ShankarIAS Prelim Bits Compilation by

xaam.in

01-10-2018
Black Spotted Turtles
● According to a recent report by TRAFFIC, India accounts for 29% of
black spotted turtles seized from across seven countries in South Asia.
● Black spotted turtle or spotted pond turtle is a medium-sized freshwater
turtle and native to South Asia.
● The species was once smuggled for its meat and is now sought after as
an exotic pet.
● It is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species.
● In India, the species is distributed across the north, northeast and a few
parts of central India.
● The States are West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand, and parts of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and
Meghalaya.
● According to TRAFFIC, in turtles seizure rate, India is followed by
Thailand (19%) and Hong Kong (17%),Bangladesh (12%).

TRAFFIC
● TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a leading
non-governmental organisation working globally on trade in wild
animals and plants.
● It is a strategic alliance of IUCN and World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF).
● Its mission is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a
threat to the conservation of nature.
 ● It plays a vital role in tackling illegal wildlife trade through conducting
research and analysis, advocacy and awareness work and by supporting
remedial action against illegal wildlife trade.
● It is currently working in the following projects,
1. ReTTA - Reducing trade threats to Africa's wild species and ecosystems
through strengthened knowledge and action in Africa and beyond.
2. Wildlife-TRAPS - Wildlife Trafficking Response, Assessment and
Priority Setting.
3. The Global Shark and Ray Initiative – It works to secure the future
of our oceans through shark and ray conservation.
Open Insulin Project
● It is a California based initiative trying to develop an open-source
protocol for manufacturing off-patent insulin.
● It is similar to movements in the software industry in 1980s & 90s that
successfully made open source operating systems.
● This project was founded in 2015 through crowd funding .
● It aims to make and refine synthetic insulin from E.Coli bacteria and
document their process, so that generic pharamecutical company can
use to make affordable insulin for patients all over the world.
MiG-21 Fighter Jets
● MiG is a product of Soviet Union which entered in to the service in 1959.
● India inducted the MiG-21 in 1963 and got full technology transfer and
rights to license-build the aircraft in the country.
● It is the first ​supersonic fighter​​ aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
● Russia stopped producing the aircraft in 1985, while India continued
operating the upgraded variants.
● In the upcoming India-Russia Bilateral summit, India is likely to gift 3
MiG fighter jets to Russia.
● MiG-21 fighter jets will be phased out of service by 2021-22.
● Tejas, an indigeneous fighter aircraft will replace the ageing MiG-21.
Click ​here​ to know more about Tejas.
UNHRC
● UN Human Rights Council has recently passed a resolution for creating
an international body to look into grave crimes in Myanmar.
● The resolution was a joint initiative of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation and the European Union.
● The resolution mandates the new body to,
○ Collect, consolidate, preserve and analyze evidence of the most
serious international crimes in Myanmar since 2011,
○ Prepare files to facilitate and expedite fair and independent
criminal proceedings.
● The resolution calls on the UN secretary-general to appoint staff and
allocate the resources necessary to support the body’s work.
● The resolution follows the report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission on
Myanmar.
● The fact finding mission found that Myanmar’s security forces
committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against
ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine State.
Click ​here​ to know more about UNHRC.
Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018

● Exercise Yudh Abhyas is a joint Indo-US Military exercise.

● Its 2018 edition was recently concluded in Uttarakhand.
● The exercise was started in the year 2004 under US Army Pacific
Partnership Programme.
● It is one of the largest joint running military training and defence
corporation endeavors between India and USA.

Source: PIB, The Hindu

02-10-2018
Air Safety Oversight Score
● A report on "Air Safety Oversight Score" was recently released by
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
● It seeks to identify if countries have effectively and consistently
implemented the critical elements of a safety-oversight system.
● India has slipped below its previous ranking of 66% to 57%.
● India is one of the 15 countries that are below the minimum target rates.
● India's score is lower than that of Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and even North Korea in the Asia-Pacific
region.
● The only countries that rank below India are small and little known such
as Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Samoa.
● A downgrade would mean Indian airlines won’t be able to mount new
flights to the US or form alliances with US airlines.
● This can stifle Indian carriers' plans of global expansion.
U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
● USMCA is the recently concluded agreement among the countries to
replace 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
● It gives the U.S greater access to the dairy markets of canada and mexico
and allows extra imports of canada cars.
● Canada managed to preserve the dispute settlement mechanism as a
protection for its wood industry.
● This deal covers more than $1 trillion trade.
● It is intended to last 18 years and will be reviewed every 6 years.
Commodity Derivatives
● The Bombay Stock Exchange became the first stock exchange in the
country to launch commodity derivatives contract in gold and silver.
● Till date, commodity derivatives contracts are available only in the 2
specialsed commodity derivatives - Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX)
and National Commodity Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX).
 ● The launch of commodity derivatives platform on the BSE will help in
efficient price discovery, reduce timeline and make it cost-effective.
● BSE also waived off transaction charges for the first year in the
commodity derivatives segment.
● Derivatives - They are financial contracts that derive their value from
an underlying asset.
● These could be stocks, indices, commodities, currencies, exchange rates,
or the rate of interest.
● These financial instruments helps to make profits by betting on the
future value of the underlying asset. This is why they are called
‘Derivatives’.
Nobel Prize for Medicine
● Two immunologists, James Allison of the U.S. and Tasuku Honjo of
Japan, won the 2018 Nobel Medicine Prize.
● They won for their work on a new approach to cancer treatment.
● They figured out how to help the patient's own immune system tackle
the cancer more quickly.
● It contradicts with traditional forms of cancer treatment that directly
target cancer cells.
● The discovery led to treatments targeting proteins made by some
immune system cells that act as a “brake” on the body’s natural defences
killing cancer cells.
● T-cells are a type of white blood cell that play a central role in the body’s
natural immunity to disease.
Polio
● Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus.
● It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis (Acute
flaccid Paralysis) in a matter of hours.
● The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the
faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example,
contaminated water or food).
 ● It mainly affects children under 5 years of age. Polio vaccine, given
multiple times, can protect a child for life.
● There are three types of polio virus strains - P1, P2 and P3.
● P2 was eradicated globally in 1999. The last case due to type-2 wild
poliovirus globally was reported from Aligarh in India in 1999.
● India reported its last polio case in 2011 and is also declared polio-free
by WHO in 2014.
● India eliminated the type-2 strain in 2016, and the type-2 containing
poliovirus vaccine (ToPV) was phased out in April 2016.
● Recently, Traces of polio type-2 virus were found in some batches of oral
polio vaccine (OPV) manufactured by a Ghaziabad-based
pharmaceutical company.
● Union health ministry has asked the polio surveillance team in Uttar
Pradesh to trace all children who were given the vaccine.
Elimination and Eradication
● Elimination means stopping the transmission of a disease in a specific
geographic area or country, but not worldwide.
● Disease eradication is the permanent reduction of a disease to zero cases
through deliberate measures such as vaccines.
● Once a disease has been eradicated, intervention measures are no longer
needed.

Source: The Hindu, Economic Times

03-10-2018
First Assembly of ISA
 ● The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is organising the First
Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) in New Delhi.
● It will be inaugurated in the presence of Secretary General of United
Nations.
● Ministers from countries which ratified ISA treaty framework will
attend the assembly as members.
● Countries that have signed but are yet to ratify the ISA Treaty
Framework will attend the Assembly as Observers.
● The assembly is the supreme decision making body of ISA.
● Initially, ISA envisaged 121 countries situated between the tropics of
Cancer and Capricorn as its members.
● In the assembly, India will propose to make all United Nations members
eligible for ISA membership.
● It will help induction of countries - Germany, Italy, Spain, Tunisia,
Nepal and Afghanistan, which have shown interest in becoming ISA
members.
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
● ISA, an Indian initiative, was launched jointly by India and France on
the sidelines of COP21 of UNFCCC held in Paris.
● It opened ISA Framework Agreement for signature in Marrakech,
Morocco in 2016, on the side-lines of COP-22.
● After ratification by 15 countries, ISA became the first full-fledged treaty
based international intergovernmental organization headquartered in
India.
● Delhi Solar Agenda​​ was adopted in the founding conference of ISA
held in 2018.
● In the agenda, ISA member States have agreed to pursue an increased
share of solar energy in the final energy consumption in respective
national energy mix.
● The first assembly will lay the foundation of Delhi Solar Agenda.
● Till date, out of 121 prospective member countries that lie either fully or
partially between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, 68 countries
have signed the Framework Agreement of the ISA.
IORA - Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting
● The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) was set up with the objective
of strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development
within the Indian Ocean Region.
● The association comprises 21 Member States and 7 Dialogue Partners.
● India, Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa,
Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore,
Mauritius, Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and
Oman are members of IORA.
● Neither Pakistan nor Myanmar are member of IORA.
● The Coordinating Secretariat of IORA is located at Ebene, Mauritius.
● The apex body is the Council of (Foreign) Ministers (COM).
● The first ​Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting​​ was held in Abu
Dhabi, UAE in the year 2014.
● India is going to host 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial meet in
October, 2018.
● Ministers and delegates from all 21 member-countries are expected to
participate.
IBSAMAR
● It is a joint Multi – National Maritime Exercise between the Indian,
Brazilian and South African Navies.
● The 6th edition of IBSAMAR is being held at Simons Town, South
Africa.
● The last edition was conducted off Goa in the year 2016.
● Its aim is to undertake collective training for participating navies,
building interoperability and mutual understanding as well as sharing of
best practices.
Global Geoparks
● Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and
landscapes of international geological significance are present.
● It is a designation given by UNESCO.
 ● In 2004, 17 European and 8 Chinese geoparks came together at
UNESCO headquarters in Paris to form the Global Geoparks Network
(GGN).
● In 2015, the 195 Member States of UNESCO ratified the creation of a
new label, the UNESCO Global Geoparks.
● The Geopark tag is akin to that of a ‘World Heritage Site’ for historical
monuments that can bring famed geological features to the global stage.
● Global Geopark uses its geological heritage, in connection with all other
aspects of the area’s natural and cultural heritage, to enhance awareness
and understanding of key issues facing society.
● At present, there are 140 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 38 countries.
There is no site from India in the list.
Geological Sites in India
● Geological Survey of India has nominated two sites in India for the first
time for Global Geoparks status.
● The sites are Lonar Lake in Maharashtra and St. Mary’s Island and
Malpe beach in coastal Karnataka.
● Lonar Lake​​ is an ancient circular lake created by a meteorite strike.
● It is the only known meteorite crater in basaltic rock and is world
famous.
● It became a geo-heritage site in 1979.
● A meteorite estimated to weigh two-million-tonnes slammed into the
Earth, creating a 1.83-km diameter crater where the lake formed.
● St. Mary’s island​​ is a unique phenomenon where a hexagonal mosaic
of basaltic rocks are present.
● It was declared as a national geo-heritage site in 1975.
● It is estimated to be an 88-million-year-old formation that goes back to
a time when Greater India broke away from Madagascar.
 Hexagonal Columnar Basaltic Lava in St. Mary's Island

Source: PIB, The Hindu

04-10-2018
Global Skills Park (GSP)
● Global Skills Park is going to be established in the state of Madhya
Pradesh.
● It is funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB).
● ADB and Government of India recently signed a $150 million loan
agreement to establish the park.
● GSP is the first multi-skills park in India.
 ● It aims to enhance the quality of Technical and Vocational Education
& Training (TVET) System in the State and create a more skilled
workforce.
● The GSP campus will be in Bhopal which consists of
i. Core Advanced Training Institutes including the Center for
Occupational Skills Acquisition,
ii. Center for Advanced Agricultural Training and
iii. Other support services focusing on entrepreneurship, training of
trainers, and skill-related research.
Asian Development Bank
● ADB was conceived in the early 1960s as a financial institution that
would be Asian in character and foster economic growth and
cooperation in one of the poorest regions in the world​.
● It is headquartered at Manila, Philippines.
● ADB now has 67 members of which 48 from within Asia and Pacific
while remaining 19 from outside.
● The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and non-regional
developed countries.
● ADB assists its members, and partners, by providing loans, technical
assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and
economic development.
● ADB is modeled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar
weighted voting system where votes are distributed in proportion
with members' capital subscriptions.
● India is a founding member and the fourth largest shareholder.
● ADB's recent projects in India ​- Safe drinking water project in
West Bengal, Sewerage and drainage project in Kolkata.
● Other Projects ​- East coast economic corridor, solar rooftop
investment program, Mechi river bridge project in Indo-Nepal
border, TAPI gas pipeline, South Asia Subregional Economic
 Cooperation (SASEC) Program, supporting fiscal reforms in West
Bengal State.
Udyam Abhilasha
● It is a National Level Entrepreneurship Awareness Campaign.
● It is organised by Small Industries Development Bank of India
(SIDBI).
● The campaign is organised in 115 Aspirational Districts identified by
NITI Aayog in 28 States and reaching to around 15,000 youth.
● It provides entrepreneurship training to the aspiring youths across
these districts thus encouraging them to enter the segment of
entrepreneurs.
● It focuses on women aspirants in these aspirational districts to
encourage women entrepreneurship.
● The campaign will be delivered through common service centres
(CSC) in these districts.
● SIDBI has partnered with a CSC Special Purpose Vehicle (CSC SPV).
● CSC e-Governance Services India Limited is set up by the Ministry of
Electronics & IT.
RE-INVEST
● RE-INVEST is a global platform to explore strategies for development
and deployment of renewables.
● It showcases India’s clean energy market and the Government’s
efforts to scale up capacity to meet the national energy demands in
sustainable ways.
● Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is organising 2nd global
RE-INVEST expo in Greater Noida, UP.
● It will build upon the success of RE-INVEST 2015.
● It provides an international forum to established players as well as
new segments of investors and entrepreneurs to engage, ideate and
innovate.
World Peace Monument
● Vice President of India has recently inaugrated the world’s largest
dome at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT).
● It is built atop the MIT World Peace Library and the World Peace
Prayer Hall in World Peace University Campus in MIT.
● The structure is called World Peace Monument.
● It is 160ft in diameter and larger in area than the dome at St. Peter’s
Basilica in Vatican City.
● MIT World Peace Library and Prayer Hall are named after the 13th
century poet-saint and philosopher Dnyaneshwar, a pivotal figure of
the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra.
Marrakesh Treaty
● European Union has recently ratified Marrakesh Treaty to ease access
to reading material for print-disabled people.
● Marrakesh Treaty was adopted by United Nations - World Intellectual
Property Organisation (WIPO).
● With the ratification of European Union, the treaty now expands to
70 countries.
● India was among the earliest to ratify the Marrakesh treaty in June
2014.
● The governments that are party to the Marrakesh treaty are obliged to
adopt laws authorising the conversion of books into accessible
formats such as braille, e-text, audio and large print by designated
organisations.
● They are also allowed to exchange these alternative formats across
national borders without clearance by copyright owners.

Source: PIB, The Hindu

05-10-2018
STAR C
● International Solar Alliance has recently approved Solar Technology
Application Resource Centre (STAR C) project in its first assembly.
● The aim of the project is to set up 121 centres, one in each presently
eligible member-country.
● Under the STAR-C, 500 personnel from 121 member countries would be
trained in India on solar infrastructure.
● ISA has also provisionally approved the Work Plan 2019, under which
agricultural pumps, finance mobilisation, mini grid, rooftop solar, and
solar e-mobility and storage.
Click ​here​ to know about International Solar Alliance
Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy
● The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) countries has adopted "Delhi
Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region" in its
2nd Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting.
● It calls for collaboration among IORA member states in
i. Meeting the growing demand for renewable energy in the Indian Ocean
littorals,
ii. Development of a common renewable energy agenda for the Indian
Ocean region and
iii. Promote regional capacity building
● As per the declaration, IORA member nations will collaborate with the
ISA member nations to exchange knowledge and share potential
interests in the renewable energy sector.
● Global Renewable Energy Atlas is the world’s largest-ever joint
renewable resource data project.
● IORA countries will undertake the expansion of Atlas which will be
coordinated by International Renewable Energy Agency(IRENA).
Click ​here​ to know more about IORA
Sahyag HOP TAC
● It is a naval joint exercise between India and Vietnam.
● It was recently conducted off the Coast of Chennai.
● It was aimed at enabling the Coast Guard units to acquaint themselves
with each other’s capabilities, strengthening the working-level
relationship to rescue lives at sea and refining joint operation
procedures.
Status of Ambient Noise Level in India 2017
● It is a report published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
● According to the report, Delhi is ranked as the noisiest metro followed
by Kolkata, Bengaluru​ ​and Chennai.
● As per the National Environment Policy (NEP)-2006, ambient noise is
included as an environmental quality parameter and has to be
monitored in specified urban areas regularly.
● Thus, CPCB has developed National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network
Programme which includes installation of Noise Monitoring Stations all
over India.
● The cities include Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Lucknow and Mumbai.
Ancient City of Sabratha
● It is located west of Tripoli in Libya's Mediterranean Coastal area.
● It is one of three former cities that constituted Roman Tripolitania.
● It was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
● In 2016, UNESCO classified it as an "Endangered" site along with four
other Libyan sites on its World Heritage list.
● The listing is because of great damage caused by armed groups and
excavation and smuggling of antiquities due to lack of security.
Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards
● Swachh Survekshan Grameen - 2018 was commissioned by the Ministry
of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
 ● Under it, an independent survey agency develop ranking of all districts
on the basis of sanitation parameters.
● As per the ranking, Haryana was ranked as the best State while Satara
District of Maharashtra was ranked as the best district.
● Uttar Pradesh was rewarded for maximum citizens’ participation and
Nashik was ranked first in maximum citizens' participation in district
wise.
● The awards were recently given at the concluding session of Mahatma
Gandhi International Sanitation Convention organised by the Ministry
of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, BusinessLine

06-10-2018
Atal Innovation Mission
● Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative to
promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
● AIM has been established to create and promote an ecosystem of
innovation and entrepreneurship in a holistic manner through various
initiatives at school, university and industry levels.
● The Atal Innovation Mission has thus two core functions:
1. Innovation promotion -​​ To provide a platform where innovative
ideas are generated.
2. Entrepreneurship promotion -​​ Wherein innovators would be
supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs at
Incubation Centers.
● Recently a MoU was exchanged between India’s Atal Innovation Mission
(AIM) and the Russian Federation’s SIRIUS, to promote innovative
cooperation between students of India and Russia.
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
 ● Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a village development project,
under which each Member of Parliament will take the responsibility of
developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by
2019.
● Far beyond mere infrastructure development, SAGY aims at instilling
certain values in the villages and their people so that they get
transformed into models for others.
● The main objectives of SAGY are:
1. To trigger processes which lead to holistic development of the identified
Gram Panchayats.
2. To substantially improve the standard of living and quality of life of all
sections of the population.
3. To generate models of local level development and effective local
governance which can motivate and inspire neighbouring Gram
Panchayats to learn and adapt
4. To nurture the identified Adarsh Grams as schools of local development
to train other Gram Panchayats.
Methanol Cooking Fuel Program
● Northeast and Assam Petro-chemicals, a state-owned company has
launched Asia's first canisters based and India's first "Methanol Cooking
Fuel Program".
● 1.2 liters of gaseous form of Methanol canisters can last for full five
hours on twin burners and 8 such Canisters as rack can last for one
month for a family of three.
● The cooking medium can directly substitute LPG, Kerosene, Wood,
Charcoal and any other fuel for cooking.
● The cost of energy equivalent of one cylinder of LPG for Methanol is Rs.
650, compared to Rs. 850 per cylinder resulting in a minimum of 20%
Savings.
● This provides for an excellent alternative as household fuel and
commercial, institutional and fuel for restaurants.
Alphonso Mango
 ● The king of mangoes, Alphonso, better known as ‘Hapus’ in
Maharashtra, is in demand in domestic and international markets not
only for its taste but also for pleasant fragrance and vibrant colour.
● It has long been one of the world's most popular fruit and is exported to
various countries including Japan, Korea, Europe, USA and Australia
have recently opened up.
● Recently the Alphonso mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other
adjoining areas in Maharashtra have been accorded the Geographical
Indication (GI) tag by the Ministry of Commerce.
● Other examples of products from India with a GI tag are Darjeeling Tea,
Mahabaleshwar Strawberry, Blue Pottery of Jaipur, Banarasi Sarees,
and Tirupati Laddus.
Geographical Indication
● A Geographical Indication or a GI is a sign used on products that have a
specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that
are due to that origin.
● Such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which
is essentially attributable to its origin in that defined geographical
locality.
● The first product to get a GI tag in India was Darjeeling tea in 2004.
There are a total of 325 products from India that carry this indication.
Exomoon
● Astronomers has recently discovered a moon outside the solar system, it
size is about that of Neptune
● Our solar system's moons all are rocky or icy objects but the newly
discovered exomoon and the planet it orbits are both gaseous.
● The newly discovered exomoon and the planet it orbits are located
8,000 light years from Earth.
Rashtriya Poshan Maah
 ● Ministry of Women & Child Development as the nodal agency, launched
Rashtriya Poshan Maah or National Nutrition Month, across the length
and breadth of the country on the 01st of Sep 2018.
● Poshan Maah aimed at making people aware of the importance of
nutrition & giving individual access to government services to support
supplement nutrition for their children & pregnant women /lactating
mothers.
● It is to address the malnutrition challenges and sensitize our
countrymen regarding the importance of holistic nutrition.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, BusinessLine

07-10-2018
Nobel Prize
● The Nobel Prize is a set of six annual international awards by Swedish
and Norwegian institutions.
● The prizes are established by the will of Swedish inventor and
industrialist Alfred Nobel.
● The awards are given annually in recognition of academic, cultural, or
scientific advances.
● The prizes as established by his will are the Nobel Prize for Physics, the
Nobel Prize for Chemistry, the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine,
the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the Nobel Prize for Peace.
● An additional award, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences
in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was established in 1968 by the Bank of
Sweden.
● Although not technically a Nobel Prize, it is identified with the award.
● The winners of Economic Sciences are announced with the Nobel Prize
recipients and it is presented at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony.
Nobel Prizes - 2018
● Scientists Arthur Ashkin (USA), Gerard Mourou (USA) and Donna
Strickland (Canada) won the 2018 ​Nobel Prize for Physics​​.
● Strickland from Canada, becomes only the third woman to win a Nobel
prize for physics.
● They are awarded for breakthroughs in the field of lasers used for
surgery as well as scientific study.
● Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018 ​is awarded in two parts.
● One half of the prize is awarded to Frances H. Arnold for the directed
evolution of enzymes.
● In 1993, she conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, which
are proteins that catalyse chemical reactions.
● The other half jointly to George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter for
the phage display of peptides and antibodies.
● In 1985, George Smith developed an elegant method known as phage
display, where a bacteriophage (a virus that infects bacteria), can be
used to evolve new proteins.
● Nobel Peace Prize 2018 is awarded to Denis Mukwege from Republic of
Congo and Nadia Murad from Iraq.
● Denis Mukwege is a gynecologist helping victims of sexual violence in
his country.
● Nadia Murad, a Yazidi rights activist and survivor of sexual slavery by
Islamic State and she was a witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated
against herself and others.
● Two immunologists, James Allison of the U.S. and Tasuku Honjo of
Japan, won the ​2018 Nobel Medicine Prize​​.
● They won for their work on a new approach to cancer treatment.
● They figured out how to help the patient's own immune system tackle
the cancer more quickly.
● It contradicts with traditional forms of cancer treatment that directly
target cancer cells.
● For the first time in decades ​no Nobel Prize for literature ​will be
given this year.
● This is due to a scandal over sexual misconduct allegations against
members of the board of the Swedish Academy that awards it.
 ● The prize will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of
the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.
Turbidity Currents
● Turbidity currents are fast-moving currents that sweep down submarine
canyons, carrying sand and mud into the deep sea.
● It is not just sediment-laden seawater flowing over the sea floor, it
involves large-scale movements of the sea floor itself.
● It was first identified in 1929 when a large earthquake triggered a violent
current that travelled several hundred kilometres and damaged 12
trans-Atlantic communications cables.
● This discovery could help ocean engineers avoid damage to pipelines,
communications cables, and other sea floor structures.
● Turbidity currents are still a threat today, as people place more and
more cables, pipelines, and other structures on the sea floor.
● It is also important to petroleum geologists because they leave behind
layers of sediment that comprise some of the world’s largest oil reserves.

Source: The Hindu, BusinessLine

08-10-2018
Ganga Task Force
● The Ganga Task Force is a unit of the Territorial Army deployed in the
services of the Ganga.
● It consists of 3 companies of over 100 men each to be stationed at
Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi, with the Battalion headquarters at
Allahabad.
● It is formed with the approval of Ministry of Defence and trained by the
Defence ministry.
● They will be in force till December 2020.
 ● Mandates of the force -
i. Crowd management during Kumbh Mela,
ii. Spread awareness on keeping the river clean,
iii. Stop people and industry from polluting the river,
iv. Assisting during floods/natural calamity in the region,
v. Planting trees to check soil erosion and
vi. Patrolling sensitive river areas for biodiversity protection.
● They have also been trained by the Central Pollution Control Board to
measure the health of the river.
Territorial Army
● The Territorial Army is a part of Regular Army.
● It was set up after the Territorial Army Act was passed in 1948.
● Before Independence, British raised territorial army in 1920 with two
wings - European wing and Indian Volunteers wing.
● Its present role is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and
assist civil administration and provide units as and when required.
● It assist regular army in dealing with natural calamities and
maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the
communities is affected or the security of the Country is threatened.
● Territorial Army units were actively involved in 1962, 1965 and 1971
operations.
Eurasian Otter
● Otter is a carnivorous mammal and there are 7 subspecies found in 3
continents - Europe, Asia and Africa.
● The Eurasian otter found in all the 3 continents is considered to be
"Near Threatened" in IUCN Red List.
● It lives in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including highland and
lowland lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, swamp forests and coastal areas
independent of their size, origin or latitude.
● Eurasian otter is the one of the least-known of India’s 3 otter species
(Eurasian, smooth-coated & small-clawed otters) in Western Ghats.
 ● It has been recorded historically from the Western Ghats - Coorg in
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiri and Palani hill ranges.
● Though its range is wide, it is not as frequently sighted as other two
otters in India.
● All 3 species of otters in India are protected under the Wildlife
Protection Act and are listed in CITES Appendices.
i. Eurasian Otter - CITES Appendix I; WPA Schedule II
ii. Smooth Coated Otter - CITES Appendix II; WPA Schedule II
iii. Clawless Otter - CITES Appendix II; WPA Schedule I
Asiatic Lions
● There are only 700 Asiatic lions in the wild, and they only live in the Gir
Forest area, India.
● At present Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat is the
only abode of the Asiatic lion.
● It is listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, in Appendix I
of CITES and as Endangered on IUCN Red List.
● The asiatic lions in Gir Sanctuary, has recently been succumbed to the
deadly infection of canine distemper virus (CDV) and tick-borne
babesiosis.
● Canine Distemper Virus is a contagious and serious disease that attacks
the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of species of cats
and dogs family.
● Babesiosis is caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells and
transmitted by ticks.
JIMEX - 18
● The 3rd edition of Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) is going to
be organized in Visakhapatnam.
● The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in Dec 2013 off Chennai.
● The conduct of JIMEX-18 after 5 years is indicative of an upswing in the
Indo-Japanese defence relations.
● It is aimed to enhance interoperability, improve understanding and
imbibe the best practices of each other.
Source: PIB, The Hindu

09-10-2018
Zika Virus
● Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) surveillance system has
recently detected cases of Zika Virus in Jaipur.
● Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae.
● It is a mosquito-borne disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.
● It can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during
pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.
● Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a birth defect of the brain
called microcephaly and other severe brain defects.
● It is also linked to other problems, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and
other birth defects.
● There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika.
● The disease is currently being reported by 86 countries worldwide.
● Symptoms of Zika virus disease are similar to other viral infections such
as dengue, which include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and
joint pain and headache.
● In India, the first outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in
January-February 2017 and 2nd outbreak in Krishnagiri district in
Tamil Nadu.
● Both were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and
vector management.
● According to WHO, Zika is no longer a public health emergency of
international concern.
Diphtheria
● Government hospitals in Delhi has reported a dozen diphtheria deaths
in children over the past two weeks.
● Diphtheria is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the
bacterium​​ Corynebacterium diphtheria.
 ● It primarily infects the throat and upper airways and produces a toxin
affecting other organs.
● The toxin causes a membrane of dead tissue to build up over the throat
and tonsils, making breathing and swallowing difficult.
● The disease is spread through direct physical contact or from breathing
in the coughs or sneezes of infected individuals.
● It can be fatal if left untreated, but has become increasingly rare in
recent decades due to high rates of vaccination.
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
● Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences rewards the design of
methods that addresses sustainable growth in the global economy and
welfare.
● It is not formally a Nobel Prize.
● It was created by the Swedish central bank “in memory of Alfred Nobel”
and first awarded in 1969.
● This year, it is awarded to William D. Nordhaus and Paul M.Romer from
USA.
● Nordhaus is known for persuading governments to address climate
change, preferably by imposing a tax on carbon emissions.
● Paul M. Romer is known for integrating technological innovations into
long-run macro-economic analysis.
Cyclone Luban
● Tropical Cyclone Luban is spinning through the Arabian Sea.
● It is forecast to track toward Oman, Yemen or the Gulf of Aden in the
week ahead.
● The cyclone is named as Luban by oman authorities.
● Tropical cyclones are most likely to develop in the Arabian Sea in the
spring and fall.
● It usually affects the Arabian Peninsula every one to two years.
● The cyclone typically weaken as they approach the Arabian Peninsula
due to dry desert air.
 ● This year, ​Cyclone Sagar made landfall in western Somalia in May. It
was the country's strongest and westernmost tropical cyclone in records
dating to the mid-1960s.
Voyager 2
● NASA has recently reported that Voyager 2 is nearing heliosphere (Sun's
outer border) and could soon enter interstellar space.
● Voyager 2 is the space probe launched by NASA in 1977 to study the
outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).
● Heliopause - The place where the sun’s constant flow of material and
magnetic field stop affecting its surroundings.
● Heliopause marks the end of a region created by our sun that is called
the heliosphere.
● The sun creates ​heliosphere by sending a constant flow of particles
and a magnetic field out into space at over 670,000 miles per hour. This
stream is called the ‘solar wind.’
● Interstellar Space is the part of space that exists between stars with
cold particles around it.
● Inside the heliosphere, the solar particles are hot but less concentrated.
Outside of the bubble, they are very much colder but more concentrated.
● Once an object arrive in interstellar space, there would be an increase of
“cold” particles around it.

Source: The Hindu, BusinessLine, Indian Express

10-10-2018
Bio-electronic Medicine
● Scientists have recently developed world’s first bio-electronic medicine.
● It is an implantable, biodegradable wireless device that speeds nerve
regeneration and improves the healing of a damaged nerve.
 ● It delivers regular pulses of electricity to damaged peripheral nerves,
accelerates the regrowth of nerves and enhance the ultimate recovery of
muscle strength.
● This Bio-electronic medicine technology provides therapy and treatment
directly at the site for a relevant period of time, thereby reducing risks
associated with conventional, permanent implants.
● The ability of the device to degrade in the body eliminates the additional
risk for surgery to remove a non-biodegradable device.
Section 151A of RPA
● Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act deals with time
limit within which casual vacancies in Parliament and State Legislatures
should be filled through bye-elections by Election Commission of India
(ECI).
● The section mandates ECI to fill the vacancies within 6 months from the
date of occurrence of the vacancy ​provided that the remainder of
the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is one year or
more.
● There is a recent controversy in conducting bye-elections in Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh to fill vacancies in the Lok Sabha.
● The term of 16​th​ Lok sabha is upto 3​rd​ June, 2019.
● ECI has started the process to fill the vacancies in Karnataka alone.
● This is because the vacancies in the seats of Lok Sabha from Karnataka
occurred in the Month of May, 2018.
● Whereas, in A.P, the vacancies occurred in the month of 20​th June,
2018.
● Thus, there is no need for conducting bye-election in A.P as the
remaining term of the Lok Sabha is less than 1 year from the date of
occurrence of vacancies.
● Exception in Sec 151A - ​If ECI in consultation with the Central
Government certifies that it is difficult to hold the bye-election within
the said period, then the section 151A can be overruled.
Purana Qila
 ● It is an iconic fort in Delhi, believed to be constructed by the Mughal
Emperor Humayun.
● It is known as “Dinpanah” meaning the “The refuge of the faithful”.
● It has 3 majestic gates – Humayun Darwaza, Bara Darwaza and Talaqi
Darwaza, all built in red sandstones.
● The other attractions at the fort sites are Qila-I-Kuhna Masjid (Built by
Sher Shah), Sher Mandal (Observatory) and Museum.
● This iconic site recently underwent a facelift after it was adopted by
NBCC (Central PSU) under Ministry of Tourism’s Adopt a Heritage
Scheme.
● NBCC in support with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has
completed the refurbishment work in the site.
● The total cost of restoration is equally between ASI and NBCC through
its CSR funds.
Commitment to Reduce Inequality Index
● The index is developed by Oxfam and Development Finance
International.
● The Index ranks 157 countries on their policies on social spending, tax,
and labour rights.
● According to the index, Denmark topped the list in reducing inequality.
● Nigeria, Singapore, India and Argentina are among a group of
governments that are fueling inequality.
● India fared poorly, ranking 147 out of 157 countries, in terms of its
commitment to reducing inequality.
● Regionally, India ranks 6th among the eight South Asian nations.
● On public spending and on labour rights India ranks 6th, but India is
placed on the top in terms of progressiveness of tax policy.
● Among the emerging economies, China was ranked 81st on the list,
Brazil 39th and Russia 50th.
● Among rich countries, USA showed a lack of commitment towards
closing the inequality gap.
Cyclone Titli
 ● Cyclone Titli is currently spinning in the Bay of Bengal and it is expected
to intensify into a cyclonic storm.
● According to the Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam, it will hit
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast.
● Thereafter, it is very likely to re-curve northeastwards, move towards
the Gangetic West Bengal across coastal Odisha and weaken gradually.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Standard

11-10-2018
National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET)
● Union Cabinet has recently approved the merging of two skill institutes
to form National Council for Vocational Education and Training
(NCVET).
● The merged two institutes are National Council for Vocational Training
(NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA).
● NCVET is envisaged as an institution which will perform the regulatory
functions so far vested in NCVT and NSDA.
● It will regulate the functioning of entities engaged in short-term and
long-term vocational education and training.
● It will establish minimum standards for the functioning of such entities.
● It will operationalize the National Skills Qualification Framework
(NSQF) to ensure that quality and standards meet sector specific
requirements.
● Regulatory functions currently being carried out by the National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC) through the Sector Skill Councils
(SSCs) will also be housed in the NCVET.
Alphonso Mango
 ● The government has recently granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag
to the Alphonso Mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining
areas in Maharashtra.
● Alphonso, the king of Mangoes, better known as ‘Hapus’ in
Maharashtra, is in demand in domestic and international markets for its
taste, pleasant fragrance and vibrant colour.
● A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin
and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
● It is given to both man-made and natural products. However it is a
community right rather than individual or company.
● It is protected under Geographical indications of goods (registration and
protection) act, 1999.
● It is managed by Cell for IPR promotion and Management (CIPAM)
under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP),
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Click ​here​ to know more about GI.
Make II Scheme
● Department of Defence production under Ministry of Defence has
recently cleared 31 projects and has given them in-principle approval
under the Make-II scheme.
● Make II Scheme corresponds to Make in India initiative in Defence
production.
● The provision of 'Make' category in Defence procurement Procedure is a
pillar for realising the vision behind Make in India.
● Make Scheme fosters indigenous capabilities through design &
development of required defence equipment/product/upgrades by both
public and private sector industry in a faster time frame.
● Make I scheme is ​Government-funded and the projects under
‘Make-I’ sub-category will involve Government funding of 90%.
● Make II scheme is ​Industry-funded and the projects involve
development of products/equipment for which no government funding
will be provided for development purposes.
Horizon 2020
● It is a joint project by Indian government and European Union to
develop a next generation influenza vaccine to protect citizens
worldwide.
● It aims to develop cost-effective and affordable influenza vaccine rapidly
without compromising quality.
● It is expected to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable
Development Goal 3 to ensure health and well-being for all and boost
the Indian National Health Mission
● The project require minimum 3 applicants from European countries
associated to Horizon 2020 and minimum 3 applicants from India.
● It is also open to applicants from other countries.
Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary
● Singphan wildlife sanctuary has been declared as a Elephant reserve by
the Government of Nagaland.
● With the approval of Government of India, it becomes the 30th
Elephant reserve in the country.
● The reserve lies in the North-western part of the State of Nagaland.
● The declaration will boost the elephant conservation in the country
especially north eastern region.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, BusinessLine

15-10-2018
Bharat Broadband Network Limited
● The new corporate office of Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL)
has been inaugurated in New Delhi.
 ● BBNL has played a key role in leading the successful implementation of
the BharatNet project for digitally connecting all 2,50,000 Gram
Panchayats (GPs) in the country.
● The objective of this flagship project of our Government is to facilitate
the delivery of e-governance, e-health, e-education, e-banking and other
services to citizens in every part of our country, on a non-discriminatory
basis.
National Health Profile-2018
● Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released an Analytical Report of
the National Health Profile-2018.
● The profile has been prepared by the Central Bureau of Health
Intelligence (CBHI), CBHI has been publishing National Health Profile
every year since 2005.
● The National Health Profile covers demographic, socio-economic, health
status and health finance indicators, along with comprehensive
information on health infrastructure and human resources in health.
● The Analytical Report of National Health Profile 2018 indicates that
significant progress has been made in the country for various health
outcomes, which is an encouraging sign.
National Health Resource Repository (NHRR)
● NHRR is the country’s first ever national healthcare facility registry of
authentic, standardized and updated geo-spatial data of all public &
private healthcare establishments.
● This web based database of healthcare resources with visualization will
immensely support the healthcare policy makers to enable evidence
based decision making to strengthen the Indian health system.
● NHRR will cohesively work with Ayushman Bharat - National Health
Protection Mission (AB-NHPM) and Central TB Division (CTD) on an
integrated plan for the larger benefit of ensuing Hospital empanelment
and private sector engagement.
Bombay Blood Group
 ● The general types of blood group are A, B, AB and O, Matching of the
blood types of the donor and the recipient is vital, else it could lead to
serious life-threatening complications.
● Apart from the general blood group types like O, A, B, or AB, there is a
special type called (hh)-, a rare one first discovered in Bombay in 1952,
and hence christened as Bombay Blood.
● People who carry this rare blood type, about 1 in 10, 000 Indians, can
accept blood only from another Bombay Blood type individual, and not
from anyone who is O, A, B or AB type.
Turbidity Currents
● Turbidity currents are fast-moving currents that sweep down submarine
canyons, carrying sand and mud into the deep sea.
● However, there is more to them than just sediment-laden seawater
flowing over the sea floor, and they also involve large-scale movements
of the sea floor itself.
● This discovery could help ocean engineers avoid damage to pipelines,
communications cables, and other sea floor structures.
● Turbidity currents are threat, as people place more and more cables,
pipelines, and other structures on the sea floor.
● Turbidity currents are also important to petroleum geologists because
they leave behind layers of sediment that comprise some of the world’s
largest oil reserves.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Line

16-10-2018
Chandra Telescope
● Chandra X-ray observatory, a space based telescope, was launched by
NASA in 1999.
 ● It is specifically designed to detect X-ray emission from very hot regions
of the universe such as exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and matter
around black holes.
● Since the Earth's atmosphere absorbs the vast majority of X-rays, they
are not detectable from Earth-based telescopes.
● It has recently entered a protective ‘safe mode’, which interrupts
scientific observations and puts the spacecraft into a stable
configuration.
● It is one of the Great Observatories, along with the Hubble Space
Telescope, Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (1991–2000), and the
Spitzer Space Telescope.
QS World University Ranking
● QS, the global higher education think tank, has recently released its first
standalone ranking of India's higher education institutions.
● Indian University ranking by this think tank is the second
country-specific rankings, after it released one for China earlier.
● The rankings include Public Universities, Private Universities and
deemed universities.
● The ranking looks in to the Indian university system with an
international lens.
● According to the recent ranking, IIT Bombay is named India's leading
institution.
● Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore secured the second spot followed
by IIT Madras in the third place.
● Interestingly, while IISc was India’s best institution in the QS World
University Rankings released earlier this year, the domestic league has
pegged IIT-Bombay at first place.
● This variation is because of the difference in criteria taken in global and
domestic level.
Tri-Service Military Exercise
● India and France are in discussions for a bilateral tri-service military
exercise to take forward the strategic cooperation.
 ● This will be India’s third such joint exercise.
● The first joint tri-service exercise (Ex. INDRA) was held with Russia in
October last year.
● India has recently finalised one with the U.S. to be held next year.
● Current Military Exercises with France - Shakti, Varuna and
Garuda respectively for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
NBFC
● Kreditech, a Germany based company, has been licensed by the RBI to
operate as an NBFC.
● It is the first-of-its-kind licence in Indian financial history for digital
lending business and app-based financing by RBI.
● This digital lending NBFC offer two kinds of services,
1. Individualised Direct-to-Consumer loans
2. LAAS - Lending-as-a-Service Solution for Vendors, which allows
partners to offer customised credit products to their customer.
Cheetah Reintroduction Project
● Cheetah was declared extinct in India in the year 1952.
● Wildlife Institute of India started this ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction
Project in 2009.
● The project focused on relocating cheetah from Namibia in Africa to
Nauradehi sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
● This project had hit a roadblock for want of funds.
● The Madhya Pradesh forest department has written to the National
Tiger Conservation Authority to revive the plan to reintroduce cheetahs
in the State’s Nauradehi sanctuary.
● The sanctuary was found to be the most suitable area for the cheetahs as
its forests are not very dense to restrict the fast movement and the prey
base is also in abundance.
● It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, extending across
the river basins of Narmada and Ganga.
Source: The Hindu, The Indian Express

17-10-2018
Human Capital Index
● The World Bank has released a Human Capital Index (HCI) as part of
the World Development Report 2019.
● The theme of this year's world development report is “The Changing
Nature of Work”.
● The first HCI was published recently at the annual meetings of IMF and
World Bank group.
● The index is calculated for 157 countries.
● It seeks to measure the amount of human capital that a child born today
can expect to attain by age 18.
● The components of HCI are,
1. ​Survival​​ - measured by under-5 mortality rates
2.​Expected years of Quality-adjusted school - measured by
quantity and quality of education
3.​Health environment - measured by Adult survival rates and rate of
stunting for children under 5.
● The HCI outcome of each country is given as a fraction of maximum
value of 1.
● The HCI for India has been estimated at 0.44 and India is ranked at 115
position in the index.
● North America and Europe mostly have HCI value of above 0.75, while
South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa have the lowest HCI among the
regions.
HDI Vs HCI
● United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) calculates Human
Development Index.
 ● HDI includes Health, Education and Per capita Income components.
● HCI excludes Per capita income and included quality adjustments in
learning.
● This makes HCI far less representative of human capital development
than the index claims to be.
Global Hunger Index
● According to a recent report by a non-profit group, India has been
ranked at the 103rd position among 119 countries on the GHI.
● The GHI score is a multidimensional index composed of four indicators,

1. proportion of undernourished in the population.

2. mortality rate of children under the age of five (deaths per 1000 live
births).
3. proportion of children under five suffering from wasting (low weight
for height).
4. proportion of children under five suffering from stunting (lower
height than typical for age).
● India is among the 45 countries that have "serious levels of hunger".
● India is ranked below many neighbouring countries, including China
(25th spot), Nepal (72), Myanmar (68), Sri Lanka (67), and Bangladesh
(86). Pakistan is placed at the 106th position.
● In 2017, India was ranked at the 100th position.
● As per the report, around 124 million people suffer acute hunger in the
world.
UNHRC
● India was elected to the UNHRC for a period of 3 years beginning
January 1, 2019, getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category.
● UNHRC has 47 seats with a term of 3 years. No member may occupy a
seat for more than 2 consecutive terms.
● The UN General Assembly elects the members by absolute majority.
 ● The 18 new members (for next 3 years) were elected by absolute
majority through a secret ballot.
● Countries needed a minimum of 97 votes to get elected to the Council.
● India was vying for a seat in the Asia Pacific category and got highest
number of votes among all candidates.
● India had previously been elected for the 2011-2014 and 2014-2017
term.
● Along with India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and Philippines had also
staked a claim in the same regional group.
BepiColombo mission
● It is a first mission of its kind by European Space Agency to Mercury.
● A UK-built spacecraft will determine if the nearest planet to the Sun
contains water.
● The mission will send two orbiters to explore the fiery world where the
surface temperatures reach about 450​0​C.
● Till now, only 2 spacecraft have been to Mercury, NASA's Mariner 10
and Messenger.

Source: Economic Times, PIB

18-10-2018
Future Policy Gold Award
● This award is given by UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
and co-organised by World Future Council (WFC) and IFOAM Organics
International.
● The award is nicknamed the "Oscar for best policies".
● It recognises the world's best laws and policies promoting agroecology.
● Sikkim State has won the 2018 award for its achievement in becoming
the world's first totally organic agriculture state.
● Sikkim beat out 51 other nominees from around the world for the award.
 ● Brazil, Denmark, Quito and Ecuador shared the Silver award.

World Future Council

● It is an independent body with 50 eminent members from governmental
bodies, civil society, business, science and the arts.
● It is registered as a charitable foundation and headquartered is in
Hamburg, Germany.
● It focuses on policy solutions that serve the interests of future
generations.
ROSHNI
● Roshni is a centre of Women Collectives led Social Action.
● It is established recently by the Ministry of Rural Development in
collaboration with Lady Irwin college, New Delhi.
● It is under the ministry’s National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
● It is technically and financially supported by UNICEF India.
● It aims to work with women collectives for social action on Food,
Health, Nutrition and WASH (FHNW) interventions in line with
NRLM’s strategy.
● It supports implementation of action plan under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Unmanned Drone
● China has successfully tested the world’s largest unmanned transport
drone.
● Feihong-98 (FH-98) is a large commercial unmanned aircraft which can
carry payload of 1.5 tonnes.
● It has a cruising speed of 180 kilometers per hour and a maximum range
of 1,200 kms.
Hand-in-Hand
● It is an annual joint army exercise between India and China.
● The exercise was cancelled last year due to tense relations in the
aftermath of the Doklam standoff.
● This year (7​th​ edition), it will resume in Chengdu region in China.
 ● It was first held at Kunming (China) in the year 2007 and the last
edition was held in Pune,2016.
● It is seen as a sign of normalising relationship between India and China.
● The scope of the exercise is to understand transnational terrorism and
evolve joint drills for the conduct of counter terrorism operations, in
addition to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations.
Marijuana
● Canada has become the second country after Uruguay to legalise
possession and use of recreational cannabis.
● It is the first industrialised nation to do so.
● Medical marijuana has been legal in the country since 2001.
● Marijuana is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for
medical, recreational & religious purposes.
● Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporization, within food, or as an
extract.
● It creates mental and physical effects, such as a "high" or "stoned"
feeling, a general change in perception, and an increase in appetite.
● Short term side effects may include a decrease in short-term memory,
dry mouth, impaired motor skills, red eyes, and feelings of paranoia or
anxiety.
● Long term side effects may include addiction, decreased mental ability
and behavioural problems in children whose mothers used cannabis
during pregnancy.

Source: PIB, The Hindu

19-10-2018
Global Competitiveness Index
● It is published by World Economic Forum annually.
● The index covers 140 nations and it measures national competitiveness.
 ● It accesses competitiveness through the factors that determine an
economy’s level of productivity.
● According to the recent report, United States ranked first followed by
Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.
● India has become the most competitive economy on the Global
Competitiveness Index 2018.
● India’s rank has been improved by five spots from last year.
● India witnessed the largest gain among the G20 nations and highest
among South Asian Countries.
● As for the BRICS nations, China topped the list at 28th position followed
by Russian Federation, India, South Africa and Brazil respectively.
● The report stated that the global economy is projected to grow nearly 4%
in 2018 and 2019.
Exercise Dharma Guardian
● It is a joint military exercise between India and Japan.
● It is the first ever such exercise and the first edition is going to be held in
India.
● The exercise will execute a series of drills to neutralise the threats faced
in urban warfare scenario.
● This exercise is seen as a yet another step in deepening strategic ties
between the countries.
Oneer​​TM
● It is a water disinfection system developed by Council Scientific and
Industrial Research and Indian Institute of Toxicology Research,
Lucknow.
● The system will eliminate all disease causing pathogens such as virus,
bacteria, fungi, protozoa to provide safe drinking water to communities.
● It is useful for continuous treatment of water to meet National and
International standards prescribed for potable water (BIS, WHO etc.).
● The smaller unit of Oneer is particularly suitable for homes, street food
vendors, and small establishments.
POSCO Act
● The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 defines a
child as any person below the age of 18 years.
● The act provides protection to all children from the offences of sexual
assault, sexual harassment and pornography.
● Ministry of Women and Child Development has recently clarified that
the POSCO act does not provide for any period of limitation for
reporting the child sexual offences.
● Now, any victim, at any age, can complain the sexual abuse faced by
him/her as a child.
● This has strengthened the legal provisions for the protection of children
from sexual abuse and exploitation.
ASEM
● The 12​th Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) is going to be held in Brussels,
Belgium.
● The theme of this year's ASEM Summit is 'Global Partners for Global
Challenges'.
● ASEM is an exclusively Asian–European forum, established in 1996 at
the first summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
● It currently has 51 nations from the European Union and South Asia and
2 regional organisations (ASEAN, EU) as partners.
● India is also a member.
● The 3 pillars of ASEM are Political, Economic, Socio Cultural and
Educational.
● ASEM involves biennial meetings of Heads of State and Government,
alternately in Europe and Asia, and biennial meetings of Foreign
Ministers as well as political, economic, and socio-cultural meetings and
events at various levels.
● The grouping is a platform for non-binding discussion on economic and
trade issues.

Source: PIB, Economic Times

20-10-2018
Shahi Litchi
● Shahi Litchi is mostly grown in Muzaffarpur and neighbouring districts
in Bihar.
● It has recently got Geographical Indication Tag.
● It is known for its sweet, juicy, unique flavour and aroma.
● Other known GI from Bihar - Katrani rice, Jardalu mango and Magahi
paan (betel vine).
Click ​here​ to know about Geographical Indication Tag.
Prakriti Programme
● The programme is launched by the Indian Council of Forestry Research
and Education (ICFRE), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), and
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).
● It aims to promote awareness about forests and environment among the
students of NVS and KVS.
● Its objective is to provide a platform to school children to learn practical
skills for judicious use of resources and to mobilise a cadre of youths to
conserve forests and the environment.
● It focusses upon stimulating interest and maintaining a balanced
environment and acquiring skills that reflect care and protection
towards forests, environment and society.
● ICFRE is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change.
● The objective of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti is to provide modern quality
education to talented children, predominantly from the rural areas,
without regard to their family's socio-economic condition.
New Academy Prize
● The New Academy Prize is organised to fill the gap left by the
cancellation of Nobel Literature Prize, 2018.
 ● The prize is given by the New Academy, non-profit organisation in
Sweden.
● The organisation was founded to warrant that an international literary
prize will be awarded in 2018.
● It is also a reminder that literature should be associated with
democracy, openness, empathy and respect.
● The winner of the prize is Maryse Condé from Guadeloupe, a French
overseas region in the southern Caribbean Sea.
● The academy will be dissolved in December after the grand celebration
of winner.
Channar Revolt
● Kerala Chief Minister has recently recalled an iconic civil rights protest
– Channar revolt.
● It was happened in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore in the
early 19​th​ century.
● It is also referred to as Marumarakkal Samaram - Protest to cover the
upper body.
● It began when women from the Channar caste who had converted to
Christianity sought to cover the breasts, a right only Hindu upper caste
women were allowed to exercise.
● The diwan of Travancore state, Colonel Munro, issued an order
favouring the demand.
● The upper castes (Nairs) refused to allow the order to be followed and
attacked (Nadar Christian) women who sought to wear an upper
garment.
● In the face of resistance from the upper castes, the order was even
amended to say that Nadar Christian women could wear a jacket
(blouse) that was different from the dress worn by Nair women.
● The revolt exposed the caste fault-line that ran deep in the kingdom of
Travancore.

Source: The Indian Express, Economic Times

21-10-2018
ADMM
● The 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and 5th
ADMM-Plus were held recently Singapore.
● The conferences were attended by defence ministers from India,
Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and US.
● ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in
regional security architecture for promoting strategic dialogue and
practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.
ASEAN
● The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in
1967 in Thailand.
● ASEAN has 10 members namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
● ADMM-Plus is platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners to
strengthen security and defence co-operation for peace, stability, and
development in the region.
Azad Hind Government
● 2018 is 75​th anniversary year of the Azad Hind Government, founded on
21st October, 1943.
● It was inspired by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who was the leader of
Azad Hind Government and also the Head of State of this Provisional
Indian Government-in-exile.
● It was a part of the freedom movement, originating in 1940s outside
India with a purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from
British rule.
● The existence of the Azad Hind Government gave a greater legitimacy to
the independence struggle against the British.
 ● Pertinently, the role of Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army
(INA) had been crucial in bequeathing a much needed impetus to
India’s struggle for Independence.
Man-Made Moons
● China is planning to launch its own ‘artificial moon’ by 2020 to replace
streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas.
● For this China has developed “illumination satellites” that will shine in
tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter
● By reflecting light from the sun, the satellites could replace streetlamps
in urban areas, saving an estimated 1.2 billion yuan, expected this
man-made moons illuminate an area of 50 square kilometres.
C-FLOWS
● National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) has invented Chennai
Flood Warning System (C-FLOWS).
● It is a six-module ensemble which can predict flooding due to heavy
rainfall sea-level rise and increase in water levels of the three rivers
Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar that traverse the Chennai city.
● The State government shared data such as ward boundaries, population
details, and infrastructure available across Tamil Nadu, which have been
used in the warning system.
● Knowing the elevation at different spots, the system can predict the way
the area would flood based on different scenarios that have been
simulated.
National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR)
● The Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Project
Directorate (ICMAM PD), an attached office of Ministry of Earth
Sciences (MoES) was established at Chennai in 1998.
● Its objective is to implement International Development Association
(IDA) assisted Environment Management Capacity Building Project.
● The Project Directorate has been continuing its activities in the field of
Coastal Research, fully funded by MoES.
 ● It was re-designated as National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) in
2018.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Line

22-10-2018
Currency Monitoring List
● Currency Monitoring List is maintained by Department of Treasury,
USA.
● The countries are placed in this list which have potentially questionable
foreign exchange policies.
● India was placed for the first time in April this year, in this list.
● The other countries in the list are China, Germany, Japan, South Korea
and Switzerland.
● In the latest report by department of treasury, it highlighted that India
could be removed from the list citing India’s foreign exchange market
intervention and current account deficit.
● Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has noted that the value of the rupee is
broadly market-determined, with intervention used only during
"episodes of undue volatility”.
● IMF projects that India’s current account deficit to be around 2.5% of
GDP over the medium term.
Women of India Organic Festival
● The Ministry of Women and Child Development is organizing the 5th
edition of the Women of India Organic Festival in New Delhi.
● It is the country's largest organic festival.
● The festival is aimed to boost organic culture and promote women
organic farmers and entrepreneurs.
C-FLOWS
● C-FLOWS (Chennai FLOod Warning System) is developed by National
Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) and IIT Madras.
● It is a flood warning system customised for use in Chennai and soon
going to be developed for other cities.
● It can predict flooding due to heavy rainfall, sea-level rise and increase
in water levels of the rivers that traverse the city.
● Data from IMD, NCMRWF, INCOIS and Tamil Nadu State government
are brought together to observe the situation in real time.
Baishui Glacier
● The glacier is in China and it is one of the world’s fastest melting
glaciers.
● It is located in the Third Pole of the Earth, a region in Central Asia with
the world’s third largest store of ice after Antarctica and Greenland.
● Third Pole glaciers are vital to billions of people from Vietnam to
Afghanistan.
● Asia’s 10 largest rivers, including the Yangtze, Yellow, Mekong, and
Ganges are fed by seasonal melting third pole glaciers.
● The melting of this glacier attracts large number of tourists.
● Scientists have already warned that the effects of glacier melting on
water resources are gradually becoming increasingly serious for China.
Marigold – Colour of Sacrifice
● Marigold flower is chosen as the symbol of remembrance for Indian
soldiers martyred in World War I.
● The world marks the centenary of the end of the First World War on
November 11.
● The United Service Institution of India (USI) and the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission (CWGC) have launched ‘India Remembers’
project.
● It aims to project and to remember, honour and commemorate the
valour and sacrifice of personnel of the Indian Armed Forces in
conflicts, both before and after independence.
 ● It proposes that the Marigold flower join the poppy as a new Indian
symbol of remembrance.
● After the WW-I, poppy was adopted as the symbol of remembrance as it
grew widely in the Flanders fields in Europe.
● In India, the India Gate was built as the focal point to the Remembrance
with the names of over 72,000 soldiers inscribed over it.
● The government and the Army have to formally adopt the marigold to
make it an official effort.

Source: PIB, The Hindu

23-10-2018
Cope India Exercise
● It is an air exercise between India and USA and first conducted in 2004.
● India, Japan and US are set to elevate this bilateral exercise to trilateral
format.
● The next edition of this exercise is going to be held in December 2018.
● With this elevation, it is becoming similar to Malabar navy exercise
among the three countries.
● Malabar exercise began in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between
India and US.
● In 2015, it was expanded into trilateral format with the inclusion of
Japan.
India’s Longest River Bridge
● Union Government has recently announced that India’s longest river
bridge across the River Brahmaputra is going to be commenced soon.
● It will run between Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya, which
is close to the Bangladesh border.
 ● At 19.3 km, the new bridge will be twice as long as the Dhola-Sadiya
bridge, which at present, is the longest in the country.
● The new bridge is likely to be completed by the year 2026-27.
● It is going to be funded by Japanese funding agency JICA.
● The 6.2 km long bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, over the river Dibang,
was opened this year. Currently, it is the second longest in the country.
World’s Longest Sea Bridge
● The world’s longest sea bridge was recently inaugurated by China after 9
years of construction.
● It is a 55-kilometre stretch that connects Hong Kong and Macau to
Zhuhai in the Mainland China.
● It is part of China’s continued effort to drag the autonomous regions of
Hong Kong and Macau closer to its orbit.
● Though the bridge aims to bring the autonomous regions closer to
mainland China, it will be accessible only to a select few.

Signature Bridge
 ● The Signature Bridge is constructed over the Yamuna river, meant to
link north and northeast Delhi with Ghaziabad.
● It is 675 metres long and has taken nine years to complete with a budget
of over Rs. 6 million.
● It is expected to be thrown open to traffic next week, after several
missed deadlines.
● It was first approved by the Delhi cabinet in 2007 and has missed five
deadlines, the first being in 2010.
Fusion Energy Conference
● The 27​th edition of fusion energy conference was recently organised in
Gandhinagar.
● It is organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and
hosted by the Department of Atomic Energy and Gandhinagar-based
Institute of Plasma Research.
● It aims to provide a forum for the discussion of technology issues that
are of direct relevance to the use of nuclear fusion as a source of energy.
● Innovative concepts on using nuclear fusion as a source of energy are
discussed in this conference.
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)
● ITER, the world’s largest experimental fusion facility is in France.
● It is the most complex science project in human history, started in 2010.
● It will use hydrogen fusion, controlled by superconducting magnets, to
produce massive heat energy.
● This nuclear fusion facility is an international cooperation among the
European Union, Russia, the US, Japan, China, India and South Korea.
● It is the first industrial-scale fusion reactor and it will illuminate the way
to produce clean, cheap, and abundant energy for millions of years.
● It will start generating a molten mass of electrically-charged gas
“plasma” inside a core by 2025.

Source: The Hindu, Economic Times

24-10-2018
Extradition Treaty

● Union Cabinet has recently approved extradition treaty between India

and Malawi.
● The Treaty would provide a legal framework for seeking extradition of
terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals from and to Malawi.
Extradition Treaty Vs Arrangement

● An extradition treaty is a mutually agreed text signed and ratified by two

Governments.
● The arrangement is made in the absence of an extradition treaty on the
assurance of reciprocity including under an international convention.
● In the arrangement, two countries consider any international
convention as the legal basis for extradition in respect of any offence to
which the convention applies.
● It does not cover all offences.
● For e.g India has signed extradition arrangement with Italy.
● India and Italy are both States Parties to the 1988 UN Convention
against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
● This Convention has been notified under the Extradition Act by the
Government of India.
● Thus, the legal basis for extradition will be based on this convention.
National Monitoring Framework on SDG

● Union Cabinet has recently approved the constitution of a High Level

Steering Committee for monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) with associated targets.
● The committee will periodically review and refine the National Indicator
Framework (NIF) for SDG.
 ● The committee will be chaired by Chief Statistician of India and
Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI).
● United Nations General Assembly in its 70​th session adopted SDG for
2015-2030.
● The 17 SDGs with 169 targets came into force with effect from January,
2016.
● SDGs are not legally binding, but it has become de facto international
obligations to reorient domestic spending priorities of the countries.
FIDF

● Union cabinet has recently approved creation of Fisheries and

Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).
● The nodal loaning entities for the fund are
1. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),
2. National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC) and
3. All scheduled Banks.
● The fund would provide concessional finance to take up investment
activities of fisheries development.
● The beneficiaries are State Governments / UTs and State entities,
cooperatives, individuals and entrepreneurs etc.,
International UDAN

● International UDAN, a new international air connectivity scheme is an

extension of the domestic UDAN scheme.
● Domestic UDAN seeks to boost air connectivity by linking up un-served
and under-served airports in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities with the big cities.
● This is done by offering cheap tickets to passengers and the Central and
State governments paying a subsidy to the airlines to enable them to
offer cheap tickets.
● Under International UDAN, the plan is to connect India’s smaller cities
directly to some key foreign destinations in the neighbourhood.
 ● The scheme seeks to make use of the open skies policy that India has
with other Asian countries that allows direct and unlimited flights to
and from these nations to 18 Indian destinations.
● Unlike in domestic UDAN where both the Centre and the State
government share the subsidy, it is only the State government that will
provide the financial support for flights under international UDAN.
● Like the domestic UDAN, the financial support and flying exclusivity on
the route will be for three years.
● Only Indian carriers can participate in the international UDAN scheme,
and only aircraft with capacity of 70 seats or more can fly the foreign
routes.

Source: PIB, BusinessLine

25-10-2018
International Arya Mahasammelan
● The global convention of the Arya Samaj, the International Arya
Mahasammelan 2018 was recently inaugurated by the President of India
in New Delhi.
● The convention was started in 2006 and this year convention is the 11​th
such mahasammelan.
● It aims to spread a message of human welfare originating from the
Vedas, promote universal brotherhood and ensure safeguarding of social
morals.
● The Arya Samaj declared representatives from 32 countries across Asia,
Africa, Europe and North America will attend this global convention.
Arya Samaj
● Arya Samaj was formed in the year 1875 by Swami Dayananda
Saraswati.
● It emphasized on the liberation of the Hindu society.
 ● It believes in infallibility of Vedas. Dayananda Saraswati gave the slogan
“Go back to the Vedas” to revive the true Vedic religion.
● It advocated widow remarriage, female education and equal status for
women in the society.
● It strongly opposed idol worship, ritualism, practice of animal-sacrifice,
the concept of polytheism, the idea of heaven and hell and fatalism.
Seoul Peace Prize
● The Seoul Peace Prize Committee has decided to confer the 2018 Seoul
Peace Prize on Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
● It was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th
Olympic Games held in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
● In 24​th Olympic games, 160 nations from across the world took part,
creating harmony and friendship and a worldwide atmosphere of peace
and reconciliation.
● It has been awarded biennially to those individuals who have made their
mark through contributions to the harmony of mankind, reconciliation
between nations and to world peace.
● Past laureates include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan,
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and renowned international relief
organizations like Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam.
Indian Institute of Skills
● Union Cabinet has recently approved the setting up of Indian Institute
of Skills (IISs) at different locations across the country in Public Private
Partnership (PPP) mode.
● IISs shall augment the global competitiveness of key sectors providing
high quality skill training, applied research education.
● Union government has already setup country’s first Institute of skills at
Kanpur.
● It was setup by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in
partnership with the Institute of Technical Education, Singapore.
MarCO Mission
 ● MarCO stands for Mars Cube One and designed by NASA.
● The mission has twin low-cost cube sats – MarCO A and MarCO B.
● The two cubesats are boarded in Insights Lander to Mars.
● The objective of the mission is to find out whether briefcase-sized
spacecraft called CubeSats could survive the journey to deep space.
● By verifying cubesat as a viable technology for interplanetary mission, it
could lead to many other applications to explore and study our solar
system.
● It have recently beamed back an image of Mars , visible as a tiny red dot
against the dark sky.
● CubeSats are a class of spacecraft based on a standardized small size and
modular use of off-the-shelf technologies.

Source: PIB, The Hindu

26-10-2018
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
● The treaty was signed in the year 1987 between United States and Soviet
Union.
● It required both countries to eliminate and permanently disown all of
their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise
missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.
● It did not cover sea-launched missiles.
● The treaty marked the first time the superpowers had agreed to reduce
their nuclear arsenals, eliminate entire category of nuclear weapons.
● As a result of this treaty, superpowers destroyed a total of 2,692 short,
medium and intermediate-range missiles by the treaty's implementation
deadline of June 1, 1991.
● In 2014, United States has alleged that Russia violated the treaty and it
has deployed the non-compliant missile.
 ● Recently, US announced that it is withdrawing from the treaty. USA
Congress approval for the same is yet to be taken.
IMPRESS Scheme
● Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS) has been
launched by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
● It aims to promote policy research in social science.
● The objective is to identify and fund research proposals in social
sciences with maximum impact on the governance and society.
● It will provide an opportunity to researchers from all universities
(Central and State), private institutions with 12(B) status conferred by
UGC.
● Under this, 1,500 research projects will be awarded for two years to
support social science research in the higher educational institutions.
● The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has been
entrusted with the task of implementing and monitoring the scheme.
● Some of the identified domains under the scheme are,
1. State and democracy,
2. Urban transformation,
3. Media culture and society,
4. Employment skills and rural transformation,
5. Governance innovation and public policy, innovation,
6. Agriculture and rural development,
7. Social media and society,
8. Politics law and economics.
● Each project under the scheme will conclude in 3 years.
SPARC Scheme
● A webportal for the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research
Collaboration (SPARC) was recently launched by Union Human
Resource ministry.
● It is a scheme for promotion of academic and research collaboration.
 ● It aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher
educational institutions by facilitating academic and research
collaborations between Indian and foreign institutions.
● The quality benchmark for SPARC is that only such Indian institutes can
apply which are in top 100 NIRF ranking or top 100 NIRF subject
ranking.
● For foreign universities the benchmark is either top 500 of QS ranking
or top 200 of QS subject ranking.
● IIT-Khargapur is the national Coordinating Institute to implement the
SPARC programme.
Report on International Migrants
● Asian Economic Integration Report 2018 was recently released by the
Asian Development Bank.
● The report has highlighted that most of the international migrants in
2017 were from India, followed by China and Bangladesh.
● The report further said as many as one third of international migrants
were from Asia in 2017.
● According to the report, Asia continued as the largest source of
international migrants globally although the number of Asian migrants
headed to regional destinations declined slightly.
● According to UN recommendations, International migrants are those
persons who have spent at least one year of their lives in a country other
than the one in which they live at the time the data are gathered.
Mammals of India (MaOI)
● MaOI is a part of Biodiversity Atlas (India project), which is an initiative
of National Centre for Biological Sciences.
● It is an online, peer- reviewed, freely-accessible portal.
● It provides an opportunity to any person to upload geotagged
photographic observations about mammals with information on habitat
age of the observed individual.
● These observations will be reviewed by subject experts and uploaded on
the website.
Source: PIB, The Hindu

27-10-2018
Technology Summit
● The technology summit is being organised by Ministry of Science and
Technology every year.
● The 24​th edition of this summit is going to be organised with Italy as the
partner country.
● In the past 18 years, several countries have become partner countries in
this summit.
● This is the first time that Italy has been selected as partner country.
● The Summit is envisaged to serve as a wide-ranging knowledge-business
partnership platform.
● It will also facilitate a comprehensive convergence of key elements of
knowledge economy of India and Italy.
● Aerospace, Clean tech, Cultural Heritage, Education, Healthcare, ICT
and Renewable are the seven focus sectors for this year’s summit.
Sukhoi Su-30MKI
● The first indigenously overhauled Sukhoi Su-30MKI supersonic aircraft
was recently handed over to the Indian Air Force.
● During the overhaul, the aircraft was stripped completely and rebuilt
from scratch, replacing certain worn out parts/components.
● The aircraft was overhauled in country’s only fighter aircraft repair
depot “Ojhar” in Maharashtra.
● Sukhoi Aircraft was developed by Russia. The license for building it was
given to Indian Air Force in the past 2 decades.
 ● It is twin-finned, twin-jet multi-role aircraft capable of attaining speeds
of Mach 2 at high altitudes.
● It can carry guns, missiles, bombs, rockets and other weaponry.

World Agriculture Prize

● The first world agriculture prize was instituted by the
Non-Governmental organisation Indian Council of Food and
Agriculture.
● The prize was launched recently as a part of the Global Agriculture
Leadership Summit and AgroWorld 2018 in New Delhi.
● It is going to be presented annually to an individual or institution, who
played seminal role in transforming agriculture globally and saving the
humanity from the curse of hunger.
● Any individual or institution, private or public organization, may apply
or submit a nomination for this prize.
● Professor M.S. Swaminathan, founder of the M.S. Swaminathan
Research Foundation (MSSRF), was awarded the first World Agriculture
Prize.
DRDO’s New Missile Test Range
● Union Environment Ministry has recently given nod to DRDO to set up
its surveillance sytem including long range missile test range in Rutland
island in South Andaman.
● Rutland Island is located at a vintage location of about 200 km from the
Strait of Malacca that connects Indian Ocean with South China Sea.
● As of now, long-range missile tests are being carried out from the
Odisha coast and are tracked by naval vessels.
● DRDO requires a land-based test area as well to accurately track its
longrange missiles, with the island in the Andamans being ideally
located due to its distance from mainland.
● Now, DRDO will have to obtain environment and coastal regulation
zone (CRZ) clearances before commencing the project.
 ● The project involves the diversion of forest area from Mahatma Gandhi
Marine National Park and reserve forest within 10km of the Eco
Sensitive Zone.
Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony
● It is an annual award instituted by the Government of India during the
commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath
Tagore.
● The first Tagore award was conferred on Pt. Ravi Shankar, the Indian
Sitar Maestro in the year 2012.
● The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race,
language, caste, creed or sex.
● Tagore award for the year 2014, 2015 and 2016 has been conferred upon
prominent Manipuri dancer Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, Chhayanaut
(a cultural organization of Bangladesh) and one of India’s greatest
sculptors, Shri Ram Vanji Sutar, respectively.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, The New Indian Express

28-10-2018
Capitulation
● Capitulation is when investors give up any previous gains in any security
or market by selling their positions during periods of declines.
Capitulation can happen at any time, but typically happens during high
volume trading and extended declines for securities.
● A market correction or bear market often leads investors to capitulate or
panic sell, The term is a derived from a military term which refers to
surrender.
Experiencing North East’ Festival
 ● Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) along with
North Eastern Council (NEC) has launched Experiencing North East’
Festival.
● The festival will showcase the vibrant strengths of North East India and
display its art, handicraft, handlooms, tourism, food, culture etc.
● There will be special performances daily by eminent cultural troupes,
bands and artistes from North East.
Statue of Unity
● Union government is about to inaugurate the Statue of Unity- a
182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the birth anniversary of
leader.
● The statue is being built near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the
tribal-dominated Narmada district, close to 200 kilometres from
Ahmedabad.
● Once unveiled the statue would be the world’s tallest one, and the 182
metre height was decided to match the number of assembly
constituencies in the state.
● The statue will be a tribute to Patel, who was the first Home minister of
Independent India, and is hailed as the ‘Iron Man’ for his contribution
to the unity and integrity of the country.
PM-AASHA
● Union government recently launched the Pradhan Mantri
AnnadataAaySanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), which is intended to
shore up the prices that farmers get for their produce.
● The AASHA scheme has three components namely
1. Price Support Scheme (PSS) - Under this the physical procurement of
pulses, oilseeds and Copra will be done by Central Nodal Agencies with
the proactive role of the state governments.
2. Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) - Under the scheme, it is
proposed to cover all oilseeds for which minimum support price (MSP)
is notified.
 3. Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme (PPPS) - For oilseeds,
the states will have the option to roll out Private Procurement Stockist
Scheme (PPSS) on pilot basis in selected districts and Agricultural
Produce Market Committee’s (APMC) of district involving the
participation of private stockiest.
● The three different components of the scheme, will cover gaps in the
procurement and compensation mechanism for crops and help boost
farmers’ income.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Line

29-10-2018
Electoral Bonds
● Government of India has recently notified the Electoral Bond Scheme
2018.
● As per the provisions of the scheme, Electoral Bonds may be purchased
by a person, who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in
India.
● A person being an individual can buy Electoral Bonds, either singly or
jointly with other individuals.
● Political Parties which are eligible for receiving the electoral bonds must
satisfy two criteria,
1. The party must be registered under Section 29A of the
Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951).
2. It should secure not less 1% of the votes polled in the last General
Election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of
the State.
● The electoral bonds shall be encashed by an eligible Political Party only
through a Bank account with the Authorized Bank.
 ● The bonds shall be valid for 15 calendar days from the date of issue and
no payment shall be made to any payee Political Party if the Electoral
Bond is deposited after expiry of the validity period.
ZSI survey on Moths
● Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has recently conducted a study on
moths.
● It revealed that moth insects are acting as pollinators to a number of
flowering plants in the Himalayan ecosystem.
● The insect order Lepidoptera comprises the butterflies, moths, and
skippers.
● They can be distinguished from all other insects by their two pairs of
scale-covered wings and are renowned for their sense of smell.
● For most Lepidoptera species, the vast majority of the life cycle is spent
in the larval stage.
● Butterflies and moths have numerous physical and behavioral
differences. Eg. moths are nocturnal and butterflies are diurnal.
● Role of pollinators – They are essential for the genetic exchange
among flowering plants and the biodiversity among plants.
● About 90% of the world’s flowering plants are pollinated by animals.
● Usually bees, wasps and butterflies are considered as prominent
pollinators.
● Almost two-thirds of common large moth species have declined over the
last 40 years in some parts of world.
● One of main reasons for the decline is light pollution (an increase in
artificial light in moth habitats).
AQI in Delhi
● Air Quality Index is a number used to communicate to the public how
polluted the air currently is or how polluted it isforecasted to become.
● As AQI increases, an increasingly large percentage of the population is
likely to experience increasinglyadverse health effects.
● The AQI is most commonly used by Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) to describe ground-level ozonelevels.
 ● According to CPCB report, AQI score in Delhi for the season reached
poor and severe category recently.
● The city registered an average AQI of 366, which falls in the ‘very poor’
category, based on the reading of 32 monitoring stations.
● Accordingly, CPCB has issued health advisories and recommended
stringent measures from November 1 to 10 forecasting further
deterioration in air quality ahead of Diwali.
● AQI takes in to account 8 pollutants and prepare a 6 grade colour code
to reveal the severity of pollutants in air quality.
● These pollutants are:
1. Ground-level Ozone or O3
2. Particulate Matter (soot and dust) - PM 5 and PM 10
3. Carbon Monoxide or CO
4. Sulphur Dioxide or SO2 and
5. Nitrogen Dioxide or NO2
6. Lead or Pb
7. Ammonia or NH3

Restructuring of Shang-dongs
● Earlier this year, Buddhist monks in Leh’s Chushul village restructured
a shang-dong into a stupa.
● This was a symbolic gesture to mark peace between man and wolf.
● Shang-dong is a traditional contraption used by Changpa people of Leh
to capture the wolves that lift their prized pashmina goats.
● This wolf trap is made of stones and buried in the ground.
● Once the wolves leap in, the conical walls ensure they can’t clamber out.
● Generally, these wolves are caught and stoned to death.
● But researchers of the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), were
long been concerned by the threats these traps posed to large carnivores
including snow leopards.
● They found Buddhist communities had more positive attitude towards
carnivores and they integrated “locally relevant religious philosophies”
into conservation.
 ● It was also important to tighten the traditional link between culture,
livelihood and conservation.
● So the shang-dongs which are a part of Changpa culture were not
destroyed but merely dismantled.
● Additionally Pashmina wool produced by the people in the region are
given ‘Snow Leopard Friendly’ certificate by NCF, if it meets 15
conditions including neutralising shang-dongs.
● Others include rotational grazing, maintaining a village wildlife reserve
where grazing and hunting are prohibited, predator-proofing livestock
corrals and stopping all retaliatory killing of carnivores including wolves
and snow leopards.
Amur Falcons in Disputed territory

● Amur falcons are the world’s longest travelling raptors.

● They migrate annually during winter from their breeding grounds in
Mongolia, South-east Russia and northern China to warmer South
Africa through India and across the Arabian Sea.
● They feed on dragonflies that follow a similar migration path over
Arabian Sea
● Generally Doyang Lake near Pangti village in Nagaland’s Wokha district
is better known as a stopover for the Amur falcons during their annual
migration.
● But a flock of these falcons has been seen since 2010 in Umru village on
the Assam-Meghalaya border.
 ● Umru in Block II is one of 12 disputed areas along the Assam-Meghalaya
border, since Meghalaya was carved out of Assam in 1972.
● Assam claims the village is under East Karbi Anlong district while
Meghalaya asserts it is under Ri-Bhoi district.
● But these disputes are forgotten when the village welcomes the falcons
in mid-October, uniting to ensure a safe stay for the birds.
● Both Gorkha and Khasi tribal communities have made common cause in
protection of the Amur falcons and have fixed a fine of Rs.25,000 for
anyone caught ensnaring or killing the birds.
● Amur Falcon Festival is also been organised since 2015.

Source: PIB, The Hindu

30-10-2018
Train 18
● It is India’s first engine-less semi-high speed train, rolled out recently by
Chennai based Integral Coach Factory (ICF).
● It has been designed to maximum operating speed of 160 kmph.
● It will eventually replace the Shatabdi Express for inter-city travel and it
will cut travel time by 15% compared to Shatabdi.
● This fully air-conditioned train is nicknamed “The NextGen Shatabdi”.
● It is driven by a self-propulsion module and it is the first long-distance
train without separate locomotive (engine).
● The Shatabdi trains were introduced in 1988 and are presently running
on over 20 routes connecting metros with other important cities.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
● SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which
was founded by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
 ● India and Pakistan has recently become members of SCO in its 2017
meeting held at Astana, Kazhakhstan.
● Observer status is given to Iran, Mongolia, Belarus, Afghanistan.
● The official working languages of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation are Chinese and Russian.
● The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a permanent organ of the SCO.
● It serves to promote cooperation of member states against terrorism,
separatism and extremism.
SCO Meeting on Urban Disaster
● India is going to host Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s meeting on
Urban Disaster Handling.
● Pakistan has accepted India’s invitation for the meeting.
● It involves the joint mock exercise on urban earthquake search and
rescue by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
● It will provide an opportunity to member-countries to validate their
preparedness and resilience to various disasters and making
humanitarian assistance in disaster response more effective.
Currency Swap Arrangement
● India and Japan has agreed to enter in to currency swap arrangement of
$75 billion.
● Currency swap arrangement means one country exchanges its national
currency for that of another or even a third currency.
● Under this arrangement, India can acquire dollars from Japan in
exchange for rupees.
● So, India can acquire yen or dollars from Japan upto $75 billion in
exchange for rupees under a fixed exchange rate.
● This exchange has to be reversed after an agreed period. Conversely,
Japan can also seek dollars from India in exchange for yen.
● This facility will serve as a line of defence for our country’s foreign
exchange reserve.
● Advantages​​ – Short –term liquidity mismatches can be met quickly.
 ● It will help stabilize the rupee, which has witnessed the steepest fall in
recent years.
● It improves market sentiment, curbs speculative pressure on the rupee.
● Foreign Investors will draw comfort from the arrangement.

WHO Report on Child Health

● World Health Organisation has recently released report on “Air
Pollution and Child Health”.
● According to the report, every day around 93% of the world’s children
under the age of 15 years (1.8 billion children) breathe air that is so
polluted it puts their health and development at serious risk.
● The report highlights the reason why children are particularly
vulnerable to the effects of air pollution.
● One is that the children breathe more rapidly than adults and so absorb
more pollutants.
● The other reason is that pollutants are often more concentrated nearer
to ground level.
● It added that their developing organs and nervous system are also more
susceptible to long-term damage than those of adults.
● The study found that in poorer countries, 98% of all children under five
are exposed to PM2.5 above WHO guidelines.
● The report is being launched on the eve of WHO’s first ever Global
Conference on Air Pollution and Health in Geneva.
Growth Rate of States
● According to the recent ranking on growth rate, Andhra Pradesh has
achieved the first rank in the country with an average growth of 10.5%
during the last 4 years.
● It surpassed the average growth rate in the country which stood at 7.3%
for 4 years.
● It is followed by Telangana in the 2​nd place and Karnataka in the 3​rd
place.
● Andhra Pradesh is the only State to clock the double-digit growth rate.
● Gujarat, which is considered the most developed State, registered a
growth of 10.5% in 2014-15 but it slipped in the following years.

Source: The Hindu

31-10-2018
Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas
 ● The Atlas is prepared by World Wide Fund for Nature.
● It indicates risk index which takes in to account, threats from loss of
above-ground diversity, pollution and nutrient over-loading,
over-grazing, intensive agriculture, fire, soil erosion, desertification and
climate change.
● The two key drivers of biodiversity loss were the over exploitation of
natural resources and agriculture.
● The risk index shows India among countries whose soil biodiversity
faces the highest level of risk.
● The report highlighted that, while India’s per capita ecological footprint
was less than 1.75 hectares/person (which is in the lowest band, among
countries surveyed) its high population made it vulnerable to an
ecological crisis.
● The other countries which are placed along with India - Pakistan, China,
several countries in Africa and Europe, and most of North America.
● The findings under this are part of the bi-annual Living Planet Report
2018.

Financial Stability and Development Council

 ● The council has met recently to discuss the issue of real interest rate,
current liquidity situation.
● FSDC was established in 2010 with Union Finance Minister as its
Chairman.
● Its members include

i. the heads of financial sector regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, and IRDA)
ii. Finance Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs
iii. Secretary, Department of Financial Services
iv. Chief Economic Adviser
v. Chairman of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board
● FSDC has two core functions:

i. to perform as an apex level forum to strengthen and institutionalize the

mechanism for maintaining financial stability
ii. to enhance inter-regulatory coordination and promote financial sector
development in the country
● It focus on financial literacy and financial inclusion.
● It monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy and also assess
the functioning of the large financial conglomerates.
● FSDC sub-committee is chaired by the Governor of RBI.

Commercial Paper
● Commercial Papers are issued by companies with high-quality debt
ratings for raising money to meet their short-term liabilities.
● Corporations, financial institutions, wealthy individuals and money
market funds are usually buyers of commercial paper.
● It is usually issued at a discount from face value and reflects prevailing
market interest rates.
● Maturities on commercial paper are usually no longer than 9 months.
● Unlike banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) do not have
access to low-cost public deposits and have to heavily rely upon
commercial paper and commercial debt markets.
● Banks and Mutual Funds are the main source of funding through
commercial papers to NBFCs and housing finance companies.
 ● While large MFIs have access to bank finance, the mid-sized and smaller
ones depend on funds from NBFCs.
● Small and mid-size NBFCs and Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) are
going to face the liquidity crunch due to redemption of commercial
papers due in November-March.
● Anticipating liquidity crunch, the RBI has announced Rs. 40,000-crore
liquidity infusion in November through open market operations.
Dal-Nageen Lake
● J&K administration has appointed an official for conducting a
comprehensive bathymetric survey (study of underwater depth of lake
or ocean floors) of the Dal-Nageen lake.
● The Nageen lake in Srinagar is a deep blue water offshoot of the Dal lake
that is interconnected by a thin causeway.
● The lake is located to the east of the city of Srinagar, at the foothill of the
Zabarwan Mountain.
● The Nageen lake is surrounded by a large number of willow and poplar
trees. Hence, it has been referred as a "nageena", which means "the
jewel in the ring".
​Multidimensional Poverty Index
● MPI is a measure that takes into account the incidence of poverty and
the extent of deprivation.
● It is calculated by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative
and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
● The MPI value ranges between 0 and 1 and the value of 1 indicates the
highest deprivation level, while 0 indicates the lowest.
● It has been calculated for 105 developing economies.
● India’s MPI stood at 0.121 in 2016, half of what it was in 2006.
● India’s MPI is lower than the global average of 0.159 and the South
Asian countries but higher than BRICS countries (excluding Russia).
Source: The Hindu