Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration:

• Instituted by: The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award is an annual prestigious award instituted from Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi.
  
  
• Origin: The award was started in 1999
  
  
• Cash prize: This consists of a cash award of 5,00,000 rupees plus a citation and a plaque.
  
  
• Criteria: It is awarded to a business leader, management practitioner, public administrator, educator or institution builder for his/her sustained individual contributions for achievements of high professional order and excellence.
  
  
• Award ceremony: This award is generally given by the President of India.
  
  

Fali Sam Nariman:

• Fali Sam Nariman is an Indian jurist. He was the senior advocate to the Supreme Court of India since 1971.
  
  
• Key positions held:
  • He has remained the President of the Bar Association of India since 1991.
    
    
  • He remained Additional Solicitor General of India for a term (1972-1975).
    
    
  • He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha for a term (1999–2005).
    
    
  
  
  
• Major awards received: Padma Bhushan (1991) and Padma Vibhushan (2007) and Gruber Prize for Justice (2002).
  
  

About:

• Information about the project has so far been incomplete.
  
  
• According to media reports, the artificial moon would be a mirror orbiting Chengdu at a height of 500 km. It would reflect the sun’s light at night, and supplement street lighting in Chengdu.
  
  
• The artificial moon’s brightness will be around eight times that of the moon and would be a fifth of streetlights.
  
  
• If the experiment proves successful, two more such moons could be sent up by 2022.
  
  
• Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute Co Ltd, a private institute is handling the project.
  
  

Benefits:

• The objective is to provide an alternative means of street lighting and save on electricity.
  
  
• It could illuminate an area of diameter between 10-80 km. If the illuminated area is 50 sq. km, it would save an estimated 1.2 billion yuan ($170 million) a year in electricity costs for Chengdu.
  
  

Challenges:

• At an altitude as low as 500 km, and considering a diameter small enough to be economically viable, accuracy is key. Missing the angle of reflection by even a few degrees would miss Chengdu by miles.
  
  
• Also, there must be sufficient glow, but if this glow covers a large area, it could potentially affect the daily cycle of animals and plants, and even affect the human circadian system — the body clock.
  
  

Earlier attempts by Russia:

• The idea to have a satellite reflect light at night isn’t new.
  
  
• In 1999, Russia sent up Znamya 2, a plastic mirror with a diameter of 65 ft. It managed to reflect a narrow beam of light. The two-and-and-half-mile-wide beam travelled for about eight minutes across part of the Atlantic Ocean and then across Europe, including Russia.
  
  
• Six years later, Russia launched Znamya 2.5, which was meant to be a larger mirror, but it did not deploy properly. The idea of sending up a giant mirror in the sky died with it.
  
  

About:

• Scientific Name: Strobilanthes kunthianus.
  
  
• Common Names: Neelakurinji; Kurinji.
  
  
• Distribution:
  • It is a shrub prominently found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats.
    
    
  • Besides it is also seen in the Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats.
    
    
  
  
  
• Blooming period: The blue flowers of Neelakurinji blossoms only once in 12 years.
  
  
• Conservation: Core area of Kurinjimala Sanctuary, in Idukki district of Kerala, protects the kurinji.
  
  
• Cultural significance:
  • Nilgiri Hills (Literally meaning the blue mountains), got their name from the blue flowers of Neelakurinji.
    
    
  • The Paliyan tribes (in Tamil Nadu) use it as a reference to calculate their age.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Background: This campaign was initiated in 2017-18 in northern India wherein large number of school children were advised to celebrate Diwali in an eco-friendly manner by taking pledge to minimize bursting of crackers and gifting plant sapling to their relatives and friends along with sweets.
  
  
• Impact: The above campaign was extremely successful and the air quality had not deteriorated post Diwali in 2017 unlike what was experienced in 2016.
  
  
• Changes this year:
  • On the above lines, the Ministry has initiated the similar campaign, but this year the campaign has been extended Pan-India.
    
    
  • The “Harit Diwali-Swasth Diwali” campaign is now merged with “Green Good Deed” movement that has been initiated as a social mobilization for conservation and protection of environment.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The ‘Model Guest House’ located near the foothill of the Indrakeeladri is being developed for setting up the Gaming Garage.
  
  
• Facilities provided: Any creative thinker could walk into the Garage to develop a game of choice. The government would provide them with “the necessary software and infrastructure free of cost”. It would also encourage them in commercialising their product.
  
  
• Bodies involved: Companies such as the Unity Technologies, Denmark/San Francisco would provide the software. The Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) of Finland would be knowledge/operational partner.
  
  

Comment on Gaming Industry:

• The gaming became an industry with crores of rupees turnover with the rapid development of computers and smartphone technologies.
  
  
• The Cabinet in April gave its nod to animations and visual effects, gaming and comics policy to attract the best from the sector and an investment of about ₹6,400 crore by 2020.
  
  

Recommendations by ILC:

• India should adopt the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law of Cross Border Insolvency, 1997, as it provides for a comprehensive framework to deal with cross-border insolvency issues.
  • The UNCITRAL Model Law has been adopted in 44 countries and, therefore, forms part of international best practices in dealing with cross border insolvency issues.
    
    
  
  
  
• It also recommended a few carve-outs to ensure that there is no inconsistency between the domestic insolvency framework and the proposed cross border insolvency framework.
  
  

Comment:

• The necessity of having a cross-border insolvency framework under the IBC arises from the fact that many Indian companies have a global footprint and many foreign companies have a presence in multiple countries, including India.
  
  
• The inclusion of the Cross-Border Insolvency Chapter in the IBC will be a major step forward and will bring Indian Insolvency Law on a par with that of matured jurisdictions.
  
  
• The advantages of the model law are the precedence given to domestic proceedings and protection of public interest.
  
  
• The other advantages include greater confidence generation among foreign investors, adequate flexibility for seamless integration with the domestic Insolvency Law and a robust mechanism for international cooperation.
  
  

About:

• Background:
  • The move comes in the background of Madras High court observing that “neither are children weightlifters nor school bags load containers.”
    
    
  • On October 5, The MHRD also issued an order to formulate a policy on schoolbags on the lines of Children School Bags (Limitation on Weight) Bill of 2006, which never turned into a law.
    
    
  
  
  
• Composition:
  • Professor Ranjana Arora of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had been named as the convenor of the Expert Group.
    
    
  • Representatives of the education departments of Maharashtra and Telangana have been included as additional members, since the two States already had a policy stipulating that the weight of a schoolbag should not exceed 10% of the weight of the student.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Migingo is a 2,000-square-metre (0.49-acre) island in Lake Victoria. It is extremely densely populated.
  
  
• Dispute:
  • The island is the center of a territorial dispute between Kenya and Uganda. Presently, the island is co-managed by both countries.
    
    
  • While fishing communities around Lake Victoria have seen their catches slowly diminish over the years, the deep waters surrounding Migingo abound with catch such as Nile perch. This is one of the main reason for both sides claiming the island.
    
    
  
  
  

Sagar Island:

• Also known as: Gangasagar or Sagardwip.
  
  
• Location:
  • It is an Island in the Ganges delta, lying on the continental shelf of Bay of Bengal.
    
    
  • This Island falls under South 24 Parganas District in West Bengal.
    
    
  
  
  
• Flora and fauna:
  • Although Sagar island is a part of Sunderban Administration, it does not have any tiger habitation or mangrove forests or small river tributaries as is characteristic of the overall sunderban delta.
    
    
  
  
  

Ganga Sagar Mela

• Sagar island is a place of Hindu pilgrimage.
  
  
• Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti, hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganges and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers (puja) in the Kapil Muni Temple.
  
  

About:

• National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the Central Counter Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency of India.
  
  
• Parent agency: Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
  
  
• Establishment: NIA was created after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks with the enactment of the National Investigation Agency Act 2008.
  
  
• Jurisdiction:
  • The agency is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states.
    
    
  • A State Government may request the Central Government to hand over the investigation of a case to the NIA, provided the case has been registered for the offences as contained in the schedule to the NIA Act.
    
    
  
  
  
• NIA special courts:
  • Various Special Courts have been notified by the Govt. of India for trial of the cases arising out of offences committed in various states of the Union.
    
    
  • These are presided over by a judge appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the High Court with jurisdiction in that region.
    
    
  
  
  
• Offices: it is headquartered in Delhi and has branch offices in 8 locations.
  
  

Steps by U.P. for police reforms:

• A three-member commission will be constituted to give recommendations for strengthening and modernisation of police.
  
  
• By the end of 2019, 1.25 lakh constables will join the force after training, ending their shortage. It will also address problem of their leave and they will be able to perform their duties without any tension.
  
  
• To enhance the morale of the force and ensure good work culture, the State government has made special emphasis on their time-bound promotion.
  
  
• The government is planning to double the capacity for training constables. Help of Central Paramilitary forces and other States will also be sought for training capacity enhancement.
  
  
• The State government has already increased compensation to the family of a martyr from ₹20 lakh to ₹40 lakh, besides hiking the amount given to their parents to ₹10 lakh.
  
  

About:

• Objective: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a global fund within the UNFCCC framework to support the developing countries limit or reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change.
  
  
• Timeline:
  • It was set up at COP 16 held in Cancun in 2010, by the 194 countries who are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as part of the Convention’s financial mechanism.
    
    
  • GCF launched its initial resource mobilization in 2014.
    
    
  • When the Paris Agreement was reached in 2015, the GCF was given an important role in supporting the goal of keeping climate change well below 2 degrees Celsius.
    
    
  
  
  
• Features: The Fund’s investments can be in the form of grants, loans, equity or guarantees.
  
  
• Governance: GCF is governed by a 24-member Board, comprised equally of developed and developing countries, representing the United Nations Regional Groups. It makes decisions based only on the consensus agreement of all Board members.
  
  
• HQ: The Fund is headquartered in Songdo, South Korea.
  
  

About:

• The Prime Minister noted that this is the first time that the India Carpet Expo is being organized at the Deendayal Hastkala Sankul, in Varanasi.
  
  
• The Prime Minister said that India is today the biggest producer of carpets, and has about 35 percent of the global market-share.
  
  
• Varanasi, Bhadohi and Mirzapur as important centres of the carpet industry.

  Deendayal Hastkala Sankul? ·         It is a trade facilitation centre for handicrafts. ·         Timeline: The project was first announced by the Union Finance Minister in the Budget 2014-15. In 2017, PM Modi inaugurated Deendayal Hastkala Sankul in Varanasi. ·         Objective: To facilitate the weavers/artisans/exporters in promotion of handlooms/handicrafts in both domestic and international markets. ·         It consists of five blocks: Marts-cum-Office, Convention hall-cum-Exhibition, Food court-cum-Guest House, Shopping Arcade and Crafts Museum. ·         The Crafts Museum in the Sankul will preserve the traditional handloom/handicrafts products of Varanasi.

  
  
  

About:

• Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) is a term used to refer to those citizens or households with income below a certain threshold level.
  
  
• This categorisation as EWS is distinct from other categories like “disadvantaged sections” which refer to those belonging to the Scheduled Caste/ the Scheduled Tribe /other socially backward communities.
  
  
• Benefits: The criterion of EWS is generally evoked while granting benefits under health, education or housing.
  
  
• Criteria: Though there may be other economic factors in deciding on the economic weakness of the citizen/household, income is the dominant criterion.
  
  
• There is no coherent single / unique definition for EWS in India.
  • It is defined differently for different schemes run by the Government.
    
    
  • Further, state and central (Union/Federal) governments may set different criteria for deciding on the EWS status.
    
    
  
  
  

EWS under RTE:

• Under Section 2 (e) of Right to Education Act, 2009 a "child belonging to weaker section" means a child belonging to such parent or guardian whose annual income is lower than the minimum limit specified by the appropriate Government, by notification.
  
  
• For instance, Delhi Government has specified the EWS child as a child resident in Delhi for the last three years with annual parental income of less than Rs. 1 lakh.
  
  

About:

• The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will also be the sixth longest bridge of any kind.
  
  
• The new sea bridge will connect the east and west sides of the Pearl River Delta of the South China Sea.
  
  
• Zhuhai is a city on the Chinese mainland, which will be connected with the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
  
  
• Objective:
  • It is a key component of China’s plan to develop a “Greater Bay Area”, a business hub comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities of Guangdong province.
    
    
  • The Greater Bay Area will aim to rival New York and Tokyo in terms of technological innovation and economic success
    
    
  
  
  
• Criticism:
  • But critics look at the bridge as a political statement asserting China’s control over Hong Kong and Macau.
    
    
  • Both are former European colonies, handed back to China in the late 1990s, and are run under the “one country, two systems” principle, which allows them to retain their systems of government independent of China for 50 years.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is a crucial Cold War-era treaty banning the development, testing and possession of short and medium range ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range of 500-5,000 km.
  
  
• The treaty, signed in 1987, was central to ending the arms race between the two superpowers, and protected America’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks.
  
  
• S. withdrawal: On October 20, 2018, the United States declared its intention to withdraw from the treaty on the ground that Russia has been violating it for many years. The announced withdrawal awaits Congressional approval in early 2019.
  
  

About:

• The new bridge over the Brahmaputra, proposed for completion by 2026-27, will run between Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya, close to the Bangladesh border.
  
  
• At present, people cross the river either in small boats and by vehicles that have to take a detour of 100 km before climbing the Naranarayan bridge.
  
  
• At 19.3 km, it will be twice as long as the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, which is currently the longest. The announcement comes a year after India’s longest river bridge was opened in Assam over the Brahmaputra.
  
  
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is preparing a detailed project report through the National Highways and Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (NICL) and an initial loan amount has been approved by Japanese funding agency (JICA).
  
  

India Remembers project:

• The India Remembers project is a joint endeavour of the United Service Institution of India (USI) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
  
  
• It is a part of the ‘India and the Great War’ Centenary Commemoration project initiated by the USI in 2014 with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and in close association with the British High Commission.
  
  

Saffron marigold as symbol of sacrifice:

• The marigold was chosen because it is easily and widely available and also because saffron is often seen as a colour of sacrifice.
  
  
• The government and the Army have to formally adopt the marigold to make it an official effort.
  
  
• Since 2016, the marigold along with the poppy, has been widely promoted in all India-related commemorative events around the world, that seek to highlight India’s contribution in the First World War, a diplomatic source said.
  
  

Landslides:

• A landslide is the movement of rock, debris or earth down a slope. Landslides are known also as landslips, slumps or slope failure.
  
  
• Reasons: They result from the failure of the materials which make up the hill slope and are driven by the force of gravity. Landslides can be triggered by natural causes or by human activity.
  
  

Types of Landslide Movement:

• Fall: This is generally characterised by a rapid to extremely rapid rate of movement with the descent of material characterised by a freefall period.
  
  
• Topple: This is characterised by the tilting of rock without collapse, or by the forward rotation of rocks about a pivot point. Topples have a rapid rate of movement and failure is generally influenced by the fracture pattern in rock. Material descends by abrupt falling, sliding, bouncing and rolling.
  
  
• Flow: This is the most destructive and turbulent form of landslide. Flows have a high-water content which causes the slope material to lose cohesion, turning it into a slurry. They are channelled by the landscape and move rapidly.
  
  
• Spread: This phenomenon is characterised by the gradual lateral displacement of large volumes of distributed material over very gentle or flat terrain.
  
  

About:

• He had adopted the name Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, and was formerly a professor in the civil engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
  
  
• As an environmentalist, he was vocal about disallowing hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand along the Ganga and was disappointed with the Central and Uttarakhand governments for not doing enough to protect the river.
  
  
• He was also the first Member-Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board.
  
  
• His contributions: He observed several fasts over the years. These resulted in the –
  • Establishment of the National Ganga River Basin Authority
    
    
  • Establishment of the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone
    
    
  • Creation of concepts such as ecological flow (the necessity to maintain a minimum quantity of water in a river at all times) while planning for hydro-electric projects.
    
    
  
  
  
• His latest demands:
  • A trigger for his fast this year was the “unfulfilled” promises by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had vowed to clean the Ganga after winning the Varanasi seat.
    
    
  • Bringing the Ganga Act into law was one of Agarwal’s key demands as were instructions to give legal standing to the Ganga Bhakti Parishad, which would have supreme power to decide on matters of the river.
    
    
  • He had also sought a ban on all proposed dams on the upper reaches of the Ganga and on sand mining along the river.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Mission objective: Mercury, which is only slightly larger than Earth’s moon, has a massive iron core about which little is known. Researchers are also hoping to learn more about the formation of the solar system from the data gathered by the BepiColombo mission.
  
  
• Timeline: BepiColombo spacecraft has begun its seven-year journey to Mercury before arriving at its destination in December 2025.
  
  
• Mission Components:
  • When it arrives, BepiColombo will release two probes — Bepi and Mio — that will independently investigate the surface and magnetic field of Mercury.
    
    
  • The European Space Agency (ESA)-developed Bepi will operate in Mercury’s inner orbit, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) Mio will be in the outer orbit to gather data that would reveal the internal structure of the planet, its surface and geological evolution.
    
    
  
  
  
• Nomenclature: The spacecraft is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo.
  
  
• Earlier mercury missions:
  • Scientists hope to build on the insights gained by NASA’s Messenger probe, which ended its mission in 2015 after a four-year orbit of Mercury.
    
    
  • The only other spacecraft to visit Mercury was NASA’s Mariner 10 that flew past the planet in the mid-1970s.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• C-FLOWS, an acronym for Chennai FLOod Warning System, is a flood warning system customised for use in Chennai.
  
  
• The six-module ensemble 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 city.
  
  
• Knowing the elevation at different spots, the system can predict the way the area would flood based on different scenarios that have been simulated, two weeks ahead of the event.
  
  
• The system is a joint initiative of the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to government of India, research institutions, chief among them the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai, and IITs
  
  
• The move comes in the aftermath of Chennai Urban Floods of 2015 which paralysed Chennai with over 18 lakh people being displaced.
  
  
• In the coming time, similar system will be developed for Mumbai and Cochin.
  
  

About:

• INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013.
  
  
• She has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India.
  
  
• History:
  • Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy (as Admiral Gorshkov) before being decommissioned in 1996. 
    
    
  • The carrier was purchased by India in 2004 and was commissioned on 16 November 2013 at a ceremony held at Severodvinsk, Russia. 
    
    
  • On 14 June 2014, Prime Minister of India formally inducted INS Vikramaditya into the Indian Navy and dedicated it to the nation.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• A 30-foot granite pillar, weighing around 238 tonnes, has been installed at Chanakyapuri in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi to recognize the sacrifice made by nearly 35,000 police personnel killed in action since Independence.
  
  
• A large number of police lives were lost in the fight against terrorism (in J&K, Punjab, North-East and Maoist-affected regions of the country) and prevention of organised crime.
  
  
• The sculpture has been conceptualised by Advaita Gadanayak of the National Gallery of Modern Art. The stones to construct the pillar were sourced from Khammam in Telengana.
  
  
• The memorial will also have a ‘Wall of Valour’, engraved with the names of police personnel, including those killed in the 1965 India-Pak war, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 and the 2001 Parliament attack.
  
  
• The Prime Minister will also unveil the country’s first national police museum.
  
  

Osteoporosis:

• Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease of progressive bone loss and skeletal deterioration in which bones become fragile and more likely to break, or fracture.
  
  
• The disease often develops unnoticed over many years, with no symptoms or discomfort, until a fracture occurs.
  
  
• Causes of osteoporosis: The exact medical causes of osteoporosis are not completely known. However, many of the major factors that can lead to the disease have been identified, and are listed below –
  • Everyone loses bone with age. After age 35, the body builds less new bone to replace losses of old bone. In general, the older you are, the lower your total bone mass and the greater your risk for osteoporosis.
    
    
  • A family history of fractures; a small, slender body build; fair skin; and a Caucasian or Asian background can increase the risk for osteoporosis. Heredity also may help explain why some people develop osteoporosis early in life.
    
    
  • Nutrition and lifestyle. Poor nutrition, including a low calcium diet, low body weight and a sedentary lifestyle have been linked to osteoporosis, as have smoking and excessive alcohol use.
    
    
  • Medications and other illnesses. Osteoporosis has been linked to some medications, including steroids, and to other illnesses, including some thyroid problems.
    
    
  
  
  
• Prevention: Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, there are steps you can take to prevent it. Early diagnosis, regular exercise and healthy diet are what people should follow to avoid occurrence of the bone disease in later stages of life.
  
  

World Osteoporosis Day:

• World Osteoporosis Day is observed annually on October 20th, and launches a year-long campaign dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.
  
  
• It is organized by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), a non-governmental organization founded in 1998 and headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland.
  
  

About:

• Members: ASEM is an intergovernmental process presently comprising 53 partners: 30 European and 21 Asian countries, the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat.
  
  
• Established in: 1996.
  
  
• Mandate: To foster dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe. ASEM addresses political, economic, social, cultural, and educational issues of common interest, in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership.
  
  
• ASEM Summit: It is a biennial meeting between the Heads of State and Government, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, and the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  
  
• The 12^th ASEM Summit brought together 51 countries across Asia and Europe, as well as EU and ASEAN Institutions under the title “Global Partners for Global Challenges”.
  
  

Manu and Manusmriti:

• Manusmriti, also known as Manava-Dharmasastra, records the words of Brahma
  
  
• The text presents itself as a discourse given by Manu to a group of rishis, who ask him to tell them the "law of all the social classes".
  
  
• Manu: In Hinduism he is regarded as the –
  • Progenitor of mankind (i.e. the First Man)
    
    
  • First king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood.
    
    
  • He was initially known as "Satyavrata" (because of his honesty)
    
    
  
  
  

Statue controversy:

• The issue of shifting the Manu statue from the High Court premises has been pending ever since its installation in 1989.
  
  
• According to a section of activists, the Manusmriti, supposedly authored by Manu, had laid down “regressive laws” for women and the people of so-called lower castes.
  
  

About:

• The Tsangpo – Yarlung Zangbo, as it is known in China – enters Arunachal Pradesh, where it is known as the Dihang (or Siang) River.
  
  
• It turns towards south and enters Assam where it is joined by two mountain streams, the Lohit and the Dibang and thereafter it is known as
  
  

Recent event:

• China had informed India about the Tsangpo barrier breach.
  
  
• A fairly high volume of clear water reached Pasighat town, but the flow was not as forceful as we had feared and thus there is no reason to Panic.
  
  

About:

• Sai Baba of Shirdi (died in 1918) was an Indian spiritual master who is regarded by his devotees as a saint and a fakir. He spent most of his life in Shirdi, Maharashtra.
  
  
• Sai Baba's real name remains unknown. Sai Baba denotes holy father, saintly father or (venerable) poor old man.
  
  
• He is revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees during, as well as after his lifetime. His teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam. His teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam.
  
  
• Sai Baba of Shirdi is especially revered and worshiped in the states of Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
  
  

Teachings:

• He condemned distinction based on religion or caste. He opposed all persecution based on religion or caste. One of his well-known epigrams, is Sabka Malik Ek (Everyone's Master is One).
  
  
• He criticized love towards perishable things. He emphasised on performing one's duties without attachment to earthly matters
  
  
• Sai Baba encouraged charity and stressed the importance of sharing and helping others.
  
  
• He advised his devotees to develop two important features of character: devotion (Shraddha) and patience (Saburi).
  
  
• His teachings concentrate on inner peace and of being content regardless of the situation.
  
  
• He preached the importance of realization of the self.
  
  

Organophosphate-based pesticides:

• Organophosphate-based pesticides, which are commonly used by farmers in India, are toxic to the nervous system and heart, and can cause cognitive dysfunction.
  
  
• When esters present in organophosphate-based pesticides enter the body they bind and inhibit an enzyme (acetylcholinesterase or AChE) critical for nerve and muscle function. This causes neurological disorders, suffocation, paralysis, and even death.
  
  

Recent development:

• A team led by Dr. Praveen Kumar Vemula from the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bengaluru, used a chemical reaction to convert the ester into acid by using a catalyst to make the pesticide inactive.
  
  
• Since the majority of organophosphate-based pesticides are absorbed through the skin the researchers made a gel for topical application.
  
  
• The active ingredients of the gel are attached to chitosan (a substance found in the hard-outer shells of crab and shrimp) so the gel does not penetrate the skin.
  
  
• Studies on rats found that the gel was effective in a range of temperatures (20°-40° C) and a single application could protect the animals for four continuous days of pesticide exposure.
  • After Scientists conducted successful tests on rats, scientists now plan to undertake human trials soon.
    
    
  
  
  

Background: SC Garg committee

• In August 2018, the panel formed by the government for finalisation of amendments to the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, 2007 under economic affairs secretary SC Garg’s chairmanship submitted its report.
  
  
• It recommended that the proposed Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) should be an independent regulator outside RBI’s purview.
  
  

Arguments against an independent PRB by RBI:

• View of SC Garg committee is in contrast to what was proposed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Finance Act, 2017.
  
  
• The Ratan Watal Committee on digital payments had recommended the establishment of the PRB within the overall structure of the RBI.
  
  
• Since banks are regulated by the RBI, a holistic regulation by RBI will be more effective and not result in increased compliance costs.
  
  
• There needs to be integrated operations and not co-ordination. Co-ordination is required across different but related functions, which is not the case for payment systems.
  
  
• Objectives for the PRB were best avoided to be mandated by law as the law might not provide the much-needed flexibility.
  
  

About:

• Masala bonds are essentially bonds issued by Indian companies, denominated in rupees, to overseas investors to attract funds for projects, especially in infrastructure.
  
  
• They are different from dollar bonds as In Dollar bonds, the borrower takes the currency risk. But in Masala bonds, the investors bear the currency risk.
  
  

History of Masala bonds:

• The first Masala bond was issued by The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private arm of the World Bank, in 2014 to fund infrastructure projects in India. Masala, a Hindi word, means spices was used by IFC to evoke the cuisine and culture of India.
  
  
• In August 2015 IFC issued green Masala bonds to fund climate change initiatives in India.
  
  
• In September 2015, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued guidelines for Masala Bonds.
  
  
• In July 2016 HDFC became the first Indian company to issue Masala bonds. It raised Rs. 3,000 crore rupees from Masala bonds.
  
  

Need of Masala Bonds:

• Indian corporates have for long borrowed in international credit markets — in the form of loans and bonds, and in various foreign currencies. This always came with the risk of the company having to pay more while repaying its debt.
  
  
• By issuing bonds in rupees in the overseas markets, the risk is transferred to investors who sign up for that, taking into account the growth prospects of the country and the issuing company.
  
  
• From the issuer’s perspective, it means cheaper borrowings compared to raising funds in India besides diversifying its sources of fund-raising.
  
  

About:

• Members: The World Diamond Council is an organization representing the entire diamond value chain including representatives from diamond mining, manufacturing, trading and retail.
  
  
• Established in:
  
  
• Mandate: To put forth strategies to combat the use of diamond proceeds being used to benefit rebel forces engaged in conflict.
  
  
• HQ: New York, USA.
  
  

October 2018 meeting:

• The meeting will focus on reform of the Kimberley Process (established in 2000 to prevent ‘conflict diamonds’ from entering the mainstream rough diamond market).
  
  
• The meeting will be hosted by The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council.
  
  

About:

• The East African nation, Rwanda has received international recognition for female representation in government, with women making up 61 % of parliament members.
  
  
• The move comes two days after Ethiopia announced one of the world’s few “gender-balanced” Cabinets with 50 % women.
  
  
• With this, Rwanda joins a handful of countries, mostly European, where women make up 50 % or more of ministerial positions, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UN Women.
  
  

About:

• The Azad Hind Government was founded on 21st October, 1943 in occupied Singapore.
  
  
• It was established by Indian nationalists-in-exile during the Second World War in Singapore and 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 government of Azad Hind had its own currency, court and civil code, however, it lacked large and definite areas of sovereign territory until Japan gave it nominal authority of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1943 and the occupation of parts of Manipur and Nagaland.
  
  
• The existence of the Azad Hind Government gave a greater legitimacy to the independence struggle against the British. Its army, Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA) gave a much-needed impetus to India’s struggle for Independence.
  
  

Petroglyphs:

• Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art.
  
  
• Scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving" to refer such images.
  
  
• Petroglyphs are found worldwide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples.
  
  

Petroglyph vs Petrograph vs Petroforms:

• The term petroglyph should not be confused with Petrograph and Petroforms.
  
  
• Petrograph is an image drawn or painted on a rock face.
  
  
• Petroforms are patterns and shapes made by many large rocks and boulders over the ground.
  
  

About:

• Kullu, the “Valley of Gods”, also known as “Kulanthapitha” is located in Himachal Pradesh.
  
  
• The valley is also renowned for its grand Dussehra celebrations. Kullu Dussehra was declared an international event in 1972 and is witnessed by around 4-5 Lac people from across the globe.
  
  
• Its origins can be traced back to the regime of Raja Jagat Singh in 17^th
  
  

Key events:

• On the first day of the festival, the idol of Raghunathji is placed on a chariot and taken through the Dhalpur Maidan.
  
  
• The subsequent days see cultural events, including song and dance performances by local and international artists
  
  
• The 7-day festival ends with the “symbolic Lanka Dahan” by burning a heap of grass on fire beside the Beas River and the return of Raghunathji to its abode at Sultanpur temple.
  
  

Comparison with other Dussehra celebrations:

• Similarity: Like other Dussehra celebrations, this is also a festival of a triumph of good over evil.
  
  
• Difference: