About:

• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made Health and Physical Education compulsory in all classes from I-XII for its affiliated schools. Schools have been advised that Health and Physical Education includes three areas i.e. Health Education, Physical Education and Yoga.
  
  
• National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 recommended Yoga as an integral part of Health and Physical Education.
  
  
• The Government has also included Yoga training in the “Study in India” programme to encourage Yoga seekers from abroad to obtain authentic Yoga training in India.
  
  
• University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved the establishment of an Inter University Centre-Yogic Science at Bengaluru.
  
  
• UGC has also introduced Yoga as a new National Eligibility Test (NET) subject from January 2017 UGC-NET onwards.
  
  
• National Yoga Olympiad was recently organized by NCERT across the country at various levels. Schools from states and UTs, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and CBSE schools participated in the Yoga Olympiad.
  
  
• The Government has set up a Yoga Certification Board (YCB) to standardize and strengthen Yoga training by providing certification to individuals and accreditation to Institutions.
  
  
• In addition, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. MDNIY is a focal Institute for Planning, Training, Promotion and Coordination of Yoga Education, Training, Therapy and Research in all its aspects.
  
  

About:

• GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) rockets use a different fuel, and have a thrust that is far greater than PSLV’s. They can, therefore, carry heavier payloads and travel deeper into space.
  
  
• Among ISRO’s GSLV rockets, GSLV Mk-III is the latest and most powerful. It has had two successful flights so far — it carried and deployed the GSAT-19 communication satellite in 2017 and then, the GSAT-29 communication satellite in 2018.
  
  
• GSLV Mk-III is powered by a core liquid engine, has two solid boosters that are used to provide the massive thrust required during liftoff, and a cryogenic engine in the upper stage.
  
  
• Cryogenics is the science relating to behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. Cryogenic technology is challenging to master, but essential for a rocket like GSLV Mk-III.
  
  

About: 

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalty of ₹ 7 crore on SBI for non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on: 
  • Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms and 
    
    
  • code of conduct for opening and operating current accounts and reporting of data on Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC). 
    
    
  
  
  
• This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. 
  
  

About: 

• Type: Seva Bhoj Yojna is a Central Sector Scheme. 
  
  
• Objective: Government of India is running Seva Bhoj Yojana for providing assistance to charitable religious institutions for serving free food to public. 
  
  
• Features:
  • Under the scheme, the financial assistance will be provided for free food offered by charitable/religious institutions like Gurudwara, Temples, Dharmik Ashram, Mosques, Dargah, Church, Math, Monasteries etc.
    
    
  • The specific raw food items covered under the Scheme are: (i) Ghee (ii) Edible Oil (iii) Sugar/Burra/Jaggery (iv) Rice (v) Atta/Maida/Rava/Flour and (vi) Pulses.
    
    
  
  
  
• Criteria for financial assistance:
  • These Charitable Religious Institutions should have been distributing free food in the form of ‘prasad’, ‘langar’/bhandara (community kitchen) to at least 5000 persons in a calendar month for at least past 3 years.
    
    
  • Financial Assistance under the scheme shall be given only to those institutions which are not in receipt of any Financial Assistance from the Central/State Government for the purpose of distributing free food.
    
    
  • The Institution/Organization blacklisted under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) or under the provisions of any Act/Rules of the Central/State shall not be eligible for financial assistance under the scheme.
    
    
  
  
  

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971: Key Provisions

• Abortion is not permissible after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
  
  
• The law largely allows a woman to abort only if continuance of the pregnancy, according to a medical practitioner, involves a risk to her life; grave physical or mental injury; or risk of serious foetal abnormalities.
  
  
• While it protects married woman by allowing them to terminate an “unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, the same is not extended to single women”. This adversely affects the sexual autonomy of single women.
  
  
• The Act does not allow abortion of pregnancy in the case of minors or mentally ill persons without the consent of the guardian. As a consequence the guardian enjoys complete autonomy over such persons.
  
  

About:

• Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International Airport is an international airport. In May 2019, it was declared as an international airport in pursuance of sub-rule (b) of rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950.
  
  
• It is located 8 km west of Indore and principally serves Indore and adjacent regions of Madhya Pradesh.
  
  
• The airport is named after Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore (1725 – 1795), belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire.
  
  

About: 

• China's economic growth slowed to a record low of 6.2 % in the second quarter of this year. Government data showed that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth slid from 6.4 % in the first quarter to 6.2 %.
  
  
• This is the weakest growth rate in the last 27 years for the world's second-largest economy.
  
  
• The growth, however, was in line with the government's annual target range of 6.0-6.5 % for the whole year, down from the 6.6 % growth China put up in 2018.
  
  
• Reason: This was the result of a trade war with the United States and weakening global demand.
  
  
• Way ahead:
  • China will make timely use of cuts in banks' reserve requirement ratios (RRR) and other financing tools to support smaller firms, while repeating a vow not to use “flood-like” stimulus.
    
    
  • China has relied largely on fiscal stimulus to underpin growth this year, announcing massive tax cuts worth nearly 2 trillion yuan ($291 billion) and a quota of 2.15 trillion yuan for special bond issuance by local governments aimed at boosting infrastructure construction.
    
    
  
  
  

Key highlights of the report: 

• More than one in 10 children – almost 20 million worldwide – failed to receive potentially lifesaving vaccines in 2018.  
  
  
• In 2018, 19.4 million children were not fully vaccinated, up from 18.7 million in 2017. 
  
  
• 10 countries accounted for 11.7 of the 19.4 million under and non-vaccinated youngsters in the world, in particular Nigeria (three million), India (2.6 million) and Pakistan (1.4 million). 
  
  
• Global protection against four diseases that are regarded as a gauge of overall coverage - diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and measles - has “stalled” at around 86 % since 2010. Ideally, it should be 95 % across countries and communities globally. 
  
  
• The best regional performer for vaccine reach in 2018 was Europe, whose more than 90 % rate was 18 % higher than Africa, the lowest-performing region. 
  
  
• Conflict, Cost and Complacency are key factors in stagnating global vaccination rates. 
  
  
• Some 350,000 measles cases were reported globally last year -- more than double the 2017 number. Ukraine has been identified as the country with the highest measles incidence rate in 2018. 
  
  

Features of the Bill: 

• The amendment will strengthen the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to speed up trials in terrorism-related cases. By designating special courts, the cases would be expedited and transfers or delay in appointments of judges would not delay them. 
  
  
• The agency will be able to investigate terrorist acts against Indian embassies and assets abroad and take up cases of drug, arms and women trafficking apart from cyber-terrorism.