About:

• Objective: Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 provides for protection of witnesses based on the threat assessment.
  
  
• Protection measures inter alia include: Protection/change of identity of witnesses, their relocation, installation of security devices at the residence of witnesses, usage of specially designed Court rooms, etc.
  
  
• Three categories of witness as per threat perception:
  • Category 'A': Where the threat extends to life of witness or his family members, during investigation/trial or thereafter.
    
    
  • Category 'B': Where the threat extends to safety, reputation or property of the witness or his family members, during the investigation/trial or thereafter.
    
    
  • Category 'C': Where   the   threat   is   moderate   and   extends   to harassment or intimidation of the witness or his family member's, reputation or property, during the investigation/trial or thereafter.
    
    
  
  
  
• State Witness Protection Fund: The Scheme provides for a State Witness Protection Fund for meeting the expenses of the scheme. This fund shall be operated by the Department/Ministry of Home under State/UT Government.
  
  

Key highlights of data provided by Ministry of Earth Sciences:

• Sea level rise in the country has been estimated to be 1.3 mm/year along India’s coasts during the last 40-50 years.
  
  
• Four ports in India — Diamond Harbour, Kandla, Haldia and Port Blair — recorded a higher sea level rise than the global average of 1.8 mm per year during the last 40-50 years.
  
  
• At Diamond Harbour – located in West Bengal at the mouth of river Hooghly – the rise was almost five times higher than the national average at 5.16 mm per year over the period from 1948 to 2005.
  
  
• The sea level rise is higher in West Bengal, particularly in the Sunderbans delta is because of the deltaic sediment deposition as a result of the mixing of fresh water and saline water, according to experts.
  
  
• Chennai and Mumbai, recorded a sea level rise far below the global and the national averages at 0.33 mm per year (1916-2005) and 0.74 mm (1878-2005) respectively.
  
  

Background: 

• The Department of Fertilizers (DoF) has implemented the Phase-I of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system in fertilizer subsidy pan-India in Fertilizers w.e.f. March 2018.
  
  
• DBT in fertilizer subsidy is a step towards bringing ease of living in the lives of farmers through use of modern technology and plugging leakages, pilferages and black marketing.
  
  
• Phase-I DBT system in Fertilizers (DBT 1.0) envisaged the release of 100% subsidy on various fertilizer grades to the fertilizer companies on the basis of actual sales made by the retailer to the beneficiaries.
  
  
• A Project Monitoring Cell was set up at DoF to oversee implementation of DBT exclusively.
  
  

The new initiatives of DBT 2.0 are as under:

• DBT Dashboards: These dashboards provide various reports regarding the Fertilizer Stock position at ports, plants, in States, at District levels. The reports would facilitate real-time monitoring of the availability and sale of fertilizers within each State/UT.
  
  
• PoS 3.0 Software: The Multi-lingual facility would provide Aadhar virtual ID option for registration, login and sale activity in DBT software.
  
  
• Desktop PoS Version: Keeping in view the various operational challenges viz. limited Point-of-Sale (POS) vendors, rush of sales due to peak season etc. the department has developed a multilingual desktop version of PoS software as an alternative or added facility to PoS devices.
  
  

About: 

• Microsoft HoloLens, known under development as Project Baraboo, is a stand-alone mixed reality holographic headset specifically designed to be used on the Windows 10 platform.
  
  
• HoloLens allows users to experience 3D holographic images as though they are a part of their environment.
  
  
• This level of immersion enables new forms of computing in which the user’s desktop could be the living room. You might stream Netflix on a wall or build a Minecraft castle on your coffee table, as high resolution holograms.
  
  
• Along with its CPU and GPU the unit features a new first: a holographic processing unit (HPU) that is responsible for the processing that integrates real world and holographic data.
  
  

About: 

• As per the applicable Disciplinary Rules, Government has the right to proceed against corrupt officials on the basis of available evidence.
  
  
• The Government also, has the absolute right to retire Government officials prematurely on the ground of lack of integrity and ineffectiveness, in public interest, as per the provisions of
  • Fundamental Rules (FR) 56(j)(l),
    
    
  • Rule 48 of Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension) Rules, 1972 and
    
    
  • Rule 16(3) (Amended ) of All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) [AIS(DCRB)] Rules, 1958. 
    
    
  
  
  
• These rules lay down the policy of periodic review and premature retirement of Government servants, which is a continuous process.
  
  
• For the period July 2014-May 2019, a total of 36,756 Group-A and 82,654 Group-B officers have been reviewed under Fundamental Rules (FR) 56(j)(l) and other provisions. Actions under the Rules have been recommended against 125 Group A and 187 Group B officials.
  
  

About:

• Length covered: Under the PMGSY-III Scheme, it is proposed to consolidate 1,25,000 Km road length in the States.
  
  
• Strategy: PMGSY-III involves consolidation of through routes and major rural links connecting habitations to Gramin Agricultural markets (GrAMs), higher secondary schools and hospitals.
  
  
• Financial Implications: It will entail an estimated cost of Rs 80,250 crore. The funds would be shared in the ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and State for all States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States for which it is 90:10.
  
  
• Implementation period: 2019-20 to 2024-25.
  
  

About:

• Impact: Grant of status of Organized Group 'A' service to RPF will end stagnation, improve career progression of the officers and keep up their motivational level.
  
  
• Background: In 2012, High Court of Delhi directed Railways to grant Group 'A' Service status to RPF. Same was upheld by Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in 2019. Accordingly, Railway Board had proposed for grant of Organised Group 'A' Service status to RPF. 
  
  

About: 

• Region of celebration: Kharchi Puja is one of the most popular festivals in Tripura. It is celebrated at Agartala (Puran Agartala) in the temple premises of fourteen gods. 
  
  
• Time: It’s a week-long royal Puja which falls in the month of July on the eighth day of the new moon. 
  
  
• Objective: The word Kharchi is derived from the word Khya which means earth. Kharchi Puja is basically done to clean the post menstrual phase of mother earth’s menstruation. 
  
  
• Rituals: 
  • On the day of the Puja, the fourteen gods are carried to river Saidra by the members of chantai. The gods are bathed in the holy water and are brought back to the temple. 
    
    
  • Animal sacrifice is also an important part of this festival. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• The well of Zamzam is located in Mecca in Saudi Arabia and many Haj pilgrims bring the holy water from the well for family and friends. 
  
  
• On July 4, the sales team of Air India's Jeddah office reportedly wrote to all travel agents stating that till September 15, due to change of aircraft and limitation of seats, Zamzam cans will not be allowed on some flights. 
  
  
• Now Air India, clarified in a tweet that passengers are allowed to carry Zamzam cans within their permissible baggage allowance. The airline further apologised for the inconvenience. 
  
  

Working:

• Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) works by maintaining a large database with photos and videos of peoples’ faces.
  
  
• Then, a new image of an unidentified person — often taken from CCTV footage — is compared to the existing database to find a match and identify the person.
  
  
• The artificial intelligence technology used for pattern-finding and matching is called “neural networks”.
  
  

Debate:

• Benefits: While fingerprints and iris scans provide far more accurate matching results, automatic facial recognition is an easier solution especially for identification amongst crowds.
  
  
• Concerns:
  • Government can abuse facial recognition technology, as it can be used as tool of control and risks inaccurate results.
    
    
  • India should take note of the ongoing privacy debate in the US. Indian citizens are more vulnerable in the absence of a Data Protection Law.
    
    
  
  
  

Background: 

• There are 29 earmarked elephant corridors with the operating zone of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spread across the north-eastern states and parts of Bihar and West Bengal.
  
  
• But elephants have ventured into the path of trains even in non-corridor areas, often leading to accidents resulting in elephant deaths.
  
  
• In this background, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) implemented the Plan Bee.
  
  

Plan Bee:

• Plan Bee is an amplifying system imitating the buzz of a swarm of honey bees to keep wild elephants away from railway tracks.
  
  
• Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials said that a mix of Plan Bee and other measures have helped them save 1,014 elephants from 2014 to June 2019.
  
  

About:

• Two Rohingya men had moved the Supreme Court against the Centre’s proposed plan to deport 40,000 members of the community to the land of their origin, Myanmar.
  
  
• Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing the Rakhine State on Myanmar’s western coast for years, often caught between the military and Rohingya insurgents who have fought a bloody war for years.
  
  
• The refugees mostly landed in Bangladesh, but some crossed over into India also. India estimates that 40,000 Rohingya live in the country in camps across the country. 
  
  

Key highlights of Data Provided in Lok Sabha: 

• The number of deaths of sanitation workers while cleaning septic tanks and sewers has risen, despite a ban on manual scavenging.
  
  
• 620 manual scavenging related deaths have been reported since 1993, of which 88 occurred in the past three years.
  
  
• Of the 15 States/UTs that submitted details to the Ministry, Tamil Nadu had the highest number of sewer deaths with 144 cases, followed by Gujarat with 131.
  
  
• Compensation had been given in 445 cases, partial settlement in 58 cases, while 117 cases were pending.
  
  
• While the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 lays down punishments for those who employ a person for manual scavenging, “there have been no reports from any state/Union Territory regarding conviction in such cases”.
  
  
• 53,598 manual scavengers had been identified from December 6, 2013 till June 30, 2019.
  
  

About:

• Mandate of task force: To evolve methodology to prevent ammunition accidents and minimise its effects.
  
  
• Chairman: The Task Force was headed by Lt Gen Philip Campose, former Vice Chief of Army Staff.
  
  
• Recent meeting: The Task Force Chairman, Lt Gen (Retd) Philip Campose explained the causes for ammunition accidents and brought out preventive and mitigative measures. The recommendations of the Task Force were appreciated by the Raksha Mantri and gave directions to expedite implementation.
  
  

About:

• Difference between locusts and grasshoppers:
  • Locusts are part of a large group of insects commonly called grasshoppers which have big hind legs for jumping.
    
    
  • Locusts belong to the family called Acrididae.
    
    
  • Locusts differ from grasshoppers in that they have the ability to change their behaviour and habits and can migrate over large distances.
    
    
  
  
  
• Desert Locust:
  • The Desert Locust is one of about a dozen species of short-horned grasshoppers (Acridoidea) that are known to change their behavior and form swarms of adults or bands of hoppers (wingless nymphs).
    
    
  • The swarms that form can be dense and highly mobile.
    
    
  • The Latin name for Desert Locust is Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal).
    
    
  
  
  
• Countries affected by the Desert Locust:
  • During quiet periods (known as recessions) Desert Locusts are usually restricted to the semi-arid and arid deserts of Africa, the Near East and South-West Asia that receive less than 200 mm of rain annually. This is an area of about 16 million square kilometres, consisting of about 30 countries.
    
    
  • During plagues, Desert Locusts may spread over an enormous area of some 29 million square kilometres, extending over or into parts of 60 countries. Desert Locust plagues occurred in 1926-1934, 1940-1948, 1949-1963, 1967-1969 and 1986-1989.
    
    
  
  
  

Third-Party Administrators (TPAs): 

• TPAs are IRDAI-licensed third-party entities who provide management solutions to health insurance companies.
  
  
• They act as an intermediary between the insurance company and policyholder. A range of services are offered by TPAs in health insurance segment from administering services to handling claims.
  
  
• The first set of regulations governing the TPAs were issued by IRDAI in 2001. This also marked the introduction of the concept of TPAs in the health insurance space,
  
  

Recent changes suggested by IRDAI in the regulations governing TPAs-Health Services:

• For greater competition, it is proposed to allow the policyholders to choose the TPA of their choice from those engaged by the insurer.
  
  
• The IRDAI has also proposed a set of qualifying norms for TPA promoters, including those pertaining to their shareholding.
  
  
• Further, it has suggested a change in the wordings to increase the scope of health services provided by TPAs to policyholders of foreign insurers visiting India.
  
  

Recent outbreak: 

• The outbreak, which began in August 2018, has mainly affected the North Kivu and Ituri provinces in eastern DRC – an area wracked by conflict involving various armed groups.
  
  
• It is the second deadliest Ebola epidemic in history, behind only the 2014 West Africa outbreak.
  
  
• As of July 7, there have been over 2,400 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola, of which more than 1,600 people have died, according to WHO figures.
  
  

About: 

• As per the Finance Bill, 2019, a new section — 15HAA — has been inserted in the SEBI Act. 
  
  
• According to it, if a person tampers with information to obstruct an investigation or destroys regulatory data then the entity could be penalised up to ₹10 crore or three times the unlawful gains, whichever is higher. 
  
  
• SEBI can now also impose penalties of up to ₹1 crore on brokers for certain violations. 
  
  

Background: 

• These new powers assume significance as SEBI is in the midst of probing the leak of sensitive data through WhatsApp and also recently passed fresh orders on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) co-location matter, which had been challenged at the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). 
  
  
• Incidentally, the WhatsApp leak case or even the NSE co-location matter deal with the data being leaked through electronic means and unauthorised access to exchange data, which forms the base in most regulatory probes. 
  
  

About:

• Location: Ziklag is the biblical name of a town that was located in the Negev region within the Philistine kingdom of Gath when Achish was king. Ziklag's location has been the subject of scientific debate, with 12 possible locations named in southern Israel.
  
  
• Reference in Bible: This ancient Philistine town is mentioned in the biblical tale of David seeking refuge from the Israelite king Saul.
  
  
• Khirbet al-Rai: Now, Researchers have excavated finds at Khirbet al-Rai which are typical of the Philistine civilisation as well as pottery vessels connecting it to the historical era identified with the biblical David. The site, Khirbet al-Rai, is located near Kiryat Gat in central Israel. Those findings have led them to believe it is Ziklag.
  
  

About: 

• Iran surpassed the cap and reached 4.5 % enrichment. 
  
  
• This was announced by the country's atomic energy organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi who said that this level of purity completely satisfies the power plant fuel requirements of the country. 
  
  
• He hinted that Iran might stick to this level of enrichment for the time being, which is well below the more than 90 % level required for a nuclear warhead. 
  
  
• The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed that Iran had enriched uranium to a level above the deal's cap. 
  
  
• The move came more than a year after United States pulled out of the landmark accord between world powers and Iran, which says it has lost patience with perceived inaction by the remaining European partners. 
  
  

About: 

• Objective of bill: Expanding the application of DNA-based forensic technologies to support and strengthen the justice delivery system of the country. 
  
  
• Features:
  • This Bill is for the regulation of use and application of DNA technology for the purpose of establishing identity of missing persons, victims, offenders, under trials and unknown deceased persons.
    
    
  • By providing for the mandatory accreditation and regulation of DNA laboratories, the Bill ensures that DNA test results are reliable and the data remain protected from misuse or abuse in terms of the privacy rights of our citizens.
    
    
  • Establishment of the National and Regional DNA Data Banks, as envisaged in the Bill, will assist in forensic investigations.
    
    
  • It will empower the criminal justice delivery system by enabling the application of DNA evidence, which is considered the gold standard in crime investigations.
    
    
  • Setting up the DNA Regulatory Board will aid in scientific up gradation and streamlining of the DNA testing activities in the country.
    
    
  
  
  

Night Watch:

• Names: Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch, but commonly referred to as The Night Watch.
  
  
• What is it? The Night Watch is a 1642 Dutch painting by Rembrandt van Rijn. It depicts the officers and other members of the so-called “Night Watch” militia.
  
  
• Legacy: The Night Watch is one of the world’s most famous paintings. The painting is famous for three things:
  • its colossal size (363 cm × 437 cm),
    
    
  • the dramatic use of light and shadow (tenebrism) and
    
    
  • the perception of motion in what would have traditionally been a static military group portrait.
    
    
  
  
  
• where is it kept? It is in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum but is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum as the best known painting in its collection.
  
  

Operation Night Watch:

• In July 2019 a long and complex restoration begins.
  
  
• Dubbed “Operation Night Watch”, the restoration is taking place in public, in a specially-made glass enclosure built and placed in the Rijksmuseum, and is being livestreamed.
  
  
• Experts have recently noticed changes to the painting, with a white haze appearing on some parts. 
  
  

About: 

• Bodies involved: 
  • NIIF is an investor-owned fund manager, anchored by the Government of India (GoI) in collaboration with leading global and domestic institutional investors. 
    
    
  • The Indian government has 49 % stake in NIIF with the rest held by marquee foreign and domestic investors.  
    
    
  
  
  
• History: NIIF was set up as an alternative investment fund (AIF) in December 2016 with a planned corpus of ₹40,000 crore.
  
  
• Headquarters: Mumbai.
  
  
• Objective: To provide long-term capital to the country’s infrastructure sector.
  
  
• Funds managed: 
  • NIIF currently manages three funds each with its distinctive investment mandate namely (1) Master fund, (2) Fund Of Funds and (3) Strategic Fund.
    
    
  • The funds are registered as Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Background: The bill envisages strengthening of the Aadhaar Act as per the directions of the Supreme Court and recommendations of Justice B.N.Srikrishna(Retd) Amendments to Aadhaar and other laws were necessitated after the Supreme Court's ruling on privacy.
  
  
• Acts amended: The bill seeks to amend Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 and to further amend the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
  
  
• The salient features of the amendments:
  • No individual will be compelled to provide proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo authentication for the purpose of establishing his identity unless it is so provided by a law made by Parliament.
    
    
  • For the convenience of the general public in the opening of bank accounts, it will allow the use of Aadhaar number for authentication on a voluntary basis as an acceptable KYC document under the Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
    
    
  • It gives an option to children who are Aadhaar number holders to cancel their Aadhaar number on attaining the age of eighteen years.
    
    
  • It proposes deletion of section 57 of the Aadhaar Act relating to use of Aadhaar by private entities;
    
    
  • It prevents denial of services for refusing to, or being unable to, undergo authentication.
    
    
  • It provides for establishment of Unique Identification Authority of India Fund.
    
    
  • It provides for civil penalties, its adjudication, appeal thereof in regard to violations of Aadhaar Act and provisions by entities in the Aadhaar ecosystem. 
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• Objective: Kaushal Yuva Samwaad is aimed at creating an open dialogue with the youth across all skill training centres to hear their views which could help the Ministry in improving overall efficiency of its projects. 
  
  
• Duration: It will be organized between 8th and 10th July 2019. 
  
  
• Coverage: It is being organized across all Skill India training centres, namely, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKK), Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Polytechnics, Institutes under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthans, DDU-GKY Centres and other fee-based training centres across the country. 
  
  

About:

• What is it? Pandharpur Wari or Wari (Vari) is an annual pilgrimage (yatra) to Pandharpur - the seat of the Hindu god Vithoba in Maharashtra, in honour of the deity.
  
  
• Background: The tradition is more than 700 to 800 years old.
  
  
• Journey:
  • Palakhis (palanquin processions) carrying the paduka (foot prints) of various saints - most notably Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram - from the Varkari (Warkari) sect (which venerates Vithoba), are taken from their respective shrines to Pandharpur.
    
    
  • Dnyaneshwar's palakhi leaves from Alandi, while Tukaram's begins at Dehu; both in Pune district of Maharashtra.
    
    
  • The journey takes 21 days. The wari culminates at the Vithoba temple on Ashadhi Ekadashi.
    
    
  • Upon reaching Pandharpur on Ashadi Ekadashi, these devotees take a holy dip in the sacred Chandrabhaga River/Bhima River before proceeding to visit the Vitthal temple.
    
    
  
  
  
• Footfall: This annual March on foot from various locations in Maharashtra to Vithoba temple attracts a total of over a million pilgrims. 
  
  

Background:

• The Gujarat Assembly passed a Bill to bring significant amendments to The Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provisions for Protection of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in Disturbed Areas Act, 1991, which is known as the Disturbed Areas Act.
  
  
• The Act prohibits transfer of immovable property in “disturbed areas” of the state.
  
  
• Under the Act, the state government has been regulating sale and transfer of immovable properties by notifying those areas as ‘disturbed areas’ with an aim to check polarisation of a particular community in a particular area which has been facing communal riots and violence. 
  
  

Amendment bill:

• The bill proposes to increase the punishment for breach of the law to imprisonment up to five years and fine not less than Rs 1 lakh.
  
  
• The Bill has enlarged the scope of the term “transfer” which now includes sale, gift, exchange, lease or taking possessions of property by way of power of attorney, through Transfer of Property Act, etc.
  
  
• The Collector, assisted by Municipal Commissioner and Police Commissioner, will decide the application for transfer of ownership of a property in a disturbed area within three months.
  
  
• The Bill proposes to set up an apex authority – Monitoring and Advisory Committee – to study and advise the authorities on the subject.
  
  
• The amendments were proposed after receiving many complaints of “unscrupulous persons who were getting ownership of properties”.
  
  

About: 

• Parliament has adopted a statutory resolution for levying 200 % duty on all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan. 
  
  
• Besides, the resolution related to increasing basic custom duty on lentils, boric acid and diagnostic and laboratory reagents. On lentils, the duty has been increased from 40 % to 50 %, on boric acid it has been increased from 17.5 % to 27.5 % and on diagnostic items from 20 % to 30 %. 
  
  
• The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha approved the amendment in the first schedule of the Custom Tariff Act in this regard. 
  
  
• India had notified the basic custom duty to 200 % on all goods exported from Pakistan with effect from 16th of February this year. 
  
  

About:

• Utkarsh 2022 is a three-year road map for medium term objective to be achieved for improving regulation, supervision of the RBI.
  
  
• This medium term strategy is in line with the global central banks’ plan to strengthen the regulatory and supervisory mechanism.
  
  
• An internal committee was formed, which was anchored by outgoing Deputy Governor Viral Acharya, to identify issues that needed to be addressed over the next three years.
  
  

Antifa:

• History: Antifa has been around for several decades, with some dating it as far back as Nazi Germany.
  
  
• Etymology: Antifa is borrowed from German Antifa, short for antifaschistisch ‘anti-fascist’, in Antifaschistische Aktion (multiparty front initiated by the German Communist Party in 1932 to counter Nazism) and in other collocations.
  
  
• Global presence: While the movement has had a presence in several European countries and has now come into focus in the United States following the election of President Trump in 2016, with violence marking some of its protests and demonstrations.
  
  
• Membership: Antifa does not have a formal organisational structure. It draws its members from other movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Occupy movement.
  
  
• Functioning: Antifa members typically dress in black and often wear a mask at their demonstrations, and follow far-left ideologies such as anti-capitalism. They take up causes such as LGBTQ and indigenous rights. What makes them stand out is the violence. 
  
  

About:

• Name: It is widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family.
  
  
• Mandate: It is the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
  
  
• History: Though established as an autonomous organisation, independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.
  
  
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
  
  
• Members: The IAEA has 171 member states. Most UN members and the Holy See are Member States of the IAEA.
  
  
• The IAEA and its former Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. 
  
  

About:

• Name: The Five Eyes name refers to the security classification of intelligence documents: “SECRET – AUS/CAN/N.Z./U.K./U.S. EYES ONLY” or “FVEY.”
  
  
• What is it? It is an anglophone intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  
  
• History: It began in 1946 when the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to an open exchange of intelligence on the communications of foreign nations. It was expanded when Canada joined the alliance in 1948, followed by Australia and New Zealand in 1956.
  
  
• Functioning: Five Eyes allowed the national agencies to share monitoring infrastructure, and to track nuclear-armed Soviet submarines during the Cold War. The surveillance partnership strengthened following the 9/11 attacks on the United States, and monitoring of internet communications has since expanded exponentially. 
  
  

About: 

• Vande Bharat Express, earlier named as Train 18, is India's fastest indigenous train which has been built by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai under the Government’s Make in India. 
  
  
• Timeline: it was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi between New Delhi and Varanasi on February 15, 2019 and is running with no reported issues in the last six months. 
  
  
• It is India's first semi-high-speed train which will run from Delhi to Varanasi, with halts at Kanpur and Allahabad, at a maximum speed of 160 kmph by covering the distance in 8 hours. 
  
  
• It is equipped with world class passenger amenities like On-board wifi entertainment, GPS based passenger information system, CCTVs, bio-vacuum toilets, rotating chairs in executive class, etc. 
  
  
• The express will have two travel classes: executive and chair car, similar to the Shatabdi.
  
  
• Further, it has intelligent braking system with power regeneration for better energy efficiency thereby making it cost, energy and environment efficient. 
  
  
• It is also the first locomotive-less train in the country. 
  
  

About: 

• The proposed Environment Impact Assessment Notification (EIA) 2019 aims to be an update of the EIA 2006. 
  
  
• The EIA 2019 makes the District Magistrate (DM) the chairperson of an expert authority, or the District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA), that will accord environment clearance for “minor” mining projects. 
  
  
• However, State-level authorities called the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) have objected that making District Magistrate (DM) the chairman (of the DEIAA) would be self-serving for grant of environmental clearance. Also, the DM doesn’t have technical expertise in matters of environment and ecology. 
  
  

Composition/Strength: 

• Article 80 of the Constitution lays down the maximum strength of Rajya Sabha as 250, out of which 12 members are nominated by the President and 238 are representatives of the States and of the two Union Territories.  
  
  
• The present strength of Rajya Sabha, however, is 245, out of which 233 are representatives of the States and Union territories of Delhi and Puducherry and 12 are nominated by the President. 
  
  
• The members nominated by the President are persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service. 
  
  

Qualifications:

• Article 84 of the Constitution lays down the qualifications for membership of Parliament.
  
  
• A person to be qualified for the membership of the Rajya Sabha should posses the following qualifications –
  • he must be a citizen of India and make and subscribe before some person authorized in that behalf by the Election Commission an oath or affirmation according to the form set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule to the Constitution;
    
    
  • he must be not less than 30 years of age;
    
    
  • he must possess such other qualifications as may be prescribed in that behalf by or under any law made by Parliament.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• The short duration discussion is a procedural device to enable members to raise discussion on matters of urgent public importance without a formal motion on a matter of urgent public importance.
  
  
• Notice:
  • Notice to raise a short duration discussion is to be given in writing, addressed to the Secretary-General, specifying clearly and precisely the matter to be raised.
    
    
  • The notice is required to be accompanied by an explanatory note stating reasons for raising the discussion and supported by signatures of at least two other members.
    
    
  • The Chairman decides the admissibility of the notice. The Chairman may refuse to admit the notice.
    
    
  
  
  
• Time of discussion: The Chairman may allow such time not exceeding two and a half hours for holding such discussion.
  
  
• Procedure for raising the discussion:
  • The first member or in his absence the second one and so on, in whose name the discussion stands, makes a short statement.
    
    
  • Thereafter, members are called to speak party-wise. At the end of the discussion, the Minister concerned replies and the discussion is concluded.
    
    
  • There is no formal motion before the House nor is there any voting. The member who raises the discussion has no right of reply.
    
    
  
  
  

About: 

• The guidelines have been issued as part of the first phase of Jal Shakti Abhiyan which began on 1st of this month and will continue till 15th of September this year. 
  
  
• Key features of guidelines released: 
  • All Urban Local Bodies across the country have been asked to set up a cell for monitoring of Rain Water Harvesting and revival of at least one water body in their areas. 
    
    
  • The cell should monitor the extent of groundwater extraction and groundwater aquifer recharge. This information should be displayed at prominent locations for public awareness. 
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Names: Prakash Purab is also known as Guru Nanak Gurpurab, Guru Nanak's Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak Jayanti.
  
  
• Occasion: This is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism and celebrates the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev.
  
  
• Time: The Sikhs have been celebrating Guru Nanak's Gurpurab on the Full Moon Day (Pooranmashi or Purnima) of the Lunar Month Kartik which falls around November.
  
  

About:

• Distribution: The Kondhs constitute one of the major tribes of Odisha.
  
  
• Names: the word Kondh means" mountaineer", derived from the Telugu word ko or ku, signifying a hill or mountain. These tribals still continue to call themselves as 'Kui people' and their hills as 'kui country'.
  
  
• Type: The kondhs are a Dravidian tribe.
  
  
• Types: Traditionally hunter-gatherers, they are divided into Desia Kondhs, Dongria Kondhs and Kutia Kondhs.