monthly factly - forumias blog€¦ · 31/01/2018 · • recently, the first updated draft of nrc...

MONTHLY FACTLY

EXCLUSIVE CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR

PRELIMS JANUARY 2018

Current issues

(January)

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. NATIONAL MEDICAL COMMISSION BILL

• The National Medical Commission Bill, 2017 was recently introduced in Lok Sabha

FEATURES

• It replaces the Medical Council of India (MCI) with 25 member National Medical Commission

(NMC)

• The members of NMC are appointed by the central government, with 4 years tenure and no

further extension of tenure or reappointment

• It also establishes State Medical Councils (SMC), which will have a role similar to the NMC at state

level, within three years

• A Medical Advisory Council will be constituted by central government

• It also establishes four Autonomous Boards under supervision of NMC

o Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) and the Post-Graduate Medical

Education Board (PGMEB)

o Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB)

o Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB)

• Uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to under-graduate medical

education

• National Licentiate Examination for the students graduating from medical institutions to obtain the

license for practice and admission into post-graduate courses

• It allows practitioners of homoeopathy and Indian systems of medicine to prescribe allopathic

medicine upon completion of a course

• Medical colleges will need permission only once for establishment and recognition, with no need for

annual renewal

• Colleges can also increase the number of undergraduate seats and start postgraduate courses on

their own

2. NATIONAL REGISTER OF CITIZEN (NRC)

• Recently, the first updated draft of NRC for Assam has been released.

• It has listed 19 million people out of the 32.9 million applicants as legal Indian citizens

BACKGROUND

• The failure of implementation of the Assam Accord led to another agreement in 2005 between the

Centre, the Assam government and the AASU

• According to it, a decision was taken to update the NRC, within 2 years, on the basis of NRC 1951

and electoral rolls up to 1971

• Consequently, violent protests erupted which halted the NRC updating process

• Later petitions filed in the Supreme Court demanding identification of Bangladeshi foreigners in the

State and deletion of their names from the voters’ list

• In 2013, the Supreme Court of India ordered to complete the exercise by December 31, 2017 leading

to the present updating of NRC

ForumIAS Academy, 1st Floor, IAPL House, 19, Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110005 Email: [email protected], Ph: 011-49878625/9821711605

ABOUT NRC

• It is a list of Indian citizens which is meant to decide who is a bona fide Indian citizen and those

who fail to enlist in the register will be deemed illegal migrants

• The NRC will include names of person or their descendants whose name appear in NRC 1951 or any

of the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March 1971

• First list was made in 1951 across India, but for the first time it is being updated and that too only

in Assam.

• The year of 1971 is chosen as it was agreed in Assam accord 1985.

• However, in Assam the updating could not be carried on since 1951 due to various political tensions

such as Assam Movement of 1980s, the language movement and other ethnic movements.

ASSAM ACCORD

• It was signed in 1985 between Union Government, Assam Students Union (AASU) and the ‘All Assam

Gana Sangram Parishad’ (AAGSP)

• Provisions

o All those foreigners who had entered Assam between 1951 and 1961 were to be given full

citizenship including the right to vote.

o Migrants those who had done so after 1971 were to be deported.

o Those who entered between 1961 and 1971 were to be denied voting rights for ten years but

would enjoy all other rights of citizenship

CITIZENSHIP ACT, 1955 AND ASSAM ACCORD

• The section 6A in the Citizenship Act, 1955 contains the provisions with respect to citizenship of

persons covered by the Assam Accord (1985)

• This act fixes March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for granting citizenship to Bangladeshi migrants in

Assam.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

3. ASEAN-INDIA COMMEMORATIVE SUMMIT

• It was recently held in New Delhi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of sectoral

dialogue between two sides

• Theme: Shared Values, Common Destiny

• Delhi Declaration was issued after the plenary session of the summit

DELHI DECLARATION

• For the first time there was explicit mention of close cooperation to handle “cross-border movement

of terrorists”

• A swift conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

• Enhance physical and digital connectivity

• Cooperation in maritime transportation, aviation, outer space, preserving marine resources

ASEAN

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic organisation of ten

Southeast Asian countries

• It was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and

Thailand

• Later the membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam


• Objective: Economic, Political, Security, Educational and Socio-cultural integration amongst its

members and Asian states

• First summit: Bali, 1976

• 2017 summit: Pasay City, (Manila)

• 2018 summit: Singapore

• The ASEAN-India Free Trade Area agreement entered into force in 2015

• "ASEAN Plus Three" includes China, Japan, and South Korea

• The ASEAN is India’s 4th largest trading partner, and India is the 7th largest trading partner of the

bloc

4. AUSTRALIA GROUP

• India has been admitted as 43rd member to Australia group

ABOUT THE GROUP

• It is multilateral export control regime (MECR) and informal group that works to reduce the

spread of chemical and biological weapons

• It was established in 1985, in response to use of chemical weapons by Iraq in 1984

• It has total 43 members

• Coordination among the members help them to fulfil their obligations under Chemical Weapons

Convention to the fullest extent possible

• China, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea are not its member

CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC)

• Its formal name is Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling

and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction.

• It is a multilateral treaty that bans chemical weapons and requires their destruction within a specified

period of time.

• It is a legally binding international Convention

• It was adopted in 1992 by UN Conference on Disarmament and came into force in 1997

• It is implemented by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

• Member states: 192

• Egypt, North Korea, Palestine and Sudan are the only countries that have not signed to the

convention.

• Israel has signed it but not ratified it.

• This convention has provisions for systematic evaluation of chemical and military plants and

investigations in matters related to chemical weapons.

• India is a signatory to CWC since 1993

• India enacted a Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000, which is applicable to citizens of India

outside India and the associates, branches or subsidiaries, outside India of companies or bodies

corporate, registered or incorporated in India.

ORGANISATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS (OPCW)

• It is an intergovernmental organisation headquartered in Hague, Netherlands.

• The organisation promotes, administers and verifies the adherence to the CWC

• This convention outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their

precursors.

• 190 member-states have signed and ratified this convention including India.

• Six states Angola, Egypt, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea and South Sudan are still outside the

CWC.

• It was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2013


BIOLOGICAL AND TOXIN WEAPONS CONVENTION (BWC)

• It is the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling

of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction

• It was opened for signature in 1972 and entered into force in 1975.

• It is a legally binding treaty

• India signed the convention in 1973 and ratified it in 1974.

• It bans the development, stockpiling, acquisition, retention, and production of

o Biological agents and toxins "of types and in quantities that have no justification for

prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;"

o Weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles "designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile

purposes or in armed conflict."

o The transfer of or assistance with acquiring the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment, and

delivery vehicles described above

OTHER EXPORT CONTROL REGIMES

NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP

• Also called London Club or London Group because of its first meeting in London

• It is a group of 48 nuclear supplier countries to frame and implements rules for exporting nuclear

equipment, with a view to control the spread of nuclear weapons

• Formed by seven countries viz. Canada, West Germany, France, Japan, the USSR, the UK, and

the USA in response to the nuclear tests of India in 1974

• Objective: reduce nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may

be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on

existing materials

• Decisions of the group are made on the basis of consensus

• India, Pakistan are not members of this group while China is a member

MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME

• It is a voluntary and informal partnership among 35 countries

• Setup in 1987 by the G7 countries

• To prevent the proliferation of missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technology capable of

carrying above 500 kg payload for more than 300 km

• It does not impose legally binding obligations over its member countries.

• Decisions of the group are made on the basis of consensus

• India is a member of this group but China, Pakistan are not its members

THE HAGUE CODE OF CONDUCT (HCOC)

• Also known as International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation

• It is a voluntary, legally non-binding international measure that seeks to prevent the proliferation

of ballistic missiles that are capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

• It was established in 2002

• The HCoC does not ban ballistic missiles, but it calls for restraining their production, testing, and

export

• Executive Secretariat: Austria

• As of now 138 nations are signatories to the HCoC.

• India is the latest signatory to the HCoC

• China, Pakistan are not signatories to HCoC

5. FREE MOVEMENT REGIME (FMR)


• The Union Government approved agreement between India and Myanmar on Land Border

Crossing.

• It is an enabling arrangement for movement of people across border of both countries

• The FMR was a bilateral agreement between India and Myanmar that allows free movement of Indian

and Myanmar citizens within 16 km of the border without visa restrictions for 72 hours.

• Its purpose is to alleviate insecurity of tribal people living along India and Myanmar border

as they still continue to have trans-border linkages with their kith and kin.

• However, it has been misused by militants and criminals who are using it to smuggle weapons,

narcotics, contraband goods and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)

• Earlier, Rina Mitra Committee has been constituted to study the Free Movement Regime along the

Myanmar border

• India’s border states with Myanmar: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram

• India is the fifth largest trading partner of Myanmar

6. POLAR SILK ROAD

• Recently, China has released its first official Arctic policy white paper, outlining its ambition for a

Polar Silk Road.

ARCTIC COUNCIL

• It was established in 1966, as an intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and

interaction among the Arctic States.

• 8 Member states: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and

the United States

• 13 Observer states: China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands,

Poland, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, Switzerland

7. NATIONAL KNOWLEDGE NETWORK (NKN)

• Recently, India has excluded Pakistan from the list of SAARC member countries with which it will be

connecting its National Knowledge Network (NKN)

• Sri Lanka to become first country to be connected to NKN through Gigabyte (GB) optical fibre

network

• This will connect NKN to Lanka education & research network (LEARN) through which universities

on both sides can share best practices and research ideas.

• National Informatics centre (NIC) has set up a model E-office system for Sri Lanka

ABOUT NKN

• It is a state-of-the-art multi-gigabit pan-Indian resource sharing network aimed at digitally

connecting all national universities, colleges and research establishments

• This project was launched in 2010 for a period of 10 years.

• As of May 2016, NKN has connected over 1585 institutions under various categories throughout

India.

• National Informatics Centre (NIC) as the implementing agency

• It aims to interconnect all institutions of higher learning and research with a high speed data

communication network to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaborative research.

• NKN will facilitate advanced distance education in specialized fields like engineering, science,

medicine etc. as well as enable an ultra-high speed e-Governance backbone

ICT AGREEMENT


• India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements for collaboration in Information and communication

technology (ICT) sector between both countries.

• The agreements were signed for collaboration in ICT sector and setting up of e-office system and

connecting of National Knowledge network (NKN) for collaboration among universities and academics

8. RAISINA DIALOGUE

• The third edition of the Raisina Dialogue was inaugurated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu in New Delhi

• It was jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Observer Research

Foundation (ORF)

• Theme: Managing Disruptive Transitions: Ideas, Institutions and Idioms

ABOUT RAISINA DIALOGUE

• It is an annual conference held in New Delhi since 2016

• It is envisioned to be India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics.

• It is organized on the lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.

• It is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectorial conclave, involving policy and decision makers.

GOVT SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES

9. PRICE DEFICIENCY PAYMENT (PDP) SCHEME

• The NITI Aayog, has recently released a three-year action agenda for the Centre suggesting the

'Price Deficiency Payment' (PDP) system among other reforms.

ABOUT PDP SCHEME

• Under this, farmers will be compensated for the difference between the MSPs for select crops and

their actual market prices

• For crops such as rice and wheat where MSP is effective now, the same will continue.

• For other targeted crops, price deficiency payments system will be introduced.

• However, notably there may be a cap on the extent to which the Centre will bridge the gap between

MSP and market price.

• A farmer would have to register with the nearest APMC mandi and report the total area sown, to

avail this benefit.

• The subsidy would be paid via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into the farmer’s Aadhaar linked bank

account.

PDP SCHEMES OF VARIOUS STATES

• Mukhya Mantri Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY) of Madhya Pradesh

o Its aim is to ensure that farmers receive minimum support prices (MSP) for pulses and oil

seeds.

• Bhavantar Bharpai of Haryana

o PDP scheme for 4 vegetables — potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cauliflower.

• Karnataka and Telangana are giving Rs.5 and Rs.4 per-litre, respectively, incentive to milk farmers

over and above the rate that dairies are paying.

10. UDAN PHASE-II


• The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has awarded 325 air routes under the second phase of UDAN

(Ude Desh ka Aam naagrik) scheme.

• Around 40% or 129 of 325 air routes were awarded to newly created category of ‘priority areas’

• Priority Areas: Jammu and Kashmir, North-eastern and hill states, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

and Lakshadweep Islands

• Total 78 served airports, underserved airports and unserved airports will be connected.

• In addition, 31 helipads/ heliports will be connected through Helicopters in priority areas

• Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Outflow: These proposed routes will get VGF for fixed wing operations

and Helicopter operations in the Priority areas.

• The government provides VGF or subsidy for 50% of seats set aside for being offered at discounted

rates by airlines and all seats up to 13 passenger seats for helicopters.

ABOUT UDAN

• The scheme UDAN envisages providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the

country through revival of existing air-strips and airports.

• It will be applicable on flights which cover between 200 km and 800 km with no lower limit set for hilly,

remote, island and security sensitive regions.

• The scheme seeks to reserve a minimum number of UDAN seats i.e. seats at subsidized rates and

also cap the fare for short distance flights

• This would be achieved through a financial stimulus in the form of concessions from Central and

State governments or a VGF to the interested airlines

• A Regional Connectivity Fund would be created to meet the VGF requirements under the scheme.

• The RCF levy per departure will be applied to certain domestic flights along with 20% contribution

from states.

• The scheme would be in operation for a period of 10 years.

11. JAL MARG VIKAS PROJECT (JMVP)

• Recently, Government has approved implementation of JMVP for capacity augmentation of navigation

on 1,380-km Haldia-Varanasi stretch of National Waterway-1

• The project will be implemented at a cost of over Rs.5370 crore

• It is expected to be completed by March, 2023.

ABOUT JMVP

• The project envisages the development of waterway (1620 km) between Allahabad and Haldia on

Ganga River

• The project covers Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

• It is funded by IBRD of World bank and Union Government

• The World Bank has also provided technical assistance to the project.

• Implemented by Inland Waterways Authority.

• Its objective is to achieve an appropriate depth and width to enable commercial navigation of vessels

• It will establish a multimodal terminal at Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia for rail and road

connectivity

• The project adopted the first time in India a River Information System, an IT based system to

optimised the resource management of waterborne transport chain by enabling information exchange

between vessels, lock and bridges, terminals and ports, status of fairways, calamity abatement etc.

12. INDIA BPO PROMOTION SCHEME (IBPS)

• IBPS was launched in 2014 with an outlay of 493 crore up to 31 March 2019

• The Software Technology Park of India (STPI) is the implementing agency of the scheme.


• The Scheme aims to incentivize the establishment of BPO firms and their extension to Tier 2

and Tier 3 cities with financial support in form of Viability Gap Funding.

• Financial support up to 50% of the expenditure towards Capital Expenditure and/or Operational

Expenditure subject to an upper limit of 1 Lakh per seat.

• Special incentives for employing women and persons with disability, generating employment beyond

target and wider dispersal within state.

• Encouragement of local entrepreneurs

• Special consideration for Hilly areas and rural areas.

NORTH-EAST BPO PROMOTION SCHEME

• It was launched to incentivise establishment of 5000 seats of BPO/ITES operations in North-East with

an outlay of 50 crore up to 31 March 2019.

• It is being implemented by STPI.

• The scheme provides special incentive for training employees and incentive for diversity and inclusion

in addition, employing women and people with disability etc.

BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING (BPO)

• It is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a

specific business process to a third-party service provider.

13. HIMALAYAN RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS SCHEME (HRFS)

• The ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has decided to start

Himalayan Research Fellowships scheme.

ABOUT HRFS

• It aims to create a young pool of trained environmental managers, ecologists and socio-economists.

• This pool will help generate information on physical, biological, managerial and human aspects of

Himalayan environment and development.

• The fellowship scheme will be executed through various universities and institutions working in the

Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and preference will be given to the Institutions from north-eastern

states.

• The financial support will be provided under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS)

• The fellowships will be awarded for a maximum period of three years.

14. STREE SWABHIMAN INITIATIVE

• Launched by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY)

• Its aims for providing adolescent girls and women an access to affordable sanitary products by

leveraging Common Service Centres (CSCs).

ABOUT

• Its purpose is to improve awareness on menstrual health and hygiene of women

• Under this initiative, CSC will provide access to affordable, reliable and modern (eco-friendly) sanitary

napkins to adolescent girls and women in rural areas.

• Also semi-automatic and manual sanitary napkin manufacturing units will be set up at CSC for

producing affordable and eco-friendly sanitary napkins.

• These micro manufacturing units will be operated by women entrepreneurs and generate employment

for 8-10 women.


15. NARI AND E-SAMVAAD

• The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has launched online portal NARI for the

empowerment of women.

• It has been developed by the Ministry to provide easy access to information on government schemes

and initiatives for women.

ABOUT NARI

• It is a single window access to information and services.

• The portal summarise over 350 government schemes and other important information.

• The schemes are divided into 7 different categories — health, education, housing and shelter,

employment, addressing violence, decision making and social support.

• It elaborates how Government is focussed to economically empower women through schemes under

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

• It also provides link to Ministries, Departments and autonomous bodies offering these schemes as

well as easy access to online applications and grievance redressal.

E-SAMVAAD PORTAL

• It is a platform for NGOs and civil society to interact with the Ministry of Women and Child

Development (MWCD) by providing their feedback, suggestions, put up grievances, share best

practices etc.

• This will help in formulation of effective policies and measures for welfare of women and children.

ECONOMY

16. NPA IN AGRICULTURE

• According to RBI data, agriculture NPAs rose over 23 per cent from Rs.48,800 crore in 2016 to

Rs.60,200 crore in 2017

• Farm sector bad loans constitute 8.3 per cent of the total banking sector NPAs of March 2017.

• However, it is fairly less than compared to nonpriority sector with accounts for 76.7% of total NPAs

• Compared to non-priority sector credit where borrowers have defaulted 20.83 percent of the credit,

farmers have defaulted only 6 percent of their total credit.

17. ASHOK DALWAI COMMITTEE

• It was constituted by the Union Government to suggest ways for doubling farmers’ income by 2022

• Recently, It submitted its report in which it proposed major reforms

18. FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF INDIA (FSSAI)

• Recently, FSSAI issued regulation on organic food in country

• It has also launched an online platform – FoSCoRIS - to bring in transparency in food safety

inspection and sampling.

• It has set guidelines for process to recall food products from markets if found unsafe.

• The CAG in performance audit report of FSSAI found major lapses in its functioning

REGULATIONS ON ORGANIC FOOD

• Defined - organic agriculture, organic farm, organic foods


• Organic foods will have to comply with the government’s provisions under,

o The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) or

o The Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) run by the Agriculture Ministry or

o Voluntary logo from the FSSAI that marked its produce as ‘organic.

• Mandatory labelling of Organic food from July, 2018

• They exempted organic food marketed by the original producer or producer organisation through a

direct sale from verification compliance.

• There will be penalties on non-compliance of regulation

FOSCORIS

• The web-based 'FoSCoRIS' system will help verify compliance of food safety and hygiene standards

by food businesses as per the government norms

CAG REPORT

• Among the major finding of the CAG, 65 out of the 72 state food laboratories to which FSSAI and

state food safety authorities sent food samples for testing do not possess National Accreditation

Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation.

ABOUT NABL

• It is a Constituent Board of Quality Council of India.

• Objective: Providing Government, Industry Associations and Industry in general with a scheme of

Conformity Assessment Body’s accreditation which involves third party assessment of the

technical competence of testing.

ABOUT QUALITY COUNCIL OF INDIA (QCI)

• It was set up in 1997 by Union Government jointly with Indian Industry as an autonomous body.

• Its mandate is to establish and operate the National Accreditation Structure (NAS) for conformity

assessment bodies and providing accreditation in the field of health, education and quality

promotion.

• It also promotes the adoption of quality standards relating to Food Safety Management Systems,

Quality Management Systems and Product Certification and Inspection.

• It has been assigned task of monitoring and administering the National Quality Campaign and also

oversee function of National Information and Enquiry Services.

ABOUT FSSAI

• It was established under Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSAI), 2006 to formulate standards for

food and regulates their manufacture, storage, and distribution, among others.

• Nodal ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW)

FSSA, 2006

• It consolidate multiple laws in the country relating to food safety.

• The FSSAI along with the State Food Safety Authorities is responsible for monitoring and verifying

the relevant requirements under the Act and its enforcement.

• The Act provides for the appointment of a Commissioner of Food Safety at state level and local

Food Safety Officers for efficient implementation of food safety

• It requires food firms to provide scientific evidence that their product is safe.

• The Act does not apply to any farmer, fisherman, farming operations, crops, livestock, aquaculture,

supplies used/produced in farming, products of crops produced by a farmer/fisherman at initial

production level


19. NATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS

• India has approved 2018 as National Year of Millets to boost production of the nutrient-rich millets

and encourage agro-industry involved in it.

• India had also forwarded a proposal to UN for declaring year 2018 as ‘International Year of Millets’

ABOUT MILLETS

• Millets are a group of small-seeded grasses, grow as cereal crops/ grains

• It mainly includes great millet (jowar), sorghum, finger millet (ragi), pearl millet (Bajra), small millet,

proso millet, foxtail millet (korra), barnyard millet, kodo millet (Arke) etc.

• These grows well on well-drained loamy soils, arid and semi-arid conditions

• They require low or no purchased inputs therefore best suited for dry land agriculture

20. GOVERNMENT LAND INFORMATION SYSTEM (GLIS)

• It is a first-of-its-kind centralised database created by the Ministry of electronics and information

technology and monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

• It records total area, geo-positioning maps, and details such as ownership rights

• According to the portal, the railways is the biggest landowner among Union ministries

21. INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT INDEX (IDI)-2018

• It was released by WEF

• India was ranked at 62nd place among 74 emerging economies compared to 60th among 79

developing economies in IDI-2017.

• World’s most inclusive advanced economy – Norway

• Top among emerging economies - Lithuania

• India’s position is much below China (26th) and Pakistan (47th).

ABOUT IDI

• It measures progress of 103 economies on three individual pillars,

o Growth and development

o Inclusion

o Inter-generational equity

• The index has been divided into two parts - first part covers 29 advanced economies and second 74

emerging economies.

• The index takes into account the living standards, environmental sustainability and protection of future

generations from further indebtedness.

• The index also has classified countries into five sub-categories in terms of five-year trend of their

overall Inclusive Development Growth score — receding, slowly receding, stable, slowly advancing

and advancing.

HIGHLIGHTS OF IDI-2018

• Top 5 advanced economies: Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Denmark.

• Top-5 most inclusive emerging economies: Lithuania, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Latvia and Poland.

• BRICS economies: Russia-19th, China-26, Brazil-37, India-62 and South Africa-69.

• India’s neighbours: China-26th, Nepal-22, Bangladesh-34, Sri Lanka-40 and Pakistan-47th.

22. WORLD EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL OUTLOOK, 2018

• Released by International Labour Organization (ILO)


HIGHLIGHTS

• Global unemployment rate is expected to fall slightly to 5.5% in 2018

• The number of workers in vulnerable forms of employment is likely to increase

• People aged 65 and above will reach 11.7 per cent of total population in 2030, up from 9.3 per cent in

2017

• Unemployment in India is estimated to be raised to 18.3 million in 2017 from an earlier estimate of

17.8 million.

• In India, the share of informal employment has risen within almost all manufacturing industries

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO)

• It is UN agency dealing with labour issues, particularly international labour standards, social

protection, and work opportunities for all.

• It was established in 1919 as an agency of the League of Nations

• Members: 187

• Headquarter: Geneva, Switzerland.

• India is a founder member of the ILO.

• India has so far ratified 6 out of 8 core conventions of ILO

• It is the only organisation of UN having tripartite governing structure, representing Workers,

Employers and Government.

23. GLOBAL TALENT COMPETITIVENESS INDEX (GTCI)-2018

• It is produced by global business school INSEAD in partnership with Adecco Group and Tata

Communications.

• India was ranked 81st among 118 countries compared to 92nd last year

• The index measures ability of countries to compete for talent i.e. how countries grow, attract and

retain talent

HIGHLIGHTS

• Top Countries: Switzerland, Singapore, US.

• Top Cities: Zurich (Switzerland), Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway)

• BRICS countries: China-43, Russia-53, South Africa-63 and Brazil-73, India-81

• India has scored average in the field of Formal Education-67, Lifelong Learning-37 and General

Knowledge Skills-63

• IIT ranks 98th in the Attract pillar and in retaining its own talent it ranks 99th

ABOUT GTCI

• It is an annual benchmarking report that measures and ranks 119 countries and 90 cities based on

their ability to grow, attract and retain talent.

• It was launched in 2013.

• GTCI 2018 theme: Diversity for Competitiveness

• It has been developed on an Input Output model which combines an assessment of what countries do

to produce and acquire talents (Inputs) and the kind of skills that are available to them as a

result(Output).

24. GLOBAL MANUFACTURING INDEX

• Released by the World Economic Forum (WEF)

• India ranked at 30th position among 100 countries


• The index was released as part of WEF’s first Readiness for the future of production Report

which analysed development of modern industrial strategies and urges collaborative action.

READINESS FOR FUTURE OF PRODUCTION REPORT

• The report was developed by WEF in collaboration with A.T. Kearney

• It analyses and measures how well positioned 100 countries will shape and benefit from changing

nature of production through adoption of emerging technology

• It calls for new and innovative approaches to public-private collaboration are needed to accelerate

transformation

• It has categorised 100 countries into four groups viz. Leading, High Potential, Legacy or Nascent

HIGHLIGHTS

• Top 10 countries: Japan, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, United

States, Sweden, Austria and Ireland.

• India’s neighbours: Sri Lanka (66th), Pakistan (74th) and Bangladesh (80th).

• BRICS nations: China (25th), Russia (35th), Brazil (41st) and South Africa (45th).

• China was placed among ‘leading countries’.

• Indian and Russia were placed in ‘Legacy’ group while Brazil and South Africa are in ‘nascent’ ones.

• India is 5th-largest manufacturer in world and its manufacturing sector has grown by over 7% per year

on average in past three decades and accounts for 16-20% of India’s GDP.

• India was ranked 9th in terms of scale of production and at 48th place for complexity.

• It was ranked 3rd for market size.

• It was ranked poorly (90th or even lower) in parameters like female participation in labour force, trade

tariffs, regulatory efficiency and sustainable resources

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

• It is an international institution that works to improve the state of the world through public-private

cooperation

• It was established in 1971

• HQ: Geneva, Switzerland

• The Forum is best known for its annual meeting at the end of January in Davos

• It committed to improving state of world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders

of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas

• It works closely with other international organizations

25. GOVERNMENT E-MARKETPLACE (GeM)

• The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has launched third version of the Government e-

Marketplace (GeM 3.0)

• The earlier version GeM 2.0 was launched as pilot project in August 2016.

• Previously, 5 States and a Union Territory (UT) also formally adopted the Centre’s initiative

ABOUT

• GeM is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various

ministries and agencies of the Government

• It is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place with minimal human

interface

• It functions under Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), Union Ministry of

Commerce and Industries

• It has been envisaged as National Procurement Portal of India, with joining of more and more

states


• The present version viz., GeM 3.0 will offer standardised and enriched catalogue management,

powerful search engine, real time price comparison etc.

26. LEADS INDEX

• The Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) was released by Union Ministry of

Commerce & Industry

• Top States: Gujarat, followed by Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Haryana,

Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh

• Top Union Territories: Daman & Diu, followed by NCT Delhi, and Chandigarh

• Top among hilly states: Tripura, followed by Mizoram, and Meghalaya

ABOUT LEADS INDEX

• It is a composite indicator to assess international trade logistics across States/UTs

• It is based on stakeholders’ survey conducted by Deloitte for Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

• It is calculated based on eight parameters such as infrastructure, services, timeliness, track and trace,

competitiveness of pricing, safety of cargo, operating environment and regulatory process.

• LEADS is loosely based on Logistics Performance Index (LPI) on which India was ranked 35

among 160 countries in 2016

• It aims to serve as an indicator of efficiency of logistical services necessary for promoting exports in

particular and economic growth in general.

LOGISTICS PERFORMANCE INDEX (LPI)

• It is published by the World Bank bi-annually

• The index measures countries across six components— Customs, infrastructure, international

shipments, logistics quality and competence, tracking and tracing, and timeliness.

• Top 5 countries in 2016 LPI: Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Netherlands and Singapore.

• In 2016 edition of LPI, India has improved its ranking by jumping 19 positions compared to 54th rank

in 2014 LPI.

27. FDI POLICY

• The Union Cabinet has approved number of amendments to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy.

KEY CHANGES

• 100% FDI for Single Brand Retail Trading (SBRT) under automatic route.

i. The existing policy allows 49% FDI under automatic route, and beyond 49% up to 100% is

allowed through government approval route.

ii. It also permits SBRT entity to set off its incremental sourcing of goods from India for global

operations during initial 5 years against mandatory sourcing requirement of 30% of purchases

from India.

• 100% FDI under automatic route in Construction Development.

• Foreign airlines allowed investing up to 49% in Air India under government approval route.

• FIIs/FPIs allowed investing in Power Exchanges through primary market unlike earlier restriction to

secondary market only

• Definition of ‘medical devices’ amended by dropping the reference to Drugs and Cosmetics Act from

FDI policy

28. NATIONAL INVESTMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE FUND (NIIF)


• Recently, the NIIF has made its first investment platform by partnering with Dubai-based port

Operator DP World

• In 2017, Government had secured investment commitment of up to $1 billion from Abu Dhabi

Investment Authority (ADIA).

ABOUT NIIF

• It is India’s quasi sovereign wealth fund (SWF)

• Objective: To attract investment from both domestic and international sources for infrastructure

development in both Greenfield and brownfield, including stalled projects.

• It has been incorporated as a company under the Companies Act, 2013 and has been duly

authorized to act as investment manager of the fund.

• It has a targeted corpus of Rs.40,000 crore to be raised over the years — 49% of it will be funded by

government at any given point of time

• It has been set up as fund of funds and is registered with SEBI as a Category II Alternative

Investment Fund under SEBI (Alternate Investment Fund) Regulations, 2012.

• The activities of NIIF are being overseen by a Governing Council headed by Finance Minister.

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA (SEBI)

• It was established in 1988 and given statutory status via the SEBI Act, 1992.

• Its objective is to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development and

regulation of securities market.

• In 2015, the Forward Market Commission (FMC) was merged with SEBI, thus SEBI has become a

unified regulator for commodities and capital markets in India.

29. IRFC'S FIRST GREEN BOND

• The India International Exchange (India INX) has listed the Indian Railway Finance Corporation’s

(IRFC’s) green bonds on its debt listing platform-Global Securities Market (GSM).

• India INX’s GSM segment is India’s first debt listing platform which allows fund raising in any currency

• It became the first debt security to be listed on an exchange at IFSC in Gujarat's GIFT city

ABOUT GREEN BOND

• It is a debt instrument issued by an entity for raising funds from investors for financing ‘green’ projects

INDIAN RAILWAY FINANCE CORPORATION

• It is finance arm of Indian Railway.

• It raises financial resources for expansion mainly through financial bonds and from banks and

financial institutions.

• It is a Schedule ‘A’ Public Sector Enterprise and registered as Systemically Important Non–

Deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company and Infrastructure Finance Company with

Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

INDIA INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE (INDIA INX)

• It is India s first international exchange at IFSC Gujarat International Financial Tech (GIFT) City,

Gandhinagar.

• It is wholly-owned subsidiary of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)

• It will operate for 22 hours a day allowing international investors and NRIs to trade from anywhere

across globe.

• It trades in equity derivatives, currency derivatives, commodity derivatives including Index and Stocks.

• It also offers depository receipts and bonds.


SECURITY AND DEFENCE

30. BUDAPEST CONVENTION ON CYBERCRIME

• The Convention on Cybercrime is also known as the Budapest Convention

• It was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2001 and came into

effect in 2004.

• It is the first international treaty seeking to address Internet and computer crime by harmonizing

national laws, improving investigative techniques, and increasing cooperation among nations.

• It is supplemented by a Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism committed through computer

systems.

31. CYBER SURAKSHIT BHARAT INITIATIVE

• It was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to strengthen

cybersecurity ecosystem in India

• It was launched in association with National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and industry

partners.

ABOUT

• It is first public-private partnership of its kind.

• It will leverage the expertise of the IT industry in cybersecurity.

• The founding partners include leading IT companies such as Microsoft, Intel, WIPRO, Red hat and

Dimension Data.

• Its knowledge partners include Cert-In, NIC, NASSCOM and FIDO Alliance and premier consultancy

firms Deloitte and EY

• It will be operated on three principles of Awareness, Education and Enablement

• It aims to spread awareness about cybercrime and build capacity of Chief Information Security

Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT staff across all government departments.

• It will include series of workshops on the best practices and enablement of the officials with

cybersecurity health tool kits to manage and mitigate cyber threats.

32. GLOBAL CENTRE FOR CYBERSECURITY

• It was launched by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to safeguard world from hackers and growing

data breaches

• The centre will be headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland

• It will become operational from March 2018

ABOUT

• It will function as an autonomous organization under WEF.

• Its aim is to establish first global platform for governments, businesses, experts and law enforcement

agencies to collaborate on cybersecurity challenges.

• It will draw on WEF’s government and industry support to work towards more secure cyberspace

through its established multi-stakeholder approach.

33. AGNI V

• Recently, Indian Army successfully test fired nuclear-capable missile, Agni-V.

ABOUT


• It is an intercontinental surface-to-surface ballistic missile developed by DRDO under the

Integrated Guided Missile Development Project

• At present, US, China, Russia, UK, France and Israel are known to have ICBMs

• It has been equipped with very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System

(RINS) and Micro Navigation System (MINS)

• India has reportedly also been working on multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV)

for the Agni-V in order to ensure a credible second strike capability or credible minimum deterrence.

• MIRV means one missile can carry several warheads, each for different targets

• Range: Over 5000 km

• Payload: 1500 kg

34. INS KARANJ

• Indian Navy recently launched third Scorpene-class submarine INS Karanj.

• It is built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) under the Project 75 programme

• The first one, INS Kalvari was commissioned while the second one, INS Khandari is undergoing sea

trials.

• Remaining three submarines Vela, Vagir and Vagsheer are in various stages of outfitting.

• The technology being used would ensure superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic

silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels and hydro dynamically optimized shape.

PROJECT 75

• Under Project 75 India aimed to construct 6 next generation diesel submarines with Air Independent

Propulsion System (AIP) technology for the Indian Navy by 2022

• The project is built with assistance and technology transfer from DCNS of France

ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

35. EARLY WARNING DISSEMINATION SYSTEM (EWDS)

• India’s first automatic Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) will be commissioned by

March 2018 in Odisha.

• The project aims to establish fool-proof communication system to address existing gaps in

disseminating disaster warning up to community level

ABOUT

• The EWDS is a first-of-its-kind automatic public address system in the country.

• The project is being implemented under National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project with World

Bank’s help.

• It will provide Odisha’s entire population residing on 480 km length coastline a pre-warning siren in

event of occurrence of natural disasters like tsunami or cyclone

36. LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (LEED)

• It is an international certification run by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

• It provides a framework to building owners and operators for identifying and implementing practical

green building solutions.


37. ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDEX (EPI)

• India ranked 177 out of 180 in recently released biennial EPI, making it fourth worst performer in

curbing environmental pollution

• India has slipped from 141 position in 2016 report.

• This report has been released on the sidelines of World Economic Forum meet in Davos.

• Top 5 countries: Switzerland, France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden

• Top bottom countries: Nepal, India, Congo, Bangladesh, Burundi

ABOUT EPI

• This index has been developed by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with

the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

• It is calculated on the basis of data gathered from 24 individual metrics of environmental performance.

• These 24 individual metrics are then aggregated into a hierarchy that begins with 10 major

environmental issues categories.

38. ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING

• Recently, Himachal Pradesh Government has launched Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)

project to promote organic farming.

• Also, Andhra Pradesh government is supporting ZBNF through self-help groups to improve

livelihood of farmers and fight climate change in drought prone regions.

ABOUT ZBNF

• ZBNF is set of natural farming methods where cost of growing and harvesting plants is zero

• It has been developed by Subhash Palekar.

• It is different from organic farming.

• The inputs used for seed treatments and other inocluations are locally available in form of cowdung

and cow urine.

39. MANGALAJODI ECOTOURISM TRUST, ODISHA

• It has won prestigious United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Award for

Innovation in Tourism Enterprise at 14th UNWTO Awards ceremony held in Madrid, Spain.

• The award was given in recognition of Mangalajodi’s business model that is both economically viable

and environmentally sustainable based on principles of community ownership and Eco Tourism.

ABOUT MANGALAJODI ECOTOURISM TRUST

• Mangalajodi is a village located on the northern banks of Chilika Lake in Odisha.

• It hosts more than 3,00,000 birds in its marshy waters, especially in winters.

• Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust is community owned and managed venture promoted by RBS

Foundation India and Indian Grameen Services.

• Due to coordinated efforts by the community the number of migratory birds in the region has been

restored since 2000

WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION (UNWTO)

• It is UN agency responsible for promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible

tourism.

• Established in 1975

• It promotes tourism as driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental

sustainability.


• It is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

• Its membership includes 156 countries, 6 territories and over 500 affiliate members

40. ELCYSMA ZIROENSIS

• It is a new moth species discovered by researchers from Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)

in Talley Wildlife Sanctuary of Arunachal Pradesh.

• It is commonly called Apatani Glory, named after a local tribe called Apatani.

• This species has only been seen during autumn, notably in month of September.

• This indicates that it is univoltine species, meaning it has one brood of young in a year.

ABOUT TALLEY WILDLIFE SACTUARY

• It is also a bio-diversity hotspot located in Arunachal Pradesh.

• Rivers like Pange, Sipu, Karing and Subansiri flows through the Reserved Forest and Sanctuary.

• Talley is plateau with dense forest of silver fir trees, pine clad plateau of beautiful grandeur, and vast

wasteland.

• It mainly comprises sub-tropical and alpine forests

• It is home to vulnerable species like clouded leopard.

• Pleioblastus simone is a bamboo variety only found in Talley Valley.

• Arunachal Pradesh as a whole contains 40% of the floral and faunal species in India.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

41. PRATYUSH AND MIHIR

• Recently, the Minister for Earth Sciences (MoES) unveiled India’s fastest supercomputer named

Pratyush and high performance computer system ‘Mihir

ABOUT

• It was unveiled at Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).

• It is India’s fastest and first multi-petaflops (PF) supercomputer

• It will help India with better forecasts in terms of monsoon, extreme events, cyclones, tsunamis,

earthquakes, air quality, lightning, fishing, hot and cold waves, flood and drought among others.

• It has 6.8 PF computational power installed at two MoES Institutes. 4.0 Peta Flops HPC facility at

IITM, Pune and 2.8 Peta Flops facility - Mihir at NCMRWF, Noida.

• It is fourth fastest supercomputer in world dedicated for weather and climate research

• The key function of the High Performance Computing (HPC) facility will be monsoon forecasting

using dynamical model

42. PSLV C40

• Recently, PSLV C40 has successfully placed 31 satellites into orbit in a single mission

• The launch marks the roll out of the 100th satellite by ISRO

• The mission was combination of 28 Nano satellites from foreign countries, including Finland, US and

one micro and Nano satellite from India.

• The mission’s main payload was India’s third Cartosat-2 series earth observation satellite.

CARTOSAT-2


• Cartosat-2 series satellite launch is a follow-on mission with the primary objective of providing high

resolution scene specific spot imageries.

• It carries Panchromatic and Multispectral cameras operating in Time Delay Integration mode.

• It is capable of delivering high resolution data

43. BLUE MOON

• A rare Blue Moon event was experienced on large parts of the globe on 31st January, 2018

• It was a rare moment as blue moon, a super moon and a total lunar eclipse fell on same day

after more than 150 years.

• Blue Moon: When two full moons appear in the same calendar month, the second is termed a “blue

moon".

• Super Moon: It occurs when the full moon is at the closest point of its orbit to the Earth, which is also

called the perigee.

i. The moon appears 30% brighter and 14% bigger than the apogee full moon

• Blood Moon: The moon turns into red colour during the height of the eclipse as some light does

reach it even though the moon is in the shadow of the Earth.

i. Fine particles in the atmosphere scatter (Rayleigh scattering) the blue component of solar

spectrum, & what reaches us is the longer wavelength red light

SOCIAL ISSUES

44. WORLD SOCIAL PROTECTION REPORT , 2017-19

• Released by International Labour Organization

• The report provides a global overview on recent trends in social protection systems, including social

protection floors

• According to it, only 45 per cent of the global population is effectively covered by at least one social

protection benefit.

• Only 29 per cent of the global population is covered by comprehensive social security systems that

include the full range of benefits, from child and family benefits to old-age pensions

• Only 35 per cent of children worldwide enjoy effective access to social protection.

• Only 41.1 per cent of mothers with new-borns receive a maternity benefit.

• Only 21.8 per cent of unemployed workers are covered by unemployment benefits.

• Only 27.8 per cent of persons with severe disabilities worldwide receive a disability benefit.

• In rural areas 56 per cent of the population lack health coverage as compared to 22 per cent in urban

areas.

45. ROTAVAC

• Rotavac became first indigenously developed vaccine from India to be pre-qualified by World

Health Organisation (WHO).

• Apart from it, Typbar Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine also pre-qualified

ABOUT ROTAVAC

• It was developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited

• It protects against childhood diarrhoea caused by the rotavirus.

• It was developed under the joint collaboration between India and United States in area of medical

research.


• It was developed under public-private partnership (PPP) model that involved Ministry of Science and

Technology, institutions of the US Government and NGOs in India supported by Bill and Melinda

Gates Foundation.

• It has been included in India’s national immunisation programme.

TYPBAR TYPHOID CONJUGATE VACCINE

• It is the world’s first typhoid vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech limited that can be given to infants

older than six months.

• It and confers long-term protection against typhoid fever.

TYPHOID

• It is caused by bacterium Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi).

• It infects humans due to contaminated food and beverages from sewage and other infected humans.

• Its symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea or constipation.

46. MANKIDIA TRIBE

• Recently the Mankidia tribe was denied habitat rights inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)

under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,

2006

ABOUT MANKIDIA TRIBE

• It is one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in Odisha

• It is a marginalised group that critically depends on making rope / bags with siali fibre that’s richly

available in Similipal Tiger Reserve

THE SCHEDULED TRIBES AND OTHER TRADITIONAL FOREST DWELLERS (RECOGNITION OF

FOREST RIGHTS) ACT, 2006

• It came into force in 2006.

• The Nodal Ministry for the Act is Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

• It has been enacted to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation of forest land in forest

dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, who have been residing in such

forests for generations, but whose rights could not be recorded

• It also grants several other rights to ensure their control over forest resources

• The Act also provides for diversion of forest land for public utility facilities managed by the

Government, such as schools, dispensaries, fair price shops, electricity and telecommunication lines,

water tanks, etc. with the recommendation of Gram Sabhas.

47. SANGRAI DANCE

• It is traditional dance of Tripura

• It was presented in Republic Day parade for the first time

• It is performed by the Mog tribal community on the occasion of Sangrai festival during the month of

Chaitra (in April) of the Bengali calendar year.

• The day is celebrated to welcome the new year

ABOUT MOG TRIBE

• The Mog are the Arakanese descendants who live in the Indian state of Tripura.

• These are Buddhists and have close affinity with Burmese Buddhism in all socio-cultural and religious

aspects.

• They are dependent on Jhum Cultivation.


• Their language is grouped under Tibeto-Chinese family which is also linked with Assam-Burmese

section of language.

48. MEDARAM’S JATARA

• It is held bi-annually in Medaram village, Telegana to honour the twin goddesses - Sammakka and

her daughter Sarakka

• It is held by forest dwelling Koya Tribe of the region and is the biggest tribal festival in Asia attracting

nonadivasis as well.

49. GI TAG

• Recently, teak grown in Nilambur region was accorded Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the

Geographical Indication (GI) Registry

ABOUT NILAMBUR TEAK

• It is also known as Malabar teak and the Mecca of Teak

• It is the first forest produce to get GI tag

• It is known for its durability, earthy colour and larger size.

• It exhibits high resistance to fungal decay and shows antioxidant properties making it ideal for usage

in construction purposes

• It is also known for hydrophobicity and its oily nature.


monthly factly - forumias blog€¦ · 31/01/2018 · • recently, the first updated draft of nrc...

Documents