Career:

• Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, an Indian national, served for over two decades as a civil servant in India as member of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS).
  
  
• In 1987 she moved to the Health, Population and Nutrition Department of The World Bank.
  
  
• In 1998 she joined World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters as Executive Director, Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments Cluster.
  
  
• In 2014, she became the “first woman to assume the office of WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Region”.
  
  

About:

• Mid Air refuelling is also known as in-flight refuelling (IFR), air-to-air refuelling (AAR), and tanking.
  
  
• It is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) during flight.
  
  
• The two main refuelling methods are:
  
  

• Benefits:
  • Because the receiver aircraft can be topped up with extra fuel in the air, air refuelling can allow a take-off with a greater payload.
    
    
  • The procedure allows the receiving aircraft to remain airborne longer.
    
    
  • By reducing the number of aircraft needed to maintain a combat air patrol (CAP), it reduces the number of maintenance personnel needed.
    
    
  
  
  
• Global scenario: Since the Vietnam War, it has been extensively used in large-scale military operations for many different military aircraft operations.
  
  

Recent development:

• The IL-78 MKI tanker was launched from its base in Agra while the specially modified fighter aircraft LCA Tejas MK 1 was launched from Gwalior.
  
  
• The specially modified Tejas aircraft carried out a series of test profiles including a ‘Dry Contact' with the tanker.
  
  
• Significance: The ability to carry out Air-to-Air Refuelling is one of the critical requirements for the LCA to achieve 'Final Operational Clearance'.
  
  

Nerve Agent:

• 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.
  
  

Novichok:

• Novichok, literally ‘newcomer’ or ‘new boy’, is one of several military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s.
  
  
• It acts by destroying the signalling process along the nervous system, much in the same way as other nerve agents like Sarin and VX.
  
  

Recent controversy:

• Prosecutors in Britain have recently charged two officers from GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, with the attempted murder in England on March 4, of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with Novichok.
  
  
• Both Skripal and Yulia survived the attack, but the incident increased tensions between Britain and Russia, and led to Cold War-style tit-for-tat expulsions of hundreds of diplomats.
  
  

About:

• Components of Umbrella Scheme:
  
  

• Implementation mechanism: It’s implementation would be done through the respective States in designated Tiger Reserves, Protected Areas and Elephant Reserves.
  
  
• Objectives:
  • Strengthening/consolidation of tiger, elephant and wildlife conservation in the country,
    
    
  • Addressing the human wildlife conflict and
    
    
  • Generating employment opportunities for people in and around Tiger Reserves/ Protected Areas esp. for local tribes.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The project has been sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
  
  
• It focuses on development of water based thematic cruise experiences in and around Valapattanam and Kuppam Rivers of Kannur District.
  
  
• The three thematic cruises developed under the project are:
  1. Malabari Cuisine and Culinary Cruise in Valapattanam River (Muthappan Cruise).
     
     
  2. yyam Cruise in Valapattanam River.
     
     
  3. Mangrove Cruise in Kuppam River.
     
     
  
  
  
• Under it, funds have been sanctioned for development of basic infrastructure facilities like Passenger Terminals, Boat Terminals, Wi-Fi facilities, Restaurants, Bio-Toilets etc.
  
  

Swadesh Darshan Scheme:

• Ministry-in-charge: Union Ministry of Tourism.
  
  
• Objective: Development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner.
  
  
• Strategy: Under this, Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State/UT’s for various tourism projects.
  
  
• Implementation status: The scheme was launched in 2014 -15 and as on date the Ministry has sanctioned 70 projects for Rs.5700 Crore to 29 States/UTs under the Scheme.
  
  

Details of initiatives launched:

1. To ensure standardization of training and learning across all programs, Directorate General of Training (DGT) has aligned its courses with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), a competency-based framework.
   
   
2. A MoU was signed between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and IBM India to address the demand of skilled workforce in futuristic job roles like AI, Cloud, Big Data, Cybersecurity etc.
   
   
3. A tripartite MoU was signed between DGT, NSDC and Adobe India for launching Adobe Digital Disha – a program for helping Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras and ITIs to leverage the power of Adobe Spark to integrate creativity and digital literacy into classrooms and curriculum.
   
   
4. Affiliation has been granted to an ITI being run by Blind People’s Association- Ahmedabad. It is the first affiliation given to an ITI catering to the skilling of Divyangs.
   
   
5. For the first time, affiliation has been granted to an ITI in Pune Cantonment for 5 trades. MSDE plans to open similar ITIs in other Cantonment areas.
   
   
6. A special one-month Crafts Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) Course has been announced to ensure availability of trained instructors in ITIs through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mode.
   
   
7. A new course “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/Drone Pilot” has been launched to create trained people who can fly drones, observing standard guidelines and carry out its maintenance.
   
   

About:

• The paper, authored by four World Health Organization (WHO) experts, reports data that update 2008 estimates on levels of activity and, for the first time, reports trend analyses.
  
  
• Key findings:
  • More than one in four adults globally are physically inactive. Thus, the global level of inactivity in adults remains largely unchanged since 2001.
    
    
  • Women were less active than men, with an over 8% difference at the global level (32% men vs 23%, women).
    
    
  
  
  
• High income countries are more inactive (37%) compared with middle income (26%) and low-income countries (16%).
  • 34% Indians — 24.7% male and 43.9% females — are not active enough to stay healthy.
    
    
  
  
  
• Comment:
  
  

• Regular physical inactivity increases people’s risk of poor health, including cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer and diabetes as well as mental health conditions.
  
  
• If current trends continue, the 2025 global activity target of a 10% relative reduction in insufficient physical activity will not be met.
  
  
• These data show the need for all countries to provide the environments that support physical activity
  
  

Nai Talim:

• Nai Talim is a principle promoted by Mahatma Gandhi which states that knowledge and work are not separate. Rather experiential learning or learning by doing is one the most effective methods.
  
  
• to him, it is a holistic approach of developing body, mind and soul (hand, head and heart), by making a productive art, craft or community engagement activity as the centre of learning.
  
  
• This was similar to what Confucius had said, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand”.
  
  

Recent initiative:

• The book contains:
  • basic principles of Gandhiji’s Nai Talim and
    
    
  • Work and Education curriculum for Schools, D.Ed, B.Ed and Faculty Development Programmes for teachers.
    
    
  
  
  
• This book and this project are a joint effort of Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education (MGNCRE), State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) along with the universities in the country.
  
  
• This curriculum was brought out simultaneously in 13 languagese., Assamese, Tamil, Bengali, Odiya, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Urdu, Hindi and English.
  
  

About:

• The award is given as public recognition to meritorious teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools.
  
  
• The award carries a Silver Medal, Certificate and Rs. 50,000/- as award money.
  
  

Revised guidelines:

This year, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has revised the guidelines for the selection of Teachers for National Awards (2017). The features of the new guidelines are:

• All regular teachers will be eligible to apply and no minimum years of service is required (Earlier, only teachers with minimum 15 years of service were eligible).
  
  
• All teachers could directly apply and nominate themselves for the award (this feature did not exist in the earlier scheme).
  
  
• Self-nominations from teachers were invited online on mhrd.gov.in (it is for the first time that online applications have been invited for these awards).
  
  
• The number of awards has been rationalized to 45 (Earlier, the number of awardees had crossed 300).
  
  
• The final selection was done by an independent Jury. The criteria adopted was to select those teachers who had shown innovation in their work and had added value to their school and students.
  
  

Book:

• Meesha is a controversial Malayalam novel written by S. Harish.
  
  
• It was published in Mathrubhumi Weekly. After three episodes, Harish withdrew the novel after protests from Hindu organizations
  
  
• Petitioner N Radhakrishnan had initially demanded a ban on the book. Subsequently, he requested that the “objectionable” portions be removed.
  
  

Arguments given by Supreme court while rejecting the plea to ban it:

• The language used in the book are not even remotely obscene and derogatory to women.
  
  
• The culture of banning books directly impacts free flow of ideas, creates danger to intellectual freedom thereby gradually resulting in ‘intellectual cowardice’ and is an insult to freedom of speech, thought and expression.
  
  
• We do not live in a totalitarian regime but a democratic nation that permits free exchange of ideas and liberty of thought and expression.
  
  
• Before imposing any restriction, the court should see whether there it is really comes under the sweep of Article 19(2) of the Constitution.
  
  

About:

• Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) prohibits any assembly of five or more people in an area where it has been imposed.
  
  
• According to the law, every member of such "unlawful assembly" can be booked for "engaging in rioting". Moreover, obstructing police from breaking up an unlawful assembly is a punishable offence as well.
  
  
• The maximum punishment for such act is three years.
  
  
• Background:
  • Section 144 was used for the first time in 1861 by the British Raj, and thereafter became an important tool to stop all nationalist protests during the Freedom Struggle.
    
    
  • However, the use of the section in Independent India remains controversial as very little has changed.
    
    
  
  
  

Section 144 vs Curfew:

• Section 144 is generally prohibitory in nature. It restricts from public gathering, but doesn't bar it all together.
  
  
• A curfew, on the other hand, orders people to stay indoors for a specific period of time. So, the authorities can impose curfew for certain period of time (However, the authorities can also extend the curfew if the need be).
  
  
• One also needs a prior approval from the local police for moving out during curfew.
  
  

About:

• Haqqani Network is a Sunni Islamist militant organization operating in the south-eastern region of Afghanistan and the north-western Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan.
  
  
• US and Afghan officials claim the Haqqani Network is backed by the Pakistani military, a charge denied by Pakistani authorities. The network allegedly receives most of its funding from the Gulf countries.
  
  
• Ideology and Goals: Like Taliban, it is fighting for eradicating Western influence and forces from Afghanistan and transform it into a strictly sharia-following state.
  
  
• Timeline:
  • The Haqqani Network was formed by Jalaluddin Haqqani, who fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1970s.
    
    
  • In 1995, the Haqqani Network allied with the Taliban and the two groups captured the Afghan capital Kabul in 1996.
    
    
  • In 2012, the US designated the group a terrorist organization.
    
    
  • On September 4, 2018, the Taliban announced that Jalaluddin passed away after a long illness. The network is now headed by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Jalaluddin's son.
    
    
  
  
  

Coffee Connect:

• It is a mobile app for easing the work of field functionaries and to improve the work efficiency.
  
  
• It simplifies the whole process of the field activities like digitization of Coffee Growers & Estates with Geo Tagging, collecting the Plantation details.
  
  

Coffee Krishi Tharanga:

• It is a set of digital mobile extension services for providing customized information and services to increase productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability of coffee growers.
  
  
• It is being pilot tested in the Chikmagalur and Hassan districts of Karnataka State covering 30,000 farmers during the first year and will be extended to remaining growers in a phased manner. NABARD has partly funded the Pilot project.
  
  

About:

• Poshan Maah is an initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog to give a push to Poshan Abhiyan.
  
  
• During Poshan Maah, activities like Prabhat Pheri, Poshan Melas, Nukkad Nataks, School Based Events will be held to take the message of importance of nutrition to every household.
  
  
• It focuses on 8 themes: (1) Antenatal Care, (2) Optimal Breastfeeding, (3) Complementary Feeding, (4) Anaemia, (5) Growth Monitoring, (6) Girls-education, diet, right age of Marriage, (7) Hygiene & Sanitation, (8) Food Fortification.
  
  

Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission):

• Coverage: It was launched by the Prime Minister in March, 2018 from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. By the year 2020, all 36 States/UTs and 718 districts will be covered in a phased manner.
  
  
• Objective: Reducing malnutrition through use of technology, a targeted approach and convergence.
  
  
• Target:
  • Reducing stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
    
    
  • Although the target to reduce Stunting is atleast 2% p.a., Mission would strive to achieve reduction in Stunting from 38.4% (NFHS-4) to 25% by 2022
    
    
  
  
  
• Funding:
  • 9046.17 crore is allocated for three years commencing from 2017-18.
    
    
  • 50% will be funded by Government Budgetary Support and 50% by International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) or other Multilateral Development Banks.
    
    
  • Government budgetary support would be 60:40 between Centre and States/UTs, 90:10 for North East Region and Himalayan States and 100% for UTs without legislature.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Key findings:
  • While democracy remains the most desired form of government, fewer young people take part as volunteers or party members. Other modes of influence, from street demonstrations to digital campaigns, are increasingly prominent.
    
    
  • As more youth choose informal politics, more older adults avoid protest. Adults under 40 are 9-17% more likely to take part in demonstrations than those older than 40.
    
    
  
  
  
• Reason for Age Gap:
  • Many activists prefer networked, horizontal movements to top-down legacy organisations.
    
    
  • Another factor is the exclusion of new voices as the more traditional forms of politics as joining the system isn’t always easy (Just 2% of the world’s parliamentarians are younger than 30).
    
    
  • Many see mainstream politics as morally compromised. Corruption also depresses the youth vote.
    
    
  
  
  
• Impact:
  • Youth-led street movements have removed leaders in Slovakia, Guatemala, Tunisia and Egypt (But in each, the establishment reasserted itself).
    
    
  • If young people only employ civil disobedience, they will be left out of many decisions.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The draft, prepared by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has been put up on the Health Ministry’s website on August 30 for comments and suggestions.
  
  
• Patients will have the right to:
  • Emergency medical care,
    
    
  • informed consent,
    
    
  • non-discrimination,
    
    
  • seek a second opinion and
    
    
  • choose alternative treatment options.
    
    
  
  
  
• Implementation mechanism: The Ministry plans to implement the Charter of Patients’ Rights through State governments for provision of proper health care by clinical establishments.
  
  
• Significance: Although some States have adopted the national Clinical Establishments Act 2010 and others have enacted their own laws to regulate hospitals, there is no consolidated document on patients’ rights that can be followed by all States uniformly.
  
  

About:

• Profile of Himalayan Springs: There are 5 million springs across India, of which nearly 3 million are in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) alone. Over 50 million people in the 12 states of the region depend on springs.
  
  
• Reason for Drying up of springs: But these springs continue to dry up due to inadequate attention, increasing demand for water, ecological degradation of the mountain areas and unsustainable land use.
  
  
• Impact of drying of up of Springs:
  • Himalayas Springs are a major source of fresh water for India’s perennial rivers such as the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Drying up of springs will affect the flow of these rivers.
    
    
  • Several villages are facing acute shortage of water for drinking and other domestic purposes.
    
    
  • The drying springs will further add to the work burden of women since they are forced to manually carry water from springs below their village during the lean season.
    
    
  • It also affects water security for Wildlife inside forests and national parks.
    
    
  
  
  
• Recommendation: NITI Aayog report has proposed the launch of National Spring Water Management Programme under which it recommends –
  • Systematic mapping of springs across the IHR states,
    
    
  • Mainstreaming of spring-shed management,
    
    
  • Mainstreaming and convergence of spring-shed management with other developmental programmes such as MGNREGA,
    
    
  • launching of a spring revival programme in one vulnerable block in each of the mountain states and
    
    
  • establishment of a national registry for springs in the form of a Spring Health Card to periodically evaluate the health of the springs.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Scientific Name: Pangshura tecta.
  
  
• Physical description: As the name suggest, they have ‘roof’ like shape on the top of their shell which is their distinct feature.
  
  
• Range Description: It is found in the major rivers of South Asian countries (Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus River drainages) in the Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
  
  
• IUCN Status: Least Concern.
  
  
• Conservation Actions: Listed on CITES Appendix I.
  
  
• Sharma said there were about 20 Indian Roofed Turtle in the pond. Following the conservation efforts, new turtle hatchlings were recently spotted in it.
  
  

About:

• NECTAR is an acronym for “North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach”.
  
  
• Status: An autonomous society under Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.
  
  
• HQ: Shillong, Meghalaya.
  
  
• Established in: it was setup in 2012 by merging of National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA) and the Mission for Geo Spatial Applications (MGA) with NECTAR.
  
  
• Objective: To use technology in the areas of biodiversity, watershed management, telemedicine, horticulture etc. for socio-economic development of the North Eastern Region.
  
  

About:

• Swachh Iconic Places initiative was initiated under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2016.
  
  
• Objective: To make 100 iconic heritage, cultural and spiritual places in India as a model Swachh Tourist Destinations which will enhance the experience for tourists.
  
  
• Agencies involved:
  • Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation is the coordinating Ministry.
    
    
  • Other ministries involved are: Union Ministry of Urban Development, Union Ministry of Culture, Union Ministry of Tourism and the concerned State governments.
    
    
  
  
  

Background:

• in 2015, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had advised all public-sector and select private and foreign banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman (IO) as an independent authority to review complaints that were partially or wholly rejected by the respective banks.
  
  
• The IO mechanism was set up to strengthen the internal grievance redressal system of banks.
  
  

Internal Ombudsman Scheme, 2018:

• Now, RBI has introduced ‘Internal Ombudsman Scheme, 2018’ under Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
  
  
• Objective of Scheme: To enhance the independence of the IO while simultaneously strengthening the monitoring system over functioning of the IO mechanism.
  
  
• Coverage: All Scheduled Commercial Banks in India having more than ten banking outlets (excluding Regional Rural Banks), are required to appoint IO in their banks.
  
  
• Roles and responsibilities: The IO will examine customer complaints related to deficiency in service provided by the bank, that are partly or wholly rejected by the bank.
  
  
• Procedural guidelines: As the banks will internally solve all complaints, the customers of banks need not approach the IO directly.
  
  
• Oversight Mechanism: The implementation of this scheme will be monitored by the bank’s internal audit mechanism apart from regulatory oversight by RBI.
  
  

About:

• Cause: Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Leptospira.
  
  
• Transmission:
  • It can be transmitted to humans through cuts and abrasions of the skin, or through the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth with water contaminated with the urine of infected animals.
    
    
  • Although, all wild and domestic mammals can harbour the bacteria that cause leptospirosis, but Rodents are the primary source of infection to human beings.
    
    
  • Human-to-human transmission occurs only very rarely.
    
    
  
  
  
• Regions of occurrence:
  • Leptospirosis occurs worldwide, but is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions.
    
    
  • Outbreaks of leptospirosis are common when flooding occurs, such as following a typhoon or very heavy seasonal rains, because of exposure to contaminated water.
    
    
  
  
  
• Main occupational groups at risk: Agricultural workers; pet shop workers; meat handlers; sewer workers; survivors of natural disasters (e.g., flooding); people engaging in swimming, etc.
  
  
• Signs and symptoms:
  • The incubation period of leptospirosis is usually 5–14 days, with symptoms varying from a mild 'flu'-like illness to a serious and sometimes fatal disease.
    
    
  • This bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals.
    
    
  
  
  
• Treatment: Leptospirosis can be treated with antibiotics.
  
  

Staphylococcus epidermidis:

• Staphylococcus epidermidis is a bacterium related to the better-known and deadlier MRSA superbug.
  
  
• It’s found naturally on human skin.
  
  
• Patients with compromised immune systems are at risk of developing infection. It commonly infects the elderly or patients who have had prosthetic materials implanted, such as catheters and joint replacements.
  
  
• It can cause ‘severe’ infections or even death.
  
  

About:

• Lord Krishna is an important Hindu God and is said to be the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
  
  
• The day of Lord Krishna's birth is considered to be an auspicious event for Hindu devotees across the world and is celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami.
  
  
• When? According to the Hindu calendar, Janmashtami is marked on Krishna Paksha's eighth day in Bhadra month which is also called the Ashtami. This generally falls in August or September, according to the Gregorian calendar.
  
  
• Celebrations:
  • According to Hindu mythology, Sri Krishna was born at midnight to Devaki and Vasudeva in Mathura, and so Janmashtami is celebrated at midnight.
    
    
  • On this day, Bhajans and kirtans are performed at Krishna temples. Bhagvat Gita is read and listened, and satsang meetings are held by devotees.
    
    
  • This is followed by the Dahi Handi festival celebrated majorly in Maharashtra and the Nandotsav festival.
    
    
  
  
  

Nandotsav:

• Nandotsav is a festival celebrated the day after the festival Janmashtami.
  
  
• It is believed that all the villagers of Braj visited Nand Baba's house to see little Krishna and congratulate Mata Yashoda. Nand Baba distributed ornaments, clothes, cattle and various other valuables among saints and sages.
  
  
• On this day people celebrate 'Govinda'- Devotees form small groups and break Maakhan Haandis tied to ropes on high rise buildings.
  
  

About:

• Mongmong festival is the most important festival of the Sangtam tribe hailing from the Tuensang/Kiphire districts of Nagaland.
  
  
• Mongmong in Sangtam dialect literally means “togetherness forever”.
  
  
• It is annually celebrated for six days during the first week of September as a festival of togetherness, forgiveness and prayer for a bountiful harvest.
  
  
• Main reasons to celebrate the festival is to worship their God and three cooking stones in the fire place.
  
  

About:

• Top 3 countries in Medal Tally: (1) China, (2) Japan and (3) South Korea.
  
  
• India’s performance:
  • Total medals: 69; Gold Medals: 15.
    
    
  • India finished eighth both in terms of gold medals and the total tally.
    
    
  • India’s medal tally is its highest ever, as it won four more than in 2010 in Guangzhou. In gold medal terms, it matched its best performance at the inaugural 1951 games held in New Delhi.
    
    
  • Track and field remained the most productive discipline for India as it won seven events in them.
    
    
  
  
  

Participle physics: Basics

• Elementary Particle: An elementary particle is a particle that is not made up of any smaller particles. All the other particles and matter in the universe are made up of elementary particles.
  
  
• There are two main categories of elementary particles: fermions (matter particles) and bosons (force-carrying particles).
  
  
• Fermions: Fermions are the matter particles. All matter is made up fermions. Fermions are divided into two types of particles: quarks and leptons.
  
  
• Quarks: Quarks are the basic building blocks for protons and neutrons. There are six types of quarks namely: up, down, charm, strange, top, and
  
  

Bottom Quarks:

• The bottom quark or b quark, also known as the beauty quark.
  
  
• It has exceptionally low rates of transition to lower-mass quarks.
  • It is a product in almost all top quark decays, and is a frequent decay product of the Higgs boson.
    
    
  
  
  

The order was passed on a petition filed to implement the recommendations of Madhav Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report.

Gadgil Panel:

• In 2010, Union Environment Ministry set up the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel under ecologist Madhav Gadgil to recommend measures to protect the ecology and biodiversity of the Western Ghats. It submitted it report in 2011. Its key highlights are:
  
  
• According to it, Western Ghats included an area of 1,29,037 km², running about 1.490 km from Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu.
  
  
• It declared the entire Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). Within this area, it designated sub-regions as Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on the threat.
  
  
• Its recommendations for ESA:
  • Ban on cultivation of genetically modified in entire area; Phase-out of all chemical pesticides within five to eight years in ESZ I and ESZ II
    
    
  • Strict regulation of tourism
    
    
  • Plastic bags to be phased out in three years;
    
    
  • No new special economic zones or hill stations to be allowed;
    
    
  • Ban on diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes in ESZ I and II; No new dams in ESZ I; No new polluting industries in ESZ I and ESZ II areas;
    
    
  • Setup a Western Ghats Ecology Authority to regulate these activities in the area.
    
    
  
  
  
• Its recommendations were opposed by the six concerned states. Subsequently Environment Ministry constituted a High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats under Kasturirangan to ‘examine’ the Gadgil Committee report which submitted its report in 2013.
  
  

About:

 Comment:

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

Asian Pacific Coconut Community (APCC)

• Every year September 2 is celebrated as World Coconut Day to commemorate the formation day of APCC.
  
  
• It is an intergovernmental organization to promote and coordinate coconut developmental activities of the Asian Pacific region to achieve maximum economic development.
  
  
• It has 18-member countries with India being one of the founder members.
  
  

India and coconut production:

• India stands first in global coconut production and productivity. The annual coconut production of India is 2437.80 crore and the productivity is 11616 coconuts per hectare.
  
  
• Export of coconuts:
  • India has started exporting coconut oil to Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Till last year, India used to import coconut oil from these countries.
    
    
  • For the first time, India is exporting large quantities of dry coconut to US and European countries.
    
    
  
  
  
• Programmes for coconut:
  • Under National Horticulture Mission various aspirational schemes are being implemented for the integrated development of coconut in the country.
    
    
  • The Coconut Development Board is implementing the Technology Mission on Coconut programme under which 480 coconut processing units have been established.
    
    
  • It has also launched skill development initiatives in coconut sector viz. Friends of Coconut Tree (FOCT) Training Programme and Neera Technician training programme.
    
    
  
  
  

Existing scenario in India on credit information:

• Credit information is now available across multiple systems and not in one window.
  
  
• Data on borrowings from banks, NBFCs, corporate bonds or debentures from the market, ECBs, FCCBs, masala bonds, and inter-corporate borrowings are not available in one data repository.
  
  

Public Credit Registry (PCR):

• PCR is an information repository that collates all loan information of individuals and corporate borrowers, across different borrowing products in one place.
  
  
• Indian Scenario:
  • A committee, headed by Y.M. Deosthalee has suggested setting of a PCR which should capture all loan information and borrowers be able to access their own history.
    
    
  • Data is to be made available to stakeholders such as banks, on a need-to-know basis.
    
    
  • Data privacy will be protected.
    
    
  
  
  
• Benefits for India:
  • It helps banks distinguish between a bad and a good borrower and accordingly offer attractive interest rates to good borrowers and higher interest rates to bad borrowers.
    
    
  • It will address issues such as information asymmetry, improve access to credit and strengthen the credit culture among consumers.
    
    
  • It can also address the bad loan problem, as corporate debtors will not be able to borrow across banks without disclosing existing debt.
    
    
  • It may also help to improve India’s rankings in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index.
    
    
  
  
  

Key findings of RBI data:

• FDI stood at $37.36 billion in the financial year 2017-18, a marginal rise over the $36.31 billion recorded in the previous fiscal.
  
  
• Mauritius remained the top source of FDI into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore. While FDI from Mauritius totalled $13.41 billion as against $13.38 billion in the previous year, inflows from Singapore rose to $9.27 billion from $6.52 billion.
  
  
• FDI into the manufacturing sector witnessed a substantial decline to $7.06 billion, as against $11.97 billion a year earlier.
  
  
• However, FDI into communication services rose to $8.8 billion in FY18 from $5.8 billion.
  
  

Monopsony:

• A monopsony is also called a buyer’s monopoly.
  
  
• It is a market condition similar to a monopoly but where a large buyer, and not a seller, controls a sizeable proportion of the market and drives prices down.
  
  

Amazon effect:

• This term has been coined to describe fast-changing pricing algorithms by the online retailer and its rivals, which could potentially lead to bigger swings in inflation.
  
  

About:

• Meaning of High Seas: High seas, in maritime law, means all parts of the mass of saltwater surrounding the globe that are not part of the territorial sea or internal waters of a state.
  
  
• Convention on the High Seas:
  • It is an international treaty which codifies the rules of international law relating to the high seas, otherwise known as international waters.
    
    
  • The treaty was signed in 1958 and entered into force in 1962.
    
    
  
  
  
• High seas cover 46% of the planet’s surface, yet lack adequate environmental protection. That’s why united nations has initiated talks for the new treaty.