1 Operation Green

Objectives

1. India is the second largest producer of vegetables in the world with about 180 MMT.
2. Operation Greens wants to replicate the success story of the operation flood in fruit and vegetables, starting with tomatoes, onions and potatoes.
3. The main objective of this project is to reduce price volatility in these commodities, thereby helping farmers boost incomes on a sustainable basis.
4. It also aims to provide these vegetables to consumers at affordable pricesLinks major consumption centres to major production centres with a minimal number of intermediaries.
5. The APMC Act will have to be changed to allow direct buying from FPOs, and giving incentives to these organisations, private companies and NGOs to build back end infrastructure as was done in the case of milk under operation flood.
6. The announcement of tax concessions to FPOs (farmer producer organisations) for five years. It will encourage building such critical infrastructure.
7. Second is the investment in logistics, starting with modern warehouses, that can minimize wastage.
8. Third is linking the processing industry with organized retailing.
9. Dehydrated onions, tomato puree and potato chips should become cheap, so that an average household can use them

2.Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

Objectives –

1. The primary objectives of PMKSY are to attract investments in irrigation system at field level, develop and expand cultivable land in the country, enhance ranch water use in order to minimize wastage of water, enhance crop per drop by implementing water-saving technologies and precision irrigation.1. Formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation ‘Har Khet ko pani’ and
2. Improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per drop’ in a focused manner with end to end solution on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities.

PMKSY has been formulated amalgamating ongoing schemes viz.

1. Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources,

2. River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR),

3. Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land Resources (DoLR)

4. The On Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC)

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of water resources, ministry of rural development , ministry of agriculture

3.Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

Objectives –

1. To incentivize the states that increase their investment in Agriculture and allied sectors

2. To provide flexibility and autonomy to the States in planning and executing programmes for agriculture

3. To ensure the preparation of Agriculture Plans for the districts and states

4. To achieve the goal of reducing the yield gaps in important crops

5. To maximize returns to the farmers

6. To address the agriculture and allied sectors in an integrated manner

Salient Features –

1. It is a State Plan scheme

2. The eligibility of a state for the RKVY is contingent upon the state maintaining or increasing the State Plan expenditure for Agricultural and Allied sectors

3. The scheme encourages convergence with other programmes such as NREGS.

4. It will integrate agriculture and allied sectors comprehensively

4.National Food Security Mission (NFSM)The NFSM has three components:

(i) National Food Security Mission – Rice (NFSM-Rice);

(ii) National Food Security Mission – Wheat (NFSM-Wheat); and

(iii) National Food Security Mission – Pulses (NFSM Pulses)

Objectives –

1. The Mission aims to increase production through area expansion and productivity; create employment opportunities; and enhance the farm-level economy (i.e. farm profits) to restore confidence of farmers.

2. The approach is to bridge the yield gap in respect of these three crops through dissemination of improved technologies and farm management practices while focusing on districts which have high potential but relatively low level of productivity at present.

5.National Horticulture Mission (NHM)

Objectives –

1. To provide holistic growth of the horticulture sector through an area based regionally differentiated strategies

2. To enhance horticulture production, improve nutritional security and income support to farm households

3. To establish convergence and synergy among multiple on-going and planned programmes for horticulture development

4. To promote, develop and disseminate technologies, through a seamless blend of traditional wisdom and modern scientific knowledge

5. To create opportunities for employment generation for skilled and unskilled persons, especially unemployed youth.

6.To develop horticulture to the maximum potential available in the state and to augment production of all horticultural products (fruits, vegetables, flowers, coco,cashew nut,plantation crops, spices, medicinal aromatic plants) in the state

6.Soil Health Card Scheme

Objectives –

Under the scheme, the government plans to issue soil cards to farmers which will carry crop-wise recommendations of nutrients and fertilisers required for the individual farms to help farmers to improve productivity through judicious use of inputs

1. All soil samples are to be tested in various soil testing labs across the country.

2. Thereafter the experts will analyse the strength and weaknesses (micro-nutrients deficiency) of the soil and suggest measures to deal with it.

3. The result and suggestion will be displayed in the cards. The government plans to issue the cards to 14 crore farmers.

7.Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

Objectives –

To provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of natural calamities, pests & diseases.

To stabilise the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.

One crop one rate

A uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for all

Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops.

In case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only 5%.

There is no upper limit on Government subsidy so farmers will get claim against full sum insured without any reduction.

The premium rates to be paid by farmers are very low and balance premium will be paid by the Government

Yield Losses: due to non-preventable risks, such as Natural Fire and Lightning, Storm, Hailstorm, Cyclone, Typhoon, Tempest, Hurricane, Tornado. Risks due to Flood, Inundation and Landslide, Drought, Dry spells, Pests/ Diseases also will be covered.

Post harvest losses are also covered.

The use of technology: Smart phones will be used to capture and upload data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim payment to farmers. Remote sensing will be used to reduce the number of crop cutting experiments.

8.National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

1. To make agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate resilient by promoting location specific Integrated/Composite Farming Systems;

2. To conserve natural resources through appropriate soil and moisture conservation measures;

3. To adopt comprehensive soil health management practices based on soil fertility maps, soil test based application of macro & micro nutrients, judicious use of fertilizers etc.;

4. To optimize utilization of water resources through efficient water management to expand coverage for achieving ‘more crop per drop’;

5. To develop capacity of farmers & stakeholders, in conjunction with other on-going Missions e.g. National Mission on Agriculture Extension & Technology, National Food Security Mission, National Initiative for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) etc., in the domain of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures;

6. To pilot models in select blocks for improving productivity of rainfed farming by mainstreaming rainfed technologies refined through NICRA and by leveraging resources from other schemes/Missions like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), RKVY etc.;

7. To establish an effective inter and intra Departmental/Ministerial co-ordination for accomplishing key deliverables of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture under the aegis of NAPCC.1. NMSA derives its mandate from Sustainable Agriculture Mission which is one of the eight Missions outlined under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

9.Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana

Objectives –

Boost Organic Farming

1. PKVY scheme is the first comprehensive plan based on a 20 hectare cluster whose implementation is done by the state governments.

2. In a cluster maximum financial assistance of up to 1 hectare is provided to the farmers.

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare

10.National Agriculture Market

Objectives –

1. e-National Agriculture Market (NAM) is a pan-India e-trading platform. It is designed to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities
2. Farmers can showcase their produce online from their nearest market and traders can quote price from anywhere
3. It will result in increased numbers of traders and greater competition. It will also ensure open price discovery and better returns to farmers.
4. National Agriculture Market is going to implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation through Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC).
5. NAM is not replacing the mandis. NAM is an online platform with a physical market or mandi at the backend enabling buyers situated even outside the state to participate in trading at the local level.
6. It seeks to leverage the physical infrastructure of mandis through an online trading portal, enabling buyers situated even outside the state to participate in trading at the local level.
7. This e-platform aims to provide more options to farmers to sell their produce and is part of implementation of the roadmap for doubling income of the farmers by 2022

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare

11.Krishi Vigyan Kendras

Objectives –

The aim of the portal is to transfer the technologies developed by the agricultural scientists to the farmers in a fast and effective manner using web and mobile technology as well as to monitor the activities of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)

1. The objectives of the portal is to create a platform to monitor the various activities as well as resource utilization by various KVKs;

2. To create a database of the various programmes organized by the KVKs along with their detailed information and learning resources;

3. To help the farmers in resolving their queries using web and mobile technologies;

4. To provide information about various facilities and activities performed by the KVKs and to provide linkage to other important information such as weather and market information.

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare

12. SENSAGRI:

SENsor based Smart AGRIculture

Objectives –

The major objective is to develop indigenous prototype for drone based crop and soil health monitoring system using hyperspectral remote sensing (HRS) sensors

1. Drone technology based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has ability for smooth scouting over farm fields, gathering precise information and transmitting the data on real time basis.

2. This capability could be used for the benefit of farming sector at regional/local scale for assessing land and crop health; extent, type and severity of damage besides issuing forewarning, post-event management and settlement of compensation under crop insurance schemes.

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare

14.Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Scheme

Objectives –

It was launched to promote agricultural education.-Under the scheme 100 centres are opened with a fund of Rs.5.35 crore.

15. Mera Gaon-Mera Gaurav

1. To enhance the direct interface of scientists with the farmers, an innovative initiative has been launched as “Mera Gaon- Mera Gaurav”which will hasten the lab to land approach.
2. The objective of this initiative is to provide farmers with required information, knowledge and advisories on regular basis.
3. Under this scheme, groups of scientists will select villages and will remain in touch with that village and provide information to farmers on technical and other related aspects in a time frame through personal visits or through telecommunication.
4. In this way, 20,000 scientists of National Agricultural Research and Education System (NARES) can work directly in villages.

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Agriculture

16. Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (ARYA)

Objectives –

1. To attract youth to enter into agricultural activities.-The new scheme ARYA has recently been launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICRA).
2. -This program is planned to be implemented through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK-Farm science centres) in 25 states of our country.
3. -Each KVK would train about 200 to 300 youth in taking up agriculture’s allied and supplementary activities such as poultry farming, dairying, fisheries, goat rearing, mushroom production and other similar activities which keep the rural youth attached to agriculture, either directly or indirectly.
4. -Finally, the trained young entrepreneurs would be assisted in preparing project reports for seeking bank loans.

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Agriculture

17.Farmer First

Objectives –

1. The Farmer FIRST aims at enriching Farmers –Scientist interface, technology assemblage, application and feedback, partnership and institutional building and content mobilization.It will provide a platform to farmers and scientists for creating linkages, capacity building, technology adaptation and application, on-site input management, feedback and institution building.
2. The scientists from 100 ICAR Institutes/ Universities are proposed to work with one lakh farmers directly.

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Agriculture

18. Pandit Deendayal Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana

Objectives –

1. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry has launched a new scheme named as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krihsi shiksha Yojna to fish out the talent of Indian youths and all over development of rural India has launched.
2. Scheme is being implemented by Agriculture Education Division related to Indian Council of Agricultural Research Council (ICAR).
3. Under this course of action the trainers will be selected on village level so as to establish training centre, to impart knowledge about natural/organic/sustainable farming/rural economy. Various training programmes will be conducted in different regions in these centers.
4. Almost 100 training centers will be set up throughout the country for the participation of teachers in various activities for the Advanced India Campaign conducted by Agriculture Research Council/Human Resource Development Ministry under this scheme alongwith.

19.SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters)

Objectives –

1. To supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease agri-waste. PMKSY is an umbrella scheme which incorporates all ongoing schemes of the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). It includes MoFPI’s schemes such as Mega Food Parks, Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure, Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure, etc.
2. It also includes new schemes like Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages, Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters, Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities.

20.e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi (e-RaKAM) portal

Objectives –

1. To provide a platform for farmers to sell agricultural produce Government launched a portal e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi (e-RaKAM) which will provide a platform to sell agricultural produce.
2. e-RaKAM is a first of its kind initiative that leverages technology to connect farmers of the smallest villages to the biggest markets of the world through internet.
3. e-RaKAM is a digital initiative bringing together the farmers, PSUs, civil supplies and buyers on a single platform to ease the selling and buying process of agricultural products.
4. Under this initiative, e-RaKAM centres are being developed in a phased manner throughout the country to facilitate farmers for online sale of their produce.
5. The farmers will be paid through e-Payment directly into their bank accounts.

21.Price Stabilization Fund

Objectives –

1. To help regulate the price volatility of important agri-horticultural commodities like onion, potatoes and pulsesThe scheme provides for maintaining a strategic buffer of aforementioned commodities for subsequent calibrated release to moderate price volatility and discourage hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.
2. For building such stock, the scheme promotes direct purchase from farmers/farmers’ association at farm gate/Mandi.
3. The PSF is utilized for granting interest free advance of working capital to Central Agencies, State/UT Governments/Agencies to undertake market intervention operations.
4. Apart from domestic procurement from farmers/wholesale mandis, import may also be undertaken with support from the Fund.

Nodal Ministry

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DOCA)

22.Interest subvention scheme

Objectives –

1. The objective of the scheme is to make available agricultural credit for Short Term crop loans at an affordable rate. The scheme is expected to boost agricultural productivity and production in the country.
2. Under this scheme, farmers will be given a short term crop loan up to Rs. 3 lakh payable within one year at an interest rate of 4% per annum.
3. The scheme will be implemented by NABARD and RBI.
4. The interest subvention will be provided to Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Private Sector Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and to NABARD for refinancing to RRBs and Cooperative Banks.
5. Interest subvention of 5% per annum will be provided to those farmers who pay the short term crop loan in time. Farmers will have to effectively pay only 4% as interest. For farmers who do not pay crop loan in time the interest subvention of only 2% will be applicable as against 5% available above.
6. This institutional credit is expected to demotivate farmers from taking loans from non-institutional sources of credit at high rates of interest.

23.Bio-tech Kisaan

Objectives –

1. The Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN) aims to understand the problems of water, soil, seed and market faced by the farmers and provide simple solutions to them. The scheme will be implemented in 15 agro-climatic zones of India in phased manner with the objective:-
2. Linking available science and technology to the farm by first understanding the problem of the local farmer and provide solutions to those problems.
3. The working together, in close conjunction, of scientists and farmers is the only way to improve the working conditions of small and marginal farmers.
4. This programme aims to work with small and marginal farmers especially the woman farmer for better agriculture productivity through scientific intervention and evolving best farming practices in the Indian context.

Nodal Ministry

Ministry of Science & technology

Economics is one of the primary Pillars of UPSC preparation. It has substantial weightage in Prelims and also in  GS 3rd paper of mains. To ensure that students build  a strong foundation and  a strong hold over the subject, we at Civilsdaily, have the best and most trusted faculty, Himanshu Arora Sir.

Credentials of Himanshu Sir-

• MPhil Economics (JNU)
• Works at Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council
• Writes regularly in various famous Indian and international weeklies like Millenium post and Huffington Post.
• Worked as Assistant Professor in Delhi University.

Here is the article by Himanshu Sir  that was published today in  Financial Express;

Strengthening India’s economic fundamental may be the best route to enhance its influence as a strong economy

In the wake of the horrific terrorist attack on Indian forces in Pulwama, France, United Kingdom and the US have moved a proposal to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar under 1267 Al-Qaeda Sanction Committee. However, in a geopolitical move to safeguard its interests in Pakistan, China has vetoed India’s bid to declare Azhar a global terrorist, for the fourth time. Back in 2009 as well, soon after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, India had moved a similar proposal. In 2016, after the Pathankot attack, India had again moved the proposal at UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee along with P3 (USA, UK, France) to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. In 2017, P3 nations moved a similar proposal yet again. On all such occasions, China blocked the proposal from being passed by the Security Council. The proposal, if passed, would have designated Azhar a global terrorist with his assets frozen, travels banned and imposed an arms embargo.

Why has China adopted such a stand? China’s relationship with Pakistan can be understood within the context of its relationship with India. As China-India relations started to move southwards, its relations with Pakistan strengthened. China and Pakistan have long valued their alliance as a strategic hedge against India. Beijing’s move to save terrorist organisations operating from Pakistan is part of its larger geopolitical plan. It has invested heavily in Pakistan and any move by India to declare it as a hub of terrorist activities will have major economic and strategic consequences.

Historically, China has relied on its military to influence its relations with Pakistan. China has played a major role in building Pakistan’s defence capabilities, supplying missiles, aircrafts and radar equipment. However, as China’s economic prowess has grown, so has its temptation to use economic power to advance its geopolitical goals. China has been playing the geo-economics game at a maestro level by relying on economic instruments to expand its influence. Chinese leadership has reached a consensus that instead of supplying fighter jets to Pakistan, it makes more sense to initiate a currency swap agreement between central banks—a move less likely to provoke a security response from US or India.
China’s friendship with Pakistan is also influenced by the presence of a dominant third party— the US—making it a 3-player strategic triangle. China’s strategic choices in Pakistan draw significantly from the fact that the US has limited its military relationship with Pakistan since 2011. For China, having strong ties with Pakistan is a considerable source of leverage over US. As long as Pakistan acts contrary to the interests of US by encouraging militant activity, providing safe havens for terrorists, and preventing peace efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan remains an important source of leverage for China.

China’s interest in Pakistan is also heightened by improving Indo-US ties. Since 2006, defence contracts worth more than $18 billion have been signed between the two. The US has backed India’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and the two nations have signed an Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy in 2008, thereby ending decades of India’s nuclear apartheid.

Chinese anxiousness at consistently improving Indo-US ties is reflected in its investments in Pakistan. For instance, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with a total investment of $46 billion, is China’s most ambitious effort to keep Pakistan under its influence. Once completed, almost one-fourth of China’s foreign trade will pass through the CPEC. China has promised to build transport networks, highways, and Gwadar as a major international oil port, for enhancing trade. Gwadar and CPEC are the two most prominent examples of China’s geo-economics in Pakistan. India views these initiatives with suspicion and has repeatedly reiterated that China wants to expand its influence in South Asia. China will use Gwadar as a base for its navy to oversee and expand its influence in the Indian Ocean.

China remains Pakistan’s rescuer by responding to the infrequent crisis moments. The Chinese government had offered $500 million in assistance to Pakistan during its 1996 balance of payments crisis. In 2008, Pakistan once again found itself at the verge of an economic crisis. With its traditional allies US and Saudi Arabia in the grip of the global financial crisis and refusing to grant concessions, the then president approached Beijing for help and the latter obliged by granting $500 million. Another important variant of China’s geo-economics strategy was directly aimed at India when, in 2009, China blocked £2 billion of multilateral assistance to India at the Asian Development Bank amid tensions surrounding a border dispute in Arunachal Pradesh.
Today, China holds much more influence in Pakistan than any other country ever has in history. Pakistan and China share a symbiotic relationship. Pakistan is dependent on China for its economic, political, military and diplomatic support and China is dependent on Pakistan for its strategic and geopolitical objectives. If China does not want to lose a strategic ally and funds it has invested in CPEC and Gwadar, it must provide economic and diplomatic assistance to Pakistan like the one at the United Nations (UN).

Finally, to counter China and Pakistan, India on its part must become an equally active player in this geo-economic game. Strengthening its economic fundamentals may potentially be the best route to enhance influence. A strong economy is a major driver of foreign policy. India must strengthen its economic ties with neighbouring countries. The revival of SAARC can be a good starting point. India must fill the geopolitical vacuum in South-East Asia due to China’s masculine foreign policy. Most South-East Asian nations are aghast by China’s moves in the South China Sea and India can strengthen its ties with such nations by promoting trade and investments through regional trading agreements. This would act as a counter to China’s influence. We must prioritise our economic relations with the US and its allies amid the growing concern of a China-US trade war. The only feasible option we have in order to sideline China diplomatically at the UN is forming stronger economic ties with the US, UK, Russia and France.

Here is the link of the original Article

https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/strengthening-indias-economic-fundamental-may-be-the-best-route-to-enhance-its-influence-as-a-strong-economy/1555087/

Laws related to environment conservation in India

Physiography of India

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The Northern Mountains / Himalayan Mountains

• Young and structurally fold mountains stretch over thenorthern borders of India
• Run in a west-east direction fromthe Indus to the Brahmaputra formed by the tectonic collision of the Indian plateau with the Eurasian plateau
• Loftiest and one of the most rugged mountain barriers of the world
• form an arc, which covers a distance of about 2,400 Km in length with varying width from 400 Km in Kashmir to 160 Km Arunachal Pradesh
• The altitudinal variations are greater in the eastern part than in the western

The Trans Himalayas

• Himalayan Ranges immediately to the north of the The Great Himalayan Range are called the Trans Himalayas.
• Most of the part of this Himalayan range lies in the Tibet and hence also called Tibetan Himalaya
• The Zaskar, K2 (Godwin austin), the Ladakh, the Kailash and the Karakoram are the main ranges of the trans Himalayan system

 

Greater or Inner Himalayas / Himadri

• Most continuous range consisting of the loftiest peaks with an average height of 6,000 metres
• Contains all the prominent Himalayan peaks with core of this part of Himalayas is composed of granite
• Perennially snow bound, and a number of glaciers descend from this range
• Prominent Ranges include Mt. Everest, Kamet, Kanchenjunga, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna

The Lesser Himalaya or Himachal

• Altitude varies between 3,700 to 4,500 metres and the average width is of 50 Km
• While the Pir Panjal range forms the longest and the most important range, the Dhaula Dhar & the Mahabharat ranges are also prominent ones
• Consists of the famous valley of Kashmir and the Kangra & Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh (Majority of hill stations lies in this range)

 

The Shiwaliks

• The altitude varies between 900 to 1100 km and the width varies between 10 to 50 km
• The longitudinal valleys lying between the Himachal and Shiwaliks are called ‘Dun’ for ex. DehraDun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun

 

Eastern hills and mountains

• The Brahmaputra marks the eastern border of the Himalayas. Beyond the Dihang gorge, the Himalayas bend sharply towards south and form the Eastern hills or Purvanchal.
• These hills run through the north eastern states of India & are mostly composed of sandstones for ex. Patkai Hills, Naga Hills, Manipuri Hills and Mizo Hills

Himalayan Regions from East to West

Punjab Himalayas	This part lies between the Indus and Sutlej –  560 km From west to east, this is also known as Kashmir Himalaya and Himachal Himalaya; respectively. Karakoram, Ladakh, Pir Panjal, Zaskar and Dhaola Dhar are the main ranges of this section
Kumaon Himalayas	This part lies between Sutlej and Kali rivers – 320 km  Its western part is called Garhwal Himalaya while the eastern part is known as Kumaon Himalaya The general elevation is higher as compared to Panjab Himalayas Nanda Devi, Kamet, Trisul, Badrinath, Kedamath, Gangotri are important peaks. The sources of sacred rivers like the Ganga and the Yamuna are located in the Kumaon Himalayas Nainital and Bhimtal are important lakes
Nepal Himalayas	This part lies between the Kali and Tista rivers – 800 km This is the tallest section of the Himalayas and is crowned by several peaks of perpetual snow Importantpeaks include Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse I, Makalu, Dhaula Giri and Annapurna Kathmandu is a famous valley in this region
Assam Himalayas	This part lies between the Tista and Dihang rivers – 750 km Has elevation much lesser than that of the Nepal Himalayas The southern slopes are very steep but the northern slopes are gentle Important peaks of this region are Namcha Barwa, Kula Kangri and Chomo Lhari

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 The Northern Plain

• Formed by the interplay of the three major river systems, namely– the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries
• Composed of alluvial soil which has been deposited over millions of years, about 2400 km long and about 240 to 320 km broad.
• With a rich soil cover combined with adequate water supply and favourable climate it is agriculturally a very productive part of India
• Divided into three sections, viz. the Punjab Plain, the Ganga Plain and the Brahmaputra Plain.

Punjab Plains	Form the western part of the northern plain & formed by the Indus and its tributaries with major portion of this plains in Pakistan
Ganga Plains	Extends between Ghaggar and Tista rivers. The northern states, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Bihar, part of Jharkhand and West Bengal lie in the Ganga plains.
Brahmaputra Plains	This plain forms the eastern part of the northern plain and lies in Assam

Based on the relief features; the northern plain can be divided into four regions, viz. bhabar, terai, bhangar and khadar.

Bhabar	After descending from the mountains, the rivers deposit pebbles in a narrow belt. The width of this belt is about 8 to 16 km; lies parallel to the Shiwaliks. All the streams disappear in this region
Terai	The terai region lies towards south of the bhabar belt. In this region, the streams reappear and make a wet, swampy and marshy region
Bhangar	Bhangar is the largest part of the northern plain and is composed of the oldest alluvial soil. They lie above the flood plains & resemble terraces. The soil of this region is locally known as kankar and is composed of calcareous deposits
Khadar	The floodplains formed by younger alluvium are called khadar. The soil in this region is renewed every year and is thus highly fertile.

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The Peninsular Plateau

• The peninsular plateau is triangular in shape & surrounded by hills, composed of the oldest rocks as it was formed from the drifted part of the Gondwana land
• Broad & shallow valleys and rounded hills are the characteristic features of this plateau.
• The plateau can be broadly divided into two regions, viz. the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau.

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The Central Highlands

• The Central Highlands lies to the north of the Narmada River & covers the major portion of the Malwa plateau.
• The rivers in this region flow from southwest to northeast; which indicates the slope of this region.
• It is wider in the west and narrower in the east.
• Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand mark the eastward extension of this plateau.
• The plateau further extends eastwards into the Chhotanagpur plateau

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The Deccan Plateau

• Largest plateau in India, making up most of the southern part of the country, lies to the south of the Naramada River & shaped as downward-pointing triangle.
• It is located between two mountain ranges, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.
• Each rises from its respective nearby coastal plain almost meet at the southern tip of India.
• The average elevation of Western Ghats is 900 – 1600 metres; compared to 600 metres in case of Eastern Ghats.
• It is separated from the Gangetic plain to the north by the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges, which form its northern boundary
• Home of thick dark soil (called regur), suitable for cotton cultivation

 

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The Indian Desert

• The Indian desert lies towards the western margins of the Aravali Hills.
• This region gets scanty rainfall which is less than 150 mm in a year, Hence they climate is arid and vegetation is scanty.
• Luni is the only prominent river but some streams appear during rainy season.

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The Coastal Plains

The Peninsular plateau is flanked by stretch of narrow coastal strips which run along the Arabian Sea on the west and along the Bay of Bengal on the east.

Western Coastal Plains

• The Western Coastal Plainsis a thin strip of coastal plain 50 kilometres in width,  much less than its eastern counterpart, between the west coast of India and the Western Ghats hills, which starts near the south of river Tapi
• The plains begin at Gujarat in the north and end at Kerala in the south including the states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka
• The Gulf of Kutch and the Gulf of Khambat lie on the northern part
• Western coastal plane is mainly divided into following sections
• Kathiawar Coast → Kutch to Daman (Tapti, Narmada, Sabarmati & Mahi river deposit huge load of sediments in the Gulf of Cambay & form estuaries)
• Konkan Coast →  Between Daman & Goa
• Kannada Coast →  Between Goa to Cannanore
• Kanyakumari Coast →  Between Cannanore to Cape Camorin
• Malabar coast à Kannada Coast + Kanyakumari Coast

Eastern Coastal Plains

• Refer to a wide stretch of landmass of India, lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.
• These plains are wider and level as compared to the western coastal plains.
• It stretches from Tamil Nadu in the south to West Bengal in the north.
• Eastern coastal plane is mainly divided into following sections
• Utkal coast →  Deltaic plains of Ganga to Mahanadi delta (Famous Chilka lake is located in this plain)
• Andhra Coast →  Utkal plains to Pulicat lake (Contains deltas of Godavari & Krishna Rivers, & famous Kolleru lake)
• Northern Circars → Utkal Coast + Andhra Coast (Between Mahanadi & Krishna)
• Coromandal Coast → Between Krishna & Kanyakumari (Consist of Kaveri Delta)

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The Islands

• Total 247 islands in India → 204 islands in Bay of Bengal and 43 in the Arabian Sea
• Few coral islands in the Gulf of Mannar also
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal consist of hard volcanic rocks
• The middle Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the largest islands of India
• Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea are formed by corals
• The southern – most point of India is in Nicobar Island, known as Indira Point
• Formerly Indira point was called Pygmalion Point, it is submerged now, after 2004 Tsunami

1.Hornbill Festival 2018

1. The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1 – 10 December, in Kohima, Nagaland.
2. The first festival was held in the year 2000.
3. The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s tribes.
4. Organized by the Nagaland State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, the Festival showcases a mélange of cultural displays under one roof.
5. Festival highlights include the traditional Naga Morungs exhibition and the sale of arts and crafts, food stalls, herbal medicine stalls, flower shows and sales, cultural medley – songs and dances, fashion shows etc.

About Great Indian Hornbill

1. The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) also known as the great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family.
2. The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity.
3. It is predominantly fruit eating, but is an opportunist and preys on small mammals, reptiles and birds.
4. Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals.
5. IUCN status: Vulnerable (uplisted from Near Threatened in 2018). It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES.

2.UNESCO lists wrestling, reggae and raiho-shin rituals under “intangible heritage”

• amaican reggae, Georgian wrestling and Japanese rituals are among the six new elements added by UN cultural agency UNESCO to its list of “intangible heritage” for the world to treasure.

Chidaoba Wrestling

1. From the border between Asia and Europe, in Georgia, it added Chidaoba, which combines elements of wrestling, music, dance and special garments.
2. The practice encourages a healthy lifestyle and plays an important role in intercultural dialogue, according to UNESCO, which called its code of conduct “chivalric”.
3. It noted that occasionally the wrestlers leave the arena with a Georgian folk dance.

Jamaican Reggae

1. It is a style of popular music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat, originating in Jamaica.
2. It became widely known in the 1970s through the work of Bob Marley; its lyrics are much influenced by Rastafarian ideas.
3. Reggae contributes to international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual.

Japan’s Raiho-shin rituals

1. They are used to admonish laziness and teach children good behavior.
2. Stemming from folk beliefs that deities visit communities and usher in the new year or season, local people dress in outlandish costumes and visit houses as deities.
3. By performing the rituals, local people — notably children — have their identities moulded, develop a sense of affiliation to their community, and strengthen ties among themselves.

3.9 Indian Arts forms which found their way into the UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

#1. Koodiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre, Kerala

1. Koodiyattam is the oldest existing classical theatre form in the entire world, having originated much before Kathakali and most other theatrical forms
2. Koodiyattam was traditionally a part of the temple rituals
3. Traditionally, Koodiyattam is presented by Chakyars, a temple caste of Kerala, and Nangiars, the women of Nambiar caste

#2. Mudiyett: a ritual theatre of Kerala

Kerala again!

1. A traditional ritual theatre and folk dance drama from Kerala that enacts the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika
2. Mudiyettu is a communal undertaking in which each caste of the village plays a specific role
3. Being a community based art form it is the community that has traditionally encouraged and trained the next generation to preserve the art form

#3. The Tradition of Vedic Chanting

source

The traditional way of reciting the Vedas is called Vedic chanting. Vedas are the primary source of knowledge on Hindu traditions. They comprise of the Hindu philosophy, myth, poetry and dialogue. The Vedas go back to about 3,500 years to the time of the Aryans, though they were written down much later. There are four chief Vedas – Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva.

#4. Ramlila – the Traditional Performance of the Ramayana

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#5. Ramman: religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas

source

The Ramman is a religious festival manifested in the form of ritual theatre annually held at Saloor Dungra village, in the Painkhanda Valley of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India.

The Ramman is not replicated or performed at any other site in the Himalayas, being specific to both location and time.

#6. Kalbelia: folk songs and dances of Rajasthan

source

1. Kalbelia is actually an untouchable community from Rajasthan who has always lived on the outskirts of villages and relied on entertaining people for their livelihood
2. They are also the community who are traditionally snake charmers
3. Most famous for their sensuous form of dancing, also called Kalbelia, which mimics the movements of snakes in some sense

#7. Buddhist chanting of Ladakh

source

#8. Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur

source

Performed to mark religious occasions and various stages in the life of the Vaishnava people of the Manipur plains

#9. Traditional brass and copper craft – Thatheras

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The craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru constitutes the traditional technique of manufacturing brass and copper utensils in Punjab.

4.17th World Sanskrit Conference in Vancouver, Canada

Aim & Objective

To promote, preserve and practice the Sanskrit language all over the world by the people.

Particulars of the Conference

1. The World Sanskrit Conference is being held in various countries across the globe once in every three years and so far it has been held thrice in India.
2. The Delhi International Sanskrit Conference of 1972 is considered to be the first World Sanskrit Conference.
3. This year more than 500 scholars and delegates from over 40 countries will be participating and exchange their knowledge by presenting papers on various subjects followed by discussions from amongst the members.
4. There will be a special panel discussion on over a dozen topics like;

• History & Education of Women in Vedic Literature;
• Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts;
• Mimamsa Beyond the Yagasala;
• The Yuktidipika Forging a Place for Sankhya;
• Introducing Bhagavata Purana Commentaries;
• Research on the Gargiyajyotisa.

5.Four-day Ambubachi Mela begins in Guwahati

1. Ambubachi Mela, a four-day fair to mark the annual menstruation of the goddess at Kamakhya temple in Guwahati has begun.
2. Ambubachi Mela is also an occasion to promote awareness on menstrual hygiene.
3. Priests at the temple said doors of the temple were shut for visitors at 4 p.m. to let the goddess go through her period.

About Kamakhya Temple

1. Kamakhya, atop Nilachal Hills in Guwahati, is one of 51 shaktipeeths or seat of Shakti followers, each representing a body part of the Sati, Lord Shiva’s companion.
2. The temple’s sanctum sanctorum (garbhgriha) houses the yoni — female genital — symbolized by a rock.

6.The Vaishnav monks of Assam’s Majuli island

History of Vaishnavism in Assam

1. Vaishnava saint Srimanta Sankardev came to Majuli island in the 15th century
2. He along with his disciples, set up 65 sattras—which is said to translate to “unique monasteries”
3. Sankardev developed an equally unique way of worship through dance and drama, called the Sattriya Nritya
4. The neo-Vaishnavite movement, held together by Sankardev, saw a division into four sub-sects after his passing

About Sattriya Nritya

1. It is a dazzling retelling of the Ramayan and Mahabharat—complete with comedy, action, suspense and make-up to match
2. Until the 20th century, it was the preserve of male monks but has since brought women into the fold
3. In the year 2000, the Sangeet Natak Akademi recognized this dance form as classical

Majuli Island

1. It is the world’s biggest river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam
2. In 2016 it became the first island to be made a district in India
3. The island is formed by the Brahmaputra river in the south and the Kherkutia Xuti, an anabranch of the Brahmaputra, joined by the Subansiri River in the north
4. Hidden chars (temporary islands formed by sedimentary deposits) and sandbars are features of this island

7. India to host European Union Film Festival

1. Putting a spotlight on the latest European cinema, the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) will premiere in New Delhi on 18^th June, 2018 at the Siri Fort Auditorium.
2. 24 latest European movies from 23 European countries are to be screened.
3. Slovakian Movie Little Harbour to be the opening film for the festival
4. The festival will traverse through 11 cities in India including New Delhi, Chennai, Port Blair, Pune, Puducherry, Kolkata, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Thrissur, Hyderabad and Goa from 18^th June till 31^st
5. Celebrating diversity, the EUFF will screen movies from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.
6. The European Union Film Festival, organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, and European Union will be hosted at the Sirifort Auditorium Complex.

8. Modi honours Tibetan institute

Honoring Buddhist Institute

1. PM Modi honored a prominent institute of Tibetan studies as part of celebrations to mark Buddha Purnima
2. He awarded Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) with the Vaisakh Samman Prasasti Patra
3. This was done at the Buddha Jayanti celebrations organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC)

Buddhist Circuit

1. The government has also initiated the process for the development of the Buddhist circuit
2. This will help in developing Buddhist spots in U.P., Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and A.P.
3. The Buddhist Circuits are the Places of all High Significance Holy Sites of Buddhism; where Lord Buddha was born, attained Enlightenment, preached the first Sermon and reached Nirvana

9.Over 40 Indian languages, dialects heading to extinction

Endangered dialects

1. More than 40 languages or dialects in India are considered to be endangered
2. They are believed to be heading towards extinction as only a few thousand people speak them

Languages in the country

1. According to a report of the Census Directorate, there are 22 scheduled languages and 100 non-scheduled languages in the country
2. These are spoken by a large number of people — one lakh or more
3. There are 42 languages which are spoken by less than 10,000 people
4. A list prepared by UNESCO has also mentioned about the 42 languages or dialects in India are endangered and they may be heading towards extinction

Dear students,

We understand that the UPSC exam is a generalist exam. It’s more important to cover more issues than to cover one issue in more depth. Hence, through Samachar Manthan, we are trying to maintain a fine balance of covering many important news items and having a detailed discussion on selected topics which require the same. On daily basis a news gets repeated multiple times. Scattered knowledge is not adequately useful when you have to write a 200 words answer within 6-7 minutes. To handle this, Samachar manthan covers such issues in a comprehensive and consolidated manner which is the smart strategy.

Benefits of Samachar Manthan

• Packed 3 – 3.5 hours Weekly videos will focus on news and its importance from both prelims and mains perspective.
• This program will also help you understand how to utilize current affairs in all your prelims and mains papers.
• This ideology makes this course the best utilization of your time.
• Detailed coverage would mean analysis from all the angles like background or history, features, significance, challenges and way forward. Also, multiple sources like epw, diplomat magazine etc will be referred to in the video lectures.
• Such an approach will help in writing multidimensional answers.
• Also which part of the topic is important from mains and prelims perspective will also be discussed.
• Audio Visual Learning is more impactful than simply glancing through the material. So that you are able to retain information for long also interlink with any new information you get.
• 4 stage structure of Video->Notes->testing->review to perfect your preparation
• The sequence of video->Notes->testing->review is the best way to ensure maximum retention and a rock solid preparation. Each component of the program has been meticulously crafted.

For example this week, we will be covering the following issues;

Economics

India highest recipient of remittances in 2018: World Bank

[op-ed snap]Drastic reforms needed to bridge inequality

[Op-ed Snap] Agricultural policy needs to shift to a pro-farmer focus

Bamboo Rice shows up in Odisha

RailWire Wi-Fi Zones

Environment & Biodiversity

Discolouration of Periyar

[op-ed snap] India stares at pile of solar e-waste

[op-ed snap]US vs Europe in India

Centre denies RTI plea on CIC appointments

[op-ed snap]Is there a problem with the 10% quota?

[op-ed snap]Rafale rebuff

PCI issues guidelines for objective reporting on polls

9 professionals selected as joint secys in biggest lateral induction into govt service

 

International Relations

Explained: A new high in Maldives

US names Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group

IMO’s new rule on electronic information exchange between ships and ports comes into force

PM to get Russia’s highest civilian award

Polity

[op-ed snap]Open up the Supreme Court

[op-ed snap] Trickeries of the money bill

[op-ed snap] Election Omission

[op-ed snap] Bonds and binds

Science Tech & Art Culture

Explained: Snapping of Black Hole

IIT Bombay’s bacteria preferentially degrade aromatic compounds

 

Security Issues

India, US set up first ever secure communication link under COMCASA

Exercise Bold Kurukshetra

Army gets Dhanush artillery guns

Trivia:

[op-ed snap] Jallianwala Bagh massacre:

And these issues will be covered in detail

• Election Commission
• Money Bill
• Electoral Bonds
• Reservations
• Inequality
• Agricultural Policies

So to be thorough in your preparation and to have an integrated approach, join Samachar Manthan here.

 

1.Economics

Global Economy

1.Report name – Asian Development Outlook

Issuing agency – Asian Development Bank

 

2.Report name – World Economic Outlook

Issuing agency – International Monetary Fund

 

3.Report name – Global Economic Prospects

Issuing agency – World Bank

 

 2.Development

1.Report name – World Development Report

Issuing agency – IBRD (World Bank)

 

 2.Report name – Ease of Doing Business

Issuing agency – IBRD (World Bank)

Latest in news – India has moved  rank up . This improvement came on the back of slight improvement in four indicators — getting electricity, enforcing contracts, trading across borders and registering property. To read in detail about the Ease of Business ranking, click here.

 

3.Report name – Industrial Development Report

Issuing agency – UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

 

4.Report name – World Investment Report

Issuing agency – UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)

 

5.Report name – Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report

Issuing agency – WEF (World Economic Forum)

 

 6.Report Name – World Cities Report

Issuing Agency – UN-Habitat

 

7.Index name – Logistics Performance Index

Issuing agency – World Bank

 

3.Global Financial System

1.Report name – Global Financial Stability Report

Issuing agency – International Monetary Fund

 

2.Report name – Global Financial System Report

Issuing agency – BIS (Bank for International Settlements)

 

3.Report name – Global Money Laundering Report

Issuing agency – FATF (Financial Action Task Force)

2. Environment

1.Report name – India State of Forest Report

Issuing agency – Forest Survey of India

Latest in news –  Click here to read more.

 

2.Report name – Actions on Air Quality

Issuing agency – UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)

 

3.Report name – Global Environment Outlook

Issuing agency – UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)

 

 4.Report name – The Rise of Environmental Crime

Issuing agency – UNEP & INTERPOL

 

5.Report name – Global Assessment Report

Issuing agency – UNISDR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)

 

6.Report name – The Living Planet Report

Issuing agency – WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

Latest in news – With wildlife disappearing at an “unprecedented” pace across the world, the Living Planet Report  identifies India as an ecological black spot where around half of the wildlife lives in the danger of being wiped out. The report highlights the pressure on water and land India faces because of unsustainable human activities. Around 70% of surface water is polluted and 60% of ground water will reach critical stage — where it cannot be replenished — in the next one decade,

1.Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG)

• A Navratna PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has unveiled the Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG).
• It can be used to provide drinking water in community centres and public places.

Atmospheric Water Generator

1. The AWG is being manufactured by BEL in collaboration with CSIR-IICT and MAITHRI, a start-up company based in Hyderabad.
2. It employs a novel technology to extract water from the humidity present in the atmosphere and purify it.
3. It uses heat exchange for condensing the atmospheric moisture to produce pure, safe and clean potable water.
4. It comes with a Mineralization Unit, which is used to add minerals which are required to make the water potable.
5. The AWG is configurable in static and mobile (vehicular) versions and is available in 30 litres/day, 100 litres/day, 500 litres/day and 1,000 litres/day capacities.

2.Quantum Computing

Advent of quantum computing

1. Classical internet is constrained by a binary thought process
2. With quantum computing, information is held in “qubits” that can exist in two states at the same time
3. A qubit can store a “0” and “1” simultaneously
4. If you build two qubits, they can hold four values at once—11, 10, 01, and 00
5. Adding on more qubits can greatly increase the computing capability of such a machine

Towards quantum internet

1. The logical extension of quantum computing is a quantum internet, where computers don’t just compute in isolation, they also communicate with one another
2. Scientists are now working on how a quantum internet might work
3. To accomplish this, they are beginning by providing a vision of fundamentally new technology protocols to enable network communications between any two quantum computing machines on Earth
4. They say that such a quantum internet will—in synergy with the “classical” internet that we have today—connect quantum computers in order to achieve unparalleled capabilities that are impossible today
5. Several major applications for the quantum internet have already been identified, including secure communication, secure identification, achieving efficient agreement on distributed data, as well as secure access to remote quantum computers in the cloud

Advantages of the quantum internet

1. The ability of a quantum internet to transmit “qubits” that are fundamentally different than classical “1” and “0” bits is what is paramount
2. Qubits also cannot be copied, and any attempt to do so can be detected
3. This makes qubits well suited for security applications.

3.World’s standard definition of kilogram now redefined

Redefining Kilogram

1. CGPM is the highest international body of the world for accurate and precise measurements and comprises of 60 countries including India and 42 Associate Members.
2. The 26th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) was held during November 13-16 2018 at Palais des Congréss, Versailles, France.
3. In the meeting, the members have voted for the redefinition of 130 years old “Le grand K – the SI unit of kg” in terms of the fundamental Planck’s constant (h).
4. The new definitions will come into force on 20 May 2019.

How will this take place?

1. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), the main executive body of CGPM has the responsibility of defining the International System of Units (SI).
2. This revision of the SI is the culmination of many years of intensive scientific cooperation between the National Metrology Institutes (The national Physical Laboratory for India) and the BIPM.
3. The dissemination of SI units for the welfare of society and industries in the country is the responsibility of Legal Metrology, Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI.

International prototype of kilogram (IPK)

1. The International prototype of kilogram (IPK) is kept at the BIPM, Paris and serves as the international standard of kilogram.
2. It is made of 90% platinum and 10% iridium and is a cylinder of 39 mm diameter and 39 mm height.
3. Replicas of the IPK are made of the same material and used at BIPM as reference or working standards and national prototype of kilogram (NPK), kept at different National Metrology Institutes (NMIs).
4. NPK-57, kept at CSIR- National Physical Laboratory, is sent periodically to BIPM for calibration.
5. NPK further is being utilized through transfer standards of mass to provide unbroken chain of traceability for dissemination of mass through Legal Metrology to the user industries, calibration laboratories etc.
6. The precise and accurate measurements help country in the production of international quality products and help commerce through elimination of the technical barrier to trade.

Using a Kibble Balance

1. Kibble balance is a self-calibrating electromechanical balance and provides the measurements of mass, traceable in terms of electrical parameters and provides linkage of macroscopic mass to the Planck constant (h).
2. NPL-UK, NIST-USA,NRC- Canada, PTB-Germany etc. have successfully developed Kibble balance for 1 kg with an uncertainty of measurement in order of 10^-8.
3. The advantages of Kibble balance would be that the NPK need not to be sent to BIPM for calibrations and the accuracy and stability of Kibble balance is very high.
4. This is very important where low weights with high accuracies are essential, for example in pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies.

4.World’s fastest man-made spinning object developed

Fastest rotor

1. Scientists have developed the fastest man-made rotor in the world, which they believe will help them study quantum mechanics
2. At more than 60 billion revolutions per minute, this machine is more than 100,000 times faster than a high-speed dental drill

Working of the rotor

1. The team synthesised a tiny dumbbell from silica and levitated it in a high vacuum using a laser
2. The laser can work in a straight line or in a circle – when it is linear, the dumbbell vibrates, and when it is circular, the dumbbell spins
3. A spinning dumbbell functions as a rotor, and a vibrating dumbbell functions like an instrument for measuring tiny forces and torques, known as a torsion balance.

5.Pigment in Goa mushroom may help fight cancer

World’s first sulphur-rich edible melanin

1. The mycological laboratory of the Department of Botany, Goa University has reported the discovery of a new pigment from local wild mushrooms
2. The new sulphur-rich melanin biopigment is obtained from local Roen alamis (wild variety of Goan mushrooms that grows on termite hills) or Termitomyces species

About the research

1. This discovery shows the chemical nature of the brown or black colour that is seen in these wild edible mushrooms
2. The problem had eluded the scientific community from 40 countries for the past 100 years
3. The scientist claim it to be the world’s first sulphur-rich edible melanin. Its structure is similar to black pigment found in human hair.

6.Central task force on AI recommends setting up of N-AIM

National Artificial Intelligence Mission (N-AIM)

1. A central task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has suggested creating a National Artificial Intelligence Mission (N-AIM)
2. It will serve as a nodal agency for coordinating AI related activities in the country

Defining AI

1. Artificial Intelligence is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programmes

About the mission

1. The mission shall involve itself in core activities, coordination of AI-related projects of national importance and establish Centers of Excellence
2. The core activities include funding establishment of a network among Academia, services industry, product industry, startups and Government ministries, besides helping studies to identify concrete projects in each domain of focus

1.SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAAN

Salient Features –

• Universalizing elementary education across the countryRashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan, Vidhyanjali, PBBB.
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with State Governments for universalizing elementary education across the country. Its overall goals include universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in education and enhancement of learning levels of children.
• SSA provides for a variety of interventions, including inter alia, opening of new schools, construction of schools and additional classrooms, toilets and drinking water, provisioning for teachers, periodic teacher training and academic resource support, textbooks and support for learning achievement. These provisions are made in accordance with norms and standards and free entitlements as mandated by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human resources Development

2. Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat

Salient Features –

• The programme looks to improve the reading and writing skills of children in classes I and II, along with their mathematics skills.
• It is being implemented under the aegis of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human resources Development

3.The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)

Salient Features –

• To raise the minimum level of education to class X and universalize access to secondary education;
• To ensure good-quality secondary education with focus on Science, Mathematics and English; and
• To reduce the gender, social and regional gaps in enrolments, dropouts and improving retention
• To make sure that the secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers, etc.Important physical facilities are provided which include, (i) additional class rooms, (ii) laboratories, (iii) libraries, (iv) art and crafts room, (v) toilet blocks, (vi) drinking water provisions, (vii) electricity / telephone/internet connectivity and (viii) disabled friendly provisions. Improvement in quality through, (i) appointment of additional teachers to improve PTR (ii) in-service training of teachers, (iii) ICT enabled education, (iv) curriculum reforms and (v) teaching learning reforms. Equity aspects addressed through (i) special focus in micro planning, (ii) preference to areas with concentration of SC/ST/minority for opening of schools, (iii) special enrolment drive for the weaker section, (iv) more female teachers in schools and (v) separate toilet blocks for girls.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human resources Development

4.Atal Tinkering Laboratories

• Part of Atal Innovation Mission.
• NITI Aayog

5.RASHTRIYA UCHCHATAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (RUSA)

Salient Features –

Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013. It aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions based on their progress.

• The key objectives of RUSA are to improve access, equity and quality in higher education through planned development of higher education at the state level.

• The central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10 for special category states and 100% for union territories) would be norm based and outcome dependent.

• The funding flows from the central ministry through the state governments/union territories to the State Higher Education Councils before reaching the identified institutions.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of human resources

6.Ucchatar Avishkar Yojana

Salient Features –

The objectives of UAY scheme are to promote innovation in IITs addressing issues of manufacturing industries; to spur innovative mindset; to co-ordinate action between academia & industry and to strengthen labs & research facilities.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of HRD

7.Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan

Salient Features –

Building institutional capacity in Institutes of higher education in research & training relevant to the needs of rural India. ii.Provide rural India with professional resource support from institutes of higher education ,especially those which have acquired academic excellence in the field of Science, Engineering & Technology and Management.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of HRD

8.Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) –

Salient Features –

• Aimed at tapping the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs, internationally to encourage their engagement with the institutes of Higher Education in India.
• To augment the country’s existing academic resources, accelerate the pace of quality reform, and elevate India’s scientific and technological capacity to global excellence.
• It enables interaction of students and faculty with the best academic and industry experts from all over the world and also share their experiences and expertise to motivate people to work on Indian problems.
• It is a system of Guest Lectures by internationally and nationally renowned experts targeted towards a comprehensive Faculty Development Programme not only for new IITs, IIMs, IISERs but also other institutions in the country.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human Resource Development

9.Vishwajeet Scheme

Salient Features –

The scheme entailed the provision of Rs. 1,250 crore to each of the top seven IITs over a period of five years to upgrade infrastructure, hire foreign faculty, and collaborate with foreign institutions to break into the top league in global rankings.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of HRD

10.Higher Education Finance Agency

Salient Features –

• The HEFA will be jointly promoted by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and identified Promoter.
• HEFA will have an authorised capital of 2,000 crore rupees and the government equity would be 1,000 crore rupees
• It will be formed as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) within a PSU Bank or the Government-owned-NBFC (Promoter)
• It would leverage the equity to raise up to Rs. 20,000 crore for funding infrastructure and development projects of world class Labs in IIMs/IITs/NITs and such other institutions.
• The HEFA will also mobilise CSR funds from Corporates/PSUs which will in turn be released for promoting research and innovation in these institutions on grant basis
• The principal portion of the loan will be repaid through the ‘internal accruals’ of the institutions earned through the fee receipts, research earnings etc
• All the Centrally Funded Higher Educational Institutions will be eligible to join as members of the HEFA
• For joining as members, the educational institution must agree to escrow a specific amount from their internal accruals for a period of 10 years to the HEFA.
• This escrow will secure the future flows that would be securitised by the HEFA for mobilising the funds from the market.
• Each member institution would be eligible for a credit limit based on the amount agreed to be escrowed from the internal accruals as decided by HEFA.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of HRD and identified promoter

11.UDAAN (Giving Wings to Girl Students)

Salient Features –

• Aims at addressing the lower enrolment of girls in engineering colleges/IITs and technological institutions. -Udaan is a platform that empowers the girl students, facilitate their aspiration of joining the prestigious engineering institutions and take important role in development/ progress of the country in future.
• -Under this program, students are provided free offline / online resources through virtual weekend contact classes and study material on pre-loaded tablet while studying in Class XI and Class XII for preparation of admission test to various premier engineering colleges in the country

.Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human Resource Development

12.SWAYAM

Salient Features –

• Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds
• To provide the best quality education to more than three crore students across the country – It is the Indian electronic e-education platform which proposes to offer courses from the high school stage to Post-Graduate stage in an interactive electronic platform.
• US government is cooperating in this project.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human Resource Development

13. Swayam Prabha

32 Direct-to-Home channels for transmitting high-quality educational content.

14.National Digital Library

The National Digital library of India (NDLI) is a project under Ministry of Human Resource Development, India. The objective is to integrate several national and international digital libraries in one single web-portal. The NDLI provides free access to many books in English and the Indian languages.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human resource Development

14.National Academic Depository

Authenticating all certificates issued by institutions

15.ShaGun

Salient Features –

• It has two components i.e. one is a Repository of best practices, photographs, videos, studies, newspaper articles etc on elementary education, State /UT wise. These would be in the public domain with the purpose to provide a platform for all stakeholders to learn from success stories of each other. This would also instill a positive competitive spirit among all the States and UTs.
• The second part is regarding the online monitoring of the SSA implemented by States and UTs and will be accessed by Government Officers at all levels using their specific passwords.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD)

16. Shala Asmita Yojana (SAY)

Salient Features –

• To track the educational journey of school students from Class I to Class XII across the 15 lakhs private and government schools in the country.
• ASMITA will be an online database which will carry information of student attendance and enrolment, learning outcomes, mid-day meal service and infrastructural facilities among others. Students will be tracked through their Aadhaar numbers and incase those not having unique number will be provided.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human Resource Development.

17.Saransh

Salient Features –

Tool which allows the schools to identify areas of improvement in students, teachers and curriculum to facilitate and implement change.

18.Shala Siddhi

Salient Features –

Comprehensive instrument for school evaluation which enables the schools to evaluate their performance in more focused and strategic manner to facilitate them to make professional judgement for continuous improvement

19.Shaala Darpan

Salient Features –

Shaala Darpan is an ICT programme of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India that to provide mobile access to parents of students of Government and Government aided schools.

Using Shaala Darpan parents can view updates on their child’s progress. They can view records of attendance, assignments and achievements of their child. The ministry aims to launch the service by 2015 academic session.

20. Ishan Vikas

Salient Features –

Academic Exposure for North Eastern Students ; to bring selected college and school students from the north eastern states into close contact with IITs, NITs and IISERs

21. Saransh

Salient Features –

• Saransh is a web portal launched by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) of India, with the primary aim of promoting information and communication technologies in schools-It serves as an interface for enhancing communication between schools as well as parents.
• It offers a data-driven decision support system to aid parents in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of children, which, in turn would assist in taking informed decisions for children’s future.

CBSE

22. Ishan Uday

Salient Features –

For Students of North East Region . The UGC has launched a special scholarship scheme for students of north east region, Ishan Uday .

23. Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF)

Salient Features –

Scholarship for higher education

23. Revitalization Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE)

Salient Features –

• It is a new initiative to step up investments in centrally funded institutions like IITs, Central Universities and others such institutes
• Funding will be provided through Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA)

Nodal Ministry –

.Ministry of Human Resource Development.

24.TECHNICAL EDUCATION QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME

Salient Features –

• (TEQIP)aims to overhaul the quality of technical education in the Low Income States and Special Category States (SCS).-The project commenced with the World Bank assistance to Government of India to launch a TEQIP as a long term programme of 10-12 years and in 2 or 3 phases. The present 3rd Phase of the schemes has central, eastern and north-eastern region and hill states as its focus states
• The measures under TEQIP include:
• Institution based: accreditation of the courses through NBA, governance reforms, improving the processes, digital initiatives, securing autonomy for the colleges.
• Student based: improving the quality of teaching, teacher training, equipping the class rooms, revision of syllabus, industry interaction, compulsory internships for students, training the students in industry relevant skills, preparing them for the GATE exam etc.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of Human Resource Development

25.SAMEEP

Salient Features –

• Student and MEA Engagement Program (SAMEEP) is an outreach program to familiarise the students in India about the functioning of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and also take India’s global engagement and its foreign policy to the grass root levels.
• It is voluntary in nature under which MEA officers, under-secretary and above will visit their home towns and cities and their Alma Maters to bring foreign policy to the masses and raise their interest in diplomacy as career option.

Nodal Ministry –

Ministry of external affairs

26.Vidyanjali

Salient Features –

• Creating an ecosystem,wherein education will be attached with imbibing knowledge and improving learning output-To involve volunteers from different walks of life to strengthen the co-scholastic activities in government schools.,
• Performing arts and life skills also to be included.
• Intended beneficiaries are School going children of Government school, Government Aided school etc.,

27. Prashikshak

Salient Features –

• Teacher education portal for District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs). – A unique IT initiative, a first of its kind in the country, which will contain a comprehensive database of all DIETs in the country with all relevant performance indicators
• Gives the opportunity to Central and State Governments to do real time monitoring of the institutions.
• Helps benchmark DIETs to enable aspiring teachers to make informed choices about their future.

Nodal Ministry –

Joint collaboration between Ministry of Human Resource Development(MHRD) and Central Square Foundation.

28.Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas

Salient Features –

Opened in Educationally Backward Blocks where the female rural literacy is below the national average to provide for residential upper primary schools for girls.

29.Saakshar Bharat

Salient Features –

Initiatives have been taken under financial literacy to include certified adult literates under Jan Dhan Yojna and mobilize them to open bank accounts

Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT)

Established When and by Whom: It is an autonomous organisation established during 1986 under Societies Act by the Government of Kerala, now functioning under power dept.

Headquarter: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Objective: To gather and disseminate useful knowledge in various fields of Non-Conventional Energy, Energy Conservation, and Rural Technology.

Key Functions:

To conduct studies, demonstrate, implement and support implementations of schemes and project in these fields and thereby deal with the problems arising out of the rapid depletion of conventional energy sources

To update the technologies used in rural areas as well as introduce appropriate new technologies with an aim to reduce drudgery, increase production and improve quality of life.

 

Wildlife Trust of India

Established When and by Whom: It was formed in November 1998 in response to the rapidly deteriorating condition of wildlife in India. WTI is a registered charity in India (under Section 12A of the Income Tax Act, 1961). It is a non-profit organisation.

Headquarter: NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh

Objective: To conserve wildlife and its habitat and to work for the welfare of individual wild animals.

Key Functions:

WTI currently focuses its resources on six priority landscapes – northeast India, western Himalayas, terai, southern Ghats system, central India and marine.

Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) currently runs 44 projects across India.

Its Depth Projects holistically address multiple conservation hurdles specific to an area through a multi-pronged approach

Its Breadth Projects address specific conservation issues that may not be limited in time and space in the country, such as the training of frontline forest staff and preventing wild animal deaths due to train hits.

Wildlife Institute of India

Established When and by Whom: It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India. It was founded in 1982.

Headquarter: The institute is based in Dehradun, India.

Objective: To nurture the development of wildlife science and promote its application in conservation, in consonants with our cultural and socio-economic milieu.

Key Functions:

WII carries out wildlife research in areas of study like Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Wildlife Policy, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Forensics, Spatial Modeling, Ecodevelopment, Habitat Ecology and Climate Change.

WII has a research facility which includes Forensics, Remote Sensing and GIS, Laboratory, Herbarium, and an Electronic Library.

World Sustainable Development Summit

Organised When and by Whom: The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) annual event, the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), has evolved to the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS).
Date: 5 October 2016–8 October 2016

Location: New Delhi

Objective: To provide long-term solutions for the benefit of the global community by assembling the various stakeholders on a single platform(in the area of environment conservation).

Key Takeaways:

The WSDS brings together Nobel laureates, political leaders, decision-makers from bilateral and multilateral institutions, business leaders, high-level functionaries from the diplomatic corps, scientists and researchers, media personnel, and members of civil society; to deliberate on issues related to sustainable development.

India specific trivia:

WSDS 2016 was held in New Delhi from October 5-8, 2016 under the broad rubric of ‘Beyond 2015: People, Planet & Progress’, and it broadly focused on actions, on accelerated implementation of SDGs and NDCs.

The 4 days of discussions among different stakeholders clearly established that sustainability should not be a peripheral activity but should become a mainstream movement and that now is the time to translate all the promises to action.

 

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Established When: 1980.

Headquarter: New Delhi

Objective:  To develop into an excellent resource centre with information — printed and visual — on sustainable development issues, which is possibly the best in India.

Key Functions:

It is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation.

It works as a think tank on environment-development issues in India, poor planning, climate shifts devastating India’s Sundarbans and advocates for policy changes and better implementation of the already existing policies.

CSE uses knowledge-based activism to create awareness about problems and propose sustainable solutions.

 

Conserve

Established When and by Whom: In 1998, when the Delhi government launched the Bhagidari campaign, asking its citizens to participate in civic initiatives, the conservationist, Anita Ahuja and her IIT-alumna husband Shalabh rose to the challenge and launched Conserve. It is an NGO.

Objective: To counter the issue of plastic bags.(Recycling)

Key Functions:

Anita and Shalabh Ahuja founded Conserve India as an NGO to recycle the waste in their neighborhood that wasn’t being managed by local authorities.

They quickly realized that plastic bags pose the biggest problem, not only because there are so many of them but also because they could not be recycled locally.

After much experimentation, the team at Conserve India realised that the solution lay in upcycling the bags into sheets of plastic that could be reinvented as fashion accessories. They named this material Handmade Recycled Plastic.

Shalabh and Anita combined his expertise in engineering and her creative talents to get the most out of their solution to this huge problem.

As well as cleaning Delhi’s streets, they have worked to provide hundreds of jobs for some of the poorest people living in their city. The income they generate by selling products made from Handmade Recycled Plastic, is then spent on social welfare projects.

Today they continue to realise their vision. Conserve India bags are being sold around the world. The proceeds of this work are put to good use.

Firstly, better wages for Conserve employees – a ragpicker collecting bags for Conserve earns on average three times more selling to us than they would earn elsewhere.

Secondly, training opportunities for all staff at Conserve India so that they can get more skilled jobs either within the organisation or elsewhere.

Thirdly, a school in the slum where many of the ragpickers we work with live. Finally, loans for Conserve workers to develop their own start-up businesses, and most recently a health clinic for the entire workforce.

 

Environmentalist Foundation of India

Established When and by Whom: Started in 2007 and registered in 2011

Headquarter:  Chennai, Hyderabad, Puducherry and Coimbatore

Objective: Wildlife conservation and habitat restoration

Key Functions:

• The organisation is known for its work in cleaning and scientific restoration of lakes in India for biodiversity.
• The organisation and its efforts grew from that one pond in Chennai to include over 39 lakes and 48 ponds in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Pondicherry and Gujarat in the last 10 years (2007 to 2017)
• EFI is also involved in the setting up of herbal biodiversity gardens at schools and special interest zones. The idea behind the herbal gardens are to increase people’s interest in green cover and live healthy with native Indian herbs.
• EFI’s “Clean for Olive Green” is a beach clean up project that is organised every year in the months of December to May to keep Chennai’s beaches clean for the nesting Sea Turtle Mothers.

National Green Corps

Established by Whom: It is a programme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India.

Objective of the body:

NGC Programme aims at building cadres of young children working towards environmental conservation and sustainable development.

Key Functions:

The functions of this programme are:

• to impart knowledge to school children, through hands on experience, about their immediate environment, interactions within it and the problems therein
• to inculcate proper attitudes towards the environment and its conservation through community interactions
• to sensitize children to issues related to environment and development through field visits and demonstrations
• to motivate and stimulate young minds by involving them in action projects related to environmental conservation.

Bombay Natural History Society

Established When: It was founded on 15 September 1883. It is an NGO.

Headquarter: Mumbai

Objective of the body: Environment Conservation and biodiversity research

Key Functions:

• It supports many research efforts through grants and publishes the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.
• BNHS is the partner of BirdLife International in India.
• It has been designated as a ‘Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’ by the Department of Science and Technology.
• It sponsors studies in Indian wildlife and conservation, and publishes a four-monthly journal, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS), as well as a quarterly magazine, Hornbill.

 

The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI)

Established When and by Whom:  Established in 1974, it was formerly known as Tata Energy and Resource Institute. As the scope of its activities widened, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003.

Headquarter: New Delhi, India

Objective: To work towards global sustainable development, creating innovative solutions for environment conservation.

Key Functions:

1. The scope of the organisation’s activities includes climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy, biotechnology, and social transformation.

World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) – An annual summit which facilitates the exchange of knowledge on diverse aspects of global sustainable development.

LaBL (Lighting a Billion Lives) – An initiative to provide clean lighting access to bottom of the pyramid communities.

Green Olympiad – Conducted in association with MoEF, it is an international environment examination that is annually organized for middle and high-school students.

2. TERI Press, TERI’s publishing arm releases a plethora of publications out of which some noteworthy publications are :

TerraGreen – Monthly magazine of TERI on issues of environment, biodiversity, livelihood rights, wildlife, energy, and sustainable development.

TERI Energy Data Directory and Yearbook (TEDDY) : Launched in 1986, it is a compilation of energy and environment data. It is a comprehensive reference document and a source of information on energy supply sectors (coal and lignite, oil and gas, power, and renewable energy sources) as well as energy-consuming sectors (agriculture, industry, transport, residential, and commercial sectors).

3. GRIHA

Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) was conceived by TERI and developed with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is a national rating system for green buildings in India

 

Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation

Established When: It is a registered non-profit organisation, founded in 2012.

Headquarter: Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh

Objective:

To protect and conserve the nature, natural resources and rights of the nature dependent communities in the ecologically fragile landscape of Vindhya Range in India. It tries to achieve its objective through Research, Advocacy, Education, Community mobilization, Litigation.

Key Functions:

Vindhya Bachao Abhiyan: It is the flagship program of VENHF which works towards environmental equity and bringing ecological justice through research-based environmental litigation, strengthening grass-root environmental movements, supporting institution of local governance and protecting the rights of nature dependent indigenous communities.

*VENHF is partner of EKOenergy and Global Call for Climate Action

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

Established by: Kamaljit S. Bawa is its founder.

Headquarter: Banglore

Objective:

Its mission is to generate rigorous interdisciplinary knowledge for achieving environmental conservation and sustainable development in a socially just manner, to enable the use of this knowledge by policy makers and society, and to train the next generation of scholars and leaders.

Key Functions:

It is a research institution in the areas of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. It focuses on applied science through research, education and action that influence policy and practice on conservation of nature, management of natural resources, and sustainable development.

It envisions a society committed to environmental conservation and sustainable and socially just development, in which ATREE plays the role of a model knowledge-generating organization for catalyzing the transition to such a society.

 

Save Aravali Trust

Headquarter: Faridabad, Haryana

Objective:

Major objectives are:

1. Afforestation and wildlife care
2. Water Conservation
3. Environmental Literacy
4. Waste Management

Key Functions: It is working for the betterment of Aravali– the oldest mountain range of India. The motive is to make it green, home to wildlife and entity of prosperity for the humans.

 

Narmada Bachao Aandolan

Established When and by Whom:  The people’s state the Narmada Bachao Andolan, every people practice hard for save to the Narmada River. This Movement is mobilised itself against the development in the mid and late 1980’s.

Objective: The people started the Narmada Bacho Andolan with the goal of saving and protest the River Narmada.

Why was it started?

• It is a social movement consisting of adivasis, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists against the number of large dams being built across the Narmada River, which flows through the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, all over India.
• Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat is one of the biggest dams on the river and was one of the first focal points of the movement. It is one of the many dams under the Narmada Dam Project. The main aim of the project is to provide irrigation and electricity to people in these states.
• Their mode of the campaign includes court actions, hunger strikes, rallies, and garnering support from notable film and art personalities. Narmada Bachao Andolan, with its leading spokespersons Medha Patkar and Baba Amte, who have received the Right Livelihood Award in 1991.

A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water. Most commonly it is a channel of water that lies between two land masses. Some straits are not navigable, for example because they are too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago.

1.Sunda Strait   

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Java Sea & Indian Ocean

Location: Indonesia

 

2. Palk Strait      

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Palk Bay & Bay of Bengal

Location: India-Sri Lanka

3. Malacca Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Andaman Sea & South China Sea

Location: Indonesia –Malaysia

4. Yucatan Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

Location: Mexico-Cuba

5. Mesina Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea

Location: Italy-Sicily

6. Otranto Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea

Location: Italy-Albania

7. Bab-el-Mandeb Strait        

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Red Sea & Gulf of Aden

Location: Yemen-Djibouti

8. Cook Strait     

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :South Pacific Ocean

Location:  New Zealand (North & South Islands)

9. Mozambique Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Indian Ocean

Location: Mozambique -Malagasy

10. North Channel

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean

Location: Ireland-England

11. Hormuz Strait       

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Persia & Gulf of Oman

Location: Oman-Iran

12. Hudson strait         

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean

Location: Canada

13. Gibraltar Strait      

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean

Location: Spain-Morocco

14. Magellan strait       

Join: Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean

Location: Chile

15. Makkassar Strait   

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Java Sea & Celebeze Sea

Location: Indonesia

16. Tsungaru Strait     

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean

Location: Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu Island)

17. Tatar Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea

Location: Russia (East Russia-Sakhalin Islands)

18. Fovex Strait 

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : South Pacific Ocean

Location: New Zealand (South Island- Stewart Island)

19. Formosa Strait      

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : South China Sea & East China Sea

Location: China-Taiwan

20. Taurus Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua

Location: Papua New Guinea — Australia

21. Bass Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Tasman Sea & South Sea

Location: Australia

22. Bering Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Bering Sea & Chuksi Sea

Location: Alaska-Russia

23. Bonne-Fasio Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Mediterranean Sea

Location: Corsika — Sardinia

24. Bosporous Strait   

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Black Sea and Marmara Sea

Location: Turkey

25. Dardenleez Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Marmara Sea and Agean Sea

Location: Turkey

26. Davis Strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean

Location: Greenland-Canada

27. Denmark Strait     

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean

Location: Greenland-Iceland

28. Dover strait  

Joining seas/ Water Bodies :English Channel & North Sea

Location: England-France

29. Florida Strait

Joining seas/ Water Bodies : Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean

Location: USA-Cuba

 

1.Convention on biological diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a legally binding treaty to conserve biodiversity has been in force since 1993.

Objectives-

• It has 3 main objectives: The conservation of biological diversity.
• The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity.,fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
• The CBD, one of the key agreements adopted during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is the first comprehensive global agreement which addresses all aspects relating to biodiversity.

2.Asia Lpg summit 2019

The summit will offer a unique opportunity to the global LPG industry to interact with development agencies, NGOs and non-profit organizations who have facilitated last-mile access to LPG for the beneficiaries.

Objectives-

• The summit will also bring together academia and private sector to exchange their views on the use of LPG and how pathbreaking initiatives such as ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ can bring remarkable socio-economic transformation.
• The WLPGA promotes the use of LPG to foster a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous world.
• With over 200 members and presence in more than 125 countries, the WLPGA represents the interests of private and public companies from the entire LPG value chain under one umbrella.
• The WLPGA provides a platform for the exchange of best practices, facts and figures among its members.
• The Association regularly organises interactive meetings between technical experts, members and key stakeholders to demonstrate the benefits of LPG.

3.Global Digital Health Partnership Summit

The Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) is an international collaboration of governments, government agencies and multinational organisations dedicated to improving the health and well-being of their citizens through the best use of evidence-based digital technologies.

Objectives-

• Governments are making significant investments to harness the power of technology and foster innovation and public-private partnerships that support high quality, sustainable health and care for all. The GDHP facilitates global collaboration and co-operation in the implementation of digital health services.The GDHP is committed to improving health and care through promoting its principles of equality, co-operation, transparency and responsibility.
• Equality: All participants will have an equal opportunity to participate and contribute to the development of the GDHP deliverables and share in the lessons learnt and outputs of the GDHP.
• Co-operation: Participants are helpful and supportive and participate in debates thoughtfully, constructively and respectfully.
• Transparency: Participants act with openness in their engagement with fellow participants to contribute to improved health services, promote innovation and create safer and healthier communities.
• Responsibility: Participants are responsible for their country’s input through their active contribution to GDHP activities that are guided by the annual work plan. Each participant shall endeavour to ensure that outcomes from meetings, such as tasks appointed to them or in general, are carried out effectively and efficiently. Participants will make decisions and participate in discussions in a transparent and fair manner, using evidence, and without discrimination or bias, ensuring they act in the public interest and not for commercial purposes.

4.TIR

The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets is a multilateral treaty that was concluded at Geneva on 14 November 1975 to simplify and harmonise the administrative formalities of international road transport.

Objectives-

• The TIR Convention establishes an international customs transit system with maximum facility to move goods:in sealed vehicles or containers;
• from a customs office of departure in one country to a customs office of destination in another country;
• without requiring extensive and time-consuming border checks at intermediate borders;
• while, at the same time, providing customs authorities with the required security and guarantees.

5.International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

The workshop aims to i) identify good practices of disaster risk management in key infrastructure sectors, ii) identify specific areas and pathways for collaborative research on DRI (Transport, Energy, Telecom and Water), iii) discuss and co-create the broad contours of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) as well as a notional roll-out plan for the next three years, and iv) build a forum for members to work on areas of common interest and make specific commitments.Various international agreements have also reiterated the importance and long-term benefits of investing in resilient infrastructure.

Objectives-

• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), 2015-2030, which is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda, identifies investing in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for resilience and to build back better in reconstruction as priorities for action towards reducing disaster risk.
• Similarly, Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognizes disaster resilient infrastructure as a crucial driver of economic growth and development.
• Besides reducing infrastructure losses, disaster resilient infrastructure will also help achieve targets pertaining to reduction in mortality, number of affected people and economic losses due to disasters.

6.International Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.Key points of the Convention

Objectives-

• Prohibition of production and use of chemical weapons
• Destruction (or monitored conversion to other functions) of chemical weapons production facilities
• Destruction of all chemical weapons (including chemical weapons abandoned outside the state parties territory)
• Assistance between State Parties and the OPCW in the case of use of chemical weapons
• An OPCW inspection regime for the production of chemicals which might be converted to chemical weapons
• International cooperation in the peaceful use of chemistry in relevant areas

7.Convention on Supplementary Compensation for nuclear

Damage (CSC)

The Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage is a 1963 treaty that governs issues of liability in cases of nuclear accident. It was concluded at Vienna on 21 May 1963 and entered into force on 12 November 1977. The convention has been amended by a 1997 protocol. The depository is the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Objectives-

• The Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) aims at establishing a minimum national compensation amount and at further increasing the amount of compensation through public funds to be made available by the Contracting Parties should the national amount be insufficient to compensate the damage caused by a nuclear incident.
• The Convention is open not only to States that are party to either the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage or the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy (including any amendments to either), but also to other States provided that their national legislation is consistent with uniform rules on civil liability laid down in the Annex to the Convention.

8.Hague Code of Conduct

The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, also known as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC), was established on 25 November 2002 as an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles.

Objectives-

• The HCOC is the result of international efforts to regulate access to ballistic missiles which can potentially deliver weapons of mass destruction. The HCOC is the only multilateral code in the area of disarmament which has been adopted over the last years.
• It is the only normative instrument to verify the spread of ballistic missiles.
• The HCOC does not ban ballistic missiles, but it does call for restraint in their production, testing, and export.

9.Refugee Convention

The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who is a refugee, and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.In the general principle of international law, treaties in force are binding upon the parties to it and must be performed in good faith. Countries that have ratified the Refugee Convention are obliged to protect refugees that are on their territory, in accordance with its terms.There are a number of provisions that States parties to the Refugee Convention must adhere to.

10.Biological weapons convention

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons.

Objectives-

• Each State Party to this Convention undertakes never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain:
• Microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;
• Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.”
• The United States Congress passed the Bioweapons Anti-Terrorism Act in 1989 to implement the Convention. The law applies the Convention’s convent to countries and private citizens, and criminalizes violations of the Convention.

11.Sendai Framework

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) is an international document which was adopted by UN member states between 14th and 18th of March 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), which had been the most encompassing international accord to date on disaster risk reduction.

Objectives-

• The Sendai Framework sets four specific priorities for action:
• Understanding disaster risk;
• Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk;
• Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience;
• Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

12.Outer Space Treaty

The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans the stationing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space, prohibits military activities on celestial bodies, and details legally binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space.

13.Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 UNFCCC that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that

(a) global warming exists and (b) human-made CO2 emissions have caused it.

Objectives-

• The main feature of the Protocol is that it established legally binding commitments to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases for parties that ratified the Protocol.
• The commitments were based on the Berlin Mandate, which was a part of UNFCCC negotiations leading up to the Protocol.
• Minimizing Impacts on Developing Countries by establishing an adaptation fund for climate change.

14.U.N. Frame Work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Objectives-

• A framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were inevitable.
• The primary goals of the UNFCCC were to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions at levels that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the global climate.
• The convention embraced the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities which has guided the adoption of a regulatory structure.

15.Basel Convention

1. The industrialized world in the 1980s had led to increasing public resistance to the disposal of hazardous wastes, in accordance with what became known as the NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome, and to an increase of disposal costs.

2. This in turn led some operators to seek cheap disposal options for hazardous wastes in the developing countries.

3. Environmental awareness was much less developed and regulations and enforcement mechanisms were lacking.The objectives of the convention are to reduce trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes, to minimize the creation of such wastes and to prohibit their shipment from developed countries to the LDCs.

16.Montreal Protocol

Objectives-

• The protocol set targets for reducing the consumption and production of a range of ozone depleting substances.
• In a major innovation the protocol recognized that all nations should not be treated equally.
• The agreement acknowledges that certain countries have contributed to ozone depletion more than others.
• It also recognizes that a nation‘s obligation to reduce current emissions should reflect its technological and financial ability to do so.
• Becauseof this, the agreement sets more stringent standards and accelerated phase-out time tables to countries that have contributed most to ozone depletion

17.World Conservation Strategy

Objectives-

• It set out fundamental principles and objectives for conservation worldwide, and identified priorities for national and international action.
• It is considered one of the most influential documents in 20th century nature conservation and one of the first official documents to introduce the concept of sustainable development.

18.Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)

Objectives-

• Aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avianmigratory species throughout their range.
• The Convention facilitates adoption of strict protection measures for endangered migratory species, the conclusion of multilateral agreements for the conservation and management of migratory species, and co-operative research activities.

19.World sustainable Development summit

• WSDS has replaced TERI’s earlier called Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS). The first DSDS was organised in 2005. It underscored need for businesses and private sector to take lead in poverty reduction and to ensure rapid and sustained adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• It had brought together Nobel laureates, decision-makers political leaders from around the world to deliberate on issues related to sustainable development.
• The aim of the summit is to provide various stakeholders a single platform in order to provide long-term solutions for the benefit of the global community.

20.Kigali Agreement

The Kigali Amendment amends the 1987 Montreal Protocol to

now include gases responsible for global warming and will be

binding on countries from 2019.

Objectives-

• It also has provisions for penalties for non-compliance.
• It is considered absolutely vital for reaching the Paris Agreement target of keeping global temperature rise to below 2-degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
• Under it, developed countries will also provide enhanced funding support estimated at billions of dollars globally. The exact amount of additional funding from developed countries will be agreed at the next
• Meeting of the Parties in Montreal in 2017 to reduce the emissions of category of greenhouse gases (GHGs) which leads to hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs)

1.PM conferred with Seoul Peace Prize

About the Seoul Peace Prize

1. The prize has been awarded to those who have made their mark through contributions to the harmony of mankind, reconciliation between nations and to world peace.
2. Established in 1990, the Seoul Peace Prize was an effort to crystallise the Korean people’s yearning for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of the world.
3. It was initially established to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul, Republic of Korea – an event in which 160 nations from across the world took part, creating harmony and friendship and a worldwide atmosphere of peace and reconciliation.
4. Previous winners of the award include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and renowned international relief organizations like Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam.

2.UN Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) Award

Shri Manoj Jhalani, Additional Secretary & Mission Director (NHM), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has been conferred with the prestigious UNIATF Award for his outstanding contribution towards prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related SDGs.

United Nations Interagency Task Force (UNIATF)

1. The UNIATF on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases was established by the UN Secretary-General in June 2013 and placed under the leadership of WHO.
2. It aims to support governments, in particular in low- and middle-income countries, to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
3. Following the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, UNIATF’s scope of work was expanded in 2016 to include “NCD related SDGs” – i.e. mental health, violence and injuries, nutrition, and environmental issues that impact on NCDs.
4. The World Health Organization acts as a Secretariat and lead for the Task Force.
5. The UNIATF coordinates the activities of relevant UN organizations and other inter-governmental organizations to support Governments to meet high-level commitments to respond to NCD epidemics worldwide.
6. The Task Force reports once a year to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

3.Nobel Prize in Medicine

• The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to James P. Allison from the US and Tasuku Honjo from Japan.
• By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumor cells Nobel Laureates established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy.
• Tasuku Honjo discovered a protein on immune cells and revealed that it also operates as a break, but with a different mechanism of action.

4.Nobel Prize in Physics

• Three scientists Arthur Ashkin of the U.S., Gerard Mourou of France and Donna Strickland of Canada won the Nobel Physics Prize.
• Mr. Ashkin, 96, was honored for his invention of “optical tweezers” that grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells with their laser beam fingers.
• In 1987 Mr. Ashkin used the tweezers to capture living bacteria without harming them.
• Mr. Mourou and Ms. Strickland won for helping develop a method to generate ultra-short optical pulses, “the shortest and most intense laser pulses ever created by mankind”.
• Mrs. Strickland is the third women ever and the first woman in 55 years to receive the prestigious award.
• Their technique is now used in corrective eye surgery and in making surgical stents. Recently, attosecond lasers have even made it possible to observe individual electrons.

5.Nobel Prize in Chemistry

• Ms. Frances Arnold US, Mr. George Smith, both from the US and Mr. Gregory Winter of Britain were awarded the prize for pioneering science in enzymes and antibodies.
• For the first time, scientists harnessed the power of evolution to produce novel proteins used in everything from environmentally friendly detergents and biofuels to cancer drugs.
• Ms. Arnold is the fifth woman to win a chemistry Nobel. Her research on enzymes led to the development of better industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

6.Nobel Peace Prize

• Who is awarded?
  • “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” (Excerpt from the will of Alfred Nobel)
• The Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 has been awarded to Congolese gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege and Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
• Dr. Denis Mukwege has helped in the treatment of women who were raped by rebels during the civil war in Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Ms. Murad is one of an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women who were victims of rape and other abuses by the Islamic State.

7.Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

 

• William Nordhaus and Paul Romer, from the US, won the 2018 Nobel Economics Prize for work in integrating climate change and technological innovation into economic analysis,
• William D. Nordhaus was awarded for integrating climate change into the long-run macroeconomic analysis.
• William Nordhaus was the first person to create a quantitative model that described the interplay between the economy and the climate.
• Paul M. Romer integrated technological innovations into the long-run macroeconomic analysis.

 

1.Janani Suraksha Yojana(JSY)

Objectives

• It is being implemented with the objective of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.
• It is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme it integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care. The success of the scheme would be determined by the increase in institutional delivery among the poor families
• The women who deliver in Government hospitals, health centres or even in accredited private hospitals are eligible for the cash assistance, if she is above 19 years .

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

2.Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram(JSSK)

Objectives

• To provide better health facilities for pregnant women and sick neonates and eliminating “out-of-pocket” expenses.-Under this scheme, pregnant women are entitled for free drugs and consumables, free diagnostics, free blood whenever required, and free diet up to 3 days for normal delivery and 7 days for C-section
• This initiative also provides for free transport from home to institution, between facilities in case of a referral and drop back home
• Similar entitlements have been put in place for all sick new borns accessing public health institutions for treatment till 30 days after birth.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

3.MAA-Mother’s Absolute Affection

Objectives

• A nationwide programme launched in an attempt to bring undiluted focus on promotion of breastfeeding and provision of counselling services for supporting breastfeeding through health systems.1. The programme has been named ‘MAA’ to signify the support a lactating mother requires from family members and at health facilities to breastfeed successfully.
• The chief components of the MAA Programme are Community awareness generation, Strengthening interpersonal communication through ASHA, Skilled support for breastfeeding at delivery points in public health facilities, and monitoring and award/recognition.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

4.Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram(RBSK)

Salient Features

• Under this, support is being provided to States/UTs for Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services through early detection and early management of common health conditions classified into 4 Ds i.e Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies, Development delays including disability.
• Treatment including surgeries at tertiary level is free of cost under this initiative.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

5.Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram

Objectives

This initiative goes beyond addressing sexual and reproductive health and introduces focus on nutrition, sexual & reproductive health, injuries and violence (including gender based violence), non-communicable diseases, mental health and substance misuse.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

6.Ayushman Bharat Scheme

Objectives

• National Health Protection Scheme will be launched to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.
• Under this, up to Rs 5 lakh will be provided to each family per year in secondary and tertiary care institutions.
• This scheme will have 50 crore beneficiaries. So far under the National Health Insurance Scheme, insurance cover of Rs 30,000 was available only. This is a big increase in this regard.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

7.RASHTRIYA AROGYA NIDHI (RAN)

Objectives

• Financial assistance to patients, living below poverty line and who are suffering from major life threatening diseases, to receive medical treatment at any of the super speciality Hospitals/Institutes or other Government hospitals.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

8.Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

Objectives

• The primary objective of PMSSY is to correct the region imbalances in availability of affordable/reliable tertiary level healthcare in the country in general, and, to augment facilities for quality medical education in under-served or backward States, in particular.
• The PMSSY project was to be implemented across the country by the centre for which two major components of implementation was decided.
• The first was to set up bigger medical institutions like that of AIIMS located in New Delhi. A total of six such AIIMS like medical units were brought up in the country spread across various regions.
• The second component of the PMSSY scheme was to improve and upgrade all the medical colleges and institutions.
• There were a total of 13 such medical colleges spread across the country which needed up gradation and introduction to improved medical facilities and technologies. The PMSSY scheme will be implemented in three work phases.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

9.Mission Madhumeha

Objectives

• Effective management of Diabetes through Ayurveda.
• It was Launched on National Ayurvedic Day .
• The Mission will be implemented throughout the country through a specially designed National Treatment Protocol. 3.The guidelines in the protocol will be sent to various state governments, which will further circulate them across various medical institutions.
• The Madhumeha Assessment Tool (MAT) based on Ayurvedic philosophy has also been developed for the self-assessment of the people with regards to possibilities of diabetes.
• The government is set to launch a mobile app which will suggest Ayurvedic medicines for diabetic patients.
• The app will be meant for use by both practitioners of Ayurveda as well patients.
• It will help in identifying the type of diabetes a patient is suffering from as well as recommend which Ayurvedic medicines can be administered to a patient.
• The app is based on a set of guidelines issued by AYUSH.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of AYUSH

10.Indradanush scheme.

Objectives-

• It aims to immunize all children under the age of 2 years, as well as all pregnant women, against seven vaccine preventable diseases.
• The Mission Indradhanush, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases which include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health

11.National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS)

Objectives

• NPCDCS has a focus on awareness generation for behaviour and life-style changes, screening and early diagnosis of persons with high level of risk factors and there treatment and referral (if required) to higher facilities for appropriate management for those Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) including diabetes and hypertension.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

12.Test and Treat Policy for HIV

Objectives

• As soon as a person is tested and found to be positive, he will be provided with Antiretroviral Therapy irrespective of his CD count or clinical stage.1. The ART will be for all men, women, adolescents and children who have been diagnosed as a HIV + case.
• This will improve longevity, improve quality of life of those infected and will save them from many opportunistic infections, especially TB.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

13.Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme

Objectives

• Strengthening and improving quality of basic TB services addressing TB HIV co-infection, other co-morbidities and MDR-TB
• Engaging with care providers both in the public and the private sector
• Targeted intervention in the vulnerable population and strengthening urban TB control along with active case finding activities
• Integrating newer molecular diagnostics for TB in the health system (CBNAAT) for early diagnosis of MDR TB
• Leveraging of Information Communication Technology for enhancing TB notification and strengthening of monitoring1. Under the RNTCP, Government is committed to end tuberculosis by 2025.
• The strategies adopted for this purpose include strengthening and improving quality of basic TB services, engaging with providers other than public, addressing TB HIV co-infection, other co-morbidities and programmatic management of drug resistant TB.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

14.National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP)To eliminate leprosy from the country.

Objectives

• With a view to eliminating leprosy from the country, a three-pronged strategy has been adopted for early detection of leprosy cases in the community during 2016-17:
• Leprosy Case Detection Campaign for high endemic districts.
• Focused Leprosy Campaign for hot spots.
• Specific plan for Case Detection in Hard to reach areas.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

15.National Framework for Malaria Elimination

Objectives

The aims of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India 2016-2030 are:

• To Eliminate malaria (zero indigenous cases) throughout the entire country by 2030; and
• Maintain malaria-free status in areas where malaria transmission has been interrupted and prevent re-introduction of malaria.1. Eliminate malaria from all 26 States including 15 low (Category 1) and 11 moderate (Category 2) transmission States/Union Territories (UTs) by 2022;
• Reduce the incidence of malaria to less than 1 case per 1000 population per year in all States and UTs and their districts by 2024;
• Interrupt indigenous transmission of malaria throughout the entire country, including all 10 high transmission States and Union Territories (Category 3) by 2027; and
• Prevent the re-establishment of local transmission of malaria in areas where it has been eliminated and maintain national malaria-free status by 2030 and beyond.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

16.Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (ELF) Programme

Objectives

• National Health Policy (2002) has laid down the goal for elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis by 2015, which has now been revised to 2017, though global goal is 2020

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

17.LAQSHYA

Objectives

• Scheme aimed at improving quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatre. The programme aims at implementing ‘fast-track’ interventions for achieving tangible results within 18 months.
• Under the initiative, a multipronged strategy has been adopted, including improving infrastructure upgradation, ensuring availability of essential equipment, providing adequate human resources, capacity building of healthcare workers and improving quality processes in the labour room.
• A healthcare facility achieving 70% score on NQAS will be declared ‘LaQshya’ certified. Facilities scoring over 90, 80 and 70% will get platinum, gold and silver badges respectively.
• Facilities achieving NQAS certification and having 80% satisfied beneficiaries will be given monetary incentive with medical college hospitals getting Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh for district hospitals.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

18.Suvidha

Objectives

The government has launched biodegradable sanitary napkins, priced at ₹2.50 per pad. The name is Suvidha.

Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers

19.SATH Programme

Objectives

• NITI Aayog has launched SATH, a program providing ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human capital’ with the State Governments.The vision of the program is to initiate transformation in the education and health sectors.
• The program addresses the need expressed by many states for technical support from NITI aayog.
• SATH aims to identify and build three future ‘role model’ states for health systems.
• NITI Aayog will work in close collaboration with their state machinery to design a robust roadmap of intervention, develop a program governance structure, set up monitoring and tracking mechanisms, handhold state institutions through the execution stage and provide support on a range of institutional measures to achieve the end objectives.
• The program will be implemented by NITI along with McKinsey & Company and IPE Global consortium, who were selected through a competitive bidding process.
• Niti aayog

20.National Health mission.

Objectives

• The broad objectives of this mission are as follows:
• Reduce MMR to 1/1000 live births
• Reduce IMR to 25/1000 live births
• Reduce TFR (Total Fertility Rate ) to 2.1
• Prevention and reduction of anaemia in women aged 15–49 years
• Prevent and reduce mortality & morbidity from communicable, non-communicable; injuries and emerging diseases
• Reduce household out-of-pocket expenditure on total health care expenditure
• Reduce annual incidence and mortality from Tuberculosis by half
• Reduce prevalence of Leprosy to <1/10000 population and incidence to zero in all districts
• Annual Malaria Incidence to be <1/1000
• Less than 1 per cent microfilaria prevalence in all districts
• Kala-azar Elimination by 2015, <1 case per 10000 population in all blocks.

The National Health Mission (NHM) has two Sub-Missions :

National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) covering urban areas

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) covering rural areas

Government Bodies related to environment conservation in India

Central Pollution Control Board

Established: It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Objective: To provide technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Key Functions:

• Advise the Central Government on any matter concerning prevention and control of water and air pollution and improvement of the quality of air.
• Plan and cause to be executed a nation-wide programm for the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution
• Co-ordinate the activities of the State Board and resolve disputes among them
• Provide technical assistance and guidance to the State Boards, carry out and sponsor investigation and research relating to problems of water and air pollution, and for their prevention, control or abatement
• Plan and organise training of persons engaged in programme on the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution
• Organise through mass media, a comprehensive mass awareness programme on the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution
• Collect, compile and publish technical and statistical data relating to water and air pollution and the measures devised for their effective prevention, control or abatement;
• Prepare manuals, codes and guidelines relating to treatment and disposal of sewage and trade effluents as well as for stack gas cleaning devices, stacks and ducts;
• Disseminate information in respect of matters relating to water and air pollution and their prevention and control
• Lay down, modify or annul, in consultation with the State Governments concerned, the standards for stream or well, and lay down standards for the quality of air.
• Perform such other functions as may be prescribed by the Government of India.

 

National Biodiversity Authority

Established When: It is a statutory autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India established in 2003, after India signed Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992

Headquarter: Chennai

Objective of the body: Implementation of Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Key Functions:

It acts as a facilitating, regulating and advisory body to the Government of India “on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources.”

Additionally, it advises State Governments in identifying the areas of biodiversity importance (biodiversity hotspots) as heritage sites.

 

National Tiger conservation authority

Established: It was established in December 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India.

Headquarter: Delhi

Objective:

• Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
• Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
• Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
• Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

Key Functions:

• to approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the State Government under sub-section (3) of section 38V of this Act
• evaluate and assess various aspects of sustainable ecology and disallow any ecologically unsustainable land use such as, mining, industry and other projects within the tiger reserves;
• provide for management focus and measures for addressing conflicts of  men and wild animal and to emphasize on co-existence in forest areas outside the National Parks, sanctuaries or tiger reserve, in the working plan code
• provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, estimation of population of tiger and its natural prey species, status of habitats, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, reports on untoward happenings and such other management aspects as it may deem fit including future plan conservation
• ensure critical support including scientific, information technology and legal support for better implementation of the tiger conservation plan
• facilitate ongoing capacity building programme for skill development of officers and staff of tiger reserves.

 

Animal Welfare Board of India

Established When: It was established in 1962 under Section 4 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960.

Headquarter: Ballabhgarh, Haryana

Objective: To advise Government on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country.

Key Functions:

• Recognition of Animal Welfare Organisations: The Board oversees Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs) by granting recognition to them if they meet its guidelines. The organisation must submit paperwork; agree to nominate a representative of the Animal Welfare Board of India on its Executive Committee; and to submit to regular inspections. After meeting the requirements and an inspection, the organisation is considered for grant of recognition.
• The AWBI also appoints key people to the positions of (Hon) Animal Welfare Officers, who serve as the key point of contact between the people, the government and law enforcement agencies.
• Financial assistance: The Board provides financial assistance to recognised Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs), who submit applications to the Board. Categories of grants include Regular Grant, Cattle Rescue Grant, Provision of Shelter House for looking after the Animals, Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme, Provision of Ambulance for the animals in distress and Natural Calamity grant.
• Animal welfare Laws and Rules: The Board suggests changes to laws and rules about animal welfare issues. In 2011, a new draft Animal Welfare Act was published for comment. Guidance is also offered to organisations and officials such as police to help them interpret and apply the laws.
• Raising awareness: The Board issues publications to raise awareness of various animal welfare issues. The Board’s Education Team gives talks on animal welfare subjects, and trains members of the community to be Board Certified Animal Welfare Educators.

 

Forest Survey of India

Established When:  It is a government organization in India under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for conducting forest surveys and studies. The organization came into being in, 1981.

Headquarter: Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Objective

The objective of the organization is monitoring periodically the changing situation of land and forest resources and present the data for national planning; conservation and management of environmental preservation and implementation of social forestry projects.

Key Functions

• The Functions of Forest Survey of India are:
• To prepare State of Forest Report biennially, providing assessment of latest forest cover in the country and monitoring changes in these.
• To conduct inventory in forest and non-forest areas and develop database on forest tree resources.
• To prepare thematic maps on 1:50,000 scale, using aerial photographs.
• To function as a nodal agency for collection, compilation, storage and dissemination of spatial database on forest resources.
• To conduct training of forestry personnel in application of technologies related to resources survey, remote sensing, GIS, etc.
• To strengthen research & development infrastructure in FSI and to conduct research on applied forest survey techniques.
• To support State/UT Forest Departments (SFD) in forest resources survey, mapping and inventory.
• To undertake forestry related special studies/consultancies and custom made training courses for SFD’s and other organizations on project basis.

Forest Survey of India assesses forest cover of the country every 2 years by digital interpretation of remote sensing satellite data and publishes the results in a biennial report called ‘State of Forest Report'(SFR).

Central Zoo Authority of India

Established: It was established in 1992 and constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act.

Headquarter: Delhi

Objective 

The main objective of the authority is to complement the national effort in conservation of wildlife.

Standards and norms for housing, upkeep, health care and overall management of animals in zoos have been laid down under the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 1992.

Key Functions

• Since its inception in 1992, the Authority has evaluated 513 zoos, out of which 167 have been recognized and 346 refused recognition.
• The Authority’s role is more of a facilitator than a regulator.  It, therefore, provides technical and financial assistance to such zoos which have the potential to attain the desired standard in animal management. Only such captive facilities which have neither the managerial skills nor the requisite resources are asked to close down.
• Apart from the primary function of grant of recognition and release of financial assistance, the Central Zoo Authority also regulates the exchange of animals of endangered category listed under Schedule-I and II of the Wildlife (Protection Act) among zoos.
• Exchange of animals between Indian and foreign zoos is also approved by the Authority before the requisite clearances under EXIM Policy and the CITES permits are issued by the competent authority.
• The Authority also coordinates and implements programmes on capacity building of zoo personnel, planned conservation breeding programmes and ex-situ research including biotechnological intervention for conservation of species for complementing in-situ conservation efforts in the country.