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THE HINDU
 ICD(International classification of diseases) = by WHO + recently 11th edition
inluded gaming disorder as a disease
 RATS(Regional anti terrorist structure) =SCO + permanent organ + It is
headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Head of RATS is elected to
three-year term. Each member state also sends permanent representative to RATS
 Blue helmet = UN peace keeping soldiers
 Bhore committee = 1943 + to assess health condition in India
 Nipah Virus = zoonotic disease (disease transmitted to humans from
animals) that causes severe disease in both animals and humans + first identified
in 1999 during outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore + Fruit
bats of the genus Pteropus/Pteropodidae are the natural reservoirs of NiV + may
lead to coma + Encephalitis may present as acute or late onset + currently no
Vaccine available to treat + he virus was found in countries which never saw an
outbreak, such as Thailand, and the only known outbreaks so far have been in
Malaysia, Bangladesh and India.
 Nipah situated in malaysia
 Helium 3 found on moon + two proton and one neutron + nuclear fusion +
 Arrears Committee = by SC+ to reduce pendency of cases
 North eastern council(1971+ statutory + CM and governors of all states in NE)
will be chaired now by MoHA instead of MoDONER
 Cohabitation = when president and prime minister are from different parties
 Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP) = MOEFCC + 80, 000 people
imparted green skills and in filling the skill gaps in the environment sector + will
be increased to cover 2.25 lakh people next year and to about 5 lakh people by the
year 2021 + objective of GSDP is skilling the youth of India, especially dropouts
and in increasing the availability of skilled workforce +
 Environmental Information System (ENVIS) hubs = for information about the
environment to decision makers, policy planners, scientists + 1982 started +
MoEFCC + effective participation of concerned institutions/ organisations in the
country + ENVIS due to its comprehensive network has been designed as the
National Focal Point (NFP) for INFOTERRA
 INFOTERRA = a global environmental information network of the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
 State’s ‘Green’ GDP = first time govt will start 5 year exercise to compute
district level data of the country’s environmental wealth(from where state green
gdp will be calculated) + will help in range of policy decisions, such as
compensation to be paid during land acquisition,calculation of funds required for
climate mitigation etc
 Biogeographic zones of India = 9 + (Trans himalyan zone + Himalyan zone +
Desert zone + Semi arid zone + western ghat zone + Deccan plateau zone +
Gangetic plane zone + North east zone + Coatal zone/Dhanoa zone )
 SADC = Southern African Development Community (SADC) includes Lower 16
african countries + with angola,DRC and tanzania as upper boundary states +
includes Islands of Comoros,Mauritius and Seychelles (but don’t include islands
of Mayotte and Reunion)
 SACU = The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is a customs
union among five countries of Southern

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 Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. Its
headquarters are in the Namibian capital, Windhoek. It was established in 1910
 World Environment Day,2018 = New delhi hosted + 5th june + Beat plastic
pollution + UNEP + 43rd edition
 Nagarhole national park(Rajiv gandhi national park) = Karnataka
 AgCuTe = The compound silver,copper and telluride shows promise as a
thermoelectric material for converting waste heat into electricity
 Stop TB partnership = Geneva based nodal agency + recommends policy
interventions + Administered by UNOPS(UN office of project services) + include
international NGO and governmental organisations
 UNOPS = a member of the United Nations Development Group + works
particularly closely with United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and The World Bank
 India- Myanmmar share = Arunachal pradesh(Highest) + Nagaland(lowest) +
Manipur and mizoram
 National Financial reporting authority = brought into the companies act on the
specific recommendations of the standing committee on finance + oversee the
functioning of ICAI(Institute of chartered accountants of India) and ensure
credibility in financial reporting + proposed by center to serve as an independent
regulator for the auditing profession + companies act,2013 gives power to setup
such an authority
 Lalgarh forest + Buxa tiger reserve + Jaldaparha national park= West Bengal
 Nature environment and Wildlife society(NEWS) = NGO + working in
sunderbans for tiger conservation
 Kuthiyottam / Chooral muriyal = body piercing ceremonies + Kerala
 Rembrandt = Dutch artist + 1656-1661 + drawings based on mughal miniatures
from India
 Mirai + Reaper + Saposhi = MALWARES + capable of taking over electronic
devices and turning them into ‘bots’ + Distributed denial of service attack +
 Rule of Index 2017-2018 report = World justice project + extent to which 113
countries adhere to the rule of law +
 ‘Queen bee syndrome’ = phenomenon of women discriminating against other
female coworkers as they rise in seniority
 MILAN series of multilateral exercise = hosted by Indian Navy off Andaman
and Nicobar Islands + It is congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by
Navy under the aegis of andaman and nicobar Command + approx 20 countries
participate + Maldives not participating this year + first held in 1995(Indonesia,
Thailand , Srilanka and Singapore) + 10th edition in 2018(16 countries
participated)
 ‘Greylist’ = FATF(Financial action task force) + Pakistan(2nd time placed in this
list)
 FATF/Gropue d’action financiese = Intergovernmental organisation +
1989(Initiative of G7 to combat money laundering) + In 2001, mandate expanded
to terrorist financing + secretariat at OECD in paris + monitor implementation
through peer reviews + India is a member(39th country)
 LoU is a bank guarantee that allows the customer to raise money from another
bank’s foreign branch in the form of short term loan + It has to be another Indian
bank’s foreign firm(LoU is not recognised by foreign firms) + dollar funding
 S.W.I.F.T = Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication +
secure electronic messaging service and common standards to facilitate cross

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 border payments + generally,a swift message has to go through a 3 layer security
system:a maker,a checker and a verifier + HQ @ Brussels,belgium + group of
15 countries and 239 banks +
 N.O.S.T.R.O account = banks maintain foreign currency stocks in the form of
bank accounts with their overseas branches
 Viral load kits = determine the severity of infection before deciding on treatment
regime that is appropiate for HIV patients + PHLIV launched(viral load testing
for all people living with HIV for free)
 A2, A2+FL, C2 = methods of calculating production cost in MSP +
 TERLS(thumba equatorial rocket launching stations) = 1960 + India’s first space
port
 KUSUM(kisan urja suraksha evam utthan mahaabhiyan) = setup more than
28GW of combined solar capacity through these solar camps + MNRE + For
rural areas + solar water pumps to be installed in remote areas for irrigation
needs.Farmers will get extra income by selling surplus power to Discoms
 Siruvani Dam = Kerala
 Drypetes kalamii = new plant species from west bengal + plant is found in
wet,shaded areas of subtropical,moist evergreen forests
 MODY gene = gene for rare form of diabetes found
 ULIP(unit linked insurance plan) = combo product that offers life insurance and a
market linked investment
 ‘War room’= to track investments across the country, track progress of projects
and ascertain issues faced in their implementation on a real time basis
 ‘Every child alive’ Report = UNICEF
 Cauvery management board was never constituted even after the supreme court’s
direction to the govt of India in 2016 to constitute the body within 4 weeks
 Kirigami = an ancient japan paper cutting technique
 Rustom 2 = DRDO + unmanned aerial vehicle + medium altitude long andurance
drone(MALE)
 EBRD(European bank for reconstruction and development) = International
institution founded in 1991 + multilateral development investment bank + uses
investment as a tool to make market economies + not to be confused by EIB
which is owned by EU member states
 India became the member of EBRD + India takes a shareholding in EBRD but it
will not be a recipient of EBRD financing(India is a financing member)
 Vellayani-punchakkari wetland = Thiru,Kerala
 Dhurbajyoti ghosh = Kolkata wetlands(Ramsar site) + Hoffmann award from
IUCN +
 Delirium = acute state of confusion occurs commonly in elderly
 Pritzker price = Balkrishna doshi + first indian to recieve the ‘architecture Nobel’
 Irula tribals = TN and kerela + snake catchers
 In case of HIV, Cipla, came up with ‘AIDS Cocktail’ combination of
stavudine,lamivudine and nevirapine enabling effective treatment
 ‘Suvudha’ napkins = bio degradable sanitary napkins + Pradhan mantri
janasuvidha pariyojana kendras + Department of pharma,Minstry of chemicals
and fertilisers
 Direct tax collections > Indirect tax collections
 Pilbhit tiger reserve + Dudhwa national park = UP
 Rajaji national park = UK
 Logistics agreement/Reciprocal logistics support agreement= India and france +

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 to closely cooperate on mutually agreed operations + provides for the use of each
other’s military facilities including opening naval bases and warships +
 India and france = negotiations between EDF and NPCIL for the jaitpur plant +
france in smart cities mission focusing on Chandigarh,nagpur and puducherry +
agreement on mutual recognition of academic degrees and the follow on summit
+ building 6 EPR nuclear reactors + rafale + mirage + jaguar + Varuna(joint naval
exercise) + Garuda(joint air exercise) + Shakti(joint army exercise)
 Telangana declares 2018 as ‘Zero forest fire year’
 BHUVAN = online geoportal platform + for map visualisation and satellite
images absolutely free + software appication by ISRO to view 2D/3D view of
earth surface
 ‘Tabacoo product regulation:building laboratory testing capacity’ = New guide by
WHO + Tabacoo free initiative(of WHO)
 Ocean acidification causes coral reefs systems to erode
 Handicap international = independent of all govts + based in france + to help
disabled and vulnerable people in situations of poverty and exclusion
 Bedaquiline(known as the 'miracle drug') is the 1st new anti TB drug to be
approved by US food and drug administration
 Northern River terrapin = critically endangered + finding refugee in sunderbans
in WB + batagur baska +
 Red crowned roof turtle = critically endangered + batagur kachuga + National
chambal sanctuary(tripoint of MP,UP and rajasthan)
 Turtle conservation coalition = consortium of conservation organisations
 Under SAFTA(south asian FTA),India could import 2500 tonnes of pepper a year
from srilanka without duty and above the quota a duty of 8% would be imposed
as per the ISFTA(India srilanka FTA) ,but direct pepper import from vietnam
attracts a duty of 52% under the ASEAN trade agreement
 ‘ARC’ = developed by USGBC + can be applied to both LEED certified and
non-certified buildings + Indira gandhi international airport,delhi has adopted
first of its kind green building performance monitoring platform +
 LEED Rating(leadership in energy and environmental design) = GSBI certifies
buildings + developed by USGBC+ widely used green building programme +
 EDGE Rating = For the mass housing + has been developed with the help of IFC
and the world bank + could help gain tangible gain for the residents + 20:20:20
(save 20% in energy, 20% on water costs and 20% reduction in embodied energy)
 PEER Ratings(Performance excellence in electricity renewal) = Inroduced by
GSBI in India + global rating system + aim to issue certification for the power
sector,as it has done with LEED for buildings
 Theni forest = TN + bodi hills
 Artefacts of ‘pre iron age’ found in odisha = jalalpur district of Odisha’s cuttack
district
 Delhi End TB summit = launched the TB free India campaign + advanced India’s
global target by 5 years(by 2025 of the global target(by 2030)
 Kochon prize = To ICMR + for building a tradition of excellence in TB research
+ annual award by Stop TB partnership to individuals or organisations having
made significant contributions to combat TB
 Compulsory licensing = mechanism permitted by TRIPS agreement(1995 +
International agreement between all the members of WTO) to enable countries to
issue licenses to domestic drug manufacturers to produce and market affordable
generic versions of life saving drugs needed for meeting serious public health

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 challenges that are of extreme urgency + allows country to overcome patent
restrictions to assure availability of such drugs
 Conference on command area development(CAD) = under AIBP + 1975 + under
PMKSY as component of har khet ko pani
 20:80 gold import scheme = scrapped + 2013 + mandated that 20% of all gold
imports would have to be exported
 India based neutrino observatory(INO) project = bodi west hills,Tamil
nadu(Theni forest) + When completed, the main magnetised iron calorimeter
experiment of this project will include the world’s largest magnet(four times
larger than the magnet in compact muon solenoid detector at CERN in
Geneva,Swiz)
 RBI decision to ban LoU will raise cost for imports and will hurt export
competitiveness
 Nine Point agreement/Naga akbar hyadri accord = 1947 + signed between the
British Government of India and the Naga National Council. This agreement
included a coexistence (which they claim that was temporary and experimental)
with India for a period of ten years, to be reviewed at the end of that period.
 Shillong Accord = An agreement was reached by the Indian Government and the
NNC(Naga council) in the year 1975
 National Medical Commission Bill, 2017 = replace the Medical Council, 1956
Act + provides for constitution of four autonomous boards entrusted with
conducting undergraduate and postgraduate education, assessment and
accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under NMC
+ The commission will have 25-members including Chairman and Member
Secretary. It will have 12 ex-officio members and 11-part-time members of which
five will be doctors elected to the commission. The selected members will be
picked by a search committee headed by Cabinet Secretary + bill proposes a
common entrance exam and national licentiate examination which every
candidate, who completes five years of MMBS course need to clear to become
medical practitioner or get entry into post-graduation studies. This examination
will also bring those students who do medical education from abroad at par with
those who graduate from Indian institutions + State medical councils to be set up
at state levelalong with NMC + ‘Bridge course’ for practitioners of ayurveda and
other traditional systems of medicine to get the license to prescribe allopathic
drugs after they have passed this
 MCI(Medical council of India) = It was established in 1934 under the Indian
Medical Council Act, 1933. It later reconstituted under the Indian Medical
Council Act, 1956. + disolved in 2010 and reconstituted in 2013 over allegations
of corruption + Most of the members of the MCI are elected
 Ranjit roy chaudhary committee = 2015 + to study MCI Act,1956(Lodha
panel(2016 and Arvind pangariya have also suggested for scrapping of MCI ))
 Atmospheric brown cloud/Asian brown cloud = layer of air pollution + made
up of black carbon containing soot and smoke(stubble burning,fossil fuel
exhausts etc) + every year over Indian Ocean,India,Pakistan etc + covers the indo
gangetic plains for much of the dry season + between January and March,
possibly also during earlier and later months + The term was coined in reports
from the UNEP Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) + Term atmospheric brown
cloud is more general and not specific to asian region
 Seet lahar = the ground hugging fog that engulfs the subcontinent’s northern
plains for ever extended periods in winter + a result of canal irrigation and

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 simultaneous increase in the presence of particulate matter in the air
 Gubernatorial discretion = discreation related to the post of governor
 Right to food is a F.R under article 21(PUCL case 2001)
 States should have the final say in what is important for protection in the schedule
lists of wildlife act(WHO Does at present IF NOT STATES??)
 World Food conference = 1974 + under FAO
 NFSA doesn’t guarantee a universal right to food(only 75 %)(and mentions only
rice and wheat)
 S-400 triumf = long range air defence system consists of a surface to air missile
that can attack UAVs ,drones,cruise missiles + Russia + Range = 400km + Max.
altitude = 10000 ft + Max speed = 4800 m/s + has command control
system,multiple radar units,automated from aquisition to final engagement + 4th
generation system in terms of its combat capabilities
 Qingdao summit = SCO
 Immunotherapy allows patient’s own immune cell to identify and fight cancer
 Atal bhujal yojana = central sector scheme + Ministry of water resources + 6000
crore outlay + World Bank to help in execution + aims to improve ground water
management in priority areas in the country through community participation + 7
states(25% of over exploited region) +
Raj,Haryana,UP,MP,Gujarat,Maharashtra,karnataka
 According to latest sample registration system(SRS) data, MMR in the country
has dropped to 130 from 167 + The highest reduction from the last SRS data is
with the EAG states at 23%(246 to 188)while other states have dropped by 19% +
29% drop in UP(285 to 201) + kerala tops with MMR of 46(down from 61) + 3
states have achieved the UN’s sustainable Development goal of MMR 70
 Sample Registration System is the largest demographic survey in the country
done by the Registrar General of India. The survey is mandated to provide annual
estimates of fertility as well as mortality indicators at the state and national level
 Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India = responsible for
conducting the decennial Census + heads the Census organisation (mentioned in
entry 69 of seventh schedule of Constitution) which functions under the aegis of
Union Ministry of Home affairs +
 Natanz facility = nuclear facility in Iran
 Shangri-La Dialogue = Track One inter-governmental security forum held
annually by an independent think tank, the International Institute for Strategic
Studies (IISS) which is attended by defense ministers, permanent heads of
ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states + Originally known as
the Asia Security Summit was initiated in 2002 + While primarily an
inter-governmental meeting, the summit is also attended by legislators, academic
experts, business delegates, think tank analysts, media and other NGO personnel.
 Wuhan meeting = informal summit between India and china
 Civil society dialogue initiatives = regarded as track II diplomacy +
 Cauvery family = NGO type + loose and informal group of Cauvery basin
farmers from both Tamil nadu and karnataka + known internationally
 Ordinance factory board = 41 factories + Ministry of defence + recruitment by
UPSC + HQ at kolkata
 Indo -Israeli Agriculture Project = India and Israel have signed the Agreement for
Agricultural Cooperation in 2006 which evolved into IIAP + between
MIDH,India and MASHAV,Israel + goals(3= increasing crop diversity +
increasing productivity + increasing resource use efficiency) will be achieved by

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 establishing “Agricultural Centers of Excellence” (CoE) +
 Global peace Index,2018 = released by Australia based IEP(Institute for
economics and peace) + India from 137 to 136(marginally improved ) + best
performer for south asia is Bhutan(19th from 13th) +
 ‘Green pledge’ = On world environment day adopted by Delegation of European
union member states to green their embassies +
 Bandug spirit of 1955 = led to the formation of the NAM
 Ottawa dialogue = India,pakistan and afghanistan dialogue
 Clean seas programme = sweden led initiative + to reduce littering of marine
ecosystems + launched by UNEP + “turn the tide on plastic” + Initiated by UNEP
at economist world ocean summit,Bali,2017
 Indian nitrogen assessment = 1st ever quantitative assessment of reactive
nitrogen(NOX, Ammonia, nitrous oxide(N2O)) in the Indian environment +
agricultural soils remained the largest contributor of nitrogen emissions
 Sentosa Island = Singapore + Place of meet of USA and North Korea
 Sochi, a Russian city on the Black Sea
 Hori habba = bull catching sport + karnataka
 Uranium contamination in Rajasthan groundwater
 Paya lebar air base = Singapore
 Natural gas may become the 1st petro product to come under GST
 Center has handed over the Deocha-Pachami coal mines(west bengal),said to be
the world’s second largest coal block in the world to the west bengal government
+ Birghum district
 Bannerghatta National park = Karnataka
 “Fiscal Monitor” report = IMF
 Effective revenue deficit is the difference between revenue deficit and grants for
creation of capital assets.With the amendment of 2015 FRBM Act targets
effective revenue deficit instead of revenue deficit. In sum, the change has placed
capital expenditure out of the purview of the revenue deficit.Initially, it was
planned that the effective revenue deficit was to be eliminated and the fiscal
deficit to be kept below 3% by March 2015. However, these targets were revised
in the Finance Act 2015, and at present the dates of achievement have been
pushed to March 2018.
 Committees on Fiscal consolidation include Vijay Kelkar committee(UPA govt
2012-2015) and NK Singh Committee(FRBM Committee)(NDA govt
2016)(use debt as primary target to fiscal policy instead of deficits.The
government should target 60% debt-GDP target with a 40% limit for the centre
and 20% limit for states to be achieved by 2023 + create an autonomous Fiscal
Council with a chairperson and 2 members appointed by central government for
four year term. The functions of the fiscal council would be to prepare multi-year
fiscal forecasts, recommend changes in fiscal strategy, improve quality of fiscal
data and advising the government if it needs to deviate from fiscal targets +
government can also deviate from the path on advice of Fiscal Council in cases of
national security, war, calamities and collapse of agriculture etc)(The committee
recommended that the government should target a fiscal deficit of 3 per cent of
the GDP in years up to March 31, 2020 cut it to 2.8 per cent in 2020-21 and to 2.5
per cent by 2023.)
 An amendment of Finance Act, 2012 was carried out which said that apart from
the Medium-Term Fiscal Policy Statement, Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement
and the Macroeconomic Framework Statement, the Central Government

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 would need to lay a Medium Term Expenditure Framework Statement(I.e,
added later) before Parliament.
 Crowding Out Effect = A situation when increased interest rates lead to a
reduction in private investment spending such that it dampens the initial increase
of total investment spending is called crowding out effect.The crowding out effect
is an economic theory arguing that rising public sector spending drives down or
even eliminates private sector spending.government increases its borrowing.
The sheer scale of this borrowing can lead to substantial rises in the real interest
rate, which has the effect of absorbing the economy's lending capacity and of
discouraging businesses from making capital investments. It was argued that high
fiscal deficits lead to inflation, reduces consumption, result in a crowding out of
the private sector investment, rising unemployment and falling living standards of
the people
 Gurupriya bridge = Odisha government
 Red Spurfowl = endemic to India + pheasant family(Bird) + least concern
 Grey junglefowl/Sonnerat's junglefowl = endemic to India + least concern
 Ancient board games = ali guli mane/ekke + Navakankari/9 pebbles +
mokshapatam(like snake ladder) + kachapani
 US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) = a nonprofit corporation +
established in 2017 by a group of industry leaders in both countries + focused on
stimulating business relations between the U.S. and India, and enhancing the
strategic relationship between the two countries + committed to creating the most
powerful strategic partnership between the U.S. and India + Promoting bilateral
trade + business and government coming together +
 Open data charter = charter signed by around 100 governments to proactively
share the data collected by various government departments + No state of India or
Central govt has signed it
 The Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India has been set up by the
National Informatics Centre (NIC) in compliance with National Data Sharing and
Accessibility Policy (NDSAP) 2012. The objective of the policy is to provide
proactive access to government owned sharable data along with its usage
information.
 Global open data barometer = india ranked 33(from 38) + produced by World
wide web foundation + the Barometer ranks governments on: Readiness for open
data initiatives. + Implementation of open data programmes + Impact that open
data is having on business, politics and civil society.
 MPC meets bi-monthly(Monetary policy committee)(Covered in detail in further
editions)
 Poll offences are not yet cognisable offences(cognisable offence means a police
officer has the authority to make an arrest without a warrant and to start an
investigation with or without the permission of a court.The police can file a First
Information Report (FIR) only for cognisable offences.)
 11th world hindi conference = Mauritius + organised every 3 years by External
affairs ministry + world hindi secretariat is also located in mauritius(however
hindi is not official language) + WHS will be organising the event +
 CORPAT = India-Indonesia coordinated patrol + navy + 31st edition
 India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as
an annual feature between the two navies. The first edition will be inaugurated by
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba this year
 G7 = canada +usa + uk + france + germany+ itlay + japan

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 Joint communique of G7 = to achieve clean environment,clean air and clean
water
 National organ and tissue transplant organisation(NOTTO) = functions under
MoH&FW + apex body for coordination and networking for procurement and
distribution of organs/tissues and transplantation
 Black softshell turtle = extinct in wild
 Indian softshell turtle = Vulnerable
 South asian narrow headed softshell turtle = Endangered
 Laamu and addu atolls = Maldives
 Environmental DNA or eDNA is DNA that is collected from a variety
of environmental samples such as soil, seawater, or even air rather than directly
sampled from an individual organism. As various organisms interact with
the environment, DNA is expelled and accumulates in their surroundings.
 First BIMSTEC War games = India to host @ Pune + focus on counter terrorism
 Pradhan mantri matru vandana yojana(PMMVY) = monetary benefits are
extended to all pregnant women and lactating mothers,except those in
government service,for the safe delivery of first child + 6000 in 3 installments +
Cash incentive is provided as compensation for wage loss + MoWCD
 Lithium ion cell production initiative = part of government’s plan to achieve
100% EVs by 2030 + high energy density(Because lithium is highly reactive
element and a lot of energy can be stored in atomic bonds + lithium ion cells hold
their charge longer than other alternatives + relatively,low self discharge rate,less
than half that of nickel-based batteries + lithium ion cells can handle several
charge-discharge cycles without any hassles + currently the batteries r imported
from china,south korea and taiwan) + technology developed by ISRO(VSSC) in
India + VSSC is offering this technology to corporate sector in India
 Output gap = Gap between the total productive capacity of an economy at a
point in time and its actual output
 Allepo and Ghouta = Syria
 Hezbollah = labanon
 Illegal immigrants issue = India and UK
 Matthew effect = also known as accumulated advantage + refers to a social
phenomenon wherein people who already possess high economic or social status
are likely to continue to maintain their high status over time
 Operation Pawan was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian
Peace Keeping Force to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (Sri lanka) + 1987
 13 point roster and 200 point roster are related to UGC guidelines for reservation
 Rohingyas has been declared as illegal immigrants by India while as refugees by
UNHCR
 Armistice Agreement = is the armistice which brought about a complete
cessation of hostilities of the Korean War + 1953
 Manufacturers of PV cells have demanded a 70% safeguard duty on chinese
imports, and the Directorate general of Trade remedies(PLEASE NOTE
WHO WILL DECIDE) will take a call on this
 National Dam safety authority = safety issues and unresolved issues + bill
proposed to make it
 Oil buyers club = Proposed (at International energy forum )to be set up by India
and China to fight issues like asian premium and will include countries like
south korea and japan

10
 Asian premium = extra levy charged by OPEC countries from asian countries
 UIDAI take fee from banks for Aadhar authentication
 Remotely operated vehicle = developed by NIOT(National institute of ocean
technology)(Hq at chennai) + can see upto 6000 m below sea
 Pulses agreement = Mozambique and kenya
 Incredible india = Ministry of tourism
 India has said it does not follow U.S. sanctions, but companies and banks with
links to the U.S. financial system could face penalties if they do not comply. Iran
offers Indian refiners a 60-day credit period on oil sales. SBI may need to stop
Iran oil payments
 Suspension of Operations(SoO) = cease-ops + kashmir valley
 Integrated mountain initiative and Zero waste himalyas = NGOs(working in
India)
 Senchal wildlife sanctuary = West Bengal
 Water productivity mapping of major indian crops = NABARD + 10 major crops
across country
 “SAGAR” (Security and Growth for All in the Region) programme = 2015 +
announced by Mr. Modi during a visit to Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries + It
is a maritime initiative which gives priority to Indian Ocean region for ensuring
peace, stability and prosperity of India in Indian Ocean region + in line with the
principles of Indian Ocean Rim Association + goal is to seek a climate of trust
and transparency; respect for international maritime rules and norms by all
countries; sensitivity to each other`s interests; peaceful resolution of maritime
issues; and increase in maritime cooperation
 Costa Rica will become power neutral by 2020
 A 99-million-year-old fossil of an extinct frog species, Electorana limoae, has
been identified from amber deposits of northern Myanmar
 Rishi valley = Andhra pradesh
 FluQuadri = In a first, WHO recommends quadrivalent influenza vaccine + The
quadrivalent vaccine will have two A virus strains — H1N1 and H3N2 — and
two B virus strains — Victoria and Yamagata for active immunisation of adults of
age 18 to 64 years was approved in May last year by the Drug Controller General
of India (DCGI).
 Lymphatic filarisis = a mosquito borne parasitic disease + Endemic to India
 FPIs are permitted to invest in government securities (G-secs), including treasury
bills and SDLs(state govt loans) without any minimum residual maturity
requirement, subject to the condition that short-term investments by an FPI under
either category shall not exceed 20% of the total investment of that FPI in that
category(Overseen by RBI).Short-term investments are defined as those with
residual maturity of up to one year
 Indian LPG, kerosene cheapest in subcontinent.Petrol costs the least in
Pakistan.Sri Lankans charged the lowest for diesel( according to PPAC(petroleum
planning and analysis cell) data)
 Composite water management index = developed by NITI Aayog
 India Biodiversity portal = NO MINISTRY + it has the ambitious goal of
mapping India’s biodiversity with the engagement of civil society + portal relies
largely on private support
 The Linnean Medal of the Linnean Society of London was established in 1888,
and is awarded annually to alternately a botanist or a zoologist or to one of each
in the same year + Kamal Bawa was first indian to be awarded in 2018

11
 Central Water Commission (CWC) warns of floods based on the rising water
levels in reservoirs and if these are nearing a dam’s ‘danger marks.’
 Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation = India and Itlay
 National Data center = set up by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), under
the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) + 4 already at
Delhi, pune, hyderabad, bhubneshwar + 5th and country’s biggest data center to
be established at BHOPAL +These National Data Centres host government
websites, services and applications
 Devrais = sacred groves of maharashtra western ghats
 International classification of diseases 11(ICD 11) = identifies health trends
and statistics worldwide + released by WHO + GAming addiction added as a
mental disorder +
 USA quits UNHRC
 Hodeidah = yemen
 Triclosan contained in toothpastes lead to antibiotoc reistant bacteria
 Fugitive economic defender ---> awarded by PMLA court -----> power to
confiscate all his properties
 Use of Aadhaar biometric data for criminal investigation is not allowed under the
Aadhaar Act.Aadhaar data has never been shared with any crime investigating
agency
 Tuloni biya = attainment of womanhood of girls in Assam is celebrated as
 Titan = Saturn’s largest moon + Cassini flyby + Titan has stratospheric clouds of
benzene ice, particularly over its South Pole
 Gangetic dolphin = have evolved to use echolocation to navigate and catch fish
+ at the surface they listen for fish movement; prefer echolocation at the middle
depths (dolphins produced the most number of clicks here) and sensitive
snout-whiskers, especially in calves and juveniles, could help sense weak
electrical signals emitted by bottom-dwelling fish and shrimp.
 UNSSP(India - UN small satellites programme) is launched by ISRO to train
90 qualifying engineers from various countries to build and test three small
satellites each year.
 UNISPACE+50 – It is an event marking the 50th year of the first UN Conference
on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
 Wildlife conservation society = Bengaluru based NGO
 Specifications for the recycling of different types of plastics were issued two
decades ago by the Bureau of Indian Standards
 Bureau of Indian Standards does not specify a norm for uranium level, water is
not tested regularly for it.
 CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) = by USA
for Russia like countries(Covered in detail in further editions)
 Higher Education commission of India(HECI) = new body proposed to replace
UGC + There is no plan to merge all higher education regulators, as was
proposed through a planned agency called HEERA, which was supposed to be
put in place as a super regulator +
 HECI will be in charge of ensuring academic quality in universities and colleges,
the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) – or another mechanism
that will be put in place later – will be responsible for funding universities and
colleges + Regulator will have powers to enforce compliance to the academic
quality standards and will have the power to order closure of sub-standard and
bogus institutions

12
 IMPRESS (Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences) vision document =
ICSSR(New Delhi)
 Economic offenses wing = subdivision in CBI
 Loan deferment policy(under PM Ujjawala Yojana) = which has allowed the
recovery of loan amounts from Ujjwala customers, has been deferred for their
next six refills starting April 1, 2018. This allows customers to avail of the
subsidy during this period.
 Dublin Regulation = is a European Union (EU) law that determines the EU
Member State responsible for examining an application for asylum seekers
seeking international protection under the Geneva Convention/1951 Refugee
convention
 MSCI Emerging market Index = index of emerging markets + help investors +
includes India,China and South Africa(24 countries in total)
 Government first blockchain centre = Hyderabad
 Seed treaty = International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture (IT PGRFA) + 2004 + India signed
 Odisha government on Friday entered into a collaboration with the Regional
Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES), a body of 48 members
and collaborating countries, aimed at automating risk management
 Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES)
= established in 2009(registered with UN) + intergovernmental body + 48
collaborating countries in Asia Pacific and Africa Region(ASIA AND AFRICA
ONLY) + India is chairman of the body + Operates from Thailand
 Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) = CPCB has
directed SPCB to close down industrial units that haven’t installed OCEMS +
CPCB has since 2015 made it mandatory for industries to install OCEMS + The
industries that require OCEMS include distilleries (including fermentation
industry), sugar, fertiliser, pulp & paper (paper manufacturing with or without
pulping), pharmaceuticals, dyes and dye-intermediates, pesticides, tanneries,
thermal power plants, iron and steel, zinc, copper and aluminium smelters.
 Laissez faire = economic transition free from government intervention
 Interest rates increase ---> more FPI --->Value of ruppee will strengthen
 National saving certificates = can invest through any post office + high interest
rate,minimum investment is just Rs 100 + amount invested and interest earned is
eligible for tax deduction + the scheme is open to only individuals who r resident
indians
 DISHA dashboard = Ministry of rural Development + to help legislators, local
officials make data-driven decisions + it has 3 filters : time,geography and
scheme + will make it easier to monitor governance by geography in real time +
Currently, 18 schemes are covered; the ultimate plan is to integrate all 42 Central
schemes — representing a total outlay of ₹3 lakh crore — which are already
monitored by DISHA or District Development Coordination and Monitoring
Committees + available to all members of Parliament and State Assemblies as
well district officials + allows the user to track the progress of multiple and
diverse schemes in a certain district, block, or even a gram panchayat.
 MODIS Satellite = NASA + Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer +
to track changes in the landscape over time + satellite images of Indian forests
 Trappist-1 , kepler-11, TReS-4(all in news) = EXOPLANETARY SYSTEM
 Kepler 90 is the first star system to have as many planets as our solar system
 EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b = exoplantet discovered by INDIA + sub-Saturn

13
 or super-Neptune sized + discovery was made by measuring the mass of the
planet using the indigenously designed PARAS (PRL Advance Radial-velocity
Abu-Sky Search) spectrograph integrated with a 1.2m telescope at Gurushikar
Observatory in Mount Abu
 Regional Rural Banks (RRB) = RRBs are financial institutions which ensure
adequate credit for agriculture and other rural sectors + recommendations of the
Narasimham Working Group (1975) + Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976 + equity
of a regional rural bank is held by the Central Government, concerned State
Government and the Sponsor Bank in the proportion of 50:15:35 + RRB’s have
also been brought under the ambit of priority sector lending on par with the
commercial bank
 Difference between Non banking financial company(NBFC) and Bank =
Provides Banking services to People without holding a Bank license + An NBFC
cannot accept Demand Deposits + An NBFC is not a part of the payment and
settlement system + An NBFC cannot issue Cheques drawn on itself + Deposit
insurance facility of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is
not available for NBFC depositors, unlike banks + An NBFC is not required to
maintain Reserve Ratios (CRR, SLR etc.) + An NBFC cannot indulge Primarily
in Agricultural, Industrial Activity, Sale-Purchase, Construction of Immovable
Property

14
VISION MONTHLY
 As UPSC is ‘ditching’ Coaching materials now a days,I
would recommend you to take The Hindu notes(above)
seriously as I personally find them way too different than
coaching materials
 Committee related to Lateral entry in bureaucracy = The YK algah
committee(2001), Surinder Nath Committee(2003) , Hota Committee (2004) and
Baswan committee(2016)
 M. Nagaraj case 2006 = Nagaraj judegment + related to reservation in
promotion to SC/ST employees
 Goa,Manipur,Himachal pradesh and Tripura were Union territories granted
Statehood
 National defense strategy/National military strategy = USA
 Indo pacific strategy = two Ocean(Indian and Pacific) + Two continents(Asia and
Africa)
 Shanghai Five = It was a multilateral forum founded by 5 countries China,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, and Tajikistan in Shanghai in 1996
 Qingdao summit = SCO + SECURE Strategy(coined by India + For
comprehensive security in the SCO region) + first time India participated as
full member + India became full member as Astana summit in Kazakhstan
in 2017
 SCO = Eurasian political, economic, and security organization + formed in 2001
+ headquartered in Beijing + SCO comprises eight-member states, India,
Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russian, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan + RATS + 4 observer states and 6 dialogue partners
 Yarlung Tsangpo = upper stream of Bhramaputra river + Tibet autonomous
region,China
 Tibet(also known as) = Xizang + “western treasure land” + “Third pole”(due to
its largest perennial ice mass on the planet after the Arctic and Antarctica )
 China’s ‘Gold Rush’ = China’s has started mineral mining or the “gold rush” as
part of its wider efforts in the Himalayas to extract precious metals, rare earths
and other resources from Tibetan plateau
 Tatopani crossing = between China and Nepal + the oldest and biggest trading
point between the two countries
 India seychelles = diplomatic relations established in 1976 + LAMIYTE(joint
military exercise between India and Seychelles) + Assumption Island(recently
agreement failed due to defeat of proposal by National assembly of seychelles)
 Operation Flower are blooming = 1986 + by Indian navy in seychelles + to
avert a coup and helped the island achieve political stability
 String of pearls policy = China + to make air bases all along the indian ocean
like with ports at chittagong(bangladesh), hambantota(sri
lanka) ,gwadar(pakistan),islas coco(Myanmar)
 India - Maldives = Operation Cactus( India’s military aid of 1600 soldiers to
Maldives to fight the armed attack of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
supported rebel groups in 1988 for an attempted coup) + Maldives recently
hasasked India to take back gifted Dhruv + India was among the first to

15
 recognise Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic
relations with the country + Indians are the second largest expatriate community
in the Maldives with approximate strength of around 26,000
 Maldives has signed its first ever Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China
 Dhruv = Advanced light helicopter
 India-Mongolia = India-Mongolia exercise ‘Nomadic Elephant’ is held annually
+ Mongolia has launched construction of its first strategically important oil
refinery funded by India in southern Dornogovi province(to be completed by
2022) + Mangolia is a landlocked country by Russia and China and is affected by
harsh winter called “zud”
 Extraterritorial/Secondary Sanctions = These are the sanctions that are
designed to restrict the economic activity of governments, businesses, and
nationals of third countries which are considered as a violation of their
sovereignty and international laws.
 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) = Iran’s nuclear deal + between
(P5+1) and Iran
 Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) = by
USA + it aims to counter the aggression by Iran, Russia and North Korea through
punitive measures.
 S 400 + Kamov 226T + Project 1135.6 frigates = Russia
 INDIA-BRAZIL-SOUTH AFRICA (IBSA) DIALOGUE FORUM = is an
international tripartite grouping for promoting international cooperation of India,
Brazil and South Africa + formally established by the Brasilia Declaration in
2003 + important poles for galvanizing South-South cooperation and greater
understanding between three important continents of the developing world
namely, Africa, Asia and South America, facing similar challenges.
 IBSA Fund = for the Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger + Each member country
contributes $1 Million annually to this fund + IBSA Fund is managed by the
United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) + around 19
countries as partners
 ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
(OPCW) = 1997 established +Hq at Hague,netherlands + implementing body for
the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling
and Use of Chemical Weapons + India is a member+ Conference of the States
Parties is the plenary organ consisting of all members of the OPCW having equal
voting rights. It has the general power to oversee implementation of the
Convention + awarded 2013 Nobel Peace Prize
 Asian Infrastructure Fund = establishes by AIIB
 AIIB(Asian infra investment bank) = 2016 established + Hq at beijing + China
largest and 2nd largest shareholders + India as founding member + 86 members +
India is the largest borrower from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank + AIIB is
the first major multilateral development bank where principal contributors are the
borrowing members themselves + projected as ‘asian’ tool for development
 Byungjin policy = North korea + to pursue economic development and nuclear
weapons programme simultaneously.
 Panmunjom declaration = between North korea and south korea
 R. Gandhi Committee = Conversion of Urban cooperative banks into full
fledged banks/Small finance banks
 Small finance banks = aim to encourage financial inclusion + minimum paid-up
equity capital for small finance banks shall be Rs. 100 crore + The promoter's

16
 minimum initial contribution to the paid-up equity capital of such small finance
bank shall at least be 40 per cent (can be brought down to 26 per cent within 12
years from the date of commencement of business of the bank + They are
required to maintain Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio
(SLR) + They are required to extend 75 per cent of its Adjusted Net Bank Credit
(ANBC) to the sectors eligible for classification as priority sector lending (PSL)
by the Reserve Bank
 National voluntary guidelines/National Voluntary Guidelines on Social,
Environmental and Economic Responsibilities of Business (NVGs) = given by
Ministry of corporate affairs(MCA) + NOT ISSUED FIRST TIME(issued for the
first time in 2011)
 PARIWARTAN = POWER ASSET REVIVAL THROUGH WAREHOUSING
AND REHABILITATION + Plan by REC(Rural electrification corporation)(REC
= Navratna company + Ministry of power + Nodal agency by GoI for
impelementation of SAUBHAGYA Scheme and DDUGJY + coordinating agency
for rolling out UDAY) + to revitalise stressed power sector assets + will prevent
distress sale of stressed power projects under IBC(Insolvency and bankruptcy
code) + scheme is inspired by the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was
introduced in the US during the 2008 financial crisis + scheme is similar to
SAMADHAN (Scheme of Asset Management and Debt Change Structure)
 SAMADHAN (Scheme of Asset Management and Debt Change Structure) =
under this the SBI led bankers' consortium took over unsustainable debt of
stressed power plants to avoid their liquidation
 Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses = losses related to power
transmission infrastructure
 Status of power transformation 2018 report = IEA(International Energy
agency)
 Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) = global forum to promote clean energy
+ collaboration between the private sector, public sector. non-governmental
organizations, and others (NOT UNDER UN OR ANY OTHER
ORGANISATION)
 Power system flexibility = defined as the ability of a power system to reliably
and cost effectively manage the variability and uncertainty of demand and supply
across all relevant timescales + It includes ensuring instantaneous stability of the
power system and supporting long-term security of supply
 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) = autonomous organisation
under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry
of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare +
 Ashok Dalwai committee = on doubling farmer’s income
 AGRICULTURE and WATER are state subjects
 Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan = Ministry of Agriculture + aim to aid, assist and advice
farmers to improve their farming techniques and raise their income + launched
from 1st June 2018 till 31st July 2018 + implented by Krishi vigyan kendras +
It will be undertaken in 25 villages with more than 1000 population each in
Aspirational District as identified in consultation with the Ministry of Rural
Development in accordance with the guidelines of NITI Aayogand If the number
of villages in a district is less than 25 with more than 1000 population then all the
villages will be covered.
 India’s first freight village is being developed in Varanasi + Village is being
funded by the world bank + implemented by inland waterways authority of

17
 India + village will also have the Varanasi waterways terminal which is being
developed under the Jal Marg Vikas project
 "A freight village is a defined area within which all activities relating to transport,
logistics and the distribution of goods, both for national and international transit,
are carried out by various operators”
 Jal Marg Vikas Project = The project envisages the development of waterway
(for commercial navigation) between Allahabad and Haldia on Ganga River that
will cover a distance of 1620 km + The project covers Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand and West Bengal(NOT FROM ALL STATES FROM WHICH
GANAG FLOW + NO UTTARAKHAND)
 Enforcement Directorate = Department of Revenue,Ministry of finance + law
enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing
economic laws and fighting economic crime in India
 DRDO = 1958 + Minstry of Defence
 Rama rao committee = 2008 + to conduct a comprehensive review of DRDO
 As per DPP-2016(Defence procurement procedure), there are two
sub-categories of ‘Make’ Procedure:
• Make-I (Government Funded): It will involve Government funding of 90%,
released in a phased manner.
• Make-II (Industry Funded): Under this, private industry funds the research for the
product on its own and develops a prototype. There will be no government funding
 National security guards = an Indian special forces under Ministry of Home
affairs(MoHA) + ‘Black cats’ + not categorised under Central Armed Police
Force (CAPF) but has a special forces mandate + formed in 1984
 Malabar 2018 = held off the coast of Guam in Philippine Sea + trilateral
exercise between India, Japan and USA + It was started as Indo-US bilateral
naval war drill in 1992. Since then it is held annually. Malabar 2018 was the 22nd
edition of the naval exercise + Japan joined the exercise as permanent participant
in 2015
 World Bank indicates that by 2030 India’s per capita water availability may
shrink to half, which will push the country into ‘water scarce’ category from the
existing ‘water stress’ category + Water Stressed Condition: When annual
per-capita water availability is less than 1700 cubic meters + Water Scarcity
Condition: When annual per- capita water availability is less than 1000 cubic
meters
 Taj Decrelation - It aims at gradual phasing out of single-use plastic water
bottles and cutlery in the 500-metre radius of the Taj Mahal in the next five years
and to make the monument litter-free
 Dead zones = Dead zones (Hypoxic zones) are areas of the ocean (occasionally
in lakes and even rivers) where oxygen has fallen to such low levels that most
marine life cannot survive + Dead zones are reversible if their causes are reduced
or eliminated +
 Temperature increases ---> Dissolved oxygen decreases ----> oxygen depletion in
water bodies ----> Loss of biodiversity
 Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) = statutory + under
Ministry of agriculture + recommend minimum support prices (MSPs) to
Government (CCEA)
 Nansen Initiative (2012) = state-led consultative process to build consensus on a
protection agenda addressing the needs of people displaced across borders in
the context of disasters and the effects of climate change

18
 Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD): It was launched in 2016, to
implement the recommendations of the Nansen Initiative Protection Agenda
 Sendai Framework = for Disaster risk reduction +for 2015-2030 + by
UNISDR(United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) +
successor of Hyogo frmaework
 Global assessment report = related to DISASTER(please remember it as it is
NOT CLEAR BY NAME OF THE REPORT) + given by UNISDR
 National disaster risk Index = Union ministry of home affairs with the support
of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) + have prepared for the first
time + included all states and UTs + It will be used to prepare a composite
disaster scorecard (DSC)
 MNRE has declared medium and long-term target for off-shore wind power
capacity additions, which are 5 GW by 2022 and 30 GW by 2030 + Studied
showed tremendous potential in two Indian states namely, GUJARAT and
TAMILNADU + Currently the total installed wind power capacity is 34.04 GW,
the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world
 “National Offshore Wind Energy Policy –2015” = given by National Institute
of Wind Energy (NIWE) (LOCATED IN TAMIL NADU)(Nodal Agency for
development of offshore wind energy )
 Bathymetric data = gives the information about the sea depth at various
positions. At present there is no such data available for the Indian sub-continent
 Feed in tariff route = FiT enables anyone who generates electricity from
renewable energy source – be it a home owner, small business or a large
electricity utility - to sell it to the grid and receive guaranteed long-term payments
at a predetermined rate for energy transferred
 Y. S malik panel = 15 point plan to aid car manufacturers to switch from Internal
Combustion Engines (IECs) to Electric Vehicles (EVs)
 National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 = aim to achieve
national fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country +
It set an ambitious target to achieve 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric
vehicles year on year from 2020 onwards.
 Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India
scheme/ FAME Scheme = part of its NEMMP + The scheme has four focus areas:
technology development, pilot project, charging infrastructure and demand
creation
 Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS) = launched by IMD + to provide
probabilistic weather forecasts upto next 10 days + developed jointly by the IMD,
National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) and the
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology(IITM)(NOT SOLELY BY IMD) +
Under this, the area of spatial resolution, which is 23 km presently, will reduce to
12 km, enabling the meteorological department to give district-level warning
+ With this new model, India joins the US with a model that predicts with a 12
km resolution + Only the 'European Center for Medium Range Weather
Forecast' has a better 9km resolution
 National Hydrology project = launched in 2016 + assisted by World bank + to
improve the extent, quality, and accessibility of water resources information,
decision support system for floods + to streamline the hydro-meterological data +
It provides for establishment of National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) as an
independent organization under the control of Ministry of Water Resources
 National Water Information Centre (NWIC) = is a modern platform for

19
 assessment of surface water and ground water, flood forecasting, reservoir
monitoring, coastal information management system and river basin management
+ Ministry of Water Resources + setup as a single window source of updated data
on water resources
 Blue flag certification = given by FEE(Foundation for Environmental education)
+ Environmental award for Beaches + criteria =(water quality + Env
management + Env education + safety)
 Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) = It has been
established under the aegis of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate
change, Government of India.
 Chrysilla Vollupe = a rare spider (both a male and a female spider) was
rediscovered after 150 years from Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Ghats,
Kerala + Family of jumping spider
 2-Tier Research architecture proposed by NITI Aayog for ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE =
 CORE(Center for research excellence) = It is focused on developing better
understanding of existing core research and pushing technology frontiers through
creation of new knowledge
 ICTAI(International centers of Transformational AI) = It is entrusted
with a mandate of developing and deploying application-based research. Private
sector collaboration is envisioned to be a key aspect of ICTAIs

 Science-based targets initiative = Targets adopted by companies to reduce

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions + It is a global team comprised of people from
all partner organisations – the United Nations Global Compact, CDP, WWF and
World Resources Institute
 Targets are considered “science-based” if they are in line with the level of
decarbonization required to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees
Celsius compared to pre- industrial temperatures
 Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) system = used to especially control sulphur
dioxide (SO2) emissions + Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) system is a pollution
control system for the reduction of SOx (SO2, SO3), HCI and heavy metals like
mercury(SOX + HCL + HEAVY METALS) + It is a dry process in which a
sorbent (a material used to absorb or adsorb liquids or gases) is injected into the
coal fired boiler where it interacts with various pollutants like SOx, HCl and the
resultant dry waste is removed via either an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) or a
fabric filter baghouse.
 Artificial Leaf/ Quantum Leaf = it absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to
generate fuel and oxygen in the process, simulating the process of photosynthesis
+ will help in reducing carbon footprint
 Comet is a small, icy object that orbits the sun and has a long "tail" of gas.
 Asteroids are rocks whose orbits lie mostly between Jupiter and Mars.
 Meteors are streak of light seen when a space rock enters earth's atmosphere and
starts burning.
 Meteorites are those meteors which don't entirely burn and hence hit the earth.
 GROWTH-India = India’s first robotic telescope + Global Relay of
Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH)-India + operational at
the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanule in Ladakh + fully robotic
telescope + funded by the Science and Engineering Board (SERB) of the
Department of Science and Technology + 70 cm telescope + primary objective of

20
 the project is the time domain astronomy+ It is mostly an imaging telescope and
the spectroscopy (analysis) will happen at Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT)
 Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) = 2-m telescope at IAO,Hanule,Ladakh
+ It is remotely operated using dedicated satellite communication link from the
Centre of Research & Education in Science and Technology.
 GROWTH Initiative = multi-country collaborative initiative known as Global
Relay Observatories Watching Transients Happen (GROWTH) to observe
transient events in the universe + will focus on Supernova,asteroids,and
gravitational wave sources
 Robinsects or Nova-Crafters = robots for pollination + based on the concept of
‘Biomimetics’(Biomimetics, also known as bionics, biognosis, or biomimicry, is
the use and implementation of concepts and principles from nature to creating
new materials, devices and systems) + Robinsects/Nova-Crafeters are GPS and
Artificial Intelligence enabled small robotics hovers/drones which are
programmed to carry out the pollination
 "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World" 2017 = published by
UN + annual report jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the
World Health Organization (WHO) + UNICEF and WHO have joined for the first
time +
 Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) = by WHO +
2015 launched + developed to support the global action plan on antimicrobial
resistance + standardized approach to the collection, analysis and sharing of AMR
data at a global level by encouraging and facilitating the establishment of national
AMR surveillance systems
 UN Bankok rules = on women offenders and prisoners + adopted in 2010 +
 The UN standard Minimum Rule = presents most comprehensive guidelines
regarding prisoners and was adopted by UN Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC)
 Swadhar Greh = scheme for rehabilitation of women victims of difficult
circumstances + scheme also includes women prisoners released from jail and are
without family, social and economic support
 Happy school project = launched in INDIA by UNESCO (with the involvement
of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable
Development (MGIEPS) in India) + Launched by UNESCO in 2014 + Project
aims to bring happiness and the quality of education together by calling for
education systems to shift away from traditional measures
 Vakataka Dynasty = Maharashtra(Nagpur district) + Capital at Nandivardhan, or
the present day Nagardhan + most important successors of the Satavahanas in the
Deccan and contemporaneous with the Guptas in northern India + Brahmin
dynasty + rock-cut Buddhist viharas and chaityas of Ajanta Caves (a UNESCO
World Heritage Site) were built under the patronage of Vakataka emperor,
Harishena.
 Badshahi Ashoorkhana Monument = is a Shia Muslim mourning place, near
Charminar in Hyderabad, India. It was constructed in memory of martyrdom of
Imam Hussain in the battle of karbala, and is used during the festival of
Moharram. + It was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1611, three years
after building the Charminar.
 Seva Bhoj yojana = Ministry of culture + central sector scheme + to reduce

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 financial burden of Charitable Religious Institutions + envisages reimbursing the
Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and
Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) of such Charitable Religious
Institutions + applicable to all Charitable Religious Institutions
 "Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” has been included in
UNESCO's World Heritage list.This is the third site from Mumbai after the
Elephanta Caves and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station.There are
now 37 world heritage sites. With five sites, Maharashtra has the maximum
number of sites in India.India stands second largest in number after China in
ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region. It is overall sixth in the world
 India-Vietnam MoU on postal stamp = The Joint commemorative stamp depicts
Sanchi Stupa and Pho Minh Pagoda of Vietnam
 Solar Charkha mission = Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprise +
will disburse a subsidy of Rs 550 crore to artisans, generating employment in
rural areas and contributing to the green economy + Promote women
entrepreneurship(special features for SHGs)
 Sampark Portal = Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprise + digital
platform to connect five lakh job seekers with recruiters
 Ganga praharis = Launched by Ministry of water resources + self motivated and
trained volunteers to save ganga +
 Operation NISTAR = by Indian Navy + conducted to bring back Indians
stranded in Socotra island (Yemen) after Cyclone Mekunu hit the area
 Queen pineapple = declared as Tripura’s state fruit + declared by president

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PIB -JUNE(Only left over portions from above parts are
covered (No repetition))
 JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA = Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin + under
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)( Ministry of Chemical
and fertilizers)
 Technical cooperation in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management and
Mobility Management = MoU signed between India and Netherlands
 Memorandum of Understanding between India and Oman on Cooperation in the
peaceful uses of outer space
 India emerges as net exporter of electricity.Electricity supplied to Nepal,
Bangladesh and Myanmar in FY 2017-18.
 Ease of Getting Electricity Ranking = World Bank + India’s rank improved to 29
in 2018 from 111 in 2014
 Apps that are launched by the Ministry of Power (READ BELOW)
 SAUBHAGYA = App for tracking household electrification
 VidyutPravah = The Mobile/Web App provides real time information of current
demand met, shortages if any, surplus power available and the prices in Power
Exchange
 UJALA = Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LED`S for All + App provides real time
updates on the LED distribution happening across the country
 UrjaMitra = monitoring of power availability and sending power cut information
through SMS
 MERIT = information pertaining to marginal variable cost and source wise
purchase of electricity
 UDAY = Allows people to compare DISCOMs on the basis of 26 major
performance parameters
 URJA = Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan + It is an informative App for Urban Distribution
Sector + It captures Consumer centric parameters from the IT systems created
under IPDS
 TARANG = Transmission App for real time monitoring & Growth + It is an IT
Web/mobile based platform to provide status of both inter and intra state
Transmission Projects in the country + This platform also shows the prospective
interstate as well as intra state Transmission Projects
 DEEP e-bidding = Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price + The portal will
provide a common e-bidding platform with e-reverse auction facility to facilitate
nation-wide power procurement through a wider network so as to bring
uniformity and transparency in the process of power procurement
 Ash Track = linking fly ash users and power plants for better ash utilisation
 Methanol = can be extracted from Natural Gas, Coal (Indian High Ash Coal),
Bio-mass, Municipal Solid waste and most importantly from CO2 + alternative
fuel for internal combustion and other engines, either in combination with
gasoline or directly (“neat”) + less expensive way to reduce the carbon footprint
+ Methanol burns efficiently in all internal combustion engines, produces no
particulate matter, no soot, almost nil SOX and NOX emissions (NEAR ZERO
POLLUTION) + gaseous version of Methanol – DME can blended with LPG and
can be excellent substitute for diesel in large buses and trucks + NITI Aayog has
drawn out a comprehensive plan to replace 20% of crude imports from Methanol
alone + “Methanol economy” is a suggested future economy in which

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 methanol and dimethyl ether replace fossil fuels as a means of energy storage,
ground transportation fuel, and raw material for synthetic hydrocarbons and their
products. It offers an alternative to the proposed hydrogen economy or
ethanol economy(Methanol Economy is the “Bridge” to the dream of a complete
“Hydrogen based fuel systems”)
 Gulf of Aden = Also known as the Gulf of Berbera + Amidst Yemen to the north,
the Arabian Sea and Guardafui Channel to the east, Somalia to the south, and
Djibouti to the west + In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the
Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and in the southeast, it connects with the Indian Ocean
through the Guardafui Channel
 Agni-5 missile = Long range ballistic missile + Intercontinental ballistic missile
developed by the DRDO of India + Other intercontinental missile countries:
P5+Israel + Canister based (Road mobility, all weather, flexible launching)
[Others: Shaurya,Brahmos (Only supersonic cruise missile in the world)] +
Range: >5ooo km + 3 stage solid propellant + Nuclear warhead + Usage: small
satellites, shoot down enemy satellites in short range
 Zigzag technology = To reduce carbon emissions from burning of bricks in brick
kilns
 India stands 4th in wind power 5th in renewable power and 6th in solar power
installed capacity
 SRISTI = Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India
+ new scheme for solar rooftop + Ministry of New and Renewable Energy +
Government has set a target of reaching 100 GW of solar power installed capacity
in the country by 2022, of which 40 GW is targeted through solar rooftop +
subsidy and incentives to promote rooftop solar grids
 Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana(PMKSY) = For extending the
coverage of irrigation ‘Har Khet ko pani’ and improving water use efficiency
‘More crop per drop’ in a focused manner with end to end solution on source
creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities +
PMKSY has been formulated amalgamating ongoing schemes viz. Accelerated
Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources,River
Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR);Integrated Watershed
Management Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land Resources (DoLR) ;On
Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department of Agriculture and
Cooperation (DAC)
 INGRAM(Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism) = launched to provide
a common IT platform for various stake holders involved in the Consumer
Grievance Redressal Mechanism and for disseminating information to consumers
+ under National Consumer Helpline + Ministry of Consumer affairs
 UTTAM App = has been launched for ensuring transparency and efficiency in
coal quality monitoring process + Ministry of Coal
 Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India
(SHAKTI) = for auction and allotment of coal linkages, will lead to affordable
power and transparency in allocation of coal + Ministry of Coal
 Quarterly Employment survey (New Series) is an enterprise based survey, carried
out with an objective to measure relative change in employment situation over
successive quarters for the establishments having 10 or more workers
 National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.
(NAFED) = to promote co-operative marketing of Agricultural Produce to benefit
the farmers + Procures pulses, oilseeds and onion from farmers + under Ministry

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 of Agriculture
 Swajal scheme = Aim to provide villages with piped water supply powered by
solar energy + The scheme will train hundreds of rural technicians for operation
and maintenance of Swajal units + Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation
 National Tribal Museum & National Level Tribal Research Institute =
Proposed to be set up at Delhi
 ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme = Implemented by: Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of
Culture and Archaeological Survey of India + Involve public sector companies,
private sector companies and corporate citizens/individuals to take up the
responsibility for making our heritage and tourism more sustainable + project
primarily focuses on providing basic amenities and ease of access for all
 National Digital Library of India = Launched by MHRD under the aegis of
National Mission on Education through Information and Communication
Technology (NMEICT) + Developed by: IIT Kharagpur + To make digital
educational resources available to all citizens of the country to empower, inspire
and encourage learning + initiative is Government’s commitment towards “Padhe
Bharat Badhe Bharat” + NDL is the Single Window Platform that collects and
collates metadata from premier learning institutions in India and abroad, as well
as other relevant sources + It is a digital repository containing textbooks, articles,
videos, audio books, lectures, simulations, fiction and all other kinds of learning
media.
 Indian National Strategy for Standardization (INSS) = Result of the combined
efforts of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Consumer Affairs and
industry stakeholders + Provides a vision for the country to achieve the highest
quality standards in production and distribution of goods and services in an
attempt to reclaim Brand India + INSS report addresses four broad pillars of
Quality Ecosystem:Standards Development, Conformity Assessment and
Accreditation, Technical Regulations and SPS Measures, Awareness and
Education
 National Health Resource Repository (NHRR) = Country’s first ever national
healthcare facility registry of authentic, standardized and updated geo-spatial data
of all public and private healthcare establishments + To strengthen
evidence-based decision making and develop a platform for citizen and
provider-centric services by creating a robust, standardized and secured
IT-enabled repository of India’s healthcare resources + ISRO is the project
technology partner + aligned with Digital India mission
 Centre of Excellence in Maritime & Shipbuilding (CEMS) = Sets up Labs in
Mumbai and Vizag + for Start-up in skill development for maritime and
shipbuilding sector
 National targets for off-shore wind power: Medium term target of 5 GW by 2022
and long term target of 30 GW by 2030
 National Water Information Centre (NWIC) = is a modern platform for
assessment of surface water and ground water, flood forecasting, reservoir
monitoring, coastal information management system and river basin management
+ Ministry of Water Resources + setup as a single window source of updated data
on water resources
 Shyama Prasad Mukherjee = Youngest vice-chancellor of the University of
Calcutta (33 yrs) + Associated with education, administration and parliamentary
affairs + first industrial policy of Independent India, which came in 1948, was
stamped with his ideas and vision + In 1937, on the invitation of Dr. Shyama

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 Prasad Mukherjee, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore addressed the convocation in
Kolkata University in Bangla. This was the first time under British rule that the
convocation in Kolkata University had been addressed to in Bangla + For the
proper development of cottage and small industries with finance availability and
organizational setup- All India Handicrafts Board, All India Handloom Board and
Khadi & Village Industries Board were established between 1948 and 1950
 NITI Aayog partners with GNFC Ltd to implement Fertilizer Subsidy
Disbursement through Blockchain Technology
 Mission Shaurya = Initiative of the Adivasi Vikas Vibhag of the Maharashtra
State Government – Five students out of 10 of this group successfully scaled Mt.
Everest in May 2018
 PRAGATI = the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance
and Timely Implementation + by Prime Minister's Office
 National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) = Certification agency for air
quality measurement instruments.
 Women in Prison report = MoWCD

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