As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Key words related to History : Gomastha
Dynasty/era : Mughal period
Meaning : 1.Gomastha described an Indian agent of the British East India Company employed in the Company’s colonies, to sign bonds, usually compellingly, by local weavers and artisans to deliver goods to the Company. The prices of the goods were fixed by the gomasthas. 2.The goods were exported by the Company to Europe and America.Gomastha may also be described as ‘a paid manager of the private trader’s concerns’, who claimed ‘hardly any share in the profit and loss of his employer’s business’
Key words related to History: Ibadat Khana
Dynasty/era : Mughal period
Meaning : The Ibādat Khāna was a meeting house built in 1575 CE by the Mughal Emperor Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri to gather spiritual leaders of different religious grounds so as to conduct a discussion on the teachings of the respective religious leaders
The Peninsular drainage system is older than the Himalayan one. This is evident from the broad, largely-graded shallow valleys, and the maturity of the rivers.
Evolution: Three major geological events in the distant past have shaped the present drainage systems of Peninsular India:
Subsidence of the western flank of the Peninsula leading to its submergence below the sea during the early tertiary period. Generally, it has disturbed the symmetrical plan of the river on either side of the original watershed and left just the upper parts of west flowing rivers above the sea level.
Upheaval of the Himalayas when the northern flank of the Peninsular block was subjected to subsidence and the consequent trough faulting. The Narmada and The Tapi flow in trough faults and fill the original cracks with their detritus materials. Hence, there is a lack of alluvial and deltaic deposits in these rivers.
Slight tilting of the Peninsular block from north-west to the southeastern direction gave orientation to the entire drainage system towards the Bay of Bengal during the same period.
River-Systems:
The peninsular river system can be categorised into the following sections:
The East flowing rivers – the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Cauvery flow eastwards and drain into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers make deltas at their mouths.
The West flowingrivers:
Narmada and Tapi along with other small rivers originating from the Western Ghats and falling in the Arabian Sea form estuaries in place of deltas. This is due to the fact that these rivers, especially Narmada and Tapi, flow through hard rocks and are not able to form distributaries before they enter the sea.
Although these west flowing rivers of Sahyadri form only about 3% of the areal extent of basins of India, they contain about 18% of the country’s water resources.
Wondering what is the difference between a delta and an estuary? Let’s see:
The Western Ghats running close to the western coast act as a water divide between the major Peninsular Rivers discharging their water in the Bay of Bengal and the small rivulets joining the Arabian Sea.
The Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa, the Ken, the Son, originating in the northern part of the Peninsula belong to the Ganga river system.
The Peninsular rivers are characterized by fixed courses, absence of meanders and non-perennial flow of water. The Narmada and the Tapi which flow through the rift valley are, however, exceptions.
The Peninsular Drainage
A brief account of the major Peninsular river systems is given below:
Major Peninsular River Systems
Smaller rivers flowing Towards the West:
The rivers flowing towards the Arabian Sea have short courses ( Because their origins lie closer to the sea, and the Western Ghats act as a water divide). Several of these small rivers are important for the production of hydroelectricity because of steep slopes and waterfalls.
Gujarat:
The Shetruniji – It rises near Dalkahwa in Amreli district.
The Bhadra – It originates near Aniali village in Rajkot district.
The Dhadhar rises near Ghantar village in Panchmahal district.
Sabarmati
Mahi
Maharashtra:
The Vaitarna rises from the Trimbak hills in Nasik district
The Kalinadi rises from Belgaum district and falls in the Karwar Bay.
The source of Bedti river lies in Hubli Dharwar and traverses a course of 161 km.
The Sharavati is another important river in Karnataka flowing towards the west. The Sharavati originates in Shimoga district of Karnataka and drains a catchment area of 2,209 sq. km. The famous Jog or Gersoppa Falls (289m) made by Sharavati river are the highest untiered waterfalls in India.
Goa:
Mandovi
Juari
Kerala:
Bharathapuzha – It is the largest river of Kerala. It is also known as Ponnani. It originates from Annamalai hills and flows into the Arabian Sea at a place called Ponnani.
The Periyar – It is the longest and the second largest river of Kerala. [Largeness of a river is related to its basin size and the volume of water flowing in the river. At the same time when we say that a river is the longest, it means that we are referring to its geographical length]
The Pamba river – It falls in the Vembanad lake.
Small Rivers Flowing towards the East:
There are small rivers which join the Bay of Bengal, though small, these are important in their own right.
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
#1. Name : Block-III version of Brahmos cruise missile
Defence Forces : Army
Module Type : Missiles
Brief Intro : Block III had advanced guidance and upgraded software, incorporating high manoeuvres at multiple points and steep dive from high altitude. The steep dive capability of the Block III enables it to hit targets hidden behind a mountain range. It will be deployed in Arunachal Pradesh. It can engage ground targets from an altitude as low as 10 meters for surgical strikes with out any collateral damage. It is capable of being launched from multiple platforms like submarines, ships, aircraft and land based Mobile Autonomous Launchers (MAL). Range: 450 Km (to be upgraded to 600 Km)
#2. Name : Agni III
Defence Forces : Army
Module Type : Missiles
Brief Intro : Agni-III is an intermediate-range ballistic missile developed by India as the successor to Agni-II. It has a range of 3,500 km- 5,000 km, and is capable of engaging targets deep inside neighbouring countries. The missile’s Circular error probable (CEP) is within 40 meters range, which makes it the most sophisticated and accurate ballistic missile of its range class in the world.
The Ganga river system is the largest in India having a number of perennial and non-perennial rivers originating in the Himalayas in the north and the Peninsula in the south, respectively. It accounts for 26.3% of the geographical area of the country and is shared by ten states.
Ambala is located on the water divide between Indus and Ganga.
Origin: It rises in the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh in the Uttarkashi district of Uttaranchal. Here, it is known as the Bhagirathi. At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda; hereafter, it is known as the Ganga.
The Ganga and its Tributaries in the Area of Origin
The river-course:
The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar.
From here, it flows first to the south, then to the south-east direction to reach Allahabad. Here it is joined by the Yamuna.
Further, near Rajmahal hills, Ganga turns south-east and bifurcates at Farakka into Bhagirathi – Hugli in West Bengal and as the Padma in Bangladesh.
The river finally discharges itself into the Bay of Bengal near the Sagar Island.
Origin: The Brahmaputra has its origin in the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range near the Mansarovar lake. Mariam La separates the source of the Brahmaputra from the Manasarovar Lake.
The river-course:
Most of the course of the Brahmaputra lies in Tibet, popularly known as Tsangpo. It flows eastwards parallel to the Himalayas. It receives a large number of tributaries in Tibet. The first major tributary is the Raga Tsangpo meeting the Tsangpo near Lhatse Dzong.
After reaching Namcha Barwa, it takes a “U” turn (also known as Hair Pin turn) and enters India west of Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh through the deep Dihang or Siang gorge of Himalayas. Here initially it is called as Siang and then as Dihang.
It is joined by Dibang, Lohit, Kenula and many other tributaries and finally forms the Brahmaputra in Assam.
It then enters into Bangladesh near Dhubri and flows southward. In Bangladesh, the Tista joins it on its right bank from where the river is known as the Jamuna. [Note: The Tista was a tributary of the Ganga prior to the floods of 1787 after which it diverted its course eastwards to join the Brahmaputra.]
The Jamuna and Ganga confluence at Goalundo and afterwards are called as the Padma. Further south, Padma is joined by Meghna (Barak river in India) and thence onward it is known as Meghna to finally merge in the Bay of Bengal.
It is called:
The Tsangpo in Tibet ( Tsangpo = ‘the purifier.’)
The Brahmaputra in India
The Jamuna in Bangladesh
Major left bank tributaries:
Burhi Dihing,
Dhansari (South)
Kalang
Major right bank tributaries:
Subansiri ( It has its origin in Tibet and is an antecedent river.)
Kameng
Manas
Sankosh
Characteristic Features:
River Brahmaputra is a little longer than the river Indus.
It forms a spectacular Grand Canyon – like canyon in Tibet.
The river is nearly 16 km wide at Dibrugarh and forms many islands, the most important of which is Majuli. Majuli is the world’s largest riverine island and India’s first island district.
The Brahmaputra has a braided channel. It carries a lot of silt and there is excessive meandering.
The Brahmaputra is well-known for floods, channel shifting and bank erosion. This is due to the fact that most of its tributaries are large, and bring large quantity of sediments owing to heavy rainfall in its catchment area.
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
#1. Name of the scheme : Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA)
Objectives : To make people aware about cashless economic system.
Salient Features : Financial literacy
Nodal Ministry : Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD)
#2. Name of the scheme : Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan(PMDISHA)
Objectives : To make 6 crore rural households digitally literate
Salient Features : 1.It is expected to be one of the largest digital literacy programmes in the world. 2.Under the scheme, 25 lakh candidates will be trained in the FY 2016-17; 275 lakh in the FY 2017-18; and 300 lakh in the FY 2018-19. 3.To ensure equitable geographical reach, each of the 250,000 Gram Panchayats would be expected to register an average of 200-300 candidates.
Nodal Ministry : The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Name of the scheme: National Skill Development Mission
Objectives : NSDM will provide a strong institutional framework at the Centre and States for implementation of skilling activities in the country.
Salient Features : The Mission will have a three-tiered, high powered decision making structure: 1. At its apex, the Mission’s Governing Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, will provide overall guidance and policy direction. 2. The Steering Committee, chaired by Minister in Charge of Skill Development, will review the Mission’s activities in line with the direction set by the Governing Council. 3. The Mission Directorate, with Secretary, Skill Development as Mission Director, will ensure implementation, coordination and convergence of skilling activities across Central Ministries/Departments and State Governments.
Nodal Ministry : Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Name of the scheme : Nirbhaya Fund
Objectives : -Nirbhaya Fund is an Indian rupee 10 billion corpus announced by Government of India in its 2013 Union Budget. -According to the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, this fund is expected to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women in India. -Nirbhaya (fearless) was the pseudonym given to the 2012 Delhi gang rape victim to hide her actual identity.
Nodal Ministry: Earlier Ministry of Home Ministry, Now Ministry of Women & Child
1. On the basis of discharge of water – the Arabian Sea drainage and the Bay of Bengal drainage:
On the basis of discharge of water (orientations to the sea), the drainage system of India may be grouped into:
the Arabian Sea drainage
the Bay of Bengal drainage
They are separated from each other by the Delhi ridge, the Aravalis and the Sahyadris (water divide is shown by a line in the following map).
Source: NCERT
Nearly 77 percent of the drainage area consisting of the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, etc. is oriented towards the Bay of Bengal while 23 percent comprising the Indus, the Narmada, the Tapi, the Mahi and the Periyar systems discharge their waters in the Arabian Sea.
1. Rivers of the inland drainage basin (endorheic basin): When a river does not reach the sea but disappears into the sand, such a region is called an area of inland drainage. Inland drainage streams are ephemeral streams (short-lived). E.g.:
The Ghaggar river in Haryana, which is supposed to be remnant of the proverbial ancient Saraswati river, gets lost in dry sands near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan.
The Luni river in Rajasthan originates near Ajmer and after flowing through Thar desert gets lost in the Rann of Kutch.
The Aksai Chin region in Ladakh too has some inland drainage.
2. On the basis of the size of the watershed:
Major river basins – with more than 20,000 sq. km of catchment area. It includes 14 drainage basins such as the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Krishna, the Tapi, the Narmada, the Mahi, the Pennar, the Sabarmati, the Barak, etc.
Medium river basins – with catchment area between 2,000-20,000 sq. km incorporating 44 river basins such as the Kalindi, the Periyar, the Meghna, etc.
Minor river basins – with catchment area of less than 2,000 sq. Km, these include 55 river basins.
3. On the basis of the mode of origin, nature and characteristics:
The Himalayan drainage, and
The Peninsular drainage.
There is no clear-cut line of demarcation between these two drainage systems, as many of the peninsular rivers like the Chambal, Betwa, Sind, Ken and Son are much older in age and origin than the Himalayan rivers.
Let’s follow this line of classification and look at the drainage system of India in detail. We begin with the Himalayan drainage.
The Himalayan Drainage system:
It consists of the rivers originating in the Himalayan and trans-Himalayan region. It further consists of three river systems namely:
the Ganga,
the Indus, and
the Brahmaputra river systems.
Since these are fed both by the melting of snow and precipitation, rivers of this system are perennial.
The various geographical features made by the Himalayan rivers are:
In upper reaches (Youthful stage): Gorges, V-shaped valleys, rapids, waterfalls, truncated spurs etc.
In plain areas or middle part (Mature stage): While entering the plains, they form depositional features like flat valleys, ox-bow lakes, flood plains, braided channels, and deltas near the river mouth. Over the plains, they display a strong meandering tendency and shift their courses frequently.
Evolution of the Himalayan Drainage System:
There is a difference of opinion about the evolution of the Himalayan Rivers. However, geologists believe that:
A mighty river called Shiwalik or Indo-Brahma traversed the entire longitudinal extent of the Himalaya from Assam to Punjab and onwards to Sind, and finally discharged into the Gulf of Sind near lower Punjab during the Miocene period some 5-24 million years ago.
Evidences: The remarkable continuity of the Shiwalik and its lacustrine origin and alluvial deposits consisting of sands, silt, clay, boulders and conglomerates support this viewpoint.
It is opined that in due course of time Indo–Brahma river was dismembered into three main drainage systems:
the Indus and its five tributaries in the western part;
the Ganga and its Himalayan tributaries in the central part; and
the stretch of the Brahmaputra in Assam and its Himalayan tributaries in the eastern part.
The dismemberment was probably due to the Pleistocene upheaval in the western Himalayas, including the uplift of the Potwar Plateau (Delhi Ridge), which acted as the water divide between the Indus and Ganga drainage systems.
Likewise, the downthrusting of the Malda gap area between the Rajmahal hills and the Meghalaya plateau during the mid-pleistocene period, diverted the Ganga and the Brahmaputra systems to flow towards the Bay of Bengal.
Let’s take up the three major river systems of the Himalayan drainage individually:
1. The Indus River System
It is one of the largest river basins of the world. A little over one-third of the Indus basin is located in India; in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The rest of the portion is in Pakistan.
The Indus also known as the Sindhu, is the westernmost of the Himalayan rivers in India.
Origin: It originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu in the Kailash Mountain range (Tibetan region). In Tibet, it is known as ‘Singi Khamban; or Lion’s mouth.
The river-course:
The Indus cuts through Himalayas and enters India near Damchok.
flows in India only through the Leh district in Jammu and Kashmir.
It enters into Pakistan near Chillar in the Dardistan region through a deep gorge near the hair-pin bend of Nanga Parbat.
It finally discharges into the Arabian Sea, east of Karachi.
The right-bank tributaries of Indus:
Shyok
Gilgit
Hunza
Nubra
Kabul
Khurram
Tochi
Gomal
Sangar
Kunar
The left-bank tributaries of Indus:
Zaskar
‘Panjnad’ joins Indus a little above Mithankot). The Panjnad is the name given to the five rivers of Punjab, namely:
Satluj
Beas
Ravi
Chenab
Jhelum
Chief Characteristics:
The Indus drains the largest number of glaciers of Himalayas, Ladakh, Zaskar, and Kailash.
The Indus plain has a very gentle slope.
Indus and its Tributaries
Let’s look at some important tributaries of Indus:
Important Tributaries of Indus and their Characteristic Features
The Indus water treaty: The waters of the Indus river system are shared by India and Pakistan according to the Indus Water Treaty signed between the two countries on 19th September 1960. According to this treaty, India can utilise only 20 percent of its total discharge of water. The Indus water treaty was recently in news. Remember why? Read here!
Ease of Doing Business is an index of World Bank which inter alia refers to the dispute resolution environment in a country which facilitates the investors in deciding for setting up of and operation of a business.
This index has been created by the World Bank Group and since 2002; it has been evaluating almost all the countries of the world.
A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of the business.
India has emerged out as one among top ten improvers and for the first time ever, India has jumped 30 positions.
India reached 100th ranked country in terms of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ amongst 190 countries.
This manifests that India is fast adopting the best practices in regulatory framework for Ease of Doing Business at all fronts.
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Key words related to History : Parigraha
Dynasty/era : Mahavira period
Meaning : 1.Parigraha-parimana is one the 12 vratas or vows of a layperson in Jainism. Specifically, it is a vow to limit attachment to worldly possessions. 2.Unlike monks or ascetics who observe such vows more strictly, the layperson may make a vow to limit his or her attachment to certain possessions or a certain number of possessions, or they may vow to limit attachment for a specified period of time.
The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as ‘drainage’ and the network of such channels is called a ‘drainage system’.
Types of Drainage Patterns
Discordant drainage
A pattern of drainage that bears no relation to the structure of the underlying rock. This may be because:
1. The drainage pattern developed on rock strata that have since been removed by erosion; a process known as superimposition. The drainage pattern thus developed is called superimposed drainage (or Epigenetic or Superinduced Drainage). Examples: The Damodar, the Subarnarekha, the Chambal, the Banas and the rivers flowing at the Rewa Plateau, rivers of eastern USA and southern France.
2. The drainage pattern was already present before a period of uplift and folding that formed the present structure. As the uplift took place, the rivers were able to cut down at approximately the same rate and so maintain their courses. This process is called antecedence and the drainage system thus developed is called antecedent drainage.
Many of the Himalayan rivers have antecedent origin i.e. these rivers existed even before the Himalayan ranges were uplifted. These rivers originate in the Tibetan side beyond the mountain ranges of Himalayas. The Indus, Satluj, Alaknanda, Gandak, Kosi, Brahmaputra all have an antecedent origin. Since these rivers are antecedent, they run transverse to the mountain ranges cutting deep V-shaped, steep-sided valleys (deep gorges).
Concordant Drainage (also called accordant drainage)
The pattern of drainage which arises from and closely follows the trends of the underlying strata is called concordant drainage.
Consequent Streams: Those streams whose courses are the direct consequence of the initial topography are called consequent streams.
Subsequent Streams: These are developed after the master consequent.
Obsequent streams: These flow in opposite direction to the master consequent.
Resequent Streams: A resequent stream flows in the same direction as that of the initial consequent stream, but which develops in response to a new base level formed due to inversion of relief.
Concordant Drainage Patterns
Drainage pattern:
Drainage pattern refers to a design which a river and its tributaries form together from its source to its mouth. The drainage pattern of an area is the outcome of:
The geological time period,
Nature and structure of rocks,
Topography,
Slope,
Amount of water flowing, and
The periodicity of the flow.
Some Important Drainage Patterns:
A combination of several patterns may be found in the same drainage basin.
1. Dendritic: The dendritic pattern develops where the river channel follows the slope of the terrain. The drainage pattern resembling the branches of a tree is known as “dendritic” the examples of which are the rivers of northern plain. It is the most common stream pattern. A dendritic pattern develops in a terrain which has uniform lithology, and where faulting and jointing are insignificant.
2. Radial: The radial pattern develops when streams flow in different directions from a central peak or a dome-like structure. E.g. the rivers like the Narmada, Son and Mahanadi originating from Maikal Hills flow in different directions and are good examples of a radial pattern.
Radial drainage patterns are also found/in the Girnar Hills (Kathiwar, Gujarat), and Mikir Hills of Assam.
3. Trellis: When the primary tributaries of rivers flow parallel to each other and secondary tributaries join them at right angles, the pattern is known as ‘trellis’. A trellis drainage pattern develops where hard and soft rocks lie parallel to each other. For example, rivers in the upper part of the Himalayan region and in the old folded mountains of the Singhbhum (Chotanagpur Plateau) have drainage of trellis pattern. The trellis drainage pattern can also be seen in the Appalachian region of the U.S.A., where hard and soft rocks occur in parallel bands.
4. Centripetal: When the rivers discharge their waters from all directions in a lake or depression, the pattern is known as ‘centripetal’. This drainage pattern is also called endorheic drainage. For example, Loktak lake in Manipur.
5. Rectangular: In this drainage, both the main stream and its tributaries show right-angled bends. A rectangular drainage pattern develops on a strongly jointed rocky terrain. It differs from trellis pattern drainage, since it is more irregular and its tributary streams are not as long or as parallel as in trellis drainage. Example: Colorado river (USA), streams found is the Vindhyan Mountains of India.
6. Barbed: If you look at the way that tributaries empty into larger rivers, you will notice that most of them flow in the same direction as the rivers they empty into. But quite a large number flow the other way. In fact, you will find stretches of some rivers where every tributary empties into the river in the “wrong” direction! Such an occurrence is known as a barbed drainage pattern.
Most barbed drainage patterns are the result of river-capture which reverses the direction of flow. However, the tributary channels continue to flow in their original direction.
The Arun River (Nepal), a tributary of the Kosi is an interesting example of barbed drainage pattern.
A Barbed Drainage Pattern
7. Annular: Annular pattern represents that part of a drainage pattern in which the subsequent streams follow the curving or arcuate courses before joining the consequent stream. These results from a partial adaptation to an underground circular structure i.e. batholiths. This is not a very common drainage pattern in India. Some examples of this are however found in Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
8. Parallel drainage: The drainage pattern in which the rivers flow almost parallel to each other is known as parallel drainage. The small and swift rivers originating in the Western Ghats and discharging their water into the Arabian Sea provide a good example of parallel drainage pattern in India.
9. Deranged pattern: This is an uncoordinated pattern of drainage characteristic of a region recently vacated by an ice-sheet. The picture is one of numerous water courses, lakes and marshes; some inter-connected and some in local drainage basins of their own. This type of drainage is found in the glaciated valleys of Karakoram.
NMCG was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986.
The Act envisages five tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below;
National Ganga Council under chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG).
State Ganga Committees and
District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states.
MCG has a two tier management structure and comprises of Governing Council and Executive Committee.
The Government of India carried out an Amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 for the creation of an integrated single umbrella National Authority to be called the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) for providing comprehensive and swift trade defense mechanism in India
The amendment of Allocation of Business Rules has also mandated Department of Commerce with work pertaining to the recommendation of Safeguard measures
The DGTR will bring DGAD, DGS and Safeguards (QR) functions of DGFT into its fold by merging them into one single national entity
DGTR will deal with Anti-dumping, CVD and Safeguard measures
The DGTR will function as an attached office of Department of Commerce
The recommendation of DGTR for the imposition of Anti-dumping, countervailing & Safeguard duties would be considered by the Department of Revenue
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Name : Joint Polar Satellite System-1
Details : The satellite is the first of four next-generation spacecraft for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region.
It is established in 1947 with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
Parent Organisation: UN ECOSOC
ESCAP works to overcome some of the region’s greatest challenges by providing results-oriented projects, technical assistance, and capacity building to member States in the following areas:
Macroeconomic Policy and Development including the publishing of Asia-Pacific Development Journal (APDJ) twice a year
Trade and Investment
Transport
Social Development
Environment and Sustainable Development
Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction
The pyrogen test is carried out to check impurity or substance that can cause adverse side-effects
For the test, the drug is injected into a rabbit and the animal is closely observed for feverish symptoms
The abnormal toxicity test is carried out to check potential hazardous biological contamination in vaccine formulations
This batch test is done before the product is approved for marketing. In this, mice or guinea pigs are injected with the vaccine. The scientists observe if there is the death of any animal.
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Name: AgniII
Defence Forces : Army
Module Type : Missiles
Brief Intro : 1.Agni-II, is a strategic ballistic missile. The Agni missile family is envisaged to be the mainstay of the Indian missile-based strategic nuclear deterrence. 2.The Agni-II is a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with two solid fuel stages and a Post Boost Vehicle (PBV) integrated into the missile’s Re-entry Vehicle (RV). . 3.The Agni-IIA is a more advanced version of Agni-II, albeit with more sophisticated and lighter materials, yielding a better range and operating regime. Agni-IIA was later renamed as Agni-IV plugging the gap between Agni-II and Agni-III. Range: 2000 Km
It is also known as Sahyadri (Benevolent Mountains) is a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, located entirely in India
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India
The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea
A total of thirty-nine properties including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests were designated as world heritage sites – twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra
Machine learning is the science of getting computers to act without being explicitly programmed.
It is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
Machine learning focuses on the development of computer programsthat can access data and use it learn for themselves.
The process of learning begins with observations or data, such as examples, direct experience, or instruction, in order to look for patterns in data and make better decisions in the future based on the examples that we provide.
In the past decade, machine learning has given us self-driving cars, practical speech recognition, effective web search, etc.
Examples: Google Assistant, Google Allo etc.
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Name : International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)
Recently in News because : Neeru Chadha won a crucial election to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), becoming the first Indian woman to be elected as judge to the tribunal
Objective : To adjudicate disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Members : The Tribunal is composed of 21 independent members elected by secret ballot by the States Parties to the Convention
Headquarters : Hamburg, Germany
Year Founded : Created by UNCLOS in 1982 (Came in force in 1994)
The inflation is considered to be bad for an economy mainly because it destroys the purchasing power of the money. When Price rise, each Rupee that you had will but less quantity of goods and services. Therefore, inflation destroys the real income of the people and makes them worse off.
The argument is particularly true for a country like India, which has a large informal sector and agriculture sector. Since most of the population is employed in informal and agriculture sector where minimum wage laws and social security benefits do not apply, the people in such sectors suffer the most due to inflation. The wages in these sectors are not indexed for inflation. Thus, when the price rises their wage does not rise, and they lose due to a reduction in real income on the one hand and no rise in wages on the other.
There is also two associated social cost of inflation.
The Shoe Leather Cost
Suppose in an economy the inflation is rising at the rate of 5% from the past few years. In such a case, everybody will expect the inflation to be 5% in future also. In such a case, all the economic transactions will be done adjusting for 5% inflation. In such an anticipated inflation scenario, the only cost of inflation will be shoe leather cost.
The Shoe Leather Cost occurs because of the cost associated with holding money during inflation. Since inflation destroys the real power of money, and cash holding does not pay any interest, people will start depositing their money in banks to earn interest rate.
The less money they hold in cash, the more they have to visit banks or ATMs to withdraw money. Since going to the bank is not free of cost both in terms of time and the transaction cost levied by banks on ATM usage, counter withdrawals, as well as the cost of travel to banks will all add to Shoe Leather Cost.
Menu Cost
Menu cost is another social cost associated with anticipated inflation. The name menu cost is derived from the restaurants business. Menu cost arises because inflation makes the business change their listed price often. The change requires the firm to bear expense related to printing of new catalogues, new price list etc. they also have to incur expenditure on advertisement to inform customers about their new prices.
Effects of Inflation on Different Sections
Creditor/lender
Debtor/Borrower
Pensioner
Producers
Wealth Holders
Inflation harms creditors, as they lose in real terms.
A 1000 RS lent @ 5%, will pay an interest rate of 50. If inflation rises to 10%, the price of goods will be 1100, but after interest, the return will only be 1050.
Inflation benefits the Debtor as they gain in real terms.
Inflation harms the pensioners, if their pensions are not indexed to inflation, and loses money.
They stand to gain by inflation since the price of goods and services rise faster than the cost of production as wages take time lag to react.
They stand to lose due to inflation, as their real returns fall due to rise in prices.
By Himanshu Arora
Doctoral Scholar in Economics & Senior Research Fellow, CDS, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
Hague Abduction Convention is a multilateral treaty developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) that provides an expeditious method to return a child internationally abducted by a parent from one member country to another
The Convention was drafted to ensure the prompt return of children who have been abducted from their country of habitual residence or wrongfully retained in a contracting state not their country of habitual residence
The Convention applies only to children under the age of 16
The Convention requires that a court in which a Hague Convention action is filed should not consider the merits of any underlying child custody dispute, but should determine only that country in which those issues should be heard
The Convention mandates return of any child who was “habitually resident” in a contracting nation immediately before an action that constitutes a breach of custody or access rights
The Convention provides special rules for admission and consideration of evidence independent of the evidentiary standards set by any member nation
The Convention was concluded 25 October 1980 and entered into force between the signatories on 1 December 1983
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Name of the scheme : Digital India
Objectives: To transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy
Salient Features: The Digital India programme is centred on three key vision areas: – Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen -Governance & Services on Demand -Digital Empowerment of Citizens It aims to provide the much needed thrust to the nine pillars of growth areas, namely : -Broadband Highways, -Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity, – Public Internet Access Programme, -e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology, -e-Kranti – Electronic Delivery of Services, -Information for All, Electronics Manufacturing, -IT for Jobs and -Early Harvest Programmes
Nodal Ministry : The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization is a public-private global health partnership committed to increasing access to immunization in poor countries
It is a global Vaccine Alliance with the goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries
Gavi brings together developing countries and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialized and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists
The Ministry of Home Affairs had formulated a new national security clearance policy in 2015 after the government decided to speed up projects, which were stuck for lack of approval by Intelligence Bureau (IB) or other agencies including the State police
It has introduced the National Security Clause as an important component of this Policy
It aims to extend fast-track security clearance to foreign investment proposals in the critical sectors such as telecom, private security, and defense while ensuring that national interests are not endangered
The clearance process aims to boost government’s ease-of-doing-business and Make in India initiative.
The policy has 15 parameters on which inputs from security agencies are sought. Once it has got an application from an investor, the Ministry decides on the status of security clearance to the company within 4-6 weeks.
As per the policy, the promoters, owners, and directors of the company are mandated to give self-declarations regarding any criminal history on their part, which reduced the period required to give security clearance from 2-3 months earlier to just 4-6 weeks now
Security inputs from the Intelligence Bureau, the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and other agencies are sought only in cases of serious crimes and not in case of minor offenses
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Name : G-7
Brief Intro : The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—that meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.
Objective : To discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.
Type : Summit/ Conference
Category : Economy
Year : 1975
Importance (wr. Prelims) : High
Key Terms/ Institutions spinoffs : Russia belonged to the forum from 1998 through 2014—then the Group of Eight (G8)—but was suspended after its annexation of Crimea in March of that year.
Back to Basics: In 1947, when India got independence, the Indian economy was suffering from low growth, poverty and resource shortages. The salary of an average Indian was very low. Ask your Grand Parents ‘how much they use to earn in the 1950’s?
Today, an average Indian earns 100 times more than what his grandparents use to earn. Does it mean that the standard of living of the people has also risen 100 times? Before reaching to such a conclusion, one must remember that the prices of goods and services in the economy has also risen.
In 1950’s a Delhi-Mumbai air ticket cost in some hundreds, today it cost in thousand. Similarly, the price of Wheat was in few Paisa; it cost around Rupee 50/kg. Therefore, it is not clear from income, that whether the standard of living of people have risen or not.
To compare the salary of your grandparents to yours, we need some measure of purchasing power or price. The meaningful measure that can perform the task is “Consumer Price Index”.
Consumer Price Index: CPI is used to monitor changes in the cost of living over time. When the CPI rises, the average Indian family has to spend more on goods and services to maintain the same standard of living. The economic term used to define such a rising prices of goods and services is Inflation.
Inflation: Inflation is when the overall general price level in the economy is increasing.
Inflation Rate: Inflation Rate is the percentage change in the price level from the previous period. If a normal basket of goods was priced at Rupee 100 last year and the same basket of goods now cost Rupee 120, then the rate of inflation this year is 20%.
Inflation Rate= {(Price in year 2 – Price in year 1)/ Price in year 1} *100
Whole sale Price Index: WPI is used to monitor the cost of goods and services bought by producer and firms rather than final consumers.
GDP Deflator: Another important measure of calculating standard of living of people is GDP Deflator. GDP Deflator is the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP. The nominal GDP is measured at the current prices whereas the real GDP is measured at the base year prices. Therefore, GDP Deflator reflects the current level of prices relative to prices in a base year. Example, In India the base year of calculating deflator is 2011-12.
The Difference
Consumer Price Index
GDP Deflator
CPI reflects the price of goods and services bought by the final consumers.
GDP deflator reflects the price of all the goods and services produced domestically.
Example: Suppose the price of a satellite to be launch by ISRO increases. Even though the satellite is part of the GDP of India, but it is not a part of normal CPI index, since we don’t consume satellite.
The price rise of the ISRO satellite will be reflected in GDP deflator.
Similarly, India produces some crude oil, but most of the oil/petroleum is imported from the West Asia, as a result, when the price of oil/petroleum product changes, it is reflected in CPI basket as petroleum products constitute a larger share in CPI.
The price change of oil products is not reflected much in the GDP deflator since we do not produce much crude oil.
The CPI compares the price of a fixed basket of goods and services to the price of the basket in the base year.
The GDP deflator compares the price of currently produced goods and services to the price of the same goods and services in the base year. Thus, the group of goods and services used to compute the GDP deflator changes automatically over time.
By Himanshu Arora
Doctoral Scholar in Economics & Senior Research Fellow, CDS, Jawaharlal Nehru University
The World Gold Council is the market development organisation for the gold industry. It works across all parts of the industry, from gold mining to investment, and their aim is to stimulate and sustain demand for gold
They frequently publish research that demonstrates gold’s strength as a preserver of wealth – both for investors and countries
They also provide analysis of the industry, offering insights into the drivers of gold demand. They have also launched various products such as SPDR GLD and gold accumulation plans in India and China
The World Gold Council is an association whose members comprise the world’s leading gold mining companies
It helps to support its members to mine in a responsible way and developed the Conflict Free Gold Standard
Headquartered in London United Kingdom, they have offices in India, China, Singapore, Japan and the United States
Article 124(4) of the Constitution of India states: “A Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be removed from his office except by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting has been presented to the President in the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity”
100 Lok Sabha MPs or 50 Rajya Sabha MPs is the minimum number of signatories required to issue the notice
The notice has to be handed over either to the Speaker if it is from Lok Sabha MPs or to the Chairman if it is Rajya Sabha MPs
If and when the motion is admitted, the Speaker or the Chairman will have to constitute a three-member committee to investigate the charges leveled against the Supreme Court judge
This committee will consist of a senior Supreme Court judge, a High Court judge, and a ‘distinguished jurist’ — who is a highly qualified law professor who has been appointed as a Supreme Court judge by the President of India
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Key words related to History : Rajsuya
Dynasty/era : Vedic period
Meaning : – basically a ceremony for the consecration of a kind. It lasted for a day of prayers and sacrifices and extracting soma, but preceded by a long period, extending to maybe a year, during which time various preliminary rites were observed. During this ritual, the king received a bow and an arrow (or other weapons as the priest was advised) and declares himself the king. He performed various acts symbolising his conquests and was finally anointed by a priest, a kshatriya and a vaishya.
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The government has launched the PMVVY to provide social security during old age and to protect elderly persons aged 60 and above against a future fall in their interest income due to uncertain market conditions
The PMVVY is being implemented through Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
The scheme provides an assured pension based on a guaranteed rate of return of 8 percent per annum for ten years, with an option to opt for the pension on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annual basis
The difference between the return generated by LIC and the assured return of 8 percent annually will be borne by the government of as a yearly subsidy
As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts
Name : Cartosat-2 series
Details: The launch marks the roll out of the 100th satellite by ISRO. 30 other satellites – 28 foreign and 2 Indian. 2nd time that ISRO has been able to place satellites in 2 different orbits This was done through the “multiple burn technology” under which the rocket’s engine is switched off and then switched on to control its height.
