About:

• Scientific Name: Hoplobatrachus tigerinus.
  
  
• Common Name(s): Indian Bullfrog, Bull Frog, Golden Frog, Tiger Frog, Tiger Peters Frog.
  
  
• Range:
  • Native: This species is found throughout most wetland areas of India, Bangladesh, northern Pakistan, southern parts of Nepal and Myanmar.
    
    
  • Introduced: It has also been introduced to the Maldives and Madagascar.
    
    
  
  
  
• Habitat:
  • It is mainly aquatic, inhabiting mostly freshwater wetlands, both natural and artificial (especially paddy fields).
    
    
  • It is absent or uncommon in forested areas and coastal regions.
    
    
  
  
  
• IUCN Status: Least Concern (because of its wide distribution and tolerance of a broad range of habitats)
  
  
• Conservation Actions:
  • It is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
    
    
  • It is included in Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
    
    
  
  
  

1) PARIVESH:

• PARIVESH is an acronym for “Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub”.
  
  
• It is a Single-Window Integrated Environmental Management System.
  
  
• It automates the entire process of seeking clearances (related to Environment, Forest, Wildlife and Coastal Regulation Zone) from Central, State and district-level.
  
  
• Implementing agencies: The system has been developed and hosted by the Union Ministry of Environment with technical support from National Informatics Centre, (NIC), New Delhi.
  
  
• Significance: It contributes to the objective of improving Ease of Doing Responsible Business and Sustainable Development.
  
  

2) Initiatives taken for promoting biofuels:

• PM Narendra Modi announced setting up of 12 modern biofuel refineries worth ten thousand crore rupees across the country.
  
  
• This is one of many steps taken by Government of India in recent years to increase blending of biofuels which have the benefits of reducing import dependency on crude oil, cleaner environment and additional income to farmers.
  
  
• The National Policy on Biofuels-2018 has been approved with the objective of reaching 20% ethanol-blending and 5% biodiesel-blending by the year 2030. The present level of ethanol blending is at a mere 2%.
  
  
• Recently, the Government has increased the price of C-heavy molasses-based ethanol to Rs. 43.70 from Rs. 40.85 to give a boost to Ethanol Blending Programme.
  
  
• The Government has also reduced GST on ethanol for blending in fuel from 18% to 5%.
  
  

About:

• The web portal contains information about all the active research activities being carried out in all the scientific labs and institutions in the country.
  
  
• Its objective is to help –
  • funding agencies & science administrators take decisions about project funding,
    
    
  • policy makers make science policy decisions and
    
    
  • researchers study trends in Indian science & trace policy movements.
    
    
  
  
  
• The portal follows the launch of India Science (indiascience.in), an Internet-based science channel, to showcase the developments in science and technology in India. Both the portal and the channel are steps by Science Ministry to improve its public outreach.
  
  

 Comment:

• These new Silk worm breeds, developed for specific agro-climatic condition are essential for increasing the productivity of cocoons.
  
  

The bill implements the recommendations made by the High Level Committee (chaired by B.N. Srikrishna) which submitted its Report in July, 2017.

Salient features of bill:

• It amends the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
  
  
• Present system of appointment of arbitrators by the Supreme Court (SC)/ High Court (HC), will be changed to a system where the arbitrators are appointed by the "Arbitral institutions" designated by the SC/HC.
  
  
• It establishes Arbitration Council of India, an independent body, for the purpose of grading of arbitral institutions and accreditation of arbitrators etc.
  
  
• It provides for time-bound settlement of disputes as well as accountability of the arbitrator.
  
  
• Details of arbitration proceedings will be kept confidential except for the details of the arbitral award in certain circumstances.
  
  
• It clarifies that section 26 of the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015, is applicable only to the arbitral proceedings which commenced on or after 23^rd October, 2015.
  
  

Marie Curie (1867–1934):

• Marie Curie was a Polish and Naturalized-French physicist and chemist.
  
  
• Work: Her achievements included the
  • development of the theory of radioactivity (a term that she coined),
    
    
  • development of techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes,
    
    
  • discovery of two elements, radium and polonium (named after her native Poland) and
    
    
  • Overseeing the world's first studies into the treatment of neoplasms using radioactive isotopes.
    
    
  
  
  
• Nobel prizes:
  • She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win twice, the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences.
    
    
  • She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie and with physicist Henri Becquerel. She won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
    
    
  
  
  

Indian woman in the list:

About:

• Delhi Police has raised an All-Women Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team by inducting 40 women Commandos for Anti-Terrorism duty under the Special Cell.
  
  
• All the women officers in the India's first all-female commando team are from India's northeast.
  
  
• This team has been trained by National Security Guard (NSG).
  
  
• They will work alongside about five all-male commando teams in Delhi and will be deployed during the Independence Day celebrations of 2018.
  
  
• It is another move towards breaking gender stereotypes. According to official data, only around 7% of all police officials are women, well below a government target of 33%.
  
  

About:

• Objective: To remove Leprosy as a ground for divorce or separation from the spouse. 
  
  
• Laws to be amended: For this purpose, it seeks to amend the following five Personal Laws which contain provisions related to marriage and divorce –
  1. The Divorce Act, 1869,
     
     
  2. The Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939,
     
     
  3. The Special Marriage Act, 1954,
     
     
  4. The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and
     
     
  5. The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956. 
     
     
  
  
  
• The proposed law, thus implements the recommendations of UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution in 2010 and Law Commission of India.
  
  

Efforts towards removing discrimination against Leprosy affected persons

• UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution in 2010 on the ‘Elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members’. India has signed and ratified it.
  
  
• Law Commission of India in its 256^th Report titled “Eliminating Discrimination Against Persons Affected by Leprosy”, recommended for removing the discriminatory provisions in various statutes against the persons affected with leprosy.
  
  

About:

• The National Archives of India is an Attached Office under the Ministry of Culture.
  
  
• It was established in 1891 at Kolkata(Calcutta) as the Imperial Record Department.
  
  
• Following the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, the present building of the National Archives of India was constructed in 1926 in Delhi.
  
  
• There are over 50 lakhs files/documents presently in the holdings in the National Archives of India.
  
  

About:

• Origin: It was formed in 2006 under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
  
  
• Functions:
  • It is a specialized force to tackle all types of disaster, including nuclear, biological and chemical disasters.
    
    
  • It is involved in Search and rescue operations and Supplying of relief materials to the victims.
    
    
  
  
  
• Role of NDMA: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been vested with its control, direction and general superintendence. i.e. NDRF are deployed by NDMA
  
  
• Battalions: At present there are 12 battalions in NDRF which are deployed strategically across the country to provide immediate response.
  
  
• Recent decision:
  • These four battalions will initially be raised as two battalions in Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and one battalion each in Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles (ARs). Later these four battalions will be converted into NDRF battalions.
    
    
  • These four battalions will be placed in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi National Capital Region.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• They are highly toxic chemicals that prevent the nervous system from working properly.
  
  
• They disrupt normal messaging from the nerves to the muscles. This causes muscles to become paralysed and can even cause death.
  
  
• These are among the most lethal chemical weapons and their use is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
  
  
• Forms: Nerve agents take different forms - including powder and gas - but they tend to be a liquid, which can seep through the skin.
  
  
• Earlier instances of using nerve agents:
  • Last year, the half-brother of North Korean President Kim Jong-un was killed by a nerve agent in an attack in Malaysia.
    
    
  • According to UN, Syrian government used them in 2013 and 2017, killing hundreds.
    
    
  • Novichok is a series of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971 and 1993.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The Global Innovation Index (GII) is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation.
  
  
• Methodology: The GII relies on two sub-indices –
  1. Innovation Input Sub-Index and
     
     
  2. Innovation Output Sub-Index.
     
     
  
  
  
• Released by: It is co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, an agency of the United Nations).
  
  
• Origin: The index was first published in 2007.
  
  

GII-2018: Key Highlights

• It ranks 126 countries. Theme of this year’s index is: ‘Energizing the World with Innovation’.
  
  
• This year it was launched in India in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
  
  
• Top 3 countries: (1) Switzerland, (2) Netherlands and (3) Sweden.
  
  
• India’s Rank:
  • India’s rank has improved from 60 in 2017 to 57 in 2018. India has been consistently improving its rank for the past two years.
    
    
  • India is ranked number one on ICT service exports.
    
    
  • India is also ranked number one in the Central and Southern Asian region.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) is located at Khodad, 80 km north of Pune.
  
  
• It consists of 30 fully- steerable dish type antennas of 45-meter diameter each, spread over a 25-km region.
  
  
• GMRT is presently the world’s largest radio telescope operating at meter wavelength.
  
  
• It is operated by the National Centre of Radio Astrophysics (NCRA).
  
  

Radio galaxies:

• These are type of galaxies that emits more light at radio wavelengths than at visible wavelengths.
  
  
• They have a supermassive black hole in their centre and emit huge amount of radio waves. 
  
  
• The radio emission is due to the synchrotron process (a process in which electromagnetic radiation is emitted when charged particles are accelerated radially, i.e., when they are subject to an acceleration perpendicular to their velocity).
  
  

About:

• Objective: PMGSY was launched in 2000 for providing all-weather road connectivity to every rural habitation with a minimum population of 500 in the plains and 250-plus in hill states, tribal districts and desert areas.
  
  
• Implementing bodies: It is implemented by Ministry of Rural Development. The World Bank has supported PMGSY since its inception.
  
  
• Funding pattern: It is 60:40 between the Centre and State for all States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand) for which it is 90:10.
  
  
• Recent Extension: It will help in connecting 38,412 habitations at an estimated cost of 84,934 crore rupees. The fund sharing pattern will be same.
  
  

Price Support Schemes (PSS):

• Under PSS, the procurement of oil seeds, pulses and cotton through Central Nodal Agencies at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) is undertaken.
  
  
• This scheme is implemented at the request of the concerned State Government which exempts the procured commodities from levy of mandi tax and assist central nodal agencies in logistics.
  
  
• Objectives of PSS:
  • To provide remunerative prices to the growers for their produce with a view to encourage higher investment and production and
    
    
  • To safeguard the interest of consumers by making available supplies at reasonable prices
    
    
  
  
  

Recent decision:

• Under this approved Scheme, the States/UT Governments are offered to lift 88 lakh MT of Tur, Chana, Masoor, Moong and Urad at discount of Rs.15 per Kg.
  
  
• This will be one-time dispensation for a period of 12 months.
  
  
• They can utilize these pulses in their various Welfare Schemes like Mid-Day Meal, Public Distribution System, Integrated Child Development Programmes (ICDP) etc.
  
  
• The move comes in the aftermath of country witnessing an all-time high production of pulses during the last 2 years.
  
  
• The decision will not only enable the States/UTs to use pulses in various Welfare Schemes, but will also make available the warehouses for storage of commodities procured under Price Support Scheme.
  
  

About:

• Status: NCW was set up as statutory body in 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.
  
  
• Mandate:
  • review the Constitutional and Legal safeguards for women;
    
    
  • recommend remedial legislative measures;
    
    
  • facilitate redressal of grievances and
    
    
  • advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women.
    
    
  
  
  
• Composition:
  • It comprises a Chairperson, five Members and a Member-Secretary to be nominated by the Central Government.
    
    
  • The only criteria for appointing chairperson is commitment to the cause of women.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• PMS-OBC, a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, has been in operation since 1998-99.
  
  
• It enables approximately 40 lakh Other Backward Classes (OBC) students to pursue higher study after class X per year.
  
  
• Salient features of revised scheme:
  • Annual parental income criteria increased from Rs. One Lakh to Rs. 1.5 lakh.
    
    
  • 30% of the funds allocated to be earmarked for girl students and 5% for students with disabilities.
    
    
  • Disbursement of scholarships to be done through Aadhaar seeded bank accounts.
    
    
  
  
  
• Impact: The revised Scheme will cover larger numbers of eligible and deserving poor OBC students while at the same time achieving de-duplication.
  
  

About:

• The bill seeks to amend the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973, which sets up the Central Council of Homoeopathy (It regulates homoeopathic education and practice).
  
  
• It dissolves the existing central council. A new Central Council will be constituted within one year.
  
  
• In the interim period, a Board of Governors, will exercise the powers of the Central Council.
  
  
• Existing homoeopathy colleges (and the courses run by them) will have to get approval from the central government within one year. This is to identify bogus colleges running in the name of Homeopathy.
  
  

About:

• Top source:
  • 82% of the total remittances received by India originated from 8 countries namely: UAE, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Kingdom and Malaysia.
    
    
  • UAE’s share in total remittances was 26.9%, followed by the United States (22.9%).
    
    
  
  
  
• Top destinations:
  • 7% of total remittances was received by 4 states namely: Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
    
    
  • Kerala has the highest share as it received 19% of total remittances.
    
    
  • More than half of remittances were used for family maintenance i.e. consumption (59.2%), followed by deposits in banks (20%).
    
    
  
  
  
• Channel of remittances: The Rupee Drawing Arrangement (RDA) is the most popular channel of remittances which accounts for 75.2% of remittances, followed by SWIFT (19.5%).
  
  

About:

• Origin: It was setup in 2014.
  
  
• Objective: Contribute to the cleanliness of the river Ganga with the voluntary financial contributions.
  
  
• Funding:
  • It is funded with voluntary contributions from residents of the country and Non-Resident Indian (NRIs) / Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and others.
    
    
  • Domestic donors are eligible for tax benefits as in the case of ‘Swachch Bharat Kosh’; Foreign donors can get tax exemptions in domestic law, wherever permissible.
    
    
  
  
  
• Activities financed from the Fund: Activities outlined under the ‘Namami Gange’ programme and any other activity as approved by the Trust.
  
  
• Administration:
  • It is managed through a bank account by a Trust headed by Finance Minister.
    
    
  • The secretariat of the Trust is set up in Ministry of Water Resources under the Mission Director, Clean Ganga.
    
    
  
  
  
• Present status of Funding: As of January 2018, ₹220 crores was donated to the CGF. Of this –
  • Private companies contributed around ₹20 crores and the public sector,
    
    
  • Central public sector and Government Departments contributed about ₹177 crores and
    
    
  • Rest is from individual donations.
    
    
  
  
  

Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve:

• Khangchendzonga is alternatively spelled as Kanchenjunga.
  
  
• The Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) is the core zone of Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR).
  
  
• Location:
  • The KNP/KBR complex is situated in North and West Sikkim districts of Sikkim.
    
    
  • To the East, it is bounded by Teesta River.
    
    
  • It lies entirely along the Sikkim-Nepal border. It also touches the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
    
    
  
  
  
• Other notable facts:
  • It includes a range of ecosystem, varying from sub-tropic to Arctic, as well as natural forests in different biomes, that support a rich diversity of forest types and habitats.
    
    
  • It has the world’s third highest peak Mt. Khangchendzonga (8,598 m).
    
    
  • Zemu Glacier, the largest glacier in the Eastern Himalaya is located at the base of Kangchenjunga mountain.
    
    
  
  
  
• Status: Khangchendzonga National Park was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016 under the ‘mixed heritage’ site category (first Indian site in this category).
  
  

World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR):

• UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), launched in 1971, is an Intergovernmental Scientific Programme under which, countries can designate as biosphere reserves.
  
  
• World network of biosphere reserves (WNBR) was created in 1977 under MAB program. It covers all internationally designated biosphere reserves and promotes cooperation between countries through exchanging knowledge and best practises.
  
  
• India has total 18 Biosphere Reserves and by designating Khangchendzonga under WNBR, the number of internationally designated WNBR has become 11, with 7 Biosphere Reserves being domestic Biosphere Reserves.
  
  

 Summary Findings wrt India:

• Mobile ownership:
  • 61% of Indians aged 15-65 own mobile phones.
    
    
  • Only 43 % of women own mobile phones compared to 80% males.
    
    
  • There is a 22% gap between urban and rural populations in mobile ownership.
    
    
  
  
  
• Handset type: Indian mobile market still predominantly comprises basic phones, with no, or limited Internet Capability. Just 28% of mobile phone owners have smartphones.
  
  
• Internet awareness and use: 65% of Indian surveyed still don’t know what the Internet is and 81% do not to use it.
  
  
• App Use:
  • Use of social networking apps such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, etc is very high.
    
    
  • Use of more ‘utilitarian’ apps (e.g., education, transportation, etc.) was less frequent.
    
    
  
  
  
• Online harassment:
  • 19% reported some kind of online harassment with most common form being called offensive names.
    
    
  • Interestingly, men experienced more online harassment compared to women; Rural users experienced more online harassment than urban ones.
    
    
  • Common perceived motivations for harassment were gender, religion/race and politics.
    
    
  
  
  
• Mobile money: The use of mobile money by mobile phone owners is very low. Just 4% use mobile banking, 1% use mobile money and a further 1% use both.
  
  

About:

• Status: A statutory body established under the provisions of The Competition Act, 2002.
  
  
• Established in:
  
  
• Composition: A Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central Government.
  
  
• Mandate: To implement provisions of The Competition Act, 2002 which –
  • prohibits anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant position by enterprises
    
    
  • regulates mergers and acquisition (M&A) which can have an adverse effect on competition within India. Thus, deals beyond a certain threshold are required to get clearance from CCI.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Scientific name: Spodoptera frugiperda.
  
  
• Distribution:
  • Fall Armyworm is an insect native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
    
    
  • It was first detected in Central and Western Africa in 2016. However, because of trade and the moth’s strong flying ability, it has spread to 44 African countries.
    
    
  • Its discovery in Karnataka is the first reported finding of the pest in Asia. However, India’s tropical climate could allow the pest to thrive and spread further.
    
    
  
  
  
• Damage to crop:
  • In its larva stage, it can cause significant damage to crops, if not well managed.
    
    
  • It primarily affects maize, but can feed on more than 80 additional species of plants (rice, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton).
    
    
  
  
  
• Control:
  • It can be controlled with insecticides (like lambda-cyhalothrin), through natural predators (such as coccinellid beetles which feed on FAW) or by inter-cropping.
    
    
  • Farmer in the Americas, using Sustainable management practices have been managing FAW in their crops for many centuries.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The agreement was signed with the aim of further strengthening their defence ties.
  
  
• It was signed during the first meeting of Russia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee (JMCC), the highest forum of their defence collaboration.
  
  
• Comment: Since the signing of the defence cooperation agreement in 2014, defence ties between the two sides have moved past the bitter Cold War tensions. Key reasons are –
  • deterioration of relations between Pakistan and the U.S. which has pushed the former towards China and Russia.
    
    
  • Reduction of Indian defence imports from Russia with a tilt towards U.S., Israel and France.
    
    
  
  
  

Massanjore Dam:

• Massanjore dam is built across the Mayurakshi River.
  
  
• Built with Canada government’s aid, it is also called Canada Dam.
  
  
• It is located in the Dumka district of Jharkhand. However, the West Bengal State Government has been maintaining the dam since 1955.
  
  

Mayurakshi River:

• Mayurakshi River (or Mor River) is a major river in the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal.
  
  
• Course: it starts from Trikut hill in Jharkhand and finally joins Hooghly River in West Bengal.
  
  
• To control devastating floods in the river, Massanjore Dam was constructed on it.
  
  

About:

• UMANG stands for “Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance”.
  
  

• It is a mobile App is developed by “National e-Governance Division (NeGD)” under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
  
  
• It provides a single platform for all Indian Citizens to access to access multiple e-Governance services at a pan India level (from Central to Local Government bodies)
  
  
• From now onwards, TRAI’s Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 & MyCall will also be available on Umang Platform.
  
  

About:

• Status: The Deputy Chairman is a constitutional position created under Article 89.
  • Article 89 of the constitution specifies that Rajya Sabha shall choose one of its MPs to be the Deputy Chairman as often as the position becomes vacant.
    
    
  
  
  
• Responsibility: To preside over the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha in the absence of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
  
  
• Tenure: The office becomes vacant either by resignation or removal from office or when the Rajya Sabha member’s term gets over.
  
  
• Selection Procedure:
  • The Deputy Chairperson is elected solely by members of Rajya Sabha.
    
    
  • Any Rajya Sabha MP can submit a motion proposing the name of a colleague for this constitutional position. The motion has to be seconded by another MP. Each MP is allowed to move or second only one motion.
    
    
  • If there are motions that propose the names of more than one MP, then the majority of the House will decide who gets elected as the Deputy Chairperson.
    
    
  
  
  
• Note: Former president Pratibha Patil was deputy chairperson from 1986-1988
  
  

About:

• It is located at Morangi, Golaghat district, Assam.
  
  
• The refinery is owned by Numaligarh Refinery Limited, a joint venture between Bharat Petroleum (61.65%), Oil India (26%) and Govt. of Assam (12.35%).
  
  
• Myanmar is the second country after Bangladesh where NRL has exported Diesel in the recent past.
  
  
• It is located along NH-37 (which passes through kaziranga national park also).
  
  

About:

• Muthuvel Karunanidhi (1924 – 2018) was an Indian writer and politician. He was popularly referred to as ‘Kalaignar’ or the artist.
  
  
• Contribution to Tamil Cinema:
  • He began his career as a screenwriter in the Tamil film industry.
    
    
  • He alongside C. N. Annadurai used Tamil cinema extensively for propagating the ideologies of the Dravidian movement.
    
    
  • His movies contained themes such as criticism of Brahmanism, promoting self-respect marriages and abolition of untouchability & zamindari system.
    
    
  
  
  
• Contribution to Tamil Literature:
  • He wrote a number of poems, stories, stage-plays, novels and biographies.
    
    
  • He also started ‘Murasoli’, a Tamil language newspaper, which is currently the mouthpiece newspaper of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
    
    
  
  
  
• Political Career:
  • He was the president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) political party and served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times.
    
    
  • Being a long-standing leader of the Dravidian movement, he stood for regional aspirations along with national progress and ensured that Tamil Nadu’s voice was effectively heard.
    
    
  • During the Emergency, DMK led by him was the only ruling party that opposed the emergency for which his government was dismissed.
    
    
  • He also actively participated in the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1965.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Sumathendra Nadig (1935 - 2018) was a well-known Kannada poet and critic. He was an important writer of the Navya Sahitya Movement in Kannada Literature.
  
  
• His Key works include ‘Daampatya Geeta’ and ‘Pancha-bhoota’.
  
  
• He also headed the National Book Trust (NBT) from 1996-1999.
  
  
• He is a recipient of the Rajyotsava Prashasti (the second highest civilian honour of the Karnataka, conferred annually by the Karnataka Government).
  
  

About:

• it was established in 2011 under Union ministry of Finance.
  
  
• Its key functions are:
  • Preparing chapter on Climate Change and Sustainable Development for the Economic Survey;
    
    
  • to serve as the nodal point on all Climate Change Finance matters in the Ministry of Finance,
    
    
  • to participate in the discourse on climate finance issues in the multilateral climate change regime and other international fora such as G20; and
    
    
  • provide analytical inputs for the National Climate Policy Framework.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The Reserve Bank's affairs are governed by a central board of directors.
  
  
• Appointment procedure: The board is appointed by the Government of India in keeping with the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
  
  
• Tenure: They are appointed/nominated for a period of four years.
  
  
• Composition:
  
  

The report has been prepared by a national consortium of public health groups including government departments, AIIMS and UNICEF, under the World Breastfeeeding Trends Initiative (WBTI).

Key Findings:

• India has made some progress on early initiation of breastfeeding over the years. Between National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-3 and NFHS-4, early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth has improved from 23.4% to 41.5%.
  
  
• But, this hasn’t kept pace with the huge increase in institutional deliveries which more than doubled during the same period, from 38.7 % to 78.9%.
  
  
• Reasons for slow progress (despite improvement in institutional deliveries): Lack of supportive work environment and inadequate skills of health care providers.
  
  

About:

• Scrub typhus is an acute illness caused by a bacterium Orientia Tsutsugamushi.
  
  
• tsutsugamushi is transmitted by bite of mite larvae (chiggers), which are found in areas of heavy scrub vegetation.
  
  
• Scrub typhus derives its name from the Scrub vegetation. Thus it is also known as bush typhus.
  
  
• Symptoms are fever, changes in Tissue and rashes on skin.
  
  
• Doxycycline, an antibiotic, is the most common drug used for its treatment.
  
  

Tsutsugamushi Triangle

• Scrub typhus is endemic to tsutsugamushi triangle (named after O. tsutsugamushi).
  
  
• It is a part of the world which –
  • Extends from northern Japan and far-eastern Russia in the north,
    
    
  • to the territories around the northern Australia in the south, and
    
    
  • to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the west.
    
    
  
  
  

Protected Area Permit (PAP):

Under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958, all areas falling between the ‘Inner line’, as defined in the order, and the International Border of the State have been declared as a Protected Area. Currently, Protected Areas are located in the following States –

1. Whole of Arunachal Pradesh
   
   
2. Parts of Himachal Pradesh
   
   
3. Parts of Jammu & Kashmir
   
   
4. Whole of Manipur
   
   
5. Whole of Mizoram
   
   
6. Whole of Nagaland
   
   
7. Parts of Rajasthan
   
   
8. Whole of Sikkim (partly in Protected Area and partly in Restricted Area)
   
   
9. Parts of Uttarakhand
   
   

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 Union Territory
   
   
2. Sikkim - Part of the State
   
   

Notable points:

• 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.
  
  

Recent 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.