31st DEC, 2022 1st & 2nd JAN, 2023

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BLOCKCHAIN TO BE USED TO PUSH FARM EXPORTS

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NITI Aayog has launched a pilot project using blockchain technology, in
collaboration with Himachal Pradesh government, on apple farming that Blockchain is a distributed or

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will be replicated for other products such as grapes, mangoes etc. decentralised ledger
India ranks second in fruits and vegetable production in the world, technology.
after China, but its share in global fruits and vegetable market is just
1%.
Lack of quality produce and traceability has hampered India’s food
It consists of a series of blocks,

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exports apart from disincentivising growers.
Blockchain will help bridge this gap by removing redundant processes, where each block contains details
ensuring quality control and monitoring produce across entire storage of transactions executed over the
and supply chain. network, hash (address) of the
IoT sensors will be used to generate crop data and its storage, previous block, timestamp etc.

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distribution of grown crops to food processing companies, supply of
processed food to wholesalers and retailers and its storage.

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Other opportunities of using blockchain technology in agriculture Data and transactions stored in
Self-executing smart contracts: Especially in agricultural insurance, blocks are secured against
green bonds, and traceability, together with automated payments. tampering using cryptography
Land registrations: To provide an incorruptible ledger of land records. and are validated and verified

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Supply chains: To provide an immutable record from farm to retail store. through consensus across nodes of
Streamline subsidy distribution: Direct payments without need for Blockchain network.

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documents or multiple points of authorization.

NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN (NCW) ISSUES ADVISORY TO ENSURE SAFETY OF

WOMEN IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

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Chief Secretaries of all the States and UTs are advised to direct all coaching institutes/educational institution to:
Ensure strict implementation of ‘Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act,
2013’ (also referred to as PoSH Act).
Conduct awareness programmes for better reporting of cases.
Conduct a background check on those responsible for running coaching centres.
PoSH Act was enacted for making workplaces safer for women by preventing, prohibiting and redressing acts of
sexual harassment against them in the workplace.
Act is based on Vishaka guidelines laid down by Supreme Court in 1997.
Features of PoSH Act:
Defines sexual harassment at workplace and creates a mechanism for redressal of complaints.
Wide definition of aggrieved woman to cover all women, irrespective of their age or employment status and whether in
organized or unorganized sectors, public or private, and covers clients, customers and domestic workers as well.
An internal complaints committee (ICC) is mandatory in every private or public organisation that has 10 or more
employees.
District Officer to constitute Local Committee to receive complaints from organisations with less than 10 workers or if
complaint is against the employer itself.

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FIRE AFTER BLAST AT NASHIK CHEMICAL PLANT LEAVES TWO WORKERS DEAD
According to Minister of Labour and Employment, 6,500 employees died on duty at factories, ports, mines and construction sites in
five years.
Major Reasons behind Industrial Accidents in India
Relaxed inspections and licensing to allow self-certification.
Low investment in health and safety by companies.
Old and decrepit machinery with lack of training to workers for operating machinery.
Shortage of health and safety inspectors with issues of corruption in administration of safety laws.
Industries in small and medium sectors lacks ability to invest in industrial safety.
Provisions to deal with industrial accidents

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Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code to regulate health and safety conditions of workers in establishments
with 10 or more workers, and in all mines and docks.
NDMA guidelines on chemical disasters.
Doctrine of absolute liability propounded in M.C. Mehta v. UOI (Oleum Gas leak case), 1986

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Under this, enterprises engaged in hazardous or inherently dangerous activities shall be liable for compensation if any
accident in its operation results in escape of toxic substances.
Environment Relief Fund, a central fund under Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991, to provide immediate relief to victims of
chemical disasters.

INDIA ASSUMED CHAIRMANSHIP OF WASSENAAR 50 OF INDIA’S 3,693

ARRANGEMENT (WA) FOR ONE YEAR FROM CENTRALLY PROTECTED
ON
JANUARY 1ST MONUMENTS (CPMs) MISSING
42-member WA is a voluntary Multilateral Export Control Regime (MECR) to Finding is part of a submission made by
promote transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional Ministry of Culture (MoC) to a Parliamentary
arms and dual-use goods and technologies by facilitating: Standing Committee for a report titled ‘Issues
Information sharing among WA participating states. relating to Untraceable Monuments and
Standards setting on export controls of conventional arms and Dual-use Protection of Monuments in India’.
goods and technologies. As per Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),
India joined WA (HQ: Vienna) in 2017. these monuments have become untraceable
MECR are voluntary and non-binding agreements. It prevents proliferation due to rapid urbanisation, submergence
of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) which includes nuclear, radiological, by reservoirs/dams, difficulties in tracing
in remote locations, non-availability of
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chemical, biological or other weapon.
their proper location etc.
Other MECR includes
ASI, an attached office of MoC, is in charge of
About Whether India protection and maintenance of CPMs which
a member have been declared so under provisions of
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites
Nuclear Prevents nuclear proliferation by No and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.
Supplier implementing guidelines for nuclear
Also, National Monuments Authority
Group (NSG), and nuclear-related exports.
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(NMA) is responsible for protection of such

1975 sites through management of prohibited
Ensures that exports do not Yes and regulated area around CPMs.
Australia NMA, under MoC, has been setup under
contribute to development of
Group, 1985 provisions of AMASR (Amendment and
chemical or biological weapons.
Validation) Act, 2010.
Missile Prevent proliferation of missile and Recommendations by Standing Committee
Yes
Technology unmanned aerial vehicle technology Physical survey of all CPMs must
Control capable of delivering WMD. mandatorily be carried out by ASI from time
Regime to time.
(MTCR), 1987 Thorough assessment of security
requirements and budgetary allocation
Zangger Formed following coming into force No required for the same.
Committee, of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Involving Local Panchayats and police in
1971 (NPT). It maintains a Trigger List safeguarding monuments.
(triggering safeguards as a condition Use satellite imagery to try and trace
of supply) of nuclear-related monuments which are untraceable at
strategic goods. present.

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ALSO IN NEWS

After improvement in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, now government has turned
its attention to scoring better in Rule of Law Index.
Index is published by the World Justice Project (WJP), a US based civil society group.
In 2022, India was ranked 77th out of 140 countries.

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Eight factors that the Rule of Law Index measures: Constraint on government powers, Absence
Rule of Law Index of corruption, Open government, Fundamental rights, Order and security, Regulatory enforcement,
Civil justice, Criminal justice.

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IEPF will launch an outreach programme to create awareness of cryptocurrencies and online
gaming.

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IEPF was created, under Companies Act, 2013, to protect investors’ interests and promote
awareness.
IEPF is utilised for:
Investor Education Refund in respect of unclaimed dividends, matured deposits, matured debenture etc.
and Protection Reimbursement of legal expenses incurred by members , debenture holders or depositors.

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Fund (IEPF) IEPF is administered by the IEPF Authority consisting of a chairperson, a chief executive officer
and such other members, not exceeding seven, appointed by the Central Government.

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HEFA has fallen way short of government’s target of mobilising Rs 1 lakh crore by 2022.
HEFA is a joint venture between Union Ministry of Education and Canara Bank to finance

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infrastructure development in premier educational institutions through long-term loans.
HEFA was set up as a non-profit Non-Banking Financing Company (NBFC).
Government had expanded scope of HEFA in 2018 under Revitalizing Infrastructure and
Higher Education Systems in Education or RISE by 2022 initiative, bringing Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya
Financing Agency Vidyalayas, medical institutions etc. under its ambit.

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(HEFA)
HEFA was also made nodal body in infrastructure financing in the education sector.

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It was launched, by Ministry of Rural Development, to invite ideas, solutions and actions that
can transform rural economy.
Ideas are invited from individuals, Social Enterprises, Start up, Private Sector, Civil Society, etc. into

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several categories including:
Focus on Women and Marginalized section of community.
Localised Models.
Cost-effective solutions.
Prajjwala Challenge It is launched under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission
(DAY-NRLM).
DAY-NRLM aims at mobilizing rural poor households into SHGs and provide them long-term
support such that they diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes etc.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister stated that two lakh Cooperative Committees at the
Panchayat level will be set up in the next three years.
Other initiatives to support cooperatives
A multi-state cooperative society will be set up to take up export of products supplied by the
cooperatives.
A cooperative University will be set up to train manpower required.
Promotion to
A database of all the cooperatives and a new Cooperative policy is on the anvil.
cooperatives
To promote transparency and affix responsibilities in the cooperative sector model Bill is
referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

PM discussed ways to strengthen Namami Gange initiative in National Ganga Council meet.
Launched in 2014, Namami Gange is flagship programme to integrate the efforts to clean and
protect the Ganga River in a comprehensive manner.
It is implemented by National Mission for Clean Ganga under Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Main pillars of Namami Gange include Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure, River-Front
Namami Gange
development, Afforestation, Bio-diversity etc.
It has rejuvenated 1,500 km of the 2,525 km river and 30,000 ha of forests.

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Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed Lumpi-ProVacInd vaccine for
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
Vaccine has been jointly developed by ICAR’s National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) at Hisar,
ssHaryana and Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) at Izatnagar, UP.

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It is a homologous, live attenuated vaccine to protect cattle against LSD virus.
LSD is a viral disease, caused by Capripoxvirus, that affects cattle. It does not affect humans.

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Lumpi-ProVacInd It is genetically related to goatpox and sheeppox virus family.
It is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes, or
ticks.

Ministry of Home Affairs issued a cyber alert for the G20 summit against targeted spear

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phishing.
Spear phishing is an email or electronic communications scam targeted towards a specific
individual, organization or business.
It attempts to trick a person or group into giving private information over the internet or by
email, especially by sending emails that seem to be from someone they know.

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Spear Phishing
It may also intend to install malware on a targeted user’s computer.

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Personality in News Satyendra Nath Bose (1894- 1974)
His 129th birth anniversary was celebrated on 1st January.
Key achievements
His work involves theoretical physics and he has made some fundamental conceptual

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contributions in development of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Statistics.
He went on to work with Einstein and together they developed Bose-Einstein statistics.

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Derived Planck’s law for black body radiation (which refers to spectrum of light emitted by any
hot object) without any reference to classical electrodynamics.
Joined laboratory of Maurice de Broglie where he learnt techniques of X-ray spectroscopy
and crystallography.

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Was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1954.
Personality traits: excellence, determination, scientific rigour, etc

Places in News Croatia (Capital: Zagreb)

Croatia switched to Euro (bidding farewell to its Kuna
Currency) and joined Europe's passport-free Schengen
Zone.
Situated in southeast Europe, Croatia lies on the north
western edge of Balkan Peninsula.
It shares its border with Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia,
Bosnia, and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
River Danube (2nd biggest river of Europe, after Volga),
forms its far north-eastern border with Serbia.
It shares its maritime border with Italy along the
Adriatic Sea.
Geographical Features:
Highest Peak: Dinara (Sinjal).
Biggest River: Danube.

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 03rd JAN, 2023

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SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS CENTRE'S DECISION ON DEMONETISATION
In 4:1 verdict, SC upheld Central government's 2016 notification

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of demonetisation of ₹1,000 and ₹500 denomination notes
under Section 26(2) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act 1934.

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SC Observations
Under Section 26 (2), government has power to demonetise
any series of bank notes and it was not limited to one series
alone.
There was consultation between government and RBI six months

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prior to demonetization.
Action of demonetisation and time period given for currency
exchange were not hit by doctrine of proportionality.
In 1978, only three days and further extension of five days

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were given to exchange old notes for new whereas in 2016, 52
days were given to public.

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However, dissenting judge objected to demonetisation process
as it was based on a mere notification in official gazette, instead of
a plenary legislation in Parliament.
Demonetisation is act of stripping legal tender status of a SECTION 26 (2) OF RBI ACT, 1934
currency unit. In 2016, it was carried out to reduce corruption On recommendation of Central Board (RBI), Central Government may,

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and black money in economy. by notification in Gazette of India, declare that, with effect from such
date as may be specified in notification, any series of bank notes of any
Earlier in 1978, government demonetized Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000,

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denomination shall cease to be legal tender save at such office or
and Rs 10,000 notes under High Denomination Bank Note agency of Bank and to such extent as may be specified in notification.
(Demonetisation) Act, 1978.

DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO IT (INTERMEDIARY GUIDELINES AND DIGITAL MEDIA

ETHICS CODE) RULES, 2021 IN RELATION TO ONLINE GAMING

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Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has invited public comments for draft
amendments proposed. INDIA’S ONLINE GAMING INDUSTRY
Draft has been prepared to ensure that online games should be offered in Revenue of Indian mobile gaming industry
conformity with Indian laws. is estimated to reach $5 billion by 2025.
Industry grew at a CAGR (compound annual
Key proposals in Draft rules
growth rate) of 38% in India (8% in China and
Online game: Game that is offered on Internet and is accessible by a user through 10% in US) between 2017-2020.
a computer resource if he makes a deposit with expectation of earning winnings.
Self-regulatory body (SRB): Only games that are cleared by SRB will be allowed to legally operate in India.
This body will have a board of directors with five members from diverse fields including online gaming, public policy, IT,
psychology and medicine.
It must ensure that registered games don’t have anything which is not in interest of sovereignty and integrity of India,
defence of India, security of state, etc.
Norms for Online gaming companies
Cannot engage in betting on outcome of games.
Appoint a compliance officer, nodal officer (act as liaison official with government and assist law enforcement agencies), and
grievance officer (resolve user complaints).
Mandatory KYC verification of players.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (MOEFCC) REFUSED TO

SUSPEND FOREST CONSERVATION RULES (FCR), 2022
MoEFCC denied National Commission for Scheduled Tribes' (NCST) request to suspend FCR 2022, claiming that they do not dilute
Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 as determined by tribal panel.
In October 2022, NCST formed a working group to look into whether rules violated any provisions in FRA and if they infringed upon
rights of tribal people.
Forest Conservation Rules, 2022

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Rules have been issued in exercise of powers conferred under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and in supersession of Forest
(Conservation) Rules, 2003.
Prescribe procedure to be followed for forest land to be diverted for ABOUT NCST
non-forestry uses.

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It is a Constitutional body under Article 338A.
Constitution of an Advisory Committee, a regional empowered committee
It aims to protect and promote constitutional,
at each of integrated regional offices and a screening committee at state/UT

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socio-economic, legal, and civil rights of STs
level.
in country.
States given responsibility of settling forest rights of forest dwellers and
It consists of a chairperson, a vice-chairperson
allowing diversion of forest land.
and three other members appointed by
Concerns raised by NCST President by warrant under his hand and
Against FRA, 2006 that requires governments to seek consent of forest seal.

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dwellers before allowing a project on their traditional lands.
Clause on obtaining Gram Sabha consent is missing from it before diverting NO RHINOS POACHED IN ASSAM
forest land for a project, thereby weakening local people say in project.
IN 2022
SMART PROGRAM FOR AYURVEDA PROFESSIONALS Assam recorded zero poaching of Rhinoceros

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TO BOOST R&D IN AYURVEDA IN COUNTRY LAUNCHED
for the first time in nearly 45 years in 2022.
About Rhinoceros

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SMART (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda
Research in Teaching Professionals) There are 5 species of rhinos in the world:
program has been launched by National White rhino, Black rhino, Sumatran rhino,
Commission for Indian System of Medicine Greater one horned rhino and Javan rhino.
(NCISM) and Central Council for Research in Sumatran, Javan and Black rhinos are

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Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) under Ministry listed as critically endangered.
of Ayush (MoA).
White rhino is near threatened; and

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It is aimed to boost scientific research in priority healthcare research areas Greater one-horned rhino (Indian rhino)
like Iron Deficiency Anaemia, Obesity, etc. through Ayurveda colleges and is vulnerable.
hospitals.
Javan and Indian rhinos have only one horn,
It’ll motivate teachers for taking up projects in designated areas of whereas all other rhino species have two

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healthcare research and create a large database. horns.
Rhino horn is made up of keratin - protein
About NCISM About CCRAS which forms the basis of our hair and nails.
Statutory body established under Autonomous body of MoA. Habitat: Tropical and subtropical grasslands,
MoA through NCISM Act, 2020 Apex body for undertaking, savannas and shrublands, tropical moist
for regulating medical education. coordinating, formulating, forests, deserts and shrublands.
Works to improve access to developing and promoting Threats: Horn poaching for medicinal value,
quality and affordable medical research on scientific lines in habitat loss.
education, ensures availability of Ayurvedic Sciences.
Indian Rhinos are Asia's largest species of
adequate and high-quality Its research activities include rhino.
medical professionals of Indian Medicinal Plant Research
System of Medicine in all parts of (Medico-Ethno Botanical Survey, They are found in India (Assam, West Bengal
country etc. Pharmacognosy and Tissue Culture), and Uttar Pradesh), Nepal and Bhutan.
Drug Standardization, etc. Steps taken for rhino conversion in India
Indian Rhino Mission 2020 to increase rhino
Initiatives to promote Ayurveda
population in Assam to 3,000 by establishing
Central Sector Scheme for Ayush Oushadhi Gunavatta evam Uttpadan populations in seven protected areas.
Samvardhan Yojana (AOGUSY).
Special Rhino Protection Force constituted
9th World Ayurveda Congress in Goa (showcase efficacy and strength of by Assam to check rhino poaching and
AYUSH systems of medicine at Global level). related activities.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

SBI, ICICI BANK, HDFC BANK CONTINUE TO REMAIN DOMESTIC SYSTEMICALLY

IMPORTANT BANKS (D-SIBS): RBI
D-SIBs are those interconnected entities, whose failure can impact the whole of
the financial system and create instability i.e. they are ‘too big to fail’.
ADVANTAGES TO SIBS
Receive government support in times of
Concept of D-SIBs was adopted in aftermath of 2008 financial crisis.
financial distress and attract closer supervision
D-SIBs are designated on basis of their Size; Interconnectedness; Lack of readily and regulation from country's central bank.
available substitutes or financial institution infrastructure; and Complexity.

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In order to be listed as D-SIB, a bank needs to have assets that exceed 2 percent of national GDP.
RBI first issued the framework for dealing with D-SIBs in 2014.
D-SIBs framework requires RBI to disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs starting from 2015 and place these banks in
appropriate buckets depending upon their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs).

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Based on bucket in which D-SIB is placed, additional common equity (CE) requirement has to be applied to it.
CE Tier 1 requirement for SBI is 0.60% of Risk Weighted Assets, while it is 0.20% for ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank.

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Similarly, in case a foreign bank having branch presence in India is a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB). It has to maintain
additional CET1 capital surcharge in India as applicable by rules concerning G-SIB.

ALSO IN NEWS

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Odisha government has mooted a proposal allowing officers above joint secretaries to reach
Kotia, using flight service to review progress on developmental activities.
Kotia is a territory claimed by both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Both states claim these villages since 1960s as they are reportedly rich in mineral wealth.

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Both states have challenged each other’s administrative control over Kotia Gram Panchayat
Kotia region
comprising 21 revenue villages.

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Chief Justice of India announced the launch of e-SCR project to provide access to judgements to
common public.
E-SCR is an initiative to provide digital version of apex court’s judgments in manner as they are
reported in official law report ‘Supreme Court Reports’.
Entire gamut of judgments from inception of Supreme Court in 1950 till date would be available

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Electronic Supreme Court freely to lawyers and law students.
Reports (e-SCR) project These judgments will be accessible on Supreme Court’s website, mobile app and on National

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Judicial Data Grid’s judgment portal.
India and Saudi Arabia will sign MLAT to obtain formal assistance from each other in investigations
related to criminal cases.
MLAT is a mechanism whereby countries cooperate with one another to provide and obtain

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formal assistance in prevention, suppression, investigation and prosecution of crime.
It ensures that criminals do not escape or sabotage the due process of law for want of
Mutual Legal Assistance evidence available in different countries.
Treaty (MLAT) India has so far signed MLATs with 45 countries.
Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal Ministry for concluding MLAT in Criminal Matters.
According to S&P Global India Manufacturing PMI, India’s manufacturing sector recorded highest
output in December 2022, since February 2021.
PMI is an economic indicator, which is derived after monthly surveys of different companies.
It shows trends in both manufacturing and services sector.
PMI is a number from 0 to 100. PMI above 50 represents an expansion, under 50 represents
Purchasing Manager's a contraction, and reading at 50 indicates no change.
Index (PMI) PMI Data is published by Japanese firm Nikkei but compiled and constructed by Markit
Economics.

First case of XBB.I .5 variant is detected in Gujrat.

It is a new recombinant strain—is highly immune evasive and appears more effective at binding
to cells than related subvariants.
Omicron subvariants XBB.1.5, BQ.1.1, BQ.1, BA.5 and XBB are causing almost all Covid-19
XBB.1.5 Omicron variant infections at present.

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Reserve Bank of India’s Medium-term Strategy Framework – Utkarsh 2.0- for period 2023- 2025 was
launched.
First strategy framework (Utkarsh 2022) covered period 2019-2022.
Vision in Utkarsh 2.0 that will guide RBI are
Excellence in performance of its functions;
Strengthened trust of citizens and Institutions in RBI;
Enhanced relevance and significance in national and global roles;
Utkarsh 2.0

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Transparent, accountable and ethics-driven internal governance;
Best-in-class and environment-friendly digital and physical infrastructure;
Innovative, dynamic and skilled human resources.

Coffee exports from India, Asia's third-largest producer and exporter, up by nearly 2% to 4 lakh

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tonnes in 2022.
As per Coffee board, India ships both Robusta and Arabica varieties, besides instant coffee.

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Coffee Plantation in India
Hot and humid climate with temperature varying between 15°C and 28 °C.
Rainfall from 150 to 250 cm.
Coffee Traditionally grown in rainforests of Western Ghats in South India mainly produced in
Karnataka (highest), Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

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It is an annual exercise between Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Force.

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Dharma Guardian

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Shikharji is a holy site for Jain community which has been protesting to overturn the Jharkhand
government decision declaring it as a tourist spot.
Shikharji is located on Parasnath hill (biggest pilgrimage site for both Digambaras and
Svetambarain) in Giridih district of Jharkhand.
Hill named after Parasnath, the 23rd Tirthankar, is believed that it is the place where 20 of 24

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Sammet Shikharji or Jain tirthankaras along with many other monks attained ‘moksh’ or salvation after
Shikharji meditating.

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Hill is known to be the highest mountain in Jharkhand.

New initiative of sustainable shrimp cultivation provides hope for mangrove restoration in
Sundarbans.
SAIME is a community-based pilot project in West Bengal under which farmers are planting

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mangrove trees around shrimp ponds.
Generally, mangrove forests are cleared to cultivate shrimps in the areas.
It is being conceived by Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS), Global Nature Fund
Sustainable Aquaculture
and others.
in Mangrove Ecosystem
(SAIME) Initiative Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in coastal intertidal zone.
They prevent erosion and absorb storm surge impacts during extreme weather events.

Mannathu Padmanabhan (02 January 1878- 25 February 1970)

He was born in Perunna village in Kottayam district of Kerala.
He started his career as a teacher in 1893 and started practised law in Magistrates’ Courts.
In 1915, he formed Nair Service Society for providing modern education, positive outlook, a
sense of purpose and competitive edge to community.
He joined Indian National Congress in 1947 and took part in Travancore State Congress agitation.
Personality in news
He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and Title Bharata Kesari.
Personal Values: Leadership, Empathy, Compassion, Dedication, etc.

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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 04th JAN, 2023

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URBAN FORESTRY AND URBAN GREENING IN DRYLANDS REPORT RELEASED BY FOOD
AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO)

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Report was produced in framework of FAO’s Green Urban Oases
Drylands are regions in which aridity index (ratio

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Programme, launched to improve resilience of dryland cities by tackling
of annual precipitation and mean annual potential
climate, health, food and economic challenges.
evapotranspiration) is not more than 0.65.
Program contributes to FAO’s Green Cities initiative that was launched Drylands make up 41% of the Earth’s land
in 2020 to improve livelihoods and well-being of urban and peri-urban surface, housing about 2 billion people, of whom
populations in at least 100 cities around the world in next three years. 90% live in developing countries, mainly in Africa

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Key highlights of report and Asia.
Some 35% of the world’s largest cities (including New Delhi, Cairo etc.) are built in world’s drylands facing a high risk of social,
environmental and economic crisis as they grow.
Scarce rainfall and water supplies compound negative impacts of rapid urbanization on drylands, leading to overexploitation of
limited resources, increased land degradation etc.

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Urban forestry and greening strategies have yet to be fully incorporated in many dryland cities.

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Recommendations
At landscape level: Plan and maintain green spaces and select trees and other plants that are suited to local environment and
cityscape.
At community level: Boost community participation and a sense of ownership, also to provide incentives to encourage tree planting

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and building capacity through environmental education.
At governmental level: Create robust policies and protect urban greenery.

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UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY (UNGA) SEEKS INTERNATIONAL COURT OF
JUSTICE (ICJ) OPINION ON ISRAEL’S ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE
UNGA resolution (India abstained from voting) also asks ICJ on Israel's measures aimed at:

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Altering of demographic composition, character and status of Holy City of
Jerusalem.
Adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
It dates back to early 20th century with Jews claiming Palestinian land as ancestral
property while Arabs being the majority.
Between 1920-40, Jews migration to Palestine grew because of persecution in
Europe.
In 1947, UN voted to split Palestine into a separate Jewish and Arab state.
Rejected by Arab states, it led to the declaration of state of Israel in 1948 and the first
Arab-Israeli war.
At ceasefire, Jordan occupied West Bank, Egypt occupied Gaza and Jerusalem was ABOUT ICJ
divided between Israel and Jordan. It is principal judicial organ of UN.
In 1967, six-day war started between Arabs and Israel. ICJ, which is composed of 15 judges, has a two-fold role:
To settle, in accordance with international law, legal
At its end, Israel gained territorial control of Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from disputes between States submitted to it by them.
Egypt; West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan; and Golan Heights from Syria. To give advisory opinions on legal matters referred
to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and
Israel still occupies West Bank and East Jerusalem and built Jews settlements. specialized agencies.
In 2004, ICJ ruled that Israel’s wall in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem was Judgments delivered by ICJ in disputes between States
are binding upon the parties concerned.
illegal.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (MoD) SIGNS UP MOUs/AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER MINISTRIES

TO AWARD DEGREES TO AGNIVEERS
MoD, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship exchanged MoUs with various stakeholders to
facilitate continued education and awarding appropriate skill certificates to Agniveers.
Under MoU with National Institute of Open Schooling and Indira Gandhi National Open University, suitable Class 12 certificates
and Bachelor’s degrees will be awarded to Agniveers.
Market-ready and industry-accepted Kaushal Praman Patra will be issued at the time of their exit on the basis of job roles and skill

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sets mapped with National Occupational Standards (NOS).
About Agnipath Scheme
It is a recruitment scheme for Indian youth who wish to join Armed Forces. Soldiers recruited under the scheme will be called
Agniveers.

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Scheme envisages recruitment of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) in army, air force and navy for four years, including six
months of training.

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Around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers, between age of 17.5 to 21 years will be recruited annually.
Only 25% of total recruits will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission.
Other 75% Agniveers will be demobilised, with an exit or “Seva Nidhi '' package and the proposed MoUs are about to benefit them.

NTPC STARTS INDIA’S FIRST GREEN HYDROGEN NO NEED FOR EXTRA CURB ON
BLENDING OPERATION IN PIPED NATURAL GAS (PNG) FREE SPEECH OF MINISTERS:

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NETWORK SUPREME COURT (SC)
Answering a reference made to it regarding
Project has been started in National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC)
extent of Freedom of Speech and Expression
Kawas township, Surat.

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available to public functionaries, constitutional
It is a joint effort of NTPC and Gujarat Gas Ltd (GGL). bench of SC held that:

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Natural Gas is a composition of hydrocarbons (Almost 95% Methane & rest Right of free speech and expression,
other Hydrocarbons). PNG is same natural gas which is brought at consumer guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (a), can’t be
end through a Pipe Line network. curbed by additional grounds other than
Hydrogen blending process is integration of concentrations of hydrogen into those already laid down in Article 19 (2).
existing natural gas pipelines and the resulting blends can be used to generate A statement made by a minister, even in

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heat and power. official capacity, cannot be attributed
vicariously to government by invoking
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), regulatory body has

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principle of collective responsibility.
given approval for 5% vol./vol. blending of green hydrogen with PNG to
start with and it would be scaled phase wise to reach 20%. Under Article 75 (3) and 164 (2), Council
of Ministers (CoM) is collectively
Depending on production methods, hydrogen can be grey, blue, green,
responsible to House of People and
pink etc.
Legislative Assembly of State respectively.

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Benefits of Blending Hydrogen with PNG SC stated that collective responsibility
Reduces CO2 emissions keeping net heating content same. flows from CoM to individual ministers,
not on reverse, namely, from individual
Will reduce hydrocarbon import bill significantly.
Ministers to CoM.
India can also bring forex ashore by being a green hydrogen and green
A fundamental right under Article 19, 21
chemicals exporter to the world.
can be enforced even against persons
Challenges: Can weaken metal or polyethylene pipes and increase leakage risks, other than state or its instrumentalities.
High Capital requirement in initial stage etc. A mere statement made by a minister,
inconsistent with rights of a citizen, may not
become actionable as constitutional tort.
But if it leads to an act of omission or
commission by a public official then it is a
constitutional tort.

A ‘constitutional tort’ is a violation of one’s

constitutional rights, particularly
fundamental rights, by an agent of the
government, acting in his/her official capacity.
A court of law can award monetary
compensation to the victim in such a case.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE RELEASED DRAFT NATIONAL MEDICAL

COMMISSION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2022
Draft bill seeks to amend the existing National Medical Commission

FOUR AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTIONS

(NMC) Act, 2019. Under-Graduate Medical Education Board
Key highlights of draft bill Sets norms for undergraduate courses.
Introducing a fifth autonomous body, namely Board of

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Examinations in Medical Science (BEMS), under NMC.
Post-Graduate Medical Education Board

UNDER NMC
BEMS will take over the functions of National Board of Sets norms for post-graduate courses.
Examinations.
It will conduct National EXIT Test or NExT, a common exam for
Postgraduate Medical Education admission and a licentiate Medical Assessment and Rating Board

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exam for medical Graduates (both who have foreign as well Indian Inspects and rates the medical education
degree). institutes.

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It will accredit medical institutions for diploma, diplomate and
Ethics and Medical Registration Board
postgraduate fellowship, and super-speciality fellowships etc.
Regulates professional conduct of the
Limiting court cases, filed by medical colleges/institutions against doctors and registers them.
NMC/central government to Delhi High Court only.
Provisions for patients/their relatives/complainant to prefer appeal in Ethics and Medical Registration Board/NMC against State

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Medical Council in relation to negligence/professional misconduct.
NMC is the apex medical education regulator, constituted by National Medical Commission Act, 2019, to:
Improve access to quality and affordable medical education.
Ensure availability of adequate and high quality medical professionals across India.

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Promote equitable and universal healthcare.

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ALSO IN NEWS
UIDAI has put in place a resident friendly facility to help them update address in Aadhaar online
with consent of Head of Family (HoF).

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It will help relative(s) of a resident who don’t have supporting documents in their own name
to update addresses in their Aadhaar.

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UIDAI is a statutory authority, established under provisions of Aadhaar act 2016, under Ministry
of Electronics & Information Technology.
Unique Identification It is mandated to
Authority of India (UIDAI) Collect demographic and biometric information of residents.

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Store data in a central database.
Issue to each resident a 12-digit unique identity number called Aadhaar.

India will take over the charge of Secretary General of APPU for a tenure of 4 years.
APPU is an intergovernmental organization of 32-member countries of the Asian-Pacific
region.
Goal of APPU is to extend, facilitate and improve postal relations between member countries and
to promote cooperation in the field of postal services.
Asian Pacific Postal Union It is the only Restricted Union of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in the region, which is a
(APPU) specialized agency of UN.
Headquarter: Bangkok, Thailand.

Government has raised windfall tax on domestic crude, diesel exports.

It is primarily levied on companies in the targeted industry that benefits most from the
economic windfall, i.e:
An “unearned, unexpected gain in income through no additional effort or expense”.
E.g. earlier, windfall tax was announced on domestic crude producers and refiners due to high
Windfall Tax global crude and product prices.
It is levied to redistribute excess profits.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

Defence Minister inaugurated 100-metre-long bridge

over Siyom river, close to Arunachal’s northern border with
China.
About Siyom River
It is a right bank tributary of Brahmaputra and is a
latitudinally flowing river in Arunachal Pradesh.
River Siyang (Tsangpo) joins river Siyom in West Siyang
Siyom River district.

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It flows through western borders of Mouling National
Park.

PM inaugurated 108th Indian Science Congress at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur

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University.
Theme: “Science Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment”

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ISCA owes its origin to the initiative of two British Chemists, namely, Professor J. L. Simonsen
and Professor P. S. MacMahon.
Indian Science Congress It aims to promote cause of science in India by holding annual congress, publishing such
Association (ISCA) proceedings, journals and securing and managing funds for promotion of science.
The first meeting of the Congress was held in 1914 at Calcutta.

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Rani Velu Nachiyar (03 January 1730 - 25 December 1796)
Rani Velu Nachiyar, also known as Veeramangai (brave women in Tamil language) was daughter of
King Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Setupathy of Ramanathapuram.
She became the queen of Sivaganga state (in present day Tamil Nadu) from 1780-1790.
She built an army of women called Udaiyaal.

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She was the first queen to wage war against East India Company.

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She formed an alliance with Hyder Ali against British in 1780.
Personalities in News Personality Traits: A trained fighter with proficiency in multiple languages (English, French,
Urdu etc.), she personifies women empowerment with virtues of indomitable courage, bravery
and strong determination.

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Siachen Glacier (Karakoram, Ladakh)
Indian Army has deployed its first woman officer

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at Siachen.
Siachen Glacier, world’s highest and coldest
battlefield lies between Saltoro Ridge (a
subrange of Karakorams) to west and main
Karakoram Range to east.

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With nearly 76 km length, it is the second
longest non-polar glacier of the world, after
Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan.
It demarcates central Asia from the Indian subcontinent.
It is the source for the Nubra River, a tributary of the Shyok, which is part of the Indus River system.
In 1984, India took its control under Operation Meghdoot.
Austria (Capital: Vienna)
Places in News India will sign a Comprehensive Migration and Mobility
Partnership Agreement (MMPA) with Austria.
Austria is Mountainous landlocked country of
south-central Europe.
Bordered by Czech Republic (north), Hungary (east),
Slovenia (south), Switzerland and Liechtenstein
(west), and Germany (north-west).
Geographical features
2/3rd of total area is covered by woods and meadows.
Major river: Danube River system is main watershed
between Black Sea and North Sea.
Highest Point: Grossglockner.

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 05th JAN, 2023

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DRAFT NEW INDUSTRIAL POLICY RELEASED FOR STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has released

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the ‘Draft Statement on Industrial Policy 2022 Make in India for the world’ for Competitiveness and capability.
stakeholder consultation.

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This will be the third industrial policy after first in 1956 and next in 1991.
Economic integration and moving up
It will replace Industrial policy, 1991 which was prepared in backdrop of the global value Chain.

OBJECTIVES
balance of payment crisis.
Industrial policy refers to government efforts to support particular industries Promoting India as an attractive
that are considered strategically important, such as manufacturing. investment destination.

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Proposed policy aimed at addressing issues and challenges of industry through
certain policy measures to foster and create an innovative and competitive Nurturing innovation and
industrial ecosystem in country. entrepreneurship.
Key highlights of Policy
Achieving global scale, and
Create Indian premium international brands and showcase it as an attractive

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standards.
investment destination through:
Universal Enterprise ID for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to strengthen their credit rating mechanism.

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MSME cluster financing models.
Startup Innovation Zones at Urban Local Bodies level etc.
Incentivising public procurement to promote Make in India, create national digital grid, develop robust data protection regime
etc.

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Strengthen export finance systems for enhancing export competitiveness.

11 STATES/UTS JOIN NATIONAL SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM (NSWS) FOR VEHICLE

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SCRAPPING
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways stated that 11 states/UTs have
been onboarded onto NSWS for Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet

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Modernization Program (V-VMP) to attract private investment in
vehicle scrapping ecosystem.
11 states/UTs include Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Goa,
Uttarakhand, and Chandigarh.
NSWS was created by Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade.
V-VMP or Vehicle Scrapping Policy came into effect from April 1, 2022.
It aims to create an ecosystem for phasing out of unfit and
polluting vehicles in an eco-friendly manner.
Key Highlights of V-VMP
Provides for fitness tests after 20 years for personal vehicles, while
commercial vehicles will require it after completion of 15 years.
Setting up of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) for environment friendly scrapping of vehicles, enhance value recovery
from scrapped vehicles etc.
Encouraging public and private investment to formalize vehicle scrapping industry.
Replacing End-of-Life Vehicles to achieve better fuel efficiency, reduce vehicular air pollutants etc.
It does not treat a vehicle as scrap just because of its age, but considers other factors like quality of brakes, engine performance
etc.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (MOHFW) REVIEW ELIMINATION OF

KALA-AZAR
As per MoHFW, there has been a 98.7 percent decline in cases of Kala-azar from 44,533 in 2007 to 834 in 2022 in India.
Kala-azar (Black Fever Disease) is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) caused by a protozoan parasite of genus Leishmania and
spread by infected female sandfly bites.
In India, Leishmania donovani is the only parasite causing the disease.

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It is considered as the second deadliest parasitic killer in world after Malaria.
It is endemic in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
India contributes 11.5 percent of total cases reported globally.
It is a treatable and curable disease. Anti-leishmanial medicines are available for treatment.

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Steps taken to elimination of Kala-azar by 2023 NTDs are a diverse group of 20 conditions
National Kala Azar Elimination Programme was launched to control this that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas,

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disease. where they mostly affect more than 1 billion
people living in impoverished communities.
National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) for prevention
PUNJAB, HARYANA FAIL TO
and control of Malaria, Dengue, Lymphatic Filariasis, Kala-azar, etc.

CENTRE APPROVES NATIONAL GREEN HYDROGEN REACH CONSENSUS ON

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MISSION (NGHM) WITH INITIAL OUTLAY OF SUTLEJ-YAMUNA LINK (SYL)
₹19,744 CRORE CANAL ISSUE
SYL canal issue continues to remain unresolved
NGHM aims to make India a as both states have failed to reach any

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Global Hub for production, settlement over water- sharing of Ravi and Beas
utilization and export of Green rivers.

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Hydrogen and its derivatives. SYL is a 214-km long canal for sharing waters
Green Hydrogen is hydrogen of Ravi and Beas rivers between Haryana and
produced by splitting water Punjab, of which 122 km was to be in Punjab
into hydrogen and oxygen and 92 km in Haryana.
using renewable electricity. It was planned in 1966 after Haryana was

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Outlay includes ₹17,490 crore for carved out of Punjab.
SIGHT (Strategic Interventions Haryana completed its stretch of SYL Canal in

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for Green Hydrogen Transition) 1980, while Punjab kept citing Riparian
Programme. Principles and non-availability of its water.
SIGHT programme provides two distinct financial incentive mechanisms i.e., Riparian Principles states that owner of
Targeting domestic manufacturing of electrolysers and Production of land adjacent to a water body has the right
to use water.

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Green Hydrogen.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will formulate scheme guidelines Punjab also argues that many areas in state
for implementation. may go dry after 2029 due to
over-exploitation of groundwater.
Features of NGHM
Haryana argues that its southern parts of state
Development of an enabling policy frameworks for: are facing water problem due to depleted
Supporting establishment of Green Hydrogen ecosystem. groundwater.
Robust Standards and Regulations. Haryana has been denied its rightful share
Public-private partnership for R&D (Strategic Hydrogen Innovation in water as assessed by Eradi Tribunal, 1987.
Partnership – SHIP) etc. Constitutional provisions relating to Water
Coordinated skill development programme under Mission. State list: Entry 17 (Water supplies, irrigation
Expected Mission Outcomes by 2030 and canals, drainage etc.).
Development of Green Hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT Union list: Entry 56 (Regulation and
(Million Metric Tonne) per annum. development of inter-State rivers and river
valleys).
Renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in country.
Article 262: Adjudication of disputes
Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
relating to waters of inter-State rivers.
Over ₹1,00,000 crore cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports. In exercise of power conferred by Article 262,
Note: Refer News Today dated 4th January 2023 for more details on Different types of Parliament enacted Inter-State Water
Hydrogen and Production process. Disputes Act, 1956.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

DELHI POLICE USED DNA MITOCHONDRIAL PROFILING TO ESTABLISH THE VICTIM IDENTITY
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profiling is a method used by forensics scientists to examine biological items of evidence from crime
scenes to determine mtDNA sequence from samples such as hair, bones, and teeth.
Typically, these items contain low concentrations of degraded DNA, making them unsuitable for nuclear DNA examinations.
mtDNA is circular, double stranded, and inherited maternally.
It is found in mitochondria - a subcellular organelle located within the cell and functions to produce energy (powerhouse of cell)
for various tissues of body.

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It can play an important role in missing person investigations, mass disasters etc. with limited biological material (or Nuclear DNA)
as:
Mitochondrial division is disassociated from cellular division and is stimulated by energy demand, i.e. cells with greater energy
requirement have greater number of these organelle.

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Also, it has high copy number as most human cell contain hundreds of mtDNA genomes copies against two copies of Nuclear DNA
in nucleus.

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High copy number increases the likelihood of recovering sufficient DNA from samples even if they are highly degraded by
environment or time.

ALSO IN NEWS

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As per Annual Report of Ombudsman Schemes 2021-22, complaints received under RBI
ombudsman schemes rises 9.39 percent.
RB-IOS aims to provide cost-effective grievance redressal mechanism to customers for
deficiency in certain banking services.
It integrates existing three Ombudsman schemes of RBI namely, Banking Ombudsman

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Scheme, 2006; Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies, 2018; and
Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions, 2019.

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Ombudsman Scheme It adopts ‘One Nation One Ombudsman’ approach by making RBI Ombudsman mechanism
(RB- IOS) jurisdiction neutral.
It includes under its ambit Non-Scheduled Primary Co-operative Banks with deposit size of
₹50 crore and above.

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India has identified two lithium mines and one copper mine in Argentina for a possible
acquisition or long-term lease.

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Argentina, Chile and Bolivia forms Lithium Triangle.
Lithium is found in cedemine rock formation and in brine form, which is called salar in Latin
America. The other alternative is its liquid form.
In South America, it is generally extracted from salt flats by pumping brine into ponds and
Lithium mining process processing lithium salts that crystallize once the water has evaporated.

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Australia is top lithium producer globally.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the investment for 382 MW Sunni Dam
Hydro Electric Project in Himachal Pradesh by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited.
Sunni dam hydroelectric project is a run of river type scheme designed to harness hydropower
potential of Satluj river.
It is part of Luhri project, which is designed to comprise three hydropower dams: Luhri
Sunni Dam Hydro Power Stage-I, Luhri Stage-II, and Sunni dam.
Project It envisages construction of a high concrete gravity dam across river Satluj and an
underground power house on right bank.
165,382 schools spread across 29 states/UTs have applied with Ministry of Education for an
upgrade under PM SHRI scheme.
PM SHRI is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
It’ll provide high-quality education in an equitable, inclusive and joyful school environment.
It takes into account diverse background, multilingual needs, and different academic abilities of
children.
Pradhan Mantri Schools
It’ll provide leadership to other schools in their respective regions by providing mentorship.
for Rising India (PM-SHRI)
It’ll showcase all components of National Education Policy 2020 and act as exemplar schools
and offers mentorship to other schools in their vicinity.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved BIND Scheme up to 2025-26.

BIND is a Central Sector Scheme to bring modernisation to public broadcaster Prasar Bharati
i.e. All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD).
It would provide necessary financial support to improve infrastructure to increase public
broadcasters reach and develop high-quality content.
Broadcasting AIR FM (Frequency Modulation) transmitters coverage to reach 80% of geographical area
Infrastructure and from 66%.
Network Development
Free distribution of 8 lakh DD Free Dish Set-top Boxes to people living in remote, tribal, LWE (Left

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(BIND) Scheme
Wing Extremism) and border areas.
West Bengal demanded a national status for Gangasagar mela.
It takes place every year on the island of Gangasagar in state's 24 South Parganas.
Devotees gather at confluence of Ganga and Bay of Bengal to take a sacred dip during Makar

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Sankranti (mid-January).
Gangasagar is an island in Ganges delta located on continental shelf of Bay of Bengal

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Gangasagar Mela roughly 100 kilometres south of Kolkata.
It is said to be India's second largest pilgrimage gathering after Kumbh Mela.

Several parts of Europe are experiencing an extreme warm spell because of heat dome formation
over regions.

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Heat dome occurs when an area of high-pressure traps warm air over a region, just like a lid on
a pot, for an extended period.
Any region of high pressure, whether a heat dome or not, forces air to sink and once it reaches the
Heat Dome ground, it gets compressed and becomes even warmer.
Moreover, when air sinks, it gets drier and further raises the temperature of area.

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Talacauvery in Kodagu District, Karnataka has emerged as South India's Hanle.

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Hanle (in Ladakh) is India’s first Dark Sky Reserve.
Dark Sky Reserve is a designation given to a public or private land with
exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights, and
nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational,
cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment.

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Dark Sky Reserve Dark Sky location depends on light pollution which is measured on Bortle Scale.

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Bortle Scale measures night sky’s brightness on a nine-level numerical scale with lesser numerical
scale representing darkness.

A recent study has found that termites appetite increases with increase in global temperature.
For every 10 degrees Celsius increase in temperature, their decomposition activity goes up

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by almost seven times.
This in turn increases global warming as they release carbon into the atmosphere consuming
deadwood.
There are seven families of termites worldwide and are classified under the order Isoptera.
Termites They are of three common types: Damp wood termites, Dry wood termites, Formosan termites.
These insects never sleep and can live up to 20 years.

Zeliangrong community of Manipur celebrates Gaan Ngai festival.

It is the biggest post-harvest and cultural festival across the state.
Zeliangrong community comprises three Naga tribes - Rongmei, Liangmai, and Zeme tribes-
living at tri-junction of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.
Zeliangrong is Southern group of Naga languages belonging to Tibeto-Burman languages under
Gaan Ngai festival of Sino-Tibetan Language Family.
Zeliangrong community In Nagaland, Liangmais and Zeme are recognised as Zeilang.
Rongmei Nagas are also known as Kabui.

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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 06th JAN, 2023

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MINISTRY OF TEXTILE ISSUED GUIDELINES FOR TECHNICAL TEXTILES
The Ministry has issued two guidelines under the Programme of National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).

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General Guidelines for Enabling of Academic Institutes in Technical Textiles- for Private & Public Institutes

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It will enable New Technical Textiles Degree Programme (undergraduate & Post Graduate).
General Guidelines for Grant for Internship Support in Technical Textiles (GIST).
Grant of upto INR 20,000 per student per month shall be provided to the empaneled companies for providing internships to B.Tech
students of relevant Departments/Specializations in Public/Private Institutes under the GIST guidelines.
Technical textiles (TT) are textiles materials and products manufactured primarily for technical performance and functional

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properties rather than aesthetic characteristics.
They are used individually or as a component/part of another product to enhance its functional properties.
It is a knowledge based research oriented industry.
With a view to position India as a global leader in Technical Textiles, NTTM was launched with a four-year implementation period

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from FY 2020-21 to 2023-24.
TYPES OF TECHNICAL TEXTILE
The Mission have four

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components

Research, Innovation
and Development.

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Promotion and Market
Development.

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Export Promotion.

Education, Training,

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Skill Development.

CENTRE PUTS ON HOLD TOURIST ACTIVITIES AT JAIN RELIGIOUS SITE IN

JHARKHAND
The Union government ordered a stay on all ecotourism activities at Sammed
Shikhar, located on the Parasnath Hill in Giridih district of Jharkhand. Santhals are the largest tribe in the
Jharkhand and West Bengal state of India in
It also directed the state government to strictly enforce an existing ban on sale terms of population and are also found in the
of liquor, other intoxicants and meat in the Parasnath Wildlife Sanctuary area. states of Odisha, Bihar and Assam.
Earlier in 2019, the Parasnath Sanctuary was notified as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), which allows conditional development work
and eco-tourism in the area.
Sammed Shikhar is the biggest pilgrimage destinations for both sects of Jainism — the Digambaras and the Svetambaras.
According to Jainism, out of twenty four Tirthankaras or Spiritual Guru of Jainism, twenty have found their Salvation or
Nirvana or Moksya here.
The reference of the temple and the hill is found on the holy textbook Jnatradharmakatha, of Jainism.
Santhal call the hills as ‘Marang Buru’ i.e., the hill of the deity and celebrate a hunting festival on the full moon day in Baisakh
(mid-April).
At 1365 m Parasnath is the highest mountain peak in the state of Jharkhand.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

CABINET APPROVES RS12,882 CRORE FOR THE CONTINUATION OF DEVELOPMENT

SCHEMES IN THE NORTHEAST
The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Schemes of the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region(MDoNER)
for the balance period of the 15th Finance Commission (2022-23 to 2025-26).
This includes North East Special Infrastructure development scheme (NESIDS) and Schemes of North Eastern Councils
NESIDS is 100% centrally funding is provided to the State Governments of North Eastern Region for the projects of physical
infrastructure and social Infrastructure.

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The objectives of the schemes of the MDoNER
Other Schemes for Northeast
To supplement the efforts of the different
Prime Minister’s Development initiative for the north eastern region
Central Ministries & Departments.
(PM-DevINE).
Provide gap-filling support to the eight North
It is a is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% Central funding.

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Eastern States as per their felt needs, by taking
PM-DevINE is an additionality to the quantum of resources available for the up projects.
development of the NER. It will not be a substitute for existing Central and

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Assist in covering the social sector deficits and
State Schemes. enhancing livelihood and employment
PM-DevINE Scheme will have an outlay of Rs.6,600 crore for the four year opportunities in the region.
period from 2022-23 to 2025-26.
North East Gas Grid (NEGG) project. INDIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISOR (NSA) HOSTS THE 36TH

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North East Industrial Development Scheme.

SESSION OF THE ANNUAL INDO-

North East Venture Fund (NEVF).
MSMEs have been promoted under various schemes to boost
entrepreneurship development. FRENCH STRATEGIC DIALOGUE
DRAFT UGC (SETTING UP AND OPERATION OF
At the annual India-France Strategic Dialogue,

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both sides emphasized Rule-based-
CAMPUSES OF FOREIGN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL International order and ‘strategic autonomy’.

I
INSTITUTIONS (FHEIS) IN INDIA) REGULATIONS,
Rule-based-International order generally
consists of a set of rules encouraging
2023 RELEASED peaceful, cooperative behavior among states
that is consistent with liberal values and
University Grants Commission

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SIGNIFICANCE principles; formal institutional bodies.
(UGC) has unveiled draft norms to
Enable Indian students to obtain Strategic autonomy’ is the ability of a state
allow FHEIs to set up campuses in

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foreign qualifications at affordable cost. to take a relatively independent decision on
India for internationalising India’s
matters of vital Interest.
higher education as envisaged in Reduction in foreign exchange outflow.
National Education Policy (NEP), Control in brain drain. India and France established strategic
2020. partnership in 1998.
Stimulation to R&D in India.

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Key features Element of competition in higher The areas of defence & security cooperation,
education sector. space cooperation and civil nuclear
Approval: UGC will grant
cooperation constitute the principal pillars of
in-principle approval to FHEIs to Make India an attractive global study Strategic Partnership
set up campuses in India. destination.
Defence cooperation: Procurement of
Eligibility: A foreign university with a rank among the top 500 global rankings
French Rafale, agreement regarding the
or a foreign educational institution of repute in the home jurisdiction.
Provision of Reciprocal Logistics Support;
Mode of teaching: Courses offered should be taught in a physical mode and Joint defense exercises, viz. Shakti (Army),
online classes are not allowed. Varuna (Navy) and Garuda (Airforce), etc.
Autonomy in FHEIs: Determining fees, and the freedom to choose faculty from Space cooperation: Jointly developed
both India and abroad. Megha-Tropiques satellite, TRISHNA (Thermal
Protection to students: FHEIs are mandated to take UGC’s prior approval to infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution
discontinue any course/programme or close the campus and to establish a Natural resource Assessment), cooperation in
students’ grievances redressal mechanism. Gaganyan Mission, etc.

Securing India's national interest: FEHIs shall not offer any such programme Civil nuclear cooperation: Civil nuclear
or course which jeopardises the national interest of India or the standards of cooperation was signed in 2008, cooperation
higher education in India. in Jaitapur and Tarapur Nuclear Power Project,
etc.
Working of finances: Cross border movement of funds under Foreign
Exchange Management Act, 1999. France is supporting India’s bid for
accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group
Equivalence with degree awarded by foreign HEI in their country of origin. (NSG).

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ALSO IN NEWS
Government informed States that the date of freezing of administrative boundaries has been
extended till June 30 which indicate that the decennial census exercise has been postponed till
September, at least.
As per norms, census can be conducted only three months after freezing of boundary limits
of administrative units such as districts, sub-districts, tehsils, talukas and police stations.

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According to provisional data compiled by the RGI till June 2021, the total number of districts in
Decennial census the country have gone up from 640 in 2011 to 736 presently.
The last census was held in 2011.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council released the benchmark it has set for

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universities and autonomous colleges.
The benchmarks manual is its secret ledger of maximum scores it awards to awards to institutions

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that line up for assessment.
These will act as a barometer, allowing institutions to identify the areas need to be worked upon.
NAAC releases new About NAAC
benchmark It's an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC) from 1994.

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It assesses and certifies Higher Education Institution’s (HEIs) .

India now has 212 indigenous livestock breeds after ICAR-NBAGR registers 10 new ones.
The 10 new breeds included three new cattle breeds (Kathani, Sanchori, Masilum), one buffalo
breed (Purnathadi), three goat breeds (Sojat, Karauli, Gujari) and three pig breeds (Banda,

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Manipuri Black, Wak Chambil).
Significance of Indigenous breeds

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Better suited to climate resilience.
Indigenous livestock
More heat tolerant, better immunity and disease resistance.
breeds
20th Livestock Census, while the population of exotic / crossbred cattle increased by 29.3 per cent
compared to the 2012 Census, the population of indigenous cattle declined by six per cent.

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Varanasi Cantt Railway Station awarded ‘Eat Right Station’ with a 5-star rating certification by Food

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Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
This railway stations set benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers.
The certification is part of the 'Eat Right India' movement
'Eat Right India' movement is based on three key pillars – Eat Safe, Eat Healthy, and Eat

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Eat Right Station Sustainable.
It is based on the approach the food is suitable both for the people and the planet.

It is the world’s first ‘satellite-based two-way capable messaging solution’ for premium
smartphones recently announced by the Qualcomm and Iridium.
It offers truly global coverage from pole to pole and can support two-way messaging– for a variety
of purposes such as emergencies or recreation in remote, rural and offshore locations or no
internet connectivity areas.
Beyond smartphones, Snapdragon Satellite can expand to other devices, including laptops,
Snapdragon Satellite tablets, vehicles and IoT.
Limitation: High Latency and cost, not available in low end phones.

“Virovore” refers to organisms that eats viruses (virus-only diet is termed as "virovory")
Viruses, often thought to be predators that feed and kill their hosts, are nutrition for another
group of microscopic, often unicellular organisms, called protists.
According to researchers in the US, Halteria (microscopic ciliates or protisits that populate
freshwater throughout the world) - can eat huge numbers of infectious chloroviruses.
Virovore The new findings may change our understanding of the role viruses play in the food chain at a
microscopic level.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

Recently 700 Pigs culled In Madhya Pradesh amid African Swine Flu scare.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, whose mortality rate can reach
100%.
It leads to an acute form of hemorrhagic fever in domestic and wild pigs.
There is currently no effective vaccine against ASF.
It is not a danger to human health, but it has devastating Effect on the farming economy.
African Swine Fever (ASF)
The virus is highly resistant in the environment so it can survive on clothes, boots, wheels, and

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other pork products such as ham.

A powerful storm is heading towards California, threatening the state with flooding, landslides,
high winds and power outages.
About Storm

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Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow regions in the atmosphere like rivers in the sky that transport
most of the water vapour outside of the tropical region to higher latitudes.

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When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapour in the form of rain
‘Atmospheric River’ Storm or snow.
Most atmospheric rivers are weak systems but those that contain the largest amounts of water
vapor and the strongest winds can create extreme rainfall and floods.

Tanzania (capital: Dodoma)

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Location
It is largest of the East African countries. situated just
south of the Equator.
The Tanzania mainland is bounded by

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Uganda, Lake Victoria, and Kenya to the north,
Indian Ocean to the east,

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Mozambique, Lake Nyasa, Malawi, and Zambia to the
south and southwest,
Lake Tanganyika, Burundi, and Rwanda to the west.
Geographical Features:

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Highest Point Location: Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only two mountains on the continent

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that has glaciers (the other is Mount Kenya)
Place in news Rivers: The Pangani, Wami, Ruvu, Rufiji, and Ruvuma rivers
Denmark (Capital: Copenhagen)
In 2022, there was not even a single bank robbery case in

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Denmark.
Physical Location
Denmark is located in Northern Europe.
It belongs to a group of Nordic Countries (Other are
Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden).
It shares border with Germany to the south. Its maritime
neighbors are UK, Norway and Sweden.
Geographical features
Mainland of Denmark lies on the Jutland Peninsula.
Major rivers: Guden, Odense, Skjern, Stora, Susa and Vida.
Highest Point: Yding Forest Hill.

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 07th JAN, 2023

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ANTHROPOGENIC AND GEOLOGICAL REASONS AMONG MANY FOR JOSHIMATH SINKING
Joshimath (about 6000ft) in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district is a key transit

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point for Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib.
It is bounded by the Karmanasa and Dhaknala streams on the west and

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the east.
The Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers on the south and the north.
The first instance of subsidence in Joshmiath was reported in 1976
Mishra Commission report.

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Natural factors for subsidence
Joshimath almost sits on the Vaikrita Thurst (VT), a tectonic fault line
and is also very close to main geological fault lines, Main Central
Thrust (MCT), and Pandukeshwar Thrust (PT).
It falls in Zone V of the Seismic Zonation Map.

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The area around it is covered with a thick layer of overburden material
making it vulnerable to sinking.
Land subsidence: It is a gradual settling or sudden

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High snowfall and highly weathered gneissic rocks makes the area sinking of the Earth's surface due to removal or
prone to landslides. displacement of subsurface earth materials.
The impact of extreme rainfall events impacting the stability of the slope.
Anthropogenic factors: Unplanned construction and Improper water drainage

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Hydroelectric schemes around Joshimath and Tapovan, including the Vishnugad HE Project has created additional pressure on
fragile slope.

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Increase in ground seepage of water from surface, a probable cause for subsidence.

1ST ALL INDIA ANNUAL STATES' MINISTERS CONFERENCE ON "WATER

VISION@2047" HELD IN BHOPAL

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Following initiatives were launched during it:
Constitutional provisions for water governance:
National Framework on Reuse of Treated Waste Water.
State list, entry 17 (Water supplies, irrigation and
National Framework for Sedimentation Management.
canals, drainage etc);
Sedimentation management enables optimal utilization of reservoir
capacity. It focuses on Adaptive structural and functional measures Union list, entry 56 (Regulation and
development of inter-State rivers and river valleys)
Best practices under Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain
‘Catch the rain’ aims to nudge Rain Water Harvesting Structures with people’s active participation.
Inauguration of a sub-portal of ‘Jal Itihas’ under WRIS portal.
Jal Itihas showcases selected water heritage structures more than 100 years old.
India- Water Resources Information System (WRIS) provides a single window solution for all water resources data and
standardised information.
‘Water Vision Park’ was proposed to be established to promote idea of afforestation to achieve goal of water conservation.
Also, key features of Water and Allied Resources Information and Management (WARMIS) were highlighted like Unified data
repository, Intelligent Insight into data etc.
Significance of the conference: It will bring in synergies between different government programmes /schemes in terms of
planning, process and implementation.
It highlighted the need to focus on the 4 Es of Water Governance i.e., Ecology, Equity, Efficiency and Economics.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

CENSUS POSTPONED BY AT LEAST 4 YEARS TO 2024-25: OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR

GENERAL AND CENSUS COMMISSIONER OF INDIA
Citing the on-going COVID pandemic, the office of RGI has extended the
The responsibility of conducting the decadal
deadline of freezing of administrative boundaries to June 30, 2023 (extended
census rests with the Office of the Registrar
multiple times since COVID).
General and Census Commissioner of India,
As per Rule 8(iv) of Census Rules, 1990, the boundaries of the administrative Ministry of Home Affairs.
units shall be frozen from the date intimated by the Census Commissioner,
National Population Register (NPR) is a

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which shall not be earlier than one year from the Census reference date.
register of all usual residents of the country
As general elections are scheduled for early 2024, it would not be possible to regardless of whether they are
conduct Census operations before polls. citizens/non-citizens of India.
The Census Process: First compiled in 2010 and updated in

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Before every Census, the states are required to provide information to the RGI 2015.
on changes in the number of administrative units like towns, districts, etc. Prepared under provisions of Citizenship

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The number of districts changed from 640 in 2011 to 736 in 2022. Act 1955 and Rules, 2003.

SC DIRECTS PANEL TO EVOLVE

After which the Census Operations will be carried out in two phases: -
House listing and Housing Census- As per the recent amendments to
Census Rules this phase also carries enumeration of National Population FRAMEWORK ON GUIDELINES
Register (NPR).
FOR ROAD SAFETY

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Population Enumeration- During this each person is enumerated and
her/his individual particulars (Age, Marital status, Religion, etc). The SC bench along with CJI, has highlighted
the immediate necessity to formulate
INITIATIVES LAUNCHED ON 76TH FOUNDATION DAY Guidelines for Road Safety in India.

OF BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS (BIS)

The committee will be led by a former apex

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court judge, Justice A.M. Sapre.
BIS was established under the BIS It will seek to create State-specific guidelines

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SOME COMMON BIS STANDARDS
Act 1986, assuming the functions for the electronic monitoring and
of the erstwhile Indian Standards BIS Hallmark: Mandatory standard for enforcement of road safety across States as
Institution (ISI) which was gold and silver jewellery per Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act,
established in 1947. ISI Mark: Standards compliance mark 1988.
for industrial products The bench also acknowledged that

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Presently BIS operates under the
framework of the BIS Act of speeding is the main cause of fatal
Ecomark: Labeling of environment
2016. accidents on Indian roads.

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friendly products.
Various Initiatives launched were- Motor Vehicle Act, 1988
Product Certification Scheme:
The act replaced the Motor Vehicles Act,
Standards National Action Plan Applicable for tangible products.
1939 and came into force from 1 July 1989.
(SNAP) 2022- 27: SNAP to meet the
Foreign Manufacturers Certification Various sections of it are amended and the
emerging technologies and

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Scheme: Overseas applicants/foreign recent one in 2022, for third party insurance
concerns of sustainability and
manufacturers are granted a license for and creation of Motor Accident Claims
climate change.
the use of the ISI mark. Tribunal.
Will play an important role in
System Certification Scheme: Section 136 (2) of the act mandates the
steering the national
Applicable for systems/processes. Centre to "make rules for the electronic
standardization efforts.
monitoring and enforcement of road safety
Revised National Electrical Code of India 2023 or NEC 2023: Prepared by BIS, it including speed cameras, closed-circuit
provides guidelines for regulating Electrical Installations practices across television cameras, etc.
country.
Sections 215 A and B of the act, provides for
India’s first NEC was formulated in 1985 (subsequently revised in 2011). the functions of electronic monitoring to
Current revision includes latest International best practices and addition of the States and the formation of a National
special locations like Hospitals, Community facilities, Hotels, etc. Road Safety Board in an advisory capacity.

Revision Exercise of National Building Code of India (NBC 2016): BIS initiated According to a Ministry of Road Transport
exercise of Revision of NBC to include Sustainable city planning norms; New and and Highways report (2021), altogether
sustainable building materials, etc. 4,12,432 road accidents were reported.
Standards Clubs in Schools: Through Standards Clubs, BIS aims to expose Steps like dashboard for road accidents,
science students of class 9th and above to the concepts of Quality and cashless treatment, acknowledgement
Standardization through student centric activities. of good Samaritans and establishment
Training courses for national capacity building for judicious implementation of of National Road Safety Council have
NBC 2016 and NEC 2023. been taken to deal with it.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

ALSO IN NEWS
India's GDP (gross domestic product) may grow 7% for the financial year 2022-23, according to
the first advance estimates released by the NSO under Ministry of Statistics.
About First Advance Estimate (FAE):
First introduced in 2016-17.
They are the “first” official estimates of how GDP is expected to grow in that financial year.

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They are also the “advance” estimates because they are published long before the financial year
First Advance Estimates (April to March) is over.
(FAE)
The significance of FAE lies in the fact that they are the GDP estimates that the Union Finance
Ministry uses to decide the next financial year’s budget allocations.

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The Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications has formulated the
Indian Telegraph (Infrastructure Safety) Rules 2022.

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Government has established a pan India telecom infrastructure network.
However, due to excavation activities by various agencies underground utility assets get
damaged.
The Indian Telegraph In the Telecom Sector alone, there is an economic loss of approx. Rs 3000 Crore/year.
(Infrastructure Safety)
Rules 2022 Advantage: Many utilities can be saved from unwanted cuts and wasteful cost towards

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restoration.

The Union Government has flagged over a dozen Restrictive and discriminatory conditions in
tender conditions.
The tweaking of the tender conditions was in violation of the Public Procurement (Preference to

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Make in India) Order, 2017, issued to protect the interests of local suppliers.
Public Procurement
About PPP-MII:
(Preference to Make in

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India), Order 2017 As per the order the minimum local content shall ordinarily be 50%.
(PPP-MII) It was issued to promote domestic value addition in public procurement.

It has been released by the International Labour Organisation. Key Highlights:

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Short-time work and work-sharing measures helped to reduce the volume of work and save
jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Working Time and Flexible working hours enabled individuals as well as companies to collectively reduce the hours
Work-Life Balance Around of work.
the World Report
The Ministry of Home Affairs has banned the group named People's Anti-Fascist-Front (PAFF)

V
under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 (UAPA Act).
It is considered as a proxy outfit of the banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) of
Pakistan.
UAPA Act
The act gives power to the government to declare any organisation as an “unlawful
Unlawful Activities association” or a “terrorist organisation”.
(Prevention) Act 1967
(UAPA Act). Both Indian and foreign nationals can be charged under the act.
A tribunal headed by a High court judge is constituted by the Central Government to confirm
a ban on a political organisation based on evidence and analysis of the allegations.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stone of few development
projects at Moirang, Manipur.
Also unveiled 165-feet tall tricolor at historic ‘Azad Hind Fauj’ Headquarters at Moirang,
which is tallest national flag in the entire North East region.
About Moirang (a small town in Bishnupur district of Manipur):
Historical importance: During World War II, Moirang was headquarters of Indian National
Army (INA), Tricolour was unfurled here in 1944.
Moirang
Cultural importance: Moirang Haraoba festival, Khamba- Thoibi dance originated.
Ecological attractions: Sendra Island, Keibul Lamjao National Park, and the Loktak Lake etc.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

A new report suggested that

Cloud Forest Bond will incentivise
governments to protect their
cloud forests.
About Cloud Forests (montane
rainforests):
Refer to vegetation of tropical
mountainous regions where

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there is heavy rainfall and persistent condensation resulting from cooling of moisture being
Cloud Forest pushed upwards by mountains.
Usually characterized by a persistent, frequent and seasonal low-lying layer of mist and cloud
cover usually at canopy level.
Only found in tropical areas with tall mountains.

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The Home Minister recently inaugurated a 122 ft statute in Manipur, which depicts a Sagol Kangjei

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player.
Modern polo is said to have originated from Sagol Kangjei, a sport which is indigenous to
Manipur.
The game is played with 7 players on each side, who are mounted on Manipur Ponies and the
ball used is made of bamboo root.

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Manipur Pony
It is one of five Indigenous horse breeds of India.
Sagol Kangjei Other 4 are Marwari, Kathiawari, Zanskari and Spiti.
The state government has formulated Manipur Pony Conservation and Development Policy
2016 to save the breed.

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The Marjing Polo Complex was developed by the state to conserve the breed.

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The first ever Purple Fest, which brings together people with disabilities from across the country
was inaugurated in Goa
It is hosted by the Goa State Commission for Persons with Disabilities in association with the
Directorate of Social Welfare and Entertainment Society of Goa.

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Purple Fest

Abyei

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Indian Army has deployed its largest
contingent of women Peacekeepers
in a UN mission at Abyei.
Abeyi is contentious region that is

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oil-rich near the demarcation line
which divides Sudan and the
South Sudan.
Sudan:
It is a Northeast African Country,
which is bordered by
Egypt,Lybia,Chad,Central African
Republic, South Sudan ,Ethiopia and
Place in news Eritrea and opens to the Red Sea.
Capital : Khartoum.
Both White nile and Blue nile, along with Atbara river converge to form the Great Nile in Sudan.
The Marrah Mountain range is towards its west.
South Sudan:
It is a landlocked country in East Africa, surrounded by Sudan, Central African Republic,
Democratic Republic of Congo,Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Capital: Juba
White Nile is the major river that runs through it.
It houses the famous Southern National park and the Boma National parks.

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GUJARAT HARAPPAN SITE REVEALS DEATH RITUALS OF 5000 YEARS AGO
Excavations at Juna Khatiya village (Kutch district) found rows of graves

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with skeletal remains, ceramic pots, beaded jewellery, animal bones etc.
These are from 3,200 BCE to 2,600 BCE, (pre-urban Harappan) predating

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several other Harappan sites in the state.
Key findings
Other sites like Dholavira have a cemetery in and around the town, but no
major habitation has been discovered here.
Site demonstrates transition from earth-mound burials to stone graves.

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Pottery have features and style similar to those excavated from early
Harappan sites in Sindh and Balochistan.
Pebbles of local rock, basalt, etc were used for construction, and clay
was used to bind them together.

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Major burial practises of Indus Valley Civilization (also known as Harappan Major Harappan sites in Gujarat
Civilisation)

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Although varied across sites, there were three known types of burial customs: complete burial, fractional burial and urn burial
(Burial of the ashes after cremation).
Most common burial method was placing body with head towards north in a simple pit or brick chamber.
Grave goods including food, pottery, tools and ornaments can be found along with the body.
Lothal provides evidence of burial of pairs of male and female together.

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AS SHARE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) INCREASES IN GRID, GOVERNMENT EXPLORES

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STORAGE OPTIONS
India needs to work on developing viable energy storage system (ESS) options
to operationally sustain a huge monthly addition (average 1,000 megawatt)
from renewables to electricity grid.

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Nearly 40% (out of India’s total installed capacity of 404 GW ) comes from
non-fossil fuel sources such as wind, solar etc.
According to a recent report, India requires 160 GW of ESS by 2030.
ESS enables energy from renewables to be stored and then released when
needed the most. Some ESS are:
Lithium-ion battery, Pumped Storage Hydropower, Thermal Storage,
Compressed Air Energy Storage, Mechanical Energy Storage (e.g. Flywheels) etc.
Since some RE generation sources aren’t available all the time, storage
becomes an enabling technology to:
Improve reliability and resilience of RE by balancing out variability in RE
generation.
Maximise amount and value of solar and wind power in its electricity system.
Reduce environment impacts by improving efficiencies and capabilities for
electric grid.
ESS initiatives taken in India
Granting Legal status for ESS and notification of Energy Storage obligation
trajectory till 2029-30.
Waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) Charges on Hydro Pumped Storage Projects and Battery Energy Storage
System Projects etc.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (MORTH) STREAMLINED NATIONAL

HIGHWAY (NH) PROJECT PROPOSALS UNDER GATISHAKTI
With an aim to offer comprehensive operational estimates so that road assets under GatiShakti can be better monetised, revised
format for consultations proposal submitted should include features like:
Advantages project will accrue to industries and economic activities in the
region.
RELATED NEWS
How project will contribute to multi-modal connectivity, connect In a recent meeting of GatiShakti NMP, MoRTH

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manufacturing and economic zones to infrastructural connectivity. has been directed to:
MoRTH informed about the revised format in network planning group (NPG), Open newly-constructed National
a group of officials from ministries and departments related to infrastructure that Highway stretches only after conducting
is tasked with unified planning and integration of proposals. road safety audits.

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NPG also assists empowered group of secretaries (EGoS) on GatiShakti Frame a policy for implementation of
National Master Plan (NMP). smooth transition in lane configuration

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GatiShakti NMP is an integrated plan which will address the missing gaps to with adequate signage and warnings to
ensure seamless movement of people, goods & services. reduce accidents.

It aims to enhance ease of living, ease of doing business, minimize Identify measures and policy required by
disruptions and expedite completion of works with cost efficiencies. central and state governments to expedite
electrification of all public transport
It provides comprehensive database of the ongoing & future projects of vehicles.

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various Ministries thereby facilitating planning, designing and execution of
infrastructure projects with a common vision.
KEVIN McCARTHY ELECTED U.S.
Six pillars of GatiShakti NMP: Comprehensiveness, Prioritization,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Optimization, Synchronization, Analytical and Dynamic.

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RBI TO ISSUE SOVEREIGN GREEN BONDS (SGrBs) IN SPEAKER
TWO TRANCHES OF RS 8000 CRORE EACH

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US House of Representatives (lower
chamber), along with the Senate (upper
RBI will issue 5-year and 10-year chamber), is part of US Congress, i.e., the
green bonds of Rs 4,000 crore each SGrBs BY RBI WILL BE
Legislative Branch.
in current financial year. Issued through Uniform Price
Auction and 5% will be reserved for US Vice President serves as presiding

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Green bonds are bonds issued by
retail investors. officer and President of the Senate by
any sovereign entity,
virtue of his/her office.
inter-governmental groups or

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Eligible for Repo and Statutory
alliances and corporates with the Liquidity Ratio (SLR) purpose. Speaker is the political and parliamentary
aim that proceeds of bonds are leader of the House of Representatives. He is
utilised for environmentally Eligible for trading in the secondary simultaneously the House’s presiding officer,
sustainable projects. market. party leader, and institution’s administrative
head, among other duties.

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SGrBs were announced in Union Designated as specified securities for
Budget 2022-23 and framework investment in Government Securities Speaker has always been (but is not
for SGrBs was issued (by Ministry by non-residents. required to be) a House Member and is
of Finance) in November 2022. second in line to succeed the President, after
Eligible projects under SGrBs framework include projects of renewable energy, Vice President.
energy efficiency, clean transportation, climate change adaptation, sustainable He is elected by the house every two years.
water and waste management, pollution prevention and control, green buildings,
and biodiversity conservation. In India, Lok Sabha Speaker is the
comparative office to US Speaker as both
Significance of Green Bonds
heads the elected house of the Legislative
An important financial instrument to deal with threats of climate change Branch.
and related challenges.
But some differences exist between the two.
Influence business strategy by offering investors a platform to engage in E.g. in India, the speaker:
good practices.
Need to be a Lok Sabha member to be
Will help India in tapping requisite finance for deployment in public sector
elected.
projects aimed at reducing carbon intensity of economy.
Challenges in realising potential of Green Bonds Can be outside the ruling party or
coalition, based on instances.
Greenwashing due to eligibility of wide range of projects.
Lack of robust impact assessment framework to quantify environmental Holds office from his/her election till
outcomes. immediately before the first meeting of the
Lok Sabha after the dissolution of the one
Liquidity issues for investors as it is still a small market. to which he/she was elected.

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INDIA LOST 2 OUT OF 5 WETLANDS IN LAST 3 DECADES: WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL (WI)

A study by WI, a non-government global organisation headquartered in Netherlands, also found that:
40% of water bodies have lost quality for survival of aquatic animals.
Reasons for decline include massive infrastructure development, expansion of housing plans, exploitation of water without
alternative strategy etc.
Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where water table is usually at or near surface, or land is
covered by shallow water.

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India is a Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention (adopted in 1971) that provides framework for conservation and wise use of
wetlands and their resources.
India has around 2.2 lakh big wetlands and 75 wetlands are part of Ramsar Wetland Sites.
Tamil Nadu has maximum no. of Ramsar sites (14), followed by UP (10).

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Recently, Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) adopted the Wuhan Declaration,
calling for:

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Practical actions to promote conservation, restoration, management as well as wise and sustainable use of wetlands worldwide.
Committing additional resources to better implement convention's strategic plan and take more impact-oriented action up to
2030.

ALSO IN NEWS

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PM launched ABP aimed at improving performance of blocks lagging on various development
parameters.
It was initially announced in Union Budget 2022-23.

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It is said to cover 500 districts across country.
ABP is on the lines of Aspirational District Programme (ADP) that was launched in 2018 and

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Aspirational Block initially covered 112 districts across the country.
Programme (ABP) Key pillars of ADP: Convergence of central and state schemes; Collaboration among central,
state nodal officers and district collectors; and Competition among districts.
Recently, Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir agreed to set up VDCs.

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First formed in the mid 1990s in Doda district, VDCs are a force multiplier against militant attacks.
It involves residents of remote hilly villages who are trained and given weapons to defend

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themselves.
They function under the direction of the SP/SSP of the district concerned with ex-servicemen,
Village Defence ex-policemen and able-bodied youth as members on a voluntary basis.
Committees(VDCs)
VDCs are renamed as Village Defence Guards (VDGs) with increased payment.

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Also Known as Rhino Bond, WCB is a five-year $150m sustainable development bond, to protect
and increase black rhino populations in two protected areas in South Africa.
WCB is an outcome-based World Bank structured bond that channels private capital to finance
conservation activities.
Together with financing from Global Environment Facility (GEF), WCB transfers project risk from
donors to investors.
It is part of GEF’s Blended Finance initiative that shows how innovative finance can work to
Wildlife Conservation combat global environmental degradation.
Bond (WCB)
GEF was established at Rio Earth Summit, 1992 to help developing countries and countries
with economies in transition to meet objectives of environmental conventions and
agreements.

Kerala government has launched a welfare fund board to provide pension to MGNREGS
workers.
Funded by government grant, premium collected from registered workers, contributions of the local
bodies and the loans availed by fund board, it will provide monthly pension to:
MGNREGS and state’s Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme workers above 60.
Mahatma Gandhi Rural
MGNREGS, under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005), guarantees
Employment Guarantee
at least 100 days (extendable upto 150 days) of wage employment in a Financial Year to a rural
Scheme (MGNREGS)
household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

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It is being reported that as part of Army’s planned manpower optimisation exercise veterans
will be roped in specific areas including training institutions, cross-skilling technical trades etc.
Exercise is aimed at sharpening its tooth-to-tail ratio (number of military personnel it takes to
supply and support a combat soldier).
Army’s rightsizing plan was first recommended by Shekatkar committee with a focus on creation
Army’s Rightsizing plan of a leaner force and sharpening of its combat edge amid changing dynamics of modern
warfare.

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President conferred the Digital India Awards, 2022.
DIA aims to encourage and honour innovative digital solutions/ exemplary initiatives by
various government entities (startups also for 2022) at all levels.
DIA has been instituted by Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, under aegis of
National Portal of India.

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Winners for 2022 includes:
e-NAM: Pan-India electronic trading portal to create a unified national market for agricultural

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Digital India Awards (DIA) commodities.
e-Vivechna App (MP): To help in crime investigation.
Mine Mitra (UP): For online approval of Mining plan.
DUARE SARKAR (WB): For service delivery and welfare schemes at peoples’ doorsteps.

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NASA’s retired ERBS is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.
Launched in 1984 (intended for two years), ERBS was part of NASA’s three-satellite Earth
Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission.
It carried instruments to measure Earth's radiative energy budget and stratospheric
constituents, including ozone.

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Energy budget, balance between amount of energy from Sun that Earth absorbs or radiates, is an
Earth Radiation Budget important indicator of climate health.

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Satellite (ERBS)
Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) on ERBS collected important data that
confirmed ozone layer was declining on a global scale.

Ceiling fans have come under the ambit of mandatory star labelling of BEE.

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Standards and Labeling Program was launched in
2006, under Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

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Under it, a Star Rating was introduced on
appliances for visual representation of appliance’s
efficiency, i.e:
Lowest energy consumption appliances having
highest star and highest energy consumption

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Standards and Labeling having the least star.
Program of Bureau of It is mandatory for several appliances including
Energy Efficiency (BEE) Frost Free and Direct Cool Refrigerator, LED Lamps,
Room AC (Variable and Fixed speed), Color TV,
Refrigerators, TFL, Stationary Storage Type Electric
Water Heater etc.
Ottanthullal (or Thullal) is a recite-and-dance art-form of Kerala that is famous for its humour
and social satire.
It was introduced in 18th century by legendary poet Kunchan Nambiar.
It is marked by its simplicity as opposed to more complex dance-forms like Kathakali and
Koodiyattam.
Thullal performer is supported by a singer who repeats the verses and is accompanied by an
Thullal orchestra of mridangam or thoppimaddalam (percussions) and cymbals.
It has spawned into three separate versions which include Ottanthullal, Seethankan thullal and
Parayan thullal.

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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 10th JAN, 2023

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NATIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY (NHA) INTRODUCES NEW SYSTEM UNDER AYUSHMAN
BHARAT PRADHAN MANTRI JAN AROGYA YOJANA (AB PM-JAY) TO GRADE HOSPITAL

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PERFORMANCE

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New initiative will introduce the concept of ‘value-based care’, where payment will be
outcome based and providers will be rewarded according to quality of treatment Beneficiary Satisfaction

FIVE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

delivered.
It aims to focus on measuring the performance of hospitals from volume of services
provided to value of healthcare services under AB PMJAY. Hospital Readmission Rate

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Performance of AB PM-JAY empanelled hospitals will be measured based on five
performance indicators. (refer image) Extent of Out-of-Pocket
Expenditure
Performance shall be made available on public dashboard that will help beneficiaries
to make an informed decision.
Confirmed Grievances
Significance of Value based care

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Create demand for quality treatment. Improvement in-patient’s
Patients will get better health outcomes and higher satisfaction out of the services Health-Related Quality of Life

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they receive.
Improve healthcare landscape in India by incentivizing and encouraging healthcare providers to focus more on delivering
patient-centric services.
AB PMJAY is a centrally sponsored health assurance scheme. It provides a cover of up to Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for
secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

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It provides cashless and paperless access to services for beneficiary at point of service.

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Beneficiary families have been identified from Socio Economic Caste Census, 2011.

PRIME MINISTER INAUGURATED 17TH PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS (PBD) CONVENTION

IN INDORE

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PBD convention is celebrated two years since 2015 to strengthen engagement of
overseas Indian community with Government of India and reconnect them with their roots. Role of Diaspora Youth in
Innovations and new Technologie.
SESSIONS JO PBD CONVENTION

It is held on January 9 to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa
in 1915.
FIVE THEMATIC PLENARY

Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting

Theme of PBD Convention is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Indian Healthcare Eco-system.
Amrit Kaal”.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is given out as part of PBD. Leveraging the soft power of India.
It commemorates contribution of Indian diaspora to create a better understanding
of India abroad, support India’s causes and work for welfare of local Indian community. Enabling global mobility of Indian
workforce.
Diaspora is a community of people from the same homeland who have been scattered or
have migrated to other lands. Harnessing the potential of diaspora
Significance of Diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive
approach to nation building.
Help in strengthening the identity of Brand India.
Remittances aid in socioeconomic development.
Act as bridges, mediators, facilitators, lobby, and advocacy groups at international platforms.
Facilitating entrepreneurship in the form of technical knowledge transfers and finances.
In addition, to mark PBD, India and U.K. launched Young Professionals Scheme.
It’ll permit upto 3,000 of their degree-holding citizens aged between 18 and 30 to live and work in each other’s countries for a
period of two years.

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DAMS WILL LOSE 26% STORAGE CAPACITY BY 2050: UN STUDY

Study was conducted by UN University Institute on Water, Environment and Health INITIATIVES TAKEN FOR DAM SAFETY
(UNU-INWEH)- UN's think tank on water.
Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement
It highlighted that 3,700 Indian dams will lose 26 percent of their total storage Project (DRIP) with financial assistance from
by 2050 due to accumulation of sediments. World Bank.
Concerns related to accumulation of sediments Dam safety act, 2021 for setting up
Reduction in hydro- electricity generation; empowered institutional framework for dam

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Reduction in water availability for irrigation due to less storage capacity; safety both at Central and State level.
Affects safety of dams and reduces discharge capacity and flood attenuation Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring
capabilities; Application (DHARMA).
Increases loads on dam and gates, damages mechanical equipment and creates a wide range of environmental impacts.

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India is 3rd largest dam-owning nation in world after US and China.
India has 5334 completed and operational large dams while 411 large dams are under construction.

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Importance of dams: Water for drinking and industrial use, irrigation, flood control, hydro power generation, Inland navigation and
recreation.
Issues with Dams: Most of large dams were built half a century ago, thus highly vulnerable to wear and tear; Lack of information on
dam ageing etc.

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS (BIS) PUBLISHED OZONE LAYER RECOVERY IS ON

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INDIAN STANDARD FOR USB TYPE C RECEPTACLES, TRACK, HELPING AVOID GLOBAL
PLUG AND CABLES WARMING BY 0.5°C
BIS under Ministry of Consumer Affairs has introduced standard for USB Type-C Report titled “Scientific Assessment of Ozone

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port, plug and cables used in electronic devices like mobile phone, laptop etc. Depletion: 2022” was prepared in
It aims to provide common charging solutions for various electronic devices coordination with WMO, UNEP, National

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sold in country by March 2025. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), NASA and European Commission.
USB i.e., Universal Serial Bus (an industry standard) is used for connecting a
wide variety of devices to a processor. It is published every four years on Montreal
Protocol (MP) progress and confirms
USB Types: USB-A is a flat and rectangular shape; USB-B has multiple
phase-out of nearly 99 percent of banned

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designs, but common shape is a square; and USB-C is a smaller rectangular
ozone-depleting substances (ODS) such as
with rounded corners. (refer image)
chlorine, bromine, methyl chloroform etc.
In EU by 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras will be sold with a USB

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ODS are long-lived man-made chemicals
Type-C charging port.
which destroy protective ozone layer.
Need for Common Charger
Montreal Protocol on Substances that
To reduce number of chargers per consumer, thus reducing e-waste in India Deplete Ozone Layer, 1987 was negotiated as
(as of 2021, 5 million tonnes of e-waste generated in India). a protocol to Vienna Convention, 1985.

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Step towards LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) that nurtures a global network Key observations of report
of individuals, i.e., ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3).
Actions taken under MP contribute to ozone
Ease out technological ‘lock-in’ effect, whereby a consumer becomes recovery in upper stratospheric layer.
dependent on a single manufacturer.
If current policies remain in place, ozone
BIS also published standards for digital television receivers with built-in satellite layer is expected to recover to 1980 values
tuners and video surveillance security systems. by around 2066 over Antarctic, by 2045 over
Arctic and by 2040 for rest of world.
Compliance with 2016 Kigali Amendment
to MP, which requires phase down of
production and consumption of some
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), is estimated to
avoid 0.3–0.5°C of warming by 2100.

ABOUT OZONE
Highly reactive molecule formed of three
oxygen atoms found primarily in two regions
of atmosphere.
Nearly 90% of Earth’s ozone resides in
stratosphere (known as Ozone Layer) above
troposphere (layer closest to Earth’s surface).

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

SUPREME COURT DISMISSES PLEA CHALLENGING PANELS IN GUJARAT, UTTARAKHAND

FOR UNIFORM CIVIL CODE (UCC)
SC refused a plea challenging decision of Gujarat and Uttarakhand governments to constitute committees to introduce and implement UCC.
SC stated that constitution of such committees by states is within ambit of state under Article 162 and cannot be challenged
for being ultra vires.
Article 162 states that executive power of a state shall extend to matters with respect to which legislature of state has power to
make laws.

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UCC refers to a single law, applicable to all citizens in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance.
It comes under Article 44 - which says that state shall endeavour to secure a UCC for citizens throughout territory of India.
Arguments against UCC Arguments in favour of UCC

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Law commission stated that UCC is neither necessary nor Strengthen gender justice as mostly the religious or customary
desirable. personal laws are biased in favour of men.

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Can erode minorities’ right and right to freedom of religion Address inconsistency in laws regarding marriage, succession,
(Article 25 of Constitution). etc. for people belonging to different communities.
Parliament does not have exclusive jurisdiction over To make judicial pronouncements enforceable (Mohd.
‘Personal laws’ as it is mentioned in Concurrent List. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, 1985 etc.).

ALSO IN NEWS

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PMNAM was conducted recently in 242 districts of country.
PMNAM was organised by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
Eligibility: Candidates who are Class five to Class 12th pass outs and have skill training

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certificates, or ITI Diploma holders or graduates.
It aims to raise apprenticeship opportunities in India to 60 lakhs by 2026.

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Pradhan Mantri National
Government is aiming to train one million youth per annum through apprenticeship training.
Apprenticeship Mela
(PMNAM) Under it, selected individuals receive a monthly stipend in accordance with government
criteria for gaining new skills.
SC granted time till 15 March 2023 to Centre to implement OROP payout to nearly 25 lakh army

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pensioners.
OROP aims at pension uniformity for armed forces personnel retiring at same rank with same

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length of service irrespective of date of retirement.
Rates of pension would be revised at periodic intervals.
One Rank, One Pension Armed Forces Personnel retired upto June 30, 2019 (excluding pre-mature retired w.e.f. July 01,
(OROP) 2014) will be covered under OROP.

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PPIRP is a process wherein a resolution arrangement is agreed upon between distressed
corporate debtor and lender before approaching National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for
bankruptcy proceedings.
It gives legal sanction to a plan agreed among banks, promoters, and buyer.
It was introduced under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2021 to deal
Pre-Packaged Insolvency with stress of small and mid-sized companies.
Resolution Process (PPIRP) Benefits of PPIRP: Least disruptive to businesses, Reduced burden of benches of NCLT, Quicker,
cost-effective insolvency resolution process etc.

SBI Ecowrap study analyzed the impact of share of Rice and wheat
procurement on Gini Coefficient for 20 and 9 States respectively.
Gini coefficient is a statistical measure to gauge the rich-poor income or
wealth divide.
It ranges from 0 (or 0%) to 1 (or 100%) with which 0 represents
perfect equality, and 1 represents perfect inequality.
Values over 1 are theoretically possible due to negative income or wealth.
A general rise in Gini Coefficient indicates that government policies are
Gini Coefficient
not inclusive and may be benefiting rich as much as or even more than
poor.
Gini figure below 0.40 is generally considered to be within tolerable limits.

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OA is a movement that makes online publications immediately available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
It is supported and put into practice by several countries and institutions, as demonstrated by
number of institutional signatories of Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) and Berlin
Declaration on OA to Knowledge.
Open Access (OA)
UNESCO supports unrestricted OA which promotes the principle of openness, an essential
movement
element of progress.

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Indian Navy has signed an agreement with Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt. Ltd for armed
autonomous boat swarms under ‘SPRINT’ scheme.
SPRINT stands for Supporting Pole-vaulting In R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence
(IdeX), Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) and Technology Development
Acceleration Cell (TDAC).

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SPRINT scheme It aims at development of 75 indigenous technologies by industry for Navy.

Recent CAG report highlighted that more than 63,000 animals, including animals like Indian

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elephants had been run over by trains between 2017-18 and 2020-21.
This is despite general advisories to prevent train accidents involving elephants issued in 2010.
Advisories include:
Clearance of vegetation on sides of railway track,

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Advisories to prevent train Underpasses and overpasses across railway track to allow elephants to escape,
accidents involving Signboards to pre-warn loco pilots,
elephants
Sensitisation programmes for loco pilots, guards and station masters,
Keep railway track free from food waste that attracts elephants.

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Hawaiian volcano kilauea erupted again recently.
Kilauea volcano is active shield volcano (erupts magma of low viscosity and hence less steep)

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located on the Hawaiian island..
Hawaii, USA is a group of 8 volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean stretching in a crescent
from Kure Island in west to Hawaii in east.
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano
Volcanoes make up 51% of Hawaii Island landmass.

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1st capacity building programme for civil servants of Arunachal Pradesh on good governance
started at NCGG, Mussoorie campus.

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NCGG is an autonomous institute under Department of Administrative Reforms and Public
Grievances with its headquarters at New Delhi.
Institute is involved in conducting training and research programmes for improved public service
National Centre for Good delivery and good governance models.

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Governance (NCGG) It provides a platform for exchange of ideas between civil servants of different countries and
also helps in providing opportunities to collaborate and implement new ideas and concepts.
It is a cutting-edge technological advancement that utilises machine learning and artificial
intelligence to create new forms of media, such as text, audio, video, and animation.
Uses of GAI:
Can craft sales, marketing, and brand messaging.
GitHub, Copilot6 and ChatGPT1 can generate code and help with developer productivity.
It can sift through numerous legal research materials and produce a pertinent, specific, and
Generative Artificial actionable summary.
Intelligence (GAI)
Help health professionals with their medical diagnosis.
Help to create and simulate complex engineering, design, and architecture.
Parshuram Kund Festival will be held in Arunachal Pradesh from 12th to 16th January
It is an annual religious fair when pilgrims come for a holy dip at Parshuram Kund on Makar
Sankranti.
Parshuram, son of Sage Jamadagni, was sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Parshuram Kund is a sacred pond located in Tailung area of Mishmi plateau in lower reaches of
Lohit River in Lohit District.
Parshuram Kund Festival
Kund falls within Kamlang Reserve Forest Area and is surrounded by dense forest of Rudraksha
trees of Elaeocarpaceae family.

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 11th JAN, 2023

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MINIMAL IMPROVEMENT IN AIR QUALITY IN CITIES UNDER NATIONAL CLEAN AIR
PROGRAMME (NCAP)

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A progress report on NCAP from Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA),

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an independent research organisation, found that: Non-attainment cities are the cities
which did not meet National Ambient
Only 49 of 131 cities recorded an improvement in air quality in FY 21-22. Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the
Less than 50% utilisation of total funds released under NCAP. period of 2011-15 under National Air
Quality Monitoring Tracker (NAMP),
Only 37 cities completed source apportionment studies (list out and quantify i.e.,

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major sources of pollution in a city) which were supposed to be completed in 2020.
PM10 - 60 micrograms/cubic metre
About NCAP (annual), and
Launched in 2019, it is a time-bound, national level strategy from Central PM2.5 - 40 micrograms/cubic metre
Government to tackle air pollution problem across country in a comprehensive (annual).
manner.

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It aims a 40% reduction in Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations by 2026 (base year 2017) in 131 cities (123 non-attainment
cities and 42 million plus cities/urban agglomerations; 34 cities are common in both categories).

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Initial target was 20-30% reduction in PM by 2024 in 102 cities.
City-specific action plans are prepared to regulate PM2.5 and PM10.
Progress is monitored by PRANA portal (Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities).

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In a related news, Delhi continued to be most polluted city in 2022 (for PM2.5 ) based on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

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ONEWEB TO INCREASE SATELLITE COUNT FOR GLOBAL INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
With its recent launch, OneWeb started its ‘Countdown to Global Connectivity’ campaign marking final launches remaining to
complete its first-generation LEO (low-earth orbit) satellite constellation.

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OneWeb is a global communications network to provide space-based connectivity. It is backed by investors like Bharti
Enterprises, UK government etc.
Satellite Internet Services is a wireless internet connection which uses satellites to get an internet signal from Internet Service
Provider (ISP) to users.
It operates using two way satellites like VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) or telecommunication satellites to liaison between
ISPs and Users with satellite dishes.
These can be geostationary satellites or satellites in LEO.
It is different from satellite television as Internet signals have to go both ways with a much greater amount of bandwidth to move
all that data.

Benefits of Satellite Internet Services Challenges in Satellite Internet Services

Easy internet option for rural areas, hilly terrains, and islands Low Speed and High Latency in comparison to fiber optic
for Last Mile connectivity. cables.
Faster than Digital Subscriber Line connection. Limitations of Bandwidth with high impact of weather
aberrations.
Can play a significant role in emergency or disaster recovery.
Potential to damage spacecrafts/satellites or interrupt higher
satellites frequency.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS (NCPCR) FRAMES DRAFT

GUIDELINES ON ASSESSING IF MINORS CAN BE TRIED AS ADULTS
In compliance with Supreme Court directive (Barun Chnadra Thakur vs Master Bholu), draft guidelines are for Conducting
Preliminary Assessment under Section 15 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Earlier, all under the age of 18 were considered minors.
It was amended in 2015 to add a provision wherein a child in age group of 16-18 years could be tried as an adult in case of
heinous offences.

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Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) carries physical and mental assessment to determine whether to try such a child as an adult or a
minor.
Key highlights of Draft Guidelines
General Principles: JJB and other experts should abide by fundamental principles of care and protection including Principle of

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presumption of innocence, best interest, safety, natural justice etc.

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Preliminary Assessment Purpose: Determine age and four determinants, i.e. Physical capacity of the child, mental capacity,
circumstances, and the ability to understand consequences of alleged offence.
Role of JJB: It is solely responsible for assessment. Also, it can take assistance from child psychologists or psycho-social workers.
Completion of Preliminary Assessment: Within a period of three months.

PRICE VOLATILITY, INFRA CONSTRAINTS CHALLENGE GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECTS

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INDIA'S TARGET OF EXPANDING NATURAL GAS' REPORT BY WORLD BANK
ENERGY SHARE Flagship report (issued twice a year) examines
global economic developments and
A recent report by Fitch Ratings stated that: prospects, with a special focus on emerging

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India’s inadequate gas pipeline network and execution delays in some under markets and developing economies (EMDEs).
construction projects may limit natural gas demand growth. Key Projections

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Sustained high natural gas prices and customers switching to alternate Global GDP Growth: 1.7% in 2023 -
fuels may squeeze developers’ returns and fresh capex plans. third-weakest pace since 1993,
India has decided to raise target of share of natural gas in the energy mix to overshadowed only by 2009 and 2020
15% by 2030 from current around 6% (well below the global average of 24%). global recessions.

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India has been taking steps to move towards a gas-based economy India is expected to grow at 6.6% in 2023.
considering its significance such as:
Reasons for slowdown: Elevated Inflation,

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Economic advantage: CNG is cheaper than gasoline and diesel. Higher interest rates, reduced investment and
Environment friendly because of very low emission of particulate matter. disruptions caused by Russia-Ukraine war.
Fulfilling climate change mitigation commitments. Any additional adverse shocks could push
Measures taken the global economy into recession.

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Natural Gas Marketing Reforms announced to increase domestic production Recession is a significant, pervasive, and
of natural gas. persistent decline in economic activity –
Gas Trading Exchange has been set up for localized price discovery. at least for two consecutive quarters of
negative GDP for most analysis.
Planned $60bn investment for creating gas infrastructure, including for
pipelines and CGD (city gas distribution) networks. EMDEs are facing a multi-year period of
slow growth driven by heavy debt burdens
Connected eastern and north-eastern parts with gas grid by developing
and weak investment.
Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project and North East Gas Grid project.
This may threaten progress on broader
development and climate goals in
EMDEs.
Small states - countries with 1.5 million
people or fewer - are more vulnerable
because of their reliance on external trade
and financing, limited diversification,
elevated debt, and susceptibility to
natural disaster.
Steps needed for EMDEs include more
investment to create jobs and increase
output, greater debt transparency, stronger
cooperation to increase cross-border trade
etc.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

MINISTRY OF CO-OPERATION WRITES UP NEW BYLAWS FOR UNIFORM ADOPTION BY

AGRI CREDIT SOCIETIES
Move is aimed at streamlining Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across all States and to allow them to perform multifarious
activities to improve their financial health.
Key Provisions under Model Bylaws
Allow PACS to diversify their activities in 25 broad segments including seed, fertiliser, education, hospital, common service centre etc.
to improve their financial health.

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Provide land to PACS for infrastructure development, Fair Price Shop licences and designate them as procurement agency on behalf
of Food Corporation of India.
Participation in payment services through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for government schemes in the operational area of PACS.
PACS to act as a Common Service Centre in their area of operation.

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PACS, registered as cooperative societies, is the lowest tier of three-tier Short-term cooperative credit with around 13 crore farmers as
its members.

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Other two tiers are State Cooperative Banks at state level and Central Cooperative Banks at district level.
PACS are outside purview of Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and hence not regulated by RBI.
Around 63,000 PACS are functional in India; providing various facilities such as- Input facilities (cash or kind), Agricultural
implements and storage facility.

ALSO IN NEWS

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SEBI has allowed futures contracts on corporate bond indices rated AA+ and above.
Benefits: Enhanced liquidity in the bond market, and Hedging opportunities for investors.
Corporate Bond is a type of debt security issued by a firm to raise capital.

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Corporate bond index measures the changes in select corporate bonds over a period of time.

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Future Contracts on Future Contract is a legal agreement between two parties where both parties agree to buy and
Corporate Bond Indices sell a particular asset of specific quantity and at a predetermined price, at a specified date in
future.
It is based on latest estimates released by UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality
Estimation (UN IGME).

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Key Highlights of report
Global under-5 mortality rate fell by 50% since the start of the century.

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An estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million
Levels & Trends in Child children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021.
Mortality: Report 2022 More than 80% of under-five deaths and about 70% of all deaths among 5–24-year-olds
occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.

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Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out a successful test launch
of tactical ballistic missile Prithvi-II.
Prithvi-II missile, which is powered by light propulsion twin engines, has a range of around 350
km and can carry 500-1,000 kg of warheads.
It uses an advanced inertial navigation system to strike the set target.
Prithvi was developed by DRDO under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme
Prithvi-II (conceived by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam).
Other missiles under this program: Agni, Trishul, Akash, Nag.

Recently discovered (by Palomar Observatory, USA) Comet will

appear for the first time in 50,000 years.
Comets are frozen leftovers from formation of solar system
(4.6 billion years ago) composed of dust, rock, and ices.
When a comet's orbit brings it close to Sun, it heats up and
spews dust and gases (forming a tail) into a giant glowing head
larger than most planets.
C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Comet Billions of comets are orbiting our Sun in Kuiper Belt (called
short-period comets) and even more distant Oort Cloud
(called long-period comets).

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Northern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India, will start production of M-Sand.
M-Sand is an artificial sand produced from crushing hard stones into small sand sized angular
shaped particles, washed and finely graded to be used as construction aggregate.
Advantages: An alternative to natural sand, it offers benefits such as Greater Durability, Higher
strength, low price, eco-friendly (minimising illegal sand mining), better workability etc.
Manufactured Sand Disadvantages
(M-Sand) Rough and angular texture can increase water and cement requirements.

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Higher concentration of Micro fine particles can affect strength and workability.

Companies including GM, Ford, Google would work together to establish standards for scaling
up use of VPPs.
VPP is a network of decentralized power generating units that pool together thousands of
energy resources like electric vehicles (EVs) or electric heaters.

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VPPs use advanced software to react to electricity shortages with techniques like switching

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households' batteries from charge to discharge mode or prompting electricity-using devices
Virtual power plants to back off their consumption.
(VPPs)
VPPs will enable grid planners to better manage growing electricity demand and make sure grid
stays reliable even in extreme weather challenges and aging infrastructure.

More than 200 distant variable stars known as RR Lyrae stars

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discovered in Milky Way's stellar halo, a spherical cloud of stars
surrounding the galaxy.
RR Lyrae stars are known for their fluctuating brightness,
therefore helping in measuring distances.
A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars

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Galaxy and their solar systems, all held together by gravity.
Galaxies can be spiral, elliptical or irregular.

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Our galaxy, Milky Way (spiral in shape), also has a supermassive black hole in the middle.

US Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab
(marketed as Leqembi) that has shown to slow cognitive decline in patients in early stages of the
illness.

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Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink
(atrophy) and brain cells to die.

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It is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and
Alzheimer's disease social skills .
Lecanemab aims to slow the progression of disease by removing clumps of beta-amyloid —
considered one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease — from the brain.

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It is celebrated every year (on January 10th) to promote the use of Hindi Language around the
world.
It is also the day when Hindi was spoken for the first time in UNGA (in 1949).
It was on this day in 1975 that the first World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur.
It is different from National Hindi Day which is celebrated every year on September 14 to mark
World Hindi Day adaptation of Hindi (written in Devanagari script) as official language by Constituent Assembly on
September 14, 1949.
Suriname (Capital: Paramaribo)
At the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas event, Suriname
President suggested setting up a Hindi language training
institutions in Caribbean region.
Suriname, formerly known as Dutch Guiana, is situated on
northern edge of South America.
Political Boundaries: It shares its border with French Guiana,
Brazil and Guyana.
Places in News It is bordered by Atlantic Ocean to the North.
Geographical Features:
Highest Point: Juliana top.
Major Rivers: Marowijne, Corantijn, Coppename and Suriname.

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 12th JAN, 2023

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CABINET APPROVED THREE NATIONAL LEVEL MULTI-STATE COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES
(MSCS) UNDER MSCS ACT, 2002

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Setting up of three national level MSCS will help in achieving the goal of ‘Sahakar-se-Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation)
through inclusive growth model of cooperatives.

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3 New Cooperative
Significance
bodies
Act as umbrella organization for exports of surplus goods/service.
Primary to national level cooperatives societies including primary societies, district, state and national
National Multi- State level federations and MSCS can become its member.

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Cooperative Export Higher exports will increase production of goods and services and increase employment opportunities.
Society Increased export will promote “Make in India” thus leading to Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Help cooperatives in getting benefits of export related government schemes/policies.
Unlock demand and consumption of organic products in domestic and global markets.

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National Multi- State Help farmers to get high price of organic product through aggregation, marketing and branding.
Cooperative Organic
Provide institutional support for aggregation, certification, storage, processing etc.
Society

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Better management of entire supply chain of products.
Act as an apex organization for production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging,
storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds.
National Multi- State Develop system for preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds.
Cooperative Seed

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Increase seed replacement rate, varietal replacement rate, ensuring role of farmers in quality seed cultivation.
Society
Quality seeds production reduces dependence on imported seeds, boost rural economy, strengthen
food security.

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Though ‘Cooperative Societies’ is a State Subject, MSCS is regulated by Centre under MSCS, Act 2002.
MSCS are cooperative societies whose activities are not confined to one state and serve interests of individuals in more than one state.
In related development, Ministry of cooperation is planning to set up world’s largest university for cooperative sector for promoting
cooperative education, training, research and development.

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Cooperative University will award degrees for managerial positions, diplomas for supervisory jobs and certificates for operational-level
positions annually by 2026-27.

MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION NAMES FREE

GRAIN SCHEME AS PRADHAN MANTRI GARIB KALYAN ANNA YOJANA (PMGKAY)
Centre has named its new integrated food security scheme for providing free foodgrains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) and Primary
Household (PHH) beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 as PMGKAY.
It’ll strengthen provisions of NFSA, 2013 in terms of accessibility, affordability and availability of foodgrains for poor.
It will subsume two subsidy schemes of Department of Food & Public Distribution
Food Subsidy to FCI: It is in form of consumer subsidy (Difference between Economic cost incurred by FCI and realized Central Issue
Price) and buffer subsidy (Cost of holding and maintaining buffer stock).
Food Subsidy for decentralized procurement states dealing with procurement, allocation and delivery of free foodgrains to states
under NFSA.
Earlier, scheme with similar name (PMGKAY) was implemented during Covid-19 pandemic.
Difference between two schemes
Earlier, NFSA beneficiaries were getting foodgrains entitlement (35 kg per AAY Household and 5 kg per person to PHH) at subsidised
rate (Rs 3/kg rice, Rs 2/kg wheat and Rs 1/kg coarse grains).
Now, government has done away with subsided prices and providing foodgrains free of cost for a year. However, additional quantity
of 5 kg foodgrains will not be provided.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

CENTRE CLEARS RS. 2600 CRORE INCENTIVE SCHEME TO PROMOTE RUPAY, BHIM-UPI
Scheme aims to promote RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI
UPI is a real-time payment system, launched
transactions (person-to-merchant) in FY 2022-23.
in 2016 by NPCI. It links multiple bank
Features of scheme accounts into a single mobile application.
Banks would be provided financial incentives for promoting Point of Sale NPCI is an initiative of RBI and Indian Banks
(PoS) and e-commerce transactions using RuPay and UPI. Association under Payment and Settlement
Promote UPI Lite and UPI 123PAY as economical and user-friendly digital Systems Act, 2007.

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payments solutions. It is an umbrella organization for operating
UPI Lite is an 'on-device wallet' feature by National Payments retail payments and settlement systems in
Corporation of India (NPCI) to allow users to make small-value payments India.
(upto ₹200) offline. NRE account helps NRIs transfer foreign
UPI 123PAY is an instant payment system for feature phone earnings to India, while an NRO account helps

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(non-smartphone) users. them to manage income earned in India.

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In addition, NPCI has allowed Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) with NRE (non-resident external) or NRO (non-resident ordinary)
accounts in 10 countries to use UPI platform from their international mobile numbers.
Member banks have to ensure such types of accounts are only allowed as per extant Foreign Exchange Management Act
regulations and RBI rules.
10 countries are Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hongkong, Oman, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and United Kingdom.
UPI works on principle of SIM binding for security purposes and till now, it was enabled only for Indian mobile numbers.

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NRIs demanded enabling UPI on international SIM cards for ease of payment and avoiding use of expensive international cards.

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF) RELEASES GLOBAL RISK REPORT 2023

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Report is published annually based on Global Risks
Perception Survey. It highlights key risks across
five categories: Economic, Environmental,

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Geopolitical, Societal and Technological.
Global risk is defined as possibility of
occurrence of an event or condition which, if it
occurs, would negatively impact a significant

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proportion of global GDP, population, or
natural resources.
Global risks ranked by severity over short and

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long term. (refer image)
Key findings
Top 5 risks for India are Digital inequality,
Geopolitical contest for resources, Cost-of-living

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crisis, Debt crises, Natural disasters and Extreme
weather events over short and medium term.
Cost of living dominates global risks in next 2
years while climate action failure dominates next
decade.
Economic aftereffects of COVID-19 and
Ukraine war resulted in rising inflation, rapid
normalization of monetary policies,
low-growth, low-investment era.
Technology such as AI, quantum computing and
biotechnology, etc. will exacerbate inequalities
and digital divide.
Only 34% of climate finance currently allocated to
climate adaptation worldwide.
Recommendations
Investing in multi-domain, cross-sector risk
preparedness. WEF established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is
Improving risk identification and foresight. headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
Re-building and strengthening global risk It is International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
preparedness cooperation.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

INDIA RECYCLES ONLY 30% OF 3.4 MT PLASTIC WASTE GENERATED ANNUALLY: REPORT
Report titled ‘Innovation in Plastics, The Potential and Possibilities’ was released Initiatives for Plastic Waste Management (PWM)
by Marico Innovation Foundation and developed in association with Indian Institute
PWM Amendment Rules, 2021 banned use of
of Science and Praxis Global Alliance.
single use plastic (SUP) products from July
It examines plastic waste management ecosystem in India to identify 2022.
challenges and opportunities with special emphasis on business and technological Guidelines on Extended Producers
innovations. Responsibility (EPR) on plastic packaging.

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Key findings of report National Dashboard on Elimination of SUP.
India produces 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste in a year, only 30 percent of it is recycled. Rest of plastic waste is sent to landfills or
aquatic dumps.
Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu together contribute 38 percent to total plastic waste generated in India.

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94% of recycled plastic waste is shredded in India using mechanical recycling method.
Impact of plastic waste: Greenhouse gas emissions i.e., carbon dioxide, methane; Contamination of entire food chain due to presence of

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microplastics; Threats to animals especially marine species etc.
Recommendations
Landfill and incineration taxes must be levied in India to encourage recycling.
Authorise 'pay-as-you-throw' system, which requires citizens to pay a variable rate per kilogram for a bag of mixed garbage.

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Regulate entire life cycle of plastic bags from manufacturing, imports to disposal.

ALSO IN NEWS

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Experts have pointed that Office of Registrar-General of India (RGI) follows ‘obsolete’ criteria set out
by Lokur Committee to define any new community as a Scheduled Tribe (ST).

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Criteria set out by Lokur Committee are indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture,
geographical isolation, shyness of contact with community at large, backwardness.
New criteria under government consideration included
Socio-economic, including educational, backwardness vis-a-vis, rest of population of State;
Historical geographical isolation;

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Lokur Committee, 1965
Distinct language/dialect;
Presence of a core culture relating to life-cycle, marriage, songs, etc.

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Endogamy, or in case of exogamy, marital relationship primarily with other STs.

Uttarakhand Governor gave nod to 30% horizontal reservation in government jobs for Uttarakhand
women.

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Horizontal reservation refers to equal opportunity provided to categories of beneficiaries such
as women, transgender community, and differently abled, cutting through vertical categories.
It is to be applied separately across each vertical category. Here, 30% reservation for women
will be independently applied in each category (SCs, STs, OBCs, Unreserved). Example –
Reservation under Article 15(3).
Horizontal reservation Whereas, Vertical Reservation is reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other
Backward Classes.
It applies separately for each of groups specified under law.
Example - Reservation under Article 16(4).

13th India and United States TPF concluded in Washington.

US highlighted creation of a new TPF Working Group on Resilient Trade that’ll provide a
structured framework for trade-focused bilateral discussion of issues of mutual interest
including trade facilitation, labor, environment, and good regulatory practices.
Also, emphasizes on finding solutions to several WTO disputes between both nations.
India US Trade Policy TPF is a platform for continuous engagement between two countries in area of trade and to
Forum (TPF) further bilateral trade and investment relations.
TPF is co-Chaired by Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Indian side and USTR on American
side.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has released these rules to check
undervaluation of imported goods.
Earlier, CBIC observed a rising trend of consignments misusing rules or origin and free trade
agreement route to evade duties by undervaluing them.
Features of Rules
CBIC will release a list of ‘identified goods’, which will be subject to stricter scrutiny for their true
Customs (Assistance in value.
Value Declaration of
Two committees will be constituted - Screening Committee for preliminary examination, and

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Identified Imported
Evaluation Committee for detailed examination.
Goods) Rules, 2023
Importer of identified goods will be required to declare value of goods using Unique Quantity
Code (used to measure quantity under GST regimes).

Union government has informed that cadastral maps of 35% of over six lakh villages in country have

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so far been geo-referenced under DILRMP.
Cadastral Maps are a digital form of land records that show all boundaries of different parts of

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land pieces based on their length, area, and direction.
DILRMP is implemented by Department of Land Resources under Ministry of Rural
Development.
Digital India Land Records It is a Central Sector scheme that has been extended to 2023-24, to complete its original
Modernisation targets as well as expand its ambit with a slew of new schemes.

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Programme (DILRMP)
3 Major components: Computerization of land record, Survey/re-survey, Computerization of
Registration.
Union India-Myanmar-Thailand interconnection plan is in line with OSOWOG programme under
International Solar Alliance (ISA).

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OWOSOG was launched jointly by India and UK during COP 26 in 2021.
It aimed for connecting solar energy supply across borders.

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It will be developed under World Bank’s technical assistance.
Three Phases of Plan:
One World One Sun One
Grid (OWOSOG) First Phase: It will entail interconnectivity within Asian continent.
Second Phase: It will add Africa.

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Third Phase: It is about global interconnection.
FSSAI Survey stated that 15% of dietary supplements were found to be unsafe for consumption.

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Unsupervised consumption of dietary supplements, warning poor-quality products can affect
cardiovascular health and kidneys.
FSSAI is under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
It is an autonomous statutory body established under Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA),

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2006.
Food Safety and FSSA 2006 consolidates various acts & orders that had earlier handled food related issues in
Standards Authority of various Ministries.
India (FSSAI) It regulates and monitor, manufacture, processing, distribution of food while ensuring safe
and wholesome food to consumers.
Headquarters: Delhi.

Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to procure VSHORAD (IR
Homing) missile system.
It is a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS) designed and developed indigenously by
DRDO.
Very Short-Range Air It is meant to target low altitude aerial threats at short ranges.
Defence System
These are lightweight and portable surface-to-air missiles.
(VSHORAD) missile system
These can be fired by individuals or small groups to destroy aircraft or helicopters.
Propelled by a dual thrust solid motor, it incorporates many novel technologies including
miniaturised Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics.

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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 13th JAN, 2023

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INAUGURAL LEADERS SESSION OF THE VOICE OF GLOBAL SOUTH SUMMIT 2023 HELD
Amidst increasing global volatility and uncertainty, the

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summit is conceived by India as a platform for developing
countries to share their concerns, perspectives, and priorities.

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E.g. concerns over COVID-19 pandemic impact, climate
change, terrorism, fragile supply chains, ongoing conflicts and
debt crises.
Global South' largely refers to countries in Asia, Africa and
South America and these countries have certain common

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attributes like a history of colonization, lacking role in
governance of multilateral institutions etc.
Redesigning global political and financial governance can
help them to remove inequalities, enlarge opportunities,
support growth and spread progress and prosperity.

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During the session India called for:
A ‘Global agenda to Re-energize the world’ (refer image).

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A ‘Global South Sensitive’ model of globalization with three fundamentals shifts for it:
Globalization: From self-centered globalization to human-centered globalization.
Innovation and Technology: From being on the receiving end of technological patronage, to deploying Global South-led
innovations for societal transformation.

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Development Cooperation: From debt creating projects to a demand-driven and sustainable development cooperation.

SUPREME COURT (SC) TO HEAR PLEA SEEKING NATIONAL HERITAGE STATUS FOR

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RAM SETU
Ram Setu, also known as Adam’s bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals
between Pamban Island or Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast

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of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.
Recently, Tamil Nadu assembly also passed a resolution urging Centre to
resume work on Sethusamudram Ship Canal project (SSCP).
National heritage status is sought in the backdrop of SSCP that envisages
dredging of a ship channel across the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka.
Two channels were suggested - one across Adam's Bridge and another
through Palk Bay.
SC, in 2007, had stayed the work for project and Centre was also willing to
explore another route to SSCP without damaging Ram Setu.
Significance of SSCP
Reduce steaming distances between east and west coasts of India.
Strengthen national security by improving navigation for Indian coast
guards and naval ships.
Concerns raised against SSCP
Would destroy natural barrier between Bay of Bengal and Palk Bay.
Oil and marine pollution associated with shipping traffic will aggravate
ecological stress in region.
Adam’s bridge hold religious sentiments for the people.
Threats to coral reef platforms in Gulf of Mannar.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

CENTRAL ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY RELEASED DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN (DMP)

FOR POWER SECTOR
DMP provides a framework to utilities in power sector to evolve a proactive and integrated approach to strengthen disaster
mitigation, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery efforts.
Growth of power sector is directly correlated with economic growth of the country and any disruption due to disaster creates
severe hardship to human beings.
Under Section 37 of Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005 every Ministry/ Department of Government of India shall prepare a DMP.

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DMP is also consistent with Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), COP21 and PM’s Ten Point Agenda for DRR.
Key features of DMP
A four-tier structure at Central, Regional, State and Local Unit Levels, with intervention and response depending on severity of
disaster /calamity.

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Risk assessment of power infrastructure, i.e. electric power generation stations, transmission distribution etc. to evolve methods for
finding quantitative risk involved.

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While uncertainty caused by climate change is unavoidable, electric utilities can manage risks by considering different climate

INDIA AIMS TO SEND THREE

scenarios and potential impacts on their assets.
Use of social media for emergencies and disasters on an organizational level to
disseminate information as well as for emergency communications and
issuing warnings etc.
PERSONS TO 6000 METERS
BELOW SEA LEVEL, SAYS
ARCHEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA DISCOVERED TWO

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MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES
1200-YEAR-OLD MINIATURE VOTIVE STUPAS AT NALADA
Votive stupas (offered in fulfillment of a vow) were discovered near Sarai Tila (MoES)
mound within premises of Nalanda Mahavihara in Bihar. As part of Samudrayaan Mission, under MoES,

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a self-propelled manned submersible
Stupa, Sanskrit for heap, is a mound-like (hemispherical) burial structure
(MATSYA 6000) will carry three persons to a
containing relics of Buddhist monks.
depth of 6000 meters for exploration of

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E.g. Sanchi Stupa built over Buddha relics. deep-sea resources.
Architectural features of Stupa (refer image): MATSYA 6000 is being developed by
A hemispherical mound or anda’s shaped dome National Institute of Ocean Technology,
A square railing or harmika Chennai.

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Central pillar supporting a triple-umbrella form (chattra), representing It has an endurance of 12 hours under
three jewels of Buddhism. normal operation and 96 hours in case of

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emergency.
Enclosure wall with decorated gateways (toranas) at cardinal directions.
It is being developed under Deep Ocean
A circular terrace (medhi) for ritual circumambulation.
Mission (DOM).
About Nalanda Mahavihara
DOM aims to explore deep ocean for
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with archaeological remains of a monastic resources and develop deep sea

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and scholastic institution from 3rd century BCE to 13th century CE. technologies for sustainable use of ocean
Gautam Buddha as well as Mahavira stayed at Nalanda. resources. It will be a mission mode project to
Other famous scholars at Nalanda Nagarjuna, Dharampala, Dinnaga, support Blue Economy initiatives.
Jinamitra Santaraksita etc. Blue Economy is sustainable use of ocean
Imminent pilgrim monks like Hiuen Tsang and I-tsing also visited. resources for economic growth, improved
livelihoods etc. Its size in India is about 4%
It prospered under Gupta Dynasty, Harsha of Kannauj and Pala Dynasty.
of the GDP.
It includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and
DOM (MoES as nodal ministry) was approved in
important art works in stucco, stone and metal.
2021 and will be implemented over a period of
5 years.
Major components of DOM
Development of Technologies for Deep Sea
Mining, and Manned Submersible.
Development of Ocean Climate Change
Advisory Services.
Technological innovations for exploration
and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity.
Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration.
Energy and freshwater from Ocean.
Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

SWEDEN DISCOVERS BIGGEST RARE EARTH ELEMENTS (REE) DEPOSIT IN EUROPE

REE deposits were discovered in Arctic region of Kiruna, Sweden (home to
world's largest underground iron-ore mine).
REE are a set of seventeen metallic elements - fifteen lanthanides on periodic
table plus scandium and yttrium.
They are necessary components for critical sectors, like, cellular telephones,
electric vehicles, defense applications like guidance systems, lasers, etc.

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REE shares some common properties such as high luster, high electrical
conductivity etc. as well as some distinguishing properties, present in few REE,
such as luminescence, magnetism etc.
Also, Heavy REE (higher atomic weights) are less common as compared to Light
REE.

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Although REE are fairly distributed across different geographies, the extraction of
REE is most challenging part, because of complex processing and intensive

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environmental effects.
At present more than 80% of the world’s rare earths processing capacity is in China.
India produces only 1% of global output despite having around 6% of world’s reserves.
Steps taken by India: Set up Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL), Bilateral agreements like Australia-India Critical Minerals Investment
Partnership.

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ALSO IN NEWS
SEBI has allowed Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) to participate in CDS.

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AIF refers to any privately pooled investment fund, (whether from Indian or foreign sources), in
form of a trust or a company or a body corporate or a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).

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CDS is a financial derivative that allows an investor to swap or offset their credit risk with that of
another investor.
In this buyer pays an ongoing premium. In exchange, seller agrees to pay security's value and
Credit Default Swaps (CDS) interest payments if a default occurs.

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CDS is used for speculation, hedging or as a form of arbitrage.

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MAARG Mentor Masterclass was organised during Startup India Innovation Week.
MAARG, the National Mentorship Platform by Startup India, is a one-stop platform to facilitate
mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, functions, stages, geographies, and domains.
Objectives of MAARG portal:

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MAARG (Mentorship, Provide guidance, handholding, and support to startups throughout their lifecycle.
Advisory, Assistance, Facilitates intelligent matchmaking and an outcome-oriented mechanism between mentors
Resilience, and Growth) and their respective mentees.

For the first time, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has specified identity
standards for Basmati Rice.
Basmati rice is a premium variety of rice cultivated in Himalayan foothills of Indian
sub-continent.
India accounts for two thirds of its global supply.
It is universally known for its long grain size, fluffy texture and unique inherent aroma and
Basmati Rice flavour.
Uniqueness is attributed to agro-climatic conditions as well as method of harvesting, processing
and ageing of rice.
It is a rare butterfly species that was spotted recently at Kalliyad (Kerala).
It was earlier spotted in Agasthyakoodam and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary.
It is protected under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Butterflies, along with the moths and the skippers, make up the insect order Lepidoptera.
White tufted royal Lepidopteran life cycle has four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult
butterfly (imago).

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A recent report by Central Ground Water Board highlighted that 12 states have uranium levels
beyond permissible limits in their groundwater.
Safe levels prescribed by World Health Organization is 30 parts per billion (ppb).
Punjab is worst-affected state followed by Haryana.
Causes of uranium contamination: Natural uranium content in aquifer rocks, overexploitation of
Uranium contamination in groundwater, bicarbonates used to bring uranium out of source rocks etc.
ground water Adverse health Effects of uranium contamination: Impaired renal function and kidney disease,
bone toxicity etc.

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Officers from Sub-Saharan countries will visit Karnataka to learn from its experience of
REWARD Project.
REWARD Project was launched to help national and state institutions adopt improved
watershed management practices.

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Rejuvenating Watershed It a World Bank supported multi-State project.

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for Agricultural Resilience Watershed is geographical area drained by a watercourse and is considered an useful planning
through Innovative unit for integrated water and land resource management.
Development (REWARD) Effective watershed management can help enhance livelihoods in rainfed areas, while building a
Project more resilient food system.
Godavari estuary in Andhra Pradesh has become prime habitat for Indian Skimmer.

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Indian Skimmer is water bird found in coastal estuaries of western and eastern India.
Major Threats: Degradation of rivers and lakes through fishing, predation by stray and domestic
dogs etc.
Indian skimmer IUCN status: Endangered.

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Guyana (Capital: Georgetown)
India and Guyana agreed to cooperate in oil and gas sector.

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Boundaries
Guyana is located on the north-eastern coast of South
America.
It is part of Guianas, a region in north-eastern South

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America on Guiana Shield, an old stable geological
formation that forms a portion of the northern coast.

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Guianas includes Guyana, Suriname, and French
Guiana.
It is bordered by Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname.
Geographical features

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Terrain: Mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south.
Highest point: Mount Roraima.
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean.
Uganda (Capital: Kampala)
Places in News Uganda declares end to deadly Ebola outbreak.
Boundaries
World’s second most populous landlocked country,
located in east-central Africa.
Bordered by Kenya, South Sudan, Democratic Republic
of Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
Geographical features
Highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley of
Ruwenzori Range.
Uganda is in African Great Lakes region and includes a
portion of Lake Victoria.
Other Lakes: Lake Edward, Lake George, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga.
Rivers: Albert Nile, Victoria Nile.

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MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS (MFIs) TO PLAY LEADING ROLE IN INDIA'S
ECONOMIC GROWTH

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Findings are part of a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Association of Microfinance Institutions of India that also
highlighted:

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MFIs offered credit to around 6 crore borrowers, from low-income households, in the last few years.
Challenges faced by MFIs: diverse nature of customer segments such as small farmers, vendors and labourers; dependence on
physical modes of interaction etc.
Microfinance is a form of financial service which provides small loans and other financial services to poor and low-income households.

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Malegam Committee (2011) helped establish microfinance as a legitimate asset class.
Microfinance Delivery Model in India includes:
Scheduled commercial banks lending both directly as well as through business correspondents (BCs) and self-help groups (SHGs).
Cooperative banks.
Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).

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MFIs registered as NBFCs as well as in other forms.

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Significance:
Women’s empowerment by routing credit directly to women, thereby enhancing their status within their families, community and
society at large.
Provision of credit to poor without need for collateral.
Promote financial inclusion and Employment generation.

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Challenges: Over-indebtedness of borrowers, Comparative high-interest rate, Over-reliance on commercial banks for funds availability.

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INDIA EYES ₹35KCR INVESTMENTS BY 2047 TO CREATE WATERWAYS NETWORK SAYS
CHAIRMAN IWAI
Chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) stated that plan

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will include developing waterways and jetties to improve navigable
capacity of Indian rivers.
India has an extensive network of inland waterways in form of rivers,
canals, backwaters and creeks that may supplement over-burdened
railways and congested roadways.
To promote Inland Water Transport (IWT), 111 waterways have been
declared as National Waterways (NWs) under National Waterways
Act, 2016.
Of these, 13 NWs are operational.
Benefits of IWT: eco-friendly and cheaper (less fuel consumption per
tonne-km), better connectivity to hinterland, require relatively less
maintenance etc.
Challenges faced in IWT: Decreased water flow due to industrial, agricultural and other uses, inadequate water channel depth,
Excessive Siltation, low technology adaption etc.
Other initiatives taken
PANI (Portal for Asset & Navigation Information) provides detailed information on various waterways.
CAR-D (Cargo Data) Portal, a web based portal for all cargo and cruise movement data of NWs.
Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax Service Commenced in Various NWs.
In a related development, PM flagged off World’s Longest River Cruise-MV Ganga Vilas (From Varanasi, UP to Dibrugarh, Assam via
Bangladesh) with an aim to boost river cruise tourism.

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ASIAN WATERBIRD CENSUS (AWC) 2023 BEING CONDUCTED IN INDIA

AWC, an annual event, is a citizen science programme supporting conservation and management of wetlands and waterbirds.
AWC is part of global International Waterbird Census (IWC) coordinated by Wetland International (WI). It was initiated in 1987
in Indian subcontinent.
In India, AWC is jointly coordinated by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and WI (global not-for-profit organisation).
BNHS, formed in 1883, is a non-governmental organization engaged in conservation of biodiversity research.

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BNHS has been designated as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by Department of Science & Technology.
AWC contributes to several conservation activities including:
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), also known as Bonn Convention, provides a global platform for conservation of migratory
animals and their habitats.

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Implementation of East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Initiative (EAAFP) and Central Asian Flyway (CAF) Action Plan.
EAAFP is an informal and voluntary initiative, to protect migratory waterbirds.

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CAF covers area of Eurasia between Arctic and Indian Oceans and associated island chains. Geographically it covers 30 countries
of North, Central and South Asia and Trans-Caucasus.
BirdLife International’s Important Bird Area Programme.
IUCN/BirdLife International’s Global Species Programme (Red List).
NEW STUDIES CONDUCTED TO

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Wetlands International’s Waterbird Population Estimates programme.

NATION CELEBRATED VARIOUS HARVEST FESTIVAL UNDERSTAND MODERN FORM

ON JANUARY 14TH OF GLOBAL OVERTURNING
Makar Sankranti is major harvest festival celebrated across India and different CIRCULATION (GOC)

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states celebrate festival under different names, traditions and festivities.
GOC refers to equatorward transport of cold,

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Festival is dedicated to Sun God, Surya and marks the first day of sun's deep waters and poleward transport of
transit into Makara (Capricorn). warm, near-surface waters.
Makar Sankranti heralds end of winter and start of longer days as sun moves It is responsible for transport of carbon and
northward. heat among ocean basins and between

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ocean and atmosphere.
GOC is a system of two connected

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overturning cells:
Upper cell is linked to formation of North
Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) and its
shallower return flow to form Atlantic
Meridional Overturning Circulation

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(AMOC).
Lower cell (referred as Southern Ocean
Meridional Overturning Circulation) is
associated with formation of Antarctic
Bottom Water (AABW) and its return flow as
Pacific Deep Water (PDW).
Studies have indicated that tectonically driven
changes in ocean gateways such as closure of
Central American Seaway (CAS), since late
Miocene period, had impacted GOC.
CAS is a body of water that once separated
North America from South America.
Now, National Centre for Polar and Ocean
Research reconstructed Deep Water
Circulation record of Indian Ocean and
provided evidence in support of theory that
closure of CAS led to evolution of modern
form of GOC.
Indian Ocean does not have any major
deep-water formations of its own. It acts
only as a host for both GOC components.

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WORLD SOCIAL REPORT 2023: LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND IN AN AGEING WORLD RELEASED
It is a flagship publication of Department of Economic and Social Affairs of
United Nations Secretariat. Articles 38 (1), 39 (e), 41 and 46 makes it
Report builds on framework of Madrid International Plan of Action on incumbent on state to make provision for
Ageing (MIPAA) and explores social and economic opportunities and public assistance in old age.

INITIATIVES TAKEN IN INDIA

challenges that population ageing presents.
MIPAA was adopted at second World Assembly on Ageing in April 2002.

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Key Findings Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and
Number of persons aged 65 years or older is expected to double over next Senior Citizens Act, 2007
three decades surpassing 1.6 billion in 2050 (accounting for more than
16% of global population). Various schemes like Atal Vayo
Northern Africa and Western Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are expected Abhyudaya Yojana, National Programme

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to experience fastest growth. for the Health Care of Elderly, Pradhan
Poverty levels at older ages are typically higher among women, due to Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana etc.

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lower levels of participation in formal labour markets, shorter working
careers and lower wages compared to men. India is a signatory to International
Recommendations conventions on ageing like MIPPA, UN
Promote labour market participation, increase productivity, uphold Decade of Healthy Ageing etc.
good health and prevent poverty throughout people’s lifetimes.

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Policies to reduce inequality and promote economic security at older ages in a fiscally sustainable manner.
Other global initiatives for Older people
UN Principles for Older Persons, 1991
UN designated 2021- 2030 as Decade of Healthy Ageing

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ALSO IN NEWS

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PM unveiled following initiatives:
Aarogya Maitri project to provide medical supplies to any developing country hit by natural
disasters or humanitarian crisis.

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Global South Science and Technology initiative will be launched to share expertise in areas
such as space technology and nuclear energy.

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Global South Centre of Excellence will be established for research on development solutions to
Initiatives launched to be implemented around the world.
assist the Global South Global-South Young Diplomats Forum, to connect youthful officers of foreign ministries.
Global-South Scholarships for students from developing countries to pursue higher education
in India.

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Both sides agreed to push forward a three-step roadmap for Expediting China-Bhutan
Boundary Negotiations.
Since 1984, China-Bhutan border dispute largely focused on two areas:
Western Areas of Bhutan, including Doklam and other areas at tri-junction border of India, China
and Bhutan.
Northern Areas of Bhutan including Jakarlung and Pasamlung valleys.
China, Bhutan boundary More recently, China has also laid claims to Bhutan’s Eastern Sakteng region including Bhutan
talks Sakteng wildlife sanctuary.
Significance for India: Strategic threat to Siliguri corridor (also known as Chicken’s Neck), Bhutan’s
eastern sector proximity to Arunachal Pradesh etc.

NASA's James Webb telescope has found a star formation (Called NGC 346) in a dynamic cluster
that lies within SMC.
Visible to naked eye from southern hemisphere, SMC is smaller of the two irregular galaxies that
make up tMagellanic Clouds.
These two galaxies orbit the Milky Way once every 1,500 million years, and each other once
every 900 million years.
Small Magellanic Cloud
(SMC) Magellanic Clouds were formed at about same time as Milky Way Galaxy, approximately 13
billion years ago.

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FSIB recommended MDs for Bank of Baroda and Bank of India.

FSIB is set up, under Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, for:
Recommending whole-time directors and non-executive chairpersons on Boards of financial
services institutions.
Advising on certain other matters relating to personnel management in these institutions.
FSIB replaced Banks Board Bureau.
Composition of FSIB:

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Financial Services Chairperson to be nominated by Central Government.
Institutions Bureau (FSIB)
Ex officio members: Secretary in charge of DFS, Department of Public Enterprises, Chairperson
of IRDAI, Deputy Governor of RBI.
Several part-time members with subject matter knowledge.

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Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) has listed Neelakurinji under
Schedule III of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including it on list of protected plants.

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About Neelakurinji
It is a shrub that grows in the shola forests of Western Ghats in South India.
Neelakurinji flowers bloom once every 12 years.
Plant is named after the famous Kunthi River which flows through Kerala’s Silent Valley
Neelakurinji National Park, where plant occurs abundantly.

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(Strobilanthes kunthiana) Eravikulam National Park, near Munnar, is known for widespread blooming of kurinji.
Blue colour of Kurinji has given Nilgiri hills its name, literally meaning Blue Mountains.

Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh) became the first ever district in India for on ground deployment of
innovative 5G use cases offered by startups.

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Department of Telecommunications, Under Telecom Startups & MSMEs Mission (TSuM) & 5G
Vertical Engagement Partnership Program (VEPP) have been facilitating collaborations of

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Digital Communication Tech - startups & SMEs to potential user communities viz. State
governments, Smart cities etc.
5G use cases include
Deployment of innovative
Superceuticals: 5G/4G Enabled smart health kiosk.
5G use cases

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Ambupod: 5G/4G Enabled Auto Ambulance.
Dvara- Surabhi: For Unique Biometric muzzle identity of cattle.

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Kollam district (Kerala) has become India’s first Constitution literate district.
As part of campaign called ‘the Citizen’ around 16.3 lakh people in district above the age of 10
have been educated on various aspects of the Constitution.
Kollam has a varied colonial past under Portuguese, Dutch and British.

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First Constitution literate Kollam has been centre of cashew industry in Kerala from time of the Portuguese and still
district continues to be largest processed cashew exporter in India.
Peru (Capital: Lima)
Peru has declared a state of emergency in the capital of Lima and several other regions.
Political Boundaries
Location: On West Coast of South
America, bordered by Pacific Ocean.
Bordered by Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, and Ecuador.
Geographical features
Places in News Terrain: Western coastal plain (costa), high
and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern
lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva).
Highest Point: Nevado Huascaran.
Major rivers: Amazon, Purus, Jurua etc.

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RESERVE BANK OF INDIA (RBI) RELEASED STATE FINANCES: A STUDY OF BUDGETS OF
2022-23 REPORT

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It is an annual publication that provides information, analysis and an assessment
CAPITAL FORMATION

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of finances of State governments for 2022-23.
It refers to process by which resources are
Theme of this year’s Report is “Capital Formation in India - The Role of States”. invested in Assets like plants, machinery
Key findings of report etc. and Human capital through education,
health, skill development etc.
State’s Gross fiscal deficit (GFD) is budgeted to decline to 3.4 percent of GDP in
2022-23 from 4.1 percent in 2020-21. In 2021, India’s capital investment/GDP

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ratio of 31.2 percent in 2021 is higher than
GFD is excess of total expenditure including loans net of recovery over other BRICS nations.
revenue receipts (including external grants) and non-debt capital receipts.
States’ debt is budgeted to ease to 29.5 percent of GDP in 2022-23 as against 31.1 percent in 2020-21.
In 2022-23, states have budgeted higher capital outlay than in previous three years.

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Recommendations

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Increase allocations of capital expenditure for sectors like health, education etc.
Create a capex buffer fund during good times to smoothen and maintain expenditure quality and flows through economic cycle.
Strengthen timely devolution mechanism to local bodies through State Finance Commissions.
Encourage and facilitate higher inter-state trade and businesses.

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ISRO'S VENUS MISSION SHUKRAYAAN- I COULD BE SHIFTED FROM 2024 TO 2031

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ISRO stated that it is yet to receive approval from Indian government for
Venus mission, as a result mission may be delayed until 2031.
In 2031, Earth and Venus would be aligned in manner that it would
require minimum amount of propellant for spacecraft to enter Venus

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orbit.
Shukrayaan I will be an orbiter mission. Its scientific payloads include
high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and ground-penetrating radar.
Mission is expected to study Venus’s geological and volcanic activity,
emissions on ground, wind speed, cloud cover, and other planetary
characteristics from an elliptical orbit.
Mission Challenges: Venus has crushing air pressure at its surface, which
is 90 times more than Earth's, and its atmosphere is highly toxic and filled
with Sulphuric Acid that causes a powerful greenhouse effect. SOLITARY WAVE (SW)
Other mission to Venus: Venera program (Russia); Akatsuki project Indian scientists reported first evidence of presence of
(Japan); VERITAS i.e., Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, SW in Martian magnetosphere with help of data
Topography, and Spectroscopy, Mariner 2 and Magellan (NASA); EnVision recorded by MAVEN spacecraft of NASA.
mission (Europe) etc.
SW are Distinct electric field fluctuations (bipolar
Venus is second planet from Sun and sixth in solar system in size and mass. or monopolar) that follow constant
Often referred to as Earth’s twin. Both planets are almost alike in size, amplitude-phase relations. Their shape and size
density and gravity. are less affected during their propagation.
At 850 degrees Fahrenheit, it is hottest planet in solar system. Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)
It rotates on its axis backward, compared to most of other planets in solar explore the Mars atmosphere, ionosphere and how
system. they interact with Sun and solar wind.

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CENTRE SEEKS SEARCH PANEL FOR POSTINGS IN JUDICIARY

Ministry Law and Justice has written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) expressing the need for Search-cum-Evaluation Committee (SEC) to
bring transparency in judicial appointments through collegium system.
SECs will be entrusted to prepare a panel of eligible candidates from which
COLLEGIUM SYSTEM HAS EVOLVED
respective collegiums will make recommendations.
WITH THREE JUDGES CASE
A representative of Union government should be a member of SEC for First Judges Case, 1981 or S P Gupta Case: SC
appointment of judges in Supreme Court and chief justices of high courts. ruled that recommendation made by CJI to

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SECs for appointment of judges in high court should have a nominee of state President can be refused for “cogent reasons”,
government. thereby giving greater say to executive.
At present, appointment mechanism as outlined in Memorandum of Procedure Second Judges Case, 1993 (Supreme Court
(MoP) does not include a SEC. Advocates on Record Association (SCARA) vs
Union of India): CJI only need to consult two

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MoP is a crucial document that governs collegium system of appointing
judges. senior-most judges over judicial appointments
and transfers.

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CJI and Judges of SC are appointed by President under Article 124 (2) with the
Third Judges Case, 1998: CJIs should consult
help of collegium system.
with four senior-most SC judges to form his
Collegium system is the way by which judges of SC and HC are appointed and opinion on judicial appointments and transfers.
transferred.
SC collegium is a five-member body, which is headed by incumbent CJI and
WORLD EMPLOYMENT AND

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comprises four other senior-most judges of court at that time.
HC collegium is led by incumbent Chief Justice and two other senior-most
judges of that court.
SOCIAL OUTLOOK: TRENDS
2023 REPORT RELEASED
RBI RELEASES DISCUSSION PAPER ON EXPECTED It is an annual report of International Labour

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LOSS (EL)-BASED APPROACH FOR LOAN LOSS Organisation (ILO) that provides labour market
projections for 2023 and 2024 and presents
PROVISIONING BY BANKS

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trends in labour productivity growth.
Provisioning for loan losses Key findings
NEED TO REVIEW CURRENT APPROACH
refers to the mechanism used Global employment will grow by just 1
to recognise credit Current approach do not permit
percent in 2023, and global
recognizing credit losses based on events

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impairments to ensure unemployment rate has been pegged at 5.8
effective financial reporting that are expected to occur in future.
percent.
and prudential supervision. Basel Committee supports an EL

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approach that captures actual losses more Emerging geopolitical tensions, recovery
Presently, banks are required from pandemic, and issue in supply chains
to make loan loss provisions transparently.
fuelled conditions for labour market
based on an ‘incurred loss’ Delays in recognizing EL under an deterioration.
approach, which used to be the “incurred loss” approach was highlighted

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standard globally till recently. during Global financial crisis (2007-09). Labour force participation rate of women
stood at 47.4 percent in 2022, compared
In short, banks need to provide for losses that have occurred / incurred. with 72.3 percent for men.
Expected Loss (EL)-based Approach In Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and
Proposed approach is to formulate principle-based guidelines. Further, the Caribbean, annual employment growth
Regional rural banks and smaller cooperative banks are proposed to be kept is projected to be around 1%.
out of the framework. ILO is a specialized agency of United Nations
Three-stage classification of financial assets (FAs) is envisaged i.e., headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

FAs that have not had a significant increase in credit risk. For these It is the only tripartite U.N. agency that
assets, 12-month expected credit losses are recognized. brings together governments, employers
Stage 1
and workers of 187 member states to set
Interest revenue is calculated on gross carrying amount of asset.
labour standards for promoting decent work
FAs that have had a significant increase in credit risk. For these for all women and men.
Stage 2 assets, lifetime expected credit losses are recognized. It was created in 1919 as part of Treaty of
Interest revenue is still calculated on gross carrying amount of asset. Versailles.
FAs that have objective evidence of impairment. For these assets, It was awarded Noble Peace Prize 1969 for
Stage 3 lifetime expected credit loss is recognized. promoting fraternity among nations by
Interest revenue is calculated on net carrying amount. ensuring social justice.
Banks would be allowed to design and implement their own models for Other reports released by ILO: Global Wage
measuring expected credit losses for purpose of estimating loss provisions. Report, and World Social Protection Report.

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ALSO IN NEWS
NFRA has published draft requirements for auditors to prepare and publish annual transparency
reports to increase transparency in management and governance of audit firms.
NFRA was constituted in 2018 under section 132(1) of Companies Act, 2013.
It is an independent regulator to oversee auditing profession and accounting standards with
jurisdiction extending to all listed companies and large unlisted companies.

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National Financial It has same powers as a Civil Court while trying a suit.
Reporting Authority It consists of a chairperson who will be appointed by Central Government and a maximum of
(NFRA) 15 members.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is implementing ATMS on highways to reduce

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accidents.
ATMS is an integrated solution to manage highway traffic through real time information and

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ensure safety.
ATMS has been implemented for around 3,000 km of National Highways.
Advance Traffic In case of commercial vehicles, system check for valid fitness certificate.
Management System
NHAI is also looking at leveraging GIS technology for analysing drone videos and Network
(ATMS)
Survey Vehicle data for identifying safety issues on highway.

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Key Findings related to India:
Richest 1% in India now own more than 40% of country's total wealth and bottom half of the
population together share just 3% of wealth.
Female workers earned only 63 paise for every 1 rupee a male worker earned.

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Since the pandemic began till November 2022, billionaires wealth surged by 121% .
Survival of the Richest Suggestions
report by Oxfam

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Introduce one-off solidarity wealth taxes and windfall taxes to end crisis profiteering.
International
Permanent increase in taxes on richest 1% and especially raise taxes on capital gains.
Startup India Innovation week, organised by DPIIT, culminated with felicitation of Winners of
National Startup Awards 2022 on National Startup Day.

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Awards acknowledges startups and enablers instrumental in revolutionizing development
story of India and in demonstrating exceptional capabilities.

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ASCEND (Accelerating Startup Calibre & Entrepreneurial Drive) SAMAGAM event was
conducted by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Startup India Innovation
Week Its objective was to capacitate and augment knowledge on entrepreneurship and continue
efforts towards creating a robust startup ecosystem in Northeast.

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It is a Bilateral Naval Exercise between India and France.

Exercise Varuna

Forest department of Katarniaghat division and NABARD planning to give skill-development

training to Tharu people that live near KWS.
Tharu People are ethnic group indigenous to Terai region of Himalayan foothills, located in
southern Nepal. In India, they mostly lived in Utter Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand.
They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language of Indo-Aryan subgroup.
Katarnaighat Wildlife KWS is situated in Upper Gangetic plain falling in Terai of Bahraich district, UP.
Sanctuary (KWS) It is part of core area of Dudhwa Tiger reserve.
It provides strategic connectivity between tiger habitat of India and Nepal.

Department of Science and Technology has announced the Geospatial Hackathon.

Hackathon seeks to promote innovative and cutting-edge solutions from India’s start-up
community as well as recognise research work that could be applied to solve geospatial issues.
Aim to promote partnerships not only among public and private geospatial sectors but also to
Geospatial Hackathon strengthen country’s geospatial Start-Up ecosystem.

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NASA stated that James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first new exoplanet LHS 475 b.
Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars and are beyond our solar system.
Most of exoplanets discovered so far are in a relatively small region of Milky Way Galaxy.
Discovering exoplanets is tough as they are small and hard to spot around their bright host
stars.
Exoplanets Thus, scientists rely on indirect methods like transit method, which is measuring the dimming
of a star that happens to have a planet pass in front of it.

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During first meeting of Working Group on amendments to IHR, India had proposed several
amendments like:
Implement IHR in accordance with common but differentiated responsibilities of States
Parties, taking into consideration their social and economic development.
Assess human health in congruence with animal and environment health to promote One

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Health.
Working group is expected to submit its report by January 2024.

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International Health
IHR, 2005 is a legally binding agreement of 196 countries to build capability to detect and report
Regulations (IHR), 2005
potential public health emergencies worldwide.
IHR require that all countries have ability to detect, assess, report, and respond to public
health events.

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Thiruvalluvar
Thiruvalluvar Day observed on 15 January as a part of Pongal celebrations to mark his birth
anniversary.
He is also known as Valluvar. He was a Tamil poet-saint and philospher.
It is belived that he was born in Mylapore, a neighbourhood in present-day Chennai and

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flourished between 4th century and 6th century.
In early 16th century, a temple was built within Ekambareswarar temple complex in Mylapore

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and it was dedicated to Thiruvalluvar.
In 1976, a temple-memorial called Valluvar Kotam was built in Chennai and houses one of
Personality in news largest auditoriums in Asia.
133-foot tall statue of Thiruvalluvar stands at Kanyakumari.

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He is best known for his work — Tirukkural, a collection of couplets on politics, love, ethics, and
matters concerning economics.

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Personal Values: Hardworking, kindness, patience, ethical etc.

Egypt (Capital: Cairo)

Egypt’s President to be Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day.
Political Boundaries

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Located in North-eastern corner of Africa.
It is bordered by Libya (west), Sudan (south),
Palestinian territory (Gaza Strip) and Israel
(northeast), Red Sea (east), and Mediterranean Sea
(north).
Geographical features
Terrain: Vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley
Places in news and delta.
Suez canal (connects Gulf of Suez (Red Sea) with Mediterranean Sea): Separates western
portion of Egypt from Sinai Peninsula, African continent from Asia.
Major mountain ranges: Eastern Highlands.
Longest River: Nile.
Highest Mountain: Mt. Catherine.

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 18th JAN, 2023

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SUPREME COURT (SC) CONSTITUTION BENCH QUESTIONS UTILITY OF ADVANCE
MEDICAL DIRECTIVE (AMD) OR LIVING WILL

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Hearing the petition seeking modification of its guidelines for Living Will, laid

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down in Common Cause v Union of India (2018), SC stated:
AMD can be applied only in narrow area where patients become so terminally ill
that they are not in a position to say that treatment must stop.
AMD or Living Will is a legal document that specifies type of medical care that
an individual does or does not want in the event they are unable to

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communicate their wishes.
Guidelines lack utility as in India a person is anyway free to refuse invasive
treatment and accept death.
Legislature is much more endowed with skills and sources of knowledge to
enact a relevant law. Important judgements/reports related to Euthanasia

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P. Rathinam Case (1994): struck down section 309 of
In 2018, SC upheld legality of passive euthanasia and laid down procedure for Indian Penal Code (attempt to suicide) as
living wills in India. unconstitutional.

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Gian Kaur case (1996): both assisted suicide and
Euthanasia is practice of ending life of a patient to limit the patient’s suffering. euthanasia were unlawful.
It can be active (killing a patient by active means) or passive (intentionally letting a Aruna Shanbaug Case (2011): SC allowed passive
patient die by withholding artificial life support such as a ventilator or feeding euthanasia for the first time.
Law Commission’s 241st report on Passive Euthanasia
tube).

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(2012) also recognized individual autonomy and the
Accordingly, AMD can be effectuated under three cases (refer image). need for euthanasia in certain cases.

PURANA QILA: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA (ASI) REOPENS TRENCHES

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EXCAVATED EARLIER TO FIND FIRST OCCUPANTS
ASI undertook excavations in 1969-73, 2013-14 and 2017-18.

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Identified as ancient settlement of Indraprastha (capital of Pandavas), a continuous habitation of 2,500 years was established in
earlier excavations.
Findings from earlier excavation include:
Painted grey ware from 900 BC, an earthen pottery sequence from Maurya to Shunga, Kushana, Gupta, Rajput, Delhi Sultanate, and
Mughal periods.
Artefacts such as sickles, parers, terracotta toys, kiln-burnt bricks, beads, terracotta figurines, and seals.
Purana Qila was built by Mughal Emperor Humayun as a part of his new city of Dinpanah in the 16th century.
Apart from archaeology, textual sources such as Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazal (16th century), mention that fort was built at site of
Indraprastha.
Architectural features of Purana Qila Complex
Qila-e-Kuhna mosque Built by Sher Shah. It reflects a transitional stage between architecture of Lodhis and Mughals.
Built by Sher Shah, an octagonal structure built in red sandstone and decorated with white and black
Sher Mandal marble inlay.
Humayun made it into a library and died after falling from the steps of this structure.
A Baoli for managing water supply and a hammam (bathhouse) is present.
Lal Darwaza and Khairul Manazil are considered part of this complex.
Other structures
Three majestic Gateways: Bada Darwaja, Humayun Darwaza, and Talaqi Darwaza.
Wide moat linked to river Yamuna.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

UPDATED DRAFT AMENDMENTS TO IT (INTERMEDIARY GUIDELINES AND DIGITAL MEDIA

ETHICS CODE) RULES (IT RULES), 2021
IT Rules, 2021 were framed by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), exercising power under Information
Technology Act, 2000, to:
Protect constitutional rights of citizens under Article 14, 19 and 21 by pushing for open, safe and trusted, and accountable internet.
Regulate online intermediaries (e.g. social media) who facilitate flow of data on internet.

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Updated Draft amendments have provision for content takedowns by empowering state agencies to instruct intermediaries to
take down content deemed inaccurate or unfit.
E.g. online platforms will remove fake content flagged by fact-checking unit at Press Information Bureau (PIB).
Earlier, Meity released draft amendments to include regulations for online gaming platforms with provisions like

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Including online gaming companies offering one or more online games as an intermediary.
Also, online gaming intermediary will observe some additional due diligence. E.g. Registration of games with the self-regulatory

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body; risk of financial loss, Know-your-customer procedure etc.
A Self-regulatory body to certify games and ensure that online games operating in India follow rules and regulation.
A mandatory know-your-customer (KYC) verification for online games.
Appointment of a compliance officer, nodal officer and grievance officer. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
RADIO SIGNAL DETECTED IN DISTANT GALAXY USING CAN HELP FIGHT WILDFIRES:

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GIANT METREWAVE RADIO TELESCOPE (GMRT) WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
Astronomers from McGill University (Canada) and Indian Institute of Science (WEF)
(IISc), Bengaluru used data from GMRT to detect a radio signal originating from

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A recent report by WEF highlighted that its
atomic hydrogen in an extremely distant galaxy at redshift z=1.29. FireAId initiative was helpful in managing
Redshift represents signal’s wavelength change depending on the object’s wildfire in several regions of Turkey.

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location and movement. In 2021, average annual global cost of
A greater value of z indicates a farther object. wildfires was around $50 billion and
Atomic hydrogen is the basic fuel required for star formation in a galaxy. released an estimated 6,450 megatonnes
of CO2 into atmosphere.
When hot ionised gas from surrounding medium of a galaxy falls onto

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universe, gas cools and forms atomic hydrogen. Launched in January 2022, FireAId project
This then becomes molecular hydrogen and eventually leads to formation of (using AI system) aims to allow better

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stars. prediction of wildfires and more efficient use
of resources during firefighting operations.
Detection was made possible by gravitational lensing phenomenon.
In gravitational lensing, light emitted by source is bent due to presence of FireAId predictions reduced both response
another massive body between target galaxy and observer, effectively time and risk to firefighters.

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resulting in magnification of signal. AI was used to develop a digital twin for fire
About GMRT management, which helped firefighters in
testing hypotheses of intervention measures
It is an instrument for studying astrophysical phenomena, ranging from
and observing their outcomes in simulations.
nearby Solar system to edge of observable Universe, at low radio
frequencies. A digital twin is a virtual representation of
It is operated by National Centre of Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), which is part an object or system, is updated from
of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. real-time data, and uses simulation,
machine learning and reasoning to help
decision-making.
AI and machine learning role in combating
wildfires
Refinements in AI, real-time maps for
wildfire prediction and risk mapping.
Sensors with inbuilt AI can collect acoustic
information or operate as smoke detectors
for alerting authorities.
Digital simulations can better plan efficient
responses based on predicted outcomes.
UAVs can provide live images and help
firefighters plan their response.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

BACKING SRI LANKA, INDIA SENDS FINANCING ASSURANCES TO INTERNATIONAL

MONETARY FUND (IMF)
Facing its worst economic crisis since independence, financing assurances from creditors is critical for Sri Lanka to get the $2.9
billion loan from IMF to put its economy on track.
It is facing multiple challenges such as shortage of dollars, runaway inflation and a steep recession.
India, Japan, and China are Sri Lanka’s three largest bilateral lenders.

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IMF was established (in 1944) to provide emergency financing to countries hit by crises and help them to stabilize their economies.
Unlike development banks, IMF does not lend for specific projects. It also provides precautionary financing to help prevent crises.
Crises can occur due to domestic or/and external factors and can take many different forms such as Balance of Payment issue,
illiquid or insolvent financial institutions, excessive deficits and debt etc.

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Lending instruments of IMF include
General Resources Account on non-concessional terms (market-based interest rates).

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Concessional financial support (currently at zero interest rates) through Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, which is better
tailored to needs of low-income countries.
Resilience and Sustainability Trust to help low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries.

ALSO IN NEWS

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ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UNSC has placed Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) Makki on
its sanctions list.
UNSC Sanctions Committee is subsidiary organ of UNSC to support or implement UNSC decisions.
UN Charter authorizes UNSC to use a variety of measures to enforce its decisions.

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E.g. The ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee was established pursuant to UNSC
UNSC (United Nations resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015).

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Security Council)
Sanctions Committee It can also use Panels/Groups of Experts or other mechanisms to monitor implementation of
the sanctions.
It was released after Think20 (T20) meeting, official engagement group of G20 which brings
together leading think tanks and research centers worldwide.

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Key highlights of Bhopal Declaration
Appeal to all stakeholders to focus more on inclusive development care for welfare of every

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section of society in comparison to GDP.
Encourage model of development led by women.
Bhopal Declaration Bridge the gap between North and South.
Promoting traditional medicine systems like AYUSH.

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Indian Army conducted the second edition of Hackathon.
Its objective is to seek solutions to operational cyber challenges and to reduce development
time for innovative solutions in the field of Cyber Security.
Sainya Ranakshetram 2.0
Hackathon

Germany has pointed towards fulfilling Ukraine’s request for a fleet of modern Leopard 2 tanks.
Other Modern Tanks: Challenger 2 (UK), M1 ABRAMS (US), AMX 10-RC (France).

New fleet of tanks to Ukraine

It is a rare species of duck (locally known as Sadangman) that was recently sighted in Loktak lake
(Manipur) after a gap of over 90 years.
Loktak lake is famous for Keibul Lamjao National Park and Sangai, the dancing deer.
Greater Scaup is a migratory bird widely distributed across Arctic and Subarctic regions where
it mainly nests in coastal tundra habitats.
Greater Scaup It belongs to the family of Anatidae.
IUCN status: Least Concern.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

World Economic Forum launched GAEA to help unlock $3 trillion of financing needed each year
to reach net-zero, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity by 2050.
Global initiative is to fund and grow new and existing public, private and philanthropic
partnerships (PPPPs) and is supported by more than 45 partners (including India’s HCL
Technologies).
Philanthropic financing for climate mitigation has risen in recent years, but still represents less
Giving to Amplify Earth than 2% of total philanthropic giving.
Action (GAEA) Advantage of philanthropic financing: It is nimble, more tolerant of risks and is driven by values

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and long-term outcomes rather than quarterly returns.

According to a report, GFANZ members are continuing to finance expansion of coal, oil and fossil
gas industries.
GFANZ is world’s largest coalition of financial institutions committed to transitioning global

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economy to net-zero greenhouse gas emission.
It aims to coordinate efforts across all sectors of the financial system to accelerate the transition to

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a net-zero global economy.
Glasgow Financial Alliance It was launched in 2021 by UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance and COP26
for Net Zero (GFANZ) presidency, in partnership with UNFCCC Race to Zero campaign.
It has over 550 members from 50 jurisdictions.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) will cover the entire India under a DWRs network by

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2025.
A Doppler Radar is a specialized radar that uses Doppler effect to produce velocity data about
objects at a distance.
Doppler effect refers to change in wave frequency during the relative motion between a wave
Doppler Weather Radars

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source and its observer.
(DWRs)
DWRs are used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type.

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Japan (Capital: Tokyo)
Japan and India began first ever joint fighter jet drill near Tokyo.
Japan is an island country lying off east coast of Asia. It stretches from Sea of Okhotsk (north) to
East China Sea (south).

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Political Boundaries
Four main islands from north to south are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.

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Honshu is largest in size followed by Hokkaido, Kyushu,
and Shikoku.
Maritime borders: China, North Korea, South Korea,
Philippines, Russia, Northern Mariana Islands (US), and

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Republic of China (Taiwan).
Geographical features
Located in Circum-Pacific "ring of fire".
Highest mountain: Mount Fuji.
Places in news Longest river: Shinano River.
Yemen (Capital: Sana’a)
UN Yemen envoy highlighted the current absence of major fighting and its use to advance their talks
towards peace.
Yemen is a desert country on the Southern tip of Arabian Peninsula, with Red Sea and
Bab-el-Mandeb on its west while Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Guardafui Channel on South.
Political Boundaries: It shares its land borders with Saudi
Arabia and Oman.
It shares maritime borders with Djibouti, Eritrea and
Somalia.
Geographical Features:
Highest Point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb.
It has no perennial lakes and rivers.

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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 19th JAN, 2023

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ANNUAL STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT (ASER) 2022 RELEASED BY NGO PRATHAM
ASER (first conducted in 2005) is an annual, citizen-led household survey to understand whether children in rural India are enrolled

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in school and whether they are learning.
Whereas, National Achievement Survey (NAS) is undertaken by Ministry of Education. It provides structured feedback on student

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learning levels at District, State, and national levels.
ASER 2022 is first field-based 'basic' nationwide ASER since 2018.
In ASER 2022, children in age group of 3 to 16 years were surveyed to record their schooling status and assess their basic reading
and arithmetic skills.

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Key findings

Parameters Data Trend wrt 2018

Overall enrollment in age group 6-14 98.4% in 2022 Increase

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Proportion of 15-16-year-old girls not enrolled 7.9% in 2022 Decrease

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Children taking Paid private tuition classes from 1st to 7th 30.5% in 2022 Increase
standard
Reading ability of class 3 20.5% in 2022 Decrease
Arithmetic ability (subtraction) of class 3 25.9% in 2022 Decrease

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Average teacher attendance 87.1% in 2022 Increase

Schools with drinking water available 76% in 2022 Increase

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Schools with useable girls’ toilets 68.4% in 2022 Increase

NEW QUALITY CONTROL ORDERS (QCOS) FACE PUSHBACK FROM WTO MEMBERS AND

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DOMESTIC MANUFACTURERS
India’s step to introduce a draft of QCO to curb Chinese import surge and boost exports to western markets is facing objections at WTO.
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is planning to issue 50 QCOs for products such as aluminium, copper
items etc.
QCOs are issued by various Ministries/Departments of Government of India in exercise of powers conferred by section 16 of Bureau
of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 2016.
QCO aims to ensure compliance of products to compulsory Indian Standards in public interest, protection of human, animal or plant
health, prevention of unfair trade practices, etc.
Items, under these orders, cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear BIS mark.
QCO benefits: Better quality products to consumers, helps in becoming India to be part of global supply chain through quality
manufacturing.
Concerns raised
WTO members: Can be misused as trade restrictive measures and delay grant of permission for imports from specific countries.
Domestic Manufacturers: Gives rise to supply-chain constraints, unreliability of Indian companies and diversion of export orders due
to limited time given to industry to comply with Standards.
Example, QCO on viscose staple fibres gave the industry only 30 days to comply.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

CENTRE PROPOSES CHANGES TO INSOLVENCY AND THIRD MEETING OF STEERING

BANKRUPTCY CODE (IBC), 2016 COMMITTEE OF KEN-BETWA
IBC is a time-bound, market mechanism for reorganization and insolvency LINK PROJECT (SC-KBLP) HELD
resolution of corporate loans in financial stress.
SC- KBLP meeting highlighted that Greater
It is implemented by Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). Panna Landscape (GPL) council is being
To strengthen its functioning, Ministry of Corporate Affairs has proposed below constituted for implementation of Landscape
changes in IBC, 2016. Management Plan (LMP) and Environment

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Management Plan (EMP) of project.
Area Proposed Changes Earlier, Integrated LMP for GPL was
released by Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) in
Developing an e-platform to handle multiple processes
2022. It was prepared in respect of KBLP.
Technology under IBC such as case management, delivery of notices

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etc. with minimum human interface. It provides for better habitat protection,
and management of flagship species

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Financial Creditors to ascertain default or dispute such as Tigers, Vultures, and Gharial.
occurrence at Information Utilities before CIRP KBLP is the first project under National
Corporate application. Perspective Plan (NPP) for interlinking of
Insolvency rivers.
Resolution Process Adjudicating Authority (AA) to mandatorily admit
application and initiate CIRP (if default is established), It envisages to transfer water from Ken
(CIRP) applications
appoint Interim Resolution Professional on IBBI River to Betwa river. They both are

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admission
recommendation and it can impose penalties on IBC tributaries of Yamuna.
violations. It lies in Bundelkhand, a drought-prone
region, which spreads across 13 districts of
Redesigning Fast-track corporate Insolvency Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Madhya Pradesh
Resolution Process (FIRP). (MP).

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Expanding Pre-packaged Insolvency Resolution Benefits of KBLP: Provide water for irrigation,
Framework (PRIRP) applicability to a broader range of drinking purpose; solve droughts issue in

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Insolvency companies in addition to MSMEs. Bundelkhand region, produce hydropower etc.
Resolution Process
Limiting real estate cases outcomes to default projects Concerns of KBLP: Lead to submergence of
only. about 7.6% of total Panna Tiger Reserve area
Appointment of administrator in specific CIRP by Central (critical tiger habitat); threats to faunal and
floral diversity; loss of two million trees etc.

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government etc.
In addition, two wildlife sanctuaries namely
Recasting liquidation process to enable Committee of Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and Rani

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Creditors (CoC) to request AA for direct dissolution, if Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary of MP and one,
liquidation is not feasible. Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary of UP have been
Liquidation Eliminating duplication of activities between CIRP and approved by state government for bringing
Process Liquidation Process. them under project Tiger.

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CoC to supervise and support liquidator’s functioning,
and take all decisions in liquidation by simple majority
etc.

IBBI to register and regulate a special class of valuers for

Other Areas
rendering all valuation-related services.

NPP was prepared in 1980 by the then Ministry of Irrigation

(now MoJS), to transfer water from water surplus basins to
water-deficit basins.
Based on NPP, National Water Development Agency (NWDA)
identified 30 river links: 16 under Peninsular component
(including KBLP) and 14 under Himalayan Component.

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INDIA FAST-TRACKS ARUNACHAL DAMS, EXPEDITES STALLED PROJECTS FEARING

WATER WAR BY CHINA
In response to Chinese dams being built in north-east, India has initiated its biggest hydroelectric project in Upper Subansiri in
Arunachal Pradesh (AR) to reduce the adverse effects of Chinese dam.
Also, India is moving three stalled hydro projects in AP for possible allocation to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation
after recommendations of evaluation committee and in-principle permission by Ministry of Power.
China plans to construct 60,000MW hydropower project on Yarlung Zangbo

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(Brahmaputra) at Medog on border with AR.
BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER
It originates from Kailash ranges of
After construction, China plans to divert Brahmaputra water from the project
Himalayas. After flowing through Tibet, it
to its northern arid region.
enters India through AP and flows through
Three more projects i.e., 640 MW project at Dagu, 710 MW project at Bayu & Assam and Bangladesh before joining Bay of

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800 MW project at Zhongyu is in advance stage of planning. Bengal.
Concerns associated with increasing Chinese infrastructure It accounts for around 30 percent of India's

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freshwater resources and 40 percent of its
Impact lower riparian states, particularly India including environmental
whole hydropower potential.
consequences.
Tributaries: Subansiri, Borgong, Dhansiri
Diversion of water could strain India's agricultural need in northeast region. (North) Manas, etc on North bank; and
Use of water infrastructure as a form of territorial demarcation and control. Noadehing, Buridehing, Desang, Dikhow,

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Bhogdoi etc on South Bank.
Causes flood like situation in Assam and AR.

HYDERABAD TO HOST INDIA’S FIRST FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (IR) CENTRE

ON HEALTHCARE, LIFE SCIENCES

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Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) will be set
up in collaboration with World Economic Forum (WEF), an
autonomous organization (HQ: Geneva, Switzerland).

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C4IR will be the 18th centre in WEF’s fourth IR network,
spanning four continents, and it will focus on life
sciences and healthcare.
Fourth IR, also known as Industry 4.0, is a collective term

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for converging technologies which blurs the distinction
between physical, digital and biological realms.

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Industry 4.0 builds upon Industry 3.0 which was
largely based on use of electronics and information
technology. (refer image for various IR’s).
Significance of Industry 4.0: Impacting advances in

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Science and Technology as well as processes of businesses,
Industry 4.0 brings multiple possibilities such as:
Personalized and affordable healthcare, integrating INDIA’S INITIATIVES
MSMEs in global value chains, Ease of living, ensuring To tap Industry 4.0 benefits a number of Large scale initiatives to
long-term gains in efficiency and productivity etc. harness digital technologies are taken such as Unified Payments
Concerns: Job Loss (due to automation), Increased Interface, Aadhar, E-shram portal, e-NAM, Direct Benefit Transfer,
inequalities, Privacy and Security concerns etc. Startup India etc.

ALSO IN NEWS
International Financial Services Centres Authority issued a framework for disclosure by Fund
Management Entities for ESG Schemes.
Estimates suggest that by 2025, over a third of assets under management globally, shall pertain to
ESG.
ESG is a framework to helps stakeholders to understand how an organization is managing
risks and opportunities related to environmental, social, and governance criteria.
Environmental, Social or Environmental factors include Climate change, Air and water pollution, Biodiversity etc.
Governance (ESG) Social factor includes Customer satisfaction, Data protection and privacy, Gender and diversity etc.
Governance factors include Board composition, Audit committee structure etc.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

Directorate General of Foreign Trade has notified amended rules for extending Export
Obligation under AAS.
Move will help automate entire Export Obligation extension process with minimal human
intervention and lead to ease of doing business.
AAS is a duty exemption scheme issued by Government of India under Foreign Trade Policy
2015-2020.
It exempts payment of import duties on raw materials/inputs required for manufacturing
Advance Authorization products for export.

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Scheme (AAS) It allows duty free import of inputs, which are physically incorporated in an export product.
It additionally allows packaging material, fuel, oil, catalyst which is consumed / utilized in
production of export product.

National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has notified India’s first national

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assessment regulator, PARAKH.
PARAKH was launched under National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 by Ministry of Education.

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It facilitates a platform for students for self-assessment of learning outcomes and
21st-century life skills acquired by students.
Performance Assessment,
Review, and Analysis of It works on setting norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation
Knowledge for Holistic for all recognised school boards in country.
Development (PARAKH) Assessment guidelines will help in removing disparities in scores of students enrolled with

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different state boards.
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and S&P Global has launched Nature Risk Profile.
NRP is aimed at enabling financial sector to measure and address nature-related risk by
providing scientifically robust and actionable analytics on nature impacts and dependencies.

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Its methodology is based on Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF),
adopted in December 2022.

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GBF includes a target for governments to take legal, administrative or policy measures to
Nature Risk Profile (NRP) encourage and enable businesses to regularly monitor, assess, and transparently disclose their
risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity.
Union Minister of Shipping, Waterways and Ports launched an initiative ‘Bharat Pravah - India along

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its River and Shores’.
Bharat Parvah will highlight the role of rivers-ports-shipping in everyday life of a common man

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through literature, dialogue and communication through regional, national and international
events.
Rivers and Seas have deep connotations and connect with the social psyche of India.
Bharat Pravah They are part of economic activities, rituals and religious texts, connecting people and their
hearts across India such as Dwarka in West, Guwahati in East, Varanasi in North or Rameswaram

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in South.
Ministry of Skill development and Entrepreneurship facilitated 200 tribal women under
Grameen Udyami Programme.
Programme aims to build skills and spirit of entrepreneurship among tribal communities for
their inclusive and sustainable development.
Under it, multiple vocational and functional skills are being imparted to India’s youth to
increase their employment opportunities.
Grameen Udhyami Programme is held under Sansadiya Sankul Pariyojana (SSP).
Programme
SSP aims to expand rural and local economy, enhance employment opportunities, reduce
forced migration and lead to conservation of natural resources.

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 20th JAN, 2023

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GOVERNMENT INTERNET SHUTDOWNS COST ALMOST $24 BILLION GLOBALLY IN 2022

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Findings are part of a recent report by UK-based privacy and security research
firm Top10VPN. Only Home Secretary of the Union or a
state can pass an internet shutdown order

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Key findings related to India
to be reviewed by a committee within 5 days.
India imposed 34 major shutdowns in 2022, significantly more than any
other country in the world. Under unavoidable circumstances order
can be issued by an officer of rank of Joint
Total cost of internet restrictions was $184.3 million.
Secretary or above, authorized by central or
Shutdowns were highly localised to specific districts, cities and even state Home Secretary.

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villages, and tended to be in response to civil unrest, often pre-emptively.
Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir endured most extensive major internet outages.
Internet shutdown is defined as an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications for a specific population or
location, to exert control over flow of information.

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It can be caused by Internet blackouts, Social media shutdowns or Throttling (reduced speed of internet).
Legal provisions related to Internet shutdowns in India

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Until 2017, mostly governed under section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Indian Telegraph Act 1885.
In 2017, Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency and Public Safety) Rules, were notified. Despite rules,
government has also used broad powers under section 144.
Section 69(A) of IT (Amendment) Act, 2008 gives power to block particular websites.

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NEW PLATEAU TYPE DISCOVERED FROM MAHARASHTRA

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A rare low-altitude basalt plateau has been discovered in Thane region in
Western Ghats (a global biodiversity hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage
site in India).
This is the fourth type of plateau to be identified in the region; previous

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three are laterites at high and low altitudes and basalt at high altitudes.
76 species of plants and shrubs from 24 different families have been
found.
Plateaus are dominant landscapes in Western Ghats. They are classified as a
type of rocky outcrop.
Rocky outcrops are geological features that protrude above the surface of
surrounding land.
They are formed by weathering that happens at different rates, causing
the less weathered rock to remain exposed.
They are found on all continents, in most climate zones and vegetation
types.
Basalt is an igneous rock that is formed from
Significance of rocky outcrops
the quick cooling of lava rich in magnesium and
Support high levels of species diversity and endemism. iron.
They have seasonal water availability, limited soil and nutrients, making It has a very fine-grained structure. E.g, the
them ideal to study effects of climate change on species survival. Deccan plateau.
They provide critical breeding sites for many top order mammalian and These rocks are also sources of phosphorus
avian predators; nesting sites for colonial species such as seabirds, bats (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and several
and swifts. micronutrients essential for plant nutrition.

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GOVERNMENT MODIFIED WILDLIFE FUND RULES FOR KEY INFRA PROJECTS

Centre has exempted road, rail, and transmission line projects from having to deposit 2% and 0.5% of total project cost towards
cost of Wildlife Management Plan (WMP) and Soil and Moisture Conservation Plan (SMCP) respectively.
WMP and SMCP are prepared in accordance with conditions stipulated by Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change
(MoEF&CC).
Earlier, MoEF&CC made it mandatory for all projects to deposit this cost for obtaining final forest clearance under Forest Conservation
Act (FCA) 1980.

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Now cost for WMP and SMCP will be proportionate to extent of forest land
involved instead of total project cost.
FCA, 1980 regulates deforestation in the country. It was enacted after State
Governments failure resulted in diversion of forest land without any regard to

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environmental consideration.
Key provisions of the act

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It prohibits felling of forests for any non-forestry use without prior clearance
by the central government.
Clearance process includes seeking consent from local forest rights-holders
and from wildlife authorities.
In T N Godavarman case (1996), Supreme Court expanded coverage of FCA,
NATIONAL LEVEL STEERING

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1980 to all areas that satisfied dictionary definition of a forest; Previously, FCA
applied largely to reserve forests and national parks. COMMITTEE REVIEWS OVERALL
INDIA AND NEW EURASIA PROGRESS OF ATAL BHUJAL
YOJANA

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Recently several
countries including
Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) is a Central Sector

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Japan, South Korea,
Scheme for facilitating sustainable ground
Australia etc. have
water management. It will be implemented
taken initiatives
over a period of 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
suggesting a growing
focus over better One of the main objectives of scheme is to
bring about behavioural change at ground

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relationship between
European and Asian level.
countries.

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Scheme is being taken up in nearly 8350 water
About Eurasian stressed Gram Panchayats of 7 states namely
Region Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Geographically represented by Eurasian Plate, covering most of Europe and
Asia, there is a lack of an agreed international understanding of what It is funded by Government of India and

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constitutes the region. World Bank on a 50:50 basis.

New dynamics in the Eurasian region Scheme has two components:

As Russia and China unveiled a Eurasian alliance this led to strengthening of Institutional Strengthening & Capacity
Western alliance in Europe . Building component by facilitating strong
data base, scientific approach and
It also provided the basis for a new kind of alliance between China’s East community participation in ground water
Asian neighbours and Russia’s West European neighbours (through sector.
initiatives like QUAD, AUKUS etc).
Incentive Component for incentivizing
This new dynamic presents certain challenges for India in terms of: states for achievement of pre-defined results.
Managing coalition with both the blocks (Russia-China and Western alliances) Scheme uses a four pronged strategy:
becoming difficult. Decision support tools for ground water
management, Strengthen community based
Rising proximity between Russia and China.
institutions to foster management, Improve
Significance of Eurasia for India water use efficiency and enhance ground water
recharge and Fiscal decentralisation.
Region is richly endowed with commodities such as crude oil, natural gas,
cotton, gold, copper, aluminium, and iron. Scheme envisages active participation of the
communities and panchayats in various
It is strategically positioned as an access point between Europe and Asia. activities such as formation of Water User
Apart from checking Chinese influence, it will help India to overcome hostile Associations, preparation of Gram
alliances in the region (e.g. Turkey-Pakistan alliance). Panchayat-wise Water Security Plans etc.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

ALSO IN NEWS
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted India-supported resolution ‘Education for
Democracy’ that reaffirms right of everyone to education.
Resolution encouraged Member States and other stakeholders to integrate education for
democracy into their education standards.
Further, resolution also highlighted that states should work with relevant stakeholders to
close digital divides.

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India-supported
resolution adopted by UNGA was established in 1945 under Charter of UN. It is the chief policy making body of the
UNGA organisation.
Each of the 193 Member States of UN has an equal vote.

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Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 envisages constitution of an Adjudicatory Board.
Adjudicatory Board shall consist of a Presiding Officer and two members.

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Presiding Officer shall be a retired Judge of Supreme Court or a retired Chief Justice of a High
Court.
Presiding Officer and Members of the Adjudicatory Board shall be appointed on recommendation
of a Selection Committee consisting of :
Adjudicatory Board for
Chief Justice of India or his nominee

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Major Ports notified
Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training
Secretary of Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways

In a major ruling, Supreme Court declined to stay Competition Commission of India (CCI)’s directions

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to Google to correct its anti-competitive practices.
Google abused its dominant position to mandate pre-installation of Google mobile service

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including Search, YouTube, Maps on phones by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
CCI issued several directives to Google including:
OEMs shall not be forced to pre-install a bouquet of apps.
Google to follow CCI order Google shall not deny its Play Services APIs to disadvantage OEMs, app developers.

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Google should not restrict uninstalling of its pre-installed apps.

Sale of 25th tranche of electoral bonds started.

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Electoral bonds (valid for 15 days from the date of issue) can be purchased by a citizen of India or
entities incorporated or established in India.
Sold in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, and Rs 1 crore.
SBI is the only bank authorised to sell them.

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Electoral Bonds Eligibility: Registered political parties that secured at least one percent of votes polled in the most
recent General or Assembly elections.
A recent study has revealed that genetic diversity of the species as well as habitat has suffered
major losses because of rampant illegal trade.
Star Tortoises, with their distinct star-like markings on the shell, are found in dry lowlands of
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Indian Star Tortoise
Also included in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
(Geochelone elegans)
Wild Fauna and Flora).
Recently, Indian Army issued Proposal for vehicle based drone jammers.
Various ways of drone jamming:
Radio Frequency jamming which disrupts link between drone and its operator by generating
radio frequency interference.
Satellite link disruption through which drone would lose GPS assistance for deciding its flight
path.
Drone Jammers Spoofing through which a wrong navigation link is fed to drone by jammer to misdirect the
drone.
Dazzling through which camera of drone is blinded through a high intensity laser or light beam.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

WHO announced plans to establish a new TB Vaccine Accelerator Council.

It will facilitate the licensing and use of effective novel TB vaccines catalysing high-level
alignment between various stakeholders in identifying and overcoming barriers to TB vaccine
development.
BCG is currently the only licensed TB vaccine.
TB Vaccine Accelerator
Council TB is caused by bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It typically affects lungs (pulmonary TB)
but can affect other sites.

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Five new meteorites were found in the in the Blue Ice region of Antarctica.
Meteoroids are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids.
When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or
shooting stars are called meteors.
When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a

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Meteorite
meteorite.

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There is a rising demand for kewda oil from Odisha’s Ganjam region.
Ganjam kewda (Pandanus fascicularis) oil is steam-distilled from the flower of aromatic
screwpine plant and used as an aromatic in the food industry and other sectors.
Male spike is attractive for its characteristic aromatic odour, whereas female spike is
odourless and develops into a woody drupe.

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Ganjam kewda It is registered under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act,
1999.
PM inaugurated second phase of Sansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 in Basti District, UP.
Khel Mahakumbh organises various competitions in both indoor and outdoor sports like
wrestling, kabaddi, football, hockey, volleyball, handball, table tennis etc.

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Apart from these, competitions in essay writing, painting, rangoli making etc. are also
organised.

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Saansad Khel Mahakumbh Event is aimed at promoting young sporting talent at local grassroot level.
2022-23 Mahakumbh will have special focus on promoting female participation in sports for their
empowerment.

Oman (Capital: Muscat)

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India and Oman have agreed to jointly fight all manifestations of terrorism collectively.

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Political features & Boundaries
Oman is oldest independent state in Arab World situated at
southeastern edge of Arabian Peninsula.
Shares its land borders with UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Situated at confluence of Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea,

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sharing its maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan.
Geographical features
Highest Point: Jabal Akhdar.
It has no perennial rivers or lakes.
South Korea (Capital: Seoul)
India and South Korea agreed to deepen cooperation in multiple
areas at 5th Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue in Seoul.
Places in news Political features & Boundaries
Bordered by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North
Korea) to north, East Sea (Sea of Japan) to east, East China
Sea to south, and Yellow Sea to west.
Shares land border with North Korea and maritime borders
with China and Japan.
Separated from Japanese island of Tsushima by Korea Strait
to southeast.
Geographical features
Highest Point: Mt. Halla-san, a shield volcano on Jeju (Cheju) Island.
Major Rivers: Nakdong (NakdongGang) and Han (Hangang) River.

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 21st JAN, 2023

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CENTRE ISSUES GUIDELINES TO SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS TO REGULATE PROMOTIONS

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The guidelines are aligned with those guidelines issued under Consumer Protection
Deceptive marketing: Posting an ad
Act (CPA), 2019.

ETHICAL ISSUES IN MISLEADING

without mentioning that it is an

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Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading advertisement.
Advertisements, 2022 was issued under CPA, 2019

ADVERTISEMENTS
Inauthentic partnerships and content
It provides a framework for protecting consumers against unfair trade practices
and misleading advertisements.
Need for the guidelines: Influencers may falsely portray a
lifestyle or use of a product.

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There has been increased use of social media for promotional activities and
influencer violations comprising almost 30% of ads taken up by the Advertising Leads to unrealistic standards of
Standards Council of India . lifestyles goals that are unattainable.

India’s social media influencer market expected to reach 2,800 crore by 2025 (from
Violates Right to Choose, Right to be
₹ 1,275 crore in 2022). informed and Right to be safeguarded

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Key highlights against harmful products and servoces.

Any celebrity, influencer or virtual influencer must disclose any material connection (trips or hotel, etc.) with the advertiser.

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Disclosures must be prominently and clearly displayed (hard to miss.)
Endorsements must be made in simple, clear language and terms such as "advertisement," "sponsored," or "paid promotion"
can be used.
The product and service must have been actually used or experienced by the endorser.

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Non-compliance can lead to a jail term of up to 2 years and penalty of Rs 50 lakh.

SUPREME COURT (SC) DECLINES TO ENTERTAIN PETITIONS AGAINST CASTE-BASED

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CENSUS IN BIHAR
The Bihar government had recently launched the caste survey which aims to
ARGUMENTS AGAINST CASTE CENSUS
compile data on each family digitally through a mobile application from the

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panchayat to the district level. May breach
However, pleas were submitted to quash the notification on the ground that the 50%
May hinder reservation mark
the caste-based census “violated the basic structure of the Constitution” the social fabric of set by the
May create
SC refused to entertain the petitions and asked the petitioners to approach the country. Supreme
imbalance in
the high court. the existing Court.
educational and
About Caste Census employment
Caste Census is the caste-wise tabulation of population in the census norms .
exercise.
Caste was included as a parameter in Census data only during the 1931 Census.
Ever since independence, the Census had only the data related to SC and ST populations.
Caste Census is under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs.
Earlier in 2011 attempt was made towards Caste Census by conducting the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC).
Rohini Commission was another attempt by categorization within OBCs for better targeted service delivery.
Need for Caste Census
Obsolete data as the data is nearly 8 decades old.
Hindrance to sub categorisation of OBCs as denoted by Rohini Commission.
To have sufficient data for Govt policy making.
To provide equitable representation to all castes.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

INSURANCE SECTOR NEEDS ₹50,000 CR. CAPITAL PER YEAR TO LIFT PENETRATION: IRDAI
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) chief said
the target is to double penetration in the next five years, and added that it is
Distributes Large Risks

BENEFITS OF INSURANCE
possible to insure all by 2047.
Insurance Penetration is the ratio of premium underwritten in a particular year
to the GDP. Provides Financial Stability
It indicates the level of development of insurance sector in the

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In India the overall penetration for insurance is 4.2% as of FY21-end with life Helps Economic Growth
insurance at 3.2%, and non-life at 1%.
Insurance density (ratio of insurance premium to population) has increased
from $78 in 2020-21 to $91 in 2021-22. Generates Long-Term Wealth

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Key reasons for low penetration: Lack of awareness, Lack of customised and
standardised products, Fewer product innovations, etc.
NEPAL MAKING EFFORTS TO

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Ways to enhance insurance penetration:
Make property insurance compulsory. ACTIVATE SOUTH ASIAN
Insurers should have bancassurance arrangements with non-bank lenders, ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL
COOPERATION (SAARC)
co-operative banks and also payment aggregators.

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Financial sector participants should work together synergistically for
deepening the penetration. Nepal said it was making efforts to activate
regional grouping the SAARC which has not
Business conglomerates should channelise funds into the sector. been effective since 2016.
IRDAI is a statutory body responsible for regulating, promoting and ensuring The last biennial summit took place in
orderly growth of the insurance and re-insurance business in India. Kathmandu in 2014.

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MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE
The 2016 SAARC Summit was to be held in
Pakistan.

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CHANGE (MOEFCC) NOTIFIES NORMS FOR FLY ASH But after the terrorist attack on an Indian
Army camp in Uri in 2016, India did not
UTILISATION BY POWER PLANTS participate.
MoEFCC has notified the latest The summit was called off after

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amendments exercising the GOVERNMENT MEASURES TO Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan
power under the Environment PROMOTE FLY ASH UTILIZATION also declined to participate.

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(Protection) Act 1986. Mandatory for coal and lignite based TPPs Importance of revival of SAARC:
Amendments are aimed at to ensure 100% utilisation of fly ash within Reviving SAARC is crucial to countering the
better utilisation of fly ash by three to five years. common socio-economic challenges
coal-based thermal power Mobile app for ash management-ASH prevalent in South Asia.
plants (TPPs) in the country. TRACK. A unified South Asian platform remains

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Key changes Mandatory use of fly ash-based products India’s most potent countermeasure in
in all Government schemes e.g. Pradhan dealing with the challenge from China.
Areas where fly ash is stored Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana. There is no real alternative as BIMSTEC
can also be reclaimed by cannot replace SAARC for reasons such as
setting up solar and wind power plants, along with plantations. lack of a common identity and history among
Done away with the price cap on fly ash bricks. all BIMSTEC members.
Critical for Regional cooperation in South
Utilisation targets as per the applicable compliance cycle shall commence
Asia as it is one of the least integrated regions
from April 1, 2022”
in the world in terms of trade and
About Fly ash people-to-people contact.
Ash is the mineral matter left after burning coal. In a power plant, a major SAARC can help in the creation of mutual
portion of the ash is carried off with flue gases (hence, the term fly ash), and trust and peace within the region.
can be filtered using electrostatic precipitators.
ABOUT SAARC
Due to improper handling, it ends up in neglected ash ponds in dangerous It is an economic and political organization
quantities, polluting surface and groundwater. which was established in 1985.
Composition: substantial amounts of oxides of silica, aluminium and calcium. Members include: Afghanistan,
Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, lead etc. in trace concentrations. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Usage: manufacturing of Portland cement, bricks, tiles, manufacturing of
Absorbents (for purification of waste gases, drinking water) etc. Headquarters: Kathmandu, Nepal

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

IN RELIEF FOR INVESTORS, BOMBAY HIGH COURT QUASHES WRITE-OFF OF YES BANK
ADDITIONAL TIER-ONE (AT-1) BONDS
The Court set aside the 2020 order of a RBI appointed administrator at Yes Bank to
BASEL ACCORDS
write down more than ₹8,300 crore of AT-1 bonds bought by investors.
It refers to a set of banking supervision
The writing off AT 1 bonds were allowed as part of a restructuring plan to rescue
regulations set by the Basel Committee on
YES Bank in March 2020.
Banking Supervision (BCBS).

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About AT1 Bonds
The Basel III regulations were created after
AT1 bonds are a type of perpetual bonds having maturity of 100 years and offer the financial crisis and strengthened the
relatively higher rates. minimum capital requirements outlined in
They are considered quasi-equity instruments with a larger risk of investment. Basel I and II.

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They were introduced under Basel accord and banks issue them to shore up their core capital base to meet the Basel-III norms.
In India, banks must maintain capital at a minimum ratio of 11.5% of their risk-weighted asset.

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Of this, 9.5% needs to be in Tier-1 capital and 2% in Tier-2.
If the capital ratios of the issuer fall below a certain percentage or in the event of an institutional failure, the rules allow the issuer
to stop paying interest or even write down these bonds, as happened in the Yes Bank case.
These bonds are subordinate to all other debt and senior only to equity.

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ALSO IN NEWS
Amicus curiae in a matter related to filling of vacancies in subordinate judiciary submitted
affidavit to the Supreme Court

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Key highlights
Over 26% posts of judicial officers lying vacant in subordinate judiciary in 6 states (Odisha,

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Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana).
Vacancy in subordinate Delay in fund allocation or non-disbursal of funds by the state government.
judiciary
Allotment of land is pending with the State Government.
Supreme Court (SC) held that charge sheet by probing agency is not a “public document”.

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It stated that putting it in public domain will violate the rights of victim, accused and
investigating agencies

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Charge sheet refers to a formal police record showing the names of each person brought into
custody, the nature of the accusations, and the identity of the accusers.
First Information Report (FIR) is a written document prepared by the police when they receive
Charge sheets information about the commission of a cognizable offence.

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Under Youth Bar Association Case (2016) the SC issued directions to the police to upload the
FIRs in website within 24 hours except in sensitive cases like rape.
India’s Minister of External Affairs reiterated that full implementation of the 13A is “critical” for
achieving reconciliation with the minority Tamil community.
13th A brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987, provides for the devolution of
power to the Tamil community.
Sri Lanka has a long history of failed negotiations to end the Tamil claim of discrimination by
13th Amendment (13A) to allowing some form of political autonomy.
Sri Lanka’s Constitution 13A will facilitate unity among all the communities in Sri Lanka so that they could live as one.

Centre has announced a one-time relaxation from maintaining average export obligation and
an option to extend the export obligation period for certain sectors.
The sectors that are eligible for this relief are the Hotel, Healthcare, and Educational sectors.
EPCG aims to facilitate import of capital goods for producing quality goods and services and
enhance India's manufacturing competitiveness.
It allows import of capital goods for pre-production, production and post-production at zero
Export Promotion Capital customs duty.
Goods (EPCG) scheme It is administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and is governed by the
Foreign Trade Policy of India.

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Kerala’s Wayanad becomes the first district in the country to provide basic documents to all tribal
people.
The Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitisation (ABCD) campaign provided Aadhaar
cards, ration cards, birth/death certificates, etc.
These documents are digitized and saved in DigiLocker accounts.
Akshaya Big Campaign Digitalising the documents through DigiLocker will help the beneficiaries easily retrieve the
documents in case these are lost or damaged.

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The Uttar Pradesh irrigation department drained out Haiderpur wetland, a protected Ramsar
site.
Haiderpur Wetland is a human made wetland formed in 1984 by the construction of the Madhya
Ganga Barrage on a floodplain of Ganga.
It is located within the boundaries of Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Species: It supports species like the critically endangered gharial and hog deer (EN), black-bellied
tern (EN), Indian skimmer (EN) and golden mahseer(EN).

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Haiderpur Wetland
Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for
conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
India has 75 Ramsar sites.
Study revealed that regions surrounding northern Bay of Bengal (BoB) received higher
precipitation than the other parts of India for the last 10200 years.

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Bengal Basin is located at the trajectory of BoB branch of the ISM and even a minor change in
ISM strength may have adverse effects on agrarian-based socioeconomic conditions of the
Study on dynamics of region.
Indian Summer Monsoon Study was conducted by Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, an autonomous institute of

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(ISM) Rainfall Department of Science and Technology.

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Exercise
Cyclone - I It is the first joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army.

At least 70 samples of commonly used drugs were found to be of sub-standard quality by

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CDSCO after latest round of inspections.
CDSCO is under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

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It is Central Drug Authority for discharging functions assigned to Central Government under
Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
Central Drugs Standard Under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for:
Control Organization Approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, Laying down standards for Drugs, and Control over
(CDSCO) quality of imported Drugs in country.

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Coordination of activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice.

Under AgriEnIcs programme of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Centre
for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kolkata has developed:
Technology for Air Quality Monitoring System (AI-AQMS v1.0) for outdoor quality monitoring,
Biosensing based EDC detection system (MEAN) to detect Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in
aquatic ecosystems.
National programme on
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances in environment (air, soil, or water supply),
Electronics and ICT
food sources, personal care products, and manufactured products that interfere with normal
applications in Agriculture
function of our body’s endocrine system.
and Environment
(AgriEnIcs) AgriEnIcs programme aims to solve problems in Agriculture and Environment domain by using
Electronics and ICT technologies.
This mela is organised annually on the occasion of Magh Bihu (celebrated in the mid-January), in
the Morigaon District of Assam.
The three-day annual event is organised under the traditional king of the Tiwa tribe called Gobha
Deoraja that once ruled the area.
Magh Bihu is a traditional harvest festival of Assam.
Joon Beel mela (fair) It has kept alive the system of barter as a means of procuring goods.
Tribal communities like Tiwa, Karbi, Khasi, and Jaintia from nearby hills participate in the fair.

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 22nd & 23rd JAN, 2023

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SWITZERLAND BECAME FIRST WTO MEMBER TO FORMALLY ACCEPT NEW AGREEMENT
ON FISHERIES SUBSIDIES

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Agreement sets new binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies,

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which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of world's fish stocks.
More than a third of world stocks are fished at biologically unsustainable
levels.
It is the first WTO agreement to focus on environment and only second
agreement reached at WTO since its inception.

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It was adopted at WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference held in Geneva (June
2022).
Acceptances from two-thirds of WTO members are needed for Agreement to
come into effect.

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Key features of the agreement
Prohibits subsidies to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, INDIA’S STAND

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and bans subsidies for fishing overfished stocks and for fishing on unregulated
high seas. WTO Members who have provided huge
subsidies in the past, and engaged in
Recognizes needs of developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) and large-scale industrial fishing should take more
establishes a Fund to provide technical assistance and capacity building to obligations to prohibit subsidies based on
help them implement the Agreement.

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‘polluter pay principle’ and ‘common but
Recently, European Union pledged €1 million for this fund. differentiated responsibilities’.

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No prohibition on a WTO Member regarding subsidy to its vessel or operator as long as it is not carrying out IUU.
No prohibition on subsidies that are implemented to rebuild stock to a biologically sustainable level.

ECONOMY AT RISK FROM MOVE TO CLEAN ENERGY

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A recent study has highlighted that India’s financial sector is highly exposed to risks of economy transitioning from being largely
dependent on fossil fuel to clean energy as :
60% of lending to mining sector was for oil and gas extraction.
20% of manufacturing sector debt is for petroleum refining and related industries.
High-carbon industries like power generation, chemicals, etc, have less financial capacity to respond to shocks and stresses due
to transition.
In the recent years, India has shown its commitment to environmental stewardship, climate action and focus on renewables by
focusing on clean energy.
Clean energy is broadly defined as energy derived from renewable, zero-emissions sources, as well as energy saved through
energy efficiency measures.
Need is felt because of reasons like inexhaustible resources, energy security by reducing import dependency, reduced carbon
emissions to meet global commitments, cleaner environment etc.
Steps taken by India
PM announced net-zero commitment by 2070.
Policies like Green hydrogen policy, Offshore wind policy etc.
Schemes such as PM-KUSUM, FAME INDIA etc.
Union Budget 2022-23 provides roadmap for clean energy and climate mitigation.

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SEBI LAUNCHES INFORMATION DATABASE ON MUNICIPAL BONDS

Database contains a wide range of information in form of statistics and regulations, circulars etc. issued by Sebi and information to
be obtained by an Issuer to tap Municipal Bond Market.
A municipal bond is a debt instrument issued by municipal corporations.
Bengaluru floated municipal bonds for first time in India in 1997.
Need for Municipal Bonds
Better urban infrastructure require greater flow of financial resources to Local governments.

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Reduce dependence of municipal corporations on central or state government.
Will enable adoption of innovative and appropriate technologies for waste
treatment, tackling of air and water pollution etc. TYPES OF MUNICIPAL BONDS
Constraints faced General obligation bonds: for enhancing civic

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Lack of a secondary market constraints attracting a more extensive investor amenities such as water, sanitation, garbage
base. disposal, etc.

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Conditions imposed such as prescribed limits and maximum loan Revenue bonds: for a specific purpose such as
repayment period. construction of a toll road or a toll bridge.
Poor accounting standards and low institutional capabilities.
RBI in a recent report suggested several measures for resource mobilisation ‘INFLATION TARGETING’ NEITHER
NECESSARY, NOR SUFFICIENT
through municipal bonds such as:

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Sound and efficient regulation, greater transparency, and better
governance. FOR PRICE CONTROL: IMF PAPER
Listing municipal bonds in stock exchanges for developing a secondary Paper suggested that for some countries
market. targeting leads to improved outcomes.
However for most countries there is limited
AHOM BURIAL MOUNDS “MAIDAM” IN ASSAM TO VIE

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impact of such framework.

FOR UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE (WHS) TAG Inflation targeting is a technique to bring

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inflation to a targeted level within a specific
Presently, there are 40 UNESCO time horizon. It controls inflation level by
WHS in India: 32 cultural (none in increasing or decreasing interest rate
the northeast), 7 natural, and 1 prevailing in economy.
mixed type.

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Increasing rate is believed to bring down
Maidams are the burial mounds of inflation by curtailing economic activity.
Ahom kings, queens and nobles.

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Decreasing rate increases inflation level by
Though Maidams are found in all
increasing economic activity.
districts of Upper Assam,
Charaideo, first capital of Ahoms Importance of Inflation Targeting
was necropolis of almost all More transparent, accountable and

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Ahom Royals.
Maidam consists of three major
ABOUT coherent policymaking.

features: AHOM KINGDOM Price stability allows investors to

confidently invest for productive activities.
A vault or chamber (to keep Traditionally and culturally Ahoms
mortal remains). Price stability maintains purchasing power
are members of Great Tai (Tai-Yai) of consumers.
A hemispherical earthen group of people.
mound covering the chamber In 2016, Parliament amended RBI Act, 1934 to
They entered upper Assam region of change monetary policy, and introduce an
with a brick structure
Brahmaputra Valley through Patkai inflation targeting framework.
(Chow-châli) for annual offering
hills under leadership of Chaulung
over it. As per the new framework, central
Sinkapha, first king of the Ahom
An octagonal boundary wall dynasty. government, in consultation with RBI sets:
having an arched gateway on its
He established capital at Charaideo. An inflation target.
west.
Their sizes vary from a modest An upper and lower tolerance level for
Lachit Borphukan was one of the
mound to a hillock, depending retail inflation.
greatest war generals who fought
upon the power, status and againts Mughals. Target has been set at 4%, with an upper
resources of the person buried. tolerance limit of 6% and a lower tolerance
Special officer, known as Changrung Phukan, were appointed for limit of 2%.
construction of all the civil works including royal Maidam. Target and bands are revised every five
Ahom kings used to be buried along with their treasures and articles of their years. In March 2021, the existing targets
day-to-day use. were carried forward.

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ChatGPT POPULARITY RAISES CYBERSECURITY CONCERNS

ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot launched in November 2022 by
OpenAI, which can comprehend and generate natural language or human text.
It can respond to user queries with summarized information in short and simple sentences.
OpenAI is a leading research laboratory based in San Francisco (USA).
GPT is a kind of computer language model that relies on deep learning techniques to produce human-like text based on inputs.

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It is trained on large amounts of text data and uses an algorithm known as Transformer to learn how to generate text that is
similar to human conversation.
Applications include creating chatbots for customer service, generating responses to questions in online forums, creating
personalised content for social media posts etc.
Concerns related to ChatGPT

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Potential automation and scaling of ChatGPT may industrialise creation and personalisation of malicious web pages, highly

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targeted phishing campaigns, and social engineering reliant scams.
It will allow people with less or no skills in coding to launch cyberattacks.
It would be difficult to distinguish between A.I generated content and one’s original work.

ALSO IN NEWS

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Indian Coast Guard conducted a course for officers & sailors of several countries under ITEC.
ITEC Programme (Ministry of External Affairs) was instituted in 1964 as a bilateral programme of
assistance to share India’s developmental experience.

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ITEC have also been used for cooperation programmes such as Commonwealth Secretariat,
UNIDO, Group of 77 and G-15, ASEAN, BIMSTEC etc.

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Under ITEC and its sister programmes, SCAAP (Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa
Indian Technical and Programme), and Technical Cooperation Scheme of Colombo Plan, more than 160 countries
Economic Cooperation have benefitted.
(ITEC) Programme
Major components of ITEC: Training and Capacity building, Study Tours, Deputation of Indian
experts.

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AIC released meagre sums as compensation against crops damage claims to the farmers of
Barmer District (Rajasthan).

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AIC was incorporated under Indian Companies Act 1956, in 2002. It is under administrative
control of the Ministry of Finance.
AIC has been promoted by several Public Sector Financial Institution Viz. General Insurance
Corporation, New India Assurance Company etc and NABARD as a specialty Crop Insurance provider.

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Agriculture Insurance Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare has also designated AIC for
Company of India Limited Government sponsored agriculture /crop insurance schemes.
(AIC)
AIC has taken over implementation of National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS).
Almost three years after its implementation, program has less than 50% uptake and so far only
15 States have started classroom sessions with students.
School Health & Wellness Programme is being implemented in government and government
aided schools in districts (including aspirational districts).
It has been incorporated as a part of Health and Wellness component of Ayushman Bharat
School Health & Wellness Programme.
Programme Two teachers, preferably one male and one female, in every school are designated as “Health and
Wellness Ambassadors” to transact with school children for one hour every week.
A High Court appointed committee has refuted Meghalaya Government’s estimate of coal
extracted before National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned rat-hole mining in April 2014.
Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, which workers (often
children) enter and extract coal.
It is mostly practiced in Meghalaya because of thinness of coal found there.
In 2019, Supreme Court stated that if coal mining is done under Mines and Minerals
Rat-hole mining (Development and Regulation) Act and Mineral Concession Rules 1960, NGT ban will not be
applicable.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

India had set a target to eliminate Measels and Rubella (vaccine-preventable diseases) by 2023
(missed earlier deadline of 2020).
Measles is caused by a virus that specifically infects the respiratory system.
Rubella is caused by a virus that invades lymph nodes, eyes and skin.
Steps taken by India
Mission Indradhanush to ramp up vaccinating the unvaccinated population.
Measels and Rubella National strategic plan for measles and rubella elimination.

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Introduced rubella-containing vaccine (RCV) into the routine immunisation programme.
A nationwide measles-rubella supplementary immunisation activity (SIA) catch-up campaign.
Excavations revealed Buddhist monastery complex at Bharatpur, West Bengal.
Other Findings during earlier excavations at location

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A Buddhist stupa.
Black and red ware pottery from Chalcolithic or Copper Age.

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Sculptures of Buddha in Bhumisparsha Mudra (also known as 'earth witness' mudra) -- with all
five fingers of the right hand extended to touch the ground.
Buddhist monastery
complex found It symbolizes Buddha's enlightenment under bodhi tree, when he summoned the earth
goddess, Sthavara, to bear witness to his attainment of enlightenment.

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Veer Narayan Singh
Government of Chhattisgarh named “Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket
Stadium” to honour him.
He was a landlord from Sonakhan, Chhattisgarh.
He spearheaded the 1857 war in Chhattisgarh. He is also considered as "The 1st Chhattisgarhi

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freedom fighter".
His ancestors were from the Gond tribe. Later on, they changed their affiliation from the Gond to

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Personality in News
the Binjhwar tribe .
Personality traits: Courageous, Leader, Determined etc.
Jagannath Temple (Puri, Odisha)
Dedicated to Lord Jagannath, considered an avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu.

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Built by: King Ananta Varman Chodaganga Deva (in 12th century).
Also called White Pagoda and is a part of Char Dhams (Dwarika, Badrinath & Rameswar are other

I
three).
Main temple is constructed in Kalinga architecture in such a way that no shadow of temple falls
on the ground at any time of the day.
Idols of holy trinity (Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and elder

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brother Balabhadra) are carved out of wood.
Carvings are predominantly of gods and goddesses.
Jagannath Rath Yatra is celebrated here.
Somalia (Capital:Mogadishu)
US strike in Somalia killed approximately 30
al-Shabaab fighter.
Places in New
Political Boundaries
Location: Easternmost country on mainland Africa
situated on peninsula known as Horn of Africa.
Borders: Bordered by Ethiopia, Djibouti, Gulf of
Aden, Kenya, and Indian Ocean. Also Shares maritime
borders with Yemen.
Equator passes through Somalia.
Geographical features
Terrain: Mostly flat savanna and semidesert, to
undulating plateau rising to hills in north.
Major Rivers: Shebelle and Jubba.
Highest Point: Mount Shimbiris, also known as Mount Surud Cad.

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 24th JAN, 2023

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CERN (EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH) SHORTENS LHC
RUNNING PERIOD

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Known for discovering ‘god particle’ in 2012, CERN has shortened running

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period of their Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to reduce its energy intake.
Higgs boson or God particle is fundamental force-carrying particle of Higgs
field, which is responsible for granting other particles their mass.
LHC, first started in 2008, is world's largest and most powerful particle
accelerator ever built that pushes protons or ions to near the speed of light.

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It consists of 27-kilometer ring of superconducting magnets with several
accelerating structures to boost the energy of particles.
LHC is used to smash accelerated protons or lead ions to measure energies,
directions and velocities of these particles at four particle detectors- ATLAS,
CMS, ALICE and LHCb.

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Purpose: To find answers to open questions left in Standard Model of Particle
CERN, founded in 1954, is a Geneva-based particle
Physics such as origin of mass evidences of supersymmetry, dark matter,
physics laboratory that provide a unique range of

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dark energy etc. particle accelerator facilities that enable research at
CERN has proposed to develop a Future circular collider (FCC), a successor to forefront of human knowledge.
current LHC. Currently, it has 23 member states.
FCC is next generation of higher performance particle colliders planned to India is an Associate Member State of CERN along
have a 100 km circumference and reach 100 TeV (tera electron Volts) of with others while Japan, US, UNESCO and EU hold

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collusion energy. observer status.

NATIONAL ASSET RECONSTRUCTION COMPANY LTD (NARCL) ACQUIRES FIRST

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STRESSED ASSET
NARCL, an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC)/bad bank,
has acquired its first stressed asset- Jaypee Infratech- from

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lenders.
NARCL/Bad bank is a corporate structure that isolates risky
assets held by banks in a separate entity. It was announced in
Union Budget 2021-22.
NARCL will take over large value NPA accounts (over ₹500
crore) from banks with total assets to be acquired of around
₹2 lakh crore.
Stressed assets will be acquired through a 15 percent
upfront cash payment and 85 percent in form of security
receipts (SR).
NARCL is incorporated under Companies Act with Public
Sector Banks holding a majority stake.
It is registered with RBI as an ARC under Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest
Act, 2002.
Significance of Bad Bank
Reduce NPAs of banks, improving financial system stability and efficiency.
Improve recoveries and promote competition, as NARCL allows Swiss Challenge to get the best for banks from stressed assets.
Opportunities for other ARCs at MSME’s level, as NARCL reconstruct assets only where banks total exposure is more than ₹500 crore.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

EMERGENCY CREDIT LINE GUARANTEE SCHEME (ECLGS) BAILED OUT 14.6 LAKH
MSMES: SBI RESEARCH REPORT
As per report, incentives provided by ECLGS have helped in boosting credit flow to MSMEs.
Key findings
MSME loan accounts worth Rs 2.2 lakh crore improved for entire banking
industry.
Saved 12 percent of outstanding MSME credit from slipping into

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Non-Performing Asset and livelihood of nearly 6.6 crores.
MSME units becoming larger with several units crossing threshold of ₹250
crore turnover and turning into mid-sized corporates by new definition of
MSME units. (refer image)
ELECTION COMMISSION OF

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ECLGS is a special scheme to provide 100 percent guarantee coverage to banks
and NBFCs to enable them to extend emergency credit facilities to Business INDIA (ECI) HOSTS 2ND
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

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Enterprises/MSMEs.
It was announced as part of AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package with:
Emergency Credit Line of upto 20% of total outstanding as on February 29, ON THEME ‘USE OF TECHNOLOGY
2020.
100% Guarantee Coverage with maximum tenure of 4 years from date of
& ELECTIONS INTEGRITY’

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disbursement and one year moratorium on principal amount. It is a follow on to the ‘Summit for Democracy’,
It is managed by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) an initiative from USA with three pillars of
under trusteeship management. focus (refer image).
Other recent steps taken As part of ‘Summit for Democracy’, India
through ECI is leading ‘Democracy Cohort
MSME definition was changed in 2020 with introduction of a composite criteria

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on Election Integrity’ to share its knowledge,
Udyam Assist Platform, developed by SIDBI (Small Industries Development technical expertise, with other democracies
Bank of India), to bring all informal micro enterprises (IMEs) into formal ambit. around world.

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It would benefit up to 5 crore IMEs. Three broad verticals highlighted by ECI on
technology deployment to Election
FIFTH SCORPENE-CLASS SUBMARINE INS VAGIR Management Bodies (EMBs) are

COMMISSIONED INTO INDIAN NAVY

Ease of registration for voters,

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Facilitating political parties & candidates,
INS Vagir, launched in 2020, is and
SCORPENE SUBMARINES
among the six submarines being

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They have advanced acoustic Election management & logistics/security.
built in India under Indian Navy's
Project-75 at Mazagon Dock absorption techniques, low radiated Use of technology in Elections: Managing a
Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in noise levels, hydro-dynamically database of over 94.5 crore electors or ease
Mumbai under collaboration with optimised shape. They can launch voter registration, facilitating election-related
attack using precision guided weapons decision-making, rationalization of polling

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Naval Group, France.
including torpedoes, and missiles. stations, etc.
Also called 'Sand Shark', INS
Threats of technology in Elections:
Vagir represents ‘Stealth and Fearlessness’.
Cybersecurity with respect to transmitting
Vagir can undertake multifarious types of missions i.e., anti-surface, voting data, deepfake narratives to elections
anti-submarine, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance, etc. etc. in India and worldwide.
Project-75, signed in 2005, includes indigenous construction of six submarines Technology interventions by ECI
of Scorpene (diesel- electric) design.
cVigil Application for filling Model Code of
Four of them, Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, and Vela have already been delivered Conduct Violation cases by citizens.
to Navy and commissioned.
Saksham App for Accessible elections for
INS Vagsheer will be commissioned in late 2023. people with disabilities (PwDs).
P-75I, succeeds P75, is part of 30-year submarine building plan that ends in 2030. Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), an
P-75I envisages construction of six conventional submarines with better electronic device, for recording votes.
sensors and weapons and Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP). Voter verifiable
It provides boost to indigenous design and construction capability of paper audit trail
submarines in India, in addition to bringing in latest submarine design and (VVPAT) or verified
technologies. paper record (VPR)
AIP is a technology that allows a conventional submarine to remain submerged provides feedback
for much longer period (fortnight) than ordinary diesel-electric submarines. to voters using a
ballot-less voting
Fuel cell-based AIP has merits in performance compared to other
system.
technologies.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

COUNTDOWN TO 2023: WHO REPORT ON GLOBAL TRANS-FAT ELIMINATION 2022

RELEASED
It is an annual status report published by World Health
Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with Resolve to
Save Lives.
It monitors global progress towards 2023 target
for global elimination of industrially produced

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Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA).
Key findings
5 billion people globally are exposed to harmful
trans-fat, increasing their heart disease and death

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risk.
9 of the 16 countries do not have a best-practice

I
policy.
They are Australia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Ecuador,
Egypt, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Republic of Korea.
TFAs are unsaturated fatty acids that are of two types
Two best practices in trans-fat removal policies follow specific
Naturally occurring trans-fat occurs naturally in

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criteria, established by WHO, includes
some dairy and meat products.
National limit of 2 grams of industrially produced trans-fat per 100
Industrially produced trans-fat adds hydrogen to
grams of total fat in all foods;
liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. It is
found in packaged foods, baked goods, cooking National ban on production/ use of partially hydrogenated oils
oils and spreads. (major source of trans fat) as an ingredient in all foods.

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Recommendations: Invest in monitoring and surveillance mechanisms; Develop and implement best-practice policies to set TFA
limits, etc.

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Steps taken to regulate TFA
REPLACE strategy by WHO. (refer image)
FSSAI limit the content not more than 2% by mass of total oils and fats from January 2022.
FSSAI made mandatory for food manufacturers to declare TFA content on nutrition label.

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ALSO IN NEWS

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Ministry of Finance has set up a G20 task force on DPI for Economic Transformation, Financial
Inclusion and Development.
It will create a detailed map of India’s DPI across sectors and shortlist them to be presented by

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India within the individual G20 tracks.
DPI refers to digital solutions that enable basic functions essential for public and private
Digital Public service delivery, i.e., collaboration, commerce, and governance. E.g. Aadhaar and UPI in India.
Infrastructure (DPI) DPI can enable access to protection and health services, reduce poverty and boost educational
access for children worldwide.
Gold ETFs inflow has plunged by 90% in 2022 due to rising gold prices, interest rates and
inflation.
Gold ETF is an ETF to track domestic physical gold price.
ETF is a basket of securities that trades on an exchange just like a stock does.
It tracks a particular index, sector, commodity, or other assets.
Gold Exchange Traded Gold ETF are passive investment instruments that are based on gold prices and invest in gold
Funds (Gold ETFs) bullion.
Backed by physical gold, Gold ETFs are listed and traded on NSE and BSE.

It is the 6th Edition of Counter Terrorism Exercise between India’s NSG (National Security Guard)
and US Special Operations Forces (SOF).
Exercise Tarkash 2023

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

World Economic Forum (WEF) will consider the participation of women at panchayat level to
rank countries in its future Global Gender Gap reports.
Inclusion of data on women’s participation at panchayat level will push India’s ranking up on
global stage.
Presently, Global Gender Gap Index (first launched in 2006) benchmarks current state and evolution
Criteria for gender gap of gender parity across four key dimensions i.e.,
reports Economic Participation and Opportunity; Educational Attainment; Health and Survival;
and Political Empowerment.

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Recently, an increased rate of coral deaths has been observed on Eastern coast of Thailand due to
YBD.
YBD is a bacterial disease which disturbs symbiotic relations of corals causing them to die.
Disease turns the colour of coral to yellow before destroying them completely.

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There is no known cure for the disease and is non reversible unlike coral bleaching.
Yellow Band Disease (YBD) According to researchers, overfishing, rising sea water temperature and pollution is making coral

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more vulnerable to this disease.
On Parakram Diwas, 21 largest unmanned islands of Andaman & Nicobar Islands are named after
21 Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardees.
Parakram Diwas is celebrated on occasion of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose.

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PVC is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valor
during wartime.
It was designed by Mrs. Savitri Khanolkar.
Param Vir Chakra (PVC)
Cast in bronze, it carries state emblem at centre on a raised circle surrounded by four replicas of

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Indra's Vajra, flanked by sword of Shivaji.
Major Somnath Sharma (Posthumous) was first PVC awardee.

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PMRBP-2023 conferred upon 11 children by President of India.
PMRBP is instituted by Ministry of Women and Child Development, and conferred upon children
in the age group 5 – 18 years.
It is given for six categories, viz. Art & Culture, Bravery, Innovation, Scholastic, Social Service

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and Sports.
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) and Lunglei Fire Station (LFS), Mizoram,

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Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) and have been selected for Subhash Chandra Bose APP-2023.
Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhash Chandra Bose APP for 2023 was instituted by government as an annual award.
Aapda Prabandhan
Puraskar (APP) It recognises and honour the contribution and service rendered by individuals and
organisations in India in field of disaster management.

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Globe at Night, an international citizen-science campaign, study has highlighted that:
Night sky brightness has increased by 7-10% per year from artificial light between 2011-22.
Visibility of stars in night sky is declining by 10% per year because of light pollution.
Light pollution, also known as photo pollution, is the presence of anthropogenic light in night
environment.
Impact of Light Pollution: Interferes with astronomical research, disrupts ecosystems, threat to
Light Pollution and nocturnal wildlife especially birds etc.
Skyglow Skyglow is a form of light pollution characterized by diffuse illumination of night sky.
Easily visible over cities, it doesn’t include natural light sources such as moon and visible
individual stars.
Fukushima to release radioactive contaminated water which was stored at Fukushima Daiichi
Nuclear Power Plant on Japan's east coast due to tsunami.
Before it is stored, wastewater produced at Fukushima is treated to remove almost all radioactive
elements including cobalt 60, strontium 90 and caesium 137.
But tritium—a radioactive form of hydrogen—is left behind.
When one of hydrogen atoms in water is replaced by tritium, it forms radioactive tritiated water.
Tritiated water Tritiated water is chemically identical to normal water, which makes separating it from
wastewater expensive, energy intensive and time consuming.

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 25th JAN, 2023

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RURAL FOLKS HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS TO HEALTHCARE AS CITY DWELLERS: SUPREME
COURT (SC)

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Setting aside the Assam Rural Health Regulatory Authority Act of

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2004 which allowed diploma holders to treat certain diseases,
perform minor procedures and prescribe certain drugs, SC held that:
Prescribing Lesser Qualifications for Medical Practitioners
serving Rural Areas Is violative of substantive equality and
non-discrimination.
State legislature has no legislative competence to enact a law in

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respect of modern medicine or allopathic medicine, contrary to
standards set by central law.
Government is duty-bound to enhance access to healthcare in
such areas and appoint qualified doctors for rural population.

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India’s Rural Health Care System
Divided into three-tier (refer image), rural healthcare system In

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India faces acute shortage of healthcare infrastructure and
qualified medical professionals.
Rural Health Statistics 2021-22 reported:
Over 80% shortfall of specialists in the 6,064 CHCs across the country.
14.4% vacant posts of Health Workers (Female) and Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) in PHC and sub-centres.

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Causes of Rural Health Disparities: Poor socio-economic status of people, geographic isolation, infrastructure limitations, lack of
interest of doctors to serve in rural areas etc.

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DEMO-RUN OF INLAND WATER VESSEL POWERED BY METHANOL BLENDED DIESEL
(MD15) HELD
Demo-run of Vessel named SB Gangadhar in Guwahati, Assam was held in run-up to India

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INITIATIVES TAKEN BY INDIA FOR METHANOL

Energy Week 2023 (IEW 2023). NITI Aayog's road map for Methanol
Economy
IEW 2023, first major event under India's G20 Presidency, follows PM’s pledge at COP26
to cut India's emissions to net-zero by 2070.
Bureau of Indian Standards has
IEW 2023 is held under Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. notified 20% DME (Di-methyl Ether,
BASED ECONOMY

a derivative of methanol) in LPG

Methanol (CH3OH), also known as wood alcohol, is a low carbon hydrogen carrier fuel
produced from high ash coal, agricultural residue, CO2 from thermal power plants and Notification for M-15, M-85, M-100
natural gas. blends issued by the Ministry of
Road, Transport and Highways
It has properties similar to ethanol.
In 2018, Assam Petrochemicals
It is used in various products, including plastics, paints, cosmetics etc. launched Asia’s first canister-based
methanol cooking fuel programme
Significance of Methanol economy for India
Blending of 15% methanol in gasoline can result in at least 15% reduction in import of BHEL, Thermax, and IIT Delhi to set
up coal-to-methanol plants in the
gasoline/crude oil.
country
Would bring down GHG emissions by 20% in terms of particulate matter, NOx, and SOx.
Although slightly lower in energy content than petrol and diesel, methanol can replace these fuels in transport sector, energy sector
and retail cooking.
Cost to convert vessels to run on methanol is significantly less than other alternative fuel conversions.
Would create close to 5 million jobs.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) INDIA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO

DRIVE INCLUSIVE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
It is launched in partnership with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and will
focus on:
End-to-end management of plastic waste by promoting segregation of waste
at source and collection of segregated waste.
Setting up Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) or Swachhata Kendras for

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recycling all kinds of plastic waste along the value chain.
Social Inclusion of 20,000 Safai Saathis or waste pickers through access to
government welfare schemes and linkages etc.
Building capacities of Urban Local Bodies for adopting MRFs model for

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plastic and dry waste management.
Initiative is a scale-up of existing partnership under UNDP’s flagship Plastic

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Waste Management Programme to develop a sustainable model for plastic
waste management in India.
It promotes collection, segregation, and recycling of all plastics to move towards
a circular economy.
An alternative to current linear economy, circular economy is a model of
production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing,
THE NECESSITY OF TAXING

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repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as FARMERS’ INCOME IN INDIA
possible to:
Some economic experts have opined that
Extend life cycle of products. income tax must be paid if one’s income is
Reduce waste to a minimum by creating further value (refer image) above a threshold, irrespective of whether

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one is a farmer.
ONGC TO MAP INDIA’S GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES IN It can help in:
SEARCH OF CLEAN ENERGY

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Increasing number of taxpayers and share
Move comes at a time when India of direct taxes to total taxes.
has set an ambitious target of 500 Reducing tax evasions with better
GW of installed renewable energy record-keeping from farmers.
capacity by 2030 and net zero

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carbon emission by 2070. Formalization of loans with a unified
taxation across states.
Geothermal energy is an energy

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source that is stored in the form of Income tax is a direct tax that a government
heat beneath earth's surface. levies on income of its citizens.
Magma in inner layer of earth Section 10 (1) of Income Tax Act (1961)
heats nearby rocks and exempts agricultural income from tax.

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underground aquifers, as a result
Agriculture is a state subject and State
hot water is released through
Governments can charge agricultural tax
geysers, hotsprings, steam
(Entry 46 in State List).
vents,underwater hydrothermal
vents, and mud pots. But exemption leads to various anomalies,
Hot water and steam can be highlighted by multiple committees (e.g. Kelkar
piped up through underground task Force on Direct Taxes of 2002, Tax
wells and used to generate Administration Reform Commission of 2014)
electricity in a power plant. such as:
As per preliminary investigations undertaken by Geological Survey of India, Laundering of non-agricultural income as
there are around 300 geothermal hot springs in India. agricultural income by individuals and
Puga and Chumathang in eastern Ladakh are the most promising corporate sector.
geothermal sites. Violation of Horizontal and Vertical Equity
Other sites include Cambay in Gujarat, Tattapani in Chattisgarh, Khammam in Principles in Taxation which ensures tax
Telangana & Ratnagiri in Maharasthra. fairness.
Total geothermal power potential is estimated to be 10 gigawatt (GW). Lack of credibility about the way states issue
Benefits of Geothermal: carbon-free, renewable, provides a continuous, farmer certificates.
uninterrupted supply etc. Challenges to taxation: Politically sensitive
Disadvantages: location-specific energy source, associated with other emissions issue, extra burden on farmers (mostly small and
like sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, causes mini tremors in area of marginal), lack of clarity on land titles, high crop
operation, high initial cost etc. output fluctuations etc.

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ALSO IN NEWS
Chief Justice of India (CJI) stated that judgments delivered by Supreme Court (SC) will now be
translated into four languages —Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Odia.
CJI said that move will help in the access to justice for the citizens as English is not a
comprehensible language to majority of the citizens in the country.
SC judgements to be CJI also launched an Online e-Inspection Software at Delhi High Court that will facilitate online
available in 4 languages e-inspection of digitised judicial files through the internet.

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Recent data suggests that several Indian Companies have terminated their ADRs and GDRs.
Depositary Receipt (DR) is an instrument used by domestic companies to raise money outside
the country.
Both GDR and ADR are used to raise funds from foreign market.

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However, ADRs are traded on US stock exchanges while GDRs are traded mostly on
American depositary

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European Exchanges.
receipt (ADR) and Global
depositary receipt (GDR) Typically, ADRs are bought by retail investors while GDRs are bought by institutional investors.
These shares are held by a foreign bank that provides DRs to companies in return for shares.

Recently, Bombay High Court quashed write-off of AT-1 bonds from Yes Bank administrator’.
Write-off is an accounting action that reduces value of an asset while simultaneously debiting

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a liabilities account.
It is an extreme version of write-down as in write-down only a partial reduction of an asset's
book value is done
Write-off is primarily used to account for unpaid loan obligations, unpaid receivables, or losses
Write-off Norms on stored inventory.

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Note: For further information on AT-1 bonds kindly refer News Today Dated 21st January, 2023.

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Government has tightened disclosure norms for Nidhi Companies.
Nidhi Company is a type of Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) formed with primary object of
inculcating saving habits among its members and works on principle of mutual benefit.
Registered under Companies Act, they are regulated by Ministry of Corporate Affairs for

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operational matters.
They don’t require a license from RBI but RBI can issue directions to them on deposit-taking

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Nidhi Companies activities.
They are controlled by Nidhi Rules, 2014.

Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) updated its Guidelines for Disclaimers made in
advertisements.

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ASCI is a voluntary, self-regulatory organization comprising members from marketing,
creative, media, and allied companies in India.
ASCI has had disclaimer guidelines since 2016.
Key highlights of new guidelines
ASCI issues new disclaimer Use of disclaimer should be kept to a minimum and avoid long and complex format.
norms for TV, digital ads
Duration and readability of a disclaimer should be clear to consumers.
There should not be more than one disclaimer in a single frame of an ad.
A Supreme Court panel has questioned need to revive oil palm plantations in Andamans as a
similar move in the past have proven to be a total commercial failure.
Government launched National Mission on Edible Oils (Oil Palm) in 2021-22 with special focus
on North Eastern States and Andaman & Nicobar .
Oil palm is a native of West Africa and popularly known as African oil palm or red oil palm.
Oil Palm Requires evenly distributed rainfall of 150mm/ month and humidity of more than 80%.
Best-suited soils are moist, well-drained, deep, loamy alluvial soils.
TROPEX: It is Indian Navy’s major maritime exercise that is conducted biennially and also
Exercises witnesses participation of Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard assets.
in News AMPHEX 2023: It is a biennial Tri-Services Exercise aimed at joint training of elements of all three
services.

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Several ORT breeding grounds in Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh (A.P) have been
witnessing mass mortality of turtles.
ORT are smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles, inhabiting warm waters of Pacific,
Atlantic and Indian oceans.
In India, they nest mostly in eastern coast in A.P and Odisha (Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and
Rushikulya coast).
Olive Ridley Turtles (ORT) ORT, along with Kemps ridley turtle, are best known for their unique mass nesting called
(Lepidochelys olivacea) Arribada.

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Threats: Unfriendly fishing practices, exploitation of nesting beaches.
Protection: IUCN status: Vulnerable, Schedule I species under Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) moved Doomsday clock to 90 seconds to midnight largely
because of mounting nuclear warfare in Ukraine.

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BAS was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and University of Chicago scientists who worked
on Manhattan Project to build first atomic bomb.

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Doomsday Clock, created in 1947, is a design that warns the public about how close we are to
Doomsday Clock destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making.
Since its debut, minute hand has been reset 25 times.
BharOS is an AOSP (Android Open Source Project) based operating system with no Google
apps or services.

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It is developed by JandK Operations Private Limited, a non-profit organization incubated at
IIT Madras.
Major difference between BharOS and Google’s Android OS is that BharOS does not ship with
BharOS Google services.

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It will be a barebone operating system, which allows users to install apps of their own interest.

Recently, Scientific studies have found that immune imprinting can make bivalent boosters less

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effective.
Bivalent boosters are variant specific booster shots of vaccines to develop better immunity
against coronavirus.
Immune imprinting is a tendency of the body to repeat its immune response based on the

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memory of first infection through infection or vaccination.
Imprinting acts as a database for immune system, helping it put up a better response to repeat

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Immune Imprinting infections.
This makes the variant specific booster dose less effective.
Concept of immune imprinting came to light for the first time in 1947.

Estonia (Capital: Tallinn)

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Russia expelled Estonia's Ambassador and
downgrades their diplomatic relations.
Political Boundaries
It is a country in north-eastern Europe,
northernmost of three Baltic states (other two
are Latvia and Lithuania).
Shares border with Russia, Latvia.
Geographical features
East Estonia is bounded by Russia—predominantly
Places in news
by Narva River and Lakes Peipus.
South part is covered with moraine hills, and
central part of country abounds in elongated
hills with flat tops.
Important rivers: Pärnu (longest), Pedja, Narva, and Kasari.
Highest peak: Suur Munamägi (Great Egg Hill).

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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 26th & 27th JAN, 2023

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‘MONUMENTS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE (MNI) - URGENT NEED FOR RATIONALISATION’
REPORT BY ECONOMIC ADVISORY COUNCIL TO PRIME MINISTER (EAC-PM)

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Currently, India has 3695 MNI under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.

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Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for protection, conservation and maintenance of such monuments.
Key observations

Issues with present list of MNI Recommendations of Report Criteria for declaration of
monument as national
Selection Errors: Around quarter of current MNI may ASI should come up with importance

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not have national importance. substantive criteria for declaring
Ancient monument or
Minor monuments considered as MNI (Example - MNI.
archaeological site is not less
Kos Minars, graves of British officers). Amend AMASR Act or introduce than 100 years old.
Movable antiquities treated as MNI (Standalone executive order for defining
It has special historical,
national importance.

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antiquities like sculpture pieces, statues, cannons archaeological or artistic
etc.). Handover monuments of local interest.
importance to states.

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Untraceable monuments still being considered as Interested public do not have
MNI (Around 50 monuments missing). Remove standalone antiquities major objections to declare
Over 60% monuments located in five states i.e., UP, from the list of MNI. them as of national
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, MP and Maharashtra. De-notify untraceable and minor importance.
Inadequate expenditure on conservation and monuments. Additionally, UNESCO

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maintenance of MNI. Add new monuments to address designated Historic Centre of
geographical imbalance. Odesa- World Heritage- in
Source of problems is absence of definition of term

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Danger site.
‘national importance’ and lack of prescribed Increase fund allocation for
substantive process/criteria for identifying MNI in protecting MNI. It is a strategic port city on
AMASR Act or National Policy for Conservation 2014. Ukraine's Black Sea coast.

SUPREME COURT EASES NORMS FOR PASSIVE EUTHANASIA

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SC altered the existing guidelines for ‘living wills’, as laid down in Common Cause vs. Union of India & Anr (2018), which allowed
passive euthanasia. (refer image)
Living will is a written document that specifies what actions should be
taken if person is unable to make their own medical decisions in future.
Euthanasia is practice of ending life of a patient to limit the patient’s suffering.
It can be administered only by a physician.
Euthanasia can be either ‘active’ or ‘passive’.
Active euthanasia involves an active intervention to end a person’s life with
substances or external force, such as administering lethal injection.
Allowed in Netherland, Belgium, Canada etc.
Passive euthanasia refers to withdrawing life support or treatment that is
essential to keep a terminally ill person alive.
Allowed in India, Finland, Germany etc.
Major judgements related to Euthanasia
P. Rathinam Case (1994): Struck down section 309 of IPC (attempt to suicide)
as unconstitutional.
Aruna Shanbaug Case (2011): SC allowed passive euthanasia for first time.

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SEVERAL COUNTRIES ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH GENETICALLY ENGINEERED (GE) TREES

US developed and field-tested GE version of American chestnut tree (named as
CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH GE TREES
Darling 58) and is awaiting clearances from government agencies to grow them in
wild. High risk of contaminating other trees along
Other countries have been experimenting with GE tree varieties for commercial with animal and insect species that rely on
plantations. them.
China allowed commercial plantations of two varieties of GE insect-resistant Lack of information on how a GE tree will
poplar trees. behave as it ages.

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India has been experimenting with GE variety of rubber tree by inserting Sign of potential invasiveness (Woody plant
additional copies of gene MnSOD (manganese-containing superoxide species such as eucalyptus can take over 100
dismutase) which enables plant to tolerate extreme climatic stress. years to demonstrate invasive impacts).
GE variety will allow non-traditional rubber states (Assam, Mizoram) to

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cultivate better quality rubber.
GE tree is a tree whose DNA has been modified using genetic engineering SOUTH AFRICA INKS MOU TO
SEND 12 CHEETAHS TO KUNO

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techniques. In most cases, it introduces novel traits to plants which do not occur
naturally within species.
Whereas GM crop is a plant that has a novel combination of genetic material NATIONAL PARK (KNP)
obtained through use of modern biotechnology. 12 Cheetah from South Africa is expected to
Significance of GE Trees arrive by February-March 2023. Earlier in

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Fight climate change by creating trees that grow bigger, faster, resist disease September 2022, KNP had received eight
and enhance carbon sequestration. cheetahs from Namibia.
Boost production of products such as biofuels and wood from such trees. Project Cheetah, approved by Supreme Court
Economic benefits for timber, pulp and paper industry. in 2020, aims to reintroduce atleast 50
cheetahs over next five years.
INDIA, EGYPT ELEVATES BILATERAL TIES TO

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It is world's first inter-continental large wild
carnivore translocation project.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

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National Tiger Conservation Authority is
Discussions on India-Egypt relationship nodal agency authorized for funding and
were held during Egyptian President’s supervision of project.
visit as a Chief guest at India’s 74th Significance of Cheetah restoration
Republic Day Celebrations. Restoring open forest and grassland

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Major outcomes ecosystems in India.
Four elements of strategic Conserve biodiversity and enhance

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partnership include political, ecosystem services like water security,
defence, and security; economic carbon sequestration etc.
engagement; scientific and academic Enhanced livelihood opportunities for
collaboration; and cultural and local community through eco-development
people-to-people contacts.

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and ecotourism activities.
Both sides signed five MoUs Cheetah is a keystone species (organism that
covering culture, cooperation on helps define an entire ecosystem) of dry forests,
youth matters, cyber security, scrub forests, and savannahs.
information and technology and
EGYPT’S IMPORTANCE FOR INDIA It is the only large wild mammalian species
public broadcasting.
Trade through Suez Canal, especially that went extinct from India.
Both sides reiterated support for oil trade for India.
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Protected under Appendix 1 of CITES.
Most populous country and a key IUCN status: African Cheetah (Vulnerable)
India and Egypt are founding player in West Asia.
partners of NAM along with and Asiatic Cheetah (Critically
Yugoslavia, Ghana, and
Market for Indian defence exports and endangered).
act as a gateway to Europe and Africa.
Indonesia. Major Cheetah range countries: Namibia,
Egypt is considering designating a special area of land for Indian Industries at Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola,
Suez Canal Economic Zone. Zambia, Tanzania, and Kenya in Africa, and
Iran and India in Asia.
Suez canal is one of the busiest commerce routes (facilitating 12% of world
trade every day) in world, which links Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. KNP is situated in Vindhyan Hills in Madhya
It separates African continent from Asia and is the fastest crossing from Pradesh.
Atlantic Ocean to Indian Ocean. It falls under falls under Kathiawar-Gir dry
Both sides called for ‘zero tolerance’ for terrorism. deciduous forest eco-region and
Both sides set a target of increasing annual bilateral trade from $7 billion vegetation is dominated by Kardhai, Khair
(2021-22) to $12 billion over next five years. and Salai trees.

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RBI RELEASES DISCUSSION PAPER ON SECURITISATION OF STRESSED ASSETS

FRAMEWORK (SSAF)
Discussion paper aims to develop a strong and robust securitisation
market in India, while facilitating simpler securitisation structures.
Securitisation involves pooling of loans and then selling them to a
Special Purpose Entity (SPE) which then issues securities backed by
loan pool.

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Currently, there is no corresponding mechanism for Securitisation of
Stressed Asset (SSA) through SPE route.
SSA is a financial structure whereby an originator of NPAs sells these
to a SPE that funds such an acquisition by issuing securitisation notes.

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In turn, SPE appoints a servicing entity to manage stressed assets,
typically with a fee structure that incentivises them to maximize

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recoveries on underlying loans.
Till now, Securitisation is allowed only in case of standard assets while lenders have to largely rely on Asset Reconstruction
Companies (ARCs) for bad assets under SARFAESI Act, 2002.
Difference between securitisation of stressed assets and standard assets is related to
Lower degree of certainty of cash flows from resolution of stressed assets.

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Extent of involvement of third-party expert entities or Resolution Managers and their role in resolution of underlying assets.

ALSO IN NEWS
It is produced by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), in

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partnership with UN Conference on Trade and Development and five UN regional economic
commissions.

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Key highlights
COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine battered world economy in 2022.
World output growth is projected to decelerate from an estimated 3.0 percent in 2022 to 1.9
percent in 2023.

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World Economic situation Recommendations
and prospects 2023 report
Reallocation and reprioritization of public expenditures.

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Strengthening social protection systems.
Strategic public investments in education, health, digital infrastructure etc.

After China, India became second country in world to start ‘trade-plus-one’ (T+1) settlement
cycle in top listed securities.

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Until 2001, stock markets had weekly settlement system, then T+3, and then moved to T+2 in 2003.
Under T+1, trade-related settlements must be done within a day, or 24 hours, of completion of
a transaction.
Benefits of T+1: Better liquidity with investors; Faster rolling of funds and stocks; Decreases
T+1 settlement unsettled trade exposure to clearing corporation by 50%; Reduces capital blocked to cover risk of
trades etc.
Food Corporation of India (FCI) will off load 30 LMT wheat from Central pool stock to market through
various routes under OMSS (Domestic).
Move will help containing rising prices of wheat and will bring relief to common man.
Under OMSS, FCI sells surplus stocks of wheat and rice at pre-determined prices through
e-auction in open market from time to time.
Open Market Sale Scheme It aims to enhance supply of food grains, especially wheat during lean season and thereby
(OMSS) moderate the open market prices.

New York based doctor stated that smartphones and laptops like tech tools have given rise to a new
physical condition called 'tech neck’.
It refers to onset of cervical spinal degeneration that results from repeated stress of frequent
forward head flexion while we look down at mobile devices and text for longer periods of time.
Tech neck Syndrome (new
Symptoms - Neck pain, headaches, Back pain.
carpal tunnel syndrome)

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

RBI issued maiden SGrBs worth ₹8,000 crore.

SGrBs were announced in Union Budget 2022-23 and framework for SGrBs was issued (by Ministry
of Finance) in November 2022.
Green bonds are financial instruments that generate proceeds for investment in environmentally
sustainable and climate-suitable projects.
Sovereign Green Bonds Proceeds from these bonds will be deployed in public sector projects to reduce carbon emission,
(SGrBs) including projects of renewable energy, clean transportation, climate change adaptation,
sustainable water and waste management etc.

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Lake Victoria (also called as Victoria Nyanza)
Recently Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment released a report on managing
Lake Victoria water quality in Tanzania.
Lake Victoria is largest lake in Africa and chief reservoir of Nile.

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It is shared by three countries, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
Among freshwater lakes of world, it is exceeded in size only by Lake Superior in North America.

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Major threats to lake: Deforestation, wetland degradation, discharge from urban areas etc.
Lakes in news Lake Chad
Recently, a report highlighted Climate change fuelling conflict in Lake Chad Basin.
It is freshwater lake located in Sahelian zone of west-central Africa at conjunction of Chad,

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Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger.

New research published in journal Nature Geoscience

analyzed seismic waves from repeating earthquakes over last
six decades.
Key highlights

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Inner core started rotating slightly faster than rest of the
planet in early 1970s.

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It had been slowing down before coming in sync with
Earth's inner core Earth's rotation around 2009.
Negative trend i.e., inner core is now rotating slower than surface.
Predicted that next change would occur in mid-2040.

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Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced winners of Padma Awards.
Padma Awards, instituted in 1954, are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced

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annually on eve of Republic Day.
These are given in three categories
Padma Vibhushan for exceptional and distinguished service.
Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of a high order.

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Padma Shri for distinguished service.
Padma awards Total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to
NRI/foreigners/OCIs) should not be more than 120.
Awardees are presented a Sanad (certificate) signed by President and a medallion. There is no
cash prize.

President approved conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards-2022.

Awards is given to a person for meritorious act of human nature in saving the life of a person.
It is given in three categories, namely Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak; Uttam Jeevan Raksha
Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak.
Jeevan Raksha Padak Persons of all walks of life are eligible for these awards.
Series of Awards-2022 It can also be conferred posthumously.

Errata: In News Today Dated 21st January 2023, it was incorrectly mentioned that “Caste was included as a parameter in Census data only
during the 1931 Census”. Correct statement is “Caste Census included as a parameter in Census data only till the 1931 Census”. As per this,
data was collected for caste in 1872, 1881, 1901 and so on till 1931.

/c/VisionIASdelhi /Vision_IAS /visionias_upsc /VisionIAS_UPSC

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 28th JAN, 2023

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INDIA ISSUES NOTICE TO PAKISTAN SEEKING MODIFICATION TO INDUS WATERS
TREATY (IWT)

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India issued the notice in view of Pakistan’s non compliance in
"Questions" "Differences" "Disputes"

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resolving disputes over Kishenganga (on Kishenganga River,
tributary of Jhelum) and Ratle hydropower projects (on Chenab They are They are They are referred to the
handled by the resolved by a court of arbitration, a
River), both in Jammu and Kashmir. two Indus neutral expert seven-member arbitral
India is allowed to construct hydroelectric power facilities on Waters appointed by tribunal whose chair is
tributaries of Jhelum and Chenab rivers with certain restrictions Commissioners the World Bank appointed by the World
bank
under IWT, 1960.

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Dispute redressal mechanism provided under Article IX of IWT is a
graded mechanism. It’s a 3-level mechanism. (See infographic) IWT, water sharing treaty,
signed in 1960 by India and
World Bank’s (WB) role is largely procedural and limited to Pakistan with WB as a
designating neutral experts (NE) or chair of court of arbitration third-party guarantor.
(CoA).

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It delimits the rights and
India has invoked Article XII (3) of treaty i.e., a provision to amend obligations of both
Treaty. countries concerning the

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Treaty can be amended or terminated only with duly ratified treaty use of waters on Indus River
System.
between two countries.
It allocates Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to
Development of dispute
Pakistan and Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India.
2015: Pakistan sought appointment of NE to examine technical

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Maximum area of Indus Basin is in Pakistan followed by India,
objections to Kishanganga and Ratle HEPs.
China and Afghanistan.
2016: Pakistan approached WB for CoA constitution.

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Whereas, India asked for appointment of NE and argued that Pakistan’s request for CoA violated graded mechanism of dispute
resolution in Treaty.
2022: WB resume process of appointing NE and Chairman for CoA.

IEEFA PROJECTS EXPONENTIAL GROWTH OF BATTERY STORAGE ASSETS IN INDIA

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Study by Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), US-based think tank, has projected exponential growth in India’s
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
BESS are rechargeable batteries that can store energy from different sources and discharge it when needed.
It consists of one or more batteries and can be used to balance the electric grid, provide backup power, and improve grid stability.
Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in mobile phones and electric cars, are currently dominant storage technology for large scale
plants to help electricity grids ensure a reliable supply of renewable energy.
Significance of BESS INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE BESS
Ensures peak-time power supply. National Mission on Transformative
Round-the-clock power to overcome intermittent nature of renewable energy. Mobility and Battery Storage
promote clean, connected, shared,
Less requirement of expensive transmission and distribution network upgrades.
sustainable and holistic mobility
Faster responses for balancing grid (voltage and frequency regulation) than coal-fired initiatives.
power plants. Production Linked Incentive
Issues with BESS scheme for domestic battery storage
Absence of Time-of-Day (ToD) pricing structure in India hampering investment. Under production.
ToD, cost of electricity depends on time of day (expensive power during peak demand India’s draft national electricity plan
and less expensive during off-peak). projects 51.5 GW of BESS installations
Low mineral reserve of Lithium cobalt. by 2031-2032.

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INDIA’S FIRST SOLAR MISSION LIKELY TO BE LAUNCHED BY MID- 2023: ISRO

CHAIRMAN
Indian Institute of Astrophysics,
Bengaluru handed over the primary
payload i.e., Visible Emission Line
Coronograph (VELC) of Aditya L1 to
ISRO for integration with other

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payloads. (refer image)
Aditya-L1 is first Indian space mission
to observe Sun and solar corona.
It’ll be inserted in a halo orbit
around Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of

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Sun-Earth system, which is about
1.5 million km from Earth.

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It’ll be propelled by Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV) XL. About Lagrange point (L1)
Significance of Aditya L1 At Lagrange points, gravitational pull
Provide information to understand of two large masses (like Sun and
Earth) precisely equals centripetal
the problem of coronal heating,

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force required for a small object to move
coronal mass ejection, etc. with them.
Observe in-situ particle and plasma L1 has advantage of continuously
environment providing data for viewing Sun without any occultation/
study of particle dynamics from eclipses.
Sun. There are five Lagrange points, three

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are unstable (L1, L2, L3- lie along the
Aid in studies on drivers of space line connecting two large masses) and
weather, and measure magnetic field

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two are stable (L4, L5). (See image)
of corona.
Other solar missions: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, European Space Agency’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, China’s Kuafu-1
solar probe etc.

MINISTRY OF TEXTILES CLEARED 15 R&D PROJECTS UNDER NATIONAL TECHNICAL

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TEXTILE MISSIONS (NTTM)

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These 15 research &development projects include key
strategic areas such as Speciality fibre, Protective
textiles, High-Performance Textiles, Geotextiles, Medical
Textiles, Sustainable Textiles, and Textiles for Building

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Materials.
NTTM is being implemented over a period of four years
(FY 2020-21 to 2023-24). It has four components namely
Research, Innovation and Development for
development of protective fibre, application-based
research in different Technical Textiles (TT) such as
geotextiles, etc.
Promotion and Market Development aim at taking
domestic market size to $40-50 billion by 2024.
Export Promotion ensures 10% average growth in
exports upto 2024.
Education, Training, Skill Development for
Technical education related to TT at higher levels.
TT are textiles materials and products manufactured primarily for technical performance and functional properties rather than
aesthetic characteristics.
They are used individually or as a component/part of another product to enhance its functional properties.
TT is a knowledge-based research-oriented industry.
TT are broadly classified into 12 different categories. (refer image)

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CENTRE PREPARES RS. 41,000 CRORE INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TRANSHIPMENT

PORT (ICTT) IN GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND (GNI)
As part of holistic development of GNI, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW)
has invited Expression of Interest for building ICTT at Galathea Bay.
In 2021, entire Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary was denotified to make way for ICTT. It is
India's nesting site for giant leatherback turtles.
Kolkata-based Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port is nodal agency for implementation.

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Transhipment port is a hub that handles voluminous cargo between multiple vessels. Cargo
at these ports is transported away to another port, rather than being shipped inland via rail,
road or waterway.
Salient features of ICTT

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Strategic location in terms of proximity (40 nautical miles from Malacca Strait) to
International Trade Route (Singapore, Colombo).

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Availability of natural water depth of more than 20 meters.
Potential to capture transhipment cargo from all ports in proximity including domestic
ones.
Significance of ICTT

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Reduce logistics inefficiencies and push to allied businesses such as ship supplies and
repair, warehousing etc. Additionally, MoPSW has inaugurated National
Logistics Portal-Marine, Single Window Logistics
Save US $200-220 million a year on transhipment cargo. Portal, to improve efficiency and transparency
by reducing logistics costs.
Create an opportunity to become a large hub for Asia-Africa, Asia-US/Europe container It was envisaged by MoPSW and Ministry of

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traffic trade. Commerce & Industry.
NLP covers all modes of transport in
GNI is southernmost of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indira Point on southern tip of this waterways, roadways, and airways along with

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Island is India’s southernmost point. an E-marketplace.

COAL INDIA LTD (CIL) TO LAUNCH MANUFACTURED SAND (M-SAND) PROJECTS

CIL facilitates processing of waste overburden at its open cast mines under overburden (OB) rocks-to- M-Sand initiative.
During opencast mining, overlying soil and rocks are removed as waste to extract coal and OB is layered in dumps.

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OB rocks are used in levelling up land for the construction of roads and railway tracks.

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M sand is produced by crushing rocks, and quarry stones to a stipulated size of 150 microns. It is different from River Sand. (refer
image)
Sand Mining Framework (2018) prepared by Ministry of Mine envisages M-Sand from crushed rock fines (crusher dust), sand
from OB of coal mines.
Benefits of M- Sand

V
More cost-effective than using natural sand.
Reduce the need for mining natural sand, which can have negative environmental impacts.
Reduce the amount of water required for construction projects, as it does not require washing before use.
Help maintaining water table.
Sand is classified as a ‘minor mineral’ under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957, and administrative
control vests with State Governments.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

ALSO IN NEWS
It is reported that India proposes to develop 130 model villages along Line of Actual Control.
In the backdrop of Chinese setting up model villages along India and Bhutan borders, VVP is
developed.
VVP has been announced in Union Budget 2022.
Vibrant Village It envisages coverage of border villages on Northern border having sparse population,
Programme (VVP)

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limited connectivity and infrastructure, which often get left out from development gains.

Exercise
Veer It is bilateral Air exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self Defence Force
Guardian (JASDF).
2023

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Green comet is approaching close to Earth after 50,000 years.

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Comets are frozen remnants of solar system's origin made of ice, rock, and dust.
Termed as C/2022 E3 (ZTF), Green Comet could be visible with telescopes and binoculars.
The green colour of the comet is thought to arise from presence of diatomic carbon – pairs of
carbon atoms that are bound together – in head of comet.
Molecule emits green light when excited by ultraviolet rays in solar radiation.

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Green comet It could be at a distance of 2.5 light minutes from Earth, meaning a “mere” 27 million miles.
Comet’s orbit indicates that it comes from edge of Oort cloud- theoretical spherical cloud of
predominantly icy planetesimals.

MeitY Startup Hub, an initiative of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), and

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Meta have announced the list of 120 startups and innovators for XR Startup Program.
XR Startup Program includes an Accelerator and a Grand Challenge.

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Accelerator Program is supporting 40 early-stage start-ups Working in Extended Reality.
Grand Challenge will encourage early-stage innovators in sectors like Education, Learning and
Skills, Healthcare, Gaming and Entertainment, etc.
XR (Extended Reality)
Startup Program XR refers to all real-and-virtual combined environments generated by computer technology

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and wearables.
It includes representative forms such as augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual reality etc.

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DRDO tested the HSTDV, powered by a scramjet engine.
HSTDV will serve as a critical building block for hypersonic weapons (Speed > 5 mach or 5 times
speed of sound).
Scramjet engine (supersonic-combustion ramjet) is one which can operate at hypersonic

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Hypersonic Technology speeds.
Demonstrator Vehicle Like ramjet engine, scramjet uses atmospheric air for oxidiser and compresses incoming air
(HTDV) before it enters combustion chamber.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated National Summit on Quality of Biologicals.
Biologicals are those classes of medicines which are produced through biotechnology in a living
system such as microorganism, plant cell, or animal cells.
These include vaccines, growth factors, immune modulators, monoclonal antibodies, as well as
products derived from human blood and plasma.
Biologicals are generally proteins purified from living culture systems or from blood, whereas
Biologicals other medicines are considered as ‘small molecules’ and are either made synthetically or
purified from plants.
Kashmir’s Pashmina (Cashmere) Shawl was used as canvas for contemporary art at a French
exhibition.
French connection goes back to gifting of Kashmiri Kani shawl by French Emperor Napoleon
Bonaparte to his wife Josephine in the 18th century
Pashmina Shawl is known for their signature intricate buta or paisley patterns.
Pashmina Shawls is made from Pashm - fleece of Changthangi Goat, native to Jammu & Kashmir
Kashmir’s Pashmina and Ladakh.
Pashmina Shawls has been assigned Geographical indication (GI) tag.

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 29th & 30th JAN, 2023

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (MOE) RELEASES ALL INDIA SURVEY ON HIGHER EDUCATION
(AISHE) 2020-2021

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AISHE has been conducted since 2011 by MoE covering all higher educational institutions located in country.

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It collects detailed information on different educational parameters.
For the first time, Survey collected data using an entirely online data collection platform through Web Data Capture Format (DCF).
DCF was developed by Department of Higher Education through the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Key Findings

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Specification 2020-21 Trend w.r.t 2014-15

Total student enrollment: UP, Maharashtra, TN, MP, Karnataka and

Rajasthan are top 6 States in terms of number of student enrolled. 4.14 crore 21% rise

Female enrolment 2.01 crore 28% rise

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Percentage of female enrolment to total enrolment 49% 4% rise

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Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): Percentage of students belonging to
eligible age group (18-23 years) enrolled in Higher Education 27.3 3-point rise

Increased from 1 in -------

Gender Parity Index (GPI): Ratio of female GER to male GER
2017-18 to 1.05

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Institutes of National Importance (INIs) 149 Almost doubled (75)
Enrolment in INIs 61 % Increased

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Female per 100 male faculty 75 Increased (63)

CENTRE SETS UP PANELS FOR COMPLAINTS AGAINST ONLINE PLATFORMS

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Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has established three Grievance Appellate Committees (GAC) under
rule 3A of IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Composition of GACs
Each GACs consists of a chairperson as Ex-officio, and two whole-time members (one is retired member) for a term of three
years from the date of assumption of office or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

First GAC Headed by Chief Executive officers of Indian Cyber Crime Coordination centre(I4C) under Ministry of Home
Affairs.
Second GAC Chaired by Joint Secretary in charge of policy and administration division in Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.
Third GAC Chaired by a senior scientist at MeitY.
Role of GACs
NEED OF GACS
Oversee and revoke content moderation-related decisions taken by social
media and other internet-based platforms. To ensure that Internet in India is Open, Safe
If a user is unsatisfied with content moderation decision taken by a social & Trusted, and Accountable.
company's grievance officer, they can appeal to GACs within one month. GAC
Large numbers of grievances are being left
will have to resolve the appeal within a month of receipt of appeal.
unaddressed by Internet Intermediaries.
Committees can seek assistance of people with expertise and experience
while dealing with users' appeals. To create a culture of responsiveness
amongst Intermediaries towards consumers.
They will adopt an online dispute resolution mechanism.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

PRIME MINISTER (PM) SPOKE ABOUT DEMOCRATIC VALUES IN HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY
In latest address to Citizens, PM spoke about grassroots-level governance (Uthiramerur inscriptions, Anubhav Mandapam of Lord
Basaveshwara and Kakatiya dynasty) that was practiced during ancient and medieval times.

This inscription, dated around 920 A.D in reign of Parantaka Chola-I (907-955 AD).
It is an ancient Chola village once known as Chaturvedimangalam and is located near Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
Chola's self governance was built upon 'general assemblies' or 'sabhas' or 'maha sabha' of villages.

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As per Uthiramerur inscriptions on Chola Kudavolai Election System:
Every village was categorised as kudumbu (ward in modern day parlance) where representatives of
general assembly were elected.
Uthiramerur
inscriptions Qualification for contesting: Must own land, own a house built on legally-owned site, have knowledge of
'Mantrabrahmana’, and above 35 years of age and below 70 years.

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Disqualification: If elected members proven guilty of misconduct, they were disqualified from contesting
future elections.

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Acts of misconduct included accepting bribes, misappropriating else’s property.
Committees: Village general assembly resolved to choose member for Annual Committee, Garden
Committee, and Water bodies Committee.
It was established by Lord Basaveshwara to facilitate gathering for philosophy and experience.
Anubhava Mantapa was one of the earliest Parliament in history of mankind.

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Prabhudeva, a great Yogi of extraordinary achievement, was the President and Lord Basava acted as the
Prime Minister.
Problems tackled were of various natures covering social, religious, spiritual, yogic psychological,
economic, and literary spheres.

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Only difference between the present-day parliament and Anubhava Mantapa is that members were not elected
Anubhava by people, but were picked up or nominated by higher authorities of Mantapa.
Mantapa of Lord

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Basaveshwara Lord Basaveshwara (1105-1167)
He was a 12th century poet and born in Karnataka.
Known for Socio-Religious Reforms, Anubhava Mantapa, Vachana Literature and Lingayat Movement in
south India.

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Basava Purana, written by Palkuriki Somanatha in 13th-century, holds full account to Basavanna’s life and ideas.
Who rejected gender and caste discrimination, superstitions and rituals. A strong promoter of ahimsa

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(non-violence), he condemned human and animal sacrifices.
Basava Jayanthi is an annual event celebrated in his honour of birth.
It ruled the region comprising present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh from 12th to 14th centuries, with
Warangal as Capital.
Kakatiya

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Tradition They constructed irrigation tanks that played a critical role in peasantry life. These tanks are in use currently.
There were elected committees in the villages to look after installation and maintenance of tanks, canals, and
reservoirs.

OBC (OTHER BACKWARD CLASSES) SUB-CATEGORISATION PANEL GETS 14TH EXTENSION

Government had constituted the Rohini commission in 2017 under Article 340 to examine issues related to sub-categorisation of
OBCs.
Article 340 states that President appoints the Commission to investigate conditions of socially and educationally backward classes.
Objective of Rohini Commission is to examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation (i.e. 27%
reservation in jobs and education) among castes or communities with reference to central OBC list.
Need for sub-categorisation
OBCs are currently granted 27% reservation in jobs and education under central government.
However, it is perceived that only a few affluent communities in Central List of OBCs have secured a major part of this reservation.
Earlier commissions
First Backward Class Commission report, 1955 proposed sub-categorization of OBCs into backward and extremely backward
communities.
Mandal Commission report, 1979 proposed sub-categorization in intermediate and depressed backward classes.
In 2015, National Commission for Backward Classes proposed that OBCs division into; Extremely Backward Classes (EBC-Group
A), More Backward Classes (MBC-Group B), and Backward Classes (BC-Group C).

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

UN SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC) DOES NOT REFLECT TODAY’S REALITIES: UNGA (UN
GENERAL ASSEMBLY) PRESIDENT
UNGA President, during his visit to India, underscored the
shortcomings of UNSC and asserted for need of reforms in it.
His remarks came in the backdrop of Russia, a
permanent member of UNSC (refer infographics),
attacking Ukraine.

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UNSC, established by UN Charter in 1945, is one of the six
principal organs of UN with a primary responsibility for
maintaining international peace and security.
UNSC is composed of 15 members (refer infographic).

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Under UN Charter, all Member States are obligated to
comply with Council decisions.

I
Security Council has power to make binding decisions on member states.
Issues with UNSC
UNSC does not represent contemporary world.
Inadequate regional representation. Developing countries are underrepresented, and there are no permanent members from
either Africa or Latin America.

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Lack of transparency and efficiency in decision-making process.
Misuse of veto power by permanent members. Russia has vetoed UNSC resolutions on Ukraine.
India’s key demand on reforms include
Permanent membership to G4 members (India, Germany, Brazil, Japan and India).

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Abolition of veto.
Equitable geographical representation.

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ALSO IN NEWS

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SC presses need for reform on bail processes.
Bail refers to the temporary release of the accused in a criminal case in which court has a trial

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pending and is yet to announce the judgement.
Bail is a right if the person accused is detained or arrested for a bailable offence (Section 436 of
CrPC).
Anticipatory Bail: A person can apply for this if there is a threat that he/she could be arrested for
a non-bailable offense (Section 438 of CrPC).

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Bail Process
Court has power to cancel bail at any stage under sections 437 and 439 of CrPC.
Grounds of cancellation of bail: When a person is indulged in criminal activity and misuse of their
liberty.

Indian army carried out the annual exercise named ‘Exercise Topchi’.
Army demonstrated its artillery firepower, aviation, and surveillance capacity in exercise.
Aviation assets showcased were indigenous advanced light helicopter, light combat helicopter,
cheetah and chetak helicopters.
Focus of the exercise was to showcase indigenous capabilities and strides made in achieving
Topchi 2023 self-reliance in defense sector.

Red Headed vulture was spotted in India after a gap of 2 decades.

Red-headed vulture is also known as Asian King Vulture or Pondicherry Vulture.
It was extensively found in the Indian Subcontinent but their population was drastically reduced
by diclofenac poisoning.
Red-headed vulture IUCN Status: Critically Endangered Species.
Scientific name: Sarcogyps calvus.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

In a first, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has started exports of Aviation gasoline.
Aviation gasoline powers unmanned aerial vehicles and piston-engine aircraft used by flying
schools.
It is a higher-octane aviation fuel meeting the product specifications with superior
performance, and quality standards and is cheaper compared to imported grades.
Fuel that fires the engines of large commercial jets is called aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
Global market of Aviation gasoline is about USD 2.7-billion.

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Aviation gasoline The Gasoline has been tested and certified by Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
High demand for fuel is in South America, Asia Pacific, West Asia, Africa and Europe.
Currently, great majority (more than 99%) of aviation fuel used in both civil and military aircraft is
jet fuel.

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Noble’s Helen, a swallowtail butterfly disappearing from its previously known ranges has been
sighted in India for the first time.

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Species was recorded at Namdapha National Park of Arunachal Pradesh.
Park is named after Namdapha river that flows in a North-South direction of Park.
Butterflies are considered vital indicators representing state of biodiversity and key ecosystem
functions.
Noble’s Helen Butterfly
Distribution: Myanmar, Yunnan and Hubai regions of China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and

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Thailand.
Study by National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) revealed anthropogenic
interventions as main reason for sinking of Munroe Thuruthu island.
Almost 39% of its land area has been lost in past 2 decades.
Island is in confluence of Ashtamudi Lake and Kallada River in Kerala.

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Island’s subsidence began with construction of Thenmala dam under Kallada Irrigation
Project.

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Munroe Thuruthu Island Proposed Mitigation measures: Reverse Landscaping, Regulating Sand mining in Ashtamudi lake
and Kallada River, Improving Construction method of buildings, etc.
It grows widely in Manipur and other north-eastern regions.
Flowers of heimang tree are used as food and medicine.

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They can be used for common Gastrointestinal ailments purposes and urinary ulcers.

I
Other parts of the heimang tree such as its leaves (including abnormal growths or galls on them),
roots, stem, and bark are also found to have preventive and therapeutic effects.
Local communities in state use heimang leaves to prepare herbal shampoo called chinghi by
Heimang boiling them with rice water.
Despite its extraordinary versatility, heimang has not yet found widespread commercial use.

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Researchers have discovered 92 nesting sites containing around 256 fossil eggs of titanosaurs in
Narmada Valley.
Dinosaurs buried their eggs in shallow pits like modern-day crocodiles.
Presence of a rare case of “egg-in-egg,” indicates that they had a reproductive physiology
that parallels that of modern birds.
Narmada valley is an important area from a geological, geotechnical and palaeontological
Dinosaurs’ fossils in aspect.
Narmada Valley It is a graben and has been formed as a rift valley due to geological disturbances and it is 300
metres above mean sea level.

Urban floods as seen in Acuklad recently could be avoided by implementing "sponge city concept".
Sponge city is a city that is designed to passively absorb, clean, and use rainfall in an
ecologically friendly way that reduces dangerous and polluted runoff.
In early 2000s, Chinese architect Kongjian Yu created the concept of “sponge city”.
Concept incorporates green roofs, rain gardens, and permeable pavements to absorb and
filter water.
Sponge City
More green space and trees are incorporated into street and neighbourhood designs.
It retains funneling rainwater for use within its own boundaries.

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 31st JAN, 2023

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GLOBAL REPORT ON NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES 2023 RELEASED BY WHO
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of diseases that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas.

A
Examples: Dengue and chikungunya, lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases etc.
Report provides a consolidated, up-to-date assessment of progress towards control, elimination and eradication of 20 diseases and

I
disease groups (NTDs) globally, regionally and nationally.
Progress is reported in the context of NTD roadmap 2021–2030, WHO’s blueprint to drive global efforts in the fight against NTDs.
Key highlights:
Burden of NTDs continues to be unequally borne by a small number of countries: 16 countries bear 80% of this burden.
Over the past decade, the number of people requiring interventions against NTDs decreased by 25%.

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As of December 2022, 47 countries had eliminated at least one NTD.
Threats INITIATIVES AT GLOBAL LEVEL
Slower than expected progress in high burden countries,
Uneven progress across certain diseases, The London Declaration on NTDs.

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Persistent underlying risk factors (poverty, climate change) and 30 January recognised as World Neglected
Rapid population growth. Tropical Diseases Day.

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Recommendations Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Invest in innovative operations and financing solutions that foster The first self-learning course was made available
integration and cross-sectoral collaboration. on dedicated NTD channel.
Boost global support for countries with highest burdens, Two NTD Apps have been launched by WHO.

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Facilitate country ownership and sustainability of NTD programmes.

ADVISORY TO TELECAST “PUBLIC SERVICE CONTENT” RELEASED BY MINISTRY OF

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INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
The guidelines were stipulated in the new uplinking-downlinking rules prescribed by the ministry on November 9 last year.
The fresh advisory was issued after consultations with private satellite television channels and their associations.

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Key features
Channel will undertake public service broadcasting for a minimum period of 30 minutes in a day on themes of
Content national importance and of social relevance like education, welfare of women, protection of environment
and of cultural heritage etc.
Broadcasters have the liberty to modulate their content.
Content can be shared between the Broadcasters.
Channels will be required to air national interest content for 15 hours every month.
Accounting of
Content need not be of 30 minutes at a stretch it can be split over smaller time slots, but can’t be done from
Timing
midnight to 6 am.
Voluntary compliance and self-certification would be the guiding principles.
Reporting Broadcasters shall submit a monthly report on the Broadcast Seva Portal by the 7th of the following month.
Exemptions
Foreign channels, downhinking in India (in languages other than those specified in the Eighth schedule of
Constitution).
Channels broadcasting predominantly (more than 12 hours) sports and devotional, spiritual, yoga content
will be exempt from furnishing the monthly reports.
Electronic Media Monitoring Centre under Ministry shall keep the record of the content telecast for a period
Identification
of 90 days.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

RESEARCHERS FIND NEW WAY TO IMPROVE STORAGE TIME OF QUANTUM INFORMATION

Recently an international team of scientists has made a breakthrough in retaining the quantum coherence of quantum dot spin qubits.
Spin-photon interfaces are elementary building blocks for quantum networks
that allow converting stationary quantum information (such as the quantum QUANTUM COHERENCE
state of an ion or a solid-state spin qubit) into light (namely photons) that can
Ability of a quantum state to maintain its
be distributed over large distances.
entanglement and superposition in the face of
A major challenge is to find an interface that is both good at storing quantum interactions.

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information and efficient at converting it into light.
It deals with the idea that all objects have
Optically active semiconductor quantum dots are the most efficient wave-like properties.
spin-photon interface known to date but extending their storage time beyond
If an object’s wave-like nature split in two ,
a few microseconds has puzzled physicists in spite of decade-long research
then two waves may coherently interfere with
efforts.

A
each other in such a way to form a single state
Recent research provides a solution to the problem that improves the storage that is a superposition of 2 states. (a qubit is a

I
of quantum information beyond hundred microseconds. superposition of the 0 and 1 states.)
Quantum dots (QDs) are a unique type of nanocrystalline semiconductor
whose electronic and optical properties are dependent on the size and shape of

CONSULTATION PAPER ON
the dots (for applications like Biomedical and Environmental Applications,
Photoconductors and Photodetectors, QDs for Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and
Display Applications etc.).
“REGULATING CONVERGED

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND
For spins in quantum dots, short coherence times were the biggest roadblock to
applications in quantum technology.
SERVICES” RELEASED BY TRAI
FIRST HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE OF THE INITIATIVE ON

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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
CRITICAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES (iCET) HELD (TRAI) has sought industry suggestions on the
legal, regulatory, licensing and spectrum

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iCET is a unique initiative led by the
Indian National Security Council RELATED NEWS management framework to deal with
convergence of carriage of broadcasting
Secretariat (NSCS) and the U.S. NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture
services and telecommunication services.
National Security Council (NSC). Radar (NISAR) mission is
It aims to expand partnership in critical scheduled to launch in September It has also sought the industry’s views on

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and emerging technologies. 2023 from Sriharikota. how testing, training, and research
development under various ministries can
Six areas of cooperation It will be a near-polar orbit
be synergised in a convergent landscape.

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Scientific research and development satellite and will scan the
globe every 12 days over the Need
Quantum and artificial intelligence
course of its three-year Convergence has created policy, regulatory
Defense innovation mission of imaging the Earth’s and administrative overlaps of telecom
Space land, ice sheets and sea ice. sector with broadcasting sector.

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Advanced telecom which would It will allow scientists to track
Digital connectivity, which is used to
include things like 6G changes in croplands, hazard
provide telecom and internet services, has
Semiconductors sites and monitor crises such as
also acquired capabilities to provide
volcanic eruptions.
Significance of iCET: services which were provided by the
Vital for India's growing role as a trusted supply chain partner and broadcasting services.
contributor in the global technology value chain. In the past telecommunications and
Deals directly with disruptive domains which are central to the next Industrial broadcasting served two distinct
Revolution and future warfare. purposes, and as such were governed by
Open new markets for India’s deep technology players. separate regulatory and licensing
frameworks, it is no longer the case in
Since most critical and emerging technologies today are dual-use, it can give present times.
a fillip to the two countries’ innovation ecosystem.
Absence of institutional mechanism for
Potentially opens the door for the US to lift existing export control
coordination among multiple administrative
restrictions.
units/government departments that are
Measures to strengthen iCET responsible to govern converged services,
Introduce an advisory council/steering committee by including industry leads to confusion and uncertainty
representatives, technologists, philanthropists, academics etc. amongst stakeholders.
Regular high-level meetings. To enable industry players to offer new
Monitoring mechanism to ensure that impact is being recorded at every level. services in a converged era and provide it in
iCET fellowship and connector fund created. a ubiquitous and cost-efficient manner.

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 8468022022 www.visionias.in

NATIONAL ANTI-LEPROSY DAY OBSERVED

In India, World Leprosy Day is observed on January 30, on Mahatma Gandhi's
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease that may
death anniversary.
lead to severe disfiguring skin sores and
However, Globally, the last Sunday of January is observed as World Leprosy nerve damage in the arms, legs, and skin
Day (WLD). areas around your body.
Leprosy in India
Also known as Hansen’s disease.
Prevalence rate of leprosy has come down from 0.69 per 10,000 population in
It is a chronic bacterial infection that is

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2014-15 to 0.45 in 2021-22.
caused by the Mycobacterium leprae
Annual new case detection rate per 100,000 population has come down from bacteria.
9.73 in 2014-15 to 5.52 in 2021-22.
Leprosy is curable with multidrug
Despite India being declared ‘leprosy-free’ in 2005, the country still accounts
therapy (MDT).
for over half (almost 66%) of the world's new leprosy patients.

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New initiatives: It is a neglected tropical disease (NTD).
National Strategic Plan & Roadmap for Leprosy (2023-27): It will focus on stopping transmission by speeding case detection

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efforts and maintaining a robust surveillance infrastructure.
National Guidelines for Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Surveillance in leprosy: Will provide the technical guidance in
developing and sustaining a robust surveillance system for AMR surveillance in leprosy patients.
Launch of Nikusth 2.0 Portal: It is an integrated portal for leprosy case management under NLEP.
It will aid in efficient data recording, analyzing and reporting of data and a real time dashboard at center, state and district

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levels.

ALSO IN NEWS

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Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj organised a multistakeholder conference for consultation
on e-Gram Swaraj 2.0, Manthan: Charting New Paths.

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About e-Gram Swaraj Portal
The portal aims at capacity building of the third tier of governance through technological
interventions.
The portal aims to bring better transparency in decentralised planning, progress reporting and
work-based accounting.

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e-Gram Swaraj The application is developed as part of Panchayat Enterprise Suite (PES) under e-Panchayat
Mission Mode Project (MMP).

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Core modules on the portal includes Panchayat Profile, Planning, Progress Reporting and
Accounting.

Released by International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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The IMF releases the WEO twice every year, in April and October, apart from updating it twice —
in January and July.
Key findings
World economy to grow 2.9% in 2023.
Recession risks have subsided and central banks are making progress in controlling inflation.
World Economic Outlook
(WEO) update India will stay the world’s fastest growing major economy in 2023 and 2024.
Growth in India is set to decline from 6.8 percent in 2022 to 6.1 percent in 2023.
Other reports by IMF: Global Financial Stability Report.

More than 340 birds of different species ( including rare peregrine falcon) enumerated in water
bodies of Kawal Tiger Reserve during the Asian Water Bird Census 2023.
About Kawal Tiger Reserve
Location: Located in the Telangana State along banks of river Godavari, forming part of the
Deccan peninsula-central highlands.
Habitat: Dense forests, grasslands, open areas, rivers, streams and water bodies.
Kawal Tiger reserve Flora: Teak, Bamboo, Mahua etc.
Fauna: Nilgai, chinkara, black buck, sambar, spotted deer, wild dog etc.

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Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) has come out with a management plan to eradicate Senna
spectabilis, exotic invasive plant.
About Senna spectabilis
It is a small, rounded deciduous tree that produces yellow flowers.
Native species of America, it has been introduced to India as ornamental plant.
Senna spectabilis
(calceolaria shower) Spread areas include Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), Bandipur, Nagarhole, Mudumalai and
Sathyamangalam tiger reserves etc.

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New logo of EIACP released.
Environmental Information System (ENVIS) is renamed as EIACP.
EIACP serves as a one stop platform for dissemination of environmental information, informed
policy formulation on various facets of environment and facilitation of alternate livelihoods through
green skilling.

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Environmental
Information, Awareness, EIACP conducts Environmental Awareness Programs to School Children, Colleges and
Universities on Environmental Important Days.

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Capacity Building and
Livelihood Programme As per the mandate of EIACP, the activities of the Programme Centres are to be aligned with
(EIACP) Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) introduced by India at COP 26 in Glasgow.
Dermatologists have cautioned that indiscriminate use of biotin can be detrimental to one’s
health.

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About Biotin (Vitamin B7)
It is a water-soluble B vitamin found naturally in some foods and also in supplements.
It plays a vital role in assisting enzymes to break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in
Biotin (Vitamin B7) food.
It also helps to regulate signals sent by cells and activity of genes.

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According to the National Centre for Disease Control’s (NCDC) Integrated Disease Surveillance

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Programme, India is seeing a surge in H1N1, or swine flu.
H1N1 (Swine flu)
Swine flu is a type of influenza A virus found in pigs.
Influenza A is a type of virus that causes influenza (the flu), a highly contagious respiratory

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illness.
H1N1 (Swine Flu)
Swine flu is mild in most people but can be severe for some high risk groups such as people
with chronic conditions, pregnant people.

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Khelo India Youth Games is being held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
A special mobile application has been launched to ensure that participating athletes, coaches,
support staff etc have access to all related information.

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About KYIG
KIYG were first hosted in 2018 in New Delhi.
Kehlo India Youth Games Current edition (fifth) of KIYG will feature athletes taking part in the U-18 age category.
(KYIG), 2022
Also, water sports being included for first time in history of games.

Djokovic wins Australian Open title to reach 22nd career Grand Slam.
A Grand Slam in tennis refers to winning all four major tournaments (Australian Open, French
Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) in the same calendar year.
It is considered the biggest achievement in professional tennis.
A Career Grand Slam refers to a professional tennis player winning all four Grand Slam
Grand slam tournaments in their career.

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