Key Highlights:

• Objective: The aim of this National Challenge for Youth is to give school students across the country a platform and opportunity to become solution creators for the problems they see around them and their communities.
  
  
• Implementing agency: The Challenge has been designed and launched by the National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics & IT in collaboration with Intel India, with support from the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of HRD.
  
  
• Eligibility: The Challenge is open to students of classes 6 - 12 all across the country - all 29 States and 7 Union Territories and aims to reach out to at least 1 million youth over the next 3 months.
  
  
• Themes: There are 11 core theme areas on which students can share their ideas- healthcare services, education services, digital services, environment, women safety, traffic, infrastructure, agriculture, social welfare, disability and tourism.
  
  

Working of Challenge:

• The Challenge requires students to access online videos and understand how to identify problems and share a 90 second video explaining the problem and their proposed solution.
  
  
• From the submitted ideas, around 360 students (10 students per State & UT) will be selected by a panel of experts to attend 5 regional Boot Camps of the country.
  
  
• At these camps, students will get trained to gain a basic understanding of skills such as design thinking, ideation wrt basic electronics, robotics, 3D printing, IOT, Artificial Intelligence etc.
  
  
• Mentoring will be provided by experts at these camps to ensure that ideas mature as prototypes.
  
  
• The experts will select top 50 students and will be declared Tech Creation Champions.
  
  

About:

• Mission Objectives: The mission implementation would develop and bring –
  • Adoption of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) and associated technologies to address India specific National / Regional issues,
    
    
  • accelerate entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development in CPS,
    
    
  • place India at par with other advanced countries and derive several direct and indirect benefits.
    
    
  
  
  
• Strategy:
  • The Mission aims at establishment of 15 numbers of Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six numbers of Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and four numbers of Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
    
    
  • These Hubs & TTRPs will connect to Academics, Industry, Central Ministries and State Government in developing solutions at reputed academic, R&D and other organizations across the country in a hub and spoke model.
    
    
  • The Hubs & TTRPs have four focused areas namely (i) Technology Development; (ii) HRD & Skill Development; (iii) Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-ups Ecosystem Development; (iv) International Collaborations.
    
    
  
  
  
• States/districts covered: NM-ICPS is a Pan India Mission that covers entire Central Ministries, State Governments, Industry and Academia.
  
  
• Implementation Mechanism: NM-ICPS will be implemented by Department of Science &Technology.
  
  
• Funding and Timeline: It will be implemented at a total outlay of Rs. 3660 crores for a period of 5 years.
  
  

About:

• India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative is a venture of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
  
  
• The recent findings were published in The Lancet Planetary Health were released on Thursday at the ICMR.
  
  

Key findings:

• India, with 18% of the world’s population, has 26% of the global premature deaths and disease burden due to air pollution.
  
  
• One in eight deaths in India was attributable to air pollution in India in 2017.
  
  
• 4 lakh deaths in India in 2017 were due to air pollution, which included 6.7 lakh deaths due to outdoor particulate matter air pollution and 4.8 lakh deaths due to household air pollution.
  
  
• Over half of the deaths due to air pollution were in persons less than 70 years of age.
  
  
• In 2017, 77% population of India was exposed to ambient particulate matter PM2.5 above the recommended limit by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
  
  
• The highest PM2.5 exposure level was in Delhi, followed by the other north Indian States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana.
  
  
• The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), attributable to air pollution in India in 2017 for major non-communicable diseases were at least as high as those attributable to tobacco use.
  
  
• The average life expectancy in India would have been 1.7 years higher if the air pollution level were less than the minimal level causing health loss, with the highest increases in the northern States of Rajasthan (2.5 years), Uttar Pradesh (2.2 years) and Haryana (2.1 years)
  
  

About:

• Objective:
  • On completion of the project an Irrigation Potential of 5,000 ha in Punjab State and 32,173 ha in J&K State would be created.
    
    
  • Implementing the project would minimise some of the water of the River Ravi which at present is going waste through the Madhopur Headworks downstream to Pakistan.
    
    
  
  
  
• Funding:
  • Central Assistance of Rs. 485.38 crore (for irrigation component) would be provided over five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
    
    
  • Funding for Central Assistance to the project shall be made through NABARD under existing system for funding of 99 PMKSY-AIBP projects under LTIF.
    
    
  
  
  
• Implementation Mechanism:
  • The project would be implemented by of Punjab with Central Assistance.
    
    
  • A committee headed by Member, Central Water Commission (CWC) and consisting of concerned Chief Engineers of Punjab and J&K and other concerned officers would be constituted to oversee/monitor the implementation of project.
    
    
  
  
  
• Timeline: The project would be completed by June 2022.
  
  

About:

• Pusa Kisan Haat will be built across 2.5 acres in which 60 stalls measuring 3m x 3m will be erected in which farmers can sell their agricultural produce and value-added products.
  
  
• At the same time, the technology and value-added products developed by the institutions of the ICAR will be available here for the farmers and visitors.
  
  
• It will also have 'Technology Park' in which farmers can see Live crop technologies of Pusa.
  
  

Freight Village:

• A freight village is a designated area where facilities for various modes of transportation, distribution of goods and other logistics are available in a synchronized manner on a large scale.
  
  
• The main function of freight villages is management and utilization of various modes of transport, synergizing them and decongesting the existing mode of transportation.
  
  
• Delivery and coordination of various freight related activities under one roof ensures ease of doing business.
  
  

Varanasi freight village:

• The Varanasi freight village will serve as a cargo hub, and a centre for aggregation and value addition. It will also provide support to stimulate development of a professional logistics industry in Varanasi.
  
  
• Implementing agency: It will be developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India.
  
  
• Why Varanasi?
  • A World Bank study has found Varanasi to be a suitable site for the freight village.
    
    
  • The city is a focal point in the logistics chain of Eastern Transport Corridor of India where the National Waterways-1, Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), National Highway-7 and National Highway-2 pass through.
    
    
  • The volume of traffic on inland waterway to Varanasi is expected to increase with the commissioning of the multi modal terminal being built under the Jal Marg Vikas project.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The theme of the annual Summit this year is ‘Mobilizing Global Capital for Innovation in India.’
  
  
• The event will showcase the Indian startup opportunity for funds from around the world. It will enable a dialogue between Government and experienced Venture Capital fund managers on ways to further promote the startup ecosystem in India.
  
  

Startups in India: Key Highlights

• India has the world’s third largest startup base with more than 14,000 recognized Startups.
  
  
• More than 8,200 startups were recognized by DIPP in 2018 alone, leading to the creation of more than 89,000 new jobs this year, taking the total job creation contribution of recognized Startups to 1,41,775.
  
  

About:

• REC is a public Infrastructure Finance Company to finance and promote rural electrification projects across India.
  
  
• Established in:
  
  
• Status: It is a Navratna company under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power.
  
  
• Key Projects handled by it:
  • It has been appointed as the nodal agency for implementation of Saubhagya (Pradhanmantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) and DDUGJY (Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana).
    
    
  • it is also responsible for being the coordinating agency for rolling out UDAY (Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana) which seeks to operationally reform and financially turnaround the power distribution companies of the country.
    
    
  
  
  

Recent Decision:

• Both REC and PFC are Central Public Sector Enterprises under the Ministry of Power.
  
  
• The acquisition intends to achieve integration across the Power Chain, obtain better synergies and create economies of scale to support energy access and energy efficiency by improved capability to finance power sector.
  
  

About:

• Objectives of the Agriculture Export Policy:
  • To double agricultural exports from present USD 30 Billion to USD 60 Billion by 2022 and reach US$ 100 Billion in the next few years.
    
    
  • To diversify export basket, destinations and boost high-value and value-added agricultural exports including focus on perishables.
    
    
  • To promote indigenous, organic and non-traditional Agri products exports.
    
    
  • To provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, tackling barriers and deal with sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues.
    
    
  • To double India’s share in world agri exports by integrating with global value chain.
    
    
  
  
  
• Elements of Agriculture Export Policy:
  • Strategic: This includes Policy measures, Infrastructure and logistics support, Holistic approach to boost exports, Focus on Clusters etc.
    
    
  • Operational: This includes Attracting private investments into production and processing, Establishment of strong quality regimen, Research & Development etc.
    
    
  
  
  
• Implementation Mechanism:
  • Cabinet has also approved the establishment of Monitoring Framework at Centre with Commerce as the nodal Department to oversee the implementation of Policy.
    
    
  • The Framework will have representation from various line Ministries/Departments and representatives of concerned State Governments.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The Sahitya Akademi instituted Bhasha Samman in 1996 to be given to writers, scholars, editors, collectors, performers or translators in recognition of their significant contributions in the field of Classical and Medieval Literature and also in languages not formally recognised by the Akademi.
  
  
• The Samman carries a plaque alongwith an amount equal to its awards for creative literature, i.e. rupees 1,00,000.
  
  
• The Sammans are given to 3-4 persons every year in different languages on the basis of recommendation of experts' committees constituted for the purpose.
  
  

Winners of 2017 and 2018:

• Classical and medieval literature:
  • Yogendra Nath Sharma (North Zone, 2017)
    
    
  • G Venkatasubbiah (South zone; 2017)
    
    
  • Gagendra Nath Das (Eastern zone, 2018)
    
    
  • Shailaja Bapat (Western zone, 2018)
    
    
  
  
  
• Unrecognized languages:
  • Haldhar Nag and Prafulla kumar Tripathy (Koshali-Sambalpuri language, 2017)
    
    
  • Nengsong (Paite Language, 2017)
    
    
  • Harikrishna Dwivedi and Shamim Sharma (Hariynavi Language, 2018)
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The Sahitya Akademi award is among the most prestigious literary honours bestowed on writers for their works across genres in one of the 24 major Indian languages recognized by it.
  
  
• It is annually conferred by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.
  
  
• The awards relate to books first published during the five years immediately preceding the year of award, between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016.
  
  
• The awards, in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh, will be presented to the authors at a special function in January next year.
  
  

2018 awardees:

• Seven books of poetry, six novels, six short stories, three of literary criticism and two of essays have won the Sahitya Akademi Awards, 2018.
  
  
• Those who have won the award for their collection of poetry include Sananta Tanti in Assamese, Paresh Narendra Kamat in Konkani, S Ramesan Nair in Malayalam and Dr Rama Kant Shukla in Sanskrit.
  
  
• Writers who won the awards for short stories include Sanjib Chattopadhyay in Bengali, Mushtaq Ahmed Mushtaq in Kashmiri and Prof Bina Thakur in Maithili.
  
  
• Inderjeet Kesar in Dogri, Anees Salim in English and Chitra Mudgal in Hindi are among the awardees in the novel category.
  
  

About:

• The expression to "fight like a Kilkenny cat" – which has come to mean a fight leading to an assured mutual death – refers to an old story about two cats who fought to the death and ate each other up such that only their tails were left.
  
  
• The origin of self-destructive cat fights was probably in an allegory to power and excess.
  
  
• Background:
  • The expression refers to cats supposedly fighting in a mediaeval town of Ireland.
    
    
  • In mediaeval Irish lore, massive burrow-dwelling cats —Banghaisgidheach — ruled the Kilkenny region. Having fought and killed Luchtigern, the local mouse chieftain and his army, the monsters ended up fighting each other until there were none.
    
    
  • Over time, the thoughtless Irish cats entered popular culture and were mentioned by the likes of General Ulysses S Grant (later twice elected President) during the American civil war and Mark Twain in his writings.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Features:
  • GSAT-11 is the heaviest (weighing 5,854-kg), largest and most-advanced high throughput communication satellite of India.
    
    
  • GSAT-11 carries 8 transponders for the first time in the complex and efficient Ka frequency band; and 38 transponders in the Ku band. The Ka band enables smart coverage of places with multiple and reusable spot beams.
    
    
  • In the days ahead, the satellite will be positioned at 74-degree east longitude in the Geostationary Orbit (36,000 km above the equator).
    
    
  
  
  
• Application:
  • It is the third in a series of four satellites that will provide the country broadband connectivity of over 100 gigabytes per second.
    
    
  • It will boost the broadband connectivity to rural and inaccessible Gram Panchayats in the country coming under the Bharat Net Project, which is part of Digital India Programme.
    
    
  
  
  
• Launch Vehicle:
  • It was launched by launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-246, which lifted off from Kourou Launch Base, French Guiana carrying India’s GSAT-11 and South Korea’s GEO-KOMPSAT-2A satellites.
    
    
  • Ariane 5 is one of three launch vehicles operated by Arianespace along with Soyuz and Vega.
    
    
  
  
  

Key Findings:

• CO₂ emissions have now risen for a second year after three years of little to no growth from 2014 to 2016. The rise in 2017 was 1.6%.
  
  
• The 2.7% projected global rise in 2018 has been driven by growth in coal use for the second year in a row, and sustained growth in oil and gas use.
  
  
• Leading polluters:
  • The 10 biggest emitters in 2018 are China, U.S., India, Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada.
    
    
  • The EU as a region of countries ranks third.
    
    
  • China’s emissions accounted for 27% of the global total. Emissions in the U.S., which has withdrawn from its commitment to the Paris Agreement, account for 15% of the global total.
    
    
  
  
  
• Indian Scenario:
  • India, the third-highest contributor, is projected to see emissions rise by 6.3% from 2017. India’s projected carbon emission of 2.6 billion tonnes in 2018 would account for 7% of the global CO2 levels, which are set to hit an all-time high this year.
    • Although, India is rapidly going in for solar and wind power, coal usage continues to grow strongly. Coal is responsible for 65% of India’s CO2 emissions.
      
      
    
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• It has maintained status quo on all key policy rates.
  • The RBI has kept the Marginal Standing Facility Rate and the Bank Rate at 6.75 %.
    
    
  • The Repo Rate remains unchanged at 6.5 % and the Reverse Repo Rate at 6.25 %.
    
    
  • The MPC has, however, retained its stance of ‘calibrated tightening’.
    
    
  
  
  
• RBI has lowered its inflation forecast based on moderation in food inflation and sharp decline in international crude oil prices. Inflation is projected to be in the range of 2.7 to 3.2 % in the second half of this fiscal.
  
  
• On the growth front, RBI retained GDP growth rate projection at 7.4 % for this fiscal.
  
  
• The RBI has also decided to reduce SLR from existing 19.5% to 18.0% in six quarterly instalments beginning January 2019. This will have some implications for the Government securities.
  
  

Interest-Rate Derivative:

• Meaning: An interest-rate derivative is a financial instrument with a value that increases and decreases based on movements in interest rates.
  
  
• Usage: Interest-rate derivatives are often used as hedges by institutional investors, banks, companies and individuals to protect themselves against changes in market interest rates, but they can also be used to increase or refine the holder's risk profile.
  
  

Interest-Rate Swap:

• An interest rate swap (IRS) is a type of Interest Rate Derivative (IRD).
  
  
• An interest rate swap is a contract between two counterparties who agree to exchange the future interest rate payments they make on loans or bonds. These two counterparties are banks, businesses, hedge funds, or investors.
  
  
• to RBI, rupee Interest Rate Swap (IRS) market is the most liquid among interest rate derivative markets.
  
  

Draft Norms:

• Features:
  • The draft norms have proposed non-resident Indians’ (NRIs) access to the IRD market, allowing them to hedge their rupee interest rate risk flexibly using any available IRD instrument.
    
    
  • NRIs will also be permitted to participate specifically in the overnight indexed swap (OIS) market for purposes other than hedging.
    
    
  
  
  
• Timeline: In its April 2018 policy, the RBI had proposed that NRIs should be given access to the rupee IRD market. Banks, market participants and other interested parties can comment on the draft guidelines by December 31.
  
  

About:

• Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union sets out how an EU country might voluntarily leave the union. It says: “Any member state may decide to withdraw from the union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.”
  
  
• Features:
  • It specifies that a leaver should notify the European council of its intention, negotiate a deal on its withdrawal and establish legal grounds for a future relationship with the EU.
    
    
  • On the European side, the agreement needs a qualified majority of member states and consent of the European parliament.
    
    
  • It gives negotiators two years from the date of article 50 notification to conclude new arrangements.
    
    
  • Failure to do so results in the exiting state falling out of the EU with no new provisions in place, unless every one of the remaining EU states agrees to extend the negotiations.
    
    
  
  
  
• Brexit: The Government of the United Kingdom triggered Article 50 to begin the UK's withdrawal from the EU in March 2017 following a referendum, and the withdrawal is scheduled to occur on 29 March 2019.
  
  

Restricted areas permit (RAP):

• Under the Foreigners (Restricted) Areas Order, 1963, the following areas have been declared as `Restricted’ Areas: (1) Andaman & Nicobar Islands - Entire UT and (2) Sikkim - Part of the State.
  
  
• A foreigner is not normally allowed to visit a Protected / Restricted Area unless it is established to the satisfaction of the Government that there are extraordinary reasons to justify such a visit.
  
  
• Every foreigner, except a citizen of Bhutan, who desires to enter these Areas, is required to obtain a special permit from a competent authority.
  
  
• Unlike Protected Area Permit (PAP),Restricted Area Permit (RAP) are generally available for individual travellers.
  
  
• These can be issued by overseas embassies or even, by immigration officials. Also, Indian citizens do not need special permission to visit Restricted Areas.
  
  

August 2018 Order:

• Under the recent decision, the 29 inhabited islands of Andaman and Nicobar chain have been excluded from the RAP till December 31, 2022. Thus, Foreigners can visit them without RAP.
  
  
• However, citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan would continue to require RAP, which shall be issued only with the prior approval of the ministry.
  
  

About:

• The Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 is aimed to enable a witness to depose fearlessly and truthfully.
  
  
• Features:
  • Under it, witness protection may be as simple as providing a police escort to the witness up to the courtroom.
    
    
  • In more complex cases involving an organised criminal group, extraordinary measures such as offering temporary residence in a safe house, giving a new identity, and relocation at an undisclosed place can be done to protect witness.
    
    
  
  
  
• Implementation Status:
  • The Scheme will come into effect immediately across all States. It would be the law of the land till Parliament enacted suitable legislation.
    
    
  • Supreme Court has asked the States to implement it till Parliament comes out with legislation.
    
    
  
  
  
• Need of Scheme: It has been done because according to Supreme Court, one of the main reasons for witnesses turning hostile is that they are not given security by the State.
  
  
• Background: Asaram Bapu case
  • The Scheme was announced when the Supreme Court was hearing a public interest litigation plea seeking protection for witnesses in rape cases involving self-styled preacher Asaram Bapu.
    
    
  • According to the Bench, witnesses feared serious consequences if they deposed against Asaram. It is alleged that as many as 10 witnesses have already been attacked and three witnesses have been killed.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Ballon d'Or ("Golden Ball") is an annual football award.
  • It has been awarded since 1956, although between 2010 and 2015, an agreement was made with FIFA and the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
    
    
  • But the partnership was ended in 2016 and the award been reversed back to Ballon d'Or while FIFA also renamed its traditional award.
    
    
  
  
  
• Presented by: France Football; a French weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world.
  
  
• Who are honoured?
  • It honours the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists.
    
    
  • Originally, only European players were in contention for the Ballon d'Or. Since 2007 all players from around the world are eligible.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The India Water Impact Summit is an annual event where stakeholders get together to discuss model solutions for water related problems in the country. The discussions this year will be on rejuvenation of the Ganga River Basin.
  
  
• The 2018 Summit is being jointly organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga).
  
  
• The Summit will focus on three key aspects:
  • Spotlight on 5 states: It will showcase the efforts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Bihar.
    
    
  • Ganga Financing Forum: The 2018 Summit also introduces the inaugural Ganga Financing Forum that will bring together financial institutions and investors interested in Namami Gange programmes.
    
    
  • Technology and Innovation: Implementation of the pilot/demonstration programme known as the Environment Technology Verification (ETV) process for addressing the problems prevalent in the river basin.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Kandhamal Apex Spices Association for Marketing, based at the district headquarter town of Phulbani, had moved for registration ‘Kandhamal Haldi’ under sub-section (1) of Section 13 of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
  
  
• Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric) is famous for its healing properties
  
  
• Turmeric is the main cash crop of tribal people in Kandhamal. Apart from domestic use, turmeric is also used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.
  
  

National Rail Museum (NRM):

• NRM displays exhibits on the history of the Indian railways. NRM comprises of outdoor & indoor exhibition space with collections of more than 75 real size exhibits, Joy Train for children, real life steam engine, Diesel & Steam Locomotive Simulators etc.
  
  
• Established in:
  
  
• Managed by: Indian Railway.
  
  
• Location: Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
  
  

Madame Tussauds wax museum:

• Madame Tussauds wax museum is a leading chain of Wax Museums in the world.
  
  
• In 2017, Madame Tussauds opened its 23rd Wax museum in Connaught Place (CP), New Delhi. This is the first wax museum in India of this renowned brand.
  
  
• The CP museum has 52 wax figures of celebrities like Mahatma Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shahrukh Khan among others.
  
  

Recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU):

• As a part of the collaboration, a special discount of 35% on ticket prices will be offered to NRM visitors when they visit Madame Tussauds Museum. Similarly, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum visitors will be getting an attractive discount of 30% on combo packages of NRM.
  
  
• It is envisaged that this innovative, first time ever, public-private museum collaboration, shall attract more tourists to both NRM and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
  
  

Key findings of Report:

• Globally, 1.4 million patents were granted in 2017, the report estimated.
  
  
• Leading countries: China’s patent authority led the world in the number of patents granted with 420,144 and was followed by the US with 318,829.
  
  
• Indian Scenario:
  • India ranked 10^th in the number of patents given in 2017.
    
    
  • The Number of patents granted by India increased by 50% in 2017 as compared to 2015. The patents granted by India were 12,387 in 2017, which was more than double the 6,022 patents granted in 2015.
    
    
  • The steep increase was driven by patents granted to foreigners, which accounted for 85% of the total increase. Of the patents granted in 2017, 1,712 went to entities and individuals based in India, and 10,675 to foreigners.
    
    
  • Pharmaceuticals accounted for 15.7% of the Indian domestic applications for patents.
    
    
  
  
  
• Comment: Demand for IP protection is rising faster than the rate of global economic growth, illustrating that IP-backed innovation is a critical component of competition and commercial activity.
  
  

About:

• GNR 2018 is a peer-reviewed, independently produced annual publication on the state of the world’s nutrition.
  
  
• Background: The Global Nutrition Report was conceived following the first Nutrition for Growth Initiative Summit (N4G) in 2013. The first series was published in 2014.
  
  

Key Findings:

• Malnutrition is responsible for more ill health than any other cause.
  
  
• Children under five years of age face multiple burdens: 8 million are stunted, 50.5 million are wasted and 38.3 million are overweight.
  
  
• Meanwhile 20 million babies are born of low birth weight each year.
  
  
• Overweight and obesity among adults are at record levels with 9% of adults overweight or obese.
  
  
• One third of all women of reproductive age have anaemia and women have a higher prevalence of obesity than men. Millions of women are still underweight.
  
  
• Yet significant steps are being made to address malnutrition.
  • Globally, stunting among children has declined and there has been a slight decrease in underweight women.
    
    
  • Many countries are set to achieve at least one of the targets set by the global community to track progress on nutritional status to 2025. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Donors have met the funding commitment made at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in 2013, but globally there is still a significant financing gap.
  
  

Indian Scenario:

• A third of the world’s stunted children under five — an estimated 46.6 million who have low height for age — live in India. A quarter of the children display wasting (that is, low weight for height) as well.
  
  
• District-level data show high and very high levels of stunting mainly in central and northern India (more than 30% and 40%, respectively), but less than 20% in almost the entire south.
  
  
• Only 21% of the packaged foods available to children in India are rated as being healthy.
  
  

About:

• The study was by DIRF in collaboration with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and National Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (NCRPD).
  
  
• The Act, passed in December 2016, should have been notified by all States within six months.
  
  

Implementation Status of RWPD Act, 2016:

• States that have not notified states rules: 58%
  
  
• States/UTS without State Advisory boards: 50%
  
  
• States and UTs without State Commissioners for persons with disabilities: 37%
  
  
• States that have not allocated state Funds: 79%; Among the five States to have constituted the funds, Tamil Nadu has allocated ₹10 crore while Himachal Pradesh has allocated ₹5 crore
  
  
• States without notified special courts for trying offences: 58%
  
  
• States without special public prosecutors: 87%
  
  

Out of the 24 States/UTs that responded to the study, Madhya Pradesh was ranked the highest.  Andaman and Nicobar Islands along with Jammu and Kashmir ranked the lowest. The national capital was ranked number 12.

About:

• The Mangdechhu hydroelectric project is a 750MW run-of-river power plant being built on the Mangdechhu River in Trongsa Dzongkhag District of central Bhutan.
  
  
• Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority (MHPA), which is constituted by the Indian Government and the Royal Government of Bhutan, is developing the project.
  
  
• Most of the electricity generated by the project will be used to meet the energy requirements of Bhutan and the surplus electricity will be exported to India.
  
  
• The project is funded by the Government of India through a 70% loan and a 30% grant.
  
  
• Background:
  • Mangdechhu is one of the ten hydroelectric projects planned under the Bhutan’s initiative to generate 10,000MW hydropower by 2020 with support from the Government of India.
    
    
  • Construction of the hydropower project began in 2012.
    
    
  
  
  
• Comment:
  • The Foreign Secretary’s comments came at the end of a conference organised to mark half century of diplomatic ties between Delhi and Thimphu.
    
    
  • Commissioning of the project will mark a highpoint in bilateral ties in the coming months. Cooperation in the hydropower sector is a sign of strength of the time-tested ties between the two countries.
    
    
  
  
  

Key Findings:

• The data journalism website IndiaSpend has tabulated 99 such incidents and 39 deaths based on verified news reports since 2012.
  
  
• Timeline: April 2017 saw the highest number of cow vigilante incidents in a month (8) since 2012. The Number of incidents spiked again in August 2018.
  
  
• Regional breakup: Reports of cow vigilantism came from 19 states, with Uttar Pradesh registering the highest number of such incidents as well as deaths due to violence.
  
  
• Targets of Violence: 54% of the victims of violence were Muslims, 10% were Dalit and 9% were Caste Hindus.
  
  

About:

• Ramaswamy Venkataraman (1910 – 2009) was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union Minister and as the eighth President of India.
  
  
• Freedom Movement:
  • He actively participated in the 'Quit India Movement of 1942', which resulted in his detention for two years under the British Government's Defence of India Rules.
    
    
  • He was appointed as the member of the Constituent Assembly and the provisional cabinet.
    
    
  
  
  
• Trade Unions:
  • On his release from prison in 1944, Shri Venkataraman took up the Organisation of the Labour Section of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
    
    
  • He founded, in 1949, the Labour Law Journal which publishes important decisions pertaining to labour and is an acknowledged specialist publication.
    
    
  
  
  
• Political career:
  • He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times. He also served as a State minister under K. Kamaraj and M. Bhaktavatsalam.
    
    
  • In 1977, Shri Venkataraman was elected to the Lok Sabha and served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
    
    
  • In 1980, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha and was appointed Union Minister of Finance in the Government headed by Indira Gandhi.
    
    
  • He was later appointed Union Minister of Defence. As a defence Minister he initiated India's first missile programme, named Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, and appointed Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam as the programme head.
    
    
  • He was also a Member of the Union Planning Commission from 1967 till 1971.
    
    
  
  
  
• N. Committees and Conferences:
  • He was a Member, United Nations Administrative Tribunal from 1955 to 1979 and was its President from 1968 to 1979.
    
    
  • He is the recipient of a Souvenir from the Secretary-General of the United Nations for distinguished service as President of the U.N. Administrative Tribunal.
    
    
  
  
  
• Vice-president of India: He served as the 7^th Vice-President of India from 1984 till 1987.
  
  
• President of India: He served as the 8^th President of India from 1987 till 1992.
  • During his five-year term, he worked with four prime ministers, and appointed three of them: V P Singh, Chandra Shekhar and P V Narasimha Rao.
    
    
  • His tenure saw the advent of coalition politics in India.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The Admiral's Cup Sailing Regatta was instituted in 2010 under the burgee of Yachting Association of India as a forum for competition in sailing in a regatta format amongst the officer trainees of friendly foreign navies.
  
  
• It is being conducted by the Indian Naval Academy (INA).
  
  
• The participants compete in the LASER (Radial) Class of boats.
  
  
• The races are conducted in the waters of the Ettikulam Bay off Ezhimala in Kannur, Kerala.
  
  
• Admiral Cup Sailing Regatta 2018 Is the ninth edition of the annual race.
  
  

About:

• Soyuz is a series of spacecraft designed for the Soviet space program by the Korolev Design Bureau in the 1960s that remains in service today. The Soyuz spacecraft is launched on a Soyuz rocket.
  
  
• All Soyuz spacecraft are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
  
  
• The Soyuz is the only means of reaching the International Space Station (ISS) since the U.S. retired the space shuttle in 2011.
  
  
• The recent launch was the first manned launch for the Soviet-era Soyuz since October 11, when a rocket carrying Russia’s Aleksey Ovchinin and U.S. astronaut Nick Hague failed just minutes after blast-off, forcing the pair to make an emergency landing.
  
  
• The failed launch — the first such incident in Russia’s post-Soviet history — raised concerns about the state of the Soyuz programme.
  
  

Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC):

• Its mandate is to advise the Defence Minister and normally through him the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on all military matters which require ministerial consideration.
  
  
• CoSC is composed of: (a) Chief of the Army Staff (COAS); (b) Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS); (c) Chief of the Air Staff (CAS); and (d) Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CIDS) (non-voting member). Scientific Adviser to the Minister of Defence is invited to attend whenever needed.
  
  
• Presently, the senior most member of the COSC is appointed its chairperson.
  
  

Permanent Chairman of The Chiefs of Staff Committee (PCCoSC):

• The PCCoSC is envisaged as a single-point military adviser to the government.
  
  
• The three services have finally agreed to a PCCoSC, including what his roles and responsibilities will be. This is a key step towards improving ‘Jointmanship’.
  
  
• Creation of the post of Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) is being done as per the recommendations of the Naresh Chandra Task Force.
  
  
• Way ahead: This proposal has been forwarded to the Defence Ministry and it is being examined there.
  
  

About:

• Established in: This Tribunal has been established by the Union Ministry of Power in 2004.
  
  
• Composition:
  • The Appellate Tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson and three other Members.
    
    
  • Every Bench constituted by the Chairperson shall consist of at least one Judicial Member and one Technical Member.
    
    
  
  
  
• Location: New Delhi.
  
  
• Status: It is a statutory body established by virtue of Section 110 of The Electricity Act, 2003.
  
  
• Mandate: To hear appeals or original petitions against the orders of the Adjudicating officer or The Central Regulatory Commission or State Regulatory Commission or Joint Commission constituted under Section 76(i) or 82 or 83 of the Act.
  
  
• Powers: The Tribunal is conferred with original jurisdiction to hear petitions under Section 121 of the Act and issue directions to any Appropriate Commission for the performance of its statutory functions.
  
  
• Jurisdiction: The Tribunal has jurisdiction throughout India.
  
  

About:

• Background: WCO was established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC). In 1994, the organization adopted its current name (WCO).
  
  
• Status: An independent intergovernmental body.
  
  
• Objective: It is the only intergovernmental organisation exclusively focused on Customs matters. Its objective is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.
  
  
• Key functions:
  • Maintaining the international Harmonized System (HS) goods nomenclature,
    
    
  • Administering the technical aspects of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements on Customs Valuation and Rules of Origin,
    
    
  
  
  
• HQ: Brussels, Belgium.
  
  
• Administration: The WCO is governed by the Council, which brings together all Members of the Organization once a year.
  
  
• Membership:
  • WCO represents 182 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.
    
    
  • Membership is divided into six Regions. Each of the six Regions is represented by a regionally elected Vice-Chairperson to the WCO’s governing body (the Council).
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a rare but serious condition. It affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak.
  
  
• Cause: Enteroviruses are the main cause of the disease in children
  
  
• Impact:
  • AFM is characterised by muscle weakness — weak limbs, pain, absent reflexes. These symptoms look much like those of polio.
    
    
  • The most serious complication of AFM is respiratory failure if the muscles involved with breathing become weakened.
    
    
  
  
  
• Treatment: Urgent testing should be performed AFM can progress rapidly and should be treated as a medical emergency.
  
  
• Vulnerable groups: Most cases of AFM have been in children, but it can develop in adults.
  
  
• Global Scenario: In the US, the Centers for Disease Control has confirmed 116 cases this year (out of 286 under investigation) until November 27, and from Canada, where 48 cases (until November 13) are under investigation.
  
  

About:

• Background:
  • Till 2017, the Award Scheme was governed under the National Awards Rules, 2013 which provided 7 categories of disabilities as per the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995.
    
    
  • However, with the coming into force of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the number of specified disabilities increased from 7 to 21 under the new Law.
    
    
  • Accordingly, all the 21 disabilities have been included under the National Award Guidelines.
    
    
  
  
  
• Concerned Agency: The award scheme is governed by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
  
  

About:

• P. government approved a ‘Sex Sorted Semen’ scheme, under which chances of cows delivering a female calf are as high as 90-95%.
  
  
• Objectives:
  • The aim of the project is two-fold: to increase the productivity of cows and to decrease the number of unproductive male cattle.
    
    
  • This will provide a permanent solution to the stray cattle menace in the next 2-4 years. With a 90% fall in the number of male calves, “there will be lesser number of unproductive animals, which will bring down the number of stray and destitute cattle.
    
    
  • This will further bring down the damage to crops and the number of road accidents caused by the animals.
    
    
  
  
  
• Salient Features:
  • The scheme would be implemented on indigenous breeds, such as Sahiwal, Gir, Haryanvi, Tharparkar and Gangatiri.
    
    
  • To avail of the scheme, cattle-breeders would have to pay ₹300 per conception, while in the drought-prone region of Bundelkhand, this levy would only be ₹100.
    
    
  
  
  
• Coverage: After successfully testing the scheme as a pilot project in three districts (Etawah, Lakhimpur Kheri and Barabanki), the government has now decided to launch it in all the 75 districts of U.P.
  
  
• Background:
  • The practice of ‘Amnapratha’, or the letting loose of unproductive cattle, is a common practice in Bundelkhand.
    
    
  • The U.P. Government also claims that the number of stray cattle heads had increased only because the government had, since March 2017, strictly implemented anti-cow slaughter laws and shut illegal slaughterhouses.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• OPEC is a permanent intergovernmental organization of 15 oil-exporting developing nations that coordinates and unifies the petroleum policies of its Member Countries.
  
  
• Origin: OPEC was founded in 1960 in Baghdad, Iraq by five countries namely Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
  
  
• Present member countries: 15 (6 in the Middle East (Western Asia), 7 in Africa, and 2 in South America).
  
  
• HQ: Vienna, Austria.
  
  

Qatar Quitting OPEC:

• Qatar has been a member of OPEC since 1961.
  
  
• Qatar has stated that it wants to focus more on gas production, which is its core strength, instead of oil.
  • In September, Qatar announced its plans to boost gas production to 110 million tonnes a year by 2024.
    
    
  • Its oil production is around 6,00,000 barrels a day, making it the world’s 17th largest producer of crude. It also only holds around 2% of the world’s global oil reserves.
    
    
  
  
  
• Some analysts saw Qatar’s withdrawal as a “political decision to oppose Saudi Arabia”, which alongside the U.S. and Russia is the biggest producer in OPEC. Qatar is under a boycott by former neighbouring allies, including Saudi Arabia for 18 months.