current affairs- may yju’s lasses (gist of the … · sustainable goals and will be a roadmap on...

1 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAY 1-31 2016 Byju’s Classes: 9873643487

CURRENT AFFAIRS- MAY

BYJU’S CLASSES

(GIST of THE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS, BUSINESS STANDARD,

YOJNA, SCIENCE REPORTER, DOWN TO EARTH)

POLITY:

NITI (National Institution for Transforming

India) Aayog- 15-year vision document

NITI Aayog formulated a 15-year vision

document in tandem with global trends and

economic growth and abandoned the concept of

five-year plans that India has been following

since 1951. It will formulate various ways

through which India can achieve its broader

social objectives to meet the UNDP’s 2030

sustainable goals and will be a roadmap on

transformation required in the planning system

to sync it with the 14th Finance Commission

recommendations.

The framework will predict growth indicators in

accordance with the 14th Finance Commission

recommendations. It recommended increasing

the share of funds to the states along with

greater fiscal responsibility in implementing

centrally-sponsored schemes. To this effect, it

had increased the states’ share in central taxes

from 32% to 42%.

The first 15-year vision document will come into

effect in 2017-18, along with a seven-year

National Development Agenda which will lay

down the schemes, programs and strategies to

achieve the long-term vision. The Aayog will also

create a full proof mechanism for monitoring,

evaluation and review of the vision document. It

will also include internal security and defence

related strategies that have not been a part of

five-year plans.

Sustainable Development Goals:

The 193 Member States of the United Nations

adopted a new sustainable development agenda

entitled, “Transforming Our World: The 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development” at the

Sustainable Development Summit held at UN

Headquarters in New York in September 2015.

This agenda contains 17 Goals and 169 targets.

Poverty, Hunger and food security, Health,

Education, Gender equality and Women’s

empowerment, Water and Sanitation, Economic

Growth, Cities, Inequality, Energy,

Infrastructure and Industrialization, Cities,

Sustainable Consumption and Production,

Climate Change, Oceans, Bio Diversity, Peace

and justice and Partnerships are the 17

Sustainable Development Goals.

This universal, integrated and transformative

agenda aims to spur actions that will end

poverty and build a more sustainable world over

the next 15 years. This agenda builds on the

achievements of the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs), which were adopted in 2000 and

guided development action for the last 15 years.

The MDGs have proven that global goals can lift

millions out of poverty.

NITI Aayog’s Role:

NITI Aayog has been entrusted with the role to

co-ordinate ‘Transforming our world: the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development’. The role

of NITI Aayog is to periodically collect data on

SDGs and act on the goals and targets not only

quantitatively but also maintaining high

standards of quality. NITI Aayog, in collaboration

with RIS will also hold a Consultation on SDGs,

with stakeholders including States, Ministries,

academia, International organizations, NGOs.

The draft mapping of the goals and targets on

proposed Nodal and other Ministries has been

carried out. The Centrally Sponsored Schemes,

being implemented by the States have been

mapped along with some of the recent initiatives

undertaken by the Central Government.

What is NITI AAYOG?

The National Institution for Transforming India

was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet

in 2015. It is the premier policy Think Tank of

the Government of India, providing both

directional and policy inputs. It designs strategic

and long term policies and programmes for the

Government of India and also provides relevant

technical advice to the Centre and States.

NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission

which was instituted in 1950. This was done in

order to better serve the needs and aspirations

of the people of India. An important evolutionary


change from the past, NITI Aayog acts as the

quintessential platform of the Government of

India to bring States to act together in national

interest, thus promotes Cooperative Federalism.

There are two hubs – Team India Hub and the

Knowledge and Innovation Hub. The Team

India Hub leads the engagement of states with

the Central government, while the Knowledge

and Innovation Hub builds NITI’s think-tank

capabilities. These hubs reflect the two key tasks

of the Aayog.

Functions:

To evolve a shared vision of national

development priorities sectors and

strategies with the active involvement of

States in the light of national objectives.

To foster cooperative federalism through

structured support initiatives and

mechanisms with the States on a

continuous basis, recognizing that

strong States make a strong nation.

To develop mechanisms to formulate

credible plans at the village level and

aggregate these progressively at higher

levels of government.

To ensure, on areas that are specifically

referred to it, that the interests of

national security are incorporated in

economic strategy and policy.

To pay special attention to the sections

of our society that may be at risk of not

benefitting adequately from economic

progress.

To design strategic and long term policy

and programme frameworks and

initiatives, and monitor their progress

and their efficacy. The lessons learnt

through monitoring and feedback will be

used for making innovative

improvements, including necessary mid-

course corrections.

To provide advice and encourage

partnerships between key stakeholders

and national and international like-

minded Think tanks, as well as

educational and policy research

institutions.

To create a knowledge, innovation and

entrepreneurial support system through

a collaborative community of national

and international experts, practitioners

and other partners.

To offer a platform for resolution of

inter-sectoral and inter departmental

issues in order to accelerate the

implementation of the development

agenda.

To maintain a state-of-the-art Resource

Centre, be a repository of research on

good governance and best practices in

sustainable and equitable development

as well as help their dissemination to

stake-holders.

To actively monitor and evaluate the

implementation of programmes and

initiatives, including the identification of

the needed resources so as to

strengthen the probability of success

and scope of delivery.

To focus on technology upgradation and

capacity building for implementation of

programmes and initiatives.

Constitutional validity of penal laws on

defamation

The Supreme Court has upheld constitutional

validity of penal laws on defamation as the right

to life under Article 21 includes the right to

reputation.

Legal Provisions on defamation:

Sections 499 and 500 of the IPC criminalize

defamation, which includes words either spoken

or intended to be read, as well as signs or visible

representations that are published or in the

public domain. Violating these sections can earn

an individual a two-year jail term, or a fine, or

both.

Supreme Court Ruling:

Protection of reputation is a fundamental right

and also a human right. It serves the social

interest, but is not a restriction that has an

inevitable consequence which impairs

circulation of thought and ideas. In fact, it is a

control on another person’s right to go to court

and state that he has been wronged and abused.

He can take recourse to a procedure recognized

and accepted in law to retrieve and redeem his

reputation.

Supreme Court said that Freedom of Right to

speech and expression enshrined under Article

19 of Constitution does not confer any right to a

person to trample the reputation of others. Also,

Right to free speech is not absolute, so it does

not mean freedom to hurt another’s reputation


which is protected under Article 21 of the

Constitution.

It also rejected an argument that defamation

could become a criminal offence only if it incited

to make an offence. It said that defamation had

its own independent identity, which has enabled

the state to maintain a balance between

fundamental rights.

Floor Test in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand plunged into a political crisis after

nine legislators from ruling Congress had

revolted against the Chief Minister Harish

Rawat. It brought the government into minority

in the 70-member state legislature. Thus, on the

basis of the report submitted by the governor,

the President Rule under Article 356 was

imposed in Uttarakhand in March 2016.

Prior to imposition of President Rule, 9 rebel

MLAs were disqualified by the speaker under the

anti-defection law. Harish Rawat had challenged

the President Rule in the Uttarakhand High

Court which quashed the President Rule. Later,

the Supreme Court ordered to conduct of floor

test in the Uttarakhand legislative assembly

based on the S.R. Bommai vs. Union of India

case.

Constitutional grounds for president’s rule:

Article 356 empowers the president to dismiss a

state government on the advice of the Union

cabinet.

The use of Article 356 to dismiss a state

government and impose president’s rule is

regulated by the landmark judgment of the

Supreme Court in the Bommai case, which laid

down two propositions:

First, the proclamation issued by the president

under Article 356 is subject to judicial review,

and;

Second, the question of majority should be

decided on the floor of the legislature and not by

Governor. It also listed out the situations under

which president’s rule should not be imposed.

However, this judgment did not enumerate the

grounds on which Article 356 can be invoked.

Article 356 says that if the president is satisfied

that a situation has arisen in which the

government of the state cannot be carried on in

accordance with the provisions of the

constitution, the president will assume to

himself the functions of the state government.

Why did Centre introduce the President rule?

The governor’s report after a sting

operation showed CM Rawat offering

money to MLAs for their support was

sent to the Central Government. In a fit

of great moral outrage, the Centre acted

quickly.

It was claimed that the state government

could not get the Appropriation Bill

passed and this led to a situation in

which the government could not

function in accordance with the

constitution.

Counter points:

This first reason is contrary to Article

356. At best it could be the basis of a

petition against the chief minister under

the Prevention of Corruption Act, but it

certainly does not justify the imposition

of president’s rule.

It is only the speaker and the

Constitution does not recognize any

other authority to decide whether an

Appropriation Bill has been passed or

not. Article 212 provides house

proceedings immunity from being called

into question before a court of law. This

immunity has been provided to the

proceedings of a legislative house

because otherwise there may be

frequent challenges in the courts, and

the house will be unable to function

with absolute freedom, which is its

privilege.

But president’s rule cannot be imposed

under Article 356 due to a procedural

irregularity in the proceedings of the

assembly.

Why did Uttarakhand High Court scrapped

the President Rule?

Delineating the balance of powers and drawing

the line between the state and the Centre, the

High Court said that the Centre was looking for

an opportunity in state assemblies to impose

president’s rule. The Centre was taking away the

power of an elected government. The governor’s

report on the situation in the state did not

match the claims made in the Union cabinet’s

note recommending president’s rule.

The 2014 elected Central Government have

always pledged that cooperative federalism

would guide this government’s relations with the


states. That promise was hugely compromised in

Uttarakhand.

Promulgation of ordinance for official use of

Odia

In order to establish Odia as the official

language, the state government promulgated the

ordinance after amending the Odisha Official

language Act, 1954. The ordinance empowers

the state government to make rules review and

monitor the Sections of the Odisha Official

language Act, 1954.

Constitutional provision of Official Language

of a state

Article 345:

Official language or languages of a State Subject

to the provisions of Article 346 and 347, the

Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one

or more of the languages in use in the State or

Hindi as the language or languages to be used

for all or any of the official purposes of that

State.

Provided that, until the Legislature of the State

otherwise provides by law, the English language

shall continue to be used for those official

purposes within the State for which it was being

used immediately before the commencement of

this Constitution.

Article 346:

It states that the Official language for

communication between one State and another

or between a State and the Union. The language

for the time being authorized for use in the

Union for official purposes shall be the official

language for communication between one State

and another State and between a State and the

Union.

Provided that if two or more States agree that

the Hindi language should be the official

language for communication between such

States, that language may be used for such

communication.

Article 347:

It states the special provision relating to

language spoken by a section of the population

of a State. On a demand being made in that

behalf the President may, if he is satisfied that a

substantial proportion of the population of a

State desire the use of any language spoken by

them to be recognized by that state, direct that

such language shall also be officially recognized

throughout that State or any part thereof for

such purpose as he may specify.

Economy

National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

Policy, 2016

It is a vision document that aims to create and

exploit synergies between all forms of intellectual

property (IP), concerned statutes and agencies. It

sets in place an institutional mechanism for

implementation, monitoring and review.

The main objective is to incorporate and adapt

global best practices to the Indian context. This

policy shall weave in the strengths of the

Government, research and development

organizations, educational institutions,

corporate entities including MSMEs, start-ups

and other stakeholders. It will foster creativity

and innovation and thereby, promote

entrepreneurship and enhance socio-economic

and cultural development.

It will also focus on enhancing access to

healthcare, food security and environmental

protection, among other sectors of vital social,

economic and technological importance. It will

endeavor for a Creative and Innovative India.

The Policy recognizes that India has a well-

established TRIPS-compliant legislative,

administrative and judicial framework to

safeguard IPRs, which meets its international

obligations while utilizing the flexibilities

provided in the international regime to address

its developmental concerns. It reiterates India’s

commitment to the Doha Development Agenda

and the TRIPS agreement.

Objectives:

IPR Awareness: Outreach and Promotion

- To create public awareness about the

economic, social and cultural benefits of

IPRs among all sections of society.

Generation of IPRs - To stimulate the

generation of IPRs.

Legal and Legislative Framework - To

have strong and effective IPR laws,


which balance the interests of rights

owners with larger public interest.

Administration and Management - To

modernize and strengthen service-

oriented IPR administration.

Commercialization of IPRs - Get value

for IPRs through commercialization.

Enforcement and Adjudication - To

strengthen the enforcement and

adjudicatory mechanisms for combating

IPR infringements.

Human Capital Development - To

strengthen and expand human

resources, institutions and capacities for

teaching, training, research and skill

building in IPRs.

While IPRs are becoming increasingly important

in the global arena, there is a need to increase

awareness on IPRs in India. The importance of

IPRs as a marketable financial asset and

economic tool also needs to be recognized. For

this, domestic IP filings, as also

commercialization of patents granted, need to

increase. Innovation and sub-optimal spending

on R&D too are issues to be addressed.

Note:

TRIPS-

What are Intellectual Property Rights?

Intellectual property rights are the rights given

to people over the creations of their minds. They

usually give the creator an exclusive right over

the use of his/her creations for a certain period

of time.

Intellectual property rights are traditionally

divided into two main categories:

Copyright and rights related to copyright:

These are the rights granted to authors of

literary and artistic works, and the rights of

performers, producers of phonograms and

broadcasting organizations. The main purpose of

protection of copyright and related rights is to

encourage and reward creative work.

Industrial property: This includes: the

protection of distinctive signs such as

trademarks and geographical indications, and

industrial property protected primarily to

stimulate innovation, design and the creation of

technology. In this category inventions

(protected by patents), industrial designs and

trade secrets fall.

For the purposes of the TRIPS Agreement,

“intellectual property” refers to all categories of

intellectual property that are the part of the

agreement. This includes copyright and related

rights, trademarks, geographical indications,

industrial designs, patents, integrated circuit

layout-designs and protection of undisclosed

information. The TRIPS Agreement applies to all

WTO members.

SEBI tightens P-note norms to keep vigil on

foreign investments to curb black money

inflow

SEBI has made it mandatory for users of P-notes

to follow Indian anti-money laundering law and

report any suspicious transactions in order to

tighten its norms to check any misuse of P-Notes

for laundering of black money.

SEBI acted upon the recommendations of the

Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation

Team on black money and tightened the due-

diligence requirements for issuance and transfer

of these instruments and put the onus on the

original issuer for compliance to Anti-Money

Laundering Regulations.

The issuers would have to conduct periodic

review and report the complete transfer trail of

Participatory Notes to SEBI on a monthly basis

in addition to the present requirement of

reporting details of their holders.

SEBI would be able to keep a penetrating eye on

the investors and check the flow of black money

and unwanted money from unknown persons in

the Indian stock markets. Aadhaar Card may be

the link to keep a check on Indian Investors and

a onetime registration with a unique number

may be introduced to regulate FIIs.

In order to bring about an uniformity in the KYC

norms, it has been decided that Indian norms

will now be applicable to all ODI issuers. These

norms will be the same as that applicable for all

other domestic investors.

Also, ODI Issuers will be required to identify and

verify the beneficial owners in the subscriber

entities, who hold in excess of the applicable

threshold- 25 per cent in case of a company and

15 per cent in case of partnership firms, trusts

or unincorporated bodies. In such cases, the

ODI issuers will need to identify and verify the

persons who control operations of these entities.


On periodic operational evaluation, ODI Issuers

would need to put in place necessary systems

and carry out a periodical review and evaluation

of its controls, systems and procedures with

respect to the ODIs.

Background:

Last year, the SIT on black money had suggested

that SEBI should further strengthen its norms

to keep a tab on beneficial ownership of P-Notes

as they were widely used by foreign investors

and could be prone to misuse.

SIT recommended tackling the black buck

menace through cancellationof the participation

of foreign investors in the Indian markets by way

of P-notes. It exposed the links between Indian

stock market and international tax havens.

What are offshore derivatives instruments?

In the Indian context, offshore derivatives

instruments are the instruments used by

overseas investors for an exposure in Indian

equities or equity derivatives. These investors

are not registered with SEBI.

These investors approach a foreign institutional

investor who is already registered with SEBI.

The FII makes purchases on behalf of those

investors and issues Offshore Derivative

Instruments. The underlying asset for the ODI

could be either stocks or equity derivatives like

Nifty futures.

What are P-Notes?

Participatory note is one of the categories of

ODIs. They are the financial instruments

through which individual foreign investors or

hedge funds, who do not want to disclose their

identity, can invest in Indian markets.

Registered foreign institutional investors, foreign

banks and brokerages based in India issue P-

notes to foreign investors and invest in Indian

stocks on their behalf. Any dividends or capital

gains collected from the underlying securities go

back to the investors.

A normal investor has to fill up several KYC

(know your customer) forms, provide PAN

number and proof of address, but a P-Note

investor can invest anonymously. This makes it

a legal way to route unaccounted wealth in

Indian equities. Thus, it acts as source to the

black money market.

The politicians, bureaucrats, business-persons

and terror financiers misuse the P-Note route to

fulfil illegal objectives. Terror financing is defined

as an activity to provide funds for terrorist

activity. Under this, funds are raised from

legitimate sources, such as personal donations

and profits from businesses and charitable

organizations, as well as from criminal sources,

such as the drug trade, the smuggling of

weapons and other goods, fraud, kidnapping

and extortion.

Terrorists also use techniques like those of

money launderers to evade authorities' attention

and to protect the identity of their sponsors and

of the ultimate beneficiaries of the funds. For

e.g.: p- Notes.

National Capital Goods policy 2016

It is a unique Government led- industry driven

tool for a new growth narrative in the history of

industrial development. The Department of

Heavy Industry had set up a Joint Taskforce

with Confederation of Indian industry as an

attempt to ensure that the formulation of the

Capital Goods Policy is done in the most

democratic manner.

The recommendations should carve out a

roadmap for Capital Goods sector to become a

part of global value chains apart from mere

supply chains. The policy has been framed after

extensive stakeholders’ consultations with

industry, academia, different ministries etc.

The aim of the policy is to create game changing

strategies for the capital goods sector.

Some of the key issues addressed include:

Availability of Finance,

Raw Material,

Innovation and Technology,

Productivity,

Quality and Environment,

Friendly Manufacturing Practices,

Promoting Exports and Creating

Domestic Demand.

Key policy recommendations:

Strengthening the existing scheme

of the DHI on enhancement of

competitiveness of Capital Goods

Sector by increasing budgetary

allocation for increasing scope to

further boost global competitiveness

in various sub sectors of CG.


To enhance the export of Indian

made capital goods through a

'Heavy Industry Export & Market

Development Assistance Scheme'.

Launching a Technology

Development Fund.

Upgrading the existing and setting

up new testing & certification

facilities.

Making standards mandatory in

order to reduce sub-standard

machine imports.

To provide opportunity to local

manufacturing units by utilizing

their installed capacity and

launching scheme of skill

development for Capital Goods

sector.

Objectives:

Realizing the strategic importance of

Capital Goods and the pivotal role

played by it in the overall

manufacturing, as the pillar of strength

to the vision of Make in India program.

To drive growth for Capital Goods sector,

as well as a part of Government’s

commitment to help realize this vision of

Building India as the World class hub

for Capital Goods.

To increase production of capital goods

from Rs. 230,000 Crore (2014-15) to Rs.

750,000 Crore (2025) and raising direct

and indirect employment from the

current 8.4 million to 30 million.

To increase exports from the current

27% to 40% of production while

increasing share of domestic production

in India's demand from 60% to 80%,

thus making India a net exporter of

capital goods.

To facilitate improvement in technology

depth across sub-sectors, increase skill

availability, ensure mandatory

standards and promote growth and

capacity building of MSMEs.

Income Declaration Scheme 2016

Objectives:

It provides an opportunity to the tax payers who

have not paid their income tax in the past. It

provides an opportunity to these defaulters to

come forward and declare the undisclosed

income and pay the tax. The surcharge and

penalty totaling in all to forty-five per cent of

such undisclosed income declared.

Salient features:

Under the Scheme, such income as

declared by the eligible persons would

be taxed at the rate of 30% plus a

Krishi Kalyan Cess of 25% on the taxes

payable and a penalty at the rate of

25% of the taxes payable, thereby

totaling to 45% of the income declared

under the scheme.

The scheme shall apply to undisclosed

income whether in the form of

investment in assets or otherwise,

pertaining to Financial Year 2015-16 or

earlier.

Foreign assets or income to which the

Black Money Act 2015 applies are not

eligible for declaration under this

scheme.

Assets specified in the declaration shall

be exempt from Wealth tax. No Scrutiny

and enquiry under the Income-tax Act

or the Wealth tax Act shall be

undertaken in respect of such

declarations.

New NIMZ, Kalinganagar, Odisha

The Centre has accorded final approval for the

proposed National Investment Manufacturing

Zone to be developed at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore

at Kalinganagar Orissa. The NIMZ is expected to

attract investment of Rs 1.5 lakh crore and

generate an employment for 450,000 people

after its completion. The investment will come in

varied sectors like metal and mines, automotive,

steel and downstream industries.

What is National Investment and

Manufacturing Zones?

The National Investment and Manufacturing

Zones are giant industrial Greenfield townships

to promote world-class manufacturing activities.

The minimum size is 5000 hectares wherein the

processing area has to be at least 30%.

The central government will be responsible for

bearing the cost of master planning, providing

external physical infrastructure linkages

including rail, road, ports, airports and telecom,

providing institutional infrastructure for


productivity, skill development and the

promotion of domestic and global investments.

The identification of land will be undertaken by

state governments. They will be responsible for

water requirement, power connectivity, physical

infrastructure, utility linkages, environmental

impact studies and bearing the cost of

resettlement and rehabilitation packages for the

owners of acquired land.

In government, purchase preferences will be

given to units in the national investment and

manufacturing zones.

Difference between SEZ and NIMZ?

Points NMIZ SEZ

Origin Under National Manufacturing policy.

Under SEZ Act.

Minimum Area

5000 hectares.

10-1000 hectares depending on sector.

Smaller for gems/jewellary/IT.

Maximum Area Not specific.

5000 hectares.

Eco Impact Assessment

State government.

Project Developer.

Energy Part of the electricity has to be procured from renewable

sources. State Govt will give subsidy.

No such requirement.

Spcl preference in

procurement

Yes Not specified

Innovation/quality

State govt will pay 50% fee for international patent application. Tax exemption

on money

Not specified.

spent to get ISO etc.

Single window clearance to

files

Yes

Yes

Electronic grievance redressal system

E-Nivaran

The Income Tax department has launched an

electronic grievance redressal system called e-

nivaran in order to fast track taxpayer

grievances and ensures early resolution of their

complaints. This system acts to integrate all

online and physical complaints gathered by the

department at this platform which will be

monitored by the Assessing Officer of the case

upto the supervisory officers in a paperless

environment.

It will also ensure that grievances related to any

section or domain of the tax department is

transferred quickly to the department concerned

like that of refunds issue or any other IT matter

concerning an assessee.

A new mechanism was brought forward by the

Central Board of Direct Taxes, where top officers

of the department have been allotted a specific

quota of complaints to monitor and track, from

their origin to successful resolution.

NK Singh Committee to review FRBM Act

The Government has constituted a five Member

Committee to comprehensively review and give

recommendations on the FRBM roadmap for the

future. This committee is headed by Shri N.K.

Singh, Former Revenue Secretary & Expenditure

Secretary &Former Member of Parliament (Rajya

Sabha).

Terms of Reference:

To review the working of the FRBM Act

over last 12 years and to suggest the

way forward, keeping in view the broad

objective of fiscal consolidation and

prudence and the changes required in

the context of the uncertainty and

volatility in the global economy;

To look into various aspects, factors,

considerations going into determining

the FRBM targets;

To examine the need and feasibility of

having a ‘fiscal deficit range’ as the

target in place of the existing fixed

numbers(percentage of GDP) as fiscal


deficit target; if so, the specific

recommendations of the Committee

thereon;

To examine the need and feasibility of

aligning the fiscal expansion or

contraction with credit contraction or

expansion respectively in the economy.

To make its assessment and provide its

views on the expected impact of its

recommendations on the General

Government deficit and other FRBM

parameters.

To examine and give recommendations

on any other aspect considered relevant

in relation to the determination and

implementation of the FRBM roadmap.

What is FRBM act and its objective?

FRBM Act was enacted by the Union

Government in 2003.

Objectives:

To ensure inter-generational equity in

fiscal management,

Long run macroeconomic stability,

Better coordination between fiscal and

monetary policy, and

Transparency in fiscal operation of the

Government.

The act aims to achieve reduction of fiscal deficit

to 3% of the GDP by 2008-09 with annual

reduction target of 0.3% of GDP per year by the

Central government. Revenue deficit has to be

reduced by 0.5% of the GDP per year with

complete elimination to be achieved by 2008-09.

Amendments in the Act:

On the recommendations of 13th Finance

Commission, amendments were made in the act

through Finance Act 2012, and it was decided

that in addition to the existing three documents

(Medium-Term Fiscal Policy Statement, Fiscal

Policy Strategy Statement and Macroeconomic

Framework Statement), Central Government

shall include another document –

The Medium Term Expenditure Framework

Statement (MTEF).

Concept of Effective Revenue Deficit and

Medium Term Expenditure Framework

statement are the two important features of

amended FRBM Act in the direction of

expenditure reforms.

Effective Revenue Deficit is the difference

between revenue deficit and grants for creation

of capital assets. This will help in reducing

consumptive component of revenue deficit and

create space for increased capital spending. It

has become a new fiscal parameter.

Medium-term Expenditure Framework

statement will set forth a three-year rolling

target for expenditure indicators.

In 2015, the target dates for achieving the

prescribed rates of effective deficit and fiscal

deficit were further extended. The effective

revenue deficit which had to be eliminated by

March 2015 will now need to be eliminated by

March 2018. The 3% target of fiscal deficit to be

achieved by 2016-17 has now been shifted by

one more year to the end of 2017-18.

In the Union Budget 2016-17, it was proposed

to constitute a Committee to review the

implementation of the FRBM Act and give its

recommendations on the way forward. This was

based on the view that instead of fixed numbers

as fiscal deficit targets, it may be better to have

a fiscal deficit range as the target, which would

give necessary policy space to the Government to

deal with dynamic situations.

International Relations

Simhastha Declaration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Srilankan

President Maithripala Sirisena released

‘Simhastha Declaration’ in Ujjain. It has 51

sacred points for betterment of mankind that

will start new discourse not only in India but

also around the world. This declaration is a

guideline on how a duty-centered system, which

had been the origin of Indian philosophy of life,

has become the most relevant today.

Saints and scholars from India and abroad

discussed on various issues in the sessions of

‘Vichar Mahakumbh’. It will be held every year to

discuss important social issues. Sessions on

various important issues such as sustainable

development, sanitation, climate change, values

of life, agriculture and cottage industry, zero

budget farming, dignity of woman, micro

industries, value-based life, religion for the

welfare of mankind, science and spiritualism,


and purity of rivers, etc. were conducted and

discussed.

Cultural Diplomacy- Background and

Importance:

India chose to lend a diplomatic dimension to

the ancient city of Ujjain, by internationalizing

Simhasth Maha Kumbh festival. The objective

was to put religion at the heart of India’s

cultural diplomacy.

In the last two years, The Union Government

has taken a number of steps in this direction.

His worship at the Pashupatinath temple in

Kathmandu and prayers at a Buddhist temple in

Kyoto in 2014 were part of a conscious strategy

to deepen the links with the people of these

countries.

India’s decision to invite the visiting Japanese

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Ganga worship

in Varanasi last year and the invitations to the

presidents of Nepal and Sri Lanka to join the

Maha Kumbh celebrations in Ujjain this week

are one part of the unfolding story of religion

and the new Indian diplomacy. The diplomatic

campaign to get the United Nations to declare

June 21 as the International Yoga Day is

another.

India, Iran sign 12 bilateral agreements

India-Iran Cultural Exchange

Programme: The objective is to extend

the CEP for the period 2016-2019

covering the areas of culture and art;

radio, TV, mass media and cinema; and

relevant general and financial terms.

MoU between the Ministry of External

Affairs of India and the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of Iran on Policy

Dialogue between Governments and

Interaction between Think Tanks.

MoU between Foreign Service

Institute, MEA and the School of

International Relations, Iran’s MoFA:

It is intended to enhance cooperation

between the two parties for training of

diplomats and exchange of eminent

speakers.

Implementation of Protocol between

Department of Science and

Technology, India and Iran’s Ministry

of Science, Research and Technology

on Cooperation in the Fields of

Science and Technology: It states the

specific cooperation between the two

sides pursuant to the 2003 MoU and

covers areas like exchange of

experiences, seminars, conferences etc.

MoU between Indian Council for

Cultural Relations and Islamic

Culture and Relations Organizations

of the IR, Iran: It provides for

institutional mechanisms for

cooperation between ICCR and ICRO

and lays down the modalities for the

cooperation.

Bilateral contract on Chabahar Port

for port development and operations

between IPGPL [India Ports Global

Private Limited] and Arya Banader of

Iran: It envisages development and

operation for 10 years of two terminals

and 5 berths with cargo handling

[multipurpose and general] capacities.

MoU between EXIM Bank and Iran’s

Ports and Maritime Organization

oncurrent specific terms for the

Chabahar Port project: It is intended

for the purpose of credit of USD 150

million for Chabahar port.

Confirmation Statement between

EXIM Bank and Central Bank of

Iran:It confirms the availability of credit

up to INR 3000 crore for the import of

steel rails and implementation of

Chabahar port.

MoU between Export Credit

Guarantee Corporation Limited of

India and the Export Guarantee Fund

of Iran: It seeks to establish a

framework of cooperation between

ECGC and EGFI in supporting and

encouraging foreign trade and foreign

investment between India and Iran and,

where appropriate, the supply of goods

and services from their respective

countries as part of a project to a third

country.

MoU between NALCO and the Iranian

Mines and Mining Industries

Development and Renovation

Organization: The objective is for the

two parties to jointly explore the


possibility of manufacturing aluminium

metal by setting up of a smelter on joint

venture basis in Iran and/or entering

into tolling arrangements with smelters

in Iran or any other form of business

collaboration including sale of alumina

etc.

MoU between IRCON and

Construction, Development of

Transport and Infrastructure

Company of Iran: It will enable IRCON

to provide requisite services for the

construction of Chabahar-Zahedan

railway line which forms part of transit

and transportation corridor in trilateral

agreement between India, Iran and

Afghanistan.

MoU for cooperation between the

National Archives of India and the

National Library and Archives

Organization of the Islamic Republic

of Iran: The aim to for facilitation of

exchange of information and knowledge

in the field of archival matters through

exchange of manuals, guidelines, rules,

publications and other special literature

on archival topics.

Three-way land transit agreement between

India, Iran and Afghanistan

India, Iran and Afghanistan signed trilateral pact

for the strategically located Chabahar Port (Iran).

Under the agreement, India will invest up to 500

million dollars in a deal to develop a strategic

port in Iran.

About Chabahar port:

The port of Chabahar is located in southeastern

Iran in the Gulf of Oman. It is the only Iranian

port with direct access to the Indian Ocean.

Agreement details:

India will develop and operate the Chabahar port

and will invest $85 million in developing two

container berths and three multi-cargo berths.

As part of the agreement, a free trade zone is

envisaged which will attract a total investment of

Rs 1 lakh crore. Indian companies would set up

a range of industries from aluminium smelter to

urea plants in the region. India will also supply

$400 million of steel rails to Tehran.

IRCON International will set up a railway line at

Chabahar to move goods right up to

Afghanistan. The 500-km rail link between

Chabahar and Zahedan will link Delhi to the

rest of Iran's railway network.

Why is it so important for India?

The port will make way for India to bypass

Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan

and subsequently to Central Asia (Hub for

hydrocarbons) using a sea-land route. At

present, Pakistan does not allow India to

transport through its territory to Afghanistan.

This will also give momentum to the

International North-South Transport Corridor

of which both are initial signatories along with

Russia. Iran is the key gateway in this project. It

entails the ship, rail, and road routes for moving

freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and

Central Asia. The route primarily involves

moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and

Russia.

The objective of the corridor is to increase trade

connectivity between major cities such as

Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Astrakhan etc.

It would counter Chinese presence in the

Arabian Sea who is developing Gwadar port in

Pakistan. It can be used to station security

vessels for merchant ships off the African coast

apart from giving the country a foothold in the

western Arabian Sea, which is important as

many of its energy imports pass through the

route.

MoU signed between Indian Space Research

Organization and the United Arab Emirates

Space Agency

Memorandum of Understanding was signed

between Indian Space Research Organization

and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency for

cooperation in the exploration and user of outer

space for peaceful purposes.

The MoU would result in setting up a Joint

Working Group with members from ISRO and

UAESA, which will work out the plan of action

including the time-frame and the means of

implementing this MoU.

Background:

Promoting space cooperation between India and

UAE was highlighted during the visit of Prime

Minister of India to UAE in 2015 and also at the

11th meeting of India-UAE Joint Commission for


Economic and Technical Cooperation held in

2015.

Subsequently, a delegation from UAESA visited

ISRO technical facilities on September 16, 2015

and discussed on the avenues of building space

cooperation including signing of a MoU.

Accordingly, ISRO and UAESA, considering their

mutual interest in expanding the applications of

space technology for peaceful purposes signed a

MoU in 2016.

India, Oman sign 4 bilateral agreements on

defence cooperation

The two countries signed four key agreements in

the critically important defence sector with focus

on enhancing military cooperation.Defence

cooperation, marine crime prevention, maritime

issues and flight safety information exchange are

the 4 major areas in which the agreements were

signed. All aspects of bilateral defence

cooperation including enhanced military to

military exchanges were discussed between the

two countries. Both sides also exchanged views

on regional developments of mutual interest.

Strategically Important to India:

Oman has continued to support for the

Operational Turnaround of Indian Navy ships for

anti-piracy patrols as well as technical support

for landing and over-flight of IAF planes.

MoU signed between Securities and Exchange

Board of India (SEBI) and Financial Services

Regulatory Authority (FSRA), Abu Dhabi

It will enhance further development of economic

links and cooperation between the two countries

and will help create conditions for development

of securities markets in the two countries. It

would also contribute towards strengthening the

information sharing framework between the two

regulators. The Securities and Exchange Board

of India has signed bilateral pacts with a

number of countries and is a signatory to global

market regulators' grouping named as IOSCO

(International Organization of Securities

Commissions).

Indo UAE Renewable Energy Cooperation

Key facts:

To boost bilateral cooperation between

India and UAE in the field of new and

renewable energy technologies.

To form a Joint Working Group for

research on subjects of mutual interest.

To exchange the technologies and data

and training of scientific personnel.

To organize workshops and seminars

and transfer of know-how and

equipment on non-commercial basis.

To provide opportunity for exploring

potential renewable energy projects for

investments; cooperation in the

International Solar Alliance and explore

avenues of cooperation in R&D in

renewable energy.

What is International Solar Alliance?

The alliance includes the membership of 120

countries that support the Declaration on the

occasion to launch the international solar

alliance of countries dedicated to the promotion

of solar energy. It acts as a common platform for

cooperation among solar resource rich countries

lying fully or practically between the Tropics of

Cancer and Capricorn.

The collective ambition to undertake innovative

and concerted efforts with a view to reduce the

cost of finance and technology for immediate

deployment of competitive solar generation

assets in all countries and pave the way for

future solar generation, storage and good

technologies adapted to our countries.

Joint efforts will be required through innovative

policies, projects, capacity building measures

and financial instruments to mobilize more than

1000 Billion US Dollars of investments that are

needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of

affordable solar energy.

An International Steering Committee will be

created, which will provide the advice to

establish the international solar alliance.

Gulf Cooperation Council

Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi

Arabia and UAE are the 6 members of

Gulf Cooperation Council. Iran, Iraq and

Yemen are not part of GCC.

GCC countries have a significant

economic dependence on oil export.

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi in

the UAE in particular. Qatar has a large

natural gas industry; Oman and

Bahrain have much less dependence on

oil.


All GCC countries are Islamic states

with all citizens (or almost all) belonging

to the Muslim faith.

Most citizens of Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi

Arabia, and UAE are Sunni Muslims but

there are significant proportions of Shia

(Shiite) Muslims in all countries.

All GCC countries have political and

legal systems based on the Islamic

religion. Sharia (Sharia'a, Shariah) law

is in place for the most part, and

applicable to citizens but sometimes not

to expatriate residents.

All GCC countries operate as a

monarchy of some sort with an

autocratic system of leadership.

Governments and parliamentary bodies

are usually unelected although some

GCC nations are introducing a greater

degree of democratic government - for

example: Bahrain, Kuwait, and UAE.

China sign two agreements with Sudan to

build nuclear reactor

China has signed a framework agreement with

Sudan to build its first nuclear reactor. The

country is planning to build two 600-megawatt

pressurized water reactors.

Reasons behind the deal:

China is currently promoting its own-brand

reactor known as the Hualong 1 in overseas

markets. China aims to become a globally

dominant player in the nuclear sector, using its

ambitious domestic reactor building program to

develop the necessary experience and expertise.

China is seeking wider acceptance for its atomic

technology and expertise amid a global call for

cleaner energy. It is expected to export around

30 home grown reactors by 2030.

This agreement is a step forward for China’s

‘One Belt, One Road’ plan to export technology,

including nuclear power and high-speed railway

technologies, and financial assistance to African

and European nations.

India, Australia sign MoU to enhance R&D

capabilities in Biotech

Government of India signed a Memorandum of

Understanding with Australia for launching a

joint funding call to support Research and

Development organizations and other eligible

institutions to undertake innovative and cutting-

edge strategic translational research in

horticulture at affordable costs.

The vision is to stimulate and enhance the

strategic research and innovation capabilities of

the Indian biotech industry, particularly start-

ups and SME's, for the creation of affordable

products addressing the needs of the largest

section of society. Considering the gap between

demand and supply for crops, it is of paramount

importance to stimulate an enabling

environment for research and development in

both the regions.

The focus is to undertake horticultural research

in order to develop and deploy modern tools of

plant biotechnology. This will help to improve

crop productivity. The funding commitment is

upto AUD 6 million over a period of 3 years.

The research and development of innovative

interventions and practices and the strategic

partnership will promote the development of

cost-effective practices for crop harvesting.

Creativity and innovative practices in an

agrarian economy like India will have far

reaching impact on its socio-economic progress

and ensure sustenance can improve livelihoods

and the quality of life.

Project Collaboration Agreement with World

Health Organization

Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani,

Siddha and Homeopathy), Government of India

and the World Health Organization signed

Project Collaboration Agreement for cooperation

on promoting the quality, safety and

effectiveness of service provision in traditional

and complementary medicine. The title of the

agreement is ‘Co-operation on promoting the

quality, safety and effectiveness of service

provision in traditional and complementary

medicine between WHO and AYUSH, India,

2016-2020’.

It will deliver the WHO benchmark document for

training in Yoga, and for practice in Ayurveda,

Unani and Panchakarma and will help in

strengthening the national capacities in

ensuring the quality, safety and effectiveness of

traditional medicine including in establishing

regulatory frameworks for traditional medicine

products and practice and promote their

integration in national healthcare systems.


It also adopts a pluralistic health care delivery

system that allows every recognized medical

system to develop and be practiced with a view

to provide integrated and holistic healthcare

services. It will contribute to the global

promotion of traditional Indian Systems of

Medicine.

It will pave the way for India’s long-term

collaboration with the WHO in fostering the

global promotion and integration of AYUSH

systems of medicine including through the

inclusion of Ayurveda and Unani in the

International Classification of diseases and the

International Classification of Health

interventions.

Inter-Governmental Agreement between India

and Mauritius on cooperation in cooperatives

and related fields

The Agreement between the two countries will be

five years after which it will be extended for

another five years. It provides for promoting

cooperation through short and medium term

programs within the framework. A work plan will

be drawn up to give effect to the objectives of

this Agreement.

The Mauritius government has shown interest to

develop Institutional Mechanism between

Cooperative Development Fund set up by it and

National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) so as

to benefit from NCUI's experience in Cooperative

Development.

A MoU was signed between the two countries for

exchange of information related to legislation

governing cooperatives, exchange of data and

technicalities pertaining to the cooperative

sector, establishment of institutional linkages

and deputation of experts under ITEC

programme.

What is ITEC programme?

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation was

constituted in 1964 by the then PM Lal Bahadur

Shastri, as a bilateral programme of assistance

of the Government of India. It is used for

cooperation programmes conceived in regional

and inter regional context such as Economic

Commission for Africa, Industrial Unit

Developmentof Commonwealth Secretariat, G-

77, ASEAN (Association of South East Asian

Nations), BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for

Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic

Cooperation), African Union, Mekong Ganga

Cooperation, Indian Ocean Rim Association for

Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) etc.

Training (Civilian and Defence) in India of

nominees from IEC partner countries, Study

tours, Aid for disaster relief, Various Projects

and related activities (feasibility study and

consultancy services) are the main components

of ITEC program.

New Protocol to the India-Mauritius Double

Tax Treaty

India and Mauritius have signed a protocol to

the India-Mauritius Double Tax Avoidance

Treaty in May 2016.

Highlights:

Taxation of Capital Gains

The Protocol provides for a shifting of

taxing rights on capital gains from

disposal of shares to India with effect

from 1 April 2017. However, investments

made by Mauritius structures up to 31

March 2017 shall be grandfathered and

thus exempted from capital gains tax in

India irrespective of the date of disposal.

In addition, capital gains arising on

shares acquired after 1 April 2017 and

disposed of at latest by 31 March 2019

shall be subject to tax only at 50% of

domestic tax rate prevailing in India.

Interest income derived by Mauritius-

residents

Interest income derived by Mauritius

resident entities from debt-claims and

loan transactions would, with effect

from 1 April 2017, be subject to a 7.5%

withholding tax. Currently, such interest

income is subject to tax at domestic

rates in India.

Interest income derived by Mauritius

banks

The Protocol provides for a shifting of

taxing rights to India on interest income

earned by Mauritius-resident banks

from debt-claims and loans made as

from 1 April 2017. Currently, such

interest income is exempted from tax in

India. However, the withholding tax is

limited to 7.5% of such interest income.


In addition, interest income of

Mauritius-resident banks on debt claims

or loans existing as at 31 March 2017

shall remain tax exempt in India,

irrespective of the maturity date of such

instruments.

Investments already made by Mauritius

structures and those to be made up to

31 March 2017 are protected under the

Protocol and will continue to benefit

from capital gains tax exemption.

Mauritius structures, especially Foreign

Portfolio Investments, looking at

investing post 1 April 2017 for an

eventual disposal by 31 March 2019

should review their operations in

Mauritius and reinforce substance with

a view to meeting the Limitations of

Benefits (LOB) Clause.

What is Limits of Benefits clause?

The Limits of Benefits clause states that the

treaty benefits will be limited to those people,

entity or organization, who meets certain

conditions, including those related to business,

residency and investment commitments of the

entity seeking benefit of a Double Taxation

Avoidance Agreement. It is aimed at preventing

unauthorized use of tax pacts by third-country

investors (Treaty Shopping).

MoU signed between the Union Ministry of

Tourism and Ministry of Tourism of

Government of Maldives

Objectives:

To expand bilateral cooperation in the

tourism sector.

To exchange information and data

related to tourism.

To encourage cooperation between

tourism stakeholders, including hotels

and tour operators.

To establish exchange programme for

cooperation in Human Resources

Development.

To invest in the Tourism and Hospitality

sectors.

To exchange visits of Tour

Operators/Media/Opinion Makers for

promotion of two-way tourism.

To exchange experiences in the areas of

promotion, marketing, destination

development and management.

To participate in travel fairs/exhibitions

in each other’s country.

To promote safe honourable and

sustainable tourism.

Red Flag Aerial combat exercise

It is an advanced aerial combat training exercise

hosted in Alaska and a successor to the previous

COPE THUNDER exercise series. This exercise is

held every three months for two weeks, and it

involves NATO allies of the US. It is played under

multiple simulated scenarios designed to provide

realistic settings.

The overall demarcation is between Red Force

which is the Defensive force fighting to protect

own airspace and assets and the Blue Force,

which is the Offensive force. The third force,

named as the White force evaluated the

performance of various participants in a clinical

manner. Indian Air Force participated for the

first in this exercise.

Objective:

The main objective of IAF’s participation in this

exercise is to show and analyze its capability in

undertaking organized air operations and gain

operational lessons. The temperature were kept

sub-zero, which posed a challenge to the

maintenance team to maintain 100 per cent

serviceability of all platforms.

South Asia Initiative to End Violence against

Children (SAIEVAC) Ministerial Meeting

About SAIEVAC:

In 2001, based on the recommendations of the

Committee on the Rights of the Child, the United

Nations General Assembly called for a global

study on violence against children. A Regional

Consultation was organized in May 2005 by the

South Asia Coordinating Group on Action

against Violence Against Women and Children

(SACG) and hosted by the Government of

Pakistan in Islamabad.

The consultation brought together

representatives from the South Asian

Association for Regional Cooperation Secretariat

and delegations from Afghanistan, Bangladesh,

Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri

Lanka. Each delegation comprised of ministers,

senior government officials, representatives from

civil society, NGOs, UN agencies, experts and


resource persons, children and young people,

media etc.

The Consultation reviewed the situation of

violence against children in the South Asia

Region, including an analysis of the legal

frameworks and good practices and also a

number of recommendations to address

collectively the priority issues throughout the

region.

The most significant outcome of the Regional

Consultation was the formation of the South

Asia Forum for Ending Violence against

Children, a regional mechanism initiated in

2005 with the vision of ending all forms of

violence against children in South Asia.

The Forum was transformed into a new

institutional structure called ‘South Asia

Initiative for Ending Violence against Children’

(SAIEVAC) that would operate at the regional

and national level. It develops future plans for

collaborations with SAARC and a work plan to

end violence against children.

India, World Bank ink US$ 100 million loan

agreement

India has signed a loan agreement with World

Bank for of US$ 100 million for Karnataka

Urban Water Supply Modernization project.

Objective:

The objective of the project is to provide city-

wide access to a continuous piped water supply

in the eligible cities in the State of Karnataka

and to strengthen the service delivery

arrangements at the city level. Four broad

components of the project are:

(i) Capital Investment Program;

(ii) Institution Building;

(iii) Technical Assistance for Sector

Development; and

(iv) Project Management.

India-New Zealand have signed a landmark

Air Services Agreement

This Agreement signifies an important landmark

in the civil aviation relations between India and

New Zealand and has the potential to

exponentially increase the trade, investment,

tourism and cultural exchanges between the two

countries.

Objectives:

To promote international air services

between their respective territories,

especially for about 23, 000 Indian

students studying in New Zealand.

To promote an international aviation

system based on the competition among

airlines.

To ensure the highest degree of safety

and security in international air services

and reaffirming their concerns against

acts or threats against the security of

the aircrafts which jeopardize the safety

of persons and property and will

undermine the public confidence in the

safety of civil aviation.

Reason behind the agreement:

The two-way tourist traffic between India and

New Zealand has witnessed sharp rise in recent

past. There are nearly 1, 75,000 PIOs living in

New Zealand. The two-way trade between the

two countries has doubled in the last few years

and reached at $2 billion in 2015. Education

and Tourism also have grown exponentially

between both countries.

India, US hold first Maritime Security

Dialogue

Issues discussed:

Asia-Pacific maritime challenges,

Naval cooperation,

Multilateral engagement.

The conclusion of a white shipping

technical arrangement to improve data

sharing on commercial shipping traffic,

Navy-to-Navy discussions on submarine

safety,

Anti-submarine warfare.

USD 1 billion Line of Credit to Mongolia

India extended a credit line of USD 1 billion to

Mongolia to expand its economic capacity and

finance various infrastructure projects. The two

countries also decided to upgrade their

relationship from Comprehensive to Strategic

Partnership.

14 agreements were also inked between the two

countries covering various sectors like defence,

cyber security, agriculture, renewable energy

and health. Cooperation between National

Security Councils of the two countries will

provide a strategic framework for cooperation.

India will also help establish a cyber-security

centre in Mongolia’s defence and security

establishment.


They also agreed to encourage development of

equal and mutually beneficial trade, investment

and economic cooperation, which is balanced,

sustainable and leads to prosperity in both

countries.

India also increased the Indian Technical and

Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme

training slots for Mongolia from 150 to 200 and

set up an India-Mongolia Joint School.

Reasons behind extending USD 1 billion Line

of Credit to Mongolia:

Mongolia reiterated its support to India's

candidature for permanent members of

the UNSC when the expansion takes

place. Also, both India and Mongolia

have agreed to offer reciprocal support

for their bids for a non-permanent seat

in the UNSC for 2021-22 and 2023-24

respectively.

There is excellent potential for

cooperation with Mongolia in the

minerals sector because Mongolia is a

mineral-rich country in coking coal,

copper, rare earths and uranium.

India already has a civil nuclear agreement with

Mongolia which provides for uranium exports to

the country once the domestic laws here permit

prospecting and mining.

India and Slovenia amend DTAA

India and Slovenia have signed a Protocol

amending the existing Convention between the

two countries for avoidance of double taxation

and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to

taxes on income.

The Protocol will broaden the scope of the

existing framework of exchange of tax related

information which will help curb tax evasion and

tax avoidance between the two countries and

will also enable mutual assistance in collection

of taxes.

The International Day of United Nations

Peacekeepers

29 May is the International Day of United

Nations Peacekeepers.

The day was established to:

Honour the memory of the UN

peacekeepers who have lost their lives in

the cause of peace;

Pay tribute to all the men and women

who have served and continue to serve

in UN peacekeeping operations for their

high level of professionalism, dedication

and courage.

What is Peacekeeping?

Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most

effective tools available to the UN to assist host

countries navigate the difficult path from conflict

to peace.

Peacekeeping has unique strengths, including

legitimacy, burden sharing, and an ability to

deploy and sustain troops and police from

around the globe, integrating them with civilian

peacekeepers to advance multidimensional

mandates.

UN Peacekeepers provide security and the

political and peace building support to help

countries make the difficult, early transition

from conflict to peace.

It is guided by three basic principles:

Consent of the parties;

Impartiality;

Non-use of force except in self-defence

and defence of the mandate.

Role of India in UN Peacekeeping Missions:

India is committed to assist the UN in the

maintenance of international peace and security

with a proud history of UN peacekeeping dating

back to its inception in the 1950s. India has

contributed nearly 180,000 troops, the largest

number from any country, participated in more

than 44 missions and 156 Indian peacekeepers

have made the supreme sacrifice while serving

in UN missions. India has also provided and

continues to provide eminent Force

Commanders for UN Missions.

In 2014 India is the second largest troop

contributor with 8,123 personnel deployed with

12 UN Peacekeeping Missions, including the first

Female Formed Police Unit under the UN. The

high standards of performance maintained

consistently by the Indian troops and policemen

deployed on UN Missions under challenging

circumstances have won them high regard

worldwide.

Past Missions:

(a) Korea (1950-54)

(b) Indo-China (1954-70)

(c) Middle East (1956-67)

(d) Congo (1960-64)

(e) Somalia (1993-94)

(f) Sierra Leone (1999-2001)


Current Missions:

(a) Lebanon (Since Dec 1998)

(b) Congo (Since January 2005)

(c) Golan Heights (Since February 2006)

(d) Haiti (Since December 1997)

(e) Liberia (Since April 2007)

Science & Technology

Medicines with the Red Line campaign on

antibiotics:

About the Red line campaign:

It is a public awareness campaign to highlight

the dangers of misuse and irrational use of

antibiotics. The Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare is the nodal ministry for this campaign.

It is launched at a time when the consumption

of antibiotics in India has increased sharply

while the effectiveness of these drugs to treat

bacterial infections has been steadily declining.

Reason behind the campaign:

High disease burden, rising income, cheap,

unregulated sales of antibiotics and poor public

health infrastructure are some of the reasons for

the sharp increase in antibiotic use. A report

(August 2014) in the journal The Lancet

Infectious Diseases, said that in 2010, India

consumed 13 billion units of antibiotics, the

highest in the world. Between 2005 and 2009,

consumption shot up by 40 per cent.

The impact of this unregulated usage of

antibiotics is already showing. Between 2008

and 2013, E.coli bacteria resistant to third-

generation cephalosporin increased from 70 to

83 per cent; it went up from 8 to 13 per cent in

the case of carbapenems and 78 to 85 per cent

in the case of fluoroquinolone.

The consequences of increased prevalence of

antimicrobial resistance are best illustrated in

the case of neonatal sepsis. On average 57,000

neonates die each year in India, the highest in

the world, due to sepsis infection that is

resistant to first-line antibiotics.

The collusion of drug companies and chemists is

also apparent in the rampant over-the-counter

(OTC) sale of antibiotics, particularly

carbapenems (that is among the highest in the

world), even for ailments where they are not

indicative.

Measures:

One way to reduce the dependence on

antibiotics is by increasing the coverage

of immunization, which is currently

hovering around 72 per cent for DTP

(diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis).

India has to turn the spotlight on

ensuring sustainable access even while

maintaining sustainable effectiveness of

all antibiotics. The only way to achieve

this twin objective is by ensuring that all

stakeholders- government, patients,

veterinarians, doctors, pharmacists,

pharmaceutical companies and health-

care facilities play their respective roles

more responsibly.

First, people should be made aware that

stopping antibiotics midway, missing

doses, taking suboptimal dosages, or

consuming antibiotics for cold and other

viral infections, to name a few, makes

them resistant to antibiotics; when ill

the next time, their only recourse will be

more expensive drugs or probably

nothing at all. This is best exemplified in

the case of multidrug-resistant

tuberculosis that requires longer period

of treatment using very toxic drugs that

are more expensive.

A recent study reported fixed dose

combinations and loose antimicrobials

for tuberculosis. Loose antimicrobials

come without packaging and do not

mention the name of the drug, its

manufacturer, the date of manufacture,

or the date of expiry. The top priority of

the Union government should be to

crack down on such drug companies

manufacturing irrational fixed-dose

combination drugs.

The government should also urgently

regulate drug companies discharging

antimicrobial waste into the

environment and regulate the use of

antibiotics in animal feed to combat

antibiotic resistance and obtain

healthier animal products.

Misuse of antibiotics in food animals is

linked to the antibiotic resistance

problems. Better sanitation and effective


infection control measures in health-

care settings will also drastically cut the

spread of drug-resistant strains.

The introduction of Schedule H1

category from March 2014 to prevent

the sale of 24 third- and fourth-

generation antibiotics without

prescription is a step in the right

direction.

Electronic Maintenance Management System

(e-MMS) Project

It is one of the biggest automated military

maintenance systems in the world. It would

comprise configuration management systems,

fleet planning and management, maintenance

repair and an overhaul. It is an important asset

for quick fleet mobilization in case of a war or

external aggression.

The system would connect squadrons, wings,

commands, and Air Headquarters of IAF and has

a central console, thus helping us get rid of

paper works and heavy logbooks which will save

time and money for IAF. It will make the work

environment more efficient and operational

availability of all fleets and systems can be

monitored in real time at various hierarchical

levels.

ISRO- Air-breathing Propulsion System

Air breathing propulsion system uses

atmospheric oxygen, which is available up to

about 50 km of earth’s surface to burn the fuel

stored on-board thereby making the system

much lighter, more efficient and cost effective.

Air breathing propulsion is a solution for a

powered long return cruise flight necessary for

reusable launch vehicles. The collection and use

of air involves challenges as the launch vehicle

speeds through atmosphere at supersonic

speeds. This calls for the development of ramjet

or scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet)

technologies.

First Scanning Helium Microscope

Benefits:

It will assist scientists to study human,

animal and plant samples, computer

chips and pharmaceutical drugs,

without damaging or changing their

structure. A normal microscope uses

light to penetrate the samples and the

light penetration may damage them.

But, the scanning helium microscope

analyzes the samples in their true state.

There are endless possibilities in the

areas of biological sciences,

pharmaceuticals, and delicate materials.

This technology may help to find ways of

removing carbon monoxide from

exhaust gases. It could help with the

clean-up of toxic or even radioactive

spills without harming the surrounding

flora or fauna.

In Defence sector, it could lead to the

development of stealth technology and

new explosives.

Qora- Affordable Faecal Incontinence

Management System

It is an indigenously built innovative medical

device which has been developed by Department

of Biotechnology. It is implemented at AIIMS and

IIT Delhi in collaboration with International

partners such as Stanford University, USA,

Queensland University of Technology, Australia

and Tottori University and Japan.

Benefits:

To train the next generation of medical

technology innovators in India to

develop innovative and affordable

medical devices to augment unmet

clinical needs of India.

To address the clinical and economic

implications of fecal incontinence by

expanding indications for use, reducing

skill level required to use a device, and

introducing a new level of care for

patients outside the ICU.

What is Fecal Incontinence?

Fecal incontinence is a medical condition

marked by inability to control one’s bowel

movements, causing stool (feces) to leak

unexpectedly from the rectum. It affects nearly

100 million bed ridden patients worldwide.

Furthermore, about 50% of the psychiatric ward

patients have this problem due to long-term

neurological diseases. Absorbent pads and fecal

drainage catheters are the only available

solutions for this condition a need for a better

solution was felt by the team.


Indian Air Force successfully test fires

Brahmos missile

Indian Air Force successfully test fired

supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, with

advanced guidance system and indigenously

built software algorithm from a defence base in

the western sector. The advanced version of

BrahMos land-attack system was launched from

a mobile autonomous launcher.

The successful launch of the Air version of

Brahmos missile is expected to give a boost to

the ongoing programme of future installations of

the weapon system in the IAF. The air launched

version has been developed with lesser weight

and additional fins for better aero dynamic

stability.

Brahmos is a 2 stage missile with a solid

propellant booster system which can achieve a

speed of Mach 3(3 times the speed of sound).

Stealth technology, advance guidance systems

provide missile with special features. It has a

range of 290 km with supersonic speed

throughout the flight. It operates on Fire and

Forget Principle, adopting varieties of flights on

its way to target. It carries conventional warhead

between 200-300 kgs.

New property of light based on Angular

Momentum

Researchers have discovered a new form of light

where the angular momentum of each photon

takes only half of this value. This discovery is a

breakthrough for the world of physics and

science.

What is Optical Angular Momentum?

The angular momentum of light is a constant

vector quantity that expresses the amount of

dynamical rotation present in the

electromagnetic field of the light. A beam of light,

while traveling approximately in a straight line,

can also be rotated around its own axis.

Background:

Until now, it was thought that the angular

momentum is a whole number for all forms of

light. But researchers have now demonstrated

that a new form of light exists, where the

angular momentum is only half of this value.

In the 1830s, mathematician William Rowan

Hamilton and physicist Humphrey Lloyd found

that, upon passing through certain crystals, a

ray of light became a hollow cylinder. The team

used this phenomenon to generate beams of

light with a screw-like structure.

To figure this out, the team passed light through

crystals to create beams of light that had a

twisted, screw-like structure. They were looking

for new light behaviours that might improve

optical communications, but when they analyzed

this particular beam within the theory of

quantum mechanics, it looked as though its

angular moment would be a half-number.

The impact, other than changing our

understanding of light, is that it could help to

improve speed and security along fibre-optic

cables, leading to faster, safer internet

connections.

Drug Pricing and Regulation- NPPA

Due to the unequal distribution of wealth in

India, the overall health problems faced by a

high number of people (especially in rural areas),

the central government is committed to ensure

equitable distribution and availability of

medicines at fair prices. In respect of the price

control of drugs, the central government enacted

the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority in

1997.

An expert committee appointed by the

government prepared the National list of

essential medicines (NLEM) based on patterns,

causes, and effects of health and disease

conditions in defined populations, cost

effectiveness, safety and efficacy.

Essential Medicines are those that satisfy the

priority health care needs of the population. The

list is made with consideration to disease

prevalence, efficacy, safety and comparative

cost-effectiveness of the medicines. Such

medicines are intended to be available in

adequate amounts, in appropriate dosage forms

and strengths with assured quality. They should

be available in such a way that an individual or

community can afford.

What is National Pharmaceutical Pricing

Authority?

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

(NPPA) was established in 1997 as an

independent body of experts. The Authority has

been entrusted with the task of fixation/revision

of prices of pharmaceutical products (bulk drugs


and formulations), enforcement of provisions of

the Drugs (Prices Control) Order and monitoring

of the prices of controlled and decontrolled drugs

in the country.

Why Drug pricing and regulation is

necessary?

Drawing an essential medicines list is expected

to result in better quality of medical care, better

management of medicines and cost-effective use

of health care resources. This is especially

important for a resource limited country like

India. The list of essential medicines is intended

to have a positive impact on the availability and

rational use of medicines. Government passed

Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), 2013 that

included 348 drugs/652 formulations in NLEM

based on the recommendations of the

committee, replacing the 1995 order that

regulated prices of only 74 bulk drugs.

BEAM, first inflatable room

NASA has inflated the first-ever expandable

room for astronauts on the International Space

Station, a round module that made occasional

popcorn-like popping sounds as it reached its

full size. BEAM stands for Bigelow Expandable

Activity Module.

BEAM is a prototype space habitat that can be

folded up like a parachute and reduced to nearly

one-fifth its inflated size, making it easier to

pack for a trip into space. Expandable habitats

take up less room in a payload fairing than rigid,

metal habitats, and are also lighter, which

lowers the cost of sending them to space.

Advantage:

This first test of an expandable module will allow

investigators to gauge how well the habitat

performs and, specifically, how well it protects

against solar radiation, space debris and the

temperature extremes of space.

Integrated web portal designed to promote

and mainstream Net Zero Energy Buildings

The United States Agency for International

Development and the Ministry of Power

launched India’s first integrated web portal

designed to promote and mainstream Net Zero

Energy Buildings (NZEB).

The portal provides complete information about

Net Zero Energy Buildings. These generate as

much energy as they use, as well as how to

achieve near-zero energy status through the use

of efficient lighting and equipment, integration of

renewable energy technologies and best practice

design strategies. It also displays the NZEB

Alliance, an industry-wide body setup to drive

the Indian markets toward highly energy-

efficient buildings.

A zero energy building produces enough

renewable energy to meet its own annual energy

consumption requirements, thereby reducing

the use of non-renewable energy in the building

sector. ZEBs use all cost-effective measures to

reduce energy usage through energy efficiency

and include renewable energy systems that

produce enough energy to meet remaining

energy needs. There are a number of long-term

advantages of moving toward ZEBs, including

lower environmental impacts, lower operating

and maintenance costs, better resiliency to

power outages and natural disasters, and

improved energy security.

Ashwin Advanced Air Defence

It is a 7.5 meter-long single-stage rocket

propelled guided missile that is equipped with a

navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an

electro-mechanical activator. It is capable of

noting the location of the hostile objects with the

help of tracking radars.

The system is part of double-tiered missile

defense system that India’s military hopes will

provide a multi-layered defense system against

any potential ballistic missile strike.

India became the fourth country in the world to

have full-fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile

Defence system after United States, Russia and

Israel are in the same league.

India’s Ballistic Missile Defence is a two-tiered

defence system with the Prithvi Air Defense

destroying missiles at exo-atmospheric altitudes

of 50–80 kilometers and the Ashvin Advanced

Defence interceptor missile endo-atmosphere at

altitudes of 20-40 kilometers.

This missile defence will provide security to

major Indian cities against any incoming

missiles or attacking aircrafts form the

neighbouring countries.

World's first Zika virus clone developed

Scientists have genetically engineered a clone of

the Zika virus strain for the first time. It will

help in the development of vaccine and therapies


against the infections which has been linked to

serious birth defects. The virus has caused a

number of epidemics associated with diseases

such as Microcephaly and Guillain-Barre

syndrome.

Methodology and Results:

The infectious complementary DNA clone helped

researchers to make Zika virus from test tube

and cells on cell-culture dishes.They then used

the Zika mouse model to demonstrate that the

cloned virus infected the mice and gave them

neurological disease.

The team fed Aedes aegypti mosquitoes,

(transmitter of Zika) with human blood infected

with either the parental Zika virus or the

human-made Zika virus and found that the

number of infected mosquitoes was similar.

These findings confirm that the cloned virus is

highly infectious for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

In addition, the results demonstrated that Aedes

aegypti might be a good mosquito vector for Zika

virus transmission.

Furthermore, the team engineered a luciferase

reporter Zika virus. Luciferase is the chemical in

fireflies that gives them their signature glow.

This virus could be used for antiviral drug

screening and to track Zika virus infection in

mosquitoes and small animal models.

Countries Affected: It includes Barbados,

Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ecuador,

El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe,

Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,

Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto

Rico, Saint Martin, Samoa, Suriname and

Venezuela.

Hypersonic superjet technology

A joint US-Australian military research team has

conducted a series of trials at the world's largest

land testing range, in South Australia, and

Norway for the hypersonic technology.

Hypersonic flight involves travelling at more

than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5).

This technology could cut travelling time from

Sydney to London to as little as two hours for

the 17,000-kilometre flight.

Benefits:

The practical application of the

hypersonic technology is that one can fly

long distances over the Earth in short

span of time (2-3 hours).

This technology is also very useful as an

alternative to a launch vehicle for

putting satellites into space.

Pandemic Emergency Finance Facility

Background:

Pandemics pose a serious threat not only to

global health security, but also to economic

security and to our ability to end extreme

poverty and achieve the Sustainable

Development Goals. While outbreaks are

inevitable, pandemics, if addressed early, are for

the most part preventable. Money and support

delivered at the right time can save lives and

economies.

Recent economic work suggests that the annual

global cost of moderately severe to severe

pandemics is roughly $570 billion, or 0.7

percent of global income. The cost of a severe

pandemic like the 1918 Spanish flu could total

as much as 5 percent of global GDP.

In the recent Ebola crisis in West Africa, there is

currently no fast-disbursing financial

mechanism to make available significant funds

to resource-constrained countries early enough

to help them fight an epidemic outbreak that is

escalating. A critical financing gap exists

between the limited funds available at the early

stages of an outbreak and the assistance that is

mobilized once an outbreak has reached crisis

proportions.

Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility

developed by the World Bank in collaboration

with the World Health Organization and other

public and private sector partners, seeks to fill

this gap by providing the much-needed surge

funding for response efforts to help prevent rare,

high-severity disease outbreaks from becoming

more deadly and costly pandemics.

Coverage:

Low-income countries with relatively weaker

health systems tend to be more vulnerable and

less capable of mobilizing the financial resources

to effectively respond to major outbreaks.

Accordingly, the PEF will offer coverage to all

countries eligible for financing from IDA, the

World Bank Group’s fund for the poorest

countries; those countries in turn would be

eligible to receive funding in the event of an


outbreak that meets the activation criteria for

PEF financing.

In addition, PEF can provide funding to qualified

international agencies involved in the response

to a major outbreak in affected countries.

Maximum coverage under the PEF’s insurance

window is US$500 million for three years. In

addition, the PEF includes a replenishable cash

window, targeted at US$50-100 million. The PEF

is financed through insurance and cash.

Benefits:

It will accelerate and improve outbreak

response, save lives, and reduce the

costs of response.

Over time, the PEF is also expected to

create a new market for pandemic

insurance that will bring greater

discipline and rigor to pandemic

preparedness and incentivize better

pandemic response planning.

The PEF will also stimulate efforts by

countries and development partners to

build better core public health

capabilities for disease surveillance and

health systems strengthening, toward

universal health coverage.

Indigenous Reusable Launch Vehicle-

Technology Demonstrator

The Indian Space Research Organization

successfully tested the country’s first winged-

body aerospace vehicle. It is forward step

towards developing a reusable launch vehicle

capable of sending spacecraft into orbit and

returning to the earth’s surface.

The technology, when developed completely,

would launch spacecraft, including satellites,

into space and re-enter the earth’s atmosphere

withstanding extreme pressure and heat

conditions and land in an intended spot. This

flight will test the capability of the vehicle to

survive a re-entry at speeds higher than that of

sound.

It will help to cut costs on launch vehicles

substantially and generate huge revenues for the

ISRO.

Geography, Ecology and Environment

Rural sanitation initiatives for conservation

of river Ganga

The project will focus on three significant

interventions:

Promotion of safe, individual hygiene

practices to ensure open defecation free

status of all 78 villages along the river

Ganga,

Promotion of cost-effective, appropriate

local, low cost, easy to manage

technologies using local resources to

ensure improved access, sustained use

and maintenance of infrastructure

created for effective management of solid

and liquid waste and,

Strengthening of local institutions

including panchayats, village level

sanitation committees and self-help

groups to effectively manage, enhance

and maintain facilities established for

improved sanitation in the villages and

an integrated and a holistic livelihood

approach.

The main objective of the projects is to improve

the health and quality of life of around 45,000

households located in these 78 villages of the

Ganga River basin in Jharkhand through

improved sanitation practices, while also

improving the quality of waste water and storm

water runoff flowing from the villages into the

river Ganga.

More than 10,000 soak pits will be constructed

through community participation to safely

contain and dispose surplus and waste water

emerging from households and community

managed hand pumps. The entire project will be

carried out under the overall guidance of the

Ministry of Water Resources, River Development

and Ganga Rejuvenation with the support from

UNDP, community organizations and NGOs.

Pakke Tiger Reserve wins 2016 India

Biodiversity Award

The Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh

won the India Biodiversity Award 2016 for the

Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme under the

category “Conservation of Threatened

Species”.

Pakke Tiger Reserve:


Pakke Tiger Reserve is located in Arunachal

Pradesh and is home to many rare and

endangered wildlife species, such as leopard,

wild dog, Himalayan black bear and elephant.

It is an important habitat for the Tigers, one of

the most endangered species in the world. Pakke

is also the only Hornbill sanctuary in India. Four

hornbill species - great hornbills, wreathed,

oriental pied and the rufous-necked are found

here. The Rufous necked hornbill is a globally

threatened bird species.

Cyclone Roanu

Cyclone Roanu is a tropical storm which

originated from a low pressure area that formed

south of Sri Lanka. It had immense strength

resulting in torrential rains all along the Indian

East Coast.

Impact of Cyclone Roanu on Indian weather

Disappearance of wind discontinuity:

Peninsular India witnesses lots of weather

activities in terms of rain and thundershowers

on account of wind discontinuity. This weather

phenomenon is a semi-permanent feature that is

witnessed during the pre-Monsoon season.

Cyclonic storms tend to govern wind patterns

across vast areas. Hence, whenever such

systems come into existence, it leads to

disappearing of the wind discontinuity.

Departure of anti-cyclonic circulation in Bay

of Bengal:

The persistent anti-cyclonic circulation in Bay of

Bengal infuses moist winds along the East Coast

of India. With the passage of the tropical storm,

the anti-cyclonic circulation disappears. Thus,

most of the coastal stations witness winds

blowing from land, leading to significant

increase in day temperatures.

Early appearance of east-west trough along

Indo Gangetic plains:

After hitting Bangladesh coast, the cyclonic

storm moved towards Northeast India. This led

to change in wind pattern and gave rise to the

east-west trough running along the Indo

Gangetic plains. This trough has been persistent

over the respective region ever since the passage

of Roanu.

Increase in rainfall:

The months of April and first half of May were

one of the driest of the year 2016. However,

formation of the system in the Bay of Bengal

changed it all.Coastal states (Tamil Nadu,

Odisha and Andhra Pradesh) along the East

Coast saw torrential rains thereafter. It had also

given some very good showers over northeastern

states. This transformed month May into the

rainiest month of the pre-Monsoon season in

2016.Roanu has also strengthened the Monsoon

current, especially over the islands in Bay of

Bengal.

What is a Tropical Cyclone?

Tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm

that originates over warm tropical oceans and is

characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high

winds, and heavy rain. It draws its energy from

the sea surface and maintains its strength as

long as it remains over warm water. It generates

winds that have very high velocity.

They are known by various names in different

parts of the world. In the North Atlantic Ocean

and the eastern North Pacific they are called

hurricanes. In the western North Pacific around

the Philippines, Japan and China the storms are

referred to as typhoons. In the western South

Pacific and Indian Ocean they are variously

referred to as tropical cyclones, or simply

cyclones.

Why is Sea ice cover around Antarctica

rising?

A new NASA-led study has found that sea ice

cover around the Antarctica is constantly rising

and the two main factors responsible for this

phenomenon are the geology of Antarctica and

the Southern Ocean. Satellite radar, sea surface

temperature, land form and bathymetry (ocean

depth) data have been used to study the

physical processes and properties affecting

Antarctic sea ice.

The topography of Antarctica and the depth of

the ocean surrounding it are influencing winds

and ocean currents, to speed up the formation

and evolution of Antarctica’s sea ice cover and

help sustain it.

Their analyses revealed that as sea ice forms

and builds up early in the sea ice growth season,

it gets pushed offshore and northward by winds,

forming a protective shield of older, thicker ice

that circulates around the continent. The

persistent winds, which flow down slope off the

continent and are shaped by Antarctica’s


topography, pile ice up against the massive ice

shield, enhancing its thickness.

This band of ice, which varies in width,

encapsulates and protects younger, thinner ice

in the ice pack behind it from being reduced by

winds and waves. They found the sea ice within

the protective shield was older and rougher (due

to longer exposure to wind and waves), and

thicker (due to more snow accumulation). The

sea ice cover expands and ice drifts away from

the continent, resulting in the formation of areas

of open water behind it on the sea surface,

creating ice factories conducive to rapid sea ice

growth.

Sanjay Mitra committee- policy framework

for online taxi aggregators and other

transport operators

The committee was constituted by the

Government of India after taxi and other

transport operators had shown their concern to

the situation emerging from Supreme Court’s

order and directives issued by Environment

Pollution Control Authority of banning diesel

taxis in the National Capital Region. It will look

into these issues and provide recommendations

to address the issue.

Supreme Court Statement:

In order to bring down the alarming pollution

levels in the Delhi (NCR) that has earned it the

tag of the world’s most polluted city, The

Supreme court’s order against diesel-run

commercial vehicles came in December 2015.

Later, it issued an interim order banning

registration of diesel-run vehicles with engine

capacity of 2000 cc in Delhi and above till March

31, 2016 and was again extended till April 30,

2016.

It also asked the diesel cab operators in the

National Capital Region to switch over to CNG by

March 1, 2016, which was later extended to

March 31 and then to April 30, 2016.

India is fifth largest producer of e-waste:

Assocham-KPMG Study

ASSOCHAM-KPMG joint study:

In the past decade, India has not only

emerged as the second largest mobile

market with 1.03 billion subscribers,

but also the fifth largest producer of e-

waste in the world, discarding roughly

18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic

waste each year with telecom equipment

alone accounting for 12 per cent of the

e-waste.

The study stated that with more than

100 crore mobile phones in circulation,

nearly 25 per cent end up in e-waste

annually. It is suggested that e-waste

collection targets should be

implemented in a phased manner with

lower and practically achievable target

limits.

The phased manner for implementation

of e-waste collection targets needs to be

introduced. The steps should be taken

to rationalize the various audits being

conducted by various authorities, to

ensure that same areas are not audited

on a repeated basis. The guidelines

should be issued by DoT with respect to

locations of tower and clearance

requirements should be adopted across

states to smoothen tower set up process

The telecommunication Industry is

committed to realize the Government

Vision of Digital India. In the last 15

months telecom operators have invested

over 30% of the cumulative investment

made in 20 years prior. Over 100 million

handsets have been manufactured last

year. A quick resolution on issues that

will facilitate ease of doing business will

accelerate achieving the Digital India

Vision.

The unorganized sector in India is

estimated to handle around 95 per cent

of the e-waste produced in the country.

Given the huge user base and vast reach

of telecom in India, it is practically

difficult and expensive for the handset

manufacturers to achieve the targets

prescribed in the rules from first year.

Chemical additive Potassium bromate is

carcinogenic: CSE Study

Centre for Science and Environment Study

Facts:

84% of 38 commonly available brands of pre-

packaged breads including pav and buns have

been tested positive for potassium bromate and

potassium iodate. They are banned in many


countries as they are listed as hazardous for

public health.

As per the study, Potassium bromate used in

pre- packaged breads is a category 2B

carcinogen (possibly carcinogenic to humans),

while potassium iodate could trigger thyroid

problems. Till now, both the additives are not

banned in India.

The European Union, China, South Korea, Sri

Lanka, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Peru and

Columbia have banned the use of potassium

bromate as a flour treatment agent

Why Potassium bromate is used in bread?

Potassium bromate is an oxidizer and is used as

a chemical additive in food items. It is added in

the form of white crystals or powder to

strengthen dough and enhance its elasticity by

making tiny bubbles that help the bread rise.

This helps bake uniform and whitened bread.

The legal permissible limit to add Potassium

bromate as chemical additive in food is 50 parts

per million (ppm) in India. If quantity of the

additive used exceeds, or the bread is not baked

long enough or at a high enough temperature,

then a residual amount will remain, which may

be harmful if consumed.

Alternatives to Potassium bromate:

There are other healthy alternatives for

Potassium Bromate such as Ascorbic acid or

Vitamin-C. Glucose oxidase is another option

approved by FSSAI in 2015. Even ammonium

persulphate, ammonium chloride and amylases

are used as flour treatment agents approved by

law.

Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

(UJALA)

Under this scheme, Energy Efficiency Services

Limited (EESL) has distributed over 8 crore LED

bulbs in a year across 125 cities in the country.

This scheme is reflective of the citizens’

contribution to becoming more energy efficient.

The primary reason for this mass adoption of

this scheme in rural and urban areas is the

capability of LED bulbs to give consistent

luminosity even in low voltage, where

incandescent and CFL bulbs usually fail. Also,

the LED bulbs distributed under the UJALA

scheme is one third the market price and these

superior quality bulbs also come with a three-

year free replacement warranty.

Currently, the UJALA scheme is fully operational

in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala,

Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi,

Haryana, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry,

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttrakhand.

Benefits:

Distribution of 8 crore LED bulbs has

led to daily savings of over 2.84 crore

kWh which is equivalent to savings

capable of lighting over 20 lakh homes

for 1 year.

The country has also benefitted from

daily CO2 emission reduction of 23,000

tonnes. Thus, it will lower the damaging

effects of air pollution to the biodiversity

and environment.

Reduction in the level of Co2 will reduce

the number of cases of respiratory

diseases in our country.

This scheme will also help the poor and

middle class households to increase

their savings as it will lessen the

electricity bill burden on them. Thus,

they can focus more on their household

expenditure.

Background:

Lighting sector accounts for about 20 per cent of

the total consumption in India. Currently, most

of the lighting need in domestic and public

lighting sector is met by inefficient,

conventional, incandescent bulbs.

The Government of India is committed to

achieving its target of replacing all the 77 crore

inefficient bulbs in India with LEDs. This will

result in reduction of 20,000 MW load, energy

savings of 100 billion kWh and Green House Gas

(GHG) reduction of 80 million tonnes every year.

It is estimated that this is equivalent to

establishment of roughly 5 large format thermal

generation plants in the country. The country

also stands to save Rs 40,000 crore in electricity

bills of consumers.

Artificial propagation programme of Mahseer

fish for conservation

An artificial propagation programme has been

launched by Himachal Pradesh fisheries

department for rehabilitation and conservation

of Golden Mahseer fish.

About Golden Mahseer:


It is the longest-living freshwater fish

and also known as the tiger of Indian

rivers and fits.

Its habitat is found in foothill and sub-

mountain districts, at heights of up to 2,

000 meters overhead sea level.

It was declared as endangered species

by Union of Conservation of Natural

Resources (IUCN).

Why the conservation program has been

launched?

In the recent years, the golden mahseer

population has considerably reduced in rivers of

Himachal Pradesh because they are hunted for

sport and food.

The construction of dams, barrages,

indiscriminate fishing of juvenile and brood fish,

pollution, introduction of exotic species and

habitat deterioration are the main reasons

behind the population reduction.

World’s largest single rooftop solar power

plant

World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant

of 11.5 Mw capacity was inaugurated Punjab.

This solar power plant is spread at a single

rooftop stretch of 42 acre. This project would

generate clean and green energy sufficient to

power approximately 8,000 homes.

Note:

The World Bank Board has approved a $625

million loan to support the Government of

India’s program to generate electricity from

widespread installation of rooftop solar power

plants.

It will finance the installation of at least 400 MW

of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic

(GRPV) across India. These solar PV installations

will provide clean, renewable energy, and reduce

greenhouse gas emissions by displacing thermal

generation.

What is Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar

mission?

It was launched by the Central Government in

2009 with the ambitious target of deploying

20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by

2022. In 2016, the Union Government has

revised the target by five times, reaching 1,

00,000 MW by 2022. The target will principally

comprise of 40 GW Rooftop and 60 GW through

Large and Medium Scale Grid Connected Solar

Power Projects.

The total investment in setting up 100 GW will

be around Rs 6, 00,000 crore. With this

ambitious target, India will become one of the

largest Green Energy producers in the world,

surpassing several developed countries. The new

solar target of 100 GW is expected to abate over

170 million tonnes of CO2 over its life cycle.

It is aimed at reducing the cost of solar power

generation in the country through:

Long term policy;

Large scale deployment goals;

Aggressive R&D; and

Domestic production of critical raw

materials, components and products, as

a result to achieve grid tariff parity by

2022.

Himalayan Brown Bears- Critically

endangered Species

The Himalayan brown bears were once found in

large numbers in northern Afghanistan,

northern Pakistan, northern India, Nepal and

Tibet, are now a critically endangered species by

the IUCN. Only small populations can still be

found in these areas.

According to wildlife conservationists, this

animal species face two major threats:

The loss of their high-altitude habitat

and ;

Hunting by poachers, who sell bear

parts to the Asian market for traditional

medicine.

They were pursued extensively due to their size,

valuable furs and meat. Now, these bears are

chased from their habitat by human activities

such as logging, mining, and agriculture.

According to the WWF, the brown bear

population now occupies just 2% of its former

range.

After animal welfare groups raised the alarm,

various conservation programs have been

launched to try and preserve the Himalayan

brown bears and their habitat, and prevent them

from joining a long list of extinct species.

What is IUCN?

IUCN is a membership Union composed of both

government and civil society organizations. It

provides public, private and non-governmental

organizations with the knowledge and tools that

enable human progress, economic development

and nature conservation to take place together.


It was created in 1948 and is now the world’s

largest and most diverse environmental network,

harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach

of more than 1,300 Member organisations and

some 16,000 experts.

It is a leading provider of conservation data,

assessments and analysis. Its broad

membership enables IUCN to fill the role of

incubator and trusted repository of best

practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN Red list of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

provides taxonomic, conservation status and

distribution information on plants, fungi and

animals that have been globally evaluated using

the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Centre for Environmental Health to assess

the impact of environment-related problems

on health

It is a joint initiative of the Tata Institute

of Social Science and Public Health

Foundation of India.

It will assess the impact of environment

related problems like climate change, air

pollution, pesticide use and sanitation

on health.

It will conduct research across wide

range of environmental health issues,

including water, chemical exposure and

hygiene.

It will establish a policy engagement

platform with regular meetings with the

various stake holders such as civil

society, government, academia and

private sector to develop strategies for

better implementation of the eco-friendly

policies.

International Day for Biological Diversity –

May 22

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 as

the International Day for Biological Diversity to

increase understanding and awareness of

biodiversity issues.

Theme and Importance of the day:

Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining

People and their Livelihoods.

Biodiversity is the foundation for life and

for the essential services provided by

ecosystems. It therefore underpins

peoples’ livelihoods and sustainable

development in all areas of activity,

including economic sectors such as

agriculture, forestry, fisheries and

tourism, among others.

Note:

The thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the

Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

(COP 13) to be held in Cancun, Mexico in

December 2016 will focus on the mainstreaming

of biodiversity within and across sectors, which

is closely linked to this year’s IDB theme.

Public policy and Social Issues

Memorandum of Co-operation between

Ministry of Women & Child Development and

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of

Memorandum of Co-operation between Ministry

of Women & Child Development and Bill &

Melinda Gates Foundation for the cooperation in

Information and Communication Technology

enabled Real Time Monitoring of Integrated

Child Development Services and other related

technical matters.

It encourages in Information and

Communication Technology enabled Real Time

Monitoring through one Lakh Anganwadi

Centers in 162 high burden districts of eight

participating States (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,

Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra,

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh).

Children of 0-6 years, pregnant women and

Lactating Mothers are the chief beneficiaries.

Implementation of ICT-RTM of ICDS will enable

the authorities for timely intervention for

ensuring proper service delivery.

It is deals with shared national communication

campaign, communications strategy and

guidelines, customizing communications,

developing plans for large scale dissemination

and to provide technical support through high

quality technical teams of nutrition experts.

Features:

Technical support across the length and

breadth of the country for nutrition

delivery especially during pre-


conception, pregnancy and first two

years of child delivery.

Financial support to organizations that

meet eligibility criteria as will be

mutually agreed upon by the

Foundation and Ministry of Women &

Child Development from time to time.

Providing technical assistance for

designing, development of Common

Application Software to ICT-RTM of

Integrated Child Development Services

Systems Strengthening.

Nutrition Improvement Project and

Support System (ISSNIP).

Support to Ministry of Women & Child

Development in developing a shared

national communication campaign for

maternal and child nutrition.

Background:

Ministry of Women & Child Development is

implementing International Development

Association assisted ISSNIP in 162 high burden

districts of eight States in the country. Phase-I of

the ISSNIP has been restructured with

modification in activities and extension of time-

frame by two years till 2017. The Amended and

Restated Financing Agreement has been signed

between Department of Economic Affairs and

International Development Association. The

restructured ISSNIP includes Information and

Communication Technology enabled Real Time

Monitoring (ICT-RTM) as a core activity because

it is very important tool in effective

implementation of the services.

Integrated Child Development Services:

It was launched in 1975, and is one of the

flagship programmes of the Government of India

and represents one of the world’s largest and

unique programmes for early childhood care and

development. It is a response to the challenge of

providing pre-school non-formal education on

one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of

malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning

capacity and mortality on the other to the

children and nursing mothers.

The beneficiaries under the Scheme are children

in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women

and lactating mothers.

Objectives:

To improve the nutritional and health

status of children in the age-group 0-6

years;

To lay the foundation for proper

psychological, physical and social

development of the child;

To reduce the incidence of mortality,

morbidity, malnutrition and school

dropout;

To achieve effective co-ordination of

policy and implementation amongst the

various departments to promote child

development; and

To enhance the capability of the mother

to look after the normal health and

nutritional needs of the child through

proper nutrition and health education.

Services under ICDS:

Supplementary Nutrition

Pre-school non-formal education

Nutrition & health education

Immunization

Health check-up and

Referral services

ASMITA

The All School Monitoring Individual Tracking

and Analysis scheme is a unique scheme that

will track a child’s educational journey and

progress and also help identify dropouts. It aims

to track more than 25 crore school children

across 15 lakh private and public schools,

making it the possibly the world’s largest

student online tracking system.

Using the Aadhar number of children, the

scheme will track attendance and enrolment,

infrastructural facilities, academic progress as

well as mid-day meal service. For children who

do not have an Aadhaar number, a special

number will be generated. The Human Resource

Development Ministry is the nodal ministry for

this scheme.

Objective:

To monitor and check corruption and leakages

in other school programmes and schemes,

including the Mid-Day meal scheme.

Background:

In India, 29% of children drop out before

completing even five years of school. This means

that more than 1.4 million children in the

country between the ages of 6-11 are missing

out on laying the foundation for a bright future

through a good education. The Union

Government’s latest scheme addresses these

alarming figures.


Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

Under this scheme, the government provides free

LPG connections to Below Poverty Line

households in the country. The main objective of

this yojana is to replace the unclean and

environment damaging cooking fuels (mostly

used in the rural India) with the clean and more

efficient Liquefied Petroleum Gas. The BPL

households are too poor to buy LPG connections

from their income.

India currently has 16.64 crore active LPG

consumers, mostly in Urban and Semi Urban

areas. The government has released 60 lakh new

connections to poor in the last one year. The

target set by the Union government under this

scheme is to distribute 5 Crore LPG connections

to the Below Poverty Line households across the

country. The scheme will be implemented by

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Objectives:

Empowering women and protecting their

health.

Assisting the issue of the reduction in

air pollution due to burning of fossil

fuels like kerosene.

Reducing the serious health issues

(Lung and heart diseases) associated

with cooking based on fossil fuels.

Reducing the mortality rate in India due

to unclean cooking fuels (5 lakh every

year) in India.

Preventing infants from various acute

respiratory illnesses caused due to

indoor air pollution.

Eligibility criteria:

The applicant should be a woman above

the age of 18 years.

The women applicant should belong to

Below Poverty Line.

The women applicant should have a

saving bank account in any nationalized

bank across the country to receive

subsidy amount.

The applicant’s household should not

already own a LPG connection in

anyone’s name.

Financial Assistance:

The scheme provides a financial support of Rs

1600 for each LPG connection to the eligible BPL

households. The connections under the scheme

will be given in the name of women head of the

households. The government will also provide

EMI facility for meeting the cost of stove and

refill.

The Real Estate (Regulation and

Development) Bill, 2013

The Bill seeks to establish Real Estate

Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) at the state level

for the regulation and development of the real

estate sector. It aims to: (a) ensure consumer

protection, and (b) standardize business

practices and transactions in the real estate

sector.

Highlights:

The Bill regulates transactions between

buyers and promoters of residential real

estate projects. It establishes state level

regulatory authorities called Real Estate

Regulatory Authorities (RERAs).

Residential real estate projects, with

some exceptions, need to be registered

with RERAs. Promoters cannot book or

offer these projects for sale without

registering them. Real estate agents

dealing in these projects also need to

register with RERAs.

On registration, the promoter must

upload details of the project on the

website of the RERA. These include the

site and layout plan, and schedule for

completion of the real estate project.

70% of the amount collected from

buyers for a project must be maintained

in a separate bank account and must

only be used for construction of that

project. The state government can alter

this amount to less than 70%.

The Bill establishes state level tribunals

called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals.

Decisions of RERAs can be appealed in

these tribunals.

Key Issues and Analysis:

One may question Parliament’s

jurisdiction to make laws related to real-

estate as land is in the State List of the

Constitution. However, it may be argued

that the primary aim of this Bill is to

regulate contracts and transfer of

property, both of which are in the

Concurrent List.


Some states have enacted laws to

regulate real estate projects. The Bill

differs from these state laws on several

grounds. It will override the provisions

of these state laws in case of any

inconsistencies.

The Bill mandates that 70% of the

amount collected from buyers of a

project be used only for construction of

that project. In certain cases, the cost of

construction could be less than 70%

and the cost of land more than 30% of

the total amount collected. This implies

that part of the funds collected could

remain unutilized, necessitating some

financing from other sources. This could

raise the project cost.

Adoption of United Nations Fundamental

Principles of Official Statistics

The adoption of the United Nations Fundamental

Principles of Official Statistics will bring

professional independence, impartiality,

accountability and transparency in methods of

collection, compilation and dissemination of

official statistics, besides adopting international

standards. The adoption will also pave way for

devising a National Policy on Official Statistics

for improving systems, procedures and

institutions consistent with ten principles.

What is the cause behind the adoption?

The ten Fundamental Principles of Official

Statistics are relevant to a great extent in today’s

world. They have become an integral part and a

common reference in the statistical systems at

global and national level.

The Fundamental Principles list several

activities, which a statistical agency is advised to

take into account when aiming to improve the

practical and effective implementation of a

certain Principle or when developing a certain

Principle further.

These principles also contain recommendations

on how to ensure a high level of independence of

national statistical systems. These guidelines

differentiate between various forms of

independence (such as institutional,

professional and scientific independence) and

recommend good practices in order to ensure

independence.

A collection of statistical laws reflecting the

experiences of the national statistical offices

complement and concretize the

recommendations in the guidelines.

Bharatavani Portal:

The multilingual knowledge portal bharatvani

was launched under the Prime Minister‘s Digital

India Mission. This App will perform the task of

bringing about digital revolution in the county.

Its mission is to showcase the Indian culture

and heritage to the world through the medium of

technology.

Benefits:

This project is in line with the Union

Government efforts to not only ensure

universalization of education but also

towards creation of a knowledge society

in the digital age.

It makes available knowledge already

published by Government and publicly

funded institutions all over the country

and puts it across for free and fair

public usage, by deploying a robust,

interactive, user friendly web tools.

Its content is protected by fair usage

clauses under the Indian Copyright Act.

The portal has been launched in 22

scheduled languages, which eventually

will be extended to 100 more languages.

The 24×7 Power for All document

The Power for all is a step towards Government

of India’s commitment to improve the quality of

life of its citizens through higher electricity

consumption. Its aim is to provide each

household access to electricity, 24×7 Power

supply by 2019.

Lakshadweep became first Union Territory to

sign “24x7 Power for All” document. The

document envisages a plan to increase solar

capacity of the region from 2.15 MW to 8.45 MW

and reduction of Aggregate Transmission and

Commercial losses from current level of 21% to

6.7% till 2019 by increasing the collection

efficiency up to 99 %.

22 States have already signed the ‘24×7 Power

for All’ Documents. Implementation of the plan

envisaged in the document is under progress,

which is being jointly monitored by the State

and the Central Government. Successful

implementation of these plans will ensure


reliable and affordable power round the clock to

all the consumers (households /homes,

industrial & commercial consumers and

adequate supply of power to Agricultural

consumers).

The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014

The Bill defines hijacking as seizing control of an

aircraft in service, unlawfully and intentionally,

by technological means or by exercising force,

coercion, or any other form of intimidation.

The Bill includes several acts within the

definition of hijacking including:

Attempt and abetment of hijacking;

Making a credible threat to commit

hijacking;

Organizing or directing others to commit

hijacking;

Agreeing with another to commit the

offence, and acting on the agreement.

Jurisdiction: Indian courts can exercise

jurisdiction on several grounds including where

the offence is committed in India, against an

aircraft registered in India, on board an aircraft

which lands in India with the accused still on

board, by or against an Indian citizen, by a

person who is present in India and is not

extradited by the central government.

Extradition:

Hijacking and the related offences shall be

extraditable. Extraditable offences are those

offences for which one country many transfer

the accused to another country’s legal

jurisdiction. No request for extradition shall be

refused on the ground that hijacking is a

political offence or is connected to a political

offence.

Awards

Springer Theses Award

Indian American scientist Arnab De has received

the Springer Theses Award for his outstanding

research on developing transgenic mice to study

a critical tumor-suppressor. He has also

developed peptide-based pro-drugs as

therapeutics for diabetes. He dedicated his PhD

thesis to Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

Dag Hammarskjold Medal

This medal was established in December 2000

for posthumous award to members of

peacekeeping operations who lost their lives

during service with a peacekeeping operation

under the operational control and authority of

the United Nations.

The medal is named after the second U.N.

Secretary-General, who had died in a mysterious

1961 plane crash. He was posthumously

awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in the year he died.

Four Indian peacekeepers and a civilian, who

laid down their lives while serving in the U.N.

peacekeeping operations in 2015, will be

honoured along with other 124 personnel with

the Dag Hammarskjold Medal.

Contribution of India to UN Peacekeeping

Mission

India is one of the largest contributors to U.N.

peacekeeping operations. It’s military and police

personnel having been deployed in U.N.

missions including in Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti,

Lebanon and South Sudan.

India has contributed nearly 1, 80,000 troops

who have served in over 44 of the 69

peacekeeping operations, including the 103-

strong Indian female police unit in the U.N.

mission in Liberia.