Daily News Prescription – 18 January 2020 / Daily current affairs January 2020 for competitive exams. Myupsc.com : is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc. Daily News Prescription-18 January 2020. Daily News Analysis UPSC Exam 2020
Bru deal could fuel tensions’ (TH) The move, they feel, has set a bad precedent but is the “State-level variant” of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “national policy of keeping minorities
GS2: International Relations
Quiet, for now (TH) The trade deal between the U.S. and China allows President Trump to claim some success
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization responsible for maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, achieving international cooperation, and being a center for harmonizing the actions of nations. It is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world. The UN is headquartered on international territory in New York City; other main offices are in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna and The Hague. India UNSC Permanent Member
The UN was established after World War II with the aim of preventing future wars, succeeding the ineffective League of Nations. On 25 April 1945, 50 governments met in San Francisco for a conference and started drafting the UN Charter, which was adopted on 25 June 1945 and took effect on 24 October 1945, when the UN began operations. Pursuant to the Charter, the organization’s objectives include maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; this number grew to 193 in 2011, representing the vast majority of the world’s sovereign states.
The organization’s mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its early decades by the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union and their respective allies. Its missions have consisted primarily of unarmed military observers and lightly armed troops with primarily monitoring, reporting and confidence-building roles. UN membership grew significantly following widespread decolonization beginning in the 1960s. Since then, 80 former colonies have gained independence, including 11 trust territories that had been monitored by the Trusteeship Council. By the 1970s, the UN’s budget for economic and social development programmes far outstripped its spending on peacekeeping. After the end of the Cold War, the UN shifted and expanded its field operations, undertaking a wide variety of complex tasks. India UNSC Permanent Member
The UN has six
principal organs: the General Assembly; the Security Council; the Economic and
Social Council; the Trusteeship Council; the International Court of Justice;
and the UN Secretariat. The UN System includes a multitude of specialized
agencies, such as the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization, the
World Food Programme, UNESCO, and UNICEF. Additionally, non-governmental
organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies
to participate in the UN’s work. The UN’s chief administrative officer is the
Secretary-General, currently Portuguese politician and diplomat Antonio
Guterres since 1 January 2017. The organization is financed by assessed and
voluntary contributions from its member states.
The UN, its officers,
and its agencies have won many Nobel Peace Prizes, though other evaluations of
its effectiveness have been mixed. Some commentators believe the organization
to be an important force for peace and human development, while others have
called it ineffective, biased, or corrupt.
Background
In the century prior to the UN’s creation, several international treaty organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross was formed to ensure protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and strife. In 1914, a political assassination in Sarajevo set off a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I. As more and more young men were sent down into the trenches, influential voices in the United States and Britain began calling for the establishment of a permanent international body to maintain peace in the postwar world. President Woodrow Wilson became a vocal advocate of this concept, and in 1918 he included a sketch of the international body in his 14-point proposal to end the war. In November 1918, the Central Powers agreed to an armistice to halt the killing in World War I. Two months later, the Allies met with Germany and Austria-Hungary at Versailles to hammer out formal peace terms. President Wilson wanted peace, but the United Kingdom and France disagreed, forcing harsh war reparations on their former enemies. The League of Nations was approved, and in the summer of 1919 Wilson presented the Treaty of Versailles and the Covenant of the League of Nations to the US Senate for ratification. On 10 January 1920, the League of Nations formally comes into being when the Covenant of the League of Nations, ratified by 42 nations in 1919, takes effect. However, at some point the League became ineffective when it failed to act against the Japanese invasion of Manchuria as in February 1933, 40 nations voted for Japan to withdraw from Manchuria but Japan voted against it and walked out of the League instead of withdrawing from Manchuria. It also failed against the Second Italo-Ethiopian War despite trying to talk to Benito Mussolini as he used the time to send an army to Africa, so the League had a plan for Mussolini to just take a part of Ethiopia, but he ignored the League and invaded Ethiopia, the League tried putting sanctions on Italy, but Italy had already conquered Ethiopia and the League had failed. After Italy conquered Ethiopia, Italy and other nations left the league. But all of them realized that it had failed and they began to re-arm as fast as possible. During 1938, Britain and France tried negotiating directly with Hitler but this failed in 1939 when Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia. When war broke out in 1939, the League closed down and its headquarters in Geneva remained empty throughout the war. Although the United States never joined the League, the country did support its economic and social missions through the work of private philanthropies and by sending representatives to committees. India UNSC Permanent Member
How does a country
become a Member of the United Nations?
Membership in the Organization, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, “is open to all peace-loving States that accept the obligations contained in the United Nations Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able to carry out these obligations”. States are admitted to membership in the United Nations by decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council (P-5).
How does a new State
or Government obtain recognition by the United Nations?
The recognition of a
new State or Government is an act that only other States and Governments may
grant or withhold. It generally implies readiness to assume diplomatic
relations. The United Nations is neither a State nor a Government, and
therefore does not possess any authority to recognize either a State or a
Government. As an organization of independent States, it may admit a new State
to its membership or accept the credentials of the representatives of a new
Government.
The procedure is
briefly as follows:
The State submits an
application to the Secretary-General and a letter formally stating that it
accepts the obligations under the Charter.
The Security Council
considers the application. Any recommendation for admission must receive the
affirmative votes of 9 of the 15 members of the Council, provided that none of
its five permanent members — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America
— have voted against the application.
If the Council
recommends admission, the recommendation is presented to the General Assembly
for consideration. A two-thirds majority vote is necessary in the Assembly for
admission of a new State.
Membership becomes
effective the date the resolution for admission is adopted.
At each session, the
General Assembly considers the credentials of all representatives of Member
States participating in that session. During such consideration, which
routinely takes place first in the nine-member Credentials Committee but can
also arise at other times, the issue can be raised whether a particular
representative has been accredited by the Government actually in power. This
issue is ultimately decided by a majority vote in the Assembly. It should be
noted that the normal change of Governments, as through a democratic election,
does not raise any issues concerning the credentials of the representative of
the State concerned.
Current
Members
The Council is
composed of 15 Members:
Five permanent
members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United
Kingdom, and the United States, and ten non-permanent members elected
for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term year):
Belgium (2020)
Dominican Republic
(2020)
Estonia (2021)
Germany (2020)
Indonesia (2020)
Niger (2021)
Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines (2021)
South Africa (2020)
Tunisia (2021)
Viet Nam (2021)
Non-Council Member
States;
More than 50 United
Nations Member States have never been Members of the Security Council.
A State which is a Member of the United Nations but not of the Security Council may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the Council considers that country’s interests are affected. Both Members and non-members of the United Nations, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the Council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the Council’s discussions; the Council sets the conditions for participation by a non-member State. India UNSC Permanent Member
Why isn’t India a
permanent member of the UN Security Council?
At the time the United Nations was formed, it simply wasn’t an independent nation, nor was it anywhere near powerful or influential enough even if it had been. The point of having permanent membership on the UN Security Council is to give the Security Council some sort of foundation that provided for both the ability to act and the ability to maintain order. While there is no requirement for a permanent member of the Security Council nuclear weapons, there is a requirement, albeit an implicit one, that the permanent members are to a certain extent strong (in a militaristic sense), economically vibrant, and capable of displays international influence. During the 1940’s India would not have met any of these criteria. India UNSC Permanent Member
The UNSC, even with
five permanent members, manages to pass resolutions on very few important
things. Having a sixth country will only worsen the problem.
Why will the five
countries want to share power with the sixth? The privilege is like a dinner
table with a cake. One additional member means less space and less cake for
all.
The permanent members
have a veto power over all the decisions of the UNSC. What does this
imply? This ensures that no big decision
is taken which will make a powerful country unhappy. This veto power serves
well to the five members as it helps them protect their interests. China uses
its veto power and opposes India.
Why should India be
on UN Security Council?
The current P5 were
among the strongest nations at the time of the creation of the UNSC. Germany
and Japan were in shambles, and much of the world was still colonized. It made
sense for nations like the US and USSR to become permanent members, as well as
their major allies. However, the UN is a global organization, and it needs to
have diversity that reflects the globe, in its most powerful body. This isn’t
just to appear to be a more diverse body. The more different countries you
have, the more perspectives you see brought to the table.
India is a major
player on the world stage currently. It’s strategically located, and has warm
relations with most of the P5. India could bring perspectives to the table that
would differ greatly from those of the Western countries, China and Russia.
That is because the issues India faces are different from the issues these
nations face, and a fresh perspective would be refreshing to say the least.
India has a GDP of about 2 Trillion dollars and has been on an upward curve as far as the economy goes ever since the early 1990s. It’s also one of the fastest growing major economies of the world, and has even overtaken China in the rate of growth of the economy per year. It’s the 3rd largest economy in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). There’s also the elephant in the room: the elephant that consists of 1.2 billion people. India could give representation to a vast number of these people. India UNSC Permanent Member
India: Statement by
the Mission to the UN
Reform and
improvements are an intrinsic part of any organization which has to serve the
needs of a changing environment. The United Nations is no exception. India
supports a strengthened and revitalized United Nations with its various organs
functioning within their mandates in accordance with the UN Charter. India
supports an enhanced role for the United Nations in development and development
cooperation dialogue. India firmly believes that development should be central
to UN’s agenda and be pursued in its own right. It is an indispensable
prerequisite to the maintenance of international peace and security.
India has actively participated in all reforms and restructuring exercises that could enhance the capacity of the UN in the fulfillment of its primary tasks. India actively supported the establishment of UNICEF on a permanent basis, the creation of the UN Development Programme, establishment of UNEP and restructuring of the UN in the economic and social fields. It was also represented in the High Level Expert Group established by the UN Secretary-General in the mid-nineties on the financing of the UN. It participated constructively in the discussions on the Agenda for Peace and the Agenda for Development. India was also one of the co-chairs of the Working Group on Strengthening of the United Nations.
India has been supportive of the UN Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan’s reform proposals. While some of these have been agreed and implemented, discussions continue on others. An important proposal is the holding of the Millennium Assembly. India believes that the Millennium Assembly must identify concrete goals for the promotion of development cooperation and disarmament and must also provide the United Nations with the required resources to effectively tackle these challenges. India UNSC Permanent Member
India shares the
concerns for improving efficiency, avoidance of duplication, and the
minimization of waste in the functioning of the entire UN system. While efforts
for these objectives need to be intensified, India believes that the Member
States should pay their contributions unconditionally, in full and on time, as
delays in payments have caused an unprecedented financial crisis in the UN
system. Contributions of the Member States should have, as their fundamental
underpinning, the capacity to pay principle. Financial reforms hold the key to
the future of the world body. Without sufficient resources, the UN’s activities
and role would suffer.
The United Nations as
a universal forum should have as its guiding principles transparency,
non-discrimination, consensus, and equal respect for the dignity of all
individuals, societies and nations. Be it world trade, environment and
development, resolution of the global debt crisis, or economic assistance for
the poorest members of the world community, these values have to be the
touchstone of global initiatives and actions.
The composition of the Security Council has remained largely static, while the UN General Assembly membership has expanded considerably. This has undermined the representative character of the Council. An expanded Council, which is more representative, will also enjoy greater political authority and legitimacy. India UNSC Permanent Member
In 1965, the membership of the Security Council was expanded from 11 to 15. There was no change in the number of permanent members. Since then, the size of the Council has remained frozen. Even more dramatic than the increase in the number of Member States of the UN, is the change in composition of the General Assembly. The overwhelming majority of the UN General Assembly members today are developing countries. They are also, most often the objects of the Council’s actions. They must have a role in shaping those decisions which affect them. The present composition of the Security Council, particularly the permanent members’ category, is weighted heavily in favour of industrialized countries. This imbalance must be redressed in an expansion of the Council, by enhancing the representation of developing countries in both permanent and non-permanent members’ categories. India UNSC Permanent Member
Activities of the
Security Council have greatly expanded in the past few years. The success of
Security Council’s actions depends upon political support of the international
community. Any package for restructuring of the Security Council should,
therefore, be broad-based. In particular, adequate presence of developing
countries is needed in the Security Council. Nations of the world must feel
that their stakes in global peace and prosperity are factored into the UN’s
decision making.
Any expansion of
permanent members’ category must be based on an agreed criteria, rather than be
a pre-determined selection. There must be an inclusive approach based on
transparent consultations. India supports expansion of both permanent and
non-permanent members’ category. The latter is the only avenue for the vast
majority of Member States to serve on the Security Council. Reform and
expansion must be an integral part of a common package.
PM Modi to inaugurate
‘Gandhi Solar Park’ – India’s gift to the UN Headquarters
At a contribution of
about one million dollars, India has gifted solar panels that have been
installed on the roof of the UN Headquarters here, one panel each for every 193
UN Member State.
In a first of its
kind symbolic effort by India at the UN, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
inaugurate a 50KW ‘Gandhi Solar Park’ next week during his visit to the
world organisation, a gesture that highlights India’s willingness to go beyond
the talk on climate change.
At a contribution of
about one million dollars, India has gifted solar panels that have been
installed on the roof of the UN Headquarters here, one panel each for every 193
UN Member State.
PM Modi will remotely
inaugurate the solar park at the UN Headquarters and the ‘Gandhi Peace Garden’
during a special commemorative event on September 24, 2019 marking Gandhi’s
150th birth anniversary. On the occasion, a special UN Postage on Gandhi’s 150
years will also be released.
The ‘Gandhi Peace Garden’ is an innovative initiative under which the Consulate General of India in New York, Long Island-based NGO Shanti Fund and the State University of New York – Old Westbury have entered into an agreement to plant 150 trees. India UNSC Permanent Member
Daily News Prescription – 13-16 January 2020 / Daily current affairs January 2020 for competitive exams. Myupsc.com : is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc. Daily News Prescription 13-16 January 2020
SC rejects curative pleas of 2 Nirbhaya death row convicts (TH) The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to stay the execution of two of the four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case while dismissing their curative petitions against their conviction and capital punishment. Daily News Prescription January
A regime that chooses its critics (TH) NGOs need to tread carefully when they criticise the regime, knowing that too … No government should ever be able to choose its own critics.
The long wait for empowered mayors (TH) Mayors in many global cities go on to lead their country; in India it is the opposite story, with politics to be blamed.
Hallmarking made must for gold jewellery (TH) No jeweller will be allowed to sell gold jewellery or artefacts without hallmark from the Bureau of Indian Standards from January 15, 2021,
How mother’s education correlates with child’s school and ability (IE) Around 25 year ago, when the project began, it took off quickly because “parents, especially mothers, wanted their children to go to pre-schools just like the children of the middle-class families in the apartments where they worked”. Daily News Prescription January 2020
Govt. launches road accident database (TH) The government on Monday launched a central accident database management system that will help in analyzing the causes of road crashes
Villagers give up stone-throwing ritual at Buddhist site (TH) Indian villagers riot over ban on the stone-throwing festival. Indian villagers rioted after police tried to enforce a ban on a bizarre annual stone-throwing ritual which often leaves people dead or
Lessons from Maradu (TH)The four high-rise luxury apartment complexes in Maradu municipality in Kochi, which violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications
Tripura HC says social media posting a fundamental right (TH) In a landmark order, the High Court of Tripura ordered the police to refrain from prosecuting a man who was earlier arrested over a social media post. Chief Justice Akil Kureshi also barred the police from making any further arrest in connection with the case. Daily News Prescription January 2020
India amends rules for U.S. airlines (TH) In an effort to resolve a persistent concern of the U.S., India will make exceptions for American airlines on its ground handling regulations.
GS3: Environment
Rajasthan to get first biotech park soon (TH) Rajasthan will shortly get its first biotechnology park and an incubation center, for which a memorandum of understanding will be signed
Why are bushfires raging in Australia? (TH) The story so far: Australia’s bushfires have razed more than 10.3 million hectares (103,300 sq km) of land — roughly the size of South Korea
Daily News Prescription – 9 January 2020 / Daily current affairs January 2020 for competitive exams. Myupsc.com : is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc. Daily News Prescription 9Jan2020
Cabinet nod for FDI in coal mining (TH) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance to amend two laws to ease mining rules, enabling foreign direct investment in coal sector.
Revised norms for data-led probes (TH) Revised norms for data-led probes. The Union Home Ministry has said that before seeking information about a person’s e-mail account ….
Explained: Voting at the GST Council (IE) The tradition of deciding by consensus has been broken, and the Council could now see voting on other issues as well. Daily News Prescription 9Jan2020
Press Brief on Operation Sankalp (PIB) Press Brief on Operation Sankalp. In the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in the Gulf region, post attacks on merchant ships
Daily current affairs January 2020 for competitive exams. Myupsc.com : is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc.
Taking stock of infant deaths: in Rajasthan, Gujarat and the rest of India (IE) As outrage continues over the deaths of babies in J K Lon Hospital in Kota, Rajasthan, and in the civil hospital in Rajkot, Gujarat, the fact remains that India has the most child deaths in the world. In 2017, UNICEF estimated 8,02,000 babies had died in India.
Punctured cover: India’s crop insurance scheme loses sheen (DTE) Three years and seven crop seasons after it was rolled out, nobody seems to be happy with the Centre’s flagship farm insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. While the number of farmers enrolling under the scheme has gone down, insurance companies too are pulling out of it.
4 Nirbhaya case convicts to be hanged on Jan. 22 (TH) The convicts have 14 days to use their final legal options. They will be in separate cells, in solitary confinement, and will be allowed one last meeting with their families.
GS3: Economy
Simply Put | The nominal GDP worry (IE) The estimated growth of 7.53% in ‘nominal’ terms is the lowest since 1975-76. Also, this is the first time since 2002-03 that nominal GDP growth is projected to be in single digits. Why is this a major concern?
Warning issued on reactions to epilepsy drug (TH) Aimed at ensuring safety of patients using Lamotrigine, prescribed for treating bipolar disorder and epilepsy, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
GS3: Environment
Solar power: In a slump India’s booming (DTE) Labels on any food packet in the United States (US) have begun to display calories per serving, in addition to those for the entire product from January 1, 2020, in accordance with the order of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Explained: What is Protecting Power? (IE) Following the killing of Iranian military and intelligence commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in a drone attack carried out by the United States on Friday, the Iranian government registered its protest with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.
Explained: What is JUS COGENS? (IE) The jus cogens rules have been sanctioned by the Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties of 1969 and 1986. According to both Conventions, a treaty is void if it breaches jus cogens rules.
1 million migratory birds counted at Odisha’s Chilika lake (DTE) A record 1,105,040 migratory birds belonging to 184 species have arrived in Odisha’s Chilika lake this year, the annual bird count conducted by the Chilika Wildlife Division on January 5, 2020, showed.
The tussle over Belagavi (TH) In 1957, slighted by the implementation of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Maharashtra demanded readjustment of its border with Karnataka.
Is West Asia headed for war? (TH) Iran has multiple options for retaliation. It can target U.S. troops in Iraq, either using mid-range rockets or ballistic missiles. Iran-backed proxies in the region, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the PMF in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen, can carry out attacks, targeting America’s allies and assets.
Why has the U.S. crippled the functioning of the WTO? (TH) Global trade disputes are complex and difficult to resolve. For proper enforcement of trade rules, a binding, two-stage dispute settlement system was established at the World Trade Organization in the 1990s
GS3: Environment
first-of-its-kind turtle rehab centre comes up in Bihar (DTE) A first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles will be inaugurated in Bihar’s Bhagalpur forest division in January 2020. The rehab centre, spread over half a hectare, will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time.
Bhitarkanika census finds an increase of 15 saltwater crocodiles from last year (DTE) The population of the saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) has increased in the water bodies of Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park and its nearby areas in Kendrapara district, with forest officials counting 1,757 individuals in this year’s annual reptile census on January 3, 2020. Daily current affairs January 2020
MYUPSC.COM Daily Current Affairs 31 December 2019 covered from The Hindu, Indian Express and PIB Daily News Analysis for UPSC IAS Prelims, Mains and Other State PSC Exams. MYUPSC.COM is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc.
NITI Aayog Releases SDG India Index and Dashboard 2019 (PIB)” NITI Aayog today released the second edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index, which comprehensively documents the progress made by India’s States and Union Territories towards achieving the 2030 SDG targets.
Guarantee Internet rights (TH) Access to Internet must be recognised as a fundamental right to free speech, basic freedoms and the right to life
MYUPSC.COM – Current Affairs Yearbook 2020 covered from The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, Yojana and some useful government resources for UPSC IAS Prelims, Mains and Other State PSC Exams 2020. General Awareness/ Current Affairs Yearbook 2020 is very useful book for both objective and subjective papers. This Current Affairs/General Awareness Yearbook 2020 is Prepared by experts team of MYUPSC.COM is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc.
Useful For UPSC, PSC & All Other Competitive Exams
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
Preface
It gives us immense pleasure in presenting
the Current Affairs Yearbook 2020, Useful for UPSC, State PSC and all
other competitive exams.
This book deals with the relevant features
and topics of Current affairs of India & World in a systematic and
comprehensive manner by the use of simple and concise language for easy and
quick understanding. Varied subjects covered are Geography, History,
Art-Culture & Heritage, Polity & Administration, Economy, Science & Technology and
other trending topic related to current affairs of India & world in
detailed for exams point of view. We hope that the readers will find this book
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Wish you happy reading and best wishes for
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Current Affairs Yearbook 2020
Current Affairs/General Knowledge has become an integral part of a lot of entrance exams being conducted at the graduate and under-graduate levels. It is very important for students to remain updated on the current happenings in their surroundings especially those that are important from the perspective of India. Current Affairs Yearbook 2020, a thoroughly revised, reorganised, updated and ENLARGED edition, presents a comprehensive study of all the sections that are covered under the subject of General Knowledge. The Yearbook 2020 provides the latest information & most authentic data reference material on Current Affairs and General Knowledge. It has specially been designed to cater to aspirants of various competitive exams like UPSC and State PSC Civil services Exams across the country. The material has been written in a lucid language and prepared as per the requirements of the various competitive exams.
Current AffairsYearbook 2020 consists of latest news/ information about India/ World based on The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, Yojana, People, Events, Ideas and Issues across the Social, Economic & Political climate of the country. General Knowledge covers India/ World Panorama, Geography, History, Polity, Economy, General Science, Technology, Ecology and Environment, Art & Culture, Sports, Healthcare, Communication, News & Media, Education & Career, IT & Computers.
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Must Have for Multiple Reasons: The Current Affairs Mega Yearbook 2020 is a Must-Have book for all kinds of Objective & Descriptive Tests, Essay Writing and Group Discussions & Personal Interviews; The General Knowledge section provides crisp and to-the-point information in Geography, History, Polity, Economy, General Science, etc. which otherwise could be very exhaustive.
MYUPSC.COM Daily Current Affairs 28 December 2019 covered from The Hindu, Indian Express and PIB for UPSC IAS Prelims, Mains and Other State PSC Exams. MYUPSC.COM is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc.
A species of antelope that inhabits the Tibetan plateau.
IUCN Status- Near Threatened.
Their fur lacks an undercoat,
consisting of long guard hairs only, and is notably thicker in winter.
They are almost restricted to the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, and Sichuan, with tiny populations in the Ladakh and Sikkim regions of India.
Typhoon Phanfone
It is a typhoon that
lashed the central Philippines recently.
It is known as Ursula in the local language in the
Philippines.
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for almost one-third of the world’s annual tropical cyclones.
Nari Shakti Puraskar
To acknowledge
Women’s achievements, the Government of India confers Nari Shakti Puraskars on eminent women and
institutions in recognition of their service towards the cause of women
empowerment.
The Awards were initiated in the year 1999.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development announces these
national level awards for eminent women, organisations and institutions.
The Nari Shakti
Puraskar carries a cash award
of Rs.1 Lakh and a certificate for individuals and institutions.
Note: The remaining articles of today’s current events will be covered tomorrow.
Government proposes BS VI emission norms
The government has
proposed to make BS VI emission norms mandatory for quadricycles from April 1,
2020, an official said. Currently, quadricycles are
covered under Bharat Stage IV emission norms.
The BS VI emission
norms are in line with European standards. Various testing,
including those related to durability, would be as per Europe quadricycle
norms, the official said.
Proposed emission
limits in BS VI are in line with Euro 5 mass emission guidelines which will be
applicable from January 1, 2020 in Europe, the official added.
Threshold limits for
emission pollutants, conformity of production (CoP) frequency and sampling plan
have been proposed.
The official said the
government is soliciting comments and suggestion on the draft notification
before finalising it.
GS2: Governance
MGNREGA trends: fewer jobs since July, wider demand-supply gap (TH) The gap between the number of households demanding MGNREGA work and the number who were provided work has been the highest in 2019-20. This indicates that even if demand fell, supply of work fell even more.
The country’s GDP slowed to a six-year low of 4.5% in the second quarter of FY20, forcing the RBI to slash its growth forecast.
Gross NPAs may rise to 9.9% by next Sept., says RBI report (TH) A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report released on Friday showed that the worst may not be over for banks on the bad loan front as gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio of banks may increase to 9.9 per cent by September 2020 from 9.3 per cent in September 2019. The GNPA ratio of banks stood at 9.3 per cent in March 2019, the RBI said in its Financial Stability Report (FSR).
MYUPSC.COM Daily Current Affairs 27 December 2019 covered from The Hindu, Indian Express and PIB for UPSC IAS Prelims, Mains and Other State PSC Exams. MYUPSC.COM is dedicated to preparation of Indian Administrative Services (UPSC) and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RPSC). The site intends to provide free study notes, knowledge or information related to IAS/RAS exams that can help to crack these Examinations. The Study Portal has also published its Ebooks/ PDF on various aspects & dimensions of World, India and Rajasthan. The vision of the Study Portal is to consolidate all the relevant information related to India and Rajasthan, regarding its History, Geography, Polity, Art-Culture, Heritage, Economy, Environment & Biodiversity and Current Affairs etc.
The
chief objective of the Mission is to provide piped water supply (Har
Ghar Jal) to all rural and urban households by 2024.
It also aims to
create local infrastructure for rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and
management of household waste water for reuse in agriculture.
The Mission will converge with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve its objectives of sustainable water supply management across the country.
Benefits of the mission:
Household pipeline
water supply.
Clean and drinkable
water.
Recharge of
groundwater level.
Less water-borne
diseases.
Less water wastage.
Need for and significance
of the mission:
India has 16% of the world population, but only 4% of freshwater resources. Depleting groundwater level, over exploitation and deteriorating water quality, climate change, etc. are major challenges to provide potable drinking water.
‘Good Governance Index
Context: Latest edition
of the ‘Good Governance Index’ has been launched on the occasion
of ‘Good Governance Day’.
Background:
Good Governance
Day is observed on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee (25th December). It was observed for the first time in 2014.
What
is the Good Governance Index (GGI)?
It is a tool to
assess the status of governance and the impact of various interventions
taken up by the State Government and UTs.
The
objectives of GGI are:
To provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs. To enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance.
Expert Panel for Oil & Gas Sector
Govt. constitutes expert panel for Oil
& Gas sector disputes
With overhang of
disputes choking investments in the oil and gas sector, the government has
constituted an expert committee for time-bound resolution of exploration and
production disputes.
India’s oil and gas
sector has been plagued by disputes from cost recovery to production targets,
and companies as well as the government have resorted to lengthy and costly
arbitration followed by judicial review — a process that takes years to
resolve differences.
The notification said the committee will arbitrate on a dispute between partners in a contract or with the government over commercial or production issues for oil and gas.
Last Solar eclipse of the decade witnessed
This was the last
solar eclipse of the decade.
A partial solar
eclipse was visible in India along with several other countries.
This was an
annular solar eclipse that happens when the Moon covers the sun’s centre,
leaving the sun’s visible outer edges to form a ‘ring of fire’ or annulus –
around the moon.
Prime Minister
NarendraModi watched the solar eclipse on the live stream.
Devotees took a holy dip in rivers and water pools across the country on the occasion of the solar eclipse.
Atal Bhujal Yojana
This is a groundwater management scheme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the pan-India scheme Atal Bhujal Yojana, to commemorate Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 95th birth anniversary. The scheme will deal with the groundwater problem and will be implemented in 5 years. For the implementation of this scheme, the Government allocated Rs. 6000 crores. Of this total amount, Rs. 3000 crore will be provided by the World Bank and Rs 3000 crores will be given by the Central Government.
Eat Right Mela
Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the second edition of Eat Right Mela. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare inaugurated the second edition of the Eat Right Mela at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium. The Eat Right Mela of FSSAI is a commendable effort and outreach activity for citizens towards eating right.
The rise of diet-related diseases suggests that people are eating less healthy food than they were eating a decade ago. In this context, the movement of ‘Eat Right India’ started by FSSAI is a timely initiative”.
FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
The PURPLE Book’
Union Minister
launched ‘The PURPLE Book’ a
handbook on diets for diseases. The book provides general guidelines for
hospitals on suitable diets for common medical conditions such as diabetes,
hypertension, cancer, gut disorders and so on in a simple format and has been
developed and vetted by experts in the field of food and nutrition.
This book is available for free download on www.fssai.gov.in
Abhinav Lohan wins Bengaluru Open Golf Championship
Abhinav Lohan lifted PGTI title securing a narrow one-shot triumph at the Bengaluru Open golf championship. Lohan shot four-under 68 his four-day total to 13-under-275 with seven birdies. It was Lohan’s first title on the TATA Steel PGTI and his second win of the year emerged victorious at the PGTI Feeder Tour event in Lucknow.
Virat Kohli named in Wisden cricketers of the decade list
Indian captain Virat Kohli named in the Cricketers of the decade list along side four others by the Wisden Cricketers Almanac. South African duo of Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers, Australia’s Steve Smith and women’s all-rounder Ellyse Perry added in the list. Kohli scored 5,775 more international runs than anyone else in the last 10 years, has arguably been the best batsman over the last decade.
RBI India inflation growth: Indian Economy is being through a slowdown, and in this scenario, the efficacy of RBI’s Inflation targeting process has come under criticism, stating it as a reason behind this slowdown.#RBI #Inflation #India
So, the process of inflation targeting and the benefits accrued due to it and the possible reasons (apprehensions) behind various criticisms and the way forward has been discussed in this article in brief.
Inflation Targeting is a part of monetary policy
framework wherein the Central Bank of a country focuses on maintaining
the rate of Inflation within a targeted range.
It is believed that increasing prices in an economy
create uncertainties in decision making, adversely affecting savings and encouraging
speculative investments (such as buying Gold). Inflation targeting brings
in more predictability and transparency in deciding monetary policy.
Inflation targeting was first adopted by New
Zealand and subsequently, a large number of countries including India have
been following Inflation Targeting as their core element of monetary policy.
In case of India, the Inflation targeting was introduced
through the Monetary Policy Framework Agreement signed between the RBI and
Government in 2015. As per terms of the agreement, RBI’s primary objective
would be to maintain price stability, while keeping in mind the objective of
growth. The RBI is required to maintain rate of inflation of 4% with a
deviation of 2% i.e. inflation has to be maintained between 2% to 6%.
Benefits of Inflation Targeting
1. Enhanced Transparency: The Inflation
targeting explicitly states as to what would be the targeted rate of Inflation
in an economy. Such explicitly mandated target brings in more clarity and
predictability with respect to the rate of Inflation and monetary policy
formulation.
2. Promote Growth: A high rate of inflation leads to decrease in the
purchasing power of currency, reduces the savings and investment rate,
increases the unemployment and leads to overall decrease in the GDP growth
rate. Further, high rate of inflation is accompanied by higher levels of
Fiscal Deficit and Current Account Deficit leading to an adverse impact on the
macro-economic stability of the country. Hence, low and moderate level of
inflation would incentivise the investors to undertake the investment in the
economy leading to the promotion of higher growth and development.
3. Autonomy and Accountability of RBI: As per the monetary policy
framework agreement, the RBI has been given complete autonomy in maintaining
the rate of inflation within the mandated targets. If the RBI fails to maintain
the Inflation within the target, then it would be required to submit in
writing, the reasons for its failure.
Such a provision enables the RBI to enjoy autonomy and at
the same time, it enables the Government to have enhanced accountability over
the actions of the RBI.
4. Empirical Evidence: The Inflation
targeting has been quite successful in some of the advanced economies such as
UK, New Zealand etc. These advanced economies have been able to maintain
moderate rate of inflation for a much longer time leading to increased
macro-economic stability.
Problems and Challenges with Inflation Targeting
1. Disregards the Multi-faceted role of
RBI: In a developing country like India, it is not practical for the
central bank to focus exclusively on inflation without taking into account the
larger development context. The RBI needs to balance between growth,
price stability and financial stability.
2. No Clear link between Price Stability and Financial Stability:
Prior to 2008, advanced economies were able to maintain moderate rate of
inflation for a long term mainly due to adoption of Inflation Targeting. It was
believed that Inflation targeting was responsible for overall macroeconomic
stability of the country.
However, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis has clearly proved that price
stability alone cannot lead to financial stability and the excessive focus of
the Central banks on the price stability may lead to neglect of other crucial
functions such as regulation leading to the economic crisis.
3. Empirical Evidence failing in India: The
RBI has been able to maintain stable rate of Inflation within the mandated
range since last 2-3 years. However, inspite of stable rate of Inflation,
Indian economy is facing challenges on multiple fronts. The GDP growth rate has
been reduced to 25 quarter low of 5% for the first quarter of financial year
2019-20.
The unemployment has increased to 45- year high
of 6.1%. There has been contraction in the manufacturing activity as
evident in declining IIP. The agriculture sector is staring at agrarian
distress. All these clearly highlight that the Inflation targeting has failed
to promote growth and development.
4. Poor Monetary Policy Transmission: The
Inflation targeting is more suited to the developed economies since the
monetary policy transmission in such economies is quite efficient. However, in
case of India, the monetary policy transmission is quite inefficient and this
can in turn reduce the effectiveness of Inflation Targeting.
5. Hinder GDP Growth: In order to contain Inflation, the RBI
would be required to increase the rate of Interest by following the
contractionary monetary policy. However, such a policy would lead to increase
in the rate of interest on the loans leading to decrease in investment and
consumption expenditure leading to decline in the GDP growth rates. For
example, during 2013-2015, the higher interest rates in the country on account
of higher rate of inflation had led to decrease in the GDP growth rates.
6. Does not address the Supply Side Inflation: The inflation in
India may take place due to supply side bottlenecks such as increase in global
crude oil prices, poor monsoon, floods etc. For instance, the recent increase
in the prices of Tomato and Onions is mainly on account of supply side
disruptions.
Under such circumstances, RBI would have limited role to play in easing the
rate of inflation. Rather, the Government of India would be required to address
these supply side disruptions in order to moderate the prices of such commodities.
Way Forward
Post-Global Financial crisis, the dominant view around
the world is that flexible inflation targeting, rather than pure
inflation targeting is more efficient for monetary policy formulation.
According to the Flexible inflation targeting, the major
role of the Central Bank would depend on the prevailing rate of inflation in
the country. If the rate of inflation is way off the target, the primary
emphasis of the central Bank would be to bring the rate of inflation within an
acceptable range.
On the other hand, if the rate of inflation is within the
range, the central Bank should focus on its other core objectives. Thus, it is
being said that the Central banks should focus on flexible inflation targeting
rather than pure inflation targeting. Here pure inflation targeting means RBI
solely concentrating on the inflation targeting at the cost of other major
functions of it.
In this aspect, there is a need for greater debate around
kind of Inflation targeting in India.
GOVERNMENT PROCURED ONLY 3% OF OILSEEDS AND PULSES UNDER PM-AASHA
Why in
News?
Data
from Agriculture Ministry has indicated that only less than 3% of this season’s
sanctioned amount of pulses and oilseeds have actually been procured so far
under the once-hyped PM-AASHA scheme.
About
PM-AASHA:
The
PM-AASHA or Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan was announced with
great fanfare in September 2018, as an effort to ensure that farmers growing
pulses, oilseeds and copra actually get the minimum support prices they are
promised for their crops each year.
Apart
from initiatives to allow cash payment to farmers or procurement by private
traders, PM-AASHA’s main feature was a price support scheme whereby Central
agencies would procure pulses and oilseeds directly from farmers.
The
three schemes that are part of AASHA are:
The
Price Support Scheme (PSS)
The
Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS)
The
Pilot of Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme (PPPS)
PSS – Under the PSS, physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and
copra will be done by Central Nodal Agencies.
Besides,
NAFED and Food Cooperation of India will also take up procurement of crops
under PSS.
The
expenditure and losses due to procurement will be borne by the Centre.
PDPS – Under the PDPS, the Centre proposes to cover all oilseeds.
The
difference between the MSP and actual selling/modal price will be directly paid
into the farmer’s bank account.
Farmers
who sell their crops in recognised mandis within the notified period can
benefit from it.
PPSS – In the case of oilseeds, States will have the option to roll
out PPSSs in select districts.
Under
this, a private player can procure crops at MSP when market prices drop below
MSP.
The
private player will then be compensated through a service charge up to a
maximum of 15% of the MSP.
The
Centre had budgeted ₹15,053 crore over two years to implement the scheme apart from an additional government
credit guarantee of ₹16,550 crore for agencies
undertaking procurement.
It was
launched as increasing MSP was not adequate and it is more important that
farmers should get full benefit of the announced MSP.
Crops
covered under the Scheme for this Season:
The
main crops covered under the scheme this season are moong, urad, arhar, and
groundnut and soya bean.
The
late arrival of the monsoon means that harvests and crop arrivals also began
slightly later than expected, especially for arhar or tur dal, so procurement
is likely to continue, though tapering, until February.
Issues
Associated with the MSP Scheme:
The
scheme provides little to strengthen the procurement mechanism infrastructure
in the country which largely only works for two crops – wheat and rice.
According
to a survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in the 70th
round in 2013, only 6% of farmers are able to sell their produce at MSP.
A 2017
study found that only 24% households were aware about the MSP of crops grown by
them.
Further,
the study found, although MSP is announced for the whole of India, the
operation is limited only to few states where the designated government
agencies procure the produce from farmers and except for crops like rice and
wheat, quantity procured is very limited leading to low level of awareness.
According
to a 2016 NITI Aayog evaluation report 79% farmers were dissatisfied with the
MSP regime.
Some of
the reasons for their dissatisfaction were delay in payments, lack of
infrastructure at procurement centres, distance to procurement centres and
delayed announcement of MSP rates.
NITI
Aayog’s evaluation also found that there were several states where the
procurement infrastructure facilities were ‘inadequate’.
What is
the Current Issue regarding the PM-AASHA?
Procurement
is still lagging badly in most States.
The
highest sanctioned procurement is in Maharashtra, where 10 lakh tonnes of soya
bean procurement were sanctioned, apart from 58,000 tonnes of moong and urad
dal. However, barely 1,709 tonnes have been procured in the State so far,
including just 14 tonnes of soya bean.
The
highest procurement so far has taken place in Rajasthan, where more than 51,000
tonnes of moong and groundnut have been procured, against a total sanctioned
amount of 9.6 lakh tonnes.
While
almost 5 lakh tonnes had been sanctioned in Madhya Pradesh, and 1.18 lakh
tonnes in Uttar Pradesh, procurement has not yet begun in either State.
MISSION FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF HORTICULTURE (MIDH)
Why in
News?
Information
about the MIDH was provided by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’
Welfare in the Lok Sabha.
MIDH:
The
MIDH is a centrally sponsored scheme for the holistic growth of the
horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops,
mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
Under
MIDH, the Government of India contributes 60% of the total outlay for
developmental programmes in all the states except states in the North East and
the Himalayas. 40% share is contributed by State Governments. In the case of North
Eastern and Himalayan States, GOI contributes 90%.
MIDH
also provides technical advice and administrative support to State
Governments/State Horticulture Missions (SHMs) for the Saffron Mission and
other horticulture-related activities like the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
(RKVY).
The
Mission was started in 2014.
Objectives
of the MIDH:
To
promote the holistic growth of horticulture sector, including coconut through
area-based regionally differentiated strategies which include research,
technology promotion, extension, post-harvest management, processing and
marketing in consonance with comparative advantage of each State/region and its
diverse agri-climatic features.
To
encourage aggregation of farmers into farmer groups like FIGs/FPOs and FPCs to
bring economy of scale and scope.
To
enhance horticulture production.
To
augment farmers’ income.
To
strengthen nutritional security.
To
improve productivity by way of quality germ-plasm, planting material and water
use efficiency through micro-irrigation.
To
support skill development and create employment generation opportunities for
the rural youth in horticulture and post-harvest management, especially in the
cold chain sector.
MIDH
Sub-Schemes:
National
Horticulture Mission (NHM)
Horticulture
Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH)
National
Horticulture Board (NHB)
Coconut
Development Board (CDB)
Central
Institute for Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland
Major
interventions of MIDH:
Setting
up of nurseries, tissue culture units for production of quality seed and
planting material.
Area
expansion i.e., the establishment of new orchards and gardens for fruits,
vegetables, and flowers.
Rejuvenation
of unproductive, old, and senile orchards.
Protected
cultivation, i.e. poly-house, green-house, etc., to improve productivity &
grow off-season high value vegetables and flowers.
Organic
farming and certification.
Creation
of water resources structures and watershed management.
Bee-keeping
for pollination.
Horticulture
mechanization.
Creation
of post-harvest management and marketing infrastructure.
NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY MISSION (NFSM) – OILSEEDS AND OIL PALM
Why in News?
The Government is implementing the
National Food Security Mission (NFSM) – Oilseeds and Oil Palm to increase
production of oilseeds and domestic availability of Edible Oils.
NFSM – Oilseeds and
Oil Palm:
This scheme is under implementation in
29 States and has three subcomponents namely, Oilseeds, Oil palm and Tree Borne
Oilseeds (TBOs).
The main objective is to increase
oilseeds production & productivity and area expansion under oil palm &
TBOs cultivation.
Objectives of NFSM:
Increasing the production of rice,
wheat, pulses, coarse cereals (maize and barley) and nutri-cereals through area
expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in the
identified districts of the country.
Restoring soil fertility and
productivity at the individual farm level.
Enhancing farm level economy (i.e. farm
profits) to restore confidence amongst the Farmers.
Oilseeds Agriculture
in India:
India is one of the major oilseeds grower and importer of edible oils.
India’s vegetable oil economy is the world’s fourth-largest after USA, China & Brazil.
Oilseeds account for 13% of the Gross Cropped Area, 3% of the Gross National Product and 10% value of all agricultural commodities.
The diverse agro-ecological conditions in the country are favourable for growing 9 annual oilseed crops, which include 7 edible oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed & mustard, soybean, sunflower, sesame, safflower and niger) and two non-edible oilseeds (castor and linseed).
Oilseeds cultivation is undertaken across the country in about 27 million hectares mainly on marginal lands, of which 72% is confined to rain-fed farming.
During the last few years, the domestic consumption of edible oils has increased substantially and has touched the level of 18.90 million tonnes in 2011-12 and is likely to increase further.
A substantial portion of our requirement of edible oil is met through import of palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Current Affairs is an important section of UPSC Civil Services Examination, State PSC, Banking, SSC and Railways exams and aspirants who are preparing for the upcoming exams in 2020 must be well prepare with this section. The current affairs are made by our experts for all competitive exams UPSC Prelims Exam 2020, State PSC, SSC, IAS, Railway-RRB, RPSC, UPPSC, UKPSC, TNPSC, MPPSC & Other State Government Exams and latest Current Affairs 2019-20 for banking exams SBI PO Clerk, IBPS PO Clerk, RBI, RRB and more. Keep reading current affairs and GK facts updated on a daily & monthly basis. Stay aware about the recent happenings in the country and across the globe and equip your preparation for upcoming govt. exams 2020.
Citizenship
Amendment Act 2019 (CAA) passed by the Indian Parliament has resulted in
nationwide protests as many felt the new provisions added by the Central
Government are discriminatory in nature.
The
Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 is connected with illegal migrants who came to
India before 31-12-2014.
The new
amendments are intended to help illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Bangladesh get an opportunity to apply for Indian citizenship if they belong to
Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Jain, Parsi or Buddhist religious beliefs. Muslims are
not listed.
Citizenship Amendment Act 2019: Why are people opposing it?
Those who
oppose the CAA feel that the new provisions are against the principles and
secular foundations of Indian Constitution, and hence ethically wrong. There
are also apprehensions in some sections that the Citizenship Amendment Act
2019, followed by the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is to alter the
voters’ profile in favour of the ruling party.
Natives of
north-east India, who are most affected by the problems of illegal migration,
are against the whole idea of giving citizenship to illegal migrants,
irrespective of their religion
Government’s
Clarification on Citizenship Amendment Act 2019
To bring more
clarity about the stand of the Central Government, the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) has released the clarification of the government on the issue. The
questions and answers published by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) are
reproduced below.
Does the CAA affect any Indian citizen?
No, it has
absolutely nothing to do with any Indian citizen in any way. The Indian
citizens enjoy fundamental rights conferred on them by the Constitution of
India. No statute, including the CAA, can abridge or take them away. There has
been a misinformation campaign. The CAA does not affect any Indian citizens,
including Muslim citizens.
Who does the CAA apply to?
It is relevant
only for Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian foreigners, who have
migrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan into India up to
31.12.2014, on account of persecution faced by them due to their religion. It
does not apply to any other foreigners, including Muslims migrating to India
from any country, including these three countries.
How does it
benefit Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian foreigners hailing
from these three countries?
If their
travel documents like passport and visa are not in order or are not available,
they can apply for Indian citizenship if they were persecuted back home. The
CAA creates this legal right for such migrants. Secondly, they get a faster
route for Indian citizenship through the Naturalisation Mode. The minimum
residency requirement in India would be only 1+5 years instead of 1+11 years as
applicable for all other categories of foreigners.
Does this mean that Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan can never get Indian citizenship?
No, the
present legal process of acquiring Indian citizenship by any foreigner of any
category through Naturalization (Section 6 of the Citizenship Act) or through
Registration (Section 5 of the Act) stays operational. The CAA does not amend
or alter it in any manner whatsoever. Hundreds of Muslims migrating from these
three countries have been granted Indian citizenship during the last few years.
If found eligible, all such future migrants shall also get Indian citizenship,
irrespective of their numbers or religion.
In 2014, after
the settlement of Indo-Bangladesh boundary issues, 14,864 Bangladeshi citizens
were given Indian Citizenship when their enclaves were incorporated into the
territory of India. Thousands of these foreigners were Muslims.
Will illegal Muslim immigrants from these three countries be deported under the CAA?
No, the CAA
has absolutely nothing to do with the deportation of any foreigner from India.
The deportation process of any foreigner irrespective of his religion or country
is implemented as per the mandate of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and/or The
Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920. These two laws govern entry, stay
movement within India and exit from India of all foreigners irrespective of
their religion or country.
Therefore, the
usual deportation process would apply to any illegal foreigner staying in
India. It is a well-considered judicial process that is based on a proper
inquiry by the local police or administrative authorities to detect an illegal
foreigner. It is ensured that such an illegal foreigner has been issued a
proper travel document by the embassy of his country so that he can be duly
received by officials of his country when he is deported.
In Assam, the
process of deportation happens only after the determination of such a person as
a “foreigner” under The Foreigners Act, 1946. Then he becomes liable for
deportation. Therefore, there is nothing automatic, mechanical or
discriminatory in this
Exercise. The
state governments and their district-level authorities enjoy the power of
Central Govt. under Section 3 of the Foreigners Act and Section 5 of The
Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 to detect, detain & deport any
illegal foreigner.
Can Hindus
facing persecution on grounds of religion in countries other than these 3
countries apply under the CAA?
No, they will
have to apply through the usual process to get Indian Citizenship just like any
other foreigner for either registration or naturalization as a citizen of
India. They would get no preference under The Citizenship Act, 1955, even after
the CAA.
Does the CAA
also cover other forms of persecution – on grounds of race, gender, membership
of a political or social group, language, ethnicity etc.?
No, the CAA is
a very focused law that deals specifically with foreigners of six minority
community groups hailing from three neighbouring countries that have their
distinct state religion. Any foreigner persecuted abroad on any account may apply
for registration or naturalization as a citizen of India like any other
foreigner if he fulfils the minimum qualifications laid down in The Citizenship
Act, 1955.
The CAA will gradually exclude Indian Muslims from the citizenship of India?
The CAA does
not apply to any Indian citizen at all. All Indian citizens enjoy the
fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India. CAA is not meant to
deprive any Indian citizen of his citizenship. Rather it is a special law to
enable certain foreigners facing a particular situation in three neighbouring
countries to get Indian citizenship.
CAA will be
followed by NRC and all migrants except Muslims will be given citizenship and
Muslims will be sent to detention camps?
The CAA has
nothing to do with NRC. The legal provisions regarding NRC have been part of
The Citizenship Act, 1955 since December 2004. Also, there are specific
statutory rules of 2003 to operationalise these legal provisions. They govern
the process of registration of Indian citizens and the issuance of national
identity cards to them. These legal provisions have been on the statute books
since the last 15-16 years. The CAA has not altered them in any way whatsoever.
What are the rules for citizenship under CAA?
Appropriate
rules under the CAA are being framed. They will operationalise various
provisions of the CAA.
CAA – Myths
and Facts in Perspective of North-East (Government’s Release)
Government of
India has also released (PIB) Myth Busters in connection with CAA and
North-East India.
Minister for Consumer
Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan today said the
Government has begun implementing nation-wide portability of the benefits under
the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013.
He was speaking
during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha today. Mr Paswan said eligible
households or beneficiaries covered under NFSA would be able to lift their
entitled food grains from any Fair Price Shop, FPS, in the country.
This would be
possible by using the same ration card after biometric or Aadhaar
authentication on Electronic Point of Sale, EPoS, and device at an FPS of
Destination/Sale State through ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ Plan.
The Minister
reiterated that the facility of inter-State portability under this initiative
would be available only through FPSs, having fully online ePoS devices.
The system would largely benefit numerous migratory beneficiaries such as labourers, daily wagers and blue-collar workers who frequently change their place of dwelling in search of employment or for other reasons, across the country.
Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana
Context: In line with
the provisions of National Policy for Farmers (NPF) (2007), the Department of
Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development is implementing a programme
exclusively for women farmers namely, Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP).
Funding support to
the tune of up to 60% (90% for North Eastern States) for such projects is
provided by the Government of India.
About Mahila Kisan
Sashaktikaran Pariyojana:
It is a sub component
of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM).
It seeks to improve
the present status of women in Agriculture, and to enhance the opportunities
available to empower her.
MKSP recognizes the
identity of “Mahila” as “Kisan” and strives to build the capacity of women in
the domain of agro-ecologically sustainable practices.
Objectives and
significance:
The focus of MKSP is
on capacitating smallholders to adopt sustainable climate resilient
agro-ecology and eventually create a pool of skilled community professionals.
Its objective is to
strengthen smallholder agriculture through promotion of sustainable agriculture
practices such as Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture (CMSA), Non
Pesticide Management (NPM), Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), Pashu-Sakhi
model for doorstep animal care services, Sustainable regeneration and
harvesting of Non-Timber Forest Produce.
Need for feminization
of agriculture:
Rural women form the
most productive work force in the economy of majority of the developing nations
including India.
More than 80% of
rural women are engaged in agriculture activities for their livelihoods.
About 20 per cent of
farm livelihoods are female headed due to widowhood, desertion, or male
emigration.
Agriculture support
system in India strengthens the exclusion of women from their entitlements as
agriculture workers and cultivators.
Most of the
women-headed households are not able to access extension services, farmers
support institutions and production assets like seed, water, credit, subsidy
etc. As agricultural workers, women are paid lower wage than men.
Centre to provide assistance to intensify use of buckwheat
Union Agriculture
Minister Narendra Singh Tomar today said that to intensify the use of
buckwheat, ICAR-All India Co-ordinated Research Network on potential crops has
developed nutritionally rich five varieties.
He said they are
promoted by ICAR and respective State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) through
front line demonstrations, trainings and kisan melas.
In a written reply in
the LokSabha today, the Agriculture Minister said Buckwheat is grown in the
Hilly regions of Northern and Northeastern states including in the Nilgiris &
Palani Hills, in an estimated area of 25,800 hectares.
Mr. Tomar said, to
encourage farmers to grow buckwheat, Government is providing assistance through
programmes like Paramparagat KrishiVikasYojana (PKVY) and Mission on Organic
Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region.
Rotavirus
Vice- President has
launched the new rotavirus vaccine – ROTAVAC5D.
The vaccine has been
designed and developed by Bharat Biotech.
About Rotavirus:
It is a genus of
double-stranded RNA virus in the Reoviridae family.
Rotavirus is a
leading cause of severe diarrhoea and death among children less than five years
of age.
It is responsible for
around 10% of total child mortality every year.
Rotavirus-Signs and
Symptoms:
Kids with a rotavirus
infection have fever, nausea, and vomiting, often followed by abdominal cramps
and frequent, watery diarrhea.
Kids may also have a
cough and runny nose.
Sometimes the
diarrhea that accompanies a rotavirus infection is so severe that it can
quickly lead to dehydration.
As with all viruses,
though, some rotavirus infections cause few or no symptoms, especially in
adults.
Transmission:
Rotavirus is
transmitted by the faecal-oral route, via contact with contaminated hands,
surfaces and objects, and possibly by the respiratory route. Viral diarrhea is
highly contagious.
Background:
Out of all the causes
of diarrhoea, rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhoea in children less than 5
years of age. Rotavirus diarrhoea presents in similar manner like any other
diarrhoea but can mainly be prevented through rotavirus vaccination. Other
diarrhoea can be prevented through general measures like good hygiene, frequent
hand washing, safe water and safe food consumption, exclusive breastfeeding and
vitamin A supplementation.
Centre not to stop circulation of high denomination notes
The Government today
clarified that it is not contemplating to stop the circulation of two thousand
rupee notes.
In a written reply in
the RajyaSabha today, Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur said there
is no such proposal under consideration. He also said that a declining trend is
visible in the seizure of unaccounted cash in the denomination of two thousand
rupee notes.
The Minister said in
the year 2017-18, around 68 per cent of unaccounted cash was seized in the
denomination of two thousand rupees, while in the year 2018-19, it was around
66 percent. In the current financial year, over 43 per cent of unaccounted cash
was seized in the denomination of two thousand rupees.
The Minister said as on March this year, over 31 per cent of total notes in circulation are of two thousand rupees.
“Top 100 City Destination” ranking
Released by Euro
monitor International, a UK-based global market research company
The Euro monitor
report highlights top 100 cities based on 2018 international arrivals. An
arrival encompasses all purposes of visit such as business, leisure and
visiting friends and relatives.
Key findings:
India has emerged as
the strongest emerging destination with seven cities in the top 100 popular
cities this year.
Delhi is forecast to
be hold the 8th place in 2019.
Despite political
unrest and protests in the last few months, Hong Kong remained No.1 destination
this year. However, the number of visitors arriving to Hong Kong declined in
2019.
Asia posted fastest
growth in the number of international arrivals globally.
Developed infrastructure, government’s focus on tourism and digitization of travel facilities like e-visa are some of the reasons behind Asian countries’ popularity among global tourists.
Prithvi-II missile
It is a surface-to-surface tactical missile with a strike range of 350 km.
It is developed by DRDO under Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).
It is capable of carrying 500 to 1,000 kg of warheads, both conventional as well as nuclear.
The state-of-the-art missile is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines.
It uses an advanced inertial guidance system with maneuvering orbit to hit its target.
It was inducted into Armour of the defence forces in 2003.
TRAI implements new mobile number portability rules
Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) has revamped mobile number portability (MNP) rules,
making the entire process faster and simpler. The TRAI has prescribed three
working days timeline for port out requests within a service area.
Similarly, timeline
of five working days has been prescribed for requests for port out from one
circle to another. The new rules will come into effect from December 16.
Validity of the
Unique Porting Code (UPC) has also been brought down to four days instead of a
fortnight earlier. It will be applicable to all circles except Jammu &
Kashmir, Assam and North East, where the validity of the said code remains
unchanged to 30 days.
The MNP request under the present rule will be processed till December 9 and the service will not be available between December 10 and December 15 as entities involved in the process will be migrating their systems to implement new rules.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the government
is ready for a discussion in LokSabha on the issue of crime against women and
willing to explore stringent provisions in laws to check incidents like the
Hyderabad rape and murder case.
Responding to a discussion during Zero Hour in the wake of
the rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad, Singh said he was falling
short of words to condemn the heinous crime.
As soon as the House met for the day, Speaker Om Birla said
he would allow members to raise the “serious issue” in Zero Hour.
Uttam Kumar Reddy (Cong) raised the issue of the rape and
murder of the 26-year-old veterinarian and slammed the Telangana Home Minister
for his purported “insensitive” remarks.
He also slammed the state police for initially delaying to
lodge a case.T R Baalu (DMK) raised the issue of sexual assault of a school
girl in Coimbatore.Saugat Roy (TMC) said rape convicts should be hanged.
PinakiMisra (BJD) questioned the delay in executing the
death sentence awarded to convicts in the “Nirbhaya” gang-rape
case.He said laws and establishment on fast track courts will not make a
differences till the time the death sentences are not executed.
On November 29, four men, aged between 20 and 24, were
arrested on charges of raping and killing the young woman veterinarian in
Hyderabad.
Inner Line Permit (ILP)
Simply put, an Inner Line Permit is a
document that allows an Indian citizen to visit or stay in a state that is
protected under the ILP system.
Context: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has
assured the civil society groups that the Citizenship Bill would
provide protection to such regions and states where the Inner Line Permit
(ILP) is applicable, and autonomous administration has been granted
under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill aims to
make it easier for non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and
Afghanistan to obtain Indian citizenship.
If it is implemented with provisions for excluding from its ambit the states under the ILP regime, it means that beneficiaries under CAB will become Indian citizens but will not be able to settle in these three states.
As a matter of fact, the same restriction applies to existing Indian citizens.
Now, on these lines, even Assam, Tripura and
Meghalaya are demanding the implementation of ILP system.
The ILP is obligatory for all those who
reside outside the protected states;
Currently, the Inner Line Permit is operational in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.
It can be issued for travel purposes solely.
An ILP is issued by the state government concerned.
Origin of ILP:
ILP’s origin dates back to the Bengal
Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873- It prohibited “British subjects” or
Indians from entering into these protected areas.
After Independence, in 1950, the word
“British subjects” was replaced by Citizens of India and the focus of
the ban on free movement was explained as a bid to protect tribal cultures
in northeastern India.
Nationwide vaccination to be conducted under Mission Indradhanush 2.0
Centre is launching nationwide vaccination drive to prevent
eight diseases under Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 across the country
today.
The government’s flagship scheme is aimed at immunizing
children under the age of 2 years and pregnant women against eight vaccine
preventable diseases.
The IMI covers vaccines for diphtheria, whooping cough,
tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and Hepatitis B.
Vaccines for Japanese encephalitis and hemophilus influenza are also being
provided in selected areas.
The IMI 2.0 aims to achieve targets of full immunization
coverage in 272 districts spread over 27 States. The IMI 2.0 will be carried
out between December 2019 and March 2020.
The campaign will be carried out in 260 development blocks
of 43 districts of the state including the capital Bhopal and Indore. In
addition , the mission will be running in four-phases in state. Children will
be vaccinated under the National Mission Indradhanush in the months in January
, February and March next year.
Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Tulsiram
inaugurated this campaign in Indore district. The Project Officers of the
District Urban Development Agency has been made the nodal officer for the
successful operation of the mission.
Australia’s points-based visa policy
Context: In what is seen as an effort to block entry
to unskilled people, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to introduce an Australian style
points-based visa policy from
January 1, 2021.
Generally, for visas that are
points-tested, points may be given for different categories ranging from age to
proficiency in English and amount of work experience. To be granted such visas, the individual’s
score must reach a cutoff fixed by the authorities.
For workers with an “eligible skilled
occupation” there are 10
categories of visas available. Applications are tested with points awarded in
various categories. One of these is “Skilled Independent Visa”.
A migrant with this visa can live and work permanently anywhere in Australia, study in Australia, sponsor eligible relatives for permanent residence and if eligible, enroll in Australia’s health-care system and subject to eligibility, also become an Australian citizen.
Some
of the skilled jobs that come under the ambit of the skilled migration program
include: accountant, actor, aeronautical
engineer, advertising manager, air conditioning and mechanical services
plumber, author, baker, swimming coach, urologist and vegetable grower.
What
are the advantages of points systems?
The
ability to qualify without an employer sponsor- workers entering under the Australian
points system are less dependent on their employers and do not need permission
to switch between jobs as they do in the UK; as a result, they are expected to
have more bargaining power and to operate in a more competitive labour market.
Steel imports have increased over a period of 5 years ,claims govt.
Government today said import of steel has increased during
the last few years.
Replying to questions in the LokSabha, Steel Minister
DharmendraPradhan, however, said domestic production has consistently increased
regardless of such imports. Mr Pradhan said, in the current year, country is a
net exporter.
He said, to counter import of cheap steel, anti-dumping
duties have been imposed on various grades of steel which were dumped into the
country.
Mr Pradhan further said, import of steel grades which are not
manufactured in adequate quantity in the country is essential for supporting
manufacturing sector.
The Minister informed the House that the total number of
steel plants in the country is 977. He said, work is currently going on in NMDC
steel plant in Nagarnar, Chattisgarh, which is a Greenfield project.
In reply to another question, the Minister said, the
production of iron ore in the country is sufficient to meet the current demand
by domestic steel industry. Mr Pradhan said, the supply of iron ore during last
year 2018-19 was 207 metric tonne against its demand of 189 metric tonne.
Centre plans listing of single-use plastics
The Centre is likely to identify as many as eight articles
as ‘single-use plastic’ items that will be discontinued on a priority basis,
including plastic cutlery, plastic bags and certain Styrofoam items.
Defining single-use plastic is the first step in the
direction of doing away with such products in India by 2022, as called for by
Prime Minister NarendraModi during his Independence Day address.
While many states have banned plastic, there are wide
variations in implementation and the range of products covered.After consulting
stakeholders, the environment ministry is close to announcing a clear and
uniform definition of single-use plastic.
The idea is to completely phase out single-use plastic where
it is replaceable with environment friendly alternatives and to bring in a
robust segregation, collection and disposal mechanism for single-use plastic.
The ministry wrote to the states in September asking them to
curb production of plastic bags, irrespective of thickness and size, and
Styrofoam (thermocol) cutlery and to encourage manufacturers and consumers to
shift to other environmentally friendly material.
Every village will be asked to start waste segregation. They
will send plastic waste to block-level units that will convert the aggregated
waste into bales, shred them and transport them to aggregators for recycling to
build in a sustainable mechanism.
India –Sweden to expand cooperation at delegation level talks
Prime Minister NarendraModi held delegation level talks with
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at Hyderabad House in New Delhi today.
The meeting is aimed at giving a boost to bilateral
co-operation in various sectors. Several agreements are expected to be signed
between the two countries.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia arrived on a state
visit to India this morning at the invitation of President Ram NathKovind. They
were given a ceremonial welcome at RashtrapatiBhawan. This is His Majesty’s
third visit to India. The King will meet President Ram NathKovind this evening.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on
the King and Queen after their arrival and held discussions on ways to deepen
bilateral ties.
Apart from the official programme in Delhi, the royal couple
is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Uttarakhand. Several documents on furthering
bilateral engagement are likely to be signed during the five day visit.
UN chief urges to improve efforts to counter climate change
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said
that the world’s efforts to stop climate change have been utterly inadequate so
far.
There is a danger global warming could pass the point of no
return. He was speaking before the start of a International Climate Conference
in Madrid scheduled for today.
The U.N. Chief noted that the world has the scientific
knowledge and the technical means to limit global warming, but the political
will is lacking.
Mr Guterres said, he hoped the meeting in Madrid would see
governments make more ambitious pledges ahead of a deadline to do so next year.
Delegates from almost 200 countries will try to put the
finishing touches on the rules governing the 2015 Paris climate accord at the
two-week meeting.
Govt. considering satellite mechanisms to monitor forestation
A satellite-based mechanism to monitor areas under green
cover and the growth of saplings planted there is being developed by the
government, Union Environment Minister PrakashJavadekar said on Saturday. The
Environment minister said some states have made significant achievements in
nurturing planted saplings to their full growth.
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning
Authority (CAMPA) funds to the tune of Rs 47,000 crore will be utilised for
greening India, he said after a meeting with the forest ministers and officials
of various states.
The minister said “very positive discussions” on
issues like the use of CAMPA fund for forestation, water conservation, fodder
augmentation and moisture management in the forests, besides the eradication of
Lantana weed were held in the meeting.
In August this year, the Environment minister handed over Rs
47,436 crore of CAMPA funds to various states for the promotion of
afforestation and achieving green objective of the country.
In the wake of under-utilisation of money for compensatory
afforestation, the Supreme Court in 2001 had ordered for coming up with CAMPA
fund.
In 2009, the Supreme Court permitted release of Rs 1,000
crore every year to the states and Union territories for compensatory
afforestation and other activities.
Jnanpith Award
Context: Eminent Malayalam poet Akkitham has
been chosen for 55th Jnanpith Award for the
year 2019, Instituted in 1961.
Eligibility: Any Indian citizen who writes in any of the official
languages of India is eligible for the honour.
Operation ‘Clean Art’
It is first pan India operation to crackdown on the
smuggling of mongoose hair. Conceived by WCCB
Aim: To ensure that the mongoose hair brush trade should be
closed down across the country.
Protection: Mongoose is listed in Schedule II Part 2 of the
Wildlife Protection Act. Any smuggling or possession of its body part is a
non-bailable offence.
Gurpreetsingh and Sunil Kumar wins national wrestling championships
In wrestling, Asian Championships silver medallists Gurpreet
Singh and Sunil Kumar clinched gold medals on the final day of the senior
national championships in Jalandhar yesterday.
Gurpreet defeated two-time world junior championships
medallist SajanBhanwal, who was representing the Railways, by a 3-1 margin, in
the 77 kilogram category. This was Punjab grappler’s fourth senior national
title.
Sunil also managed an easy win over Punjab’s Prabhal. The Railway’s grappler used all his experience to crush the Punjab wrestler 5-1 in the 87 kg final. In the 55 kg category, Arjun, representing Services, won against Ajay by technical superiority.
Source: The Hindu/Indian Express/Times of India/PIB
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India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C47 will launch
Cartosat-3 and 13 commercial nanosatellites into Sun Synchronous orbit from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The space agency has
planned for the launch of CARTOSAT-3 satellite, ninth in the series, from the
second launch pad at spaceport of Sriharikota, about 120 kms from here on
November 27 at 09.28 am.
PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration
(with 6 solid strap-on motors). This will be the 74th launch vehicle mission
from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.
Cartosat-3 satellite is a third generation agile advanced
satellite having high resolution imaging capability. The satellite will be placed in an orbit of
509 km at an inclination of 97.5 degree.
PSLV-C47 will also carry 13 commercial nanosatellites from
United States of America as part of commercial arrangement with New Space India
Limited (NSIL), Department of Space.
About ISRO
India decided to go to space when
Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up by the
Government of India in 1962. With the visionary Dr Vikram Sarabhai at its helm,
INCOSPAR set up the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in
Thiruvananthapuram for upper atmospheric research.
Indian Space Research Organisation,
formed in 1969, superseded the erstwhile INCOSPAR. Vikram Sarabhai, having
identified the role and importance of space technology in a Nation’s
development, provided ISRO the necessary direction to function as an agent of
development. ISRO then embarked on its mission to provide the Nation space
based services and to develop the technologies to achieve the same
independently.
Throughout the years, ISRO has
upheld its mission of bringing space to the service of the common man, to the
service of the Nation. In the process, it has become one of the six largest
space agencies in the world. ISRO maintains one of the largest fleet of
communication satellites (INSAT) and remote sensing (IRS) satellites, that
cater to the ever growing demand for fast and reliable communication and earth
observation respectively. ISRO develops and delivers application specific
satellite products and tools to the Nation: broadcasts, communications, weather
forecasts, disaster management tools, Geographic Information Systems,
cartography, navigation, telemedicine, dedicated distance education satellites
being some of them.
To achieve complete self reliance
in terms of these applications, it was essential to develop cost efficient and
reliable launch systems, which took shape in the form of the Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The famed PSLV went on to become a favoured carrier for
satellites of various countries due to its reliability and cost efficiency,
promoting unprecedented international collaboration. The Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was developed keeping in mind the heavier and
more demanding geosynchronous communication satellites.
Apart from technological capability, ISRO has also contributed to science and science education in the country. Various dedicated research centres and autonomous institutions for remote sensing, astronomy and astrophysics, atmospheric sciences and space sciences in general function under the aegis of Department of Space. ISRO’s own Lunar and interplanetary missions along with other scientific projects encourage and promote science education, apart from providing valuable data to the scientific community which in turn enriches science.
Current Affairs Half Yearly Study Notes for UPSC IAS & State PSC Preliminary Examination 2020. We have covered current affairs from July – December 2019 for competitive exams only.
Topic Covered: Current Affairs trending topics in detail from the following subjects.
1. Geography of India and World
2. History of India and World
3. Polity and Governance
4. Science and Technology
5. Economy of India
6. Art and Culture
7. Environment and Ecology
This is must read book for Civil Services Preliminary Exam – 2020
Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2020: Practice Test – 24
1. Consider the following statements:
1) The Asian Development Bank
(ADB) has plans to stop funding coal-fired power plants except in selected
countries where the bank considers the alternatives to be limited.
2) The ADB’s new energy policy
is being reviewed in line with the Paris Agreement and the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals, and will be released by the end of 2020.
3) India has achieved the
fastest growth in the Asia-Pacific economies comprised of 45 countries,
according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Which of the above statements
are true?
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
2. Consider the following pairs
of missile defence systems and their corresponding nations:
1) Arrow missile system: Israel
2) PAAMS: UK
3) A-135 anti ballistic missile:
U.S
4) AWACS: Russia
5) AAD (Advanced air defence):
India
Which of the above pairs are correctly
matched?
a) 1, 2 & 3 only
b) 3, 4 & 5 only
c) 1, 2 & 5 only
d) 2, 4 & 5 only
3. The Economic Advisory
Council to the Prime Minister today released a detailed note titled GDP
estimation in India- Perspectives and Facts.
Which of the following
statements regarding the same are true?
1) The new methodology that
uses 2011-12 as the base year includes two major improvements, a) Incorporation
of MCA21 database, and b) Incorporation of the Recommendations of System of
National Accounts (SNA), 2008.
2) This change was in line with
other countries that have changed their methodologies in line with SNA 2008 and
revised their respective GDP figures.
3) As of today India’s GDP
estimation methodology is at par with its global standing as a responsible,
transparent and well-managed economy.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
4. Which of the following
statements regarding data usage in smartphones India as per the ‘Ericsson
Mobility Report’ are true?
1) India has the highest
average data usage per smartphone, reaching 9.8 GB per month at the end of
2018, according to a new study.
2) Increased numbers of LTE
subscriptions, attractive data plans being offered by service providers, and
young people’s changing video viewing habits have driven monthly usage growth.
3) LTE would remain the most
dominant access technology in the region up to 2024, even as 5G subscriptions
are expected to grow during this period.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
5. Guthis are socio-economic
institutions (trusts), both public and private, that fund their obligations
from incomes from cultivated or leased land assets. Depending on their
obligations, Guthis fulfil religious, public service or social roles and could
either involve members from a common lineage, or several
Large scale protest against the
controversial “Guthi Bill” has being taking place in which of the following
countries recently?
a) Srilanka
b) Myanmar
c) Nepal
d) Bangladesh
Answer:
1 – (a) 2 – (c) 3 – (d) 4 – (d) 5 – (c)
Must Read Books for UPSC Civil Services Examination
Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2020: Practice Test – 16
1. Consider the following statements regarding food safety:
1) An estimated 600 million
cases of foodborne diseases occur annually worldwide.
2) Unsafe food is a threat to
human health and economies, disproportionately affecting vulnerable and
marginalized people, especially women and children, populations affected by
conflict and migrants.
3) World Food Safety Day
adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is aimed
at imposing non tariff barriers to protect local foods/agri products.
Which of the above statements
are true?
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
2. Consider the following pairs
of space missions and their respective countries/space agencies:
1) Sputnik -1: Russia
2) Long March -1: China
3) Giotto: European space
agency
4) Explorer 1: Japan
Which of the above pairs are
correctly matched?
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 4 only
c) 2 & 3 only
d) 1 & 4 only
3. Which of the following
statements air quality and BS emission standards are true?
1) India is among those nine
countries where the forest cover has increased by one percent.
2) Vehicular pollution which is
28 to 30 per cent of air pollution is expected to be reduced drastically after
implementation of Bharat Stage (BS)-6 emission norms from next year.
3) However in 2014 in the
National Capital the number of poor air quality days was 300 and it increased
to 326 days in 2018.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
4. Which of the following
statements regarding RBI’s regulation of leverage ratio in the banking sector
stands true?
1) The leverage ratio was
introduced for banks post the financial crisis of 2008, as one of the
underlying features of the crisis was the build-up of excessive on- and
off-balance sheet leverage in the banking system.
2) The central bank has
mandated leverage ratio of 3.5% for all the banks except for the domestic
systemically important banks (D-SIBs), which will have a 4% ratio.
3) The Reserve Bank of India’s
decision to bring leverage ratio for banks is in line with Basel-III standards.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
5. Which of the following countries
recently organised the “Gandhi cycle rally for peace” to mark the 150th birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi?
a) India
b) China
c) Saudi Arabia
d) Australia
Answer:
1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (d) 5. (c)
Must Read Books for UPSC Civil Services Examination
Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2020: Practice Test – 10
1. Consider the following statements with respect to the current economic prospects:
1) India’s GDP grew at 5.8% in
the January-March 2019 quarter, dragging down the full year growth to a
five-year low of 6.8%.
2) The slowdown in the economy
was led by sluggish growth in construction, financial, real estate and
professional services, and electricity, gas, water supply and other utility
services.
3) The unemployment rate in the
country rose to a 45-year high of 6.1% in 2017-18, as per official data.
Which of the above statements
are true?
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q2. Which of the following
art/cultural forms are included in the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural
Heritage list from India?
1) Ramleela
2) Ashokan edicts
3) Ajanta caves
4) Kalbelia dance
5) Kumbh mela
a) 1,2 & 3 only
b) 1,4 & 5 only
c) 3,4 & 5 only
d) all of the above
Q3. India will lose access to
preferential trade terms with the U.S. under the latter’s Generalised System of
Preferences (GSP) programme soon.
Which of the following
statements regarding the same are true?
1) The Generalized System of
Preference (GSP) is the largest and oldest US trade preference programme and is
designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for
thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.
2) The GSP given by developed
countries including the US is a violation of most favoured nation (MFN) status
as per WTO norms.
3) India was the largest
beneficiary of the program in 2017-2018.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q4. Which of the following
statements regarding the newly submitted draft education policy stands true?
1) The policy draft recommends
incorporation of Indian knowledge systems in the curriculum, constituting a
National Education Commission and curbing arbitrary fees hikes by private
schools.
2) The expert panel also
proposed massive transformation in Teacher Education by moving all teacher
preparation and education programmes into large multidisciplinary universities
or colleges.
3) The existing NEP was framed
in 1986 and revised in 2005, and the draft panel is headed by Dr.MS
Swaminathan.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q5. Which one of the following
countries was not amongst those elected as the non permanent members of UN Security
Council recently?
a) Indonesia
b) Brazil
c) Germany
d) Belgium
Answer:
1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (a) 5. (b)
Must Read Books for UPSC Civil Services Examination
Current Events/Affairs has become a very prominent component and its role in Civil services examination. In exams many questions are asked from this section, so prepare thoroughly. Because your efforts will be useful for you in all stages of the competition and make it a part of your daily routine.
Current Events
Make an aerial view of Newspaper by making Political Administrative, Socio-Cultural, Economic, Technical, and Geographical News.
Now majority of objective questions are conceptual and asked in the negative terms, e.g., which is/are not true regarding Right to Information Act, 2005? It means you have to know each and every aspect of the law. So, no short cut is sustainable for Prelims examination.
Here is the list of those important events or affairs:
Which become the headlines of the newspapers and editorial are written.
Which have a negative/positive effects on the society?
Which remain in topic or discussion in society and people for a long time?
Which find a special attention in reputed newspapers for a long time?
Which have a quality in making exam oriented notes under national/international issues and Bilateral Relation?
General Knowledge
In GK section, very few questions are usually asked. Remember “Do not study exhaustively and spending too much time in memorizing unneeded topics or facts”. Keep yourself updated and aware broadly about various fields. At in meantime, explore and focus more on those areas, which have been asked in the previous exams from online & offline resources like exam preparation articles, books, newspapers etc.
Good News Paper (preferably The Hindu/Indian Express)
Books and Authors
Sports/Games & Awards
Important Days and Years
Awards and Honours
Popular and Great Personalities in News
Indian Defence and Space Programmes in News
Technology and Computers
India Year Book
This book is an essential tool for aspirants as well as important for the CSAT and in two marks questions part of the Mains exam. Reading this book needs logical and concentrated approach on the basic notes, which can be usually asked in competition? One should prepare own notes in regard with various terms/topics explained in the book. Remember there are loads of unnecessary facts given in the book. Do not spend much time on them. You can buy this book online. Click Here to Order This Book.
Current affairs sources for UPSC Civil services examination: The Hindu, Indian express, PIB, PRS, Yojana, Kurukshetra, RSTV, Magazine.
Explained in detail: Watch our video
Current Events/Affairs has become a very prominent component and its role in Civil services examination. In exams many questions are asked from this section, so prepare thoroughly. Because your efforts will be useful for you in all stages of the competition and make it a part of your daily routine.
As per the official UPSC Exam Calendar, Civil Services Preliminary Exam 2020 (objective) will be conducted on May 31, 2020 (Sunday). The Main Exam (written) 2020 will start from September 18, 2020.
Q1. Consider the
following statements regarding occurrence of forest fires:
1) Human activities
near or within forested areas are the number one cause of forest fires.
2) Lightning is the
biggest natural cause of forest fires.
3) Sometime volcanic
activities such as eruptions and lava flow can cause forest fires.
4) Human-caused fires
constitute the greater percentage of forest fires in our forests, but natural
fires constitute the great majority of the total area burned.
Which of the above
statements are true?
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q2. Consider the
following hill stations of India with their location states :
1) Panchgani : Madhya
Pradesh
2) Chail : Himachal
pradesh
3) Horsley hills :
Maharashtra
4) Patnitop : Jammu
& Kashmir
5) Almora :Uttarakhand
Which of the above
pairs are incorrectlymatched ?
a) 1,2& 3 only
b) 3 & 5 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) 2 & 4 only
Q3. Recently beaches in
Chennai witnessed a blue shimmer on the waves. The visitors spotted a magical
blue glow on the beach. Which of the following statements regarding the same
stands true ?
1) According to marine
experts, the blue glow is known as Bioluminescence. The phenomenon is caused by
Noctilucascintillans, a type of phytoplankton that converts their chemical
energy into light energy when washed ashore.
2) Similar to the sight
of fireflies, bioluminescence is found in many marine organisms such as
bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks.
3) The occurrence of
these phytoplanktons is highly beneficial to the ecosystem in the long run as
they provide food for the fishes.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q4. Consider the
following statements :
1) The RBI earns money
in a variety of ways like the Open market operations, wherein a central bank
purchases or sells bonds in the open market in order to regulate money supply
in the economy, are a major source of income for the RBI.
2) Dealings in the
foreign exchange market that the RBI engages in may also contribute to the
bank’s profits.
3) However, that unlike
commercial banks, the primary mandate of the RBI is not to earn profits but to
preserve the value of the rupee. Profit and loss are thus merely a side effect
of its regular operations to shape monetary policy.
Which of the above
statements stands true ?
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q5. Which of the
following cities have been ranked number one in the safe city index (SCI-2019)
by the economic intelligence unit ?
a) London
b) Tokyo
c) Beijing
d) Ottawa
Q6. The Centre has
asked all milk cooperatives and private dairies to halve plastic usage by
October 2, which of the following statements regarding the same stands true?
1) The milk industry is
one of the largest users of single use plastics, with the growing use of
disposable pouches replacing milk vendors and vending machines in many areas.
2) Under the Extended
Producer Responsibility component of the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules,
revised in 2018, industries are already required to recover and recycle part of
the plastic packaging they generate.
3) In case of plastic
wastage in milk industry, only the packets collected by rag pickers get
recycled while the rest of them end up clogging drains, rivers, lakes, creating
sewage and toxic foam.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q7. The Earth’s
surface- geologically called the Lithosphere- is made up of large plates, in
constant motion, travelling a few centimeters every year. The hot magma or
molten rock inside the core of the earth causes convection currents which move
the plates in different directions. Which of the following plates are connected
with the Indian plates?
1) Nazca plate
2) Indo-Australian
plate
3) Cocos plate
4) Eurasian plate
5) Arabian plate
a) 1,2 & 3 only
b) 2,4 & 5 only
c) 3,4 & 5 only
d) all of the above
Q8. Which of the
following statements regarding the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational
Wave Observatory) project consortium stands true?
1) The LIGO-India
project is an international collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory and three
lead institutions in the LIGO-India consortium which can detect even the
faintest ripples from cosmic explosions millions of light years away.
2) The project operates
three gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. Two are at Hanford in the State of
Washington, north-western USA, and one is at Livingston in Louisiana,
south-eastern USA.
3) The project, piloted
by ISRO and Department of Science and Technology (DST), reportedly costs ₹1,200
crore and is expected to be ready by 2030.
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q9. Consider the
following statements regarding National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of
India (NCCF):
1) NCCF was established
on 16thOctober, 1965 to function as the apex body of consumer cooperatives in
the country.
2) The main objectives
of the NCCF are to provide supply support to the consumer cooperatives and
other distributing agencies for distribution of consumer goods at reasonable
and affordable rates besides rendering technical guidance and assistance to the
consumer cooperatives.
3) It is registered
under the society registration at 1860.
Which of the above
statements are true ?
a) 1 & 2 only
b) 2 & 3 only
c) 1 & 3 only
d) all of the above
Q10. The “Dindigul
lock” and “Kandangisaree” which recently got Geographical Indication(GI) tag
belongs to which of the following southern states of India ?
UPSC IAS Civil Services and State Public Services Commission Examination 2019-20. PIB magazine is must read magazine for all the aspirants preparing for competitive examinations. GS Score compile it and everyone who is preparing for UPSC known very well about GS Score Study Centre, which is one of the best institute. GS Score PIB
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) is a nodal agency of the Government of India. PIB disseminates information to the print, electronic and new media on government plans, policies, programme initiatives and achievements.
Is PIB important for UPSC exam?
The articles published by the Press Information Bureau or PIB have authentic information relating to the government policies, plans, achievements etc. A serious UPSC aspirant should read PIB selectively to gather relevant information to enrich his/her content both for prelims and mains. Benefits of taking information from PIB fortnightly updates:
Authentic information directly from the government
Relevant for current affairs section of the UPSC civil services
All schemes of the government
Our compilations will help you to segregate the topics according to General Studies Papers
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) is a nodal agency of the Government of India. PIB disseminates information to the print, electronic and new media on government plans, policies, programme initiatives and achievements.
Is PIB important for UPSC exam?
The articles published by the Press Information Bureau or PIB have authentic information relating to the government policies, plans, achievements etc. A serious UPSC aspirant should read PIB selectively to gather relevant information to enrich his/her content both for prelims and mains. Benefits of taking information from PIB fortnightly updates:
Authentic information directly from the government
Relevant for current affairs section of the UPSC civil services
All schemes of the government
Our compilations will help you to segregate the topics according to General Studies Papers
Tamil Nadu Becomes Fifth Indian State to Declare a State Butterfly.
About
Tamil Nadu has recently declared Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) as its state butterfly to symbolize its rich natural and cultural heritage, in a move aimed at boosting the conservation efforts of the attractive insects.
Locally known as Tamil Maravan meaning ‘Tamilian Warrior’, the canopy butterfly, belongs to the family of brush-footed butterflies or the Nymphalid.
This is the latest addition to Tamil Nadu’s existing symbols from the natural world – palmyra as the state tree, gloriosa lily as the state flower, emerald dove as the state bird, and jackfruit as the state fruit and Nilgiri tahr as the state animal.
This butterfly species is endemic to Western Ghats.
Once the species is declared as a state butterfly, this will help channelizing government funds towards a particular environmental cause.
More in News
Tamil Nadu has a total of 32 species of butterflies endemic to the state.
It has become the fifth India state after Maharashtra (Blue Mormon), Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern birdwings) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock) to bestow a state emblem status to one of its colorful insects.
Both southern bird wings, which is the largest butterfly species found in India, and Malabar banded peacocks are, like the Tamil Yeoman, endemic to the Western Ghats as well.
Why butterfly conservation?
Butterflies are great bio-indicators of an ecosystem as they are highly sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, sunlight, humidity and rainfall patterns.
Their presence, patterns and migration assist in mapping the climatic health of a region and are they are perhaps the most studied insect group across the world.
PM Modi inaugurated the 4.94-km-long Bogibeel Bridge in Assam, India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge, on Bramhaputra River.
About
The bridge is Asia’s second longest
rail-cum-road bridge.
It is constructed at an estimated cost of Rs
5,900 crore.
It has a ‘serviceable period of around 120
years.’
The bridge will reduce travel time from Assam
to Arunachal Pradesh to four hours. It will also reduce the Delhi to Dibrugarh
train-travel time by about three hours to 34 hours as against 37 hours
presently.
It is the fourth rail-road bridge being built
on the Brahmaputra; others are Pandu Saraighat, Kolia Bjumuraguri and Narayan
Setu.
It is the fourth largest bridge in the
country and also the largest structure built on the river Brahmaputra.
The bridge is among the infrastructure
projects planned by India to improve logistics along the border in Arunachal
Pradesh.
The bridge will boost economic activity as
well as tourism in the region.
This is very strategic from the defence point
of view, and the Army has been demanding it for years. The bridge
classification is on the higher side for movement of heavy military equipment.
It will drastically cut time for induction of troops and logistics during a
war-like situation.
On downside, the Inland Water Transport (IWT)
Department of Assam fears that the Bogibeel Bridge will impact ferry services
to a large extent.
To supplement the efforts of Jal Shakti Ministry, NITI Aayog has prepared the second Round of Composite Water Management Index (CWMI 2.0).The Report was launched today by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti, and Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
Shri Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Jal Shakti Ministry; Shri U.P. Singh, Secretary, Jal Shakti Ministry; Dr. Amarjeet Sinha, Secretary Ministry of Rural Development; Shri Yaduvendra Mathur, Special Secretary, NITI Aayog, Shri Avinash Mishra, Adviser, Water and Land Resources, NITI Aayog and senior officials of Ministry Jal Shakti, Rural Development and NITI Aayog were also present at the launch event.
Scientific management of water is increasingly recognized as being vital to India’s growth and ecosystem sustainability. Government is being proactive about water management and has created the Ministry of Jal Shakti to consolidate interrelated functions pertaining to water management. The newly formed Jal Shakti Ministry under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has strived to over bridge the water challenges by launching the Jal Shakti Abhiyan – a campaign for water conservation and water security.
NITI Aayog first launched and conceptualized the Composite Water Management Index in 2018 as a tool to instill the sense ofcooperative and competitive federalism among the states. This was a first ever attempt at creating a pan-India set of metrics that measured different dimensions of water management and use across the lifecycle of water. The report was widely acknowledged and provided actionable guidance to States on where they were doing well absolutely and relatively and what they needed to focus on to secure their water future.
The CWMI is an important tool to assess and improve the performance of States/ Union Territories in efficient management of water resources. This has been done through a first of its kind water data collection exercise in partnership with Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Rural Development andall the States/ Union Territories.The index would provide useful information for the States and also for the concerned Central Ministries/Departments enabling them to formulate and implement suitable strategies for better management of water resources.
CWMI 2.0 ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.In the report released today, Gujarat hold on to its rank one in the reference year (2017-18), followed byAndhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged number 1 in 2017-18 followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam. The Union Territories have first time submitted their data and Puducherry has been declared as the top ranker. In terms of incremental change in index (over 2016-17 level), Haryana holds number one position in general States and Uttarakhand ranks at first position amongst North Eastern and Himalayan States.On an average, 80% of the states assessed on the Index over the last three years have improved their water management scores, with an average improvement of +5.2 points.
The overall ranking for reference year 2017-18and change in the rankings from the base year 2016-17 of different States in the Report is given in Charts-1 and Chart 2.
Chart-1: Ranking of Different States in CWMI 2.0 2019
Chart-2: Incremental Ranking of Different States in CWMI 2.0
