NIC’s Command & Control Centre (CCC):

• NIC has been offering Data Centre and Cloud services to the Government. Currently, it has 4 National Data Centres and 30 Mini Data Centres across the country hosting over 10,000 e-Governance applications.
  
  
• Now, NIC has set up the Command and Control Centre, as a specialized facility for effective monitoring and management of all these critical services.
  
  

Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (CoE in AI) by NIC:

• CoE in AI by NIC has been established with the motto of ‘Inclusive AI' to promote innovation in application of AI to take e-Governance services to the next level.
  
  
• This CoE in AI will be a platform for innovative new solutions in AI space, a gateway to test and develop solutions for projects undertaken by NIC at central and state level.
  
  
• It will also provide Capacity Building & Institutionalizing AI in Ministries / Departments / Organizations.
  
  

About:

• Objective: NCAP is a time bound national level strategy for pan India implementation to tackle the increasing air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
  
  
• Implementation Period: NCAP is a mid-term, five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year.
  
  
• Target: The government has set a tentative national level target of 20%–30% reduction of PM 2.5 and PM 10concentration by 2024 taking 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.
  
  
• Strategy:
  • Collaborative approach involving relevant Central Ministries, State Governments, local bodies and other Stakeholders with focus on all sources of pollution forms the crux of the Programme.
    
    
  • It involves comprehensive mitigation actions for abatement of air pollution, augmenting the air quality monitoring network across the country and strengthening the awareness and capacity building activities.
    
    
  
  
  
• Coverage:
  • 102 non-attainment cities have been identified for implementing mitigation actions under NCAP.
    
    
  • There will be use of the Smart Cities program to launch the NCAP in the 43 smart cities falling in the list of the 102 non-attainment cities.
    
    
  
  
  
• Institutional mechanism
  • Apex Committee at the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change in the Centre and at Chief Secretary Level in the States are to be constituted.
    
    
  • In addition, various working groups and units will be constituted under the Municipal Commissioner and District Magistrate.
    
    
  • The program will also partner with multilateral and bilateral international organizations, and philanthropic foundations and leading technical institutions to achieve its outcomes.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• This was Jharkhand’s first ever Global Skill Summit.
  
  
• Objective: To provide a global platform for the job-creators and the policy-makers in the Government and private sector, and to celebrate the skilling and placements of skilled youths.
  
  
• Organizers: PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), is the industry partner in the summit.
  
  
• Key highlights of the summit:
  • Diplomats and representatives from as many as 17 nations participated in the summit.
    
    
  • Over 1 lakh youths were given jobs in private sector during the Summit. With this, Jharkhand succeeded in getting included in ‘Limca Book of Records’ for highest number of placements offers to its youth in a single day.
    
    
  • Also, 15 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with various national and international companies working in skill sector.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• E-NAM i.e. National Agriculture Market is a pan-India electronic trading (e-trading) portal.
  
  
• It seeks to network the existing physical regulated wholesale market (known as APMC market) through a virtual platform to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
  
  
• Benefits:
  • e-NAM platform promotes better marketing opportunities for the farmers to sell their produce through online competitive and transparent price discovery system and online payment facility.
    
    
  • It also promotes prices commensurate with quality of produce.
    
    
  • It provides single window services for all APMC related information and services. This includes commodity arrivals, quality & prices, buy & sell offers etc.
    
    
  
  
  

Recent development:

• Earlier trade used to happen either within the APMC or between two APMCs situated within same state.
  
  
• The very first Inter-State transaction in tomatoes has been carried out between trader of Bareilly e-NAM APMC of Uttar Pradesh and farmer of Haldwani e-NAM APMC of Uttarakhand.
  
  
• Similarly, the inter -State transactions in potatoes, brinjal & cauliflower have been carried out between the e-NAM mandis of Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh.
  
  
• In all the cases, e-payments have been made through e-NAM portal. This will help farmers get better market access, more buyers/ traders & realise better prices for their produce.
  
  

About:

• National Rail & Transport Institute (NRTI) is India's first rail and transportation university.
  
  
• Status: It was established as a Deemed to be University under the de Novo category in 2018.
  
  
• Location: It has been set up in Vadodara, Gujarat.
  
  
• Management: The Vice-Chancellor shall be the Principal Executive Officer of the institution and shall exercise general supervision and control over the affairs of the institution.
  
  
• Mandate:
  • NRTI is focused on transport-related education, multidisciplinary research and training.
    
    
  • Its objective is to create a resource pool of best-in-class professionals for the railway and transportation sector.
    
    
  • NRTI at present is running two fully-residential undergraduate courses - BSc. in Transportation Technology and DBA in Transportation Management, the classes for which started in September, 2018. These are three-year degree programs.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), a Central Sector Scheme, was launched in
  
  
• Objective:
  • correcting the imbalances in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare facilities in different parts of the country in general, and
    
    
  • augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the under-served States in particular.
    
    
  
  
  
• Components:
  • Setting up of new AIIMS like institutes in underserved regions of the country.
    
    
  • Upgradation of existing Govt Medical Colleges (GMCs)
    
    
  
  
  
• Recent 3 AIIMS Approved: Two of them will be set up in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district and Awantipora in Pulwama district. The third AIIMS will come up at Rajkot in Gujarat.
  • Two new AIIMS, one each for Jammu Region (Vijaynagar in Samba district) and Kashmir Region (Awantipura in Pulwama district) was announced by Prime Minister under the Prime Minister's Development Package in 2015.
    
    
  • AIIMS in Gujarat was announced by the Finance Minister in his Budget Speech for the year 2017-18.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Currency swap agreements involve trade in local currencies, where countries pay for imports and exports at pre-determined rates of exchange without the involvement of a third country currency like the US dollar.
  
  
• Recent agreement:
  • The recent decision authorizes the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to sign the Agreement for Bilateral Swap Arrangement between the RBI and the Bank of Japan for a maximum amount of USD 75 billion.
    
    
  • This agreement will give India access to $75 billion of forex reserves from Japan as and when required by paying in rupees for the purpose of maintaining an appropriate level of balance of payments for meeting short-term deficiency in foreign exchange.
    
    
  
  
  
• Benefits:
  • The swap agreements will help address possible short-term liquidity mismatches, and supplement existing international financial arrangements.
    
    
  • Availability of such swap line to tide over difficulties arising out of Balance of Payment (BOP) would deter speculative attacks on the domestic currency and greatly enhance the RBI’s ability to manage exchange rate volatility.
    
    
  • This arrangement would also improve prospects of Indian companies in tapping foreign capital as there would be greater confidence in stability of country’s exchange rate.
    
    
  • The arrangement is another milestone in mutual economic cooperation and special strategic and global partnership between India and Japan.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Objective of SIDCOP: To bring Indian IT companies and Chinese enterprises closer to each other on a single AI enabled platform.
  
  
• Bodies involved:
  • SIDCOP is a partnership by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) with Municipal Governments of Guiyang and Dalian.
    
    
  • A Joint Venture comprising of one Indian and Chinese company has been tasked with the running of the platform.
    
    
  
  
  
• Features:
  • Indian IT enterprises are world renowned for their expertise in business transformation and operational optimization by using IT tools in complex business environments.
    
    
  • SIDCOP, which is a boundary-less marketplace, will connect top providers from India with Chinese enterprises to source the right solution providers for their projects.
    
    
  • SIDCOP Dalian is accessible at http://www.sidcop-dalian.com/Dalian/index.html
    
    
  • SIDCOP Guiyang is accessible at http://www.sidcop-guiyang.com/Guiyang/index.html.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Background:
  • The task of maintaining campaign silence during last 48 hours before the conclusion of polling is becoming increasingly difficult in the light of the increasing influence of digital media.
    
    
  • In this background, the Election Commission of India (ECI), constituted a committee.
    
    
  
  
  
• Mandate: To suggest modifications in the provisions of the Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act 1951, Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and any other ECI instruction to regulate the violation during the prohibitory period of 48 hours before the completion of the poll.
  
  
• Composition:
  • The Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Sr. Deputy Election Commissioner Sh. Umesh Sinha
    
    
  • Other members of the Committee were representatives of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Ministry of Law & Justice, Press Council of India and News Broadcasters Association.
    
    
  
  
  
• Way ahead: The recommendations of the Committee will be considered by the Commission in detail for follow up action.
  
  

Sanskriti Kumbh:

• Location: Sanskriti Kumbh is a 29 days Cultural extravaganza being held at Kumbh Mela Area, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
  
  
• Organizers: The Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India is organizing Sanskriti Kumbh.
  
  
• Objective: To showcase the rich Cultural Heritage of India in all its rich and varied dimensions viz. Performing Arts- Folk, Tribal and Classical art forms, Handicrafts, Cuisines, Exhibitions etc. all in one place.
  
  
• Features: Under it, cultural performances of dance, music and folk art will be held for 29 days; Rashtriya Shilp Mela is being organized where Shilp Haats are set up to display handicrafts and live demonstration of the skill by craftsmen.
  
  

Kumbh Mela:

• Kumbh Mela is one of the oldest and largest congregation in the world being attended by millions of people.
  
  
• In 2017, the UNESCO inscribed Kumbh Mela on the list of Intangible Cultural heritage for humanity.
  
  
• This time Kumbh is being organized in the city of Prayagraj which is located at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and Mystic river of Saraswati in Uttar Pradesh.
  
  

About:

• Objective: To revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establish India as a great sporting nation.
  
  
• It is an annual event. The first edition was held in 2018 in Delhi in which Haryana won 38 golds.
  
  
• 1000 players will be selected from Khelo India Games and will be given 5 Lakh rupees scholarship per year for the next 8 years.
  
  
• Second edition: key facts
  • Khelo India Youth Games are being held between 9th January, 2019 to 20th January, 2019 in Pune, Maharashtra.
    
    
  • During the 12-day event, over 9,000 Under-17 and Under-21 athletes from all parts of the country will compete in Eighteen disciplines including athletics, badminton, boxing hockey, football and wrestling.
    
    
  
  
  

'5 Minute Aur' challenge:

• Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore launched a '5 Minute Aur' challenge as part of the Khelo India movement.
  
  
• Under this challenge, he urged India's leading athletes and actors to share their childhood stories when they would ask their parents to let them play for that five extra minutes.
  
  
• He tagged Virat Kohli, Saina Nehwal, Deepika Padukone and Salman Khan on twitter to share their stories.
  
  

About:

• Objective of the Ganga Jal Project is to provide better and more assured water supply in Agra.
  
  
• Gangajal project aims to bring 140 cusecs of Ganga water to Agra from Palra headworks in Bulandshahr's Upper Ganga canal.
  
  
• This will help meet the drinking water demands in the city.
  
  
• Agra is mainly dependent on the Yamuna River for water. Yamuna water, being highly polluted with toxins, needs to be diluted by Ganga water.
  
  

About:

• Background: In 2015, the government launched the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS).
  
  
• Objective: The purpose of the scheme is to mobilise gold held by households and institutions of the country and facilitate its use for productive purposes, and in long run, reduce the country’s reliance on import of gold.
  
  
• Features:
  • GMS is in the nature of a term deposit in gold. The scheme allows banks' customers to deposit their idle gold holdings for a fixed period in return for interest in the range of 2.25-2.50 per cent.
    
    
  • Eligible depositor can deposit their gold in the Medium & Long Term Govt. Deposit (MLTGD) Scheme. The Medium Term Government Deposit (MTGD) can be made for 5-7 years and Long Term Government Deposit (LTGD) for 12-15 Years.
    
    
  • The deposit will be accepted by the Bank on behalf of the Central Government.
    
    
  
  
  
• Recent changes: Apart from individual and joint depositors, the scheme could now be availed by charitable institutions, the Central government, the State government or any other entity owned by the Central government or the State government, the RBI said in a notification.
  
  

About:

• The Future of Consumption in Fast-Growth Consumer Markets, a project in collaboration with Bain & Company, focuses on the emerging markets that comprise more than 40% of the world’s population.
  
  
• After studying China in 2017, for 2018 it turned its attention to India.
  
  

Highlights of the report:

• Consumer spending: India is set to become the world's third largest consumer market behind only USA and China by 2030. Consumer spending in India is expected to grow from 1.5 trillion US dollar at present to six trillion US dollar by 2030.
  
  
• Middle class: Nearly 80% of households in 2030 will be middle-income, up from about 50% today. The middle class will drive 75% of consumer spending in 2030. Growth of the middle class will lift nearly 25 million households out of poverty.
  
  
• Digitally influenced consumption will become the norm. By 2030, more than 40% of all purchases will be highly digitally influenced, up from 20-22% today.
  
  
• Over the next decade, consumption in fast-growth consumer markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia will be reshaped by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
  
  

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA):

• The ELISA is an immunological assay (analytical procedure) commonly used to measure antibodies, antigens, proteins and glycoproteins in biological samples.
  
  
• Some examples include diagnosis of HIV infection, pregnancy tests ETC.
  
  

Glanders:

• Glanders is a fatal infectious disease of equines including horses, donkeys and mules.
  
  
• The disease is caused by a bacterium known as Burkholderia mallei and has zoonotic potential. The organism is also considered as potential bio-weapon and categorized under ‘Tier 1 Select Agent’.
  
  
• Signs of glanders include the formation of nodular lesions in the lungs and ulceration of the mucous membranes in the upper respiratory tract.
  
  

Equine infectious anaemia (EIA) is a chronic and persistent infectious disease of equines caused by a retrovirus.Equine infectious anaemia (EIA):

• EIA is also known as swamp fever.
  
  
• Symptoms include high fever, anemia (due to the breakdown of red blood cells), weakness, swelling of the lower abdomen and legs. The horse may die suddenly.
  
  
• It is a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) notifiable disease.
  
  

Recent discovery:

• Researchers at the University of Arizona said they had discovered a protein unique to female mosquitoes which is critical for their young to hatch.
  
  
• When the scientists blocked the protein, the females laid eggs with defective shells causing the embryos inside to die.
  
  
• It’s an important discovery as developing drugs which targeted the protein could provide a way to reduce mosquito populations without harming beneficial insects such as bees.
  
  
• The discovery could lead to the development of a new generation of insecticides in five years. These could then be applied onto bed nets.
  
  

Mosquitoes:

• The Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes are one of the world’s deadliest animals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) which has warned that global progress against malaria is stalling.
  
  
• The Malaria disease infected around 216 million people in 2016, killing 445,000 of them, predominantly babies and young children in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
• Other diseases spread by mosquitoes include Zika, Chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile virus and dengue, which has risen 30-fold in recent decades, according to the WHO.
  
  
• However, the scientists did not want to eradicate the insect, which is a pollinator.
  
  

About:

• Objective: The Campaign aims to discover and celebrate the exceptional achievements of India women across the globe, who have used the power of social media to run positive & niche campaigns to steer a change in society.
  
  
• Agencies involved: for this campaign, Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has partnered with Breakthrough and Twitter India.
  
  
• Features of the campaign:
  • The Campaign invites Entries via Nominations from across the world. Indian-origin women, working or settled anywhere in the world, are eligible for nomination.
    
    
  • Nominations have been invited in a large number of categories including Health, Media, Literature, Art, Sports, Environmental protection, fashion among others.
    
    
  • Nominations are now open till 31st January, 2019.
    
    
  • The shortlisted entries will be open for public voting on Twitter and the finalists will be selected by a specialized panel of judges.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Objective: It is a proposed diplomatic initiative to address the lingering conflicts and mistrust in the Gulf region,
  
  
• Need of a forum: He said that such a platform is a must in the Persian Gulf region which has witnessed many wars in the last 4 decades; from Saddam Hussein’s aggression against Iran and later against Kuwait, to US operations and finally to the humanitarian nightmare in Yemen.
  
  

• Proposed Mandate: The proposed forum can look into the inviolability of international boundaries; non-interference in internal affairs of others; the peaceful settlement of disputes; the unacceptability of threats or use of force, and the promotion of peace and prosperity in the region.
  
  
• Criteria: He said that dialogue among countries is possible based on definitions provided in the Global Agenda on Dialogue among Civilizations adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in
  
  
• Comment:
  • The announcement of Persian Gulf Regional Dialogue Forum is significant as it comes in the wake of continued erosion of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which in the recent years has been divided between the Iranian and the Saudi spheres.
    
    
  • The proposal is among the set of fresh initiatives that Iran has taken in recent months that also included Iran connecting with the Taliban for peace talks.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Implementing agency: The KIP is a 25-day orientation programme organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the states of India.
  
  
• Objective: To make Indian origin youth (between 18-30 years) aware about India, its cultural heritage, art and to familiarize them with various aspects of contemporary India.
  
  
• Background: The programme has been in existence since 2003.
  
  
• Salient features:
  • In 2016, the scheme was revamped to increase duration from 21 to 25 days, with a 10-day visit to one or two States and preference given to PIOs from Girmitiya countries.
    
    
  • Since 2016, six KIPs are being organised in a year.
    
    
  • A maximum of 40 Indian Diaspora youth are selected for each programme and provided full hospitality in India.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Private FM channels can now carry All India Radio (AIR) News free of cost on trial basis up to 31st May of 2019.
  
  
• News Services Division of All India Radio has permitted its news bulletins in English and Hindi to be carried in unaltered form by Private FM Channels as per certain terms and conditions.
  
  
• The Private FM Broadcasters will have to carry AIR News bulletins either simultaneously or deferred live by not more than 30 minutes.
  
  
• Nearly one hundred private FM radio stations have registered to carry All India Radio News bulletins.
  
  
• President, Association of Radio Operators of India, thanked the Government for accepting the long-standing demand of private radio broadcasters to present news on their platform.
  
  
• Significance:
  • Although Akashwani already has its own FM channels such as FM gold and FM Rainbow, but the private channels are huge in number and all across the country.
    
    
  • By getting All India Radio news on their platform, government is reaching a new demographic and that is very, very significant.
    
    
  • A common citizen can now listen to news in any FM channel. This step is a collaborative effort of bringing together all the Radio Stations of India to inform, educate and empower people.
    
    
  • Public Service Broadcaster also plays a key role in taking the Governments schemes to the beneficiaries.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Objective: To regulate the use of DNA technology for establishing the identity of missing persons, victims, offenders, under trials and unknown deceased persons.
  
  
• Bodies established by the bill:
  • A National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks. Every Data Bank will maintain the: (i) crime scene index, (ii) suspects’ or undertrials’ index, (iii) offenders’ index, (iv) missing persons’ index, and (v) unknown deceased persons’ index.
    
    
  • A DNA Regulatory Board. Every DNA laboratory that analyses a DNA sample to establish the identity of an individual, has to be accredited by the Board.
    
    
  
  
  
• Other features of the bill:
  • Written consent by individuals is required to collect DNA samples from them. Consent is not required for offences with punishment of more than 7 years of imprisonment or death. 
    
    
  • DNA profiles of suspects can be removed on filing of a police report or court order, and of undertrials on the basis of a court order.
    
    
  
  
  
• Significance: The Bill will add value in empowering the criminal justice delivery system by enabling the application of DNA evidence, which is considered the gold standard in crime investigations.
  
  

About:

• The new planet named HD 21749b, orbits a bright, nearby dwarf star about 53 light years away in the constellation Reticulum.
  
  
• The surface of the new planet is likely around 300 degrees Fahrenheit and is relatively cool, given its proximity to its star, which is almost as bright as the sun.
  
  
• HD 21749b journeys around its star in 36 days, compared to the two other planets discovered by Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) yet –
  • Pi Mensae b, a "super-Earth" with a 6.3-day orbit, and
    
    
  • LHS 3844b, a rocky world that speeds around its star in just 11 hours.
    
    
  
  
  
• The planet is about three times the size of Earth, which puts it in the category of a "sub-Neptune".
  
  
• It's more likely made of gas, of a kind that is much denser than the atmospheres of either Neptune or Uranus.
  
  
• It appears to have the longest orbital period of the three planets so far identified by TESS.
  
  
• Launched in April 2018 for a two-year mission, TESS will survey nearly the entire sky by monitoring and piecing together overlapping slices of the night sky.
  
  

About:

• Jal Charcha is the monthly magazine of the Ministry for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
  
  
• Objective of the magazine is to share bring best practices in water sector at the national level and to create water consciousness in the minds of the people of the country.
  
  
• Jal Charcha is the third magazine being published by the Ministry.
  • The first is Namami Gangeby National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
    
    
  • The second is Jalanshby Central Water Commission (CWC).
    
    
  
  
  

Profiteering:

• Profiteering means unfair profit realized by traders by manipulating prices, tax rate adjustment etc.
  
  
• In the context of the newly launched GST, profiteering means that traders are not reducing the prices of the commodities when the GST Council reduces the tax rates of commodities and services.
  
  

National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA):

• Type of body: It has been constituted under Section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
  
  
• Objective: To ensure that any reduction in GST rates is passed on to the consumers by a commensurate reduction in the price of goods and services.
  
  
• Functions:
  • It will identify GST taxpayers who have not passed on such benefits by reducing prices.
    
    
  • In the event of a taxpayer not reducing prices, the NAPA may order a reduction in prices, impose penalties or cancel the registration of a person.
    
    
  
  
  
• Structure: The NAA will be headed by a senior officer of the level of Secretary to the Government of India. There will be four Technical Members from the Centre and/or the States.
  
  
• Tenure: The NAPA will cease to exist two years after the Chairman takes charge, unless the GST Council recommends otherwise.
  
  

About:

• Terms of reference: To review the existing status of digitisation of payments in the country, identify the current gaps in the ecosystem and suggest ways to bridge them.
  
  
• Composition:
  • The panel will be headed by Nandan Nilekani.
    
    
  • Former Deputy Governor of RBI H.R. Khan, former Vijaya Bank MD and CEO Kishore Sansi, former Secretary of IT Aruna Sharma and Sanjay Jain, Chief Innovation Officer, IIM Ahmedabad, are the other members of the panel.
    
    
  
  
  
• The committee will submit its report in 90 days from its first meeting.
  
  

About:

• What is it?
  • Tokenisation involves a process in which a unique token masks sensitive card detail.
    
    
  • The token is then used to perform card transactions in contact-less mode at Point of Sale (POS) terminals, Quick Response (QR) code payments, etc.
    
    
  
  
  
• Indian Scenario:
  • The RBI has allowed card payment networks to offer card tokenisation services to any token requestor, that is, a third-party app provider.
    
    
  • A card holder can avail of these services by registering the card on the token requestor’s app and after giving ‘explicit consent’.
    
    
  • However, RBI has made it clear that no charges should be recovered from the customer for availing this service.
    
    
  
  
  

Chief Economist of the IMF:

• The Economic Counsellor of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is often called the Chief Economist of the IMF
  
  
• The chief economist is also the Director of the Fund's Research Department and is responsible for providing independent advice to the Fund on its policy issues and managing all research done at IMF.
  
  

Gita Gopinath:

• Gita Gopinath, aged 47 is an Indian-American economist. She is the John Zwaanstra professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University.
  
  
• She is the 11^th chief economist of the IMF. She succeeds Maurice (Maury) Obstfeld as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF’s Research Department.
  
  
• She is the second person of Indian origin after Raghuram Rajan, to serve as the chief economist of IMF.
  
  

About:

• The bill allows 10 % reservation in direct recruitments in government jobs and admission to higher educational institutions for the economically backward section in the general category.
  
  
• The 10% reservation will be over and above the existing 50 % reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBC) stipulated by the Supreme Court.
  
  
• The bill amends the Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution for implementing the decision.
  
  
• Eligibility:
  • The reservation is for those castes who presently do not avail reservation in any category.
    
    
  • The reservation benefit is likely to be availed by those whose annual income is below eight lakh rupees, people who own less than five acres of Agricultural land and people who own a house measuring less than 1,000 sq. ft.
    
    
  
  
  
• Beneficiaries:
  • The bill is expected to benefit a huge section of upper castes, including Brahmins, Rajputs (Thakurs), Jats, Marathas and Bhumihars and trading castes such as Kapus and Kammas.
    
    
  • The Bill will also cover those from the Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and other minority communities.
    
    
  
  
  

Salient Features of the Bill:

• The Bill seeks to facilitate acquisition of citizenship by 6 identified minority communities (namely Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis) from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who came to India before 31st Dec., 2014.
  
  
• The minimum residency period for citizenship is being reduced from existing 12 years under the present law to 7 years.
  
  
• The Union Home Minister clarified that the Act is not confined to the State of Assam. The Bill will apply to all States and Union Territories of the country. The beneficiaries of Citizenship Amendment Bill can reside in any state of the country.
  
  

Comment:

• Union Home Minister said the six communities faced “discrimination and religious persecution” and they “have no place to go, except India.”
  
  
• However, there has been a strong resistance to the Bill in Assam who fear it would pave the way for granting citizenship mostly to illegal Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, who came after March 1971, in violation of the 1985 Assam Accord.
  
  
• In this background opposition parties have opposed the Bill and demanded that it should be sent to a select committee.
  
  

About:

• National Cadet Corps (NCC) is a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force, engaged in grooming the youth into disciplined and patriotic citizens.
  
  
• Working:
  • It is a voluntary organization which recruits cadets from high schools, colleges and universities all over India.
    
    
  • The Cadets are given basic military training in small arms and parades. They are given preference in military service over normal candidates during selections.
    
    
  
  
  
• Background: It came into existence in 1948 under the National Cadet Corps Act, 1948.
  
  
• Related Ministries: Defence Ministry deals with NCC at the National level. Education Ministry deals with NCC in all States.
  
  
• Directorate General NCC: It is the national level HQ located at New Delhi. It is headed by the Director General (DG), an Army Officer of the rank of Lieutenant General.
  
  

NCC Republic Day Camp 2019:

• A total of 2,070 Cadets from all States/UTs are participating in this Camp, which would be culminated with the Prime Minister’s Rally on January 28, 2019.
  
  
• Under it, cadets will be participating in a number of activities, like cultural programmes, national integration awareness and institutional training competitions.
  
  

About:

• India is 3^rd largest energy consumer in the world and likely to have one of the fastest growing energy demands of the world in the coming years.
  
  
• To meet this growing demand, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has taken various initiatives to accelerate the Exploration and Production (E&P) activities in India.
  
  
• The Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) replacing the erstwhile New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) was approved in 2016. The licensing programme under HELP adopts the Revenue Sharing Model.
  
  
• The Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) along with the National Data Repository (NDR) were launched in June 2017. OALP envisages six monthly periodic bidding rounds starting from July 1, 2017.
  • The first bidding round under OALP (Bid Round I) was launched in January 2018 and closed in May 2018 and 55 blocks covering 59,282 sq. km. area were awarded in October 2018.
    
    
  • In the second bidding round under OALP (Bid Round II), 14 E&P blocks, with an area of approximately 30,000 sq. km., are being offered for bidding to the investor community.
    
    
  • The Government is also in advanced stages of finalizing the OALP Bid Round III.
    
    
  
  
  
• With this successful roll out of the HELP/OALP regimes, together with the National Data Repository (NDR), the Government has achieved a massive addition to the exploration acreage of India.
  
  

About:

• Objective: According to government, Leprosy is a curable disease and the Amendment Bill is aimed at eliminating leprosy as a ground for dissolution of marriage or divorce.
  
  
• 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.
  • 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:

• Union Cabinet has approved 10 % reservation in direct recruitments in government jobs and admission to higher educational institutions for the economically backward section in the general category.
  
  
• Eligibility:
  • The reservation is for those castes who presently do not avail reservation in any category.
    
    
  • The reservation benefit is likely to be availed by those whose annual income is below eight lakh rupees, people who own less than five acres of Agricultural land and people who own a house measuring less than 1,000 sq. ft.
    
    
  • The Bill will also cover those from the Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and other minority communities.
    
    
  
  
  
• The government is likely to bring a constitutional amendment bill in Parliament soon as the quota will be over and above the existing 50 % reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBC). Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution will have to be amended for implementation of the decision.
  
  

About:

• President Mohammad Abdul Hamid administered the oath of office to 71-year-old Sheikh Hasina at the Bangabhaban in Dhaka.
  
  
• Awami League and its allies secured 288 seats out of elections held for 299-member Parliament recently.
  
  
• It is her fourth term in office.
  • She was first elected prime minister in 1996 but lost the 2001 contest.
    
    
  • She returned to power after winning the December 2008 polls by landslide and has been in power ever since.
    
    
  
  
  
• Hasina has presided over record economic growth in the South Asian country of 165 million people but critics have accused her of creeping authoritarianism.
  • To her supporters, she is known as Bangladesh's “mother of humanity” for allowing in hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in 2017.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Location: Chabahar is located in the Sistan, Baluchistan province of Iran in the Gulf of Oman.
  
  
• Ports: Chabahar Port project consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths.
  
  
• Significance for India:
  • The port is being considered as a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian countries, besides increasing trade among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi.
    
    
  • Developing the port is understood to be a major breakthrough for India's trade with West Asia.
    
    
  • It gives India a foothold in the western Arabian Sea, which is important as many of its energy imports pass through the route.
    
    
  
  
  

Recent development:

• The Government of India took over the operations of a part of Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar in Iran during the Chabahar Trilateral Agreement meeting held there on the 24th of December 2018.
  
  
• The heads of Indian, Iranian and Afghanistan delegation jointly inaugurated the office of the Indian SPV - India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), at Chabahar.
  
  
• The physical take-over of the terminal area, cargo handling equipment and Office building was completed by 29th December 2018. Commercial operations began at IPGCFZ with the arrival of a vessel on 30^th December 2018.
  
  
• This is the first time India will be operating a port outside its territories.
  
  

Salient Features:

Salient features of the proposed draft National Policy on Domestic Workers are as under –

• Inclusion of Domestic Workers in the existing legislations
  
  
• Domestic workers will have the right to register as unorganized workers. Such registration will facilitate their access to rights & benefits.
  
  
• Right to form their own associations/unions
  
  
• Right to minimum wages, access to social security
  
  
• Right to enhance their skills
  
  
• Protection of Domestic Workers from abuse and exploitation
  
  
• Domestic Workers to have access to courts, tribunals for grievance redressal
  
  
• Establishment of a mechanism for regulation of private placement agencies.
  
  
• Establishment of a grievance redressal system for domestic workers.
  
  

Other steps taken for domestic workers:

• In several States, trade unions have been registered exclusively for domestic workers.
  
  
• Domestic Workers Sector Skills Council has been established under Ministry of Skills Development to enable professionalization of domestic workers.
  
  
• Domestic Workers have also been included as a specific category of workers in the Sexual Harassment of women at workplace Act, 2013.
  
  
• Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008, provides social security relating to life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection to the unorganised workers including domestic workers.
  
  

About:

• The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) are fully residential schools for talented rural children.
  
  
• Navodaya is the only education system in the country where students give entrance examination for admission into Class 6.
  
  
• These are managed and run by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).
  
  
• At present the number of seats in JNVs, residential schools, are 46600. The addition of 5000 seats will mean availability of 51000 seats from AY 2019-20.
  
  

About:

• Credibility of Research Publications is extremely important because it has a direct impact upon the individual, institutional and National image.
  
  
• With an aim to strengthen the University Grants Commission (UGC) approved list of journals, the UGC, in November 2018, decided to establish a Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (CARE).
  
  
• The good quality Research Journals in disciplines under Social Sciences, Humanities, Languages, Arts, Culture, Indian Knowledge Systems etc., will be maintained by CARE and referred to as ‘CARE Reference List of Quality Journals’.
  
  
• This will be used for all academic purposes.
  
  
• The ‘CARE Reference List of Quality Journals’ will be regularly updated and published by the UGC and the Members of the Consortium at their respective websites.
  • UGC has constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Prof. P. Balram, to review its quality mandate relating to promotion of Research and to review the existing M. Phil/ Ph. D Regulations.
    
    
  
  
  

Harivarasanam:

• 'Harivarasanam' is a Malayalam devotional song written in eight stanzas, called 'Ashtakam'.
  
  
• It was written by Kambakudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer, a guruswami, in 1947.
  
  
• It is recited at Sabarimala (the principal Ayyappan pilgrimage site), before closing the temple door every night.
  
  

Harivarasanam Award:

• The award has been jointly instituted by the Kerala state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board.
  
  
• The award comprises a cash prize of ₹1,00,000 and citation.
  
  
• The award is given to a person for their contribution to propagate the spirit of secularism, equanimity, and universal brotherhood of Sabarimala through the songs.
  
  
• Singers K J Yesudas, M Jayachandran, S P Balasubramanyam, Gangai Amaran, M G Sreekumar and K S Chitra are among earlier winners of the award instituted in 2012.
  
  
• The award will be presented to her at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on January 14.