W.B.C.S Current Affairs 04 August 2018 to 10 August 2018

The Importance of Current Affairs in W.B.C.S examinations is immense.Success inW.B.C.S  Prelims and W.B.C.S Mains Exam is mainly subjected to how well an aspirant is aware of the important current affairs. Preparation of current affairs for W.B.C.S is the key to unlock the exam.Continue Reading W.B.C.S Current Affairs 04 August 2018 to 10 August 2018.

1) Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Himalayan state of Sikkim was included in UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), making it 11th Biosphere Reserve from India to achieve this recognition. The decision was taken at 30th Session of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO held in Palembang, Indonesia. Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve: It is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, reaching elevations of 1, 220 metres above sea-level. It includes range of ecolines, varying from sub-tropic to Arctic (tundra), as well as natural forests in different biomes, that support an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats. Its core area is major transboundary Wildlife Protected Area. Its southern and central landscape which makes up 86% of core area is situated in Greater Himalayas. Its northern part of accounting for 14% of area is characterized by trans-Himalayan features. The core zone of Khangchendzonga National Park already has been designated World Heritage Site in 2016 under ‘mixed’ category (first from India in this category). Many of mountains, peaks, lakes, caves, rocks, Stupas (shrines) and hot springs in this biosphere reserve function as pilgrimage sites. The core zone of this biosphere reserve alone has over 150 glaciers and 73 glacial lakes, the prominent is famous 26-km-long Zemu glacier. It is also home to number of globally threatened fauna including musk deer, snow leopard, red panda and Himalayan Tahr and many ethnic communities including Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepalese. Over 118 species of large number of medicinal plants are found in Dzongu Valley of this reserve which are of ethno-medical utility. The transition zone of reserve is targeted for eco-development activities, afforestation, plantation of medicinal herbs and soil conservation measures. Biosphere reserves: Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems which promote conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They serve in some ways as ‘living laboratories’ for testing out and demonstrating integrated management of land, water and biodiversity. They are internationally recognized within framework of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme and nominated by national governments. There is World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) under MAB Programme. Within this network, exchanges of information, experience and personnel are facilitated. There are over 500 biosphere reserves in over 100 countries. India has total 18 Biosphere Reserves and with inclusion of Khangchendzonga number of internationally designated WNBR has become 11 and remaining 7 Biosphere Reserves are domestic Biosphere Reserves. Man & Biosphere Programme: UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme was launched in 1971 with aim of promoting interdisciplinary research, training, and communications in field of ecosystem conservation and rational use of natural resources. The programme is suited to respond to results of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and especially the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Selection of Biosphere Reserves: Primary Criteria: Site must contain effectively protected and minimally disturbed core area of value of nature conservation. It should also include additional land and water suitable for research and demonstration of sustainable methods of research and management. Its core area should be typical of biogeographical unit and large enough to sustain viable populations representing all trophic levels in the ecosystem. Secondary Criteria: Areas having rare and endangered species, Areas having diversity of soil and micro-climatic conditions and indigenous varieties of biota, Areas potential for preservation of traditional tribal or rural modes of living for harmonious use of environment.

2) Delhi High Court has declared 25 sections of Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959 which have been extended to Delhi, as “unconstitutional”. With this, it has struck down legal provision criminalising begging in national capital. The court’s order came on PILs which had sought decriminalisation of begging in capital and beggar by challenging provisions of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act. The PILs had argued that poverty can never be crime and if a person is destitute and begs for living, such person cannot be treated as criminal. Delhi High Court Ruling: The court observed that people beg on streets not because they wish to, but because they need to. Begging is their last resort to subsistence as they have no other means to survive. It also held that begging is symptom of disease, of fact that person has fallen through socially created net. Government has mandate to provide social security for everyone, to ensure that all citizens have basic facilities and presence of beggars is evidence that state has not managed to provide these to all its citizens. Criminalising begging violates most fundamental rights of some of most vulnerable people in our society. People in this stratum do not have access to basic necessities such as food, shelter and health, and in addition, criminalising them denies them the basic fundamental right to communicate and seek to deal with their plight. State can bring in alternative legislation to curb rackets of forced begging, after undertaking an empirical examination on the sociological and economic aspects of the matter. Background: The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act prescribes penalty of more than 3 years of jail in case of first conviction for begging and person can be ordered to be detained for 10 years in subsequent conviction. At present, there is no central law on begging and destitution but most states have adopted Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959. This law functions as derivative figure for all state anti-begging laws. 20 States and two Union Territories have either enacted their own legislations or adopted legislations enacted by other State.

3) Government has informed Lok Sabha that Non-Resident Indians (NRI) cannot file Right to Information (RTI) applications to seek governance-related information from Central government departments. It mentioned that only citizens of India have the right to seek information under the provisions of RTI Act, 2005 and NRIs are not eligible to file RTI applications. Right to Information Act 2005: This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully into force on 12 October 2005. It mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information by various public authorities under Central Government as well as the State Governments. The law imposes penalty for wilful default by government officials. Citizens can ask for anything that government can disclose to Parliament. Objectives of RTI are to empower citizens (as right to information is fundamental right of the citizens under Article 19), promote transparency and accountability in working of Government, check corruption and make our democracy work for the people in real sense. Public authorities defined under this law are required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days of the request. The law also mandates every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination and proactively certain categories of information so that citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally. Note: Information that can prejudicially impact internal security, relations with foreign countries, intellectual property rights, breach of parliamentary privilege and impedes investigations cannot be shared with public under RTI. Cabinet papers are exempted from RTI until decision has been implemented. However, discussions within Cabinet are never disclosed under RTI.

4) Pakistan and Russia have signed contract on admission of service members of Pakistan in Russia’s Military Training Institutes. The agreement was signed at conclusion of first meeting of Russia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee (JMCC), the highest forum of defence collaboration between both countries held in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This will be for first time, Pakistani soldiers will undergo training at Russian military institutes. This agreement is considered as sign of further strengthening defence ties between Russia and Paksitan. Russia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee (JMCC): During inaugural JMCC meeting, both sides discussed present status of their defence relations with aim to further strengthen, expand and diversify mutual cooperation. They exchanged views on bilateral and major international issues, including situation in West Asia and Afghanistan. They also expressed requirement of greater cooperative and collaborative approach among global community to defeat extremism. Moreover, comprehensive issue-based review was also carried out during which both countries expressed satisfaction on milestones achieved since signing of defence cooperation agreement in 2014. They also discussed regional security situation and matters of mutual interest, including enhancement of bilateral defence and security cooperation. Background: Pakistan’s defence ties with Russia have moved past bitter Cold War hostilities in recent years, mostly after chill in Pakistan’s relations with US. This has further pushed Pakistan close towards Russia and China. Russia and Pakistan had defence cooperation agreement in 2014. This has further enhance their bilateral relations. Both countries also have initiative military exercise DRUZBA (Friendship) in 2016.

5) Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved appointment of Chartered Accountant Swaminathan Gurumurthy and businessman Satish Kashinath Marathe as another non-official director on Central Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). They have been appointed for period of four years. Swaminathan Gurumurthy is Chartered Accountant by profession and is considered as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) idealogue and is associated with its affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch. He is also the editor of Tamil magazine Thuglak. He had referred demonetisation decision as equivalent of Financial Pokhran. Central Board of RBI: RBI’s business is overseen by Central Board of Directors. It is categorised into official and non0official directors. It delegates the functions to its committees and sub-committees. Central Board of Directors holds minimum 6 meetings every year. Out of which, at least 1 meeting every quarter is held. But typically committee of central board meets every week (Wednesday). Composition of RBI’s Central Board of Directors: It comprises RBI Governor, Deputy Governors (maximum 4), four non-official Directors which are nominated by Central Government (each Non-official director represents the local Boards located in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai representing 4 regions of India). 10 Non-official Directors nominated by RBI itself (These are persons having expertise in various segments of Indian Economy). Besides, there is one representative (usually Financial Services Secretary) of Central Government nominated under Section 8 (1) (d) of the RBI Act.

6) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has transferred surplus (dividend) of Rs. 50,000 crore to Government for year ended in June 2018, over 63% more than Rs 30,659 crore which it transferred in 2017. Significance of Surplus: RBI surplus forms sizeable chunk of revenue which government earns under head of ‘non-tax’, which is mainly dividends distributed by state owned firms. With increase in RBI surplus by close to Rs 20,000 crore, Centre’s prospect of meeting fiscal deficit target (pegged at 3.3% of gross domestic product this financial year) has improved based on fiscal consolidation and budget assumptions. The transfer also gives Central Government more elbow room to infuse capital into public sector banks owned by it. Earlier surplus transfers: Earlier in 2017, RBI had slashed surplus in the wake of demonetisation as its expenditure shot up largely because of sharp rise in provisions and cost of printing currency notes. For year 2015-16, RBI board had approved transfer of surplus amounting to Rs 65,876 crore to government. In 2014-15, it had paid Rs 65,896 crore to Government, which came as boon to Government in covering fiscal deficit target. The surplus transferred to government was Rs 52,679 crore in 2013-14. Provisions of surplus transfer: Technically, transfer of profits of RBI is provided in Section 47 of RBI Act, 1934. It states that after making provisions for bad and doubtful debts, contribution to staff and superannuation fund, depreciation in assets and for all matters for which provisions are made by or under Act or that are usually provided by bankers, balance of profits is to be paid to Central Government. The RBI’s profits essentially represent difference of income over expenditure. RBI’s main source of income is interest earned on bond holdings through open market operations (OMOs) or purchase and sale of government securities. Incidentally, YH Malegam committee had suggested in 2014 that RBI can transfer its entire surplus to government, without allocating anything to its various reserve funds for three years because it had adequate reserve funds. Following recommendations of Malegam committee, RBI had stopped transfers to internal reserves since its accounting year 2013-14 which is now a part of expenditure. Moreover, Economic Surveys of FY16 and FY17 also had pressed for bigger transfer of excess capital from RBI to Central government. It also had warned that surplus transfer exercise should not undermine RBI’s independence.

7) The NITI Aayog and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and entered into three-year partnership. The MoU was signed during Government and Business Partnership Conclave held in New Delhi. This partnership focuses on specific activities that seek to develop vision and action agenda for businesses and industries to contribute to SDGs, annual status reports and sector-specific best practise documents. Government and Business Partnership Conclave: It was jointly organised by NITI Aayog, CII and United Nations. IT witnessed participation from senior officials from Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Power and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. On sidelines of this conclave, CII also launched report—Indian Solutions for the World to Achieve SDGs. The report deep-dives into each of SDGs, targets and business implications thereof. It also cites examples that illustrate how companies have incorporated SDGs framework into their business strategy and gone about achieving them. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII): CII is an association of Indian businesses which works to create environment conducive to growth of industry in India. The headquarters of CII is located at New Delhi.

8) Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched Niryat Mitra mobile application for exporters and importers of the country. The app developed by Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), the largest exporters organisation of the country. It is available both on Android and on IOS platforms. Niryat Mitra app: The app provides wide range of information required to undertake international trade right from policy provisions for export and import, applicable GST rate, available export incentives, tariff, preferential tariff, market access requirements – SPS and TBT measures. It provides all the information at tariff line. The app works internally to map Indian Trade Clarification (ITC) Harmonized Item Description and Coding System (HS) code of other countries with that of India. It also provides all the required data without users bothering about HS code of any country. Presently, app has data of 87 countries. It also provides notifications of export promotion programmes organised by FIEO to provide opportunity to industry to participate in them. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO): It is apex and largest trade promotion organisation in India. It was jointly established in 1965 by Ministry of Commerce and private trade and industry. It is responsible for representing and assisting Indian entrepreneurs and exporters in foreign markets. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

9) India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its Multi Option Payment Acceptance Device (MOPAD) for digital payments convenience of merchants and consumers. It aims at providing digital convenience to customers and ease of doing business for merchants at the same time. SBI will roll-out this new initiative on all SBI PoS terminals in a phased manner. Multi Option Payment Acceptance Device (MOPAD): MOPAD also aims at providing convenience to merchants by eliminating multiple machines that they keep in order to facilitate transaction from different sources. It will allow customers to make payments through cards, Bharat QR, UPI and SBI Buddy (e-wallet) on single Point–of–Sale (PoS) terminal. It will help merchants to integrate different kinds of transaction through one PoS machine, which will help in eliminate their operational inconvenience and streamline cash flow. Customers will receive a charge-slip as proof of payment after processing any type of transactions through MOPAD. This multipurpose initiative will also enhance digital ecosystem and help bank in driving economy towards a less-cash society.Continue Reading W.B.C.S Current Affairs 04 August 2018 to 10 August 2018.

10) All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), a premier institute of Ayurveda under the AYUSH Ministry has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Delhi to boost research in traditional medicine and streamline hospital care facilities in the country. Key Facts: The MoU was signed at two-day conference of heads of AYUSH National Institutes organised by All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) aimed at upgrading the national institutes of traditional medicine at par with the IITs and IIMs. Under it, the faculties of IIT Delhi and AIIA will work together in projects to look at ways to integrate technology with Ayurveda. Under this partnership, projects developed will be given scientific validation to ancient medical science and integrate it with technology. All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA): AIIA is apex institute for Ayurveda in the country under Ministry of AYUSH. It is located in New Delhi. It aims at bringing synergy between traditional wisdom of Ayurveda and modern tools and technology. It offers postgraduate and doctoral courses in various disciplines of Ayurveda and focuses on fundamental research of Ayurveda, drug development, quality control, standardization, safety evaluation and scientific validation of Ayurvedic medicine. It also has 200 bed referral hospital for facilitating clinical research.

11) Union Government, NABARD and National Water Development Agency (NWDA) have signed revised Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for funding of central share of 99 prioritized irrigation projects under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) through Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF). Key Facts: The revised MoA will enable Ministry of Water Resources to release Central Assistance to prioritized projects under PMKSY as per requirements from time to time. For this, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance has modified certain existing mechanism of funding of these 99 projects under LTIF, with reference to source of funds, liability towards servicing of coupon on bonds, repayment pattern of loan and rate of interest on loan, etc. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): PMKSY was launched in July 2015 with overarching vision to ensure access to some means of protective irrigation for all agricultural farms in the country and to produce ‘per drop more crop’, thus bringing much desired rural prosperity. It was formulated by amalgamating earlier schemes viz. AIBP, Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) and On Farm Water Management (OFWM) component of National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). It is implemented by Ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development. It has outlay of Rs 50000 crore with implementation period of over five-year till April 2020. Objectives of PMKSY: Achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level. Expand cultivable area under assured irrigation (har khet ko pani). Enhance adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies (More crop per drop). Improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water. Enhance recharge of aquifers. Introduce sustainable water conservation practices.

12) Union Government has constituted four-member Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu to decide on 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. It was constituted to advise Prime Minister on whether to continue with or withdraw from RCEP negotiations. Group of Ministers (GoM): The GoM also includes Interim Finance and Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri. It has been mandated to find way forward from current deadlock over issues of joining RCEP or not. It will also help fine tune India’s strategy for the upcoming RCEP ministerial meet in August 2018 in Singapore. Besides, it will also help to finalize India’s position before RCEP Summit scheduled to be held in November 2018. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP): RCEP is proposed free trade agreement (FTA) or comprehensive regional economic integration agreement between the 10-ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and its six FTA partners (Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan and Korea). Its negotiations were formally launched at 2012 ASEAN Summit in Cambodia. Till 2017, 16 RCEP member states accounted for population of 3.4 billion people with total GDP (in terms of PPP) of $49.5 trillion, approximately 38% of the world’s GDP (combined GDPs of China and India makes up more than half that amount) and 29% of world trade. So far, objective of RCEP negotiations is to achieve modern, comprehensive, high-quality, and mutually beneficial economic partnership agreement among ASEAN Member States and its FTA partners. The coverage areas of RCEP negotiations included trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property, economic and technical cooperation, competition, dispute settlement, e-commerce, Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs) etc. India’s concern: There has been rising pressure on India to allow more market access to RCEP member countries including China and conclude negotiations by end of 2018. Several RCEP countries want India to open up its market for 92% of traded goods, while they are still reluctant to allow Indian skilled professionals greater access to their markets. India has maintained its position that it is ready to offer access for up to 85% of items, with deviations for countries such as Australia, New Zealand and China, with whom it does not have FTA. Besides, India also has trade deficit with 10 RCEP countries including China, South Korea and Australia, among others.

13) The Union Home Ministry has excluded 29 inhabited islands in Andaman and Nicobar from Restricted Area Permit (RAP) regime under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963 till December 2022. This decision aims to increase footfalls and promote tourism. Government is also planning to open 11 other uninhabited islands to foreigners. Key Facts: The lifting of RAP will allow foreigners to visit these islands without prior permission from the government. However, citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and foreign nationals having their origin in these countries will continue to require RAP to visit Union Territory. Moreover, for visiting Mayabunder and Diglipur islands, citizens of Myanmar will also continue to require RAP, which shall be issued only with prior approval of Home Ministry. Besides, separate approvals of competent authority will be required for visiting reserved forests, wildlife sanctuaries and tribal reserves. Restricted Area Permit (RAP) regime: RAP regime has been notified under Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963. Under it, foreign nationals are not normally allowed to visit protected or restricted area unless Government is satisfied that there are extra-ordinary reasons to justify their visit. Every foreigner, except citizen of Bhutan, who desires to enter and stay in protected or restricted area, is required to obtain special permit from competent authority having power to issue such permits to foreigner, seeking it. Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan and foreign nationals of Pakistani origin are exception and are not allowed to enter such areas.

14) Government has doubled import duties on 328 textile products to 20% from existing rate of 10% under Section 159 of the Customs Act, 1962. Earlier in July 2018, Government had doubled import duty on over 50 textile products — including jackets, suits and carpets to 20%. Significance: The increase in duties will give edge to domestic manufacturers as imported products are currently cheaper. It will curb soaring imports from China and focus more on local value addition in labour-intensive sector. This move will also help to promote ‘Make in India’ as imports of these goods had surged drastically in last one year especially post GST. It will increase in manufacturing activity in various segments of the entire value chain of textile sector, which will help to create jobs in sector, which employs about 10.5 crore people. Background: The move comes amid mounting concerns that trade war between world’s biggest economies United States and China will further aggravate dumping of cheaper products from China to Indian markets. As such, India’s textile imports jumped by 16% to record $7 billion in last fiscal, with China accounting for over 40% of purchases. Moreover, 28% hike in cotton prices by Government recently to ensure at least 50% premium to farmers over costs is expected to raise basic raw material costs for domestic manufacturers and could hurt our export competitiveness across value chains in the textile and garment sector.

15) According to recent study, earth is at the risk of entering an irreversible hothouse condition – where the global temperatures will rise by four to five degrees even if targets under 2015 Paris climate deal are met. Hothouse Earth climate will in long-term stabilise at global average of 4-5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial temperatures with sea level 10-60 metres higher than today. Key Highlights of Study: Currently, global average temperatures are just over 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial and rising at 0.17 degree Celsius per decade. Keeping global warming to within 1.5-2 degrees Celsius as agreed in 2015 Paris climate agreement by around 200 countries may be more difficult than previously assessed. Human-induced global warming of two degrees Celsius may trigger other Earth system processes often called feedbacks that can drive further warming even if greenhouse gases emissions are stopped. Avoiding this scenario will require redirection of human actions from exploitation to stewardship of Earth system. The study consider ten natural feedback processes, some of which are tipping elements that lead to abrupt change if critical threshold is crossed. These feedbacks can turn from being friend that stores carbon to foe that emits it uncontrollably in warmer world. These feedbacks include permafrost thaw, weakening land and ocean carbon sinks, loss of methane hydrates from ocean floor, increasing bacterial respiration in oceans, boreal forest dieback, Amazon rainforest dieback, reduction of northern hemisphere snow cover, loss of Arctic summer sea ice and reduction of Antarctic sea ice and polar ice sheets. These feedbacks tipping elements can potentially act like row of dominoes. Once one is pushed over, it pushes Earth towards another.

16) Tokyo 2020 will be first Olympics to use facial recognition technology to increase security around all venues. For this, games organisers have partnered with Japanese telecommunications and information technology giant NEC to develop the first system of this kind to be implemented at an Olympics games. Key Facts: The facial recognition technology will use IC chips within identification cards to automatically verify the identity of those entering over 40 sporting venues. The system will not be aimed at spectators but instead will concentrate on strengthening security and decreasing waiting times for athletes. This system will help to prevent fraudulent entry by people borrowing, stealing or faking an ID card. The technology takes only 0.3 seconds to match up face with pre-registered photo, making it world’s fastest such system. More than 40 facilities, including main stadium, International Broadcast Centre, Olympic village and so on, will have this system. More than 300,000 athletes and Games staff will have to submit photographs to database before Olympics start in July 2020. Background: Higher security is needed for people involved in Olympics as they enter important areas. Tokyo’s Olympic venues do not always have enough space for security check or even space to wait for security check. When events are happening, many people are expected to come. This is why we introduced this facial recognition. NEC already has tested this technology during Rio 2016 Olympics and already implemented in various locations, including airports. During demonstration, technology correctly had identified string of people, including those in wheelchairs and of varying heights.Continue Reading W.B.C.S Current Affairs 04 August 2018 to 10 August 2018.

17) Tokyo 2020 will be first Olympics to use facial recognition technology to increase security around all venues. For this, games organisers have partnered with Japanese telecommunications and information technology giant NEC to develop the first system of this kind to be implemented at an Olympics games. Key Facts: The facial recognition technology will use IC chips within identification cards to automatically verify the identity of those entering over 40 sporting venues. The system will not be aimed at spectators but instead will concentrate on strengthening security and decreasing waiting times for athletes. This system will help to prevent fraudulent entry by people borrowing, stealing or faking an ID card. The technology takes only 0.3 seconds to match up face with pre-registered photo, making it world’s fastest such system. More than 40 facilities, including main stadium, International Broadcast Centre, Olympic village and so on, will have this system. More than 300,000 athletes and Games staff will have to submit photographs to database before Olympics start in July 2020. Background: Higher security is needed for people involved in Olympics as they enter important areas. Tokyo’s Olympic venues do not always have enough space for security check or even space to wait for security check. When events are happening, many people are expected to come. This is why we introduced this facial recognition. NEC already has tested this technology during Rio 2016 Olympics and already implemented in various locations, including airports. During demonstration, technology correctly had identified string of people, including those in wheelchairs and of varying heights.

18) According to recent study released by LIRNEAsia, India has highest gender gap in mobile phone ownership amongst 18 comparable countries and ranks among the lowest in women’s access to Internet. LIRNEAsia is an information and communications technology (ICT) policy think tank that is involved in pro-poor, pro-market research in Asia-Pacific since 2005. The study also included comparative research done by ICT Africa in Africa and DIRSI in Latin America. Key Highlights of Study: Ownership of mobile phones: Only 43% of women in India own mobile phones compared to almost 80% of Indian males mostly because of lack of awareness. This difference is almost half of all other countries in study including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Rwanda. There is substantial urban-rural divide in mobile phone ownership with 71% urban penetration and 55% in rural. India’s urban-rural gap is comparable to that in Nigeria. Internet and social media usage: Women, rural citizens, and those with lower education or income significantly lag behind in internet and social media usage. The gender gap in internet usage is accentuated in rural regions at 52% as compared to 34% in urban areas. India’s 57% gender gap in Internet usage was surpassed only by Bangladesh and Rwanda. Its gender gap in social media usage was even higher with wider divides only in Bangladesh. Information about internet: In India, 64% do not know about internet which is higher percentage than other countries except Pakistan and Bangladesh. 68% of this group was female and 68 % were from rural areas. India’s internet use was at 19% which is lower than that of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Cambodia. E-commerce: Awareness of platforms for e-commerce was higher in India compared to Pakistan and Bangladesh. In India, 27% mainly use social media, 16 % for entertainment and 15% for news. Higher percentage of women used social media for marketing and educational content, while men used social media to chat which is significantly more than women. Political views on social media: Indian social media users share their political views at some of highest rates. More than half shared their religion, 26% share their sexual orientation, and 70% shared their mobile number or email address. Women shared information less than men in almost all categories except for political and sexual orientation. Distrust of news: India also has high distrust of news shared on social media and only 29% trust social media news while more than half did not. India also saw higher online harassment than Pakistan, Bangladesh and Cambodia at 19% of users. Much of this was offensive name-calling and in 20% of such cases, it led to reduced use of particular website.

19) The world’s first-ever thermal battery plant owned by Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST) was inaugurated in Amravati, Andhra Pradesh. This plant aims to create new energy storage form that is expected to have commercial applications, while also maintain low carbon footprint and less dependent on external factors like weather. Key Facts: The plant will begin its commercial operations from May 2019. BEST is planning to create a battery capacity of 1000MW. This is expected to be upgraded to a 10GW capacity by 2025. The thermal battery is based on alternative sources of energy production, and its presence is expected to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. It provide energy solutions for electrical grids, transport and telecom services. Before we look at its applications, here is a lowdown on the science behind thermal battery technology. This plant is based on technology patented in India by Dr Patrick Glynn in 2016. Working of thermal battery technology: Thermal battery use thermal energy to operate i.e. energy created by temperature differences. The energy transfer in in this battery helps to store heat when heat travels from one part of battery setup to other. For this transmission, thermal battery consists of two parts viz. cool zone (sink) and hot source (source.) Both these sides consist of compounds known as phase-changing materials (PCMs), which can change their state of matter on basis of physical and chemical reaction. When sink of thermal battery receives heat, it transforms physically or chemically, thereby storing energy, while source cools down. During operation, sink is cooled down, so it releases stored energy, while source heats up. Depending on nature of battery, system can derive heat from any source, which makes thermal battery very versatile. For power transmission, thermal batteries can function as long as there is heat source. How it is different from Conventional battery technology? Conventional battery technology work on basis of electrical energy and is based on system of charging and discharging cycles that are driven by electricity. For example Lithium-ion (Lion) battery, staple of many electronic devices, consists of electric charges being transferred from electrodes. Energy is derived from this battery, when lithium atoms turn into lithium ions (Li+), and get stored when this reaction reverses. Benefits: Thermal battery is hailed as perfect alternative to non-renewable energy sources. It is considered to be even better than solar energy. It will be energy source for power telecommunications services, electrical grids, electric vehicles (electric buses, on a single charge expected to run for upto 800kms). It has lesser heat sensitivity, and low carbon footprint these are better than Li-ion batteries and outperform solar panels, which have expensive maintanence, and high weather-dependent operation. Solar batteries cannot be charged or utilised to their optimum potential after sunset or even when the skies are densely clouded. Though thermal batteries are priced at par with widely used Lithium-ion batteries, but they have low carbon footprint and also last longer.

20) Startup India launched Startup Academia Alliance programme to fulfill Government’s mission to promote spirit of entrepreneurship in the country. It is unique programme to foster mentorship opportunity between academic scholars and startups working in similar domains. Startup Academia Alliance: The programme aims to reduce gap between scientific research and its industrial applications in order to increase efficacy of these technologies and widen their impact. It strives to create lasting connections between stakeholders of startup ecosystem by creating bridge between academia and industry and implement third pillar on which Startup India Action Plan is based – Industry Academia Partnerships and Incubation. The first phase of the programme was kickstarted through partnering with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Council on Energy, Environment and Water and TERI School of Advanced Studies. Renowned scholars from these institutes, in fields such as renewable energy, biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences were taken on board to provide mentorship and guidance to startups working in relevant arenas. Startup India: The campaign was first announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 15 August 2015 address from Red Fort, in New Delhi. Activities under are implemented and monitored by Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It aims to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country which will drive economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. The action plan of this campaign is based on three pillars viz. simplification and handholding, funding support and incentives and industry-academia partnership and incubation.

21) Parliament has passed Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill, 2017 that seeks to provide constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Now, the bill will be sent to President for his assent (as per 368 of Constitution). Parliament also passed separate bill to repeal National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 as it will become irrelevant once Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill comes into force. Key Features of Bill: The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill provides for granting of constitutional status to NCBC on par with National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCSTs). It empowers President to specify socially and educationally backward classes in various states and union territories in consultation with Governor of concerned state. The bill provides duties of NCBC to investigate and monitor safeguards provided to socially and educationally backward classes backward classes under Constitution and other laws being implemented and probe specific complaints regarding violation of rights. It also provides NCBC with powers of civil court while probing any complaint against notified socially and educationally backward classes. Background: The Constitutional Amendment Bill was first passed with over two-third majority, with all 406 members present voting in favour. It had passed bill by superseding amendments suggested by earlier by Rajya Sabha by incorporating alternate amendments as well as some more changes. The bill passed by Lok Sabha was again passed by Rajya Sabha in same format with absolute majority and over two-third majority of members present and voting (All 156 members present in the house voted in favour of the bill). Note: Lok Sabha in April 2017 (Budget session 2017) had passed Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017 and sent it to the Rajya Sabha. But in July 2017 (during 2017 Monsoon session), Rajya Sabha passed bill after incorporating certain amendments moved by Congress-led opposition and returned it to Lok Sabha for ratification of amendments. The amendments had increased three-member NCBC to five members so as give representation to woman and person from minority community. It also had mandated that all five members should necessarily be from OBC communities. It also had added another amendment sought to protect federal structure by giving states significant role in making recommendation to the list. Among suggested amendments, Union government had agreed to appoint one woman member from backward classes in NCBC. Other amendments were rejected.Continue Reading W.B.C.S Current Affairs 04 August 2018 to 10 August 2018.

22) Parliament has passed Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 prescribing death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below age of 12 years and making law against such sexual offences more stringent. The Bill replaces the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated on April 2018. Key Provisions of the Bill: The Bill amends Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Indian Evidence Act. It provides for stringent punishment of jail term of minimum 20 years or life imprisonment or death for rape of girl less than 12 years. It provides punishment with imprisonment for rest of life or death sentence in case of gang rape of girl below 12 years. It increases minimum punishment from 10 years to 20 years for crime of rape of girl under 16 years, which can be extended to imprisonment for rest of life. It also increases minimum punishment for rape of women from rigorous imprisonment of 7 years to 10 years, which can be extended to life imprisonment. It provides for speedy investigation and trial of cases involving above offences, which must be completed in two months. It proposes 6 months’ time limit for disposal of appeals in rape cases. It provides dedicated manpower for investigation of rape cases in time bound manner. It provides no provision for anticipatory bail for person accused of rape or gang rape of girl under 16 years. It has also been provided that court has to give notice of 15 days to Public Prosecutor and representative of victim before deciding bail applications in case of rape of a girl under 16 years of age. It has provision for maintaining national database and profile of sexual offenders by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). This data will be regularly shared with States/UTs for monitoring, tracking and investigation including verification of antecedents by police. Note: Four states already have brought in law after passing it through their respective assemblies for capital punishment to those who rape girls below 12 years. The states are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh.

23) China successfully tested its first cutting-edge hypersonic “waverider” flight vehicle (aircraft) Xingkong-2 (Starry Sky-2). Waverider is flight vehicle that flies in atmosphere and uses shockwaves generated by its own hypersonic flight with air to glide at high speed. Currently, United States and Russia have been carrying out similar experiments. About Test: The Xingkong-2 hypersonic waverider flight vehicle was released in air from rocket after about 10 minutes. After its launch, it flew independently, made large-angle turning maneuvers and landed in targeted area as planned. During test, it had reached 30 kms in altitude at Mach 5.5-6 speed. The test successfully proved various parameters of flight vehicle, thus marking successful launch of Xingkong-2 and first flight of Chinese waverider. Xingkong-2 (Starry Sky-2): The hypersonic waverider flight vehicle was designed by state-run China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) in collaboration with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It can carry can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. It has capability to penetrate any current generation anti-missile defence systems due to its high speed and unpredictable trajectory. As compared to it, current generation of anti-missile defence systems is mainly designed to intercept cruise and ballistic missiles which are either slower or easier to predict, making them possible to intercept. In addition to its military use, hypersonic waverider flight vehicle may also see civil use in the future. Comment: The test showed that China is advancing shoulder-to-shoulder with US and Russia in developing hypersonic waverider flight vehicle. China is expected to test this wave rider more frequently in future before being handed over for final deployment to People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

24) Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highway (MoRTH) launched two IT initiative Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) and Bhoomi Rashi and PFMS linkage aimed at expediting pre construction processes relating to bidding and land acquisition respectively. Bidder Information Management System (BIMS): BIMS portal aims at streamlining process of pre-qualification of bidders for EPC Mode of contracts for National Highway works with enhanced transparency and objectivity. It works as data base of information about bidders, covering basic details, civil works experience, cash accruals and network, annual turnover etc. It allows assessment of pre-qualification of bidders from data already stored in portal to carry out technical evaluation at much faster rate. It will be used by all project implementation agencies of MoRTH for maintenance of technical information of civil works of contractors, concessionaires and for online technical evaluation of civil works bids. BIMS portal will be operated in conjunction with Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP) portal for invitation of bids for civil works for EPC mode. It will help to significantly reduce procurement time for projects through objective and transparent online evaluation system thereby leading to accelerated project implementation. Bhoomi Rashi: Bhoomi Rashi portal has been developed by MoRTH and National Informatics Centre (NIC). It comprises entire revenue data of country, right down to 6.4 lakh villages. It makes entire process flow from submission of draft notification by State Government to its approval by Minister of State (MoS) for RT&H and publication in e-Gazetteis online. The portal has been created for expediting process of publication of notifications for land acquisition. It will be utilized for issuing notification. It will play instrumental role in reducing time taken for approval and publication of notifications pertaining to land acquisition PFMS linkage with Bhoomi Rashi: The Bhoomi Rashi portal has been integrated with Public Financial Management System (PFMS) to facilitate payment related to compensation for land acquisition to all beneficiaries directly through Bhoomi Rashi system. It will make payment of Compensation by MoRTH to beneficiaries in real time and without any parking of funds. PFMS is web-based online software application developed and implemented by Office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA) to facilitate sound public financial management system for Central Government. It provides various stakeholders with real time, reliable and meaningful management information system and effective decision support system, as part of Digital India initiative of Central Government.

25) Joint military exercise Maitree 2018 between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army was conducted in Thailand from 6 to 19 August 2018. It contributed immensely in developing mutual understanding and bonhomie between armies of both countries in order to counter terrorism. Exercise Maitree 2018: Maitree 2018 was platoon level exercise that comprises of infantry component. Its opening ceremony was started with familiarization of organisation and display of weapons and equipment of both armies. It mainly emphasized to hone tactical and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations in rural and urban scenario under United Nations (UN) mandate. The exercise laid due emphasis on increasing interoperability between forces from both countries which is considered crucial for success of any joint operation. Both armies also jointly trained, planned and executed series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. Besides, experts from both sides also held detailed discussions to share their experience on varied topics for mutual benefit.

26) Computer scientists from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have developed first of family of six industry-standard microprocessors under Project Shakti. The initial batch of 300 chips have been named RISECREEK and have been fabricated at Intel’s facility at Oregon, US for free to run Linux operating system. Project Shakti was started in 2014 as IIT-M initiative and part of it is funded by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. RISECREEK microprocessors: Their design is open source and can be adapted by others. They optimise power use and compete with international units such as Cortex A5 from Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). They have better performance in terms of DMIPS per megahertz rating than A5 and score of 1.68 against competition’s 1.57. These viable industry-grade microprocessors can operate at frequency of 350 MHz, thus meets demands of defence and strategic equipment of country such as NAVIC (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite) and Internet of Things (IoT) electronics. These processors can also be tapped for future efforts in semiconductors.

27) Joint military exercise Maitree 2018 between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army was conducted in Thailand from 6 to 19 August 2018. It contributed immensely in developing mutual understanding and bonhomie between armies of both countries in order to counter terrorism. Exercise Maitree 2018: Maitree 2018 was platoon level exercise that comprises of infantry component. Its opening ceremony was started with familiarization of organisation and display of weapons and equipment of both armies. It mainly emphasized to hone tactical and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations in rural and urban scenario under United Nations (UN) mandate. The exercise laid due emphasis on increasing interoperability between forces from both countries which is considered crucial for success of any joint operation. Both armies also jointly trained, planned and executed series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. Besides, experts from both sides also held detailed discussions to share their experience on varied topics for mutual benefit.

28) Computer scientists from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have developed first of family of six industry-standard microprocessors under Project Shakti. The initial batch of 300 chips have been named RISECREEK and have been fabricated at Intel’s facility at Oregon, US for free to run Linux operating system. Project Shakti was started in 2014 as IIT-M initiative and part of it is funded by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. RISECREEK microprocessors: Their design is open source and can be adapted by others. They optimise power use and compete with international units such as Cortex A5 from Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). They have better performance in terms of DMIPS per megahertz rating than A5 and score of 1.68 against competition’s 1.57. These viable industry-grade microprocessors can operate at frequency of 350 MHz, thus meets demands of defence and strategic equipment of country such as NAVIC (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite) and Internet of Things (IoT) electronics. These processors can also be tapped for future efforts in semiconductors.

29) President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent (under Article 111) to Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 passed by Parliament. With this assent, this Bill becomes law that will deter fugitive economic offenders to evade legal process in India and flee the country. The law aims to serve as an effective, expeditious and constitutional way to stop these offenders from running away. Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018: The new law defines fugitive economic offender (FEO) as any individual against whom warrants for arrest is issued for his involvement in select economic offences involving amount of at least Rs 100 crore or more and has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution. It allows designated special court to declare person as fugitive economic offender and to confiscate his property, including benami ones. It vests all rights and title in confiscated property from date of the confiscation order in central government and it will be free from all encumbrances. Enforcement Directorate (under Ministry of Finance) will be investigative agency under the Act. Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2018: President also gave assent to Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Act, 2018. It is aimed at allowing a court to try offences related to cheque bounce expeditiously and direct the drawee to pay a minimum of 20% of cheque amount as interim compensation. State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2018: President also gave assent to State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Act is to repeal two other laws State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959 and State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956. It further amend the State Bank of India Act of 1955.

30) The nominating committee of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has selected Ajay Data as new council member of Country Code Supporting Organisation (ccNSO). With this, he becomes first Indian to get selected as a member of ccNSO, which is policy development body of ICANN for ccTLD (country code top-level domains) issues and represents all country code top level domain operators from around the world. He has been selected for two-year term and will take up position during ICANN 63 Meet in Spain in October 2018. He will be representing India at global level and will be also custodian of Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands as member of ccNSO. Ajay Data: He is founder & CEO of Data XGen Plus and global leader in email linguistic services. He is creator of world’s first email address mobile app and email solution for IDN (Internationalized Domain Names) Domains. He was awarded Graham Bell Award for this innovation. He has been also credited for giving access to World for Internationalized Email Address in 19 languages which is available through DataMail app. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers): ICANN is private (non-government) non-profit corporation with responsibility of supervising domain names on internet. It plays major monopolistic role in IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management, and root server system management functions. It was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. ICANN is responsible for: Coordination of global Internet’s systems of unique identifiers. Ensuring stable and secure operation of internet. Coordination of the Internet Protocol address spaces. Assignment of address blocks to regional Internet registries, for maintaining registries of Internet protocol identifiers, and for management of top-level domain name space (DNS root zone), which includes operation of root name servers. DNS policy development for internationalization of the DNS system. Introduction of new generic top-level domains (TLDs).

31) Union Finance Ministry has further extended deadline on imposing import duty hike on 29 products, imported from United States (US) by 45 days till September 18, 2018 from earlier August 4, 2018. This decision for extension of retaliatory measures for another 45 days was taken based on suggestion of Union Commerce Ministry. It also comes after some positive expectations from ongoing talks between two countries as they are wrapping up negotiations on mutually-acceptable trade package for boosting India-US trade through greater market access. Background: The duty hike move 29 products announced by India in June 2018 was tit for tat retaliatory measure to March 2018 decision of US President Donald Trump to impose heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items. The additional duties imposed by India were aimed at helping government earn additional $241 million, equivalent to amount of iron and steel trade affected by US measures. The 29 products included agricultural products such as almonds, apples, chickpeas, lentils, and walnuts, and industrial inputs such as boric acid, phosphoric acid, diagnostic reagent, flat rolled products of iron, certain flat rolled products of stainless steel. Prior to issuing duty hike notification, India has also had dragged US to World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism over imposition of import duties on steel and aluminium.

32) National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has singed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) for long term unsecured loan of Rs. 25,000 crore for 10 years with 3 years of moratorium on repayments. This is SBI’s highest long term unsecured loan to any entity and also largest loan ever sanctioned to NHAI in one stroke by any institution. Key Facts: The loan sanctioned by SBI is unsecured. It has no principal repayment liability for initial three years. But after three years, repayment will be done in 14 equal half yearly installments. The total loan tenure is 10 years. NHAI can repay or prepay it at any time without any prepayment penalty. The rate of interest will be based on one month marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR). Interest accrued on amount actually outstanding will be paid on monthly basis. Background: NHAI traditionally relied on borrowing through long term bonds issued to various investors, including LIC, EPFO and other qualified investors and Tax Free bonds and Masala Bond issued in year 2017. But recently it had invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) to fund Rs. 25000 crore as unsecured loan for 10 years with 3 years of moratorium on repayments. In response to this EoI, SBI had offered to fund t entire requirement of Rs. 25000 crore based on one month MCLR. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI): NHAI is an autonomous statutory agency of Central Government, responsible for management of network of over 70,000 km of national highways in India. It was established through NHAI Act, 1988. In February 1995, it was formally made an autonomous body. It is nodal agency of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It is responsible for development, management, operation and maintenance of National Highways. It is headquartered in New Delhi.

33) United Kingdom Government has announced new plans to change law for organ and tissue donation to address urgent need for organs within Indian-origin communities in the country. The amendment in existing law will propose new system of consent for organ and tissue donation. This will be known as Max’s Law after Max Johnson, a 10-year-old boy who was saved by a heart transplant. Key Facts: The changes in law will try to incorporate opt-in system similar to India, whereby families’ decision to donate organs of their loved one after death is discretionary. This will come into effect in England in 2020 as part of a drive to help black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people desperately waiting for a life-saving transplant. Under this new presumed consent system, those who do not want to donate their organs will be able to record their decision on state-funded National Health Service (NHS) Organ Donor Register (ODR). Background: The announcement comes as recent report titled ‘Organ Donation: Breaking Taboos Amongst British BAME Communities’ had called on NHS to take more proactive action to address high death rate among Indian-origin people in Britain due to low levels of organ donation within community. The report was commissioned by Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and was aimed at studying low levels of donation among BAME communities in the UK. According to this report, BAME communities are seen as generally less inclined to opt for organ donation, largely due to deeply-entrenched cultural and religious beliefs discouraging organ donation. In another report by NHS, it was found that 21% of people who died on organ donation waiting list in UK in 2017 were from BAME background. It also held that family refusal continues to be biggest obstacle to organ donation among UK’s Asian communities.Continue Reading W.B.C.S Current Affairs 04 August 2018 to 10 August 2018.

34) The GST (Good and Services Tax) council in its 29th meeting held in national capital New Delhi has approved cash incentives to promote Digital transactions. The GST Council meeting was chaired by Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal. It has announced 20% cashback for digital transactions paid on business-to-consumer transactions using RuPay and BHIM platforms, subject to cap of Rs 100 per transaction. Pilot Programme to promote digital transactions: GST Council also decided to start pilot programme to promote digital transactions. The pilot programme will be implemented in any state on voluntarily basis. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bihar will be the first few states to incentivise digital payments. Incentivising of digital payments would help in maintaining a better database by government, thus formalization of the economy. MSME Sector: GST Council also focused on concerns and suggestions of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It also formed Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla to address various issues faced by MSMEs. It will examine all proposals regarding tax relief for MSME and make recommendations to GST Council. The group will submit its report in the next six weeks. GST Council: GST Council has been established as per Article 279A of the Constitution. It is joint forum of the Centre and the States to make recommendations on important issues related to GST. Union Finance Minister is Chairperson of the council. Besides, Union Minister of State (MoS) in-charge of Revenue of finance and Minister In-charge of taxation or finance or any other Minister nominated by each State Government are its Members.

35) Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu finished second best winning silver medal at World Championships 2018 of Badminton in women’s singles category held at Nanjing, China. It makes Sindhu only Indian to have four world championships podium finishes. Earlier she had won two bronze medals at 2013 (Guangzhou) and 2014 (Copenhagen) editions. World Championships 2018 Winners: Men’s singles: Kento Momota of Japan won the title (gold medal) with 21-13, 21-11 victory over China’s Shi Yuqi. With this victory, he became the first Japanese man to win the Championships. Women’s singles: Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain won this title by defeating India’s P V Sindhu by 19-21 10-21 score.. With this victory, Marin became the first woman shuttler to win the world championships thrice. She had earlier won the title in 2014 (Copenhagen) and 2015 (Jakarta). Men’s doubles: Chinese pair of Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen won the title by defeating Japanese pair of Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda. Women’s doubles: Japanese pair of Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara won the title by defeating another Japanese pair of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota. Mixed doubles: Chinese pair of Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong won the title by defeating another Chinese pair of Wang Yilü and Huang Dongping.

36) India was elected as President of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) for period of two years. India got elected against Iran during voting which took place at 44th annual gathering of AIBD held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Moreover, Director General of All India Radio (AIR) F. Sheheryar was also re-elected as chair of executive board of AIBD while Sri Lanka was elected as vice-chair. Broadcasters from 26 countries in the region including India are full members of the organization. Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD): AIDB is regional inter-governmental organisation serving countries of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in field of electronic media development. It was established in 1977 under auspices of UNESCO. It is hosted by Government of Malaysia and its secretariat is located in Kuala Lumpur. AIBD is mandated to achieve vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in Asia-Pacific region through policy and resource development. Currently it has broadcasters from 26 full member countries, represented by 34 organisations and 67 Affiliate Members (organisations) and over 50 partners in Asia, Pacific, Europe, Africa, Arab States and North America.

37) Telangana State Information Technology, Electronics and Communication department (ITE&C) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tech Mahindra to launch India’s first Blockchain district. The MoU was signed at International Blockchain Congress 2018 held in Hyderabad. Blockchain district: It will be centre of excellence, incubator and process development for emerging technology with innovative infrastructure and facilities to foster growth of Indian blockchain start-ups and companies. Tech Mahindra as its founding member will provide platform and technology assistance to all incubators in it. It will also empower accelerators to develop and solve market problems across its global customer ecosystem. Telangana ITE&C Department will provide regulatory and policy support to enable and promote Blockchain growth both in India and globally. Significance : Blockchain district will be global talent hub which can help to unlock value of blockchain technology in democratising data and solving big scale world problems. It is also huge step in reskilling and right skilling workforce of the future. It will provide an opportunity for blockchain ecosystem in India to collaborate and work towards building a blockchain district in Telangana and transforming India as the blockchain capital of the world. Blockchain Technology: Blockchain is decentralized incorruptible digital ledger for storing data across peer-to-peer network. It decentralizes information without it being copied. Information is held on blockchain through shared database which can be accessed on real-time basis. This database is not stored on physical servers but on cloud, which makes it easy to store unlimited data. Advantages: Blockchain technology is not controlled by any single entity and has no single point of failure. It is transparent and incorruptible. It is kind of self-auditing ecosystem of digital value and blockchain network automatically checks every transaction that happens in it. Applications: The most popular application of technology so far has been cryptocurrency. But it is not limited to, financial transactions and can be also used in smart contracts, supply chain management logistics, sharing economy, crowdfunding, governance, file storage and date management and Internet of Things (IoT).

38) Union Government has announced that it has reached target of providing 5 crore free LPG connections under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) almost eight months ahead of schedule (i.e. in 27 months instead of 35 months). Key Facts: Uttar Pradesh (87 lakh), West Bengal (67 lakh), Bihar (61 lakh), Madhya Pradesh (45 lakh), Rajasthan (37 lakh) and Odisha (30 lakh) are six states that have accounted for nearly 65% of connections provided under PMUY and 47% of overall beneficiaries are from weaker sections of society i.e., SC/STs. World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised PMUY as one of decisive intervention by Government to address indoor air pollution which accounts for nearly 10 lakh deaths in year in the country. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY): Union Government launched PMUY in May, 2016 with tagline of Swachh Indhan, Behtar Jeevan. It aims at providing clean-cooking fuel to poor households, who are otherwise vulnerable to various health hazards associated with indoor air pollution and bringing in qualitative charges inliving standards. Implementation: PMUY is implemented by Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas through its Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) i.e., IOC, BPCL and HPCL through their network of distributors across the country. PMUY is under implementation in the all the States/UTs. Through it, cash assistance is given to beneficiaries to get a deposit-free new connection. It is first welfare scheme implemented by Ministry of Petroleum. Beneficiaries of PMUY: They are are identified through Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) List-2011 and in such cases where names are not covered under SECC list, beneficiaries are identified from seven categories which includes SC/ST households, beneficiaries of Antyodaya Anna Yojana, PMAY (Gramin), Forest Dwellers, Most Backward Classes, Resident of Islands/River Islands and Tea Garden & Ex-tea Garden Tribes. Target: Initially, Government had set target to provide deposit free LPG connections under PMUY to 5 crore BPL households by 31 March 2019. Considering its huge success, government had revised target to 8 crores with budgetary allocation of Rs. 12,800 crore.

39) Centre has notified Supreme Court that it has withdrawn proposal for setting up ‘Social Media Communication Hub’. This comes after apex court had issued notice to centre earlier and had termed Government’s proposal to monitor online data using this hub akin to ‘creating a surveillance state’. Social Media Communications Hub: It was proposed platform to allow government to keep eye on all social media platforms — Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn etc to gauge and analyse public sentiment towards various government policies and announcements, and track influencers. It main objective was to get sense of public mood, with capability to track any individual’s public posts across these online platforms. It had two aspects mass surveillance apparatus that aims at collecting and analysing huge volumes of data, and profiling people based on that and utilising this data to predict mood of people online and issue responses, including those targeted at individuals or groups. For this, Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under Ministry for Information & Broadcasting had twice issued Request For Proposal (RFP) to supply, installation, testing and commissioning (SITC) of software tool for the hub. RFI had specified that this platform should be able to easily manage conversational logs with each individual through various social media channels and facilitate in creating 360 degree view of people who are creating buzz across various topics. What is the issue? The apex court had issued notice to Centre on a plea by Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Mahua Moitra. The plea had mentioned that SMCH is expected to listen to conversations on all major digital channels and also to be able to monitor email. Such intrusive action by Government without t authority of law infringes the fundamental right to freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a) of tConstitution Such action of the government also violates the right to privacy under Article 21. Hearing the plea SC bench of had observed that government wants to tap citizens’ WhatsApp messages. It will be like creating a surveillance state.

40) Social networking giant Facebook has launched “Digital Literacy Library” to help young people build skills they need to safely enjoy online technology. The lessons can be found on Facebook’s Safety Center as well as on Berkman Klein’s Digital Literacy Resource Platform. Digital Literacy Library: The library is resource for educators looking to address digital literacy and help these young people build the skills they need to safely enjoy digital technology. It is a collection of lessons to help young people think critically and share thoughtfully online. There are 18 interactive lessons and videos have been developed in partnership with Youth and Media team at Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University for educators of youth aged 11 to 18. These lessons are in English language and Facebook is planning to launch these in additional 45 languages soon. These lessons are divided into themes such as privacy and reputation, identity exploration, security, safety and well-being and can be downloaded for free. They also represent voices of young people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, geographies, and educational levels.

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