➢ Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) = Nagaland has decided to

start a variant of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) that neighbouring Assam is
updating + It is aimed at preparing a master list of all indigenous peoples and
checking the issuance of fake indigenous inhabitant certificates + RIIN will be the
first official master list of Nagaland’s indigenous inhabitants + Nagaland has 16
recognised tribes — Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Chang, DimasaKachari,
Khiamniungan, Konyak, Kuki, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengma, Sangtam, Sumi,
Yimchungrü and Zeliang + The Kachari and Kuki are non-Naga tribes while the
Zeliang comprises two Naga communities — Zeme and Liangmai. Entry in RIIN is
virtually guaranteed for people belonging to these communities[Not Exclusively]
➢ Inner line permit (ILP) = temporary travel document which has to be possessed by
an Indian citizen to enter ‘protected’ areas of the Northeast + The Central government
issues the ILP under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, which restricted
the entry of ‘British subjects’ or Indians into these areas primarily to protect the
British interest in tea and oil + The restriction continued for ‘Citizens of India’ after
Independence to protect tribal cultures in the northeastern region and to regulate
movement to certain areas near the international border + Apart from the entire State
of Nagaland barring its commercial hub Dimapur, the ILP is applicable in Arunachal
Pradesh and Mizoram[remember by AMiN]
➢ 16-Point Agreement,1960 = accord, signed between New Delhi and the Naga
People’s Convention in 1960 + paved the way for Nagaland’s statehood in 1963 (The
new State was earlier the Naga Hills-Tuensang area of Assam)
➢ Tribal cooperative marketing federation (TRIFED) = established in 1987 by then
Ministry of Welfare under Multi State Cooperative Societies Act 1984 (which has
now been replaced by Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002) + national-level
apex organization functioning under administrative control of Ministry of Tribal
Affairs + national-level apex organization functioning under administrative control of
Ministry of Tribal Affairs + TRIFED also works as an agency to the FCI for
procurement of Wheat and Rice
➢ PISA(Programme for international student assessment) = MHRD has decided to
end the boycott of PISA formally + India had stayed away from the assessment when
it was ranked dismally low in 2012 and 2015 and 72nd among 74 countries in 2009 +
Unlike 2009, when Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh were assessed, Union
Government will request OECD to assess Chandigarh in 2021 + PISA is an
international assessment that measures 15 years old students’ reading, mathematics,
science literacy and even innovative subjects like collaborative problem solving and
money literacy + every 3 years + first conducted in 2000 and is coordinated
by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is
conducted in the United States of America by NCES
➢ Education at a Glance 2018 Report = published by OECD
➢ OECD = intergovernmental economic organisation which aims to promote policies
that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world + It
has 36 member countries and was founded in 1960 by 18 European nations plus the
United States and Canada + India is not a member of OECD
➢ International Whaling Commission (IWC) = constituted under the International
Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in 1946 with an aim for orderly
development of the whaling industry by putting catch limit, designating whale
sanctuaries, coordinating conservation work etc + Headquarters
at Impington,England + 1946 Convention does not define the term ‘whale’ +
Currently a complete ban is applied on commercial whaling, while whaling under the
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scientific-research and aboriginal-subsistence provisions are allowed + (Recently
Japan announced its withdrawal from International Whaling Commission (IWC) to
resume commercial whale hunting)
➢ Lisbon treaty (2009) = an international agreement that amends the two treaties which
form the constitutional basis of the European Union
➢ Press Council of India = The Press Council of India is a statutory body in India that
governs the conduct of the print media + headed by a Chairman: usually a retired
judge of the Supreme Court of India + consists of 28 other members of whom 20
represent the press and are nominated by the press organizations/news agencies
➢ GST council = constitutional body under article 279(A) for making recommendations
to the Union and State Government on issues related to GST + chaired by the Union
Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Finance and
Ministers in-charge of Finance of all the States
➢ Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) or the ‘TamizhMaravan’ = has been declared
State Butterfly of Tamil Nadu + [State Tree (Palm), State Bird (Emerald Dove), State
Flower (Gloriosa) and State Animal (NilgiriTahr)]
➢ Hanoi summit = 2019 + North Korea–United States
➢ Black rhinos = native to eastern and southern Africa + Critically Endangered
➢ Northern white rhinoceros = found in Africa + Near Threatend
➢ National Board of accreditation (NBA) = is one of the two major bodies responsible
for accreditation of higher education institutions in India, along with the National
Assessment and Accreditation Council + 1994 founded + Autonomous + MHRD
➢ Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) = headquartered in Jodhpur + Ministry of
Agriculture + Locusts are certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family
Acrididae + In India, the scheme Locust Control and Research (LC&R) is responsible
for control of Desert Locust and is being implemented through Organisation known as
“Locust Warning Organisation (LWO)” established in 1939 and later amalgamated
with the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage in 1946 + An
outbreak of desert locusts took place in villages of Rajasthan + malathion insecticide
is usually used to prevent the spread of locusts
➢ Gorewada lake = Nagpur
➢ Arishtam, Kashayam,Lehyam = which are Ayurvedic preparations regulated by law
+ Drug forms
➢ Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954 = It
prohibits advertisements of drugs and remedies that claim to have magical properties,
and makes doing so a cognizable offence + Advertising treatment or medicines for 54
diseases such as cancer and diabetes listed under this is a punishable offence
➢ Bomkai, Kantha and ikat = Types of Saree + generally from Odisha
➢ Dokra metalwork = non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique
➢ Global Investors Summit = Annual + National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
(NIIF) anchoring the event, to invite investment in the infrastructure segment
➢ National Investment and infrastructure fund (NIIF) = India’s first sovereign
wealth fund + create long-term value for domestic and international investors +
investment in Greenfield, Brownfield and Stalled infrastructure projects. This fund
will invest only in commercially viable projects, which can pay back returns + corpus
of RS. 40000 crore + quasi-sovereign wealth fund, where 49 percent stake is with the
Government and the rest held by marquee foreign and domestic investors such as Abu
Dhabi Investment Authority, Temasek and HDFC Group + It is run as a professional
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body with a full time CEO. But, Governing Council headed by Finance Minister
oversees the activities.
➢ Alternative investment fund = refers to any privately pooled investment fund in
form of a trust or a company or a body corporate or limited liability partnership which
do not come jurisdiction of any regulatory agency in India. AIFs have been defined in
Regulation 2(1)(b) of SEBI (Alternate Investment Fund) Regulations 2012 and its
definition includes venture capital fund, hedge fund, private equity fund etc (but NOT
mutual funds)
➢ Sovereign wealth fund = consists of pools of money derived from a country's
reserves, set aside for investment purposes to benefit the country's economy and
citizens. + The funding for a sovereign wealth fund comes from central bank reserves
that accumulate as a result of budget and trade surpluses, and from revenue generated
from the exports of natural resources.
➢ Master Fund = for primarily investing in operating assets in core infrastructure
sectors such as roads, ports, airports, power etc.
➢ Fund of Funds = for investing with experienced fund managers who have a strong
track record and enable them to attract further institutional investors to invest in their
funds.
➢ Strategic Fund = aimed at growth and development stage investments in
projects/companies in a broad range of sectors that are of economic and commercial
importance and are likely to benefit from India’s growth trajectory over the medium
to long-term
➢ INS Viraat = centaur class aircraft carrier + commissioned in 1987 + decommissioned
two year ago
➢ Kondapochamma reservoir = Telangana
➢ Mekedatu project = across the Cauvery river + Karnataka + CWC
gives nod for feasibility report on Mekedatu project + primary objective is to supply
drinking water to Bengaluru
➢ Mullaperiyar Dam = Kerala + is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu to meet the
drinking water and irrigation requirements of five of its southern districts
+ periyar river
➢ Incremental capital-output ratio (ICOR) = the ratio of investment to growth which
is equal to the reciprocal of the marginal product of capital. The higher the ICOR, the
lower the productivity of capital or the marginal efficiency of capital
➢ “Oumuamua” = interstellar cigar-shaped object spotted in 2017[IMPORTANT]
➢ INSTEX/INSTEX SAS = Special Purpose Vehicle aimed at facilitating legitimate
trade between European economic operators and Iran + France, Germany and the
United Kingdom (E3), announced the creation of INSTEX SAS (Instrument for
Supporting Trade Exchanges) + it will function as a non-dollar , euro-denominated
clearing house + would be based in France (with a German banker heading it and UK
will head the supervisory board)
➢ GPS-aided GEO augmented navigation (GAGAN) = a joint project between ISRO
and Airports Authority of India + to augmented the GPS coverage of particular region
+ aimed at improving the accuracy and integrity, primarily for civil aviation
applications and better air traffic management over Indian airspace
➢ Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)/ NavIC (Navigation with
Indian Constellation) = a system based on seven satellites in geostationary and
geosynchronous orbits + It provides accurate positioning service, covering a region
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extending to 1,500 km beyond Indian borders, with an accuracy greater than 20
metres; higher accuracy positioning is available to the security agencies for their use +
In 2016, the system was renamed NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation)
➢ Tadoba National park = Maharashtra
➢ MOSAiC expedition = Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of
Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) will be the first year-round expedition into the central
Arctic exploring the Arctic
➢ Mount Vesuvius = Active volcano in Itlay [Read Mount Etna from June Edition]
➢ Zamzam well = the holy city of Mecca + considered sacred by Muslims
➢ Ziklag = ancient philistine town located in Israel
➢ Prosecco hills = Italy + have been cultivated for centuries + added to the UNESCO
world heritage list + the grapes grown on hills produce the famous prosecco wine
➢ NAPRTI1 Gene = scientists find new gene linked to schizophrenia + collaborative
effort between Indian and Australian team aims to shed more light on the mental
illness
➢ Jaipur gets UNESCO World Heritage tag = Jaipur, celebrated for its grid planbased
architecture and buildings of pink façades + entered the list of the UNESCO
World Heritage Sites + The decision was taken by the World Heritage Committeeat
the UNESCO’s 43rd session at Baku, Azerbaijan + Features [architecture of streets
with colonnades, which intersect the centre, creating large public squares called
chaupar + The uniform façades of markets, residences and temples in the main streets
had also impressed the council] + The fortified city was founded in 1727 by the
Kachwaha Rajput ruler of Amber, Sawai Jai Singh II + The city was established on
the plains and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic
architecture + The city’s urban planning shows an intermingling of ideas from ancient
Hindu, modern Mughal and western cultures + (The six other cultural sites added to
the WHS From other countries are the Dilmun burial mounds (Bahrain); the BudjBim
cultural landscape (Australia); the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu (China); the
Ombilin coal mining site of Sawahlunto (Indonesia); the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun group
of ancient mounded tombs (Japan); and the Plains of Jars containing the megalithic jar
sites in Xiengkhouang (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) + [Please prepare
Hampi(WHS in Karnataka) for prelims 2020 from your static portion]
➢ World Heritage Committee = supervises and advises on conservation of UNESCO
world heritage sites + 43rd session held in Baku, Azerbaijan
➢ Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards = organised by the
Department of Biotechnology, MoS&T
➢ Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) = an
initiative conceptualised for significant gains through sub-regional economic
cooperation within the BCIM + The multi-modal corridor will be the first expressway
between India and China and will pass through Myanmar and Bangladesh
➢ Angel tax = ‘Angel’ tax is levied at 30%, when a privately-held company raises funds
at a rate higher than its ‘fair valuation’ + It was initially introduced in 2012 in a bid to
curb money laundering via SMEs + Under the IT Act, Section 56 (2) (viib), money
invested by angels in a company was treated as income from other sources + (Recent
Budget talked about introducing amendments in the same)
➢ Desalination technology = To convert salt water into freshwater, the most prevalent
technology in the world is Reverse osmosis (RO) + Osmosis involves ‘a solvent
(such as water) naturally moving from an area of low solute concentration, through a
membrane, to an area of high solute concentration. A reverse osmosis system applies
an external pressure to reverse the natural flow of solvent and so seawater or brackish
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water is pressurised against one surface of the membrane, causing salt-depleted water
to move across the membrane, releasing clean water from the low-pressure side’ +
Seawater has Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) — a measure of salinity — close to
35,000 parts per million (ppm), or equivalent to 35 g of salt per one litre/kg of water +
Because RO plants convert seawater to fresh water, the major environmental
challenge they pose is the deposition of brine (highly concentrated salt water) along
the shores which reduces the availability of prawn, sardine and mackerel (hyper
salinity along the shore affects plankton, which is the main food for several of these
fish species) + Another problem is that the pressure motors needed to draw in the
seawater end up sucking in small fish and life forms + there are concerns that
desalinated water is short of vital minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, sodium,
potassium and carbonates + The alternative desalination technology used is thermal
energy sourced from the ocean(There is a low-temperature thermal desalination
(LTTD) technique)
➢ Plasmodium falciparum = malaria-causing parasite
➢ Keoladeo National Park = Rajasthan + a UNESCO World Heritage Site
➢ Indian crested porcupine = ‘Least Concern’ under IUCN Red List + It shares its
burrow with 22 different species, including birds and reptiles
➢ Dugong = classified as vulnerable + Where it is found in India?????
➢ Project for undertaking ‘immunocontraceptive measures’ for population management
of four species of wild animals — elephant, wild boar, monkey and blue bull
(Nilgai) + Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) + birthcontrol
method has been tried in Africa in areas like the Kruger National Park(South
Africa)[Try to remember name of species]
➢ Kui Tribals = also known as Khonds + one of the largest tribal group in Odisha
➢ International criminal court(ICC) = first permanent, treaty-based + jurisdiction to
prosecute individuals for international crimes of genocide, crimes against Humanity,
war crimes and crimes of aggression. + Established in 2002 and governed by the
Rome Statute, which was adopted in 1998 + It has territorial jurisdiction over nations
that are party to the Rome Statute or have accepted the court’s jurisdiction + It is an
independent judicial body distinct from the UN + It works in cooperation with UN,
Reports annually to the UNGA and also hear cases referred to by UNSC + It is
located in The Hague, The Netherlands + India is NOT a member of ICC (neither
signed nor ratified)
➢ International Court of Justice (ICJ) = principle judicial organ of the UN + 1945 +
court may entertain two types of cases (Contentious cases - Legal disputes between
States submitted to it + Advisory proceedings - Requests for advisory opinions on
legal questions referred to it by United Nations organs and specialized agencies)
+ NO jurisdiction to deal with applications from individuals, NGOs or private
groups and it rules only on the rights and obligations of States + comprises 15 Judges,
elected by United Nations General Assembly and Security Council for 9
year term,elected every 3 years to ensure continuity + headquartered in Peace Palace,
Hague, Netherlands + India is a founding member of the ICJ
➢ International law commission (ILC) = body of experts tasked with promoting the
development and codification of international law + Established in 1948 by
the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) + it is composed of 34 individuals
elected every five years by the UNGA for their "recognized competence and
qualifications" in international law + The ILC holds annual sessions at the United
Nations Office at Geneva to discuss and debate various topics in international law and
to develop or codify international legal principles accordingly
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➢ “Specially Designation national (SDN)” = Under Program of USA, There are
designed Companies or Individuals with which U.S. persons are generally prohibited
from dealing with
➢ Someshwar waterfall = Nashik
➢ Tiware dam = Maharashtra
➢ INS Vikrant = to be delivered by 2021 + India’s first indigenous Aircraft carrier
(IAC-I)
➢ Human rights courts = The Human Rights Act, 1993 had called for
the establishment of special courts in each district to conduct speedy trial of offences
arising out of violation and abuse of human rights + Section 30 of the Act envisages
that a State government, with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of High Court, by
notification, specify for each district a court of session as a court of human rights for
the speedy trial of violation of rights. Whereas Section 31 of the Act provides the
State government to specify and appoint a special public prosecutor in that court
➢ Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) = Central government wants to
create a “repository of photographs of criminals in the country,” and wants to put a
system in place to track “missing children and unidentified dead bodies + National
Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has invited bids to create such system
➢ Section 124A of IPC = related to sedition which curb freedom of speech and right to
expression + Section 124A was introduced by the British colonial government in
1870 when it felt the need for a specific section to deal with radical Wahabi
movement of the 19th century, led by Syed Ahmed Barelvi and centred around Patna
+ It deters people spreading hatred and contempt against the Govt established by
law(But not includesLegislature,Judiciary and the constitution against which sedition
can be tolerated) + As per this Section, a person is liable to be punished with
imprisonment for life or imprisonment up to three years with fine + Supreme Court in
Kedar Nath Singh vs. State of Bihar upheld Section 124A + crime is non-bailable,
non-cognisable and punishment can extend for life
➢ African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) = for both goods and
services + signed at 12th Extra-Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) by 54 of
55 of its member states + this project would eventually create an African Common
Market of 1.2 billion people + AfCFTA would be world’s largest FTA
➢ Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill = It seeks to remove the
Congress president as a permanent member of a trust that runs the Jallianwala Bagh
National Memorial + amendment Bill also paves the way for the leader of the single
largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha to be a member of the trust + As of now,
only Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is a member of the trust + It also
confers power to the Centre to terminate the term of a nominated trustee before the
expiry of the term without assigning any reason + As of now, the trust has the PM as
the chairperson, president of the Congress, Culture Minister, Leader of Opposition in
the Lok Sabha, Punjab Governor, and Punjab CM as its members
➢ National Investigation Agency = was setup in 2008 as a specialized statutory agency
to deal with terrorist offences, without requiring specific consent of the states to take
up the cases. Special NIA courts were setup for fast-tracking cases related to
terrorism
➢ Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 = for voluntary use of Aadhaar
as proof of identity to open bank accounts and get mobile phone connections
➢ United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC) = 2006 + Hq at Geneva
(Switzerland) + India recently wins election to UNHRC(3 Year term) + India had
previously been elected to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council for the 2011-
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2014 and 2014-2017 terms + UNHRC members are elected by the General
Assembly(UNGA) with three-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive
terms + ‘peer review’ the record on human rights. +‘Universal Periodic Review’
process, where all states are scrutinised, is currently in its third cycle (2017-2021) +
USA has recently quit UNHRC
➢ Bushehr nuclear power plant = Iran + Russian Built
➢ Utkarsh 2022 = finalised by RBI board + 3 year roadmap to improve regulation and
supervision, among other functions of the central bank + This Medium term strategy
is in line with the global central banks’ plan to strengthen the regulatory and
supervisory mechanism
➢ Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016(which was amended in 2018) = prescribed by
the Union Environment Ministry + says companies that use plastic in their processes,
packaging and production, have a responsibility to ensure that any resulting plastic
waste is safely disposed ofUnder this system — called the Extended Producers
Responsibility (EPR) — companies have to specify collection targets as well as a time
line for this process within a year of the rules coming into effect in 2016. The plastic
waste can be collected by the company or outsourced to an intermediary + Rules also
mandate the responsibilities of local bodies, gram panchayats, waste generators and
retailers to manage such waste[EPR is used in other e-waste management rules etc]
➢ Polavaram Project = is a multi-purpose irrigation project which has been
accorded national project status by the union government of India + Dam across
Godavari river + Andhra pradesh
➢ “Plan Bee” = amplifying system imitating the buzz of a swarm of honey bees to keep
wild elephants away from railway tracks + earned the Northeast Frontier Railway
(NFR) the best innovation award in Indian Railways for the 2018-19
➢ ‘Food and Nutrition Security Analysis, India, 2019’ = authored by the Government
of India and the United Nations World Food Programme
➢ Order of Zayed = UAE’s top honour for PM Modi
➢ The Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill, 2019 =
would impact “40 crore unorganised workers” + Bill that seeks to merge 13 labour
laws into one code on occupational safety, health and working conditions that would
apply to all establishments with 10 or more workers + Bill was the second of four
proposed codes that aim to merge 44 labour laws, with the Code on Wages Bill, 2019
➢ Diamond harbour port = West Bengal + Major port + Bengal port records country’s
highest sea level rise in 50 years
➢ Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019 = will help adjudicate
disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers and river valleys + Bill seeks to amend
the Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to streamline the adjudication of inter-
State river water disputes + A key feature of the Bill is the constitution of a single
tribunal with different Benches, and the setting of strict timelines for adjudication +
There are about a dozen tribunals that now exist to resolve disputes among States on
sharing water from rivers common to them. The standalone tribunal so envisaged will
have a permanent establishment, office space and infrastructure so as to obviate with
the need to set up a separate tribunal for each water dispute - a time consuming
process + Bill also proposes a Dispute Resolution Committee set up by the Central
Government for amicably resolving inter-State water disputes within 18 months
➢ Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2019 = to tackle the menace of
ponzi schemes in the country. The Bill, which will replace the Banning ofUnregulated
Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019 + SEBI and RBI approved deposits will be allowed
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➢ Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-III) = under which 1.25 lakh km
of roads in rural areas will be upgraded by 2024-25 + third phase approved + Ministry
of Rural Development(MoRD) + funds would be shared in the ratio of 60:40 between
the Centre and State for all States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States
(Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand) for which it is 90:10
➢ Group A Service status to the Railway Protection Force + Grant of status to RPF will
end stagnation, improve career progression of the officers and keep up their
motivational level + the benefits were extended to Central Reserve Police Force,
Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police
and Sashastra Seema Bal
➢ ASRAAM missile = Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking to adopt a new European
visual range air-to-air missile across + Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile of
European missile-maker MBDA has been approved for Jaguar jets + It would be the
first over-the-wing-launched missile in the IAF inventory. All missiles are now fired
from under the wing + ASRAAM is widely used as a Within Visual Range (WVR) air
dominance missile with a range of over 25km + imaging infrared homing ("heat
seeking") air-to-air missile
➢ Principles of Non Refoulment = adopted by UN + principle of customary
international law prohibiting the expulsion, deportation, return or extradition of an
alien to his state of origin or another state where there is a risk that his life or freedom
would be threatened for discriminatory reasons
➢ Prohibition of non-refoulement = of refugees + constitutes a norm of customary
international law, which binds even non-parties to the Convention + prohibiting the
expulsion, deportation, return or extradition of an alien to his state of origin or another
state where there is a risk that his life or freedom would be threatened for
discriminatory reasons + (India also follow this despite of no being signatory to 1951
convention on refugees [Symbol] This is the reason India facing problem in sending
Rohingyas back) + (Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
provides that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from
persecution)
➢ DiEM25 = Democracy in Europe Movement 25 + arose after the debt crisis in Greece
had resulted in a wide-ranging “structural adjustment programme” imposed upon
greece by the European Commission, the European Central Bank
➢ Forest survey of India (FSI) = founded in June 1981 + headquartered at Dehradun in
Uttarakhand, is a Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change organisation for conducting forest surveys
➢ Copenhagen Consensus = think tank + researches and publishes the smartest
solutions to the world's problems(especially on Economic Issues)
➢ World Coffee Producers’ Forum (WCPF) = not-for-profit entity that represents over
25 million coffee-growing families across 60 countries
➢ Chernobyl disaster = 1986 + Nuclear disaster + Ukraine
➢ Protolunar Terrain Test facility (LTTF) = Bengaluru + has soil fetched from Tamil
Nadu + few sites near Salem in Tamil Nadu had the anorthosite rock that some what
matches lunar soil in composition and features
➢ Line of actual control (LAC) = demarcation line that separates Indiancontrolled
territory from Chinese-controlled territory in the former princely state of
Jammu and Kashmir, formed after the 1962 war
➢ Phukche festival = organised on the Dalai lama’s birthday in Ladakh
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➢ National Food Security Act, 2013 = the PDS ensures 5 kg of foodgrain per person
per month to those who hold BPL cards +Antyodaya families, or the poorest of the
poor, are entitled to 35 kg of foodgrain per family per month under the Act
➢ Manzinus-C and Simpelius-N = Craters on Moon + Vikram can land on any one of
these
➢ Yogyakarta Principles = document about human rights in the areas of sexual
orientation and gender identity, published as the outcome of an international meeting
of human rights groups in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2006
➢ Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity = body under
UN Human Rights Council + (Resolution numbered L10 Rev 1 = granted an
extension of three years to the Independent Expert to carry on reporting on incidents
of violence against the LGBTQ community all over the world)
➢ Taiwan[MARK AREA ON MAP]
➢ Hmeimim Airbase and the Tartus naval facility = Both located in Syria
➢ Nangarhar province = Afghanistan
➢ Kaziranga National Park = Assam + hosts two-thirds of the world's great onehorned
rhinoceroses(Vulnerable) + also a tiger reserve + UNESCO WHS + World
Heritage Site + recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International +
home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp
deer + for the 1st time Waterfowl came here + criss-crossed by four major rivers,
including the Brahmaputra + (Other rare birds sighted at the water bodies included the
critically endangered red-headed vulture, the endangered Pallas’s fish eagle and the
greater adjutant stork, and the vulnerable greater spotted eagle, great hornbill, lesser
adjutant stork, woolly-necked stork, and swamp francolin) + (critically endangered
Baer’s pochards)
➢ Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary = Assam
➢ South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) = agreement signed in 2004, at the 12th
SAARC summit in Islamabad, Pakistan (I.e, agreement between SAARC nations)
➢ Indian Deep space network(IDSN) = Located at Byalalu near Bengaluru
➢ ISRO telemetry tracking & command network(ISTRAC) = Bengaluru, Karnataka
➢ Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) = Department of
Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications initiated + for
mobile service providers + every mobile network provider in India has an Equipment
Identity Register (EIR), or a a database of the phones connected to its network. These
EIRs will now share information with a single central database, the CEIR. In essence,
it will be a repository of information on all mobile phones connected to networks
across India + CEIR will have information on the device’s International Mobile
Equipment Identity (IMEI) number (every phone or mobile broadband device has this
unique 15 digit code that precisely identifies the device), model, version, and “other
information”. It will also know if the phone is blacklisted, and the reason why it has
been blacklisted + Mobile phone manufacturers assign IMEI numbers to each device
based on ranges allotted to them by the Global System for Mobile Communications
Association. Dual SIM phones will have two IMEI numbers + a database like the
central equipment identity register is meant to identify and block stolen or illegal
mobile phones across network
➢ In 2014, a virus called crAssphage that infects bacteria was discovered as part of the
human body’s intestinal environment + Study suggests virus co-evolved with humans
+ The virus is both highly abundant in the human gut and represents an entirely new
viral family
➢ Tiangong-2 = a space station program of China
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Comparison between Chandrayaan-1 and Chnadrayaan-2
(Features of Chandrayaan-2 : Read very selective)
12
➢ On September 7, the Vikram Lander will have a soft landing so that it doesn’t kick up
a lot of lunar dust which could damage the instruments this process is called “15min
window of terror”
➢ Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle – Mark III/M1 (GSLV Mk-III/M1) = used
for launching Chandrayaan-2 + placed the moon-bound spacecraft in a temporary
orbit called the Earth Parking Orbit (EPO) with perigee (closest distance from the
earth) of 170 km and an apogee (farthest distance from the earth) of 45,475 km + The
apogee of the EPO was about 6,000 km more than originally envisaged. As a result,
the number of earth-bound phase steps or manoeuvres needed to take the satellite to
the highest orbit of almost 1,44,000 km apogee has been reduced from six to five. The
sixth would be a trans-lunar injection + maiden operational flight + After the satellite
is placed in the Earth Parking Orbit, the apogee is increased in steps to take it to the
final earth-bound phase orbit of about 1,44,000 km. The satellite goes around the
earth in elliptical orbits and to increase the apogee, the satellite fires thrusters when it
comes closest to the earth (perigee)
➢ Government bond or Sovereign bond = form of debt that the government
undertakes wherein it issues bonds with the promise to pay periodic interest payments
and also repay the entire face value of the bond on the maturity date + So far, the
government has only issued bonds in the domestic market+ India’s sovereign external
debt to GDP ratio is among the lowest around the world, at less than 5% +
government will start raising a part of its gross borrowing programme in external
markets in external currencies
➢ Resurgent India Bonds = Not sovereign bonds, but were issued by the SBI in 1998
➢ Mark to market (MTM) is a measure of the fair value of accounts that can change
over time, such as assets and liabilities. Mark to market aims to provide a realistic
appraisal of an institution's or company's current financial situation
➢ The Hubble space telescope revealed the presence of a black hole at the centre of the
galaxy NGC 3147 which is 130 million light years away
➢ Elektorornischenguangi = Extinct bird + fossil discovered in Myanmar Hukawng
valley in 2014 + small creature with a weird elongated toe
➢ Waorani indigenous tribe = Eduador + A court in Ecuador has upheld a ruling
preventing the government from selling land in the Amazon rainforest to oil
companies, a move that is being termed a historic win
➢ Chevron oil field = California,USA + massive oil spill that damped oil and water into
a California canyon + ( Cymric oil field -> California)
➢ Indian Railways is mulling the idea of buying readymade trains from private players
instead of making them at production units + As of now, three production units — the
Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai , Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli,UP and
Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala,Punjab — roll out rakes for the Railways
➢ Train 18/Vande Bharat express = India’s first engine-less train + T-18 is a selfpropelled
engine-less train (similar to the Metro trains) and is energy-efficient as its
coaches will be fitted with LED lights + train is a 100% ‘Make in India’ project +
manufactured by Integral Coach Factory, Chennai + recently became India’s fastest
train by hitting speeds of over 180 kmph during a trial run+ first locomotive-less train
in the country + first semi high-speed train
➢ Kalyani dam = Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
➢ International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics(ICRISAT) = It is
a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research
for development in the drylands of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
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+ ICRISAT is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana, with two regional hubs
(Nairobi, Kenya and Bamako, Mali)
➢ Kovvada Nuclear Power Project = Andhra Pradesh
➢ Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) = Home Ministry
launched an analytics tool to monitor and track time-bound investigation + It is part
of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) that connects
over 15,000 police stations across the country + To check sexual crimes against
women and children, the Centre approved the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018
last year which prescribed the time-limit for completion of investigation (within 60
days)
➢ Kundela halli lake = Bengaluru
➢ Mission Kakatiya = Telangana + involves the restoration of irrigation tanks and
lakes/minor irrigation sources built by the Kakatiya dynasty
➢ MH-60R multi-role helicopters (MRH) = USA + India is interested to buy
➢ M1A2T Abrams tanks, Stinger missiles = U.S. state department has approved the
possible sale to Taiwan
➢ National defence Authorisation act (NDAA) Amendment = USA + replaces a
significantly stronger amendment (the “Sherman Amendment”) that sought to place
India on a par with the U.S.’s NATO allies by amending the Arms Export Control Act
(AECA), a U.S. law that governs the sale of high-end defence equipment to other
countries
➢ Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program = through which the U.S. sells arms abroad
and the procedure is less complicated if the purchaser is a NATO ally or Japan, South
Korea, Israel, Australia or New Zealand + The Sherman amendment in the House and
Warner/Cornyn amendment in the Senate, sought to add India to the list of non-
NATO allies listed above
➢ F-35 programme = Joint Strike Fighter programme (F-35 programme) is described
as the “arms deal of the century” + The F-35 programme is an international weapons
contract between the US and its allies + It is aimed at developing “fifth-generation”
fighter jets + The signatories to the deal contributed capital for the research and
development of the F-35 jet + U.S. recently terminated Turkey’s participation in the
F-35 fighter jet programme in response to Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 missile
defence system from Russia
➢ Kankesanthurai and Hambantota port = Srilanka
➢ 1972 Shimla Agreement + 1999 Lahore declaration + 1965, Tashkent peace
agreement = between India and Pakistan
➢ Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) = NMML is an autonomous body
with the PM as its President + autonomous institution + under the Ministry of
Culture, Government of India + located at teen murti house,New Delhi
➢ Union Culture Ministry will construct a museum on Prime Ministers on the
Teen Murti Estate + museum dedicated to all Prime Ministers will come up within the
25.5-acre estate, but separate from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
(NMML) buildings
➢ Law commission = Non-statutory + body which gives advice to the government on
complex legal issues + The three-year term of the 21st Law Commission ended + 21st
commission, under Justice B.S. Chauhan (retd), had submitted reports+ It is usually
headed by a former Supreme Court judge or a former Chief Justice of a High Court +
In 2015, a proposal was mooted to make the law panel into a permanent body either
through an Act of Parliament or an executive order (resolution of the Union Cabinet)
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➢ Agmark online system = To conduct quality control functions – through
the Agmark online system, certificate of authorisation (domestic), permission of
printing press, permission of laboratories (domestic) and services related to laboratory
information management system will be provided online + Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
➢ Midday meal Scheme = comes under the HRD ministry’s department of school
education and literacy [NOT Ministry of Women and Child]
➢ Bio agents = Bio fertilizers such as azospirillum, azotobacter, rhizobium + bio
potash and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza + biocontrol agents like pseudomonas
and trichoderma+ bio pesticides - beauveria, verticillium, pochonia, paecilomyces
and metarhizium
➢ Orchids of India : A Pictorial Guide = a publication detailing all the species of
India was unveiled earlier this month by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change + The 1,256 species or taxa of orchids belong to 155 genera and 388
species are endemic to India + Botanical Survey of India has come up with the first
comprehensive census of orchids of India putting the total number of orchid species
or taxa to 1,256 + Orchids can be broadly categorised into three life forms: epiphytic
(plants growing on another plants including those growing on rock boulders and often
termed lithophyte), terrestrial (plants growing on land and climbers) and
mycoheterotrophic (plants which derive nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi that are
attached to the roots of a vascular plant) + epiphytic orchids are abundant up to 1800
m above the sea level and their occurrence decreases with the increase in altitude.
Terrestrial orchids, which grow directly on soil, are found in large numbers in
temperate and alpine region +myco-hetero-trophic orchids, mostly associated with
ectomycorrhizal fungi, are found in temperate regions, or are found growing with
parasites in tropical regions + A State-wise distribution of orchid species point out
that the Himalayas, North-East parts of the country and Western Ghats are the hotspots
of the beautiful plant species + The highest number of orchid species is recorded
from Arunachal Pradesh (612 species) + While North-east India rank at the top in
species concentration, the Western Ghats have high endemism of orchids + Among
the 10 bio geographic zones of India, the Himalayan zone is the richest in terms of
orchid species followed by Northeast, Western Ghats, Deccan plateau and Andaman
& Nicobar Islands + entire orchid family is listed under appendix II of CITES and
hence any trade of wild orchid is banned globally + “Some of the orchids like
Dendrobium , Phalaenopsis, Oncidium and Cymbidium are quite popular in
floriculture trade + Kerala has highest number of endemic orchids + (Pleione
maculata, an epiphytic orchid; Cymbidium lancifolium, a terristrial orchid; and
Aeridesodorata, an epiphytic orchid)
➢ Wannacry and notpetya = global ransomware attacks
➢ “Zero Euro” notes = used solely as souvenirs + have so far depicted well-known sites,
such as the Eiffel Tower and the Big Ben, and people like Dutch painter Rembrandt
van Rijn + Created by Frenchman Richard Faille in 2015 and authorised by the
European Central Bank
➢ 10% Quota for economically weaker section = 103rd constitutional amendment +
Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019 + introduced by Minister of Social
Justice and Empowerment + Eligibility(income less than 8 lakh + people who owns
farm land below 5 acres + people who own a house measuring less than 1000 square
feet) + amended Article 15(4) and 16(4) + passed under Article 368(The bill must be
passed in each house by an absolute majority(over 50% of total membership) and
2/3rd majority of members present and voting) + Amendment to a fundamental right
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does not require ratification by Legislative Assemblies + The new clause (6) to
Article 15 allows the government to carve reservation for the economically weaker
sections of society in higher educational institutions, including private ones, whether
they are aided or not by the State(Minority educational institutions are exempted) +
Likewise, the new clause (6) to Article 16 provides for quota for economically
deprived sections in the initial appointment in government services + (Gujrat become
the first state to implement the quota) + Sinho Commission report of 2010(which the
Centre has been citing as the basis for its legislation to grant 10 per cent reservation to
the EBCs)
➢ ‘Blue Flag’ certification = an international recognition conferred on beaches that
meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental propriety + The Blue Flag
programme for beaches and marinas is run by the international, non-governmental,
non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education). It started
in France in 1985 + There are nearly 33 criteria that must be met to qualify for a Blue
Flag certification, such as the water meeting certain standards such as waste disposal
facilities, disabled-friendly facilities, first aid equipment and no access to pets in the
main areas of the beach. Some criteria are voluntary and some compulsory + If
approved, beaches are given the qualification for a year and must apply annually to
continue meriting the right to fly the flag at their locations + Union Environment
Ministry has selected 12 beaches in India to apply for this certification + These
beaches are at Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Bhogave (Maharashtra), Ghoghla (Diu), Miramar
(Goa), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Kappad (Kerala), Eden (Puducherry),
Mamallapuram (Tamil Nadu), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha), and
Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands)[MARK ON MAP] + Please note :
Chandrabhaga beach in Odisha became the first beach in India to get this certification
last year
➢ Neelum valley = Located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
➢ Global Carbon Project = formed in 2001 + to help the international science
community to establish a common, mutually agreed knowledge base to slow the rate
of increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere + Global Research Project of
Future Earth and a research partner of the World Climate Research Programme +
China’s emissions accounted for 27% of the global total followed by
USA(15%)(India, is the third-highest contributor)
➢ D voters or doubtful voters = related to National register of citizens (NRC) +
categorised as such when the electoral rolls were revised in 1997 and thereafter +
Their names are excluded from the NRC unless they can establish their credentials
before a Foreigner’s Tribunal
➢ Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme = KUSUM
aims to provide energy sufficiency and sustainable irrigation access to farmers + to
provide extra scheme to farmers by giving them an option to sell additional power to
the grid through solar power project set up on their barren lands + to
promote decentralised solar power production + 10 years scheme + Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy
➢ Emergency Response sanitation units (ERSU) = Concerned by the incidents of
workers dying while cleaning sewers and septic tanks, the Union Housing and Urban
Affairs Ministry has asked all States and Union Territories to set upon the lines of the
fire service station, in capital cities of each State/UT and in all major cities having a
municipal corporation and/or water and sewerage board with population of more than
one lakh + would include trained cleaners wearing protective gear + manual
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scavenging is officially banned, under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual
Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013
➢ Normal monsoonal rain = Amount is given by India meteorological department
(IMD) + Currently, 89 cm of monsoon rain from June to September is considered
‘normal’, more technically, the long period average (LPA), and this is derived from
the average rainfall that the country got from 1960-2010
➢ 2019 World Press Freedom Index = compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF),
covering 180 countries and territories + It notes that the number of countries regarded
as safe for journalists is on the decline + India’s rank fell by two places to 140 from
138
➢ Plantations Labour Act (PLA), 1951 + gave certain social and economic rights to
the workers + Act makes it mandatory to provide housing accommodation to every
worker and his/her family + PLA requires plantation owners to provide transport for
schoolchildren + PLA makes provision of medical facilities mandatory
➢ Ebola = World Health Organization(WHO) recently declared the Ebola outbreak in
the Democratic Republic of Congo a “public health emergency of international
concern(PHIEC),” a rare designation only used for the gravest epidemics +
emergency provision (PHEIC), activated by the UN health agency four times
previously + The 2014–2015 Ebola epidemic mainly in the three western African
countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has been the most deadly one since the
virus became known in 1976 + (VSV-EBOV = Ebola vaccine in trial stages)
➢ Researchers harnessed two population control methods: the use of radiation — which
effectively sterilises mosquitoes — and a strain of bacteria called Wolbachia that
leaves mosquito eggs dead on arrival = breakthrough technique harnessing two
methods to target disease-carrying mosquitoes was able to effectively eradicate
buzzing biters in two test sites in China + mosquitoes targeted are a type that is
particularly difficult to control called Aedes albopictus or the Asian tiger mosquito,
which are a major vector for diseases including Zika and dengue + The study
“demonstrates the potential of a potent new tool[remember WOLBACHIA]
➢ The ‘Brindavana’ (tomb) of Sri Vyasaraja Tirtha, a renowned saint of the Madhwa
tradition + near Hampi + It is one of the nine such at Nava Brindavana, on the banks
of the Tungabhadra + Sri Vyasaraja Tirtha was the ‘Raja Guru’ of Sri
Krishnadevaraya, the Vijayanagar Emperor. He was buried at Nava Brindavana in
1539
➢ Lawson’s bay = Visakhapatnam
➢ Sabarimala temple = kerala + forms part of periyar tiger reserve + lie on banks of
Pamba river
➢ Indian Tiger/Royal Bengal Tiger/Panthera tigris = Endangered + Schedule 1 of
Wildlife Protect Act, 1972 + Appendix-I of CITES
➢ Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017 for Child
artists in audio-visual industry = child artistes are supposed to work for a
maximum of five hours a day and not more than three hours without rest + The rules
also require permission from the District Magistrate and an undertaking by the
producer, as well as the deployment of one person each for ensuring the safety and
security of a maximum of five children + Children should not be away from schooling
for more than 27 days and 20% of their income should be deposited in a fixed deposit
in their name, as per the rules
➢ INS Sagardhwani = marine acoustic research ship of the Naval Physical &
Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) + flagged off for a scientific venture in the
northern Indian Ocean
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➢ Resignations of MLAs = Under Article 190(3) of the Constitution, the Speaker has to
satisfy himself that the resignations are voluntary and genuine and can reject them if
he feels they are not. The Speaker has absolute discretion in this matter
➢ Anti-defection Law = The Tenth Schedulewas inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by
the 52nd Amendment Act + It lays down the process by which legislators may be
disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on
a petition by any other member of the House + The decision on question as to
disqualification on ground of defection is referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of
such House, and his decision is final(In Kihoto Hollohan vs Zachillhu and Others
(1991), an SC Constitution Bench declared that the Speaker’s decision was subject to
judicial review) + The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies + (
Disqualification -> If a member of a house belonging to a political party = Voluntarily
gives up the membership of his political party, or + Votes, or does not vote in the
legislature, contrary to the directions of his political party. However, if the member
has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15 days from such
voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified + If an independent
candidate joins a political party after the election + If a nominated member joins a
party six months after he becomes a member of the legislature) + (Exceptions - > A
person shall not be disqualified if his original political party merges with another, and
He and other members of the old political party become members of the new political
party, or He and other members do not accept the merger and opt to function as a
separate group + This exception shall operate only if not less than two-thirds of the
members of party in the House have agreed to the merger)
➢ Pearl River = China
➢ Colistin = Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an order prohibiting the
manufacture, sale and distribution of colistin and its formulations for food-producing
animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplements + colistin is a valuable,
last-resort antibiotic + move to ensure that arbitrary use of colistin in the food
industry, particularly as growth supplements used in animals, poultry, aqua farms,
would likely reduce the antimicrobial resistance within the country
➢ Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench tiger reserves = Madhya Pradesh
➢ Dal Lake = Srinagar
➢ LIGO Project = The LIGO project operates three gravitational-wave (GW) detectors.
Two are at Hanford in the State of Washington, north-western USA, and one is at
Livingston in Louisiana, south-eastern USA
➢ LIGO-India project = proposed LIGO-India project aims to move one
Advanced LIGO detector from Hanford to India + project, piloted by the Department
of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST)+ LIGOIndia
project is an international collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory and three
lead institutions in the LIGO-India consortium: Institute of Plasma Research,
Gandhinagar; IUCAA, Pune; and Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology,
Indore + The LIGO lab would provide the complete design and all the key detector
components + Indian scientists would provide the infrastructure to install the detector
and it would be operated jointly by LIGO-India and the LIGO Lab.
➢ India wing of the ambitious Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory
(LIGO) project = Hingoli district,Maharashtra + project involves constructing
a network of L-shaped arms, each four kilometres long, which can detect even the
faintest ripples from cosmic explosions millions of light years away
➢ Kagra = Japan Gravitational Wave Detector
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➢ Virgo Inferometer = European Gravitational Wave Detector + Located at Itlay
➢ Parliamentary committees = draw their authority from Article 105 (on privileges of
Parliament members) and Article 118 (on Parliament’s authority to make rules for
regulating its procedure and conduct of business) + Most committees are ‘standing’ as
their existence is uninterrupted and usually reconstituted on an annual basis + some
are ‘select’ committees formed for a specific purpose, for instance, to deliberate on a
particular bill
➢ Blockchain = It is a foundational technology or a platform that allows designing a
secure way to record transactions and circulate it among signatories, or any kind of
target group with an Internet connection. At its core it is an extremely democratic
ledger that cannot be arbitarily manipulated and easily shareable
➢ American pocket shark or Mollisquama Mississippiensis = new species of shark + it
was found in the Gulf of Mexico + the shark has light-emitting cells dotted on its
belly
➢ Central Information Commission (CIC) = is the highest appeal body available to
applicants seeking information under RTI Act + Chief Information Commissioner &
Information Commissioners shall be appointed by the President on the
recommendation of(PM,LoP, Union Cabinet Minister)
➢ Incirlik airbase = Turkey
➢ Stena Impero and MT Riah = ships detained by Iran
➢ Jeddah port = Saudi Arabia
➢ Chang’e-4 mission = by China + is the fourth mission in the country’s lunar mission
series which is being named after the 'Chinese moon goddess' + is a first probe ever to
explore the dark side of the Moon(South pole = Aitken Basin) + touched down at a
targeted area near the moon’s south pole in the Von Karman Crater
➢ Gharial = fish eating crocodile + native to the Indian subcontinent +
Critically Endangered + Satkosia gorge of Mahanadi — the southernmost limit of
gharials’ home range in India + Odisha is the only State in India having all three
species — gharial, mugger and saltwater crocodile
➢ Saltwater Crocodile = largest of all living reptiles + found throughout the east coast
of India + least concern
➢ Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)= Gujarat relocated
the Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)from Sardar Sarovar dam to
facilitate a seaplane service at the Statue of Unity + reptilian species also
called marsh crocodile or broad-snouted crocodile and is one of the threecrocodile
species (Saltwater Crocodile and Gharial) found in India + It is extinct in
Myanmar and Bhutan, and possibly extinct in Bangladesh + Its habitat includes
wetlands (inland), marine neritic (shallow part of ocean), artificial/aquatic & marine +
It is a hole-nesting species, with egg-laying taking place during the annual dry season
+ Vadodara is the only city in India where crocodiles live in their natural
habitat amidst human population + Threat: Water pollution, food for human
consumption, illegal use and trade such as for
medicinal purpose, apparel/accessories etc + Appendix 1 of CITES + Vulnerable +
schedule 1 of WPA,1972
➢ National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill = The Bill proposes to unify testing for
exit from the MBBS course, and entry into postgraduate medical courses. A single
National Exit Test (NEXT) will be conducted across the country replacing the final
year MBBS exam, and the scores used to allot PG seats as well. It will allow medical
19
`graduates to start medical practice, seek admission to PG courses, and screen foreign
medical graduates who want to practise in India
➢ Subhash Chandra Garg committee = Inter ministerial committee + draft Payment
and Settlement System Bill, 2018, which seeks to setup independent Payments
Regulatory Board (PRB) with objectives of consumer protection, system stability
and resilienc, Competition and Innovation
➢ Ghaggar river = endorheic river in India + originates from the Kalka hills of Shivalik
Range in Himachal Pradesh + west flowing
➢ Forest Rights Act (FRA),2006 = MoTA +concerns the rights of forest-dwelling
communities to land and other resources, denied to them over decades as a result of
the continuance of colonial forest laws in India + legal recognition to the rights
of traditional forest dwelling communities + Title rights(ownership to land that is
being farmed by tribals or forest dwellers subject to a maximum of 4 hectares;
ownership is only for land that is actually being cultivated by the concerned family) +
Use rights (to minor forest produce (also including ownership), to grazing areas, to
pastoralist routes, etc) + Relief and development rights(to rehabilitation in case of
illegal eviction or forced displacement; and to basic amenities, subject to restrictions
for forest protection) + Forest management rights(to protect forests and wildlife) +
rights under the Act is confined to those who “primarily reside in forests” and
the claimant must be a member of the Scheduled Tribes scheduled in that area or must
have been residing in the forest for 75 years + Gram sabha is designated to ascertain
the claims of an individual + Ministry of Tribal Affairs was mandated with
operationalising the Act, while conservation remained under the domain of
the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
➢ Sarakki lake = Bengaluru
➢ Anti-Malpractice Cell of the UGC was set up in 1995 to deal with complaints
regarding fake universities. Through the years, the UGC’s annual reports have
documented FIRs and show Cause notices filed against some of these institutions
➢ Global fund to fight AIDS tuberculosis and malaria (GFATM) =
➢ Tuluni festival = sumi tribe + Nagaland
➢ New southern Policy = of South Korea + to step up engagement with India and the
ASEAN countries
➢ K9 Vaira-T self propelled artillery gun = from South Korea + Inducted into Army
+ 155-mm, 52-calibre self-propelled artillery gun + range of 40 km + 100 guns
through private sector engagement + With technology transfer from South Korea +
India’s Larsen and Toubro plans to achieve over 50% localisation by manufacturing
the key components of these weapon systems domestically as part of ‘Make in India’
➢ World Economics outlook = by International monetary fund (IMF)
➢ Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) = certificate scheme from the Indian post office as a small
saving certificate scheme in 1988 + Its primary objective is to encourage long-term
financial discipline in people. As per the 2014 amendment of the scheme, the tenure
for the scheme is now 118 months (9 years & 10 months). The minimum investment
is Rs. 1000 and there is no upper limit
➢ National Board for wildlife = statutory + constituted under wildlife act,1972 +
chaired by PM + vice chairman is Minister of Environment(REFER STATIC FOR
ITS FUNCTIONS) + adjudicates on industrial projects, road diversions or the like that
could encroach into Protected Areas or eco-sensitive zones of forests
➢ National Data Quality Forum (NDQF) = The Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR)’s National Institute for Medical Statistics (ICMR-NIMS), in partnership with
Population Council, launched + NDQF will integrate learnings from scientific and
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evidence-based initiatives and guide actions through periodic conferences. Its
activities will help establish protocols and good practices of data collection, storage,
use and dissemination that can be applied to health and demographic data
➢ Global Innovation Index 2019 = India has jumped five places to rank 52 + India’s
rise in the rankings has been a consistent trend over the last few years. It had ranked
81 in 2015, which rose to 66 in 2016, 60 in 2017 and 57 in 2018 + brought out by the
UN World Intellectual Property Organisation, INSEAD and CII
➢ Nilgiri Tahr = Endangered wild goat + Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu +
Eravikulam National Park in Kerala is home to the largest population + Listed in
Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and as Endangered on IUCN Red List +
It is state animal of Tamil Nadu + Adult males develop a light grey area or “saddle” on
their backs and are hence called “saddlebacks”
➢ Parambikulam Tiger reserve = Kerala
➢ Milky way’s violent birth decoded = It was shaped as a result of collision with
another smaller galaxy 10 bn years ago + The union of the Milky Way and the socalled
dwarf galaxy Gaia-Enceladus increased our galaxy’s mass by about a quarter
and triggered a period of accelerated star formation lasting about 2 to 4 billion years +
Galaxies of all types, including the Milky Way, began to form relatively soon after the
Big Bang explosion that marked the beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion years
ago
➢ Dracaena cambodiana = India’s first dragon blood-oozing tree + Assam has added
to India’s botanical wealth a plant that yields dragon’s blood — a bright red resin
used since ancient times as medicine, body oil, varnish, incense and dye + Dracaena
cambodiana is an important medicinal plant as well as an ornamental tree + it is a
major source of dragon’s blood, a precious traditional medicine in China. Several
antifungal and antibacterial compounds, antioxidants, flavonoids, etc., have been
extracted from various parts of the plant
➢ Operation samadhan = Operation ‘SAMADHAN’ is the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA)’s answer to the Naxal problem
➢ Namdapha Tiger Reserve = Arunachal Pradesh
➢ Project Tiger = The Government of India launched the centrally Sponsored
Scheme the ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973 for for in-situ conservation of wild tigers
in designated tiger reserves. The Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 tiger
reserves at present
➢ Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012(POCSO) = does not
provide any period of limitation for reporting the sexual offence + is applicable to the
whole of India + protection to children under the age of 18 years + raised the age of
consensual sex from 16 years(in IPC) to 18 years + Definition of sexual abuse +
burden of proof lies on the accussed + police should conatct Child Welfare
Committee (CWC) within 24 hours of Report of abuse + special courts + case must be
disposed of within one year + Now made gender neutral
➢ Azov sea = The sea is bounded in the northwest by Ukraine, in the southeast by
Russia + To the south it is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea, and
it is sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea + Kerch Strait is the
only connection b/w the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov
➢ Lake Baikal = Russia
➢ Kamchatka Island= Russia
➢ Gibraltar= British overseas treaty near spain + Confrontation between Spain and
UK
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➢ Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards 2019 = an initiative of government
think-tank Niti Aayog, to promote women entrepreneurs in India + The WTI Awards,
which Niti Aayog organises in partnership with the U.N.
➢ USOF (universal service obligation fund) = Established in 2002 + Provides
subsidies to ensure telegraph services are provided to everyone across India,
especially in the rural and remote areas + USOF money is used for National optical
fiber project(NOFN) project
➢ National Digital Communications Policy 2018 = aims to provide broadband access
to every citizen at 50 Mbps speed by the year 2022 + aims at creating at least 40 lakh
new jobs in the sector in the next four years + attracting $100 billion investments into
the country’s digital communications sector + Enhancing the contribution of the
Digital Communications sector to 8% of India’s GDP from ~ 6% in 2017 + Propelling
India to the Top 50 Nations in the ICT Development Index of ITU from 134 in 2017 +
Enhancing India’s contribution to Global Value Chain + Ensuring Digital
Sovereignty
➢ Jog falls = sharavati catchment + Karnataka
➢ Almatti Dam = Krishna river + Karnataka
➢ Red Sanders = Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), an agency of
the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has revised its export policy to permit the
export of red sanders if it is obtained from cultivated land + Red sanders
(Pterocarpus santalinus), known for its rich hue and therapeutic properties, is high
in demand across Asia, particularly in China and Japan, for use in cosmetics and
medicinal products as well as for making furniture, woodcraft and musical
instruments + tree is endemic to several districts in Andhra Pradesh and some parts
of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka + Species is in Appendix II of CITES, which says
“trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilisation incompatible with their
survival”
➢ Deep ocean mission (DOM) = A five-year, ₹8,000-crore plan to explore the deepest
recesses of the ocean + to be led by the Union Earth Sciences Ministry + Among the
key deliverables are an offshore desalination plant that will work with tidal energy
and developing a submersible vehicle that can go to a depth of at least 6,000 metres
with three people on board + A major thrust of the mission will be looking for metals
and minerals + India has been allotted a site of 75,000 sq. km. in the Central Indian
Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of
polymetallic nodules (PMN) + PMN are rocks scattered on the seabed containing
iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt. Being able to lay hands on even 10% of that
reserve can meet the energy requirement for the next 100 years.
➢ C-17 aircraft = to be sold to India by USA + Boeing’s C-17 is a massive, long-haul
military transport aircraft
➢ India is looking to conclude three Military Logistics Support Agreements (MLSA)
= these will further enhance the operational reach of the military in the region. India
has already signed such agreements with a few countries beginning with the U.S.A +
Agreements with Australia, Japan and Russia are in advanced stages + The MLSA
with Japan is called the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and
with Russia, the Agreement on Reciprocal Logistics Support (ARLS) + The
agreements with Australia and Russia will be broadly on the lines of the U.S. one,
while the one with Japan is a broader defence cooperation agreement including
logistics + India signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding
(LEMOA) with the U.S. in 2016 after decade-long negotiations. Since then, it has
concluded several such agreements with France, Oman, the Philippines and Singapore
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and gained access to the Sabang port in Indonesia + Logistics agreements are
administrative arrangements facilitating access to military facilities for exchange of
fuel and provisions on mutual agreement, simplifying logistical support and
increasing operational turnaround of the military away from India
➢ AUSINDEX = bilateral naval exercise + Australia and India
➢ Bharat stage VI(BS-VI) = India will move to Bharat Stage VI mass emission
standards for various classes of motor vehicles by April 2020 + India will skip BS-V
+ it also means higher vehicle prices and costs + As per Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS) norms for upgraded fuels sulphur content is reduced to 10 mg/kg max in BS-VI
from 50 mg/kg under BS-IV. This key reduction in sulphur makes it possible to equip
vehicles with better catalytic converters that capture pollutants + BS-VI confers
several benefits, the most important of which is limits set on Particle Number (PN) for
engines, a reference to direct injection engines that emit more particulates but are
more efficient and release less carbon dioxide + there are lower limits for
hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in diesel engines and lower Particulate
Matter limits for both petrol and diesel engines
➢ Zero budget natural farming(ZBNF) = Zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) is a
method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices + It was
originally promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist and Padma Shri recipient Subhash
Palekar, who developed it in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the Green
Revolution’s methods driven by chemical fertilizers and pesticides and intensive
irrigation + Instead of commercially produced chemical inputs, the ZBNF promotes
the application of jeevamrutha — a mixture of fresh desi cow dung and aged desi cow
urine, jaggery, pulse flour, water and soil — on farmland. This is a fermented
microbial culture that adds nutrients to the soil, and acts as a catalytic agent to
promote the activity of microorganisms and earthworms in the soil + A similar
mixture, called bijamrita, is used to treat seeds, while concoctions using neem leaves
and pulp, tobacco and green chillis are prepared for insect and pest management +
The ZBNF method also promotes soil aeration, minimal watering, intercropping,
bunds and topsoil mulching and discourages intensive irrigation and deep ploughing +
ZBNF is against vermicomposting, which is the mainstay of typical organic farming,
as it introduces the the most common composting worm, the European red wiggler
(Eisenia fetida) to Indian soils + In June 2018, Andhra Pradesh rolled out an
ambitious plan to become India’s first State to practise 100% natural farming by 2024
➢ Antarctic Oscillation = does not act directly to influence Indian climate but affects
the Indian Ocean Meridional Dipole which in turn plays a role in our climatic
conditions
➢ Senescent cells are the opposite of stem cells + they can never divide again. New
research finds that ageing, senescent cells stop producing nucleotides, the building
block of DNA + When young cells were prevented from producing nucleotides, the
cells became senescent. The findings have potential to help with ageing and related
diseases
➢ Dolutegravir pills = WHO recommends use of innovative HIV drug + HIV drug as
the preferred first-line and second-line treatment for all populations, including
pregnant women and those of childbearing potential
➢ Four species of fauna and 18 species of flora have gone extinct in India in the past
few centuries = The notable among them are Lastreopsiswattii , a fern in Manipur
discovered by George Watt in 1882 and three species from the genus Ophiorrhiza
(Ophiorrhizabrunonis , Ophiorrhiza caudate and Ophiorrhizaradican ), all discovered
from peninsular India. CoryphatalieraRoxb, a palm species discovered in Myanmar
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and the Bengal region by William Roxburgh is also extinct + Among mammals, the
cheetah (Acionyxjubatus)and the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinussumatrensisi) are
considered extinct in India + The pink-headed duck (Rhodonessacaryophyllaceai) is
feared extinct since 1950 and the Himalayan quail (Ophrysiasupercililios) was last
reported in 1876
➢ Darna River = right-bank tributary of Godavari river + Maharashtra
➢ Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary = Andhra Pradesh
➢ Seshachalam biosphere = Andhra Pradesh
➢ Integrated battle group = The new concept of Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs)
which the Army plans to create as part of overall force transformation + IBGs are
brigade-sized, agile, self-sufficient combat formations + Each IBG would be tailormade
based on Threat, Terrain and Task and resources will be allotted based on the
three Ts + they will be low on logistics, the source stated and added, “They will be
able to mobilise within 12-48 hrs based on the location
➢ 4th National Tiger Estimation (Tiger-census) = India has 2,967 tigers, a third more
than in 2014 + Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number at 526, closely followed by
Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442) + Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in
tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase + 4th such since 2006 +
While the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of
tigers, the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu registered the “maximum
improvement” since 2014 + Madhya Pradesh's Pench sanctuary and Kerala’s Periyar
sanctuary emerged as the best managed tiger reserves in the country + tiger reserve at
Bandipur, Nagar hol,e, Billigiri-Ranganatha, Swamy Temple, Kali, Periyar,
Perambikulam, Sathyamanglam, Mudumalai, Anamalai, and Kalakad-Mundantharai
➢ MSTrIPES (monitoring system for Tigers-Intensive protection and Ecological
status) = New app used to estimate tiger population + m-STrIPES, the application
used by forest guards, is GPS-enabled and helps to capture data relating to tiger
sightings, deaths, wildlife crime and ecological observations while patrolling + the
other software used for tiger estimation was spatially explicit capture recapture
(SECR) and extract compare, which helps differentiate between the stripes of tiger as
each has a different pattern
➢ Odisha Rasagola = has received the geographical indication tag + Odisha + both
Odisha and West Bengal have been contesting the origin of the Rasagola. Historical
records submitted say the Odisha rasagola is associated with world famous Puri
Hagannath Temple
➢ Fugitive economic offenders Act = a fugitive economic offender is any individual
against whom a warrant for arrest in relation to a scheduled offence has been issued
by any court in India and who has either left India to avoid criminal prosecution, or
who, being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution + The list of
offences that can qualify an individual to be designated an economic offender,
enumerated includes offences under several Acts such as the Negotiable Instruments
Act, 1881; the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934; the Central Excise Act, 1944; the
Customs Act, 1962; the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988; the
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002; and the Indian Penal Code + To declare
a person an FEO, an application will be filed in a Special Court (designated under the
Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002) containing details of the properties to be
confiscated, and any information about the person's whereabouts + If the special court
is satisfied that an individual is a fugitive economic offender, it can direct the Central
government to confiscate the proceeds of the crime in India or abroad
+ The fugitive economic offender will also be disqualified from accessing the
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Indian judicial system for any civil cases + In keeping with the principle
of ‘innocent until proven guilty’, the burden of proof for establishing that an
individual is a fugitive economic offender or that certain property is part of the
proceeds of a crime is on the Director appointed to file an application
seeking fugitive economic offender status + Enforcement directorate(ED) will be
apex agency to implement the law
➢ Vembanad Lake = designated Ramsar site + one of the most polluted water bodies in
the world, of plastic waste
➢ Chenchus = Blending into natural habitat, they help conserve the big cats in
Nallamala + Members of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) + Andhra
Pradesh