Attachment RBI-SEBI NABARD 2019 CA Monthly Magazine June To October 2019 Lyst8022 PDF

June to October 2019|WWW.EDUTAP.CO.IN|HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.
IN
The Magazine contains

ESI and Finance Current
Affairs for RBI Grade B
2019 -Phase 2
1|P a g e W WW. E D U T AP . CO . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1 Economics and Social Issues in News – From June 2019 to October 2019
1.1 Govt forms ‘Jal Shakti’ Ministry by merging Water Resources and Drinking Water Ministries
[Indian Political System]
• Ministries of Water Resources and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation have been
merged and a new ministry Jal Shakti has been formed by the newly formed Govt. in the month
of June 2019
1.2 CAG Rajiv Mehrishi chosen External Auditor for WHO

[Globalization]
• Rajiv Mehrishi has been elected as the External Auditor for WHO.
• The election was held in the 72nd WHO Assembly in Geneva on May 23rd 2019
1.3 Due to Jio, India is home to world's 2nd largest internet user base: Report
[Human Development]
• India accounts for about 12% of the internet users , retaining its second position worldwide
according to an annual report on internet trends by venture capitalist Mary Meeker
• China has the largest base, accounting for 21% of all internet users globally, and the US comes
third at 8%
1.4 Rajasthan to train youth in job-oriented skills

[Employment Generation in India]
• Rajasthan government has launched a major initiative to establish livelihood business
incubators (LBIs) in all districts to promote employment-oriented skills training for the youth
• For the very first time , Rajasthan state is replicating the model adopted by the National Small
Industries Cooperation (NSIC)
1.5 Start-up Rivigo launched ‘National Freight Index’ for live freight rates
• Gurgaon-based tech-enabled logistics start-up Rivigo has launched National Freight Index (NFI)
that will provide live freight rates for different lanes and vehicles across the country.
• The purpose is to bring transparency in the road-freight marketplace.
1.6 Seminar on International Patents Filings in Dehradun

• The Indian Patent Office, under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT) of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has organized one-day seminar on 20th June
in Dehradun, on filing of International Patents.
• The seminar is being organized in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO), ASSOCHAM, Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) of the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Government of India and Uttarakhand Government.
1.7 Withdrawal of India’s GSP benefits by USA

[Globalization]
• The United States of America (USA) has withdrawn India’s GSP benefits from 5th June 2019

• The US had announced its plans to terminate India’s and Turkey’s designations as ‘beneficiary
developing countries’ for the GSP scheme
• GSP are unilateral, non-reciprocal and non-discriminatory benefits extended by some
developed countries to developing countries
1.8 Swachh Bharat has led to reduced ground water contamination: Study by UNICEF
[Sustainable Development and Environmental Issues]
• According to a study by UNICEF , The 'Swachh Bharat' initiative has led to a reduction in the
contamination of groundwater
• A WHO study conducted in 2018 had estimated that the Swachh Bharat mission will save over
three lakh lives by the time India is Open Defecation Free.
• According to independent third-party studies conducted on the Swachh Bharat
Mission (Grameen), the initiative will continue to positively impact people's lives for a long time
to come.
1.9 ‘2nd Global Disability Summit’ at Buenos Aires from 6-8 June 2019
[Social Sectors - Health]
• 2nd Global Disability Summit has taken place at Buenos Aires, Argentina during 6-8 June 2019.
• It was hosted by UK Department for International Development (UK DFID), along with the co-
hosts International Disability Alliance (IDA) and Government of Kenya.
• The objective of the summit is to deliberate on issues across the world concerning
empowerment and inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and to work out a mechanism
for enabling them to live an independent and dignified life.
• The summit was attended by global leaders from more than 40 countries (including India), who
committed to work in direction of economic empowerment of persons with disabilities.
1.10 Inauguration of the first-ever World Food Safety Day

• Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan has participated in the first-ever
World Food Safety Day being celebrated by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI)
• The theme for this day was ‘food safety, everyone’s business’
Key Points
• Union Health Minister felicitated seven leading States/UTs based on the ranking for the year
2018-2019 for their impressive performance
• These were Chandigarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
• FSSAI has developed the first State Food Safety Index (SFSI) to measure the performance of
States on five parameters of food safety
• The categories included Human Resources and Institutional Arrangements, Compliance, Food
Testing- Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training and Capacity Building and Consumer
Empowerment

• Following the certification of several ‘Clean Street Food Hubs’ in several cities based on third-
party audits and training of street food vendors, now Golden Temple Street, Amritsar has
been also recognized as a ‘Clean Street Food Hub’.
• Dr. Harsh Vardhan has launched a new-age, hand-held battery operated device called ‘Raman
1.0’
• This device performs rapid detection (in less than 1 minute) of economically driven
adulteration in edible oils, fats and ghee.
• The equipment tests more than 250 samples per battery charge, collects and stores data on
the cloud using a smart device
1.11 Rajasthan Health Dept. bags WHO Award for Tobacco Control
[Social Sectors -Health]
• The World Health Organization has selected the Rajasthan government’s Medical & Health
Department for its award this year in recognition of its achievements in the field of tobacco
control.
• The Health Department of Rajasthan is the only government body in the country which will be
awarded for its tobacco-free initiatives.
• WHO has selected five organizations from the South-East Asian region for the prestigious
award from India, Thailand and Indonesia
• The two institutes selected from India (in SEA region) includes Vallabhbhai Patel Chest
Institute (in New Delhi) and Rajasthan’s Health Department
1.12 Cabinet clears pension scheme for traders

• Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved a new scheme that
offers pension coverage to the trading community.
• This is a part of the Prime Minister’s vision to provide a robust architecture of universal social
security
How the scheme works?

• Under this scheme all shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons are assured a
minimum monthly pension of Rs. 3,000/- month after attaining the age of 60 years.
• All small shopkeepers and self-employed persons as well as the retail traders with GST turnover
below Rs. 1.5 crore and age between 18-40 years, can enroll for this scheme.
• The scheme would benefit more than 3 crore small shopkeepers and traders.
• The scheme is based on self-declaration as no documents are required except Aadhaar and
bank account.
• Interested persons can enroll themselves through more than 3,25,000 Common Service
Centres spread across the country.
• The Government of India will make matching contribution in the subscribers’ account.

1.13 Major changes approved in the ‘Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme’ under the National
Defence Fund
[Social sectors - Education]
• The following changes have been approved by PM :
1. The rates of scholarship have been increased from Rs. 2000 per month to Rs. 2500 per month
for boys and from Rs. 2250 per month to Rs. 3000 per month for girls.
2. The ambit of the Scholarship Scheme is extended to the wards of State Police officials who
are/were martyred during terror/naxal attacks
3. The quota of new scholarships for wards of state police officials will be 500 in a year. The
Ministry of Home Affairs will be the nodal Ministry in this regard.
Background
• The fund is administered by an Executive Committee with the Prime Minister as the
Chairperson and the Defence, Finance and Home Ministers as Members.
• Under National Defence Fund major scheme of ‘Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS)’
is being implemented to encourage technical and post-graduate education for the widows
and wards of the deceased/ex-service personnel of Armed Forces and Para Military Forces
and Railway Protection Force
• Scholarships are available for education at technical institutions (medical, dental, veterinary,
engineering, MBA, MCA and other equivalent technical professions with suitable AICTE/UGC
approval)
• Under the PMSS, every year new scholarships are given for 5500 wards of armed forces
controlled by Ministry of Defence, for 2000 wards of paramilitary forces controlled by Ministry
of Home Affairs and for 150 wards of forces controlled by Ministry of Railways.
1.14 On the eve of World environment Day, Union Environment Minister launches
#selfiewithsapling campaign
• Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar has launched a people’s campaign #Selfie
with Sapling urging all to join and plant a sapling and post the selfie with the sapling on social
media
• World Environment Day 2019 on June 5 will be hosted by China with a theme of “Air Pollution”
1.15 Nirmala Sitharaman to attend G-20 Finance Ministers’ meeting in Japan

[International Economic Institutions]
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to attend the two-day meeting of G-20 Finance
Ministers and central bank governors
• The meeting is going to begin in Japan from June 8th, 2019
1.16 SDG Gender Equality Index 2019 : India ranks 95

[Gender Issues]
• India has been ranked 95th out of 129 countries in a new index on Gender Equality
• The index measures global gender equality looking at aspects such as poverty, health,
education, literacy, political representation and equality at the workplace

• Denmark was ranked at the first place and Chad at 129th place.
• The new index includes 51 indicators across 14 of the 17 official Sustainable Development Goals
and covers 129 countries across all regions of the world.
India & SDG Gender Equality Index

• The index has ranked India at 95 among 129 countries with India’s highest goal scores are on
SDG 3 of health (79.9), SDG 2 of hunger and nutrition (76.2) and SDG 7 of energy (71.8)
• India’s lowest goal scores are on SDG 17 of partnerships (18.3, in the bottom 10 countries
worldwide on the goal), SDG 9 of industry, infrastructure and innovation (38.1) and SDG 13
of climate (43.4).
• Some of the factors based on which the ranking of India has been decided include :
1. proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
2. extent to which a national budget is broken down by factors such as gender, age, income, or
region
3. percentage of seats held by women on a country’s Supreme Court or highest court
About Index
• The Sustainable Development Goals Gender Index has been developed by UK-based Equal
Measures 2030.
• It is a joint effort of regional and global organisations including African Women’s Development
and Communication Network, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, and International Women’s Health Coalition.
1.17 RBI Monetary Policy : RBI cuts interest rate to 9-year low; 10 key takeaways
[Monetary and Fiscal Policy]
• The six-member RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) has cut the repo rate to 9-year low.
• The committee has cut repo rate by 25 bps to 5.75 per cent and also changed policy stance to
accommodative from neutral
• The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 5.50 per cent, and the marginal
standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.0 per cent
• In April, the MPC had cut repo rate by 25 basis points to 6 per cent
Important announcements by RBI Monetary Policy Committee

• FY20 GDP growth forecast downgraded: RBI has downgraded growth forecast for FY20 to 7
per cent from 7.2 per cent projected in April policy.
• Inflation projection: RBI has revised CPI inflation projection for April-September period
upward to 3-3.1 per cent from 2.9-3 per cent and for October 2019 –March 2020 period to 3.4-
3.7 per cent from 3.5-3.8 per cent
• Update on liquidity: RBI said liquidity in the system turned into an average daily surplus of Rs
66,000 crore in June after remaining in deficit during April and most of May due to restrained
government spending
• Leverage ratio for banks: RBI said it has decided to lower minimum leverage ratio for Domestic
Systemically Important Banks (DSIBs) to 4 per cent from 4.5 per cent under the Basel-III norms
and 3.5 per cent for other banks

• Licensing of small finance banks: According to RBI , more time is needed to review the
performance of payments banks before considering the licensing of this category of banks to
be put ‘on tap’
• ATM interchange fee structure: There have been persistent demands to change ATM charges
and fees
a) In order to address these, RBI has set up a committee involving all stakeholders, under the
chairmanship of the Chief Executive Officer, Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) VG Kannan to
examine the entire gamut of ATM charges and fees
b) The six member committee will consist of - Dilip Asbe (CEO, National Payments Corporation
of India (NPCI)), Giri Kumar Nair (CGM, State Bank of India (SBI), Sanjeev Patel (CEO, Tata
Communications Payment Solutions (TCPSL)), S Sampath Kumar (Group Head, Liability
Products, HDFC Bank), and K Srinivas (Director, Confederation of ATM Industry (CATMi))
c) The committee is expected to submit its recommendations within two months of its first
meeting.
1.18 RBI to educate farmers about financial literacy

[Social Justice]
• The RBI will educate farmers in Punjab and Haryana about the importance of responsible
borrowing and agriculture finance
• RBI in association with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and
over 4,300 rural branches of scheduled commercial banks in these two states will reach out
to the farmers to empower them
• The farmers in these two states often became victims of reckless lending by some of the banks,
which ultimately affected their repayment capacity
About Financial Literacy Week

• Under the Financial Literacy Week (FLW), it will disseminate to the farmers the benefits of
repaying loans on time, improving credit score and simplified mode of availing agricultural
finance.
• Financial Literacy Week 2019 is being observed from June 3-7 on the theme of “Farmers” and
how they benefit by being a part of the formal banking system
1.19 ICAT Releases India’s 1st BS – VI Certificate in Two Wheeler Segment

• International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) has released India’s first Type Approval
Certificate (TAC) for Bharat Stage - VI (BS – VI) norms for the two wheeler segment in New
Delhi
• This is India’s first certification in the two wheeler segment for the BS – VI norms that are the
latest emission norms as notified by the Government of India.
• The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp has received its BS-VI certification for
Splendor iSmart motorcycle from International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT).
About ICAT

• ICAT is the premier testing and certification agency authorized by Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways for providing testing and certification services to the vehicle and component
manufacturers in India and abroad
1.20 Reconstitution of NITI Aayog

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the reconstitution of government thinktank NITI
Aayog as follows :
• Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar continues in his post along with members VK Saraswat, Ramesh
Chand and VK Paul
• Ex-officio members now include Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah,
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
• Special invitees to NITI Aayog include Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari
, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot , Minister of Railways
Piyush Goyal and Minister of Statistics (Independent) Rao Inderjit Singh.
1.21 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

[Regional Economic Cooperation]
• Russia’s annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) has taken place from 6-
8 June 2019
• It is an annual international forum that discusses key economic issues facing Russia, emerging
markets and world at large stage
• Theme for SPIEF 2019: Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda
1.22 Health Ministry proposes to convert 75 district hospitals into medical colleges
[Social Sector - Health]
• The Health Ministry has proposed to convert 75 district hospitals into medical colleges in the
third phase of a scheme which aims at boosting availability of human resource for the health
sector
• The proposal is a part of the Centre-sponsored program “Human Resources for Health and
Medical Education” , which was launched for the establishment of new medical colleges by
upgrading district or referral hospitals preferably in underserved districts of the country.
• In the first phase, the Centre had approved converting 58 district hospitals into medical colleges
while in the second phase, 24 hospitals were selected. Out of these 39 hospitals have become
functional while the remaining are still under construction.
• According to the draft proposal of the plan , the upgradation of each of the 75 district hospitals
into medical colleges would cost around ₹325 crore.
1.23 Govt to ask RBI to remove priority lending limit for renewable energy sector
• The Ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has said that it would try to impress upon
the Reserve Bank of India for removal of the priority sector lending limit for the renewable
energy sector

• This will encourage the PSBs (public sector banks) to lend more for RE (renewable energy)
projects and help RE developers access easy finance
• The meeting was attended by officials from MNRE, Department of Economic Affairs,
Department of Expenditure, Department of Financial Services, Department of Revenue,
public and private sector banks and financial institutions.
Background
• India is running the world’s largest renewable energy programme and plans to achieve 175
gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022 as part of its climate commitments
• India has the ambitious target of 175GW of clean energy capacity by March 2022, the
government’s strategy is to complete the bid process by March 2020 so that developers have
the time need to construct these projects.
• Out of the targeted 175GW of clean energy capacity by 2022, 100GW has to come from solar
projects. Of this, 60GW will be from ground-mounted, grid-connected projects, and 40GW is
to come from solar rooftop projects
• Wind power projects are to contribute 60 GW.
1.24 India gets $42-billion FDI inflows in 2018: UN report

[Opening of Indian Economy]
• According to World Investment Report 2019 released by United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development (UNCTAD) , India has received foreign direct investments worth $42 billion
in 2018
• This is due to its robust inflows in manufacturing, communication and financial services
• According to the Report , Investment in India has risen by 6% to $42 billion with strong inflows
in manufacturing, communication, financial services and cross-border merger and acquisition
activities
• In South Asia, FDI inflows increased by 3.5% to $54 billion, said the So, India attracted over
77% of the total foreign direct investments that came to the South Asian region.
More about the Report

• According to the Report in India, the growth in cross-border merger and acquisitions (M&As)
has grown to $33 billion in 2018 from $23 billion a year ago, primarily due to transactions in
retail trade ($16 billion), which includes e-commerce and telecommunication ($13 billion).
• FDI flows to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have risen to a record level, to $3.6 billion and USD 1.6
billion, respectively, while Pakistan witnessed a 27% decline in investment to USD 2.4 billion.
1.25 Microsoft launches AI digital labs in India, to train 1.5 lakh students
• Tech giant Microsoft is going to launch AI digital labs in India in collaboration with 10 higher
educational institutions
• It is going to be a three year programme and under it , Microsoft will support the select
institutions with infrastructure, curriculum and content, access to cloud and Artificial
Intelligence (AI) services as well as developer support

1.26 India’s workforce is masculinizing rapidly : NSSO
[Gender issues]
• According to the periodic labour force survey (PLFS) data published by the NSSO , Just nine
countries around the world have a fewer proportion of working women than India
• Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is the share of working-age women who report
either being employed or being available for work.
Findings of the Survey

• India’s LFPR has fallen to a historic low of 23.3% in 2017-18.
• This means that over three out of four women over the age of 15 in India are neither working
nor seeking work. (The age of 15 is the cut-off used for global comparisons by the
International Labour Organization.)
• Among urban women who do work, domestic cleaning work is the second most common
profession after textile-related jobs
• The LFPR for women aged 15-29 has fallen by eight percentage points between 2011-12 and
2017-18 to 16.4%, the LFPR for women has fallen by at least seven percentage points for every
age bracket between 30-50 as well
• The decline was highest among women aged 35-39 years (LFPR for this age bracket fell 9
percentage points to 33.5%)
• Among women in the prime working ages of 30-50, more than two in three women are not in
the workforce, with the majority of them reporting that they are attending to domestic duties
only.
1.27 Cabinet approves “The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Bill,
2019"
[Social Issues – Education]
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the introduction of a Bill namely "The Central
Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Bill, 2019".
• The Cabinet decision will address the long standing demands of persons belonging to
SCs/STs/SEBCs and ensure their rights envisaged under the Constitution
• It will also ensure providing of 10% reservation to EWS.
Impact
• This decision will allow filling up of more than 7000 existing vacancies by direct recruitment
in Teachers' Cadre with 200 point roster. It will ensure compliance of the Constitutional
Provisions of Articles 14, 16 and 21.
• It will ensure full representation of Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes Socially and
Educationally Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections in direct recruitment in
teachers' cadres.
• It is also expected to improve the teaching standards in the higher educational institutions by
attracting all eligible talented candidates belonging to SCs/STs/SEBCs/EWS.
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1.28 Shri Arjun Munda Launches ‘E-Governance Initiatives for ST Welfare Schemes’
[Social Justice – Positive discrimination in favour of under privileged]
• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has launched the “e-governance initiatives
for ST Welfare schemes”
• Ministry of Tribal Affairs has developed online portals namely DBT Tribal and NGO Grants
Online Application & Tracking System for bringing in greater e-Governance in implementation
of welfare schemes for STs
• In DBT Tribal portal, there are 3 main modules for Pre-Matric & Post-Matric Scholarship
• Data Sharing module is mainly meant for sharing beneficiary-data by States. In Communication
module, the States have facility to upload documents, raise query and DBT data uploaded by
States is used for faster release of funds.
• Ministry has further developed module for verification of students by Universities and
Colleges under Fellowship scheme and Grievance Module for all stake holders including
beneficiary students in three Central Sector schemes and Institutions.
1.29 “World Day against Child Labour- 2019” : June 12

[Human Development]
• World Day against Child Labour is being observed on 12th June 2019 with the Theme “Children
shouldn’t work in fields, but on dreams!”
• National Consultation Workshop on Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Rescue and
Rehabilitation of Child Labour to mark the “World Day Against Child Labour- 2019” in New
Delhi
• The one-day workshop was organised by the National Commission for Protection of Child
Rights (NCPCR).
Background
• The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in
2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed
to eliminate it.
• 2019 also marks 20 years since the adoption of the ILO's Worst Forms of Child Labour
Convention, 1999 (No. 182).
1.30 Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting 2019 in Mumbai

• The Intersessional meeting of Kimberley Process (KP) is being hosted by India from 17th to
21st June 2019 in Mumbai
• Besides meetings of different Working Groups and Committees of the Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme (KPCS), two special forums regarding Diamond Terminology and
Artisanal Mining – Small Steps to Larger Outcomes, will be held during the Intersessional.
• Around 300 delegates from the Government of India and other participating countries, industry
and civil society will be attending the five-day Meeting.
India and the KPCS

• India is one of the founder members of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and is the Chair
of Kimberley Process for the year 2019 with Russian Federation as Vice Chair
• Alok Vardhan Chaturvedi, Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, has been
designated as KP Chair 2019 and Rupa Dutta, Economic Adviser, Department of Commerce, is
India’s KP Focal Point.
• At present, KPCS has 55 members representing 82 countries including EU with 28 members.
1.31 India extends Rs 1.6 bn aid to Nepal for rebuilding earthquake-hit houses
[Human Development]
• India has extended a financial aid of 1.6 billion Nepalese rupees to Nepal to help 50,000
people in Nuwakot and Gorkha districts rebuild their houses damaged in the devastating
earthquake in 2015.
• India has so far granted Nepal a total of Rs 4.5 billion Nepalese rupees under the housing
reconstruction projects
• India is partnering with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations
Office for Project Services (UNOPS) for providing socio-technical facilitation to the house
owners to ensure that they rebuild their homes as per Nepal government’s earthquake resilient
norms.
1.32 Government sets target of providing clean drinking water to all by 2024
• The Central government has decided to increase coverage of piped water to households from
current 18 per cent to 100 per cent by 2024
• The Government is formulating a plan to provide clean drinking water to nearly 14 crore
households
• According to the Government , Sikkim had 99 per cent coverage of piped water to households,
while some states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand had below five per cent.
1.33 Global Peace Index 2019 : India ranks 141

[Human Development]
• Australian think tank Institute for Economics & Peace has ranked 163 countries according to
their level of peacefulness
• This level of peacefulness is based on three thematic domains :
1. the level of societal safety and security
2. the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict
3. the degree of militarization
• India's rank has slipped five places to 141 among 163 countries on the Global Peace Index
2019
Key Findings of the Report

• Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is
joined at the top of the Global Peace Index (GPI) by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and
Denmark.

• Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the
second least peaceful
• South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries.
• India together with the Philippines, Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, Vietnam
and Pakistan are the nine countries with the highest risk of multiple climate hazards
• The report covers 99.7 per cent of the world's population and uses 23 qualitative and
quantitative indicators from highly respected sources to compile the index.
1.34 Denmark’s Inger Andersen takes over as UNEP’s Executive Director

• The UN secretary-general has nominated Danish economist and environmentalist Inger
Andersen as the new chief of UNEP
• Andersen is currently the head of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) group
of governments and civil society organizations and she is going to succeed Erik Solheim of
Norway
About UNEP
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) is the leading global
environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda
• It is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya and has 6 regional offices and various country offices
• It was founded by Maurice Strong, first director of UNEP and was established as a result of
United Nations Conference on Human Environment (or the Stockholm Conference) on 5 June
1972
1.35 17 June: World Day to Combat Desertification

• The World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) is observed every year on 17th June to
promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification.
• The theme of 2019 for World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is “Let’s Grow the
Future Together”
• The day is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality (LDN) is
achievable through problem solving, strong community involvement and co-operation at all
levels
• The Day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995. Many countries,
groups and individuals celebrate and observe WDCD by organizing a variety of outreach
activities and awareness raising events.
1.36 India to host COP-14 Of UNCCD In September 2019

• India for the first time will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-14) of the
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019
• It will see participation from at least 5,000 delegates from nearly 197 countries and will be
held between September 2 and 14 in Delhi.

• The Conference is expected to review the progress made, especially during the last two years,
to control and reverse further loss of productive land from desertification, land degradation
and drought.
• These are considered growing threats to peace and security in both developed and developing
countries due to the widespread loss of livelihoods for communities and even entire regions.
Background
• The United Nations has three major Conventions: the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• UNCCD was established in 1994, the UNCCD is the only legally binding international
agreement linking environment and development issues to the land agenda.
Bonn Challenge
• Ahead of the COP-14, Union Environment minister has launched a flagship project to enhance
India’s capacity for forest landscape restoration (FLR).
• This project has been launched as part of a larger international initiative called the Bonn
Challenge
• It will be implemented during a pilot phase of three-and-a-half years in Haryana, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland and Karnataka
• The project will aim to develop and adapt the best practices and monitoring protocols for
the country and build capacity within the five pilot States.
• The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested
and degraded land under restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.
1.37 India extends $15 mn assistance to Niger for holding AU summit

• India has extended USD 15 million assistance to Niger for organizing the African Union (AU)
summit scheduled to be held in July 2019
• This is the first time that Niger is scheduled to host an AU summit
About African Union
• African Union (AU) is an intergovernmental organization, established in the year 2002
• It was established with the aim to promote unity and solidarity of African states, to spur
economic development, and to promote international cooperation
• AU’s headquarters are in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
AGENDA 2063
• It is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse
of the future
• It is the continent’s strategic framework that aims to deliver on its goal for inclusive and
sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity,
self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-
Africanism and African Renaissance

1.38 World Population Prospects 2019: United Nations
[Human Development]
• The World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights, has been recently published by the
Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• It provides a comprehensive overview of global demographic patterns and prospects.
• The report presents the main results of the 26th round of the UN’s global population
estimates and projections.

1. The world’s population continues to increase, but growth rates vary greatly across regions
• The new population projections indicate that nine countries will make up more than half the
projected growth of the global population between now and 2050: India, Nigeria, Pakistan,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Indonesia,
Egypt and the United States of America (in descending order of the expected increase)
• Around 2027, India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country.
2. Growth of the working-age population is creating opportunities for economic growth

• In most of sub-Saharan Africa, and in parts of Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean,
recent reductions in fertility have caused the population at working ages (25-64 years) to grow
faster than at other ages, creating an opportunity for accelerated economic growth thanks to
a favourable population age distribution
3. People in the poorest countries still live 7 years less than the global average
• Life expectancy at birth for the world is expected to increase to 77.1 years in 2050
• While considerable progress has been made in closing the longevity differential between
countries, large gaps remain. In 2019, life expectancy at birth in the least developed
countries lags 7.4 years behind the global average
4. The world’s population is growing older, with the age group of 65 and over growing the
fastest
• By 2050, one in six people in the world will be over age 65 (16%), up from one in 11 in 2019
(9%).
• By 2050, one in four persons living in Europe and Northern America could be aged 65 or
over. In 2018, for the first time in history, persons aged 65 or above outnumbered children
under five years of age globally
5. Falling proportion of working-age population is putting pressure on social protection

systems
• The potential support ratio, which compares numbers of persons at working ages to those
over age 65, is falling around the world
• In Japan this ratio is 1.8, the lowest in the world. An additional 29 countries, mostly in Europe
and the Caribbean, already have potential support ratios below three

6. A growing number of countries are experiencing a reduction in population size
• Since 2010, 27 countries or areas have experienced a reduction of one per cent or more in the
size of their populations
• This drop is caused by sustained low levels of fertility. The impact of low fertility on population
size is reinforced in some locations by high rates of emigration
• Between 2019 and 2050, populations are projected to decrease by one per cent or more in
55 countries or areas, of which 26 may see a reduction of at least ten per cent.
7. Migration has become a major component of population change in some countries

• Between 2010 and 2020, fourteen countries or areas will see a net inflow of more than one
million migrants, while ten countries will see a net outflow of similar magnitude
• Some of the largest migratory outflows are driven by the demand for migrant workers
(Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines) or by violence, insecurity and armed conflict
(Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela)
1.39 FATF Meet held in US

• Inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has begun a week-long meet in
Orlando, US.
• The meeting is to consider whether to keep Pakistan on the “grey" list or downgrade it to
the “black" list that includes countries such as North Korea.
About FATF
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by
the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions
• The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of
legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist
financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
• The FATF is a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to
bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.
1.40 IIT-Bombay best-ranked Indian institute globally

[Social Sectors - Education]
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has emerged as the top Indian institute in the QS
World University Ranking 2020
• IIT-Bombay is first to be featured in the list of global top 200 this year and has been ranked at
152nd position
• Other Indian institutes which found a place in the top 200 were IIT-Delhi and Indian Institute
of Science (IISc) Bangalore at 182nd and 184th position respectively
• Sonipat-based OP Jindal Global University is the only new entrant in the list this year , it was
founded in 2009 and is one of the youngest to enter the top 1,000 list
• It ranked between 751 and 800 in the global list and, consequently, is now the 14th best
institute in the country.

• IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Roorkee are also among the top 400 institutes
• IIT-Guwahati has ranked 491, saw a decline in its ranking since last year when it was placed at
472
More about the rankings
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has topped the global list for the eighth year
while second spot was taken by Stanford University.
• Harvard University and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) stood at third and fourth
position in the list respectively.
1.41 NHRC questions frailty of health infrastructure

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Union Health and
Family Welfare Ministry (MoHFW), and all States and Union Territories, over the “deplorable
public health infrastructure in the country”
• The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of several media reports on recent deaths across
the country due to “deficiencies and inadequacies in the healthcare system”
• Recently , 100 children have also died in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur due to Acute Encephalitis
Syndrome (AES)
About NHRC
• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993
• It has been established under the statute Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993.
• It is in conformity with the Paris Principles , that were adopted at the first international
workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights held in
Paris in October 1991

1.42 World Refugee Day : June 20
[Urbanization and Migration]
• World Refugee Day is observed every year on June 20th 2019
• 2019 Theme: #StepWithRefugees — Take A Step on World Refugee Day
• Around the world, communities, schools, businesses, faith groups and people from all walks
of life are taking big and small steps in solidarity with refugees.
1.43 WHO launches tool for safer use of antibiotics, curb resistance
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a global campaign that urges countries to
adopt its new online tool called as “AWaRe” , that is aimed at guiding policy-makers and health
workers to use antibiotics safely and more effectively
• Another objective of the tool is to limit drugs that are at risk of resistance
• With the emergence of infections that are untreatable by all classes of antibiotics, antimicrobial
resistance has become "an invisible pandemic"
• The tool, known as ‘AWaRe’, classifies antibiotics into three groups:
1. Access — antibiotics used to treat the most common and serious infections
2. Watch — antibiotics available at all times in the healthcare system
3. Reserve — antibiotics to be used sparingly or preserved and used only as a last resort
Tool developed by WHO

• The tool is based on the WHO Essential Medicines List. The list specifies which antibiotics to
use for the most common and serious infections and those which should be available at all
times in the health care system.
1.44 US topples China as India's largest merchandise trade partner

[Globalization]
• The US has overtaken China to become India's top goods trading partner in 2018-19, according
to a recent data released by the Government.
• India’s trade surplus with the US has also declined to $16.8 billion from $21.2 billion a year
ago.
• India’s exports are playing in a stronger position with its trade deficit with China dropping to
$53 billion in 2018-19, down from $63 billion a year ago.
• Data showed that India’s dependency on Chinese imports also declined to $70 billion from $76
billion a year ago, with over a fourth increase in exports to $16.7 billion in 2018-19.
1.45 India in Tier 2 list of countries : Trafficking in Persons Report

[Human Development]
• The U.S. State Department has released its 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report
• India has been placed in Tier 2 on the country trafficking scale , arguing that the country does
not fully meet the minimum standards for its elimination even as it is making progress.
• Tier 2 comprises countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPA’s minimum
standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those
standards.

Highlights of the Report
• Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 is a Congressional legislation of the U.S that
requires an annual report from the State Department on status of human trafficking in
countries across the world.
• The report has highlighted the need for action against domestic trafficking in human beings.
• According to the Report , there are 25 million adults and children suffering from labour and sex
trafficking all over the world.
• The TIP report’s conclusion stresses that while much has been done since the Palermo Protocol
in terms of countries building legal frameworks to prosecute traffickers and provide care for
survivors, more needs to be done , especially in terms of tackling domestic trafficking.
About Palermo Protocol

• Palermo Protocol is an international framework to tackle trafficking , established in the year
2000.
• The Palermo protocols are three protocols that were adopted by the United Nations to
supplement the 2000 Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the Palermo
Convention)
India and the report

• The recommendations for India include amending the definition of trafficking in Section 370 of
the Penal Code to “include forced labour trafficking and ensure that force, fraud, or coercion
are not required to prove a child sex trafficking offence,” and to establish Anti-Human
Trafficking Units in all districts with dedicated funding and clear mandates.
1.46 Bihar bans tree-felling

• The Government of Bihar has recently banned felling of trees, citing increasing pollution as
well as a fatal heatwave.
• Trees on private land, however, as there is no tree protection act of a tree-protection in
Bihar.
• The order has cited increasing pollution in Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and other
cities in the state.
• Another reason was the severe heatwave, which killed 90 people in Gaya, Aurangabad and
Nawada districts besides rendering many others sick.
• According to the official data , more than 2,200 trees have been chopped in the last two- and-
a-half years.
• Bihar Government has taken this decision as most cities of Bihar are ranked in list of World’s
most polluted cities which includes- Patna (7th position) , Muzaffarpur (13th position), Gaya
(18th position) and Bhagalpur.

1.47 ASEAN vows to tackle ocean waste
• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) has vowed to fight against plastic
pollution in the ocean as their leaders adopted a joint declaration during the 34th ASEAN
summit in Bangkok
• Leaders of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to sign a “Bangkok
Declaration” on fighting maritime waste
• The declaration would be the first of its kind, promising to “prevent and significantly reduce
marine debris”
• Under the declaration, ASEAN nations has agreed to :
a) strengthen national laws and regulations on marine debris.
b) promote innovative solutions to improve plastics value chains and resource efficiency.
c) change behaviours to prevent and reduce marine debris.
d) The declaration has omitted penalties for the worst offending companies or countries and
fails to specify measures to tackle the problem.
1.48 Odisha comes up with a flood atlas

• Odisha has come out with a unique flood hazard atlas on the basis of historic flood
inundation captured through satellite imagery over the period from 2001 to 2018
• The Atlas is expected to help the State manage floods more efficiently.
• The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), Hyderabad had taken the study on flood hazard zonation for Odisha.
1.49 Saudi Arabia becomes 1st Arab country to get FATF membership
• Saudi Arabia has become the first Arab country to be granted full membership of the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) following the group's annual general meeting in the US
• FATF has celebrated the 30th anniversary of its first meeting held in Paris in 1989.
1.50 NITI Aayog releases its Health Index

• NITI Aayog has released its second Health Report ,"Healthy States, Progressive India: Report
on Rank of States and UTs".
• The report has been developed by NITI Aayog with technical assistance from the World
Bank, and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• The report focuses on measuring and highlighting the overall performance and incremental
improvement over a two-year period (2016-17 and 2017-18) in the states and the Union
territories (UTs).
• For the second time in a row, Kerala has emerged as the top ranking state in terms of overall
health performance, according to second health index launched by NITI Aayog.
• According to the index, Uttar Pradesh is the worst when it comes to overall health
performance.

• The second index has taken into account the base year of 2015-2016 and reference year of
2017-2018.
Key Findings
• Among larger states, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have emerged as the top
ranking states based on historical performance across health indicators
• Among larger states, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jharkhand were the top three states in terms of
incremental performances.
• Among the smaller states, Mizoram ranked first in overall performance, while Tripura and
Manipur were the top two states in terms of incremental performance.
• Sikkim and Arunchal Pradesh had the biggest decrease in overall health index scores.
• Among the UTs, Chandigarh ranked first in overall performance, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli
improved the most.
Aim of Health Index

• To promote a co-operative and competitive spirit amongst the States and UTs to rapidly bring
about transformative action in achieving the desired health outcomes.
Salient Features of the Index

• The Health Index is a weighted composite Index based on 23 indicators grouped into the
domains of Health Outcomes (70%), Governance and Information (12%), and Key
Inputs/Processes (18%).
• Health outcomes are assigned the highest weight, as these remain the focus of performance.
• Indicators have been selected on the basis of their importance and availability of reliable data
at least annually from existing data sources such as the Sample Registration System (SRS), Civil
Registration System (CRS) and Health Management Information Systems (HMIS).
• The ranking has been done under three categories - larger states, smaller states and Union
territories (UTs) to ensure comparison among similar entities.
1.51 Haryana CM announces Rs 5 lakh annual health assistance to 'loktantra senanis'

• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced an annual financial assistance of
Rs 5 lakh to "loktantra senanis" or their spouse for treatment at private or government
hospitals.
• The term "emergency victim" on their identity cards would be replaced with "loktantra senani"
• According to the Haryana Government , "Loktantra senanis" are those people who were
imprisoned during the 1975-77 Emergency under preventive detention laws
• Haryana government is also providing a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 to them.
• Free travel in the Haryana Roadways buses is also being provided to them.
1.52 27 June: International MSME Day

• The Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSME) Day is celebrated across the
world on June 27th

• The theme for MSME Day 2019 was ‘Big Money For Small Business: Financing the SDGs’.
• MSME Day 2019 is dedicated to raising awareness of the need for greater investment into small
and mid-sized businesses in developing countries but it is also a celebration of the gigantic
contribution smaller companies make to the global economy, often away from the spotlight.
• The Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises is organizing an international convention
on the theme “Indian MSMEs, Global Aspirations” in New Delhi to observe the International
MSME Day.
• Further, as part of continued celebrations, the second edition of the International SME
Convention 2019 has also taken place from 28th - 29th June.
1.53 Ahmedabad, Kobe exchange LoI for sister city partnership

• Authorities from the Japanese city of Kobe have exchanged a Letter of Intent (LoI) with their
counterparts in Ahmedabad for a sister city partnership.
• It will pave the way for an enhanced economic relationship between the two vibrant cities as
well as the two countries.
What is a sister city?

• The concept of sister cities or twin towns is a legal and social agreement between towns, cities,
counties, oblasts, prefectures, provinces, regions, states between two separate countries to
promote cultural and commercial ties.
• The plan was conceived after the end of World War II to promote peaceful coexistence and to
encourage trade and tourism.
• In diplomacy, this concept is seen as a way to enhance strategic ties between two nations,
both cultural as well as economic.
1.54 All panchayats to be connected with broadband under BharatNet by March 2020
[Human Development]
• Government has announced that all panchayats will be provided high speed broadband
connections under BharatNet project by March 2020.
• The Phase II of the project is under implementation, and a total of 2 lakh GPs (gram
panchayats) are targeted to be completed by March 2020.
• The government has connected 1 lakh gram panchayats under phase 1 of BharatNet project.
Background
• Project BharatNet seeks to provide affordable last mile high speed broadband connectivity to
2.5 lakh gram panchayats across the country.
• The objective of the Project is to facilitate delivery of e-governance, e-education, e-health, e-
banking, Internet and other services to rural India.
• It is being funded by Universal service Obligation Fund (USOF) and is being implemented by
the Ministry of Communication.
• The Union Cabinet on July 19, 2017 has approved a modified strategy for implementing
BharatNet under which, the remaining 1,50,000 (approximately) GPs in the country are to be
provided broadband connectivity in Phase-II of the project.

1.55 Government all set to implement "One nation-one ration card" scheme throughout India by
30th June, 2020
[Social Justice]
• The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has announced that the
Government is going to implement "One nation-one ration card" scheme in the whole country
by 30th June, 2020
• The work on linking all the ration cards all over the country with Aadhar cards and organizing
food grain distribution mechanism through Point of Sale (PoS) machine is in the final stage
• Currently Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura are 10 states where 100% POS machines have been
arranged for grain distribution and all PDS shops have been connected to the Internet
• Arrangements are being made to ensure that by August 15, 2019, beneficiaries of Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra will be able to take ration from anywhere in
both states
Fortification of Rice
• The Food & PD department will be implementing a new Centrally Sponsored Pilot Scheme for
“Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under Public Distribution System” which was given
administrative approval on 14-Feb-2019
• The Pilot Scheme has been approved with a total budget outlay of Rs.147.61 crores for a period
of 3 years beginning 2019-20.
• The Pilot Scheme would be funded by Government of India in the ratio of 90:10 in respect of
North Eastern, Hilly and Island States and 75:25 in respect of the rest of the States.
1.56 ‘Tribes India’ Launched Globally to step up Exports of Tribal Products

[Social Justice]
• The Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Smt. Renuka Singh has launched the “Go Tribal
Campaign” of Tribes India in New Delhi
• The campaign has been launched to widely promote the use of tribal products
• The Minister has also launched ‘Tribes India’ globally through Amazon Global Selling
About TRIFED
• TRIFED joins the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi by introducing
Khadi Kurtas and Jackets to its products range in association with “I Am Khadi” foundation.
• TRIFED is an organization under Ministry of Tribal Affairs and is engaged in marketing
development of tribal products including tribal art and craft under the brand name “TRIBES
INDIA”
• The ultimate objective of TRIFED is socio-economic development of tribal people in the
country by way of marketing development of the tribal products on which the lives of tribals
depends heavily as they spend most of their time and derive major portion of their income

1.57 HRD Ministry releases 5-yr vision plan 'EQUIP'
• Ministry of Human Resource Development has released an ambitious five-year vision plan to
transform the higher education sector in the country
• The plan has been termed as Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme
(EQUIP), which will be taken to the Cabinet for approval after inter-departmental consultations
• This plan is in accordance with the decision of the Prime Minister , to finalize a five-year vision
plan for each Ministry
Following ten areas have been covered by the Experts while preparing the plan
a) strategies for expanding access
b) towards global best teaching/learning process
c) promoting excellence
d) governance reforms
e) assessment
f) accreditation and ranking systems
g) promotion of research and innovation
h) employability and entrepreneurship
i) using technology for better reach and internationalisation
j) financing higher education
HRD Ministry has given the following suggestions to transform the higher education sector
• recommendations to double the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education
• position at least 50 Indian institutions among the top-1000 global universities
• introduce governance reforms in higher education for well-administered campuses
• promote research and innovation ecosystems for positioning India in the top three countries in
the world
• It also offers suggestions to double the employability of students passing out of higher
education
• harness education technology for expanding the reach and improving pedagogy
• promote India as a global study destination
• achieve a quantum increase in investment in higher education
1.58 Word Bank partners with First Resilient Kerala Program

• The Government of India, the Government of Kerala and the World Bank have signed a Loan
Agreement of USD 250 million for the First Resilient Kerala Program to enhance the State's
resilience against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
• The 2018 floods and landslides in Kerala led to severe impact on property, infrastructure, and
lives and livelihoods of people
Relevance of the Programme

• The Resilient Kerala Program will focus on strengthening the State's institutional and financial
capacity to protect the assets and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable groups through an
inclusive and participatory approach
• The World Bank has been working closely with the Government of India and Kerala since the
floods struck in August 2018 in assessing the impact of the floods and assisting in recovery and
reconstruction
• The Bank support also helped identify policies, institutions and systems for resilience to
disaster risks and climate change
• The Program represents the First ‘State Partnership’ of the World Bank in India, is the First of
two Development Policy Operations aiming to mainstream disaster and climate resilience into
critical infrastructure and services.
1.59 Rajya Sabha passes bill to amend Special Economic Zones law
[Employment generation in India]
• The Rajya Sabha on June 27th has cleared the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019,
that seeks to allow trusts to set up units in special economic zones
• The Bill will replace the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, promulgated
in March
• The amendment seeks to provide flexibility to the central government to include ‘trusts' in
the definition of a 'person' in a bid to facilitate investments in these zones
Its Relevance
• The Bill will replace the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, which was
promulgated in March. The ordinance had paved the way for trusts to set up units in these
zones
• The present provisions of the SEZs Act, 2005, do not permit ‘trusts’ to set up units in SEZs
• The amendment will enable trusts to be considered for grant of permission to set up units in
SEZs
• The amendments will also provide flexibility to the central government to include in this
definition of a person or any entity that the central government may notify from time to time.
This will facilitate investments in SEZs
1.60 India-assisted IT-biotech park inaugurated in Cote d'Ivoire

• The Mahatma Gandhi IT and Biotechnology Park has been jointly inaugurated by Ambassador
of India and Cote d'Ivoire Vice President inaugurated in Cote d'Ivoire
• Biotech park is a dedicated free trade zone for IT and Biotechnology , built with India's
assistance to build development capacities
• The MGIT-BP is being built with India's assistance through EXIM Bank Lines of Credit of USD
20 million
• The MGIT-BP project consists of two parts (a)architectural concept and design for the buildings
of FTZ (b)construction of main building to host IT enterprises

• The inauguration of the project is an important milestone in 150th anniversary celebration of
birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
• Cote d’Ivoire is a country located on the south coast of West Africa and its political capital is
Yamoussoukro
1.61 Goa approves amendment allowing women to work in night shifts

[Gender Issues]
• Government of Goa has approved an amendment to the Factories Act 1948 and has proposed
to allow women to work in night shifts i.e from 7pm to 6am in the industries
• The bill has also proposed that conditions for ensuring the safety of women need to be specified
,who work in any factory or manufacturing process between 7 pm and 6 am
• The amendment will end discrimination against female workers as far as job opportunities are
concerned
About Factories Act 1948

• It is administered by Union Ministry of Labour and Employment via Directorate General
Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes (DGFASLI)
• It advises Central and State Governments on administration of Factories Act and coordinates
factory inspection services in States
• In states , the act is administered by State Governments through their factory inspectorates
1.62 International Day of the Tropics : June 29th

• United Nations observes June 29th as the International Day of the Tropics
• The United Nations General Assembly has adopted resolution A/RES/70/267 on 14 June 2016,
and declared that 29 June of each year is to be observed as the International Day of the Tropics
Background
• The international Day of the Tropics was designated to raise awareness to the specific
challenges faced by tropical areas, the far-reaching implications of the issues affecting the
world’s tropical zone.
1.63 India abstains from voting on UNGA resolution on goods used for capital punishment, torture
[Human Development]
• India has abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution , aimed at examining
options to end trade in goods used for capital punishment and torture
• According to India it is unacceptable to place death penalty on par with torture.
• The 193-member UN General Assembly has adopted the resolution ‘Towards torture-free
trade: examining the feasibility, scope and parameters for possible common international
standards’ by a recorded vote of 81 in favour to 20 against, with 44 abstentions
• Through this voting , views of the member states were sought to establish common
international standards for the import, export and transfer of goods used for "capital
punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
Reason for India’s abstaining

• India abstained from voting on the resolution as according to it incorporating capital
punishment into the scope of this resolution “raises concerns that it may be an attempt to
place it on par with torture.”
1.64 India wins solar case against US at WTO

[Globalization]
• India has won a major trade dispute against the US at the World Trade Organization
• The dispute settlement panel has pronounced that subsidies and mandatory local content
requirements instituted by eight American states have breached global trade rules
India’s claims
• India had claimed that the “domestic content requirements and subsidies instituted by the
governments of the states of Washington, California, Montana, Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Michigan, Delaware and Minnesota in the energy sector" violated several provisions of the
Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) Agreement and Subsidies and Countervailing
Measures Agreement
• The Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) are rules that are applicable
to the domestic regulations a country applies to foreign investors, often as part of an industrial
policy
• The agreement was negotiated under the WTO's predecessor, the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and came into force in 1995.
Background
• The WTO panel was set up last year to examine whether renewable energy programmes in the
US states constituted prohibited subsidies and violated national treatment provisions
• The panel has urged the US to bring the eight states in conformity with US obligations under
Article III:4 of “national treatment"
• Under the national treatment provision, foreign producers must be treated on a par with
domestic producers.
• India also argued that some of the renewable energy programmes administered by the
American states violated core provisions in the TRIMs agreement by insisting on mandatory
domestic content requirements.

1.65 'Digital Udaan': Reliance Jio ties up with Facebook to teach how to use internet to first timers
[Human Development]
• As part of the "Digital Udaan" initiative in collaboration with Facebook, Reliance Jio will engage
with its users every Saturday to help them learn about JioPhone features, use of various apps
and Internet safety including use of Facebook
1.66 RPF launched “Operation Thirst”

[Human Development]
• Railway Protection Force (RPF) has launched an all India drive named “Operation Thirst” on 8th
& 9th July 2019.
• The objective is to curb the menace of unauthorized packaged drinking water in Railway
premises.
1.67 National Workshop on Statistics and Sustainable Development Goals in Lucknow

[Human Development]
• A two days’ National Seminar Cum Workshop on “Statistics and Sustainable Development
Goals" has been inaugurated in Lucknow on 13th July 2019
• The responsibility of developing the National Indicator Framework has been entrusted to the
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.
1.68 All lanes at toll plazas to be ‘FASTag lanes’ from December 1,2019
[Human Development]
• Government has decided to declare all lanes at toll fee plaza on national highways as ‘FASTag
lanes’ from December 1,2019 after which non-FASTag users will be charged double the fee if
they pass through FASTag-only lanes
• However, among all lanes, one ‘hybrid lane’ will be allowed at every toll plaza to facilitate and
monitor over-dimensional or oversized vehicles, where FASTag and other modes of payment
will be accepted.
1.69 Nagaland to initiate its own version of NRC

• The Nagaland government has initiated an exercise to prepare a master list of all indigenous
inhabitants of the State.
• The list is called the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) and it is being seen
as a localized version of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of Assam
Relevance of Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland

• The RIIN will be the first official master list of Nagaland’s indigenous inhabitants.
• Its objective is to prevent people from acquiring fake indigenous inhabitants’ certificates.
• The list will be based on an extensive survey besides digging into official records of indigenous
residents from villages and urban wards.
• The entire process under the supervision of the district administration would be completed
within 60 days from the start on July 10 2019.

1.70 India-Nepal Logistics summit, 2019 in Kathmandu
• India-Nepal Logistics Summit was inaugurated in Kathmandu on 28th July 2019.
• Objective: The summit was held to smoothen the quality logistics between India and Nepal.
• The focus of the summit was to make trade and transit arrangements easy, cost-effective
and hassle-free.
• Theme: “Transforming Logistics Landscape”
Relevance:
• Nepal and India have a significant volume of trade, investment, tourism and people-to-
people movement for which smooth and quality logistics including easy transit facilities is
very essential.
1.71 Mobile Library Buses under the “Ghar-Ghar Dastak Ghar-Ghar Pustak” Scheme
[Human Development]
• The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism has launched the Mobile Library Buses
procured under C.S.R assistance from Airports Authority of India.
• Mobile Library Buses have been launched under the “Ghar-Ghar Dastak Ghar-Ghar Pustak”
Scheme of the Delhi Public Library.
• Aim: to provide books to the citizens of Delhi, especially, the residents of slums, resettlement
colonies and rural areas.
1.72 India rejects US global religious freedom report

[Human Development]
• United States has released its annual 2018 International Religious Freedom Report.
• India has rejected this report by saying that it sees no locus standi for a foreign government to
pronounce on the state of its citizens' constitutionally protected rights.
• India has claimed that it is proud of its secular credentials, its status as the largest democracy
and a pluralistic society with a long-standing commitment to tolerance and inclusion
Findings of the Report

• The report has said that mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority
communities, particularly Muslims, continued in India in 2018, amid rumours that victims had
traded or killed cows for beef.
• It says groups claiming to protect cows - considered sacred by Hindus - have attacked Muslims
and Dalits. Christians have also been targeted for proselytising since Modi came to power in
2014.
• The report has examined attacks on religious minorities during 2018, said some senior
officials from Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made
"inflammatory speeches" mainly against Muslims, who make up 14 percent of India's 1.3 billion
people.

1.73 “World Skills India”-International Cloud Computing Challenge, 2019
• According to the Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship , in the coming
months about 2.5 lakh new jobs will be created in the IT sector through the comprehensive
skill Development programme
• This has been announced at the “World Skills India”-International Cloud Computing
Challenge, 2019”
• World Skills India is being held in India for the first time is an opportunity to identify the global
talent and will become a platform for networking and making new friends.
About World Skills India

• WorldSkills India is an initiative of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under
the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• NSDC, through its WorldSkills India initiative, has been leading India’s participation at
WorldSkills International competitions since 2011.
1.74 Lok Sabha has cleared 10% quota in jobs for EWS in central institutes
[Positive Discrimination in the favor of the underprivileged]
• The Lok Sabha has passed the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre)
Bill, 2019.
About the Central Educational Institutions Bill, 2019:

• The bill seeks to have 10% reservation in jobs for the economically weaker section (EWS) in
central institutions, besides effecting other statutory reservations in hiring of professors by
considering a university as a single unit, instead of a department.
• The Bill will apply to ‘central educational institutions’ which include universities set up by Acts
of Parliament, institutions deemed to be a university, institutions of national importance, and
institutions receiving aid from the central government.
• However, it excludes certain institutions of excellence, research institutions, and institutions
of national and strategic importance which have been specified in the Schedule to the Bill. It
also excludes minority education institutions.
1.75 Model education loan scheme

• Indian Bank Association (IBA) has formulated and circulated to all member banks a ‘Model
Education Loan Scheme’
• This scheme provides for financial support to meritorious students for pursuing higher education
in India and abroad
• Salient features of the scheme:

1. Loan upto Rs 10 lakh for study in India and upto Rs 20 lakh for study abroad.
2. Collateral free loans upto Rs 7.5 Lakh under the Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for
Education Loans (CGFSEL).
3. No Margin for loan up to Rs 7.50 Lakh.

4. Repayment period of 15 years.
5. One year moratorium for repayment after completion of studies in all cases,
6. Moratorium taking into account spells of unemployment/under-employment, say two or
three times during the life cycle of the loan.
7. Moratorium for the incubation period if the student wants to take up a start-up venture
after graduation.
• The scheme also provides for certain concessions on educational loans which inter-alia includes:
(i) 1% interest concession if interest is serviced during the study period and subsequent
moratorium period prior to the commencement of the repayment
(ii) 0.5% concession in the interest rate to the girl students
(iii) rebate in Income tax to the extent of interest paid on education loan
1.76 Statistics Ministry launches dashboard to track progress on SDGs

[Human Development]
• The Statistics Ministry has launched India's first Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
dashboard to track the country's progress on the occasion of National Statistics Day June 29th
Its Relevance
• The SDG dashboard is a unique, searchable platform, which provides data and insights on how
the country is progressing on the SDGs
• The dashboard will be India's official data repository of the National Indicator Framework on
SDGs, which is the country's largest monitoring framework
• It has been developed in partnership with the UN in India, DFID India and data intelligence firm
Social Cops
• The dashboard is a first of its kind national platform that pulls together reliable data from over
100 different data sets, portals and sectors.
• India has been closely monitoring its progress on the SDGs through its National Indicator
Framework and the India SDG Index released in 2018
Key Features / Characteristics of National Indicator Framework

1. Largest ever Monitoring Framework is the largest monitoring framework in the country and
will be dependent on a statistical system for flow of information
2. It has been developed after extensive consultations with NITI Aayog, Central Ministries,
State Governments and other stakeholders
3. The framework consists of nationally defined indicators responding to national priorities and
needs.
4. National acceptability was an important criteria used in deciding the indicators.
5. The indicators directly respond to the goals and targets.
6. Attempt made to cover all components of the targets.
7. Data sources and periodicity included.
8. Data disaggregation to be decided by the respective Ministries.
9. Scope of improving the Framework by adding/deleting indicators with improvement in
Statistical System.

10. High Level Steering Committee (HLSC) to periodically review and refinement of National
Indicator Framework for monitoring SDGs.
1.77 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan': Government launches water conservation campaign

[Sustainable Development and Environmental Issue]
• Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has launched a conservation campaign, with
an emphasis on 1592 stressed blocks in 256 districts
• The 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan' will focus on five aspects :
1. water conservation and rainwater harvesting
2. renovation of traditional and other water bodies
3. reuse of water and recharging of structures
4. watershed development
5. intensive afforestation
More about the Campaign

• Officers from the central government, led by additional secretaries and joint secretaries, have
been assigned to these 256 districts
• The district administration will also nominate two members to join these teams.
• The campaign will run through citizen participation during the monsoon (July 1-September 15)
• An additional phase II will run from October 1 to November 30 for states receiving the northeast
retreating monsoons
• The conservation efforts will be supplemented by initiatives like developing block and district
water conservation plans and 'krishi vigyan kendra melas' to promote efficient water use for
irrigation and better crop choices
1.78 UGC launches STRIDE scheme

• University Grants Commission has launched STRIDE scheme , which is aimed at strengthening
research culture and innovation in universities and colleges of the country.
• Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India's Developing Economy (STRIDE) scheme will
strengthen research culture and innovation in colleges and universities and help students and
faculty to contribute towards India's developing economy with help of collaborative research.
• The scheme also seeks to fund high impact research projects in Humanities and Social Sciences.
• To oversee the entire scheme, an advisory committee has been set up by the UGC under the
chairmanship of Professor Bhushan Patwardhan.
STRIDE Objectives:
• To identify young talent, strengthen research culture, build capacity, promote innovation and
support trans-disciplinary research for India’s developing economy and national development.
• To fund multi institutional network high-impact research projects in humanities and human
sciences.
More about the Scheme
• The scheme has three components:

1. To identify young talent and providing research capacity building in diverse disciplines by
mentoring, nurturing and supporting young talents to innovate solutions for local,
regional, national and global problems. This component is open to all disciplines for a grant up
to Rs 1 crore.
2. To enhance problem-solving skills with the help of social innovation and action research to
improve wellbeing of people and contribute to India's developing economy. Collaborations
between universities, government, voluntary organizations, and industries are encouraged
under this scheme. This component is also open to all disciplines for grant up to 50 lakh-1 crore.
3. It involves funding high impact research projects in the field of identified thrust areas in
humanities and human sciences through a national network of eminent scientists from leading
institutions. This component is only open to specific disciplines with a possible grant of up to
Rs 2 lakhs to developing a proposal.
1.79 Maharashtra Government to launch an app to track your carbon footprint

• Chief Minister of Maharashtra has announced that the State government will now track citizens’
carbon footprint through an app and reward those who achieve an emission neutral status.
• It will be floated in the month of August 2019 , with an aim to reduce pollution and carbon
emission in Maharashtra.
1.80 India pledges to contribute USD 5 million in 2019 to UN Palestine refugee agency
• India has pledged to contribute USD 5 million in 2019 to the UN Palestine refugee agency
• Government of India has increased its annual financial contribution fourfold to the UNRWA core
budget, from USD 1.25 million in 2016 to USD 5 million in 2018
• The agency is going through a difficult financial situation due to voluntary contributions from a
limited donor base and India has called for ensuring sustained fiscal support for its work
1.81 India ratifies OECD's convention to check tax evasion

• India has ratified the multilateral convention to implement OECD's project on checking tax
evasion, and the provisions enshrined in the framework will come into effect from fiscal 2020-
21 for bilateral tax treaties
• According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) , India has ratified the Multilateral
Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures (MLI) to prevent Base Erosion and Profit
Shifting (BEPS)
• This convention will pave the way for amendments to double taxation avoidance agreements
(DTAA) with the countries signatories to the convention to plug revenue leakages.
1.82 27% of children with disabilities have never been to school: UNESCO
[Human development]
• A report by UNESCO and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences has recommended structural,
funding and attitudinal changes to ensure that no child is left out of the right to education.

• According to the Report , more than one in four children with disabilities between ages 5 and 19
in India have never attended any educational institution, while three-fourths of five-year-olds
with disabilities are not in school

• The Report has cited 2011 census data and has showed that there are more than 78 lakh children
with disabilities in the country between 5-19 years and only 61% of them were attending an
educational institution
• About 12% had dropped out, while 27% had never been to school at all.
• The number of children with disabilities enrolled in school drops significantly with each successive
level of schooling
• There are fewer girls with disabilities in school than boys,” says the report
• In 2014-15, there were more than 15 lakh children with disabilities in primary school. Two years
later, enrolment had dropped by more than two lakh, data shows
• At the higher secondary school level, there were less than 63,000 such children in 2016-17.
1.83 Three Indian universities make it to QS top 150

[Social Sectors- Education]
• Three Indian universities are among the top 150 best young universities in the world according to
global ranking agency Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
• IIT Guwahati was placed in the top 71-80 university bracket, Anna University and the Jindal
Global University were ranked in the 101-150 bracket.
• Despite the rankings, all three universities from India scored low in internationalization criteria,
which remain a key concern for all Indian higher educational institutions
More about Rankings
• Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore tops the young university chart, followed
by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Korea Advanced Institute of
Science and Technology.
• City University of Hong Kong and Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres) complete the top five
list in the global young university league table
• Academic reputation, citations per faculty, student-faculty ratio, international faculty and
international students are the factors which are taken into consideration while selecting the
institutes

• Australia is the most-represented location in the top 50, with nine featured universities.
University of Technology Sydney is at 11th spot.
1.84 Economic Survey lays out blueprint for growth to make India a $ 5 trillion economy
[Measurement of Growth]
• The Economic Survey 2019 presented by Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Krishnamurthy
Subramanian focusses on moving to a “virtuous cycle” of savings, investments and exports to
transform India into a $5 trillion economy in the next 5 years.
• According to the survey, India’s GDP is forecast to expand by 7% in fiscal 2019-20, slightly higher
than the 6.8% in 2018-19.
Key Highlights
• According to Economic Survey , India needs to cut real interest rates, ease labour rules, reduce
capital gains tax on startup investments and encourage infant firms to grow at a sustained 8% rate
to reach the GDP target by 2024-25.
• Chief Economic Adviser Dr. Subramanian highlighted the fact that private investment was a key
driver for demand, capacity, labour productivity, new technology adoption, and for job creation.
• Moving the economy into a virtuous cycle would require the adoption of certain practices and
norms on data, legal reforms and policy certainty, and some micro-economic aspects such as
boosting MSMEs and reducing the cost of capital.
1.85 Finance Minister announced Jal Jeevan Mission

• Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide potable water to every rural
household by 2024.
Background
• The government has formed a new Ministry to address all water issues- Jal Shakti, which will look
at the management of water resources and drinking water supply in a holistic manner.
• The Ministry formed by integrated other existing Ministries – Water Resources and Ministry of
Drinking water and sanitation would work with state governments to ensure Har Ghar Jal’ to all
rural households by 2024.
Features of Jal Jeevan Mission

• Under the scheme government will focus on rainwater harvesting and water conservation in 256
districts in the first phase.
• Besides using funds available under various Schemes, the Government will also explore possibility
of using additional funds available under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management
and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for this purpose.
• The government will also carry out other initiatives including renovation of traditional water
bodies and tanks, reuse of water and recharge structures, watershed development and intensive
afforestation.
• The second phase will begin on October 1 till November 30.

1.86 Government cuts FY20 fiscal deficit target to 3.3% of GDP
• The government aims to cut its fiscal deficit target to 3.3% of GDP in 2019-20 against 3.4%
estimated earlier.
• A slowing economy and tepid growth in tax collections will make the target more daunting.
Background
• The government has raised its divestment target to ₹1.05 trillion from ₹90,000 crore estimated
earlier.
• Increase in income tax surcharge on those earning ₹2-5 crore by 3%, and 7% on those earning
above ₹5 crore will also garner additional revenue for the government.
• Higher customs duties on petroleum products and gold will also lead to higher revenue collection.
Customs duty on gold has been increased to 12.5% from 10%.
1.87 Government seeks higher dividend payout from RBI, PSBs

[Fiscal Policy]
• The government is expecting a higher dividend payout from the central bank and state-owned
lenders to help fund a widening fiscal deficit and spur economic growth.
• The government estimates it will receive ₹1.06 trillion ($15.5 billion) in income from the Reserve
Bank of India, state-run banks and financial institutions in the fiscal year to March 2020.
• That’s higher than the ₹82,910 crore estimated in February’s interim budget and ₹74,100 crore
pegged last year.
1.88 Interest subvention programme expanded for women SHGs

• The government has proposed in the budget to expand the women self-help groups (SHGs)
interest subvention programme to all districts.
• For every verified woman SHG member, having a Jan Dhan Bank account, an overdraft of ₹5,000
will be allowed.
• One woman in every SHG will also be made eligible for a loan up to ₹1 lakh under the MUDRA
scheme.
Background
• The government has supported and encouraged women entrepreneurship through various
schemes such as MUDRA, Stand-Up India and the SHG.
• Earlier RBI has notified the norms for banks with regards to 2% interest subvention for short-
term crop loans during 2018-19 and 2019-20.
• To provide short term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh to farmers at an interest rate of 7%, RBI decided
to offer interest subvention of 2% per annum to lending institutions.
1.89 FM Sitharaman proposes to set up National Research Foundation

[Social Sector - Education]
• FM Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to establish a National Research Foundation (NRF) to fund and
promote research, a proposal which is likely to have been taken from the draft new education
policy already in public domain.

• NRF will assimilate the research grants being given by various ministries independent of each
other.
• NRF will ensure that the overall research eco-system in the country is strengthened with focus
on identified thrust areas relevant to our national priorities and towards basic science without
duplication of effort and expenditure.
• The funds available with all Ministries will be integrated in NRF and this would be adequately
supplemented with additional funds.
• NRF will encompass the four broad areas of Sciences, Technology, Social Sciences, and Arts &
Humanities.
• The draft new education policy introduced for the first time a new National Research Foundation
(NRF) that will focus on funding research within the education system, primarily at colleges and
universities.
1.90 FDI into Indian telecom sector drops to $2.668 billion

[Balance of Payments]
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Indian telecommunications sector has drops to $2.668
billion in 2018-19 from $6.212 billion in 2017-18 and from $5.564 billion in 2016-17.
1.91 IMF Chief Christine Lagarde will head European Central Bank
[IMF]
• IMF Chief Christine Lagarde announced to step down "temporarily" from the global crisis
lender after being nominated to lead the European Central Bank (ECB).
• Lagarde will succeed ECB chief Mario Draghi, whose term will end on November 2019.
• Lagarde will become first women to head European Central Bank.
1.92 Government infused over Rs 3.15 trillion into PSBs between FY09 and FY19
[Fiscal Policy]
• The government has infused over Rs3.15 trillion into public sector banks (PSBs) in the last 10
years between FY09 to FY19.
• As per RBI guidelines, banks in India are required to maintain a minimum capital to risk-
weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of 9% and as on 31 March 2019, all 18 PSBs meet this minimum
CRAR requirement.
• During the period from the FY09 to FY19, PSBs have mobilized Rs2,81,616 crore of capital
through sources other than government, and have posted a net profit of ₹98,373 crore, of
which a sizeable proportion has contributed to internal capital generation.
1.93 Government aims to raise Rs 15,000 crore by cutting stakes in 18 PSUs to 75%
• According to the Finance Ministry, Indian government aims to raise up to Rs 15,000 crore ($2.18
billion) by reducing its stake in 18 state firms to 75%.
Background

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set an ambitious target of Rs 1,05,000 crore ($15.33
billion) from the sale of stakes in state-run companies, compared with Rs 85,000 crore the
previous year.
• While a third of the divestment target will be met by the outright sale of state enterprises,
including Air India, the other sales will be done through a rule under which all listed entities
must have a public float of at least 25% after three years of listing.
1.94 Over 22,000 MSMEs registered under ZED scheme

• More than 22,288 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have registered themselves to
take up Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) manufacturing under ZED scheme.
Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) Scheme

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) scheme for
MSMEs at Ludhiana in Punjab in 2016.
• The objective of the scheme for promotion of Zero Defect and Zero Effect (ZED) manufacturing
amongst micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and ZED Assessment for their
certification so as to:
i) Develop an Ecosystem for Zero Defect Manufacturing in MSMEs.
ii) Promote adaptation of Quality tools/systems and Energy Efficient manufacturing.
iii) Enable MSMEs for manufacturing of quality products.
iv) Encourage MSMEs to constantly upgrade their quality standards in products and processes.
v) Drive manufacturing with adoption of Zero Defect production processes and without
impacting the environment.
vi) Support ‘Make in India’ campaign.
vii) Develop professionals in the area of ZED manufacturing and certification.
1.95 Homicide rate in Asia the lowest, says UN report

[Human Development]
• Asia, which accounts for 60% of the global population, recorded the lowest rate of homicide in
2017 with only 2.3 killings per 1,00,000 people while the Americas had the highest homicide
rate, according to a UN report.
• The Global Study on Homicide 2019 published by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
said that about 4,64,000 people across the world were victims of homicidal violence in 2017,
an increase from 395,542 in 1992.
• The global homicide rate, measured as the victims of homicide per 1,00,000 people, declined
from 7.2 in 1992, to 6.1 in 2017.
• The lowest regional rate of homicide in 2017 was reported in Asia, with 104,000 victims
representing a rate of 2.3 per 100,000 population. Asia accounted for 23% of total homicide
victims worldwide.

1.96 TCS iON partners with AICTE to build students' soft skills
• A unit of IT major Tata Consultancy Services, TCS iON has partnered with All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE) to provide students with a digital learning course to equip them
with career skills.
• TCS iON has launched a free, 20 hour-career skills course that will cover topics like corporate
etiquette, effective e-mail writing, impactful presentations and IT awareness , which will be
available to students throughout the duration of their degree course.
• The course will be available for students of more than 10,000 AICTE approved institutions, can
be accessed on TCS iON Digital Learning Hub through any device.
1.97 Housing affordability worsened over past 4 years: RBI survey

[Human Development]
• According to quarterly residential asset price monitoring survey (RAPMS) conducted by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) , The capital city of Odisha - Bhubaneswar has come out as the
most affordable city in the country in terms of housing
• As per the survey, the house price to income ratio (HPTI) of Bhubaneswar stands at 54.3
• HPTI is the basic affordability measure for housing in a given area and is generally the ratio of
a median house price to familial disposable income

• The survey has stated that housing affordability has worsened over the last four years as the
HPTI increased from 56.1 in March, 2015 to 61.5 in March, 2019.
• Mumbai remains the least affordable city in India while Bhubaneswar remains the most
affordable city
• RBI carried out the survey across 13 tier I and II cities - Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru,
Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bhopal and
Bhubaneswar.
• The survey has stated that movement of the median loan to income (LTI) ratio in these cities
also confirms worsening housing affordability as it increased from 3.0 in March, 2015 to 3.4
in March, 2019
1.98 SBI's Anshula Kant appointed MD and CFO of World Bank

[World Bank]
• Managing Director of the State Bank Of India Anshula Kant has been appointed as managing
director and chief financial officer of the World Bank
• She has been a Managing Director and member of the World Bank Board since September 2018
1.99 CCEA approves third phase of PMGSY

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the third phase of Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to consolidate 1,25,000 km of roads an estimated cost
of Rs 80,250 crore over the next five years.

• The third phase involves consolidation of "through routes" and "major rural links" connecting
habitations to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), higher secondary schools and hospitals.
• The duration of this phase will be of five years till 2024-25
• Construction of bridges of up to 150m in plain areas and 200 m in Himalayan and north eastern
states are proposed under this phase
• This will facilitate easy and faster movement to and from agricultural markets, schools and
hospitals. It will entail an estimated cost of Rs 80,250 crore, which would be shared in the
ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and states.
Background
• PMGSY was launched in December, 2000 with an objective to provide single all-weather road
connectivity to eligible unconnected habitation of designated population size of more than
500 in plain areas and 250 in north-east, hill, tribal and desert areas as per census of 2001.
• According to the Government , Ninety-seven per cent, of all the eligible and feasible habitations
have already been connected by all-weather roads under this scheme
1.100 Kerala Govt to set up Non-Resident Keralites Investment company

[Migration]
• The Kerala Government has decided to form a Non-Resident Keralites Investment company
with 74 per cent stake to be held by expats
• Seventy four per cent of the capital will be raised by issuing shares to NRKs, Government will
have 26 per cent stake in the NRK Investment and Holding company ltd
• The main aim of the company is to utilise NRI investments for implementing various projects
1.101 Meghalaya becomes first state to have water policy

• Amid the water crisis in the country, the Meghalaya cabinet has become the first state to
approve a draft water policy to address water issues, conservation, and protection of water
sources in the state.
• The policy intends to achieve sustainable development, management and use of water
resources with community participation.
• It is aimed at improving health and livelihood and reduce vulnerability among the people. This
will also assure of good governance for present and future generations through integrated
water resources management and environmental sustainability.
1.102 Trade deficit shrinks 8% in June

[Balance of Payment]
• According to data from Ministry of Commerce, India’s trade deficit narrowed by nearly 8% to
$15.28 billion during the last month, as against $16.6 billion in June 2018.
• In June 2019, merchandise exports fell nearly 10% to $25.01 billion as against $27.70 billion
in June 2018. Merchandise imports too declined during the month under review from $44.30
billion to $40.29 billion, a fall of 9.06%.

• The decline in exports in June 2019 is due in large part to a base effect of an extraordinarily
good month in June 2018 impacting growth figures for June 2019.
• The World Bank, in its Global Economic Prospects Report (June 2019) has projected weakening
of global trade in 2019.
• Global trade is projected to grow at 2.6% this year, a 1% below their previous forecast.
1.103 Health Ministry to launch a Jan Jagrukta Abhiyan in New Delhi

[Social Sectors– Health]
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have launched a campaign called Jan Jagrukta Abhiyan
in New Delhi.
• The aim of this special campaign in Delhi is to sensitize and mobilise the community on
measures for prevention and control of Vector Borne Diseases (VBDs) like Malaria, Dengue
and Chikungunya.
• This 3-day campaign is aimed at making the community a partner for checking
vector/mosquito breeding across Delhi.
• Jan Jagrukta Abhiyaan was a people movement campaign as there will be active involvement
of people’s representatives, officers from Government of India, Government of NCT Delhi, all
three Delhi Municipal Corporations, New Delhi Municipal Council, Railways and Cantonment
boardand other stakeholders.
1.104 UK’s Go Global Programme expansion to boost Indian start-ups

[Globalization]
• The UK government has expanded its Go Global initiative to India with the aim of giving the
country's most innovative and cutting-edge start-ups the skills they need to grow their
business, build links with the UK's digital sector and pave the way for future economic
partnerships.
• This initiative will help spread digital skills, digital capability and increase entrepreneurial
spirit, creating jobs and prosperity.
1.105 India’s current account balance deficit grew to $68 billion in 2018-19: IMF
[IMF]
• India's current account (CA) balance deficit grew to $68 billion in 2018-19 from $49 billion the
previous year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• The External Sector Report of the IMF released by Chief Economist Gita Gopinath also found
that India's Net International Investment position had slightly improved with the deficit
coming down from $438 billion in 2017-18 to $431 billion in 2018-19.
• India's overall international reserves, though stood at $411.9 billion at the end of March this
year, down from March last year by $12.5 billion.
• The IMF said that India has to attract more stable sources of financing to reduce vulnerabilities.
• The report said that the "yearly capital inflows are relatively small, but given the modest scale
of FDI, flows of portfolio and other investments are critical to finance the current account.

1.106 Asian Development Bank to give Rs.1540 crore for Tripura power projects
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide Rs.1540 crore for upgradation of power
generation, transmission and distribution projects in Tripura.
• The ADB would provide 80 per cent of the Rs.1,925 crore ($275 million) Tripura power
generation upgradation and distribution reliability improvement projects. The rest (Rs.385
crore) would be contributed by the state government.
• Around ₹1,226 crore would be spent for upgradation of transmission, distribution,
improvement and modernization of infrastructure and renovation and upgrade of the Gumti
Hydro Electric Project in southern Tripura.
1.107 MHRD launches the UGC Scheme of ‘Paramarsh’

[Social Sector– Education]
• Ministry of Human & Resource Development has launched ‘Paramarsh’, a University Grants
Commission (UGC) scheme for Mentoring National Accreditation and Assessment Council
(NAAC) Accreditation Aspirant Institutions to promote Quality Assurance in Higher
Education in New Delhi.

• Under the scheme, it is expected that all Higher Education Institutions shall get National
Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) accreditation with a minimum score of 2.5
by 2022.
• The Scheme will be operationalized through a “Hub & Spoke” model wherein the Mentor
Institution, called the “Hub” is centralized and will have the responsibility of guiding the
Mentee institution through the secondary branches the “Spoke” through the services provided
to the mentee for self-improvement.
• Paramarsh Scheme will target 1000 Higher Education Institutions for mentoring with a
specific focus on quality as enumerated in the UGC “Quality Mandate”.
1.108 Cabinet clears NMC Bill to revamp medical education system

[Social Sectors– Health]
• The Union cabinet has cleared a bill to set up a National Medical Commission (NMC), which
will have responsibilities such as approving and assessing medical colleges, conducting
common MBBS entrance and exit examinations and regulating course fees.
• The National Medical Commission Bill 2019 proposes to repeal the Indian Medical Council Act,
1956.
Features of National Medical Commission Bill 2019

• National Medical Commission will replace the Medical Council of India (MCI), which was
dissolved in 2010 following corruption charges.
• The bill also seeks to make the national medical entrance exam, the National Eligibility cum
Entrance Test (NEET), common counselling and National Exit Test (NEXT) applicable to

Institutes of National Importance (INIs) such as the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) to ensure uniform standards.
• NMC will also regulate fees and all other charges for 50% seats in private medical colleges
and deemed universities.
• The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) under NMC will assess medical colleges
and develop a system for ranking them.
• Apart from MARB, there will be three other autonomous boards under NMC, the Under-
Graduate Medical Education Board, the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board, and the
Ethics and Medical Registration Board.
1.109 Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways Piyush Goyal to launch the Global
Innovation Index (GII)
[Human Development]
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal has launched the Global
Innovation Index (GII) on 24th July, 2019 in New Delhi.
• The launch of GII has revealed the innovation rankings of economies and the findings for this
year.
• Switzerland remains number one is the GII index followed by Sweden, the United States of
America, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Germany and
Israel.
Theme 2019
• The GII operates with a theme every year to track global innovation. This year’s theme is
“Evaluating the Medical Innovation Scenario of the Next Decade”.
• It aims to highlight the role and dynamics of medical innovation in order to understand how it
can form the future of healthcare and the potential impact this may have on economic growth.
India’s Position in GII 2019

• India maintains its top place in the Central and Southern Asia region as the 52nd ranked
economy this year.
• Its rank in 2018 release was 57th.
• From 81 in 2015, India’s 29-place move up the GII represents the biggest jump by any major
economy.
Reasons for India’s improvement

• The improvement in ranks can be attributed to high-quality scientific publications and
universities.
• India remains 2nd among middle-income economies in the quality of innovation.
• It maintains top ranks in a number of important indicators such as productivity growth and
exports of services related to information and communication technologies.
• This year India reaches the 15th spot in global companies’ R&D expenditures.
• It also features in the GII ranking on the world’s top science and technology clusters, with
Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi included in the global top 100 clusters.
More about GII

• The GII rankings are published every year by Cornell University, INSEAD and the UN World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and GII Knowledge Partners.
• This is the 12th edition of the GII rankings of 129 economies based on 80 indicators ranging from
intellectual property filing rates to mobile-application creation, education spending and
scientific and technical publications.
Indicators
• Three indices are calculated during the framework of Global Innovation Index: the overall GII,
the Innovation Input Sub-Index and the Innovation Output Sub-Index.
• The overall GII score is the average of the Input and Output Sub-Index scores.
• The Innovation Input Sub-Index is comprised of five pillars that capture elements of the
national economy that enable innovative activities:
➢ Institutions,
➢ Human capital and research,
➢ Infrastructure,
➢ Market sophistication, and
➢ Business sophistication.
• The Innovation Output Sub-Index provides information about outputs that are the result of
innovative activities within economies. There are two output pillars:
I. Knowledge and technology outputs and
II. Creative outputs.
• Each pillar is divided into three sub-pillars and each sub-pillar is composed of individual
indicators, which makes a total of 80 the year 2019.
Use of index
The Global Innovation Index has been a charter for assessing the innovation capabilities of
national economies worldwide
Top ranking: Switzerland has topped the ranking followed by Sweden, followed by USA
1.110 WEF Centre announces “Medicine from the sky” to be launched in Telangana
• The World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network has
announced that it will embark on an innovative drone-delivery project called ''Medicine from
the Sky'' in Telangana.
What is Medicine from the Sky?

• It will include a comprehensive study of drone-based deliveries for blood, vaccines, medical
samples and organs.
• It will help facilitate decision-making in healthcare supply chains. It will focus on last-mile
deliveries for augmenting national healthcare program.
• The project is to run in partnership with the government of Telangana and Health Net Global.
About Health Net Global (HNG)

• HealthNet Global (HNG) is a part of the Apollo Hospitals Group, India and Zebra Medical Vision
(Zebra-Med), an AI Imaging software company from Israel

• HNG is the pioneer company for integrated telemedicine solutions with connected devices,
connected software for tele consultations.
• It provides integrated solutions and services for connected health and continuum of care through
Remote healthcare services.
1.111 Union HRD Minister releases Deeksharambh - A Guide to Student Induction Programme
• Union HRD Minister has released “Deeksharambh” , a guide to Student Induction Programme.
• It has been launched by University Grants Commission (UGC).
Relevance of scheme
• This programme is to help new students adjust and feel comfortable in the new environment,
inculcate in them the ethos and culture of the institution, help them build bonds with other
students and faculty members, and expose them to a sense of larger purpose and self-
exploration.
1.112 The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed by the Parliament
• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by Mr. Ramesh
Pokhriyal Nishank, Minister of Human Resource Development on July 8, 2019.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009, which establishes universities for
teaching and research in various states.
Provisions of the bill

• The Bill provides for the establishment of two central universities in Andhra Pradesh to be
known as the Central University of Andhra Pradesh and the Central Tribal University of Andhra
Pradesh.
• The Central Tribal University will take additional measures to provide higher educational and
research facilities in tribal art, culture, and customs primarily to the tribal population of India.
• Note that the establishment of a Central University and a Central Tribal University in the Andhra
Pradesh is obligatory under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
1.113 Gujarat emerges on top in MSME lending potential

• As per the TransUnion CIBIL- SIDBI’s MSME Pulse Report 2019 , Gujarat has emerged as the top
state, in terms of performance and credit growth potential for MSME (micro, small and medium
enterprises) Corporate Lending in India.
• It is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Delhi.
• According to the report other states with high potential in MSME corporate lending are
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

1.114 AICTE drafts blueprint to customize engineering courses to serve industry better
[Social Sectors – Education]
• AICTE has crafted a blueprint to make engineering colleges and universities offer customized,
localized engineering education to serve the needs of local industries.
Background
• All India Council for Technical Education seeks to establish 20 hubs where the industry and
academia can meet for customized curricula, joint research, sponsored projects, industry
funding and incubation centres
1.115 Andhra Pradesh to reserve 50% seats in nominated posts for SC/ST and other backward
classes
[Social Justice]
• The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has decided that 50% reservations will be given to Backward
Classes (BC), SC, ST and communities classes in government nominated contracts, service
contracts, nominated posts and state corporations, boards, societies, trusts and agricultural
market yards.
• In the cabinet meeting presided over by chief minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, it has also been
decided to reserve 50% of seats for women in government nominated posts.
• Andhra Pradesh cabinet has also taken the decision to have government tenders examined in
the presence of a sitting or retired High Court judge , in tune with election promises made by
Reddy to review and have transparent government tenders
• Tenders worth more than ₹100 crore in infrastructure projects will also be examined by a judge
of the same level
1.116 LIC offers ₹1.25 tn line of credit by 2024 to fund Bharatmala Project
• Life Insurance Corporation of India has agreed to offer ₹1.25 lakh crore line of credit by 2024,
to fund highway projects as part of innovative modes of financing to meet India's infrastructure
needs
• This line of credit will be used to fund the ambitious Bharatmala project
• LIC has offered Rs 25,000 crore in a year and Rs 1.25 lakh crore in five years to the Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways
Bharatmala Project
• The project is an umbrella programme undertaken to construct 34,800 km of highways at a cost
of ₹8.41 lakh crore (latest outlay of the scheme)
• The scheme is to be implemented by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and its
implementing agencies over a period of 5 years (2017-2022)
• It is the second largest highways construction project in the country since NHDP, under which
almost 50,000 km of highway roads were targeted across the country.

• It focuses on the new initiatives like development of Border and International connectivity
roads, Coastal & port connectivity roads, improving efficiency of National Corridors, Economic
corridors and others.
Objectives of the Project

• To Optimize the efficiency of the movement of goods and people across the country.
• To Generate large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities in the construction
& infrastructure sector.
• To boost Tourism under the projects being proposed like The Coastal road project.
• This in turn makes government’s other schemes like ‘Make-in-India’ more competitive and
attractive to investors.
Funding of the Project

• The Bharatmala Pariyojna Phase-I was approved at an estimated outlay of Rs. 5,35,000 Crore
but later this was revised to Rs.8.41 lakh crore
• Bharatmala programme is funded through cess, toll revenue, market borrowings, private sector
participation, insurance fund, pension funds, masala bonds and other initiatives and the LIC
credit line was one such initiative.
• The projects under it are implemented on Public Private Partnership (PPP) [Build Operate-
Transfer (BOT-Toll), Hybrid Annuity] and Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) mode
depending upon the financial viability of the projects.
1.117 ECI Flagship IT Program - Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS)
• Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) has emerged as a milestone recorded
by Election Commission of India , in the General Elections of 2019
• For the first time ,the service voters were sent postal ballots electronically one way to save
processing time, resources and avoid human errors.
• It was enabled through the dedicated portal https://www.servicevoter.eci.nic.in online
registration
Who are Service Voters?

• Persons working in Central Forces under Arms Act and Government officials deployed in
Embassies outside the country are classified as Service Voters and are provisioned for online
enrolment.
• In the General Elections of 2019 , 60.14% turnout was observed for service voters while it was
only 4% in General Elections of 2014
1.118 Parliament Passes the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 unanimously
[Human Development]
• The Rajya Sabha has passed the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on 22nd July
2019

The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019, provides following changes to the
constitution of National Human Rights Commission :
• that a person who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court is also made eligible to be appointed
as Chairperson of the Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of
India
• to increase the Members of the Commission from two to three of which, one shall be a woman
• to include Chairperson of the National Commission for Backward Classes, Chairperson of the
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons
with Disabilities as deemed Members of the Commission
• to reduce the term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission and the State
Commissions from five to three years and shall be eligible for re-appointment
• to provide that a person who has been a Judge of a High Court is also made eligible to be
appointed as Chairperson of the State Commission in addition to the person who has been the
Chief Justice of the High Court
• to confer upon State Commissions, the functions relating to human rights being discharged by
the Union territories, other than the Union territory of Delhi, which will be dealt with by the
Commission.
1.119 Parliament passes the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019

• Lok Sabha has passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on 22nd July 2019
• It is proposed to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005
Changes proposed by the Bill

• Term of Information Commissioners: Bill removes the five year tenure of CICs and ICs and states
that the central government will notify the term of office for the CIC and the ICs.
• Determination of salary: Bill seeks to amend the provisions of the salaries, allowances, and other
terms and conditions of service of the central and state CIC and ICs and states that it will be
determined by the central government
• Deductions in salary: The Bill removes the pension provision for CICs and ICs
Previous Provisions of the Act

• Under the Act, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs) were
appointed at the national and state level to implement the provisions of the Act with a fixed
office for a fixed term of five years.
• Earlier the salary of the CIC and ICs (at the central level) was equivalent to the salary paid to
the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, respectively. Similarly, the salary
of the CIC and ICs (at the state level) was equivalent to the salary paid to the Election
Commissioners and the Chief Secretary to the state government, respectively.
• According to the act , at the time of the appointment of the CIC and ICs (at the central and state
level), if they were receiving pension or any other retirement benefits for previous government
service, their salaries were be reduced by an amount equal to the pension.

1.120 Draft National Policy on e-Commerce
• A draft National e-Commerce policy covering various areas of e-Commerce, has been prepared
and placed for comments in public domain
Draft Policy
• This policy addresses six broad areas of the e-commerce ecosystem viz. data, infrastructure
development, e-commerce marketplaces, regulatory issues, stimulating domestic digital
economy and export promotion through e-commerce.
• The Policy takes into account interests of all stakeholders, like investors, manufacturers, MSMEs,
traders, retailers, startups and consumers.
• According to the draft policy , the framework would be created to provide the basis for imposing
restrictions on cross-border data flow from specified sources including data collected by IoT
devices installed in public space, and data generated by users in India by various sources,
including e-commerce platforms, social media, search engines.
• A business entity that collects or processes any sensitive data in India and stores it abroad, shall
be required to adhere to the certain conditions, according to the policy draft.
• The conditions state that all such data stored abroad shall not be made available to other
business entities outside India, for any purpose, even with the customer consent.
• Further, the data shall also not be made available to a third party for any purpose and it would
also not be shared with a foreign government, without the prior permission of Indian authorities,
the draft said.
• The policy laid out strategies to protect misuse of data while maintaining the spirit of existing
regulations.
1.121 National Retail Trading e-Commerce System

• The ‘National Retail Trade Policy’ is under formulation in the Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Background
• As regards e-Commerce, the Government of India in the Department of Commerce established a
Think Tank on “Framework for National Policy on E-commerce” and a Task Force under it, which
deliberated on the challenges confronting India in the arena of the digital economy and e-
commerce.
• The Think Tank was further divided into various sub-groups, comprising representation from
technical experts in the Government and from industry members with domain knowledge.
1.122 New India-UK scheme to fund students from UK to visit India

• A new India-UK bilateral pilot scheme “UKEIRI Mobility Programme: Study in India”, has been
launched to support Britain’s universities to collaborate with Indian partners in order to send
UK students to India during their studies

• The scheme is an initiative of Universities UK International (UUKi) and British Council
Aim of the programme

• It aims to generate up to 200 opportunities for undergraduate students at UK universities to visit
India by March 2021
• It also aims to accelerate this inter-country exchange to give the best possible education to
students for the mutual benefit of both countries
• It is also aimed at supporting the employability of UK graduates and help them prepare for a
globally competitive workforce as well as support the internationalisation of Indian higher
education through the diversification of the student body, and the consolidation of inter-
institutional partnerships. Vivienne Stern, Director, Universities UK International, said: “We know
that students who go abroad tend to do better academically and professionally.
Funding of the Programme

• The programme will be funded by the UK and Indian governments as part of Phase 3 of the UK-
India Education Research Initiative (UKEIRI) and delivered by the British Council, Universities UK
International and EdCIL in India.
1.123 Andhra Pradesh passes law to reserve 75% jobs for locals in industries
• Andhra Pradesh government has made it mandatory for existing and upcoming industries in the
state to reserve 75 per cent jobs for locals.
• This has been done through the passage of a new law called the Andhra Pradesh Employment of
Local candidates in the Industries/Factories Bill, 2019.
Proposals by the Bill

• The bill asks existing industries to ensure 75 per cent employment to the local candidates within
three years from the date of commencement of this Act.
• Besides the industries/factories, the Act also makes the '75 per cent' provision mandatory for '
joint ventures and projects taken up under PPP mode'
• In case there are no qualified/suitable candidates available, the employers will have to train and
engage local candidates within three years in close collaboration with government agencies,
according to the bill.
1.124 National Data Quality Forum: ICMR launches platform to boost health data quality in India
• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National Institute for Medical Statistics (ICMR-
NIMS) has launched the National Data Quality Forum (NDQF), in partnership with a global non-
profit organization Population Council.
Its Objective
• NDQF will integrate learnings from scientific and evidence-based initiatives and guide actions
through periodic workshops and 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, as well as replicated across
industries and sectors noted a release issued by ICMR.
• The National Data Quality Forum (NDQF) will integrate learnings from scientific and evidence-
based initiatives and guide actions through periodic workshops and conferences.
1.125 IIT Kharagpur team develops app CARE4U for elderly people
• Students of IIT Kharagpur have built an app which will inform the caregiver when the elderly
person falls down with the exact location
• The app has been named ‘CARE4U’ , it is the android-based app that will connect the caregiver to
the elderly person
Who has built this App?
• The app has been built by an interdisciplinary team of the second year B-Tech students of the
institute
Features of the App
• The network-based fall detection algorithm in the app installed on the phone of the elderly can
detect whether the elderly has fallen down.
• If there is a fall, it automatically calls the caregiver and emergency services along with the exact
location of the elderly person.
• CARE4U can also detect emotions and whenever the elderly opens the app, the phone takes his
picture and a mood index is calculated.
• The caregiver can check what mood the senior citizen has been through in the day.
• It has a ‘Medicine Reminder’ feature to remind both the elderly as well as the caregiver that it is
time for the former to take medicine.
• It can also do a plethora of other day-to-day activities like make a call, send a text, book a cab and
so on.
1.126 Govt sets target for installation of Solar projects of 40,000 MW by 2022
• The government has set a target for the installation of Rooftop Solar projects of forty thousand
MegaWatt by 2022 in the country.
• The projects include installation of solar panels on the rooftop of houses
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is implementing Grid Connected Rooftop Solar
programme
• On an average it is estimated that 1.5 million units per MegaWatt per year are generated from
solar rooftop plants.
1.127 Revision of Loan Limit in MSME Sector Recommended

• A Committee constituted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has submitted its Report to the RBI
wherein it has been recommended that the limit for collateral free lending should be increased to
Rs.20 lakh for MSMEs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

• A Committee constituted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has submitted its Report to the RBI
wherein it has been recommended that the limit for collateral free lending should be increased to
Rs.20 lakh for MSMEs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The committee has been formed under the
chairmanship of U.K. Sinha.
• The Committee has also recommended revision of loan limit sanctioned under MUDRA to Rs.20
lakh from Rs.10 lakh.
• The Committee recommends for the creation of a Distressed Asset Fund, with a corpus of ₹ 5000
crore, structured to assist units in clusters where a change in the external environment e.g. a ban
on plastics or ‘dumping’ has led to a large number of MSMEs becoming NPA.
• The committee also suggested forming a government-sponsored Fund of Funds of ₹10,000 crore
to support venture capital and private equity firms investing in MSMEs.
What is MUDRA?
• Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd. [MUDRA] is an NBFC supporting
development of micro enterprise sector in the country.
• MUDRA provides refinance support to Banks / MFIs / NBFCs for lending to micro units having loan
requirement upto 10 lakh. MUDRA provides refinance support to micro business under the
Scheme of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana.
• Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), MUDRA has created products/
schemes.
• The interventions have been named 'Shishu', 'Kishore' and 'Tarun' to signify the stage of growth /
development and funding needs of the beneficiary micro unit / entrepreneur and also provide a
reference point for the next phase of graduation / growth to look forward to :
• Shishu : covering loans upto 50,000/-
• Kishor : covering loans above 50,000/- and upto 5 lakh
• Tarun : covering loans above 5 lakh and upto 10 lakh
1.128 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras

[Social Justice]
• Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram is an initiative targeting livelihood generation for tribal population by
harnessing the wealth of forest i.e. Van Dhan.
• It seeks to promote and leverage the collective strength of tribal people to achieve a viable scale.
Aim of the programme
• The programme aims to tap into the traditional knowledge and skill sets of tribal people by adding
technology and Information Technology for upgradation of output at each stage and to convert
the tribal wisdom into a remunerative economic activity.
Implementation of Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram
• Implementation of Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram is through Van Dhan Kendras.
• Selection of a place for setting up of a Van Dhan Kendra is dependent upon the area’s potential
and availability of land to be provided by the State Government.
Van Dhan Yojana

• On April 14th, 2018 Hon’ble Prime Minister of India announced the launching of Van Dhan Yojana
in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh under which one Van Dhan Vikas Kendra was set up, as a pilot project, at
a cost of Rs.25 lakhs of which 25% is to be met by the State Government.
• Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram is an initiative targeting livelihood generation for tribal population
by harnessing the wealth of forest i.e. Van Dhan.
• The programme aims to tap into the traditional knowledge and skill sets of tribal people by adding
technology and Information Technology for upgradation of output at each stage and to convert
the tribal wisdom into a remunerative economic activity.
1.129 MNRE amends bidding guidelines for wind power projects

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has amended the standard bidding guidelines
for wind projects in a move to incentivise projects in this sector.
Latest amendments
• In the latest amendments, the timeline for land acquisition for wind power projects has been
extended to 18 months from 7 months.
• This will help wind power project developers in states where land acquisition takes longer time
• The commissioning schedule of wind power projects have been defined as 18 months from the
date of execution of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) or Power Selling Agreement (PSA),
“whichever is later”.
1.130 One Nation - One Ration Card Scheme

[Social Justice]
• In a bid to implement 'One Nation, One Ration Card' across the country by 1 June, 2020, the
Centre has kick-started inter-state portability of ration card between Telangana-Andhra Pradesh
as well as Maharashtra-Gujarat.
• This means beneficiaries living in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh can buy their quota of ration
from the Public Distribution System (PDS), also called ration shops, in either of the state
• Similar would be the case in Maharasthra and Gujarat.
Background
• Department of Food & Public Distribution has launched a new scheme namely “Integrated
Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS)” for implementation during 2018-19 and
2019-20
• It has been launched to sustain the reforms brought in by scheme on ‘End to End Computerization
of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Operations’
Objective of the Scheme
• The main objective of the scheme is to introduce nation-wide portability of ration card holders
under National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), to lift their entitlement foodgrains from any FPS
in the country without the need to obtain a new ration card, by integrating the existing PDS
systems/portals of States/UTs with the Central systems/portals, etc.
• Keeping in view the physical progress under ongoing scheme and readiness for implementation
of National Portability in few States, it has been decided to implement inter-State/National
Portability on a pilot basis in few States shortly.

1.131 Govt inks MoU with industry body NATHEALTH to streamline delivery of services under
Ayushman Bharat
[Social Sectors- Health]
• To streamline the delivery of services under Ayushman Bharat, its implementing agency inked an
MoU with industry body NATHEALTH
Its Objective
• The partnership between National Health Authority (NHA) and the Healthcare Federation of
India (NATHEALTH) aims to streamline all innovations ensuring that it increases the efficacy of
service delivery of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
1.132 Centre to launch Deep Ocean Mission in October

• A five-year, ₹8,000-crore plan to explore the deepest recesses of the ocean has finally got the
green signal from the government.
• It will be led by the Union Earth Sciences Ministry. This five-year mission is expected to
commence from October 31, 2019.
• It’s one of the transformative ideas of the government’s 100-day programmes.
• The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration. A major
thrust of the mission will be looking for metals and minerals.
• Among the key deliverables are:
1. An offshore desalination plant that will work with tidal energy
2. A submersible vehicle that can explore depths of at least 6,000 metres.
• Underwater robotics and ‘manned’ submersibles are key components of the Mission which
will help India harness various living and non-living (water, mineral and energy) resources from
the seabed and deep water.
• These technological developments are funded under an umbrella scheme of the government -
called Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science (O-SMART).
1.133 ₹5 trillion needed for Har Ghar Jal- Ministry of Jal Shakti
[Sustainable Development and Environmental issues]
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti has sought Rs 3.6 trillion from the Centre and states to provide Har
Ghar Jal — piped water to all households — by 2024.
• The cost of building infrastructure for piped water supply over the next five years has been
estimated at Rs 5 trillion, which includes an equal contribution of Rs 1.8 trillion each from states
and the Centre.
• The remaining amount to be used for “source sustainability” is expected to come through
convergence of various government schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
About Har Ghar Jal

• It is one of the aim of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ which has been announced in Budget 2019 speech.
• It aims to ensure availability of potable water to every rural household by 2024.

1.134 Virtual court for online payment of traffic challan launched in Delhi
[Social Justice]
• To facilitate online payments of traffic challans, Delhi’s first ‘virtual court’ has been launched
at Tis Hazari courts.
• The portal will cater to traffic challans digitally generated by the Delhi Traffic Police via the
E- Challan application developed by the NIC.
• In collaboration with the State Bank of India, a payment gateway had been provided for
online Payment.
• The violator will be able to make online payment via credit card, debit card and/or online
banking mechanism.
• Virtual court is big milestone of the e-courts project.
1.135 All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018

• Recently, All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 has been released.
• Compiled by: Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• The survey was led by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute
of India, in collaboration with State Forest Departments.
• World Wildlife Fund India is the implementation partner.
• This report has been released every four years since 2006. First report came in the year 2006.
Key findings
• The tiger population in India has grown from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 in 2019.
• India has achieved the target of doubling tiger population four years before the deadline
(2022).
• In 2010, India along with other countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia,
Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russian Federation, Thailand and Vietnam) agreed to
put in efforts to double the tiger population — in sum — by 2022.
• Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka with
524 and Uttarakhand with 442 tigers.
• Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in their tiger numbers while tiger numbers in Odisha
remained constant. All other states witnessed a positive trend.
Technique used
• A mobile application named M- STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection
and Ecological Status) has been used to estimate the tiger population.
• This mobile app records the track and geotags the sightings of tigers and even other animals
or signs which helps in the estimation
• Along with this report, an evaluation of 50 tiger sanctuaries has also been released, in which
Madhya Pradesh’s Pench Sanctuary and Kerala’s Periyar Sanctuary has emerged as the best
managed tiger reserves in the country.

1.136 Digitisation of Waqf properties across the country in its first 100 days
[Social Justice]
• Central Government has set a target to achieve 100 per cent digitisation of Waqf
properties across the country in its first 100 days. There are more than 6 lakh registered
Waqf properties across the country.
• Objective: to ensure these properties can be utilized for welfare of the society.
• Collaboration: GIS/GPS mapping of the Waqf properties has been initiated with the help of
IIT Roorkee and Aligarh Muslim University.
1.137 22nd National Conference on e-Governance 2019

[Social Justice]
• 22nd National Conference on e-Governance 2019 to be held at Shillong on 8-9 august, 2019.
• Theme of the Conference: “Digital India: Success to Excellence”.
• Organized by: The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), in
association with Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), and the State
Government of Meghalaya.
• Objective: provides a platform to disseminate knowledge on effective methods of designing
and implementing sustainable e-Governance initiatives to provide end-to-end Digital
Services, exchange experiences in solving problems, mitigating risks, resolving issues and
planning for success.
1.138 The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019

[Social Justice]
• Recently, Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection Bill 2019 after due consideration and
discussion.
• The Bill replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
Key Features:
• Definition of Consumer: A consumer is defined as a person who buys any good or avails a
service for a consideration. It does not include a person who obtains a good for resale or a
good or service for commercial purpose. It covers transactions through all modes including
offline, and online through electronic means, teleshopping, multi-level marketing or direct
selling. (This portion has been added)
• Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA): Under the Bill, there is provision for central
government to set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). It will be empowered
to-
(i) Conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute Complaints
/Prosecution
(ii) Order recall of unsafe goods and services
(iii) Order discontinuance of Unfair Trade Practices and Misleading Advertisements
(iv) Impose penalties on Manufactures /Endorsers /Publishers of Misleading Advertisements
• Rights of consumers: Six consumer rights have been defined in the Bill, including the right to:
(i) Be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and
property

(ii) Be informed of the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services
(iii) Be assured of access to a variety of goods or services at competitive prices
(iv) Seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices
• Penalties for misleading advertisement: The CCPA may impose a penalty on a manufacturer
or an endorser of up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to two years for a false or
misleading advertisement. In case of a subsequent offence, the fine may extend to Rs 50
lakh and imprisonment of up to five years.
• Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission: Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions
(CDRCs) will be set up at the district, state, and national levels. A consumer can file a
complaint with CDRCs.
• Jurisdiction of CDRCs: The District CDRC will entertain complaints where value of goods and
services does not exceed Rs 1 crore. The State CDRC will entertain complaints when the
value is more than Rs one crore but does not exceed Rs 10 crore. Complaints with value of
goods and services over Rs 10 crore will be entertained by the National CDRC.
• Product Liability:
A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller to be responsible to
compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services
The Basis for product liability action will be:
1. Manufacturing defect
2. Design defect
3. Deviation from manufacturing specifications
4. Not conforming to express warranty
5. Failing to contain adequate instruction for correct use
6. Services provided are faulty, imperfect or deficient
1.139 Odisha govt. to launch ‘Mo College’ programme

• The Odisha government will soon launch the ‘Mo College’ (my college) programme on the
lines of its ‘Mo School’ (my school) scheme.
• Objective: to promote and facilitate volunteers to give back to alma maters.
• Through this programme, the state govt. will take steps for manifold development of colleges
with the support of former students.
About the ‘Mo School’ Programme
• The ‘Mo School’ campaign provides a platform for former students to connect with their
childhood memories and be a part of the change they want to see in their schools.
• The Mo School programme was launched on the occasion of Children’s Day in 2017.
1.140 Himalayan States demand green bonus

• Himalayan states have come together at a conclave to demand a separate Ministry to deal
with problems endemic to them and a green bonus in recognition to their contribution to
environment conservation.

• Participants: Chief ministers and representatives of the Himalayan states -- Jammu and
Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland,
Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur -- took part in the conclave. The only absence was of Assam,
which has been ravaged by the floods.
• It is for the first time that the Himalayan states have come on a single platform to take a
unanimous stand on the issue of green bonus and a separate ministry.
1.141 NCRB will collect gender disaggregated data on sexual assaults against children
[Gender Issues]
• The government has informed that the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) will for the first
time collect gender disaggregated data on sexual assaults against children.
• Purpose: To ensure boys or transgender children open up about sexual abuse.
Need:
• A nationwide study and the study on child abuse in 2007, showed that the number of boys
who were victims of sexual abuse was slightly more than those of girls.
• Up to the age of 13-14 years, boys and girls are equally vulnerable and maybe boys are more
vulnerable because of the myth that they are not abused.
• The Study on Child Abuse in 2007, surveyed 12,447 children in 13 States and found that
53.22% of them had faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Of these, 52.94% were boys
and 47.06% were girls.
1.142 IDFC Institute’s Report: Indian cities need urgent reform to unlock their potential
[Urbanization]
• Recently, IDFC Institute has released a report on ‘Reforming Urban India’.
Key Findings
• Indian cities need urgent reform in order to unlock their economic potential and transform
quality of life.
• Indian cities are more urban than recognised and contribute between 59% and 70% of India’s
gross domestic product.
• Existing cities suffer from neglect due to unacknowledged development. The local bodies
entrusted to govern cities do not have sufficient finances, expertise, or personnel to plan for
and address these challenges.
• Indian cities fall behind international peers on the staff-to population ratio.
• Census 2011 estimates that 31% of India is urban. However, the report says that alternative
definitions peg India’s urbanization rate to be anywhere between 47% and 65%.
1.143 Draft Model Tenancy Act, 2019

[Urbanization]
• Recently, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MHUA) has released the draft Model
Tenancy Act, 2019.
• Aim: To regulate rental housing by a market-oriented approach.

• To promote the creation of a rental housing stock for various income segments including
migrants, formal and informal sector workers, students, and working professionals, mainly
through private participation.
Features of the Act:
• It lays down the obligations of tenants and landlords, and provides for an adjudication
mechanism for disputes.
• It proposed to establish Rent Court and Rent Tribunal to hear appeals and for matters
connected to rental housing.
• It provides that landlords can’t arbitrarily hike up rentals mid-lease without sufficient cause
and notice.
• It mandates that no person will let or take any rental premises without an agreement in
writing, in both urban and rural areas. Within two months of executing such an agreement,
the land owner and tenant are required to intimate the Rent Authority, who will issue a
unique identification number to both parties.
• It lays down that the security deposit to be paid by the tenant should not exceed two months’
rent for residential property and should be a minimum of one month’s rent for non-residential
property.
• In case of the misuse of the premises, and if the tenant refuses to vacate, the landlord can
claim double the monthly rent for two months, and four times the monthly rent thereafter.
1.144 Display of 'trans-fat free' logo on food items voluntary: FSSAI

• FSSAI has announced that the use of trans-fat free logo on the products is now voluntary.
• The logo 'trans-fat free' can be used provided the food establishments uses trans-fat free fats
oils, and do not have industrial trans-fat more than 0.2 gram per 100 gram of the food.
• It will be the responsibility of the food business operators to comply with the requirements as
specified in the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations 2018.
1.145 Ayushman Bharat reveals disease burden on states

• Recently, data has been released by National Health Agency (central nodal agency running
Ayushman bharat scheme) regarding Ayushman bharat Scheme.
Key Findings:
• Patients from richer and more developed states are accessing the Pradhan Mantri Jan
Arogya Yojana to cure lifestyle diseases such as angioplasty, or disease for kidney failures.
• Patients from underdeveloped states are using this scheme for delivering children or to cure
infections.
• Radiotherapy, used in treating cancers, is most used in Assam.
• Hill states utilize this scheme mostly for chronic pulmonary disease.
• More densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have had less hospital admissions
under this scheme.

1.146 Parliament passes Triple Talaq Bill
[Gender Issues]
• Parliament has approved a law to make instant triple talaq a criminal offence.
• Objective: Protect rights of married Muslim women and ensure gender equality and gender
justice to Muslim women by declaring practice of triple talaq as void and illegal i.e. not
enforceable in law and prevent divorce by practice of ‘talaq-e-biddat’ by their husbands.
Amendments under the bill
• Declaration of triple talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years imprisonment
with a fine.
• An offender can be arrested by the police without a warrant.
• A Woman against whom talaq has been pronounced can seek subsistence allowance for
herself and her dependent children from the husband.
• A woman is entitled to seek custody of her minor children.
Need of the bill
• An attempt to protect the rights of married Muslim women by prohibiting the practice under
which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by uttering the word “talaq" three times at one go.
1.147 Delhi cabinet approves 7 new destinations for the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana
[Positive Discrimination in favour of under privileged]
• Delhi cabinet has approved the Department of Revenue’s proposal for the addition of seven
routes in the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana.
About Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana
• Launched by: Delhi Government on December 5, 2018.
• Objective: Offers free travel packages for senior citizens from Delhi to religious circuits.
• Beneficiary: A Delhi resident above 60 years will be eligible to take free pilgrimage along with
his or her spouse.
• Selection of pilgrims: The selection of pilgrims will be done through draw of lots and respective
area MLAs will certify whether the intended beneficiaries belong to Delhi or not.
• Travel Partner: IRCTC and Ministry of Railways (as journey will be performed through Indian
Railways).
Key Features
• 1100 senior citizens from each Assembly Constituency would undertake free pilgrimage
every year, the expenses for which will be borne by the government.
• A total of 77000 pilgrims will be able to avail this facility every year.
• The pilgrimage duration will be of 3 days and 2 nights.
• The package offers accommodation, meals and insurance for all participating senior citizens.
• All trains will leave from Safdarjung railway station.
1.148 Rajasthan assembly passes bills against honour killing & mob lynching
[Social Justice- Positive Discrimination in favour of the under privileged]
• The Rajasthan Assembly has passed two separate Bills against mob lynching and honour killing.
Protection from Lynching Bill, 2019.
• Rajasthan has become the first state to pass legislation against the honour killing.

• It provides for life imprisonment and fine upto Rs. 5 lakh for the offence of lynching.
• It provides for appointment of a nodal officer of the rank of Inspector-General of Police to
prevent lynching.
• It provides establishment of relief camps in safe zones for the victims.
• With the passage of this bill, Rajasthan has become the second State after Manipur to have
a dedicated legislation that criminalises mob lynching as a special offence.
Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances in the Name of Honour and
Tradition Bill, 2019
• The Bill has laid down death penalty or life sentence and a fine up to ₹5 lakh for killing a
couple or either of them on case-to-case basis.
• It also proposed a jail term of not less than 10 years in case of death, which may extend to
imprisonment for life.
1.149 QS Best Student Cities Ranking, 2019

[Social sector-education]
• Global education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds has released ‘QS Best student Cities
Ranking, 2019’.
Edition: It is the 6th edition of this ranking.
Methodology: Two pre-requisites to identify the cities evaluated in this exercise:
• The first is that each city must have a population of over 250,000.
• The second that it must be home to at least two ranked institutions.
Indicators: It features 14 indicators divided into six equally weighted categories :
1. University Rankings
2. Student Mix
3. Desirability
4. Employer Activity
5. Affordability
6.Student View
Range of Scores: The final table is presented based on an overall score out of 100 with rank,
score, country and city names and scores out of 100 in each of the five categories.
Key Findings in QS Best Student Cities Ranking of 2019

• 1st rank: London (for 2nd consecutive year)
• 2nd rank: Tokyo
• 3rd rank: Melbourne
About India: India’s best student city is Bengaluru (81st), followed by Mumbai (85th), Delhi
at 113 and Chennai at 115, out of a total of 120 cities in the list.
• The number of Indians moving to London for higher studies rose by 20% in 2017-18, marking
an increase from 4,545 in 2016-17 to 5,455 in 2017-18.
1.150 Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) launches Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) Program
[Human Development]

• The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, has launched the Atal
Community Innovation Centre (ACIC) to spur community Innovation in underserved and
unserved areas of the country.
• Aim: To encourage the spirit of innovation in the country’s specific areas that lack the
required infrastructure and facilitating innovation ecosystem.
• Purpose: To enable establishment of socially inclusive innovation ecosystem as well as to
encourage equitable distribution of necessary infrastructure for stimulating innovation
across the country.
Key Features
• It offers opportunity to talented youth and researchers in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities, Smart cities,
Aspirational Districts, North East, J&K, Rural and Tribal regions of India, unserved and
underserved regions of Tier 1 / Metro cities.
• It would focus in over 484 districts located in unserved/underserved regions of India.
• It will focus on collaborative public-private partnerships to co-invest and operationalize.
• This programme should be connected to every Panchayati Raj Institutions to help innovators
at grassroots level become part of the policy framework and leverage their creativity to
translate their products/ services into innovation led commercial utilization for society.
1.151 Indian tourists exempted from visa fees by Sri Lankan government
• Recently, Sri Lankan govt. has exempted 48 countries including India from visa fees for
tourism purposes.
• Visa fees, which ranged from 20 to 40 US dollars, will not be charged for grant of one month
visa for tourism.
Significance of decision
• In Sri Lanka, Indian tourist constitute the maximum number with around one fourth of total
tourist arrivals.
• Sri Lanka is aiming to attract at least 1.9 million to 2 million tourists by the end of year.
1.152 First PRAGATI meeting in the new term of the government

[Social Justice]
• Recently, the first PRAGATI meeting in the new term of the Union Government was held.
• PRAGATI- the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely
Implementation.
• In this meeting, Prime Minister reviewed the progress in resolution of grievances related to
the PM Awas Yojana (Urban) and underlined that no family will be left without a home by
2022.
• Prime Minister also reviewed the resolution of public grievances related to the Department
of Financial Services. He also reviewed the progress of flagship schemes of Ayushman Bharat
and Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.
1.153 Cabinet approves Extension of term of the commission constituted under Article 340

• The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of the term of the commission constituted
under Article 340 of the constitution to examine the issue of Sub-categorization up to 31st
January, 2020.
About Commission to Examine Sub Categorization of other Backward Classes
• The Commission was constituted with approval of President under Article 340 of Constitution
in October, 2017.
• It is headed by Justice (Retd.) Smt. G. Rohini.
• It was tasked to examine extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among
castes included in broad category of OBCs, especially with reference to OBCs included in
Central list.
1.154 Prakash Javadekar launches several e-projects of Publications Division

[Social sector-education]
• Recently, Shri Prakash Javadekar launched several e-projects of Publications Division as given
below:
• Mobile App “Digital DPD”: The Mobile App is synced with the Digital Rights Management
System to keep a check on a piracy and integrated with the Bharatkosh payment gateway
for the ease of payments.
• E-version of Rozgar Samachar: Rozgar Samachar, a corresponding version of Employment
News (English), is a prominent job journal in Hindi providing information about job
opportunities in Central Government including Public Sector Enterprises.
• E-book “Satyagraha Geeta”: This is the heritage value book written by eminent poet Dr
Kshama Rao in 1930s in Sanskrit verses presents the life and activities of Gandhiji.
1.155 Parliament Passes the Motor vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019

[Social Justice]
• The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been passed in Parliament recently.
• It seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to provide for road safety.
Key Provisions
• Compensation for road accident victims: The central government will develop a scheme for
cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour.
• The Bill defines golden hour as the time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury,
during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is the highest.
• Compulsory insurance: The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle
Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India.
• Good Samaritans: The Bill defines a Good Samaritan as a person who renders emergency
medical or non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident.
✓ Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or death of an
accident victim, caused due to their negligence in providing assistance to the victim.
• Recall of vehicles: The Bill allows the central government to order for recall of motor vehicles
if a defect in the vehicle may cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road
users.

• National Transportation Policy: The central government may develop a National
Transportation Policy, in consultation with state governments.
• The Policy will: (i) establish a planning framework for road transport, (ii) develop a
framework for grant of permits, and (iii) specify priorities for the transport system, among
other things.
• Road Safety Board: The Bill provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the
central government through a notification. The Board will advise the central and state
governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management.
• Taxi aggregators: The Bill defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which
can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services).
These aggregators will be issued licenses by state.
1.156 RBI names Kanungo to run monetary policy portfolio after Viral Acharya quits
• Reserve Bank of India has reshuffled the portfolios of three deputy governors and has given
the important monetary policy and forecasting department to B P Kanungo
• Kanungo would become the sixth member of the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee, which will
next convene on 5-7 August , 2019
• The monetary policy department, including forecasting and modelling unit, was earlier looked
after by Viral Acharya, who has resigned
• Now RBI has three deputy governors - N S Vishwanathan, B P Kanungo and M K Jain
1.157 IIT-Guwahati to set up extension centres in North East states

• IIT-Guwahati is planning to set up extension centres in northeastern states and run
programmes to bring Class 12 students from state-run schools for exposure visits at its
campus
• Apart from this, the institute also plans to create an awareness and training programme for
the rural masses about rural technologies which IIT-Guwahati is working on
1.158 NITI Aayog partners with WhatsApp to promote women entrepreneurs

[Gender Issues]
• NITI Aayog and social media platform WhatsApp , have announced a partnership to support
the growth of a robust ecosystem to promote women entrepreneurs in India.
• WhatsApp is operating under the aegis of its Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)
1.159 Amit Shah to head panel on sexual harassment at workplace

[Gender Issues]
• Home Minister Amit Shah is going to chair a panel of four cabinet ministers to examine ways
to prevent workplace sexual harassment
• The new panel was set up on 18th July 2019 , it includes Women and Child Development
Minister Smriti Irani and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

1.160 Committee constituted to examine issues related to FDI in e-commerce
[Opening of Indian economy]
• A committee has been constituted under the Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade to examine issues related to FDI in the e-commerce sector.
• The committee was constituted on July 12 under an additional secretary level officer from
the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with members from
the departments of commerce, consumer affairs, legal affairs and MSME.
Why has this committee been setup?
• It will examine issues related to FDI (foreign direct investment) in the e-commerce sector and
give suggestions
• According to the current policy, 100% FDI is allowed in the marketplace format of e-
commerce retailing. However, FDI is prohibited in the inventory-based model.
• FDI policy on single-brand retail trade has been in operation since 2006. FDI up to 100 per cent
under automatic route has been allowed in the sector subject to certain conditions.
1.161 Govt initiates new process to identify essential medicines

• A newly-constituted committee on the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) is going to
shortlist drugs that should be available in adequate numbers and assured quality.
• The prices of some drugs used for treating cancer, cardiac diseases and diabetes are likely to
be cut as the government initiates a new process to identify essential medicines and bring
some of them under price control.
Members of the Committee
• The NLEM committee is headed by Balram Bhargava, the secretary of department of health
research and director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research
• The committee will decide on essential medicines and send the list to a second committee,
comprising Rajiv Kumar, vice-chairman of NITI Aayog, Preeti Sudan, secretary of the health
ministry, and P. Raghavendra Rao, secretary of the department of pharmaceuticals, for
deciding which ones are to be brought under price control
Changes in the mechanism
• There is a departure from the existing mechanism in which all essential medicines were
brought under price control.
• Under the previous mechanism, the health ministry prepared a list of drugs eligible for price
regulation, following which the department of pharmaceuticals, which comes under the
ministry of chemicals and fertilizers, incorporated them into schedule 1 of DPCO (drug price
control order).
• Medicines and devices listed in NLEM must be sold at the price fixed by NPPA, while those
in the non-scheduled list are allowed a maximum annual price hike of 10%.
1.162 India slips to 7th position in global GDP ranking

• India has slipped one notch in the World Bank’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rankings in
2018 and is now the seventh-largest economy.

• The world’s top four economies in the World Bank list in 2018 are the United States, with a
GDP of $20.5 trillion, followed by China ($13.6 trillion), Japan ($4.9 trillion) and Germany ($3.9
trillion).
1.163 Microsoft to train 5000 government employees on AI, cloud

• Recently, Microsoft India has launched a program under which it will train 5000 government
employees over the next year on AI (artificial intelligence) and cloud computing skills.
• The program is called 'Digital Governance Tech Tour', will comprise of physical and virtual
workshops.
1.164 India to conduct 1st National Time Release Study to enable faster movement of cargo across
borders to benefit traders
[Globalization – Opening up of Indian Economy]
• Ministry of Finance is conducting India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS) between 1st –
7th August , 2019
What is TRS?
• The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by World Customs Organization to
measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows.
Its Objective
• This is an initiative for accountable governance and will measure rule based and procedural
bottlenecks (including physical touchpoints) in the clearance of goods, from the time of arrival
until the physical release of cargo
• The aim is to identify and address bottlenecks in the trade flow process and take the
corresponding policy and operational measures required to improve the effectiveness and
efficiency of border procedures, without compromising efficient trade control
• Expected beneficiaries of this initiative will be export oriented industries and MSMEs, who will
enjoy greater standardization of Indian processes with comparable international standards.
Where will it be conducted?

• The exercise will be conducted at the same time across 15 ports including sea, air, land and dry
ports which cumulatively account for 81% of total Bills of Entries for import and 67% of Shipping
Bills for export filed within India.
• It will be institutionalized on an annual basis, during the same period every year hereafter.
• The national TRS will establish baseline performance measurement and have standardized
operations and procedures across all ports.
1.165 KABIL Set up to Ensure Supply of Critical Minerals

• A joint venture company namely Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) is to be set up with the
participation of three Central Public Sector Enterprises: National Aluminium Company
Ltd.(NALCO), Hindustan Copper Ltd.(HCL) and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd. (MECL)
• The equity participation between NALCO, HCL and MECL is in the ratio of 40:30:30

Its objective
• Objective of constituting KABIL is to ensure a consistent supply of critical and strategic minerals
to Indian domestic market
• It would ensure mineral security of the Nation and also help in realizing the overall objective of
import substitution
Features of KABIL
• The KABIL would carry out identification, acquisition, exploration, development, mining and
processing of strategic minerals overseas for commercial use and meeting country’s
requirement of these minerals.
• The sourcing of these minerals or metals is to be done by creating trading opportunities, G2G
collaborations with the producing countries or strategic acquisitions or investments in the
exploration and mining assets of these minerals in the source countries.
• It will help in building partnerships with other mineral rich countries like Australia and those in
Africa and South America, where Indian expertise in exploration and mineral processing will be
mutually beneficial bringing about new economic opportunities.
1.166 Health Ministry invites all for a stakeholders’ consultation to contribute to National Digital
Health Blueprint report
• The Committee constituted by the Health Ministry to create an implementation framework for
the National Health Stack (NHS), has come up with the National Digital Health Blueprint after
surveying the global best practices in adoption of digital technologies holistically.
• This has been done in order to fulfil the vision of National Health Policy 2017.
National Digital Health Blueprint(NDHB)

• Citizen centricity, quality of care, better access, universal health coverage, and inclusiveness
are some of the key principles of a robust healthcare system.
• All these aspirations can be realized principally by leveraging the power of the digital
technologies.
1.167 India-UK initiative ‘Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA)’ to launch unique air quality measurement
system
[Sustainable development and Environmental Issues]
• A joint initiative by India-UK– Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA) has been launched in Bengaluru for
a period of two years
• It is aimed at providing unique air quality measurement system by integrating satellite and
sensor data and support India’s transition to Electric Vehicles
Features of the Programme

• The programme will identify relevant challenges around EV-charging infrastructure, grid
management and integrating renewable energy to ensure a sufficient, reliable and clean
source of power.

• It would provide a unique air quality measurement system by integrating satellite and sensor
data and support India’s transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs).
• It will identify innovations having potential to improve air quality and contribute to a more
detailed localised map of the air quality of Bengaluru through the unique combination of
satellite and sensor data, including both on-the-ground and mobile data.
• It will also facilitate opportunities for Indian and UK innovators to collaborate in developing
long-lasting relationships to address these challenges.
Funding of the Programme

• The programme is led by Innovate UK — part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
• It is funded by the Newton Fund with matched resources from various key partners in Karnataka
and India, like Indian Institute of Science, Enzen, Project Lithium, Confederation of Indian
Industries, C40 Cities and Clean Air Platform.
1.168 Flipkart launches ‘Samarth’ to empower Indian artisans, weavers and craftsmen
• India’s leading e-commerce marketplace Flipkart has launched ‘Flipkart Samarth’ , a
breakthrough initiative aimed at bringing India’s artisans, weavers, and handicrafts producers
onto e-commerce
Features of Samarth
• Flipkart Samarth has been designed to support the e-commerce journey for artisans from on-
boarding until they reach familiarity with the process of selling online.
• The host of initiatives and benefits under Flipkart Samarth include dedicated support for
onboarding, cataloguing, account management, business insights, dedicated seller support,
reduced commission where eligible, and warehousing support.
• It will leverage increasing internet penetration in rural India to boost entrepreneurship
1.169 Cabinet approves increasing strength of Supreme Court judges from 31 to 34

• Union Cabinet has approved increasing the number of judges in the top court from the present
31 to 34, including the Chief Justice of India.
• At present, the sanctioned strength of the apex court is 31.
• Once the bill to increase the number of judges gets parliamentary nod, the number of judges
would go up to 34, including the CJI.
Who appoints judges to the SC?

• In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of
India, the appointments are made by the President of India.
• The names are recommended by the Collegium
1.170 SANKALP Scheme to focus on district-level skilling ecosystem through convergence and
coordination

• Recently the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has called for SANKALP
Scheme to focus on district-level skilling ecosystem through convergence and coordination.
In order to strengthen the District Skilling ecosystem, following initiatives have been taken under
the SANKALP programme:
• Grants have been released to 9 States (namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu
& Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh).
• State grants of Rs 10 lakh each also released to 117 aspirational districts under Aspirational
Skilling Abhiyaan.
• A robust IT system namely “Skill India Portal” has also been developed under SANKALP to
capture and converge skill data.
What else can be done?

• Perception of youth towards skilling needs to be improved and suggested that District Skill
Committee (DSC) should play a pivotal role in counselling youth in their districts.
• Also, MPs can be involved to review the performance of the District Skill Committee (DSC) and
the different skilling efforts in their districts.
About SANKALP Programme

• It stands for ‘Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion’.
• It is an outcome-oriented programme of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
(MSDE) with a special focus on decentralized planning and quality improvement.
• It envisages setting up of Trainers and Assessors academies with self-sustainable models.
• SANKALP is Rs 4455 crore centrally sponsored scheme including Rs 3300 crore loan support
from World Bank.
• Over 50 such academies are to be set up in priority sectors.
• It aims to implement the mandate of the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM).
The main objectives of the scheme

• Convergence: Creating convergence among all skill training activities, both State-led and
Government of India funded, at the state level.
• Quality: Improving the quality of skill development programs through building a pool of quality
trainers, developing model curriculum and content, and standardizing assessment and
certification.
• Evaluation System: Establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation system for skill training
programs.
• Inclusiveness & Opportunity: Providing access to skill training opportunities to the
disadvantaged sections. Creating industry-led and demand-driven skill training capacity.
• Similar to SANKALP scheme, the government has also launched the STRIVE scheme for skill
development.
1.171 World Breastfeeding Week from 1st – 7th August

• Recently, Ministry of Women and Child Development, organized a number of activities on the
theme “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding” during the World Breastfeeding Week
(WBW).
• The activities being organized during the World Breastfeeding Week are symposiums for
lactating mothers and anganwadi workers to create awareness about the importance of
breastfeeding, annaprashan ceremony of babies at anganwadi centres by collecting
beneficiaries from adjoining anganwadi centres, competition on nutritious recipes and quiz
competitions.
• The focus this year is on protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding.
About World Breastfeeding Week:
• It is an annual celebration which is being held every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 120
countries.
• It is being organized by WABA (World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action), WHO and UNICEF.
• Its goal is to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life which yields many
health benefits, providing critical nutrients, protection from deadly diseases, etc.
• It was first celebrated in 1992.
1.172 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting

• The 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting (10th MGC MM) was held on 01
August 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.
• It has been co-chaired by Minister of External affairs S. Jaishankar co-chair alongwith the
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of
Vietnam, Prak Sokhonn.
1.173 India’s biggest ever trial of tuberculosis vaccines

[Social sector -Health]
• Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched India’s first large-scale
trial for two new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines.
• The trials offer a chance to contain the accelerating spread of multi-drug resistant TB.
Which vaccines are being tested?

• There are two vaccines being tested in the latest trial:
(i) Immuvac (also known as MIP), manufactured by Cadila Pharmaceuticals in Ahmedabad
(ii) VPM1002 manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune.
Why new vaccines?

• Scientists have felt a critical need for new TB vaccines that are more effective than the Bacille
Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine.
• The BCG vaccine is used in the routine Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) in countries
across the world. It is generally given at birth or in the first year.
• It has been partially effective in protecting infants and young children, but it provides poor
protection against pulmonary disease in adolescents and adults.

What the latest trials entail?
• The trials in India will involve enrolling 12,000 healthy household contacts of newly
diagnosed pulmonary TB patients.
• The candidates will be enrolled from across six states — Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana,
Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
1.174 14 institutes to get Eminence Tag

[Social Sectors -Education]
• The Union government has granted the institute of eminence (IoE) status to 14 higher
educational institutions.
• Seven private and seven public institutions has been named for the IoE tag.
Benefits of IoE tag

• The move allows these institutions greater academic, administrative and financial autonomy.
• While private institutes will enjoy the autonomy, public institutes in the list will also get an
assistance of ₹1,000 crore each over a period of five years to improve their growth in India
and in global rankings.
Public institutes which have got the recognition are

• IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, Delhi University, University of Hyderabad, Jadavpur University
(Kolkata), Anna University (Chennai) and BHU Varanasi were selected.
• Last year, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IISC Bangalore, Jio Institute, BITS Pilani and Manipal
Academy of Higher Education were granted the IoE tag.
1.175 Gujarat CM launches ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’

[Social Sectors-Education]
[Gender Issues]
• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched the ‘Vhali Dikri Yojna’ for the welfare of girl
child.
• It has been launched to mark the 63th birth day of Chief Minister.
Key Features of the scheme
• It is a statewide cash incentive scheme for every girl child born in Gujarat, with a view to
raising the female birthrate at par with male to achieve gender equality.
• Under this scheme, the State Government will pay Rs. 4,000 to every girl child at the time of
admission to Standard 4th, Rs. 6,000 at the time of taking admission to Standard IX, Rs. 1-
lakh at the time of taking admission for higher education at the age of 18 and another Rs. 1-
lakh at the time of marriage
1.176 Bihar: Centre approves Rs 4,900-crore project to link Kosi-Mechi river

• The Centre has approved the Rs 4,900 crore project for interlinking of Kosi and Mechi rivers of
Bihar.
• This is the second major river interlinking project in the country to be approved after the Ken-
Betwa project in Madhya Pradesh.

1.177 Only 46% pregnant, lactating mothers receive take home ration under nutrition programme:
NITI Aayog
[Human Development]
• According to a survey conducted by the NITI Aayog in 27 districts only 46 per cent pregnant and
lactating women received ‘Take Home Ration’ under the supplementary nutrition programme.
• This is despite the fact that a high enrolment rate of 78 per cent.
• The survey has also found that of the 64 per cent eligible children registered with Anganwadi
services, only 17 per cent received a hot cooked meal in a day.
What is supplementary nutrition programme?

• Supplementary nutrition is one of the six services provided under the Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) Scheme and is given to the children (6 months — 6 years) and
pregnant and lactating mothers under the ICDS Scheme.
About ICDS Scheme

• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is world's largest community based
programme and is aimed to improve the health, nutrition and education (KAP) of the target
community.
• It is targeted at children upto the age of 6 years, pregnant and lactating mothers and women 16–
44 years of age.
• It has been primarily designed to bridge the gap between the recommended dietary allowance
and the average daily intake.
• It provides six child development related services:
1. Supplementary Nutrition
2. Pre-school Education
3. Health & Nutrition Education
4. Immunization
5. Health check-up
6. Referral Services
1.178 Inauguration of TechEx – a technology exhibition organized to demonstrate products and

prototypes developed under IMPRINT and UAY
[Social Sector- Education , Employment Generation]
• Union Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has inaugurated
the TechEx - technology exhibition at IIT Delhi on August 4th ,2019
What is TechEx?
• TechEx was organized to demonstrate products and prototypes developed under the two
flagship schemes of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) :
1. IMPacting Research, INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT)
2. Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY).
What is its relevance?

• TechEx is a unique effort, which offers an excellent platform to the researchers to showcase
their work and inspire them to do their best in their respective domains.
• 50 models/prototypes under IMPRINT and 26 under UAY were showcased during the exhibition
in addition to 142 posters.
• Some prominent exhibits included non-invasive and low-cost rapid TB diagnostics, artificial
pancreas for closed loop blood glucose control of type-I diabetic patients, affordable cancer
diagnosis/treatment, electric vehicle charger etc.
• Many of these products/prototypes are at the verge of commercial production.
About IMPRINT Scheme

• IMPRINT scheme was launched in November, 2015 with a view to providing solutions to the
most relevant engineering challenges by translating knowledge into viable technology
(products or processes) in 10 selected technology domains
• These 10 domains are :
1. Health care
2. Energy
3. Sustainable habitat
4. Nano-technology hardware
5. Water resources and river systems
6. Advanced materials
7. Information and Communication Technology
8. Manufacturing
9. Security and Defence
10. Environmental science and Climate Change.
• Under the IMPRINT-I , 142 projects at a total cost of Rs.313.30 cr. were approved
• These projects are funded jointly by MHRD and the participating Ministry in the ratio of 50:50.
About UAY Scheme

• UchhatarAvishkar Yojana (UAY) was announced in October, 2015
• The scheme focusses on a viable industry-academic collaboration where industry shares a part
of the cost of research.
• It was launched with a view to promoting innovation of a higher order that directly impacts the
needs of the Industry and thereby improves the competitive edge of Indian manufacturing
• A total of 142 projects, including Phase-I and Phase-II have been approved under UAY at a total
cost of Rs.388.86 cr.
• UAY projects are funded jointly by MHRD, participating Ministries and the Industry in the ratio
of 50:25:25.
1.179 Bill mandating death penalty for ‘honour killing’ passed in Rajasthan Assembly
[Social Justice]
• A bill was passed in the Rajasthan Assembly to curb incidents of ‘honour killing’ in the State
with the provision of punishment of death penalty or life imprisonment for murdering couples
in the name of family honour.

• The bill has been passed with the name “The Rajasthan Prohibition of Interference with the
Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances in the Name of Honour and Tradition Bill”, 2019 was passed
1.180 PM Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries in Jharkhand to get free LPG refill

[Human Development]
• Beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme in Jharkhand will receive a
free refill of their LPG cylinders
• Jharkhand has claimed that this is first such initiative in the country , by any state.
• The process of refill of cylinders along with distribution of 12 lakh new LPG connections will begin
from August 23rd 2019.
1.181 Parliament approves Resolution to repeal Article 370; paves way to truly integrate J&K with
Indian Union
• Recently, Parliament has passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill that seeks to scrap
Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, while also bifurcating the state into union
territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Objective
• The Bill lays the ground for the stalemate in Kashmir to be resolved after 70 years, with the
Centre now gaining greater legislative control in the region
1.182 Maharashtra: Aamir Khan launches Mission Shakti sports initiative

[Social Justice]
• Maharashtra Government has launched an initiative Mission Shakti, to train athletes from
Chandrapur and Gadchiroli for international events like the Olympics.
• It has been launched by Bollywood star Aamir Khan.
About Mission Shakti

• 'Mission Shakti' will target sports like weight-lifting, archery, shooting, swimming, athletics,
volleyball and gymnastics.
• It aims at targeting these sports with excellence in physical endurance, fitness, superior stamina
and other features included in a rigorous selection test.
Developments at the launch event

• Amir Khan also felicitated a team of tribal mountaineers who had recently scaled Mount Everest
as part of 'Mission Shaurya'.
Mission Shaurya
• This mission is an initiative of the Adivasi Vikas Vibhag of the Maharashtra State Government.
• Under Mission Shaurya expedition,10 tribal students from “ashram shalas” (residential schools)
in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra conquered Everest.
• Of the 10, five could climb the final peak of the Everest, whereas, five students had to return
midway for various reasons, including health and inability to withstand rough weather
conditions.

• Five children who reached the peak were given Rs 25 lakh each and Rs 10 lakh each was given
to the rest.
1.183 United States designates China a "currency manipulator"

[Globalization]
• United States (US) has designated China a “currency manipulator”, after the Central Bank of
China allowed its currency Yuan to fall against dollar.
• US has alleged that China has a long history of facilitating an undervalued currency through
protracted, large-scale intervention in the foreign exchange market.
1.184 ‘22nd National Conference on e-Governance 2019’ held at Shillong on August 8-9, 2019
[Social Justice]
• 22nd National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2019 has taken place on 8th and 9th August,
2019 at Shillong, Meghalaya
• This is the first time the event is being organized in North-Eastern region of the country
Theme of the Conference

• The theme of this Conference is “Digital India: Success to Excellence”
Organizer of the Conference

• The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), in association with
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and the State Government of
Meghalaya is organizing this conference
1.185 WCD Minister to Felicitate States and Districts under BBBP Scheme in New Delhi
[Gender Issues]
• The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development is going to organize a felicitation and
award function for those Districts and States which have successfully implemented the Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)scheme in the country.
• The function will be held on 7th August, 2019 in New Delhi.
Objective of the meeting

• The objective of the programme is to felicitate States and Districts which are performing well
in improving Sex Ratio at Birth as per Health Management Information System (HMIS) of
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data and excellent performance in awareness
generation and outreach
About HMIS
• HMIS portal is real-time and enables use of all applicable eGovernment standards, including
standardized facility listing, geographic and entity names, geographic boundaries (up to the
level of villages), population data and other relevant information including GIS based layers
which are currently used in Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP).
• HMIS will support linkages with IHIP and support API (application programme interface) to
ensure direct linkages with other programmes.
Relevance of HMIS
• It will be a gateway to wealth of information regarding the health indicators of India.
• The portal will provide periodic reports on the status of the health services performance and
human resources and infrastructure facilities available.
• HMIS data is specifically designed to support planning, management, and decision making
based on grading of facilities, various indicators at block, district at state and national level.
BBBP Scheme
• The BBBP scheme launched on 22 nd January, 2015 has been implemented in phases. Currently,
it is being implemented in 640 districts (as per census 2011).
• All 640 districts are covered through advocacy and media campaign. Moreover, out of these
640 districts, 405 districts are covered under Multi- Sectoral Intervention in which 100%
Centrally Sponsored Schemes grant is provided directly to DM/DC for BBBP.
• The latest reports on State/UT-wise Sex Ratio at Birth data for the period 2014-15 and 2018-
19, reveal that SRB increased from 918 to 931 showing improving trends at the national level.
1.186 Landmark Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 gets Parliamentary approval

• The Parliament has passed the landmark Consumer Protection Bill, 2019
• The Bill will replace the more than three decades old Consumer Protection Act, 1986
• It aims to protect the rights of consumers by establishing authorities for timely and effective
administration and settlement of consumers’ dispute
Key Features
• Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA): Under the Bill, there is provision for central
government to set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).
• It will be empowered to-
(i) Conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute Complaints /Prosecution
(ii) Order recall of unsafe goods and services
(iii) Order discontinuance of Unfair Trade Practices and Misleading Advertisements
(iv) Impose penalties on Manufactures /Endorsers /Publishers of Misleading Advertisements
• Rights of consumers: Six consumer rights have been defined in the Bill, including the right to:
(i) Be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property
(ii) Be informed of the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services
(iii) Be assured of access to a variety of goods or services at competitive prices
(iv) Seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices
• Penalties for misleading advertisement: The CCPA may impose a penalty on a manufacturer or
an endorser of up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to two years for a false or misleading
advertisement.
• Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission: Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (CDRCs)
will be set up at the district, state, and national levels. A consumer can file a complaint with
CDRCs.
• Jurisdiction of CDRCs: The District CDRC will entertain complaints where value of goods and
services does not exceed Rs one crore. The State CDRC will entertain complaints when the value

is more than Rs one crore but does not exceed Rs 10 crore. Complaints with value of goods and
services over Rs 10 crore will be entertained by the National CDRC.
• Product Liability: A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller to be responsible
to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services
1.187 Rajasthan launches new higher education model called RACE

• A new higher education model has been launched in Rajasthan , titled Resource Assistance for
Colleges with Excellence (RACE)
What will it do?

• It has been launched for distribution of faculties and movable assets among the government
colleges at the district level to rationalise the availability of resources.
• The model will create a pool for sharing of facilities which will benefit the colleges lacking
infrastructure.
Working of the Model

• The colleges in need will submit their requirement to the nodal college in the district, which
will send the teachers on deputation
• Similarly if needed , will also provide the facilities such as projectors, digital libraries, equipment
and technicians
• The model will help the colleges situated in small towns facing shortage of faculties and
infrastructure.
1.188 Lok Sabha passes transgender protection Bill

[Social Justice]
• Lok Sabha has passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019
• A contentious provision that criminalised begging by transgender people has been removed from
the Bill
• The provision was part of the Bill when it was introduced by the previous government. The Bill
had lapsed.
Importance of the Bill

• According to the 2011 Census there are more than 4.80 lakh transgenders in the country.
• These people are often discriminated upon and humiliated in public for being transgender.
• The Bill also has provisions for penalty and punishment in cases of offences and sexual
harassment against transgender persons.
Features of the Bill

1. Definition of a transgender person:
• The Bill defines a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned
at birth.
• It includes trans-men and trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and
persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra.

• Intersex variations is defined to mean a person who at birth shows variation in his or her
primary sexual characteristics, external genitalia, chromosomes, or hormones from the
normative standard of male or female body
2. Prohibition against discrimination:

• The Bill prohibits the discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or
unfair treatment in relation to: (i) education; (ii) employment (iii) healthcare (iv) access to, or
enjoyment of goods, facilities, opportunities available to the public (v) right to movement (vi)
right to reside, rent, or otherwise occupy property; (vii) opportunity to hold public or private
office and (viii) access to a government or private establishment in whose care or custody a
transgender person is
3. Right of residence:
• Every transgender person shall have a right to reside and be included in his household.
• If the immediate family is unable to care for the transgender person, the person may be placed
in a rehabilitation centre, on the orders of a competent court
4. Employment:
• No government or private entity can discriminate against a transgender person in employment
matters, including recruitment, and promotion.
• Every establishment is required to designate a person to be a complaint officer to deal with
complaints in relation to the Act
5. Education:
• Educational institutions funded or recognised by the relevant government shall provide inclusive
education, sports and recreational facilities for transgender persons, without discrimination.
6. Health care:
• The government must take steps to provide health facilities to transgender persons including
separate HIV surveillance centres, and sex reassignment surgeries.
• The government shall review medical curriculum to address health issues of transgender
persons, and provide comprehensive medical insurance schemes for them.
7. Certificate of identity for a transgender person:
• A transgender person may make an application to the District Magistrate for a certificate of
identity, indicating the gender as ‘transgender’
• A revised certificate may be obtained only if the individual undergoes surgery to change their
gender either as a male or a female
8. Welfare measures by the government:

• The Bill states that the relevant government will take measures to ensure the full inclusion and
participation of transgender persons in society.

• It must also take steps for their rescue and rehabilitation, vocational training and self-
employment, create schemes that are transgender sensitive, and promote their participation in
cultural activities.
9. Offences and penalties:

• The Bill recognizes the following offences against transgender persons: (i) forced or bonded
labour (excluding compulsory government service for public purposes), (ii) denial of use of public
places, (iii) removal from household, and village, (iv) physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or
economic abuse.
• Penalties for these offences vary between six months and two years, and a fine.
10. National Council for Transgender persons (NCT):

• The NCT will consist of: (i) Union Minister for Social Justice (Chairperson); (ii) Minister of State
for Social Justice (Vice- Chairperson); (iii) Secretary of the Ministry of Social Justice; (iv) one
representative from ministries including Health, Home Affairs, and Human Resources
Development.
• Other members include representatives of the NITI Aayog, and the National Human Rights
Commission and representatives of State governments
• The Council will also consist of five members from the transgender community and five experts
from non-governmental organisations
• It will advise the central government as well as monitor the impact of policies, legislation and
projects with respect to transgender persons
• It will also redress the grievances of transgender persons
1.189 Haryana Assembly passes Bill to check organised crime

[Social Justice]
• The Haryana Assembly has passed the Haryana Control of Organised Crime Bill, 2019, to make
special provisions for prevention and control of criminal activity by organised crime syndicates.
Need
• In view of the emerging situation of organised crime in the State, it has become imperative to
introduce a similar legislation to ensure effective legal action against gangsters, leaders and
members of organised criminal gangs.
Key Provisions:
• According to the Bill, whoever commits an offence of organised crime and if it results in the
death of any person, it will be punishable with death or imprisonment for life and also be liable
to a fine which will not be less than ₹1 lakh.
• In any other case, the offender shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not
be less than five years but which may extend to imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to
fine not less than ₹5 lakh.
• If anybody is found misusing the provision of interception of the phone calls, then stern action
should be taken against the persons responsible.

1.190 India contributes USD 5 million to UN Palestine refugee agency
• India has contributed USD 5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
for Palestinian Refugees.
• India increased its annual financial assistance to the UNRWA by four fold, from USD 1.25 million
to USD 5 million, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Palestine in February 2018.
Why contribution has been increased?
• Currently, UNRWA is facing a difficult financial situation due to decrease in voluntary
contributions from a limited donor base and is seeking financial support for its work.
1.191 Papua New Guinea has the highest number of 'living' indigenous languages in the world
[Human Development]
• The Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea has the highest number of 'living' indigenous
languages in the world with 840 languages.
• Living languages are the languages that are still being used and spoken by people.
Most spoken languages

• Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi and Arabic are the most widely spoken languages worldwide
when only first-languages are considered. These five languages account for what is spoken by
over 40% of people worldwide.
• Among regions, Asia and Africa account for the highest number of indigenous languages (over
70% of the total).
Relevance
• 2019 is the United Nations' International Year of Indigenous Languages.
1.192 UNIDO and National Institute of Solar Energy to partner for skill development program
• Recently, an agreement was signed between the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and
the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Objective
To initiate a skill development programme for different levels of beneficiaries in the solar
thermal
energy sector.
1.193 Centre unveils plan for coastal zone management : Environmental and Social Management
Framework (ESMF)
• The Environment Ministry has unveiled a draft plan that will dictate how prospective
infrastructure projects situated along the coast ought to be assessed before they can apply
for clearance.
• The draft is called as Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) and it is part
of a World Bank-funded project.

What is this plan about?
• It lays out guidelines for coastal States to adopt when they approve and regulate projects in
coastal zones.
• The plan describes how “environmental and social aspects” ought to be integrated into the
planning, design, implementation of projects.
1.194 National Entrepreneurship Awards, 2019

• The fourth edition of the National Entrepreneurship Awards, by the Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has opened for nominations.
Aim:
• To honour outstanding young first generation entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders for
their exceptional contribution in entrepreneurship development.
Objective:
• These awards were instituted in a bid to recognize and encourage outstanding Indian
Entrepreneurs and catalyse a cultural shift in youth for entrepreneurship.
• There are a total of 45 specially designed awards to be bestowed – 39 Enterprise Awards
and 6 Awards for Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders.
Eligibility:
1. The nominee must be under the age of 40 years
2. They must be first-generation entrepreneurs
3. The nominee (entrepreneur) must hold 51% or more equity and ownership of the business;
and women entrants must individually or collectively own 75% or more of the enterprise.
1.195 State-run oil marketing companies to buy biodiesel made from used cooking oil
• Recently, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the state-
run oil marketing companies would procure the entire supply of biodiesel produced from
used cooking oil for a three-year period.
• Objective: This has been done in a bid to encourage the biofuel sector.
Key features of the scheme:
• Biodiesel plants using used cooking oil as their raw material will be assured that their entire
production will be procured by the oil marketing companies to be blended with normal
diesel.
• The scheme is being launched in 100 cities across the country.
• Under the scheme, the OMCs — Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum — will
pay biodiesel producers ₹51 per litre in the first year, ₹52.7 per litre in the second, and ₹54.5
per litre in the third year.
• The oil companies will also bear the cost of transportation and GST for the first year.
• Application: A ‘Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO)’ sticker and a phone app to enable the
collection of used cooking oil has also been launched. Restaurants and hotels interested in
supplying used cooking oil can affix the sticker to show availability.

• Karnataka is the first State to have a Bio Energy Development Board and used cooking oil is
being collected from big chain of restaurants by bio-diesel manufacturing units.
1.196 Army launches 'Mission Reach Out' in Jammu

[Social Justice]
• The Army has launched "Mission Reach Out" in Jammu.
• Objective: It has been launched to ensure basic necessities and essential services are
available in the region post the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 and reorganisation
of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Among these are mobile medical care units with essential medicines and lady medical officers,
wherever necessary, providing water in locations where the supply was disrupted, provision
of essentials, including rations, assistance in transportation of patients to hospitals, facilitating
people to speak to their near and dear ones through Army exchange and creating a safe
environment for ATMs, banks and hospitals to function.
• The Corps commander assured the civil administration of full support to reach out to the
populace to providing all basic necessities.
1.197 UP, Delhi and Rajasthan among worst performers in breastfeeding

[Social Sectors-Health]
• Recently, Union Health Ministry has released a report-card regarding breastfeeding and
Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in the country.
• It has been found that Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Punjab fare the
worst when it comes to the practice of breastfeeding.
• The Breastfeeding report card has been developed by devising a composite score based on
three indicators- namely early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six
months and complimentary feeding at 6-8 months of child's age.
• The districts in Uttar Pradesh (the state at the bottom of the list) which fared the worst for
breastfeeding within one hour of child birth include Meerut, Bijnor, Shahjahanpur, Gautam
Buddha Nagar, Gonda, Etawah and Mahamaya Nagar.
• States that top the report card include Mizoram, Sikkim, Odisha and Manipur.
• Manipur has topped the rankings in Breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding
Practices in the country.
1.198 South Korea to remove Japan from preferred trade list

• South Korea has decided to remove Japan from a list of nations receiving preferential
treatment in trade.
• It is being seen as a retaliatory move to Tokyo’s recent decision to downgrade Seoul’s trade
status.
• South Korean government has removed Japan from the country’s 29-country “white list”
because it has failed to uphold international principles while managing its export controls
on sensitive materials.
What is Preferential Trade Pact?

• A trade pact between countries that reduces tariffs for certain products to the countries
who sign the agreement.
• While the tariffs are not necessarily eliminated, they are lower than countries not party to
the agreement. It is a form of economic integration.
1.199 PISA 2021: India all set to participate in OECD's global education test
• India is all set to participate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development’s (OECD’s) programme for international student assessment (PISA) after a
gap of over a decade.
• India’s Participation: India had participated in PISA in 2009 when it came 72nd among 73
countries.
What is PISA?
• It is a Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), introduced in the year 2000
by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD).
• PISA is a competency-based test. It tests the learning levels of 15-year-old students in
reading, mathematics and science.
• The test is carried out once in every three years.
• As on date, there are 80 countries participating in PISA.
1.200 Northeast crowds list of states with most dense tree, forest cover
• Recently, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has shared the data in
Parliament that- a quarter of India’s geographical area (24.49 per cent) is under forest and
tree cover.
• These assessments are done by the Forest Survey of India, whose findings are published in
the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The last report was published in 2017.
Key findings:
• The lowest forest and tree cover in the country is in Haryana, at 6.79 per cent of its
geographical area. Punjab follows with 6.87 per cent. Rajasthan’s forest and tree cover is
over 7.26 per cent of its geographical area while Madhya Pradesh’s is 27.73 per cent.
• At 97 per cent, the Union Territory of Lakshadweep is on top – its geographical area is only
30 square km.
• Among the six states with the highest forest and tree cover, four are in the Northeast –
Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Meghalaya.
• Goa and Kerala are two other states with more than 50 per cent of their geographical area
under forest and tree cover.
• In terms of geographical area, the highest tree and forest cover is in Madhya Pradesh, with
85,487 sq km.

1.201 PM-JAY to include cancer treatment soon
[Social sectors- Health]
• Recently, it has been announced that cancer treatments will soon be covered under the
Ayushman Bharat Yojana- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).
About Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
• It is the Central Government’s health insurance scheme that aims to give medical cover to
over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families of approximately 50 crore beneficiaries, providing
coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.
• It is an umbrella of two major health initiatives, namely Health and wellness Centres and
National Health Protection Scheme.
Health and wellness Centres:
• Under this 1.5 lakh existing sub centres will bring health care system closer to the homes of
people in the form of Health and wellness centres.
• These centres will provide comprehensive health care, including for non-communicable
diseases and maternal and child health services.
1.202 Bar Council of India imposes 3-year moratorium on opening new law colleges
• Bar Council of India (BCI) has imposed a three-year moratorium on opening of new law
institutions.
• The council has also requested state governments and universities to stop unfair means and
to fill up vacancies of law teachers in all colleges and universities within a period of four
months.
Exception
• The restriction, however, will not apply to National Law University, if proposed by a
government in a State where there is no such varsity.
Objective
• It would lay stress on the improvement of standard of existing institutions and that the
ones without any proper infrastructure or faculty would be closed down in the next three
years.

1.203 3rd International Electric Vehicle Conclave
• The Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Arjun Ram Meghwal, has
inaugurated the 3rd International Electric Vehicle (EV) Conclave at the International Centre for
Automotive Technology (ICAT) in Manesar, Gurugram (Haryana)
Who is the organizer?

• The EV Conclave was organized by ICAT in association with India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).
• It was incepted in 2017 and since then has grown and transformed itself into a global event.
• The next Conclave will be organized in July 2020.
Major announcements in the Conclave

• It was announced in the conclave that National Electric Mobility Mission will be implemented
in phases based on feedback from the auto industry.
• It was also informed that 3 lakh electric vehicles have already been sold under the FAME India
Scheme.
• The provision of Rs. 10,000 crore has been made for electric mobility in the Union Budget of
2019-20.
About National Electric Mobility Mission Programme(NEMMP)

• The NEMMP 2020 is a National Mission document providing the vision and the roadmap for
the faster adoption of electric vehicles and their manufacturing in the country.
• This plan has been designed:
1. To enhance national fuel security
2. to provide affordable and environmentally friendly transportation
3. to enable the Indian automotive industry
4. to achieve global manufacturing leadership.
• It was launched by the Government in 2013 with the objective of achieving national fuel
security by promoting electric and hybrid vehicles
• The target is to achieve sales of 6 – 7 million in the hybrid and electric vehicles sector from
2020.
• The government will provide fiscal and monetary incentives for this industry. The expectation
is that crude oil worth Rs.62000 crore will be saved due to this.
About FAME
• As part of the NEMMP 2020, Department of Heavy Industry formulated a Scheme viz. Faster
Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme in the
year 2015
• It was launched to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology and to
ensure sustainable growth of the same

1.204 Government expands Rotavirus Vaccine to the entire country
• The Health Ministry has drawn an ambitious plan under the 100-days agenda of the newly
elected government
• Under this plan , it has been decided to provide Rotavirus vaccine (Rotavac) to every child across
all 36 states and UTs by September, 2019
• At present the vaccine has been further expanded to 17 more states till now. Rotavirus vaccine
is now available in 28 States/UTs
Who has developed this vaccine?

• The vaccine has been developed indigenously under a public-private partnership by the
Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It has been conceived and developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited
1.205 NITI Aayog launches Fourth Edition of Women Transforming India Awards; invites
nominations for the Awards
[Gender Issues]
• NITI Aayog , under its Women Entrepreneurship Platform(WEP) has launched the Fourth
Edition of Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards, in collaboration with the United Nations,
in New Delhi
What are WTI Awards?

• WTI Awards is a flagship initiative of NITI Aayog , launched in the year 2016
• These are aimed at recognising and celebrating stories of exemplary women from across India.
• For the past three years, it has been celebrating the power of women and recognising their
efforts in championing the cause of their societies.
Theme of 2019 Awards

• The theme for WTI Awards 2019 is “Women and Entrepreneurship”
• This theme is in continuation with last edition’s theme that recognizes women entrepreneurs
who are breaking the glass ceiling and challenging stereotypes, through businesses and
enterprises and are providing innovative developmental solutions to building a dynamic New
India.
Who is funding this award?

• Whatsapp has collaborated with the WEP for the WTI Awards of 2019.
• It will be providing support equivalent to US$100,000 to the winners.
1.206 Union HRD Minister and Union Minister for Jal Shakti launch ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’
Drive for School Students
• Union HRD Minister Sh. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister for Jal Shakti Sh.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat , have launched ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ drive in New Delhi
Who has launched this campaign?

• The Department of School Education & Literacy, under MHRD has launched the ‘Samagra
Shiksha-Jal Suraksha’ drive
Why has it been launched?

• It has been launched to promote water conservation activities for School Students, so that
they can become competent, conscientious and committed water citizens of our nation.
• The Department has prepared a detailed outline to implement this programme in all the schools
of the country.
Its Objectives
1. To educate Students learn about conservation of water
2. To sensitize Students about the impact of scarcity of water
3. To empower Students to learn to protect the natural sources of water
4. To help every Student to save at least one litre of water per day
5. To encourage Students towards judicious use and minimum wastage of water at home and
school level
Its Target
• This mega drive targets to connect more than 10 crore students with this programme.
1. One Student - One Day - To Save One Litre of Water.
2. One Student - One Year - To Save 365 Litres of Water.
3. One Student - 10 Years - To Save 3650 Litres of Water.
1.207 KVIC distributes 50 leather kits, 350 bee-boxes on world Tribal day in Rajasthan
[Social Justice]
• Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC) has distributed 50 leather kits and 350 Bee-Boxes
with live bee colonies in tribal-dominated village in Sirohi district of Rajasthan
• This has been done on World Tribal Day, celebrated on August 9th 2019
About World Tribal Day

• World Tribal Day is also called as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People ,it is
aimed at protecting the rights of the world’s tribal population.
• The day also recognises the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to
improve world issues such as environmental protection.
• It was first declared by the United Nations in December 1994 marking the day of the first meeting
of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on the Promotion
and Protection of Human Rights, in 1982
Its Theme
• The 2019 theme is ‘Indigenous Languages’.
• To safeguard the loss of these indigenous languages, the United Nations (UN) has designated
2019 to be the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

1.208 Dharmendra Pradhan releases Expression for Interest by Oil Marketing Companies for
Biodiesel, made from Used Cooking Oil
• The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Sh Dharmendra Pradhan has released the
Expression for Interest (EOI) by National Oil Marketing Companies (IOC, HPCL and BPCL) for
procurement of Biodiesel, made from Used Cooking Oil (UCO).
What is this EOI?

• The EOI on Bio Diesel from UCO provides that the entrepreneurs setting up Biodiesel plants get
remunerative price and assurance of complete offtake of production by the Oil companies
• EOI will be launched in 100 cities and is aimed at ensuring that Rs 51/ litre is paid for Biodiesel
for the first year, Rs 52.7 for the second year and Rs 54.5 for the third year.
• The Oil companies will also bear the cost of transportation and GST for the first year.
What is RUCO scheme?

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had launched RUCO (Repurpose Used
Cooking Oil) initiative to enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to bio-diesel
• Under this initiative, 64 companies at 101 locations have been identified to enable collection of
used cooking oil.
World Biofuel Day

• World Biofuel Day is observed on 10th August 2019
• Theme of the World Biofuel Day for the year 2019 is “Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking
Oil (UCO)”.
• On this occasion ,Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Sh Dharmendra Pradhan and
Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan
have jointly launched a sticker on RUCO viz., Repurpose Used Cooking Oil and a mobile app to
facilitate the collection of UCO.
1.209 TCIL signs MoUs with Benin, Guinea

[Globalization]
• Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL), a PSU under Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology, has entered into a strategic alliance with the African countries of
Benin and the Republic of Guinea
• This MoU has been signed as part of a larger pan-African e-network project on education and
medicine.
What is this agreement about?

• Under these projects, TCIL will, initially extend free tele-education courses to about 15,000
African students and tele-medicine courses to 5,000 doctors and paramedics in Africa
• It may be extended more on a self-sustainable model later after looking at its success.
e-VBAB is e-vidhyabharti and e-arogyabharti (e-VBAB) network

• E-VBAB Network Project is primarily a technological upgrade and extension of the Pan-African
e-Network Project (Phase 1)which was implemented in 48 partner countries across Africa from
2009 till 2017.
• The Phase 1 of the Project successfully imparted tele-education (e-VidyaBharti) and tele-
medicine (e-AarogyaBharti) by linking educational institutions and hospitals in India with
those from the participating African countries.
• In the year 2018 , it was decided to establish two separate web-based portals - one each for
tele-education and tele-medicine.
• The e-VBAB Network Project will be completely funded by the Government of India for its entire
duration and will be open for participation to all our partner countries in Africa.
• Over the five-year project duration, e-VBAB Network Project will provide free tele-education
courses to 4000 students every year from African countries.
1.210 Commerce and Industry Minister to Lead Delegation to Vladivostok

[Globalization]
• The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal, will lead a delegation
of Chief Ministers of States and business representatives to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East
from 11-13 August 2019.
• The delegation is aimed at exploring investment opportunities and strike close partnerships
with the Far East provinces.
• PM Narendra Modi is also going to Vladivostok in early September for the 5th edition of the
Eastern Economic Forum
• He will be the chief guest for the 20th edition of the Forum
Eastern Economic Forum

• It is an international forum held every year in Vladivostok, Russia, to support the economic
development of Russia’s Far East region and to expand international cooperation in the Asia-
Pacific region.
• The Eastern Economic Forum was established by Decree of the President of the Russian
Federation Vladimir Putin in 2015.
• It serves as a platform for the discussion of key issues in the world economy, regional
integration, and the development of new industrial and technological sectors, as well as of the
global challenges facing Russia and other nations.
1.211 Vice President Naidu launches state DBT scheme for farmers in Jharkhand
[Social Sectors in India]
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the Jharkhand government's scheme 'Mukhya
Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana'.
• Under this scheme, money would be directly transferred into the bank accounts of farmers in
the state.
What is the scheme offering?

• Under the scheme, beneficiaries having farm land of less than one acre to five acres, will get
Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 in their bank accounts.

a) Rs 5,000 is given to those farmers having one acre or less agricultural land
b) Rs 10,000 to those having two acres
c) Rs 15,000 for having three acres
d) Rs 20,000 for having four acres
e) Rs 25,000 for having five acres of agricultural land.
1.212 Hardeep Puri launches Swachh Survekshan 2020 – to be conducted in Jan 2020
• Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing & Urban
Affairs has launched the Swachh Survekshan 2020 (SS 2020).
• It will be the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• Alongside, the Swachh Survekshan 2020 Toolkit, SBM Water PLUS Protocol and Toolkit,
Swachh Nagar – an integrated waste management app and AI enabled mSBM App were
also launched.
• The event also saw the release of a special Swachh Survekhan theme song featuring
Kangana Ranaut, singers Kailash Kher and Monali Thakur.
Water PLUS protocol
• It aims to provide a guideline for cities and towns to ensure that no untreated wastewater
is released into the environment thereby enabling sustainability of the sanitation value
chain.
• This is in line with the Government’s focus on water conversation and reuse under the Jal
Shakti Abhiyan and also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals on clean water and
sanitation.
The Swachh Survekshan 2020 Toolkit
• It contains the detailed survey methodology and component indicators with scores to help
cities to prepare themselves for the survey.
Swachh Nagar Mobile App
• This app, with features such as tracking of waste collection by ULBs through route and
vehicle monitoring, notification to citizens, online collection of user fee for waste collection
and an effective grievance redressal mechanism, will be the answer to several issues that
hinder effective waste management such as lack of monitoring, collection of segregated
waste, and tracking the movement of waste vehicles and waste pickers, amongst others.
AI enabled mSBM App:
• It is a mobile app developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) that helps detect the
beneficiary face and toilet seat in the photo uploaded using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
model at the backend.

• Shri Mishra also highlighted the key differentiators of SS 2020 from SS 2019.
1.213 High Level Committee on CSR recommends CSR expenditure to be made tax deductible
expenditure
[Social Justice]
• The High Level Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has recommended
making CSR expenditure tax deductible and that compliance violations be treated as a civil
offence that attracts penalties.
Key recommendations of the committee
• Allow the carry-forward of unspent balance for a period of 3-5 years.
• Align Schedule 7 of the Companies Act (which outlines the kinds of activities that qualify as
CSR) with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Companies having CSR-prescribed amount below ₹50 lakh may be exempted from
constituting a CSR Committee.
• Violation of CSR compliance may be made a civil offence and shifted to the penalty regime.

• It also recommends balancing local area preferences with national priorities when it comes
to CSR, and also introducing impact assessment studies for CSR obligations of ₹5 crore or
more.
• Recommends the registration of implementation agencies on the Ministry of Corporate
Affairs portal.
1.214 Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) to be set up in Mumbai

• Indian Institute of Skills is going to be established in Mumbai , so as to take skill training and
entrepreneurship development in India to the next level.
• Two more institutes in Ahmedabad and Kanpur will also be set up soon.
• The project would be executed in PPP mode wherein construction would be done by Tata
Educational and Development Trust (TEDT).
What is its aim?

• The institute will provide skills to young people in traditional areas as well as areas including
security, aerospace, iron and natural gas.
• It is aimed at enabling the young generation to acquire skills at par with global standards.
1.215 16 State Governments Sign MoU with Textiles Ministry to Impart Skill Training to Workers
• Sixteen State Governments signed MoU with Ministry of Textiles at a function in New Delhi to
take Samarth Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS) forward.
Which are the 16 states?

• The sixteen states that signed the MoUs include Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Mizoram, Tamil
Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Karnataka,
Manipur, Haryana, Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.
About Samarth
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for a new skill development scheme,
titled “Samarth” -Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS)" from 2017-18 to
2019-20.
• It has been approved for the entire value chain of textile except Spinning and Weaving in the
organized sector.
• It is being implemented by Ministry of Textile.
Its objectives
1) To Provide demand driven, placement oriented NSQF (National Skills Qualification Framework)
Compliant skilling programme to incentivize organized textile and related sectors excluding
Spinning and Weaving.
2) To Promote skilling and skill up-gradation in the traditional sectors of handlooms, handicrafts,
sericulture and jute.
3) To Provide Sustainable livelihood to all sections of the society across the country.

Its aim
• The scheme aims at skill development of 10 lakh youth upto 2020 with a projected outlay of
Rs. 1300 crore.
• The beneficiaries will be provided training in the entire value chain such as apparel and garments,
knitwear, metal handicraft, handloom, textiles, handicraft and carpet except Spinning and
Weaving in the organized sector.
1.216 India contributes $1 million to UN fund

[Globalization]
• India has contributed $1 million to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund for the Resident
Coordinator System.
What is Special Purpose Trust Fund?

• The Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) is a specific fund established to receive, consolidate,
manage and account for all contributions and financial transactions of the new Resident
Coordinator system in a transparent and effective way.
• SPTF is housed within the UN Secretariat.
1.217 Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy launches 'Village Volunteers System'

• On 15th August 2019 , Andhra Pradesh CM has announced the Village Volunteer System , which
will be launched on 2nd October 2019.
About Village Volunteer System(VVS)

• It will provide governance services at doorsteps of people by involving over 2.8 lakh volunteers.
• Under the scheme, one volunteer will cover 50 families in each village.
• A toll-free telephone number 1902 would be set up at the call centre in the Chief Minister Office
to receive the grievances of the people.
Aim of VVS scheme

• It is aimed at ensuring corruption-free governance and last-mile delivery of welfare schemes
and services to every household and citizen in the State of Andhra Pradesh.
Who can become a volunteer?

• The volunteers will be in the age group of 18 to 35.
• Minimum qualification for becoming a volunteer is SSC in tribal areas and Intermediate in other
areas.
• The volunteers should be locals in the village.
• Each volunteer will be paid Rs 5,000 per month and the person has to ensure that benefits reach
the people in the 50 households in the village.
• In towns, ward volunteers have already been appointed.

1.218 India gets its first National Essential Diagnostics List
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has finalized India’s first National Essential
Diagnostics List (NEDL).
• India has now become the first country to compile such a list that would provide guidance to
the government for deciding the kind of diagnostic tests that different healthcare facilities in
villages and remote areas require.
About NEDL
• The NEDL has recommended that at least 159 tests should be made available for patients in
even primary government health facilities.
• The diagnostics list mentions 105 general laboratory tests for a broad range of common
conditions.
• It also mentions 30 disease-specific tests such as for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and 24 imaging
tests including X-rays, CT and MRI scans and ultrasound sonography.
• NEDL builds upon the Free Diagnostics Service Initiative and other diagnostics initiatives of the
Health Ministry to provide an expanded basket of tests at different levels of the public health
system.
• Free Diagnostics Service Initiative was launched in July 2015 , under which National Health
Mission (NHM) is supporting all states to provide essential diagnostics – laboratory and
radiology at their public health facilities, free of cost.
1.219 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to double reservation for OBCs
[Social Justice]
• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced an increase in reservations for OBCs
and Scheduled Castes in state government jobs and education.
How much increase in reservation?

• State Government is planning to almost double the reservation for the OBCs, making up close
to half the State’s population, in government jobs and educational institutions.
1.220 9-Day National Tribal Festival “Aadi Mahotsav” ready for A Colourful Start at Leh-Ladakh on
17th August, 2019
[Social Justice]
[Employment Generation]
• National Tribal Festival called as Aadi Mahotsav is going to take place from 17 th August, 2019 in
Leh-Ladakh.
• The festival is a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India & Tribal
Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
• TRIFED essentially is to play the role of a ‘Service provider’ & ‘Market Developer.’
Theme of the Festival

• The theme of the festival is : “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce”.
Festival is aimed at identifying

a) Food and Forest Produces, which can be processed, value added and marketed under the Van
Dhan Scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
b) Artisans and master craftsmen and women of Ladakh for empanelling them as suppliers of
TRIBES India. These products can then be marketed all over the Country through the 104 retail
outlets run by TRIBES India across the country and 190 countries across the world through
AMAZON, with whom TRIBES India has an agreement.
1.221 BASIC 28th ministerial on Climate Change held in Brazil

• Recently, the BASIC countries held its 28th Ministerial meeting on Climate Change in Sao
Paulo, Brazil.
• United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC) Conference of Parties (COP-25) meet
will be held later in the year from 2nd to 13th December, 2019 in Chile.
Key discussions at the meeting

• The BASIC countries reiterated their support for multilateralism, having made constructive
engagements and significant contributions towards a series of milestones under the UNFCCC.
• Ministers underlined that BASIC countries are implementing ambitious climate action both
in the pre-2020 period and in their proposed NDCs, having achieved substantial progress,
notwithstanding the multiple challenges they face in terms of social and economic
development and poverty eradication.
• The Ministers highlighted the significant gaps in pre-2020 climate efforts not only in
mitigation, but also in adaptation and support to developing countries.
• The 185 ratifications, to date, of the Paris Agreement were welcomed by BASIC Ministers.
They called on all remaining Parties to UNFCCC to join the Paris Agreement as soon as possible.
• Ministers also welcomed the 130 ratifications, to date, of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto
Protocol and recalled that only 14 acceptance instruments are outstanding for the
amendment to enter into force.
1.222 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has announced formation of Lemru Elephant Reserve
• Chief Minister of Chattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel announced the formation of 'Lemru Elephant
Reserve' in Chattisgarh.
• It was announced in his address at the 73rd Independence Day celebration in Raipur.

1.223 Broadband Readiness Index Set To Be Launched For Indian States and Union Territories
[Human Development]
• Recently, the Department of Telecom (DoT) and the Indian Council for Research on
International Economic Relations (ICRIER) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
to develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) for Indian States and Union Territories (UT).
• The first estimate will be made in 2019 and subsequently every year until 2022.
About the Index
• The BRI consists of two parts:
I. Part I will focus on infrastructure development based on the measurement of nine
parameters.
II. Part II consists of demand side parameters which will be captured through primary
surveys.
• The primary survey will be conducted annually until 2022.
1.224 Manipur CM launches scheme to improve school infrastructure

• Manipur CM has launched the "School Fagadaba" (Make education better) scheme.
Aim
• To improve 60 government schools across the state
Objective
• To ensure better infrastructure, quality education and overall improvement of government
schools to make them model schools
Key Features
• Biometric devices would be installed in schools in ensure regular attendance of teachers.
• Teachers would stay at the place of their posting for at least three years.
• In the first phase of the scheme, one school from each of the 60 Assembly constituencies in
the state have been selected.
Target
• State government has set a target to increase enrolment of students from 26,000 at present
to around 44,000 in the next academic session.
1.225 NCPCR and IIT Kanpur develop kit to spread sexual-abuse awareness
[Social Justice]
[Gender Issues]
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in collaboration with the IIT
Kanpur has developed a kit to spread awareness about sexual abuse among children.
• It uses interactive means to teach them about personal safety, respecting their body and
overcoming guilt.
About the kit
• The kit is a set of cards, posters, short animation clips and games, which can be used by
teachers or an NGO to conduct an interactive workshop for children about sexual-abuse
awareness.

• The kit also features game cards as an intervention to assess the learning acquired by
children.
• It can be used in classrooms for kids aged 8-12 and in a group of 30-35 students in one session.
1.226 NISHTHA Programme: "World's biggest project" for teacher training launched
• Recently, The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched the "world's
biggest project" for teacher training.
Aim
• To train over 42 lakh teachers across the country
• It is the world's biggest project for teacher training called NISHTHA (National Initiative on
School Teachers Head Holistic Advancement).
About NISHTHA programme
• NISHTHA - National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement is an
initiative to build capacities of teachers and school principals at the elementary stage.
• The initiative is an Integrated Teacher Training Programme of the Department of School
Education and Literacy, Ministry of HRD as part of its National Mission to improve learning
outcomes at the Elementary level under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha
during 2019-20.
Scope of Coverage
• It aims to build the capacities of participants covering all teachers and Heads of Schools at
the elementary level in-
I. all Government schools
II. faculty members of State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs)
III. District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs)
IV. Block Resource Coordinators and Cluster Resource Coordinators in all States and UT.
Implementation
• The training will be conducted directly by 33120 Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State
Resource Persons (SRP) identified by the State and UTs, who will in turn be trained by 120
National Resource Persons.
• A Mobile App and Learning Management System (LMS) based developed by NCERT -
https://nishtha.ncert.gov.in/ will be used for registration of Resource Persons and Teachers,
dissemination of resources, training gap and impact analysis, monitoring, mentoring and
measuring the progress online.
1.227 State Tourism Ministers’ Conference to be inaugurated in New Delhi

• The Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (Independent Charge),Shri Prahlad Singh
Patel is going to inaugurate the State Tourism Ministers’ Conference being held in New Delhi ,
on 20th August 2019
Who has organized this conference?

• Conference has been organized by the Ministry of Tourism

• It will be attended by state Tourism Ministers, Secretaries of Tourism and senior officials from
the States and Union Territories (UTs) who will deliberate on various issues related to the
development and promotion of Tourism.
1.228 15th National Convention on ‘‘Housing for All By 2022’’

[Social sector in India]
• Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Information and Broadcasting,
Shri Prakash Javadekar has attended the inaugural session of the 15th National Convention on
‘‘Housing for All By 2022’’ in New Delhi.
What is Housing for All By 2022?

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is implementing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban
(PMAY-U) since June 2015 for providing assistance to States/Union Territories (UTs) in
addressing the housing requirement of the people belonging to the Economically Weaker
Sections (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG) and Middle Income Group (MIG) categories in urban
areas.
• The programme envisions provision of Housing for All by 2022.
1.229 India biggest emitter of sulphur dioxide: Greenpeace

• According to an analysis of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) data
released by environmental NGO Greenpeace , India has more than 15% of all anthropogenic
sulphur dioxide (SO2) hotspots in the world as detected by the OMI (Ozone Monitoring
Instrument) satellite.
Major findings of the Report

• According to the report , Five of the top 10 SO2 emission hotspots from coal/power generation
industry across the world are in India
• The primary reason for India’s high emission output is the expansion of coal-based electricity
generation over the past decade
Where are these hotspots located in India?

• The major SO2 emission hotspots in India are Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh, Neyveli and Chennai
in Tamil Nadu, Talcher and Jharsuguda in Odisha, Korba in Chhattisgarh, Kutch in Gujarat,
Ramagundam in Telangana and Chandrapur and Koradi in Maharashtra.
Other Findings of the Report

• The vast majority of coal-based power plants in India lack flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD)
technology to reduce air pollution.
• In India, there has been an increase of SO2 emissions at already existing hotspots and new sites
generating emissions are emerging across the country
• Of the world’s major emitters, China and the United States have been able to reduce emissions
rapidly
• China reduced its SO2 emissions through stringent emission norms and implementation of
technologies like FGD.

• In Russia, South Africa, Mexico and Turkey, emissions are currently not increasing — however,
there is not a lot of progress in tackling them either.
• According to the analysis, air pollution is a huge public health concern, with 91 per cent of the
world’s population living in areas where outdoor air pollution exceeds guideline limits by the
World Health Organization (WHO)
• As a result, 4.2 million people die prematurely every year.
1.230 Ambikapur to exchange plastic waste for free meal

[Social Justice]
• The Municipal Corporation of Ambikapur, in Surguja district of Chhatisgarh is going to open a
garbage cafe.
• In the cafe , plastic waste will be exchange for food – 1 kg of waste will be exchanged for a full
meal while half a kg will be exchanged for breakfast.
Why this initiative?

• This initiative is being taken to spread awareness of curbing the use of plastic, feeding the
homeless and ragpickers, and empowering poor women.
• The collected garbage from this cafe will be sent to a recycling plant which turns it into plastic
granules.
Background
• Ambikapur is the second cleanest in the country after Indore according to the Swachh
Survekshan 2019.
• First spot was taken by Indore in Swachh Survekshan 2019.
1.231 Punjab rolls out Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana, to cover 76% population
[Human Development]
• State government of Punjab has launched its flagship universal health insurance scheme —
Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana
• This scheme is expected to benefit nearly 46 lakh families , covering 76% of the state’s population
• With this scheme, Punjab has become the first state in the country to offer medical insurance
cover to the maximum number of its people
Features of the scheme

• The scheme would entitle beneficiaries to avail annual cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per
family per year, including pre-existing diseases.
• The scheme is equipped with specially designed 1,396 treatment packages including surgical
packages
• These packages include the cost of pre-hospitalisation for three days and post-hospitalisation
for 15 days.
• It will be implemented through more than 450 empanelled hospitals, including 200 government
hospitals.
1.232 Power Minister launches SARAL - 'State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index'
• Recently, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill
Development & Entrepreneurship, launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index-
SARAL.
• It is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of state-level measures
adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment.
Objective
• To encourage each state to assess the initiatives taken so far, and what it can do to improve its
solar rooftop ecosystem. This will help states to channelize investments that can eventually
help the sector grow.
Developed by
• It has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry
of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).
Indicators
• SARAL currently captures five key aspects –
I. Robustness of policy framework
II. Implementation environment
III. Investment climate
IV. Consumer experience
V. Business ecosystem
Key findings of the Index
• State of Karnataka gets first rank in the Index.
• Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have got 2nd, 3rd and 4th rank respectively.
• The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been ranked last.
Relevance
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set a target of 175 GW of renewable
energy capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW solar power is to be operational by March 2022, of
which 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops.
1.233 IIT Delhi startup Sanfe launches reusable sanitary pads made from banana fibers
• An IIT Delhi-incubated startup , SANFE has launched the first-of-its-kind reusable sanitary pads,
made with composite banana fiber.
• SANFE is known for designing and developing products for improving female health and hygiene.
1.234 National Conference on Capacity Building of Sustainable Food Value Chains

• A two-day National Conference on Capacity Building of Sustainable Food Value Chains for
Enhanced Food Safety and Quality is going to take place in New Delhi.
Who has organized the Conference?

• The conference has been organized by National Productivity Council (NPC) in collaboration with
Asian Productivity Organization, Japan.
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• The Conference was inaugurated by Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Chairman of NPC, Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra.
1.235 Government to make FASTag mandatory for all vehicles from Dec 2019
[Social Justice]
• Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced that FASTags will become
mandatory for all vehicles from December this year.
• FASTag enabled vehicles can cruise through the dedicated FASTag lane without stopping at toll
plazas on National Highways.
Key Points
• A total of over 52 lakh FASTags have been issued till date.
• FASTags are being issued by 22 certified banks through various channels such as Point-of-Sale
at NH toll plazas and selected bank branches.
About FASTag
• It is an electronic toll collection system in India, operated by the National Highway Authority of
India (NHAI).
• It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly
from the prepaid or savings account linked to it or directly toll owner.
• The system was initially set up as a pilot project in 2014 on the stretch of the Golden
Quadrilateral between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
1.236 Bharti AXA Life ties up with Akshaya Patra to support mid-day meal programme
[Human Development]
• Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a private life insurer, has partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation
to support and contribute to the mid-day meal programme for government school children.
• Akshaya Patra serves nutritious mid-day meals free of cost to children studying in government-
run schools.
• At present, it feeds 1.76 million children every day in 15,000 schools across 12 states in the
country.
About Mid-day Meal Programme
• Mid-day meal (MDM) is a wholesome freshly-cooked lunch served to children in government
and government-aided schools in India.
• It aims to:
I. avoid classroom hunger
II. increase school enrolment
III. increase school attendance
IV. improve socialisation among castes
V. address malnutrition
VI. empower women through employment
1.237 Government declares ocean energy as green power


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• Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has declared Ocean Energy as renewable
energy.
• It has been clarified that energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal,
wave, ocean thermal energy conversion among others shall be considered as renewable
energy and shall be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO).
1.238 ‘San-Sadhan’ hackathon- for Divyangjan accessible toilets will be held in New Delhi
[Social Justice]
• Recently, government called for applications for its latest initiative under the Swachh Bharat
Mission, called the ‘San-Sadhan’ Hackathon.
• It is an initiative to ease lives of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) by making toilets
smarter, more accessible, and easier to use.
Objective
• The government will look for smart, scalable and innovative solutions for economical toilets for
individual and community use in rural and urban contexts.
Organised by
• It will be organized jointly by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Department of Empowerment
of Persons with Disabilities, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, and 91springboard.
Date & Venue
• It will be held on 14th & 15th September, 2019 at New Delhi.
1.239 Union Textiles Minister launches Project SU.RE on Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakme Fashion
Week
• Recently, Project SU.RE has been launched, which is a move towards sustainable fashion, at
Lakme Fashion Winter/Festive 2019, in Mumbai.
Launched by
• It has been launched by the textile minister, along with Clothing Manufacturers Association of
India (CMAI), United Nations in India and IMG Reliance, the organizers of Lakme Fashion Week.
What is SU.RE project?
• It is a commitment by India’s apparel industry to set a sustainable pathway for the Indian
fashion industry.
• SU.RE stands for ‘Sustainable Resolution’ - a firm commitment from the textile industry to move
towards fashion that contributes to a clean environment.
Five-points of Sustainable Resolution
• Develop a complete understanding of the environmental impact of the garments being
currently produced by our brand.
• Develop a sustainable sourcing policy for consistently prioritizing and utilizing certified raw
materials that have a positive impact on the environment.
• Make the right decisions about how, where, and what we source across the value chain by
selecting sustainable and renewable materials and processes and ensuring their traceability.

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• Communicate our sustainability initiatives effectively to consumers and media through our
online and physical stores, product tags/labeling, social media, advertising campaigns and
events.
• Through these actions, shift a significant percentage of our supply chain to a sustainable chain
by the year 2025, addressing critical global issues such as climate change, contributing to the UN
Sustainable Development Goals, and building a world that is safe for the future generations, as
an acceptance of a responsibility we all share.
1.240 24th Meeting of Western Zonal Council was held at Panaji

• Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah chaired the 24th meeting of the Western Zonal
Council at Panaji (Goa).
1.241 India Gears Up for 'Plastic Free Railways’ from October 2, 2019
• Recently, Ministry of Railways directed all regional offices to ensure complete removal of
single-use plastics from all railways stations effective from 2nd October 2019.
1.242 NITI Aayog released Composite Water Management Index 2.0

• Recently, second round of Composite Water Management Index (CWMI 2.0) has been
released.
• It has been prepared by NITI Aayog.
About Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)
• NITI Aayog first launched and conceptualized the Composite Water Management Index in 2018
as a tool to instill the sense of cooperative and competitive federalism among the states.
• It is an important tool to assess and improve the performance of States/ Union Territories in
efficient management of water resources. This was a first ever attempt at creating a pan-
India set of metrics that measured different dimensions of water management and use
across the lifecycle of water.
• This has been done through a first of its kind water data collection exercise in partnership with
Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Rural Development and all the States/ Union Territories.
Categorization of states
• The states are ranked across nine themes and cover 25 states and two union territories.
• The reporting states are also divided into two special groups - Non-Himalayan states and
North-Eastern and Himalayan states, to account for the different hydrological conditions
across these groups.

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Themes and indicators
• The Index comprises nine themes (each having an attached weight) with 28 different
indicators as follows:
I. Source augmentation and restoration of waterbodies - 5
II. Source augmentation (Groundwater) - 15
III. Major and medium irrigation — Supply side management - 15
IV. Watershed development — Supply side management - 10
V. Participatory irrigation practices — Demand side management - 10
VI. Sustainable on - farm water use practices — Demand side management - 10
VII. Rural drinking water - 10
VIII. Urban water supply and sanitation - 10
IX. Policy and governance – 15
Key findings of CWMI 2.0

• It ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.
• Top Rankers:
• Gujarat hold on to its rank one in the reference year (2017-18), followed by Andhra Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• In North Eastern and Himalayan States: Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged number 1
followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam.
• In Union Territories: Puducherry has been declared as the top ranker.
• Note: Union Territories have submitted their data for the first time
• In terms of incremental change in index (over 2016-17 level): Haryana holds number one
position in general States.
• In terms of incremental change amongst North Eastern and Himalayan States: Uttarakhand
ranks at first position.
• On an average, 80% of the states assessed on the Index over the last three years have
improved their water management scores, with an average improvement of +5.2 points.
1.243 Advisory Committee for Fit India Movement formed

• Recently, a committee has been formed to advise the government on the "Fit India
Movement" which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently.
• The 28-member committee, which will be under the chairmanship of sports minister Kiren
Rijiju, has 12 members from the government, including secretaries of Sports, Secondary
Education, Ayush, Youth Affairs, among others.
• “Fit India campaign” aims to encourage people to inculcate physical activity and sports in
their everyday lives.

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1.244 E-portal Bharat Craft to be created for MSMEs
• Recently, Union Minister for MSME Nitin Gadkari announced that government is planning to
launch its own desi version of an e-commerce portal.
• The government has named the portal Bharatcraft, which will provide a platform for MSMEs
to markets and sell their products.
• It would be similar to e-portal such as Amazon and Alibaba.
• According to govt., Bharatcraft portal has a huge potential to generate revenue worth ₹10
lakh crore in next 2-3 years.
Objective
• To boost to the MSME sector which is currently contributing nearly 29 per cent to the
manufacturing segment and 40 per cent to the exports.
1.245 Pakistan put on 'blacklist' by FATF's Asia Pacific arm

[Regional Economic cooperation]
• In a recent FATF (Financial Action Task Force) APG meeting held at Canberra, Australia, Asia-
Pacific Group of the global watchdog for terror financing and money laundering has put
Pakistan in the Enhanced Expedited Follow up List (Blacklist) for its failure to meet its
standards, officials said on Friday.
• It has been found that Pakistan was non-compliant on 32 of the 40 compliance parameters
of terror financing and money laundering.
• On 11 effectiveness parameters of terror financing and money laundering, Pakistan was
adjudged as low on 10.
1.246 WADA suspends India’s National Dope Testing Laboratory

[Human Development]

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• The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has suspended the accreditation of India’s National
Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) for six months.
• It is a massive blow to the country’s anti-doping programme.
• This suspension has been imposed due to non-conformities with the International Standard
for Laboratories (ISL) as identified during a WADA site visit
• The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) can still collect samples (blood and urine) but will
have to get them tested by a WADA-accredited laboratory outside India.
1.247 Government to prepare roadmap for distribution of fortified rice

[Human Development]
• The Fifth National Consultation Meeting of State Ministers of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer
Protection will be held on 3rd September 2019.
• In the meeting, Department of Food and Public Distribution will prepare a roadmap for
extending the pilot scheme of Rice Fortification all over the country so as to tackle
Malnutrition.
About Rice Fortification Scheme
• ‘Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under Public Distribution System’ scheme was
launched in Feb, 2019.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme under Public Distribution system.
• It has been approved for a period of three year beginning 2019-20.
• Under this scheme, rice is fortified with Iron, Folic Acid and Vitamin B-12.
• Currently, the scheme focuses on 15 districts preferable 1 district per state. But now, a
roadmap has been initiated to extend this scheme across the country.
• The operation responsibilities for implementation of the scheme lies with states which fortifies
the rice for distribution through PDS system.
Financial Assistance
• Financial assistance of up to 90 per cent in case of North-Eastern, Hilly and Island States and
up to 75 per cent in case of rest of the States has been extended.
1.248 Fifteenth Finance Commission discussed the Health Sector with Dr. Harsh Vardhan
[Indian Political system]
• Recently, the 15th Finance Commission headed by Chairman, Shri N.K. Singh held a meeting
with the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and other senior officials
from his Ministry.
• The High Level Group presented the recommendations of their Report on the Health Sector
on the aspects of –
I. Regulatory Framework of the Health Sector.
II. Human Resource for Health
III. Public Health expenditure
IV. Strengthening Public Healthcare Delivery System
V. AYUSH –Integrative approach
1.249 ANUBHAV awards, 2019 were awarded

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[Human Development]
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances &
Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh presented ANUBHAV awards, 2019 in New Delhi.
• This was fourth annual award in the series.
• The All India Pension Adalat was also organised on the occasion.
About ANUBHAV Portal
• ‘Anubhav’ is an online initiative that enables submission and display of commendable work
done by retiring employees.
• It created on the call of Prime Minister in 2015 with a vision to preserve rich experience of
retired official in digital form.
• Initially this facility is being provided only to retiring Central government employees.
• It is an initiative of the Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances & Pensions, and Government of India.
1.250 WorldSkills 2019 inaugurated in Kazan ,Russia

• The world’s biggest international vocational skills competition, WorldSkills 2019 has recently got
underway with a grand ceremony at Kazan, Russia.
• This the 45th edition of WorldSkills Competition .
About World Skills Competition

• The WorldSkills Competition, a flagship event of the WorldSkills International, organised every
two years, is the biggest vocational education and skills excellence event in the world that truly
reflects global industry.
1.251 Panel reviews progress of ‘Kudimaramathu’ scheme

• A district level co-ordination committee meeting has taken place in Tamil Nadu to address the
issues and progress made under ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ launched by Union Jal Shakti Ministry and
‘Kudimaramathu’ scheme of Tamil Nadu Government.
‘Kudimaramathu’ scheme
• In the year 2018 , Tamil Nadu Government launched the Kudimaramathu scheme.
• It is designed to involve communities in managing local lakes and waterbodies.
• Under the scheme, the government contributes 90% of the cost of the repair work while local
farmers are required to bear the remaining 10%, either in the form of cash, material or labour.
1.252 PM Modi invited to attend 45th G7 summit in France

[Globalization]
• Prime Minister Modi is attending the 45th G7 Summit in the French town of Biarritz.
• He has reached there on a special invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
45th Summit 2019

• This year is the 45th Summit of G7 as is based on ‘Biodiversity, Oceans, Climate’.
• The summit is being held under the presidency of France.
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• The 2018 summit was hosted by Canada in Quebec from June 8-9.
1.253 HRD Ministry launches National Digital Library of India

• Human Resource Development Ministry under its National Mission on Education through
Information and Communication Technology has launched the National Digital Library of
India.
• It has been developed at IIT Kharagpur.
Objective
• To develop a framework of virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window
search facility.
Salient features
• Educational materials are available for users ranging from primary to post-graduate levels.
• NDL has been designed to benefit all kinds of users like students (of all levels), teachers,
researchers, librarians, library users, professionals, differently abled users and all other
lifelong learners.
• Information can be personalized based on the education level, choice of language, difficulty
level, media of content and such other factors. This is thus like a ‘customised service’ provided
in a 24x7 integrated environment where learners can find out the right resource with least
effort and in minimum time.
• Repository hosts contents from multiple subject domains like Technology, Science,
Humanities, Agriculture and others.
• More than 60 types of learning resources are available - books, articles, manuscripts, video
lectures, thesis, etc.
• Items are available in more than 70 languages.
• Repository integrates contents from different Indian Institutional Repositories.
• It has been integrated with UMANG App and users can register through www.ndl.gov.in or
through the mobile app.
1.254 Amazon launches employment programme for military veterans in India

• E-commerce major Amazon India has launched a Military Veterans Employment programme
in India.
• It will create employment opportunities for military veterans and their spouses across the
company's fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery centres in India.
• It is being done in partnership with the office of the Director General of Resettlement (DGR)
and the Army Welfare Placement Organisation (AWPO) to create continued work
opportunities for military families across the country.

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1.255 Chhattisgarh to launch a pilot project on NYAY scheme
[Positive Discrimination in favour of the under privileged]
• The Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) or minimum income guarantee scheme, a key promise in
the Congress manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is set to make its first appearance
in Chhattisgarh.
• The Chhattisgarh government is likely to launch a pilot project for the scheme.
• The Chhattisgarh pilot project promises to ₹72000 per annum to 20% of the poorest families
of the State.
About NYAY scheme
• It was announced by Congress President Rahul Gandhi as a key promise in congress
manifesto for 2019 Lok sabha elections.
• The minimum income support scheme (MISP) promises to provide Rs 72,000 annually to 20%
families in poorest of the poor category, benefiting around 25 crore people.
• It was estimated that "The estimated cost will be <1 per cent of GDP in Year 1 and <2 per cent
of GDP in Year 2 and thereafter.
1.256 Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers has launched a mobile application “Janaushadhi
Sugam”
• Recently, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda launched
a mobile application “Janaushadhi Sugam”.
• He also announced that “Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin” will now
be available at only One Rupee per pad.
Janaushadhi Sugam” mobile application

• “Janaushadhi Sugam” mobile application would have user-friendly options like- to locate
nearby Jan Aushadhi Kendra, direction guidance for location of the Jan aushadhi kendra
through Google Map, search Janaushadhi generic medicines, analyse product comparison of
Generic vs Branded medicine in form of MRP & overall Savings, etc.
• The mobile application is available on both Android & iOS platforms. It can be downloaded
free of cost by the user from Google Play Store and Apple Store.
Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin

• The Government of India launched “Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary
Napkin” at Rs 2.50 per pad on the eve of the World Environment Day 4thJune 2018.
• It comes with a special additive, which makes it biodegradable when it comes in contact with
oxygen after being discarded.
• Till 31st July 2019, over 1.30 crore pads were sold at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi
Kendras.
• In order to make these sanitary pads more affordable and accessible to the women of India,
Government of India has now decided to make these pads available at rate of only Rs 1.00/-
per pad.

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1.257 Union HRD Minister launches Integrated Online junction for school education ‘Shagun’
• Recently, Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
launched one of world’s largest Integrated Online Junction for – School Education ‘Shagun’.
About Shagun
• It is an over-arching initiative to improve school education system by creating a junction for all
online portals and websites relating to various activities of the Department of School
Education and Literacy in the Government of India and all States and Union Territories.
• Shagun is coined from two different words- ‘Shala’ meaning Schools and ‘Gunvatta’ meaning
Quality.
• It will enhance the accessibility of information relating to schools and will ensure a holistic
approach to transform education sector.
1.258 Cabinet approves proposal for Review of FDI policy on various sectors
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal
for Review of Foreign Direct Investment on various sectors.
• Following changes have been approved by the Cabinet :
1. 100% FDI under automatic route in coal mining and associated infrastructure has been allowed
2. 100% FDI in contract manufacturing under automatic route has been allowed
3. FDI rules for single brand retail; expands definition of 30% domestic sourcing have been relaxed
4. Online retailing under single-brand retail has been allowed and rule of mandatory brick-and-
mortar store have also been relaxed
5. 26% FDI in digital media has been approved
Coal Mining
• As per the present FDI policy, 100% FDI under automatic route is allowed for coal & lignite
mining for captive consumption by power projects, iron & steel and cement units and other
eligible activities permitted under and subject to applicable laws and regulations.
• It has been decided to permit 100% FDI under automatic route for sale of coal, for coal mining
activities including associated processing infrastructure subject to provisions of Coal Mines
(special provisions) Act, 2015 and the Mines and Minerals (development and regulation) Act,
1957 as amended from time to time, and other relevant acts on the subject.
• "Associated Processing Infrastructure" would include coal washery, crushing, coal handling, and
separation (magnetic and non-magnetic)
Contract Manufacturing
• The extant FDI policy provides for 100% FDI under automatic route in manufacturing sector.
There is no specific provision for Contract Manufacturing in the Policy.
• In order to provide clarity on contract manufacturing, it has been decided to allow 100% FDI
under automatic route in contract manufacturing in India as well.
Single Brand Retail Trading (SBRT)

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• The extant FDI Policy provides that 30% of value of goods has to be procured from India if SBRT
entity has FDI more than 51%.
• It has also been decided that all procurements made from India by the SBRT entity for that single
brand shall be counted towards local sourcing, irrespective of whether the goods procured are
sold in India or exported
Digital Media
• The extant FDI policy provides for 49% FDI under approval route in Up-linking of
'News &Current Affairs' TV Channels.
• It has been decided to permit 26% FDI under government route for uploading/ streaming of
News & Current Affairs through Digital Media, on the lines of print media.
1.259 Child Well Being Index of India : Kerala , Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu at the top
[Social Justice]
• Recently, NGO World Vision India and research institute IFMR LEAD , have together released a
Report to measure and tracks children’s well-being comprehensively.
• The report includes Child Well Being Index , which is being considered as an attempt to look at
how India fairs on child well-being.
• Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry have topped the charts in the child well-
being index while Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh have featured at the bottom.
About Child Well-Being Index

• This index provides insights on health, nutrition, education, sanitation and child protection.
• The report is important considering that 40 per cent of the country’s population is made of
children between the ages of 1 and 18.
• There are 3 dimensions of the index:
1. Healthy individual development
2. Positive relationships
3. Protective contexts
• The index captures the performance of each state and union territory on a composite child well-
being score.
Indicators of the Index

• Index focuses on three key dimensions, where 24 indicators have been selected to develop the
computation of the child well-being index.
• The index is computed on the basis of 3 dimensions - healthy individual development, positive
relationships, and protective contexts & 24 indicators.
• One of the primary objectives of this index is to garner attention to the under-researched
theme of child well-being in India and inspire further academic and policy conversations on
related issues.
Key Findings of the Index

• Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh topped the charts in the child well-being index.

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• Among the union territories, Puducherry leads the way and Dadra and Nagar Haveli features at
the end.
• Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Meghalaya featured at the bottom.
1.260 Ministry of Civil Aviation launches Aviation Jobs Portal

• Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched an Aviation Jobs Portal for Aspirants and prospective
Employers.
Aim of the Portal

• The portal aims to provide a common platform for job seekers to register their job interests
across various civil aviation sub-sectors.
• Prospective Employers, who have completed their KYC under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
MCA-21 database would be eligible to register themselves on the portal.
1.261 PM launches ‘Fit India Movement’

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Fit India’ Movement’ on National Sports Day
2019 – August 29th , on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
• A committee comprising government officials, members of Indian Olympic Association (IOA),
national sports federations, private bodies and fitness promoters has been formed to advise the
government on the campaign.
• The 28-member committee will be under the chairmanship of sports minister Kiren Rijiju.
Aim of the Movement

• It is aimed at encouraging people to give priority to sports and fitness in their day-to-day lives.
• It will inculcate physical activities/sports into the daily lives of citizens to improve their physical
fitness and well-being
1.262 Status of Policing in India Report 2019: Police Adequacy and Working Conditions’ has been
released
• Recently, Status of Policing in India Report 2019: Police Adequacy and Working Conditions’ has
been released.
About the Report

• It has been prepared by NGO Common Cause and the Lokniti programme of the Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies (CSDS).
• This is the second such joint report.
• The report surveys on police adequacy and working conditions.
• The latest report surveys 12,000 police persons across 22 states together with their family
members (around 11,000).
• The report offers a potent explanation for the low credibility of the police in public perception.

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1.Infrastructure - Across the states
• 70 police stations did not have wireless devices
• 214 police stations lacked telephone access
• 24 police stations had neither of the above
• Nearly 240 stations across 22 states have no access to vehicles.
• 6.4% of the police force, on an average, has been provided in-service training over the last five
years.
• 1 in 5 women in the police said she lacked a separate toilet.
• The police work, on average, 14 hours a day.
2. Attitude within the police

• Across India, 44% of police personnel believe criminals should be punished by the police
themselves, via extra-judicial means, rather than subject them to a legal trial.
• The proportion of police favouring extra-judicial means exceeds 60%. Bihar, with an infamous
history of custodial deaths, follows close behind at 60%.
3. Discrimination against women

• Another major attitude issue is discrimination against women and minorities.
• Only 7.3% of all police personnel across India were women in 2016.
1.263 National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Conferred the Prestigious SKOCH
Governance Gold Award
[Human Development]
• Deendayan Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), has been
conferred the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold Award for its Portal for Affordable Credit
and Interest Subvention Access (PAiSA).
What are SKOCH Governance Gold Awards?

• SKOCH Award is the highest civilian honour in India , conferred by an independent organisation.
• It was instituted in the year 2003 and recognises people, projects and institutions that go the
extra mile to make India a better nation.
• SKOCH Awards celebrate human excellence and agents of change in Indian society.
About DAY-NULM
• National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Poverty Alleviation (MHUPA), on 24th September, 2013.
• It replaced the existing Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY).
• The NULM focuses on organizing urban poor in their strong grassroots level institutions,
creating opportunities for skill development leading to market-based employment and helping
them to set up self-employment venture by ensuring easy access to credit.
About PAiSA Portal

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• PAiSA is a centralized IT platform which simplifies and streamlines release of interest
subvention under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) , launched in November
2018.
• The web platform has been designed and developed by Allahabad Bank , which is also the nodal
bank for this platform.
• It offers end to end online solution for processing, payment, monitoring and tracking of interest
subvention claims from banks on a monthly basis.
• As of now, 28 States/UTs and 74 Banks including 21 Public Sector, 18 Private and 35 Regional
Rural Banks have been on boarded on the portal.
1.264 North East Rural Livelihood Project(NERLP) improves livelihoods of 300,000 households in 11
districts
[Human Development]
• The North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) has empowered rural poor and improved
livelihoods of about 300,000 rural households in the four states of Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura
and Sikkim.
About NERLP
• NERLP is Central Sector Scheme in four North East States, namely Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim
and Tripura , launched in the year 2012.
• It is under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
• NERLP is an externally aided poverty eradication project funded by the World Bank
incorporating SHG model, and Community Based Resource Management Model with focus on
livelihood initiatives.
• The project has been implemented in 11 districts of 4 North Eastern states mentioned above.
Aim of the Project

• The project aims “to improve rural livelihoods especially that of women, unemployed youth
and the most disadvantaged, in four North Eastern States”.
• The project also works in partnerships with expert organizations to focus on cluster development
through value chains.
• The project has focussed on five development strategies:
1. social empowerment
2. economic empowerment
3. partnership development
4. project management
5. livelihood & value chain developments.
1.265 NGT panel suggests unique ID numbers for water bodies to prevent encroachments in Delhi
• A monitoring committee has informed the National Green Tribunal that land owning agencies
must ensure prevention of encroachments of water bodies in the city and unique ID numbers
should be given to them for identification.

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Recommendations by the Committee
• The committee under NGT was led by a former high court judge Justice S P Garg.
• It has recommended that the water bodies should be secured by constructing boundary walls
and relevant entries in the revenue records.
• The committee has informed the tribunal that new water bodies are being taken up for revival
from time to time on the basis of information given by activists or newspaper clippings.
• It has been suggested that lakes and ponds are victims of 'Eutrophication'.
1.266 Campaign Angikaar & E-Course on Vulnerability Atlas Launched

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a campaign for change management called
as “angikaar” and e-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India.
About Angikaar
• It has been launched for social behaviour change for beneficiaries of completed houses under
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-U), through community mobilization.
• It focuses on issues such as water & energy conservation, waste management, health, tree
plantation, sanitation and hygiene.
What will Angikaar do?

• The campaign will converge with schemes and Missions of other Ministries like Ujjwala for gas
connection and Ayushman Bharat for health insurance to the beneficiaries of PMAY (U).
• The angikaar aims at reaching out all the beneficiaries of the Mission in phased manner.
• The campaign will be initiated in all target cities on 2nd October 2019 commemorating
150th Gandhi Jayanti after preparatory phase and culminate on the occasion of Human Rights
Day, 10th December, 2019.
1.267 India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management
• A two days India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management has
been inaugurated in New Delhi.
Organizer of the event

• The event has been organised by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of
India along with the National Disaster Management Authority in partnership with the UK
Governments Office of Science.
Key objectives of the Workshop

• For India and the UK to share their respective advice mechanisms and practices for using
science and technology in the management of emergencies/disasters.
• To identify one or two specific opportunities for building on existing collaborations between the
two countries to further enhance the effective application of science in emergency/disaster
preparedness and management.

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1.268 GeM and SIDBI sign MoU to enable growth of MSMEs, Start-ups and Women Entrepreneurs
• Government e Marketplace (GeM) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has signed an
MoU with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
• This MoU has been signed to benefit MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups (SHGs),
Women Self Help Groups and various loan beneficiaries under MUDRA and Stand-up India
scheme.
1.269 Centre launches online “National laboratory directory”

[Social sector- Health]
• Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has launched an online directory called as National
Laboratory Directory.
• The directory provides information about Indian standards of various products and testing
infrastructure in the country for the benefit of various stakeholders such as start-ups.
1.270 MeitY and Google tie up to build for Digital India

[Government Schemes and Programmes]
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Google have signed a
statement of intent to roll-out a programme called 'Build for Digital India'.
• It is a programme that will give engineering students a platform to develop market-ready,
technology-based solutions that address key social problems.
• As part of the programme, engineering students across the country will be invited to apply and
join in a learning journey that will help them transform their bright ideas into real-world
solutions.
• Applicants will take part in online and offline learning opportunities on key technologies such
as machine learning, cloud and android.
• Google will also offer mentorship sessions in product design, strategy and technology to the
most promising products and prototypes.
• These will be offered through Google’s Developer Student Club network and other Google
Developer networks.
1.271 DBS lowers India's FY20 GDP growth to 6.2%

• Singapore's banking group DBS has revised India's real GDP growth forecast downwards for
the current financial year to 6.2 per cent from 6.8 per cent projected earlier.
• It has been done by factoring in weak start to FY20.
1.272 ADB cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 6.5% for FY20
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sharply cut India’s growth forecast to 6.5 per cent
for the current fiscal, weighed down by the GDP growth rate dipping to a six-year low in the
first quarter.

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1.273 At 6%, UNCTAD projects 7-year low GDP growth for India in 2019
• Recently, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has pegged
India’s economic growth rate at a seven-year low of 6 per cent in 2019.
• Growth projections for India have been marked down because of a sharp fall to 5.8 per cent
in the first quarter of CY19.
1.274 IIT Delhi to establish shared research infrastructure

• A shared science and technology infrastructure facility named Sophisticated Analytical and
Technical Help Institute (SATHI) will be set up at IIT Delhi.
• The centre will be set up in the Sonepat campus (Haryana) of IIT Delhi.
• The objective is to provide professionally managed services under one roof to meet the
demands of industry, start-ups and academia.
1.275 IIT Guwahati develops 'AI tutor' for students

• A team of post-graduate students and teachers from the Electrical and Electronics Engineering
(EEE) department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, are developing an
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled chatbot called as ALBELA.
• It is being developed to teach and support first year EEE students.
1.276 Prime Minister to Launch Kisan Man Dhan Yojana

[Social Justice]
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi shall launch the Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana on the 12th of
September at Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• The Scheme shall secure the lives of 5 Crore Small and Marginal Farmers by providing a
minimum pension of Rs 3000 per month, to those who attain 60 years of age.
• The scheme has an outlay of Rs 10,774 Crores for the next three years.
• All the small and marginal farmers who are currently between the ages of 18 to 40 years can
apply for the scheme.
• Farmer’s monthly contribution can be made from the instalments of PM-KISAN or through CSCs.
1.277 National Centre for Clean Coal Research & Development inaugurated at Bengaluru
• Recently, National Centre for Clean Coal Research and Development was inaugurated at
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bengaluru.
• National Centre for Clean Coal Research and Development (NCCCR&D) is a national level
consortium on clean coal R&D, led by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bengaluru.
• The primary goal is to address several critical R&D challenges towards the development of
clean coal technologies, in tandem with developing supercritical power plant technologies,
both at the materials and system level.

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1.278 IIT Mandi to disburse over ₹10 crore to startups over next five years
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi is going to disburse over ₹10 crore to startups over
the next five years through its Catalyst programme.
• Catalyst will guide early stage entrepreneurial initiatives by providing support in infrastructure,
finances, mentoring, and industry connections.
1.279 Telangana declares year 2020 as Artificial Intelligence year

• The Telangana government has decided to declare 2020 as Artificial Intelligence year by
organising various activities related to the emerging technology.
• Telangana government has signed up with NITI Aayog, which has come out with the 'National
Strategy for Artificial Intelligence' to run pilot projects in Telangana.
1.280 16th Global SME Business Summit inaugurated

• Recently, 16th Global SME Business Summit 2019 was inaugurated in New Delhi.
• The Summit is organized every year by Ministry of MSME and Confederation of Indian
Industries (CII).
• The theme this year is ‘Making Indian MSMEs Globally Competitive’.
1.281 PM Modi announces $150 mn line of credit to Pacific island nations for climate-related
projects
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a $150 million line of credit to the group of
Pacific island nations for undertaking solar, renewable energy and climate related projects
based on their requirement.
• Apart from that, a total allocation of $12 million was also announced to the member states
who attended the India-Pacific Islands Developing States towards implementation of high-
impact developmental project in the area of their choice.
1.282 IATA starts campaign to advance gender diversity in airline industry by 2025
[Gender Issues]
• Recently, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched the
25by2025Campaign — an initiative to advance gender diversity in the airline industry by
2025.
• It is a voluntary commitment by participating IATA member airlines.
• It aims to raise the number of women in senior positions by either 25% against currently
reported metrics or to minimum representation of 25% by 2025.
1.283 21st session of WHO-FAO coordinating committee of Asia held

[Social sector - Health]
• Recently, the 21st session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World
Health Organisation (WHO) Coordinating Committee was held in Panaji, Goa.

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• It was organised by the Food Safety and Standards of India (FSSAI) in collaboration with
WHO and FAO of the United Nations.
1.284 PIO cards to continue as valid travel document till March 2020
[Globalization]
• Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards along with valid foreign passport will be considered for
exit/entry into India till 31st of March 2020.
• The latest Government of India advisory has notified that Bureau of Immigration (BoI) will now
accept PIO cards as valid travel document till 31st of March next year along with valid foreign
passport.
• Indian Immigration Check Post(s) will continue to consider all PIO cards valid for exit/entry into
India till 31st of March next year.
1.285 Andhra Pradesh Government seeks ₹25,000 crore loan from New Development Bank
• The Andhra Pradesh government has proposed a loan deal of ₹25,000 crore for development
of schools, hospitals, road infrastructure, drinking water and other things in the State with
the New Development Bank (NDB).
• It is in addition to the ₹6,000 crore loan which is awaiting approval of the bank’s board.
1.286 LIC to identify and develop ‘Bima Grams’

[Social Justice]
• The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has come forward to develop villages that
subscribe for 100 policies into ‘Bima Grams’.
• LIC would take care of such villages by spending ₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh on their infrastructure.
• The corporation had fixed a target of identifying and developing 100 such Bima Grams in the
current financial year.
1.287 Election Commission of India Launches a One Stop Solution to Verify & Authenticate Voter
Details
• The Election Commission's has launched Electors Verification Programme (EVP), which seeks to
update electoral rolls through crowd sourcing.
What is this Programme about?

• Under the programme, a voter from each family will get a username and password and will be
allowed to upload all documents related to electoral registration and tag similar details about
his or her family members.
• The idea behind the programme is to empower voters to assess electoral roll details, self-
authenticate and then get mistakes rectified.
• The program has been launched at all Levels starting from the State/UT Headquarters and will
continue from September 1, 2019 to October 15, 2019.
Aim of the Programme

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• The main aim of the programme is to improve the health of Electoral rolls and to provide better
electoral services to citizens and increase the level of Communication between voters and the
Commission.
1.288 ECI to host the 4th General Assembly of Association of World Election Bodies at Bengaluru
• The Election Commission of India is scheduled to host the 4th General Assembly of Association
of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) at Bengaluru on 3rd September 2019.
• India will take over as A-WEB’s Chair for the 2019-21 term.
• An International Conference on “Initiatives and Challenges of Social Media and Information
Technology in Elections” will also be held on 04th September, 2019.
About A-WEB
• The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) is the largest association of Election
Management Bodies (EMBs) worldwide.
• A-WEB was established on October 14, 2013 in Song-do, South Korea and its permanent
secretariat is located at Seoul.
• A-WEB’s vision is to foster efficiency and effectiveness in conducting free, fair, transparent and
participative elections worldwide.
• Its activities are guided by its mission to identify latest trends, challenges and developments in
democratic electoral management and electoral processes and to facilitate appropriate
exchange of experience and expertise among members with the objective of strengthening
electoral democracy worldwide.
1.289 Commerce Minister reviewed the Status of ‘Special Economic Zone’ of Maharashtra
• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal has reviewed the status of Special
Economic Zones in Maharashtra
What are SEZs?

• Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is a geographical region that has economic laws different from a
country's typical economic laws. Usually the goal is to increase foreign investments.
• SEZ are set up under Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 as duty free enclaves to be treated as
foreign territory for the purpose of trade operations and duties and tariffs.
• SEZ are allowed for manufacturing, trading and service activities.
• A single window SEZ approval mechanism by Board of Approval
• The SEZ Act, 2005, provides the legal framework for establishment of SEZs and also for units
operating in such zones.
Amendment of SEZ Act 2005

• The Union Cabinet has approved promulgation of an Ordinance to amend the definition of
“person”, as defined in sub-section (v) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005:
1. To include a trust.
2. To enable the setting up of a unit in a Special Economic Zone by a trust.
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3. To provide flexibility to the Central Government to include in this definition of a person, any
entity that the Central Government may notify from time to time.
• The amendment will enable a trust to be considered for grant of permission to set up a unit in
SEZs.
• The amendment will also provide flexibility to the Central Government to include in this
definition of a person, any entity that the Central Government may notify from time to time.
This will facilitate investments in Special Economic Zones.
1.290 NRIs to get Aadhaar without 180-day wait in 3 months

[Social Justice]
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has stated that its systems will be ready
within three months to offer the facility of issuing Aadhaar cards to NRIs with Indian passports
without the mandatory 180 days waiting period.
• The mentioned provision was announced in the 2019-20 Budget.
Background
• Currently , the Non Resident Indian(NRIs) can apply for Aadhaar card only if he or she has stayed
in India for at least 182 days in the last 12 months.
Aadhar Seva Kendras

• The UIDAI is also setting up Aadhaar Seva Kendras — similar to the concept of Passport Seva
Kendras — covering 53 cities across the country at an estimated project cost of ₹300-400 crore.
• These Aadhaar centres are meant to facilitate enrolment, updation and other activities.
• These centres are under UIDAI directly and will operate in addition to thousands of centres
currently being run by banks and post offices, as well as in government premises.
• UIDAI has set its target of opening 114 such centres across the country in the coming months.
1.291 NRC Assam: UN refugee chief urges India to ensure no one left stateless
[Social Justice]
• The top U.N. refugee official has urged India to ensure that no one is left stateless by
the exclusion of over 19 lakh people from a citizenship list in Assam.
• This request has come in the wake of publishing of NRC , wherein out of 3.3 crore applicants,
over 19 lakh people were excluded.
What is India’s stand?

• According to the Ministry of External Affairs , People left off the National Register of Citizens
(NRC) are not “stateless” and will continue to enjoy all the rights as before till they exhaust all
the remedies available under the law, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
• It has been stated that NRC has no implication on the rights of an individual resident
in Assam and that they will not be deprived of any rights or entitlements which they have
enjoyed before.
NRC Inclusion
• Inclusion in the NRC is based on ‘application’ rather than ‘house to house enumeration’.

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• It means that any person in Assam could have sought to be included in the list on the basis of
having documentation to prove lineage from an entitled person, i.e. a person who was a resident
of Assam as on March 24, 1971.
1.292 CGHS services to be made available in 100 cities by 2022: Union health minister
• Union Health Minister has announced that Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) services
will be made available in 100 cities by 2022.
• The Union minister also launched the annual health check-up scheme for CGHS beneficiaries,
who are pensioners of the age of 75 years and above.
CGHS Scheme
• CGHS services was started in the year 1954 from Gol Market in Delhi but it has reached only 25
cities till 2014.
• In the last five years of the NDA government, services under the scheme have been extended
to as many as 71 cities.
• It aims at providing comprehensive medical care to the Central Government employees and
pensioners enrolled under the scheme.
• It caters to the healthcare needs of eligible beneficiaries covering all four pillars of democratic
set up in India namely Legislature, Judiciary, Executive and Press.
• CGHS is the model Health care facility provider for Central Government employees &
Pensioners and is unique of its kind due to the large volume of beneficiary base, and open
ended generous approach of providing health care.
• CGHS provides health care through following systems of Medicine
1. Allopathic
2. Homoeopathic
3. Indian system of medicine – Ayurveda , Unani , Siddha and Yoga
1.293 World Bank to fund pro-poor tourism development projects worth $57 mn
[World Bank]
• World Bank will fund ‘pro-poor tourism’ (PPT) development projects worth more than $57
million in top tourist hotspots of Agra and Braj-Mathura regions in Uttar Pradesh.
• While the World Bank will incur 70% of the project cost, the remaining 30% will be borne by
the UP government.
• World Bank and the union finance ministry have already signed loan and project agreements
for the proposed PPT projects.
What is Pro-poor tourism?
• Pro-poor tourism is a holistic tourism concept aimed at poverty alleviation in the periphery
of selected tourism hubs through interventions pertaining to the economic, social and cultural
aspects of the area.

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UP Tourism Statistics
• UP ranked second in the country after Tamil Nadu for attracting the highest number of
domestic backpackers.
• In terms of foreign tourists, UP ranked third after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu for the
highest number of tourists at more than 35 million and cornering 13.2% share in 2017.
• The state has also been developing the Ramayan Circuit, Buddha Circuit, and Krishna Circuit,
Sufi Circuit etc. to boost the prospects of religious and spiritual tourism in the state.
1.294 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
held at Greater Noida
• The 12-day 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to the UN Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) was held at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.
• It was acknowledged that in a global campaign to save productive land, countries like Brazil,
China, India, Nigeria, Russia and South Africa, which are among the largest and most
populous nations on Earth, “have agreed to make the Sustainable Development Goal of
achieving land degradation neutrality a national target.”
• An estimated 7,200 participants that include ministers and representatives of governments,
non-government and intergovernmental organizations, scientists, women and youth from
the 197 Parties were involved in the conference.
• The conference ended with 196 countries and the European Union adopting the “New Delhi
Declaration".
New Delhi Declaration

• The participating countries agreed that land degradation is a major economic, social and
environmental problem, and welcomed strengthening of the adoption of voluntary “land
degradation neutrality" targets that include restoration of degraded land by 2030.
• This declaration is a statement of consensus, the 35 decisions are legally binding on each the
197 signatories.
• Activities would be carried out over the next two years and monitored by India, which has
the presidency of COP till 2021.
• All countries recognized that desertification undermines health, development and prosperity
in all regions, and were deeply concerned that the impacts would be felt most keenly by
vulnerable people.
1.295 Haryana govt waives ₹4,750 crore interest, penalty on crop loans
[Social Justice]
• The BJP-led Haryana government has announced ₹4,750-crore interest and penalty waiver
on crop loans taken from cooperative banks, thus benefiting around 10 lakh farmers in the
state.
• According to the government, with this move, around 10 lakh farmers -- who had borrowed
from Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), District Cooperative Central Banks
(DCCB) and Land Mortgage Bank (LMB) -- would be benefitted.
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• Out of 13 lakh farmers, who had borrowed from PACS, accounts of 8.25 lakh farmers had
turned non-performing assets (NPAs).
• It has also been announced that 5 per cent penalty, which was imposed on farmers who
failed to repay loans taken from PACS, will now be completely waived. But, farmers will
have to pay 50 per cent of simple interest and rest will be borne by the state government.
• Farmers would pay 2 per cent interest for loans less than ₹5 lakh, 5 per cent for loan between
₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh and 10 per cent interest on loans in excess of ₹10 lakh.
1.296 ESIC Signs an Agreement with SBI for Payments To ESIC Beneficiaries on Real Time Basis
[Social Justice]
• A Memorandum of Agreement has been signed between the Employees’ State Insurance
Corporation (ESIC) and State Bank of India(SBI).
• In accordance with this, SBI would provide e-payment services directly to the bank accounts of
all ESIC beneficiaries and payees without any manual intervention as an integrated and
automated process.
How will SBI do this?

• The SBI would provide e-payment integration with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
processes of ESIC through its Cash Management Product (CMP) e-payment technology
platform.
1.297 India announces contribution of 22 mn USD to GFTAM for 6th replenishment cycle
• India has announced a contribution of 22 million US Dollars to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and
Malaria (GFTAM) for the 6th replenishment cycle (2020-22).
• This comes as an increase of 10% over the amount contributed by India in the 5th cycle.
Background
• India was the first implementing country to host a replenishment milestone of the Global Fund.
• It has now become the first among G20, BRICS and implementer countries to announce the
pledge for the 6th Replenishment Conference, setting precedent for other donors to contribute
generously for the cause.
• India shares a sustained partnership with the Global Fund since 2002 both as recipient and as a
donor.
• Global Fund support with investment of US $ 2.0 billion so far has made significant contribution
in attaining targets related to HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria reduction and escalating our fight against
these three diseases.
About GFTAM
• The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria as epidemics.
• As an international organization, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests more than US$4 billion
a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 100 countries.

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1.298 Government to develop a master plan for Tigers at High altitude: Union Environment Minister
• Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar has released a report on Status of Tiger
Habitats in high altitude ecosystems.
• The report has revealed that even ecology at high altitude is compatible for the tiger growth.
• Inputs from the Report will be taken from this study to develop a high altitude tiger master plan.
About the Report

• This report has been prepared by Global Tiger Forum (GTF) along with governments of Bhutan,
India and Nepal.
• Conservation partners of the study were WWF and country specific collaborators.
• The Report has been supported by the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme
(ITHPC) of the IUCN.
Suggestions by the Report

• The Report provides the action strategy for a high altitude tiger master plan, with gainful
portfolio for local communities and ensuring centrality of tiger conservation in development,
through an effective coordination mechanism, involving stakeholders and line departments
operating within the landscape.
• The report provides the rationale for stepping up high altitude conservation of tigers.
• It has also identified the possible viable habitats, corridor linkages, anthropogenic pressures, and
induced landscape level changes for evolving an in-situ conservation roadmap.
About Global Tiger Forum

• The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) is the only intergovernmental international body established
with members from willing countries to embark on a global campaign to protect the Tiger.
• The GTF was formed in 1993 on recommendations from an international symposium on Tiger
Conservation at New Delhi, India.
• The first meeting of the Tiger Range countries to setup the forum was held in 1994, in which
India was elected to the Chair and was asked to form an interim secretariat.
• GTF is focused on saving the remaining 5 sub-species of Tigers distributed over 13 Tiger Range
countries of the world by utilizing co-operative policies, common approaches, technical
expertise, scientific modules and other appropriate programmes and controls.
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1.299 Cabinet approves Mechanism revision of ethanol price for supply to Public Sector Oil
Marketing Companies for procurement of ethanol
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
given its approval for the following , including fixing higher ethanol price derived from different
raw materials under the EBP Programme for the forthcoming sugar season 2019-20 during
ethanol supply year from 1st December 2019 to 30th November 2020:
1) The price of ethanol from C heavy molasses route be increased from Rs.43.46 per lit to Rs.43.75
per litre
2) The price of ethanol from B heavy molasses route be increased from Rs.52.43 per lit to Rs.54.27
per litre
3) The price of ethanol from sugarcane juice/sugar/sugar syrup route be fixed at Rs.59.48 per litre
4) Additionally, GST and transportation charges will also be payable. OMCs have been advised to
fix realistic transportation charges so that long distance transportation of ethanol is not
disincentivised
5) OMCs are advised to continue according priority of ethanol from :
a. sugarcane juice/sugar/sugar syrup
b. B heavy molasses
c. C heavy molasses and damaged Food grains/other sources
Background
• Government has been implementing Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme wherein OMCs
sell petrol blended with ethanol up to 10%.
• This programme has been extended to whole of India except Union Territories of Andaman
Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands with effect from 01st April, 2019 to promote the use of
alternative and environment friendly fuels.
• This intervention also seeks to reduce import dependence for energy requirements and give
boost to agriculture sector.
1.300 Prime Minister Modi departs to attend Eastern Economic Forum

[Globalization]
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to Vladivostok, Russia on 4-5 September, 2019.
• This is the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Far East region of Russia.
• He has gone to participate as the Chief Guest at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum at the
invitation of President of the Russian Federation Mr Vladimir Putin and to hold the 20th India-
Russia Annual Summit with him.
Far East Region of Russia

• Russian Far East region extends between Lake Baikal - world's largest freshwater lake and
deepest lake, and the Pacific Ocean.
• It situated in the cold Siberian climate but more significantly, it shares maritime borders with
China, Mongolia, North Korea and Japan.
Eastern Economic Forum(EEF)

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• It was established by a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in 2015,
with the aim of supporting the economic development of Russia’s Far East, and to expand
international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
• The Forum focuses on development of business and investment opportunities in the Russian Far
East Region and presents enormous potential for developing close and mutually beneficial
cooperation between India and Russia in this region.
1.301 PM Modi announces $1 bn line of credit for development of Russia's Far East
• Addressing the plenary session of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), India has announced
an "unprecedented" $1 billion line of credit for the development of Russia's Far East.
• It has been done to help Russia in its quest for the development of the resource-rich Far East
region.
1.302 Proposals received for six Light House Projects (LHPs)

[Social Justice]
• A total of 43 proposals from 19 agencies have been received for Light House Project(LHP) under
Global Housing Technology Challenge(GHTC)-India.
Light House Project Challenge

• The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has instituted a challenge for States/ UTs to select six
sites across the country for constructing the Lighthouse projects under GHTC-India.
• The winning six States/ UTs that score the highest marks across the prescribed criteria will be
awarded lighthouse projects.
• The States/ UTs will receive Central Assistance to construct these projects as per PMAY (U)
guidelines.
• In addition to this, a Technology Innovation Grant (TIG) for the States/ UTs is provisioned to
offset the impact of any additional cost implication due to the use of new technology and to
absorb the issues related to economies of scale and other related factors.
• The selected sites for lighthouse projects will be used as an ‘open laboratory’ for live
demonstration and will receive due attention from academia (Civil Engineering, Planning,
Architecture), practitioners (Public/ Private), policy makers (Central/ State) and media apart
from felicitation/ recognition in Grand Expo-cum-Conference.
Global Housing Technology Challenge

• The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has launched a “Global Housing Technology Challenge-
India (GHTC- India)”.
• The challenge has three components :
1. Conduct of Grand Expo-cum-Conference
2. Identifying Proven Demonstrable Technologies from across the globe
3. Promoting Potential Technologies through the establishment of Affordable Sustainable
Housing Accelerators- India (ASHA-I) for incubation and accelerator support.
• The initiative has been launched under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U).

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• The aim is to fast-track the construction of affordable housing and meet the target of
constructing 1.2 crore houses by 2022.
1.303 Joint India- NDB Workshop on Enhancing New Development Bank (NDB) Engagement with the
Indian Private and Public Sector
• A one-day Joint India- New Development Bank workshop on Enhancing NDB’s engagement with
the India private and public sector has recently taken place.
Organizer of the Workshop

• The workshop was co-organized by NDB and the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA)
Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• The workshop has been attended by more than 100 representatives from Indian public and
private sector.
1.304 Governors, Chief Ministers, State Ministers Launch Poshan Maah in Different States
• September 2019 is being celebrated as Rashtriya Poshan Maah or National Nutrition Month
across country to address the malnutritional challenges.
• Poshan Maah aims at making people aware of the importance of nutrition and giving individual
access to government services to support supplement nutrition for their children and pregnant
women/lactating mothers.
Nodal Ministry
• Women & Child Development Ministry is the nodal ministry for the celebration of this month.
Slogan of Poshan maah

• This year, Rashtriya Poshan Maah, is being celebrated with the aim to create a Jan Andolan to
imbibe behavioural changes into daily lives of the masses, with the slogan “Poshan Tyohar Se
Vyavahar”.
• This year Poshan Maah focuses on five critical components:

1. ‘First 1000 days of the Child’
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2. Anaemia
3. Diarrhoea
4. Hand Wash & Sanitation
5. Poshtik Aahar (wholesome meal with diet diversity)’, called ‘Paanch Sutras’.
About POSHAN ABHIYAAN

• POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi-ministerial convergence mission with the vision to ensure
attainment of malnutrition free India by 2022.
• The objective of POSHAN Abhiyaan is to reduce stunting in identified Districts of India with the
highest malnutrition burden by improving utilization of key Anganwadi Services and improving
the quality of Anganwadi Services delivery.
• Its aim to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers
and children.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is implementing POSHAN Abhiyaan in
315 Districts in first year, 235 Districts in second year and remaining districts will be covered in
the third year.
1.305 India, Russia ink proposal on developing Chennai-Vladivostok sea route

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Russia , during which he will also attend
the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
• He is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit to the Russian Far East region.
• India and Russia have signed 15 agreements/MoUs in areas such as defence, air, and maritime
connectivity, energy, natural gas, petroleum and trade.
• A Memorandum of Intent has been signed to establish a full-fledged maritime route between
Chennai and Vladivostok.
The sea route from Chennai to Vladivostok

• This sea route covers a distance of approximately 5,600 nautical miles, or about 10,300 km.
• A large container ship travelling at the normal cruising speed of 37-46 km/hour, should be able
to cover the distance in 10-12 days
• Vladivostok Port is located on the Golden Horn Bay north of North Korea and a short distance
from Russia’s border with China, it is the largest port on Russia’s Pacific coast, and home to the
Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy.
• It is the eastern railhead of the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway, which connects the far east of
Russia to the capital Moscow, and further west to the countries of Europe.

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1.306 Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution announces blanket ban on
single use plastic products in the Ministry from 15th September, 2019
• The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan
today announced a blanket ban on all types of single use plastic products in the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and all its PSUs including Food Corporation of
India (FCI).
• All single use plastic products will be completely banned in Ministry and its PSUs from
15th September.
1.307 Haryana waives surcharge on electricity bill for tubewells

[Social Justice]
• On September 3rd 2019, Haryana government has announced to waive surcharge on electricity
bills of tubewells.
• It has also announced to give relief ranging from 9 % to 45 % to plot holders of Haryana Shehri
Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) under the Enhancement Recalculation Scheme.
Its Relevance
• 6.10 lakh farmers in the state have taken electricity connection for the tubewells.
• Out of this, about 2.44 lakh connections have become defaulters and an amount of ₹147 crore
is outstanding towards them.
• If such farmers want to pay their electricity bills, then they have to pay surcharge and the
maximum surcharge amount has reached 20-25 %.
• Connections of farmers, which have been discontinued for less than two years for turning
defaulters, would be restored.
1.308 Ahead of polls, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal extends ambit of 'Jai Bhim Scheme’
[Social Justice]
• Delhi government has announced the extension of benefits under its 'Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri
Yojana', now OBC and poor sections can also benefit from ‘Jai Bhim scheme’.
• The financial assistance under the scheme has been raised from ₹40,000 to ₹1 lakh.

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• The decision will be applicable to students whose family’s earnings are less than ₹8 lakh
annually.
Background
• The scheme was launched in 2018 to provide financial assistance to SC students.
• Under the scheme, the AAP government will also finance coaching of the students.
• The amount will be transferred directly through the government’s panel of coaching institutes.
• For students who go to institutes not on government panel, the amount will be transferred to
the student directly.
• So far, nearly 5,900 students have availed the scheme and got admission in IITs and medical
colleges.
1.309 Disaster Response Teams for Disaster Risk Reduction to be prepared by Nehru Yuva Kendra
Sangathan (NYKS) in collaboration with NDRF
[Social Justice]
• Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) under Department of Youth Affairs of Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports has taken up an initiative on preparing Disaster Response Teams (DRTs) of
NYKS Youth Volunteers for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in collaboration with National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
• It is proposed to establish institutional mechanism for organized and structured engagement of
NYKS by creating Block Level Disaster Response Teams (DRTs) of volunteers as first responders
in NDRF selected hazard prone districts.
• It is also proposed to cover such districts in India in a phased manner in collaboration with NDRF,
State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMA) and District Disaster Management Authorities
(DDMA).
1.310 Global Livability Index 2019 : Two Indian Cities

[Human Development]
• According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index 2019, New
Delhi and Mumbai have been ranked 118th and 119th out of 140 cities.
Top three cities

• Vienna in Austria, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia
Bottom three cities

• Damascus in Syria, Lagos in Nigeria and Dhaka in Bangladesh rank
About the Survey

• The EIU’s index ranks cities by five headline criteria: stability, healthcare, education,
infrastructure, culture and environment.
• Stability and culture & environment are the two most important categories, weighted equally
at 25% of the total.
• Healthcare and infrastructure have a weightage of 20% each.
• Education has a 10% weightage.

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• The index assesses which locations around the world provide the best or the worst living
conditions.
• Each factor in a city is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable.

• According to it , the deterioration in culture and environment scores is of concern including the
quality of air in cities like New Delhi.
• The 2018 update to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Ambient Air Quality Database
shows that New Delhi currently boasts the sixth highest annual mean concentration of fine
particulate matter among cities around the world.
• New Delhi has dropped six ranks since last year’s Global Livability Index has also seen an
increase in cases of petty crimes.
• Mumbai’s rank has fallen in this year’s index by two places, as a result of a downgrade in its
culture category.
1.311 India faces higher mortality from cardiovascular diseases

• Lancet Report has recently published a study on Cardio Vascular Diseases , which has been
conducted by PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) .
• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders that are related to the heart and blood
vessels.
Findings of the Study

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death across the world, but
there are significant variations between rich and poor nations.
• While in high income countries (HIC), death from cancer is twice that of CVD, in low income
countries (LIC) including India, death from cardiac disease was three times that of cancer.
• The mortality was highest in the Low Income Countries (LIC) despite lower risk factors, and
lowest in the High Income Countries (HIC).
• Indoor or household air pollution has been identified as a key cause of CVD.
Countries involved in the study

• The High income countries (HIC) in the study were Canada, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and United
Arab Emirates.
• The middle-income countries (MIC) were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Columbia, Iran,
Malaysia, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Turkey and South Africa.
• The Low income countries (LIC) were Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

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1.312 Microsoft, CBSE join hands to build AI learning for schools
• Microsoft India and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have partnered to
conduct capacity building programmes for high school teachers with an aim to integrate
cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching.
• It is meant for teachers of grades 8-10 and will be conducted in 10 cities across the country.
Relevance of the Programme
• This programme will provide teachers better access to the latest Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) tools and help them integrate technology into teaching in a
safe and secure manner, thereby enhancing the learning experience and 21st century skills of
all students.
1.313 Rs 125 crore allocated to IIT Kharagpur for Centre’s SATHI initiative
• Recently, IIT Kharagpur has been selected for setting up a Sophisticated Analytical and
Technical Help Institute (SATHI), a Department of Science and Technology initiative of the
Centre.
• An amount of Rs 125 crore has been earmarked for the centre which will be given during a
period of three financial years, starting from 2019-20.
• As per DST mandate, SATHI centre will run 24*7 round the year.
• At least 70 per cent of instrument (SATHI) use time will be reserved for external users from
other academic institutes, national laboratories, start-ups, entrepreneurs and the industry.
Objective
• The primary objective will be to extend help to the academic institutes in the neighbouring
regions.
• Research establishments and industries, particularly start-ups and manufacturing units, will
also be able to use the sophisticated instruments in a few select areas.
1.314 31st meeting of Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) was held
[Social Justice]
• Recently, 31st meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) was held
in New Delhi.
• It was organised by the Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW), Ministry
of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.
Key discussions of the meeting
• Emphasis on maximum digitization of the documentation process dealing with pensioners
cases.
• Department of Pensions has already digitalized the process of providing the life certificate by
pensioners and other documents.
• Department has also started-
• Pension Adalats through video conferencing
• Pensioners’ Portal where one can easily check the PPO status, thus optimizing the use of
technology for the welfare of the pensioners.
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• On the demand of the SCOVA members, it was also agreed to hold its meeting bi-annually
instead of once a year.
1.315 SCIENCE EXPLORER: Leh's first mobile science exhibition van flagged off
• Recently, a mobile science exhibition van (SCIENCE EXPLORER) in Leh was flagged off.
• It is the first such vehicle in the region, which will hold lectures and sky observation sessions
for school students, among other programmes.
• The van will have science exhibits and hold exhibitions throughout the year at schools in rural
areas, except during vacations.
1.316 UP to create Rs 200 crore venture capital fund for MSME start-ups
• Uttar Pradesh government will set up a Rs 200 crore venture capital fund to promote micro,
small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) startups, especially pertaining to traditional
industries in the state.
• The government will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in this regard.
• The venture capital corpus will be managed by SIDBI.
• The fund would give preference to such MSMEs, which are involved in manufacturing of
traditional products and crafts under the aegis of state’s flagship One District, One Product
(ODOP) scheme.
Funding
• While, 25% or Rs 50 crore would be provided by the Yogi Adityanath government, the larger
share of 75% or Rs 150 crore would be contributed by SIDBI for creating the venture capital
fund to handhold and finance startups and enterprises.
What else is being done by UP government?
• UP government had already tied up with commercial banks for providing loans totaling Rs
5,000 crore to MSMEs under ODOP scheme. These loans will be disbursed to entrepreneurs
on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, 2019.
About One District, One Product (ODOP) Scheme:
• It was launched in January 2018.
• It is aimed at scaling up traditional industries associated with each of the 75 districts in UP.
1.317 Health Minister launched the Eat Right India Movement of FSSAI
• Recently, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched the Eat Right India Movement of FSSAI.
• It is a new healthy eating approach which places citizens at the centre of a Health Revolution
through food and fitness.
• The campaign ‘Eat Right India’ with its new logo and tagline ‘Sahi Bhojan, Behtar Jeevan’ were
released at an event of 5-day ‘72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East
Asia’.

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• It is part of the vision that the month of September is being celebrated all across the country
as “Poshan Maah” (Nutrition Month) to sensitize the public towards healthy eating, address
the twin issues of malnutrition/undernutrition and problem of obesity in some sections of the
population, and also intensifying the campaign towards a ‘Malnutrition-Free India’.
• This movement is aligned with the Government’s flagship public health programmes such as
POSHAN Abhiyaan, Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Swachh Bharat Mission to lead us to the
New India by 2022.
1.318 National workshop to discuss the issue of delayed payments to MSMEs was held
• Recently, national workshop to discuss the issue of delayed payments to MSMEs and ways
to deal with it was held.
• It was organised by the Ministry of MSME.
• At the event, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has suggested some
ways and steps that can be taken to tackle the problem of delayed payments:
• He appealed all the stakeholders to use MSME Samadhan Portal so that sufficient data could
be gathered about wilful defaulters, register themselves on stock exchanges.
• He also announced that the ministry will soon launch a marketing portal ‘Bharat Craft’ for
the marketing of their products.
• Ministry of MSME also notified that all companies who get supplies of goods or services from
Micro and Small Enterprises and whose payments to suppliers exceeds 45 days from the date
of acceptance of the goods or services, shall submit a half yearly return of the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs stating the amount of payments due and reason of the delay.
Relaunched Credit Linked Capital subsidy Scheme

• The government has launched the updated Credit linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS) to
allow micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) access to capital.
• Minister of MSME also re-Launched the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy (CLCS) web portal on the
occasion.
• CLCS is a scheme that provides 15% subsidy for additional investment up to ₹ 1 crore for
technology upgradation by MSMEs in the specified 51 sub-sectors.
• In the relaunched scheme there is an additional 10 percent subsidy to SC-ST entrepreneurs.
• It has been announced that the government would prepare a final report on the
recommendations of the U K Sinha committee, which had been set up by the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) to suggest expeditious ways to strengthen MSMEs, within the next eight days.
• In the relaunched scheme, special provisions have been made for 117 'aspirational' districts,
hill states and the northeastern region.
1.319 Skill India announces Annual Kaushalacharya Awards


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• In a bid to motivate and incentivize more trainers to join the Skill India Mission, the Ministry
of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has organized Kaushalacharya Samadar
2019.
Aim
• To felicitate trainers from different sectors for exceptional contribution towards creating a
future-ready and skilled workforce.
• It has also been announced the “Kaushalacharya Awards” would be an annual event to
recognize the contribution made by skill trainers in the vocational training ecosystem.
1.320 WCD Minister felicitated states and districts under BBBP Scheme
[Gender Issues]
• The Union Minister of Women and Child Development and Textiles felicitated districts and
states which have successfully implemented the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme.
• The felicitation and award function will be held in New Delhi.
Objective
• The objective of the programme is to felicitate states and districts which are performing well
in improving Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) as per Health Management Information System (HMIS)
of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data and excellent performance in awareness
generation and outreach.
Awards
• Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were felicitated for improvement
in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB).
• Ten districts selected for improvement in SRB were also felicitated during the programme.
• The ten districts are: East Kameng (Arunachal Pradesh), Mahendragarh and Bhiwani
(Haryana), Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand), Namakkal (Tamil Nadu), Jalgaon (Maharashtra)
Etawah (Uttar Pradesh), Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), Rewa (Madhya Pradesh) and Jodhpur
(Rajasthan).
• In addition, ten districts selected for good work in awareness generation and outreach
activities under BBBP were also felicitated by the Minister.
• These districts are: Tiruvallur (Tamil Nadu), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur
(Himachal Pradesh) Kishtwar (J&K), Gadag (Karnataka), Wokha (Nagaland), Farrukhabad (Uttar
Pradesh), and Nagaur (Rajasthan).
Special Mentions
• Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh which has registered a sharp improvement in SRB from
807 in 2014-15 to 1039 in 2018-19.
• Mahendragarh district of Haryana where the SRB has risen to 916 from below 800 mark in
2001.
• Tiruvallur of Tamil Nadu for recording impressive increase of 38 points in SRB from 925 to 963
in the last one year.

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1.321 Odisha govt to adopt new age technologies to improve farming quality
[Social Justice]
• Recently, the draft Agricultural Policy of Odisha 2019 has been released.
• The draft policy will replace the old policy of 2013 and aims at continuous growth in farmer
incomes, making the growth process inclusive of small and marginal farmers and ensuring
sustainable, stable and scalable agricultural growth.
Key provisions in the policy:
• The state government aims to promote the use of IoT (internet of things) sensors to keep the
real-time check on the supply and consumption of inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides
etc.
• It will initiate measures for setting up technology system for automated grading and sorting
of crops using robotics and machine vision. It will reduce efforts and wastage in the supply
chain.
• In addition, the new age technologies like blockchain would be used to support the
implementation of contract farming.
• The state government will also strengthen the use of drones for remote monitoring,
procurement of high-resolution satellite imagery, weather analysis from IMD (Indian
Meteorological Department) as well as through private partnerships.
• A decision support system would be developed under the ADAPT (Analytics for Decision-
making and Agricultural Policy Transformation) program which will be an integrated platform
for all the relevant datasets in the agriculture department for the purpose of effective
management of the activities carried out by the department.
• A project management unit (PMU) and data science team will also be set up for managing the
technology operations and promote the usage of data.
1.322 Government working on setting up nationwide 'AYUSH Grid'

• The AYUSH Ministry is in the process of setting up a nationwide 'AYUSH Grid' connecting all
hospitals and laboratories so that case histories and observations can be collated to generate
evidence about the efficacy of the traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda.
• The move is in line with the government's digital India motto.
• The Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have already
inked a pact to collaborate with each other for digitisation of the AYUSH sector.
1.323 PM to launch National Animal Disease Control Programme

• Recently, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced that he will be launching National
Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis on 11
September 2019 in Mathura.
• He will also launch National Artificial Insemination Programme during the event.

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About National Animal Disease Control Programme
• This programme has been launched to eradicate the foot and mouth disease and brucellosis
in livestock.
• It is a 100% centrally funded programme and will cost ₹12,652 crores for a period of five years
till 2024, will be funded entirely by the government.
• The programme aims at vaccinating over 500 million livestock including cattle, buffalo,
sheep, goats and pigs against the FMD.
• The programme also aims at vaccinating 36 million female bovine calves annually in its fight
against the brucellosis disease.
• The programme aims to control the livestock diseases by 2025 and eradicate these by 2030.
• Prime Minister will also be launching the National Artificial Insemination Programme and
countrywide workshops in Krishi Vigyan Kendras in all the 687 Districts of the country on the
topic of vaccination, disease management, artificial insemination and productivity.
1.324 Release of 8 crore PMUY connection by Hon’ble Prime Minister

[Social Justice]
• Recently, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi handed over the 8 croreth connection under
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) at an event at Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
• It was launched in 2016 from Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.
• It was launched to provide 8 crore deposit free LPG connections to poor households in the
country.
• It aims to provide clean cooking fuel to poor households and replace the unhealthy
conventional cooking fuels such as firewood, cowdung, etc.
• Three State owned Oil Marketing Companies i.e. IOCL, BPCL and HPCL have implemented the
Scheme in all the States/UTs of the country in a mission mode and achieved the target of 8
crore connections, seven months ahead of the timelines set (March 2020).
• The States of Uttar Pradesh (1.46 crore), West Bengal (88 lakh), Bihar (85 lakh), Madhya
Pradesh (71 lakh) and Rajasthan (63 lakh) have topped the list with highest number of
beneficiaries under the PMUY.
• Nearly 40% of the beneficiaries belong to SC/ST categories.
1.325 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia held in New Delhi
• Recently, 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia was organised
in Delhi and a resolution to eliminate the diseases was adopted.
Key discussions of the meeting
• Member-countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region have
resolved to eliminate highly infectious childhood killer diseases measles and rubella by 2023.
• The new target to eliminate both the diseases will leverage the existing momentum and a
strong political commitment.

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• To achieve the new targets, the member-countries resolved to strengthen the immunization
systems for increasing and sustaining high level of population immunity against the two
diseases at both the national and sub-national levels.
• All countries pledged to mobilise political, societal and financial support to ensure the
interruption of transmission of indigenous measles and rubella virus by 2023.
1.326 Mid-Monsoon 2019 Lightning Report released

• Recently, a first-of-its-kind report ‘Mid-Monsoon 2019 Lightning Report’ on lightning
incidents in India has been released.
• It has been prepared by Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council (CROPC), a
non-profit organisation that works closely with India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• It counted 65.55 lakh lightning strikes in India during four-month period (april-july), of which
23.53 lakh (36 per cent) happened to be cloud-to-ground lightning, the kind that reaches the
Earth.
• The other 41.04 lakh (64 per cent) were in-cloud lightning, which remains confined to the
clouds in which it was formed.
• Lightning strikes have caused at least 1,311 deaths in the four-month period between April
and July this year.
• UP accounted for 224 of these deaths, followed by Bihar (170), Odisha (129) and Jharkhand
(118).
• Odisha recorded over 9 lakh incidents of lightning (both kinds), the maximum for any state but
fewer deaths than Uttar Pradesh, which had 3.2 lakh incidents.
1.327 Delhi government to come out with policy on electric vehicles

• Recently, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the Delhi government will come
out with a policy on electric vehicles shortly.
• The government released a draft policy in November.
• According to the draft policy –
• Delhi government wants 25% of all new vehicles by 2023 to be electric vehicles.
• The government is also looking to put in place measures to support the creation of jobs in
driving, selling, financing, servicing and charging of EVs.
• The introduction of 4000 electric buses will also help in promoting public transport.
1.328 IIT-Madras, Delhi University and other three get Institution of Eminence status
• Recently, The Human Resource Development Ministry has awarded the status of Institute of
Eminence to the IIT-Madras, the IIT-Kharagpur, Delhi University, Benares Hindu University
and the University of Hyderabad.
• Each university will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry,
laying out its plan to achieve the objective of becoming a world-class institution.
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• The public institutions on the list will then be eligible for a government grant of ₹1,000 crore.
Letter of Intent
• Four private universities — the Vellore Institute of Technology, Amrita Vishwa
Vidyapeetham, Jamia Hamdard University and the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology
— were issued Letters of Intent to grant them the status.
• The new Greenfield Bharti Institute, a project of Airtel’s Satya Bharti Foundation, has also been
issued the letter.
• These institutes require the State governments to act before they can be awarded the status.
Benefits of getting IoE status
• These institutions will not be subject to UGC inspections.
• These are free to set their own courses and curriculum, fee structure and merit-based
admission systems.
• They will have complete academic, administrative and financial autonomy.
• The public institutions will also receive a government grant of ₹1,000 crore, while the private
institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.
1.329 Travel and Tourism Competitive Report, 2019 released by World Economic forum
• Recently, ‘Travel and Tourism Competitive Report’ has been released by the World Economic
Forum (WEF).
• It ranks the travel & tourism competitiveness of 140 economies.
Key findings of the report
• India has made the greatest improvement since 2017 among the top 25 per cent of the
countries that were previously ranked.
• India showed the greatest percentage improvement to its overall Travel & Tourism
Competitiveness Index (TTCI) score, which has helped it become the only lower-middle income
country in the top 35.
• India is ranked 34, up six places from 2017.
• India’s highest improvement was in enabling environment, by 10 places to 98.
• The least improvement is in infrastructure as well as in natural and cultural rankings, by just
three places each.
Top Rankers
• Spain has been held on to the top spot in latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report
(TTCR).
• Spain has been followed by France, Germany and Japan, with the United States replacing the
UK in the top five.
• Others in the top 10 list include the United Kingdom at the 6th place, Australia (7th), Italy (8th),
Canada (9th) and Switzerland (10th).
• Japan remains Asia's most competitive travel and tourism economy, ranking 4th globally,
while China is by far the largest travel and tourism economy in Asia-Pacific and 13th most
competitive globally.
• Pakistan (121st) remains the least competitive country in South Asia.
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1.330 ‘Swachh Mahotsava 2019’ held at New Delhi
• Recently, Swachh Mahotsava 2019 was held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
• It was organised by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• On the occasion, the President presented the Swachh Bharat Awards in various categories.
• A book named Swachh Bharat Mission’s Book on Behaviour Change Communication was also
released.
About Swachh Bharat Awards 2019
• Best Swachh Iconic Place was awarded to Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in Jammu and Kashmir
and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST), Mumbai.
• Swachh Award in Swachhta Action Plan category was awarded to the Ministry of Railways.
• Award for Open Defecation Free (ODF) and Behaviour Change were given to Gujarat and
Sikkim.
About Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a cleanliness campaign initiated by Govt. of India in 2014.
• It seeks to achieve a Clean India by 2019 as a tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi.
• It has two sub-missions- Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission
(Urban).
1.331 NGT asks for plan for protection of the Great Indian Bustard
• Recently, the National Green Tribunal has directed the Centre to prepare a time-bound
action plan within two months for protection of the birds (Great Indian Bustard).
• Reason: High mortality rate of the Great Indian Bustard in recent times
• A joint committee has been also formed comprising officials of the Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
• The committee has been asked to prepare an action plan for the implementation of
suggestions put forth by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
About Great Indian Bustard
• The great Indian bustard or Indian bustard is a bustard found on the Indian subcontinent.
• This bird is among the heaviest of the flying birds.
• It is protected under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 of India.
• IUCN Status: Critically endangered
1.332 ADB to give $200 mn to upgrade rural roads in 34 districts of Maharashtra

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $ 200 million (about Rs 1,400 crore) to
upgrade rural roads to all-weather standards in 34 districts of Maharashtra with an aim to
improve road safety and better connectivity with markets.

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• The project will improve the condition of about 2,100 kilometre of rural roads to all-weather
standards, with climate resilience and safety features, connecting rural communities with
productive agricultural areas and socio-economic centers.
• Provision of contractual maintenance for five years following construction has also been
provided under the project.
• Besides the loan, there is also technical assistance grant of USD 1 million for institutional
strengthening of the Maharashtra Rural Roads Development Association in areas such as
road asset management, road safety, climate-resilient design and construction and web-based
real-time project monitoring.
1.333 Gadag bags ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ award once again
[Human Development]
• The Gadag district (Karnataka) administration has received the national award for effective
implementation of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme for the second consecutive year.
• Gadag Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath has received the award for ‘Effective Community
Engagement’ under the programme from Union Minister for Women and Child Development
Smriti Irani.
• In 2018-19 too, the Gadag district administration had bagged the same award.
Why this award?

• Under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme, the Gadag district administration launched
awareness campaigns in 122 gram panchayats.
• It also conducted a bus jatha and utilised the services of anganwadi workers, schoolchildren
and other volunteers to sensitise the public through dance and music programmes and plays.
1.334 1st conference of Military Medicine for SCO Member States to be held in New Delhi on 12 –
13 September, 2019
• The first conference of Military Medicine for Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) Member
States is going to take place on 12 – 13 September 2019.
• The conference will be conducted by the Indian Armed Forces under the aegis of Headquarters
Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS).
Aim of the Conference
• It has been organized with the aim to share best practices in the field of military medicine, build
capacities and overcome common challenges.
• The conference will be the first Military co-operation event hosted by India, under the SCO
Defence Co-operation Plan 2019-2020, after becoming a member state of SCO in the year 2019.
• During the conference, the Indian Armed Forces will also demonstrate the Rapid Action Medical
Team and organise a visit for the delegates to the Army Research and Referral Hospital.
About SCO

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• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a political, economic and military organisation,
which was founded in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
Tajikistan in the year 2001.
• The eight permanent members of the SCO are: China , Kazakhstan ,Kyrgyzstan ,Russia
,Tajikistan ,Uzbekistan ,India ,Pakistan.
• India and Pakistan are the newest inclusion to the Organisation.
1.335 Panel set up to identify infra projects for ₹100 lakh-crore investment
• Ministry of Finance has constituted a high-level task force to identify infrastructure projects for
₹100 lakh-crore worth investment to be made by 2024-25 as India aims to become a $5-trillion
economy.
• Task Force under the chairmanship of Secretary (DEA) has been constituted by Union Finance
Minister to draw up a National Infrastructure Pipeline for each of the years from FY 2019-20 to
FY 2024-25
• The Task Force will submit its Report on the pipeline for FY 2019-20 by 31st October, 2019 and
on the indicative pipeline for FY 2021-25 by 31st December 2019.
Members of the Task Force
The Terms of Reference of the Task Force are as follows:

1) To identify technically feasible and financially/ economically viable infrastructure projects that
can be initiated in FY 2019-20.
2) To list the projects that can be included in the pipeline for each of the remaining 5 years between
FY 2021-25.
3) To estimate annual infrastructure investment/capital costs.
4) To guide the Ministries in identifying appropriate sources of financing.
5) To suggest measures to monitor the projects so that cost and time overrun is minimized.

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National Infrastructure Pipeline
• The National Infrastructure Pipeline would include greenfield and brownfield projects costing
above Rs 100 crore each.
• Each Ministry/ Department would be responsible for monitoring of projects so as to ensure
their timely and within-cost implementation.
• The Task Force will also enable robust marketing of the pipeline of projects requiring private
investment through the India Investment Grid (IIG), National Investment & Infrastructure Fund
(NIIF), etc.
1.336 Local and Regional Governments Day observed on Day 6 of the COP14
[Social Justice]
• The 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) is being hosted by India from 2nd to 13th September 2019.
• Theme of the Conference for this year is “Restore land, Sustain future”.
• On Day 6 of the Conference, “Local and Regional Governments Day” has been observed
providing a platform for key stakeholders to interact with global peers on matters concerning
land degradation.
Land Degradation Neutrality

• The UNCCD has launched its 2018-2030 Strategic Framework , which is the most comprehensive
global commitment to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in order to restore the
productivity of vast expanses of degraded land, improve the livelihoods of more than 1.3
billion people, and reduce the impacts of drought on vulnerable populations to build.
1.337 Project 'Bal Basera' for the welfare of Children of Construction Workers deployed at AIIMS
Rishikesh
[Social Justice]
• Bal Basera or a creche , has been deployed at AIIMS Rishikesh as part of a project for the welfare
of Children of Construction Workers.
• It has been developed with the support of Central Public Works Department (CPWD) , which shall
also execute this project.
• Bal Basera shall accommodate about 35 Children and shall be run by the CPWD Officer’s Wives
Association.
1.338 Gujarat govt launches biometric online attendance system at 40,000 schools
[Social Justice]
• Gujarat government has launched a facial recognition-based biometric online attendance
system across 40,000 primary schools , on September 5th (Teachers’ Day)
• In a bid to curb absenteeism at government schools.
• To implement the system, the State Education Department will distribute tablets equipped
with geo-tagging and biometrics software to all schools in the next two months

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1.339 ‘CRADLE’ project by Kerala Government to raise standards of anganwadis
[Social Justice]
• A project to modernise anganwadis in Kozhikode district , has been launched by Kerala
Government.
• The Project is called as CRADLE (Child Rearing And Development – a Life cycle Elucidation).
• It aims to improve services under the Integrated Child Development Scheme.
Who is running the Project?

• The project is being run by the Department of Women and Child Development, Kozhikode district
panchayat, and the Kozhikode district administration.
1.340 IIM Indore to develop backward Deoria region as 'model' UP district

[Human Development]
• Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM-I) has partnered with backward Deoria district
in Eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal) to develop it as a ‘model district’ through specialised
training of officials and capacity building.
• According to the institute, this is the first initiative of its kind, in which a premier B-school had
signed a pact with a local district offering administrative, management and skills
interventions for developing a particular place as a model entity for replication.
• IIM Indore would improve the basic infrastructure, so that it can then be replicated in other
places.
• The institute would also work to revive and energise Deoria's local and traditional industries
under the Uttar Pradesh government’s flagship one-district-one-product (ODOP) scheme.
• It would help promote and market the products of indigenous industries both offline and
online.
• IIM-Indore would also hold customized management development programmes (MDP) for the
officers of Deoria district administration for capacity building and efficient discharge of duties.
1.341 Health Minister announces plans of Genomic Grid for India-specific cancer research
• Recently, the government has announced the setup of a National Genomic Grid, which will
study genomic data of cancer patients from India.
• It is being done in a move to take cancer research to the next level and make treatment viable
for people of different economic classes.
About National Genomic Grid (NGG)
• NGG will collect samples from cancer patients, through a network of pan-India collection
centers by bringing all cancer treatment institutions on board.
• The grid to be formed will be in line with the National Cancer Tissue Biobank (NCTB) set up
at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
• The grid will have four parts corresponding to eastern, western, northern and southern parts
of India.

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Objectives of National Genomic Grid
• The grid will collect samples from cancer patients to study genomic factors influencing
cancer and identifying the right treatment modalities for the Indian population.
• The grid will also aims to make cancer treatment viable for people of different economic
classes.
• Through the National Genomic Grid, the government also seeks to boost cancer research.
1.342 New guideline for identifying black spots on National highways

[Urbanization]
• Recently, The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued new guidelines to State
governments for identifying accident black spots on national highways and rectifying them.
• The guidelines detail the process for inspecting the spots, framing a proposal and obtaining
sanctions for rectifying them and suggest a timeline for submitting an inspection report and
completing the civil works.
• Recently, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the government had
prepared a ₹14,000-crore plan to identify black spots.
• The Ministry has reached out to the World Bank for funds after approval from the Ministry of
Finance.
About Black spots

• A black spot is defined as a stretch not more than 500m in length where five accidents have
taken place or where ten fatalities have happened in the last three years.
• Black spots account for 90% of road accidents in the country.

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• Hence, the measures chalked out by the government to curb accidents in such spots assumes
significance.
1.343 Madhya Pradesh Happiness department to open Time Bank

[Social Justice]
• Recently, Madhya Pradesh government’s Happiness Department has announced to set up a
Time Bank.
• It would lend currency to an hour, which could be exchanged to learn a new skill without the
need for any paper money.
How it will work?
• Whenever a bank member needs a service or wants to acquire a skill, say gardening or playing
a guitar, she could exchange a credit, worth an hour, with another member knowing the skill.
• It is a new way to link untapped social capacity to unmet social needs.
• At the start, the 50,000 volunteers registered with the department through local networks will
form community-level banks and list skills they could impart or services they could offer. An
experienced volunteer will induct new members and keep a record of all the transactions.
• In Madhya Pradesh, time banks will enable person-to-person, person-to-agency and agency-
to-agency transactions. “Members will start with zero credits, which they could gradually
acquire by imparting skills.
• Credits can even go in negative. And in case a skill becomes popular over time benefiting only
a few members, other members will be compelled to do their mite with vigour to collect more
credits.
1.344 Mumbai among top 5 cities in Knight Frank co-living index

[Human Development]
• Knight Frank India, the leading international property consultancy, has recently launched a
report titled “Insights on Co-living – An Asia-Pacific Perspective.”
• The report covers 20 major Asia-Pacific cities classified into six key attributes-
I. Tech & Financial Hub
II. Venture Capital Deals & Growth
III. Housing Affordability
IV. University Population
V. General Population & Human Development Index
VI. Quality of Life
• These six attributes have been allocated different weights based on their relevance and
importance which in summation provides a metric to quantify the magnitude of co-living’s
likelihood of success across the various Asia-Pacific cities.

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Key Findings of the report
Indian Cities
• Mumbai (rank- 5th) has emerged as the top potential market for Co-living in India with a
weighted average score of 65.94 across six basic parameters.
• Reason: Due to higher prices, rapid and continuous gentrification as well as its unchallenged
position as India’s top economic centre, offering vast opportunities for growth of the co-living
sector.
• New Delhi features on the Co-Living Index at 11th position. Being the national capital of India,
New Delhi’s attracts both the internal and external migration of capital and people, which
bodes well for co-living sector’s expansion going forward.
• Bengaluru features at 19th position because it not only has access to talent but also a
conducive and self-sustaining business environment and a vibrant start-up ecosystem
supporting the gig economy.
Global cities
• China’s co-living sector is one of the most developed having started since the early 2010’s,
Beijing is ranked 1st in the Co-living Index followed by Tokyo (2nd) & Shanghai (3rd).
1.345 Nilgiri Tahr’s population has increased by 27% in three years in Tamil Nadu
• Recently, it has been found that Nilgiri tahr’s population has increased by 27% in last three
years in Tamil Nadu.
Key Findings
• The sightings of Nilgiri tahr in the Mukurthi National Park have risen from 568 in 2018 to 612
this year.
• It is the second consecutive year that an increase in the population of the animal had been
recorded in the park.
• There is almost 8% increase in the population of the iconic animal in 2019 follows a similarly
significant increase in its population in 2018.

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• There was a decrease in tahr numbers in 2017, when a population of only 438 was recorded,
down from 480 in 2016.
1.346 Malaria report released by Lancet Commission

• According to the latest Lancet Commission report released, India has been ranked fourth in
the number of malaria cases in the world.
• The Lancet Commission on Malaria Eradication was announced in 2017, the report of which
has been published recently.
Key Findings of the report
• Indian context: India has fourth highest number of malaria cases in the world.
• Out of the 219 million cases that occurred in 2017, as many as 9.6 million occurred in India,
followed by Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. All other nine
countries in the list were African.
• Reason: Main malaria vector in India, Anopheles stephensi is particularly suited for Indian
environments that provided ideal breeding habitats: water storage containers, wells,
gutters, and construction sites.
• The poor quality of healthcare services, both in public and private sector, in India are also
adversely affecting the war against malaria.
1.347 ‘ANGAN’- A three-day international Conference on Energy Efficiency in Building Sector

• Recently, an international conference ANGAN (Augmenting Nature by Green Affordable New-
habitat) focused on Energy Efficiency in Building Sector has taken place in New Delhi.
Organizer of the Conference

• The Conference was organised by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, in
collaboration with GIZ under the Indo German Technical Cooperation.
• The Conference will provide a platform to deliberate on interdependence between
organizations, systemic sustainability and feedback loops for better resource efficiency.
Relevance of this Conference

• It is estimated that an investment of Rs. 2000 billion in Building energy efficiency activities
would lead to a cumulative savings of 388 Billion units of electricity for the next ten years with
payback of about 2 years.
• Due to lack of awareness and knowledge about latest technologies, financial assistance,
suppliers and purchase of energy efficient equipment, etc., efforts on energy efficiency and
conservation in this sector have been moderate and therefore require greater push.
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1.348 Skill India gets its first Batch of IES officers to the ISDS cadre
• The fresh batch of the newest central government services, the Indian Skill Development
Services has commenced their training program at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), in
Mysuru.
• This service has been specially created for the Training Directorate of the Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship and is a Group ‘A’ service.
• This is the first batch which is joining the ISDS cadre from the Indian Engineering Service
Examination conducted by UPSC.
1.349 President of India addresses India-Iceland Business Forum

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind has addressed the India-Iceland Business Forum
in Reykjavik, Iceland on 11th September 2019.
• President Kovind was recently on a 3 day visit to Iceland from 9-11 September 2019.
• India has agreed to cooperate closely with Iceland on climate change, marine litter and other
environment related issues.
• After the talks, India and Iceland signed agreements and MOUs on fisheries collaboration,
cultural cooperation and visa waiver for holders of diplomatic and official passport.
1.350 Panel formed to apportion J&K assets and liabilities

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has formed a three-member committee headed by former
Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra to oversee the bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into 2 Union
Territories that will come into being on October 31.
Relevance of this Committee

• The committee will look into the distribution of assets and the liabilities of Jammu and Kashmir
between the two Union Territories of Ladakh and J&K.
• It is being done as per Section 85 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
• Acc. To this section, the Central government by an order establishes one or more Advisory
Committees for the apportionment of the assets, rights and liabilities of the companies and
corporations constituted for the existing State of J&K between UT of J&K and UT of Ladakh
• The committee will be headed by Former Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra.
• It will have Retired IAS officer Arun Goyal and Retired Indian Civil Accounts Service officer Giriraj
Prasad Gupta as members.
1.351 Joint Statement of 7th RCEP Ministerial Meeting Held in Bangkok

• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways Piyush Goyal has participated in 7th RCEP
Ministerial Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand on 8th September 2019.
Background

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• The Ministers from the 16 RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs) gathered in Bangkok for the
7th RCEP Ministerial Meeting to review developments in the RCEP negotiations since the
Ministers last met in Beijing on 2-3 August 2019.
• The Ministers recognised that negotiations have reached a critical milestone as the deadline for
the conclusion of negotiations draws near.
1.352 DPIIT to Launch Plastic Waste Management Campaign for Swachhta Hi Sewa 2019
• As part of Prime Minister’s call to action for Plastic Waste Management, the theme of this year’s
Swachhta hi Sewa is “Plastic Waste Management”.
• Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce &
Industry, is playing a critical two-fold role for the success of the campaign as mandated by
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
1.353 IIT Madras to collaborate with CII to promote innovative green startups
• The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has announced to collaborate with the
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to nurture and promote innovative green start-ups
across the country.
Objective of this Collaboration

• To achieve the objective, IIT Madras’ Gopalakrishnan-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship has signed a memorandum of understanding with CII.
• IIT Madras center will facilitate novel research ideas and mentor innovative ventures in the
clean technology space at various academic institutions across India.
• CII’s business center will help the startups reach out to industry for networking and business
opportunities as they seek to scale.
1.354 Taiwan challenges Indian ICT duties at WTO

• Taiwan has dragged India into World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) dispute settlement
mechanism over imposition of import duties on certain ICT products, including mobile phones,
alleging breach of global trade norms.
• Taiwan claims that India has imposed these duties on 11 categories of ICT products in excess of
India's bound duty rates for the goods.
• Under WTO rules, Taiwan and India should meet within 30 days, and if these talks fail, Taiwan
can request adjudication by a dispute settlement panel.
1.355 India & ADB sign $200 million loan to improve rural connectivity in Maharashtra
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $200 million
loan.

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• The agreement has been signed to upgrade rural roads to all-weather standards in 34 districts
of Maharashtra State to improve road safety and better connect rural areas with markets and
services.
Technical Assistance
• The loan will be accompanied by the technical assistance grant of $1 million for institutional
strengthening of the Maharashtra Rural Road Development Association (MRRDA) in areas such
as road asset management, road safety, climate-resilient design and construction and web-
based real-time project monitoring.
Relevance of the Project

• The project aims to improve the condition of about 2,100 kilometers (km) of rural roads to all-
weather standards, with climate resilience and safety features, connecting rural communities
with productive agricultural areas and socioeconomic centers.
• Maharashtra has an extensive road network, with rural roads making up two thirds of the
network.
• But more than half of these rural roads are unsealed, making them unsuitable for motorized
traffic and impassable during the rainy season.
• Road safety has been a growing concern with the state accounting for over 8% of all fatal road
accidents in India.
1.356 World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD)

[Human Development]
• World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed on 10th September every year.
• The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented.
Organizer of the Day

• It is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP).
• World Health Organization (WHO) has been co-sponsor of the day.
Relevance of the Day

• World Suicide Prevention Day, which first started in 2003, is annually held on September 10 each
year as an IASP initiative. World Suicide Prevention Day aims to:
1. Raise awareness that suicide is preventable.
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2. Improve education about suicide.
3. Spread information about suicide awareness.
4. Decrease stigmatization regarding suicide.
Background
• Nearly 3000 people on average commit suicide daily, according to WHO.
• For every person who completes a suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end their lives. About one
million people die by suicide each year.
• Suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death which is influenced by psycho-social,
cultural and environmental risk factors that can be prevented through worldwide responses
that address these main risk factors.
• There is strong evidence indicating that adequate prevention can reduce suicide rates.
1.357 24th World Energy Congress to commence in Abu Dhabi

• The 24th World Energy Congress has taken place in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.
• Theme of the Congress is “Energy for Prosperity”.
More about the Congress

• The four-day World Energy Congress aims to bring together international energy stakeholders,
including governments, private and state corporations, academia and media.
• The World Energy Congress (WEC) is the world's largest and most influential energy event with
over 150 countries represented, covering all aspects of the energy agenda.
• It is running since 1924.
• It is a triennial World Energy Congress enables dialogue amongst Ministers, CEOs, policy-makers
and industry practitioners on critical developments in the energy sector.
1.358 Sixth India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue concludes

• The sixth India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) has come to a conclusion in New Delhi.
• India and China have agreed that the SED has emerged as a crucial mechanism to facilitate
bilateral trade and investment flows and enhance economic cooperation between the two
sides.
Background
• SED was set up between erstwhile Planning Commission and the National Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC), China in the year 2010.
• Since then SED has served as an effective mechanism for enhancing bilateral practical
cooperation.
• Under the aegis of the SED, senior representatives from both sides come together to
constructively deliberate on and share individual best practices and successfully identify sector-
specific challenges and opportunities for enabling ease of doing business and facilitating bilateral
trade and investment flows.
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1.359 22nd Session of UN Committee on Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at
Geneva
[Social Justice]
• The UN Committee on CRPD in its 22nd Session has taken up India’s First Country Report for
consideration during 2nd & 3rd September 2019 at UNHRC, Geneva.
Background
• India is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(UNCRPD).
• It ratified this Convention on 01-10-2007 in pursuance of Article 35 of the Convention.
• India submitted its First Country Report on Status of Disability in India in November 2015.
About CRPD
• The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its Optional Protocol
(A/RES/61/106) was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New
York.
• It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century and is the first human rights
convention to be open for signature by regional integration organizations.
• The Convention entered into force on 3 May 2008.
• The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee) is the body of
independent experts which monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the States Parties.
1.360 Life expectancy up slightly in India during 2013-17: Sample Registration survey
[Human Development]
• Sample Registration Survey has been recently released by the Registrar General of India in the
month of September
• Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir have not been considered for the analysis due to unavailability of
coherent data.
• Findings of the Survey:
Life Expectancy at birth
• Life expectancy at birth in India has risen marginally to 69 years during 2013-17 from 68.7
during 2012-16.
• Life expectancy at birth is defined as how long, on average, a newborn can expect to live, if
current death rates do not change.

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• Life expectancy at birth for the country has undergone a significant change from 49.7 in
1970-75 to 69 in the latest survey, registering an increase of 19.3 years in the last four
decades.
• Life expectancy of males rose by around five months during this period, while that of females
increased by just two and a half months.
Rural & Urban Life expectancy
• The gap between rural and urban life expectancy has also narrowed down significantly
during the same period.
• In 1970-75, life expectancy stood at 48 years in 1970-75, while in urban areas it was higher by
over 10 years at 58.9 years.
• The gap was reduced to less than five years in the period under review in the latest survey.
Now, it stood at 67.7 years in the rural areas, and 72.4 in the urban areas.
Male & Female Life Expectancy
• Kerala has the highest life expectancy rate in case of females at 77.8 years while the national
capital of Delhi had the highest life expectancy in males at 73.3 years.
1.361 ‘Indian Urban Data Exchange’ for smart cities would be expanded
[Urbanization]
• Recently, it has been announced that ‘India Urban Data Exchange’ set up by the Ministry of
housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for Smart Cities would be expanded.
• The open data platform (IUDX) for the 100 cities would be expanded to cover 500 cities by
2022 and all urban centres in the country by 2024.
• The government is planning to make a wide range of data — from health, education, finances
to social aspects — of all 4,041 urban local bodies public by 2024 and eventually monetising
it.
What government is planning?
• So far, the open data platform has 2,783 data catalogs from 99 Smart Cities, and by 2020, all
data sets for the Smart Cities would be available.
• The government is planning to make a wide range of data — from health, education, finances
to social aspects — of all 4,041 urban local bodies public by 2024 and eventually monetising
it.
• All cities would have data officers and data coordinators by 2024.
About IUDX
• IUDX is a research project under smart cities mission being implemented by Union Ministry
of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science (IISc),
Bengaluru.
• It will be an open source software platform for cities, industry and researchers to share Smart
City data with each other that could be monetised in the future, similar to the UPI for bank
accounts and digital payments.
• It will facilitate secure, authenticated and managed exchange of data amongst various data
platforms, third-party authenticated and authorized applications and other data sources, data

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producers and consumers, both within a city to begin with and scaled up across cities
eventually at a national level, in a uniform and seamless way.
1.362 World Health Organization report shows that close to 8 lakh people die due to suicide every
year
• A report released by the World Health Organization shows that close to 8 lakh people die
due to suicide every year.
• In other words, suicides account for one death every 40 seconds.
Regional spread of suicide rates:

• Against a global average of 10.53 deaths due to suicide (per 100,000 population) Europe
tends to register the maximum deaths due to suicide while Eastern Mediterranean reports
the lowest average.
• Nearly three times as many men as women die by suicide in high-income countries, in contrast
to low- and middle-income countries, where the rate is more equal.
Country-specific rates:
• It ranks India next to some of the other countries most comparable to it such as Indonesia,
Brazil and China.
• Russia’s data stands out for being over four times the global average.

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1.363 Delhi government to add 13,899 hospital beds by 2023
• According to a status report on public health infrastructure expansion by the state health
department of Delhi, It will add nearly 14,000 beds in public hospitals in the city by 2023.
• The report has said that the government will launch 400 mohalla clinics by December this year.
• Three hospitals with a capacity of approximately 2,800 beds are set to open in the next six
months.
• By 2023, the government expects all projects to be complete and all new hospitals and new
blocks to be ready for operations.
• The health department’s report also added that 200 Mohalla Clinics are ready for an October
launch, and another 200 will be ready to start operations by December.
1.364 Drought Toolbox launched on Day 10 of COP14

[Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development]
• The 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) , has dedicated day 10 to the theme of Drought.
• The event has witnessed the launch of a toolbox , which is a one-stop shop for all actions on
drought.
About Drought Tool Box

• The toolbox is a sort of knowledge bank which contains tools that strengthen the ability of
countries to anticipate and prepare for drought effectively and mitigate their impacts as well
as tools that enable communities to anticipate and find the land management tools that help
them to build resilience to drought.
• The Drought Toolbox is currently being developed as part of the Drought Initiative through
the close partnership among UNCCD, WMO, FAO, GWP, National Drought Mitigation Center
(NDMC) of the University of Nebraska, and UNEP-DHI.
New Delhi Declaration

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• 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) has ended with 196 countries and the European Union adopting the “New Delhi
Declaration".
• The participating countries have agreed that land degradation is a major economic, social and
environmental problem, and welcomed strengthening of the adoption of voluntary “land
degradation neutrality" targets that include restoration of degraded land by 2030.
• Signatories to the declaration have endorsed 35 decisions, including commitments to combat
land degradation, desertification and drought.
• These decisions are legally binding on each the 197 signatories.
1.365 U.K. opens up two-year post-study work permit visa again

• United Kingdom (U.K) has decided to re-introduce the two-year post-study work visa for
international students.
• This will boost opportunities for talented students to build successful careers there after their
education.
• The British High Commission here said that the new ‘graduate’ route will be open to all
international students – including those from India – who have valid U.K. immigration status as
a student and have successfully completed a course of study in any subject at undergraduate
level or above at an approved U.K. Higher Education Provider
Background
• The work visa was revoked in 2012 by the then government, affecting the international student
admissions as they had to leave just four months after completing their course.
• The move comes after intense debate and demand by the universities in the U.K. that feared
losing talent to other countries.
Its relevance for India

• As of now 19,750 Indian students are on U.K. campuses including 11,255 pursuing Masters
degree.
• As per Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) out of the 19,750 students, 11,255 are
pursuing post-graduate courses, 1,555 are into postgraduate research courses and 6,945 are
in undergraduate courses.
• The visa will be applicable to the 2020-21 year intake of students and after the two years, they
will be able to switch onto the skilled work visa if they find a job which meets the skill
requirement of the route.
1.366 Foundation Stone for Indian Institute of Skills, Mumbai

• Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has laid foundation stone
for Indian Institute of Skills in Mumbai.
• These institutes will be constructed & operated on a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model and
in not-for-profit basis.

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Background
• The Union Cabinet has given its nod to set up Indian Institute of Skills (IISs) in three locations of
the country — Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kanpur, to give wings to the Skill India Mission.
• The Indian Institute of Skills is aimed to provide skill training in highly specialized areas to
students who want to pursue technical education after completing Class X and Class XII, making
them employable and industry ready for the New India and the global market.
1.367 Haryana Government launches two insurance schemes for traders

[Social Sector]
• Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched two insurance schemes for traders of
the state.
• An insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh would be provided under the 'Mukhyamantri Vyapari Samuhik
Niji Durghatna Beema Yojana', while an insurance cover ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh
would be provided under the 'Mukhya mantri Vyapari Kshatipurti Beema Yojana'.
More about the schemes

• Traders registered under the Haryana Goods and Service Tax (HGST) Act, 2017 would be covered
under these schemes.
• Premium of Rs 38 crore for both the insurance schemes would be paid by the state government.
• Under 'Mukhyamantri Vyapari Samuhik Niji Durghatna Beema Yojana', the benefit of insurance
would be admissible in case of an accidental death, permanent disability and damage to two
body organs, or eyes or one organ or one eye.
• Haryana is the first state in the country to implement 'Mukhyamantri Vyapari Kshatipurti
Beema Yojana' under which the benefit would be provided to the traders on the basis of their
turnover to compensate for loss of stock due to fire, theft, flood and earthquake, and damage
to furniture and other goods.
• About 3.13 lakh registered small and medium traders would benefit from the scheme.
1.368 Union HRD Minister launches several initiatives of MIC and AICTE to boost research and
innovation in the country
[Social Sector- Education]
• Union Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has attended
the First Annual Innovation Festival of the MHRD’s Innovation Cell (MIC).
• MIC organized the first Annual Innovation Festival in coordination with AICTE.
Initiatives under MIC
• Smart India Hackathon 2020, Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA)
2020, and Institution’s Innovation Council 2.0 have been launched at the event.
• The event also witnessed the release of the Start-Up Policy Document and SIH Report, launch
of Technical Teacher’s Training Module, ATAL Academies, Protsahan Mudra Scheme,
Vishwakarma Award and the Vice Chancellor’s Meet on the Student Induction Programme.
About Smart India Hackathon 2020

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• Smart India Hackathon or SIH is a flagship program and nationwide initiative by MHRD’s
Innovation Cell (MIC) and AICTE to provide students a platform to solve some of the pressing
problems of daily lives.
• MHRD’s Innovation Cell, along with AICTE, is going to organize the 4th edition of SIH in the year
2020.
• This edition of SIH will also consist both Software and Hardware hackathon and is planned in
March 2020 for Software edition and in July 2020 for Hardware edition.
1.369 Prime Minister launches National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self Employed Persons
[Social Sector in India]
• The Prime Minister of India has launched the National Pension Scheme for Traders and Self
Employed Persons, a pension scheme for the Vyaparis (shopkeepers/retail traders and self-
employed persons) with annual turnover not exceeding Rs 1.5 crore.
Relevance of the scheme

• With this nation-wide launch, the facility for enrollment under the scheme has been made
available to the prospective beneficiaries through 3.50 lakh Common Service Center (CSCs)
across the country.
• The eligible Vyaparis can visit their nearest CSCs and get enrolled under the scheme. At the time
of enrollment, the beneficiary is required to have an Aadhaar card and a saving bank/ Jan-dhan
Account passbook only.
• He/ She should be within 18 to 40 years of age group. The enrolment under the scheme is free
of cost for the beneficiaries. The enrolment is based upon self-certification.
1.370 National Conference on ‘Criminal Activities and Radicalization in Jails: Vulnerability of

Inmates and Jail Staff and their Protection’
[Social Justice]
• National Conference on ‘Criminal Activities and Radicalization in Jails: Vulnerability of Inmates
and Jail Staff and their Protection’ has been organized by The Bureau of Police Research and
Development on 12th and 13th September.
• Scheme for Modernization of Prisons was also discussed during the Conference.
• It aims to create 199 new jails, 1572 additional barracks and 8568 prison staff quarters.
• It is Central Government scheme with an outlay of 1800 crore rupees.
1.371 Tata Group to invest over ₹500 cr to establish two Indian Institutes of Skill
• The Tata Group will invest over ₹500 crore to establish two Indian Institutes of Skills (IISs) - one
in Mumbai and another in Ahmedabad in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
About IIS
• IIS will be developed on a public-private-partnership (PPP) mode with land coming from
government and capital from the Tata Group.
• It is inspired by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) model of education.
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• The IIS will be modelled after IITs and IIMs and expected to emerge as the tertiary level institute
in the skills eco system and cater to the demand of industry 4.O. and offer courses in areas like
deep technology, aerospace, etc.
Relevance of IIS
• India will build three IIS - one fully funded by the government and two in PPP model with Tata
Group as it’s partner.
• Government would provide access to its land through a 25 year long licence.
• Once the institutes are operational, government expects at least 5000 students to pass out of
each of these institutes from the fifth years of operation with a placement record of at least
70%.
1.372 Curriculum for Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal) designed by University Grants Commission (UGC)
[Social sector - Education]
• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced the launch of a “life skills” (Jeevan
Kaushal) programme in the curriculum for under-graduate courses across the country.
About Jeevan Kaushal Programme

• UGC has constituted Expert Committee has prepared a Curriculum for Life Skills (JeevanKaushal)
for Under Graduate Programme.
• The curriculum is designed to impart and strengthen the knowledge, skills and dispositions
believed to be the best requisites of the current Industry and thereby empower the talent
inherent in each learner.
• The new programme can be accommodated in any semester with for 8 credit points.
• The curriculum covers the set of human talents acquired by an individual via classroom
learning or life experience that can help them to deal with problems encountered in day to
day life.
• It is aimed at inculcating emotional and intellectual competencies in students develop verbal and
non-verbal communication skills.
• The programme will comprise four courses - communication, professional, leadership and
universal human values and skills and will focus on teamwork, problem-solving and decision-
making.
1.373 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2019
[Social sectors in India]
• The Prime Minister has launched Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2019, a massive countrywide
awareness and mobilization campaign on Swachhata.
• This year’s campaign will be focused on Plastic Waste Management, given the detrimental effect
of uncollected plastic waste on human beings, animals and the environment at large.
• From 3rd October till 27th October (Diwali), the collected plastic waste will then be effectively
recycled and disposed.
Organizer of SHS 2019

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• The launch of SHS was organized jointly by the central Departments of Animal Husbandry and
Dairying and Drinking Water and Sanitation and the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
• SHS 2019 campaign would give a big boost to generate mass awareness on plastic waste and its
subsequent collection, recycling and disposal.
1.374 India joins the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development Hub
[Social sectors- Health]
• India has joined the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R&D)
Hub as a new member.
• It has been announced by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology
in New Delhi.
About AMR R&D

• The Global AMR R&D Hub was launched in May 2018 in the margins of the 71st session of the
World Health Assembly, following a call from G20 Leaders in 2017.
• The operation of the Hub is supported through a Secretariat, established in Berlin.
• It is currently financed through grants from the German Federal Ministry of Education and
Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
Its members
• Global AMR R&D has now 16 countries, the European Commission, two philanthropic
foundations as members and four international organizations as observers.
1.375 Uttarakhand launches ‘Mukhyamantri Dal Poshit Yojana’

[Social Justice]
• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has launched the scheme “Mukhyamantri Dal
Protsahan Yojana”.
• Under the scheme , ration card holders in the state will get two kgs of pulses at subsidised rates
every month.
• Ration card holders will get two kgs of Chana dal (chickpeas split) at the rate of Rs 44 per kg
this month. Chana dal comes at Rs 65-Rs 70 per kg in the open market.
• The scheme would be helpful in fulfilling the objective of healthy India.
1.376 India fails to feature in the top 300 World University Rankings 2020 list
[Social sector - Education]
• India has not been able feature in the top 300 World University Rankings 2020 list by Times
Higher Education (THE).
• In the past few years, India had been the fifth most-represented nation and this is the first time
since 2012 that India dropped out of the top 300 list.
More about Ranking

• Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has for the first time made to the top 350 in the list.
• It is now the joint Indian topper with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

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• In total, there are six Indian universities in the top 500 in this year’s Times Higher Education
(THE) World University Rankings 2020 as against five in the 2019 rankings.
• Overall, University of Oxford continues to lead the pack for the fourth consecutive year.
1.377 NGT forms committee to stop illegal groundwater extraction

[Sustainable development and Environmental Issues]
• National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set up a committee to formulate steps required to prevent its
unauthorised extraction , expressing concern over depleting groundwater levels.
• A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has directed the committee to
evolve a robust mechanism to ensure that groundwater is not illegally extracted.
• The committee will monitor manning and functioning of the Central Ground Water Authority
(CGWA).
1.378 Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production and Use-Based Index for the Month of July,
2019 (BASE 2011-12=100)
• The Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) with base 2011-12 for the month of
July 2019 stands at 131.1.
• It is 4.3 percent higher as compared to the level in the month of July 2018.
• The cumulative growth for the period April-July 2019 over the corresponding period of the
previous year stands at 3.3 percent.
1. The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for
the month of July 2019 stand at 100.2, 132.9 and 169.7 respectively, with the corresponding
growth rates of 4.9 percent, 4.2 percent and 4.8 percent as compared to July 2018.

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• The cumulative growth in these three sectors during April-July 2019 over the corresponding
period of 2018 has been 3.4 percent, 2.8 percent and 6.6 percent respectively.
2. As per Use-based classification, the growth rates in July 2019 over July 2018 are 3.5 percent in
Primary goods, (-) 7.1 percent in Capital goods, 13.9 percent in Intermediate goods and 2.1
percent in Infrastructure/ Construction Goods.
3. The Consumer durables and Consumer non-durables have recorded growth of (-) 2.7 percent
and 8.3 percent respectively.
1.379 Consumer Price Index Numbers on Base 2012=100 for Rural, Urban and combined for the
month of August 2019
• The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has
released CPI (Rural, Urban, Combined) on Base 2012=100 for the month of August 2019.
• In addition to this, Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for all India Rural, Urban and Combined
have also been released for August 2019.
• All India Inflation rates based on General Indices and CFPIs are given as follows:
• These are on point to point basis i.e. current month over same month of last year, i.e.,
August 2019 over August 2018.

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1.380 Insured Persons of ESIC of Newly Implemented Area to get Treatment Under Ayushman
Bharat
• Recently approval has been accorded to provide cashless Secondary and Tertiary medical care
services under Ayushman Bharat package rates to entitled ESI Beneficiaries.
• This will be done in newly implemented area of 102 designated Districts through PMJAY
empanelled hospitals in States where PMJAY has been adopted by the State Governments.
Implementation of the Scheme

• ESI Beneficiaries will be dealt through PMJAY logistics/IT facilities for registration, billing etc. as
is done for PMJAY beneficiaries, up to a maximum limit of Rs. 5 lakhs worth of medical
expenditure.
• Beyond this, individual case will be channelled to ESIC for seeking approval for further
expenditure on ESI Beneficiary.
• Similarly, PMJAY beneficiaries may get in-house medical treatment services as per Ayushman
Bharat approved packages from underutilized ESI Hospitals while National Health Agency
(NHA) will make payment to ESIC directly.
• Further, various State Government running ESIS Medical Scheme, shall also be requested to
enrol ESIS Hospitals under Ayushman Bharat Scheme for providing medical services to PMJAY
Beneficiaries, similar to ESIC Hospitals.
1.381 Shri Arjun Munda Launches Biggest Tribal Movement to promote tribal enterprise through
Bamboonomics at ‘COP 14 UNCCD : TRIFED-GIZ’
[Social Justice]
• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has launched the Biggest Tribal movement
to promote tribal enterprise through Bamboonomics in the country.
• The movement has been launched for combating desertification and the climate change at “The
Indian Perspective through Bamboonomics” session at ‘COP 14 UNCCD : TRIFED-GIZ’.
4P1000 initiative
• The 4P1000 Initiative: The international initiative “4per1000” was launched by France on 1
December 2015 at the COP 21.
• It consists of federating all voluntary stakeholders of the public and private sectors.
• TRIFED DELHI Declaration on 4P1000 Initiative: A Tribal Perspective through
Bamboonomics has also been signed in the event.
• TRIFED’s message to UNCCD is that the 4P1000 Initiative with the tribal perspective through
Bamboonomics is the best answer for combating desertification and rehabilitation of degraded
wastelands.
1.382 Kenya becomes 3rd country to roll out malaria vaccine

[Social sector- Health]
• Health authorities in Kenya have started administering doses of the world’s only
licensed malaria vaccine to young children in rural areas facing high transmission rates.

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• With this , Kenya has become the third African country to introduce the vaccine, after Malawi
and Ghana.
• The aim is to reach about 360,000 children per year across the three countries.
Its Relevance
• Malaria is a top killer in many African countries.
• According to the World Health Organization, the region accounted for 92% of the cases and 93%
of malaria deaths in 2017.
• The parasitic disease kills about 435,000 people every year, most of them children under 5 in
Africa.
• Although the malaria vaccine only protects about one-third of children who are immunised,
those who get the shots are likely to have less severe cases of malaria.
1.383 India’s GDP growth rate ‘much weaker’ than expected: IMF
• According to the IMF , India’s economic growth is “much weaker” than expected.
• It has been attributed to the corporate and environmental regulatory uncertainty and lingering
weaknesses in some non-bank financial companies.
• According to the latest official data , India’s GDP growth rate has slipped to 5% in the first quarter
of 2019-20, which is the lowest in over six years.
Background
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July projected a slower growth rate for India in 2019
and 2020 with the growth rate of 7% and 7.2%.
• It reflects a weaker-than expected outlook for domestic demand.
• According to the National Statistical Office , The GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q1 of 2019-
20 is estimated at ₹35.85 lakh crore, as against ₹34.14 lakh crore in Q1 of 2018-19, showing a
growth rate of 5%.
1.384 Rajasthan launches information portal called as ‘Jan Soochna Portal’

[Social Justice]
• The first-ever public information portal , called as Jan Soochna Portal has been launched in
Rajasthan.
• It promises to provide information about government authorities and departments suo motu
to the public in the true spirit of the Right To Information Act.
More about the Portal

• The State government has collaborated with the civil society groups to develop the portal.
• The portal empowers the common people with access to useful information with different
sections divided into districts, blocks and panchayats.
• The State government will set up information kiosks in village panchayats and self-service e-
mitra centres in the towns to enable the people to access the information useful for them.

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• Initially, the information pertaining to 13 government departments — such as the number of
beneficiaries of schemes, works undertaken in different areas, land records and social security
pensions — will be available on the portal.
1.385 15th Finance Commission meets with the Ministry of Women and Child Development
[Gender Issues]
• Recently, the 15th Finance Commission headed by Shri N.K. Singh and including Members
and senior officials of the Commission held a meeting with the Union Minister for Women
& Child Development and her team of senior officials of the Ministry of WCD.
• During the meeting, Ministry proposed many recommendations for the consideration of the
Commission.
Recommendations
• The Ministry of WCD has requested the 15th Finance Commission to include gender budgeting
in its fiscal devolution formula.
• In the Commission’s Vertical Devolution the Ministry has requested for prioritizing gender
concerns within schemes/ programmes – with a minimum compulsory allocation of 25% to
40%.
• In its horizontal devolution the Commission has been requested to incorporate gender criteria
(Child Sex Ratio and Female Labour Force Participation) as a criteria for horizontal devolution
of funds between States.
• The Commission has also been asked to provide for basic and performance grants under
which additional activities could be added to current activities of Local Bodies for promoting
gender equality.
• Incentivizing performance: States with better performance in Women Education/ Health
Outcomes/ LFPR/ Nutritional Outcomes may be considered for incentive grants.
• Fiscal Equalization: Gap funding for States to reach normative levels of social sector spending.
• Enhanced Funding: up from 1% to 1.5% of the Union Budget for WCD.
• Development of CDI/ GDI based on International Practice.
• Revamped indicator for women participation in workforce.
• Increased allocation for Health and Education.
• Reservation of certain percentage of funds for Women centric development works by local
bodies.
• Increased funding for capacity building of elected women representatives.
1.386 SASTRA included as a hub under Margadarshan Scheme

• The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has included SASTRA, a Deemed to be a
University, as the hub under MHRD’s Margadarshan Scheme.
About Margadarshan Scheme
• It is a very good initiative in which the topmost institutions will mentor other institutions, so
that they can improve their rankings and follow best practices of the mentor institute.

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• Objective: The objective of the Margadarshan Scheme is to recognise an institute of
reputation as a ‘mentor’ or as a hub to guide and disperse knowledge to and between 10
technical institutions, identified as ‘spokes’, in the region so as to encourage sharing of best
practices among them.
• Under this scheme, institutions having good accreditation record / highly performing
institutions are supposed to mentor relatively newer 10 - 12 potential institutions.
• Best practices in teaching learning process followed in mentor institute are diffused to
mentee institutions.
• These institutions are also provided funding upto Rs. 50 lakhs (Rupees Fifty Lakhs Only) per
institution over a period of three years in instalments for carrying out various activities like
trainings, workshops, conferences and travel.
1.387 NHA, IRDAI recommend measures to check frauds, data standardization

[Social Justice]
• Recently, The National Health Authority and Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) have launched a report recommending best practices, common
standards, collaborative measures and IT framework for data standardisation and to check
frauds.
• It focuses to help detect and deter frauds through common repository and capacity building
by developing a standard reporting format for fraud and abuse to be used across the industry
and government schemes.
1.388 Special Training Programme for Maldivian Civil Servants to be conducted in India
[Globalization]
• The Special Training Program for Maldivian Civil Servants under the India-Maldives MoU on
Training and Capacity Building Programme will be conducted at Mussoorie and Delhi.
• India is the largest development partner for capacity building of Civil Servants of Maldives.
1.389 Indian Railways to undertake drive of “MASSIVE SHRAMDAN“ to focus on ‘collection of

plastic waste’
• Indian Railways will undertake one more drive of “MASSIVE SHRAMDAN“ with main focus
on “COLLECTION OF PLASTIC WASTE”.
This Shramadan is for:-
• Enhanced cleanliness, through collection of plastic waste from all railway premises. Particular
attention to be given to approaches to stations
• Creating awareness for a greater impact against single use plastic.
• Displaying Replacements/ Substitutes for such plastic items.
• For distributing Cloth bags in large numbers as advised by the Environment and Housekeeping
Management Division of Railways through its letter dated 12.9.2019.

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• Educating all in Railways, including vendors to be prepared for ban of single use plastic with
effect from 02.10.2019. Single use plastic means usage of any plastic below 50 microns, in
any manner.
1.390 Gujarat unveiled Country’s first emissions trading scheme

• Gujarat has unveiled the country’s first emissions trading scheme to encourage and
incentivise industrial units to cut air pollution.
• Under the scheme, the government will put a cap on emissions and allow industries to buy
and sell credits to maintain emissions below the cap.
• One of the government’s partners is the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago
(EPIC).
Emission Trading Scheme - Gujarat
• Globally, cap and trade programmes have been used to reduce other forms of pollution such
as sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides.
• Gujarat experiment is the first of its kind that aims to create markets for particulate matter,
which is globally the single greatest threat to human life.
1.391 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2019

• Recently, International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness
Centre released the ‘World Digital Competitiveness Ranking’ for the year 2019.
• It measures the capacity and readiness of 63 nations to adopt and explore digital technologies
as a key driver for economic transformation in business, government and wider society.
Indicators
• To evaluate an economy, WDCR examines three factors:
1. Knowledge: the capacity to understand and learn the new technologies;
2. Technology: the competence to develop new digital innovations;
3. Future readiness: the preparedness for the coming developments.
Highlights of World Digital Competitiveness Ranking
• India has jumped four places to 44th rank in 2019 from 48th place in 2018.
• The country has improved overall in all factors -- knowledge, technology and future-readiness,
as compared to the previous year's ranking.
• The biggest improvement is in the technology sub-factor level, holding the first position in
telecommunications investment.
Top Countries
1. The US has been ranked as the world's most digitally competitive economy.
2. Singapore
3. Sweden
Largest Jump: The largest jump in the overall ranking was registered by China, moving from 30th to
22nd, and Indonesia, from 62nd to 56th.

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1.392 Odisha unveils 'Tikki Mausi' to combat malnutrition among children, women
• Recently, Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti Department of Odisha in
collaboration with the UNICEF unveiled a mascot named 'Tikki Mausi' with an aim to spread
awareness about child and woman's nutrition.
• The mascot has been named as 'Tikki Mausi' in reference to the second mother of a child.
• The mascot ‘Tikki Mausi’ will change the behaviour of common people and make them aware
about child and woman's nutrition and development in every household.
• The department also launched a comprehensive state-level communication strategy in
collaboration with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to
make the public aware about child and woman's nutrition and their development.
1.393 Indian B-schools gain ground in QS Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2020
• Recently, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released Global Full-Time MBA Rankings for the year
2020.
• It seeks to evaluate how successfully business schools are performing relative to their key
missions, whilst accounting for what matters most for prospective students.
• The core metrics that are weighted as part of the methodology include:
1. Employability (40 per cent)
2. Entrepreneurship and Alumni outcomes (15 per cent)
3. Return on investment (20 per cent)
4. Thought leadership (15 per cent)
5. Class and faculty diversity (10 per cent)
Key Findings of the Rankings
• IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A) continued to be the top ranked Indian B-school climbing eight spots
to stand at 40th rank, up from 48 last year for its MBA program for executives.
• IIM Bangalore registered the highest jump among Indian B-schools from 71st place last year
to 44 this year, followed by Indian School of Business (ISB) at 98 as against 100 last year.
1.394 India has second-largest population of monthly active internet users: Report
[Human Development]
• Recently, a report named ‘India Internet 2019’ was released by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile
Association of India) in collaboration with Nielsen Holdings.
• This is their first ever report on the internet users in India, which tracks the monthly active
internet users, and not the overall internet users in India.
Key Findings
• India has 451 million monthly active internet users, which is second only to China’s 800
million+ user base.
• Out of the 451 million users, 385 million belong to the age group of 12 years and above, while
66 million are aged between 5 and 11 years, suggesting that a significant number of India’s
demographic on internet are actually school children.
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Gender Difference
• The report shows that total number of female internet users in India is surprisingly half of
the 258 million male Internet users. In rural areas, the gap gets bigger with only 28% female
users getting accessing to internet.
1.395 World Tourism Day observed on 27 September

[Human Development]
• World Tourism Day is observed every year on 27 September.
• Theme for the year 2019: "Tourism and jobs: a better future for all".
• This year India is hosting the World Tourism Day 2019.
Other Events
• ‘Incredible India Mobile App’ and the “Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification”
programme were also launched on the occasion.
• Also, Union Minister for Tourism (IC), Shri. K.J. Alphons, presented the National Tourism
Awards 2016-17) on the World Tourism Day in New Delhi.
• Some of the important awards are given below:
Award Winner state
Best State/ UT : Comprehensive Development of Andhra Pradesh
Tourism
Best State / Union Territory: Comprehensive Sikkim
Development of Tourism (Jammu & Kashmir and
North East including Sikkim)
Best Tourist Friendly Railway Station Secunderabad
Best Airport (Class X cities) Sardar Vallabhai Patel-International Airport,
Ahmedabad
Best Airport (Rest of India) Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, Indore
Best Heritage City Ahmedabad & Mandu
Swachhta Award Indore, Madhya Pradesh
1.396 Regional Workshop on “SDG11 Monitoring, Opportunities and Challenges and how
City/Urban and Rural definitions can be harmonized” held
[Sustainable Development]
• Recently, workshop on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 (Make cities and human
settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable), 2019 was held in New Delhi.
• It was hosted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation along with UN-Habitat.
Key Highlights
• The Workshop focused on evolving a standardized definition of Rural and Urban
habitations and sensitizing the participants on the developments taking place globally so
that the member countries can adapt these definitions to suit the national requirements.
• The participants were being briefed about the new metric i.e. Degree of Urbanization
(DEGURBA).

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• DEGURBA: It is a classification that indicates the character of an area, based on the share of
local population living in urban clusters and in urban centers.
• The main goal of the workshop was to introduce the new metric DEGURBA approach to city
definition and get direct feedback from the participating countries on its applicability, need
for adaptation and customization as per their national needs.
1.397 National Launch of 10 Year Rural Sanitation Strategy (2019-2029)

[Social Justice]
• Recently, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti
launched the 10 Year Rural Sanitation Strategy (2019-2029).
• It focuses on sustaining the sanitation behavior change that has been achieved under the
Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), ensuring that no one is left behind, and increasing
access to solid and liquid waste management.
• This strategy is a framework to sustain the efforts of the SBM-Grameen.
1.398 Internship with eminent educational institutions to be extended to meritorious students of

J&K
• Recently, to channelize the energy of the youth from Jammu and Kashmir, All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE) has started implementation of the Prime Minister’s Special
Scholarship Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir Students.
• AICTE and IIT Guwahati have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for extending
internships to students from Jammu and Kashmir and students studying in AICTE approved
institutions across the country under Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme.
• Under this MoU, IIT Guwahati will enrol 100 meritorious students from Jammu and Kashmir in
batches of 25, for internship at IIT Guwahati.
• The objective of the MoU is to provide an exposure to the youth from Jammu and Kashmir
to the academic culture at Higher Learning Institutes of India.
• AICTE has decided to contact all other IITs/NITs & IIMs to follow suit so that maximum
number of students from J&K get empowered.
1.399 Central Government to soon launch National Water Policy

[Social Justice]
• Government of India has announced that it shall soon come out with an updated version
of National Water Policy.
• This Water Policy is required to effect key changes in Water Governance Structure, Regulatory
Framework, besides setting up of a National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency.
• The announcement has been made during the India Water Week 2019.
National Water Policy 2012
• The objective of the National Water Policy, 2012 is to assess the existing situation and to propose
a framework for a plan of action with a unified national perspective
• The salient features of national water policy (2012) are as follows:

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1. Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for
optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys.
2. Water be treated as economic good so as to promote its conservation and efficient use , after
meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and sanitation, achieving food security,
supporting poor people dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and high priority allocation
for minimum eco-system needs.
3. Ecological needs of the river should be determined recognizing that river flows are
characterized by low or no flows, small floods (freshets), large floods and flow variability and
should accommodate development needs.
4. Adaptation strategies in view of climate change for designing and management of water
resources structures and review of acceptability criteria has been emphasized.
5. A system to evolve benchmarks for water uses for different purposes, i.e., water footprints, and
water auditing be developed to ensure efficient use of water.
6. Setting up of Water Regulatory Authority has been recommended.
7. Water Users Associations should be given statutory powers.
8. Removal of large disparity in stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas has
been recommended.
9. Water resources projects and services should be managed with community participation.
10. Adequate grants to the States to update technology, design practices, planning and
management practices, preparation of annual water balances and accounts for the site and
basin, preparation of hydrologic balances for water systems, and benchmarking and
performance evaluation etc.
1.400 Home Ministry to release nearly 600 prisoners on Gandhi Jayanthi under special remission
scheme
[Social Justice]
• To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi , several hundred prisoners, convicted
of offences other than murder, rape and corruption, will be released from jails across India on
October 2nd 2019.
• The release of prisoners is done under the Scheme for special remission
• Prisoners had been released on October 2, 2018 and April 6, 2019 and this shall be the third
phase of this release.
Eligible categories
• The following categories of prisoners are eligible for special remission:
1. Women convicts of 55 years of age and above, who have completed half of their actual sentence
period,
2. Transgender convicts aged 55 and above, who have served half of their actual sentence period
3. Male convicts aged 60 and above, who have completed 50 per cent of their actual sentence
period.
4. Physically challenged or disabled convicts with 70 per cent disability and more who have
completed 50 per cent of their actual sentence period
5. Terminally-ill convicts
6. Convicted prisoners who have completed two-third (66 per cent) of their actual sentence period
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1.401 Saudi Arabia to invest $100 billion in India
• Saudi Arabia has recently announced that it is looking at investing $100 billion in India in areas
of petrochemicals, infrastructure and mining etc.
• Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil giant Aramco’s has proposed partnership with Reliance Industries Ltd
reflected the strategic nature of the growing energy ties between the two countries.
1.402 Proposed policy seeks to de-incentivise pre-2005 vehicles under new emission norms
• The vehicle scrappage policy is likely to see stringent registration and fitness norms for pre-2005
manufactured vehicle.
• The policy has gone for a Cabinet approval.
Background
• As per estimates, there are about 2 crore pre-2005 built vehicles that are plying on Indian roads.
• This proposed policy is aimed at de-incentivising such vehicles in view of about 10 to 25 times
higher pollution emission by them under the new emission norms.
• Indian vehicle market has grown exponentially. If old pollution norms are compared with new
emission regulations, pre-2005 vehicles are polluting 10 to 25 times more under the new norms.
• Even if those old vehicles are maintained properly, they will be polluting more with more
emissions and will prove to be a hazard for road safety.
1.403 Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey

• The first-ever Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey(CNNS) has been conducted by
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the United Nations Children Fund
(UNICEF) to measure malnutrition.
• The Survey is yet to made public.
Key Findings of the Survey
• According to the survey, only 20 per cent of mothers of pre-schoolers, 12 per cent of mothers
of school-age children, and 7 per cent of mothers of adolescents had completed 12 or more
years of schooling.
• Nearly 10% of children in the age group of 5-9 years and adolescents in the age group of 10-19
years are pre-diabetic.
• Also, 5% are overweight and another 5% suffer from blood pressure in the age groups
mentioned above.
• The first time hard evidence of the coexistence of obesity and undernutrition, among school-
going children has been recorded.
• The percentage of mothers having completed 12 or more years of schooling varied by state.
• In 5 out of 9 Empowered Action Group (EAG) states (Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh) and in Meghalaya, mothers or caregivers of less than 50 per cent of children aged 0-4
years were exposed to any type of mass media (read a newspaper or magazine, listened to the
radio or watched television, at least weekly).

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1.404 ‘Arogya Manthan’ inaugurated on the completion of one year of Ayushman Bharat- PMJAY
• Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare has inaugurated a 2-day national
workshop called as the ‘Arogya Manthan’.
• He has released an Annual Report of the NHA and a document on ‘Best Practices and Innovation’.
• It was organized to mark the first year anniversary of Ayushman Bharat PMJAY.
Its Organizer
• It was organised by National Health Authority (NHA).
Its Purpose
• The purpose of the Arogya Manthan is that all important stakeholders of PM-JAY meet and
discuss the challenges faced in the past year in the implementation of the scheme and to forge
new understanding and pathways towards improving implementation.
1.405 NITI Aayog releases School Education Quality Index (SEQI)

• NITI Aayog has released the first edition of its School Education Quality Index (SEQI) , to evaluate
the performance of States and Union Territories (UTs) in the school education sector.
Aim of the Index
• The index aims to bring an ‘outcomes’ focus to education policy by providing States and UTs
with a platform to identify their strengths and weaknesses and undertake requisite course
corrections or policy interventions.
Findings of the Index
• The data for the index was collected for three categories: large states, small states and Union
Territories (UTs).
Large States
• First spot – Kerala with 76.6%
• Second spot – Rajasthan (72%)
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• Third Spot – Karnataka (70%)
• Fourth Spot – Andhra Pradesh (69%)
• Last Spot – Uttar Pradesh (36.4%)
Small States
• First Spot -Manipur (68.8 %)
• Last Spot - Arunachal Pradesh (24.6 %)
Union Territories
• First Spot - Chandigarh (82.9 per cent)
• Last Spot - Lakshadweep (31.9 per cent)
About SEQI
• It has been developed by NITI Aayog through a collaborative process, including key stakeholders
such as Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), the World Bank and sector
experts.
• The index consists of 30 critical indicators that assess the delivery of quality education. These
indicators are categorized as below:
Category 1: Outcomes
• Domain 1: Learning outcomes
• Domain 2: Access outcomes
• Domain 3: Infrastructure and facilities for outcomes
• Domain 4: Equity outcomes
Category 2: Governance processes aiding outcomes
• Student Teacher attendance

• Teacher Availability
• Administrative Adequacy
• Training accountability
• Transparency
1.406 Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to organise Global Student Solar Assembly
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is organizing the Global Student Solar Assembly on
2nd October 2019 , in association with IIT Bombay.
• The Assembly is going to take place in New Delhi.
Relevance of the Assembly

• India has committed to reduce its carbon intensity by 33-35 % by the year 2030 and to install
cumulative renewable energy capacity of 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.
• This Workshop aims at sensitizing young minds about energy sustainability and environmental
care.
1.407 National e Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY) signed an MoU with The National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal
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• This MoU has been signed to implement an ‘Online Capacity Building Programme on Cyber Law,
Crime Investigation and Digital Forensics’ through NeGD Learning Management System (LMS).
• A Cyber Forensics Lab shall be setup in the premises of National Law University (NLU) Delhi for
facilitating this course.
• Other law schools/ universities like National Law School of India University (Bangalore), Rajiv
Gandhi National University of Law (Patiala), etc. will also be involved in the programme in future.
1.408 Meeting of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III begins in
New Delhi
• India is hosting Meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working
Group III Sixth Assessment Report at New Delhi in the first week of October 2019.
• The IPCC Panel is due to consider the Working Group III contribution to the IPCC Sixth
Assessment Report at a plenary session on 12 to 16 July 2021.
Sixth Assessment Report
• The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) will examine topics such as the link between consumption
and behaviour and greenhouse gas emissions, and the role of innovation and technology.
• The report will assess the connection between short to medium-term actions and their
compatibility with the long-term temperature goal in the Paris Agreement.
• It will assess mitigation options in sectors such as energy, agriculture, forestry and land use,
buildings, transport and industry.
1.409 Government sanctions ₹7.87 crore as out-of-pocket allowance for Khelo India athletes
[Social Justice]
• The sports ministry has sanctioned ₹7.87 crore as out-of-pocket allowance for 2,625 Khelo India
athletes undergoing training in 99 Khelo India academies and other centres across the country.
• The sanction is for the period between October and December this year and will be paid to each
athlete as a sum of ₹10,000 per month.
• These athletes have been selected to train in various sporting disciplines under the Khelo India
Talent Development Scheme, a grassroot-level talent identification and nurturing endeavour
of the government.
Background
• Each athlete in a Khelo India academy is given an annual scholarship of ₹5 lakh.

• The Khelo India Scheme acts as a feeder to other elite schemes of the government, including
the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
1.410 DIPAM, NITI Aayog aim to cut government stake in select CPSEs to below 51%
• Government will start consultations soon with NITI Aayog and Energy and Petroleum Ministries
to bring down its equity holding below 51%, including change of norms and modes of doing the
stake dilution in very few select PSUs to begin with.

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• At the initial stage it will be two-three PSUs where government stake in these PSUs would be
brought down to less than 51% which would also require amendment to certain laws.
• These firms will then be out of oversight agencies like Central Vigilance Commission and
Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
Its Relevance
• Privatisation, startegic sales, minority sales of CPSEs have been activated to press the
disinvestment button in the wake of the corporate tax cuts, which will trim government revenue
by ₹1.45 lakh crore in the ongoing financial year.
• This also raises questions of whether India will be able to achieve its fiscal deficit target for 2019-
20.
1.411 Centre to introduce rating system for SMEs to help them get loans easily
• Centre Government is considering a proposal to introduce a rating system for small and
medium enterprises to help them get credit easily.
• Government is in the process of introducing a national portal for the Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) to market their products easily.
• This is being done to reduce finance costs and power price to the industry.
• Government has fixed a target of generating five crore more jobs in the MSME sector in the next
five year.
1.412 India achieved one-crore LED street light mark under the Streetlight replacement programme
• As part of India’s strategy to combat climate change, 1 crore smart LED (light-emitting diode)
streetlights have been commissioned across the country, thereby helping avoid 1,119.40
megawatt (MW) of peak electricity demand.
• These lights are being installed under the Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) which
was launched with the objective to replace 1.34 crore conventional street lights with smart
and energy efficient LED street lights by March 2019.
• Now the target for replacing these street lights has been fixed for March 2020.
About Streetlight Replacement Programme
• The Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi in January 2015, aiming to replace 1.34 crore conventional street lights by March, 2019.
• It is being implemented by state-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL).
Relevance
• India is now the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, and is among
countries most vulnerable to climate change.
• India plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 33-35% from its 2005 levels by 2030, as part of
its commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by
195 countries in Paris in 2015.

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1.413 Economist Surjit Bhalla appointed executive director for India at IMF
[IMF]
• Economist Surjit Bhalla has been named as representative of India in the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) for three years.
• The post fell vacant after Subir Gokarn died in July this year.
1.414 Ministry of Tourism launches Audio Guide facility App "Audio Odigos" for 12 sites of India
• Recently, the Audio Guide facility app ‘Audio Odigos’ was launched for 12 sites of India
(including Iconic Sites).
• This map offers Government of India verified content, with visuals & voice over support. It
also contains an inbuilt map of the site for a smooth navigation during the tour.
• The audio can be chosen in their preferred language & version of the history.
1.415 NHSRC to be WHO collaborating centre for medical devices

• Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the World Health
Organization (WHO), has announced that National Health Systems Resource Centre
(NHSRC) has been re-designated as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical
Devices and Health Technology Policy.
1.416 Chhattisgarh government started five new schemes on Gandhi Jayanti

• Chhattisgarh government has launched five new schemes on October 2 to mark the 150th
birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• The schemes are:
Mukhyamantri Suposhan Abhiyaan
• Under the scheme, fresh and nutritious food has been provided to malnourished children
and anemic women with the help of panchayats and self-help groups.
Mukhyamantri Haat Bazaar Clinic Yojana
• Under this scheme, mobile teams of health department along with doctors and necessary
equipment will visit local haat-bazaars to provide health facilities in remote tribal and forest
areas of the state.
• These teams will provide consultation, medicine, blood test and other pathological facilities
free of cost, the state government said.
Mukhyamantri Shahariya slum Swasthya Yojana
• Under the scheme, initially three mobile medical teams will be deployed in Raipur, two each
in Bhilai and Korba and one each in other municipalities.
• After getting good response of health care facilities being provided by mobile health teams in
haat bazaars, the state has decided to launch the scheme in urban slum areas also.
Universal PDS scheme

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• Families with single member will be eligible for 10 kg rice per month, a family of two members
will get 20 kg rice per month and family of three and more than three members will get 35 kg
rice per month at the cost of Rs 10 per kg.
• General category families (taxpayers and non-taxpayers) will also be eligible for food grains.
Eligibility under the general category ration card has been fixed.
Mukhyamantri ward Karyalaya
• These karyalayas are being started in cities to provide immediate availability of citizen services
and facilities to people according to their demands.
1.417 Union Minister of Consumer Affairs launched app for registering consumer grievances
[Social Justice]
• Recently, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Ramvilas Paswan launched a ‘consumer app’
that would help consumers across the nation to register their grievances online and give
suggestions on several consumer-related issues.
• Consumer will get all kinds of facilities including detailed access to all consumer-related issues
and information. This is a bold step taken towards achieving the objective of digital India.
• This app has been developed by National Informatics Centre.
• Any consumer can file a complaint via this app which will be further referred to respective
companies. The consumers will be informed after their issues are resolved and the case will
be closed only if they are satisfied.
• It has been claimed that consumer complaints will be redressed at least within 20 days and a
maximum of 60 days.
1.418 Telangana becomes fully electrified state

[Social Justice]
[Human Development]
• Recently, Telangana has become one the fully electrified states in the country after providing
electricity to over 5 lakh 15 thousand households under the Soubhagya Yojana.
• During the last two years, the entire state has been covered and the households in remote
areas have been provided electricity under the Sahaj Bijli Ghar Yojana (Soubhagya).
About Saubhagya Yojana
• The Saubhagya Scheme or Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana is an Indian government
project to provide electricity to all households.
• The project was announced in September 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said
that the aim was to complete the electrification process by December 2018.
1.419 J&K Governor gives assent to Jammu and Kashmir National Law University Bill, 2019
• Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has given assent to a bill for
establishing a National Law University in Jammu and Kashmir.
• It will bring the state at par with other states where national law universities have been
established.

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1.420 Trade apprentices to get minimum monthly stipend ranging from Rs 5000 to 9000
• The government has notified changes in Apprenticeship Rules (1992) that envisages to
increase skilled manpower in the country, and raise monetary compensation of apprentices.
• It has been announced that minimum stipend will be on qualification based and will range
from 5000-9000 rupees per month from now onwards.
• It has also lowered size-limit of an establishment with a mandatory obligation to engage
apprentices on an optional basis from 40 to 30, and reduced the size-limit of an establishment
wanting to engage apprentices from 6 to 4.
1.421 Single window online system for licensing of eating houses/lodging houses launched
[Social Justice]
• Recently, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs has launched a single window online
system for licensing of eating houses/lodging houses, in New Delhi.
• This unique initiative is a joint effort of various agencies involved in the process of licensing in
the NCT of Delhi for facilitating ease of doing business.
• This single window clearance system has been developed under Digital India programme to
facilitate people to obtain licenses to open their eatery/lodging businesses in Delhi.
• Aim: It aims at simplifying and rationalizing the regulatory processes (registration &
inspection), infusion of transparency and avoids procedural delays in getting statutory
clearances from various authorities and real time receipt of application by all agencies
simultaneously.
1.422 WTO cuts global trade growth forecasts for 2019 to 1.2% amid slowdown
• Recently, WTO has sharply cut global trade growth forecasts for 2019 to 1.2 per cent from
the earlier 2.6 per cent, mainly due to trade tensions and sluggish global economy.
About WTO (World Trade Organisation)
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Head: Pascal Lamy
1.423 Country's top three cleanest railway stations are from Rajasthan: Railway Cleanliness Survey
2019
• Recently, a report named ‘Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat 2019’ was released by Ministry of
Railways.
• For this report, 720 stations were taken into consideration.
• These stations are divided into three categories — non-suburban, suburban and halt
stations, on the basis of footfalls and earnings.
• There are 3 components (each having weightage of 33.33%) on the basis of which these
rankings are given:
1. Process Evaluation
2. Direct Observation

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3. Citizen Feedback
Key Findings
Non- Suburban Category
• Jaipur topped the list, followed by Jodhpur, Durgapura, Jammu Tawi, Gandhinagar-Jp,
Suratgarh, Vijayawada, Udaipur city, Ajmer and Haridwar.
• Of the top 10, seven stations fall under North Western Railway, two under Northern Railways
(Jammu Tawi and Haridawar) and one under South Central railway (Vijayawada).
• Perungalathur station, near Chennai, came at the bottom of the list.
Suburban Category
• Andheri station topped the list, followed by Virar, Naigaon, Kandivli and Santragachi.
• All stations in the top 5 belong to Western Railway, expect Santragachi, which comes under
south Eastern Railway.
• North Western Railway followed by South East Central Railway and East Central Railway are
the top three railway zones.
1.424 Single-use plastics to be banned inside monuments

[Sustainable Development]
• Recently, Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel has announced that single-use plastics will not be
allowed on the premises of historical monuments or within 100 metres of them.
• Efforts are being made to phase out single-use plastics in various organisations of the ASI and
the Ministry of Tourism.
1.425 “Paryatan Parv 2019” to promote tourism to be inaugurated in New Delhi

• Recently, ‘Paryatan Parv’ was inaugurated in New Delhi, which was organised by Ministry of
Tourism from 2nd to 13th October, 2019 across the country.
• Paryatan Parv 2019 is dedicated to 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The three components of Paryatan Parv
• Dekho Apna Desh: To encourage Indians to visit their own country. General public
engagement for the event will be promoted through the MyGov platform.
• Tourism for All: Tourism Events at sites across all States in the country are being organised.
• Tourism & Governance: Interactive Sessions & Workshops with Stakeholders on varied
themes have been organised across the Country as a part of the Paryatan Parv activities.
1.426 ‘Mo Sarkar’ initiative launched

[Social Justice]
• Recently, Odisha government launched a new governance initiative named as ‘Mo Sarkar’
on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.
• The objective of the ‘Mo Sarkar’ programme is to provide service with dignity to people who
are coming to government offices for different purposes.
Feedback collection

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• The employees will be ranked as good or bad on the basis of the feedback and those with
good rank will get out-of-turn promotion and action will be taken against employees with bad
rank.
1.427 Andhra Pradesh launches Village Secretariat system

• Andhra Pradesh has become a role model for other States by inaugurating village and ward
secretariats system recently, under which 1.26 lakh new government employees will begin
working.
• These institutions would act as a bridge between the government and the people by
rendering over 500 types of services at their doorstep.
• Under the new system, one Village Secretariat has been set up for every population of 2,000,
with each one comprising close to a dozen village officials (from different departments like
police, revenue, etc.).
• Village Secretariats would showcase government programmes and make pictorial
representations of government schools and hospitals under the caption ‘then and now’ to
show how reforms have changed their functioning.
• The cost of hiring about 1.26 lakh new employees is going to be roughly about ₹2,200 crore a
year for the AP government.
1.428 IT Ministry launches performance smart-board for monitoring key programmes

[Social Justice]
• Recently, the IT Ministry launched an 'automated real time performance smart-board' which
will act as a single window access for Centre, state or district-specific projects implemented
by the MeitY.
• It has been launched for effective monitoring and measurement of the key programmes of the
government such as Digital India, Aadhaar, Digital Payments etc.
• This smart-board will enhance analysis through data integration by consolidating multiple data
sources into one centralised, easy-to-access platform.
• It is expected to promote transparency and enhance ease of working.
1.429 Government launches portal for improving coal supply coordination to power plants
• Recently, government launched the portal, namely 'PRAKASH', which stands for 'Power Rail
Koyla Availability through Supply Harmony'.
• It has been developed by NTPC and sources data from different stakeholders such as the CEA,
the Centre for Railway Information System and coal companies.
• It has been launched for transparency and better coordination among stakeholders,
including Coal India Ltd, Indian Railways, power utilities and, ministries of coal and power,
for coal supplies to power plants.
• The portal also makes available valuable information on a single platform, which will help
coal companies track stocks and coal requirement at power stations for effective production
planning.

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1.430 Indian Oil launches drive to turn plastic waste into bitumen
• Recently, Indian Oil has announced that it will use its refinery operations to convert the
single use plastic waste into a specialised bitumen that can be used for construction of roads
and highways.
• A pilot project has been started at Faridabad via the creation of a "Single Use Waste Plastic"
based bituminous road.
• The company will commercially supply the specialised bitumen for use in road construction
going ahead.
• It has been done to support the government's drive to eliminate single use plastic by
converting these toxic wastes to productive use.
• Furthermore, Indian Oil has also issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) for procurement of
single-use plastic waste which can be economically converted into the specialised bitumen.
• These initiatives were launched to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and
as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
1.431 India can become global hotspot for electric mobility: EV Ready India Report
• According to ‘EV Ready India’ report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the
Ola Mobility Institute, India has the potential to become one of the largest electric vehicle
(EV) markets in the world following a push from its government.
• The analysis focuses on 10 Indian states that have a notified EV policy or a draft policy
published: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,
Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• While the approaches vary amongst these states and territories, the report highlighted three
emerging trends:
1. Most states aspire to be manufacturing hubs for EV and EV components.
2. The second trend is around infrastructure development.
For instance- UP is targeting 2 lakh charging stations by 2024, while Andhra Pradesh is
targeting 100% electrification of buses by 2029.
3. The third trend is an emphasis on the services of the EV value chain can be provided through
public awareness.
1.432 AIM, NITI Aayog, UNDP India Jointly Launch Youth Co:Lab
[Human Development]
• Recently, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) India launched Youth Co:Lab recently to recognize young people as
critical drivers of sustainable development.
• It aims at accelerating social entrepreneurship and innovation in young India.
• The first phase of Youth Co:Lab will focus on six SDGs:
1. SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
2. SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)
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3. SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
4. SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
5. SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production)
6. SDG 13 (Climate Action)
About Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)
• AIM including Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) is Government of India’s
endeavour to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Its objective is to serve as a platform for the promotion of world-class innovation hubs,
grand challenges, start-up businesses and other self-employment activities, particularly in
technology driven areas.
1.433 Andhra Pradesh CM to launch ‘YSR Vahana Mitra’ Scheme

• Recently, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched the YSR
Vahana Mitra scheme.
• Under the scheme, he will distribute ₹10,000 financial assistance to auto, taxi and maxi
driver-cum-owners.
• The annual allowance would be given to them to meet the insurance premium, licence fee
and other recurring expenses.
1.434 Annual Ganges river dolphin census begins

• Recently, the annual Ganges river dolphin census began in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh.
• It has been undertaken by World Wide Fund for Nature-India in collaboration with the Uttar
Pradesh Forest Department.
1.435 UNICEF becomes first UN organization to accept donation through cryptocurrencies

[Globalization]
• Recently, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Children’s agency of the United
Nations has become the first UN organization to hold and make transactions in
cryptocurrency.
• The UNICEF has established UNICEF Cryptocurrency Fund, making UNICEF able to receive,
hold as well as disburse donations via cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ether.
• Through the received donations, UNICEF will be funding open source technology that aims to
benefit children and young people globally.
1.436 ADB, India sign $190 million loan for improving road connectivity in Rajasthan
• Recently, The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $190
million loan to upgrade 754 kilometres of Rajasthan’s highways and major district roads
(MDRs).
• It will benefit about 26 million people in 14 districts of Rajasthan.

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1.437 Tamil Nadu, Fujian Province to establish 'sister-state relations'
• Recently, India and China has decided to establish “sister-state relations” between Tamil
Nadu and Fujian Province.
• Also, year 2020 would be designated as Year of India-China Cultural and People to People
Exchanges.
1.438 DPIIT launches website, mobile app for IPR

• Recently, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), launched the
website and mobile application ‘L2Pro India’ [Learn to Protect, Secure and Maximize Your
Innovation] on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
• The website and app has been developed by Cell for IPR Promotion and Management
(CIPAM)-DPIIT in collaboration with Qualcomm and National Law University (NLU), Delhi.
• The L2Pro India IP e-learning platform will have 11 modules for three different levels:
Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.
1.439IMF slashes India's FY20 GDP growth forecast to 6.1%

[Measurement of growth]
[IMF]
• Recently, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its projections for India’s growth
to 6.1% for 2019-20 from its earlier forecast of 7%.
• It also has downgraded global economy growth for 2019 to 3 per cent. Earlier, the world
economic growth for the year was pegged at 3.2 per cent by the IMF.
1.440 Google to scale up online presence of Ayushman Bharat

• The National Health Authority (NHA), the implementing body of Ayushman Bharat, has
signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with Google to collaborate and strengthen the
implementation of AB PM-JAY.
• Google will aid the government in showcasing relevant content to the 50 crore entitled
beneficiaries and will also impart digital training.
• Furthermore, Google shall help provide training and support to NHA personnel to build on
digital skills.
About AB PM-JAY (Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana)
• Launched: 23 September 2018
• It is the world’s largest public funded health insurance scheme aimed to bring quality
healthcare to around 50 crore poor and vulnerable Indians across India.
1.441 IFS officer Ramesh Pandey selected for Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by UNEP
• Indian Forest Service officer Ramesh Pandey has been selected for the prestigious Asia
Environmental Enforcement Award by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• Ramesh Pandey is known for his investigation and intelligence gathering on poachers.
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1.442 E-Portal of CCRT ‘Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti’ launched
[Human Development]
• Recently, Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched
the E-Portal of CCRT ‘Digital Bharat Digital Sanskriti' and CCRT YouTube Channel.
• The CCRT (Centre for Cultural Resources and Training) is autonomous organisation under
Ministry of Culture of Government of India.
1.443 United Nations WFP launches 'Feed Our Future' cinema ad campaign
[Human Development]
• Recently, The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a cinema
advertisement campaign 'Feed Our Future' to raise awareness and take steps against hunger
and malnutrition in India.
• It has been launched by WFP in collaboration with UFO Movie and SAWA (Screen Advertising
World Association).
1.444 Delhi becomes first Asian city to get public transport feature from Uber
[Human Development]
• Recently, ‘Uber’ has launched its public transport service in Delhi, the ninth city globally and
the first in Asia to have the feature.
• With this feature, Uber users in Delhi would be able to use the public transport option that will
appear on the app.
• Once the users use this option, Uber will show the best three routes for using a metro or bus
in the city.
1.445 Assam announces two-child limit for government jobs

[Social Justice]
• Recently, Assam Cabinet has announced that those with more than two children will not be
eligible for government jobs from January 2021.
• Assam Cabinet has approved Two Child norms and Prohibition of Child Marriage Act norms for
entry and continuation in Govt. service.
1.446 House Building Advance Interest Rate Reduced from 8.5% to 7.9% for a Period of one year
• Recently, the rate of interest on House Building Advance [HBA] has been reduced from
existing 8.5% to 7.9% for a period of one year, irrespective of the loan amount of HBA.
• HBA is admissible to permanent employees and all those temporary employees also who
have rendered 05 years of continuous service.
1.447 World Cotton Day being observed from 7th October to 11th October 2019 in Geneva
[WTO]
• Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani will represent India at World Cotton Day which is being
observed from 7th-11th October, 2019 in Geneva.
• It is being organised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in collaboration with the
Secretariats of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United
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Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade Centre
(ITC) and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC).
• WTO is also hosting the event at the request of the Cotton – 4 countries, Benin, Burkina
Faso, Chad and Mali to celebrate their official application for the recognition of 7th
October as World Cotton Day by the United Nations.
1.448 Tripura gets its first ever SEZ

[Human Development]
• Recently, The Centre has given in-principle approval for setting up of Tripura's first-ever SEZ
at Sabroom.
• The estimated investment in the project will be around Rs 1550 Crore.
1.449 India to shift to BS VI vehicular emission norms by April next year: Union Environment
Minister
• Environment Minister has informed that India will shift to BS VI vehicular emission norms from
BS IV by April 2020.
• Bharat Stage Six (BS VI) is being considered as a revolutionary step in the transformation of fuels.
• There has been 80% reduction in Particulate Matter emissions and 30% reduction in Nitrogen
Oxides emissions in BS IV heavy duty diesel vehicles compared with BS III norms.
1.450 “mHariyali” app launched for ‘Environment Protection in Government Colonies’

• Recently, Minister of State (I/c) for Housing & Urban Affairs Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri
launched the ‘mHariyali’ app. The app is aimed to encourage Public engagement in planting
trees and other such Green drives.
• The App provides for automatic geo-tagging of plants. This app will also enable nodal
officers to periodically monitor the plantation.
1.451 India announces Technical Assistance Programme (TAP) for 5 African Countries on World
Cotton Day
• India has announced the launch of the second phase of the Cotton Technical Assistance
Programme (TAP) for Africa at the Partners Conference in Geneva on 6th October 2019.
• India implemented a Technical Assistance Programme (TAP) for cotton from 2012 to 2018 in 6
African countries, namely – Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda.
1.452 India starts sharing maritime data

• The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) has started functioning as an
information sharing hub of maritime data.
• Several Indian Ocean littoral states have joined the coastal radar chain network. These include
Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Seychelles. Bangladesh is set to join the network and talks are
on with Thailand as well.
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Background
• The IFC-IOR was inaugurated in December 2018 within the premises of Indian Navy’s
Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram.
1.453 India gets first tranche of Swiss account details under “automatic exchange framework”
• India has received first tranche of details about financial accounts of its residents in Swiss banks.
• These details have been received under a new automatic exchange of information framework
between India and Switzerland.
• The next exchange would take place in September 2020.
1.454 India ranks 68th on Global Competitiveness Index

• World Economic Forum (WEF) has recently released its annual Global Competitiveness Index.
• India has been ranked 68th and is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil
(ranked even lower than India at 71st this year).
• India has moved down 10 places as compared to last year.
Top 5 nations
1. Singapore (replaced the U.S. as the world’s most competitive economy).
2. US
3. Hong Kong
4. Netherlands
5. Switzerland
Findings about India
• India has ranked high in terms of macroeconomic stability and market size.
• Its financial sector is relatively deep and stable despite the high delinquency rate, which
contributes to weakening the soundness of its banking system.
• India is ranked also high at 15th place in terms of corporate governance, while it is ranked
second globally for shareholder governance.
• In terms of the market size, India is ranked third, while it has got the same rank for renewable
energy regulation.
• With a ratio of female workers to male workers of 0.26, India has been ranked very low at 128th
place.
• India is also ranked low at 118th in terms of meritocracy and incentivisation and at 107th place
for skills.
About Global Competitiveness Index
• This is the fourth version of the global competitiveness index, referred to as GCI 4.0.
• It has ranked 141 countries this year.
• The basic notion behind the GCI is to map the factors that determine the Total Factor
Productivity (TFP) in a country.
• The TFP is essentially the efficiency with which different factors of production such as land,
labour and capital are put to use to create the final product.
Categories
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• The GCI 4.0 tracks data and/or responses on 12 factors divided into 4 broad categories.
• The first category is the “Enabling Environment” and this includes factors such as the state of
infrastructure, institutions, the macroeconomic stability of the country and its ability to adopt
new technology.
• The second category is “Human Capital” and includes health and level of skills in the economy.
• The third is the state of “Markets” such as those for labour, product, financial and the overall
market size.
• The fourth category is “Innovation Ecosystem” which includes business dynamism and
innovation capability.
1.455 EESL partners with NIIF for smart meters deployment

• Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
(NIIF) have entered into a joint venture called “IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited
(IntelliSmart)”.
• This has been done to implement, finance and operate the smart meter roll-out programme of
power distribution companies.
• The Government of India plans to install 25 crore smart meters in the next few years.
1.456 Dr. Harsh Vardhan launches WHO India Country Cooperation Strategy 2019–2023
• Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched ‘The WHO India
Country Cooperation Strategy 2019–2023: A Time of Transition’ on 9th October 2019.
• The Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) provides a strategic roadmap for WHO to work with the
Government of India towards achieving its health sector goals, in improving the health of its
population and bringing in transformative changes in the health sector.
• Four areas identified for strategic cooperation of WHO with the country encompass:
1. To accelerate progress on UHC
2. To promote health and wellness by addressing determinants of health
3. To protect the population better against health emergencies
4. To enhance India’s global leadership in health.
More about CCS
• The India CCS is one of the first that fully aligns itself with the newly adopted WHO 13th General
Programme of Work and its 'triple billion' targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and WHO South-East Asia Region’s eight Flagship Priorities.
• It captures the work of the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework for 2018–
2022.
• It outlines how WHO can support the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and other allied
Ministries to drive impact at the country level.

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1.457 Union HRD Minister launches a unique Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme
(PMILP)- ‘DHRUV’
• Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has launched the
Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’.
• This has been launched from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Headquarters at
Bengaluru.
Its objective
• The objective of the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme program would be to allow
talented students to realize their full potential and contribute to society.
More about DHRUV
• The programme will be called DHRUV (after the Pole Star) and every student to be called ‘DHRUV
TARA’.
• The students will thus both shine through their achievements and light a path for others to
follow.
• It will cover two areas i.e. Science and Performing Arts.
• There will be 60 students in all, 30 from each area. The 60 students come from across the country
• The students will be broadly from classes 9 to 12, from all schools including government and
private.
• This is only the first phase of the programme which will be expanded gradually to other fields
like creative writing etc.
1.458 Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launches Mahatma Gandhi National
Fellowship Programme with IIM Bangalore
• Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed a contract with the
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore for introducing a two-year fellowship
programme Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) programme.
• This has been done to boost skill development at the district level.
About MGNF
• It has been designed under Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion
(SANKALP) and aims to address the challenge of non-availability of personnel for implementation
of various programmes at national, state and district levels.
• It has been launched on a pilot basis in 75 districts across Gujarat, Karnataka, Meghalaya,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, eligible fellows for the programme have to be in
21-30 years age-group, have a graduation degree from a recognized university and be citizens
of India.
• Proficiency in official language of state of fieldwork will be mandatory.
About SANKALP
• SANKALP is a World Bank loan assisted project and has been launched by the Government in
January 2018.

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• It aims to strengthen institutional mechanisms for skill development and increase access to
quality and market-relevant training for youth across the country.
• Four key result areas have been identified under SANKALP viz: (i) Institutional Strengthening;
(ii) Quality Assurance; (iii) Inclusion; and (iv) Expanding Skills through PPPs.
1.459 PMJAY completes first year: 90,000 cancer claims, Tamil Nadu tops list
• According to data available with the Union Health Ministry, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
(PMJAY) has funded the treatment of 90,000 cancer patients through 1.8 lakh hospital
admissions.
• The data shows that every year there are 11.57 lakh new cancer patients in India and 7.84 lakh
cancer deaths.
• Also at any given point, there are 22.5 lakh Indians living with cancer.
• The top states where the most cancer patients have availed treatment under PMJAY :
1. Tamil Nadu
2. Kerala
3. Madhya Pradesh
4. Chhattisgarh
5. Gujarat
1.460 SUMAN scheme launched by the Government

• Central government has launched the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) scheme, under
which pregnant women, mothers up to 6 months after delivery, and all sick newborns will be
able to avail free healthcare benefits.
• The scheme is aimed towards zero preventable maternal and newborn deaths in India.
• Under the scheme, the beneficiaries visiting public health facilities are entitled to several free
services like ante natal check-ups, Iron Folic Acid supplementation, Tetanus diphtheria injection
etc.
• Under the scheme there will be zero expense access to identification and management of
complications during and after the pregnancy and the government will provide free transport
from home to health institutions.
• Under the scheme, the pregnant women will have a zero expense delivery and C-section facility
in case of complications at public health facilities
Relevance
• According to government, India’s maternal mortality rate has declined from 254 per 1,00,000
live births in 2004-06 to 130 in 2014-16
• Between 2001 and 2016, the infant mortality rate came down from 66 per 1,000 live births to
34.

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1.461 9th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting in Thailand
• Recently, 9th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, RCEP Intersessional Ministerial
meeting has taken place in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has attended the summit.
Background
• The objective of launching RCEP negotiation is to achieve a modern, comprehensive, high quality
and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement among the ASEAN member states and
ASEAN's FTA partners.
1.462 Dearness allowance (DA) of government employees hiked by 5%

• The Central Government has hiked the dearness allowance (DA) by 5% for the employees, which
means the dearness allowance has been increased from 12% to 17%.
Relevance
• This increase is based on the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.
• The hike would be effective from July 2019 and its cost to the exchequer will be ₹16,000 crore.
• The move will benefit at least 50 lakh government employees and 65 lakh pensioners.
1.463 India to work with China, Pakistan to gauge impact of climate change
• The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is going to collaborate with meteorological
agencies in China and Pakistan to provide climate forecast services to countries in the region.
• This has been announced by IMD to better gauge the impact of climate change on the Hindu
Kush Mountains, which includes the Himalayas.
1.464 First National Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy Survey (2015-19)

• The Union Health Ministry has released the first National Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy
Survey (2015-19).
About the Survey
• The Union Health ministry has released this survey in collaboration with All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS) - RP Eye Centre.
• The survey was conducted in 21 districts, on the people above 50 years of age.
• The prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is 16.9 per cent while the prevalence of sight-
threatening DR is 3.6 per cent.
• The prevalence of mild retinopathy is about 11.8 per cent.
• The prevalence of diabetes in the surveyed population has been recorded 11.8 per cent while
the prevalence of Known Diabetes (KD) - 8.0 per cent.
• The survey mentions that there are no recent studies on the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy
(DR) in different parts of India.

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• Prevalence of blindness among diabetics was 2.1% and visual impairment was 13.7%. Blindness
and visual impairment were comparable in diabetics and non-diabetics.
1.465 National Health Mission performance index

• The first ever exercise has taken place to rate the performance of various states on several
parameters of the National Health Mission (NHM).
• Twenty per cent of NHM funds are based on the states’ performance, which means better
performing states received a financial incentive — Rs 3,000 crore is set aside for incentive-
based payments.
Top 5 States
• Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Assam, Kerala and Punjab
Penalised states
• West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Bihar have been penalised
as they didn’t achieve the set benchmarks for mental health services.
Other Findings of the Index
• Twenty-three states have earned an incentive for screening of 30-plus population for non-
communicable diseases, including 11 states that earned full points for screening more than 15
per cent of the 30-plus population.
• Tamil Nadu has reported 100 per cent screening, followed by Goa (68%) and Daman and Diu
(57%).
• Only six states — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Punjab and Tripura — earned full
incentive for implementation of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS).
• Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and UP were able to partially achieve the target in terms of HRIS
implementation.
Parameters of the Index
• Among the parameters, the highest weightage was given to incremental improvement as per
the NITI Aayog ranking of states on ‘Performance on Health Outcomes’.
• Other parameters include :
1. Operationalisation of Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs)
2. Provisioning of mental health services in districts covered under the National Mental Health
Programme
3. Screening of 30-plus population for non-communicable diseases
4. Implementation of HRIS
5. Grading of Primary Health Centres (both urban and rural).
1.466 World Sight Day 2019: Andhra to launch 'YSR Kanti Velugu' health scheme
• The Andhra Pradesh government has announced the launch of a health scheme, 'YSR Kanti
Velugu' on World Sight Day (10th October 2019) to provide comprehensive eye care and rectify
vision defects among the State's over five crore population.

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• Under the scheme, the government will bear the entire cost from preliminary eye check-up to
surgeries wherever required for the entire 54 million population.
• Over 7 million school children would be covered under the scheme in the first two phases from
October 10.
• In the first phase, preliminary eye screening would be conducted on all students in government
and private schools for a week.
• Children found to be having vision defects would be provided advanced treatment in the
second phase from November 1.
• The third phase of YSR Kanti Velugu will begin on February 1, 2020 where the rest of the state
population will be covered, spread over three other phases in the next three years.
Monitoring of the Scheme
• A task force headed by the Collector would monitor the programme in each district
1.467 SARAS Aajeevika Mela organised at India Gate

• Recently, SARAS Aajeevika Mela was organised at India gate, New Delhi by the marketing
arm of the Rural Development Ministry, Council for Advancement of People’s Action and
Rural Technology (CAPART).
• SARAS Aajeevika Mela is an initiative by the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• Objective: To bring the rural women Self Help Groups (SHGs) formed with support of DAY-
NRLM, under one platform to show-case their skills, sell their products and help them build
linkages with bulk buyers.
1.468 Kanyashree University to set up to empower girls

• Recently, the West Bengal government has taken the initiative to set up a Kanyashree
University in Nadia district and Kanyashree colleges across the state, aiming to empower
the girls.
• The Kanyashree University would be only for women.
Relevance
• West Bengal’s government started the Kanyashree scheme to empower girls, and it has
been allocated a budget of Rs 7,000 crore since its launch in 2013.
• The main objective of the scheme is to ensure that girls study in schools and delay their
marriages until the age of 18 years.
• West Bengal’s government has been awarded by the United Nations for Public Service for its
Kanyashree scheme in 2017.
1.469 POSHAN atlas to map local crops, food grains for tackling malnutrition
[Social Justice]
• Recently, government has announced that it is developing an ‘POSHAN Atlas’ to map the
crops and food grains grown in different regions of the country so that nutritious protein
rich food in local areas can be promoted.
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• It is being developed under POSHAN Abhiyan by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development (WCD) in association with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Deendayal
Research Institute.
About POSHAN Atlas
• The POSHAN atlas will map the crops and food grains grown in different regions of the
country because the solution to tackling malnutrition lies in promoting regional cropping
patterns and embracing local food that are rich in protein.
About POSHAN (PM’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyan
• POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi-ministerial convergence mission with the vision to ensure
attainment of malnutrition free India by 2022.
• The objective of POSHAN Abhiyaan to reduce stunting in identified Districts of India with the
highest malnutrition burden by improving utilization of key Anganwadi Services and
improving the quality of Anganwadi Services delivery.
• Its aim is to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women,
mothers and children.
Relevance
• According to the World Bank Global Nutrition Report – 2018, malnutrition costs India at least
$10 billion annually in terms of lost productivity, illness and death.
1.470 Kayakalp Awards: AIIMS Delhi wins top cleanliness award

• Recently, Kayakalp Awards were conferred to public health facilities for showing dedication
towards the mission of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.
• Under the Central Government Hospitals ‘A’ category:
1. AIIMS Delhi
2. Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER),
Puducherry
• Under ‘B’ Category:
1. Shri Vinoba Bhave Civil Hospital (VBCH), Silvassa
2. AIIMS Bhubaneswar
1.471 Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme launched

• Recently, Yuva Sahakar scheme was launched at the opening ceremony of the first ever ‘India
International Cooperatives Trade Fair’.
About Yuva Sahakar scheme:
• Formulated by: National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
• Aim: To promote young entrepreneurs in the cooperatives.
• Ministry: ‘Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare’.
Objective
• The objective of NCDC Yuva Sahakar Yojana is to motivate and promote the entrepreneurs
of India in the Cooperative Enterprise and those individuals working for business.
• This is done by providing cheaper loans for initiating startups in the cooperative sectors.
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Features
• NCDC has produced a dedicated fund with entitling youth to avail the scheme.
• The scheme is linked with Rs 1000 crores of the Cooperative Start-up and Innovation Fund
that has been authorised by the NCDC.
• The scheme provides more incentives to the cooperatives working in the North Eastern
region and the aspirational districts.
• Exclusive benefits are also provided for women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
candidates.
1.472 Bangladesh, Nepal to grow faster than India: World Bank report
[World Bank]
• Recently, a report named 'South Asia Economic Focus: Making (De) Centralization Work'
has been released by World Bank, according to which Bangladesh has become the second
fastest growing economy in south Asia after Bhutan.
• Bangladesh and Nepal are estimated to grow faster than India in 2019.
• Growth in South Asia is projected to fall to 5.9% in 2019, casting uncertainty about a rebound
in the short term.
• Imports have declined severely across South Asia, contracting between 15 and 20% in
Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• In India, domestic demand has slipped, with private consumption growing 3.1% in the last
quarter from 7.3% a year ago, while manufacturing growth plummeted to below 1% in the
second quarter of 2019 compared to over 10 per cent a year ago.
• In India, growth is projected to fall to 6.0% this fiscal year. Growth is then expected to
gradually recover to 6.9% in fiscal year 2021 and to 7.2 per cent in the following year.
1.473 National Nutrition Survey 2019 conducted

• The first-ever comprehensive National Nutrition Survey has been conducted by the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) to measure
malnutrition.
• The survey was conducted between 2016 and 2018. It surveyed a sample of 112,000
children in 30 states.
• The survey recorded not only micronutrient deficiencies but also details of non-
communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and kidney function in
children and adolescents.
• In India, for the first time the ministry measured malnutrition that included micro nutrient
deficiencies. It was done by collecting urine samples and blood samples.
Key Findings of the survey
• Around 10% of children in the age group of 5 to 9 years and adolescents in the age group 10
to 19 years are pre – diabetic. 5% of them were overweight and 5% suffered from blood
pressure.
• One in five children in the age group 5 to 9 years were stunted.
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• The survey for the first time proved the coexistence of obesity and under nutrition.
Problem of Obesity
• The highest prevalence of overweight children, five to nine years, was in Goa and
Nagaland, while the lowest prevalence of overweight children was in Jharkhand and Bihar,
where less than 1 per cent were overweight.
• Tamil Nadu and Goa had the highest number of adolescents who were obese or
overweight.
• Only 1% of children from households in the lowest wealth quintile were overweight
compared to 9% of children in the highest wealth quintile.
• Compared to rural areas, more children in urban areas suffered from obesity.
• The least prevalence of overweight and obesity among different social groups was in children
belonging to scheduled tribes (ST).
1.474 Government to launch ‘Vigyan Jyoti’ programme to promote STEM education among girl
students
• Central Government is planning to launch ‘Vigyan Jyoti’ programme to promote STEM
Education among girl students, following reports of poor gender diversity in the Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education.
• Aim: Vigyan Jyoti Programme aims to help girl students pick science and allied subjects for
their academics in school and higher education level.
Key Features of the Programme
• The government plans to pick 100 girl students from over 550 districts from 2020 to 2025
to pursue higher education in STEM and allied subjects.
• The girl students selected for the programme will be selected on the basis of their percentile
score.
• The programme will cover girl students from grade 9 to 12.
• As part of the programme, the Department will hold science camps for girl students in and
around premier technology institutes such as IITs and NITs.
• Such science camps are expected to give a hands-on experience about the being on a campus
of a premiere institute in terms of culture, motivation, interaction with scientists.
Relevance
• Acc. to the data shared by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), females
comprised 24 per cent of the total pas-out students in STEM subjects in engineering, 22 per
cent at the post graduate level, 28 per cent at M Phil and 35 per cent at the PhD level.
• Also, there are only 10 per cent of girls in the IITs and the number has remained static over
the years.
1.475 Government to come up with Water Quality Rankings for preventing water borne diseases
• On the event of World Standards Day (14 October), Union Minister of Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution announced that government will soon come out with Water
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Quality Rankings, in a bid to ensure clean drinking water for keeping water borne diseases
at bay.
• Under Water Quality Rankings, The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will rank state capitals
and 100 smart cities in the next three months for quality tap water.
Key points
• The BIS will also test quality of tap water at district level in the next six months.
• BIS standards will be made mandatory on drinking water. At present, the BIS standards for
drinking water are voluntary.
About BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards)
• BIS is the national body that frames quality norms for products and services and works under
the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
Relevance
• According to the latest union health ministry data available, at least 10,738 deaths were
caused due to water-borne diseases--cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid and viral hepatitis over
five years to 2017.
1.476 Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019 released

• Recently, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released the
‘Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) 2019’.
• Theme (2019) of APTIR: Navigating Non-tariff Measures (NTMs) towards Sustainable
Development
• The report provides information on developments in-
1. Intra- and inter-regional trade in goods and services
2. Foreign direct investment
3. Trade facilitation measures
4. Trade policy measures
5. Preferential trade policies and agreements
Highlights of the Report
• Acc. to report, Non-tariff measures (NTMs) have increased in the past two decades and are
affecting trade as well sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Asian countries.
• Around half the Asia-Pacific’s economies have at least one NTM addressing water and energy
efficiency and only 10% have measures addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated(IUU)
fishing and illegal timber trade.
• NTMs can also affect foreign direct investment negatively which may slow down countries’
economic activities.
• It can also have a direct impact on the performance of trading partners.
1.477 IMF slashes India's FY20 GDP growth forecast to 6.1%

[IMF]
• Recently, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its projections for India’s growth to
6.1% for 2019-20 from its earlier forecast of 7%.
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• It also has downgraded global economy growth for 2019 to 3 per cent. Earlier, the world
economic growth for the year was pegged at 3.2 per cent by the IMF.
India’s growth rate projections for FY20 by various organisations
• Economic Survey: 7%
• RBI: 6.1%
• Asian Development Bank (ADB): 6.5%
• International Monetary Fund (IMF): 6.1%
• World Bank: 6%
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): 5.9%
1.478 Global Hunger Index (2019) released

[Human Development]
• Recently, Global Hunger Index report for the year 2019 was released. The report has been
prepared jointly by Irish aid agency ‘Concern Worldwide’ and German organisation ‘Welt
Hunger Hilfe’.
• The index is being calculated on the basis of four indicators:
1. Child mortality
2. Undernourishment
3. Child wasting (weight for age)
4. Child stunting
Key findings of the Report
Findings specific to India
• India’s Rank: 102 out of 117 Countries
• India ranked below Pakistan (94), Bangladesh (88), Nepal (73) and Sri Lanka (66) among other
South Asian countries.
• As per the report, India is one of the 45 countries where hunger causes serious crisis.
• In India, only 9.6% of all children between 6 to 23 months of age are given a minimum
acceptable diet.
• As per the report, the child wasting rate is the highest (20.8%) in the world while the child
stunting rate is 37.9% in India.
• India has demonstrated improvement in some indicators constituting the index which are:
• The under-5 mortality rate
• Prevalence of stunting among children
• Prevalence of undernourishment owing to inadequate food
Global Findings
• The report highlights that the climate crisis is bringing alarming levels of hunger in the
world.
• Some countries that are facing alarming situation are – Yemen, Chad, Madagascar and
Zambia.
• However, there are nine countries that are categorized in a worse situation. These
countries are – the Central African Republic, Yemen, Malaysia, Madagascar, Venezuela,
Lebanon, Mauritania, Jordan and Oman.
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• The report found that 785 million people were suffering from hunger while 822 million
people were found affected with hunger in 2018.
• GHI highlights that among the 117 countries ranked, 47 countries are in ‘serious’ and
‘alarming’ hunger levels and one in ‘critically alarming’.
1.479 India Ministerial Dialogue held at 3rd India Energy Forum by CERAWeek
• Recently, The India Ministerial Dialogue was held at 3rd India Energy Forum by CERAWeek
in New Delhi.
Key Discussions
• Indian railways has set target to have 100% electrification done by 2023 and also plans to
become ‘net zero’ emitter of carbon by 2030.
• India is expected to get $58 billion investment in the exploration and production sector by
2023 and an estimated investment of $60 billion is underway for augmenting gas
infrastructure.
• The government is pushing to achieve 10% blending percentage of ethanol in petrol by 2022,
which in turn will boost farm economy.
• Indian Government has also set target to set up a 450GW of renewable energy capacity by
2030.
1.480 Ayushman Bharat provided benefit to over 50 lakh people

• Recently, India achieved a major milestone of providing benefit to over 50 Lakh people
under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
About Ayushman Bharat Scheme
• Under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya (PM-JAY), 16,085 Hospitals have been
empanelled and over 10 Crore e-Cards issued.
• Nearly 17,150 Health & Wellness Centers have become operational across the country
under Ayushman Bharat.
1.481 CBIC launches scheme to attract investment and support Make in India programme
• Recently, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has launched a revamped and
streamlined programme to attract investments into India and strengthen Make in India
through manufacture and other operations under bond scheme, under Customs Act, 1962.
• The scheme has been modernized with clear and transparent procedures, simplified
compliance requirements ICT-based documentation and account keeping.
• The scheme is expected to play a critical role in promoting investments in India and in
enhancing ease of doing business.
Changes introduced in revamped scheme
• A single application cum approval form prescribed for uniformity of practice.
• The jurisdictional Commissioner of Customs will function as a single point of approval to
set up and oversee the operations of such units.
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• No geographical limitation on where such units can be set up.
• The unit can import goods (both inputs and capital goods) under a customs duty deferment
program. The duties are fully remitted if the processed goods are exported.
• There will be no interest liability and units will benefit through improved liquidity.
• GST compliant goods can be procured from the domestic market for use in manufacture
and other operations in a section 65 unit.
• A single digital account has been prescribed for ease of doing business and easy
compliance.
• The scheme would also enable efficient capacity utilization, as there is no limit on quantum
of clearances that can be exported or cleared to the domestic market.
1.482 Shri Arjun Munda launches Van Dhan Internship Programme of TRIFED
[Social Justice]
• Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda has launched the “Van Dhan Internship
Programme” organised by TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
About the Internship Programme
• 18 interns have been selected for the participation in the “Van Dhan Internship Programme”.
• They will support the TRIFED activities on livelihood promotion.
TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED)
• It is a national-level apex organization for fixing the prize of the goods produced by the Tribal
People.
• It was established in the year 1987 and functions under the administrative control of Ministry of
Tribal Affairs.
1.483 Central Government launched Food Safety Mitra (FSM) scheme on World Food Day
• World Food Day 2019 is observed every year on 16th October 2019.
• Theme for 2019: ‘Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World’.
• On this occasion, Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched the ‘Food Safety Mitra (FSM)’ scheme, ‘Eat
Right Jacket’, and ‘Eat Right Jhola’ to strengthen food safety administration and scale up the
‘Eat Right India’ movement.
Food Safety Mitra Scheme
• It will support small and medium scale food businesses to comply with the food safety laws
and facilitate licensing and registration, hygiene ratings and training.
• This scheme would also create new employment opportunities for youth, particularly with food
and nutrition background.
• The Food Safety Mitras would undergo training and certification by FSSAI to do their work and
get paid by food businesses for their services.
Eat Right Jacket
• The ‘Eat Right Jacket’ will be used by the field staff.
• This jacket has a smart design to hold tech devices like tablets/smart phone, a QR code and RFID
tag for identification and tracking.

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• It would bring in efficiency, professionalism and transparency in food safety administration.
Eat Right Jhola
• The ‘Eat Right Jhola’ is a reusable cloth bag.
• It will replace plastic bags for grocery shopping in various retail chains.
1.484 Facebook launches second phase of digital literacy project for tribal girls
• Union Minister of Tribal Affairs has announced the second phase of GOAL (Going Online as
Leaders).
About GOAL (Going Online as Leaders)
• It is a program aimed at inspiring, guiding and encouraging tribal girls from across India to
become village-level digital young leaders for their communities.
• It was launched by Facebook in March 2019
• It aims to connect underprivileged young women from tribal areas with senior expert mentors
in the areas of business, fashion and arts to learn digital and life skills.
Second Phase of the Programme
• In the second phase of the programme, 5000 young women in India’s tribal dominated districts
will be digitally mentored, by Facebook and Ministry of Tribal Affairs jointly.
1.485 NITI Aayog launches India Innovation Index 2019

• The India Innovation Index (III) 2019 has been released by NITI Aayog with The Institute for
Competitiveness as its knowledge partner.
Findings of the Index
• The states have been bifurcated into three categories: major states, north-east, and hill states,
and union territories/city states/small states.

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More about the Index
• The India Innovation Index 2019 is calculated as the average of the scores of its two dimensions
- Enablers and Performance.
• Enablers - These are the factors that underpin innovative capacities, grouped in five pillars:
1. Human Capital
2. Investment
3. Knowledge Workers
4. Business Environment
5. Safety and Legal Environment.
• Performance – This dimension captures benefits that a nation derives from the inputs, divided
in two pillars:
6. Knowledge Output
7. Knowledge Diffusion.

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Aim of the Index
• The aim is to create a holistic tool which can be used by policymakers across the country to
identify the challenges to be addressed and strengths to build on when designing the economic
growth policies for their regions.
1.486 Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying releases 20th Livestock Census
• 20th Livestock Census report has been recently released by The Department of Animal
Husbandry & Dairying under The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
Findings of the Census
Category Population in Millions Increase (in Percentage) in
population
Total Livestock Population 537.78 4.6%
Total Bovine Population 302.79 1%
Total Cattle Population 192.49 0.8%
Total Female Cattle (Cows) 145.12 18%
About 20th Livestock Census

• The Livestock Census has been conducted in the country periodically since 1919-20.
• It covers all domesticated animals and its headcounts.
• The 20th Livestock Census has been conducted in participation with all States and Union
Territories. The enumeration was done both in rural and urban areas.
1.487 Italy to introduce web tax on digital giants from 2020

[Globalization]
• Italy has recently approved a new tax on digital companies as part of its 2020 draft budget.
• It will oblige companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon, to pay a 3% levy on internet
transactions and is due to be introduced from next year.

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1.488 International Monetary Fund releases World Economic Outlook
[IMF]
• IMF has recently released The World Economic Outlook.
• It has downgraded global growth to 3% for 2019, which is a 0.3 percentage point downgrade
from April 2019.
Highlights of the report
Bad business
• Over the year, a common feature across the world has been a slowdown in industrial output.
The graph depicts year-on-year percentage change across economic indicators.
Investments decline
• Downturns in global trade are related to reduced investment spending.
• Global investment did slow down in line with reduced imports.
Trade woes
• Production slowdown led to a standstill in trade.
• In the first half of 2019, global trade volume was just 1% above its value a year ago, the slowest
pace for a 6-month period since 2012.

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Auto slump impact
• Another contributor to the slowdown in global trade has been the slump in car sales, which is
reflected in a slowdown in the purchase of consumer durables.
1.489 Centre Launches 'Made In India' Diagnostic Kits for Encephalitis, Bluetongue Virus With Export
Potential
[Social Sector- Health]
• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry &
Dairying have jointly released diagnostic kits which can prevent the spread of Japanese
Encephalitis and the Bluetongue virus in animals.
• This will help in predicting their outbreak in humans under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
• Name of the Kits - Bluetongue sandwich ELISA and the Japanese Encephalitis 1gM ELISA
• Developed by - Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Veterinary Research
Institute (IVRI) jointly
1.490 UAE announces establishment of 1st graduate-level, research-based AI university in world

• United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced the establishment of the first graduate-level,
research-based AI university in the world.
• It would be called as Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence( MBZUAI).

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1.491 Dr Harsh Vardhan shares India’s vision for inclusive health at G20 Okayama Health Ministers’
Meeting
[Social Sector- Health]
• Recently, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare attended the G20 Okayama Health
Ministers’ Meeting.
• The meeting has taken place under the Presidency of Japan in Okayama City, Japan.
Okayama Declaration of the G20 Health Ministers
• The G20 Health Ministers meeting has concluded by adopting the “Okayama Declaration of the
G20 Health Ministers".
• The declaration endorses the Commitment of G20 countries to address the major global health
issues.
• G20 members have committed to continue this dialogue during the upcoming G20 presidency in
Saudi Arabia.
1.492 India to host Interpol General Assembly in 2022

[Globalization]
• India has won the vote to host the Interpol General Assembly in New Delhi in the year 2022.
• This comes as part of the celebrations of 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence.
• 88th Interpol General Assembly has taken place in Santiago.
1.493 Legislative Council abolished in J&K

• Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council has been abolished recently.
• This has been done as per Section 57 of the J&K Reorganisation Bill, 2019, which reduced the
State to the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Background
• Recently, the central government revoked the special status granted to J&K and bifurcated the
state into two Union territories of J&K and Ladakh.
1.494 New initiatives unveiled to mark first MeitY Start-up Summit

• Recently, the first MeitY Start-up Summit was held in New Delhi.
• At the event, Union Minister of Law & Justice Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad unveiled a series of new
initiatives by Ministry of Electronics & Information (MeitY), which are as follows:
• BHIM 2.0 (new functionalities): supports additional languages (Konkani, Haryanvi, Bhojpuri)
and has increased transaction limits
• StartUp Hub portal: It is an overarching collaborative platform to act as a national
coordination, facilitation and interconnected centre for all activities in the tech startup
ecosystem.
• Indian software product registry: It will act as a single window portal to collate Indian software
product database.
Awards

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• At the event, awards were also given to selected fintechs and banks that promoted digital
landscape in the nation.
• Induslnd Bank has been awarded with DigiDhan Mission Digital Payments Award for 'Overall
Performance in 'Digital Payments'.
1.495 IIT Delhi becomes first IIT to launch Endowment Fund

• Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Delhi, is all set to launch Endowment Fund to garner USD
1 Billion over the next six years.
• The initial amount of the Endowment Fund will be raised from around 20 alumni who have
committed between ₹5 crore and ₹30 crore each.
• The fund will expand and gradually raise funds from industry leaders and alumni who are now
in senior management positions at companies in India and abroad.
• Endowment funds are a big source of income for best global universities. These funds are
primarily used for development work and students scholarship.
1.496 Crime in India report 2017 released

[Gender Issues]
• Recently, the annual Crime in India Report 2017 has been published by the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB) after the delay of 2 years (last came in 2016).
Key Findings
Crime against women
• As per the report, 3, 59, 849 cases of crime against women were reported in the country.
• Uttar Pradesh topped the list, followed by Maharashtra and West Bengal.
• Majority of cases under crimes against women were registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or
his Relatives’.
Riots
• As per the report, 58,880 incidents of rioting were reported, of which the maximum incidents
were reported from Bihar, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Kidnapping and Abduction
• A total of 95,893 cases of kidnapping and abduction were registered during 2017, showing an
increase of 9.0% over 2016 (88,008 cases).
• A total of 63,349 children were reported missing in 2017.
Fake news and rumours
• NCRB, for the first time, collected data on circulation of “false/fake news and rumours.”
• Under the category, maximum incidents were reported from Madhya Pradesh (138), Uttar
Pradesh (32) and Kerala (18).
Rape cases
• According to the report, as many as 32,559 rapes were reported in India in 2017 and accused
were known to the victims in 93.1% of the cases.

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• Majority of cases under crimes against women were registered under “cruelty by husband or
his relatives" at 27.9%, followed by “assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty" at
21.7%, “kidnapping and abduction of women" at 20.5% and “rape" accounting for only 7.0%.
• Nagaland recorded the lowest number of rapes (10 cases) in 2017 followed by Sikkim (17
cases) and Mizoram (25 cases).
Crime Rate
• While the “crime rate" is defined as “offences registered per one lakh people", Assam recorded
the highest crime rate of 143 in the country in 2017. Odisha and Telangana came in second.
Crime against Children
• In percentage terms, major crime heads under ‘crime against children’ during 2017 were
kidnapping and abduction (42.0%) and 25.3% cases under the Protection of Children from
Sexual Offences Act, 2012, including child rape.
Murder
• Among UTs, Delhi recorded the most murder cases in 2017 at 487, followed by Chandigarh
and Puducherry at 25.
Cyber Stalking
• For the first time, “cyber stalking and bullying of women” has been included in the report.
• A total of 542 cases were reported under this category, with the maximum incidents recorded
in Maharashtra (301).
Cyber Crime
• A 77% rise in the number of cybercrimes was observed in 2017, compared to 2016.
• Uttar Pradesh followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka registered the maximum number of
such cases.
Offences against the State
• Cases of offences against the state increased by nearly 50% in 2017 from 2015.
• The highest number of such cases were reported from Haryana followed by Uttar Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu.
1.497 Next 'Hunar Haat' to be held in Prayagraj

• The next 'Hunar Haat', will be organised in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, where more than 300
master artisans and culinary experts will participate.
• All the 'Hunar Haats' to be organised in 2019 and 2020 will be based on the theme of "Ek
Bharat Shrestha Bharat".
Relevance
• The Ministry of Minority Affairs has decided to organise about 100 'Hunar Haats' in the next
five years across the country to provide market, employment and employment opportunities
to master artisans and culinary experts.
1.498 QS India University Rankings 2020: IIT Bombay tops again

• Recently, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released the ‘India University Rankings’ 2020.

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• This is the second time QS has published separate ranking for top institutions in India. The first
edition was released in 2019.
• QS has ranked the higher education institutions in India on the basis of eight parameters
which have different weightage:
1. Academic reputation (30%)
2. Employer reputation (20%)
3. Faculty student ratio (20%)
4. Staff with PhD (10%)
5. Papers per faculty (10%)
6. Citation per paper (5%)
7. International faculty (2.5%)
8. International students (2.5%)
Key Results
• 1st rank: Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB)
• 2nd rank: Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
• 3rd rank: Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
• Six IITs have found a place among the top ten institutions in the QS list of top Indian
institutions.
• Among the non-IITs, Delhi University occupies the first spot at number seven — followed by
Hyderabad University
1.499 10th edition of the Global Wealth Report published

[Human Development]
• Recently, 10th edition of the ‘Global Wealth Report’ was released by Credit Suisse Research
Institute, according to which global wealth has risen by $9 trillion to $360 trillion in 2019.
• India has made a contribution of $625 billion (nearly 7% of total) to the global wealth.
• The biggest contribution has come from the US at $4 trillion (45% of total) and China at $1.9
trillion (21% of total).
Average Wealth
• Acc. to this report, the average wealth per adult globally stood at $70,849.
• Wealth per adult for India at $14,569 is nearly 80% below the global average. The US and
Europe have the highest wealth per adult at $417,694 and $153,973, respectively.
Key Findings about India
• India is a large contributor to the global wealthy list. “The country has 827,000 adults in the
top 1% of global wealth holders, which is a 1.6% share.
• The growth in household debt for India was one of the highest globally at 11.5% versus global
average of 4%. Still, it is below that for the developed nations.
• For India, the growth in financial assets was just 1.4% to $37 billion. The growth was below
global average of 2%.
1.500 National repository of India’s cyber tech capabilities launched


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• Recently, The National Cyber Security Coordinator's office in partnership with Data Security
Council (DSCI) of India has launched TechSagar.
• TechSagar is a platform to discover India’s technological capability through a portal.
• The portal will list business and research entities from the IT industry, startups, academia, and
individual researchers.
1.501 CBSE, NCERT to launch 'Tamanna' aptitude test for Class 9, 10 students
• Recently, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Council for Educational
Research and Training (NCERT) have launched an online aptitude test called as ‘Tamanna’
(Try and Measure Aptitude and Natural Abilities), in a bid to help students make the right
career choices.
What is Tamanna?
• Tamanna is an aptitude test that aims at helping students of Class 9 and 10 make a better
choice of subjects, eventually helping them in making an informed decision while choosing
subjects in Class 11 and 12.
• CBSE (Know your aptitude) KYA exam will assess a student's weaknesses and strengths in
academics.
• This exam should be taken voluntarily by interested students and must not be used to impose
any subject, courses of study and/or vocations etc. on the students.
1.502 Government sets up panel to resolve MeitY and Niti fight over AI
• Recently, the government has formed a committee to resolve differences between the Niti
Aayog and the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) over who will implement its
ambitious artificial intelligence mission.
• The committee, will be headed by principal scientific advisor ‘K Vijay Raghavan’.
• The panel has been formed to resolve the overlaps between Niti Aayog’s and Meity’s plans for
AI.
1.503 Sri Lanka and UNEP adopted ‘Colombo Declaration’

• Recently, Sri Lanka and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) convened a two-
day event at which they came together to adopt “Colombo Declaration” on Sustainable
Nitrogen Management.
• This declaration has an ambition to halve nitrogen waste by 2030.
• The Colombo Declaration has been developed with the technical support of the International
Nitrogen Management System (INMS) and the International Nitrogen Initiative supported by
the Global Environment Facility.
• As part of the Declaration, environment ministers representing the governments of more
than 30 countries endorsed United Nations plans for a campaign on sustainable nitrogen
management called “Nitrogen for Life”.

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1.504 Odisha government plans to make state child marriage free by 2030
[Gender Issues]
• Recently, the Department of Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti, Odisha has
launched a state Strategic Action Plan (SAP) with the support of UNICEF & UNFPA, in a bid
to end child marriage in Odisha.
• The State Strategic Action Plan is a comprehensive and time-bound approach to accelerate
actions to deal with the complexities of ending child marriage, and it will be implemented from
2019 to 2024.
Relevance
• According to National Family Health Survey-4, the prevalence of child marriages among girls
in Odisha was reported to be 21.3 percent against a national average of 26.8, whereas for
boys it is only 11 per cent against the national average of 20.3 per cent.
1.505 World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2020 released

[ World Bank]
• Recently, The World Bank released its latest Doing Business Report (DBR, 2020).
• Objective: It provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement
across 190 economies.
• It ranks countries on the basis of Distance to Frontier (DTF), a score that shows the gap of an
economy to the global best practice.
Indicators
• It ranks countries on the basis of 10 indicators:
1. Resolving Insolvency
2. Construction Permits
3. Trading Across Borders
4. Registering Property
5. Paying Taxes
6. Getting Electricity
7. Starting a Business
8. Getting Credit
9. Protecting minority investors
10. Enforcing Contracts
• Note: This time two more parameters namely Employing Workers and Contracting with the
Government were considered in the report but are not included in the ease of doing business
rankings.
Key Findings
Findings about India
• India’s rank: 63rd (has recorded a jump of 14 positions against its rank of 77 in 2019)
• This year, India’s DTF score improved to 71.0 from 67.23 in the previous year. India is amongst
the top 10 improvers.
• India continues to maintain its first position among South Asian countries.

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• India has improved its rank in 7 out of 10 indicators. Significant improvements have been
registered in ‘Resolving Insolvency’ (improved significantly from 26.5% to 71.6%), 'Dealing with
Construction Permits', ‘Registering Property’, ‘Trading across Boards’ and ‘Paying Taxes’
indicators.
• India has witnessed the biggest jump in ranking in “resolving insolvency" category, to 52nd
rank from 108th, due to the implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
• The cities covered in India for carrying out the study this year are New Delhi and Mumbai.
• From now on, the World Bank will also include Kolkata and Bengaluru, besides Delhi and
Mumbai, for preparing ease of doing business report, in order to provide a holistic picture of
the business environment of the country.
Global Findings
• 1st Rank: New Zealand
2nd Rank: Singapore
3rd Rank: Hong Kong, China
• The top ten economies with most noted improvement, including India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
Togo, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, China, India and Nigeria, implemented one-fifth of
all the reforms recorded worldwide in 2018-19.
• Somalia ranked last at 190th.
1.506 World Bank inks agreement project to support smallholder farmers in Odisha
[World Bank]
• Recently, the Central Government, Odisha government and the World Bank have signed a
loan agreement worth $165 million to support smallholder farmers in the state.
• The loan from the World Bank, has a 6-year grace period, and a maturity of 24 years.
• The project "The Odisha Integrated Irrigation Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture" will
be implemented in Odisha's rural areas which are vulnerable to droughts and largely
dependent on rainfed agriculture.
• It will benefit about 125,000 smallholder farmer households from 15 districts of Odisha
managing 128,000 hectares of agricultural land.
1.507 New Development Bank approves two projects with loans aggregating to $800mn
• Recently, the Board of Directors of the New Development Bank (NDB) have approved two
projects namely ‘Fundo Clima – Brazil National Climate Fund Project’ and ‘Renewable Energy
Sector Development Project’ worth $800mn.
• Now, the Bank's portfolio stands at 44 projects with loans aggregating to USD 12.4 billion.
• Fundo Clima – Brazil National Climate Fund Project: NDB will provide a sovereign loan of
$500mn for this project which is aimed at capitalizing Fundo Clima to expand its on-lending
operations to sub-projects contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Renewable Energy Sector Development Project, India: NDB will provide a loan of USD 300
million to this project which is aimed at improving the energy mix in India by providing funds
for the construction and commissioning of renewable energy sub-projects.
About NDB
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• Headquarters: Shanghai, China
• Founders: BRICS countries
• President: K. V. Kamath
1.508 Odisha Government launches 'Odisha Mo Parivar' programme

[Social Justice]
• Recently, Odisha government has launched a social service initiative named ‘Odisha Mo
Parivar’, aimed at encouraging environment protection, blood donation and the welfare of
Odias in distress.
• Under this programme, party leaders will dedicate themselves to protect the environment
and undertake extensive planting of trees, and create awareness among the public.
• The initiative will also come to the rescue of Odias stranded in foreign countries.
1.509 Global Health Security (GHS) Index, 2019 released

• Recently, Global Health Security Index, 2019 was released. It is the first comprehensive
assessment of epidemic and pandemic threats globally.
• This index is a project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins University
Center for Health Security, with research by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Indicators
• The countries are assessed on the basis of 6 indicators:
1. Prevention
2. Detection & Reporting
3. Rapid Response
4. Health System
5. Compliance with International Norms
6. Risk Environment
Key Findings
• United States has topped the list globally (overall with a score of 83.5), followed by United
Kingdom and Netherlands.
• Thailand and South Korea are among the best-performing countries in Asia.
• India’s rank: 57th rank (with a score of 46.5)
• This report has revealed that stronger health security conditions are not dependent on
whether a country is wealthy, but are driven by a multitude of factors, including effective
governance and a strong disease surveillance system.
• Indeed, gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP per head are not strong determinants of global
health security. More than 100 high- and middle-income countries score below 50 in the index.
1.510 India to adopt Brazil model of human milk bank

[Social Sector – Health]
• The Central Government has set a target of ensuring at least 70 per cent infants to have access
to breast milk by the year 2025.
• The Target will subsequently be increased to 100 per cent.
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• India has taken inspiration from Brazil’s success in the field of human milk bank decided to
adopt a similar model in creating a wide network of human milk banks.
1.511 Uttar Pradesh Government launches Rs 1,200 crore financial assistance scheme for girls
• Uttar Pradesh government has launched a scheme called as the ‘Kanya Sumangala Yojana’.
• The scheme aims to provide financial assistance of Rs.15, 000 to the girl child at different key
stages of life, from birth to graduation.
• The scheme’s broad objectives are to stop female foeticide and nurture a positive and
constructive approach to girls in a state that fares poorly on gender indicators.
• The six-stage plan gives cash incentives at various significant stages in the cycle of a girl child’s
life starting from Rs. 2000 at the time of birth , then Rs.1000 on completion of vaccination in a
year.
• Rs. 2000 upon admission to class one and class six and Rs. 3000 upon admission to class 9th.
• Admission to two-year diploma courses or graduation after completion of class 10 or 12 will
make them eligible for receiving Rs 5,000.
Eligibility
• Eligibility conditions for the scheme include permanent residence of the state and annual
family income of less than Rs 3 lakh.
• The benefits can only be availed by a family of two children and will be available only to two
daughters in a family.
1.512 Odisha Government inks LoU for 'drink from tap mission' with UNICEF
• Odisha Government has inked a Letter of Understanding (LoU) on "drink from tap mission"
with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
• This has been done to provide quality drinking water to every urban household in the state of
Odisha.
More about the Mission
• According to the Housing and Urban Development Department, UNICEF will provide technical
cooperation to the government of Odisha for implementation of the "drink from tap" program.
• It aims at providing piped quality drinking water supply to each household on a 24-hour basis,
in first phase 1.20 lakh people are going to benefit.
1.513 Dr. Harsh Vardhan releases the 14th National Health Profile, 2019
[Social sector – Health]
• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan has recently released the 14th
National Health Profile (NHP) 2019 & its e-book (digital version).
• It has been launched in continuation of the publication since 2005.
Who has prepared it?
• The NHP is prepared by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI).
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What does it cover?
• It covers comprehensive information on demographic, socio-economic health status, health
finance indicators, health infrastructure and health of human resources in the country.
About NHP
• The NHP highlights substantial health information under major indicators :
1. Demographic indicators (population and vital statistics)
2. Socio-economic indicators (education, employment, housing and amenities, drinking water
and sanitation)
3. Health status indicators (incidence and prevalence of common communicable and non-
communicable diseases and RCH) etc.
1.514 MNRE Hosts 2nd Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) on 31 October In New Delhi
• Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy hosted the second Assembly of
International Solar Alliance (ISA).
• It has taken place in New Delhi.
About ISA
• The ISA is an initiative by India and launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President
of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, France(COP-21)
• It was launched with 121 solar resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the
tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn as prospective members.
• The objective of the ISA is to collectively address key common challenges to the scaling up
of solar energy in ISA member countries.
More about the Assembly
• The Assembly is the supreme decision making body of the International Solar Alliance
• It gives directions on various administrative, financial and programme related issue.
1.515 National Symposium on the theme ‘United to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis’

• Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated
“National Symposium”.
• Theme: ‘United to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis’.
About Lymphatic Filariasis
• It is a parasitic infection, which is spread by mosquitoes.
• It is contracted in childhood, often before the age of five.
More about Symposium
• Special mention was given to Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
• NTDs are a group of debilitating infectious diseases that impact over 1.5 billion people
globally and hold back the poorest communities from reaching their full potential.
• India is committed to eliminate two of these NTDs - Lymphatic Filariasis (Hathipaon) and
Visceral Leishmaniases (Kala-Azar).
• Dr. Harsh Vardhan has signed the ‘Call to Action to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis by 2021’

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1.516 EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Parv inaugurated
[Social Justice]
• EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Parv has been organized by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan under
Ministry of Human Resource Development in New Delhi
• This event was organized to primarily showcase the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.
About Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative
• The programme was announced by the prime minister on October 31, 2015 on the 140th birth
anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• The programme aims to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures
living in different states and union territories in the country with the objective of promoting
greater mutual understanding amongst them.
1.517 India’s marine exports to China heading for USD 1 billion mark
• As per the data released by China’s customs authority recently, India’s exports of marine
products to China has tripled.
• It has touched almost USD 800 million, in the first nine months of 2019.
• India’s marine exports are expected to cross USD 1 billion mark by the end of this year.
1.518 The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health’

• Vice President of India has recently inaugurated ‘The 50th Union World Conference on Lung
Health’ in Hyderabad.
• Theme of the Conference: ‘Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership and Action’.
About the Conference
• India is the host country of the conference for this year.
• India currently holds the current highest burden of TB in the world and has an ambitious target
to eliminate TB by 2025.
• The Conference provides a unique backdrop to discussions on ending TB and lung disease and
it focuses on what is needed to ensure commitments become action, and that lifesaving
targets are met.
1.519 India, Saudi Arabia sign Strategic Partnership Council pact

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have signed the
Strategic Partnership Council Agreement to coordinate on important issues.
• This has been to provide a significant boost to the strategic ties between India and Saudi
Arabia.
India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council
• India and Saudi Arabia have signed the agreement to establish the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic
Partnership Council to coordinate decisions regarding strategically important issues.
1.520 FM Nirmala Sitharaman chairs meeting of NIIF's governing council

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• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has chaired the governing council meeting of the
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
About NIIF
• The NIIF is a fund manager that invests in infrastructure and related sectors in the country.
• It is operationalised by establishing three alternative investment funds (AIFs) under the SEBI
regulations.
• The proposed corpus of NIIF is Rs 40,000 crore.
• The Government of India's contribution to the Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) under the
NIIF scheme is 49 per cent of the total commitment.
1.521 Nagaland Government launches Ex-gratia Scheme for Students

• Nagaland Government has launched the Nagaland Ex-gratia Scheme.
• It has been launched for Students Studying outside Nagaland belonging to any recognized
scheduled tribes and indigenous inhabitants of the state.
More about the scheme
• The scheme is targeted for students who die outside the state while pursuing secular,
technical, professional, diploma and theology courses.
• Corpus Fund of five crore Rupees will be kept in a fixed deposit for the same
• The interest accruing from the deposit will be utilized for payment of ex-gratia amounting to
five lakh rupees to the nominee of the deceased students.
1.522 Financial Times's global ranking : IIM Calcutta gets 17th rank
• Indian Institute of Management Calcutta has secured the 17th rank globally in the 'Financial
Times Masters in Management Rankings 2019'. The institute has got the ranking for its 2-Year
Masters in Business Administration (formerly Post Graduate Programme in Management).
• University of St. Gallen from Switzerland has received the top spot in the ranking.
Ranking if Indian Institutes
• Until 2018, only three IIMs were part of the FT MIM ranking - IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and
Calcutta.
• In 2019, IIM Calcutta has been ranked 17th
• IIM Ahmedabad has been ranked 21st
• IIM Bangalore has been ranked 44th
• IIM Udaipur has been ranked 76th
• IIM Indore has been ranked 81st
1.523 Central Government sets up panel to examine the problems face by Telecom Operators
• The Central Government has set up a panel to examine the problems faced by telecom
operators and suggest ways to revive their financial health.
• A committee of secretaries (CoS) has been setup by the Government , which will be headed by
the cabinet secretary(presently Rajiv Gauba)
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1.524 India signs MoU with Saudi Arabia to launch RuPay card in Gulf Kingdom
• India has recently signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to launch the RuPay card in the
country.
• India has already launched the RuPay card in the UAE, Bahrain, Singapore and Bhutan.
About RuPay Card
• The RuPay card is a first-of-its-kind Indian domestic Debit and Credit Card payment network,
with acceptance at ATMs, POS devices and e-commerce websites.
• It was launched in 2012.
• It was launched to fulfil the Reserve Bank of India's vision to have a domestic, open and
multilateral system of payments.
1.525 AP launches online platform SMARTPORT

• Andhra Pradesh has recently launched a new initiative called SMARTPORT.
• SMARTPORT is an online platform launched as part of implementing the Ease of Doing
Business Reforms related to trade and export promotion in all ports in the state.
About SMARTPORT
• SMARTPORT will be covered under the Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act.
• It will enable online services like request for entry of vessels into Indian waters, furnishing
cargo declaration, request for entry certificate of vessels, furnishing import/export
parameters and request for final clearance certificate.
1.526 TN becomes first State to enact law on contract farming

• Tamil Nadu has become the first State in the country to enact a law on contract farming, called
as the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion and
Facilitation) Act.
What is the relevance of this law?
• It would safeguard interests of farmers during times of bumper harvest or fluctuating market
prices.
• The farmers would be paid at a pre-determined price, which had been arrived at the time of
signing agreements with buyers.
1.527 OCI can now apply for National Pension System

• Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has permitted Overseas Citizen
of India to enrol in National Pension System.
• Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) will now be eligible to apply for the National Pension System
at par with Non Resident Indians (NRIs).
Notification by Finance Ministry

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• According to the notification by Finance Ministry ,OCI may subscribe to NPS provided such
person is eligible to invest as per the provisions of the PFRDA Act and the accumulated saving
will be repatriable, subject to Foreign Exchange Management Act guidelines.
• Now, any Indian citizen, resident or non-resident and OCIs are eligible to join NPS till the age
of 65 years.
1.528 India launched the first National Protocol to enumerate Snow Leopard Population
• On the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day, which was observed on 23 October,
2019, India launched the first national protocol to enumerate snow leopard population.
• It has been developed by scientific experts in association with the Snow Leopard States/UTs
namely, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal
Pradesh.
1.529 Brazil announced visa-free entry for Indians and Chinese tourists
[Globalization]
• Recently, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has announced that Chinese and Indian tourists
would be exempted from visas to enter Brazil for tourism or business purposes.
• Earlier this year, the Brazilian government ended visa requirements for tourists and
businesspeople from the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia.
1.530 Gandhinagar becomes first kerosene-free district of Gujarat

• Recently, Gandhinagar district of Gujarat has become the first Kerosene-free district of the
state.
• On the Ocassion, Union Home Minister also distributed 1000 LPG gas connections to women
beneficiaries in the state under Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana.
1.531 Vigilance Awareness Week to be observed from 28th October to 2nd November
[Social Justice]
• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) will observe the Vigilance Awareness Week from
28th October to 2nd November, 2019.
• Every year, it is observed during the week in which the birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(31st October) falls.
• Theme (2019): “Integrity- A way of life”
1.532 Indian Railways launches ‘Operation Dhanush’ against ticket touts

[Social Justice]
• Recently, Indian Railways’ Central Railway zone conducted ‘Operation Dhanush’ ticket touts
involved in e-ticketing.
• The operation was carried out in all the five divisions falling under the Central Railway Zone.
• The operation was aimed to control touts on e -ticketing in view of Diwali rush of passengers
to their native places.

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1.533 Moody’s cuts India’s FY20 growth to 5.8%
• Recently, Moody’s Investors Service has pegged India’s gross domestic product (GDP)
growth for the current financial year at 5.8% and 6.6% for fiscal year 2020.
2 Finance in news – From June 2019 to October 2019
2.1 GST on Electric Vehicles, Chargers cut from 12% to 5%

[GST]
• To encourage adoption of electric vehicles, the 31st GST Council decided to reduce the tax rate
on electrical vehicles from 12% to 5% and on chargers from 18% to 5% from August, 2019.
• It also exempted the hiring of electric buses by local authorities from the GST.
2.2 RBI to pump in ₹12,500 cr liquidity on June 20

[RBI functions and conduct of Monetary policy]
• The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will infuse ₹12,500 crore into the financial
system through bond purchases on June 20th, 2019 through Open Market Operation (OMO)
• The decision has been taken based on a review of the evolving liquidity conditions and
assessment of the durable liquidity needs going forward.
2.3 N.S. Vishwanathan reappointed RBI deputy governor for one year
[Recent Developments in Financial Sector]
• The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the extension of N.S Vishwanathan as
deputy governor of RBI
• This extension has come for one year with effect from 4 July 2019
2.4 CEA Krishnamurthy Subramanian appointed part-time member in IBBI

• Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian and former MD and CEO of IDBI Bank B
Sriram have been appointed part-time members of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of
India (IBBI)
• Their appointment was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which is
composed of Prime Minister of India as the Chairman and Union Minister of Home Affairs.
2.5 RBI's deputy governor Viral Acharya quits six months before his term ends
• Viral Acharya has quit six months before the scheduled end of his term as the deputy
governor of RBI
• Acharya had joined the RBI on January 23, 2017 and was RBI's youngest deputy governor post
economic liberalization.

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2.6 Nandan Nilekani committee submits report on payments to RBI
[Financial inclusion]
• The high-level committee on deepening of digital payments , led by Infosys co-founder Nandan
Nilekani has submitted its recommendations
Suggestions by the Committee

• It has recommended a reduction in costs to widen the acceptance infrastructure and improve
digital financial inclusion
• A major suggestion by the committee to increase both digital acceptance and tax compliance
is to provide businesses with tax incentives calibrated on the proportion of digital payments
in their receipt
• It has suggested Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to consider setting up an acceptance development
fund, which is used to develop new merchants in poorly served areas
• It calls for a 15 basis point cut in the interchange fee on card payments and that issuing banks
deposit 5 basis point in the acceptance development fund. This amount is to be matched by
the RBI with the goal of improving acceptance infrastructure.
• The committee is of the view that the RBI and the Centre put in place a mechanism to monitor
digital payment systems and make aggregated information based on blocks and PIN codes,
available to all players on a monthly basis
• It has also suggested the creation of a digital financial inclusion index so that progress in an
area can be measured along a common scale, indicating the evolution of the users and steps
taken for correcting the imbalance
• The report has noted that while the digital payments ecosystem has made substantial
progress on the issuance side, there needs to be an improvement on the demand or
acceptance side of the ecosystem
• The committee said that this gap between “digital credits” and “digital debits” needs to be
addressed
• According to the committee , government should ensure that no convenience fee is charged
on customers for government payments
• It set a target for additional growth of volume of digital payments by 10 times in three years in
line with 10-fold growth over the last five years .This growth will be driven by a shift from high-
value, low-volume, high-cost transactions to low-value, high-volume, low-cost transactions.
2.7 RBI revises norms on banks’ exposure to large borrowers

[Risk management in banking sector]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised its guidelines on banks’ exposure to large
borrowers which had taken effect on 1st April 2019
Background
• RBI had introduced the large borrower framework three years ago to reduce concentration
risk in a banking industry laden with bad loans
• The guidelines had capped every bank’s exposure to a group of connected firms at 25% of its
core capital, and to an individual company at 20%

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New GUIDELINES
• In order to capture exposures and concentration risk more accurately and to align the above
instructions with international norms, the following amendments have been incorporated in
the above mentioned instructions:
1) Exclusion of entities connected with the sovereign from definition of group of connected
counterparties
2) Introduction of economic interdependence criteria in definition of connected
counterparties
3) Mandatory application of look-through approach (LTA) in determination of relevant
counterparties in case of collective investment undertakings, securitisation vehicles and
other structures
• RBI has also introduced the concept of “economic interdependence" criteria in definition of
connected counterparties. According to it, if one of the firms were to experience financial
difficulties, then related parties are also likely to encounter funding or repayment difficulties.
• Hence, it has asked banks to ensure that the sum of all exposures to one counterparty does
not exceed 5% of the Tier 1 capital
2.8 BSE launches interoperability framework

[Primary and Secondary Market]
• The BSE has implemented its interoperability framework among clearing corporations from
June 3rd, 2019
• This is as per the SEBI guidelines on putting in place the required infrastructure for
operationalizing interoperability
Background
• SEBI, in November 2018, had laid down the broad guidelines for operationalising the
interoperability framework among clearing corporations
• It was originally scheduled to be operationalised by June 1 but was postponed to July 1 on
requests from exchanges and clearing corporations for preparing themselves for a smooth
transaction.
What is Interoperability?
• Interoperability is a mechanism that allows market participants to choose any clearing
corporation to settle their trades, irrespective of the exchange where they executed their
trades
• Currently, trades executed on the NSE are cleared and settled only through its subsidiary —
NSE Clearing. Transactions on the BSE are settled through its subsidiary — Indian Clearing
Corporation Ltd (ICCL) — and those on Metropolitan Stock Exchange through Metropolitan
Clearing Corporation of India.
• Thus, participants who trade on multiple exchanges had to necessarily arrange for margin and
capital separately at each of the three stock exchanges and their respective clearing
corporations

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2.9 Ministry of Corporate Affairs & SEBI enter into pact to tighten regulatory oversight
[Primary and Secondary market]
• A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs (MCA) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for data
exchange between the two regulatory organizations
• The MoU was signed by Shri K.V.R. Murty, Joint Secretary of MCA and Smt. Madhabi Puri Buch,
Whole Time Member of SEBI.
Its Relevance
• The MoU will facilitate the sharing of data and information between SEBI and MCA on an
automatic and regular basis
• It will enable sharing of specific information such as details of suspended companies, delisted
companies, shareholding pattern from SEBI and financial statements filed with the Registrar by
corporates, returns of allotment of shares, audit reports relating to corporates
• The MoU will ensure that both MCA and SEBI have seamless linkage for regulatory purposes
• In addition to regular exchange of data, SEBI and MCA will also exchange with each other, on
request, any information available in their respective databases, for the purpose of carrying out
scrutiny, inspection, investigation and prosecution
2.10 RBI removes charges on RTGS/NEFT transactions; banks to pass on benefits

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to waive the charges levied on banks for Real Time
Gross Settlement System (RTGS) and the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT)
transactions from July 1st, 2019
• Banks have been advised by RBI to pass on the benefits to their customers
• RBI has also formed a six-member committee to review the entire gamut of automated teller
machines’ (ATMs’) charges and fees , under the chairmanship of Indian Banks’ Association
chief executive V.G. Kannan
• The panel would review the overall patterns of usage of ATMs by cardholders and assess the
impact, if any, on charges and interchange fees, among others. The report of the committee is
expected in two months from its first meeting
Background
• The Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) is meant for large-value instantaneous fund
transfers while the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) System is used for fund
transfers up to Rs 2 lakh
• Country's largest bank State Bank of India charges between Re 1 and Rs 5 for transactions
through NEFT and between Rs 5 and Rs 50 for RTGS route
• In order to provide an impetus to digital funds movement, it has been decided to do away with
the charges levied by the RBI for transactions processed in the RTGS and NEFT systems
• Banks will be required to pass these benefits to their customers

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2.11 RBI revises stressed asset resolution norms
[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a new prudential framework for resolution of
stressed assets
• With this framework , RBI has effectively replaced its controversial 12 February 2018 circular
Changes in the circular

• Three major changes mark the new circular:
1. The central bank has made it voluntary for lenders to take defaulters to the bankruptcy court
2. The framework now applies to a larger universe of lenders, which includes small banks and
non-banking finance companies (NBFCs)
3. Penal provisions have been introduced for lenders
• The new norms leave it to the discretion of lenders and give them 30 days to start working on
a resolution plan from the day of default
• Once a borrower is reported to be in default, lenders should start a review of the borrower
account within 30 days of the default. The erstwhile guidelines had called for corrective action
as soon as there was a default.
• While the review period for defaulters of ₹2,000 crore and above will start immediately, the
review period for defaulters between ₹1,500 crore and less than ₹2,000 crore will start only
from 1 January 2020.
• RBI has made it voluntary for lenders to use the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code while at the
same time it has put in penal provisions for resolution plans that are not implemented
• A lender will have to set aside 20% more provisions if the plan is not implemented within 210
days from the date of default and 35% if not implemented within 365 days of default.
• The RBI circular has also mandated signing of inter-creditor agreement (ICA) by all lenders
• RBI has made these provisions applicable to non-banks and small finance banks. This
essentially means that the lenders will also have to follow the early stress recognition
guidelines of RBI
• These specify that borrowers must be categorized into special mention accounts based on
their delay in repayment. These categories are special mention account-0 (SMA-0) loans,
where the repayment overdue is between 1-30 days, SMA-1 (31-60 days) and SMA-2 (61-90
days).
2.12 RBI approves R K Chhibber's appointment as interim CMD of J&K Bank

[RBI Functions]
• Jammu & Kashmir Bank has received RBI's approval for appointment of R K Chhibber as its
interim CMD for three months.
• Chhibber, Executive President of J&K Bank, was appointed following removal of Parvez
Ahmed as CMD of the bank by the Jammu & Kashmir administration.
• Ahmed was allegedly involved in corruption, nepotism and favouritism
• Jammu & Kashmir government holds 59 per cent stake in J&K Bank.
• The bank reported 129 per cent growth in net profit for 2018-19 fiscal at ₹465 crore as
against ₹202 crore in the previous fiscal.
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2.13 SEBI proposes informant mechanism to curb insider trading activities
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has floated a discussion paper for the informant
mechanism related to insider trading, to mitigate several challenges faced by the securities
regulator
• In this informant mechanism , genuine whistleblowers could get monetary reward of ₹1 crore
as well as amnesty from regulatory action
• According to SEBI , this mechanism would help strengthen the mechanism for early detection
of insider trading cases.
• Insider trading refers to trading of securities while in possession of Unpublished Price Sensitive
Information (UPSI) about the particular securities.
• Monetary reward would be considered for an informant subject to certain conditions. This
would be in the case where monies disgorged is at least ₹5 crore.
• The total amount of monetary reward shall be 10% of the monies collected but shall not
exceed ₹one (1) crore or such higher amount as may be specified.
• An interim reward not exceeding ₹10 lakhs may be given at the stage of issuance of the final
order by the Sebi against the person directed to disgorge.
• The informant would be required to fill a Voluntary Information Disclosure Form (VIDF)
containing credible, complete and original information related to insider trading including
those pertaining to UPSI.
2.14 Allow basic savings account holders to make at least 4 withdrawals a month: RBI to banks
[RBI Functions]
• According to The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) , commercial banks need to offer holders of basic
savings bank deposit (BSBD) accounts, a minimum of four withdrawals in a month, including
automatic teller machine (ATM) withdrawals
• The rules will come into force from 1 July 2019
• In its earlier direction on 10 August 2012, RBI had said while there will be no limit on the number
of deposits that can be made in a BSBD account each month, account holders will be allowed
up to four withdrawals in a month, including ATM withdrawals.
• There is no need for a minimum balance even at the time of opening the account and a
customer is provided with an ATM-cum-debit card without any fees
• Deposit and withdrawal services are free of cost. Also, the bank cannot levy charges for non-
operation or activation of an inoperative account.
2.15 TCS to implement RBI's information and management system for 310 crore
[RBI Functions]
• IT major Tata Consultancy Services will implement Reserve Bank's a centralised information
and management system (CIMS) for seamless data collection and validations at a cost
of ₹310.52 crore.
• The project has to be completed within a year of the commencement of the contract with the
RBI.

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Background
• The RBI had invited of expression of interest (EOI) in July 2018 for identification of solution
provider for implementation of CIMS by overhauling the data warehouse (DW) of the apex
bank.
• The CIMS will comprise of DW and Data Lake (DL) which would include, seamless data
collection from regulated entities by creating system-to-system interface , system driven data
validation and data review , flexible and scalable data repository and providing data
dissemination platform.
• The CIMS would also include centralised analytics platform to facilitate creation of RBI Data
Sciences Lab.
2.16 RBI panel defers reserves report for third time

[RBI Functions]
• A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee considering guidelines for transfer of the central
bank's surplus funds to the government delayed submitting its report, after lack of consensus
• The six-member committee led by former RBI governor Bimal Jalan will met once more
before submitting its report by the month-end.
Background
• The committee was appointed in December 2018 to review the Economic Capital Framework
(ECF) for the Reserve Bank after the Finance Ministry advised the central bank to transfer
surplus funds to the government.
• The RBI has over Rs 9.6 lakh crore surplus capital.
• The ECF panel was mandated to submit its report to the RBI within 90 days of its first meeting
which took place on January 8. Following this, the panel was given a three-month extension
• The panel is headed by Bimal Jalan and other key members of the panel include Rakesh
Mohan, former deputy governor of RBI as the vice-chairman, finance secretary Subhash
Chandra Garg, RBI deputy governor N S Vishwanathan, and two RBI central board members
-- Bharat Doshi and Sudhir Mankad.
• The panel has been entrusted with the task of reviewing the best practices followed by central
banks worldwide in making assessment and provisions for risks.
• The panel was set up after a controversy between the Reserve Bank of India and the
government erupted over how much of the profit made from central bank’s trading in bonds
and currencies should be transferred to the government, and how much should be retained to
build up reserves.
2.17 RBI asks banks to grout ATMs to wall, pill or floor to enhance security
[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank has asked banks to ensure their ATMs are grouted to a wall, pillar, or floor
by September 2019, except those installed in high secured premises such as airports, to
enhance security of the cash vending machines.
• The new measures to be adopted by banks are in addition to the existing instructions,
practices and guidance issued by the RBI and law enforcement agencies.

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• The RBI also warned the banks that non-adherence of timelines or non-observance of the
instructions would attract regulatory action including levy of penalty.
Background
• In 2016, the RBI had set up a Committee on Currency Movement (CCM) to review the entire
gamut of security of treasure in transit.
• Based on the recommendations of the panel, the central bank has now issued instructions
aimed at mitigating risks in ATM operations and enhancing security.
2.18 IFC to invest USD 30 million in school-funding firm

[Recent Developments in the Financial Sector]
• International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced that it will invest USD 30 million in
Indian School Finance Company (ISFC)
• The investment will be by way of equity as well as debt. The investment involves pumping in
up to USD 15 million equity and the same amount as debt.
About Indian School Finance Company (ISFC)

• ISFC is a Non-Banking Finance Company engaged in the business of lending to educational
institutions and entrepreneurs managing such institutions
• The company started its operations in December 2008 from Hyderabad, and has expanded
since to other cities and states of India. The company is widely recognized and appreciated in
the education segment for its impact on schools and focus on improvement in quality of
education.
• The objective of ISFC is to assist the Schools and other education institutions in capacity
building through infrastructure improvements, thereby enabling students to access quality
education.
2.19 SEBI sets up panel to review margins on derivatives

[Financial inclusion]
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to review the current framework of
margins in the futures and options derivative segment
• SEBI has set up a working group to look into the issue and submit its recommendations to the
Secondary Market Advisory Committee
• This working group is going to be headed by NSE Clearing Ltd.
• The decision has been taken based on the feedback that the existing margin requirements in
the derivatives segment is pushing up cost of trading while not managing risk in the most
efficient manner.
Background
• A recent study jointly conducted by Association of National Exchanges Members of India
(ANMI) and consultancy firm Ernst & Young (EY) , has highlighted the fact that trading in
derivatives in India costs much more when compared with most of the other leading markets
due to a variety of margins that are imposed on the traders

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• The study has also found that unlike other trading markets where higher event-based margins
are applied temporarily (such as during instances of increased volatility), the Indian stock
market levy a variety of margins during normal course which pushes up overall cost of trading
2.20 RBI falls short of meeting Basel III requirements : Basel Committee on Bank Supervision (BCBS)
report
[RBI Functions]
• According to a report by the Basel Committee on Bank Supervision (BCBS) , Reserve Bank of
India has fallen short of meeting tougher requirements set by the Basel III norms
• The semi-annual report has been brought out by the BCBS, a committee under the Bank For
International Settlements
• The report has looked at adoption status of Basel III standards by 30 global systemically
important banks (G-Sibs) as of end-May 2019
• India’s G-sibs include State Bank of India, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank
• This committee of banking supervisory authorities aims to enhance understanding of key
supervisory issues and also improve the quality of banking supervision worldwide.

• According to the report , RBI is yet to publish the securitization framework while globally the
norms on securitization exposures held in the banking book had come into effect on 1 January,
2018.
• RBI has also missed the deadline for meeting the TLAC requirement, which ensures that G-Sibs
have adequate loss absorbing and recapitalization capacity so that critical functions can be
continued without taxpayers’ funds or financial stability being put at risk
• These include instruments that can be either written down or converted into equity, like capital
instruments and long-term unsecured debt. The TLAC constitutes 16% to 20% of a group's
consolidated risk-weighted assets.
• The RBI is also yet to come out with draft regulations on revised Pillar 3 disclosure
requirements, which took effect from end-2016
• Pillar 3 disclosures aim at ensuring market discipline through disclosures in prescribed
format, while Pillar1 focuses on capital adequacy and Pillar 2 looks at the supervisory review
process.
• According to the report, India’s G-sibs are in the process of implementing rules on interest rate
risk in the banking book (IRRBB). These regulations refer to the current or prospective risk to
the bank’s capital and earnings arising from adverse movements in interest rates that affect
the bank’s book positions
• RBI has issued draft guidelines in February 2017 and is yet to come out with final guidelines ,
globally the rules were effective from end-2018.

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2.21 FM chairs the 20th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council
[Finance Commission]
• The 20th Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) has taken place
under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala
Sitharaman
• The Meeting reviewed the current global and domestic economic situation and financial
stability issues including, inter-alia, those concerning Banking and NBFCs.
• The Council was also apprised of the progress made towards setting-up of the Financial Data
Management Centre (FDMC) to facilitate integrated data aggregation and analysis as also a
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-Fin) towards strengthening the cyber security
framework for the financial sector.
• The Council also held consultations to obtain inputs/ suggestions of the financial sector
regulators for the Budget. All the regulators presented their proposals for the Union Budget
2019-20.
• The Council also took note of the activities undertaken by the FSDC Sub-Committee Chaired by
Governor, RBI and the action taken by Members on the decisions taken in earlier Meetings of
the Council.
2.22 IndusInd Bank-Bharat Financial merger to be effective from July 4

• Private sector lender IndusInd Bank and Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL) have announced
that their merger will be effective from July 4th 2019
• The National Company Law Tribunal on June 10, 2019 approved the Scheme of Arrangement
among BFIL, IndusInd Bank and Induslnd Financial Inclusion and their respective shareholders
and creditors
• The Business Correspondent network of BFIL will operate under IFIL
• Assets and liabilities of BFIL will be merged with IndusInd's balance sheet
2.23 SEBI panel proposes cut in liquid funds’ exposure to NBFCs, HFCs
• The Mutual Fund Advisory Committee (MFAC) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) has proposed that the exposure limits of liquid funds to non-banking finance companies
(NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs) be reduced in a phased manner
• Currently, liquid funds can have an aggregate 40% exposure to these lenders, including 25%
to NBFCs and 15% to housing finance companies.
• The committee has proposed to initially reduce NBFC and HFC exposure to 22.5% and 12.5%,
respectively, and finally to 20% and 10%.
• The committee further proposed that all papers held by liquid funds should be marked to
market. Currently, paper above 30 days’ maturity is required to be marked to market
• The committee has also suggested a code of conduct for rating agencies for better valuation of
thinly traded securities
Relevance of the Proposal

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• These measures are likely to bring additional transparency in debt security pricing and reduce
the risk in this category of mutual funds
• The committee has also proposed a 10% cap on the extent of debt fund exposure to so-called
credit-enhanced securities
• A credit enhancement is typically a promoter guarantee or the offer of shares as collateral in
order to enhance the creditworthiness of specific debt paper. These are also referred to as loan
against share (LAS) papers.
2.24 Number of wilful defaulters in nationalised banks up by 60% in 5 years : Government

• According to the data provided by the Government in the Lok Sabha , The number of wilful
defaulters in nationalised banks has increased by over 60 per cent to 8,582 in five years to
March 2019
• By the end of 2014-15 fiscal, this number was 5,349 and it has been rising consistently the
number of such borrowers increased to 6,575 in 2015-16; 7,079 in 2016-17 and further to 7,535
in 2017-18.
• As per the government , A wilful defaulter is an entity or a person that has not paid the loan
back despite the ability to repay it
Steps taken by the Government

• Besides the regulations of SEBI , Wilful defaulters and companies with wilful defaulters as
promoters/directors have been debarred from accessing capital markets to raise funds
• In accordance with the instructions provided by RBI , initiation of criminal proceedings has
been done and FIRs have been registered in 2,915 cases
• Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 has debarred wilful defaulters from participating in the
insolvency resolution process.
• For effective action against wilful defaulters fleeing Indian jurisdiction, the Fugitive Economic
Offenders Act, 2018 has been enacted to provide for attachment and confiscation of property
of fugitive offenders and has disentitled them from defending any civil claim.
• The government has also advised public sector banks to decide on publishing photographs of
wilful defaulters as well as to obtain certified copy of the passport of promoters/directors and
other authorised signatories of companies availing loans of more than ₹50 crore
• Heads of PSBs have also been empowered to request for issuance of look out circulars against
wilful defaulters
2.25 PwC will now audit crypto companies

• Accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has added cryptocurrency auditing to its
list of services as the firm expands into an asset class that is steadily adopting the
accoutrements of traditional finance.
• The auditor’s tools can’t access the unique alphanumeric security codes that secure each key,
but they do allow PwC to verify that an entity is the sole owner of the
cryptocurrency holdings.

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2.26 RBI introduces 'Complaint Management System'
[Corporate Governance in Banking sector]
• The Reserve Bank of India has launched a ‘Complaint Management System (CMS)’
• The system will enable members of the public to lodge their complaints on its website against
any of the regulated entities with public interface such as commercial banks, urban co-
operative banks, and non-banking financial companies, among others
• The system will be accessible on desktop as well as on mobile devices.
• The system provides features such as acknowledgement through SMS/e-mail notification(s),
status tracking through unique registration number, receipt of closure advises, and filing of
appeals, where applicable
• It also solicits voluntary feedback on the customer’s experience.
Its Relevance
• The benefit to the financial system will accrue from seamless access to the CMS by the nodal
officers of banks/financial service providers (FSPs)
• CMS can generate various reports for monitoring and managing complaints pertaining to
each entity
• With the launch of the CMS, the processing of complaints received at the offices of the
Ombudsman and Consumer Education and Protection Cells (CEPCs) of the RBI has been
digitalised
• Insights from the data available from CMS can also be used by banks/FSPs for designing
products, which meet the expectations of their customers
• The entities who perform better in analysing the data and using it for creating customer value
would be able to benefit more and have a competitive advantage
2.27 Government Constitutes Working Group For Revision Of Current Series Of Wholesale Price
Index
[Inflation - WPI]
• The Government of India has decided to constitute a Working Group for the revision of the
current series of Wholesale Price Index (Base 2011-12)
• The 187 member group has been formed under Chairmanship of Ramesh Chand, Member,
NITI Aayog. The other members are from National Statistical Office, Ministry of Finance,
Department of Agriculture, RBI and Department of Consumer Affairs.
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade will be the nodal office for the
group and will process its report/recommendation for further necessary action.
Terms of Reference of the Group

• The Terms of Reference of the group include selecting the most appropriate Base Year for the
preparation of a new official series of Index Numbers of (WPI and Producer Price Index (PPI)
in India
• The group will also review commodity basket of the current series of WPI and suggest
additions/deletions of commodities in the light of structural changes in the economy
witnessed since 2011-12

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• It will also review the existing system of price collection in particular for manufacturing sector
and suggest changes for improvement, to decide on the computational methodology to be
adopted for monthly WPI/PPI
• The Working Group is expected to review the existing system of price collection in particular
for manufacturing sector and suggest changes for improvement
What is the relevance of this committee?
• The revision of the base year would help in presenting a more realistic picture of the price
situation and its impact on people.
• Current series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) with 2011-12 as base year was introduced in
May 2017
• Since 2011-12, significant structural changes have taken place in the economy. Therefore, it
has become necessary to examine the coverage of commodities, weighting diagram and
related issues pertaining to the existing series of index numbers of WPI
2.28 RBI allows ARCs to buy financial assets from peers

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted the asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) to
purchase financial assets from peers provided the transaction is on a cash basis
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) to buy
financial assets from other such entities. However, all such transactions have to settled in cash
Notification by RBI
• In view of amendment to the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and
Enforcement of Securities Interest Act, 2002, it has been decided to permit ARCs to acquire
financial asset from other ARCs on following conditions:
1. The transaction is settled on cash basis
2. Price discovery for such transaction shall not be prejudicial to the interest of Security Receipt
holders
3. The selling ARC will utilize the proceeds so received for the redemption of underlying Security
Receipts
4. The date of redemption of underlying Security Receipts and total period of realisation shall not
extend beyond eight years from the date of acquisition of the financial asset by the first ARC
2.29 Payments data must be stored in systems located in India : RBI

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently clarified that all data related to payment
transactions must be stored in the country and that such information, if processed abroad,
will have to be brought back within 24 hours
Clarification by RBI
• The entire payment data shall be stored in systems located only in India
• The data should be deleted from the systems abroad and brought back to India not later than
one business day or 24 hours from the payment processing, whichever is earlier

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• According to RBI , data stored in India can be accessed or fetched whenever required for
handling customer disputes as well as for any other related processing activity, such as
chargeback
• The data may be shared with the overseas regulator, if so required, depending upon the
nature/origin of a transaction with due approval of the RBI
• The RBI allows a copy to be stored abroad in case of cross-border transactions.
2.30 SEBI tightens regulations for mutual funds to safeguard investors

[Primary and Secondary market]
• SEBI , in its new notification has tightened investment norms for liquid mutual funds to
protect investors from credit risks arising out of defaults by borrowers.
• According to SEBI , liquid funds can invest a maximum of 20% of their assets in a single sector
as against the current cap of 25%, and must keep aside at least a fifth of their assets in cash
equivalents to meet sudden redemption pressures
• Liquid funds are debt mutual funds that can invest in securities up to a maturity of 91 days
• SEBI has also reduced liquid funds’ exposure to the so-called credit-enhanced securities to 10%
of AUM
• A credit enhancement is typically a promoter guarantee or the offer of shares as collateral in
order to enhance the creditworthiness of specific debt paper. These are also referred to as
loan against shares (LAS).
2.31 RBI relaxes leverage ratio for banks to boost their lending capacity
[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India , in its recent notification has relaxed the leverage ratio (LR) for banks
to help them boost their lending activities.
• The leverage ratio has been reduced to 4 per cent for Domestic Systemically Important Banks
(DSIBs) and 3.5 per cent for other banks effective from the quarter commencing October 1,
2019
About leverage ratio
• As defined under Basel-III norms, The leverage ratio is Tier-I capital as a percentage of the
bank's exposures
• A leverage ratio is any kind of financial ratio that indicates the level of debt incurred by a
business entity against several other accounts in its balance sheet, income statement,
or cash flow statement.
• These ratios provide an indication of how the company’s assets and business operations are
financed (using debt or equity).
• Earlier RBI had said it has decided to harmonise LR in line with Basel III standards keeping in
mind financial stability of financial firms.
• In order to mitigate risks of excessive leverage, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
(BCBS) designed the Basel III Leverage Ratio as a simple, transparent, and non-risk-based
measure to supplement existing risk-based capital adequacy requirements.

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2.32 RBI releases June 2019 Financial Stability Report
[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India has released the 19th issue of the Financial Stability Report (FSR) on
June 26th 2019
• The FSR reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and
Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability, as also the resilience of the financial
system
• The Report also discusses issues relating to development and regulation of the financial sector.
Overall assessment of systemic risks

• India’s financial system remains stable in the backdrop of improving resilience of the banking
sector, even though the emerging trends in global economic as also geopolitical environment
pose challenges.
Global and domestic macro-financial risks

• Global economic activity continues to face significant headwinds since the second-half of 2018
culminating in a lower global growth forecast of 3.3 per cent in 2019. Adverse geopolitical
developments and trade tensions are gradually but predictably taking a toll on business and
consumer confidence.
• Advanced economies’ (AEs) central banks have eased their monetary policy stance. While
asset prices and global capital flows initially recovered in response, the markets appear to be
deeply conditioned by the implied ‘Fed put’ and any significant reassessment would require re-
rating of a host of issues relating to emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) with
a risk of sharp adjustments.
• Domestic economy has hit a soft patch recently as private consumption, the key driver of GDP,
turned weak. This along with subdued new investment pipeline and a widening current account
deficit have exerted pressure on the fiscal front.
• Reviving private investment demand remains a key challenge going forward while being
vigilant about the spillover from global financial markets.
2.33 RBI releases Rupee Interest Rate Derivatives (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2019
[Regulators of Bank and Financial Institutions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released norms for rupee interest rate derivatives (IRD) in
a view to consolidating, rationalizing and simplifying all previous regulations issued for such
contracts
• This directive is based on feedback received from the market participants to the draft
guidelines that RBI had released on April 3, 2019 for public comments
Details about the Guidelines

• An IRD is a financial derivative contract whose value is derived from one or more benchmark
interest rates, price, interest rate instruments or interest rate indices
• RBI has allowed non-residents to participate in the rupee interest rate derivatives segment
with a view to deepen the rupee interest rate swap (IRS) market

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• The non-residents can undertake rupee interest rate derivative transactions on recognised stock
exchanges, electronic trading platforms and over the counter markets (OTCs)
• Resident ‘non-retail’ users can undertake transactions in permitted products for both hedging
and otherwise
• A non-resident Indian can undertake transactions in rupee interest rate derivatives markets to
hedge an exposure to rupee interest rate risk and for select other purposes other than hedging
• Recognised stock exchanges have been granted the flexibility to design and structure
standardised products based on market requirements
• Similarly, in the Over-the Counter (OTC) market, market makers such as banks have been
permitted to offer such products tailored to the needs of corporates and other non-retail
entities.
2.34 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Public Statement dated June 21, 2019
[Recent developments in the financial sector]
• FATF plenary releases a public statement and a document titled ‘Improving Global AML/CFT
Compliance: On-going Process’ with respect to jurisdictions that have strategic AML/CFT
deficiencies as a part of the ongoing efforts to identify and work with jurisdictions with strategic
Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT) deficiencies
Following are the Key points from the Process:

• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has called on its members and other jurisdictions to apply
counter-measures to protect the international financial system from the ongoing and
substantial money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/FT) risks emanating from the
jurisdiction of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
• Jurisdiction of Iran is subject to a FATF call on its members to apply enhanced due diligence
measures proportionate to the risks arising from the jurisdiction
• FATF has further identified the following jurisdictions as having strategic deficiencies which have
developed an action plan with the FATF to deal with them
• These jurisdictions are: The Bahamas, Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan,
Panama, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Yemen.
2.35 On Tap Licensing of Small Finance Banks

• It was notified in the Guidelines for Licensing of ‘Payments Banks’ and ‘Small Finance Banks’
in the Private Sector dated November 27, 2014, that after gaining experience in dealing with
these banks, the Reserve Bank will consider ‘on tap’ licensing of these banks.
• In the case of Small Finance Banks, license was issued to ten such banks.
• Further, eight of the ten Small Finance Banks have also been included in the second schedule of
the RBI Act, 1934.
2.36 Internal Working Group setup by RBI to Review Liquidity Management Framework
[RBI Functions]
• RBI has decided to constitute an Internal Working Group to review comprehensively the
existing liquidity management framework and suggest measures, among others, to:
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(i) simplify the current liquidity management framework
(ii) clearly communicate the objectives, quantitative measures and toolkit of liquidity
management by the Reserve Bank. The Group is expected to submit its report by mid-July 2019.
• The Reserve Bank’s liquidity management framework was last reviewed in 2014.
• While on the whole the current liquidity management framework has worked well, it has also
become somewhat complex.
• An assessment of liquidity position by different market participants has varied markedly and is
not always in sync with the actual systemic liquidity position in the economy.
2.37 Comprehensive Review of Money Market directions

[RBI Functions]
• With the objective of bringing consistency across products in terms of issuers, investors and
other participants, it is proposed to rationalize existing regulations covering different money
market products
• These directions would improve transparency and safety of money markets.
• A draft Direction on Money Market shall be issued for public feedback by the end of July 2019.
• A well-functioning money market is a crucial link in the chain of monetary policy transmission,
apart from being a basic necessity for pricing and liquidity in other financial markets
• The Reserve Bank has issued regulations over time covering different money market products
– call money, repo, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and other debt instruments with
original maturity less than one year, etc.
2.38 Retail Participation in the Government Security Market

[RBI Functions]
• It has been decided by RBI to allow the Specified Stock Exchanges to act as
Aggregators/Facilitators to aggregate the bids of their stockbrokers/other retail participants
and submit a single consolidated bid under the non-competitive segment of the primary
auctions of State Development Loans (SDLs).
• The measure will be implemented in consultation with the respective State governments.
2.39 RBI sets up working group to review regulatory norms for core investment companies
[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a working group to review the regulatory and supervisory
framework for core investment companies (CICs)
• The six-member committee will be headed by Tapan Ray, non-executive Chairman, Central
Bank of India and former Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Terms of Reference of the Committee

• It will assess the appropriateness of and suggest changes to the current approach of the RBI
towards registration of CICs, including the practice of multiple CICs being allowed within a
group
• The panel will also suggest measures to strengthen corporate governance and disclosure
requirements for CICs and assess the adequacy of supervisory returns submitted by CICs and
suggest changes
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• According to the terms of reference, the panel will examine the current regulatory framework
for CICs in terms of adequacy, efficacy and effectiveness and suggest changes
Regulatory and Supervisory Framework for Core Investment Companies (CICs)

• In August 2010, the Reserve Bank introduced a separate framework for the regulation of
systemically important Core Investment Companies (CICs) recognising the difference in the
business model of a holding company relative to other non-banking financial companies
• Over the years, corporate group structures have become more complex involving multiple
layering and leveraging, which has led to greater inter-connectedness to the financial system
through their access to public funds
• Further, in light of recent developments, there is a need to strengthen the corporate governance
framework of CICs.
• Accordingly, it has been decided to set up a Working Group to review the regulatory guidelines
and supervisory framework applicable to CICs.
2.40 High trading costs impact liquidity of Indian equities: study

• As per the latest analysis by the World Bank , the turnover ratio of the Indian stock market has
fallen significantly in the last 10 years.
• The fall has been higher in India compared with some of the other leading markets of the
world.
• As per analysis by World Bank , the turnover ratio of the Indian stock market had fallen from
143 in 2008 to 58 in 2018.
• The turnover ratio is a universally accepted parameter to gauge trading volumes, is the total
value of the shares traded in a specific period divided by the average market capitalization of
that period.
• Meanwhile, while India’s turnover ratio fell by nearly 60% between 2008 and 2018, as per the
World Bank report, the fall had been the highest among most leading markets of the world,
barring the U.S. and the European Union.
• The turnover ratio of China has dipped less than 6% in the last 10 years, while Brazil and Korea
registered a dip of 12.85% and 31.12%, respectively. Japan and Hong Kong have seen the ratio
dip between 40-50% between 2008 and 2018, as per the World Bank study.
• Transactions via UPI have also surpassed mobile wallet payments in terms of volume of
transactions and value
• There were 378.87 million wallet transactions worth ₹155.48 billion in April compared with
781.79 million UPI transactions worth₹1.42 trillion in the same month, according to data from
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
2.41 SBI board approves raising ₹7,000 crore through AT1 bonds
• State Bank of India (SBI) has approved raising ₹7,000 crore in additional tier 1 (AT 1) capital.

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• This has been done by way of issuance of Basel-III compliant debt instruments in rupee and or
any other convertible currency through a public offer or private placement to overseas and or
Indian investors (Dollar AT 1 or Masala AT 1) during FY20
AT-1 Bonds
• In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the Basel-III accord introduced a new instrument,
the Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bond, to protect depositors of a bank on a “going concern” basis
• The essential element of this instrument is the imposition of losses on its holders without the
bank being liquidated, if the Common Equity Tier-1 (CET 1) ratio falls below a threshold level
• The bonds are also known as perpetuals as they do not have a redemption date, and carry the
following features
• First, the issuing bank has the discretion to skip coupon payment. Under normal circumstances
it can pay from profits or revenue reserves in case of losses for the period when the interest
needs to be paid
• Second, the bank has to maintain a common equity tier I ratio of 5.5%, failing which the bonds
can get written down. In some cases there could be a clause to convert into equity as well.
Given these characteristics, AT1 bonds are also referred to as quasi-equity.
2.42 Government to infuse Rs 70,000 crore capital in PSBs to boost credit

• In her maiden budget, Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that the government will
infuse ₹70,000 crore capital into public sector banks (PSBs) in the current financial year to be
able to lend more.
2.43 Listed companies will need to maintain 35% of public float

• According to the statement by the finance minister in her maiden union budget, listed
companies may need to maintain 35% of minimum public shareholding (MPS) from current
25%.
• This move will ensure more public investing in equity markets, it will also force corporates to go
on a public offering spree.
• This would also require the market regulator to change several regulations pertaining to public
offerings.
2.44 Firms with turnover above Rs 400 crore to be taxed at 25%

[The Union Budget – Direct and Indirect Taxes]
• The threshold on annual revenue for attracting a corporate tax rate of 25% has been raised
to ₹400 crore from₹250 crore in a move aimed at making India an investor-friendly country.
• The decision will benefit about 99.3% of the 1.5 million companies incorporated in the country.
• Government also announced tax incentives for global manufacturing companies to set up
factories. Such companies will be invited to build plants in advanced industrial sectors like solar
photovoltaic cells, lithium-ion batteries, computer servers, laptops, semiconductors and offer
investment-linked deduction under section 35 AB of the Income-tax Act.

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• This benefit will allow companies to lower their tax outgo by deducting the amounts invested
while computing their taxable income.
2.45 TDS mandatory for payments exceeding Rs 50 lakh to contractors, professionals

[The Union Budget – Direct and Indirect Taxes]
• To widen the tax net, the government proposed to introduce 5 per cent tax deducted at source
(TDS) on all payments made by individuals to contractors or professionals in excess of Rs 50
lakh a year.
• The TDS could be deposited in the treasury using his or her permanent account number (PAN)
only.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also proposed in the Budget 2019-20 that filing of income
tax return will be mandatory for people depositing more than Rs 1 crore in current account,
spending over Rs 1 lakh towards electricity bill payment and Rs 2 lakh on foreign travel in a
year.
2.46 NBFC crisis one of the reasons for growth slowdown: Government
[Recent Development in the Financial Sector]
• According to the Economic Survey 2019, the crisis in the Non-Banking Financial Institutions
(NBFC) sector has been one of the reasons for the growth slowdown in the financial year 2019.
Recent Examples of NBFC Crisis

• In September 2018, DSP Mutual Fund sold a large quantum of commercial papers of Dewan
Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) at a steep discount, triggering fears of a liquidity crunch based
on the rumour that DHFL may have defaulted on one of its debt payments.
• Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) defaulted for the first time on inter-
corporate deposits and commercial papers (borrowings) worth Rs 450 crore in June 2018. Then
again in September 2018, it defaulted on a short-term loan of Rs 1,000 crore from SIDBI. The
total debt of IL&FS alone to lenders, stood at Rs 90,000 crore.
• Following the slump, the other NBFCs also saw a sharp fall in the market.
2.47 FPIs can subscribe to listed debt securities issued by REITs

[Portfolio Investment]
• Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) can subscribe to listed debt securities issued by the Real Estate
Investment Trusts (REITs) and the Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvITs).
• Finance Minister in budget has proposed to increase the statutory limit for FPI investment in a
company from 24 per cent to sectoral foreign investment limit with option given to the
concerned corporates to limit it to a lower threshold. FPIs will be permitted to subscribe to
listed debt securities issued by ReITs and InvITs.
• This issue assumes greater significance in view of the gradual shift from stock targeted
investments towards passive investment whereby funds track global indices, composition of
which depends upon available floating stock.

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2.48 SEBI’s 75% cash surplus to go to government
[The Union Budget – Non-tax sources of Revenue]
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Union Budget proposed that the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will now have to transfer 75 per cent of its surplus from the
general fund every year to the Consolidated Fund of India that is managed by the Central
Government.
• The Budget has also proposed that SEBI should constitute a reserve fund and 25 per cent of the
annual surplus of the general fund should be credited to this reserve fund.
• Moreover, the transfer to the reserve fund every year should not exceed the total annual
expenditure of the preceding two years. After meeting all expenditures, SEBI should transfer
the leftover amount to the Consolidated Fund of India.
2.49 Foreign investors to be allowed to invest in NBFCs debt securities

[Portfolio Investment]
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Union Budget proposed to allow foreign institutional
investors (FIIs) and foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to invest in debt securities issued by non-
banking finance companies (NBFCs). This will attract more foreign funds into the Indian market.
• It has also proposed to merge the Non-resident Indian (NRI) portfolio route with the FPI route
to increase more NRI fund flows into the country.
2.50 Housing Finance sector comes under RBI regulation

• The government has proposed to transfer the regulatory authority over housing finance sector
to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from the National Housing Bank (NHB) in a bid to strengthen
the sector which was hit by payment delays and liquidity crunch.
• The reason for this move is because National Housing Bank, besides being the refinancer and
lender, is also regulator of the housing finance sector and this gives a somewhat conflicting and
difficult mandate to NHB.
2.51 Investment in start-ups hit a record $1 billion in January-June 2019

• The startups have raised a total of $1.17 billion in the first six months of 2019, rising from
$994 million in the same period last year, and a 47% surge from $616 million in 2017.
• However, the number of deals has remained largely flat in the last four years, falling from 85
last year to 76 this year.
• This indicates that deal sizes have grown in recent years, with the total investment increasing
in the same period.
• The average deal size has increased from $10.26 million in 2016 to $15.44 million this year
so far.
2.52 Income Tax Department’s target for FY20

• The Income Tax department has been tasked to add 1.30 crore new return filers in the current
financial year as part of the government's plan to widen the tax base in the country.
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• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), a body that frames policy for the department, has
issued the directive in the Central Action Plan (CAP) for 2019-20.
• According to the Central Action Plan (CAP), the reason for further widening of the direct tax
base of the country is the result of increased economic activities both in organised as well
as un-organised sectors.
• It added that new opportunities for identification of potential taxpayers have opened up due
to data mining and data analytics conducted by the systems, intelligence and criminal
investigation and regular probe wings of the department and through the tax deducted at
source and tax collected at source wings.
• The effective utilization of these data by the field officers would result in identification of a
large number of potential taxpayers.
• In addition, information from disseminated data, local intelligence, inputs from market
associations, trade bodies and professional bodies should be gathered to identify non-filers.
2.53 Basel finds some RBI large exposures rules stricter than required
[Reserve Bank of India – Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India’s norms on large exposures for banks are not only compliant with
the Basel requirements, they are stricter in some areas as well, according to the findings of
the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).
• The assessment was conducted by the Regulatory Consistency Assessment Programme
(RCAP), part of the Basel committee, and focused on the completeness and consistency of the
domestic regulations in force on 7 June 2019.
• The RCAP assessment team was led by Vasily Pozdyshev, deputy governor of the Central Bank
of the Russian Federation. It comprised four technical experts, from Belgium, Brazil,
Denmark and the Basel Committee Secretariat.
• The Basel large exposures framework requires banks to identify third parties that may
constitute an additional risk factor inherent in the structure itself rather than in underlying
assets.
• The report of the committee also found that while Basel large exposures framework limits
the sum of all exposures of a bank to a single counterparty to 25% of Tier 1 capital, Indian
regulations establish the large exposure limit at 20% and in exceptional cases, banks’ boards
may allow an additional 5% exposure of the bank’s available eligible capital base.
2.54 RBI panel proposes extension of forex market timing

[RBI Functions]
• An internal working group at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recommended extending
trading hours for both currencies and short-term loan products
• This has been recommended in the background of the need to integrate with global exchanges
• RBI committee has suggested extending Over-the-Counter forex exchange-traded currency
derivatives markets to 9 PM instead of 5 PM now. In the money markets, trading is proposed
to be stretched by an hour.
• Currently there are no restrictions on timings for transactions in cross currencies. Banks can
decide the trade timings based on their internal policies.
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• The report further notes that it is operationally easier to extend timings on exchanges as they
are already offering extended market hours for commodity and derivative segment.
2.55 State Bank of India waives IMPS, NEFT and RTGS charges
[Banking system in India]
• Country's largest public sector bank State Bank of India has announced that it will not levy
transaction charges through RTGS and NEFT for YONO (SBI app), internet banking and mobile
banking customers from 1 July.
• SBI will also waive IMPS (immediate payment service) charges for these customers from 1
August 2019
• Before 1 July, SBI used to charge between Re 1 and Rs.5 for transactions through National
Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and ₹5-50 for real-time gross settlement (RTGS) route.
• SBI has also reduced NEFT and RTGS charges through branch banking by 20%.
• There will also be a waiver on IMPS charges for fund transfer up to ₹1,000 through branch
banking.
2.56 Cabinet approves eight amendments to IBC for easier resolution

• The Union Cabinet cleared major changes to the bankruptcy law that will enforce a strict 330-
day timeline for the insolvency resolution process, including any legal challenges, and uphold
secured creditors’ priority right on the sale or liquidation proceeds of bankrupt companies.
• The eight amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) will also aid decision-
making in the case of bankrupt entities such as property developers, which have a large
number of creditors, including homebuyers.
• The amendments are aimed at speeding up the bankruptcy resolution process that has been
mired in litigation and correcting anomalies that have crept into its functioning since the law
came into force in 2016.
2.57 SEBI provides standardize format for code of conduct violations reporting under Insider
Trading norms
• SEBI has come out with standardized format for reporting violations of code of conduct,
formulated under Prohibition of Insider Trading (PIT) norms.
• Under PIT norms, all listed firms, intermediaries and fiduciaries are required to formulate a code
of conduct for designated persons as well as for their relatives and inform the regulator about
any such violation.
2.58 Govt. Issues strict direction to deal with fugitive economic offenders
[Issues of corruption and inefficiency in the government sector]
• The Government has issued directions to deal with wilful bank loan defaulters or fugitive
economic offenders.
• For this a Look Out Circular (LOC) can be opened by the Bureau of Immigration in respect of
Indian citizens and foreigners on the request of an authorized originator

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• This originator includes an officer not below the rank of Deputy Secretary to the Government
of India; or an officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary in the State Government; or District
Magistrates; or Superintendents of Police; or designated officers of various law enforcing and
security agencies; or designated officer of Interpol; or Chairman/Managing Director/Chief
Executive of all Public Sector Banks; or as per directions of any Criminal Court in India.
• The Immigration Authorities can detain as well as prevent any person, including a willful
defaulter, from leaving India against whom LOC has been issued.
2.59 Inter-Ministerial Committee on Virtual Currencies submits its Report along with Draft Bill
‘Banning of Cryptocurrency & Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019’
[Recent developments in financial sector]
• The Government had constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on 2.11.2017 to study
the issues related to virtual currencies and propose specific action to be taken in this matter.
• The Committee has submitted its report, along with a draft bill “Banning of Cryptocurrency &
Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019"
Members of the Committee

• The committee was headed by finance secretary Subhash Chandra and members
include ministry of electronics and information technology secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney,
Securities and Exchange Board of India chairman Ajay Tyagi and RBI deputy governor B.P.
Kanungo
Recommendations of the Committee

• It has suggested the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) or blockchain in India, especially
in the field of financial services.
• In the Report, the Group has highlighted the positive aspect of distributed-ledger technology
(DLT) and suggested various applications, especially in financial services, for use of DLT in India.
• The DLT-based systems can be used by banks and other financial firms for processes such as
loan-issuance tracking, collateral management, fraud detection and claims management in
insurance, and reconciliation systems in the securities market.
• As for private cryptocurrencies, given the risks associated with them and volatility in their
prices, the Group has recommended banning of the cryptocurrencies in India and imposing
fines and penalties for carrying on of any activities connected with cryptocurrencies in India.
• The Group has also proposed that the Government keeps an open mind on official digital
currency.
• As virtual currencies and its underlying technology are still evolving, the Group has proposed
that the Government may establish a Standing Committee to revisit the issues addressed in the
Report as and when required.
2.60 Launch of Utkarsh 2022 – Reserve Bank of India’s Medium-term Strategy Framework
[RBI Functions]
• Governor of RBI Shri Shaktikanta Das has launched the Reserve Bank of India’s Medium-term
Strategy Framework, ‘Utkarsh 2022’.

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• This strategy is in line with the evolving macroeconomic environment, to achieve excellence in
the performance of RBI’s mandates and strengthening the trust of citizens and other
institutions.
What is Utkarsh 2022?

• The strategic framework contains, inter alia, the Bank’s Mission, Core Purpose, Values and Vision
Statements, reiterating the Bank’s commitment to the Nation. The Medium-term Vision
Statements set out the following:
1. Excellence in performance of statutory and other functions
2. Strengthened trust of citizens and other Institutions in the RBI
3. Enhanced relevance and significance in national and global roles
4. Transparent, accountable and ethics-driven internal governance
5. Best-in-class and environment friendly digital as well as physical infrastructure
6. Innovative, dynamic and skilled human resources
2.61 IBBI amends the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process for
Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
(Liquidation Process) Regulations, 2016
[Risk Management in banking sector]
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has notified the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons)
(Amendment) Regulations, 2019 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
(Liquidation Process) (Amendment) Regulations, 2019 on 26th July 2019
• The salient amendments affected by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency
Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) (Amendment) Regulations, 2019 are:
a) The amendments specify the process for withdrawal of applications before constitution of
committee of creditors (CoC), after constitution of CoC but before issue of invitation for
expression of interest, and after issue of invitation for expression of interest.
b) The amendments require that while approving a resolution plan or deciding to liquidate the
corporate debtor, the CoC may:
I. approve a plan providing for contribution for meeting the liquidation costs,
II. recommend sale of the corporate debtor or sale of business of the corporate debtor as a going
concern, and
III. fix, in consultation with the RP, the fee payable to the liquidator, if an order for liquidation is
passed by the Adjudicating Authority.
• The salient amendments affected by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Liquidation
Process) (Amendment) Regulations, 2019 are:
a) The amendments specify the process for:
(i) sale of corporate debtor as going concern
(ii) sale of business of corporate debtor as going concern under liquidation
These also provide that where a corporate debtor is sold as a going concern, the liquidation
process shall be closed without dissolution of the corporate debtor.

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b) The amendments require completion of liquidation process within one year of its
commencement, notwithstanding pendency of applications for avoidance transactions. These
provide a model timeline for each task in the liquidation process.
• It also specifies a maximum time of 90 days from the order of liquidation for completion of
compromise or arrangement, if any, proposed by the stakeholders under section 230 of the
Companies Act, 2013. These will ensure that liquidation process is closed at the earliest.
c) The amendments require the financial creditors, who are financial institutions, to contribute
towards the liquidation cost, where the corporate debtor does not have adequate liquid
resources to complete liquidation, in proportion to the financial debts owed to them by the
corporate debtor, in case the CoC did not approve a plan for such contribution during
corporate insolvency resolution process.
d) The amendments provide for constitution of a Stakeholders’ Consultation Committee having
representation from secured financial creditors, unsecured financial creditors, workmen and
employees, government, other operational creditors, and shareholder/partners to advice the
liquidator on matters relating to sale. However, the advice of this committee is not binding on
the liquidator.
e) The amendments require that a stakeholder may submit its claim or update its claim submitted
during the corporate insolvency resolution process, as on the liquidation commencement date.
• Along with submission of claim, a secured creditor shall inform the liquidator of its decision to
relinquish its security interest to liquidation estate or to realise its security interest.
f) The amendments have introduced a comprehensive compliance certificate to be submitted
along with the final report to the Adjudicating Authority.
2.62 'PSB Loans in 59 minutes': Banks extend in-principle approval of loan upto ₹5 crore
• Five public sector banks have decided to extend in-principle approval of loan up to ₹5 crore
under the "PSB Loans in 59 Minutes" scheme, so as to meet the growing need of micro and
small enterprises
• The loans will be approved by State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Oriental Bank of
Commerce, Corporation Bank, and Andhra Bank on the portal “psbloansin59minutes.com”
2.63 Lok Sabha passes Companies (Amendment) Bill

[Changing Landscape of Banking sector]
• Recently, Lok Sabha gave its nod to Companies (Amendment) Bill which seeks to tighten
corporate social responsibility compliance and reduce the load of cases on the National
Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
Key Features
• Issue of dematerialized shares: Under the 2013 Act, certain classes of public companies can
issue shares only in Demat form. The Bill states this may be prescribed for other classes of
unlisted companies as well.
• Re-categorisation of Offences: Under the 2013 Act, there are 81 compoundable offences that
carry punishments of a fine and/or prison terms. These offences are heard by courts. The Bill

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makes 16 of these offences civil defaults, where government-appointed adjudicating officers
may levy penalties.
• Corporate Social Responsibility: As of now, companies that are required to budget for CSR
must disclose in their annual reports the reasons why they were unable to fully spend these
funds.
Now, any unspent annual CSR funds must be transferred to one of the funds under Schedule
7 of the Act (for example, the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund) within six months of the financial
year.
• Debarring auditors: Under the Act, the National Financial Reporting Authority can debar a
member or firm from practising as a Chartered Accountant for six months to 10 years in case
of proven misconduct.
The Bill amends this punishment to provide for debarment from appointment as an auditor or
internal auditor of a company, or performing a company’s valuation, for the same period.
• Registration of charges: Under the Act, companies must register charges (mortgages, etc.) on
their property within 30 days of creation of the charge, extendable up to 300 days with
permission from the Registrar of Companies.
The Bill changes the deadline to 60 days (extendable by 60 days).
• Change in approving authority: Under the Act, change in period of financial year for a company
associated with a foreign company, has to be approved by the National Company Law Tribunal
(NCLT).
Under the Bill, these powers have been transferred to the central government.
• Compounding: Under the 2013 Act, a regional director can compound (settle) offences with a
penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh. This ceiling has been raised to Rs 25 lakh in the amendment.
• Beneficial ownership: If a person holds beneficial interest of at least 25% shares in a company
or exercises significant influence or control over the company, he is required to make a
declaration of his interest.
2.64 RBI eases end-use norms for external commercial borrowings by corporates, NBFCs
[Changing Landscapes of Banking Sector]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed norms for end-use of money raised through
external commercial borrowings (ECBs).
Following are the changes which has been done by RBI
• ECBs with a minimum average maturity period of 10 years can be used for working capital
purposes and general corporate purposes and borrowing by NBFCs for the above maturity
for on lending for the above purposes is also permitted.
• ECBs with a minimum average maturity period of seven years can be availed for repayment
of rupee loans availed domestically for capital expenditure as also by NBFCs for on-lending
for the same purpose.
• It has been decided to permit eligible corporate borrowers to avail ECB for repayment of
rupee loans availed domestically for capital expenditure in manufacturing and
infrastructure sector if classified as SMA-2 or NPA, under any one time settlement with
lenders.

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• RBI had also eased end-use of ECB proceeds to allow companies to raise foreign funds via
the approval route from all eligible lenders except from overseas branches and subsidiaries
of Indian banks.
2.65 RBI allows Bank of China to offer regular banking services in India
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed Bank of China to offer regular banking services in
the country.
Second schedule of RBI Act

• All commercial banks, like SBI, HDFC Bank, Punjab National Bank and ICICI Bank, are in the Second
Schedule
• Banks falling under this schedule have to adhere to the norms of the RBI.
2.66 RBI tightens norms for appointing directors on board of PSU banks
[RBI Functions]
• As per the Reserve Bank of India (‘Fit and Proper’ Criteria for Elected Directors on the Boards
of PSBs) Directions, 2019, all the banks are required to constitute a Nomination and
Remuneration Committee (NRC).
• This NRC needs to consist of a minimum of three non-executive directors from amongst the
board of directors.
What are the new regulations?

• The NRC will have a minimum of three non-executive directors from amongst the board of
directors.
• Of this, not less than one-half shall be independent directors and should include at least one
member from the risk management committee of the board.
• This is with respect to the credit facilities obtained from the bank (in which a directorship is being
evaluated), any other bank, NBFC or other lending institution.
• The negative list says that the candidate should not be a member of the board of any bank, the
RBI, financial institution (FI), insurance company or a non-operative financial holding company
(NOFHC).
• The candidate should not be a member of Parliament, state legislature, municipal corporation,
municipality, or other local bodies — notified area council, city council, panchayat, gram sabha
or zila parishad.
• Other conditions are that candidate should not be a partner of a chartered accountant (CA)
firm currently engaged as a statutory central auditor of any nationalised bank or State Bank of
India; or when the firm is engaged as statutory branch auditor or concurrent auditor of the
bank in which nomination is sought.
2.67 RBI to cover all repetitive bill payments under ‘Bharat Bill Payments System’
[RBI Functions]
• RBI has decided to permit all categories of billers (except prepaid recharges) who provide for
recurring bill payments to participate in BBPS on a voluntary basis
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• So far, it is used to make five types of bills - direct-to-home (DTH), electricity, gas, telecom and
water bills.
2.68 RBI gives priority sector tag for specified bank loans to NBFCs
[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given priority sector tag to bank loans extended to registered
non-bank lenders for financing agriculture, small businesses and home buyers within specified
limits.
• In the statement on “developmental and regulatory policies” , RBI has accorded priority sector
status to bank loans to registered non-banking finance companies or NBFCs for on-lending to
finance agriculture activities upto ₹1 million
• The same tag will be available to bank lending to NBFCs for on-lending to micro, small and small
enterprises for upto ₹2 million and to home buyers for upto ₹2 million.
2.69 Cabinet approves bill to prohibit all unregulated deposit schemes

• The Union cabinet has cleared a new bill to prohibit all unregulated deposit schemes such as
the infamous ponzi scheme
Relevance
• Ponzi schemes induce unsuspecting depositors with promises of huge returns, invest heavily in
marketing operations to build an ever expanding chain of investors and pay off some investors
from the deposits of new participants than from any return on genuine investments.
• Such schemes lead to a large number of people losing money.
Features of the Bill

• The bill will help tackle the menace of illicit deposit-taking activities, which exploit regulatory
gaps and lack of strict administrative measures, the government said in a statement after the
cabinet meeting.
• It aims to protect people from being robbed of their hard-earned savings by operators of such
schemes.
• The bill proposes compulsory registration of deposit-taking schemes with a list of specified
financial sector regulators or with the Central or state government.
• It also allows police officers of a certain rank to search the premises of deposit takers and seize
property linked to an offence under this statute.
• The bill also proposes setting up a competent authority empowered to provisionally attach the
property of any deposit taker or all the deposits received. This authority will have powers similar
to those of a civil court.
• The bill provides for penalties for running unregulated deposits, fraudulently defaulting on
regulated deposit schemes, and wrongfully inducing depositors to invest in such schemes by
falsifying facts.
• Once the new bill is signed into law, designated courts will be set up to hear cases under it. The
bill also envisages the creation of a central online database of all deposit takers.

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2.70 SEBI plans ₹1 crore reward, hotline access for informers of insider trading
[Financial markets]
• SEBI has prepared a detailed set of rules for a new 'Informant Mechanism' under its Prohibition
of Insider Trading (PIT) Regulations.
• These set of rules would be presented for its board's approval later this month.
What are these regulations aimed at?

• Any inside information on insider trading in the stock market can get the informant a reward of
up to ₹1 crore from SEBI
Who can avail these benefits?

• These benefits would only be available to individuals and corporates, and professionals like
auditors will not be able to use this route as they are duty-bound to report any wrongdoing.
Proposals under PIT by SEBI

• Under the proposed amendment to SEBI’s PIT Regulations, an informant would need to submit
a Voluntary Information Disclosure Form (VIDF) detailing credible, complete and original
information relating to an act of insider trading
• These will include communication of unpublished price sensitive information or trading in
violation of rules that has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur.
• SEBI would establish an Office of Informant Protection (OIP), which would be independent from
the investigation and inspection wings or any other operational departments.
• It would be responsible for receipt, registration and processing of VIDF and also for ascertaining
its veracity and authenticity.
• While the informant would need to disclose his or her identity to OIP, the identity details would
be excised from the information forwarded further.
Right to Information By SEBI

• While maintaining confidentiality of the informant, SEBI can share the details with other
regulators and law enforcement agencies in India or abroad
• However, the information given by the informant would be exempt from the Right to
Information
Reward to the informant

• The informant would be given a reward if SEBI is able to disgorge at least ₹1 crore of ill-gotten
gains from insider trading on the basis of the information.
• The reward would be 10 per cent of the money collected, subject to a maximum amount of ₹1
crore.
What is the relevance of this regulation?

• It seeks to curb insider trading to protect the interest of investors at large
• It defines 'insider trading' as trading of securities while in possession of unpublished price
sensitive information.

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2.71 ITR filing: 'Lite' e-filing facility launched for taxpayers
• A 'lite' e-filing facility has been launched by the Income Tax department to facilitate easy and
quick filing of returns by taxpayers.
• 'e-Filing Lite' is a lighter version of e-Filing portal with a focus on filing of Income Tax
Return (ITR) by the taxpayers
• It is aimed to enable easy and quick ITR filing by all categories of taxpayers
2.72 Sabka Vishwas - Legacy Dispute Resolution Scheme to be operationalized from 1st September
2019
• In the Union Budget 2019-20, Finance Minister announced the Sabka Vishwas-Legacy Dispute
Resolution Scheme, 2019.
• The Scheme has now been notified and will be operationalized from 1st September 2019. The
Scheme would continue till 31st December 2019.
Objective of the Scheme
• To free as large a segment of the taxpayers from the legacy taxes as possible.
• The Scheme is especially tailored to free the large number of small taxpayers of their pending
disputes with the tax administration.
• This Scheme will be availed by large number of taxpayers for closing their pending disputes
relating to legacy Service Tax and Central Excise cases that are now subsumed under GST so
they can focus on GST.
What is legacy tax?
• A legacy tax is a tax imposed by some states on a deceased person's estate when it is passed
to beneficiaries through a will or intestate succession. This type of tax is also referred to as
collateral inheritance tax.
Key Features of the scheme
• The two main components of the Scheme are dispute resolution and amnesty.
• The dispute resolution component is aimed at liquidating the legacy cases of Central Excise and
Service Tax that are subsumed in GST and are pending in litigation at various forums.
• The amnesty component of the Scheme offers an opportunity to the taxpayers to pay the
outstanding tax and be free of any other consequence under the law.
• The most attractive aspect of the Scheme is that it provides substantial relief in the tax dues for
all categories of cases as well as full waiver of interest, fine and penalty.
• The person discharged under the scheme shall also not be liable for prosecution.
• Amount declared under the Scheme is to be only paid in cash.
• No input tax credit can be utilised towards such a payment.
• Amount thus paid shall not be refundable under any circumstances.
• Amount paid under the Scheme shall also not be entitled as input tax credit.
• For all the cases pending in adjudication or appeal – in any forum - this Scheme offers a relief of
70% from the duty demand if it is Rs.50 lakhs or less and 50% if it is more than Rs. 50 lakhs.

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• Further, in cases of confirmed duty demand, where there is no appeal pending, the relief offered
is 60% of the confirmed duty amount if the same is Rs. 50 lakhs or less and it is 40%, if the
confirmed duty amount is more than Rs. 50 lakhs.
• Finally, in cases of voluntary disclosure, the person availing the Scheme will have to pay only
the full amount of disclosed duty.
2.73 India Post Payments Bank to be converted into small finance bank
• The postal department has decided to convert the India Post Payments Bank into a small
finance bank
• This has been decided to enable it to offer small loans to customers.
• The department is also aiming to open one crore accounts for IPPB in 100 days.
• India Post will partner with Common Service Centre to provide a suite of citizen centric services
such as banking, remittance, insurance, DBT, bill and tax payments etc at post offices
2.74 Finance Minister meets Bankers, reviews the performance of banks

[Banking System in India]
• Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs reviewed
the performance of banks, here in a meeting with the top management of Public Sector Banks,
HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Citi Bank. RBI Deputy Governor N.
S. Vishwanathan also participated in the review.
Important Takeaways from the meeting

1. Overall credit
• Overall credit growth from the banking system continues to be at 12%, which is marginally
lower than the growth of 13.3% at the end of March.
• At the same time, with turnaround in the NPA cycle, high provision cover of over 75%, and record
recovery, bank balance-sheets are healthier than before.
2. Contactless digital lending

• Against this backdrop, banks committed in the review to step up affordable and hassle-free
credit, with a special focus on the MSME and consumer finance sectors.
• As part of this, banks have decided to increase the in-principle approval limit for contactless
digital lending to MSMEs on the PSB59minutes.com portal to Rs. 5 crore
3. Co-origination of loans
• In the review, banks also committed to leverage co-origination of loans jointly by banks and
NBFCs under RBI’s co-origination policy.
• This will combine the advantages of lower cost funds and large financing capacity of banks with
the doorstep reach of the NBFC sector, to the benefit of both.
4. NBFC and HFC sector

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• It was noted in the review that bank credit to the NBFC and HFC sector has risen by nearly Rs.
90,000 crore since September 2018, helping address the sector’s liquidity needs.
• In addition, pool buy-outs of over Rs. 40,000 crore by Public Sector Banks have helped the NBFC
and HFC sector reduce their asset liability mismatch.
• In the review, banks committed to continue supporting the sector by making prudent use of
partial credit guarantee from the Government for purchase of pooled assets of NBFCs and HFCs
of up to Rs. 1 lakh crore.
5. MSME sector
• Banks would redouble efforts to extend cheaper, hassle-free and cash-flow based credit to
MSMEs by leveraging GST, digital payments and alternate data.
• Banks would also expedite restructuring of viable MSME units facing stress, under the special
MSME restructuring dispensation available till March 2020.
• The recommendations of the U. K. Sinha committee would be taken forward. The committee
had highlighted the need to meet working capital requirements of India’s growing MSME
service. In the review, banks agreed to come out with specific working capital products for
service sector MSME units
6. Digitalisation
• As a result of Government’s thrust on digitalization, digital transactions have grown to 769% of
GDP by March 2019, up from 726% a year ago.
• The recent amendments mandating that business establishments with over Rs. 50 crore
turnover accept digital payments and waiver of charges on NEFT and RTGS will give a fillip to
further digitalisation.
2.75 Monetary limits for filing of appeals by Income Tax Department further enhanced by Central
Board of Direct Taxation(CBDT)
• To effectively reduce taxpayer grievances/litigation and help the Department focus on
litigation involving complex legal issues and high tax effect, the monetary limits for filing of
appeals by the Department has been revised.

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2.76 24x7 fund transfers under NEFT from Dec 2019 to boost digital payments
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has allowed the National Electronic Funds Transfer
(NEFT) payment system to operate on a 24x7 basis from December 2019, with a view to boost
digital payments.
• This move is expected to revolutionise the retail payments system of the country.
• At present, the facility of NEFT — usually preferred for fund transfers of less than Rs 2 lakh —
is available between 8 am and 7 pm on all working days, except the second and fourth
Saturdays of every month.
2.77 Aadhaar-enabled payment system cross 200 million transaction in July, says NPCI
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has informed that transactions through
the Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AePS) have crossed 200 million in July.
• AePS crossing 200 million transactions mark is a significant achievement for NPCI, benefiting
financial inclusion in India.
2.78 Housing finance companies to be treated as NBFCs: RBI

• The Reserve Bank of India has announced that housing finance companies (HFCs) will be
treated as one of the categories of NBFCs for regulatory purposes and it will come under its
direct oversight.
• RBI will carry out a review of the extant regulatory framework applicable to the HFCs and come
out with revised regulations in due course.
• The Finance (No 2) Act, 2019 (23 of 2019) has amended the National Housing Bank Act, 1987,
conferring certain powers for regulation of Housing Finance Companies (HFC) with Reserve
Bank of India.
About Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs)
• These are financial institutions that offer various banking services but do not have a banking
license.
• Generally, these institutions are not allowed to take traditional demand deposits—readily
available funds, such as those in checking or savings accounts—from the public.
2.79 On-lending by NBFCs to 'needy' segments to be priority sector loans: RBI

• Recently, RBI has announced that on-lending by registered NBFCs (other than MFIs) towards
agriculture, MSEs and housing sector up to prescribed limits will be treated as priority sector
loans.
Objective
• It is being done in order to boost credit to the needy segment of borrowers.
What changes has been made?
• On-lending by NBFCs for 'term lending' component under agriculture will be allowed up to Rs
10 lakh per borrower.

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• In case of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) the limit will be Rs 20 lakh per borrower.
• In housing sector, the limit has been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per borrower
for classification of the loan as priority sector lending.
• Under the revised on-lending model, banks can classify only the fresh loans sanctioned by
NBFCs out of bank borrowing.
• However, loans given by housing finance companies under the existing on-lending guidelines
will continue to be classified under priority sector by banks.
• Bank credit to NBFCs for on-lending will be allowed up to a limit of five per cent of individual
bank's total priority sector lending on an ongoing basis.
What is Priority Sector Lending?
• It is an important role given by the (RBI) to the banks for providing a specified portion of the
bank lending to few specific sectors like agriculture and allied activities, micro and small
enterprises, poor people for housing, students for education and other low income groups
and weaker sections.
• This is essentially meant for an all-round development of the economy as opposed to focusing
only on the financial sector.
2.80 Government issues guidelines for Rs 1 trillion partial guarantee scheme for NBFCs
• The Centre has issued guidelines on operationalising Rs 1 trillion partial guarantee scheme
under which public-sector banks can purchase high-rated pooled assets of financially sound
non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).
Name of the Scheme
• 'Partial Credit Guarantee offered by Government of India (GoI) to Public Sector Banks (PSBs)
for purchasing high-rated pooled assets from financially sound Non-Banking Financial
Companies (NBFCs)/Housing Finance Companies (HFCs)’.
Objective
• This is being done to help the sector come out of the stress and to support for fundamentally
sound NBFCs in getting continued funding from banks.
Background
• NBFCs, including housing finance companies (HFCs), came under stress following series of
defaults by the group companies of IL&FS in September last year.
Validity of the scheme
• The window for one-time partial credit guarantee offered by GoI will open from the date of
issuance of the Scheme by the Government for a period of six months, or till such date by
which Rupees One lakh crore assets get purchased by banks, whichever is earlier.
Eligibility
• NBFCs registered with RBI HFCs registered with National Housing Bank (NHB) under the
National Housing Bank can take benefit under the window.
• The CRAR of NBFCs/CAR of HFCs should not be below the regulatory minimum of 15 per cent
for NBFCs and 12 per cent for HFCs and net Non-Performing Asset should not be more than 6
per cent as on March 31, 2019.

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• They should have made a net profit in at least one of the last two preceding financial years (i.e.
FY 2017-18 and 2018-19).
Key features of the scheme
• For purchase of high-rated pooled assets of financially sound NBFCs, the government will
provide one-time six months' partial credit guarantee to public sector banks for first loss of
up to 10 per cent.
• As per the guidelines issued, the window for one-time partial credit guarantee will be for a
period of six months, or till such date by which Rs 1 lakh crore assets get purchased by banks.
• Assets originated up to March 31, 2019 will only be eligible under this scheme.
• Pool of assets should have minimum rating of 'AA' or equivalent at fair value prior to the
partial credit guarantee by the Government of India.
• One-time guarantee provided by the government on pooled assets will be valid for 24
months from the date of purchase.
• Purchasing banks may have service level agreements with the originating NBFCs/HFCs for
servicing, including administration of the individual assets.
• The NBFCs/HFCs can have the option to buy back their assets after a specified period of 12
months as a repurchase transaction, on a right of first refusal basis.
2.81 RBI finalises regulatory sandbox framework for innovation in fintech firms
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the final ‘enabling framework for regulatory
sandbox,’ taking into account inputs received after a consultation process.
• It will be a positive step for financial technology start-ups and companies looking to innovate
in the fast changing and highly regulated sector.
• The regulatory sandbox allows live testing of new products or services in a controlled or test
regulatory environment.
When this framework will be applied?
• If a fintech company’s business model requires interface with a core banking system, a real-
time and scaleable model of it will be made available to the testing teams.
• This will be done for them to simulate whether the data flow and transaction flow follows
the regulatory guidelines. All this in a secure environment.
Disadvantages of the framework
• The disadvantages to this are the fact that innovators can lose some flexibility in testing their
products as well as the fact that it can actually take some time to get complete authorisation
to use a sandbox.
• Also, post testing, the innovators may still require regulatory approvals to launch the
product.
• The decision of the RBI on the application shall be final.

• The size of groups that will be allowed to use the regulatory sandbox and the window for
submission of applications will be announced later.

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2.82 RBL Bank launches India's first health-focused credit card
• Private sector RBL Bank and digital healthcare platform Practo have partnered to launch a first
of its kind co-branded health credit card.
• This credit card is powered by Mastercard and is available on both Practo and RBL mobile apps
and websites.
What are the offered benefits?

• It offers benefits like unlimited and round-the-clock online consultations with experienced and
qualified doctors
• One free full body health check-up, while users can use the card to earn points that can be
redeemed for availing Practo services like ordering medicine, tests and online consultations.
• Moreover, the card also offers two complimentary domestic airport lounge accesses every
quarter.
• Practo is currently the only platform in the country that lets patients manage their healthcare
needs end-to-end.
Background
• The digital healthcare market is on a tremendous uptake in India and is expected to reach $372
billion by 2022.
2.83 CBDT simplifies the process of assessment in respect of Startups

• The Finance Ministry has simplified the process of assessment in the case of Startup entities.
• Giving a relief to startups, the finance ministry has simplified the angel-tax assessment process
, under which any action would be taken against such entities only after approval of a
supervisory officer.
What are the changes?

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has stated that no verification will be done by an
assessing officer if a startup has been recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the case is selected under limited scrutiny.
• In cases where scrutiny assessments of startup entities are pending, the CBDT has decided that
the contention of the assessee will be summarily accepted whose cases are under 'limited
scrutiny' for those entities recognised by DPIIT
• In case of startup companies recognised by DPIIT which have filed Form No. 2 and whose cases
have been selected under scrutiny to examine multiple issues including the issue of section
56(2)(viib), this issue will not be pursued during the assessment proceedings and inquiry on
other issues will be carried out by the Assessing Officer only after obtaining approval of the
supervisory authority.
What is form no. 2?

• Form 2 deals with the exemption of startups from income tax subject to certain criteria

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2.84 SEBI eases investment norms for AIFs operating in IFSC
[Financial markets]
• SEBI has notified that investment provisions for domestic Alternative Investment Funds
(AIFs) will now be applicable for such entities operating in International Financial Services
Centre (IFSC).
• This decision has come after SEBI has held consultations with stakeholders and decided to
harmonise the provisions governing investments by AIFs incorporated in IFSC with those
applicable to domestic AIFs.
What are AIF’s?

• Alternative Investment Fund or AIF refers to any fund established or incorporated in India which
is a privately pooled investment vehicle
• It collects funds from sophisticated investors, whether Indian or foreign, for investing in
accordance with a defined investment policy for the benefit of its investors.
• Based upon the investment in the fund, they are divided into three categories -- Category I AIF,
Category II AIF, Category III AIF.
1. Category I funds invest in start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and venture
capital.
2. Category II funds include private equity funds, real estate funds, among others.
3. Category III AIFs include hedge funds.
Background
• In 2017, SEBI allowed alternative investment funds operating in IFSC to invest in securities listed
in such centres.
• It also permitted them to invest in securities issued by companies incorporated in IFSC.
2.85 Jalan panel finalises recommendations on transfer of RBI's surplus: Report

[RBI functions]
• The Bimal Jalan committee has finalised its report and is going to submit it to RBI soon.
• The committee was constituted BY Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to assess the adequate size of
capital reserves that the RBI should hold and recommend a suitable profits distribution policy
for the Central Government and RBI.
Why was the panel setup?

• The panel was setup to review the economic capital framework (ECF) for the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI)
• This was demanded by Finance ministry as it wanted to follow global best practices and transfer
more surplus to the government.
• As per the global norms , Central banks have reserves of 14 per cent of total assets and at
present the RBI has 27 per cent of total assets.
What is economic capital framework?

• Economic capital framework refers to the risk capital required by the central bank while taking
into account different risks.
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• It reflects the capital that an institution requires or needs to hold as a counter against
unforeseen risks or events or losses in the future.
Arrangement between RBI and Government

• Under Section 47 of the RBI Act 1934, any surplus profits can be transferred to the Government
by RBI.
• Section 47 says that “after making provision for bad and doubtful debts, depreciation in assets,
contributions to staff and superannuation funds and for all other matters for which provision is
to be made by or under this Act or which are usually provided for by bankers, the balance of the
profits shall be paid to the central government".
More about Bimal Jalan Committee

• The six-member panel under former RBI Governor Jalan was appointed on December 26, 2018
• The other key members of the committee include:
✓ Rakesh Mohan, former deputy governor of the RBI, as vice-chairman
✓ Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar
✓ RBI Deputy Governor N S Vishwanathan
✓ Two RBI central board members -- Bharat Doshi and Sudhir Mankad.
Background
• The government has set a fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent of the gross domestic product
(GDP) for the current fiscal.
• It was revised downward from 3.4 per cent in the Union Budget for 2019-20.
• As per various estimates, the RBI has over ₹9 lakh crore of surplus capital with it.
• The surplus capital transfer would help the government meet its fiscal deficit target as it will
come as a windfall to the exchequer.
• Besides surplus capital transfer, the government is expecting ₹90,000 crore dividend from the
RBI in the current financial year as against ₹68,000 crore received last fiscal.
• In the past, the issue of the ideal size of the Reserve Bank of India reserves was examined by
three committees -V Subrahmanyam in 1997, Usha Thorat in 2004 and Y H Malegam in 2013.
2.86 All communication from tax department to carry Document Identification Number (DIN)
[Direct and indirect taxes]
• Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has completely barred the use of any kind of paper-based
communication by income tax officials to communicate with tax payers.
• All the documents used for any communication with Income Tax department will carry a unique
computer-generated identification number (DIN) to maintain a proper paper trail.
Orders will apply to?

• The orders will come into effect from October 2019.
• These will apply to all kind of communications related to assessment, appeals, investigation,
penalty, and rectification from the Income Tax Department.
What is the current process?

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• Almost all notices and orders of the Income Tax Department are being generated electronically
on the Income Tax Business Application (ITBA) platform currently.
• This is being done to bring greater transparency in the functioning of the tax administration
and improvement in service delivery.
• But there also have been some instances in which the notice/letter was found to have been
issued manually, without maintaining a proper audit trail of such communication.
2.87 Report of the Competition Law Review Committee submitted to Union Finance and Corporate
Affairs Minister
• Shri Injeti Srinivas, Secretary to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has presented the Report of
the Competition Law Review Committee to the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs,
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.
The key recommendations of the Competition Law Review Committee
a) Introduction of a ‘Green Channel’ for combination notifications to enable fast-paced regulatory
approvals for vast majority of mergers and acquisitions that may have no major concerns
regarding appreciable adverse effects on competition.
• The aim is to move towards disclosure based regime with strict consequences for not providing
accurate or complete information.
b) Combinations arising out of the insolvency resolution process under the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code will also be eligible for “Green Channel” approvals.
c) Introducing a dedicated bench in NCLAT for hearing appeals under the Competition Act.
d) Introduction of express provisions to identify ‘hub and spoke’ agreements as well as agreements
that do not fit within typical horizontal or vertical anti-competitive structures to cover
agreements related to business structures and models synonymous with new age markets.
e) Additional enforcement mechanism of ‘Settlement & Commitments” in the interests of speedier
resolution of cases of anti-competitive conduct.
f) Enabling provisions to prescribe necessary thresholds, inter alia, deal-value threshold for merger
notifications.
g) Competition Commission of India (CCI) to issue guidelines on imposition of penalty to ensure
more transparency and faster decision making which will encourage compliance by businesses.
h) Strengthening the governance structure of CCI with the introduction of a Governing Board to
oversee advocacy and quasi-legislative functions, leaving adjudicatory functions to the Whole-
time Members.
i) It has also suggested the merging Director General’s (DG’s) Office with CCI as an ‘Investigation
Division’ but protection of its functional autonomy has been suggested.
• DG’s office aids CCI in discharging an inquisitorial rather than adversarial mandate.
j) Opening of CCI offices at regional level to carry out non-adjudicatory functions such as research,
advocacy etc. and interaction with State Governments and State regulators.

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2.88 RBI asks banks not to count failed transactions, balance enquiry as ‘free ATM transactions’
[RBI Functions and Banking sector in India]
• The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks not to count failed transactions at ATMs due to
technical reasons as part of “free ATM transactions” permitted every month.
Notification by RBI
• According to the circular passed by RBI on 14 th August 2019 , Use of ATMs for balance enquiry
and fund transfers too should be not part of the free transactions’ facility given to a customer.
• Non-cash withdrawal transactions (such as balance enquiry, cheque book request, payment of
taxes, funds transfer), which constitute ‘on-us’ transactions (when a card is used at an ATM of the
bank which has issued the card) shall also not be part of the number of free ATM transactions.
• Invalid PIN/validations etc, which result in failed ATM transactions, will also be not counted as
valid ATM transactions.
• Transactions which fail on account of technical reasons like hardware, software, and
communication issues shall not be counted as valid ATM transactions for the customer.
2.89 Task force on direct tax code submits report to FM Nirmala Sitharaman
[Direct and Indirect Taxes]
• A government-appointed task force to draft the new Direct Tax Law , has submitted its report.
• The report has been submitted by Akhilesh Ranjan, who is the convener of the Task force.
• The government will release the report of the panel in the public domain for consultations after
examining the recommendations.
Why was this committee set up?

• The panel was formed in 2017 to amend the Income Tax Act 1961.
• It has been tasked with bringing the income tax law in line with other countries
• It is also tasked with recommending the incorporation of best practices according to the needs of
the economy.
Members of task force

• The Task force is headed by Akhilesh Ranjan.
• Members of the task force include Girish Ahuja (chartered accountant), Rajiv Memani (Chairman
and Regional Managing Partner of EY), Mukesh Patel (Practicing Tax Advocate), Mansi Kedia
(Consultant, ICRIER) and G C Srivastava (retired IRS and Advocate).
2.90 Indian Government raises limit for raising funds without diluting voting rights
[Changing Landscape of Banking Sector]
• Recently, the Union government has liberalized rules that would allow Indian companies to
raise share capital without diluting the voting rights of all existing shareholders.
Objective
• It is expected to help promoters retain control when they raise capital from new investors.
• These changes are expected to benefit India, particularly startups, which will be able to attract
more capital, but without ceding control.

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What changes have been made?
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended provisions of the Companies Act relating to the
issue of shares with differential voting rights (DVRs), to allow promoters of companies to
“retain control even as they raise equity capital from global investors".
• The amendment has also done away with the condition of having three years of distributable
profits and raised the cap.
What are Differential Voting Rights?
• A Differential Voting Rights (DVR) share is like an ordinary equity share, but it provides fewer
voting rights to the shareholder.
• Companies issue DVR shares for prevention of a hostile takeover and dilution of voting rights.
• It also helps strategic investors who do not want control but are looking at a reasonably big
investment in a company.
What were the provisions before the amendment?
• Prior to the amendment, the Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules of 2014 allowed
the issue of shares with differential voting rights, subject to riders—
I. The business should have distributable profits for the previous three years
II. The capital raised through shares with differential voting rights must not exceed 26% of the
post issue capital.
2.91 Government removes Debenture Redemption Reserve requirement for Listed Companies,
NBFCs and HFCs
[Financial Market]
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the Companies (Share Capital & Debentures)
Rules by removing Debenture Redemption Reserve requirement for Listed Companies, NCFCs
and HFCs.
What changes have been brought?

• Through these amendments, the provisions relating to creation of Debenture Redemption
Reserve (DRR) have been revised with the objective of:
a) removing the requirement for creation of a DRR of 25% of the value of outstanding debentures
in respect of listed companies, NBFCs registered with RBI and for Housing Finance Companies
registered with National Housing Bank (NHB) both for public issue as well as private placements
b) reduction in DRR for unlisted companies from the present level of 25% to 10% of the outstanding
debentures.
What was the earlier provision?

• Listed Companies had to create a DRR for both Public Issue as well as Private Placement of
Debentures, while NBFCs & HFCs had to create DRR only when they opted for Public Issue of
Debentures.
Why has this decision been taken?

• The decision has been taken in pursuance of the Government’s objectives of providing greater
‘Ease of Doing Business’ to companies in the country, as part of its 100 Days Action Plan.

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• The measure has been taken by the Government with a view to reducing the cost of the capital
raised by companies through issue of debentures and is expected to significantly deepen the
Bond Market.
2.92 SEBI : Penalty for non-compliance of market norms to get stricter

[Financial market]
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently released a circular , making the norms
for regulatory disclosures by listed firms more stringent.
• SEBI circular named "non-compliance with certain provisions of SEBI (Issue of Capital and
Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018" , prescribes a penalty of ₹20,000 per day on those
listed companies which fail to comply with certain provisions of the issue of capital
and disclosure requirements (ICDR) regulations.
Provisions of the circular

• The fine will be applicable if the bonus issue is delayed beyond 15 days from the date of approval
of the issue by the board of directors - in cases where shareholders' approval for making the
bonus issue is not required.
• While in the cases where issuer is required to seek shareholders' approval for making the bonus
issue, the fine will be applicable if bonus is not issued within two months from the date of the
meeting of board of directors
• The fine will also be levied on entities that do not complete the conversion of convertible
securities and allot the shares within 18 months from the date of allotment of such securities.
• The exchanges would issue notice to the non-compliant listed entity to pay fine within 15 days
from the date of the notice.
2.93 SEBI eases rules for ‘muni bonds’ to help smart cities raise funds
[Financial markets]
• SEBI has announced relaxation in norms for 'Muni Bonds' to help smart cities and other
registered entities working in areas of city planning and urban development work like
municipalities to raise funds through issuance and listing of their debt securities.
• SEBI has also decided to allow this route for a larger number of entities, including special purpose
vehicles set up under the central government's ambitious 'Smart Cities Mission'.
Background
• Nearly five years ago, SEBI had come out with the Issue and Listing of Debt Securities by
Municipalites (ILDM) Regulations and since then seven municipalities have raised nearly Rs1,400
crore by issuing their debt securities, which are commonly known as 'Muni Bonds'.
• Under the current regulations, this fund-raising route is only available to the issuers defined as a
municipality under the relevant articles of the Constitution of India or the corporate municipal
entities set up as a subsidiary of a municipality for the purpose of raising funds for a specific
municipality or a group of those.
Smart City initiative

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• Under smart city initiative of Government of India, Special Purpose Vehicles(SPVs) have been set
up at city level in the form of a limited company under the Companies Act for implementing the
projects.
• They are promoted by the state government or union territory and the urban local body of the
area.
• These SPVs undertake functions like ensuring adequate water supply, sanitation, sustainable and
inclusive development of cities etc. , activities which are similar to those performed by
municipalities.
New norms
• The regulator has now decided to amend the regulations to provide a greater flexibility in raising
funds and for strengthening protection for investors.
• Under the new norms, SEBI would do away with requirements like appointment of a monitoring
agency, filing of viability certificate or Detailed Project Appraisal Report, setting up of a separate
project implementation cell, maintenance of 100% asset cover with specification of resources
and mandatory backing of state or central government.
2.94 SEBI reverses previous decision prohibiting debt MFs to invest in unlisted NCDs
[Financial market]
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reversed a decision taken previously in June to
prohibit debt mutual funds from investing in unlisted non- convertible debentures ( NCDs).
• SEBI has also decided to give flexibility to mutual funds to invest in unlisted non-convertible
debentures (NCDs) up to a maximum of 10 per cent of the debt portfolio of the scheme.
• This would be subject to such investments in unlisted NCDs having simple structures, being rated,
secured and with monthly coupons.
2.95 RTGS system to open at 7 AM from August 26 as RBI extends operating hours
• In order to promote digital transactions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the
customer transactions timing for Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system by an hour.
• Now, funds can be transferred through the RTGS system from 7 am instead of 8 am from 26
August, 2019.
About Real-time Gross Settlement (RTGS)
• Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) is another payment system in which the money is credited
in the beneficiary’s account in real time and on gross basis.
• The RTGS system is primarily meant for large value transactions that require and receive
immediate clearing. The minimum amount to be remitted through RTGS is ₹2 lakh with no
maximum limit.
• At present, RTGS system is available for customer transactions from 8 am to 6 pm and for inter-
bank transactions from 8 am to 7.45 pm.
2.96 SEBI has eased Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) norms

[Financial Markets]
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has eased the process for overseas investors.
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• The changes announced with regard to the FPI framework are based on the final report
submitted by the HR Khan committee.
What changes has been made in context of FPIs?
• Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) would no longer be required to meet the ‘broad-basing’
criteria, under which at least 20 investors were required to establish a fund.
• Also, central banks that are not members of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) will
be allowed to register as FPIs.
• Offshore funds floated by Indian mutual funds will be permitted to invest in the domestic
markets under the FPI route.
Significance
• The easing of FPI norms comes at a time when overseas investors have pulled out over $3 billion
from the domestic markets since the Union Budget, 2019
Changes in insider-trading cases
• SEBI has introduced an ‘informant mechanism’ to gather better evidence and crack down on
insider-trading cases.
• Individuals providing “credible and original information” on insider trading would be rewarded.
• The reward will be 10 per cent of the disgorgement amount up to Rs 1 crore.
• SEBI will also put in place a protection system to protect the identity of the informant.
Changes in Debt-to-equity ratio
• The Sebi board clarified on the debt-to-equity ratio companies need to maintain to be eligible
for buybacks.
• Debt-to-equity ratio of companies doing buyback should be less than 2:1 on a consolidated
basis.
• However, those with non-banking financial companies (NBFC) arms would be exempt from the
rule as long as the NBFC arm had a debt-to-equity ratio of less than 6:1.
• Sebi has also decided to amend the regulations on credit rating agencies (CRAs) to make it easier
for them to obtain information from issuers.
2.97 CBDT issues clarification on eligibility of small Start-ups to avail tax holiday
[Changing landscape of banking sector]
• Recently, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued some rules related to eligibility of
small Start-ups to avail tax holiday. They are as follows:
• Small start-ups with turnover upto Rs. 25 crore will continue to get the promised tax holiday
as specified in Section 80-IAC of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
Section 80-IAC of the Income Tax Act, 1961
• It provides deduction for 100 per cent of income of an eligible start-up for 3 years out of 7 years
from the year of its incorporation.
• Also, all the start-ups recognised by DPIIT, did not automatically become eligible for deduction
under Section 80-IAC of the Act.
A start-up has to fulfil the conditions specified in Section 80-IAC for claiming this deduction.

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• It also further clarified that Section 80-IAC contains a detailed definition of the eligible start-up,
which provides that a start-up which is engaged in the eligible business shall be eligible for
deduction, if
I. It is incorporated on or after 1st April 2016
II. Its turnover does not exceed Rs. 25 crore in the year of deduction
III. It holds a certificate from the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification
2.98 22nd Round of Quarterly Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS)
[RBI- functions and conduct of monetary policy]
• The 22nd round of the Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS) seeks an assessment
of the business situation for the quarter (Q2:2019-20, i.e., July - September 2019) from selected
companies in the services and infrastructure sectors in India, and their outlook for the ensuing
quarter (Q3:2019-20, i.e., October-December 2019).
• M/S Hansa Research Group Pvt. Ltd. has been authorised to conduct the survey for July-
September 2019 quarter on behalf of the Reserve Bank.
About Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS)
• The Reserve Bank has been conducting the Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS)
since 2014-15.
• The Services and Infrastructure Outlook Survey (SIOS) seeks an assessment of the business
situation quarterly from selected companies in the services and infrastructure sectors in India.
2.99 Third Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2019-20

[RBI Functions]
• Third Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2019-20 has been released by the Reserve Bank
of India.
• Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies has been released under it , is discussed
below:
• This Statement sets out various developmental and regulatory policy measures in the areas of
Financial Markets; Payment and Settlement Systems; Banking Regulation, Financial Inclusion and
Credit flow to NBFCs.
1. Introduction of stripping/reconstitution facility for State Development Loans (SDLs)

• As a debt manager to the States in terms of Section 21A of RBI Act 1934, the Reserve Bank has
been making efforts to develop the SDL market in both primary and secondary segments.
• The extension of the Scheme of Non-Competitive Bidding and aggregators/facilitators to SDLs
are some of the efforts taken by RBI in this direction.
• In continuation of these efforts, it has been decided to introduce the stripping/reconstitution
facility for SDLs.
• This measure will be implemented in consultation with the respective State governments.
2. Round-the-Clock Availability of National Electronic Funds Transfer System

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• Currently, the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) payment system operated by the
Reserve Bank as a retail payment system is available for customers from 8.00 am to 7.00 pm on
all working days of the week (except 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month).
• As mentioned in the Payment System Vision 2021 document, the Reserve Bank will make
available the NEFT system on a 24x7 basis from December 2019.
• This is expected to revolutionise the retail payments system of the country.
3. Creation of a Central Payments Fraud Information Registry

• At present, there is a mechanism in place for banks to report all banking frauds to the Central
Fraud Monitoring Cell of the Reserve Bank.
• With the digital payment ecosystem making substantial progress in terms of growth of payment
infrastructure as well as volume and value of digital payment transactions, fraud risk monitoring
and management by the stakeholders have assumed importance.
2.100 RBI allows e-mandates on cards

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to permit processing of e-mandate on cards for
recurring transactions with additional factor authentication (AFA) during registration.
• This will be applicable for transactions done using all types of cards — debit and credit cards
and Prepaid Payment Instruments, including wallets.
• The maximum limit for such a transaction will be ₹2,000.
• RBI has also clarified that no charges should be levied or recovered from the cardholder for
availing the e-mandate facility on cards for recurring transactions.
2.101 Standard Chartered Bank to issue credit cards for Bandhan customers
[Recent developments in the Financial Sector]
• Bandhan Bank is planning to enter the credit card business through a tie-up with Standard
Chartered Bank (SCB) India
• This is the first such partnership for SCB , under which they will issue credit cards to Bandhan
Bank’s customers.
2.102 CVC sets up panel to probe bank fraud over Rs.50 crore
• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has constituted an Advisory Board for Banking Frauds
(ABBF) , to examine bank fraud of over ₹50 crore and recommend action.
• It is going to be headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T.M. Bhasin.
Background
• Earlier , such a board with the name the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial
Frauds was also set up.
ABBF

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• The ABBF has been formed in consultation with the RBI.
• It would function as the first level of examination of all large fraud cases before
recommendations or references are made to the investigative agencies by the respective
public sector banks (PSBs)
Functions of the Board

• The jurisdiction of the board would be confined to those cases involving the level of officers of
General Manager and above in the PSB in respect of an allegation of a fraud in a borrowal
account
• Lenders would refer all large fraud cases above ₹50 crore to the board and on receipt of its
recommendation or advice, the bank concerned would take further action in such matter
• The Board will also periodically carry out frauds analysis in the financial system and give inputs
for policy formulation related to the fraud to the RBI.
• The Central Bureau of Investigation may also refer any case or matter to the board where it has
any issue or difficulty or in technical matters with the PSB concerned.
Members of the board

• The board includes 4 members :
1. T.M. Bhasin , former Vigilance Commissioner
2. Madhusudan Prasad, former Urban Development Secretary
3. D.K. Pathak, former Director General of the Border Security Force
4. Suresh N Patel, former MD and CEO of Andhra Bank
2.103 Nestle India to be included in Nifty index

[Secondary market]
• The National Stock Exchange(NSE) is going to remove Indiabulls Housing Finance from the
benchmark Nifty index and will replace it with Nestle India.
• The changes in the index would come into effect from September 27th 2019.
• Indiabulls Housing Finance has seen a massive fall in its valuation with its stock price falling from
₹1,300-levels a year back to ₹457.
• This is the first revision of the Nifty after the exchange approved the inclusion of permitted
category companies — entities that are not directly listed on NSE — in the indices. Nestle India
falls under the permitted category of companies on the NSE.
2.104 Punjab National Bank, Allahabad Bank launch repo rate-linked retail loans
• Public sector banks Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Allahabad Bank have launched retail loan
products that are linked to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) repo rate.
• This Linking of loans with the repo rate will make them cheaper.
• Under the Punjab National Bank’s PNB Advantage scheme, (which is effective from 27th August
2019) , the interest rate will be 0.25% less than the existing rates based on MCLR (marginal
cost of funds-based lending rate).

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• PNB’s existing customers can also apply for new RLLR (repo linked lending rates) with minimal
charges.
• Allahabad Bank has benchmarked its loans up to Rs75 lakh with the EBLR (external benchmark
linked rate) with repo rate one of its constituents.
• The bank has priced its home loans up to Rs75 lakh and mudra loans sanctioned with effect from
1 September, 2019 with reference to EBLR.
2.105 RBI releases its annual report for FY 19

[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India has recently released its annual report for FY19.
• According to the Report , RBI’s contingency fund has dipped to Rs 1.96 lakh crore as of June 30,
2019 after the transfer of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the Central government.
Findings of the RBI Annual Report

• The RBI’s transfer of Rs 1,76,501 crore to the government comprised of Rs 1,23,414 crore of
surplus for the year 2018-19 and Rs 52,637 crore of excess provisions identified as per the
revised Economic Capital Framework (ECF).
• The transferred amount is over three times the five-year average of Rs 53,000 crore.
• The annual report says the RBI computed exchange gains/losses using the weighted average cost
method resulting in an impact of Rs 21,464 crore.
• It has also said that income from domestic sources increased 132.07 per cent to Rs 1,18,078
crore from Rs 50,880 crore in the previous fiscal.
• This increase in income is due to rise in the portfolio of rupee securities, net income on interest
under liquidity adjustment facility and also write back of excess risk provision from the
contingency fund.
Credit flow from NBFCs dips

• RBI has stated in its annual report that a lack of domestic demand was ailing the animal spirits
and there was a need to focus on reviving private investments.
• It has been mentioned that post the IL&FS crisis, credit flow from non-banking financial
companies (NBFCs) to the commercial sector has dipped 20 per cent.
• The country has been facing a liquidity crunch on account of the crisis in the NBFC sector that is
acting as a hurdle for private investment.
2.106 RBI issues guidelines on interest subvention scheme for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry
farmers
[RBI- functions]
• Recently, the government has extended KCC facility to animal husbandry farmers and
fisheries as announced in the Interim Budget 2019-20 for their working capital requirements
providing the benefits of Interest Subvention at 2% and Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI) at
3%.

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• In this regard, the Government of India has now issued the operational guidelines of the
Interest Subvention Scheme for Kisan Credit Card facility to fisheries and animal husbandry
farmers for a period of two years i.e. 2018-19 and 2019-20.
What changes has been made?

• It has been decided to provide interest subvention of 2% per annum to lending institutions
viz. Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Private Sector Commercial Banks (in respect of loans
given by their rural and semi-urban branches only) on use of their own resources.
• This interest subvention of 2% will be calculated on the loan amount from the date of its
disbursement / drawal upto the date of actual repayment of the loan by the farmer or up to
the due date of the loan fixed by the banks, whichever is earlier, subject to a maximum period
of one year.
• In case of farmers possessing KCC for raising crops and involved in activities related to animal
husbandry and/or fisheries, the KCC for animal husbandry/fisheries shall be within the
overall limit of Rs 3 lakh.
2.107 CBDT constitutes Start-up Cell for redressal of grievances related to Start-ups
• In order to redress grievances and address various tax related issues in the cases of Start-ups, a
Start-up Cell has been constituted by CBDT on 30.08.2019
• Ex-officio members of the Cell are :
Relevance of the cell

• The Cell will work towards redressal of grievances and mitigate tax-related issues in case of Start-
up entities with respect to administration of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
2.108 RBI extends deadline for PPIs to become full KYC complaint
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the timeline for the conversion of minimum detail
Prepaid Payment Instruments to KYC-compliant PPIs from 18 months to 24 months.
• The RBI has also made it clear that there will be no further extension in the timeline.

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• It is the extension of timeline for PPIs to convert minimum KYC to full Know Your Customer norms
prescribed by the authorities. The deadline was expiring on August 31.
• The PPI industry processed more than 4 billion transactions in the year ending March 2019.
2.109 Fake 500 rupee notes up 121% in 2018-19 : RBI

• According to the data released by RBI , Counterfeiting of the newly-designed ₹500 notes have
been shot up by 121 per cent and of the ₹2,000 notes by 21.9 per cent in 2018-19 in comparison
to the previous year.
More about the Data

• RBI has detected an increase of 20.2 per cent, 87.2 per cent and 57.3 per cent in counterfeit
notes detected in the denominations of ₹10, ₹20 and ₹50, respectively.
• Counterfeit notes detected in the denomination of ₹100 has declined by 7.5 per cent.
• Out of the total Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) detected in 2018-19 in the banking sector,
5.6 per cent were detected at the RBI and 94.4 per cent by other banks.
• The total expenditure incurred on security printing, the RBI said, from July 1, 2018 to June 30,
2019 stood at ₹48.11 billion as against ₹49.12 billion in the previous year.
2.110 TDS on cash withdrawal above ₹1 crore from September 1

• Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has recently clarified that as per the TDS provision
introduced in Finance (2) Act of 2019, the withdrawals made so far this fiscal will count in
computing the ₹1 crore threshold for the levy.
• The provision imposes TDS on total cash payments above ₹one crore by banks, cooperative
banks or post office to any person from one or more accounts.
What does this mean?
• This means that those who have withdrawn ₹one crore or more in cash from banks or post
offices upto 31 August will be liable to a 2% tax deducted at source (TDS) on further cash
withdrawals from 1 September 2019 , as a new provision in tax law kicks in from next month.
Background
• The government has been taking various steps to discourage use of cash and to promote digital
payments to establish a trail of transactions in the economy and to check generation of
unaccounted wealth.
• The 2% TDS is one such step.
2.111 HDFC Bank to organise 1,000 grameen loan melas in next 6 months
• HDFC Bank has planned to organise 1,000 grameen loan melas over the next six months in
a bid to expand its retail portfolio.
• These grameen loan melas (or village loan fairs) will be held across more than 300 districts
and cover around 6,000 villages across India.

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2.112 Allow FPIs to directly purchase distressed loans from banks: RBI panel on secondary market
for corporate loans
[RBI Functions]
• A task force set up by Reserve Bank of India has recommended a slew of measures for
developing a secondary market for corporate loans.
Background
• The task force is headed by Canara Bank Chairman T N Manoharan.
• It was formed in May 2019 to review the existing state of the market for loans in India and to
make recommendations for the development of a secondary market for corporate loans.
• The recommendations are aimed at developing India's credit markets and come at a time when
the country is facing a liquidity crisis among its shadow banks after the collapse of IL&FS.
Recommendations by the Task Force

1. The panel has recommended the easing of regulations to allow foreign portfolio investors (FPIs)
to directly purchase distressed loans from banks.
2. It has stated that FPIs can directly participate in the bad loan market within an annual limit set
by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in consultation with the government.
3. It has also recommended the easing of rules around the securitisation of loan assets and
permitting wider participation from funds and insurance companies in trading these securities.
4. It has also proposed setting up a self-regulatory body to standardize loan documents and
promote transparency in the secondary market and oversee the proposed secondary market.
5. The SRB may be set up as an association by scheduled commercial banks, public financial
institutions and other related entities, and may be incorporated as a Section 8 company under
the Companies Act, 2013.
6. The report has added that it must be set up within three months from the date of acceptance of
the recommendations.
7. Other recommendations of the Task Force include linking the pricing of all loans to an external
benchmark as the current Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate (MCLR) may not be
comparable across banks.
2.113 RBI asks banks to link retail and MSME loans to external benchmark from 1 Oct
[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to link their lending rates on floating rate loans
to retail, personal and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) borrowers to an external
benchmark from 1 October 2019.
• This step has been taken in order to improve transmission of interest rates.
More about new rules

• The new rule will be applicable to floating rate loans to retail, personal and MSME borrowers
but banks are free to offer such external benchmark-linked loans to other types of borrowers
as well.

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• Banks will have an option to benchmark the loans either to the RBI policy repo rate,
Government of India three months or six months Treasury Bill yield or any other benchmark
market interest rate published by the Financial Benchmarks India Pvt Ltd.
• However, a bank will have to adopt a uniform external benchmark within a loan category,
meaning that the adoption of multiple benchmarks by the same bank is not allowed within a
loan category.
• While lenders can decide on the spread, they charge over the benchmark to calculate the final
interest rate, RBI said that the spread can be changed only if the credit assessment of the
borrower undergoes a substantial change. The interest rate under external benchmark shall be
reset at least once in three months.
2.114 RBI selects daffodil software pvt ltd for developing mobile app for visually impaired
[Financial Inclusion- use of technology]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has selected Daffodil Software Pvt Ltd to develop a mobile
application for visually impaired people to identify currency notes.
• RBI also informed the Bombay High Court that an internet connection would not be required
for its proposed mobile application.
• The app will also generate "audio notification" intimating the currency note denomination
to the user if image is captured correctly, else intimating the user to try again in case of
image is not readable.
• Identification of banknote denomination is key to successful completion of cash-based
transactions by visually impaired persons.
• There are about 80 lakh blind or visually impaired people in the country, who are likely to
benefit from the initiative of the central bank.
2.115 RBI panel suggests new intermediary under NHB

[RBI Functions]
• A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel has recommended the setting up of intermediary under
the National Housing Bank (NHB), wherein the government will have a 51% ownership.
Background
• The six-member panel was set up on 29th May under the chairmanship of Mr. Harsh Vardhan has
submitted its report to RBI governor Shaktikanta Das.
• The panel was tasked with reviewing the existing state of housing finance securitization and
suggest measures to make the market more attractive.
Recommendations by the Panel

• According to the report, NHB has already has the broad mandate to develop this market and the
proposed functions are permissible under the NHB Act.
• The intermediary to be setup could operate either directly through the NHB, the Indian
Mortgage Guarantee Corp., or the RBI could set up a new organisation.
• The advantages of this are threefold :
1. This entity can be regulated by the RBI
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2. It can expand its capital base to support growing business by raising capital from other (private)
investors
3. This will allow separation from the lending and refinancing activities of the NHB
• The panel recommended that this intermediary will start with ₹500 crore of initial capital and
it would be allowed to invest in each pool it securitizes to the extent of 5% of the pool, or 5%
of its own capital base, whichever is lower.
• The government ownership in the entity would then be gradually reduced to 26% over a period
of five years. The remaining capital of 49% may be initially raised from multilateral agencies.
2.116 Reserve Bank increases banks' loan exposure limit to single NBFC
[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India through its recent circular , has increased loan exposure limit of banks to
a single NBFC (excluding gold loan companies) from 15 per cent to 20 per cent of its capital
base.
RBI Circular
• According to the RBI’s circular on 'Large Exposures Framework (LEF)', banks' exposure to a single
non-banking financial company (NBFC) is restricted to 15 per cent of their available eligible
capital base, while general single counter-party exposure limit is 20 per cent, which can be
extended to 25 per cent by banks' boards under exceptional circumstances.
Background
• The government on its part has been taking steps to increase liquidity in the NBFC sector, which
was hit after default by IL&FS Group.
• The liquidity crunch in the NBFC sector has hit the retail loan segment in the country leading to
slowdown in key consumer sector lending.
2.117 RBI cuts risk weight for consumer credit

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reduced the risk weight requirement for consumer loans
including personal loans to 100 per cent, so that the cost of consumer loans can be reduced.
Background
• Risk weight refers to the capital banks keep aside as provisioning to cover any loan defaults.
• Currently, the risk weight requirement for consumer loans is 125 per cent.
• The relaxed requirement would not be applicable to credit cards.
• This reduction in risk weight comes at a time when the consumers’ perception of the general
economic situation and the employment scenario has softened, according to the RBI’s Consumer
Confidence Survey in July.

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2.118 RBI doubles SFB net worth floor to Rs 200 crore
[Reserve Bank of India]
• According to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) new draft guidelines for on-tap licensing of
small finance banks (SFBs), the minimum net worth of such banks should be doubled from
Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore.
• Also, the promoter’s stake should be brought down to a maximum of 15 per cent within 15
years, as against the existing norm of 26 per cent within 12 years, from the date of
commencement of business of the bank.
• Aligning the norms with those of universal banks, promoters wishing to set up an SFB could
do so either as a standalone entity or under a holding company, which shall act as the
promoting entity of the bank.
• However, if there is an intermediate company between the SFB and its promoting entity, it
should be a non-operative financial holding company (NOFHC).
• A payments bank can also apply for converting into an SFB if it meets the eligibility criteria.
• The RBI has also stated that the key criteria for licences will be the entity’s ability to serve
smaller customers and that SFBs may be a more appropriate vehicle for local players or
players who are focused on lending to unserved or underserved sections of society.
• Thus, proposals from public sector entities and large industrial house/business groups,
including from non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) promoted by them, entities
promoted by states, or subsidiaries of development financial institutions, will not be
entertained.
• A business group with assets of Rs 5,000 crore or more with non-financial business
accounting for 40 per cent or more in terms of total assets or income will be considered to
be a large industrial house/business group, and will not be permitted.
• Primary (urban) co-operative banks that want to convert into SFBs have been allowed to
continue with a minimum paid-up equity capital of Rs 100 crore to begin with, but they will
have to increase their minimum net worth to Rs 200 crore within five years.
2.119 RBI panel suggests longer-term repo operations to manage liquidity

[RBI- Conduct of monetary policy]
• An RBI internal working group has suggested introduction of longer-term repo operations at
market-related rates of up to one-year tenor as an alternative to open market operations
conducted by the central government to manage liquidity in the banking system.
Background
• RBI had set up the internal working group to review the current liquidity management
framework with a view to simplify it and suggest measures to clearly communicate the
objectives and the toolkit for liquidity management.
• The panel has recommended that the current liquidity management framework should
largely continue in its present form - a corridor system with the call money rate as the target
rate.

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• Panel has also recommended that, as an alternative to OMO purchases, "longer-term
variable rate repos, of more than 14 days and up to one-year tenor, be considered as a new
tool for injection if system liquidity is in a large deficit”.
• Further, the group has suggested that the current difference of 25 basis points between the
repo rate and the reverse-repo rate, as well as between the repo rate and the marginal
standing facility (MSF) rate, be retained.
2.120 RBI places Lakshmi Vilas Bank under Prompt Corrective Action
[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India has placed the private bank under its prompt corrective action (PCA)
framework.
Reason given by RBI
• This action has been taken owing to high level of bad loans, insufficient capital adequacy ratio,
negative return on assets (RoA) for two consecutive years and high leverage.
• For FY19, the Lakshmi Vilas bank’s net Non Performing Asset (NPA) stood at 7.49%, capital
adequacy ratio was at 7.72% and its RoA was -2.32%.
2.121 Current account deficit narrows to 2% of GDP in Q1FY20: RBI

[RBI Functions]
• According to a recent data by RBI , India’s current account deficit (CAD) has narrowed to $14.3
billion or 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during April-June quarter from 2.3% during the
same period a year ago.
• Net services receipts have risen 7.3% year-on-year in quarter ended June due to rise in net
earnings from travel, financial services and telecommunications, computer and information
services.
• Private transfer receipts, an indicator of remittances by Indians employed overseas, grew 6.2%
on-year to $19.9 billion.
2.122 Developments in India’s Balance of Payments during the First Quarter (April-June) of 2019-
20
[Trends]
• Key Features of India’s BoP in Q1 of 2019-20 are as follows :
1. India’s current account deficit (CAD) at US$ 14.3 billion (2.0 per cent of GDP) in Q1 of 2019-20
narrowed from US$ 15.8 billion (2.3 per cent of GDP) in Q1 of 2018-19 but was higher than US$
4.6 billion (0.7 per cent of GDP) in the preceding quarter.
2. CAD - contracted on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis (primarily on account of higher invisible receipts
at US$ 31.9 billion as compared with US$ 29.9 billion a year ago)
3. Net services receipts - increased by 7.3 per cent on a y-o-y basis (mainly on the back of a rise in
net earnings from travel, financial services and telecommunications, computer and information
services)
4. Private transfer receipt - risen to US$ 19.9 billion, increasing by 6.2 per cent from their level a
year ago.

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5. In the financial account, net foreign direct investment - US$ 13.9 billion in Q1 of 2019-20 as
compared with US$ 9.6 billion in Q1 of 2018-19.
6. Foreign portfolio investment - recorded net inflow of US$ 4.8 billion in Q1 of 2019-20 – as
against an outflow of US$ 8.1 billion in Q1 of 2018-19 – on account of net purchases in both debt
and equity markets.
7. Net inflow on account of external commercial borrowings to India - US$ 6.3 billion in Q1 of
2019-20 as against an outflow of US$ 1.5 billion a year ago.
2.123 WMA Limit for Government of India for the second half of the Financial Year 2019-20
(October 2019 to March 2020)
[Trends]
• RBI has recently announced that limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the second
half of the financial year 2019-20 (October 2019 to March 2020) will be ₹ 35,000 crore.
• The Reserve Bank may trigger fresh floatation of market loans when the Government of India
utilises 75 per cent of the WMA limit.
• The interest rate on WMA/overdraft will be:
1. WMA: Repo Rate
2. Overdraft: Two percent above the Repo Rate
2.124 RBI announces “Payment and Settlement Systems Innovation Contest and Payment and
Settlement Systems Innovative Ideas Competition”
[RBI Functions]
• With a view to providing a platform to encourage, recognise and promote innovations and
ideas in the payment and settlement systems arena, the Reserve Bank of India will organise
the following contests:
(i) ‘Payment and Settlement Systems Innovation Contest’ for individuals, groups, entrepreneurs,
companies, start-ups and similar entities;
(ii) ‘Payment and Settlement Systems Innovative Ideas Competition’ for students of recognised
institutions at the undergraduate or above levels.
2.125 RBI eases priority-sector lending norms to boost exports

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the priority-sector lending (PSL) rules for exporters,
scrapping the turnover limit for an exporter to be eligible for such loans and increasing the
sanction limit per borrower.
• The recent notification by RBI has brought following changes:
1. Enhance the sanctioned limit, for Quarterly statsitics of export credit under PSL, from ₹ 250
million per borrower to ₹ 400 million per borrower.
2. Remove the existing criteria of ‘units having turnover of up to ₹ 1 billion’.
3. The existing guidelines for domestic scheduled commercial banks to classify ‘Incremental
export credit over corresponding date of the preceding year, upto 2 per cent of ANBC or Credit
Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher’ under PSL will continue
to be applicable , subject to the criteria mentioned in the point number 1.
4. No change has been made in the present instructions in respect of foreign banks.
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2.126 RBI unveils norms to resolve disputes related to failed digital transactions
[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India has prescribed a turnaround time (TAT) for banks to settle failed
transactions for customers.
• RBI has also notified compensations payable for various types of customer complaints.
What is the notification?

• According to RBI , The financial compensation should be done suo motu by the bank, without
waiting for a complaint or a claim by a customer.
• The RBI has categorised eight different avenues of transaction in which the new guidelines will
be applicable, including ATMs, card transactions, immediate payment system, unified
payment interface and prepaid cards.
• The timeline for auto-reversal has been set at between one day after the transaction to five
days.
• Most financial compensations have been set at ₹100 per day if the reversal does not happen
within a specified timeline.
• Customers who do not get the benefit of redress of the failure as defined in the TAT, can register
a complaint to the banking ombudsman.
• This directive has been issued under Section 10(2) read with Section 18 of the Payment and
Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007) and is going to come into effect from October 15,
2019.
2.127 Priority Sector Targets - Lending to Non-Corporate Farmers – FY 2019-20

[RBI Functions]
• RBI has recently notified that for computing achievement under priority sector lending for the
FY 2019-20 , the applicable system wide average figure is 12.11 percent .
• RBI’s circular passed in 2015 had advised that the system-wide average of the last three years
achievement with regard to overall direct lending to non-corporate farmers will be notified
every year.
• This is applicable All Scheduled Commercial Banks including Regional Rural Banks, Small
Finance Banks and Foreign banks with more than 20 branches.
2.128 SEBI to hire agency to fix security holes in IT infra

• SEBI has announced its plans to rope in an agency to identify and classify security holes in its
entire information technology infrastructure and suggest measures to mitigate such risks.
• To provide the service to the regulator's information technology infrastructure, SEBI has issued
a notice inviting expression of interest (EoI) from interested parties.
2.129 Government may seek ₹30,000 crore interim dividend from RBI
[RBI Functions]
• The government may seek an interim dividend of about ₹30,000 crore from the RBI towards the
end of the financial year to meet its fiscal deficit target of 3.3% of GDP for 2019-20.

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Background
• Government finances have come under pressure due to moderation in revenue collection and a
slew of measures taken to lift growth from a six-year low of 5% in the first quarter of the current
fiscal.
• In the past, the government has taken the route of seeking interim dividend from the RBI to
balance its account.
• Last fiscal, the RBI paid ₹28,000 crore as interim dividend.
2.130 Steering Committee on Fintech related issues submits its Final Report to Finance Minister
[Recent Development is the Financial Sector]
• Recently, The Steering Committee on Fintech related issues constituted by the Ministry of
Finance submitted its Final Report to Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt.
Nirmala Sitharaman.
Chairman of the Report
• Chairman of the committee is Subhash Chandra Garg and Convenor of the committee is K
Rajaraman.
Recommendations
• The Committee has recommended that the RBI may consider development of-
I. Cash-flow based financing for MSMEs
II. Development of an open-API MSME stack based on TReDS data validated by GSTN
III. Standardised and trusted e-invoice infrastructure designed around TREDS-GSTN
integration.
• Encourage the use of drone and remote sensing technologies: It has also recommended that
Insurance companies and lending agencies to be encouraged to use drone and remote sensing
technology for crop area, damage and location assessments to support risk reduction in
insurance/lending business.
• Work with PSU banks: Committee recommends Department of Financial Services (DFS) to
work with PSU banks to bring in more efficiency to their work and reduce fraud and security
risks.
• Adoption of Regulation technology: It has also recommended adoption of Regulation
technology (or RegTech) by all financial sector regulators to develop standards and facilitate
adoption by financial sector service providers to adopt use-cases making compliance with
regulations easier, quicker and effective.
• Creation of a Credit registry: Committee has recommended NABARD to take immediate steps
to create a credit registry for farmers with special thrust for use of fintech along with core
banking solutions (CBS) by agri-financial institutions, included Cooperative societies.

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• Standardisation of Land records: Committee recommends a special drive for modernisation
and standardisation of land records by setting up a dedicated National Digital Land Records
Mission based on a common National Land Records Standards with involvement of State Land
and Registration departments, with a view to making available land ownership data on an
online basis to Financial Institutions.
• Comprehensive legal framework for consumer protection: The Committee also recommends
a comprehensive legal framework for consumer protection be put in place early keeping in
mind the rise of fintech and digital services.
2.131 CBDT consolidates Circulars for ease of compliance of Start-ups

• In order to provide hassle-free tax environment to the Start-ups, a series of announcements
have been made by Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in
her Budget Speech, 2019.
• To give effect to these announcements, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) have issued
various circulars/clarifications.
Highlights of the present circular
• Simplification of process of assessment of Start-ups: It provided for the simplified procedure
of assessment of Start-ups recognized by DPIIT.
• The circular covered cases under “limited scrutiny”, cases where multiple issues including issue
of section 56(2) (viib) were involved or cases where Form No.2 was not filed by the Start-up
entity. Detailed process of obtaining mandatory approval of the supervisory authorities for
conducting enquiry was also laid down by this circular.
• Time limit for Completion of pending assessments of Start-ups: The time limit for completion
of pending assessments was also specified by CBDT.
• All cases involving “limited scrutiny” were to be completed preferably by 30th September,
2019 and the other cases of Start-ups were to be disposed off on priority, preferably by 31st
October, 2019.
• Procedure for addition made u/s 56(2)(viib) in the past assessment: It was provided that the
provisions of section 56(2)(viib) of the Act would also not be applicable in respect of
assessment made before 19th February, 2019 if a recognised Start-up had filed declaration in
Form No. 2.
• The timelines for disposal of appeals before CsIT (Appeals) was also specified. Further, the
addition made under section 56(2)(viib) would also not be pressed in further appeal.
• Income-tax demand: It has been reiterated time and again by CBDT that outstanding income-
tax demand relating to additions made under section 56(2)(viib) would not be pursued and no
communication in respect of outstanding demand would be made with the Start-up entity.
• Constitution of Start-up Cell: A Start-up Cell under the aegis of Member (IT&C), CBDT also to
be formed to redress grievances and to address various tax related issues in the cases of Start-
ups.
2.132 Banks to seamlessly share data on frauds through dedicated exchange

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• Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Allahabad Bank were entrusted by the government to
look into the rising the number of frauds in the banking system, and they have come up with
the idea of a dedicated exchange that will seamlessly share data on frauds.
• The banks, in their recommendations to the department to financial services (DFS), have
suggested forming an exchange, with a 74-per cent private partnership, for sharing the data
on a real-time basis.
• While initially, the proposed exchange would serve only public sector banks, later it could
be extended to private sector banks also.
• However, DFS is yet to accept the suggestion.
Where are the banks lacking?
• At present, lack of coordination among banks to declare an account in case of consortium
lending is a major cause of delay in its identification for collective action.
• The average lag between the date of occurrence of frauds and its detection by banks is 22
months.
2.133 Cabinet approves Infusion of capital by Government in IDBI Bank

[Risk Management in Banking Sector]
• The Union Cabinet has approved the Infusion of Rs 4,557 crore by Government in IDBI Bank.
• It will help in completing the process of IDBI Bank’s turnaround and enable it to return to
profitability and normal lending and giving Government the option of recovering its investment
at an opportune time.
2.134 Fintech panel bats for virtual banks, easing KYC norms
• The Steering Committee on Fintech has recommended improving debt financing in India by
developing a marketplace model by reforming the current peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms.
Background
• The committee was formed in March 2018 under the chairmanship of the Economic Affairs
Secretary to consider various issues relating to the development of the fintech sector in India,
and how fintech can be used to enhance the financial inclusion of micro, small and medium
enterprises.
2.135 CBDT enters into 26 APAs during the current Financial Year (2019-20)
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 26 Advance Pricing Agreements
(APAs) in the first 5 months of the current financial year (April to August, 2019).
• Out of these 26 APAs, 1 is a BAPA entered into with the United Kingdom and the remaining 25
are Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (UAPAs).
• With the signing of these APAs, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT as of now
stand at 297.
What is an APA?
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• An APA is a contract between a taxpayer and at least one tax authority specifying the pricing
method that the taxpayer will apply to its related-company transactions.
• These programmes are designed to help taxpayers voluntarily resolve actual or potential transfer
pricing disputes in a proactive, cooperative manner, as an alternative to the traditional
examination process.
2.136 Rupee closes at more than 9-month low, stoking fears of further equity outflows
• On September 3rd 2019 , Rupee has dropped sharply by 97 paise to a more than nine-month
low of 72.39 against the U.S. dollar.
• The rupee has come under pressure after the official data released by the Government has
shown that India’s GDP growth fell to an over six-year low of 5% in the June quarter.
2.137 India among top 10 nations in gold reserves

• According to the latest release by the World Gold Council, India has entered into the list of top
ten countries in terms of total gold reserves.
• U.S. leads the country list with total gold reserves of 8,133.5 tonnes followed by Germany with
3,366.8 tonnes.
• According to the World Gold Council, India has gold reserves totalling 618.2 tonnes.
• In terms of individual countries, India actually ranks ninth since the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) occupies the third position after the U.S. and Germany.
• While the IMF is ranked third with a holding of 2,451.8 tonnes, it is followed by countries such
as Italy , France , Russia , China , Switzerland and Japan before India at the 10th spot.
2.138 Punjab National Bank board approves amalgamation with OBC, United Bank
• The board of Punjab National Bank (PNB) has given in-principle approval for amalgamation
of Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India with PNB, as finance ministry
recently asked the three banks to consider the proposal of amalgamation.
• The Extra General Meeting (EGM) in this regard will be held on October 22 for obtaining
approval of shareholders.
• Recently, government announced infusion of Rs 16,000 crore in PNB for a smooth and
seamless amalgamation.
2.139 SEBI plans 3-tier structure to bolster cybersecurity, prevent attacks

[Financial Institutions]
• Recently, SEBI has envisaged a three-tier structure to bolster cyber security in securities
market and plans to deploy data analytics and new generation technologies to deal with
various challenges.
• Cyber Security and Compliance Reporting System: SEBI plans to set up a Cyber Security and
Compliance Reporting System for the regulated entities that will collaborate with government
as well as other national and international regulators to tackle such vulnerabilities.

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• Cyber Capability Index: Besides, a Cyber Capability Index will be developed to assess the cyber
security preparedness and resilience of the market infrastructure institutions (MIIs), which
include stock exchanges, clearing corporations and depositories.
• Such Index will not only improve the oversight of cyber security implementations but will
also help to gauge the level of implementation of the guidelines issued by SEBI from time to
time.
• Improved Analytical Capabilities: SEBI also plans to ask stock exchanges to enhance their
analytical capabilities so as to improve the analysis of filings done by the listed companies in
XBRL format -- an electronic format for communication of business and financial data.
• Framework for Technical glitches: SEBI plans a framework for timely and adequate reporting
of technical glitch incidents, as well as a penalty mechanism to act as deterrence.
• SEBI plans to deploy data analytics and new generation technologies to deal with various
challenges in the market. Also, it aims to develop a technology based inspection methodology
for the regulation of various intermediaries in the securities market.
• The regulator would also encourage adoption and usage of financial technology to further
develop and maintain an efficient, fair and transparent securities market ecosystem.
2.140 NHAI seeks to raise ₹85,000 crore via asset monetization by FY25
[Alternate source of finance]
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to raise more than ₹85,000 crore by
fiscal year 2025 through the toll-operate-transfer (ToT) model and infrastructure investment
trusts (InvITs).
• Under the ToT model, long-term concessions for collecting toll revenues are auctioned to the
highest bidder.
• While InvITs are investment schemes similar to a mutual fund that allow investment from
individuals and institutional investors in infrastructure projects to earn a portion of the income
as return.
• These models are more attractive for investors as they don’t have to build an infrastructure
project from scratch.
2.141 Exim Bank's Government of India supported Line of Credit of USD 800 million to the
Government of the Republic of Maldives
• Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has entered into an agreement with the Government
of the Republic of Maldives.
• Under this agreement, Government of India supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 800 million
will be provided for the purpose of financing development projects in the Republic of
Maldives.
2.142 FinMin to monitor PSUs’ investments

[Recent developments in the Financial sector]

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• In a bid to boost demand in the economy by spurring public sector investment, the Finance
Ministry has decided to set up a dashboard to constantly monitor the investments made by
Ministries and PSUs.
• It also asked the Ministries and CPSEs to expedite the payment of pending dues for their
procurements.
• They were also asked to fast-track the resolution of outstanding payments that have been
held up on account of disputes.
• Ministry of Finance would constantly monitor the progress of large infrastructure projects for
the Ministries as well as the CPSEs, and follow-on meetings would be held.
2.143 Centre to infuse ₹12,000 crore in state general insurance firms

• Following the recapitalisation of public sector banks (PSBs), now public sector insurance
companies -- National Insurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance -- are going
to be infused with funds worth ₹12,000 crore to boost their capital base and meet regulatory
norms.
Why capital infusion was needed?
• Last year's Budget announced plans to merge these three insurance companies, and
thereafter list the combined entity.
• But, the process of merger could not be completed due to various reasons, including the
companies' poor financial health. For listing, a 1.5 solvency ratio is needed which at present is
not the case with two of these companies.
• Two units out of three are struggling to maintain their solvency ratio, which is a key financial
metric used to measure a company's ability to meet its debt obligations.
• The government would have to infuse ₹12,000-13,000 crore in these three companies to
improve their solvency ratio and prepare them for the merger.
• These three insurance companies will be merged after the capital infusion, and post the
merger, the entity will be the largest insurance company in the country.
2.144 IPPB rolls out Aadhaar enable Payment Services

• Recently, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has rolled out Aadhaar enabled payment system
(AePS) services.
• With this, IPPB has now become the single largest platform in the country for providing
interoperable banking services to the customers of any bank.
2.145 Biggest ever pan-India against fraudulently claiming refund of IGST by exporters
• In the biggest ever joint operation by Directorate General of GST Intelligence, DGGI and
Directorate General of Revenue Intelligence, DRI - pan-India searches were carried out at 336
different locations across the country against exporters who were claiming a refund of IGST
fraudulently.
About the Operation

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• On the basis of data analytics, an intelligence developed in close coordination by both agencies
revealed that some exporters are exporting goods out of India on payment of IGST, being done
almost entirely out of the Input Tax Credit (ITC) availed on the basis of ineligible or fake
supplies.
• Such IGST payment was claimed as a refund on export
• It was also noticed that there was no or negligible payment of tax through cash by the
exporters as well as their suppliers.
• On the basis of this intelligence, massive searches were conducted on the premises of exporters
and their suppliers.
2.146 For the first time in FY20, RBI becomes net seller of dollars in July
[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India has turned a net seller of dollars for the first time this fiscal in July.
• According to the latest data by the Government , It has sold $93 million in the month on a net
basis in the spot market.
• During the reporting month, the RBI had purchased $1.592 billion but sold $1.685 billion in the
spot market.
2.147 Andhra Bank board okays merger with UBI

• Merger of Andhra Bank with Union Bank of India (UBI) is going to take place soon.
• The proposed merger has received an approval from the board of directors of Andhra Bank.
2.148 Bank of Baroda plans to raise capital up to Rs 3,000 cr via tier-II bonds
• Bank of Baroda (BoB) has announced its plan to raise capital up to Rs 3,000 crore through tier-
II bonds for meeting capital adequacy norms for the merged entity of Bank of Baroda.
• The merged has been formed by the integration of Vijaya and Dena Bank with BoB.
2.149 Andhra Bank okays merger with Union Bank of India

• The proposed merger of Andhra Bank with Union Bank of India (UBI) has received a crucial
approval from the board of directors of the former.
• Recently, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the consolidation of 10 public
sector banks (PSBs) into 4. Therefore, India’s PSB count has come down from 27 in 2017 to
12.

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2.150 Aadhaar verification to be mandatory for new dealers from Jan 2020
[Recent Developments in the financial Sector]
• In order to check malpractices in GST, the GST Network has decided to make Aadhaar
authentication or physical verification mandatory for new dealers from January 2020.
• Aadhaar authentication of new dealers will be mandatory. Earlier it was optional.
• Afterwards, all those enrolled on GSTN would be asked to provide their Aadhaar numbers.
• As refunding was a big issue, especially in the last 30 months after the launch of GST, they had
decided on completely going online for it from September 24 this year from a single source.
2.151 Rs 10,000 crore window to extend funding to stranded housing projects: FM

[Public Sector Reforms]
• Recently, Government has announced Rs 10,000 crore special window to provide last-mile
funding for completion of ongoing housing projects which are not NPAs or facing bankruptcy
proceedings under NCLT.
• It has been announced that government will contribute Rs 10,000 crore for the special
window and roughly the same amount is expected from outside investors.
• This window will help in completion of affordable and middle income housing projects.
• The fund will be managed by professionals.
• Also, the interest rate on housing building advance will be lowered and linked to the 10-year
G-sec yields.
• External commercial borrowing (ECB) guidelines will also be relaxed to help housing
developers obtain overseas funds.
2.152 Nirmala Sitharaman announces Rs. 50,000 crore package to boost exports
[Export- Import Policy]
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a new scheme — Remission of Duties
or Taxes on Export Product (RoDTEP) — to incentivise exporters at an estimated cost of
₹50,000 crore to the exchequer.
• The announcement comes in the backdrop of India's merchandise exports declining by 6.05
per cent to $26.13 billion in August compared to the year-ago month.
Key highlights of the scheme

• RoDTEP will replace the existing incentive schemes and "will more than adequately incentivise
exporters than the existing schemes put together".
• It will replace the popular Merchandise Export Incentive Scheme (MEIS) which is not
compliant with world trade rules.
• It will be implemented from January 1, 2020.
2.153 Finance Minister announced ₹20,000 crore affordable housing package to benefit around 3.5
lakh home owners
[Public Private Partnership]
• Recently, Finance Minister has announced a last mile ₹20,000 crore affordable housing
package to benefit around 3.5 lakh home owners.
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• This has been done to set up a special financing window to help revive stalled housing projects.
Funding
• Under this package, union government will contribute around ₹10,000 crore to this fund on
the lines of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), while the other investors such
as the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), private capital, sovereign wealth funds and
development finance institution (DFI) among others will contribute the balance ₹10,000 crore.
How it will help?
• This window will provide the much needed last mile funding for housing projects which are
non-NPA and non-NCLT projects.
• Around 8.5 lakh flats are stuck across the country. In such a scenario, the package will help
extricate more than a third of such distressed home owners.
• They will also need to be net worth positive and in affordable and middle income category to
get the promised support.
2.154 RBI releases ‘Handbook of Statistics on the Indian Economy 2018-19’

[RBI Functions]
• Recently, Reserve Bank of India has released its annual publication titled “Handbook of
Statistics (HBS) on the Indian Economy 2018-19”.
• Handbook released for year 2018-19 is the 21st in the series.
• It disseminates time series data on various economic and financial indicators relating to the
Indian economy.
• The current volume covers national income aggregates, output, prices, money, banking,
financial markets, public finances, foreign trade and balance of payments and select socio-
economic indicators.
2.155 SEBI levied a total fine of over Rs 19 lakh on two entities for executing fraudulent trade
• SEBI has levied a total fine of over Rs 19 lakh on two entities for executing fraudulent trade
in the illiquid stock option segment on the BSE.
• The entities facing penalty are - Akashganga Agencies Pvt Ltd and Ajeit PS Rajbans HUF.
• Entities violated provisions of Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trading Practices (PFUTP)
norms.
2.156 BIS sets up 'green' bond fund for central banks

[Recent developments in Financial Markets]
• The Bank of International Settlements has launched a fund to enable central banks around
the world to invest in "green bonds", citing a growing demand for climate-friendly
investments.
• According to BIS, the new fund would help "central banks to incorporate environmental
sustainability objectives in the management of their reserves."
• This fund will be denominated in US dollars and structured according to Swiss law.
• It will be managed in-house by BIS Asset Management handout.

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2.157 PNB launches Preventive Vigilance portal
• Recently, Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched a Preventive Vigilance portal to facilitate
its staff members to check procedural lapses and promote good practices.
• The PV portal will facilitate all staff members to contribute towards arresting procedural
lapses and unhealthy practices and will usher in a coherent climate conducive to banking for
the modern age.
2.158 23rd Meeting of the FSDC Sub-Committee held in Mumbai

[RBI- Functions]
• Recently, a meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development
Council (FSDC) was held in Mumbai.
• Mr. Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India, chaired the meeting.
• The Sub-Committee reviewed the major developments in global and domestic economy
and financial markets that impinge on the financial stability.
• The Sub-Committee discussed about measures to promote interest and competition in
stressed asset markets, enhancing the scope of Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) to more
effectively monitor group exposures, issues relating to credit rating agencies and audit
quality.
• The Sub-Committee also discussed about measures to strengthen the systems against
frauds.
• The Sub-Committee also deliberated on revisiting the framework for early warning signals.
2.159 State Bank of India drafts Tech Mitras in Andhra Pradesh to create awareness on digital
transactions
• The State Bank of India has appointed Tech Mitras in Vizianagaram district , Andhra Pradesh.
• This has been done to create awareness among customers on the benefits of digital
transactions.
• As part of its digitisation process, SBI has provided special training for select staff at its Regional
Training Centre to act as Tech Mitras, who would guide other staff and assist customers.
2.160 Electoral Bond Scheme 2018 : Sale of Electoral Bonds at Authorised Branches of State Bank
of India (SBI)
• Government of India launched the Electoral Bond scheme in January 2018.
What is an Electoral Bond?
• It is like a promissory note that can be bought by any Indian citizen or company incorporated
in India from select branches of State Bank of India.
• The citizen can then donate the same to any eligible political party of his/her choice.
About Electoral Bond Scheme
• Only the Political Parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act,
1951 which secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last General Election
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to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State, shall be eligible to receive
the Electoral Bonds.
• The Electoral Bonds shall be encashed by an eligible Political Party only through a Bank account
with the Authorized Bank.
• Electoral Bonds shall be valid for fifteen calendar days from the date of issue and no payment
shall be made to any payee Political Party if the Electoral Bond is deposited after expiry of the
validity period.
2.161 Foreign investors pour in ₹7,714 crore into capital markets in September 2019
• After remaining net sellers for the past two months, foreign investors have infused a net ₹7,714
crore into the domestic capital markets in the month of September 2019.
• Prior to this, foreign investors had pulled out a net ₹5,920.02 crore in August and ₹2,985.88
crore in July from the domestic capital markets (both equity and debt).
2.162 SBI becomes first Indian bank to have office in Australia's Victoria
[Recent developments in Financial sector]
• The State Bank of India(SBI) has become the first Indian bank to have a branch in the Australian
state of Victoria.
• The office in Melbourne will assist the growing trade and investment relations between Victoria
and India.
• It is the outcome of the state's 10-year India Strategy – our shared future, according to a press
release.
2.163 SEBI relaxes buyback rules for listed companies with housing finance, NBFC arms
• SEBI has eased its norms for buyback of shares by listed companies, especially those having
subsidiaries in housing finance and NBFC segments.
Notification by SEBI
• It has decided to continue with the current approach of allowing buybacks resulting in post-
buyback debt-to-equity ratio of up to 2:1, except for companies for which a higher ratio has
been notified under the Companies Act, based on both standalone and consolidated basis.
• However, if the debt to equity ratio on standalone basis does not exceed 2:1, but exceeds this
threshold on consolidated basis, buybacks would still be allowed if the consolidated ratio is up
to 2:1 after excluding the subsidiaries that are NBFCs and housing finance companies regulated
by RBI or National Housing Bank.
2.164 RBI allows payment of all recurring bills through BBPS

• In a consumer friendly initiative, the RBI has expanded the scope of Bharat Bill Payment
System (BBPS) to cover all repetitive bill payments, which may include school fees, insurance
premiums and municipal taxes.

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2.165 ECGC introduces NIRVIK scheme to enhance loan availability for exporters
• Ministry of Commerce & Industry through Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) has
introduced a new Export Credit Insurance Scheme (ECIS) called NIRVIK to enhance loan
availability and ease the lending process.
About NIRVIK Scheme
• Under the new ‘NIRVIK’ scheme, which is also called the Export Credit Insurance Scheme
(ECIS), the insurance cover guaranteed will cover up to 90 percent of the principal and
interest.
• The insurance cover will include both pre and post-shipment credit.
• The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) currently provides credit guarantee
of up to 60 percent loss.
• The decision will help make Indian exports competitive and make ECGC procedures exporter
friendly, benefiting MSME exporters with a new scheme for reimbursing taxes, reduced
insurance cost and ease of doing business.
2.166Government exempts cash payments above Rs 1 crore via APMC from 2% TDS
• The government has given boost to liquidity in the farm sector ahead of the kharif harvesting
season.
• It has decided not to levy the 2 per cent tax deducted at source (TDS) on cash payments above
Rs 1 crore made through Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs).
• It has been done in order to promote immediate payments to farmers for their produce.
• For all other purposes, cash payments over Rs 1 crore will continue to attract a TDS of 2 per
cent, which was announced in the 2019-20 Union Budget by Finance Minister as a measure to
promote a less-cash economy.
2.167 Microfinance industry gets ‘Code for Responsible Lending’

• Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) and Sa-Dhan (the RBI-recognised self-regulatory
organisation and industry association for the microfinance industry), along with FIDC, have
jointly released the ‘Code for Responsible Lending’ (CRL) for the micro credit industry.
• It was launched at Sa-Dhan’s 15th Annual National Conference in New Delhi.
About ‘Code for Responsible Lending’
• The CRL is sector-specific and entity-agnostic.
• One of the major guidelines in CRL mandates that only three microcredit entities can lend to
a client at the same time.
• This means that if a client has three active loans from any provider, then a fourth entity will
not be able to lend to the client.
• NBFC-MFIs are additionally required to ensure that not more than 2NBFC-MFIs lend to a
customer. Moreover, prior to sanctioning of a loan, a micro-credit provider should ensure that
the total indebtedness should not exceed Rs 1 lakh per customer.

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• In addition to the CRL, a revised industry Code of Conduct (CoC) was also released for
Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) that will act as a binding and compulsory set of principles with
respect to lending practices.
2.168 Amendments in Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act Introduced

[Risk Management in Banking Sector]
• According to revised rules, you do not need to report gifts valued up to ₹1 lakh and received
from abroad to the government anymore.
• Earlier, the threshold value was fixed at ₹25,000, which means that nay gift you got from
abroad whose market value in India is above ₹25,000 needs to be reported to the government.
• Under the amended Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, you will need to report all gifts
received from abroad only if their value is above ₹1 lakh.
• These changes have been made by amending the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2011.
2.169 Survey of Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Mutual Fund Companies, 2018-19
[Financial Markets]
• Recently, the Reserve Bank released the results of the 2018-19 round of the Survey of Foreign
Liabilities and Assets of the Mutual Fund (MF) Companies on its website.
• The survey covers 44 Indian MF companies and their Asset Management Companies (AMCs),
which held/acquired foreign assets and/or liabilities during 2018-19 and/or in the preceding
year.
Key Highlights of the survey
Mutual Fund Companies
• Foreign liabilities of MF companies (US $ 13.5 billion) in the form of non- residents’
investments in the units substantially exceeded their foreign assets in the form of overseas
equity investments (US $ 0.7 billion) in March 2019 with both foreign liabilities and foreign
assets recording increases during 2018-19.
• The UAE, the UK and the USA were the largest investors together accounting for one-third
of the MF units held by non-residents.
• MF units held by non-residents in Mauritius and Singapore declined after the amendment of
Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), effective April 2017.
• The USA (44.6 per cent share in total foreign assets) and Luxembourg (41.1 per cent)
remained the preferred investment destinations for MF companies.
Asset Management Companies (AMCs)
• Foreign liabilities of AMCs (US $ 3.3 billion) exceeded foreign assets (US $ 0.1 billion)
substantially in March 2019.
• Net foreign liabilities of AMCs increased by 68 per cent during the year, mainly on account of
equity valuation gains after stock exchange listing.
• Non-residents in the UK held over half of the foreign liabilities of AMCs in March 2019.

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• AMCs’ equity liabilities to non-residents in Japan, Mauritius and Hong Kong declined during
the year due to capital repatriation and reduction in market value of their investment.
• Overseas assets of AMCs were largely held in Guernsey, Mauritius and Singapore.
2.170 Airtel Payments Bank launches Bharosa savings account scheme

• Airtel Payments Bank has launched 'Bharosa savings account' which enables customers to
withdraw cash, check their balance or access a mini statement of their account at over
6,50,000 Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AePS) enabled outlets across India.
• These services have been designed for deepening financial inclusion in the country.
Key features of Bharosa savings account scheme
• 'Bharosa savings account' lets you open a savings account with just ₹500 minimum monthly
balance.
• Along with convenient banking services, Bharosa savings account offers ₹5 lakh personal
accident insurance on maintaining balance of ₹500.
• It will allow you minimum one debit transaction per month.
• Customers would also be eligible for cashback, if they decide to receive government subsidies
in their Bharosa account or if they make cash deposits in it.
2.171 Govt. waives three-year lock-in period on investments made by NRIs in IDFs
[Financial Markets]
• The government has waived the three-year lock-in period on investments made by non-
residents in infrastructure debt funds (IDFs), to promote funding in the infrastructure sector.
• A notification has been issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
What are Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDFs)?
• These are investment vehicles for channelizing investment into the infrastructure sector.
• They are sponsored by commercial banks and NBFCs in India in which domestic/offshore
institutional investors, specially insurance and pension funds can invest through units and
bonds issued by the IDFs.
2.172 London overtakes India's financial capital Mumbai in rupee trading

• London has overtaken India’s financial capital Mumbai to become the top center for trading
India’s currency.
• According to the latest survey from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Average daily
volumes for rupee in the UK soared to $46.8 billion in April. That exceeded the $34.5 billion
recorded in India.
• Data released by the BIS “now makes an even more compelling case for policy makers to
focus on increasing the wallet share of the onshore market.
2.173 RBI plans to structure loan rates of NBFCs, housing finance companies
[RBI- Functions]

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• After mandating banks to link their new retail loans to an external benchmark, the Reserve
Bank is now looking at structuring the interest rate regime for housing finance companies
and shadow bankers, which together control over a fifth of the credit market.
• Unlike banks, HFCs and NBFCs do not have any 'anchor rate' or a uniform interest rate-
determining structure. At present there is no mandate by the RBI for these players to have
such rate.
• But, now RBI is planning to extend the rule of linking interest rate with external benchmarks,
to HFCs and NBFCs also.
2.174 Government constitutes Company Law Committee for examining issues pertaining to
implementation of the Companies Act
• Recently, Government has decided to constitute a ‘Company Law Committee’ for examining
and making recommendations to the Government on various provisions and issues
pertaining to implementation of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Limited Liability
Partnership Act, 2008.
The terms of reference of the Committee

• Analyze the nature of the offences (compoundable and non- compoundable) and submit its
recommendation as to whether any of the offences could be re-categorized as ‘civil wrongs’
along with measures to optimize the compliance requirements under the Companies Act, 2013
and concomitant measures to provide further Ease of Doing Business
• Examine the feasibility of introducing settlement mechanism, deferred prosecution
agreement, etc., within the fold of the Companies Act, 2013
• Study the existing framework under the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 and suggest
measures to plug the gaps, if any, while at the same time enhancing the Ease of Doing Business
• Propose measures to further de-clog and improve the functioning of the NCLT
• Suggest measures for removing any bottlenecks in the overall functioning of the statutory
bodies like SFIO, IEPFA, NFRA, etc. under the Act
• Identify specific provisions under the Companies Act, 2013 and the Limited Liability
Partnership Act, 2008 which are required to be amended to bring about greater Ease of Living
for the corporate stakeholders.
2.175 DSCI, MeitY and Google India join hands for 'Digital Payment Abhiyan'
• Nasscom's Data Security Council of India (DSCI) has collaborated with the electronics and IT
ministry (MeitY) and Google India to launch a nationwide awareness campaign 'Digital
Payment Abhiyan'.
• The campaign was launched at the Google for India event.
2.176 Government cuts corporate tax to 22%

[The Union Budget – direct and indirect tax]

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• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced reduction in income tax rate for
corporates.
• Basic corporate tax rate has been cut to 22% from 30% while for new manufacturing
companies it has been cut down to 15% from 25%.
More about the announcement
• A domestic company can pay income tax at 22% if they don't seek any exemption or
incentives.
• Effective Tax Rate is 25.17% inclusive of all surcharges and cess for such domestic companies
, which was earlier 34.94%.
• For new manufacturing firms set up after October 1, 2019 and commencing operations by
March 31, 2023, the effective tax rate will fall from 29.1% to 17%.
• Such companies are not required to pay Minimum Alternative Tax.
• Apart from this , a reduction in the Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) rate has also been
announced from 18.5% to 15% for all businesses.
• Companies availing exemptions can opt to pay tax of 22% after the exemption period is over
• Enhanced surcharge announced in Budget shall not apply on capital gains arising on sale of
any securities including derivatives in the hands of foreign portfolio investors
• The govt expects to widen tax basket with lower tax rate.
2.177 RBI caps term for banks' concurrent auditor at three years
[RBI Functions]
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently revised the guidelines on concurrent audit system.
• The guidelines have been released by following the recommendations by an expert committee
under Y.H. Malegam.
Concurrent Audit System
• Concurrent audit aims at shortening the interval between a transaction and its independent
examination.
• It is regarded as part of a bank's early warning system to ensure timely detection of serious
errors and irregularities, which also helps in averting fraudulent transactions and preventive
vigilance in banks.
2.178 Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) sets up panel to examine fraud

• CVC has set up the Advisory Board for Banking Frauds to examine bank frauds of over ₹50
crore and recommend actions.
• The Board is going to be headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin.
• Other members of the panel are Madhusudan Prasad, D K Pathak and Suresh N Patel.
• The tenure of the chairman and members would be of two years.
More about the Advisory Board

• Earlier the panel was called the 'Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds'.
• The Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF) has been formed in consultation with the RBI.
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• It would function as the first level of examination of all large fraud cases before
recommendations or references are made to the investigative agencies by the respective
public sector banks (PSBs).
• Lenders would refer all large fraud cases above ₹50 crore to the board and on receipt of its
recommendation or advice, the bank concerned would take further action in such matter.
• The jurisdiction of the board would be confined to those cases involving the level of officers of
general manager and above in the PSB in case of allegation of fraud in a borrowal account.
• The board will periodically carry out frauds analysis in the financial system and give inputs
for policy formulation related to the fraud to the RBI.
2.179 RBI sets timelines for reversal of failed electronic transactions

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a framework for turnaround time (TAT) for failed
transactions and compensation for customers.
• This has been done to bring uniformity in processing of the failed transactions.
RBI’s guidelines
• RBI has prescribed auto reversal timelines for failed transactions.
• In cases where a customer’s account has been debited but cash not dispensed from
an automated teller machine (ATM), the bank will have to pro-actively reverse failed
transactions within five days of the failed transaction.
• Failing to reverse within five days will lead to the bank paying ₹100 per day to the account
holder.
• In the case of point of sale (PoS) transactions and including cash at PoS, where account is
debited but confirmation not received at merchant location or charge-slip not generated, the
same five-day reversal period has been granted.
• For Immediate Payment System (IMPS) and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions,
RBI has asked banks to reverse it within a day of the failed transaction.
2.180 SBI may soon roll out co-lending model NBFCs in line with RBI guidelines
• State Bank of India (SBI) is expected to launch a co-lending business model soon with 4-5
medium to large-sized NBFCs which will be in line with the RBI guidelines.
• The model of co-lending will be completely automated without manual intervention from on-
boarding of customers to loan disbursement and monitoring.
• Under the co-lending model, the bank will have an exposure between 70 and 80 per cent
while the rest will be borne by the NBFCs but this arrangement will be "only" for the priority
sector lending.
2.181 SBI to use repo rate as benchmark to price MSME, retail loans from Oct 1
• State Bank of India (SBI) will use repo rate as the external benchmark to price all new floating
rate loans for Micro and small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), housing and retail loans
and medium-size enterprises from October 1, 2019.
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• This decision follows the Reserve Bank of India notification to link all new floating rate,
personal or retail loans (housing, auto, etc.) and floating rate loans to Micro and Small
Enterprises, to external benchmarks.
• SBI had introduced floating rate home loans effective July 1, 2019. A few modifications have
been made in the scheme effective 1st October 2019 to comply with the latest regulatory
guidelines.
• RBI’s Internal Study Group (ISG) had examined various aspects of the marginal cost of funds-
based lending rate (MCLR) system.
• ISG had observed that internal benchmarks such as the base rate/MCLR have not delivered
effective transmission of monetary policy. The Study Group had, therefore, recommended a
switchover to an external benchmark in a time-bound manner.
2.182 RBI panel recommendations credit positive for mortgage-backed securities

[RBI- functions]
• Recently, Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Housing Finance Committee formed under Dr. Harsh
Vardhan has given some recommendations, if implemented, will be credit positive for Indian
residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS).
Key Recommendations
• Standardize loan servicing processes across home loan lenders to make it easier to transfer
loan servicing from one provider to another, if the original provider fails.
• Standardizing loan documentation criteria and establishing minimum loan eligibility and
disclosure requirements for RMBS deals. It will increase transparency in the Indian mortgage
sector, reducing risks in the underlying loans backing RMBS deals.
• Link home loan lending rates to a common external benchmark, such as the RBI's repo rate.
Such a correlation will mitigate interest rate risk in RMBS transactions, because it will remove
the interest rate mismatch between a lender’s own benchmark rate and coupon rates.
2.183 RBI turns down SEBI plan for credit rating agencies' access to defaults
[Risk Management]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has expressed disagreement over the Securities and
Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) proposed framework enabling credit rating agencies (CRAs)
to legally access borrower database, helping them in timely recognition of default.
What is the issue?
• Recently, a panel of financial regulators, discussed a proposal to give CRAs limited access to
the RBI’s Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC).
• CRILC: The CRILC is a borrower-level data set focusing on systemically important credit
exposures. Banks report to the CRILC credit information on all their borrowers having
aggregate fund-based and non-fund-based exposure of Rs 50 million and above.
• Currently, the rating agencies can access the CIC that is an independent, third-party institution
collecting financial data regarding loans, credit cards, and more about individuals and shares
it with its members.

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• But, SEBI argued rating agencies cannot decide ratings based on the CIC, as it is not rapid,
clean and accurate. It also said the CIC did not provide the updated data about the history
of borrowers, repayment dues and so on.
• But RBI had cited sensitivity and confidentially issues for allowing third-party access to large
credit data information.
• The RBI had also assured that it would ask lenders to improve the information sharing under
the current mechanism of Credit Information Company (CIC).
Note: Abbreviation to remember
• CRILC- Central Repository of Information on Large Credits
2.184 SBI launches digital banking app Yono in UK

• Recently, The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its digital banking app Yono for
customers of SBI (UK) Limited.
• Yono SBI UK offers its customers numerous features like easy UK money transfers or payments,
remittances to India—available 24x7 with attractive exchange rates on remittances to India
and so on.
• The app would also allow customers to change their address, e-mail, mobile numbers online.
• Yono was launched in 2017 by SBI in India.
2.185 SEBI imposes Rs 22.7 crore fine on Aurobindo Pharma for insider trading
[Financial Institutions- SEBI]
• The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has imposed penalties of Rs 22.7 crore on
Aurobindo Pharma, its related entities and promoters.
• It is being done to punish for violating insider trading rules with respect to a licensing deal it
had entered with Pfizer in 2009.
• The penalties were imposed under Section 15G and Section 15HB read with Section 15J of the
SEBI Act.
2.186 No cashback for credit card users at petrol pumps from October
• From October 1, banks will discontinue the cashback credit card users get at petrol pumps
after an advisory by public sector fuel retail companies.
• The three state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) --Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, Bharat Petroleum
Corp. Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd -- give a cashback equivalent to 0.75% of the
value of fuel purchased using credit and debit cards and e-wallets.
• The discount is credited to the buyer’s account within three days of the transaction.
• Cashback on fuel purchases was introduced by the government to promote digital payments
due to a widespread cash crunch after demonetisation in late 2016.
2.187 Government to launch Bharat-22 ETF's 4th tranche

[Secondary Markets]

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• Recently, the government has announced that it will launch the fourth installment of Bharat-
22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), which is expected to help the exchequer garner up to Rs
8,000 crore from investors.
• The government has so far raised around Rs 35,900 crore through Bharat-22 ETF.
• Proceeds from the ETF will help the government meet its disinvestment target of Rs 1.05 lakh
crore for the current financial year.
• The central public sector enterprises that are part of the Bharat-22 ETF include ONGC, IOC,
SBI, BPCL, Coal India and Nalco.
• Only three public sector banks -SBI, Indian Bank and Bank of Baroda, in the Bharat-22 index.
• BHARAT-22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is managed by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund.
2.188 Reserve Bank of India imposed penalty on United Overseas Bank Limited
[RBI- functions]
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1 crore on
United Overseas Bank Limited (the bank) for its failure to comply with the provisions of
section 10B of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (the Act).
• This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI, taking into account the
failure of the bank to adhere to the aforesaid provisions of the Act.
• This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to
pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank.
2.189 RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points, slashes GDP growth estimates
[RBI- conduct of monetary policy]
• Recently, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut its benchmark interest rates (repo rate) for the
fifth time this year to boost economic growth.
• Repo Rate: 5.15% (cut by 25 basis points)
• Reverse Repo Rate: 4.90%
• The RBI also cut its GDP growth estimates to 6.1%, from earlier estimate of 6.9%.
• While, Consumer price inflation forecast for the second half of the fiscal year 2019-2020 as
expected at 3.5%-3.7% has been retained.
2.190 RBI increases lending limit of MFIs to ₹1.25 lakh

[RBI- functions]
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has raised the lending cap for microfinance institutions
to ₹1.25 lakh, against the earlier limit of ₹1 lakh, to improve credit availability in rural and
semi-urban areas.
• It has also been decided to “increase the household income limit for borrowers of non-
banking financial companies-micro finance institutions (NBFC-MFIs) from the current level
of ₹1 lakh for rural areas and ₹1.60 lakh for urban/semi urban areas to ₹1.25 lakh and ₹2
lakh, respectively.
Relevance

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• A sub-committee of the central board of the Reserve Bank under the chairmanship of Y.H.
Malegam was constituted to study issues and concerns in the sector in the wake of the
Andhra Pradesh micro finance crisis in 2010.
• Based on the recommendations of the committee, it was decided to create a separate category
of NBFC-MFI and a detailed regulatory framework for NBFC-MFIs was put in place in December
2011.
2.191 RBI to provide liquidity support to banks for smooth NEFT transactions
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will provide liquidity support to banks to facilitate smooth
settlement of transactions under the proposed 24x7 National Electronic Funds Transfer
(NEFT) system.
• The RBI will extend the collateralized liquidity support round the clock on NEFT, which is
currently available till 7.45 pm on working days.
• As an extension of it, the RBI has decided to institutionalise an internal ombudsman scheme
at large non-bank prepaid payment instrument (PPI) issuers. These are entities that have
more than 10 million pre-paid payment instruments outstanding.
• The internal ombudsman is intended to facilitate a swift and cost-effective complaint redressal
mechanism within the entity and provide an additional tier for grievance redressal.
• RBI will disseminate more granular information on payment data covering the payment
systems. This is in line with the recommendations of the ‘Committee on Deepening of Digital
Payments’ headed by Nandan Nilekani.
• Also, there is a need to ensure growth of acceptance infrastructure in Tier III to Tier VI centres.
An ‘Acceptance Development Fund’ (ADF) will be created in consultation with the stakeholders
to increase digitisation in these areas.
• Apart from that, for expanding and deepening the digital payments ecosystem, the RBI said
state/union territory level bankers committees (SLBCs/ UTLBCs) will identify one district on
a pilot basis in consultation with banks and stakeholders.
• The identified district may be allocated to a bank with significant footprint. This will enable the
district to become 100 per cent digitally enabled.
2.192 RBI allows rupee derivatives to be traded in IFSCs

[RBI- functions]
• Recently, RBI has also allowed rupee derivatives to be traded in the international financial
services centres (IFSCs), with the settlement done in foreign currency.
• This has been done in line with Usha Thorat task force’s recommendations for providing
incentives for non-resident Indians to access India’s on-shore foreign exchange market.
• RBI is also looking at ways to increase the acceptance of the rupee in cross-border transactions,
especially in external commercial borrowings (ECBs), trade credits and payment for export and
import – to reduce exchange risks.
• In continuation of its past efforts, RBI has allowed non-residents to open special non-resident
rupee (SNRR) accounts for investing in ECBs, trade credit and trade invoicing.

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• It has also proposed to remove the 7-year tenure restriction on SNRR (Special Non Resident
Rupee Account) accounts.
2.193 Consumer confidence drops to six-year low: RBI survey

[RBI Functions]
• RBI has recently released its Consumer Sentiment Survey Report.
• According to the survey, Consumer confidence has weakened in September 2019, with both
the current situation index and the future expectations index recording declines.
• Consumer confidence has dipped to six-year low in September as sentiment around
employment, income and discretionary spending declined, according to Reserve Bank of
India (RBI)'s monetary policy.
2.194 Inauguration of National Tax e-assessment Centre in New Delhi

• Revenue Secretary Shri Ajay Bhushan Pandey has inaugurated the National e-Assessment
Scheme (NeAC) on 7th October 2019.
• It has been setup under the income tax department and aims to avoid face-to-face
interaction between taxpayers and tax officials.
About National e-assessment Centre

• Under this system, taxpayers will receive notices on their registered e-mails as well as on
registered accounts on the web portal www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in.
• The registered users will be provided with real-time alert by way of SMS on their registered
mobile number, specifying the issues for which their cases have been selected for scrutiny.
• This is an initiative by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in the field of ease of
compliance for the tax payers.

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2.195 Competition Commission of India has received first green channel combination
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has given its approval under the 'green channel'
route to acquisition of Essel Mutual Fund by a Sachin Bansal-owned entity.
• This is the first clearance under the 'green channel' route, a speedier approval mechanism
put in place by the CCI.
Background
• The green channel concept has been recommended by the high-level panel that reviewed
competition law in August --allow for an automatic system for speedy approval for certain
categories of merger and acquisitions.
2.196 RBI rejects Indiabulls Housing, Lakshmi Vilas Bank merger deal
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected the merger proposal of Indiabulls Housing
Finance and Lakshmi Vilas bank (LVB).
• The merger was important for Indiabulls housing finance company as would have given it
access to low cost funds.
• It is required as the non-banking financial sector is facing a crisis of confidence with banks
choking lending to the sector.
2.197 Deposit insurance coverage in India among the lowest in world: SBI report
• Recently, a report by state run State Bank of India (SBI) has announced that the deposit
insurance coverage in India is one of the lowest in the world.
What is deposit insurance coverage?
• A deposit insurance coverage ensures that the depositor gets a certain amount, before the
bank pays other parties at the time of liquidation.
• Data on Cross Country Deposit insurance Coverage limit shows that deposit insurance
coverage in India is one of the lowest at ₹1 lakh / $1508 / 0.9 times India's per capital income,
• Another diverging trend that appeared pertained to the number of accounts - over 60% of the
total accounts are less than ₹1 lakh, while around 70% are less than ₹2 lakh, and 98.2% are
less than ₹15 lakh.
2.198 RBI okays proposal to merge district co-operative banks to form ‘Kerala Bank’
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given the nod to the Kerala Government to amalgamate
13 district cooperative banks (DCBs) with the Kerala State Cooperative Bank for forming the
proposed Kerala Bank.
• The merger approval would be contingent upon the order of the High Court on a case
challenging the amendment to Section 14(A) of the Kerala State Cooperative Societies Act.
2.199 Fintech start-up Shubh Loans gets NBFC licence from RBI
[RBI Functions]
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• Fintech start-up Shubh Loans has received a license from the Reserve Bank of India to set up
a non-banking financial company.
• The license has been received through the subsidiary – Ekagrata, of its parent company
Datasigns Technologies.
• Shubh Loans is fast changing the way loans are disbursed and making credit accessibility
easier.
2.200 BSE joins hands with FICCI to enhance MSME and start-up environment
• Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in association with FICCI has organized a brainstorming session
to identify gaps in the existing policies and make suggestions for robust policies.
• This has been done to enhance MSME and startup environment.
• The session also promoted Udyam Saathi and Udyam Sakhi initiatives to foster the micro, small
and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector.
2.201 SEBI’s new FPI Rules may impact Mauritius

• A new rule announced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will severely
impact foreign funds from jurisdictions that do not belong to the 39-member club of Financial
Action Task Force.
• Financial centres such as Mauritius, Cayman Islands and Cyprus are not FATF members.
2.202 RBI introduces new reporting system for co-operative banks

[RBI- Functions]
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India has introduced a new reporting system – the Central
Information System for Banking Infrastructure (CISBI) – for all co-operative banks.
• Under the new system, all cooperative banks are required to submit their information in a
single proforma online on the CISBI portal, as compared with the earlier system of submitting
separate documents with information about daily business activity at the bank through e-mail.
• To ensure correctness of data on CISBI, in the last week of every month, banks shall generate
a ‘NIL Report’ in CISBI for position as on last day of the previous month, indicating the total
number of functioning branches, offices, NAIOs, CSPs; and submit it through CISBI after
authenticating its correctness.
• Banks can also use the facility to access / download the data related to them.
2.203 GeM signs MOU with Union Bank of India

• Recently, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Union Bank of India (UBI).
• The MoU will facilitate a cashless, paperless and transparent payment system on the portal
and will create an efficient procurement system for government entities.
2.204 CIBIL to give real time alerts on changes in customers credit profile
[Recent Developments in Financial sector]
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• Recently, Credit Information Bureau of India Limited (CIBIL) has launched a new feature
called ‘CIBIL Alert’ through which customers can get real-time notifications about key
changes in their CIBIL score and report.
• CIBIL alerts are for- New inquiry added, new account added, Change in Utilisation,
Delinquency change, Phone Number added, New Address added and change in CIBIL score.
2.205 RBI allows banks to lend to InvITs

[RBI- Functions]
• Recently, RBI has allowed banks to lend to InvITs (Infrastructure Investment Funds).
• However, the sanctioning of these loans would be subject to tighter parameters of scrutiny
such as having board-approved policies on exposures, compliance with prescribed leverage
ratios and tighter underwriting norms for SPV linked funds.
• Banks will lend to only those InvITs where none of the underlying SPVs, which have existing
bank loans, are facing ‘financial difficulty’.
• The Audit Committee of the Board of banks shall review the compliance to the above
conditions on a half yearly basis.
• Currently, Banks and insurance companies have not been investing in InvITs because of
regulatory restrictions.
2.206 RBI fines Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Syndicate Bank

[RBI- Functions]
• RBI has imposed a penalty of ₹1 crore on Lakshmi Vilas Bank for non-compliance with
certain provisions of directions issued by RBI on income recognition and asset classification
norms.
• Similarly, Syndicate Bank has been slapped with a penalty of ₹75 lakh for non-compliance
with directions on frauds classification and disbursement of home loans.
2.207 SEBI formalises graded exit load structure on liquid funds

[Financial Institutions- SEBI]
• Recently, The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has formalized a graded exit
load structure on liquid funds.
• According to the structure, one-day holding in liquid fund would draw an exit load of 0.007
per cent, two-day would lead to 0.0065 per cent exit load, followed by 0.006 per cent, 0.005
per cent, and so on, till seventh day.
2.208 RBI has issued guidelines on ‘on tap' authorisation of payment systems
[RBI- Functions]
• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued guidelines on 'on tap' authorisation of
payment systems.
• RBI has decided to offer on-tap authorisation for-
1. Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU)
2. Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS)
3. White Label ATMs (WLAs)
Minimum net-worth criteria:
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• For entities desirous to function, operate, or provide platforms for BBPOU, they should
have a 100 crore rupees net worth and should be maintained at all times.
• In case of TReDS, the minimum paid up equity capital should be 25 crore rupees.
• The minimum net worth for entities desirous of entering the WLA segment should be 100
crore rupees.
• The KYC requirements for retail payment systems shall be as per the Master Directions on
Know Your Customer (KYC) issued by the Department of Banking Regulation (DBR), RBI.
2.209 MasterCard and MS Dhoni partner to build ‘Team Cashless India’

• MasterCard has announced the launch of a nationwide initiative to accelerate the acceptance
and adoption of digital payments.
• The initiative is titled ‘Team Cashless India’ and has been launched in collaboration with
Cricketer Mahindra Singh Dhoni.
Team Cashless India

• It is a campaign that encourages all Indians to nominate one or more merchants who currently
do not accept digital payments.
• MasterCard will work together with Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), acquirer banks
and fintech companies to support nominated merchants to deploy digital payments
acceptance infrastructure.
2.210 Vreedhi Financial Services receives an NBFC licence

• Recently, Vreedhi Financial Services (VFS) has secured a Non-banking Finance Company
licence from the Reserve Bank of India.
• It aims to offer credit and other services to micro enterprises operating in tier two & three
cities and small towns.
2.211 DPIIT plans single window system to handhold foreign investors

• Recently, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has announced
that it is planning to set up a ‘single window system’ to handhold foreign investors keen to
invest in India.
• The system will help in getting all relevant approvals and clearances required by foreign
investors.
• This system is likely to have representatives from both the Centre and state governments.
2.212 GeM Partners with Federal Bank for payment related services
• Recently, The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with Federal Bank.

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• Objective: To offer a number of services including transfer of funds through GeM Pool
Accounts (GPA), advising of Performance Bank Guarantees (e-PBG) and Earnest Money
Deposit (EMD) to the registered users on the portal.
• The MoU will facilitate a cashless, paperless and transparent payment system on the portal
and would create an efficient procurement system for government entities.
2.213 IRDAI sets up panel to evaluate application under regulatory sandbox

[Financial Institutions- IRDAI]
• Recently, IRDAI has set up a committee to evaluate applications filed under the Regulatory
Sandbox approach to promote innovative ideas to foster growth in insurance sector.
• It has been set up under the chairmanship of S. Sadagopan.
• Objective: To recognise innovative ideas to foster growth in insurance sector, in a way that
provides flexibility in dealing with regulatory requirements and at the same time ensuring
policyholder protection.
2.214 Indian Overseas Bank unveils health insurance policy with Universal Sompo
• Recently, Indian Overseas Bank has unveiled a healthcare insurance policy in association
with Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Ltd.
• It is a co- branded insurance scheme exclusively designed for IOB customers with a sum insured
starting from ₹50,000 and going up to ₹15 lakh.
• It is a one-of-its-kind family floater facility where the premium is charged as per the age of
the proposer with no medical check-up up to the age of 50.
2.215 UPI transactions hits new high of 1.14 billion in October

[Recent Developments in financial sector]
• The number of transactions via real-time payments system Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
have reached 1.14 billion in October 2019.
• This data has been released by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• In fact, according to the RBI annual report, number of transactions via UPI was 1.2 times higher
the number of debit card transactions in 2018-19.
2.216 RBI imposes ₹35 lakh fine on Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of ₹35 lakh on Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank,
according to a recent notification by RBI on 25th October 2019.
• The bank has been penalised for "non-compliance with certain provisions of directions issued
by RBI on frauds classification and reporting by commercial banks and select FIs directions
2016.”
2.217 Bandhan Bank fined ₹1 crore over promoter holding norms

[RBI Functions]
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of ₹1 crore on Bandhan Bank Ltd for
failing to meet its promoter holding norms.
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• This penalty has been imposed by RBI in exercise of powers under section 22 of the Banking
Regulation Act, 1949.
2.218 SEBI asks banks to disclose bad loan divergences within a day of RBI report
• SEBI has recently asked publicly traded banks to disclose bad loan divergences with
the Reserve Bank of India’s assessment within a day of receiving a final report from RBI.
• This step has been taken to tighten the norms for asset quality disclosures.
SEBI Notification
• According to the notification recently released by SEBI, the listed banks shall make disclosures
of divergences and provisioning beyond specified threshold not later than 24 hours upon
receipt of the Reserve Bank’s Final Risk Assessment Report.
• The banks have been advised to not wait for publishing them as part of annual financial
statements.
2.219 Bank of Baroda signs MoU with Indian Army

• Recently, Bank of Baroda has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Army
with the aim to provide new and better banking experiences for both serving & retired
personnel of Indian Army.
2.220 ICICI Bank introduces new fixed deposit scheme 'FD Health'
• ICICI Bank has launched a new Fixed Deposit (FD) scheme – ‘FD Health’.
• The scheme offers FD with a health benefit through a critical illness coverage. Customers will
be offered a complimentary insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh.
2.221 India Post launches mobile banking facility for savings accounts
• Recently, The Department of Post has announced that it has launched mobile banking app
named ‘India Post Mobile Banking’ for its savings account customers.
• The facility has been started from 15 October for all the post office savings account holders
of the CBS (core banking solutions) post offices.
2.222 Kotak Mahindra Bank launches first overseas branch at Dubai

• Recently, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has launched its first overseas branch at Dubai
International Financial Centre (DIFC).
• This is in addition to the banking unit at the International Financial Centre at GIFT City in
Gujarat.
2.223 IRDAI Constitutes Committee headed by TR Alamelu to recommend amendments to

Reinsurance, Investment
[Financial Institutions- IRDAI]

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• Recently, IRDAI has constituted a top level panel to re-look into the set of existing norms on
Re-insurance, Investment, Foreign Re-insurance Branches (FRBs) and Llyods India.
• The committee will be headed by Mrs TR Alamelu.
2.224 People with orthopaedic disability to pay lower 18% GST on some vehicles
[GST]
• Recently, it has been announced by the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) that, people with
orthopaedic physical disability will pay a lower Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 18% on
vehicles up to 4 metre in size.
• The GST rate otherwise on vehicles is 28%. Patients with disability equal to or higher than 40%
will get the benefit after submitting the necessary documents to DHI.
Note : The news related to RBI are most important for RBI Gr B 2019 – Phase 2 out of
all the news covered above.

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June to October 2019|WWW.EDUTAP.CO.IN|HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.

The Magazine contains

1|P a g e W WW. E D U T AP . CO . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.2 CAG Rajiv Mehrishi chosen External Auditor for WHO

1.4 Rajasthan to train youth in job-oriented skills

1.6 Seminar on International Patents Filings in Dehradun

1.7 Withdrawal of India’s GSP benefits by USA

2|P a g e W WW. E D U T AP . CO . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.10 Inauguration of the first-ever World Food Safety Day

3|P a g e W WW. E D U T AP . CO . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.12 Cabinet clears pension scheme for traders

How the scheme works?

4|P a g e W WW. E D U T AP . CO . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.15 Nirmala Sitharaman to attend G-20 Finance Ministers’ meeting in Japan

1.16 SDG Gender Equality Index 2019 : India ranks 95

5|P a g e W WW. E D U T AP . CO . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

India & SDG Gender Equality Index

Important announcements by RBI Monetary Policy Committee

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1.18 RBI to educate farmers about financial literacy

About Financial Literacy Week

1.19 ICAT Releases India’s 1st BS – VI Certificate in Two Wheeler Segment

7|P a g e W WW. E D U T AP . CO . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.20 Reconstitution of NITI Aayog

1.21 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

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1.24 India gets $42-billion FDI inflows in 2018: UN report

More about the Report

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Findings of the Survey

10 | P a g e W W W . E D U T A P . C O . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.29 “World Day against Child Labour- 2019” : June 12

1.30 Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting 2019 in Mumbai

India and the KPCS

11 | P a g e W W W . E D U T A P . C O . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.33 Global Peace Index 2019 : India ranks 141

Key Findings of the Report

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1.34 Denmark’s Inger Andersen takes over as UNEP’s Executive Director

1.35 17 June: World Day to Combat Desertification

1.36 India to host COP-14 Of UNCCD In September 2019

13 | P a g e W W W . E D U T A P . C O . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

1.37 India extends $15 mn assistance to Niger for holding AU summit

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Key Findings of the Report

2. Growth of the working-age population is creating opportunities for economic growth

5. Falling proportion of working-age population is putting pressure on social protection

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7. Migration has become a major component of population change in some countries

1.39 FATF Meet held in US

1.40 IIT-Bombay best-ranked Indian institute globally

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1.41 NHRC questions frailty of health infrastructure

17 | P a g e W W W . E D U T A P . C O . I N QUERY? HELLO@EDUTAP.CO.IN /8146207241

Tool developed by WHO

1.44 US topples China as India's largest merchandise trade partner

1.45 India in Tier 2 list of countries : Trafficking in Persons Report

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About Palermo Protocol

India and the report

1.46 Bihar bans tree-felling

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1.48 Odisha comes up with a flood atlas