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( 2019 - 19 September 2019)th13 Septemberth

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Polity & Governance, Social Justice, Social Development

1. Jeevan Kaushal ProgrammeWhy in News? Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shri Sanjay Dhotre, launched the Curriculum

for Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal) designed by University Grants Commission (UGC).About Programme The University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched a “life skills” (Jeevan Kaushal) programme in the

curriculum for under-graduate courses across the country. The new programme, which for 8 credit points, can be accommodated in any semester and is aimed

at inculcating emotional and intellectual competencies in students develop verbal and non-verbalcommunication skills.

The programme will comprise four courses – communication, professional, leadership and universal humanvalues and skills.

The programme will focus on team work, problem-solving and decision-making. It will be effective tools in helping students develop practical knowledge that helps them when they start

their careers and become responsible citizens.

2. PM Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY)About

Type Old Age Pension Scheme Beneficiaries Small & marginal FarmersContribution  VoluntaryAge Group 18 to 40 yearsEffective From 9th Aug 2019Pension Rs3000 / monthRetirement Age 60 YearsInstallment Rs 55 to Rs200 (depending on entry age) Option Available for monthly,

quarterly or half yearly basisOther Members Spouse Eligible for same pension on separate contribution Pension Fund Manager Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)Death of beneficiaries Before Retirement age·

Spouse may continue by paying remaining installment ·If doesn’t continue total contribution till date along with interest will be paid tospouse ·If no spouse total contribution till date along with interest will be paid tonominee After retirement Age

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Spouse will receive 50% of the pension ad Family Pension Death of bothfarmer & spouse·Accumulated corpus shall be credited back to Pension Fund

Exit Clause Voluntary after min of 5 years of contribution On exit, entire contributionreturned by LIC + current market interest rate

Default

3. Uniform Civil CodeIssue Supreme Court has declared discriminatory practice of instant triple talaq as unconstitutional It has sent out a clear message that personal law can no longer be privileged over fundamental rights. The present case was initiated suo motu by the court Article 44 of the Constitution says that there should be a Uniform Civil Code. According to this article, “The

State shall endeavor to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”. Sincethe Directive Principles are only guidelines, it is not mandatory to use them.

What? A Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious

communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc. Article 44 of theConstitution lays down that the state shall endeavor to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughoutthe territory of India

Does India not already have a uniform code in civil matters?

Indian laws do follow a uniform code in most civil matters – Indian Contract Act, Civil Procedure Code, Saleof Goods Act, Transfer of Property Act, Partnership Act, Evidence Act etc. States, however, have madehundreds of amendments and therefore in certain matters, there is diversity even under these secular civil laws.Recently, several states refused to be governed by the uniform Motor Vehicles Act, 2019.

If the framers of the Constitution had intended to have a Uniform Civil Code, they would have givenexclusive jurisdiction to Parliament in respect of personal laws, by including this subject in the Union List.But “personal laws” are mentioned in the Concurrent List. Last year, the Law Commission concluded that aUniform Civil Code is neither feasible nor desirable.

Is there one common personal law for any religious community governing all its members?

All Hindus of the country are not governed by one law, nor are all Muslims or all Christians. Not only Britishlegal traditions, even those of the Portuguese and the French remain operative in some parts.

In Jammu and Kashmir until August 5, 2019, local Hindu law statutes differed from central enactments.The Shariat Act of 1937 was extended to J&K a few years ago but has now been repealed. Muslims ofKashmir were thus governed by a customary law, which in many ways was at variance with MuslimPersonal Law in the rest of the country and was, in fact, closer to Hindu law. Even on registration ofmarriage among Muslims, laws differ from place to place. It was compulsory in J&K (1981 Act), and isoptional in Bengal, Bihar (both under 1876 Act), Assam (1935 Act) and Odisha (1949 Act).

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In the Northeast, there are more than 200 tribes with their own varied customary laws. The Constitutionitself protects local customs in Nagaland. Similar protections are enjoyed by Meghalaya and Mizoram. Evenreformed Hindu law, in spite of codification, protects customary practices.

Arguments against Constituent Assembly In the Constituent Assembly, there was division on the issue of putting Uniform Civil Code in the fundamental

rights chapter. The matter was settled by a vote. By a 5:4 majority, the fundamental rights sub-committeeheaded by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel held that the provision was outside the scope of fundamental rights andtherefore the Uniform Civil Code was made less important than freedom of religion

Mohd Ismail: a secular state should not interfere with the personal law of people. B Pocker Saheb : he had received representations against a common civil code from various organisations,

including Hindu organisations Hussain Imam: questioned whether there could ever be uniformity of personal laws in a diverse country

like India. B R Amedkar: no government can use its provisions in a way that would force the Muslims to revolt Alladi Krishnaswami: who was in favour of a Uniform Civil Code, conceded that it would be unwise to

enact Uniform Civil Code ignoring strong opposition from any community.Pros & Cons

·

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International Relations, India & the World and InternationalAffairs

4. Rebel GroupsWhy in News Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim drone attack on oil facilities of Saudi Aramco

Location of Bombing

Other GroupsRebel Group CountryAl Qaeda SomaliaYemenHouthi YemenThe Islamic State AfghanistanNigeriaNaxalites IndiaTaliban AfghanistanHaqqani Network AfghanistanMujahideen Shura Council EgyptHarkat Ul Mujhaideen IndiaKashkar-e-Taiba IndiaPak

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Indian Economy and Economic Development

5. NIRVIK SchemeWhy in News? Ministry of Commerce & Industry through Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) has introduced a

new Export Credit Insurance Scheme (ECIS) called NIRVIK to enhance loan availability and ease thelending process.

About the Scheme Under the new ‘NIRVIK’ scheme, which is also called the Export Credit Insurance Scheme (ECIS), the

insurance cover guaranteed will cover up to 90 percent of the principal and interest. The insurance coverwill include both pre and post-shipment credit. The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC)currently provides credit guarantee of up to 60 percent loss.

The main aim behind introducing the scheme was to enhance accessibility and affordability of credit forexporters. The decision will help make Indian exports competitive and make ECGC procedures exporterfriendly, benefiting MSME exporters with a new scheme for reimbursing taxes, reduced insurance cost andease of doing business.

The insurance cover is expected to bring down the cost of credit due to capital relief, less provision requirementand liquidity due to quick settlement of claims and will ensure timely and adequate working capital to theexport sector.

Under the ‘NIRVIK’ scheme, the gems, jewellery and diamond(GJD) sector borrowers with limit of overRs 80 crore will have a higher premium rate in comparison to the non-GJD sector borrowers of thiscategory due to the higher loss ratio.

The ECGC insurance cover will provide additional comfort to banks as the credit rating of the borrower willbe enhanced to AA rated account. The increased cover will ensure that foreign and rupee export creditinterest rates are below 4 percent and 8 percent respectively for the exporters.

About ECGC The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) is a fully government-owned company that was

established in 1957 to promote exports by providing credit insurance services. The ECGC provides Export Credit Insurance to Banks (ECIB) to protect the banks from losses on account

of export credit at the Pre and Post-Shipment stage given to exporters due to the risks of insolvency orprotracted default of the exporter borrower.

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Environment and Ecology

6. India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)

Why in News? On World Ozone Day, India’s Cooling Action Plan gets UN applaud

About Long term vision to address the cooling requirement across sectors and lists out actions which can help

reduce the cooling demand. Cooling requirement is cross sectoral and an essential part for economic growth and is required across

different sectors of the economy such as residential and commercial buildings, cold-chain, refrigeration,transport and industries

The overarching goal of ICAP is to provide sustainable cooling and thermal comfort for all while securingenvironmental and socio-economic benefits for the society. This will also help in reducing both direct andindirect emissions

An integrated vision towards cooling across sectors encompassing inter alia reduction of cooling demand,refrigerant transition, enhancing energy efficiency and better technology options with a 20 year time horizon.

The India Cooling Action seeks to – reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38, – reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38, – Reduce cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38, – recognize “cooling and related areas” as a thrust area of research under national S&T Programme, – training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill

India Mission Benefits

– Thermal comfort for all – provision for cooling for EWS and LIG housing– Sustainable cooling – low GHG emissions related to cooling– Doubling Farmers Income – better cold chain infrastructure – better value of produce to farmers, less

wastage of produce– Skilled workforce for better livelihoods and environmental protection,– Make in India – domestic manufacturing of air-conditioning and related cooling equipment’s– Robust R&D on alternative cooling technologies – to provide push to innovation in cooling sector.

7. Sand MiningWhat is sand mining? extraction of sand through an open pit but sometimes mined from inland dunes from oceans ,

riverbeds and beaches.

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What are the consequences? Geographical / Ecological According to the geological survey of India (GSI), river bed mining causes a lot of alterations to the physical

characteristics of both river and riverbed UNEP Report: Sand and Sustainability: Finding new solutions for environmental governance of global

sand resources Sand consumption globally has been increasing and we are extracting it at rates exceeding natural

replenishment rates. Sand and gravel are the second largest natural resources extracted and traded by volume after water, but

among the least regulated. While 85% to 90% of global sand demand is met from quarries, and sand and gravel pits, the 10% to 15%

extracted from rivers and sea shores is a severe concern due the environmental and social impacts. A 40-50 billion tonne of crushed rock, sand and gravel is extracted from quarries, pits, rivers, coastlines and

the marine environment each year. The construction industry consumes over half of this, and will consumeeven more in the future.

China and India head the list of critical hotspots for sand extraction impacts in rivers, lakes and on coastlines. Most large rivers of the world have lost between half and 95% of their natural sand and gravel

delivery to oceanRiver & Coastal Erosion  Threats to freshwater & marine fisheries & aquatic ecosystems Instability of river banks leading to increased flooding, and lowering of ground water levels. The damming of rivers for hydro-electricity production or irrigation is reducing the amount of sediment

flowing downstream This broken replenishment system exacerbates pressures on beaches already threatened by sea level rise

and intensity of storm-waves induced by climate change, as well as coastal developments.Socio Economic Loss of local livelihoods construction in tourist destinations can lead to depletion of natural sand in the area, thereby making those

very places unattractive — and safety risks for workers where the industry is not regulated.Government Interventions Mines and mineral development and regulation act,1957 implemented by the government to prevent

illegal mining Sand is a minor mineral therefore, empowers state governments to frame rules to prevent illegal mining,

transportation and storage of mineral sand for purposes connected therewith Cooperative Federalism Andhra Pradesh (2019) New sand mining policy a tonne of sand will be available for Rs 370 only at government-owned stockyards operated by Andhra

Pradesh Mineral Development Corp (APMDC). The sand will be transported by GPS-enabled vehicles to check against black marketeering. Customers can

book their requirement online.

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The APMDC has also identified lands owned by farmers for mining at 82 places. The APMDC will take upmining on private lands and pay farmers Rs 60 per cubic metre.

Sustainable Sand Mining management Guidelines by MOEFCC 2016 Grant of Environment Clearance for minor minerals, including sand and gravel, for mining lease of area up

to 5 hectare will be done by the District Environment Impact Assessment Authority headed by the DistrictCollector / District Magistrate.

Removal of sand accumulated on the agricultural field after cessation of flooding will not be considered asmining operation and its removal and selling can be allowed without the requirement of environmentclearance till it is done only to the extent of reclaiming the agricultural land.

Exemption of certain cases from being considered as mining for the purpose of requirement of environmentclearance

Way Ahead Better spatial planning and reducing unnecessary construction by using Geo Informatics System Investing in infrastructure maintenance and retrofitting rather than the demolish and rebuild cycle, embracing

alternative design and construction methods, even avoiding use of cement and concrete where possible,and using green infrastructure.

Need for large-scale multipronged actions from global to local levels, involving public, private and civilsociety organisations

encourage robo sand made from rocks, as an alternative, by giving incentives for the industry.

8. BamboonomicsWhy in News? Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda launched the biggest Tribal movement to promote tribal

enterprise through Bamboonomics in the country which will be a beacon for the rest of the world. Helaunched the movement for combating desertification and the climate change at “The Indian Perspectivethrough Bamboonomics” session at ‘COP 14 UNCCD : TRIFED-GIZ’ organized at Greater Noida Expo.

About Bamboonomics It is a movement to combat desertification and climate change which will involve the tribal community of

India since they have the expertise in this field. The movement will ensure that tribals can earn a livelihood without causing environmental harm.

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Science and Technology, Defense, Health

9. Anti Resistance (Superbug)Why in News? India has become a member of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development

(R&D) Hub. The announcement was made by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science &Technology in New Delhi on September 12, 2019.

Issue Phylogenetic studies suggest that the earliest antibiotic-resistance genes in nature are millions of years old But when humans started manufacturing antibiotics in the 1950s, a dramatic shift occurred According to the SRS’ data, states from the east and northeastern part of the country have registered a

significant drop in IMRReason Overuse of Drugs Unnecessary consumption Some existed in nature for long (environmental bacteria) Mixing of Human pathogens and environmental bacteria because when these drugs taint soil and water, the scores of microbes that live there grow drug-resistant Horizontal Gene Transfer: bug to borrow resistance genes from its neighbours Antibiotics in Industrial waste

Consequences Devastate the healthcare system Increase in expenses & deaths Eg-New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) AMR causes a reduction in the effectiveness of medicines, making infections and diseases difficult or

impossible to treat. AMR is associated with/ increased mortality, prolonged illnesses in people and animals,production losses in agriculture, livestock and aquaculture. This threatens global health, livelihoods andfood security. AMR also increases the cost of treatments and care.

Initiative National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) Imposing limits on antibiotics in industrial waste limiting antibiotics in effluent being dumped by drug makers into the environment CARB-X, or Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator European project ANSWER It stands for ‘Antibiotics and mobile resistance elements in wastewater reuse applications: risks and innovative solutions’ This project studies technologies to remove antibiotic-resistance germs from wastewater along with other

research 

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Rockefeller University The researchers say that based on their research, malacidins may be able to attack and kill many types of

super bugs. The new antibiotics fought off many common infections in lab and mice tests, eliminating somemicrobes that have become resistant to existing antibiotics

India has become a member of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development(R&D) Hub.

About Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (R&D) Hub The global research and development hub on antimicrobial resistance was launched in May 2018 on the

sidelines of the 71st session of the World Health Assembly. The hub was set up following a call from theG20 member nations in 2017.

The hub supports global priority setting and evidence-based decision-making on the allocation of resourcesfor antimicrobial resistance research and development through the identification of gaps, overlaps andpotential for cross-sectoral collaboration and leveraging in AMR R&D.

The operations of the hub are supported through a Secretariat, which is established in Berlin, Germany. It iscurrently financed through grants from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)

10. K2-18Why in News? Two research teams just announced the

detection of water vapor in the air of K2-18 b, a “super-Earth” that lies about 110light-years from our planet.

About K2-18 b is a super Earth exoplanet that

orbits a M-type star Its mass is 8.92 Earths , it takes 32.9 days

to complete one orbit of its star, and is0.1429 AU from its star. Its discovery wasannounced in 2015.

Discovered by NASA Kepler SpaceTelescope 

Exoplanets Exoplanet – Any planet beyond our solar

systemHabitable Zone The habitable zone is the range of

distances from a star where liquid watermight pool on the surface of an orbitingplanet. If a planet is too close to its parent

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star, it will be too hot and water would have evaporated. If a planet is too far from a star it is too cold andwater is frozen. Stars come in a wide variety of sizes, masses and temperatures. Stars that are smaller,cooler and lower mass than the Sun (M-dwarfs) have their habitable zone much closer to the star than theSun (G-dwarf). Stars that are larger, hotter and more massive than the Sun (A-dwarfs) have their habitablezone much farther out from the star.

11. Interstellar ObjectWhy in News? The first time an interstellar object entered our solar system, astronomers and scientists caught it too late.

The asteroid, Oumuamua, was leaving and this left them with very little time to study it.About An interstellar object is an astronomical object, (an asteroid, comet or possibly planet, but not a star or

substar), that is located in interstellar space and is not gravitationally bound to a star. The term can also be applied to objects that are on an interstellar trajectory but are temporarily passing close

to a star, such as certain asteroids and comets (including exocomets)Trajectory of Oumuamua

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12. Chandrayaan 2

  Chandrayan 1 Chandrayan 2Overview Sequel to Chandrayan

Chandrayaan-2 is a logical progression onChandrayaan-1. It is a more so phisticated missiondesigned to pack in a whole lot of science

Type of Orbiter Mission India’a first Lander MissionMissionComponents Orbiter + Impactor Orbiter + Lander (Vikram) + Rover (Pragyaan)

NASA Laser retroreflactor ArrayGroup of mirrors used by control stations on ground to reflectsignals from moonNot new thing Pre exist @ equatorial region

Objective high-resolution remote sensing Soft landing on Moon and Moving surface on its surfaceof the moon in visible, nearinfrared (NIR), low energy X-raysand high-energy X-ray regions.to prepare a three-dimensional atlas Primary objective would be to study the composition of(with high spatial and altitude the moon’s surface near the landing site, and determineresolution) of both near and its abundance of different element.far side of the moon.aimed at conducting chemical Lander: study the moon’s atmosphere.and mineralogical mapping of Seismic activity on lunar surfacethe entire lunar surface for high-resolution 3D maps of the surface.distribution of mineral and study the mineral composition on the moon and thechemical elements such as lunar atmosphere, and also to assess the abundanceMagnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, of water.Calcium, Iron and Titanium aswell as high atomic numberelements.

Launch PSLV C11 GSLV MK IIVehicleOutcome Moon Impact Probe Failure to do soft landing,

MIP had sent data that showed Vikram lander is tilted position & hence rover couldn’tevidence for the presence of be detachedwater on the moonUnfortunately, those findings 2 week window to establish connection after that nightcould not be pulished beacuse (14 earth days) where temp can go as down as –200 degof anomalies in calibration of the celsius harming instruments on board.data.

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Mineralogy Mapper that had been Moreover life of lander & rover is 14 days where as orbiterput by NASA 1 yearPartial Failure But 80-90% of science output come from orbiterIssue with heat shielding Ethical Point :But by that time mains science Imp of experimentation–it work within our comfort zone,objective achieved i.e. blockbuster without any risks we would never progress. The story offinding of irrefutable evidence human race is based on experimentation & risk taking. Allof presence of water on the moon the progress is a result of risky eneavours

Savor    the  journey,  rather  than  to  be  fixated  on  the  outcomethough we live in outcome driven society. RationalScientific discovery doesn’t respond to deadlines. Pressure on scientistsWhile science under the arc light is the new normal today,it is imp to remember that the real science happens afterwards &away from the media glare

Achievement If Successful India will become only the fourth country in the world to land a spacecraft on the moon. ISRO first agency to conduct a soft landing on south polar region of moon Solutions to existing water shortages in Chennai

– Identify existence of Helium 3 on the moon surface having potential to power nuclear fusion reactorsfor centuries & this extreme energy is required for desalination process making sea water potable

Paradigm Shift– In way expeditions to the moon are conducted – Increase the understanding of space, boost the advancement of tech & promote global alliances – Trace back the origin & evolution of the moon. As ISRO says, fossil record of the early solar system

will have linkage to earth’s early history What differentiates Chandrayaan 2 with others? will make a landing at a site where no earlier mission has gone, near the South pole of the moon. a completely unexplored territory and therefore offers great scientific opportunity for the mission to see and

discover something new. this area is also supposed to have ancient rocks and craters that can offer indications of history of moon,

and also contain clues to the fossil records of early solar system

13. Cryptocurrency Definition

– Cryptocurrency is a digital currency created, stored and transacted using cryptographical functional technology like blockchain over the internet based medium

– Blockchain: A secured decentralized database that maintains a continuously growing list of records /transactions. Old entries can’t be deleted, new entries will be visible to all. Mainly used for runningcryptocurrency network

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Origin Anarchist groups lost faith in FIAT MONEY / LEGAL TENDERS because Subprime Crisis (2007) eroded

the purchasing power of US Dollar. They also dislike BANK MONEY / DEPOSIT MONEY because oftransaction charges on e-banking, card payments, MDR, interoperability issues

2009 : An anonymous user Satoshi Nakomoto launched a cryptocurrency ‘Bitcoin’, total 21 million coins,wherein 1 Bitcoin (BTC) =10^8 Satoshi

Example: Ethereum, Litecoin, Digicoin, Laxmicoin, Ripple etcBitcoin  Technology on which bitcoin works has a much wider appeal Bitcoin is an unregulated cryptocurrency which is administered by a network of users through an open and

distributed ledger known as blockchain Each transaction is verified by the network Since it is a distributed ledger and no one person or organization controls it, technically, chances of someone

manipulating the system are very lowWays to Obtain CryptocurrencyWays Impications

Mining • Graphics cards demand & price hike: 2x–4x times due to bitcoin mania.E-waste generation. Thermal Electricity wastage worth 20 megatone CO2

• If quantum computer invented it’ll solve it in seconds, thus• crashing the value of Bitcoins

As • Bitcoin wallets have “public address” (like an email) & private key (like aPayments password) : but not traceable unlike an email. So, Narcotics, illegal trade,

Terror finance.• Selling goods/services in exchange of bitcoins = Government depr ived of GST,

Custom duty, Income tax on merchant’s profit.• Scam : can’t get justice under Consumer Protection Act.

Purchaing • For traditional Rupee to dollar exchange, Forex dealers have to register withRBI under FEMA Act. They’re monitored with KYC, PMLA, Enforcement Directorate.

• If rupee of $ exchanged with Bitcoin - terror finance, sending black money to tax havens.• Dollar to Bitcoin exchange rate : speculation, vilatility, Government deprived of Capital Gains

Tax (CGT)• Ponzy investment frauds – hence Government came up with Banning of Unregulated Deposit

Schemes Bill, 2018.Benefits Secure

– These are a much secure option as compared to bank transfers, debit or credit cards. This is becausethe bitcoin transaction involves a private code which is set to be nearly impossible to crack.

Asset– One can park money in the wallet in the hope that the value of bitcoins would go up. So in a way, it is

like an asset.

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Bitcoins’ attractiveness as an investment is high because the number of bitcoins that can be produced hasbeen limited to 21 million, according to Satoshi Nakamoto, its founder.

As a result, the value will keep going up as the end of the supply nears.Liquidity Investments in bitcoin were fairly liquid. Investors had the option of selling them and getting out at any time.

EconomyTrade

– The trading volume has jumped from Rs 10 lakh a month a few months ago to Rs 10 crore a monthwhereas the non-trade volume which includes recharges, shopping vouchers etc has also jumped growing40 per cent month on month.

– No concept like Hot Money – Universal Currency

ChallengesVolatile & Speculation If the prices of bitcoin and other such currencies keep going up for a considerable period, the fall could be

painful Rising prices will attract more people to start such currencies and invest in them This will increase the contact of virtual currencies with formal finance, and developments in this market

would affect the financial system The price of bitcoin, the most popular of all cryptocurrencies, not only shot up by well over 1000% over the

course of the last year But the price also fluctuated wildly One of the main reasons for this volatility is speculation and the entry into the market of a large number of

people lured by the prospect of quick and easy profit The price of bitcoin dropped from its lifetime high of over $19,300 to $9,300 Bullish investors believe if Libra becomes a trusted payment mechanism then people are also more likely to

trust Bitcoin as a reliable long-term store of value, a digital goldReport of Subhash Garg committee on virtual currencies- 2019 The Committee recommended heavy penalties of upto rs. 25 crore and a jail term of up to 10 years for

anyone who mines, generates, holds, sells, transfers or issues cryptocurrency. The currency is volatile as in the month of June of the year 2019 it was pegged at $13,880 which is a 300%

jump from the beginning of the year and now again has landed up at $10,200. Panel clarified the difference between private cryptocurrencies and official ones issued by the government.

So, concerns are focused on non official digital currencies and not one by the government. Anonymity associated with them makes them vulnerable to Money Laundering as reported by FATF Report highlights the positive aspects of Distributed Ledger Technologies as records here are immutable and

non repudiable. It allows recording, sharing and transfer of data or value without the need for a centralledger. Therefore, it has good scope in financial services in India like for loan issuance tracking, collateralmanagement, fraud detection and claims management in insurance and reconciliation systems.

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But they are fraught with regulatory challenges like scalability, transaction speed, cyber security and dataprotection and interoperability and integration into current financial systems.

Recommends issuing government backed digital currency in India through RBI. Thus, the verdict is blockchain is good but cryptocurrencies are bad.

Draft Banning of Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official DigitalCurrency Bill, 2019

Cryptocurrency and its mining: The Bill defines cryptocurrency as any information, code, number or token which has a digital representation

of value and has utility in a business activity, or acts as a store of value or a unit of account. The Billdefines mining as an activity aimed at creating a cryptocurrency and/or validating a cryptocurrency transactionbetween a buyer and seller.

Prohibited activities : The Bill provides that cryptocurrency should not be used as legal tender or currency in India. It prohibits

mining, buying, holding, selling, dealing in, issuance, disposal or use of cryptocurrency in the country. Inparticular, the Bill prohibits the use of cryptocurrency for: (i) use as a medium of exchange, store of valueor unit of account, (ii) use as a payment system, (iii) providing services such as registering, trading, sellingor clearing of cryptocurrency to individuals, (iv) trading it with other currencies, (v) issuing financialproducts related to it, (vi) using it as a basis of credit, (vii) issuing it as a means of raising funds and (viii)issuing it as a means for investment.

The Bill allows for use of technology or processes underlying cryptocurrency for the purpose of experiment,research or teaching.

Offences and Penalties: The Bill provides for the following offences and penalties:

Offence Punishment

Mining, holding, selling, issuing or using cryptocurrency

Fine or imprisonment up to 10 years, or both

Issuing any advertisement, soliciting, assisting or inducing participation in use

Fine or imprisonment up to seven years, or both

Acquiring, storing or disposing of cryptocurrency with intent to use

Fine

14. Space Bill The provisions of this Act shall apply to every citizen of India and to all sectors engaged in any space

activity in India or outside India A non-transferable license shall be provided by the Central Government to any person carrying out commercial

space activity The Central Government will formulate the appropriate mechanism for licensing, eligibility criteria, and fees

for license.

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The government will maintain a register of all space objects (any object launched or intended to be launchedaround the earth) and develop more space activity plans for the country.

It will provide professional and technical support for commercial space activity and regulate the proceduresfor conduct and operation of space activity

It will ensure safety requirements and supervise the conduct of every space activity of India and investigateany incident or accident in connection with the operation of a space activity.

It will share details about the pricing of products created by space activity and technology with any personor any agency in a prescribed manner.

If any person undertakes any commercial space activity without authorisation they shall be punished withimprisonment up to 3 years or fined more than Rs 1 crore or both.

Certain highlights or concerns It may be noted that 100% foreign direct investment is permitted in the satellite sector subject to sectoral

guidelines determined by the Department of Space or ISRO. The term ‘space activity’ includes even the use of a space object which has led to concerns from experts [5]

that every application that uses a satellite-based service or link such as GPS devices would require licensing. The eligibility criteria as and when set out should promote innovation, particularly from the start-up space,

without compromising on technical expertise The Bill [12] provides that invention or any form of intellectual property rights (IPR) shall be protected

in accordance with the law for the time being in force ‘with the primary objective of safeguardingnational interest’. Such a qualification, i.e. safeguarding national interest, potentially renders IPRvulnerable to State action

Further, ownership of all IPR developed, generated or created on board a space object in outer space isdeemed to be vested in Central Government

Do we need this bill? While India is party to five international space treaties [3], the most significant one being the Outer Space

Treaty, 1967 (Outer Space Treaty), a comprehensive domestic law regulating space activity is missing. While previously attempts were made to bring in the bills but did not succeed like in 1999 and 2000 Because isro has been inviting private players to participate in space missions, we need to formalize such

partnership by bringing in specific law so that much revenue can be generated.Pros of inviting private players To overcome manpower and budgetary constraints (the budget of ISRO stands at 1.9 billion dollars against

19 billion dollars of NASA). ISRO is going to double the number of satellites launched in the next two years and this would necessitate

active involvement and participation of the private sector. ISRO, as of now, has 42 operational satellites for multiple purposes that exclusively focus on India centric

needs. But we need digitalization and need support of private sector like off late Facebook (Athena forinternet connectivity) , Amazon( thousand satellites to be launched) , Google Lunar XPrize competition,announced in 2007, with the tagline: (“Welcome to the new space race”. The aim of the prize is to launch arobotic mission to the moon), have been coming out with proposals for their own satellites.

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Till date, approximately 80% of the development work on launch vehicles has already been outsourced,with ISRO only focusing on the supervision. Even Chandrayaan II, which is scheduled for launch in 2018,has many sub-systems developed by private enterprises.

Today, several companies in the US are looking very specifically at human spaceflight. The three that areperhaps furthest down the road are SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. The main goals of all threecompanies is to reduce the cost of access to space – mainly through reuse of launchers and spacecraft –making space accessible to people who are not specially trained astronauts.

This, India too should become part so as to maintain it’s position in space NASA has many discontinued programs due to rising inflation and low budget on space programs.

Cons of privatisation In reality, many private space exploration companies overpromise and underdeliver. For instance, NASA’s partnership with Lockheed Martin for an X-33 space shuttle design cost NASA $912

million and Lockheed Martin $357 million. The private companies have to take into account profitability, the interests of a variety of shareholders, and

reliance on a secure contract with govt agencies. Space mishaps- who is to be blamed or held responsible if an astronaut dies or mission fails is a concern.

And private companies have to be answerable to people and the government . Competing interests of different countries- they can monopolise space and a new battle can ensure. There are areas of space utilization that will be best fulfilled by the private sector and there are areas

that are and will continue to be best fulfilled by the public sector. The relationship between the two issymbiotic, not parasitic.

15. YankWhy in News? Proposed new term for changes in force over time, so that scientists can study muscle behaviour better

What is Yank? It is time derivative of force i.e. dfdt

Why? Physics define acceleration as the rate of change of velocity (or speed) per unit time. Expressed mathematically,

acceleration is the time derivative of speed or velocity. In turn, the time derivative of acceleration is “jerk”. For further time derivatives after jerk, the words are,

“snap”, “crackle” and “pop” for each successive derivative. Force, another familiar concept of physics, is measured in units of mass times acceleration. Unlike velocity

and acceleration, however, time derivatives for force have never been defined. Now, biologists and biomedical engineers are proposing to define a new term, “yank”, for changes in force

over time. The objective is to quantify something that our muscles and nerves can feel and respond to. Scientists who

study sports often use the term “rate of force development”, a measure of explosive strength. “Yank” could be useful in understanding spasticity, a common muscle impairment in multiple sclerosis,

spinal cord injury, stroke and cerebral palsy.

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16. Scientific Social Responsibility Policy (SSR)Why in News? India is going to be possibly the first country in the world to implement a Scientific Social Responsibility

(SSR) Policy on the lines of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to encourage S&T institutions andindividual scientists in the country to proactively engage in science outreach activities to connect sciencewith the society.

About Policy Under the proposed policy, individual scientists or knowledge workers will be required to devote at least

10 person-days of SSR per year for exchanging scientific knowledge to society. It also recognizes theneed to provide incentives for outreach activities with necessary budgetary support. It has also beenproposed to give credit to knowledge workers/scientists for individual SSR activities in their annualperformance appraisal and evaluation. No institution would be allowed to outsource or sub-contract theirSSR activities and projects.

When most research is being done by using taxpayers’ money, the scientific establishment has an ethicalobligation of “giving back” to the society. “SSR is not only about scientific impact upon society but alsoabout the social impact upon science. SSR would therefore strengthen the knowledge ecosystem and bringefficiencies in harnessing science for the benefit of society”, says the draft policy.

The draft defines SSR as “the ethical obligation of knowledge workers in all fields of science andtechnology to voluntarily contribute their knowledge and resources to the widest spectrum of stakeholdersin society, in a spirit of service and conscious reciprocity”. A central agency will be established at DSTto implement the SSR. Other ministries would also be encouraged to make their own plans to implementSSR as per their mandate.

For implementation of the policy, a national portal will be developed up to capture societal needs requiringscientific interventions and as a platform for implementers and for reporting SSR activities.

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17. Pangong Tso LakeWhy in News? Ahead of a massive military exercise along the China border on Wednesday, Indian and Chinese Army

soldiers were engaged in a face-off near the northern bank of Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh, but disengagedafter delegation-level talks between the two sides in Ladakh

About Lake Endorheic Lake extends from India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water. It is not a part of the Indus river basin

area and geographically a separate landlocked river basinLocation :

18. Solomon Islands & TaiwanWhy in News? The United States is reassessing its assistance to the Solomon Islands after the Pacific nation cut ties with

Taiwan in favour of China this weekAbout Such Move The Solomon Islands was the sixth country to switch allegiance to China since President Tsai Ing-wen took

office in Taiwan in 2016. The move leaves Taipei with formal relations with only 16 countries, many ofthem small, less-developed nations in Central America and the Pacific & India is not among them.

More News

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About Taiwan Issue The controversy regarding the political

status of Taiwan, sometimes referredto as the Taiwan Issue or Taiwan StraitIssue, or from a Taiwanese perspectiveas the Mainland Issue, is a result ofthe Chinese Civil War and thesubsequent split of China into the twopresent-day self-governing entities ofthe People’s Republic of China (PRC;commonly known as “China”) and theRepublic of China (ROC; commonlyknown as “Taiwan”).

The issue hinges on whether theislands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen,and Matsu should remain the territoryof the ROC as an effectively separateself-governing entity; become unified with the PRC under the existing communist government; convert theROC to a new “Republic of Taiwan”; or unite with the mainland under the ROC government (after thedissolution of the PRC government).

Location   

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19. AnkaraWhy in News? On September 16, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted his Iranian and Russian counterparts

Hassan Rouhani and Vladimir Putin in Ankara for a new round of Syria talks within the framework of theAstana Peace Process.

What is Astana Peace Process? The Syrian peace process is the ensemble of initiatives and plans to resolve the Syrian Civil War, which has

been ongoing in Syria since 2011 and has spilled beyond its borders. The peace process has been moderatedby the Arab League, the UN Special Envoy on Syria, Russia and Western powers

The negotiating parties to end the conflict are typically representatives of the Syrian Ba’athist governmentand Syrian opposition, while the Western-backed Kurdish forces have stayed out of the negotiations framework.Radical Salafist forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have not engaged in any contacts onpeaceful resolution to the conflict.

Note: Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan Location

20. Hrant Dink AwardWhy in News?

Meghalaya-based rights activist Agnes Kharshiing, who survived an assault by the coal mafia almost a yearago, received the 11th International Hrant Dink Award

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About the Award The hrant dink foundation will annually present the international hrant dink award on hrant dink’s birthday,

september 15th. The award will be presented to people who work for a world free of discrimination, racism, and

violence, take personal risks for their ideals, use the language of peace and by doing so, inspire andencourage others. With this award, the foundation aims to remind to all those who struggle for theseideals that their voices are heard, their works are visible and that they are not alone, and also toencourage everyone to fight for their ideals.