discoveries of animal species.

Faunal diversity up in Adyar creek after eco-restoration

News :Following eco-restoration, the faunal diversity in the Adyar creek has increased
considerably, from 273 in 2016-2017 to 331 in 2017-2018.

Adyar Eco Park

 Adyar Eco Parkis an ecological park set up by the Government of Tamil Nadu in
the Adyar estuary area of Chennai. According to the government, the project, conceived
based on the master plan for the restoration of the vegetation of the freshwater eco-
systems of the Coromandel Coast, especially the fragile eco-system of the Adyar estuary
and creek.

Beyond News

 The species of insects including butterflies and dragonflies has increased from 98 to 155
in the creek, according to a policy note tabled in the Assembly by Municipal
Administration and Water Supplies Minister.
 The restoration of the Adyar eco park has to comply with designated-best-use class-D,
which, according to the Central pollution Control Board guidelines, would allow
propagation of wildlife and fisheries.
 As many as eight species of molluscs, 13 crabs, 155 insects, 10 fishes, 10 amphibians, 19
reptiles, 105 birds and 16 animals have been recorded in the Adyar eco park.
 According to the data, insects and birds have increased last year. In Adyar estuary,
around 57,000 mangrove species and 35,000 terrestrial saplings have been planted,
removing the invasive species, debris and plastic waste. A consultant has been appointed
for the preparation of a Rapid Environment Impact Assessment report for obtaining CRZ
clearance for 15 sub-projects in Adyar.
 Similar eco-restoration projects will be implemented in the Ennore creek, Kovalam creek
and Buckingham Canal, the Minister said.
 The restoration work would include an increase in the water spread and tidal interaction
area, removal of encroachments, plantation of native plants of tropical dry evergreen
forests, mangroves, its associates and reeds and landscaping.
 Work on identification of encroachments on the creeks is expected to begin after
completion of the study.
 JUNE 6
General Studies-01
Ancient Maori village discovered
News :Scientists have discovered the peripheries of a 14th century Maori village in New
Zealand, containing tools and food items that can shed more light on the lifestyle of the
settlers.

Beyond News

 Among the findings in the 2.5 metre-deep excavation were moa bones and other food
items, fish hooks manufactured of moa bone and stone tools made of obsidian and chert.
 The site was located on the edge of an old riverbed. The obsidian (volcanic glass) was
used by early Maori settlers as simple cutting tools. The materials found are estimated to
date back to the early 1300s.
 The area has a significant history as the first landing place of waka (canoes) which
carried Maori to the district; and the first contact between Maori and explorer James
Cook taking place on the river in 1769.
 Given the amount of material found at the site, the chances of finding a village within the
vicinity are quite high.

General Studies-02
India’s rank marginally improves in peace index
News :India‘s rank has marginally improved in ―global peacefulness‖, at a time when there
is an overall decline of global peace owing to escalation of violence in West Asia and and
North Africa.

Beyond News

 Pakistan too has improved marginally, according to the Global Peace Index (GPI),
released by Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
 The IEP, world‘s leading think tank that develops metrics to analyse peace and quantify
its economic value, released the 12th edition of the GPI, or measure of global
peacefulness.
 India‘s GPI rank was 137 out of 163 countries in 2017, when the year 2016 was
assessed. In 2018, when the year 2017 is assessed, India‘s rank moved up to 136.
 This is in line with the performance of some of the South Asian countries. Nepal moved
up from 93 to 84, while Sri Lanka moved up too, from position 80 to 67. Pakistan moved
from 152 to 151.
 Best performer of South Asia, Bhutan, has slipped from 13 to 19, while Bangladesh‘
peace index deteriorated sharply. Bangladesh moved from 84 to 93.
 Syria remained the least peaceful country in the world, a position that it had held for the
past five years.
 Iceland continues to remain the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held
since 2008.

World Bank nod for ₹6,000 cr. groundwater recharge plan

News :To address concerns about depleting groundwater reserves in India, the government
has joined hands with the World Bank to execute a ₹6,000-crore scheme called the Atal
Bhujal Yojana(ABHY).

Beyond News

 The scheme is to be implemented over a period of five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23,
according to a statement from the Union water Ministry. It is yet to be cleared by the
Cabinet.
 The Atal Bhujal Yojana aims to improve ground water management in priority areas in
the country through community participation, the statement said.

 The priority areas identified under the scheme fall in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh, which represent about 25% of the
total number of over-exploited, critical and semi-
critical blocks in terms of ground water in India.
 India‘s groundwater resources have been
overexploited, as experts have been warning for
some time now.
 According to a sample assessment in 2011,
groundwater in 19 of India‘s 71 districts about
26% were critical or exploited, meaning that
nearly as much or more water was being pulled
out than their reservoirs‘ natural recharge ability.
In another assessment in 2013, they included groundwater blocks in districts that had
gone saline, and this percentage was up to 31%.

General Studies-03
RBI hikes repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%
News :The six-member monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
unanimously decided to increase the key policy rate or the repo rate by 25 basis points to
6.25% as inflation outlook worsens due to a rise in crude oil prices.

 This is the first rate hike by the central bankin almost four and a half years.

Beyond News

 A major upside risk to the baseline inflation path in the April resolution has
materialised, a 12% increase in the price of the Indian crude basket, which was sharper,
earlier than expected and seems to be durable, said the central bank.
  Crude oil prices have been volatile recently and this imparts considerable uncertainty
to the inflation outlook both on the upside and the downside.
 Consumer price-index-based inflation or retail inflation rose sharply to 4.6% in
April. RBI projected CPI inflation at 4.6% in H1 and 4.7% in H2.
 RBI said inflation expectation is also on the rise as evident from the May 2018 round of
the Reserve Bank‟s survey of households which reported a significant rise in households‟
inflation expectations of 90bps and 130bps, respectively, for three-month and one-year
ahead horizons.
 RBI has retained GDP growth for 2018-19 at 7.4% as projected in the April policy. GDP
growth is projected in the range of 7.5-7.6% in H1 and 7.3-7.4% in H2,with risks evenly
balanced, RBI said.

China’s ‘green’ issues boost India’s FY18 chemical exports

News :China‟s decision to shutter several chemical manufacturing units to rein in air pollution
and protect the environment has helped Indian chemical exports grow 31.94% to $15.91 billion
in 2017-18, a top industry representative said.

Beyond News

 Exports had increased both in volume and value terms, the trend was expected to
continue for another 2-3 years.
 Inorganic, organic and agro chemicals account for a bulk of these exports, growing to
$10.66 billion in 2017-18 ($7.71 billion in 2016-17).

HCC bags contract at nuclear power project in Bangladesh

News :Infrastructure major, Hindustan Construction Company Ltd. (HCC), in a joint venture
with Bangladesh construction firm MAX Group has been awarded a $110 million (₹737
crore) contract by Russia‘s State Nuclear Company, JSC Atomstroyexport, for civil works of
turbine island for Unit 1 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

Beyond News

 The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, about 190 km northwest of Dhaka, would be built
with Russian technology and equipped with two VVER Reactors of 1,200 MW each.
 These reactors would be similar to the Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu. HCC holds 40% stake
in the JV, worth about $44 million.
 HCC has become the first Indian company to participate in
the international civil nuclear market, said director and
group CEO, HCC commenting on the order win.
 Recently, India signed an agreement with Bangladesh for
civil nuclear cooperation, under which India had extended
expertise and project support for Dhaka‘s first nuclear
power plant.
 India, not being a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), cannot participate
directly in the construction of atomic power reactors.

Nitrogen emissions going up: study

News :Nitrogen particles make up the largest fraction of PM2.5, the class of pollutants
closely linked to cardiovascular and respiratory illness, says the first-ever quantitative
assessment of nitrogen pollution in India.

Findings

 While the burning of crop residue is said to be a key contributor to winter smog in many
parts of North India, it contributes over 240 million kg of nitrogen oxides (NOx: a
generic term for the nitrogen oxides that are most relevant for air pollution, namely nitric
oxide and nitrogen dioxide) and about 7 million kg of nitrous oxide (N2O) per year.
 The Indian Nitrogen Assessment assesses the sources, impacts, trends and future
scenarios of reactive nitrogen in the Indian environment.
 Though agriculture remains the largest
contributor to nitrogen emissions, the
non-agricultural emissions of nitrogen
oxides and nitrous oxide are growing
rapidly, with sewage and fossil-fuel
burning for power, transport and
industry leading the trend.
 Indian NOx emissions grew at 52% from
1991 to 2001 and 69% from 2001 to
2011.
 Annual NOx emissions from coal, diesel
and other fuel combustion sources are
growing at 6.5% a year currently, the report says.
 Agricultural soils contributed to over 70% of N2O emissions from India in 2010,
followed by waste water (12%) and residential and commercial activities (6%). Since
2002, N2O has replaced methane as the second largest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) from
Indian agriculture.
 Chemical fertilizers (over 82% of it is urea) account for over 77% of all agricultural N2O
emissions in India, while manure, compost and so on make up the rest.
 India is globally the biggest source of ammonia emission, nearly double that of NOx
emissions.
 But at the current rate of growth, NOx emissions will exceed ammonia emissions and
touch 8.8 tonnes by 2055, the report says.

 The authors suggest that nutrient recovery/recycling from waste water for agriculture
could cut down N2O emissions from sewage and waste water by up to 40%.
 JUNE 7
General Studies-01
ASI unearths ‘first-ever’ physical evidence of Copper-Bronze age
chariots
News: The ―first ever‖ physical evidence of chariots dating 2000 BC – 1800 BC have been
found by the Archeological Survey of India(ASI) during a trial excavation in Sanauli village
near Baghpat.

Beyond News

 Decorated with copper motifs, the findings of the Copper-Bronze age have opened up
further research opportunities into the area‟s civilisation and culture.
 The three-month long excavation, which started in March this year, has unearthed eight
burial sites and several artefacts including three coffins, antenna swords, daggers, combs,
and ornaments, among others.
 The three chariots found in the burial
pits could remind one of the familiar
images of horse-drawn carriages from
mythological television shows.
 The relics suggest the existence of a
two-wheeled open vehicle that may have
been driven by one person.
 The wheels and the pole have been
found decorated with copper triangles,
symbolic of the rays of the sun.
 Manjul termed the digging drive a “path-breaking” one, also because of the copper plated
anthropomorphic figures having horns and peepal-leafed crowns found on the coffins,
that indicated a possiblity of “royal burials”.
 While coffins have been discovered during past excavations in Harappa, Mohenjo-daro
and Dholavira (Gujarat), but never with copper decorations.
 The findings also shed light on the noteworthy progress the Indian civilisation had made
at the time, making it at par with the 2000 BC Mesopotamia.
 The swords, daggers, shields and a helmet confirmed the existence of a warrior
population, and the discovery of earthen and copper pots, semi-precious and steatite
beads, combs, and a copper mirror from the burial pits point towards a “sophisticated”
craftsmanship and lifestyle.

 The current site lies 120 meters from an earlier one in the village, excavated in 2005,
where 116 burials were found along with antenna swords and pottery.
 While it was difficult to ascertain the exact race of the latest buried remains, asserted
that the chariots and coffins did not belong to the Harappan civilisation.
 Similarities could have been an outcome of the migration of the Harappans to the
Yamuna and the upper planes during the late mature Harappan era.
 However, the recent findings were ―completely different‖ from the ancient civilisation.

Maternal mortality ratio in the country drops to 130 from 167

News :The latest Sample Registration System (SRS) data indicating the Maternal Mortality
Ratio (MMR) has brought glad tidings.

Beyond News

 As per the data, the MMR (number of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births) has
dropped from 167 (in 2011-2013, the last SRS period) to 130 for the country. This 28%
drop is an achievement arising from painstakingly reducing the MMR in each of the
States.
 The SRS segments States into three groups: “Empowered Action Group” (EAG) Bihar,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh/Uttarakhand and Assam;
“Southern States” Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and
Tamil Nadu; and “Others” the
remaining States and union territories.
 The highest reduction from the last
SRS is with the EAG States at 23%, a
drop from 246 (2011-2013) to 188,
while the Other States have dropped by 19%, taking the MMR down from 115 in 2011-
2013, to 93 now.
 Southern States, which are at a better average of 77, dropped 17%. Truly encouraging is
the massive drop of 29% in Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand where the MMR has dropped
from 285 to 201.
 Kerala remains at the top with an MMR of 46 (down from 61). Maharashtra retains its
second position with 61, but the pace of fall has been much lower, dropping from 68
during 2011-13. Tamil Nadu with 66 (79) is in the third position.

General Studies-02
Indo-Pacific area should be inclusive: New Delhi
News :India joined Australia, Japan and the United States to discuss the future of Asia-
Pacific region as an inclusive space. Senior officials of the four countries held the
discussion in Singapore.
Beyond News

 The participants reaffirmed their support for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-
Pacific Region. They also confirmed their common commitment, based on shared values
and principles, to promote a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, a statement from the
Ministry of External Affairs said.
 The statement indicates the discomfort of the various stakeholders with China‟s bid to
alter the status quo in the South China Sea, that is interpreted as a hurdle to freedom of
maritime and air movements.
 The meeting was held between officials from the foreign ministries of India, Australia,
Japan and the United States on the sidelines of ASEAN-focused Senior Officials‟
Meeting.
 This meeting marks continuity of the similar discussion among the four countries that
was held in Manila in October 2017. The last meeting was expected to lead to a higher
level of consultation for forming a „Quadrilateral mechanism‟ among the participating
countries.
 Statements by Australia and Japan also emphasised the need for „rules-based order‟ in the
Indo-Pacific region.
 The participants expressed support for the ASEAN-related mechanism to help stabilise
the Asia-Pacific region.
 They agreed to partner with all countries and institutions in the region to promote the
shared vision of a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, including through such
plurilateral formats, said the statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

UN India business forum, NITI Aayog form consortium to help

women entrepreneurs
News :The UN India Business Forum and the Women Entrepreneurial Platform of NITI
Aayog formed a consortium to reduce gender disparities in start-up investments by
providing mentorship and networking opportunities and accelerating financial and market
linkages for women entrepreneurs.

Beyond News

 UN India-NITI Aayog Investor Consortium for Women Entrepreneurs will bring together
key ecosystem stakeholders, including venture capitalists and impact investors,
international donor and funding agencies, private sector partners and state governments,
according to a joint statement.
 The consortium aims to strengthen women‘s entrepreneurship by creating an enabling
ecosystem for investments. Women entrepreneurs will be identified through key
partners, including WEP, UN Women, and UNDP. The consortium secretariat will then
connect entrepreneurs, according to their requests, with relevant members.
 In ―full potential‖ scenario when women participate in the economy, equally to men, it
could add $2.9 trillion to India‘s GDP by 2025, according to the statement.
 However, Indian women entrepreneurs continue to face challenges in accessing
investors and raising capital.
 Sustainable development has the potential to open up markets worth $12 trillion around
the world by 2030.
 It is estimated that up to $5 trillion is needed in a year to implement UN‘s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) worldwide. Return on investments on implementing the
SDGs could be about $30 billion a year.
 The UN India Business Forum, an alliance of India‘s businesses, financial institutions,
the government and the UN, aims to accelerate India‘s rapid growth and achieve the
SDGs.
 Key partners for finance include HDFC, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Ambuja
Cement, Tata Housing and LinkedIn while for health and nutrition companies such as
Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Philips India, and Tata Chemicals have enrolled.

General Studies-03
Indian entrepreneurs win $1 million prize for safety device
News :A group of young Indian entrepreneurs have won a $1 million dollar prize by
developing a wearable smart device that women can use to send out emergency alerts if
threatened or assaulted.

Beyond News

 New Delhi-based Leaf Wearables was among the five finalists selected from 85 teams
hailing from 18 countries for the „Women‟s Safety XPRIZE‟ instituted by Indian-
American philanthropists Anu and Naveen Jain.
 The technology start-up, founded by students of IIT Delhi and Delhi Technological
University, won the prize for their project „Safer Pro‟, an enhanced version of their earlier
safety devices.
 Teams participating in the challenge had to create a device, costing no more than $40 and
able to work without Internet, that can inconspicuously trigger an emergency alert if a
woman is facing a threat and transmit information to a network of community responders,
all within 90 seconds.
 The start-up has previously launched two wearable devices.
 The smart device by Leaf Wearables will also be able to make audio recordings, which
could be used as evidence.
 Globally, one out of every three women and girls experiences physical or sexual violence
or both from an intimate partner, or sexual violence by a non-partner, the United Nations
estimates. The figure is twice as high in some countries.

U.S. team to join Indian Ocean study

News :A team of 20 scientists, along with a key vessel of the United States National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is arriving in Goa, marking the expansion
of U.S.-Indian collaboration in the study of the Indian Ocean.
Beyond News

 Subtle changes on the surface and deep below in the western Indian Ocean have
significant impact on weather in India in days, and in the United States, two to four
weeks later.
 Jointly collecting data on changes in the current, temperature, salinity and other
parameters is a less known component of the Indo-Pacific cooperation between India and
America.
 NOAA‟s ship Ronald H Brown is on a global expedition on the lines of a similar ocean
expedition 50 years ago.
 The phenomenon called the Madden-Julian Oscillation, discovered in the 1970s, starts
when water vapor rises out of the Indian Ocean every 30 to 60 days to create a major
ocean storm that travels west to east from near the Seychelles off Africa toward India,
crosses into the tropical Pacific Ocean and eventually affects weather patterns across
America.
 Scientists are advancing the knowledge of this phenomenon with new tools and models,
said NOAA Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.

JUNE 8
General Studies-01
Archaeologist stumbles upon seventh century sculpture.
News: A rare sculpture of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati dating back to the 7th century
was discovered at a Chalukyan temple in Satyavolu village of Prakasam district, Andhra
Pradesh.

Beyond News

 The red sandstone sculpture portrays Lord Siva

as the therapeutic physician (Rudra Bhaishajana)
– as described in Rigveda – in which he holds a
bowl in his left hand, which contains medicine
from herbs to revive the ailing horse lying at his
feet.
 The ASI official, as part of the Temple Survey
Project, visited the Chalukyan temple complex in
Satyavolu village and discovered the sculpture at
a corner inside the temple complex.
 Such a highly exceptional iconographic form of
Lord Siva had not been discovered so far.
 The sculpture belongs to early 7th century
Chalukyan School of Art.
 Further describing the sculpture, the vertical stone slab prominently illustrates Siva and
Parvati. The Lord is gracefully seated on a pedestal with the left leg on the seat, the
other with knee bent and resting on the ground.
 Goddess Parvati is in a gracious posture standing to Siva‘s left, carrying a vessel in her
right hand, while the left hand rests on her waist.

Uranium contamination in Rajasthan groundwater, finds study

News:Many parts of Rajasthan may have high uranium levels in their groundwater,
according to a study by researchers at the Duke University in North Carolina, United States,
and the Central Groundwater Board of India.

Beyond News

 The main source of uranium contamination was “natural,” but human factors such as
groundwater table decline and nitrate pollution could be worsening the problem.
 Nearly a third of all water wells tested in one State, Rajasthan, contained uranium levels
that exceed the World Health Organization
(WHO) and U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency‟s (EPA) safe drinking water
standards.
 While previous studies have referred to high
uranium levels in some districts of India, this
analysis gave a bird‟s eye view into the
extent of such contamination.
 The WHO has set a provisional safe drinking
water standard of 30 micrograms of uranium
per litre, a level that is consistent with the
U.S. EPA standards. Despite this, uranium is
not yet included in the list of contaminants
monitored under the Bureau of Indian Standards‟ Drinking Water Specifications.

General Studies-02
Indonesia wins UNSC vote
News :The Maldives failed to get elected to the
UN Security Council as a non-permanent member.

Beyond News

 Maldives and Indonesia had contested for a

seat in the UNSC, but in the plenary session
held at the UN headquarters in New
York, Indonesia won the seat after securing
144 votes against 46 for the Maldives.
 The Ministry of External Affairs maintained a studied silence on whether India voted
against the Maldives.
 In the election, 190 members participated, and the winning members had to get more
than two-thirds majority or 127 votes.
 Indonesia is likely to take up the seat on January 1, 2019 with other newly elected non-
permanent members Germany, Belgium, Dominican Republic and South Africa.
 India‘s relation with the Maldives has nosedived in recent months with Delhi expressing
dissatisfaction on the law and order situation as well as on the imposition of a state of
emergency by the Abdullah Yameen government.
 In comparison, India‘s ties with Indonesia have witnessed an upswing with the recent
visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the country.
 In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Maldives said it will continue
to champion its priorities at the UN, despite not winning the seat at the Security Council.

U.S. seeks to dissuade India on Russian S-400 air defence

systems
News: The United States is trying to discourage India from buying large defence systems
from Russia, an action that might attract sanctions, according to a senior State Department
official.

Beyond News

 The 2017 law Countering America‟s Adversaries through Sanction Act or CAATSA,
requires that countries that have significant defence cooperation with Russia must be
sanctioned by America.
 India is planning to buy five S-400 Triumf air defence systems for around $4.5 billion
from Russia.
 The Trump administration has publicly expressed its desire to protect India from
CAATSA, considering the U.S.-India strategic ties.
 Secretary of Defence and Secretary of State have urged lawmakers to make changes in
the law so that partners such as India are not punished. But efforts in this direction are
being strongly resisted by Democratic lawmakers who want to put the administration on
the mat on Russia relations.
 Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs hoped the U.S.
could make progress with India on concluding pending foundational defence agreements.
 The official said the U.S has given India new options to address concerns raised by India
regarding some of these agreements. Indian officials familiar with the negotiations said
some provisions in the standard agreements that the U.S does with treaty allies such as
Japan were not comfortable for India.
More than three-fourths of Green card waiting list comprise of
Indians: USCIS
News :Indians account for more than three-fourths of those highly-skilled professionals
waiting in queue to obtain legal permanent residence status in the U.S., popularly known as
Green Card, according to latest official figures.

Beyond News

 As of May 2018, there were 395,025 foreign nationals waiting for Green Card under the
employment-based preference category. Of these 306,601 were Indians, according to the
latest figures released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
 This does not include counts of dependent beneficiaries associated with the approved
immigrant petitions.
 India is followed by a distant second China, which currently has 67,031 Chinese waiting
for the Green Card.
 Under the existing law, no more than seven per cent of the Green cards may be issued to
natives of any one independent country in a fiscal year. As such Indians have the longest
waiting period for Green Card.

General Studies-03
State takes hi-tech route to count Fishing Cats
News :In a first in the country, the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is undertaking the
census of the endangered Fishing Cat at the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWLS) on a large
scale using modern technology.

Beyond News

 The month-long exercise comprising 30 trained personnel equipped with 120 state-of-the-
art digital cameras commenced .
 Categorised as „vulnerable‟ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature‟s
(IUCN) „Red List of Threatened Species‟, and very little known about its ecology and
behaviour, the Fishing Cat is being spotted every now and then in the CWLS, the second
largest mangroves after the Sundarbans, and an abode for about 85 species.
 A feline, the Fishing Cat is about twice the size of a typical house cat is an adept
swimmer and enters water frequently to prey on
fish as its name suggests. It is known to even
dive to catch fish.
 This census helps us know the exact number of
Fishing Cats living in the mangroves, besides
getting the pictures and video footage of the rare
species.
  The department has already launched a mascot of the CWLS with the caricature of the
species and named it „Macha the Fishing Cat,‟ aimed at promoting its presence and the
need to preserve to the general public.

IIT team’s solar powered system can convert plastic into fuel
News :Scientists from IIT Madras have developed a solar powered system to convert non-
recyclable plastic into fuel that can substitute diesel used in generators, furnaces and
engines.

Beyond News

 The technology which consists of a mobile unit that can collect and process
waste currently yields around 0.7 litres of fuel oil per kilogramme of plastic, researchers
said.
 India produces approximately 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste in a day
 The team showcased its project on the occasion of the World Environment Day, hosted
by the United Nations (UN) in New Delhi.
 The theme of this year‟s World Environment Day was “Beat Plastic Pollution”.
 The conversion of plastic to fuel involves a process called pyrolysis a thermochemical
treatment that exposes the material to high temperature in the absence of oxygen, leading
it to go through physical and chemical changes.
 This creates a low density fuel oil by breaking down the polymer chain of plastic at the
temperature of 350-500 degrees Celsius. This oil can be used as a substitute for diesel to
power generators, furnaces and engines.

JUNE 9
General Studies-02
Eight States to implement ‘Ayushman Bharat’
News: Eight States and four Union Territories have signed MoUs with the Union Health
Ministry to implement the government‘s ambitious national health protection mission
Ayushman Bharat which aims to provide a cover of ₹5 lakh per family annually to 10 crore
vulnerable families, an official said on Saturday.

Beyond News:

 Four States Delhi, Odisha, Punjab and West Bengal were yet to give a positive
response, the Health Ministry official said.
 The eight States which signed the MoUs to implement the Ayushman Bharat: National
Health Protection Mission include Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and
Uttarakhand.
 The Union Territory of Chandigarh is among the four UTs. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Tamil
Nadu would sign the agreement soon, the official said.
 Prime Minister expected to roll out the programme on August 15. Union Health Minister
had said the initiative would eventually become the world‘s largest healthcare
programme because of the size of India‘s population.
 The scheme will ensure cashless and paperless access to services, costing up to ₹5
lakh per year per family, and will be available at the point of service in public and private
empanelled hospitals across India.

China allows India to export non-Basmati rice, renews pact to

share Brahmaputra water flow data
News: China has renewed its agreement with India on sharing data on the cross-border
flow of waters from the Brahmaputra riverduring the flood season.

Beyond News:

 Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed , the Chinese side would provide

hydrological data from May 15 to
October 15 the period when the
Brahmaputra is prone to floods. The
Chinese side would also provide
hydrological data if the water level
exceeds a “mutually agreed” level
during the non-flood season.
 The two sides also signed a protocol
between the Chinese administration of
Customs and Department of Agriculture
on phytosanitry requirements that would enable all varieties of rice exports from India to
China.
 India has been pressing China to allow agricultural exports, to help reduce its adverse
balance of payments. The June 9 protocol updates an earlier agreement of 2006. Under
the new agreement, India would also be allowed to export non-Basmati rice to China.
 The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minster Narendra Modi and
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) summit.
 Modi and Mr. Xi held talks to draw a blueprint for deepening bilateral relationship and
reviewed the implementation of decisions they had taken at an informal summit in
Wuhan, reflecting a renewed momentum in their ties.
Yoga to be introduced in AIIMS across India: Union Minister
Ashwini Kumar Choubey
News: The Centre will soon set up yoga centres in the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences (AIIMS) across the country, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare,
said.

Beyond News

 The decision was taken following “encouraging results” of a survey conducted at AIIMS,
New Delhi, on the effect of yoga on patients after surgery.
 A year-long survey regarding the effect of yoga on the recovery of patients after surgery
was conducted at AIIMS, New Delhi, on 4,100 patients. Seeing the positive outcome
patients recovering quickly they have decided to introduce yoga in AIIMS across the
country.

The Centre would set up 20 new medical colleges in the country, out of which five would be
in West Bengal.

General Studies-03
NASA rover data shows Mars had organic compounds, methane
News

 Curiosity rover has detected organic compounds on the surface of Mars and seasonal
fluctuations of atmospheric methane. The findings released mark some of the strongest
evidence ever that Earth‘s neighbour may have harbored life.

Beyond News

 But NASA scientists emphasized there could be nonbiological explanations for both
discoveries made by the Curiosity rover at a site called Gale crater, leaving the issue of
Martian life a tantalizing but unanswered question.
 Three different types of organic molecules were discovered when the rover dug just 5 cm
into roughly 3.5 billion-year-old mudstone, a fine-grained sedimentary rock, at Gale
crater, apparently the site of a large lake when ancient Mars was warmer and wetter than
the desolate planet it is today.
 Curiosity also measured an unexpectedly large seasonal cycle in the low levels of
atmospheric methane. About 95 % of the methane in Earth‘s atmosphere is produced
from biological activity, though the scientists said it is too soon to know if the Martian
methane also is related to life.
 The amount of methane peaked at the end of summer in the northern hemisphere at
about 2.7 times the level of the lowest seasonal amount. The scientists were surprised to
find organic compounds, especially in the amounts detected, considering the harsh
conditions, including bombardment of solar radiation on the Martian surface.
 After drilling, Curiosity heats the rock samples, releasing the compounds. Referring to
the findings regarding organic compounds and methane.
 The scientists hope to find better preserved organic compounds with Curiosity or other
rovers that would allow them to check for chemical signatures of life.

AI system can now identify animals

News :Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can automatically
identify, count and describe animals in their natural habitats.

Beyond News

 Photographs that are automatically collected by motion-sensor cameras can then be

automatically described by deep neural networks.
 The result is a system that can automate animal identification for up to 99.3 per cent of
images while still performing at the same 96.6 per cent accuracy rate of crowd-sourced
teams of human volunteers.
 This technology lets us accurately, unobtrusively and inexpensively collect wildlife data,
which could help catalyse the transformation of many fields of ecology, wildlife biology,
zoology, conservation biology and animal behaviour into „big data‟ sciences.
 This will dramatically improve our
ability to both study and conserve
wildlife and precious ecosystems.
 Deep neural networks are a form of
computational intelligence loosely
inspired by how animal brains see and
understand the world.
 They require vast amounts of training
data to work well, and the data must be
accurately labelled.

Even small dams have severe impact on river ecology

News:It seems to stand to reason that small dams cause less environmental problems than
large ones. But the first study on small hydropower projects in India proves that they cause
as severe ecological impacts as big dams, including altering fish communities and changing
river flows.

Findings

 Such hydroprojects, which usually generate less than 25 megawatts of power and
consist of a wall that obstructs a river‘s flow, a large pipe that diverts the collected water
to a turbine-driven powerhouse to generate
electricity and a canal that releases the water
back into the river, are touted to be better than
large dams because they submerge fewer
regions and barely impact river flow.
 Such projects receive financial subsidies even carbon credits for being ‗greener‘.
 To see how green such small dams really are, scientists from organisations including
Bengaluru‘s Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning (FERAL)
compared almost 50 kilometres of three river tributaries over one undammed and two
dammed stretches of the Netravathi river in the Western Ghats of Karnataka.
 They studied three zones in detail: above the dam (upstream), in the area between the
dam‘s wall and the powerhouse, sometimes completely devoid of water (‗de-watered‘)
and below the powerhouse (downstream).
 Here, they studied differences in water depth and width, which signify how much habitat
is available to the river‘s denizens, and habitat quality through factors including dissolved
oxygen content and water temperatures.
 Their results show that changes in water flow in the dammed sections reduced the
stream‘s depth and width; water in these stretches was also warmer and had lower
dissolved oxygen levels. These changes were most evident in the ‗de-watered‘ zones
and worsened in the dry seasons.
 This decrease in habitat quantity and quality showed in fish diversity too. The team found
that un-dammed stretches recorded a higher diversity of fish species, including endemics
(species seen only in the Western Ghats).

JUNE 10 & 11
General Studies-02
PM’s maternity scheme benefits 23.6 lakh
News :After initial hiccups in implementing the maternity benefit programme Pradhan Mantri
Matru Vandana Yojana(PMMVY), the government has finally made some headway and
provided cash incentives to nearly 23.6 lakh beneficiaries out of an estimated 51.6 lakh a
year.

Beyond News

 The scheme was approved by the Union Cabinet in May 2017 and expected to be rolled
out in September. However, until January 2018, the government programme had covered
only 90,000 women a mere 2% of the target.
 Under the scheme, pregnant women and lactating mothers are offered a cash incentive of
₹6,000 for the birth of their first child as partial compensation for wage loss, to reduce
maternal mortality and malnutrition levels among children.
 The official was confident of meeting the target.
 An amount of ₹673 crore has been transferred to the accounts of the beneficiaries out of
the total budget of ₹2,594 crore set aside for the scheme last year, and another ₹2,400
crore allocated for the current fiscal. The scheme is being implemented on a 60:40 cost-
sharing basis with the State governments.
 While States like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal have their own
maternity benefit schemes and have been reluctant to implement the PMMVY, the senior
 official said they were bound to comply because the scheme was a by-product of the
National Food Security Act.

India to host first BIMSTEC war games in September

News :India will host the first military exercise of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) group focussing on counter-
terrorism in September. As part of this, a conclave of the Army chiefs of all seven member-
states is being planned.

Beyond News

 The exercise is scheduled to be held in Pune in the second week of September.

 The aim of the exercise is to promote strategic alignment among the member-states and
to share best practices in the area of counter terrorism, a defense source said.
 BIMSTEC was set up in 1997 and includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan Myanmar, Nepal,
Sri Lanka and Thailand.
 The theme includes counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain and cordon and search, and
each side will bring in some 30 soldiers.
 The conclave of Army chiefs is scheduled on the last two days of the exercise. The chiefs
will debate the challenge of terrorism and transnational crime, which is a major concern
among all the states and on how they can promote collective cooperation, the source said.
 BIMSTEC countries held a disaster management exercise in 2017, but this is the first
military exercise of the grouping which brings together important neighbours of India in
South and Southeast Asia.

General Studies-03
Scientists seek to find mass of ‘ghost particle’
News:Researchers in Germany have started collecting data with a 60 million euro ($71
million) machine designed to help determine the mass of the universe‘s lightest particle.

Beyond News

 Physicists, engineers and technicians at the Karlsruhe

Institute of Technology hope the 200-metric tonne device
will narrow down or even pinpoint the actual mass of
neutrinos.
 Those are sometimes called ―ghost particles‖ because
they‘re so difficult to detect.
 Researchers say determining the mass of neutrinos is one
of the most important open questions in particle physics and
will help scientists better understand the history of the
universe. Some 200 people from 20 institutions in seven
countries are part of the project.
ISRO’s PRL scientists discover
an ‘EPIC’ planet
News :In an epic Indian discovery, a team
from the Physical Research Laboratory,
Ahmedabad, has spotted for the first time a
distant planet six times bigger than Earth and
revolving around a Sun-like star about 600
light years away. Both the planet and the star
have been named EPIC.

Beyond News

 With this discovery India has joined a handful of countries which have discovered planets
around stars,” PRL‟s parent Indian Space Research Organisation has announced.
 Significantly, the discovery was made using a PRL-designed spectrograph, PARAS, to
measure and confirm the mass of the new planet.
 EPIC 211945201b (or K2-236b) is the name given to the planet by the discovery team led
by PRL‟s Abhijit Chakraborty. The host star is named EPIC 211945201 or K2-236.
 The scientists observed the target over a time 420 days or about 1.5 years.
 They measured the mass of the planet using the indigenously designed PRL Advance
Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search or PARAS spectrograph integrated with the 1.2-metre
telescope located at PRL‟s Gurushikhar Observatory in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
 EPIC was found circling very close to the Sun-like star, going around it once in about
19.5 days and unlikely to be inhabitable because of its high surface temperature of around
600°C.
 The team found the planet to be smaller in size than Saturn and bigger than Neptune. Its
mass is about 27 times Earth‟s and six times that of Earth at radius. The scientists
estimate that over 60% of its mass could be made up of heavy elements like ice, silicates
and iron.

Kozhikode steps up disaster management activities

News: With the monsoon gathering strength and causing large-scale destruction in the
district, efforts are on to revive the activities of all the task forces in various taluks for
effective disaster management.

Beyond News:

 Senior Revenue officers have been asked to

review the preparedness of such groups in all
villages to deal with flash floods, landslips and
whirlwinds, and adopt a suitable action plan
for the monsoon season.
 Along with the Revenue squad, officials from
Fire and Rescue, Police and Fisheries
 departments will play a major role in the rescue activities.
 Support of voluntary organisations will also be roped in to mitigate the effects of natural
calamities. Fire and Rescue Service officials said many such voluntary groups had been
trained to be deployed during emergencies as community rescue volunteers. The groups
were capable of managing an emergency situation till the arrival of rescue teams, they
added.
 Arrangements are also in place in coastal areas to shift families in case of serious sea
erosion threat or high tide. Revenue officials have reviewed facilities in some school
buildings in the city limit to rehabilitate people. A separate control room is now functional
at the Beypore fisheries station to attend to rescue requests from fishers.
 As an additional security measure, avenue trees that pose a threat to commuters safety
will soon be cleared. The formation of a quick response team to swing into action in the
event of tree falls will be considered this week.

‘Draft pesticide Pesticides Management bill will hurt farmers’

News: A group of Indian pesticide manufacturers says that the
proposed Pesticides Management Bill, which is likely to be finalised this month, will harm
both farmers and the domestic industry by not making it mandatory for the active
ingredients of pesticides to be revealed in the registration process.

Beyond News:

 The Bill, a draft of which was made available for public feedback by the Ministry for
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in February 2018, is intended to replace and update the
Insecticides Act, 1968. The existing law mandates the registration of active ingredients,
and allows for “me-too” registrations under Section 9(4).
 However, in 2007, the government started allowing importers to register new
formulations while keeping active ingredients secret for a fixed period.
 Currently, the domestic pesticide market is valued at around ₹20,000 crore, of which
importers hold 30%, according to the PMFAI.

Novel material can remove pollutants from water

News: Scientists have identified absorbent materials that can help soak up pollutants found
in urban waste water in less than 24 hours.

Beyond News:

 Researchers from University of Seville in Spain evaluated two types of phyllosilicates: a

highly-charged expandable synthetic mica (Na-Mica-4), and one obtained from cation
exchange with an organo-functionalised mica (C18-Mica-4).
 Phyllosilicates are a subclass of silicates and include common mineral in very different
environments.
 The results show that the material C18-Mica-4 is capable of eliminating the majority of
pollutants that were evaluated in urban waste water, as well as surface water and
potable water.
 The study also provides data on the adsorption mechanism and establishes a significant
correlation between the physical chemical properties of the selected criteria and
emerging pollutants and the adsorption to the material.
 In total, 18 organic pollutants were studied, among which were industrial pollutants,
personal care products, and the pharmacological active ingredients such as anti-
inflammatories, antibiotics, anti-epileptics, central nervous system stimulants and lipid-
lowering agents, among others.
 Within the industrial pollutants, several compounds frequently used as cleaning products
were analysed, as well as others used as water- and oil-repellents. With the personal
care products, two synthetic preservatives were analysed (methylparaben and
propylparaben), both widely used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.

JUNE 12
General Studies-01
World’s largest iceberg set to disappear
News :The largest iceberg ever recorded, that broke away from Antarctica‘s Ross Ice Shelf
18 years ago, could be nearing the end of its voyage,
according to NASA.

Beyond News

 When iceberg B-15 first broke away in March

2000, it measured about 296 km long and 37 km
wide.
 B-15 has since fractured into numerous smaller bergs, and most have melted away. Just
four pieces remain that meet the minimum size requirement – at least 37 km to be tracked
by the U.S. National Ice Center.
 When astronauts aboard the ISS shot a photograph of the iceberg on May 22 this year, B-
15Z measured about 18 km long and 9 km wide. However, the iceberg may not be
tracked much longer if it splinters into smaller pieces. A large fracture is visible along the
centre of the berg.

General Studies-02
At Trump-Kim summit, human rights is a back-burner issue
News: In the historic face-to-face with Mr. Kim, Mr. Trump has appeared unconcerned
about the implications of feting an authoritarian leader suspected of ordering the public
assassination of his half brother with a nerve agent, executing his uncle by firing squad and
presiding over a notorious gulag estimated to hold 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners.
Beyond News:

 While Mr. Trump highlighted Pyongyang‘s problematic human rights record in January
during his State of the Union address where he also said the ―depraved character of the
North Korean regime‖ demonstrated the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose the
president has skirted those concerns since agreeing in March to Kim‘s suggestion of a
summit.
 Mr. Trump has used human rights as an instrument to get Mr. Kim Jong Un to negotiate
on nuclear weapons, but not as a policy priority in its own right.
 Mr. Kim, meanwhile, will be granted a measure of validation from Washington that
eluded his father and grandfather.
 During a quarter-century of on-off negotiations, human rights have played second fiddle
for U.S. administrations seeking to ameliorate the threat posed by the North‘s nukes, and
there‘s a reason.

Raising human rights risks playing into North Korean suspicions that the U.S is intent on
toppling its hereditary, totalitarian regime by seeking to open its political system, which only
reinforces Pyongyang‟s notion that it needs a nuclear deterrent to ensure its survival.

Trump accuses India of charging 100% tariff on some imports

News: U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a swipe at India along with the world‘s other
top economies and accused New Delhi of charging 100% tariff on some of the U.S.‘ goods,
as he threatened to cut trade ties with countries who are robbing America.

Beyond News:

 Mr. Trump made the remarks in Canada‟s Quebec City where he was attending the G7
summit that ended in farce after he abruptly rejected the text of a consensus statement
and bitterly insulted the host.
 Mr. Trump has repeatedly raked up the issue of India imposing high import duty on the
iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles and threatened to increase the import tariff on
“thousands and thousands” of Indian motorcycles to the U.S.
 His remarks came at a time when the India-U.S. relationship has been on a positive
trajectory for years. For example, bilateral trade expanded by $11 billion last year to
more than $125 billion, a new record.
 Mr. Trump, who is pushing his „America First‟ policy, said his ultimate goal was the
elimination of all trade duties.
 China and the U.S. have averted a trade war by reaching an agreement last month under
which Beijing has agreed to “significantly increase” its purchases of American goods and
services to reduce $375 billion trade deficit with Washington.
 Under Mr. Trump, the trade dispute between India and the U.S. has increased, with his
administration asking New Delhi to lower its trade barriers and open up its market.
 However, unlike countries like China, Mexico and Canada and those from Europe, India
is not on top of the trade issues for the Trump administration.
Maldives sets deadline for India on taking back helicopters
News: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held a high-power meeting to discuss a
deadline set by the Maldives for India to withdraw its helicopters gifted to the island nation,
at least two senior officials confirmed.

Beyond News:

 According to sources, tensions over the presence of the two Indian helicopters in two
different strategically important locations in Laamu and Addu atolls have been growing
over the past few weeks, forcing the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to step in to
defuse the situation.
 The government was discussing possible reactions to the move. Significantly, the
meeting came just days after a vote at the U.N. for Security Council seats, where the
Maldives claimed India had supported its candidature against that of Indonesia, an
election that the Maldives lost nonetheless.
 Relations between New Delhi and the Maldives have been frayed since last year, when
Maldives rushed through a free trade agreement with China, and plummeted further after
President Abdulla Yameen declared an emergency in the country in February.
 India had gifted two Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) to Maldives in 2013, of
which one was operated by the Indian Coast Guard and the other by the Indian Navy,
which were manned by six pilots and a number of maintenance ground staff.
 In the normal course, Letters of Exchange are renewed for two years at a time, but on this
occasion the Yameen government refused to do so and has since made it clear that it
would like India to remove them and their crew entirely.
 The LoE of the Coast Guard ALH had expired a few months ago, while the Navy ALH is
due to expire in June. India has yet to recall either helicopters, in the hope that the matter
will be resolved through negotiations.
 Maldives has also not approved an LoE sent by India for a Dornier maritime patrol
aircraft that the Maldives had itself requested, but in less tense times.

General Studies-03
Star system with three Earth-sized planets found
News :Scientists have discovered two new planetary systems, one of which hosts three
Earth-sized planets.

Beyond News

 Researchers analysed the data collected by the K2 mission of NASA‘s Kepler satellite,
which started in November 2013. The study, reveals the existence of two new planetary
systems detected from the eclipses they produce in the stellar light of their respective
stars.
 The first exoplanetary system is located in the star K2-239, characterised as a red dwarf
type M3V from observations made with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), at the
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafia, La Palma).
 It is located in the constellation of the Sextant at 50 parsecs from the Sun (at about 160
light years). It has a compact system of at least three rocky planets of similar size to the
Earth that orbit the star every 5.2, 7.8 and 10.1 days, respectively.
 The other red dwarf star, called K2-240, has two super-Earth-like planets about twice the
size of our planet.
 These researchers estimate that all planets discovered will have temperatures tens of
degrees higher than those of Earth due to the strong radiation they receive in these close
orbits to their stars.

Sand extraction banned in CRZ areas

News: The Dakshina Kannada District Sand Monitoring Committee has banned sand
extraction from rivers in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas with immediate effect to
facilitate breeding of fish and other aqua fauna during the monsoon.

Beyond News:

 The ban order would be in place till further order, the committee said in a press release,
thus getting itself enough time to decide suitable period to open sand dunes, if any
present, for extraction.
 Boats used for sand extraction should be off the river course, and also river banks, during
the ban period. They should be kept at other locations away from rivers, the committee
noted. If anyone found violating the directive will render themselves liable to suitable
legal action, it warned.
 The release noted that deep sea fishing has been banned for 61 days from June 1 to
facilitate fish breeding during the monsoon when the rivers would bring in fertile manure
for aqua fauna.
 If sand dunes in rivers in the CRZ areas are allowed to be extracted, the same would
affect fish breeding, the committee said, justifying the ban on extraction.
 The number of permits had shot up to over 400 from just about a hundred in a span of
four years with sand extraction taking the form of a mafia activity.
 During the just-ended sand extraction season, the administration restricted the number of
permits to just less than a hundred and imposed several conditions, including installation
of GPS on boats engaged in extraction to verify their authenticity.
 Before issuing permits for the ensuing sand extraction season post-monsoon, the district
administration has decided to deploy bathymetry survey to exactly assess the availability
of sand dunes.
 Only if excess sand is found, as prescribed by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change (MoEFCC), then permits would be issued to extract sand to the
required level.
Gene editing tool may raise
cancer risk in cells, scientists
warn
News: CRISPR-Cas9, a gene-editing
technology that is being explored by scientists
worldwide as a way of removing and
replacing gene defects might inadvertently
increase cancer risk in cells, scientists
warned.

Beyond News:

 Researchers said more research needs to be done to assess whether using CRISPR-Cas9
might lead to the development of treatments that have added cancer risk.
 The team, found that CRISPR-Cas9 triggers a mechanism designed to protect cells from
DNA damage, making gene editing more difficult.
 Cells which lack this mechanism are easier to edit than normal cells, and this can lead to
a situation where genome-edited cell populations have higher numbers of cells in which
the key mechanism protecting against DNA damage is missing.
 In research the scientists warned that the absence of the protective mechanism in cells
makes them more likely to become tumorous, since DNA damage can no longer be
corrected.

JUNE 13
General Studies-01
Ancient rock painting found
News :Archaeologists have confirmed that a rock painting discovered in the Lesser Khingan
Mountains in China‘s Heilongjiang province dates back 12,000 years.

Beyond News

 A researcher said that several images painted

with ochre were discovered on a rock in the
city of Heihe.
 Preliminary studies showed that it was a
scene of humans hunting, reports Xinhua
news agency.
 Archaeologists confirmed the images of three
mammoths, which means the rock paintings
were made before the extinction of the animal,
or at least 12,000 years ago.
 Meanwhile, archaeologists believe that the paintings were made by using fingers, not
brushes, and with paints such as ochre.
 Ochre alone cannot be preserved on rock for such a long time. The paint is a mixture of
ochre and animal glue, which has helped the artwork survive thousands of years
archaeologists said.

General Studies-02
National Dam Safety Authority in the works
News:The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister, has approved a proposal for
introduction of the Dam Safety Bill, 2018 in Parliament.

Beyond News

 The Bill envisages a National Dam Safety Authority, which will liaise with State-level
dam safety organisations and the
owners of dams for standardising
safety-related data and practices.
 The NDSA will investigate dam
failures and have the authority to fine
the States that are found remiss in
implementing safety measures.
 It will look into “unresolved points of
issue” between the States which share
dam territory and look to “eliminating
potential causes for inter-State
conflicts,” an official release said.
 A case in point is the Mullaperiyar
dam in Kerala, which is a perennial
flashpoint between the State and neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
 The Chennai floods of 2015 due to unusually heavy rain were thought to have been
compounded by an unprecedented release of water from the Chembarambakkam dam
into the Adyar.
 Due to lack of legal and institutional architecture for dam safety in India, dam safety is a
perennial concern.

General Studies-03
Now, a spider silk based capsule to deliver vaccines
News:Scientists have developed microcapsules made of spider silk that can
deliver vaccines directly to the heart of immune cells.
Beyond News

 To fight cancer, researchers increasingly use vaccines that stimulate the immune system
to identify and destroy tumour cells. However, the desired immune response is is not
always guaranteed.
 In order to strengthen the efficacy of vaccines on the immune system and in particular on
T lymphocytes, specialised in the detection of cancer cells researchers developed this
new spider silk microcapsules
 This process could also be applied to preventive vaccines to protect against infectious
diseases, and constitutes an important step towards vaccines that are stable, easy to use,
and resistant to the most extreme storage conditions.
 The human immune system is largely based on two types of cells: B lymphocytes, which
produce the antibodies needed to defend against various infections, and T lymphocytes.
In the case of cancer and certain infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, T lymphocytes
need to be stimulated.
 Scientists used synthetic spider silk biopolymers a lightweight, biocompatible, non-toxic
material that is highly resistant to degradation from light and heat.
 Silk microparticles form a transport capsule that protects the vaccine peptide from rapid
degradation in the body, and delivers the peptide to the center of the lymph node cells,
thereby considerably increasing T lymphocyte immune responses.
 The synthetic silk biopolymer particles demonstrate a high resistance to heat,
withstanding over 100 degree Celsius for several hours without damage. In theory, this
process would make it possible to develop vaccines that do not require adjuvants and cold
chains. An undeniable advantage, especially in developing countries where one of the
great difficulties is the preservation of vaccines.
 One of the limitations of this process, however, is the size of the microparticles: while the
concept is in principle applicable to any peptide, which are all small enough to be
incorporated into silk proteins, further research is needed to see if it is also possible to
incorporate the larger antigens used in standard vaccines, especially against viral
diseases.

Action plan drawn up for monsoon eventualities

News: With the forecast of a normal monsoon by the weatherman, the Telangana State
government is gearing up to minimise the loss of lives and damage to properties and
infrastructure in the event of monsoon turning vigorous.

Beyond News

 The Revenue (Disaster Management) Department has drawn up elaborate action plans
to ensure effective coordination between different departments like Irrigation, Agriculture
and Revenue as well as the Municipal Administration to ensure that damages are kept to
the minimum.
 In addition, the Department has roped in teams from Army and Air Force to cooperate
with the government in assisting/evacuating people from vulnerable areas.
 Revenue (Disaster Management) Principal Secretary said the department has completed
mapping of vulnerable areas along the Godavari and Krishna basins as well as the low
lying areas in the municipal areas, the GHMC in particular.
 Army has been fully sensitised and five teams of the armed forces have already
conducted recce in vulnerable areas to carry out rescue and relief operations in case of
any emergencies that could arise in the event of heavy rains.
 Efforts had been made to identify the old multi-storeyed structures vulnerable to heavy
rains in the city and its surroundings while the department laid emphasis on
strengthening the bunds of the tanks and canals across the State in collaboration with
the Irrigation department to prevent any breaches so that flooding could be averted in the
nearby habitations.

Face recognition software at rly. stations soon

News: In a bid to trace missing children, the Government Railway Police have proposed to
install face recognition software in CCTV cameras at different stations across the Tamil
Nadu State.

Beyond News

 Many children run away from their home fearing failure in the exams. They can upload
pictures of such missing children in the face recognition software so that CCTV cameras
at the railway stations can identify them.
 According to data, the Child Help Desk at the Egmore station, supported by the Ministry
of Women and Child Development in association with the Ministry of Railways and
Childline India Foundation rescued 422 children between April 2017 and March 2018.
Out of this, more than 90% are boys.
 The help desk at the Egmore station was started in June 2015 and till March 2018, a total
of 1,328 children had been rescued. A majority of the children rescued were in the 15-18
age group. Most of the children are from Bihar.

China shows the world the way with solar road

News: The experiment is the latest sign of China‘s desire to innovate in, and dominate, the
increasingly lucrative and strategically important market for renewable energy.

Beyond News

 The country already produces three-

quarters of the solar panels sold globally,
and its wind-turbine manufacturing
industry is also among the world‘s largest.
 The potential appeal of solar roads
modified solar panels that are installed in
place of asphalt is clear. Generating
electricity from highways and streets,
 rather than in fields and deserts packed with solar panels, could conserve a lot of land.
 Those advantages are particularly important in a place like China, a heavily populated
country where demand for energy has risen rapidly.
 Because roads run through and around cities, the electricity could be used practically
next door to where it is generated. That means virtually no power would be lost in
transmission, as can happen with projects in outlying locations.
 Solar roads could also change the driving experience. Electric heating strips can melt
snow that falls on them. Light-emitting diodes embedded in the surface can provide
illuminated signage to direct drivers to exits and alert them to construction and other
traffic hazards.
 Now, such roads are finally becoming viable. Prices have fallen drastically in recent
years thanks to soaring Chinese production, a solar panel costs a tenth of what it did a
decade ago. Road builders in China even want to design solar roads that can wirelessly
recharge electric cars running on them, emulating a recent experiment in U.S.NY Times

JUNE 14
General Studies-01
Antarctic ice loss has tripled: study
News: Antarctica has lost a staggering three trillion tonnes of ice since 1992, according to a
landmark study published that suggests the frozen continent could redraw the earth‘s
coastlines if global warming continues unchecked.

Findings

 Two-fifths of that ice loss occurred in the last five years, a three-fold increase in the pace
at which Antarctica is shedding its kilometres-thick casing.
 The findings also highlight the existential threat facing low-lying coastal cities and
communities home to hundreds of millions of people.
 Covering twice the area of the continental U.S., Antarctica is blanketed by enough ice
pack to lift global oceans by nearly 60 metres (210 feet).
 More than 90% of that frozen water sits atop East Antarctica, which has remained mostly
stable even as climate change has driven up earth‟s average surface temperature by a full
degree Celsius.
 West Antarctica, however, has proven far more vulnerable to global warming. Already
floating, ice shelves breaking off into icebergs do not add to sea level.
 But massive glaciers on West Antarctica slowly gliding seaward hold enough water to
push oceans up by 3.5 metres (11 feet).
 Nearly all of the mass shed over the last quarter century has come from West Antarctica.
 Oceans are currently rising by 3.4 millimetres (0.13 inches) per year. Since 1993, the
global ocean watermark has gone up by 84.8 mm (3.3 inches).
 General Studies-02
Maharashtra to give pension to those jailed during Emergency
News: The Maharashtra State government announced a special ₹10,000 pension for those
who went to jail during Emergency.

Beyond News:

 Relief and Rehabilitation minister said ₹5,000 will be paid to those who were behind bars
for less than a month, and ₹10,000 per month who were in jail for more than a month.
 An additional ₹2,000 would be given to wives of prisoners in the first category and
₹5,000 in the second category.
 The decision was taken by the cabinet earlier this month and cleared by the three-
member ministerial group empowered to take decisions in the absence of Chief Minister.

India asks Maldives to release former President Gayoom, other

political prisoners
News: India called for the immediate release of the former Maldivian President Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom and other political prisoners.

Beyond News:

 India‟s statement comes after a court in Male sentenced Mr. Gayoom to 19 months in
prison in a case that allegedly involved a plot to oust the current President Abdullah
Yameen, who is expected to hold elections in September.
 A criminal court in Maldives ruled that Mr. Gayoom, who ruled the country for decades,
obstructed the legal process in a case that concerned an alleged attempt to topple the
government.
 Gayoom and Supreme Court Chief Justice Ali Hameed were arrested in February for
allegedly clearing the way for an impeachment motion against Mr. Yameen.
 In February, Mr. Yameen imposed emergency rule in the archipelago nation following
months of political instability and violence. Though the emergency rule was subsequently
withdrawn, most of the political prisoners are yet to be released.
 India believes that a democratic, stable and prosperous Maldives is in the interests of all
its neighbours and friends in the Indian Ocean,the MEA statement said.

Unique ID cards soon for disabled persons

News :Persons with disability in Telangana will soon receive a unique identification number
valid country-wide, as the State is porting data for inclusion in a national database.

Beyond News:The certificate issued to people with disabilities in Telangana has an

identification number. This number is now being ported in a way that can help availing
centre‘s unique ID,Principal Secretary for Women and Child Welfare Department said.
 The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment launched the programme to create a national database
of persons with disabilities.
 The database aims to make benefits transfer to persons with disability efficient.
 Under the programme, many states are generating the unique IDs.

General Studies-03
Centre pulls up Haryana for polluting the Yamuna
News:Declaring that the government would be extremely strict with those who pollute the
Ganga or Yamuna, Union Water Resources Minister said that he had directed that a notice
be issued to Haryana on its role in polluting the Yamuna.

Beyond News

 While cleaning the Ganga was a key priority of the government, the issue couldn‟t be
addressed unless pollution in the Yamuna was addressed too, Minister said, adding
that 14 projects had been planned for this.
 These included 10 in Delhi, two in Uttar Pradesh, and two in Haryana at Sonipat and
Panipat. In addition, 20 new towns on Yamuna and its tributaries (Hindon and Kali) had
been identified for pollution abatement.
 Union Water Resources Minister said that six sewerage-management projects in Delhi
had already been awarded and two are under tender process.
 Haryana and Delhi have long argued over the relative role of each State in polluting the
Yamuna.

Particles from early solar system found

News :Scientists have discovered that interplanetary dust particles in comets contain
leftovers from the early solar system, which may provide a deeper understanding of how the
planets were formed.

Beyond News

 Researchers showed that the initial solids from which the solar system was formed
consisted almost entirely of amorphous silicate, carbon and ices.
 This dust was mostly destroyed and reworked by processes that led to the formation of
planets. Surviving samples of pre-solar
dust are most likely to be preserved in
comets – small, cold bodies that formed in
the outer solar nebula.
 In a relatively obscure class of
interplanetary dust particles believed to
originate from comets, there are tiny
glassy grains called GEMS (glass
embedded with metal and sulphides)
typically only tens to hundreds of
 nanometres in diameter, less than 1/100th the thickness of human hair.
 The types of carbon that rims the subgrains and that forms the matrix in these particles
decomposes with even weak heating, suggesting that the GEMS could not have formed
in the hot inner solar nebula, and instead formed in a cold, radiation-rich environment,
such as the outer solar nebula or pre-solar molecular cloud.
 The team further plans to search the interiors of additional comet dust particles,
especially those that were well-protected during their passage through the Earth‘s
atmosphere.
 This will help in increasing the understanding of the distribution of carbon within GEMS
and the size distributions of GEMS subgrains.

Lone Indian wild dog struggles to survive

News :In a rare phenomenon of its kind, a solitary dhole or Indian wild dog (Cuon alpinus),
has made the Tipeshwar Wildife Sanctuary in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, about 30
km from here, its home for the last two years.

Beyond News

 This predator, an endangered species as

per the International Union for
Conservation of Nature, has caught the
attention of wildlife enthusiasts who are
debating its chances of survival on its
own besides the relevance of dholes to
the Tipeshwar ecosystem.
 The loner wild dog seems to have been
expelled from its pack which itself quit
the sanctuary area as the population of
tigers in it increased over the last few years, according to wildlife enthusiasts.
 Though the movement of the dhole is not being monitored, wildlife aficionados are
concerned about the perceptible imbalance in the ecosystem within the sanctuary.
 The sanctuary, located on the inter State border with Maharashtra will soon have its tigers
migrating to Kawal Tiger Reserve in erstwhile undivided Adilabad district. The tigers can
even migrate to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra but
the Telangana border is closer increasing the probability of their sauntering into it.
 Like CLAW(Conservation Lenses and Wildlife), the Hyderabad-based NGO Vata
Foundation too is involved in conservation efforts at Tipeshwar.
 Honorary wildlife warden of Yavatmal district, a Tipeshwar expert, ruled out
introduction of female or male dholes as company to the solitary animal in question and
thereby to raise a pack.
 JUNE 15
General Studies-01
Tribal people celebrate onset of monsoon with earth festival
News: When monsoon sets, the tribal people in seven mandals in Rampachodavaram
Agency and four mandals in Chinturu revenue division in Andhra Pradesh, celebrate
the earth festival to take up agriculture works.

Beyond News

 The festival lasts for three days. During the three days, the tribal people offer special
prayers (puja) to village deities and the agriculture field where they are going to take up
sowing. They will get into agriculture related works immediately after the festival.
 The earth festival is mostly celebrated in Chinturu, Vara Ramachandrapuram, Kunavaram
and Yetapaka mandals in which men will leave for hunting of animals in the early hours
on all these three days.
 When men leave for hunting, the women dressed in a traditional way will come on to the
main roads and perform Rela dance in groups. They will stop vehicles proceeding to
Bhadrachalam side from Rajamahendravaram.

India faces worst water crisis: NITI Aayog

News :The NITI Aayog released the results of a study warning that India is facing its ‗worst‘
water crisis in history and that demand for potable water will outstrip supply by 2030 if steps
are not taken.

 Nearly 600 million Indians faced high to extreme water stress and about 2,00,000 people
died every year due to inadequate access to safe water.

Findings

 Twenty-one cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru,

Chennai and Hyderabad will run out of
groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million
people, the study noted.
 If matters are to continue, there will be a
6% loss in the country‟s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) by 2050.
 Moreover, critical groundwater resources,
which accounted for 40% of India‟s water
supply, are being depleted at
“unsustainable” rates and up to 70% of
 India‟s water supply is “contaminated,” the report says.
 The NITI Aayog‟s observations are part of a study that ranked 24 States on how well they
managed their water.
 Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh took the top three spots, in that order,
and Jharkhand, Bihar and Haryana came in last in the „Non-Himalayan States‟ category.
Himachal Pradesh which is facing one of its worst water crises this year led a separate 8-
member list of States clubbed together as „North-Eastern and Himalayan.‟
 These two categories were made to account for different hydrological conditions across
the two groups.
 About 60% of the States were marked as “low performers” and this was cause for
“alarm,” according to the report.
 Many of the States that performed badly on the index Uttar Pradesh, Odisha,
Chhattisgarh accounted for 20-30% of India‟s agricultural output.
 Envisioned as an annual exercise, the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI), to
evaluate States, has been developed by the NITI Aayog and comprises 9 broad sectors
with 28 different indicators covering various aspects of groundwater, restoration of water
bodies, irrigation, farm practices, drinking water, policy and governance.
 Other experts said that unless India woke up to its water crisis, disaster loomed.

General Studies-03
Hyderabad’s Baam Rukn Ud Dowla lake disappears
News: Baam Rukn Ud Dowla, the small lake in front of the S.V.P. National Police Academy
can no longer be seen from the road that connects Aramghar to the Shamshabad Airport.

 Now, the lake has disappeared. And with it, one of the relics of Nizam‘s rule and lifestyle
has disappeared.

Baam Rukn Ud Dowla

 The lake was constructed in 1770 by Nawab Rukn-ud-

Daula, prime minister of the third Nizam. Reputedly
originally 104 acres, the lake has been subject of
controversy over claims of encroachment.
 The lake has a history dating back to Nizam Ali Khan‘s
time when Rukn Ud Dowlah was his prime minister. For
generations, drinking water for the Nizam‘s family was
sourced from this lake and used to be transported by
pack of animals.

Beyond News:While the land abutting the lake was

barricaded in 2014, now a new road leads to the wall
where the lake waters used to lap the shore.
 A portion of the S-shaped wall remains where a few young men can be spotted fishing in
the lake early in the morning or in the evening.
 A few housing colonies that came up in early 2000 behind the lake have had to face
frequent flooding and still battle water stagnation problem even after a small downpour.
 A 1976 Survey of India topography map shows an S shaped lake abutting the road. A
2000 satellite image shows a small lake but open ground reaching up to the road.
Satellite imagery shows this open space and water level fluctuate over a period of time.
 The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority carried out a survey, it marked out
the contours and the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the lake in 2014 and it shows the lake
bund wall reaching up to the road. Now the whole area has been filled up and the lake
bund has disappeared.
 A 2017 satellite image shows the extent of the the massive earthen work in the area
including the wide road that has been laid on the lake bed.

Cyber bullying on the rise, but few want to report it, say officials
News :While cyber bullying has been on the rise, in Mumbai and across the country, the
reluctance of the victims to report the cases has proven to be a hindrance for law
enforcement agencies in dealing with such instances, cyber crime officials said, on the eve
of Stop Cyber Bullying Day.

Beyond News

 The Day is observed on the third Friday

of June across the world, an initiative of
the Cybersmile Foundation to encourage
people towards creating a healthy online
environment.
 The foundation, a non-profit
organisation working out of London,
started the initiative in June 2013 in collaboration with other similarly-minded
organisations.
 Cyber crime officials said the law requires the victims to come forward and register
complaints, and investigation and prosecution is not possible unless this first step is
taken. They put down the victims‟ reluctance to lack of awareness about laws and
infrastructure.
 Special Inspector General of Police (Cyber Crime) said that,the Central government has
allotted ₹4 crore to every State for cyber security.
 Maharashtra is the only State that has put in ₹1,000 crore towards dealing with cyber
crimes and has one police station dedicated to cyber crime in every district.
 Cyber experts said that under the circumstances, prevention is the best cure. Some basic
safety tips include talking to loved ones about potential dangers, encouraging them to
confide in you, refraining from sharing excessive information online and not hesitating to
seek legal help.
Pakistan Taliban chief Fazlullah killed in U.S. drone strike in
Afghanistan
News :Chief of Pakistan Taliban Maulana Fazlullah has been killed in a United States drone
strike in Afghanistan‘s eastern Kunar province, an Afghan Defence Ministry official
confirmed.

Beyond News

 Fazlullah, who has been designated as a global terrorist by the U.S. and carried a bounty
of $5 million, had been on the run since his loyalists were routed in a major military
operation in Pakistan‟s Swat district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in 2009.
 The U.S. military said it carried out a strike targeting a senior militant leader
in Afghanistan. It, however, did not identify him.
 Fazlullah, also known by the alias Radio Mullah or Maulana Radio due to his long
sermons on a private radio channel, and his commanders were having an Iftar party at a
compound when a remotely piloted U.S. aircraft targeted them, reports said.
 Fazlullah had directed numerous high-profile attacks against the U.S. and Pakistani
targets since he was appointed the group‟s leader in 2013, including the December 2014
attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed 151 people, including more
than 130 children.
 The U.S. says Fazlullah ordered the 2012 attempted assassination of Malala Yousafzai,
who became a global symbol of the fight for girls‟ rights to schooling.
 The U.S. strike comes amid a ceasefire between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan security
forces to mark the end of the Ramzan month.

JUNE 16
General Studies-02
Bill on reservation in promotions to SC/ST employees gets
President’s nod
News :President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Karnataka Extension of
Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation
(To the Posts in the Civil Services of the State) Bill, 2017, for providing reservation in
promotions for employees belonging to SC/ST communities.

Beyond News

 The Bill was aimed at sidestepping a Supreme Court directive that struck down
reservations for SC/ST persons in promotions.
 The new law is aimed at determining seniority of government servants promoted on
the basis of reservation in the civil services posts of the State.
  The State has been providing reservation in promotions for SC/ST employees since
1978 15% for SCs and 3% for STs.
 In compliance with the apex court‘s order, the State government conducted a study on
the backwardness of SCs and STs, inadequacy of their representation in the State civil
services, and the effect of reservation in promotion on the State administration.
 Then Additional Chief Secretary and present Chief Secretary, with the assistance of
other officers, collated the data and made a detailed report to the government.
 The report said overall efficiency of administration has not been affected by extending
reservation in promotions to SCs and STs.
 It recommended continuation of reservation in promotion within the limits that will not
hamper the overall efficiency of the administration.
 The State government accepted the report and decided to provide consequential
seniority to persons promoted on the basis of policy of reservation in the State since
1978 to ensure adequate representation of SC/STs across all departments.

U.K. excludes India from relaxed student visa rules

News :The U.K. government has caused outrage with its decision to exclude Indian
students from a new list of countries considered low risk in order to facilitate an easier visa
application process to U.K. universities.

Beyond News

 In changes to its immigration policy tabled in Parliament on June 15, the U.K. Home
Office announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from
around 25 countries.
 On a list already covering countries like the U.S., Canada and New Zealand, the Home
Office has added on the likes of China, Bahrain and Serbia as countries from where
students would face reduced checks on educational, financial and English language skill
requirements to study at British universities.
 The changes, which come into effect on July 6, aim to make it easier for international
students to come to study in the U.K.
 However, India has been left out of this new expanded list, which means Indian students
applying for similar courses will continue to face rigorous checks and documentary
requirements.
 The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) U.K. also expressed
disappointment at India‟s exclusion from the list, which it said effectively categorises
Indian students as high risk.
 The representative body for Indian students in the U.K. said it was unfair that Indian
students should be treated differently from Chinese or other nationals on the list.
 According to latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data, India is among the top three
countries from where overseas students come in to study at U.K. universities, after China
and the U.S. While Indian students registered a hike of 30% to hit 15,171 Tier 4 visas last
year, the numbers remain a far cry from around 30,000 six years ago.
  Students from an additional 11 countries, including China, will be able to provide a
reduced level of documentation when applying for their Tier 4 visa, the Home Office
statement notes.

India hits back at the U.S. with tariffs

News :The Centre has written to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) notifying its decision
to increase import tariffs on 30 items from the U.S. amounting to $240 million, in retaliation
against tariffs imposed by the latter on aluminium and steel imports.

Beyond News

 The move is significant as it comes a day after Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu
returned from the U.S. and just weeks ahead of further talks between the two countries on
the issue.
 S. President Donald Trump, in March, signed an order imposing a 25% tariff on steel
imports and a 10% tariff on aluminium imports, citing national security as one of the key
reasons behind the move.
 The Indian government repeatedly requested an exemption from these tariffs as India did
not pose a security threat to the U.S., but to no avail. India has also taken the U.S. to the
dispute settlement mechanism in the WTO over the matter.
 The removal of concessions on U.S. imports on items such as chickpeas, lentils, almonds,
apples and some metal products will likely result in a duty collection of $240 million,
according to the Centre.
 This, according to the government, was in keeping with the duty increase of $241 million
due to the U.S.‟ actions.
 Notably, one of the items on which the import concessions have been dropped pertains to
high-capacity motorcycles such as those manufactured by Harley Davidson, duties on
which were one of the sore points mentioned by Mr. Trump about India‟s tariff policy.

China’s approach:

 In a tit-for-tat action, China today imposed additional duties on USD 50 billion worth of
American products, a day after U.S President Donald Trumpslapped a stiff 25 per cent
tariff on Chinese goods worth similar amount, triggering a full-fledged trade war between
the world‘s two largest economies.
 Trump accused China of intellectual property theft and unfair trade practices as he
announced 25 per cent tariff on USD 50 billion worth of Chinese goods.
 The Chinese government has decided to impose additional duties of 25 per cent on 659
items of U.S. products worth about USD 50 billion, state-run Xinhua news agency
reported.
 The government also unveiled a list of US products which will be subjected to additional
tariffs, it said.
 Agricultural and aquatic products and vehicles to be affected
 Additional tariffs for 545 items worth about USD 34 billion including agricultural and
aquatic products, and vehicles, will be effective from July 6, 2018, a statement issued by
China‘s Customs Tariffs commission said.
 The implementation date for imposing additional tariffs on the remaining 114 items,
covering chemical products, medical equipment and energy products will be announced
later, it said.
 The decision has been made in line with relevant stipulations of the Foreign Trade Law
of China and the Regulations of the People‘s Republic of China on Import and Export
Duties, as well as the fundamental principles of international laws, the statement said.
 S. announced additional tariffs of 25 per cent on Chinese imports worth approximately
USD 50 billion.
 The official said the Chinese action was taken in response to the emergent
circumstances caused by the U.S. violations of international obligations.
 China has noticed the U.S. statement which said Washington would continue to impose
additional tariffs if China takes retaliatory measures. China reserves its rights to take
corresponding measures, the unnamed official was quoted as saying in the report.

General Studies-03
Time to shift focus from land to
water productivity in farming,
says NABARD
News :Indian agriculture needs to stop being
“obsessed” with the land productivity and
instead start worrying about water productivity,
says a report released by the National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD) this week.

Findings

 The report is part of a research project with ICRIER, mapping a water atlas for ten major
crops rice, wheat, maize, red gram or tur, chickpea or channa, sugarcane, cotton,
groundnut, rapeseed-mustard and potato. These together occupy more than 60% of the
country‘s gross cropped area.
 Given that Indian agriculture uses almost 80% of all the country‘s water resources, which
are increasingly under stress, changing the objective of agriculture development to
increasing productivity per unit of water, especially irrigation water, is crucial, says the
report.
 The most stark differences between land and water productivity are seen in rice and
sugarcane cultivation, the report says.
 Punjab reports the highest land productivity for rice, producing four tonnes per hectare.
However, it only produces 0.22 kg of rice for every meter cube of irrigation water.
 Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, on the other hand, produce 0.75 and 0.68 kg for the same
amount of water. However, low irrigation coverage results in low land productivity in
these States. Jharkhand has only 3% of its land under irrigation.
 For sugarcane, another water-guzzling crop, Tamil Nadu reports the highest land
productivity, producing 105 tonnes per hectare. Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra
Pradesh also have high rates of land productivity.
 The report recommends that cropping patterns be re-aligned to water availability, using
both demand and supply side interventions.
 With water and power subsidies skewing cropping patterns, it also recommends reform
in these areas, with a shift from the price policy approach of heavily subsidising inputs to
an income policy approach of directly giving money farmers on per hectare basis. Prices
will then be determined by market forces.

Novel gold nanocomplex for cancer drug delivery

News :Using gold nanoparticles coated with a simple organic molecule (porphyrin),
researchers have designed an efficient drug nanocarrier. The nanocarrier was found to
effectively deliver doxorubicin (anti-tumour drug) to the nucleus of the diseased cell and
bring about programmed cell death.

Beyond News

 Porphyrin was armoured on the gold nanosurface via continuous stirring method.
 Porphyrin is a simple organic compound and it gives the necessary protection and
stability to the nanosurface. Porphyrins are essential co-factors in many human proteins
such as hemoglobin and so it can escape from the macrophages in our body.
 The porphyrin molecule was found to be uniformly distributed on gold nanoparticles and
the porphyrin–gold complex was stable.
 The anti-tumour drug doxorubicin was then successfully loaded on the porphyrin–gold
nanosurface.
 Doxorubicin is selectively released when it reaches the low-pH environment seen in
cancerous cells.
 Its activity was then tested on brain and lung cancer cells and normal healthy cells.
 The porphyrin gold complex without the drug showed no toxicity to healthy and
cancerous cells. The nanoparticles coated with the drug showed very low toxicity to
normal cells and caused programmed cell death both in brain and lung cancer cells.
 Multidrug resistance is one of the major barriers in cancer cells, where the drug is quickly
ejected out, reducing the effective drug concentrations within the cells and thus decreases
its sensitivity.

JUNE 17 & 18
General Studies-01
Carving of Rudrama Devi discovered
News: A tall granite nondescript structure in the
middle of fields in Thorrur mandal of Mahabubabad,
a closer look reveals an intricate carving on a stone
thrust in the middle.

Beyond News:

 The structure is a watchtower built by

the Kakatiyas, who ruled the region for more
almost three centuries (1052 AD to 1323 AD).
 While exploring the square tower built to
oversee the Siva Kesava temple in Nanchari
Maduru village of Thorrur mandal here as part
of the Temple Survey Project, an official of the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stumbled
upon a distinctive granite slab embedded into the walls of the tower. The slab depicts
Lord Siva blessing Kakatiya ruler Rudrama Devi in a mythical, animal form.
 The discovery of this elegant narrative sculpture is momentous for the
archaeological research and most vital for the reconstruction of a few events that
might have occurred in the life of Rani Rudrama Devi, said Superintending
Archaeologist, ASI, Chennai.
 13th-century watchtower, which is a little damaged, also explains the hitherto
unrevealed significance as a defence bastion of the Kakatiya rulers for
safeguarding the region from the enemy surges, including the Kayasthas.
 The rectangular sculptured panel frame represents Rudrama Devi seated on an
elephant, holding a sword in her raised right hand. Her left-hand carries elephant
head gear, with an attendant in tow. A mahout is seen stopping the elephant by
holding its trunk with the left hand and a mace in his right.
 The official believes the slab is one of the rare visual sources on the life of Rani
Rudrama Devi.

Petroglyph site discovered in Kurnool

News: Kandanathi, a tiny village located about 5-km south of Yemmiganur mandal
headquarters in the district, is the biggest
petroglyph site in Andhra Pradesh, an
exploration by an archaeology researcher
revealed.

Beyond News

 Archaeology researcher discovered rock

art with engravings, and peckings and
bruisings, predominantly of humped bulls
and also of human figures, at Kandanathi
dating back to the Mesolithic, Neolithic,
and pre-historic periods.
 There was a carnival scene with humans playing musical instruments such as ‗dolu‘ and
‗kommu‘.
 There were several depictions of bulls with various sizes of horns and humps, and in
association with riders.
 In addition, there were plenty of figures of animals and humans drawn on boulders such
as goats, monkeys, dogs etc.
 The peak of the hillock has remains of a mutilated ―buruju,‖ possibly dating to the
Vijayanagara period (1336-1670 AD).
 One grinding hole was noticed on the foothill located at a distance of 10 metres from the
site towards the west. The rock art in the village comprised paintings/pictographs and
petroglyphs.
 Kurnool district is one of the richest zones of the prehistoric centres in the world for early
human activities, and throws valuable insight into the past culture and cultural continuity
to the archaeologists.
 Kandanathi is surrounded by brooks namely Banavasi Vanka, Eerlaiah Sami Vanka,
Giddaiah Vanka. and Yenkanna Vaagu, which ultimately join the Handri, a tributary of
the Tungabhadra.
 The petroglyphs at Kandanathi reveal the presence of the Boya community divided into
many exogamous groups such as Mandla (herdsmen) and Yenubothula (buffalomen).

General Studies-02
India, Italy agree to revitalise bilateral ties
News: India and Italy agreed to boost cooperation in counter-terrorism and cybersecurity as
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met the top Italian leadership and discussed steps
to revitalise bilateral ties.

Beyond News

 It was the first major political exchange between the two countries after Mr. Conte
assumed charge early this month.
 Swaraj conveyed felicitations of the Government of India to the newly elected
Government of Italy, and reiterated
India‟s desire to strengthen bilateral
relations with Italy, the statement said.
 They exchanged views on regional and
global issues of mutual interest.
 Recognising the need to sustain the
momentum generated by the visit of
former Italian Prime Minister [Paolo]
Gentiloni to India in October 2017, the
Ministers emphasised the importance of
promoting regular high-level contacts
and bilateral dialogue mechanisms.
  To augment collaboration in areas of mutual benefit, the Ministers agreed to hold the next
meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) in India later this
year, it said.

 They also welcomed Italy‘s participation as a partner country at the Tech Summit in India
in November 2018 which would boost cooperation in technology and innovation.
 The year also marks the 70th year of establishment of diplomatic relations between the
two countries.

Road map laid for India-U.S. meet

News:Indian and U.S. experts began a three-day consultations to find meeting points in
bilateral relations in preparation for the first-ever meeting of the Ministers for External Affairs
and Defence with their U.S. counterparts next month.

Beyond News:

 The July meeting in Washington DC between Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman
and their U.S. counterparts, called the two-plus-two discussions, is expected to further
cement the India-U.S. engagements.
 According to officials, among the key focus
areas of the meeting that began is finding
a breakthrough in concluding the
Communications Compatibility and
Security Agreement (COMCASA), one of
the four foundational agreements that
helps the U.S. to intensify its defence
cooperation with a partner nation.
 Indications emerging from the U.S. side is
that they are keen to stress the importance
given to India in its Indo-Pacific strategy.
 The U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) was recently renamed Indo-Pacific Command
(INDOPACOM), symbolic of the significance U.S. attaches to India in the region.
 Apart from the foundational agreements, the U.S. is also keen on a broad based
intelligence-sharing agreement with India as the two countries have vastly expanded
their counter-terror cooperation.
 In this context, the fourth foundational agreement, Basic Exchange and Cooperation
Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA), will be significant.
 COMCASA and BECA are the two foundational agreements that India is yet to sign. It
has already signed the General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)
and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
 The most significant of them is LEMOA, which gives both nations access to each other‘s
military facilities. But it does not make it automatic or obligatory.
 The COMCASA will facilitate transfer of encrypted communications systems.

The agreements are a key requirement by Washington for sharing h-tech military hardware,
especially armed drones which the U.S. is willing to supply to India. Sale of armed drones is
high on the agenda of the 2+2 dialogue.
In a first, WHO recommends quadrivalent influenza vaccine
News :Sanofi Pasteur‘s injectable influenza vaccine (FluQuadri) containing two A virus
strains H1N1 and H3N2 and two B virus strains Victoria and Yamagata for active
immunisation of adults of age 18 to 64 years was approved in May last year by the Drug
Controller General of India (DCGI). The application for the paediatric indication is under
review by the DCGI and final approval is expected by the end of this month.

Beyond News

 Sanofi‘s quadrivalent influenza vaccine was licensed for use by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) in 2013; it is licensed in 26 countries.
 While a trivalent influenza vaccine contains both A subtype viruses, it has only one of the
B subtype virus, the quadrivalent vaccine offers greater breath of protection as it includes
both B subtype viruses.
 Since the vast majority of influenza vaccines manufactured were trivalent till recently, the
World Health Organisation (WHO) used to recommend two A subtypes and one B
subtype, plus an optional fourth strain (the other B virus strain). But this February
2018, for the first time, the WHO issued an official recommendation for a quadrivalent
vaccine.
 The quadrivalent vaccine will contain four influenza virus strains (two A subtypes and two
B subtypes H1N1 and H3N2, and Victoria and Yamagata respectively). The WHO
recommendation then mentioned which B strain should be removed in the case of a
trivalent flu vaccine.
 The viruses used in the vaccine are killed and this eliminates the possibility of the virus in
the vaccine itself causing infection.
 In India, the vaccine will be available as single dose pre-filled syringe. Eventually, it will
be available in a vial for public health use.
 Since 2011, there have been about 97,000 H1N1 cases and over 7,100 deaths in India
according to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) data.
 Till June 3 this year, there have been 1,740 seasonal influenza cases and 191 deaths
caused by H1N1.
 Despite the high number of infections and mortality each year, India does not have in
place a national policy for influenza immunisation. Pregnant mothers, children aged
below five and young people with asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high
blood pressure are at a greater risk of infection and death.

General Studies-03
Govt. to set up fifth national data centre
News :The Centre will set up the country‘s biggest data centre in Bhopal with a capacity to
host five lakh virtual servers, Electronics and IT Minister said.

Beyond News

 The data centre, which will take about two years to come up, will be set up by the
National Informatics Centre(NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY).
 This will be the fifth National Data Centre after the ones at Bhubaneswar, Delhi,
Hyderabad and Pune. These National Data Centres host government websites, services
and applications.

Mount Everest, the high-altitude rubbish dump

News :Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world‘s
highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention
to the ugly footprint they leave behind.

Beyond News

 Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even human
excrement litter the well-trodden route to the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot)
peak.
 As the number of climbers on the mountain has soared at least 600 people have scaled
the world‘s highest peak so far this year alone the problem has worsened.
 Meanwhile, melting glaciers caused by global warming are exposing trash that has
accumulated on the mountain since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first
successful summit 65 years ago.
 Five years ago Nepal implemented a
$4,000 rubbish deposit per team that
would be refunded if each climber brought
down at least eight kilogrammes (18
pounds) of waste.
 On the Tibet side of the Himalayan
mountain, they are required to bring down
the same amount and are fined $100 per
kilogramme if they don‘t.
 In 2017 climbers in Nepal brought down
nearly 25 tonnes of trash and 15 tonnes of human waste the equivalent of three double-
decker buses — according to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).
 Environmentalists are concerned that the pollution on Everest is also affecting water
sources down in the valley.
 At the moment the raw sewage from base camp is carried to the next village a one-hour
walk and dumped into trenches.

Solutions

 They are considering installing a biogas plant near Everest base camp that would turn
climber poo into a useful fertiliser.
 Another solution would be a dedicated rubbish
collection team.

Need to save coral reefs

News: Loss of coral reefs around the world would double
the damage from coastal flooding, and triple the
destruction caused by storm surges, researchers said.
Findings

 Without coral to help absorb the shock, a once-in-a-century cyclone would wreak twice
the havoc, with the damage measured in the tens of billions of dollars, the team
calculated.
 Coral reefs serve as natural, submerged breakwaters that reduce flooding by breaking
waves and reducing wave energy.
 Coral is also highly sensitive to spikes in water temperature, which have become sharper
and more frequent with climate change.
 Global coral reefs risk catastrophic die-off if Earth‘s average surface temperature
increases two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels,
earlier research has shown.
 Globally, seaside flooding is estimated to cause nearly USD 4 billion dollars (3.4 billion
Euros) a year in damages.
 With the erosion of the top metre (three feet) of coral reefs worldwide, that figure rises to
USD 8 billion, Beck and his colleagues found.
 Saudi Arabia, the United States, Taiwan and Vietnam would also become significantly
more vulnerable to flooding with severe coral erosion.

JUNE 19
General Studies-02
WHO releases new global classification of diseases
News :The World Health Organization (WHO) released its new International Classification
of Diseases (ICD-11).

Beyond News

 The ICD is the foundation for identifying health trends and statistics worldwide, and
contains around 55,000 unique codes for injuries, diseases and causes of death.
 It provides a common language that allows health professionals to share health
information across the globe.
 ICD-11, which has been over a decade in the making, provides significant improvements
on previous versions.
 Also for the first time, it is completely electronic and has a much more user-friendly
format. And there has been unprecedented involvement of health care workers who have
joined collaborative meetings and submitted proposals.
 This release is an advance preview that will allow countries to plan how to use the new
version, prepare translations, and train health professionals all over the country. The ICD
is also used by health insurers, whose reimbursements depend on ICD coding; national
health programme managers; data collection specialists; and others who track progress
in global health and determine the allocation of health resources.
 The new ICD-11 also reflects progress in medicine and advances in scientific
understanding.
 ICD-11 is also able to better capture data regarding safety in health care, which means
that unnecessary events that may harm health – such as unsafe workflows in hospitals
can be identified and reduced.
 The new ICD also includes new chapters, one on traditional medicine: although millions
of people use traditional medicine worldwide, it has never been classified in this system.

Kerala most at risk of cardiovascular disease, finds national

survey
News :Two recent national surveys of nearly 8,00,000 adults between 34 and 70 years, has
found that people of Kerala across sexes were most at risk of cardiovascular
diseases while those in Jharkhand were least likely to have the condition.

Findings

 A gender break down, however, puts the women of Goa at highest mean cardiovascular
risk at 16.73% while men in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland were most vulnerable with
mean cardiovascular risk of 24.23%.
 The studies, found wide variations in the average 10-year risk of a fatal or nonfatal
cardiovascular disease event among
States.
 The study found that adults in urban areas,
as well as those with a higher household
wealth, tended to have a greater
cardiovascular risk.
 With 19.90%, adults living in urban areas
in Kerala had the highest mean risk,
followed by West Bengal (19.12%) and
Himachal Pradesh (18.97%).
 In contrast, those living in urban areas of
Daman and Diu had the lowest mean risk
(12.60%), followed by Bihar (13.63%) and Arunachal Pradesh (14.71%).
 In general, the cardiovascular risk is lower in rural areas compared with urban areas.
 In the case of Kerala, the difference between highest mean risk in rural (19.23%) and
urban areas (19.90%) is meagre.
 The surveys covered 27 of the 29 States and five of the seven Union Territories.
 While smoking (a risk factor for CVD) was more prevalent in poorer households and rural
areas, wealthy households and urban locations faced risks from high body mass index,
high blood glucose and high systolic blood pressure.

General Studies-03
New type of photosynthesis discovered
News :A new study published in Sciencesays that certain bacteria don‘t need white light,
and instead use far-red light for photosynthesis.
Beyond News:The wavelength of visible light or white light is 400 to 700 nanometre, and till
now botanists and plant biologists believed that all plants used red light( 680 to 700 nm) for
oxygenic photosynthesis.

 The new study shows that many cyanobacteria or blue-green algae can carry out
photosynthesis in the far red light or near infrared light of 750 nm.
 Another interesting find of the study is that in cyanobacteria, a different kind of
chlorophyll was involved in photosynthesis.
 All photosynthetic organisms use chlorophyll-a for the process, but the researchers
found that when cyanobacteria was grown in near- infrared light, chlorophyll a shuts
down and a special chlorophyll, chlorophyll-f, performs the same task.
 Chlorophyll-f, which was long believed to be a helper in harvesting light, has now been
found to play an important role in photosynthesis in shaded environments.
 Though another cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris, has already been reported to be using
beyond red limit, it was thought to be one of a kind. But this study has shown that the
new method is widespread and could even represent a new type of photosynthesis
unknown to science. These insights can help researchers engineer food crops that can
grow in wide light ranges.

This supermassive black hole

shredded a star
News :For the first time, astronomers have
directly imaged the formation and expansion
of a fast-moving jet of material ejected when
a supermassive black hole ripped apart a star
that wandered too close to the cosmic
monster.

Beyond News

 The scientists tracked the event with radio and infrared telescopes, including the
National Science Foundation‘s Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), in a pair of colliding
galaxies called Arp 299, nearly 150 million light-years from Earth.
 At the core of one of the galaxies, a black hole 20 million times more massive than the
Sun shredded a star more than twice the Sun‘s mass, setting off a chain of events that
revealed important details of the violent encounter.
 Only a small number of such stellar deaths, called tidal disruption events, or TDEs, have
been detected, although scientists have hypothesised that they may be a more common
occurrence.
 As time passed, the new object stayed bright at infrared and radio wavelengths, but not
in visible light and X-rays.
 The most likely explanation is that thick interstellar gas and dust near the galaxy‘s centre
absorbed the X-rays and visible light, then re-radiated it as infrared.
 Most galaxies have supermassive black holes, containing millions to billions of times the
mass of the Sun, at their cores. In a black hole, the mass is so concentrated that its
gravitational pull is so strong that not even light can escape.
An eco-friendly invention
News :Scientists have developed a material using fly ash a by-product of coal-fired power
plants – that can replace cement in concrete, paving the way for greener buildings and
structures in the future.

Beyond News

 Fly ash binder does not require the high-temperature processing of cement, yet tests
showed it has the same compressive strength after seven days of curing.
 It also requires only a small fraction of the sodium-based activation chemicals used to
harden cement. The material is cementless and environment friendly.
 Over 20 billion tonnes of concrete are produced around the world every year in a
manufacturing process that contributes 5 to 10 per cent of carbon dioxide to global
emissions, surpassed only by transportation and energy as the largest producers of the
greenhouse gas.

JUNE 20
General Studies-02
Governor’s rule imposed in J&K
News

 President Ram Nath Kovind has approved imposition

of Governor‘s rule in Jammu and Kashmirwith
immediate effect, a senior government official said.

Beyond News

 Governor N Vohra sent a report to Union Home Ministry recommending Central rule in
the State after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti submitted her resignation since the
Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) pulled out of the alliance with People‘s Democratic Party
(PDP).
 As Kovind is on a three-nation tour, the proposal was sent to Suriname, his current stop.
 When the Governor sent the proposal, the President was already in transit from Athens
to Suriname. As soon as he touched down in Paramaribo, he signed the
recommendation giving his assent to Governor‘s rule in J&K, said the official.

Many Indians detained in U.S. crackdown on illegal immigrants

News :Several people from South Asia, including many Indians, are among those detained
by U.S. immigration authorities at a federal prison in Oregon for illegally entering the
country.
Beyond News

 The Donald Trump administration‘s ―zero-tolerance‖ policy on illegal immigration has

resulted in sweeping enforcement measures such as separation of children from their
families.
 The Indian Embassy in the U.S. is trying to ascertain the reports, and to contact the
detained people before planning a course of action, an official told .
 Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) said in a statement that Over the
last month, 123 immigrants seeking asylum have been detained and transferred to
Oregon‘s Sheridan federal prison in Yamhill County. The majority of the 123 people in
the Sheridan prison are South Asian, who speak primarily Hindi and Punjabi, and a few
[are] identified as Chinese.‖ Some of the detainees are from Nepal, according to reports.
 Indians were the largest group of detainees being held in Sheridan, Congresswoman
Suzanne Bonamici, who visited them, said in an article.
 APANO said it was trying to put together a rapid legal response, led by Innovation Law
Lab and the Oregon chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
 APANO is connecting with local South Asian communities and ‗One Oregon Coalition‘ to
raise further awareness and support for the detainees.

‘Simplify citizenship process for Hindus’

News :With 108 Pakistani Hindu migrants having obtained Indian citizenship in Jodhpur on
Sunday, Rajasthan Chief Minister has requested the Centre to simplify and expedite the
process for granting citizenship to the members of the Hindu community displaced from
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Beyond News

 Jodhpur Collector distributed the citizenship certificates to 108 former Pakistanis , while
disposing of their cases pending for several years. The migrant-turned-Indian citizens
turned jubilant and raised slogans such as ―Bharat Mata Ki Jai.‖
 Most of the Hindu migrants, who had crossed the international border and settled in
western Rajasthan following their persecution in Pakistan‘s Sindh province, are engaged
in small businesses and menial work.
 The education of their children was held up for want of citizenship, as they were unable
to get admission in the local schools and colleges.

Bid for better nutrition for children on track: NGO

News :A concentrated effort to strengthen health and
nutrition during early childhood appears to have paid
dividends in the Maharashtra State‘s four malnutrition-hit
districts.

Beyond News:The Urban Nutrition Initiative (UNI) by NGO

Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT) has
reached out to pregnant women, lactating mothers and
children up to two years of age to bring changes in children‘s
nutrition.
 The government has an Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) department
and aanganwadisfor providing preschool education and nutrition. Under the UNI, they
have attempted to strengthen existing services.
 The CCDT, which heads a consortium of four NGOs implementing the project Amhi
Amchya Arogyasathi, Vachan, Foundation for Mother and Child Health and Indian Social
Service Unit of Education has partnered with Tata Trusts and the State government‘s
Rajmata Jijau Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Mission (RJMCHNM). The UNICEF
is providing technical support.
 The project has been implemented in 846 aanganwadisin Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and
Nagpur districts has reached out to 32,258 children, 12,383 pregnant mothers and
12,338 lactating mothers since it was started.
 While implementing the project, field workers identified problems like children not being
weighed regularly. They also found that the Take Home Ration (THR) provided under the
ICDS not well accepted, and intended beneficiaries were reluctant to approach
government-run nutrition rehabilitation centres.
 Apart from compulsory weighing of children and explaining the importance of monitoring
the child‘s growth through weight, project workers held demonstrations on nutrition and
provided relevant recipes for THR.

General Studies-03
‘Micro compost yards will keep city green’
News :In an effort to minimise the quantum of waste reaching its landfill sites, the
Tambaram Municipality in Tamil Nadu has begun implementing several projects in
accordance with the Swachh Bharat Mission and new municipal solid waste rules.

Beyond News

 A meeting was held recently by Commissioner of Municipal Administration, wherein it

was decided to segregate waste at the source.
 Accordingly, the municipality has planned to construct 20 sheds for micro-composting at
a cost of Rs. 6.6 crore. The first one constructed on Velachery Main Road in Aadhi
Nagar, Selaiyur, was inaugurated .
 These micro-composting centres will use the kitchen, garden and food waste from
households and produce organic garden manure in 40 days. The manure will be
supplied to residents free of cost.
 In seven places, slightly bigger micro-composting centres would be constructed at a cost
of Rs. 50 lakh and the works were going on in full swing. In other places, the work would
begin in a phased manner.
 Residents have been requested to send bio-
degradable waste for six days and on
Wednesdays they can send non-biodegradable
waste through the conservancy workers.
 The details of the new system are being
disseminated to residents through awareness
programmes. With cooperation from residents
and commercial establishments in the coming
 months, the recycling of these wastes will bring in more greenery in the municipal limits.

Mars to come closest to Earth in July

News :Star gazers could have a good view of the Red Planet next month as Mars is set to
come to the closest point to Earth since 2003 when it reaches opposition with the Sun in
late July.

Beyond News

 This year, Mars opposition will occur on July 27, according to NASA.
 During opposition, Mars is especially photogenic because it can be seen fully illuminated
by the Sun as viewed from Earth.
 Since Mars and the Sun appear on opposite sides of the sky, we say that Mars is in
‗opposition‘, NASA explained.
 Every 15 or 17 years, opposition occurs within a few weeks of Mars‘ perihelion – the
point in its orbit when it is closest to the Sun.
 An opposition can occur anywhere along Mars‘ orbit. When it happens while the Red
Planet is closest to the Sun (called ‗perihelic opposition‘), Mars is particularly close to
Earth, NASA said.
 But some perihelic oppositions bring Earth and Mars closer together than others, the US
space agency said.
 The 2003 opposition was the closest approach in almost 60,000 years, it added.

JUNE 21
General Studies-02
Kerala scraps plantation tax
News: Kerala Chief Minister told the State Assembly that the government has decided to
scrap plantation tax in view of the crisis in the plantation sector.

Beyond News:

 Kerala is the only State in the country that still persists with the Plantation Tax.
 The decision to give up the tax was taken based on the recommendations of a
committee of secretaries and the Justice Krishnan Nair Commission appointed by the
last government to study and report on the crisis in the plantation sector.
 The Chief Minister said the government has also decided to freeze collection of
Agricultural Income Tax (AIT) from the plantation sector.
 The lines (row homes) in which plantation workers are housed would be exempted from
building tax. Instructions have been issued to the local government institutions
concerned on this.
 The seigniorage (fees) being levied on felled rubber trees would also go.
Trump backs down, signs order to end family separations at U.S.
border
News: S. President Donald Trump backed down on an immigration policy that sparked
outrageat home and abroad, signing an executive order to end the separation of children
from their parents when immigrant families are caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border
illegally.

Beyond News

 The order requires that immigrant families be detained together when they are caught
entering the country illegally, although it was not immediately clear for how long.
 It also moves parents with children to the front of the line for immigration proceedings.
The order does not end a ―zero tolerance‖ policy that calls for criminal prosecution of
immigrants crossing the border illegally.

General Studies-03

India’s first river

interlinking project
caught in U.P.-M.P.
tussle
News :Disagreements over water-
sharing and difficulty in acquiring
non-forest land impede
the ₹18,000-crore Ken Betwa river
interlink project.

Beyond News:The project, which involves deforesting a portion of the Panna Tiger
Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, was accorded clearance by the National Wildlife Board on the
condition that the land lost would be made good by acquiring contiguous, revenue land.
This is to ensure that wildlife corridors in the region aren‘t hit.

 Another hurdle is a dispute over how Uttar Pradeshand Madhya Pradesh the two
beneficiaries will share water in the Rabi season.
 These ―major‖ issues made it quite unlikely that the project will get under way this year.
 Conceived as a two-part project, this is India‘s first river interlinking project. It is
perceived as a model plan for similar interstate river transfer missions.
 Phase 1 involves building a 77 m-tall and a 2 km-wide dam, the Dhaudhan dam, and a
230 km canal to transfer extra water from the Ken river for irrigating 3.64 lakh hectares in
the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
 Originally, this phase envisaged irrigating 6,35,661 ha annually (3,69,881 ha in M.P. and
2,65,780 ha in U.P.). In addition, the project was to provide 49 million cubic metres
(MCM) of water for en route drinking water supply.
World’s first manta ray nursery found
News :Scientists have discovered the world‘s first known natural manta ray nursery, which
could allow them to observe the juvenile marine creatures in their habitat and learn more
about them.

Beyond News

 Located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas at U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)‘s Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary,
the juvenile manta ray habitat is the first-of-its-kindto be described in a scientific study.
 The juvenile life stage for oceanic mantas has been a bit of a black box for us, since
scientists are so rarely able to observe them.
 Identifying this area as a nursery highlights its importance for conservation and
management, but it also gives us the opportunity to focus on the juveniles and learn
about them.
 This discovery is a major advancement in our understanding of the species.

South Central Railway introduces ‘Train Captain’ service in

Venkatadri Express
News :Venkatadri Express which started from Kacheguda towards Chittoor became the first
train across South Central Railway (SCR) to have a ‗Train Captain‘.

Beyond News

 The next ‗captain‘ in the zone to coordinate on board services will be on Telangana
Express starting from Hyderabad to New Delhi.
 At least one train in each of the six divisions of the zone will be having the new concept
of a ‗Train Captain‘ who will be overall in charge of the train as decided by the Railway
Board recently.
 It is a step towards enhanced customer connect.
 The ‗Captain‘ will be sporting a badge and his name and mobile number will be made
available for the passengers so that he can be directly contacted for any train related
issue like a deficiency of service or any complaint during the course of the journey.
 The captaincy is being handed over to the senior-most among the travelling ticket
examiner (TTE) in the train from the starting point.
 The ‗Captain‘ is expected to supervise the work of all these personnel and the staff
members of various wings have been instructed to follow his orders during the course of
journey to attend to complaints from the passengers.

Rajasthan, Haryana get notice over deforestation in Aravallis

News:The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Centre and
the State governments of Rajasthan and Haryana over deforestation in the Aravallis, which
has ―led to air pollution in the Capital‖.

Beyond News:The NHRC has observed that the gravity of the issue demands proactive
and effective measures by the authorities to stop deforestation and degradation of the
Aravallis.
 Issuing notices to the chief secretaries of the State governments and to the Union
Ministry of Environment, the NHRC sought information on the steps that are being taken
by authorities on the issue. The authorities have been asked to respond within six
weeks.
 The statement noted that the Aravallis act as a green cover to check the extent of the
desert from western Rajasthan to eastern parts.
 It said that experts have opined that if the degradation of the Aravallis continues then it
may cause advancement in desertification and increased intensity of dust storms, which
will affect the health of the people due to air pollution.

JUNE 22
General Studies-01
Chola period inscriptions found at Erumbeeswarar Temple
News :Research scholars have found more
Chola period inscriptions at the Sri
Erumbeeswarar Temple situated on a hillock at
Tiruverumbur on the outskirts of the city throwing
light on the socio-economic life of the people who
had lived there then.

Beyond News:

 Though the temple dates back to 6th century

C.E., the present construction belongs to 10th
century C. E. and the credit of converting it
into a stone temple goes to Chembiyan
Vedivelan, a philanthropist who lived in the early Chola period.
 Earlier studies by the scholars at the temple had led to the discovery of nine inscriptions
of Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagar period and the present study covered almost all the
fragmentary inscriptions scattered all around the outer prakara of the temple.
 Nearly 40 fragments were found and all of them belonged to the Chola period. The
fragments of inscriptions were found on the stones on the compound wall of the temple.
The latest study has helped give a better understanding of certain older records and
provided fresh details about people who lived during the Chola rule.
 The inscriptions that were found now throw interesting information on two Saivite mutts
that had apparently existed there. One of the inscriptions states that nearly 24 ‗veli‘(a
measure) of land was gifted to a mutt named after Thirunavukkarasar, who had sung
sacred hymns in this temple, during the 30th regnal year of Rajaraja Chola III. A royal
order provided 10 veli of tax-free land to another Saivite mutt named after Sambandar
that existed in the temple quarters.
 Another inscription of Rajaraja III was again a royal order by which certain portion of
fertile land was allotted to the Thiruvudai Maruthudai Nayanar temple that is still to be
seen at Koothapar, a nearby village.
 The name of the government official who had written the royal document and the names
of the individuals of the revenue department who had passed the order are also
recorded.
 An undated Chola record reveals a sad story of the residents of two villages namely
Cheppankudi and Kadalankudi who had abandoned their villages due to severe drought.
 Names of villages, officials and local chieftains such as Vijayalaya Muttaraiyar and
Srikanda Nayaka Piriyan, the temple accountant, could be gleaned from a few
fragments. Some of them provide details on town planning.
 It is also understood that literate residents of the villages helped the illiterates by signing
the documents on behalf of them which was a common practice in those days. Certain
details on the temple worship and offerings are also available in the records.

General Studies-02
42ore Indians detained for illegally entering USA
News :At least 42 Indians are detained in a facility in New Mexico for illegal entry into the
United States, in the second such episode that has come to light this week. Earlier this
week, it emerged that 52 Indians were being
detained in a federal prison in Oregon.

Beyond News

 The U.S agencies enforcing immigration

do not automatically notify missions of the
countries from where the detainees come.
 Indian officials approached the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) after hearing from community
leaders, about the new batch of detainees.
The ICE confirmed that at least 42 of the
detainees at the Otero County Detention Centre in New Mexico, not far from the El Paso
border crossing from Mexico, are Indians.
 It is likely that more cases of Indians being detained will emerge, as the Donald Trump
administration continues with its ‗zero tolerance‘ enforcement of immigration laws.
 It is unclear whether the detainees want any consular assistance at all or not. The
detention centres allow detainees to contact anyone they want, but they can refuse to
meet or talk to visitors.
 The news of the new batch of Indian detainees emerged from Indian Americans who
spoke to them in recent days.
 Indian officials tracking the developments said it was unclear when these people were
detained. The ICE has provided Indian missions with names of the detained people in
Oregon and New Mexico.
 Most of the detainees are Sikhs from Punjab and a handful are Christians from Andhra
Pradesh.
 The U.S. lawmakers who met detainees in Oregon had said they were seeking political
asylum in America, claiming that they were victims of religious persecution in India. If
they are indeed seeking political asylum, Indian missions would have no role to play.
 Asylum claims are adjudicated by the U.S immigration authorities.
World’s hungry population on
the rise again, says UN report
News :The number of hungry people in the
world has risen for the first time in more than
a decade, according to a United
Nations report released on Wednesday.

Beyond News

 There are now approximately 38 million

more undernourished people in the world, rising from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in
2016, the year for which the latest statistics are available.
 According to the UN‘s Sustainable Development Goals 2018 report, conflict is now one
of the main drivers of food insecurity in 18 countries.
 After a prolonged decline, world hunger appears to be on the rise again. Conflict, drought
and disasters linked to climate change are among the key factors causing this reversal in
progress.
 Violent conflicts also led to the forced displacement of a record high 68.5 million in 2017.
 Noting the increasing impact of extreme events related to a changing climate, the report
said economic losses attributed to disasters were estimated at over $300 billion in 2017.
 This is among the highest losses in recent years, owing to three major hurricanes
affecting the United States of America and several countries across the Caribbean.
 While there is little country-specific data in the report, it does examine the performance
of various regions in meeting the 17 SDGs, which were adopted by UN member nations
in 2015. The deadline to meet them is 2030.
 South Asia, which includes India, has seen child marriage rates plunge, with a girl‘s risk
of getting married in childhood dropping by 40% from 2000 to 2017.
 On the other hand, water stress levels for many countries in the region are above 70%,
indicating fast-approaching water scarcity. More than nine out of 10 people living in
urban areas around the world are breathing polluted air, with southern Asia scoring the
worst in this area. While electricity and sanitation deficits in south Asia are still poor, the
report noted efforts are being made to close the gap.

Chennai Corportion proposes hefty fines to squash litterbugs

News :The Chennai Corporation in Tamil Nadu proposes to effect a steep increase in the
maximum fine for littering from ₹50 to ₹25,000 in the city.

Beyond News

 The civic body has framed solid waste management bylaws under Section 349 of the
Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act of 1919 to collect fines ranging from ₹100 to
₹25,000 for littering.
 The bylaws apply to domestic, institutional, commercial and any other non-residential
solid waste generators, as well as individuals who dump solid waste in stormwater
drains, underground sewage systems and waterbodies in the city.
 Those who burn solid waste in public spaces will also be penalised. Owners of non-
residential buildings who litter public spaces will pay a fine of ₹2,000. But traders will
have to pay just ₹1000 for littering public spaces.
 Persons who spit in public spaces will have to pay a fine of ₹100. Street vendors who fail
to use garbage containers will have to pay a fine of ₹100.
 Residents who dump garden waste on the road will have to pay a fine of ₹1,000.
 After notification of the bylaws, sanitary inspectors will collect fines from persons littering
public places including roads, arch roads, viaducts, lanes, footways, alleys, passages,
highways, causeways, bridges, square alleys, parks, gardens, recreation grounds,
playgrounds, beaches, water bodies, water courses, public plazas, promenades,
government buildings, public hospitals, markets, slaughter houses and courts.
 In exercise of the powers conferred under Sections 3, 6, and 25 of the Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986, the Central government has already enacted the Solid Waste
Management Rules, 2016 to regulate the management of solid waste.
 Every resident, institution or commercial establishment will be asked to segregate and
store the waste in three separate bins, namely biodegradable, non-biodegradable and
domestic hazardous waste, and hand over segregated waste to authorised waste pickers
or waste collectors, officials said.

General Studies-03
Upgrade software at ATMs by June 2019 or face penalty, RBI
tells banks
News :With banks failing to upgrade software in automated teller machines (ATM) despite
repeated reminders, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now directed the banks to
complete the process in a phased manner latest by June 2019.

Beyond News:The slow progress on the part of the banks in addressing these issues has
been viewed seriously by the RBI, the central bank said in a notification to banks.

 The banking regulator pointed out that many ATMs were still running on Windows XP
and other unsupported software.
 RBI said the vulnerability arising from the ATMs operating on unsupported version of
operating system and non-implementation of other security measures, could potentially
affect the interests of customers and the banks‘ image.
 Security measures should be implemented by August 2018 and anti-skimming and
white-listing solutions by March 2019.

It may be noted that any deficiency in timely and effective compliance with the instructions
contained in this circular may invite appropriate supervisory enforcement action under
applicable provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and/or Payment and Settlement
Systems Act, 2007, RBI said.

Now, use of waste plastic in road work mandatory

News:The Maharashtra State has made it mandatory to use waste plastic and industrially-
recycled plastic in all road construction and repair works.
Beyond News

 The move, according to the government, will ensure roads with better quality at lesser
price and help tackle the waste plastic problem, which is likely to arise after the ban.
 A government resolution (GR) issued directed the use of plastic in asphalting works
following a successful experiment.
 The GR said the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research too has found that such
roads are of better quality and less expensive.

JUNE 23
General Studies-02
New app cuts waiting time for passport verification
News :The Ministry of External Affairs will be
awarding the Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry
police with a Certificate of recognition to
―acknowledge its outstanding work‖ in
the implementation of the ―mPassport police
app‖, a digital, tablet computer-based
application for police verification of passport
applications.

Beyond News

 Tamil Nadu was the first State in the

country to implement the app across all
police districts.
 In other States, the application has been
implemented only in some major cities. By
February 2018, all police districts in Tamil Nadu started using the app for the passport
verification process.
 Police verification is a key step in the passport issuance process.
 Prior to the use of the app, the paper-based system of communication between the
Regional Passport Offices and police stations, besides the actual verification procedure,
resulted in a significantly higher processing time and bureaucratic delay, thereby
increasing the time needed to issue the passport.
 The mPassport police app has been implemented on a Tablet PC system that is made
available to police officials in charge of conducting the verification. Following the
application submission at the passport office, the police verification process is initiated
digitally.
 The mobile app helps the police official to conduct field visits to verify the applicant‘s
details.
 The police official can record the verification results on the field visit itself. Once this is
done, all verifications are submitted as a consolidated report via a web application used
by the respective police station and then later approved.
 If there are adverse reports, these are reviewed before further processing of the
application.
 The use of a digital and mobile app process has significantly reduced the waiting time for
the verification process, data from police districts show.
 Barring a few districts, almost everywhere else there has been a steep drop in the time
taken to generate the verification reports.
 The app had not just eased the verification process (and consequently the issuance of
passports), but had also made it transparent and secure.

Haryana to take five monuments in Nuh under State protection

News :The Haryana government has decided to take five monuments in Nuh under State
protection for conservation under the provisions of the Punjab Ancient Historical
Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964.

Beyond News

 A proposal in this regard was approved by Haryana Chief Minister.

 The monuments to be taken under State protection are: Ghasera Fort, Old Tehsil
Building, Kotla Mosque, and Chhatrisand Kuan.
 The Ghasera Fort was ruled by Bahadur Singh
Bargujar, a Rajput chief of 11 villages. This is
situated around 14 km from Nuh city on Sohna-
Nuh road. The ruined walls and a grand
entrance show that Ghasera is a historical
village. The fort was build by stones
and lakhouribricks with lime surkhi
 The Old Tehsil Building is located on Nuh main
road. In 1861, Gurgaon district was re-arranged
into five tehsilsnamely Gurgaon, Firozpur
Jhirkha, Nuh, Palwal and Rewari.
 Thereafter, in 1872-73, the building of the Tehsil Nuh was constructed by the then British
government over the land measuring 14 kanal and 8 marla situated within the revenue
estate of Nuh. It is a single storied brick built building comprising 30 rooms.
 Another monument to be conserved, the Kotla Mosque, is around 6 km from Nuh city.
The red sandstone and grey quartzite tomb has inscription on the ruined gateway, dating
back to 1392-1400.
 The mosque is a square structure on raised platform. The surface of the exterior is
simple and the interior is curved with red sandstone.
 There are two Chhatris and a Kuan (well) in Meoli village. An old and small village has
these remains which were built in an architectural style of the medieval era.
 The construction material, depth and diameter of the well cylinder, its location and the
style adopted for its superstructure depended on the nature of the soil and terrain, the
amount of average rainfall and availability of masonry expertise.
 General Studies-03
At 0.3mm to a side, researchers create world’s smallest
‘computer’
News :Researchers have come out with the world‘s smallest ―computer‖ a device
measuring just 0.3 mm to a side, completely dwarfed by a grain of rice.

Beyond News

 Unlike traditional desktops that retain their program and data with or without a power
back-up, these new microdevices lose all prior programming and data as soon as they
are switched off, Xinhua news agency reported.
 In addition to the RAM and photovoltaics, the new micro-computing device Michigan
Micro Mote has processors and wireless transmitters and receivers.
 As the Motes are too small to have conventional radio antennae, they receive and
transmit data with visible light. A base station provides light for power and programming,
and it receives the data.
 Designed as a precision temperature sensor, the new device converts temperatures into
time intervals, defined with electronic pulses. The intervals are measured on-chip against
a steady time interval sent by the base station and then converted into a temperature.
 As a result, the computer can report temperatures in minuscule regions, such as a
cluster of cells, with an error of about 0.1 degree Celsius.
 The system is very flexible and could be reimagined for a variety of purposes.
 The device can help in oncology research.

U.S. stepping up the earth’s protection from asteroids

News :The U.S. government is stepping up efforts to protect the planet from incoming
asteroids that could wipe out entire regions or even continents.

Beyond News

 The National Science and Technology Council recently released a report calling for
improved asteroid detection, tracking and deflection.
 NASA‘s planetary defence officer, said scientists have found 95% of all these near-Earth
objects measuring one kilometre or bigger. But the hunt is still on for the remaining 5%
and smaller rocks that could still inflict big damage.
 Altogether, NASA has catalogued 18,310 objects of all sizes.
 There‘s no quick solution if a space rock is suddenly days, weeks or even months from
striking.
 But such short notice would give the world time, at least, to evacuate the area it might
hit.
 Ground telescopes are good at picking up asteroids
zooming into the inner solar system and approaching
from the night side of the earth.
 What‘s difficult to detect are rocks that have already zipped past the sun and are heading
out of the solar system, approaching from the day side.

That‘s apparently what happened in 2013 when an asteroid about 66 feet in size suddenly
appeared and exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, damaging thousands of buildings and
causing widespread injuries.

World’s most powerful supercomputer unveiled.

News :US scientists have unveiled the world‘s most powerful and smartest scientific
supercomputer that can complete over 200,000 trillion calculations per second providing
unprecedented computing power for research in energy, advanced materials and artificial
intelligence (AI).

Beyond News :The US Department of Energy‘s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
supercomputer called Summit will be eight times more powerful than its previous top-ranked
system, Titan.

 For certain scientific applications, Summit will also be capable of more than three billion
billion mixed precision calculations per second, or 3.3 exaops.
 The IBM AC922 system consists of 4,608 compute
servers, each containing two 22-core IBM Power9
processors and six NVIDIA Tesla V100 graphics
processing unit accelerators, interconnected with
dual-rail Mellanox EDR 100 Gb/s InfiniBand.
 Summit also possesses more than 10 petabytes of
memory paired with fast, high-bandwidth pathways
for efficient data movement.
 The combination of cutting-edge hardware and
robust data subsystems marks an evolution of the
hybrid CPU-GPU architecture successfully pioneered by the 27-petaflops Titan in 2012.
 ORNL researchers have figured out how to harness the power and intelligence of
Summit‘s state-of-art architecture to successfully run the world‘s first exascale scientific
calculation.
 Scientists has leveraged the intelligence of the machine to run a 1.88 exaops
comparative genomics calculation relevant to research in bioenergy and human health.
 The mixed precision exaops calculation produced identical results to more time-
consuming 64-bit calculations previously run on Titan.
 In addition to scientific modeling and simulation, Summit offers unparalleled opportunities
for the integration of AI and scientific discovery, enabling researchers to apply
techniques like machine learning and deep learning to problems in human health, high-
energy physics, materials discovery and other areas.

Panel to study impact of floating solar plant

News :After having received 24 expression of interests (EoI) from companies for
Maharashtra‘s first-ever floating solar power plant at Ujani dam in Solapur, the government
now wants to study the environmental impact the project may have on the fauna and the
fisheries business.
Beyond News

 The floating solar power plant of 1000 MW is part of the State‘s renewable energy policy,
which was announced on July 20, 2015. The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution
Company Limited (MAHADISCOM) has been appointed as the implementing agency.
 Doubts raised include impact of covering the water surface with solar panels on the
fauna, fisheries business, and whether covering the water may cause any problem to the
irrigation system. The panels, which will cover 1/15th of the total reservoir area, may also
lead to change in the water level.
 A six-member committee, director (commercial) MAHADISCOM, has been set up, with
members from the environment and irrigation departments. The scope of the committee
is to study the environmental impact, get environmental and other clearances, and make
a graph of possible changes in the water level. The panel will submit its report in two
months.
 Kerala is the first State to have a floating solar power plant with a capacity of 250 MW.

JUNE 24 & 25
General Studies-02
India cuts export quotas for Maldives
News :India has lowered the limits on the export of certain essential commodities such as
potatoes, onions, and eggs to the Maldives, according to a recent notification, in a move
that sparked reports of possible food shortages in the Maldives.

Beyond News

 This move, though ostensibly based on a new method of calculation, comes against the
backdrop of a recent heightening of tensions between the two countries.
 Relations between India and Maldives have soured somewhat in recent times.
 According to the 1981 agreement between India and Maldives, the Indian government
,having regard to the fact that it has traditionally been supplying certain essential
commodities to the Maldives, has agreed to facilitate supply to the Maldives of specified
quantities of commodities, to be determined bilaterally.
 The new three-year average method of calculating the limits will result in a year-on-year
reduction in the amount of some essential goods exported to the Maldives, but an
increase in others.

UAE Minister to meet Chief Ministers

News :India‘s relations with the UAE are expected to receive a boost this week with
major energy and diplomatic discussions.

Why its important?

 This is the first time that a high official of the UAE will engage several State leaders of
India in a bid to strengthen bilateral ties.
Beyond News

 During the week-long visit that began , UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed
is scheduled to conclude a trilateral energy agreement and hold meetings with Chief
Ministers of multiple States marking a renewed outreach to the States by the energy-rich
country.
 Apart from the important energy pact, the UAE also looks for greater partnership with
ISRO for its own Mars mission.
 Energy giants Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Aramco will seal a
trilateral agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
 Both sides are also expected to sign a currency swap agreement.

India, Bangladesh Navies to join hands

News: India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as
an annual feature between the two Navies.

Beyond News:

 The first edition will be inaugurated by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba during his visit
there from June 24 to 29.
 The commencement of CORPAT is major step towards enhanced operational interaction
between both Navies.
 Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong,
encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through port calls,
passage exercises along with capacity building, capability enhancement and training
initiatives.
 The aim of Adm. Lanba’s visit is to ―consolidate bilateral defense relations between
India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.‖
 Over the last few years, the Navy has expanded its assistance to countries in the region
through ―material support, training, EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) surveillance,
provisioning of platforms, hydrographic assistance, joint exercises and offering slots in
professional training courses.‖
 The Navy regularly conducts CORPATs with Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. It also
conducts EEZ surveillance of Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles on their request.

General Studies-03
World’s smallest computer to treat
cancer
News :Scientists have developed the world‘s
smallest computer device that measures just 0.3
millimetres and could help find new ways to
monitor and treat cancer. One of the most
interesting features is that it can run on low power.
Beyond News

 The new computing devices have processors and wireless transmitters and receivers.
They receive and transmit data with visible light. A base station provides light for power
and programming, and it receives the data.
 One of the big challenges in building the device called Michigan Micro Mote was how to
run at very low power.
 Another challenge was achieving high accuracy while running on low power.
 Designed as a precision temperature sensor, the new device converts temperatures into
time intervals, defined with electronic pulses.
 The intervals are measured on-chip against a steady time interval sent by the base
station and then converted into a temperature.
 As a result, the computer can report temperatures in minuscule regions – such as a
cluster of cells – with an error of about 0.1 degrees Celsius.
 The system is very flexible and could be reimagined for a variety of purposes.
Temperature may also help in evaluating cancer treatments.

Formalin-laced fish seized

News :The Kerala State Food Safety
wing officials during inspection seized
6,000 kg of fish preserved using
formalin (formaldehyde) at the inter-
State border check-post at Walayar in
Palakkad.

Beyond News

 The seized fish prawn/shrimp had

been brought in from Andhra
Pradesh and preliminary examination
using rapid detection strip tests, developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries
Technology (CIFT), revealed the presence of formalin in the fish.
 Following this, samples were collected and sent for detailed analysis at the CIFT lab in
Ernakulam, food safety officials said.
 Food Safety officials suspect that toxic preservatives are being used by people/traders
in Kerala who are importing fish from neighbouring States. It is highly unlikely that
traders from Andhra Pradesh are directly selling fish in Kerala after preserving it in
formalin, they say.
 Earlier too, the food safety wing has tried to monitor the quality of fish in the market by
collecting samples and sending it for analysis .
 Senior officials said that the Commissioner of Food Safety department was in touch with
his counterparts in other States too regarding the import of contamination of fish.

IISc researchers find asthma drug effective in treating TB

News:A drug (Pranlukast) currently used for treating asthma has been found to be effective
against tuberculosis, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru,
have found.
Beyond News

 Studies carried out in mice models found the drug to be effective in treating TB both
when used alone and in combination with an anti-TB drug rifampicin.
 The drug uses a unique strategy to target the TB bacteria and is therefore quite unlikely
to cause any adverse side-effects either to the human cells or the beneficial bacteria
found in humans.
 Most of the current anti-TB drugs target either the RNA synthesis (transcription) or cell-
wall synthesis of the bacteria.
 Many steps make up the arginine biosynthesis pathway and one of them involves an
enzyme ArgJ (Ornithine acetyltransferase) which is essential for the survival and
virulence of TB bacteria.
 The ArgJ enzyme is unique to TB bacteria and its counterpart neither exists in humans
nor in the beneficial bacteria of human microbiome. This makes the ArgJ an exciting
target for drug development and is very unlikely to cause any harmful side-effects in the
human host.
 To further reduce the chances of the chosen drug causing any side-effects, the
researchers decided to target a unique site on the ArgJ enzyme that is not found in other
proteins described so far.

‘Rhino habitat under threat of mining’

News :The lynching of two adventure enthusiasts a fortnight ago has put the focus on
rampant mining, quarrying and stone crushing activities that are threatening the ecology of
the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape.

Beyond News

 Kaziranga National Park, home to the largest population of one-horned rhinos in the
world.
 Outlining the threat posed to the rhino habitat, also a tiger reserve, environmentalist and
RTI activist has complained about the non-implementation of the recommendations of
the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) by the Assam government for stopping
all mining, quarrying and stone crushing activities in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong
landscape.
 The NTCA had in its report on April 20 asked the State government to immediately stop
such activities that are severely hampering the survival and conservation of the tiger, its
habitats, co-predators, prey, including mega herbivores, and their transit routes during
the annual flood season.
 During floods, animals of low-lying Kaziranga National Park flee to the adjoining kills of
Karbi Anglong district. Some stone mines and quarries are on their transit routes.
 JUNE 26
General Studies-01
Toxic air is causing malnutrition in trees
News :Besides affecting human health, air pollution is also causing malnutrition in trees by
harming a fungi that is important for providing mineral nutrients to tree roots.

Findings

 Mycorrhizal fungi is hosted by the trees in their roots to receive nutrients from the soil.
These fungi provide essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from
soil in exchange for carbon from the tree.
 This plant-fungal symbiotic relationship is crucial for the health of the tree.
 High levels of the nutrition elements like nitrogen and phosphorus in the mycorrhizae
changes them to act as pollutants rather than nutrients, the findings showed.
 The signs of malnutrition can be seen in the form of discoloured leaves and excessive
falling of leaves.
 The study, examined 40,000 roots from 13,000 soil samples at 137 forest sites in 20
European countries for a period of 10 years to determine the fungi‘s tolerance to
pollution.
 The researchers noted that ecosystem changes can negatively affect tree health.
 The researchers suggested that the results should be used to design new studies into
the link between pollution, soil, mycorrhizae, and tree growth.

General Studies-02
Centre cannot guarantee power supply to all villages, says
official
News :State-level distribution companies should ensure power availability; Centre can only
connect villages and households to grid, says senior Power Ministry bureaucrat.

Beyond News

 The Centre has claimed 100% electrification of all villages and 83% of all households
across the country. It has said that all households will be electrified by the year end.
 In some cases, the electrification infrastructure such as cables and transformers were
stolen days after they were installed,
leaving the target village unelectrified in
reality but connected on paper.
 In other cases, electricity was supplied for
just a few hours a day.
 Despite the government pegging India as
a power surplus nation, almost every State
in the country reels under power cuts,
especially during peak summer.
 This, according to power sector analysts, is because discoms are still very inefficient,
with the costs they incur in the transmission far outweighing revenue. Government data
show discoms across the country, on an average, lose ₹0.22 a unit of electricity
supplied.
 However, the Power Ministry has claimed that this situation is improving rapidly under
the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), with Power Minister recently saying that
discom losses have drastically reduced to ₹17,352 crore in 2017-18 from ₹51,096 crore
in the previous year.

General Studies-03
Biodegradable plastic
News :Scientists have successfully synthesised a polymer that is typically produced by
bacteria, algae and other microorganisms, an advance that may lead to renewable and
biodegradable plastics.

Beyond News

 The compound called bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) – or P3HB – shows early

promise as a substitute for petroleum plastics in major industrial uses.
 P3HB is a biomaterial, typically produced by bacteria, algae and other microorganisms,
and is used in some biomedical applications.
 Its high production costs and limited volumes render the material impractical in more
widespread commodity applications, however.
 Researchers used a starting material called succinate, an ester form of succinic acid.
 This acid is produced via fermentation of glucose and is first on the U.S. Department of
Energy‘s list of top 12 biomass-derived compounds best positioned to replace petroleum-
derived chemicals.
 The new chemical synthesis route produces P3HB that‘s similar in performance to
bacterial P3HB, but their route is faster and offers potential for larger-scale, cost-effective
production for commodity plastic applications.
 This new route is enabled by a class of powerful new catalysts they have designed and
synthesised.

BSF roped in to check wildlife

smuggling
News :In a first, the Border Security Force (BSF) has
signed a memorandum of understating with the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) to check trans-border
smuggling of wildlife in the country.

Beyond News

 As part of the agreement signed last week, WCS, a

Bengaluru-based NGO, will help in capacity building
of the troops deployed along the border and help
them identify the wildlife that are smuggled.
 NGO will also come up with a 24-hour helpline which the forces can use to get more
information about the wildlife seized.
 There are also plans for starting a mobile application for identification of wildlife by the
personnel.
 The first capacity building programme will be held in Kolkata.

Supermassive stars amid globular clusters

News :Astronomers have proposed a new theory that attempts to explain the existence of
peculiar chemical elements in ancient clusters of stars called globular clusters.

Beyond News

 Globular clusters are ancient compact clusters of hundreds of thousands of stars

clumped tightly together via gravity which were formed 11-13 billion years ago, just a few
cosmic moments after the Big Bang.
 Around 150 of these clusters have been spotted sitting at the outer regions of the Milky
Way.
 The researchers wanted to know why the stars found in these clusters have different
chemical elements than others found in open clusters.
 The elements and their particular ratio could not
have been produced within the stars
themselves. The researchers believe it requires
a temperature 10 times hotter than that of the
stars while they were forming.
 A team of astronomers believe that it could be
seen in supermassive stars, having a mass that
is tens of thousands of times more than the
mass of the Sun.
 The study advances the idea that supermassive
stars may have come around at the same time
as the globular clusters were starting to form.
 During the early years of the Universe, globular clusters were filled with dense hot gas
that would later cool to form the cluster‘s huge number of stars.
 As the stars accumulated more material, the researchers believe they became so big
and so close to one another that some of them would collide to form a supermassive
star.
 The supermassive star would then reach temperatures high enough to be able to
produce heavy elements and other chemicals that can now be observed in stars in
globular clusters.

Chennai Corpn. to restore 104 waterbodies

News: As the Chennai Corporation is set to begin work on
preparation of detailed project reports on eco-restoration of
104 waterbodies in various neighbourhoods of the city,
hundreds of encroachments in such areas will not be cleared
as of now.
Beyond News

 According to estimates, buildings have come up on more than 75% of the area of
waterbodies in most of the neighbourhoods.
 The encroachments on the waterbodies range from one acre to 10 acres.
 The civic body is planning to begin restoration of all the 206 waterbodies before the
onset of the monsoon.
 Some of the 53 slums have not yet allowed the officials to evict them for the Cooum eco-
restoration project.
 In the first two phases of the eco-restoration project, only waterbodies without
encroachments have been taken up due to opposition from encroachers.
 The civic body has been reluctant to take up restoration of waterbodies because of the
large number of encroachments, which caused a delay in eco-restoration of at least 104
waterbodies.
 Detailed project report for eco-restoration of 104 waterbodies will begin shortly.

JUNE 27 & 28
General Studies-01
Neanderthals hunted in bands, speared prey up close: study
News :Neanderthals were capable of sophisticated, collective hunting strategies, according
to an analysis of prehistoric animal remains from Germany that contradicts the enduring
image of these early humans as knuckle-dragging brutes.

Findings

 The cut marks or ―hunting lesions‖ on the bones of two 1,20,000-year-old deer provide
the earliest ―smoking gun‖ evidence such weapons were used to stalk and kill prey.
 Microscopic imaging and ballistics experiments reproducing the impact of the blows
confirmed that at least one was delivered with a wooden spear at low velocity.
 Neanderthals lived in Europe from about 300,000 years ago until they died out 30,000
years ago, overtaken by our species.
 Recent findings have revealed a species with more
intelligence and savoir fairethan suspected.
 They buried their dead in ritual fashion, created
tools, and painted animal frescos on cave walls at
least 64,000 years ago, 20,000 years beforeHomo
sapiens arrived in Europe.
 Hominins the term used to describe early human
species, as well as our own most likely started
hunting with weapons more than half-a-million years
ago.
 3,00,000-to 4,00,000-year-old wooden staves found
in England and Germany are the oldest known
spear-like implements likely used for killing prey. But
 there was no physical evidence as to their use, leaving scientists to speculate.
 Lake shore excavations from the same site since the 1980s have yielded tens of
thousands of bones from large mammals, including red and fallow deer, horses and
bovids.
 They have also turned up thousands of stone artefacts, attesting to a flourishing
Neanderthal presence in what was a forest environment during an interglacial period
135,000 and 115,000 years ago.
 The old deer bones examined for the study were unearthed more than 20 years ago, but
new technologies helped unlock their secrets: which injuries were lethal, what kind of
weapon was used, and whether the spears were thrown from a distance or thrust from
close up.

Things are looking up in Antarctica

News :Antarctica‘s bedrock is rising surprisingly fast as a vast mass of ice melts into the
oceans, a trend that might slow an ascent in sea levels caused by global warming.

Beyond News

 The Earth‘s crust in West Antarctica is rising by up to 4.1 centimetres (1.61 inches) a
year, in a continental-scale version of a foam mattress reforming after someone sitting
on it gets up.
 The rate, among the fastest ever recorded, is likely to accelerate and could total 8
metres (26.25 feet) this century, helping to stabilise the ice and brake a rise in sea levels
that threatens coasts from Bangladesh to Florida.
 Much of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which has enough ice to raise world sea levels by
more than three metres (10 feet) if it ever all melted, rests on the seabed, pinned down
by the weight of ice above.
 The fast rise of the bedrock beneath will lift ever more of the ice onto land, reducing the
risks of a breakup of the sheet caused by warming ocean water seeping beneath the ice.
 The uplift increases the potential stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet against
catastrophic collapse.

General Studies-02
After aid for defense buys, India gifts plane to Seychelles
News :India gifted a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft to Seychelles, which will increase the
island nation‘s surveillance capabilities.

Beyond News

 Prime Minister announced a $100 million credit for Seychelles to buy military hardware
from India. But confusion continues over the cooperation in the development of
Assumption Island.
 The Do-228 aircraft, built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was formally
handed over by External Affairs Minister to Seychelles President Danny Faure, who is on
an official visit to India.
 The handing over of Do-228 to Seychelles reflects the government of India‘s firm
commitment to, and continued engagement in, further developing, consolidating and
expanding the comprehensive multi-faceted cooperation between India and Seychelles.
 Faure, who received the airworthiness certificate of the aircraft, called it a ―historic day‖
,the aircraft would help to bolster the coastal surveillance of Seychelles and the policing
of its extensive Exclusive Economic Zone.
 The aircraft is expected to be flown at the 42nd Independence Day celebrations of
Seychelles on June 29. It will be operated by men of the Seychelles Air Force, who have
been trained in its operation and maintenance.

T.N. Assembly says no to Dam Safety Bill

News :The Assembly unanimously adopted a special resolution urging the Centre to keep
the Dam Safety Bill, 2018, in abeyance until the concerns raised over the legislation by
Tamil Nadu and other States are addressed.

Beyond News

 The resolution contended that certain clauses of the Bill affected the interests of Tamil
Nadu and could potentially affect the State‘s rights on control and maintenance of dams
located in neighbouring States.
 Tamil Nadu had been consistently opposing various clauses of the Bill, and that the
inputs of the State government were not sought while drafting it.
 Listing the steps being taken by Tamil Nadu to increase the height of the Mullaperiyar
dam to 152 feet from its current height of 142 feet following a Supreme Court judgment,
the draft Bill, in the guise of facilitating dam safety, would affect the State‘s prospects in
controlling the Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam, Thoonakkadavu and Peruvaripallam dams.
 Contending that the proposed National Dam Safety Authority and the National
Committee on Dam Safety would not be able to resolve disputes over the operation of
dams, the State government had noted that every State already had a designated body
for dam safety, which was functioning in line with the guidelines of the Central Water
Commission.
 Though the Centre had proposed a Bill on dam safety in 2010 and sought inputs from
Tamil Nadu, the State opposed the Bill, and the proposal was eventually dropped.

Air pollution sensors to be certified from September

News :Beginning September, the government plans on certifying pollution monitoring
instruments to improve the measurement and forecast of air pollution episodes.

Beyond News:This is part of an initiative to boost local manufacturing while anticipating a

massive demand for such instruments as part of the
government‘s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

 The NCAP envisions setting up 1,000 manual air-

quality-monitoring stations (a 45% increase from the
present number) and 268 automatic stations (triple the
current 84). It also plans to set up pollution-monitoring
stations in rural areas.
 Currently most of the instruments used by organisations such as the Central Pollution
Control Board, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)
and private organisations are imported samplers.
 The National Physical Laboratory, a CSIR lab that‘s tasked with certifying the fidelity of
these instruments, has previously said that many of them suffered problems of
calibration.
 Experts from the Indian Space Research Organisation, and the Department of Science
&Technology (DST), deliberated on ways to improve forecasts using satellites and
develop an early warning system as well as setting up a system for certification of air
quality emission monitoring instruments.
 The DST would take the lead on technology interventions and the CSIR-NPL will be the
certification agency for air quality measurement instruments. Certification of PM2.5 and
PM10 volume samplers will commence from September, 2018, according to a statement
from the Environment Ministry.
 Currently satellite-based air monitoring is becoming popular and effective to monitor
particulate matter over a large area.
 However many of the existing machines including the CPCBs are already certified by
the U.S. Environment Protection Agency.

General Studies-03
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot comes into focus
News

 NASA‘s James Webb Space Telescope the most ambitious and complex space
observatory ever built will be used to study Jupiter‘s Great Red Spot, shedding new light
on the enigmatic storm that has been raging on the planet for over 350 years.

Beyond News

 Jupiter‘s iconic storm is on the Webb telescope‘s list of targets chosen by guaranteed
time observers, scientists who helped develop the incredibly complex telescope and
among the first to use it to observe the universe.
 One of the telescope‘s science goals is to study planets,
including the mysteries still held by the planets in our own solar
system from Mars and beyond.
 Researchers to use Webb‘s mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) to
create multi-spectral maps of the Great Red Spot and analyse
its thermal, chemical and cloud structures.
 They will be able to observe infrared wavelengths that could
shed light on what causes the spot‘s iconic colour, which is
often attributed to the Sun‘s ultraviolet radiation interacting with
nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus-bearing chemicals that are
lifted from Jupiter‘s deeper atmosphere by powerful
atmospheric currents within the storm.
 Using MIRI to observe in the five to seven micrometre range
could be particularly revealing for the Great Red Spot, as no
other mission has been able to observe Jupiter in that part of
 the electromagnetic spectrum, and observations in such wavelengths are not possible
from Earth.
 Those wavelengths of light could allow the scientists to see unique chemical by-products
of the storm, which would give insight into its composition.

Belize’s reef, an underwater wonder, may be out of risk

News :The Mesoamerican Reef, an underwater wonder world whose survival was
considered to be at risk for years, may now
be removed from UNESCO‘s list of
threatened World Heritage Sites, bold steps
to save it by activists and the Belizean
government.

Beyond News

 Second in size only to the Great Barrier

Reef in Australia, the Caribbean reef was
named to the prestigious World Heritage List in 1996, but placed on endangered status
in 2009 because of Belize‘s plans to allow oil exploration nearby.
 The warning also encompassed the mangroves that help protect the reef and serve as a
breeding ground for many of the hundreds of fish species that inhabit the area.
 They organised an informal referendum in 2012, in which 96% of Belizeans voted
against offshore oil exploration, choosing the reef over the potential economic gains for
the country.
 The Belizean government adopted a series of laws to protect the reef. It came just in
time for this week‘s UNESCO meeting in Manama, Bahrain, where the UN body is due to
consider removing the reef from its list of endangered heritage sites.

JUNE 29
General Studies-01
Vanishing treasures of the Arctic
News :A mad rush is needed to preserve or catalogue thousands of Arctic archaeological
sites before they are washed away by warming hastening the thaw of permafrost and
coastal erosion, scientists have warned.

Beyond News

 The Arctic cold has conserved ivory artefacts, driftwood houses and human remains in
often near-perfect conditions for millennia, but the faster and more severe climate
change in the poles compared to the rest of the world has led to a desperate situation
with far more sites that will soon be lost than scientists have the time or resources to
document.
 An increasing number of ancient sites and structures around the world are now at risk of
being lost,once destroyed, these resources are gone forever, with irrevocable loss of
human heritage and scientific data.
 There are at least 180,000 sites in an area that covers more than 12 million sq.km. in
Canada, Russia, Alaska and Greenland.
 Other effects of global warming cited in the study include storms, the growth of
vegetation covering the landscape, tundra fires, resource development, and the arrival of
tourists navigating increasingly ice-free Arctic waters and illegally picking over coastal
archaeological sites for souvenirs.

General Studies-03
World’s smallest heart pump makes debut in India
News :A city hospital has claimed to perform the country‘s first successful protected
angioplasty and stenting procedure with the
help of the Impella heart pump.

Beyond News

 The Impella device is the world‘s smallest

heart pump which can support a failing
heart for seven days, even longer
occasionally. It acts like a catheter and
works on the principle of submersible
water pump. It is as thick as a pencil and
approximately 6-inch long.
 This new life-saving treatment is for
patients suffer from high-risk blockages
and a failing heart, who are at high risk for
surgery and angioplasty, and often left with
no options.
 Unlike other devices which are large and
need surgery for implantation, the Impella heart pump can be inserted into the heart
without surgery percutaneously through the groin artery in the catheterisation laboratory.
 The device provides blood flow of 2.5-3.5 litres per minute. It is used to help maintain
stable heart functions and ensure blood flow is maintained to organs like the brain and
kidneys in cases of cardiogenic shock or during risky angioplasties.
 Once in position, the device withdraws blood from the left ventricle and expels it in the
ascending aorta, the same effect that happens with the pumping motion of the heart.

Pakistan placed on ‘grey list’ by FATF

News:The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has placed Pakistan on the ‗grey list‘ for
failing to curb anti-terror financing despite Islamabad submitting a 26-point action plan.

 The decision was taken at the FATF‘s plenary session in Paris.

Milky Way full of ‘space grease’
News : The galaxy is rich in grease-like molecules, say scientists who have estimated the
amount of ‗space grease‘ found in the Milky Way.

Beyond News

 Organic matter of different kinds contains carbon, an element considered essential for
life.
 There is though real uncertainty over its abundance, and only half the carbon expected is
found between the stars in its pure form.
 The rest is chemically bound in two main forms, grease-like (aliphatic) and mothball-like
(aromatic).
 The researchers used a laboratory to create material with the same properties as
interstellar dust.
 They mimicked the process by which organic molecules are synthesised in the outflows
of carbon stars, by expanding a carbon-containing plasma into a vacuum at low
temperature.
 The material was collected and then analysed by a combination of techniques. Using
magnetic resonance and spectroscopy (splitting light into its constituent wavelengths)
they were able to determine how strongly the material absorbed light with a certain
infrared wavelength, a marker for aliphatic carbon.
 The study, found that there are about 100 greasy carbon atoms for every million
hydrogen atoms, accounting for between a quarter and a half of the available carbon.

Japanese mission reaches unexplored asteroid Ryugu

News : A Japanese probe has reached an asteroid 300 million km away to collect
information about the birth of the solar system and the origin of life after a more than three-
year voyage through deep space.

Beyond News

 The Hayabusa2 probe successfully settled into an observation position 20 km above the
Ryugu asteroid.
 Researchers broke out into cheers when the
probe arrived in place, a feat JAXA described as
―shooting from Japan at a six cm target in Brazil‖.
 The successful mission came just days before
the UN‘s International Asteroid Day on June 30,
a global event to raise awareness about the
hazards of an asteroid impact and technological
progress to counter such a threat.
 Scientists hope to glean clues about what gave
rise to life on the earth from samples taken from
Ryugu, which is thought to contain relatively
large amounts of organic matter and water.
 The Hayabusa2 probe was in good shape and is
now ready to start exploring the asteroid over the
coming 18 months.
 The next stage is to identify suitable sites to take samples from once the probe touches
down on the asteroid.

Special force for disaster management

News: The Tamil Nadu State government will create a special force for disaster
management,which will be tasked with search and rescue operations during emergencies,
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister informed the Assembly.

Beyond News:

 Funds amounting to Rs. 1.80 crore will be provided to set up the force.
 In the first phase, it will come up in coastal districts and those with mountainous regions.

JUNE 30
General Studies-01
Rising temperature to cut living standards of 600 million
Indians
News : Six hundred million Indians could see a dip in living standards by 2050 if temperatures
continue to rise at their current pace, according to an analysis by the World Bank.

Beyond News

 Seven of the 10 severest or most vulnerable ‘hotspots’ in India would be located in Maharashtra; the
rest would be in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. In the absence of major climate mitigation, nearly
148 million Indians will be living in these severe hotspots in 2050, according to the report.
 States in the central, northern and northwestern parts of India emerge as the most vulnerable.
Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are predicted to experience a decline in living standards of
more than 9%, are the top two ‘hotspot’ States in India, followed by Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and
Maharashtra.
 India’s average annual temperatures are expected to rise by 1°C to 2°C by 2050, even if preventive
measures are taken along the lines of those recommended by the Paris climate change agreement of
2015. If no measures are taken, average temperatures in India are predicted to increase by 1.5°C to
3°C.
 Economists at the World Bank correlated these climate projections with household consumption
data (a proxy for living standards) in Nepal, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,
and extrapolated it to 2050.
 Using publicly available climate models that project how rising temperatures will affect rainfall and
seasons, the researchers conclude that if emissions continued at the current pace, India could see a
1.5% decline in its GDP by 2030.
 However, were some corrective actions to be taken like India concertedly implementing its National
Action Plan on Climate Change and States are implementing their domestic climate change
mitigation plans this could be halted to 1.3%.
 General Studies-02
‘Start home delivery of rations to curb starvation deaths’
News : To avoid starvation deaths, the Centre has asked the States to begin providing doorstep
delivery of food grains as part of the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Beyond News

 In a national consultation with State Food Ministers , Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and
Public Distribution urged States to implement reforms to strengthen the subsidised foodgrain
distribution system, and to work with the Centre to ensure the prices of essential commodities
remain stable and inflation was contained.
 Union Minister said that, home delivery of foodgrains, especially to the disabled and elderly, should
be done as a precautionary measure. They have issued guidelines to all the States to ensure that
there are no starvation deaths because ration was not delivered,” he said.
 According to Right to Food activists, at least 12 starvation deaths have been reported in Jharkhand
over the last 10 months.
 Government had made significant progress towards end-to-end computerisation of the targeted PDS
and emphasised the need for Aadhaar seeding of beneficiaries and installation of e-PoS machines for
ensuring targeted delivery.

US tells India, China to end oil imports from Iran by November 4

News :The United States has told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to “zero”
by November 4 or face sanctions, making it clear that there would be no waivers to anyone.

Beyond News

 Iran is India’s third-largest oil supplier behind Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iran supplied 18.4 million tonnes
of crude oil during April 2017 and January 2018 (first 10 months of 2017-18 fiscal).
 Last month, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the landmark Iran nuclear
deal, re-imposing US sanctions that had been suspended in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear
programme.
 At the time, the Trump administration gave foreign companies either 90 or 180 days to wind down
their business with Iranian counterparts, depending on the type of commercial activity.
 Now, Washington is stepping up pressure on all countries, including India and China, to completely
stop buying oil from Iran.
 The US official said Indian and Chinese companies would be subject to the same sanctions as those in
other countries.
 Given the huge energy needs, India and China are major importers of Iranian oil.
 The official said this is part of the Trump administration’s effort to isolate streams of Iranian funding
and are looking to highlight the totality of Iran’s “malign behaviour” across the region.
 Iran’s oil import could emerge as a major topic of discussion between India and the US during the
first 2+2 dialogue next week. External Affairs Minister and Defence Minister would be in the US next
week for talks with their American counterparts Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence
Secretary James Mattis.
 The State Department asserted that there would be no waivers under the new sanctions regime.
 Noting that America’s allies are aware of its concern, the official claimed these countries want to
work with the US.
 In a recent report, the bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) said as international sanctions
on Iran increased in 2010-2013, India sought to preserve its longstanding ties with Iran while
cooperating with the sanctions regime.
 In 2010, the Reserve Bank of India ceased using a Tehran-based regional body, the Asian Clearing
Union, to handle transactions with Iran. In January 2012, Iran agreed to accept India’s local currency,
the rupee, to settle nearly half of its sales to India.

General Studies-03
Money parked by Indians in Swiss banks rose over 50% to ₹7000
crore in 2017
News :Money parked by Indians in Swiss banks rose over 50% to Swiss Francs (CHF) 1.01
billion (₹7,000 crore) in 2017, reversing a three-year downward trend amid India‟s clampdown
on suspected black money stashed there.

Beyond News

 In comparison, the total funds held by all

foreign clients of Swiss banks rose about 3% to
CHF1.46 trillion or about ₹100 lakh crore in
2017.
 The surge in Indian money held with Swiss
banks comes as a surprise given India’s
continuing clampdown on suspected black
money stashed abroad, including in banks
of Switzerland that used to be known for their
famed secrecy walls for years.
 According to the SNB data, the total funds held by Indians directly with Swiss banks rose to CHF999
million Swiss franc (₹6,891 crore) in 2017, while the same held through fiduciaries or wealth
managers increased to CHF16.2 million (₹112 crore).
 As per the latest data, the Indian money in Swiss banks included CHF464 million (₹3,200 crore) in the
form of customer deposits, CHF152 million (₹1,050 crore) through other banks and CHF383 million
(₹2,640 crore) as ‘other liabilities’ such as securities at the end of 2017.
 The funds under all three heads have risen sharply, as against a huge plunge across all categories in
the previous year.
 The latest data from Zurich-based SNB comes months after a new framework having been put in
place for automatic exchange of information between Switzerland and India to help check the black
money menace.
 While Switzerland has already begun sharing foreign client details on evidence of wrongdoing
provided by India and some other countries, it has agreed to further expand its cooperation on
India’s fight against black money with a new pact for automatic information exchange.
 On directions of the Supreme Court, India had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe
cases of alleged black money of Indians, including funds stashed abroad in places like Switzerland.
 A number of strategies were deployed by the government to combat the stash-funds menace, in
both overseas and domestic domain, which included enactment of a new law, amendments in the
Anti-Money Laundering Act and compliance windows for people to declare their hidden assets.
 The Income Tax department had detected suspected black money running into thousands of crores
of rupees post investigations on global leaks about Indians stashing funds abroad and has launched
prosecution against hundreds of them, including those with accounts in the Geneva branch of HSBC.

Mars may have hosted life before earth

News :The crust that encases rocky planets and makes possible the emergence of life took shape
on Mars earlier than thought and at least 100 million years sooner than on Earth, researchers
said.

Beyond News

 Analysing grains of the mineral zircon extracted from a Martian meteorite known as Black Beauty,
they determined that the Red Planet’s outer layer hardened 4.547 billion years ago, only 20 million
years after the birth of the Sun.
 Water is considered to be an essential precursor for life, at least as we know it. Mars was once much
more Earth-like, with a thick atmosphere, abundant water and global oceans.
 Up to now, mathematical models have suggested that the solidification of the Red Planet took up to
100 million years. The new study tackles the question by examining a chunk of Mars that streaked
into the Saharan Desert and was discovered in 2011.
 The Black Beauty meteorite weighed 320g when found. The researchers secured 44g of the precious
space rock, and crushed five enough to extract seven bits of zircon that could be used in
experiments. By measuring the lead decaying from uranium that had been trapped in zircon as the
young Mars’s molten magma hardened, the scientists were able to precisely date the crust from
which the zircon formed.
 There are two main models for the formation of planets.
 In one, it occurs in stages, with small dust particles coalescing into “planetesimals” rock fragments
ten to 100 km in diameter that collide to form planetary embryos, and then planets, over a time
scale of 50 to 100 million years.
 According to a more recent model, planetary growth unfolds more quickly and is fuelled by so-called
“pebble accretion”, the layered accumulation of particles measured in centimetres and metres that
are loosely bound with gases.
 The new timeline suggests that something similar may have happened on our planet, but only after
Earth was “reset” by the giant impact that formed the Moon about 4.4 billion years ago.
 Mars is thought to have a dense metallic core with a radius of about 1,800 km, consisting primarily of
iron, nickel and sulphur. The core is surrounded by a largely dormant mantle some 1,500 km
thick made mainly of silicon, oxygen, iron and magnesium.
 Finally, the crust averages about 50 km in depth, with a maximum of about 125 km. Earth’s crust
averages 40 km, but is one-third the thickness of the Martian crust once planet size is taken into
account.

Saturn’s moon could support life, says study

News: Complex organic molecules have been discovered originating from one of Saturn‟s
moons, Enceladus, adding to its potential to support life, researchers said .
Beyond News: The Cassini spacecraft first flew close to the ice-covered moon in 2005 as
part of a mission to gather data on Saturn that will be analysed for years to come.

 A team said they had identified fragments of large organic molecules in ice grains
that were ejected from geysers through cracks in the moon‘s icy exterior.
 It is the first ever detection of complex organics coming from an extraterrestrial
waterworld.
 The Enceladus findings come after data earlier this month showed organic
compounds on the surface of Mars and seasonal fluctuations of atmospheric methane,
marking some of the strongest evidence ever that the earth‘s neighbour may have
harboured life.
 Cassini has previously detected lightweight organic molecules at Enceladus but the
newly found fragments are much larger. Such large molecules can only be created by
complex chemical processes including those related to life.