Findings of recent study:

• Analysis of data from the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey 2018-19, shows that just 26% of rural households use the twin-pit system to dispose of excreta from their toilets.
  • Uttar Pradesh, which tops the list with 64% of toilets with twin pits, had made the technology mandatory for anyone who wanted government’s ₹12,000 subsidy to build toilets.
    
    
  • Jharkhand, second on the list, has almost 58% of its toilets connected to twin pits.
    
    
  
  
  
• Septic tanks are the most popular option, with 28% of toilets connected to a septic tank with a soak pit and 6% to a tank without a soak pit.
  
  
• The waste from the remainder of rural toilets will be harmful to health and the environment, and even push a new generation into manual scavenging.
  
  
• A 2018 survey of 30 cities and towns in Uttar Pradesh by the Centre for Science and Environment found that 87% of toilet waste is dumped into water bodies and farm lands.
  
  

About: 

• Coverage: The study, held between 2014 and 2018 focusing on three deltas Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna Delta (India and Bangladesh) Volta (Ghana) and Mahanadi (India) looks into the aspect of climate change, adaptation and migration in these deltas. In India, the study covered 51 blocks of districts of South and North 24 Parganas. 
  
  
• Migration in Indian Bengal Delta: 
  • 64% of people migrate because of economic reasons, unsustainable agriculture, lack of economic opportunities and debt; 28 % of the migration from the region is for social reasons and about 7% for environmental reasons like cyclones and flooding. 
    
    
  • There is huge gender disparity among those migrating from the region. Of the people migrating, 83% are men and only 17 % are women. Most of the men migrate due to economic reasons, women do so, driven by mostly social factors. 
    
    
  • Most migrants are young, in the age group of 20-30 years. 
    
    
  • 51% of migration from the Indian Bengal Delta is to other areas of the State particularly to Kolkata, 10% to Maharashtra, 9% to Tamil Nadu, 7% Kerala and 6% to Gujarat. 
    
    
  • 57% of migration is seasonal, where people move once or twice a year; 19% is circular where those migrating move thrice a year irrespective of reasons and 24% permanent where people intend to stay for at least six months in the place they are migrating to. 
    
    
  • One of the reasons for migration is failed adaptation in the areas which are under stress due to climate change. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Vulnerable areas: The areas of Gosaba, Basanti, Kultali, Sagar, Kakdwip, Namkhana, Canning and Mathurapur (all in South 24 Parganas) have high levels of agriculture dependency and so are sensitive to climate hazards such as flood and salinity. 
  
  

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013: 

• The Act allows for setting up of anti-corruption ombudsman called Lokpal at the Centre. A Lokayukta is to be appointed in every state within one year of the passing of the Act (but several states are yet to appoint such an institution). 
  
  
• Composition: The Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members. 
  • Chairperson should have been a Chief Justice of India, or is or has been a judge of the Supreme Court, or an eminent person who fulfils eligibility criteria as specified. 
    
    
  • 50% of the members are to be judicial members, provided that not less than 50% of the members belong to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, minorities, and women. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Inquiry Wing: Lokpal will have an Inquiry Wing for conducting preliminary inquiry into any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. 
  
  
• Prosecution Wing: It will also have a Prosecution Wing for the prosecution of public servants in relation to any complaint by the Lokpal under this Act. 
  
  
• Jurisdiction of Lokpal: It covers a wide range of public servants — from the Prime Minister (PM), ministers and MP, to groups A – D officers of the central government including the chairperson and members of the Lokpal. However, there are some exceptions for PM: 
  • Lokpal cannot inquire allegations against the PM relating to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space. 
    
    
  • Also, complaints against the PM are not to be probed unless the full Lokpal bench considers the initiation of inquiry and at least 2/3rds of the members approve it. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• In fact, 149 political parties were registered with the poll panel between February and March on the eve of the announcement of the poll schedule. 
  
  
• These registered but unrecognised political parties do not have the privilege of contesting elections on a fixed symbol of their own. They have to choose from a list of ‘free symbols’ issued by the poll panel. 
  
  
• To become a recognised political party either at the state or national level, a party has to secure certain minimum percentage of polled valid votes or certain number of seats in the state legislative assembly or the Lok Sabha during the last election. 
  
  

Steps taken: 

• There have been fears that most of such registered but unrecognised political parties are used to ‘round trip’ the black money into white by misusing the provisions for financial contributions to political parties. 
  
  
• Thus the Election Commission had in 2016 asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes to look into the finances of 255 registered but unrecognised political parties it had “unlisted” that year for not contesting polls in the last one decade between 2005 and 2015. 
  
  
• While the poll watchdog has the mandate to register a political party, the electoral laws denies it the power to deregister any party. 
  
  
• Thus, the Commission had used its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution to “unlist” parties for being dormant and not contesting elections for a long time. 
  
  

About: 

• Full form: Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX 19). 
  
  
• Features: This is the largest War Game of the Indian Navy. About 60 ships of the Indian Navy, 12 ships of the Indian Coast Guard and 60 aircraft were part of TROPEX 19. 
  
  
• Objective: The lessons learnt from the exercise will provide the planners accurate assessments to fine tune force structuring requirements, operational logistics and training imperatives. 
  
  
• Timeline: 
  • The exercise had commenced 07 January 2019 with Tri-services Amphibious Exercise in the A & N islands with participation of Army and Air Force. 
    
    
  • This was followed by the largest Coastal Defence Exercise code named SEA VIGIL' on 22-23 January 2019 with participation of all 13 Coastal States and UTs. 
    
    
  • TROPEX 19 was planned to be terminated by 10 March 2019. However, the JEM sponsored terrorist attack on the CRPF convoy in Pulwama on 14 February led to the rapid redeployment of the Indian Navy for Operations in North Arabian sea. 
    
    
  
  
  

Project 75: 

• Six Scorpene class submarines are being built under Project 75. 
  
  
• The submarines are designed by French naval defence and energy group DCNS and manufactured by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL), Mumbai under a 2005 contract worth $3.75 billion. 
  
  
• Status of submarines: 
  • INS Kalvari: It was commissioned in December 2017 by PM Narendra Modi. 
    
    
  • INS Khanderi: It was launched in January 2017, is currently undergoing series of trials and is expected to be commissioned by May 2019. 
    
    
  • INS Karanj: It was launched on 31^st January 2018. 
    
    
  • Vela, Vagir and Vagsheer: The remaining three submarines are in the series are in advanced stages of manufacturing and trials. 
    
    
  • The entire project is expected to be completed by 2020. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Significance: 
  • Scorpene submarines can undertake various types of missions i.e Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc. 
    
    
  • The Scorpene class is the Navy’s first modern conventional diesel-electric submarine series in almost two decades, since INS Sindhushastra was procured from Russia in July 2000. 
    
    
  • The project was required because of the declining number of submarines in the Indian Navy and to replace the older Sindhughosh (Kilo) and Shishumar (U209) class of submarines. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Names: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is also known as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). 
  
  
• What is a TAVR? This minimally invasive surgical procedure repairs the valve without removing the old, damaged valve. Instead, it wedges a replacement valve into the aortic valve's place. 
  
  
• Working: 
  • Somewhat similar to a stent placed in an artery, the TAVR approach delivers a fully collapsible replacement valve to the valve site through a catheter. 
    
    
  • Once the new valve is expanded, it pushes the old valve leaflets out of the way and the tissue in the replacement valve takes over the job of regulating blood flow. 
    
    
  
  
  
• How is TAVR different from the standard valve replacement? 
  • Usually valve replacement requires an open heart procedure with a “sternotomy.”, in which the chest is surgically separated (open) for the procedure. 
    
    
  • The TAVR or TAVI procedures can be done through very small openings that leave all the chest bones in place. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Cyclones are known as typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean; hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean; tornados in the Guinea lands of West Africa and southern USA; willy-willies in north-western Australia and tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean.  
  
  
• Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often destructive air circulation. Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather. 
  
  
• The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere. 
  
  

Types: 

• Cyclones are classified as: (i) extra tropical cyclones; and (ii) tropical cyclones. 
  
  
• According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), ‘Tropical Cyclone’ covers weather systems in which winds exceed ‘Gale Force’ (minimum of 34 knots or 63 kph). 
  
  
• Extra tropical cyclones (also called temperate cyclones) occur in temperate zones and high latitude regions, though they are known to originate in the Polar Regions. 
  
  

About: 

• Manohar Parrikar (1955 – 2019) was an Indian politician and leader of Bharatiya Janata Party. 
  
  
• He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay). He was the first IIT alumnus to serve as MLA of an Indian state. 
  
  
• He was Chief Minister of Goa from 2000 to 2005, then from 2012 to 2014 and finally from 14 March 2017 till his death. 
  
  
• He served in the National Democratic Alliance government as Defence Minister of India from 2014 to 2017. His tenure witnessed the cross-border surgical strike of 2016 and the negotiations of the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal by the NDA government. 
  
  
• He is India's 18th Chief Minister to Die While in Office. Before Mr Parrikar, 17 Chief Ministers including Tamil Nadu's J Jayalalitha, Jammu and Kashmir's Sheikh Abdullah and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and Andhra Pradesh's YS Rajasekhara Reddy died in office. 
  
  

About: 

• The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP’s) governing body. It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. 
  
  
• Established in: 2012. 
  
  
• Membership: UNEA enjoys the universal membership of all 193 UN Member States and the full involvement of major groups and stakeholders. 
  
  
• Sessions: It gathers ministers of environment in Nairobi, Kenya every 2 years. 
  
  
• UNEA-4: The fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) was recently held in Nairobi from 11-15 March 2019 with the theme "Innovative Solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable production and consumption". 
  
  

About: 

• Chavara Parukutty (1943 – 2019), from Kerala was an exponent of Kathakali. 
  
  
• She was one of the few women exponents of this overwhelmingly male tradition. She is regarded as the first woman to get inside the professional Kathakali circuit, breaking all barriers of patriarchy. 
  
  
• In 2003, she opened Kerala Natya Dhara, a school for dance at Sankaramangalam. 
  
  
• Awards: For her services to the art of Kerala, she was honoured with the Kerala Kalamandalam and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi awards. 
  
  

About: 

• Meaning: Under the Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Act 2008, any drug is deemed to be spurious or adulterated when its use for the treatment or prevention of any disease is likely to cause his death or is likely to cause such harm on his body. 
  
  
• Findings of the 54th Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers: 
  • India has been able to decide only 35 cases of the 606 prosecutions launched against the manufacture, sale and distribution of spurious drugs from 2015 to 2018. 
    
    
  • 593 samples were declared spurious or adulterated, while a total of 2,33,906 drug samples were tested during the three-year period. Considering the size of the country, this sample size is not adequate to measure the actual problem. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Recommendations by the Parliamentary Committee: 
  • Special courts should be opened in all states/UTs for time-bound decisions on prosecutions launched against manufacture, sale and distribution of spurious and non-standard quality drugs. 
    
    
  • Government should increase the number of samples of drugs to be tested so as to instill fear in those who indulges in sale/distribution of spurious/non-standard quality drugs. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Noise pollution is regulated under Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 notified under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. 
  
  
• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) is monitoring noise quality across the country under National Ambient Noise Programme (NANP). 
  
  
• CSIR have developed Firecrackers named as Safe Water Releaser (SWAS), Safe Minimal Aluminium (SAFAL) and Safe Thermite Cracker (STAR) which are Less air and noise Polluting. 
  
  

Timeline of RBI's February 12 Circular: 

• February 12, 2018: RBI releases revised circular on Resolution of Stressed Assets. 
  
  
• August 2018: Power Producers Association, Sugar and Shipping companies move High Court against circular; Allahabad High Court refuses to stay RBI February 12 circular; asks RBI and the government to hold consultations. 
  
  
• September 2018: The government uses never-before-used section 7 to hold consultations with RBI on February 12 circular among other issues. 
  
  
• September 2018: Supreme Court stays RBI February 12 circular for power, sugar and shipping companies until ruling in the matter. 
  
  
• February 2019: New RBI governor Shaktikant Das re-iterates RBI stand, says no plan to tweak circular. 
  
  
• Present status: The matter is sub-judice and the Supreme Court has reserved its orders on the matter. 
  
  

Sunspot cycle: 

• The amount of magnetic flux that rises up to the Sun's surface varies with time in a cycle called the solar cycle. This cycle lasts 11 years on average. This cycle is sometimes referred to as the sunspot cycle. 
  
  
• Near the minimum of the solar cycle, it is rare to see sunspots on the Sun, and the spots that do appear are very small and short-lived. During "solar maximum", there will be sunspots visible on the Sun almost all the time, and some of those spots will be very large and last several weeks. 
  
  

Sunspots: 

• Sunspots are regions where the solar magnetic field is very strong. 
  
  
• In visible light, sunspots appear darker than their surroundings because they are a few thousand degrees cooler than their surroundings. 
  
  
• Sunspots do not appear everywhere on the Sun. They are usually concentrated in two bands, about 15 - 20 degrees wide in latitude, that go around the Sun on either side of the solar equator. 
  
  

FIFA: 

• Full name: The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Its English translation is 'International Federation of Association Football'. 
  
  
• Mandate: 
  • It is an organization which describes itself as an international governing body of association football, futsal, beach soccer, and eFootball. 
    
    
  • FIFA is responsible for the organization of football's major international tournaments, notably the men’s World Cup and Women's World Cup. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Established in: 1904. 
  
  
• Membership: 211 national associations. 
  
  

About: 

• Who are they? A Sherpa is a personal representative of the leader of a member country at an international Summit meeting such as the G8, G20, the Nuclear Security Summit etc. 
  
  
• Task: The Sherpa engages in planning, negotiation and implementation tasks through the Summit. They coordinate the agenda, seek consensus at the highest political levels, and participate in a series of pre-Summit consultations to help negotiate their leaders’ positions. 
  
  
• Who are appointed Sherpas? Sherpas are career diplomats or senior government officials appointed by the leaders of their countries. 
  
  
• Etymology: The term is derived from the Nepalese Sherpa people, who serve as guides for mountaineers in the Himalayas. 
  
  
• Sous Sherpas: There is only one Sherpa per Summit for each member country; he/she is assisted by several sous Sherpas. 
  
  

About: 

• The Election Commission has fixed a timeline on the release of manifestos by putting a prohibition of 48 hours before polling. 
  
  
• It has now been included as para-no. 4 under Part-VIII [Guidelines on Election Manifestos] in the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). 
  
  
• In case of single-phase election, manifesto shall not be released during the prohibitory period, as prescribed under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act. 
  
  
• During multi-phase polls, as will be the case in the Lok Sabha elections, the 48-hour restriction will apply before each polling date. 
  
  

About: 

• Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian Awards of the country conferred in three categories, namely – 
  • Padma Vibhushan: For Exceptional and distinguished service. 
    
    
  • Padma Bhushan: For Distinguished service of high order. 
    
    
  • Padma Shri: For distinguished service in any field. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Disciplines in which awarded: It is given for distinguished and exceptional achievements/service in all fields of activities/disciplines. 
  
  
• Eligibility: 
  • All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards. 
    
    
  • However, Government servants including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for these Awards. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Award committee: 
  • The nomination process is open to the public. Even self-nomination can be made. 
    
    
  • All nominations received for Padma Awards are placed before the Padma Awards Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, which is constituted by the PM every year. 
    
    
  • The recommendations of the committee are submitted to the PM and the President for approval. 
    
    
  • The awardees are then presented a certificate and a medallion. The recipients are also given a small replica of the medallion, which they can wear during any ceremonial/State functions etc., if the awardees so desire. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Clarification: 
  • The award does not amount to a title and cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardees’ name. 
    
    
  • The total number of awards to be given in a year (excluding posthumous awards and to NRI/foreigners/OCIs) should not be more than 120. 
    
    
  • The award is normally not conferred posthumously. However, in highly deserving cases, the Government could consider giving an award posthumously. 
    
    
  • A higher category of Padma award can be conferred on a person only after a gap of five years. However, in highly deserving cases, a relaxation can be made by the Awards Committee. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• The Supreme court hasn’t disturbed the findings of guilt made by the BCCI disciplinary committee against Sreesanth. Also, the order shall have no effect on criminal proceedings pending against the player. 
  
  
• Now, he will get an opportunity to be heard by BCCI’s disciplinary committee on the quantum of the punishment. 
  
  
• Arguments sighted in Favour of revoking life ban on him: 
  • If a life ban on the former India captain Azharuddin can be reversed, then why can’t the same be done for Sreesanth. Previously, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had declared the life ban imposed on Azharuddin in the wake of the Cronje-gate as illegal. 
    
    
  • The Indian Penal Code (IPC) doesn’t yet have spot-fixing and match-fixing in sport as an offence. The ‘offence of cheating’ doesn’t “adequately deal with issues of spot-fixing and match-fixing”. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• What is it? Triclosan, a antibacterial and antifungal agent, is an ingredient added to many consumer products intended to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. 
  
  
• Chemical structure and properties: Triclosan, a polychloro phenoxy phenol, is an chlorinated organic compound. It can be synthesized from 2,4-dichlorophenol. It is a white powdered solid with a slight aromatic, phenolic odour. 
  
  
• Application: It is added to some antibacterial soaps and body washes, toothpastes, and some cosmetics. 
  
  
• Safety concerns: According to some studies, exposure to high doses of triclosan is associated with a decrease in the levels of some thyroid hormones. It also contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics. 
  
  
• Indian scenario: 
  • In the late ’90s, triclosan was the main point for a marketing and advertising battle fought between Pepsodent and Colgate. It was a time when marketers flaunted the presence of triclosan in their products. 
    
    
  • Now, Colgate-Palmolive (India) has reformulated its premium toothpaste as New Colgate Total by replacing triclosan with zinc and arginine. 
    
    
  • Leading soap maker Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has already phased out triclosan from both its soaps/handwash and toothpaste products. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• This feature on YONO is designed to help its users withdraw cash without a physical debit card. 
  
  
• Benifits: The initiative will address their concern of using debit card at the ATMs for cash withdrawals by eliminating possible risk associated with it. 
  
  
• Working: 
  • With this facility, customers can initiate the cash withdrawal process on the YONO app and set a six-digit YONO Cash pin for the transaction. 
    
    
  • They will also get a six digit reference number for the transaction on their registered mobile number via SMS. 
    
    
  • The cash withdrawal has to be completed within the next 30 minutes at the nearest ATMs using both PIN and the reference number received. 
    
    
  
  
  

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis):  

• Surgical procedures aimed at improving the focusing power of the eye are called refractive surgery. 
  
  
• In LASIK surgery, precise and controlled removal of corneal tissue by a special laser reshapes the cornea changing its focusing power. 
  
  
• When performed on both eyes, the entire procedure of LASIK surgery takes about 20 minutes and can rid patients of the need to wear glasses or contact lenses. 
  
  

Recent development: 

• While LASIK has a very high success rate, virtually every procedure involves an element of guesswork, because doctors have no way to precisely measure the refractive properties of the eye. 
  
  
• Now an assistant professor with the University of Maryland in the US developed a microscopy technique using Brillouin spectroscopy – a light-scattering technology – that could allow doctors to perform LASIK using precise measurements of how the eye focuses light, instead of approximations. 
  
  

About: 

• Established in: 1952. 
  
  
• Parent Ministry: It is under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Labor and Employment. 
  
  
• Mandate: 
  • It is tasked to assist the Central Board of Trustees in implementing the following three schemes for the workforce engaged in the organized sector in India: (1) EPF Scheme 1952; (2) Pension scheme 1995 (EPS); and Insurance scheme (EDLI). 
    
    
  • It is also the nodal agency for implementing Bilateral Social Security Agreements with other countries on a reciprocal basis. 
    
    
  • In 2014, union government launched Universal Account Number (UAN)for Employees covered by EPFO to enable PF number portability. 
    
    
  
  
  

Recent development:

• The petitioners submitted that the demand for random verification in at least 50 % EVMs with VVPAT was in the interest of free and fair elections, which is part of the basic structure of the Constitution.
  
  
• A “50% randomised verification in each assembly constituency / assembly segment is a reasonable sample size to –
  • Remove the fears of the general public with regard to EVM tampering and;
    
    
  • be a statistically significant sample size to ensure that EVMs are working properly.
    
    
  
  
  
• It also asked the “competent authority of the Election Commission of India” to “depute a suitable officer to assist the court on the date fixed”. The matter will now be heard on March 25.
  
  

About: 

• Ivermectin is a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations such as head lice, scabies, river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis. 
  
  
• Working: It belongs to the avermectin family of medications. It works by causing the parasite's cell membrane to increase in permeability, resulting in paralysis and death. 
  
  
• History: Ivermectin was discovered in 1975 and came into medical use in 1981. 
  
  
• Status: It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. 
  
  

Recent study: 

• The drug, ivermectin, is already widely used to treat parasitic infections but had not previously been tested for its effects on malaria incidence. 
  
  
• The recent study showed that when people take ivermectin it makes their blood lethal to the mosquitoes that bite them, thereby reducing the likelihood that others will be bitten and infected. 
  
  
• Ivermectin could potentially be used in combination with other malaria control methods to protect more people. 
  
  

About: 

• Organized by:
  • The President's Secretariat in association with Department of Science & Technology/National Innovation Foundation-India.
    
    
  • The National Innovation Foundation was established in year 2000, with the assistance of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
    
    
  
  
  
• Venue: Till 2018, it had been hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This year it was decided to organise it outside Rashtrapati Bhavan. 
  
  
• When? Festival of Innovation (FOIN) is being organmized for the last four years in the month of March. In 2018, it was decided to organize Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE). 
  
  
• Objective: To provide a platform to the grassroots innovators for building the linkages with potential stakeholders whose support can improve their prospects in coming years for the larger social good. 
  
  

About: 

• Registration of Political parties is governed by the provisions of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. 
  
  
• A party seeking registration under the said Section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation as per guidelines prescribed by the Election Commission of India. 
  
  
• As per existing guidelines, the applicant association has to publish proposed Name of the party in two national daily news papers and two local daily newspapers for inviting objections, if any, with regard to the proposed registration of the party before the Commission within 30 days from such publication. 
  
  

About: 

• Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in India. 
  
  
• Function: To lay down Aviation Security Standards for civil flights at airports in India (in accordance with Chicago Convention of ICAO) and monitoring their implementation. 
  
  
• HQ: Delhi. 
  
  
• Administration: It is headed by an officer of the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) and is designated as Commissioner of Security (Civil Aviation). 
  
  
• History: It was initially set up as a Cell in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 1978 on the recommendation of the Pande Committee. In 1987 it was reorganized into an independent department under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. 
  
  

About: 

• Genus: West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne disease, is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae. 
  
  
• Vulnerable species: WNV is maintained in nature in a cycle involving transmission between birds and mosquitoes. Humans, horses and other mammals can be infected. 
  
  
• Distribution: WNV is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia. 
  
  
• History: West Nile Virus (WNV) was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937. Human infections attributable to WNV have been reported in many countries in the World for over 50 years. 
  
  
• Transmission: 
  • Human infection is most often the result of bites from infected mosquitoes. The virus may also be transmitted through contact with other infected animals, their blood, or other tissues. 
    
    
  • To date, no human-to-human transmission of WNV through casual contact has been documented. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Signs and symptoms: 
  • Approximately 80% of people who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms. 
    
    
  • About 20% of people who become infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease (also called neuroinvasive disease, such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis or West Nile poliomyelitis). 
    
    
  • West Nile virus can cause a fatal neurological disease and death in humans and horses. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Treatment and vaccine: 
  • Treatment is supportive for patients with neuro-invasive West Nile virus, often involving hospitalization, intravenous fluids, respiratory support. 
    
    
  • Vaccines are available for use in horses but not yet available for people. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• The low weight, fire and forget MPATGM incorporates many advanced features, including, image infrared radar (IIR) seeker with integrated avionics. The critical IIR seeker has been designed and developed at the Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat. 
  
  
• This follows the hat trick of sharp tests carried out on the short range guided Pinaka weapon system early in the week. 
  
  
• Both these weapons, developed indigenously by scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), were tested in the deserts of Pokhran in Rajasthan. 
  
  
• They enhance the hit and destruction capacity of the armed forces in short distance battle situations considerably. 
  
  

Special Olympics: 

• Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities. 
  
  
• Mandate: 
  • It provides year-round training and competitions to 5 million athletes and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. 
    
    
  • Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world—including local, national and regional competitions, adding up to more than 100,000 events a year. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Status: The organization is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 
  
  
• Established in: 1968. 
  
  
• Location: Washington, D.C., U.S. 
  
  

Special Olympics World Games: 

• The Special Olympics World Games is a major event put on by the Special Olympics dedicated to people with intellectual disabilities. 
  
  
• The World Games alternate between summer and winter games, in two-year cycles, recurring every fourth year. 
  
  
• The first games were held on July 20, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois. The first World Winter Games were held in 1977 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. 
  
  

2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games: 

• The 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games is a multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities. 
  
  
• It is being held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from March 14–21, 2019. 
  
  
• For the first time, the global sports event is being held in the Middle East and North Africa. 
  
  
• As many as 24 Olympic sports competitions will be carried out over a period of seven days, across nine venues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. 
  
  

Recent findings: 

• This finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal, increases the number of black holes known at that epoch considerably, and reveals, for the first time, how common they are early in the universe's history. 
  
  
• In addition, it provides new insight into the effect of black holes on the physical state of gas in the early universe in its first billion years. 
  
  

Supermassive black holes: 

• Supermassive black holes, found at the centres of galaxies, can be millions or even billions of times more massive than the Sun. While they are prevalent today, it is unclear when they first formed, and how many existed in the distant early universe. 
  
  
• A supermassive black hole becomes visible when gas accretes onto it, causing it to shine as a quasar. 
  
  

Kiriti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra: 

• The Kirti Chakra is awarded for conspicuous gallantry otherwise than in the face of the enemy. 
  
  
• The Shaurya Chakra is awarded for gallantry otherwise than in the face of the enemy. 
  
  
• Following categories of persons are eligible for the Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra: 
  • Officers and men and women of all ranks of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, of any of the Reserve Forces, of the Territorial Army, Militia and of any other lawfully constituted forces. 
    
    
  • Members of the Nursing Services of the Armed Forces. 
    
    
  • Civilian citizens of either sex in all walks of life and members of Police Forces including Central Para-Military Forces and Railway Protection Force. 
    
    
  
  
  

Bannerghatta National Park (BNP): 

• Location: 
  • Bannerghatta National Park is located near Bangalore, Karnataka in the hills of the Anekal range. 
    
    
  • The park is part of a wildlife corridor for elephants which connects the BR Hills and the Sathyamangalam forest. The park is contiguous with Talli reserve forest in the southeast and Bilikal forest in the south. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Recognition: 
  • It was declared as a National Park in 1974. 
    
    
  • In 2002 a portion of the park, became a biological reserve, the Bannerghatta Biological Park. It is the first biological park in India to have a fenced forested elephant sanctuary. 
    
    
  • In 2006, India's first butterfly enclosure was inaugurated at the park. 
    
    
  
  
  

Recent decision: 

• In the 33rd ESZ Expert Committee meeting of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) held on February 28, members recommended finalisation after ‘detailed deliberations’ of the November 5 draft notification which declared an ESZ area of 169 sq.km. around BNP. 
  
  
• This represents a 37% reduction from the first draft notification issued in 2016 which had marked an ESZ area of 268.9 sq.km. 
  
  
• The new ESZ will range from 100 metres (towards Bengaluru) to 1 kilometre (in Ramanagaram district) from the periphery of the protected area. 
  
  
• Final notification expected in four months. 
  
  

About: 

• The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will be commissioning a study to assess the climate risks faced by States in India. 
  
  
• Eventually it plans to have a climate portal, whereby users can zoom in on any district in the country and get a sense of what kind of risks — climate, socio-economic — are present. 
  
  
• This follows an assessment of the global warming risks faced by 12 Himalayan States that found States such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand vulnerable to climate change. 
  
  

About: 

• More than 1,800 IAS, IPS and IRS officials, besides some others from the Central services are being deployed as general, police and expenditure observers, in the coming Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls. 
  
  
• They have to ensure that no mistakes were committed in the process of conducting elections. 
  
  
• They will get all the important notifications, alerts, and urgent messages through the “Observer App”. It will help them get their deployment status, download the ID card and update their profile. 
  
  
• As the observers will be closely involved in real-time disposal of Model Code of Conduct and expenditure violation cases received through another mobile application “cVIGIL”, those details will also be available on the “Observer App.” 
  
  
• The observers can make a written observation after the flying squads have investigated the matter. 
  
  

About: 

• The supreme court was informed by Narasimha that former apex court judge Justice (retd) D K Jain has assumed charge as the ombudsman of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 
  
  
• The apex court had on February 21 appointed its former judge Justice Jain, as the first court-appointed ombudsman for BCCI. 
  
  
• The bench asked Narasimha to act as mediator in the cricket administration disputes. It also asked Narasimha to look into the dispute relating to release of funds by the court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) to various cricket associations. 
  
  
• Besides, it restrained all other courts in India from entertaining or proceeding with any matter pertaining to BCCI and state cricket associations.