About: 

• Globally, losses from ransomware attacks known as “WannaCry” and “NotPetya” rose by 60% last year to $8 billion, according to data compiled by the Internet Society’s Online Trust Alliance. 
  
  
• Earlier this year, services in the U.S. cities of Baltimore and Maryland were paralysed when a ransomware attack locked up computer networks.  
  
  
• Officials refused to meet hacker demands for a ransom of $76,000 to unlock the systems, but have been saddled with an estimated $18 million in costs of restoring and rebuilding the city’s computer networks. 
  
  
• The dilemma in such cases highlight tough choices faced by cities, hospitals and corporations hit by ransomware. While the security agencies warn against paying ransoms, some analysts say there is no clear answer for victims when critical data is locked. 
  
  

About: 

• Orchids of India: A Pictorial Guide was published recently by the Botanical Survey of India.
  
  
• It is the first comprehensive census of orchids of India.
  
  
• Key highlights:
  • The 1,256 species or taxa of orchids belong are found in India.
    
    
  • 388 species of orchids are endemic to India of which about one-third (128) endemic species are found in Western Ghats.
    
    
  • The publication also contains photographs of 775 species.
    
    
  • While north-east India rank at the top in species concentration, the Western Ghats have high endemism of orchids.
    
    
  • The highest number of orchid species is recorded from Arunachal Pradesh with 612 species, followed by Sikkim 560 species and West Bengal.
    
    
  • Among the 10 bio geographic zones of India, the Himalayan zone is the richest in terms of orchid species followed by Northeast, Western Ghats, Deccan plateau and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
    
    
  
  
  
• Categories:
  • Orchids can be broadly categorised into three life forms: (1) epiphytic, (2) terrestrial and (3) mycoheterotrophic.
    
    
  • About 757 species or 60% of all orchids found in the country are epiphytic, 447 are terrestrial and 43 are mycoheterotrophic.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• It was agreed to allow visa-free travel for the Indian passport-holders and OCI card-holders seven days a week. 
  
  
• Throughout the year, 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara per day. The pilgrims will be allowed to travel as individuals or in groups and also on foot. 
  
  
• There will be provision for a permit system for the pilgrims travelling through the religious corridor.
  
  
• India also urged Pakistan to allow ‘Nagar Kirtan’ from Delhi to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan in July and during October-November 2019 as part of the celebrations to mark the birth of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. 
  
  

ITSSO: 

• In February 2019, the Union Home Ministry launched an analytics tool — Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) to monitor and track time-bound investigation. 
  
  
• ITSSO is part of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) that connects over 15,000 police stations across the country. 
  
  

Recent analysis: Key Findings 

• According to the ITSSO analysis of crime data in the 7 States — Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh. Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand — investigation into nearly half the sexual offences cases are not being completed within the stipulated 60-day period. 
  
  
• To check sexual crimes against women and children, the Centre approved the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 last year which prescribed the time-limit for completion of investigation. 
  
  
• In many States, the fast-track courts designated to handle rape cases are also handling other criminal cases leading to delay in verdicts. 
  
  

About: 

• The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS), from Sultanganj to Kahalganj on the Ganga in Bihar is the only dolphin sanctuary in the country. Experts have pegged the population of the Ganges dolphin in VGDS from 150 to 200. 
  
  
• National Waterway-1 connecting Haldia to Varanasi passes through the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS). 
  
  
• Measures being taken by the Ministry of Shipping to safeguard the population of the Ganges River Dolphin in the VGDS: 
  • Vessel speed would be restricted to 2.7 knots in VGDS area to reduce the noise generation from propeller. 
    
    
  • lf any aquatic mammal/dolphin is spotted, then the measures will be taken to push it away through sirens/signals. 
    
    
  • Vessels to be fitted with propeller guards and dolphin deflectors to minimise dolphin accidents. 
    
    
  • Using non-toxic paints for painting vessels. 
    
    
  
  
  
• The mitigation measures are based on Comprehensive Environmental and Social lmpact Assessment (ESIA) study on National Waterway-I including on stretches falling within VGDS. 
  
  

About: 

• Objective: It aims to regulate rental housing by a market-oriented approach. 
  
  
• Features: 
  • The Model Act lays down the obligations of tenants and landlords.
    
    
  • It provides establishing Rent Court and Rent Tribunal to hear appeals and for matters connected” to rental housing.
    
    
  • It aim the creation of a rental housing stock for various income segments including migrants, formal and informal sector workers, students, and working professionals, mainly through private participation.
    
    
  • To unlock the vacant house it aims to bring transparency and accountability in the existing system of renting of premises and to balance the interests of both the property owner and tenant in a judicious manner.
    
    
  • The Act mandates that no person will let or take any rental premises without an agreement in writing, in both urban and rural areas.
    
    
  • The security deposit to be paid by the tenant should not exceed two months’ rent for residential property, and should be a minimum of one month’s rent for non-residential property.
    
    
  
  
  
• Need of Act:
  • The Model Act would bring 1.1 crore houses lying vacant (according to Census 2011) into the rental market, and would promote the growth of the rental housing segment.
    
    
  • The existing rent control laws are restricting the growth of rental housing and discourage owners from renting out their vacant houses due to fear of repossession.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Idlib Governorate is one of the province of Syria. It is situated in north-western Syria, bordering Turkey. 
  
  
• The Idlib area is dominated by Tahrir al-Sham, the jihadists formerly known as the Nusra Front.
  
  
• Proscribed as a terrorist group by the UN Security Council, the group has set aside past conflict with Turkish-backed rebels to defend northwest Syria. 
  
  
• While resisting government attacks, the insurgents have managed to carve out small advances of their own, drawing on ample stocks of guided anti-tank missiles that opposition and diplomatic sources say have been supplied by Turkey, Reuters reported. 
  
  

About:

• The Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) had filed claims for international arbitration before the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in 2012 after the Balochistan government rejected a leasing request from the company.
  
  
• The company had claimed 11.43 billion dollars in damages. The case between the Pakistan government and the company continued for seven years.
  
  
• The Reko Diq mine in Balochistan province of Pakistan is famous for its vast gold and copper reserves.
  
  

About:

• Established in: 2010.
  
  
• Established under: National Green Tribunal Act 2010. Consequent to enforcement of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, the National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995 and the National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 have been repealed.
  
  
• What is it? It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.
  
  
• Functions:
  • Effective disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of natural resources.
    
    
  • Enforcement of any legal right relating to environment.
    
    
  • Giving relief for damages to persons and property for related matters.
    
    
  
  
  
• Location: Initially, the NGT is proposed to be set up at five places of sittings and will follow circuit procedure for making itself more accessible.
  • New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal.
    
    
  • Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai shall be the other four place of sitting of the Tribunal.
    
    
  
  
  
• Composition: The NGT Act, 2010 provides for a Chairperson and a minimum of 10 Expert Members and equal number of Judicial Members.
  
  
• Powers:
  • The Tribunal has the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.
    
    
  • The Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.
    
    
  • The Tribunal is mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
    
    
  • The Tribunal has the original jurisdiction over all civil cases where a substantial question relating to environment, including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment is involved.
    
    
  • Appeal against any order of the Tribunal shall lie to the Supreme Court.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• In matters of antiques, the word means “the record of the ownership of a movable work of art”. 
  
  
• When provenance is unclear, museums and institutions of repute do not usually deal with such works of art. 
  
  
• Over 100 countries are signatories to the UNESCO 1970 convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit, export ad transport of ownership of cultural property.   
  
  
• For evidence of provenance, UNESCO relies on INTERPOL database of stole objects and national inventories. When an object is not listed, establishing its provenance becomes problematic. 
  
  

About: 

• In 2014 the fossil of Elektorornis chenguangi – a small bird which lived 99 million years ago, with a weird elongated toe – were discovered in Myanmar’s Hukawng Valley. 
  
  
• The preserved toe measures less than half an inch from knuckle to claw-tip, making it 41% longer than the next longest digit on the creature’s foot. 
  
  
• Its elongated toe structure has never been observed in other birds, living or extinct.
  
  
• Elektorornis chenguangi may have used the long, sensitive digit to probe cracks in trees for insects and grubs.
  
  

About: 

• Meaning: Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) allowed multiple users in different locations to access a single computer simultaneously through telephone lines.
  
  
• Compatible means that it could simulate the Fortran Monitor System, the batch OS previously run on the IBM 7090 and IBM 7094 mainframe computers on which CTSS ran.
  
  
• Time sharing means the system can allocate resources for two tasks or processes at once. This was a major advance, since earlier mainframes and computer systems only worked on one process at a time, in a linear fashion.
  
  
• Development: The Compatible Time Sharing System (CTSS) was developed at the MIT Computation Center in the 1960s and 1970s.
  
  
• Impact:
  • The design of the CTSS represents the beginning of the idea that operating systems can work on multiple threads or “multitask.”
    
    
  • Eventually, designs like CTSS gave way to more modern MS-DOS systems in the 1980s and on to modern Windows and OSx systems in use today.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• The Spektr-RG is a space observatory intended to observe black holes, neutron stars and magnetic fields. 
  
  
• It has been developed by Russia with Germany. 
  
  
• It was launched on a Proton-M rocket from the cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. 
  
  
• The Spektr-RG intends to replace the Spektr-R, known as the “Russian Hubble”, which Roskosmos lost control of in January. Spektr-R was launched in 2011 to observe black holes, neutron stars and magnetic fields. Its successor will take up similar duties.
  
  

About: 

• This is the second of the four codes that aim to merge 44 labour laws. 
  
  
• Objective: This proposal would enhance the coverage of the safety, health and working conditions provisions manifold as compared to the present scenario. 
  
  
• Features: 
  • 13 Central Labour Laws have been brought in ambit of New Code.
    
    
  • The Code enhances the ambit of provisions of safety, health, welfare and working conditions from existing about 9 major sectors to all establishments having 10 or more employees.
    
    
  • Any business entity with 10 or more workers will mandatorily be required to issue appointment letter and also get the medical check-up done annually for all its workers.
    
    
  • Also, women can voluntarily opt for working in night shift.
    
    
  • It has envisaged uniform threshold for welfare provisions such as crèche, canteen, first aid and welfare officer.
    
    
  • A part of the penalty for contravention of provisions leading to death or serious bodily injury to any person may be given to the victim or the legal heirs of the victim by the court.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Meaning: A government bond or sovereign bond is a form of debt that the government undertakes wherein it issues bonds with the promise to pay periodic interest payments and also repay the entire face value of the bond on the maturity date.
  
  
• Indian scenario: So far, the government of India has only issued bonds in the domestic market.
  
  

Recent development:

• Union Finance Minister announced in the Budget that the government plans to raise a portion of its gross borrowing from overseas markets.
  
  
• The government and RBI will reportedly finalise the plans for the overseas issue of sovereign bonds by September.
  
  

Benefits of an overseas bond issue:

• The overseas borrowing programme allows the government to maintain its gradual reduction of the fiscal deficit.
  
  
• Borrowing overseas allows the government to raise funds in such a way that there is enough domestic credit available for the private sector.
  
  
• This would also have a beneficial impact on the demand for government securities in the India.
  
  

Risks involved:

• India might follow the path of some Central and South American countries such as Mexico and Brazil. In the 1970s, several of these countries borrowed heavily overseas. But then, when their currencies depreciated sharply a decade later, these countries were in big trouble as they could not repay their debt.
  
  
• Another risk to India from overseas borrowings is that this would lead to a quicker increase to its foreign exchange reserves, which would lead to a stronger rupee. A stronger rupee would encourage imports at a time when the government is trying to curb them.
  
  

About: 

• An Agri Business Incubation Centre has started in Chhattisgarh.
  
  
• The centre has been set up by the Union Agriculture Ministry in Indira Gandhi Agriculture University of Raipur. 
  
  
• It has been set up under the National Agriculture Development Scheme- RAFTAAR. 
  
  
• The Centre will focus on innovations, skill building and entrepreneurs development in agriculture and allied sectors ad will act as catalyst for developing an ecosystem conducive for growth of agripreneurship in the state and foster a “start-up” culture.
  
  

About: 

• The project is part of an agreement signed by the two governments in 2017, under which the government of India had committed to spending $25 million over five years. 
  
  
• The Myanmar government has also handed over a list of 21 other projects that it wants India to fund as part of the agreement, including the construction of small villages, culverts and school buildings. 
  
  
• The 250 houses, built in three clusters, are in the Shwe Zar, Kyein Chaung Taung and Nan Thar Taung areas that saw some of the worst cases of violence and burning of thousands of homes. 
  
  
• However, there are no signs yet that the Rohingya will return at any specific date. 
  
  

About: 

• The new Constitution said that Mr. Kim as chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC), a top governing body created in 2016, was “the supreme representative of all the Korean people”, which means head of state, and “commander-in-chief”. 
  
  
• A previous Constitution simply called Mr. Kim “supreme leader” who commands the country’s “overall military force”. 
  
  

Comment: 

• According to political observers, the title change was also aimed at preparing for a potential peace treaty with the United States. The amendment may well be a chance to establish Kim’s status as the signer of a peace treaty when it comes, while projecting the image of the country as a normal state. 
  
  
• North Korea has also long called for a peace deal with the United States to normalise relations and end the technical state of war that has existed since the 1950-1953 Korean War concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. 
  
  

About: 

• The Second India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue (IRSED) was held today in New Delhi, under the chairmanship of Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog and Mr. TimurMaksimov, Deputy Minister of the Economic Development of the Russia.
  
  
• The meeting focussed on 6 core areas covering Transport, Agriculture, Small and Medium Business, Digital Technologies, Finance, Tourism & Connectivity.
  
  
• Background:
  • The IRSED was established following a bilateral MoU signed between NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russia during the 19th edition of the Annual India-Russia Bilateral Summit held in 2018 in New Delhi.
    
    
  • The First India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was held in St. Petersburg in November 2018.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Location: The Government of India has approved a project to build the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) at Pottipuram in the Theni District of Tamil Nadu. 
  
  
• Features: 
  • The project aims to set up a 51000 ton Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector to observe naturally occurring atmospheric neutrinos in a cavern at the end of an approximately 2 km long tunnel in a mountain. 
    
    
  • This will help to reduce the noise from cosmic rays that is ever present over-ground and which would outnumber the rare neutrino interactions even in a detector as large as ICAL. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Ecological harm? According to India, The INO project does not disturb the ecosystem around the site and does not release any radiation, as it does not have any radioactive substance. It measures cosmic rays. 
  
  

About: 

• What is it? It is an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lead centre for building satellites and developing associated satellite technologies. 
  
  
• Location: Bengaluru. 
  
  
• Name: 
  • It was Formerly known as ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC). 
    
    
  • It was renamed in 2018 after the former ISRO Chairman and ISAC founding Director Dr. Udupi Ramachandra Rao. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Established in: 1972.  
  
  
• Organisations under the umbrella of URSC include: 
  • Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS) and 
    
    
  • ISRO Satellite Integration and Testing Establishment (ISITE). 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• “301 investigation” is a probe employed as a precursor to tariffs and other trade measures against a country. A Special 301 Report is prepared annually by the USTR and is different from a 301 investigation. 
  
  
• Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act (1974) was also used to authorise a 2017 probe that resulted in tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S. from July 2018. Earlier this week, the USTR announced a 301 probe against France on a digital services tax. 
  
  

About:

• The 2019 global Multidimensional Poverty Index was released by the UN Development Programme, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.
  
  
• Global scenario:
  • In the 101 countries studied – 31 low income, 68 middle income and 2 high income –, 1.3 billion people are multidimensionally poor.
    
    
  • The report identifies 10 countries, with a combined population of around 2 billion people that have shown statistically significant progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1, namely ending poverty in all its forms, everywhere.
    
    
  • of the 10 selected countries, India and Cambodia reduced their MPI values the fastest. India’s MPI value reduced from 0.283 in 2005-06 to 0.123 in 2015-16.
    
    
  
  
  
• Indian scenario:
  • In 2015-16, the population in India living in multidimensional poverty stood at about 369 million people (27.9%).
    
    
  • India lifted 271 million people out of poverty between 2006 and 2016, recording the fastest reductions in the multidimensional poverty index values during the period.
    
    
  • There have been strong improvements in areas such as assets, cooking fuel, sanitation and nutrition.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• In a first ever movement of its kind, Minister for Shipping flagged-off a ship of the Inland Waterways Authority of India, carrying stone from Bhutan to be delivered in Bangladesh. 
  
  
• The ship - MV AAI - has set sail from Dhubri in Assam and will travel to Narayanganj in Bangladesh, over river Brahmaputra and the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route. 
  
  
• This is the first time an Indian waterway is being used as a channel for transport of cargo between two countries, using India for transit. 
  
  

About: 

• Location: Rewa Ultra Mega Solar is a solar park in the Gurh tehsil of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. 
  
  
• Timeline: The project was commissioned with 750 MW capacity in July 2018. 
  
  
• Bodies involved: Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), the implementing agency of the project, is a joint venture between the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikash Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). 
  
  
• It is the first project to get funding from Clean Technology Fund (CTF) in India. 
  
  
• It is also the first solar park in India to get World Bank funding. 
  
  

About:

• Cabinet has approved the Amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences, POCSO, Act, 2012 to discourage the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent due to strong penal provisions incorporated in the Act.
  
  
• It will make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children including the death penalty.
  
  
• The amendments also provide for levy of fines and imprisonment to curb child pornography.
  
  
• The new definition of child pornography reads, “Any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child which include photographs, video, digital or computer generated image indistinguishable from an actual child and an image created, adapted or modified but appear to depict a child.”
  
  
• Neither Section 67 of the IT Act nor Section 293 of the Indian Penal Code define child pornography. 
  
  

About: 

• The partnership between IPFC and NRDC is expected to bridge the capacity shortfall and promote a culture of Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Indian Defence industry.
  
  
• It may be recalled that Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti was launched with the aim to inculcate IP culture in Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.
  
  
• Under this mission, an Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell (IPFC) has been established under the aegis of Directorate General Quality Assurance (DGQA) which has trained more than 12,000 personnel on IPR and facilitating filing of more than 1000 new IPR applications.
  
  
• The Action Plan 2019-20 of MRGS has also been approved by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, which includes
  • training of additional 20,000 personnel from Public / Private Sector Industry and Armed Forces on relevance of IP Culture to Indian Defence manufacturing industry and
    
    
  • instituting a framework which enables full utilization of new ideas and innovation towards achieving self-reliance in defence sector.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• The government holds 51 per cent stake in Pawan Hans, which has a fleet of 43 helicopters. The remaining 49 per cent stake is with Oil and Natural gas Corporation (ONGC). 
  
  
• This is the third time in last 16 months; the government has sought to attract a buyer for Pawan Hans, which is estimated to have posted the loss to the tune of 72.42 crore rupees in the previous fiscal. 
  
  
• The last date for submission of Expression of Interest (EoI) is 22nd August and intimation to the short-listed bidder is 12th 
  
  

About:

• The day seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues.
  
  
• It was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.
  
  
• The Day was first marked on 11 July 1990 in more than 90 countries.
  
  
• This year's World Population Day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.
  
  

Background: 

• The RBI has, from time to time, been receiving requests for extension of timings for certain markets such as currency futures and Over-the-Counter (OTC) foreign exchange market.
  
  
• Accordingly, in August, 2018, it announced setting up an Internal Working Group (IWG) –comprising officials of Departments of the Reserve Bank – to review the timings of various markets and the associated payment and settlement infrastructure.
  
  

Recommendations:

• Forex market: It has suggested calibrated extension of currency market hours, from 9 am to 9 pm for both over-the counter and exchange traded. Presently, the markets close at 5 pm.
  • The extension of market timings is expected to provide benefits such as better pricing of post market hours information/data, improved onshore price discovery, and possible shift of offshore volumes to onshore.
    
    
  • However, there is a view that it may entail higher costs to stakeholders.
    
    
  
  
  
• Money market: Call market timings may be extended till 6:00 pm, co-terminus with RTGS customer window, to facilitate liquidity management by banks.
  
  
• G-sec market: The current market timings for G-sec markets may be retained, on account of lack of demand from participants.
  
  

About: 

• Location: Abu Musa is an island in the eastern Persian Gulf near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. 
  
  
• Administration: The island is administered by Iran as part of its province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates as a territory of the emirate of Sharjah. 
  
  
• Significance: 
  • Due to the depth of sea, oil tankers and big ships have to pass between Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs; this makes these islands some of the most strategic points in the Persian Gulf. 
    
    
  • These are claimed by both Iran and the UAE but occupied solely by Iranian forces.The islands have been militarized, and each sport small-boat harbors, airstrips and, presumably, a full suite of missiles, radars and other surveillance gear. 
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• To curb the menace of unauthorized Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) in Railway premises, an all India drive named “Operation Thirst” was launched on 08th & 09th July 2019 on the direction of DG/RPF, Railway Board, New Delhi.
  
  
• During this, all the Zonal Principal Chief Security Commissioners (PCSCs) were asked to crackdown these unauthorised activities. Almost all major stations over Indian Railway were covered during this operation.
  
  
• During the drive, 1371 persons were arrested for selling of packaged drinking water of unauthorised brands under different sections i.e. 144 & 153 of Rly. Act.
  
  
• The special drive will be followed by continuous action by concerned PCSCs on this issue. 
  
  

About: 

• KSHITIJ is a documentary film club at New Museum Building, Films Division Complex, Mumbai. 
  
  
• It is being launched by Films Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, in association with Indian Documentary Producer’s Association (IDPA). 
  
  
• The public screenings will be organized on the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month during 5:00 pm - 6:30pm at Films Division Complex, followed by a short interaction of audience with the director / curator of the film. 
  
  
• The acclaimed documentary film “Secret Life of Frogs” by Ajay & Vijay Bedi will be screened as the inaugural film. 
  
  

About: 

• The French health minister said the refunds paid by French social security – currently 30% of the treatment – would be phased down to 15% in 2020 and then to zero in 2021. 
  
  
• France’s National Authority for Health (HAS) concluded at the end of June that there was no benefit to the medicine, saying it had “not scientifically demonstrated sufficient effectiveness to justify a reimbursement”. 
  
  
• Scenario in Europe: 
  • France’s approach is being closely followed in Germany, where around 7,000 homeopathic doctors are registered. 
    
    
  • In Britain, the National Health Service decided in 2017 to stop funding homeopathic care, while public health systems in other EU countries such as Sweden, Belgium or Austria do not support the treatment.