SUNYA NOTES (December)

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 CORRECTION: Olive Ridley turtle is Vulnerable
 First-ever captive elephant census = Kerala + done on SC order
 World Food Programme (WFP) = food-assistance branch of the United
Nations(UN) and the world's largest humanitarianorganization
addressing hunger and food security + Hq at Rome + member of UNDP
 National Investment and Infrastructure Fund(NIIF) = fund created by the
Government of India for enhancing infrastructure financing in the country + set
up as a Trust + NIIF is being operationalized by establishing three Alternative
Investment Funds (AIFs) under the SEBI Regulations + The proposed corpus of
NIIF is Rs. 40,000 Crores + NIIF can invest in stalled,brownfield and greenfield
projects + government’s share of the NIIF’s corpus is envisaged to be under 50%
 System of National Accounts(SNA) = formerly the United Nations System of
National Accounts or UNSNA) + first international standard being published in
1953 + aim of SNA is to provide an integrated, complete system of accounts
enabling international comparisons of all significant economic activity + It
continues to evolve and is maintained by the United Nations, the International
Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development and the Statistical Office of the European Communities
 Maiabalaena nesbittae = Ancient whale + a key link to solve evolutionary
puzzle + lived 33 million years ago and possessed neither teeth nor baleen
 Google Lunar XPrize = 2007 + $30-million global lunar landing and roving
competition + lapsed in 2018(when the handful of contenders was not found
ready for the trip)
 TeamIndus = Private space oraganisation in India + founded around 2011 +
contended for Google Lunar XPrize
 Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations(ICRIER) = is
an autonomous, policy-oriented, not-for-profit, economic policy think tank
 Polyethylene teraphthalate (PET) = the plastic used in soft-drink bottles +
According to a 2017 study by the National Chemical Laboratory Pune, India
recycles 90% of its PET waste annually, while the number is 72.1% in Japan and
48.3% in Europe.
 Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) = fuel obtained from various kinds of combustible
non-biodegradable solid waste such as plastic, polythene, wood, commercial
wastes and industrial wastes + It can be used to produce steam or electricity + It
also finds its uses as an alternate fuel in industries such as cement + Solid Waste
management rules and RDF(obligatory for the local bodies and municipalities to
permit facilities which convert waste into waste + ndustries located within 100
km from RDF plants are bound to replace at least 5% of their fuel requirement
with RDF + solid wastes which has a calorific value of more than 1500 K/cal/Kg
are not qualified to be disposed of in a landfill, instead they are used for deriving
energy ) + RDF must be incinerated at more than 1,000°C to prevent the release
of pollutants such as dioxins and furans
 Ahmedabad ,Gujarat is famously known as the “Manchester City of India”
 City of lakes = Udaipur + (pichola lake, swaroop sagar lake + Udai sagar lake)
 Raqqa = City in Syria
 Euphrates river = Iraq, Syria and Turkey
 Gobi Desert= parts of Northern and Northwest China, and of southern Mongolia
 Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) = Patents that exist for present
communication technologies — technically called standard essential patents
(SEPs) + SEPs are patents essential to implement a specific industry standard.
 This implies that to manufacture standard compliant mobile phones, tablets and
other electronic devices, such manufacturers will have to use technologies that
are covered by one or more SEPs
 ‘BSE-Direct’ = by BSE + for retail investors in non-competitive bidding of G-sec
and T-bills
 Red ribbon run = organised in telangana + to spread awareness on HIV/AIDS
 Sangai festival = Manipur
 Pygmy falcons = a small raptor found in eastern and southern Africa
 Electus parrot = a bird native to the Solomon Islands
 Kookaburra = a terrestrial tree kingfisher native to Australia and New Guinea
 Dextropropoxyphene = 2013 countrywide ban on the sale of this + painkiller
capsules containing the opioid
 Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017 = paid maternity leave from a period
of 12 weeks to 26 weeks + The law is applicable to all institutions with 10 or
more employees + It also makes it mandatory for every organisation with 50 or
more employees to have a crèche + (Recently Centre has prepared guidelines for
setting up of crèches at workplaces)
 United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) = is a unified
combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the
Indo-Pacific region + Hq at hawaii
 Arjun = the Army’s main battle tank + designed and developed by DRDO + and
will be made by Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML) + The vehicles will ensure
efficient and speedy repair and recovery of tanks in combat
 Krivak or Talwar stealth frigates = Inter governmental agreement signed by
India-Russia in 2016 + two to be procured directly from Russia and two to be
built be Goa shipyard limited
 Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) = 1973 formed + group of nuclear supplier
countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of
materials, equipment, and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear
weapons + India NOT a member(opposition from come countries like China as
India has not signed Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) + 48 members which
include the five nuclear weapon states US, UK, France, China, and Russia +
NON formal group + Non binding guidelines + Decisions, including on
membership, are made by consensus
 Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) = 1987 formed + non–treaty
association + multilateral, consensus – based grouping of 35 member countries
who are voluntarily committed to the non-proliferation of missiles capable of
carrying chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)
+ India is a MEMBER(Joined in 2016) + China is not a member of this + India
extended the range of Brahmos from 290 km to 450 km after joining MTCR
 Australia group = 1985 formed + multillateral export control regime + seeks that
export don’t contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons +
India has been admitted as 43rd member(Joined in 2018)
 Wassenaar arrangement = 1996 formed + multilateral export control regime +
to promote transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional
arms and dual-use goods and technologies + (Wassenaar is located in Netherlands)
+ MTCR, the Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia group don't have China as a
member + India is a member(Joined in 2017)
 Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) = 2-D material + examples of which
are molybdenum sulphide, molybdenum selenide, tungsten sulphide, tungsten
 telluride + (isolation of single sheets of carbon, known as graphene, was awarded
the Nobel Prize in 2010)
 Graphene = a form of carbon and a super-strong, ultra-light material discovered
in 2004, enables flexible electronic components, enhances solar cell capacity, and
promises to revolutionise batteries + Now can detect brain
disorders(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — a progressive brain disorder
for which there is currently “no objective diagnostic test.” + ALS is characterised
by rapid loss of motor neurons controlling skeletal muscles, leading to paralysis)
 Rotavirus = is a genus of double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae +
most common causative agent of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among
infants below 11 months age group and death among children less than five years
of age + virus spreads from person to person due to bacterial and parasiting
agents + It causes gastroenteritis
 Quasar 3C 273 = observed by GRAVITY telescope in chile + lying 2.4 billion
light years away
 Tiger reserves = Anamalai-Vazhachal (in Tamil Nadu-Kerala) + Sathyamangalam
(Tamil Nadu)+ Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh) + Achanakmar (Chattisgarh) +
western Rajaji and Nandhaur (Uttarakhand) + Manas (across Assam-Bhutan) and
Valmiki (across Bihar-Nepal)[Please note that these tiger reserves have seen rise
in Number of tigers according to a new study][REMEMBER THEIR Location]
 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) = international non-governmental
organization + 1961 founded + Headquarter at Gland (Switzerland) + Aim :
wilderness preservation & the reduction of human impact on the environment +
world’s largest conservation organization
 Global Human Footprint Index = represents the relative human influence in
each terrestrial biome expressed as a percentage + purpose is to provide an
updated map of anthropogenic impacts on the environment in geographic
projection which can be used in wildlife conservation planning, natural resource
management, and research on human-environment interactions + dataset is
produced by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Columbia
University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)
 Global tiger recovery program = 2010-2022 + By World bank group + to
reverse the rapid decline of wild tigers and to strive to double the number of wild
tigers across their range by 2022(from 3200 to 6000)
 Global tiger programme = of WWF + to double the number of wild tigers by
2022 – the next Chinese year of the tiger + This is the Tx2 goal
 Global Tiger Forum = an inter-governmental international body that works
towards protecting tigers + Hq at New Delhi
 “Progress Toward Regional Measles Elimination Worldwide, 2000-2017” report
= is a joint publication of the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in the United States
 Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) = Quasi-judicial committee + statutory
under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 + set up in
each district with a chairperson and four other members + to deal with child in
need of care and protection
 People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) is the armed wing of the Communist
Party of India (Maoist), a banned organisation in India which aims to overthrow
the government of India through people's war
 Koundinya wildlife sanctuary = Andhra pradesh
 Train -18 = India’s 1st engine less train + speed greater tham 180 kmph,
 becoming country’s fastest train +
 GenBank = GenBank sequence database is an open access, annotated collection
of all publicly available nucleotide sequences and their protein translations + This
database is produced and maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology
Information (NCBI) as part of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database
Collaboration (INSDC) + The National Center for Biotechnology Information is a
part of the National Institutes of Health in the United States
 G 20 Summit = 13th + hosted by Argentina + In 2009, the global financial crisis
led to the formation of G 20 + India presented a 9 points agenda whereby G 20
countries should cooperate to take action against fugitive economic offenders +
India will host the G 20 summit in 2022(Earlier Itlay was hosting it)
 Mandana paintings = by sahariya tribe(ethnic group in the state of Madhya
Pradesh and Rajasthan) + are wall and floor paintings of Rajasthan and Madhya
Pradesh + drawn to protect home and hearth, welcome gods into the house and as
a mark of celebrations on festive occasions
 Exercise Cope India 2018 = Annual drill between Air forces of India and USA +
4th edition + 12-day military exercise in the Kalaikunda and Panagarh air bases in
West Bengal
 A merger or amalgamation between two companies had to be earlier sanctioned
by a high court under the Companies Act, 1956, and is now to be approved by the
National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) under the Companies Act, 2013 +
(Stamp duties come under Concurrent List of the Constitution)
 Food sustainability Index(FSI) = Developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit
in partnership with the Barilla Centre forFood & Nutrition Foundation (BCFN) +
A ‘Food system’ involves the infrastructure and processes that go into feeding the
population, such as growing, harvesting and transportation + India is ranked 33rd
among 67 countries + China does better than India but other BRICS nations are
behind India + India did well on preventing food loss and wastage but is below
average on sustainable agriculture and is worst in tackling nutritional challenges
+ Broad categories of FSI: Food loss and waste, sustainable agriculture and
nutritional challenges + topped by France
 Indigenous breeds of cattle = Sahiwal, Gir, Haryanvi, Tharparkar and Gangatiri
 Punganur cow = considered one of the world’s smallest breeds of cattle, is said
to be on the verge of extinction due to cross-breeding conducted by farmers +
vulnerable status + originated from the Chitoor District of Andhra Pradesh in
southern India
 International conference on bears = being organised in the Taj city(Agra) for
the first time + It is being hosted by Wildlife SOS + 11 countries participated
 Wildlife SOS (WSOS) = conservation non-profit in India + established in 1995 +
primary objective of rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife in distress in the country,
and preserving India’s natural heritage + It is currently one of the largest Wildlife
Organisations in South Asia
 Sloth bear (Melurus ursinus) = medium-sized omnivorous species of bear
found in the Indian subcontinent, predominantly India(with a small population in
Nepal and Bhutan, and a sub-species in Sri Lanka) + Vulnerable
 GSAT-11 = the heaviest Indian communication satellite built till date + for faster
Internet connectivity + launching from Guiana Space Centre + 5700 kg +
GSAT-11 is built to provide superior communication and 16 GBPS connectivity
with its multiple spot beams in Ka and Ku bands + 15 years life + ultiple spot
beam coverage — 32 in Ku band and 8 in Ka bands — will deliver an improved
 service of 16 gbps over the Indian region and nearby islands + GSAT-11 is part of
ISRO’s new family of high-throughput communication satellite (HTS) fleet that
will drive the country's Internet broadband from space to untouched areas +
Already up in space are two HTSs — GSAT-29 (November 14) and GSAT-19
(June 2017)[they are all to provide high-speed Internet data services at the rate of
100 Gbps (Gigabits per second) to Indian users] + HTSs will also be the
backbone of pan-India digital or easy Internet-based programmes and services —
such as Digital India, Bharat Net for rural e-governance, and commercial and
public sector VSAT Net service providers + Ka-band hub or gateway each is
being set up in Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Ranchi to deliver high-speed
broadband services via the giant satellite + use of Ka band will be new in the
country + GSAT-20(is the planned 4th HTS and to be launched in 2019)
 Bharat Net project = involves the laying of optical fibre network that follows
ring architecture with Internet Protocol-Multi Protocol Label Switching
(IP-MPLS) technology + part of Digital India Initiative + 2011 Launched +
Earlier called National optical Fiber network + aims to provide 2.5 lakh village
panchayats with e-banking, e-education, e-health and e-governance, among others,
through reliable broadband connectivity
 Spot beam technology = is a satellite signal that is specially concentrated in
power (i.e. sent by a high-gain antenna) so that it will cover only a limited
geographic area on Earth + Spot beams are used so that only earth stations in a
particular intended reception area can properly receive the satellite signal + (The
Ka band in GSAT-11 enables smart coverage of places with multiple and reusable
spot beams)
 Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee(PCCoSC) =
envisaged as a single-point military adviser to the government + all 3 services
have finally agreed to a PCCoSC, what his roles and responsibilities will be
 Qatar withdrawn from OPEC recently(citing that it has potential in gas and not in
oil)--->>14 Countries NOW IN OPEC + Venezuela has the most oil reserves but
Saudi arabia produces the most crude per day
 Osiris-Rex = by NASA + to study asteroid Bennu + to study material from the
carbon-rich asteroid, which could hold evidence dating back to the beginning of
our solar system 4.5 billion years ago + Water traces found on asteroid
Bennu(found traces of hydrogen and oxygen molecules — part of the recipe for
water and thus the potential for life — embedded in the asteroid’s rocky surface)
+ Bennu orbits the Sun at roughly the same distance as the earth
 Soyuz spacecraft = Soviet era spacecraft designed for the Soviet space program +
Soyuz is the only means of reaching the ISS since the U.S. retired the space
shuttle in 2011
 Kandhamal haldi = Odisha + famous for it’s healing properties + will get GI Tag
soon
 Happy Seeder = is one of the unique technique which is used for sowing wheat
without any burning of rice residue. This technology is eco-friendly with
environment for the health of soil as well as it also saves water
 Green Climate Fund(GCF) = adopted as a financial mechanism of UNFCCC at
the end of 2011 in CoP 16(Cancun) + largest multilateral fund + support projects,
programmes, policies and other activities in developing country for combating
climate change + has an independent legal status + follows a ‘country-driven
approach’ + MOEFCC is India’s Nationally Designated Authority (NDA) for the
GCF + NABARD has been accredited by Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board as
 one of the National Implementing Entity (NIE) for GCF in India + based in South
Korea + World Bank serves as the interim trustee of the GCF + the Fund
functions under the guidance of and remains accountable to the UNFCCC
Conference of Parties + In 2019, developed countries are expected to make
available $100 billion annually to developing countries, according to a 2010
agreement in Cancun + In 2016, developed countries published a road map to
$100 billion + definition of climate finance in the UNFCCC has remained
“imprecise and incomplete.” There was no clarity on whether the developed
countries’ commitment to ‘provide funds’ meant funds committed or those that
made it to their intended recipients
 Mangdechhu power project = India’s Bhutan hydel power project + 750 MW +
Mangdechhu project is bagged by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) and
it will be implemented on a bilateral basis
 Indian Council of World Affairs(ICWA) = New Delhi based Indian think-tank
+ Established in 1943 + devoted exclusively for the study of international
relations and foreign affairs + By an Act of Parliament, it has been declared an
institution of national importance in 2001
 WIPO = World Intellectual Property Organization + oragnisation of UN + 1967 +
to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world
 Blue Aadhaar/Baal Aadhaar = launched by UIDAI+ for children below the age
of 5 years + Biometrics is not developed for children before five years of age.
According to UIDAI, a child’s blue coloured Aadhaar data does not include
biometric information like fingerprints and iris scan + For enrolling a child for
‘Baal Aadhaar’ card, the child’s birth certificate and the Aadhaar card number of
one of the parents is required + Once the child crosses the age of five, biometrics
should be updated
 'Lunch Motion Petition’/Lunch hour motion = generally in High courts +
Normally after a writ petition is filed in court, it will be heard the next day or in
usual course.But if there is an emergency, one moves a Lunch Motion in the
morning and the case is heard the very same day after Lunch at 2.15. Thats why it
is called a Lunch Motion
 CO2 Emissions = Global carbon emissions are set to hit an all-time high of 37.1
billion tonnes of CO2 in 2018, according to researchers at the University of East
Anglia (UEA) and the Global Carbon Project + CO2 emissions have now risen
for a second year after three years of little to no growth from 2014 to 2016.The
rise in 2017 was 1.6% + 10 biggest emitters in 2018 are China, U.S., India,
Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada(EU as a
region ranks third)
 Global Carbon Project = formed in 2001 + to help the international science
community to establish a common, mutually agreed knowledge base + Global
Research Project of Future Earth and a research partner of the World Climate
Research Programme
 World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) = NGO type + is an
international programme that helps to coordinate global climate research + The
WCRP was established in 1980, under the joint sponsorship of the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Council for Science
(ICSU), and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (IOC) of UNESCO since 1993
 Witness protection scheme = 1st such scheme of India + mooted by SC(NOT
ACT/Legislation) + one of the main reasons for witnesses turning hostile was that
 they were not given security by the State + Witness Protection Scheme, 2018
would come into effect immediately across all States + aimed to enable a witness
to depose fearlessly and truthfully, would be the law of the land till Parliament
enacted suitable legislation + Scheme is to be supported by budgetary support
from state govt and donations
 India Water Impact Summit 2018 = jointly organized by the National Mission
for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management
and Studies + New Delhi + annual event + annual event + There will be
multi-country dialogue on the subject, with showcasing of technological
innovations, research, policy frameworks and funding models from India and
abroad + Summit introduced the inaugural Ganga Financing Forum that will
bring a number of institutions to a common knowledge, information and
partnership platform
 Gilets Jaunes movement/Yellow vests protests = France + demonstrations
against fuel tax rises, high living costs and other issues
 Shadow banks = NBFCs
 CRR(Cash reserve ratio) is not in ambit of MPC
 Agriculture Export Policy = aimed at increasing India’s exports to $60 billion
by 2022 from the current $37 billion + by Commerce ministry + The objectives
of the policy are, apart from doubling farmers’ income, to diversify the export
basket and destinations, and to boost high-value and value-added exports, with a
focus on perishables + The policy also aims to promote the export of “novel,
indigenous, organic, ethnic, traditional and non-traditional” products + The
objective also is to provide an institutional mechanism for market access, tackling
barriers, and dealing with sanitary and phytosanitary issues
 Central Information Commission(CIC) = 11 member body + highest appeal
body available to applicants seeking information under the RTI Act + READ
MORE FROM STATIC
 Paris Agreement(PA) = 2015 + CoP 21 + ratified rapidly and went into force
within a year (in November 2016) + The implementation of the activities for the
PA formally begins in 2020 and concludes in 2030 + We are currently in the Doha
Amendment period, or the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol, which has not
been ratified
 Fast track visa scheme/’Golden Visa’ Scheme = by UK + recently suspended +
allowed investors to get access much easily(Indian investors were using
it)--->>investment of suspicious wealth into UK + enables its holders to gain a
swifter route to settlement in the U.K until new rules came
 Indian pangolin Pangolin = Endangered + Pangolin species are only scaly
mammal on the planet + Schedule I category protected animal, under the Wildlife
Protection Act (1972) + (Chinese pangolin has been listed as “critically
endangered”)
 Rat kangaroo = Australia + Least concern + found only in the rainforests of
northeast Australia + can live without water for very very long period
 Transgenic crops in India = Bt Cotton, and stalled(Bt Brinjal and
DMH-11(Transgenic mustard hybrid)) + The latter two have been cleared by
scientific regulators but not by center + Bt cotton occupies greater than 95 % of
India’s cotton acerage
 Idate Commission = 2015 constituted + For Denotified Nomadic and
Semi-Nomadic Tribes + the first National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic
and Semi-nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) was constituted in 2003, and reconstituted
 two years later under the chairpersonship of Balkrishna Renke, which submitted
its report in 2008
 Sri Brihadeeswarar temple = in Thanjavur, a UNESCO World Heritage site
 Bhasha sangam initiative = by MHRD(NOTE THE MINISTRY) + under Ek
bharat shresta bharat initiative(by MHRD) + Objectives of Bhasha Sangam:To
introduce school students to all the 22 Indian Languages of Schedule VIII of the
Constitution of India AND To enhance linguistic tolerance and respect, and
promote national integration
 Bon = is a Tibetan religionAlthough it shares the same overall teachings and
terminology as Tibetan Buddhism, its followers consider Bon a separate religion
 CROSS BOW-18 = 1st of its kind exercise + Indian Air Force successfully
conducted combined guided weapons firing of Surface-to-Air Missiles from the
Air Force Station at Suryalanka in Andhra Pradesh
 Mekedatu project = across the Cauvery river + Karnataka + CWC gives nod for
feasibility report on Mekedatu project + balancing reservoir cum drinking water
project
 Ijai river = Manipur
 Tallest railway bridge in the world = to be constructed in Manipur(Construction
started) + across the valley of river Ijai/Ojai + part of the 111 km
Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal project + The total length of the bridge will be 703 m +
Record for the tallest railway bridge is now held by the 139 m Mala Rijeka
viaduct, Montenegro
 Talc or talcum = Clay mineral consisting of Magnesium silicate + used in self
acre products + may lead to ovarian cancer, respiratory problems according to
recent study
 National testing agency = National Testing Agency (NTA) has been established
as a premier, specialist, autonomous and self-sustained testing organization to
conduct entrance examinations for admission/fellowship in higher educational
institutions + It will be society registered under Indian Societies Registration Act,
1860 + NTA will initially conduct entrance examinations currently being
conducted by CBSE and Other examinations will be taken up gradually after NTA
is fully geared up + These examinations will be conducted in online mode at least
twice a year + In order to serve requirements of the rural students, it will locate
centres at sub-district and district level and as far as possible it will undertake
hands-on training to the students
 National Climate Assessment is a United States government interagency ongoing
effort on climate change science
 Medical Detection Dogs,” = a nonprofit foundation in the UK + dogs can identify
a person infected with the malarial parasite, and other diseases(superb sense of
smell)
 Sea kraits = colorful sea snakes + found in Andamans(other region also) +
nocturnal + hunt for their prey in coral reefs + pend a lot of time underwater, they
have to get back to land to digest their prey, lay eggs and even slough their skin +
(Manilkara littoralis, a mangrove tree)
 ‘Great Dying’ = Rapid global warming caused the largest extinction event in the
Earth’s history + The mass extinction, known as the “great dying”, occurred
around 252m years ago and marked the end of the Permian geologic period + The
study of sediments and fossilized creatures show the event was the single greatest
calamity ever to befall life on Earth, eclipsing even the extinction of the dinosaurs
65m years ago + responsible for marine poor oxygen and increased temperatures
 Sunspot cycle = sunspots follow a cyclic pattern of growing in number and
disappearing in approximately 11 years, known as the sunspot cycle or the Sun’s
activity cycle + We are currently in the 24th sunspot cycle since the observation
of this cycle began, in 1755 + IISER Kolkata have developed a way of predicting
the intensity of activity in the next solar cycle (approximately from 2020 to 2031)
using data spread over the last 100 years(important for the understanding of the
long-term variations of the Sun and its impact on our climate)
 ‘Maunder-like minimum’ = The Maunder minimum refers to a period from
1645 to 1715 where observers reported minimal sunspot activity — the number
of sunspots reduced by a factor of nearly 1,000, over a period of 28 years. During
this and other such periods of low activity, some parts of Europe and North
America experienced lower-than-average temperatures
 Aditya L1 Mission = India’s first solar mission + will be launched in 2019 + will
study the sun’s outer most layers:Photosphere (soft and hard X-ray),
Chromosphere (UV) and Corona (Visible and NIR) + It will collect data about
coronal mass ejection, which will also yield information for space weather
prediction + It is a joint venture between ISRO and physicists from other
institutes of India + Aditya- L1 satellite will be placed in the halo orbit around the
Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system + Utility: The data from Aditya
mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating between different models for
the origin of solar storms and also for constraining how the storms evolve and
what path they take through the interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth
 Dendritic cells = direct reprogrammed cells to induce immunity + Dendritic cells
function as the immune system’s sentinels. Their task is to scan our tissues for
foreign particles, such as bacteria, viruses or cancer cells, and to devour them +
hey subsequently break down the particles into smaller pieces, known as antigens,
and present them on the surface to the immune system’s killer cells (T-cells)
 Memristive cells = These cells are made from nanowires and mimic biological
nerve cells + The component is able to save and process information as well as
receive numerous signals in parallel. Reportedly, such cells have been ascribed
the best chances of being capable of taking over the function of neurons and
synapses in ‘bio-inspired’ computers
 Human Placenta Project (HPP) = is a collaborative research effort to understand
the role of the placenta in health and disease + by NICHD(NOT WHO)
 National Commission for Safai Karamcharis = Govt body + WAS
ESTABLISEHED AS a statutory body(National Commission for Safai
Karamcharis Act, 1993) + NOW NON STATUTORY BODY(With the lapsing of
the “The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993” w.e.f. 29.2.2004,
the Commission is acting as a Non-Statutory body of the Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment whose tenure is extended from time to time through
Government Resolutions)
 Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train railway line = using Japanese ‘Shikansen’
technology + funded by loans from Japan+ JICA funds the project + contract
signed in 2015 + to be completed in 2022 + 1.10 lakh crore project + average
speed of 320/350 kmph + will reduce time from current 8 hours to 3.5 hours
 India’s national standard for ambient fine particulate matter, or PM2.5 = is
notoriously lax at 40 micrograms per cubic metre + No State met the annual
average exposure norm for PM2.5 of 10 micrograms per cubic metre set by the
World Health Organisation
 Shiva temple = Katas Raj Dham, near the city of Lahore + Katas Raj is a
 complex of ancient temples that is among the most important Hindu pilgrimage
centres in Pakistan + The temple complex consisting of seven shrines, is located
around the Katas lake, considered sacred by pilgrims of multiple faiths + Apart
from the temples, the area is renowned for its Buddhist remains and architecture
 Gulf Cooperation summit(GCC) = 39th + Riyadh declaration + GCC is a
political and economic alliance of six countries in the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates + 1981
Established + All current member states are monarchies, including three
constitutional monarchies (Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain), two absolute
monarchies(Saudi Arabia and Oman), and one federal monarchy (the United Arab
Emirates)
 Innovators growth platform = is after renaming the 'Institutional Trading
Platform' (ITP) of start-ups' + by SEBI
 Recommendation by SEBI panel to allow Indian companies to list their shares
overseas = Current regulations bar unlisted Indian companies to list their shares
overseas, though such entities could list their depository receipts, which many
companies have done + Also, overseas companies can currently list here only by
way of issuing Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs) + listing framework would
only be possible after amendments to two key laws — Foreign Exchange
Management Act (FEMA) and Companies Act + proposal considered to allow
countires which are part of IOSCO board rather being ordinary members
 IOSCO - International Organization of Securities Commissions = association of
organisations that regulate the world’s securities and futures markets + formed in
1983 + Hq at Madrid,Spain + 100 members including India(through SEBI)
 Shivraj Singh Chouhan Committee = MNREGA
 Bioplastics — often promoted as a climate-friendly alternative to
petroleum-based plastics — may lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions,
according to a study + It may trigger cropland expansion, which will further
increase greenhouse gas emissions + one of the commonest bioplastics in use
today — polylactic acid (PLA) + made from feedstocks(1st generation = made
from foodstocks like corn and cassava + 2nd generation = made from woody trees
and grass + 3rd generation = made from algae)
 Savitribai Phule = the first school for girls in India was started by her in 1848 @
Pune
 Kaiga n-power plant = karnataka + creates world record by operating
uninterrupted for 941 days + broke earlier record of 940 days by the Heysham
plant in the United Kingdom + It is an indigenously-built PHWR run by
domestic fuel (uranium). It began commercial operations on November 16, 2000
+ Nuclear reactors undergo mandatory checks and have to get clearance from the
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to continue operations
 INDRA-NAVY-18 = the bilateral maritime exercise between Indian Navy and
Russian Federation Navy
 Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates = India signs contracts to purchase 4
Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates from Russia(Project 11356)
 BrahMos = supersonic + medium-range(490 km) + liquid-fuelled
ramjet-powered + cruise missile that can be launched from sea, land and air. +
two-stage missile, with a solid-fueled first stage to bring it to supersonic speed. +
Surface-launched missiles can carry a 200-kg warhead, while the air-launched
variant can carry a payload of 300 kg + It is manufactured in Hyderabad by
BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPO
 Mashinostroeyenia
 Mangalajodi bird sanctuary = located in Odisha (on the banks of the Chilika
Lake) + Migratory birds – Pacific black duck – were spotted
 LAAR Act 2013 = compels a social and environmental impact assessment as a
precondition for any acquisition + acknowledges a need for a system of
rehabilitation and resettlement + 70% of the affected land owners should
consent to the acquisition of land for a public private participation project + 2013
Act replaced its colonial predecessor of 1894
 Dr. Abdul kalam island = Odisha
 “United to End Tuberculosis: An Urgent Global Response to a Global Epidemic”:
where heads of state and government have “reaffirmed their commitment to end
the global TB epidemic by 2030
 Patel is fifth RBI Governor in free India to resign + Benegal Rama Rau (1949-57)
was first one to resign
 SWIFT India = is a joint venture of top Indian public and private sector banks
and SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) +
The company was created to deliver high quality domestic financial messaging
services to the Indian financial community
 Albendazole = Its use in deworming
 LaQshya = Labour room and maternity quality improvement Initiative +
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
 Partners’s Forum 2018 = MoH&FW + Participants from 85 countries across the
world will come together for accelerating action for improving health of
women,children and adolescents
 Parks and sanctuaries = Pobitora sanctuary in Assam; Hemis and Kishtewar
national parks, Changthang, Hokersar, Trikuta sanctuaries in Jammu and Kashmir;
Jogimatti, Thimlapura and Yadahalli Chinkara sanctuaries in Karnataka;
Deolgaon Rehekuri and Thane Creek Flamingo sanctuaries and the Malvan
marine sanctuary in Maharashtra; Siroi National Park and Khongjaingamba
Ching sanctuary in Manipur; Baghmara Pitcher Plant sanctuary in Meghalaya;
Fakim and Puliebadze and Rangapahar sanctuaries in Nagaland; Dr. Bhimrao
Ambedkar bird sanctuary and Pilibhit sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh and the
Jorepokhri sanctuary in West Bengal
 ‘Freedom of Religion or Belief in India: Rising Challenges & New Opportunities
for U.S. Policy’ Report = 2018 USCIRF Annual Report placed India in Tier 2,
which is a list of nations “in which the violations engaged in or tolerated by the
government during 2017 are serious and characterised by at least one of the
elements of the ‘systematic, ongoing, and egregious’ CPC [country of particular
concern or a Tier 1 country] standard” + India has been in this category as per the
Commission since 2009
 Bioblitz (a biological survey where participants try to record all the targeted
species within an area) = conducted by SeasonWatch (a citizen science
programme of Bengaluru’s National Centre for Biological Sciences)
 Queen of arabian sea = Kochi muziris port
 ‘Jai bharat’ = Hot air balloon expedition by Indian army + dedicated to jawans
who made supreme sacrifices
 National Security Guard (NSG) = the country’s premier counter-terrorist and
contingency force + NSG was raised in 1986 following the assassination of
former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Operation Blue Star + NSG is trained to
operate as an elite urban anti-terrorist and anti-hijack force + doesn’t have a cadre
 of its own or direct recruitment and is instead dependent on personnel sent on
deputation from the army and the central armed police forces
 Submarine rescue system = Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle will help bring
back crew members stranded under water + first non-tethered Deep Submergence
Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) system at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai + can be
operated in very rough conditions with wave height of 4 to 6 m + (India have 5
classes of submarines now = scorpene class 1 + russian kilo class-9 + germany
HDW-4 + Nuclear attack submarine from russia-1 + Indigenous nuclear ballistic
missile submarine INS Arihant-1)
 Japan selected the Chinese character for ‘disaster’ as its ‘defining symbol’ for
2018
 Nalbana Bird Sanctuary or Nalbana Island = Odisha + core area of the
Ramsar designated wetlands of Chilika Lake + declared a bird sanctuary under
the Wildlife Protection Act in 1973 + In 2002, The Bombay Natural History
Society survey recorded 540 nests of the Indian river tern at the island, the largest
nesting colony in the southeast Asia
 Water conservation fee (WCF) = In a bid to promote conservation of
groundwater, the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has notified a WCF +
Industries using ground water need to take NOC from govt + Individual
households drawing groundwater using a delivery pipe of a greater than 1”
diameter need to pay WCF + Agriculture sector: the largest consumer of
groundwater in the country will be exempt from the fees + Defence establishment
not using GW for generating electricity are exempted +entire process of grant of
NOC will be done online through a web-based application system of CGWA +
Rates WON’T be uniform rather will depend on location of extraction of GW +
India is largest user of groundwater in the world
 India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation
(IRIGC-MTC) = 18th meet + chaired by Defence Ministers + India is keen on
moving from licence manufacturing of defence equipment to joint production
under Make in India
 PhotoDNA = by Microsoft + a tool that aids in finding and removing known
images of child exploitation
 SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) = Founded in 1992, the
SCCI is formed from local chambers of commerce from all nine members of
SAARC including the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI) + meets regularly and is one of the SAARC’s most active bodies
 Bhavani River = TN + 2nd largest tributory of kaveri
 Ranbir Penal Code(RPC) = J&K + related to sexual harrasment + Ranbir Penal
Code (RPC), to insert a section to provide for the offence of “sextortion.” + J&K
has become the first State in the country to bring a law to prevent people in power
from exploiting subordinates sexually
 One stop centres = MoW&CD + funded from Nirbhaya Fund + aims to facilitate
access to integrated range of services including medical aid, police assistance,
legal aid and case management, psychosocial counselling and temporary support
services to women affected by violence + also kniwn as sakhi one stop centers +
All the States and the Union Territories, barring Delhi, West Bengal and
Lakshadweep, have one-stop centres
 Swadhar Greh = MoW&CD + a scheme meant to cater to women in difficult
circumstances + temporary rehabilitation centres for adult women survivors of
domestic violence and trafficking, as well as for women who have nowhere to go
 after being freed from jail
 Dampa tiger reserve = Mizorzm + holds the distinction of housing the highest
number of clouded leopards in Southeast Asia
 Hojagiri = folk dance, performed in the state of Tripura, India by the Bru people
 Two heads of country's internal(IB) and external(RAW) intelligence wings had a
fixed two-year tenure each
 Toofani aircraft = inducted from france in 1953 + Dassault ouragan is real name
 e-com portal = launched by India post + to help sellers, particularly rural artisans
and SHGs sell their products across the country + products will be shipped
through Speed Post + India Post is open for registration of all vendors for
e-commerce business. It will pick up products from vendor and deliver to
doorstep of customers
 Theyyam = An ancient ritualistic Kerala dance form that elevates members of the
lower castes to the stature of God + seen as a warcry against the caste system +
kaliyattam performance
 Kanchenjunga Landscape = across India, Nepal and bhutan + governments of
India, Nepal and Bhutan are actively considering having a joint task force for
allowing free movement of wildlife across political boundaries and checking
smuggling of wildlife across the Kanchenjunga Landscape + Kanchenjunga and
covers an area of 25,080 sq km spread across parts of eastern Nepal (21%),
Sikkim and West Bengal (56%) and western and southwestern parts of Bhutan
(23%)
 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) = is a
regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre serving the
eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas(Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan) + Founded in
1983, ICIMOD is based in Lalitpur, Nepal
 Environmental Defense Fund(EDF) = NGO + is a United States-based
nonprofit environmental advocacy group
 Exome = is the part of the genome composed of exons, the sequences which,
when transcribed, remain within the mature RNA after introns are removed by
RNA splicing and contribute to the final protein product encoded by that gene
 Deep Earth = region that exists between 2 km and 3 km below the ocean-floor +
his consists of about 2-2.3 billion cubic km, which is about twice the volume of
the oceans combined + The deep biosphere constitutes a world that can be viewed
as a sort of “subterranean Galapagos” and includes members of all three domains
of life: bacteria and archaea (microbes with no membrane-bound nucleus), and
eukarya (microbes or multicellular organisms with cells that contain a nucleus as
well as membrane-bound organelles) + Two types of microbes — bacteria and
archaea — dominate Deep Earth(Scientists say about 70% of earth’s bacteria and
archaea live in the subsurface)
 WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices = 4th edition + hosted by India at
Visakhapatnam
 Biomedical Equipment Management and Maintenance Programme = aims to
improve the functionality of medical equipment in public health facilities through
spport to state govts + MoH&FW
 Saqqara = vast burial ground in Egypt + Egypt unearths 4,400-year-old tomb
 ‘Green process’ = developed by N-E varsity researchers + to treat industrial
waste + fast, energy-efficient and low-cost process for treatment and
bio-detoxification of industrial effluents contaminated with harmful
 azo-dye(textile, leather and paint industries) + traditional treatment of
environmentally damaging waste-water effluents with appropriate chemicals
processes such as chemical precipitation, coagulation and electrocoagulation only
transfers the contaminating chemical entities and chemical groups of the
waste-water to other media, thereby producing secondary wastes
 Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) = It is a national network of
organisations and individuals dedicated to promote mother and child health
through protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding
 Paint My City Initiative = Of Kumbh Mela Authority + To #Beautify #Prayagraj
With The Indian Art Across Various Sites Of The City.
 GSAT-7A/GSLV-F11 mission/ISRO’s ‘angry bird’ = to add muscle to Air Force
+ Military communication satellite + Although all Indian communication
satellites offer capacity to the armed forces, GSAT-7A will be the first one built
primarily for the IAF to qualitatively unify its assets and improve combined,
common intelligence during operations + also support aerial activities of the
Army and the Navy where required(About 70% of it would be for the Air Force
and the rest for the needs of the Army) + satellite using Ku band(NOT Ka
BAND) will enable superior real time aircraft-to-aircraft communication; and
between planes that are in flight and their commanders on the ground + Since
August 2013, the Navy has a satellite largely for its use, the GSAT-7, for similarly
linking its ships to command on land + GSLV-F11 space vehicle release it to an
eventual geostationary orbit about 36,000 km from Earth + 8 years life + 2250 kg
 Information Fusion Centre (IFC) = for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) +
Through this Centre, information on “white shipping”, or commercial shipping,
will be exchanged with countries in the region to improve maritime domain
awareness in the Indian Ocean + IFC has been established at the Navy’s
Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram + All
countries that have already signed white shipping information exchange
agreements with us, about 21 of them, are IFC partners + information is available
primarily through the Automatic Identification System (AIS) + In a related
development, India has signed the ascension agreement to the Trans Regional
Maritime Network (T-RMN) + single point centre interlinking all the coastal
radar chains to generate a seamless real-time picture of the nearly 7,500-km long
coastline + about 21 — that have already signed White Shipping Information
Exchange agreements with India are IFC partners and can post International
Liaison Officers (ILOs) at the centre
 Trans Regional Maritime Network (T-RMN) = acilitates information exchange
on the movement of commercial traffic on the high seas + multilateral construct
comprises of 30 countries + steered by Italy
 Automatic Identification System (AIS) = fitted on merchant ships with more than
300 gross registered tonnage as mandated by the International Maritime
Organisation + AIS information comprises name, MMSI number, position, course,
speed, last port visited, destination and so on + This information can be picked up
through various AIS sensors including coastal AIS chains and satellite based
receivers
 G77 = coalition of 134 developing nations, designed to promote its members'
collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in
the United Nations + India is a part of it
 Global Stocktake (GST) plan = The GST, which will happen in 2023, refers to a
periodic appraisal by countries on where the world stands vis-à-vis emissions +
 under Paris Agreement + India has apprehensions regarding equity in
GST(Article 14 of paris agreement)
 Traditional paddy varieties of Wayanad include aromatic rice varieties such as
Gandhakasala and Mullan kaima, and others including Thondi, Paal Thondi and
Chennellu + Chennellu and Mullankaima are known for their nutritional and
medicinal properties
 Great Indian Bustard = Critically endangered + India, effectively the only home
of the bustards, now harbours less than 150 individuals in five States + Several
threats — including power lines,hunting,game bird etc + Schedule I of India’s
Wildlife Protection Act + thrive in arid grasslands + insect eaters + has
disappeared from 90% of its origional habitats + wide-ranging birds disperse to
agricultural landscapes near Gujarat’s Kachchh during the non-breeding season
 Marker Wadden = artificial islands located in the Markermeer lake in The
Netherlands. + The Markermeer is one of Europe's largest freshwater lakes +
Dutch engineers build artificial islands to bring wildlife back + The project,
initiated by Natuurmonumenten, a Dutch non-governmental organisation + Dutch,
masters of water management used an innovative technique, forming the islets
with silt, a sedimentary formation halfway between clay and sand
 Cyclone Phethai = Odisha + A.P
 Under the Sal Tree’ festival = in Rampur village, some 140 km from Guwahati +
It's a three-day theatre festival organised in the middle of a jungle with an aim to
connect man with nature
 IAF plane takes to the air on blended bio-fuel = ndia had thus joined a league of
select nations to have “developed, tested and certified” a single step
Hydro-processed Renewable Jet (HRJ) process to convert non-edible oil into
biofuel for use on military aircraft + This bio-jet fuel technology was developed
by the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) under the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) in 2009 and tested between 2011 and 2013 + After
evaluation, including performance runs on the aero-engine since 2018, the Centre
for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) cleared the trial flight
 ISRO phones for fishermen = with help of NaVIC (Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System) receivers
 NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) = is
a constituent board of Quality Council of India Certification, set up to establish
and operate accreditation programme for healthcare organizations + 2006
 María Fernanda Espinosa is only the fourth woman president of the United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 73 years, the first being India’s Vijay
Lakshmi Pandit in 1953
 Jelaleddin Mevlana Rumi = Sufi mystic, poet and founder of Sufism
 SpaceIL = Israel + to be country’s 1st spacecraft to moon
 “Farout” = Scientists have discovered the most-distant body ever observed in
our solar system — located over 100 times farther than Earth is from the Sun
 ‘Strategy for New India @75’ document = by NITI Aayog
 Surrogacy bill = banning commercial surrogacy with penal provisions of jail
term of up to 10 years and fine of up to ₹10 lakh + allows only close Indian
relatives to be surrogate mothers and purely for “altruistic” reasons + It states an
Indian infertile couple, married for five years or more, can go in for ‘altruistic
surrogacy’ where the surrogate mother will not be paid any compensation except
medical expenses and insurance
 Kawal tiger reserve = Telangana
 Pheran = lonn woolen winter dress + generally in Kashmir
 Stockholm peace agreement = ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthi
rebels(Hodeida region) and yemen forces + agreement was reached in
UN-mediated talks held in Stockholm
 J-curve effect = refers to a phenomenon wherein the trade balance of a country
worsens following the depreciation of its currency before it improves
 Maneri Dam = concrete gravity dam on the Bhagirathi River + Uttarakhand
 Akari (ASTRO-F) = is an infrared astronomy satellite developed by Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency, in cooperation with institutes of Europe and
Korea + Scientists have detected evidence of water on 17 asteroids for the first
time using data from the infrared satellite AKARI
 Front Line Defenders = or The International Foundation for the Protection of
Human Rights Defenders is an Irish-based human rights organisation + Ireland
 Colistin = In the practice of medicine, colistin is called ‘holy water’. It’s the last
resort for very sick patients + Colistin is used as a growth factor in poultry
 Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)/the ‘baby rocket’ = quickest way to
space for small-size satellites + With a lift-off mass of 120 tonnes, the SSLV can
place a 500 kg payload at a height of 500 km in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) + The
SSLV has three solid motor stages, and like the PSLV and GSLV, can
accommodate multiple satellites, albeit smaller ones + Unlike the PSLV and
GSLV, the SSLV can be assembled both vertically and horizontally
 Isotretinoin = an oral drug, which is used in the treatment of severe acne
 Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) = Indigenous + by DRDO +
one prototype is being built in partnership with Tata Power and the other is in
collaboration with Bharat Forge + 18 tonnes + sports 6 round magazine instead of
standard 3 round magazine + gun has several significant features including an
all-electric drive, high mobility, quick deployability, auxiliary power mode,
advanced communications system, automated command and control system
 Identical Twins Have Identical DNA
 Consumer Protection Bill, 2018 = to replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986
+ meant to protect those who use new technologies such as e-commerce and
online shopping + financial jurisdiction of the District Consumers Courts has
been increased: they can deal with complaints involving ₹1 crore as against the
₹20 lakh earlier + Under the clause of product liability, a manufacturer will be
liable to give compensation for products with defects
 Sandbox policy = A sandbox approach denotes the trial of a concept before final
adaptation, thus minimising the impact of any failure
 SDG Index Score = released by NITI Aayog + 1st of its kind + index comprises a
composite score for each State and Union Territory 13 of the 17 SDGs + Kerala
and Himachal Pradesh are the front runners
 Ashtamudi lake = Kerala + first in India to receive Marine Stewardship Council
(MSC) certification + (Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an independent
non-profit organization which sets a standard for sustainable fishing)
 Munroe thuruthu islands = inland island + located at the confluence of
Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada River, in Kollam district, Kerala
 Home ministry order authorised 10 agencies to intercept computer based
information + Section 69(1) of IT Act,2000 allow this with some conditions +
(telephone surveillance is sanctioned under the 1885 Telegraph Act (and its rules),
while electronic surveillance is authorised under the 2000 Information
Technology Act (and its rules))
 Albino orangutan = only one left + recently released into wild
 Pakal Dul Hydroelectric Project = biggest hydroelectric project under
construction in J&K + on Marusadar River, a tributary of Chenab River
 Golconda fort = was first built by kakatiya dynasty and later ceded to Bahmani
sultanate in 1364 + Qutb Shahi dynasty of Bahmani sultanate expanded the fort
which was finally came under Mughal ruler Aurangazeb + Telangana government
is planning to send a proposal to UNESCO to get “World Heritage Site” tag for
Hyderabad + Monuments which will be included in the file are Charminar,
Golconda and Qutb Shahi Tombs
 Bogibeel Bridge = India’s longest road-rail bridge(4.94 Km) + Will span the
Brahmaputra in eastern Assam + Foundation stone laid in 1997 and work started
in 2002 + 1st fully welded steel bridge of the railways(not a single nut or bolt used)
+ double deck(railway track on lower deck and 3 lane road on upper deck) +
Electric arc construction technology was used during the construction process to
ensure longetivity of the structure + bridge will help reduce the distance between
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by around 600 km + it will connect dibrugarh and
dhemaji
 DNA aptamer = a small, single-stranded DNA molecule that binds to a specific
target molecule
 Himalayan marmots = Scientists have sequenced the genome of Himalayan
marmots + survive in extreme cold, with little oxygen and in rough environments
at altitudes up to 5,000 metres in the Himalayas + Least Concern
 Timberline = the last canopy forests on the mountains + Though global warming
is changing this in many of the world's high mountains and causing timberlines to
move upward, the eastern Himalaya may be an exception, find scientists
 NFHS-4 survey = total fertility rate showed a decline — from 2.7 in 2005-6 to
2.1 in 2015-16 + under-five mortality rate decreased from 109 deaths per 1,000
live births in 1992-93, to 50 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015-16 + infant
mortality rate also came down during the same period, from 79 deaths to 41
deaths per 1,000 live births + sex ratio at birth also showed an upward turn from
914 to 919 + percentage of institutional births almost doubled from 38.7% to
78.9% during the same period + more than half (53%) of women (ages 15-49)
were anaemic, which is almost twice that of men (23%)
 Paava Kathakali = glove puppetry + kerala
 Pokkali paddy crop = GI tagged crop + grown in saltwater fields + grows to a
height upto 2 m + endemic to central kerala
 International Crisis Group = transnational non-profit, non-governmental
organization(NGO) that carries out field research on violent conflict and advances
policies to prevent, mitigate or resolve conflict
 Stem cells are very young cells than can develop into specialised cells, like blood
cells, bone cells and brain cells. The cells are being studied as a potential way to
treat many diseases + Stem cells can be harvested from adults, but another source
is umbilical cord blood
 Anak Krakatoa Island = Tsunami struck here + Indonesian Island + active
volcano + birth in 1920s
 (KALIA) scheme = Odisha + Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income
Augmentation (KALIA) scheme to address the agrarian crisis
 Tembhu irrigation project = River Krishna + Maharashtra
 “Dharnimantras” = Buddhist inscriptions + founded in Lalitgiri + (Lalitgiri =
earliest buddhist settlement in Odisha)
 Agni-IV = Nuclear capable + with a strike range of 4,000 km + Indigenous +
2-stage missile
 National unity award = Constituted on the lines of the Padma awards + annual
award would be given to any Indian who has contributed to national unity in any
manner
 International Tsunami Information Centre (ITIC) = established by the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO + located at
hawaii
 State startup Ranking Report, 2018 = Gujarat, which claimed the top spot +
report released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) +
(Andhra Pradesh was the first State in the country to announce a startup policy in
2014)
 Foot & Mouth Disease(FMD) = viral contagious animal disease + affects all
susceptible cloven-footed animals, including domestic and wild bovines
 Ultima Thule = most distant planetary object ever studied, a frozen relic of the
early solar system + unmanned spaceship New Horizons is poised to zoom past
Ultima Thule at a distance of just 3,500 km + 100 times tinier than Pluto + lies in
kuiper belt
 Jeddah,Mecca and Medina = Saudi Arabia
 ‘Lazy banking’ = refers to the risk averse nature of banks
 Special mention accounts (SMA-0) = An account is identified as an SMA-0
account if the payment is delayed even by one day
 Goumara national park = West Bengal
 Ksan mine = Meghalaya + Lytein river water flows around this mine + rat hole
mining--->>Dickensian mining practices + (goda mine = Jharkhand)
 Bimal Jalan panel = on RBI’s economic capital framework + committee would
also propose a suitable profit distribution policy
 Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 = will replace the
ordinance + bill declares pronouncement of talaq in both written and electronic
form as illegal + cognisance of offence can be taken only on complaint to
majistrate by wifr or close relative + imprisonment upto 3 years + women can
drop a case against husband if both reach a compromise
 Chetak festival = oldest horse fairs in the country + held on bank of river Tapi
 ‘Delta’ ranking of districts = 2nd released + under Aspirational districts
programme of NITI Aayog + Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar showed the most
improvement + measures the incremental progress made by them across areas
such as health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial
inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure
 Karmapa = head of the karma kagyu school, one of the 4 main schools of tibetan
buddhism,based in dharamshala,H.P
 MSP on minor forest produced is also there(initiative by tribal ministry +
Nationwide coverage)
 Hangul/Kashmir's Red Stag = Dachigam National park, J&K + Critically
endangered + Found in J&K and HP + state animal of J&K + challenges the
hangul faces include poaching, threats from insurgency and the border conflict
between India and Pakistan + sub species of european red deer + Similar in
appearance to the European red deer, the Kashmir stag has a tiny white rump
patch and a short dark tail. But unlike its European cousin, its coat is not red, but
dark grey and dark brown
 New notification for CRZ = only such projects which are located in CRZ-I
 (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) and IV (area covered between Low Tide Line and
12 nautical miles seaward) will require the necessary clearance from the Union
Ministry + powers for clearances with respect to CRZ-II (the areas that have been
developed up to or close to the shoreline) and III (areas that are relatively
undisturbed) have been delegated to the State level + new notification also
relaxed the No Development Zone (NDZ) criteria
 Marketplace model where the e-commerce firm simply acts as a platform that
connects buyers and sellers. FDI is allowed in e-commerce companies in this
model + Inventory Model where the inventory of goods sold on the portal is
owned or controlled by the e-commerce company. FDI is not allowed under this
model
 Javan rhinos = Critically endangered + (Ujung Kulon National Park = Java)
 Ujjwala Sanitary Napkins initiative = by three oil marketing companies –
IOCL, BPCL and HPCL + three companies will set up 100 manufacturing units at
the Common Service Centres (CSC) in Odisha + mission forms part of the CSR
initiative of OMCs in Odisha, is aimed to educate women on female hygiene and
health, improve accessibility to low cost eco-friendly sanitary pads and boost
rural employment and economy
 Renaming of three islands of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago = Ross
Island was renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep + the Neil Island as
Shaheed Dweep + the Havelock Island as Swaraj Dweep
 T-90 tanks = to be procurred from Russia
 Asset Liability Management (ALM) is a term pertaining to the managing and
balancing the risks arising out of a bank’s assets viz. loans and liabilities +
Reserve Bank of India has mandated that the board of a commercial bank should
have the overall responsibility for management of risks and should decide
 Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) = defined as the acquisition (including
purchases of new or second-hand assets) and creation of assets by producers for
their own use, minus disposals of produced fixed assets + It is measured as a
component of the expenditure on GDP
 Thanjavur doll = Tamil Nadu + traditional Indian bobblehead or roly-poly toy
made of terracotta material + GI tag
 Model Concession Agreement (MCA) = forms the core of public private
partnership (PPP) projects in India
 Galapagos Islands part of the Republic of Ecuador, are an archipelago of
volcanic islands distributed on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean
 Himalayan vulture/Himalayan griffon vulture/Gyps himalayensis = Near
threatened + found along the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan Plateau + It is
one of the two largest Old World vultures and true raptors + visit habitats in
South India(Ramdevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary and Hessarghatta,
Grasslands(Both in Karnataka))
 Tic-tac-toe = Pioneers of DNA origami technique from Caltech have built the
world’s smallest tic-tac-toe game board using DNA
 Helium = the second most abundant element in the universe + hard to come by
on Earth in its gaseous state, because it is so light that it can escape easily + one
of the places where it is found is in volcanic lava plumes, such as seen in Iceland
and Hawaii, originating from the Earth’s mantle. This is ancient helium from
when the Earth was formed
 ‘Angel tax’ = It is a 30% tax that is levied on the funding received by startups
from an external investor