Indus River System

Indus	Ancient name → Sindhu Origin → Bokharchu Glacier, Near Mansarovar In Tibet, Called Singi Khamban / Lion’s mouth Enters In India through Ladakh, flows only in J &K Enters Pak through hair pin bend of Nanga Parbat Finally Discharges in Arabian Sea Flows approx. ( 709 / 2880 ) Km in India India uses 20 % of its water by Indo  Pak water treaty of 1960
Shyok	Originates from Rimo Glacier Known as river of death flows through Ladakh in India A tributary of the Indus River
Jhelum	Ancient name → Vitasta Origin → Verinag Spring (Kashmir) Tributary of Indus, flows only in J &K Flows Northward to Wular Lake Cut through gorge in Pir- Panjal range to reach Muzzafarabad (POK)

Chenab	Ancient name → Akshani / Iskmati Origin → Bara Lacha Pass (Himachal) Known as chandra-bhaga in Himachal Chandra River → Water flowing south from the pass Bhaga River     → Water Flowing north from the pass Flows Northward & parallel to Pir –Panjal Range for some distance Cut through gorge in Pir – Panjal & Turns southward Largest tributary of Indus, Flows through Himachal & J & K Famous Projects → Duhasti, Baglihar & Salal hydroelectric project
Ravi	Ancient name → Purushni Origin → Kullu hills near Rohtang Pass (Himachal) Tributary of Chenab Smallest of 5 rivers Flows through Indo – Pak boundary Flows northward b/w Pir – Panjal & Dhauladhar Ranges Cut a gorge through Dhauladhar range & flows southward
Beas	Ancient name → Vipasha Origin → Beas kund near Rohtang Pass, Himachal Tributary of Satluj Only river flowing entirely in India Runs southward, Cut a deep gorge in Dhauladhar & turns west to meet Satluj near Harike (Punjab) Famous Project → Pong Dam
Sutluj	Ancient name → Shatadru Origin → Rakas lake, Tibet, near Mansarovar Enter Himachal at Shipki La Pass Collects water from Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum & Beas to join Indus near Mithalkot (Pak) Famous Projects → Naptha Jhakri Project & Bhakra Nagal Dam with Govind Sagar Reservoir

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Ganga River System

• Origin → As Bhagirathi from Gangotri Glacier (Uttarkashi – Uttarakhand)
• Alakananda unites with Bhagirathi at Devprayag, Uttarakhand → Henceforth known as Ganga
• Passing through Rishikesh, it debounches in plains of Haridwar
• From Haridwar, it flows Southward to reach Allahabad where it joins Yamuna
• Near Rajmahal Hills, it turns southeast & bifurcate at Farraka into Hoogly (Kolkata) & Padma (BD)
• At Bangladesh, Ganga merges with Brahmputra (Known as Jamuna in Bangladesh) at Goalundo Ghats
• Mixture is known as Padma River

• Then it merges with Meghna & finally falls in Bay of Bengal
• Meghna → Known as Barack river in India 

• Major tributaries → Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Son & Punpun

Ghaghara	Origin → Bharchachungar Glacier (Rakas lake) near Mansarovar Joins Ganga at Chhapr. Known as Manchu or Karnali in Nepal. Known as Saryu or Ghaghra in UP Perennial river Major tributaries → Sarda & Rakti
Gandak	Origin → Sino – Nepal Boundary (Dhaulagiri range) Known as Kalyani in Nepal Major River of Nepal Joins Ganga at Sonpur, Bihar
Kosi	Origin → Gosainath peak (Tibet) Merges with river Ganga at Bhagalpur (Bihar) Consists of 7 streams & known as Saptakoshi in Nepal Main stream → Arun, Tamur & Sun Koshi Formerly Known as Sorrow of Bihar Major Projects → Kusha Dam
Son	Origin → Amarkantak Plateau (Near north of origin of Narmada) Flows through Kaimur Range to meet Ganga at Patna
Gomti	Originates from Gomat Taal / Fulhaar jheel – Pilibhit A tributary of Ganga
Yamuna	Origin → Yamunotri Glacier (Uttarkashi – Uttarakhand) Largest Tributary of Ganga After cutting deep gorge across Shivalik, it enters into plains near Tajewala Flows southward up to Agra & then turns southeast to meet Ganga at Allahabad Famous tributaries → Chambal, Sind, Betwa & Ken
Betwa	Major Tributaries → Tributary of Yamuna, rises from Vindhya range, MP Major Projects       → Matatila dam & Rajghat dam
Ken	Rises from Kaimur hills in Satna (Madhya Pradesh), a tributary of Yamuna Famous for its Shajar stone &  Raneh waterfalls
Chambal	Origin → Vindhya Range (Mhow, MP) Passes through Kota & Dhaulpur (Rajasthan) Merge with Yamuna at Etawah (UP) forms boundary between Rajasthan & MP Major tributaries       → Kali Sindh, Parvati & Banas Main Power Projects → Gandhisagar, Rana Pratap Sagar & Jawahar Sagar
Banas	Originate from eastern slopes of Aravali Tributary of Chambal
Damodar	Origin → Eastern part of Chhota Nagpur Plateu Meets Hoogli at Falta Power Projects → Talaiya, Maithan, Barakar & Panchet

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Brahmaputra River System

• Origin → Chemayungdung Glacier (Kailash Range, Tibet)
• In Tibet, known as TSANG – PO
• In China, known as YARLUNG ZANBO

• Forms grand canyon in Tibet
• Turns southward near Namcha – Barwa
• Enters Arunachal Pradesh as Dihang River at Sadiya, emerging from the mountains
• Joined by Dibang river from the north & Lohit river from the south → Known as Brahamputra
• Turns at Dhubri to enter into Bangladesh
• After joining Teesta, known as Jamuna in BD
• Joins Ganga & Megna → Merges to BOB.
• Forms many river island of which Majuli is world 2^nd largest one

• Major tributaries → Dihang, Lohit, Subansiri, Teesta, Meghna (Barack in Assam), Manas 

Teesta	Major tributary of Brahmaputra Rises from Sikkim Known as lifeline of Sikkim
Lohit	Tributary of Brahmaputra Flows through Arunachal Pradesh Along with river Dihang merges into Brahmaputra, at Sadia town (Arunachal Pradesh)

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Peninsular Rivers India – Flowing East to West

Luni	Desertic river, also known as the Sagarmati Rises from the western slopes of the Aravalli Range near Ajmer Ends in the marshy lands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat Inspite of high salinity, it is a major river in region Serves as a primary source of irrigation
Sabarmati	Rises from Dhebar lake in Aravalli Range of the Udaipur (Rajasthan) Flow Route: Udaipur → Gulf of Khambat → Arabian Sea via Estuary
Mahi	Rises from Vindhya range (MP) flows through MP, Rajasthan & Gujrat & drains in Gulf of Cambay Famous Projects → Banswara Dam & Kadana dam

Narmada	Origin → Amarkantak, Shahdol, MP Also known as Rewa River Flows through rift valley of Vindhya & Satpura Flow Route: MP → Bharuch (Gujrat) → Gulf of Khambat (Gujrat) → Arabian Sea via Estuary Longest among all east to west flowing rivers Known as Life line of MP Forms Duandhar falls at Jabalpur Only tributary → Hiran River Aliabet → Largest Island in Estuary Famous projects →Sardar Sarovar Dam, Maheshwar Dam, Indira Gandhi Sagar Dam
Tawa	Rises in the Satpura Range of Betul (MP) Narmada’s longest tributary
Tapi	Origin → Mahadev hills, Satpura range, Betul district, MP Flow Route: MP   → Maharashtra → Gulf of Khambat or Cambay → Arabian Sea via Estuary Famous projects → Kakrapar Dam & Ukai Dam
Periyar	Rises from Western Ghats in Kerala Flows towards west & drains in Arabian Sea via an estuary

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Peninsular Rivers India – Flowing West to East

Mahanadi	Origin → Dandakaranya Hills, Raipur Flow Route: Chhattisgarh → Orissa → EGs → BOB Famous Project : Hirakund Dam
Godavari	Origin → Triambakeshwar Plateau, Nashik, WGs Largest Peninsular River Known as Dakshina / Vriddha Ganga Flow Route: Nashik  → Andhra Pradesh → BOB Famous Tributaries → Penganga, Sabri, Wardha & Indravati Famous Projects     →  Poochampad,  Jayakwadi, Polavaram
Penganga	Rises from Ajanta hills (Maharashtra) a tributary of River Wardha which finally merges into Godavari

Krishna	Origin → Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, WGs Flow Route: Maharashtra → Andhra Pradesh → BOB Famous Projects → Koyna, Tugrabhdra, Srisailam & Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Tungabhadra	a major tributary of Krishna Rises from Western Ghats
Bhima	Rises from Balaghat range (Maharashtra) Tributary of Krishna
Kaveri	Origin → Brahamgiri hills, Karnataka, WGs Flow Route: Karnataka → Kaveripatnam (TN) →BOB Perrenial River Forms Shivasundaram Waterfalls Famous projects → Krishnaraja sagar & Mettur
Penner	Rises from Karnataka Flows b/w Krishna & Kaveri Drains into BOB
Vaigai	Rises from Palni hills (TN) A seasonal river flows through TN Drains in Gulf of Mannar

Different forms of traditional theatre

Bhavai

• It is a traditional theatre form of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• Kutch and Kathiawar are the main centres of this theatre form.
• It is a synthesis of devotional and romantic sentiments.
• It consists of dance to narrate series of small plays known as Vesha or Swanga.
• It is accompanied by semi-classical music.
• Bhungal, tabla, pakhaawaj, rabaah, sarangi, manjeera etc.

Nautanki

• Nautanki is popular in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is an offshoot of Swang.
• It is mentioned in Abu Fazl’s Ain-e-Akbari.
• The theme is based on historical, social and folk tales, delivered through dance and music.
• Kanpur, Lucknow, and Hathras are the most popular centres of this theatre form.
• Dialogues are delivered in a lyrical fashion accompanied by drum beats called Nagara.

 

Rasleela

• It is a theatre form popular in Uttar Pradesh.
• It depicts the legends of Lord Krishna.
• In this theatre form, dialogues are in pros combined with songs and scenes from the pranks of Krishna.

Bhand Pather

• It is a traditional theatre form of Kashmir.
• It consists of unique combinations of dance, drama, and acting.
• Surnai, Nagara, and dhol are the instruments used in this theatre form.
• It is mainly performed by the farming community, reflecting their ideas and way of living.

Swang

• It is a popular theatre form of Punjab and Haryana.
• It is mainly a musical drama sung through verses.
• Ektara, Harmonium, Sarangi, Dholak, and Kharta are the instruments used in it.
• Rohtak and Haathras are the two important style in this theatre form.

Maach

• Maach is a theatre form of the region of Malwa in Madhya Pradesh.
• The term Maach is used for the stage as well as the play.
• It is based on mythological themes and later romantic folks tales were also included.
• Songs are given importance between the dialogues in this theatre form.
• Dialogues in this form are called Bol and Ryhm in narration is termed as Vanag.
• Tune of the theatre is known as Rangat.

Ankia Naat

• It is a theatre form present in the state of Assam.
• It was started by Shankaradeva and his disciple Mahadeva in the 16th century A.D.
• Cultural glimpses of Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Mathura, and Brindavan can be seen this theatre form.
• The narration begins with a story in Sanskrit and later switch to Brajboli or Assamese.
• the narrator called as Suthradhar is accompanied by a group of musicians known as Gayan-Bayan Mandali who play the ‘Khol’ and cymbals.
• Use of Masks to depict special expression is one of the unique features of this theatre form.

Dashavatar

• It is the most developed theatre form of Konkan and Goa.
• The ten incarnation of Lord Vishnu– the god of preservation and creativity are personified by the performers.
• Apart from makeup, performers wear a mask of wood and papier mache.

Krishnanattam

• It is a folk theatre form of Kerala.
• It came into existence in the 17th century under the patronage of Calicut king Manavada.
• It narrates the birth, childhood pranks and various deeds depicting victory of good over evil by Sri Krishna.
• It is performed for eight consecutive days.
• Different plays are Avataram, Kaliamandana, Rasa Krida, Kamasavadha, Swayamvaram, Bhanayudham, Vivida Vadham, and Swargarohana.

Yakshagana

• It is the oldest theatre form popular in Karnataka.
• It emerged in the Vijayanagara empire and was performed by Jakkula Varu community.
• It is a descriptive dance drama.
• It is presented from dusk to dawn.
• The stories are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata and other epics from both Hindu and Jain tradition.

Therukooth

• Therukooth is a popular folk drama of Tamil Nadu.
• Therukooth means “street play”.
• It is performed during the annual temple festival of Mariamman(Rain God) for a rich harvest.
• It plays various themes and one the theme is based on Draupathi in Hindu epic Mahabharata.
• It is a combination of song, music, dance, and drama.
• Harmonium, drums, and cymbals are the instrument used in it.

Koodiyattam

• It is Sanskritic theatre tradition of Kerala.
• Chakyaar(actor), Nambiar(instrumentalist) and Nangyaar( those taking woman’s role) are the main characters of Koodiyattam.
• The main protagonists are Suthradhar(narrator) and the Vidushak(jesters). Dialogues are delivered by Vidushak alone.
• Hand gestures and eye movements are the features of this theatre form.

Villu Paatu

• It is a musical theatre popular in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• Villu Paatu means bow-song.
• In this, using a bow-shaped instrument, the stories of Ramayana are narrated.

Mudiyettu

• Mudiyettu is a traditional folk theatre of Kerala.
• It is performed in the month of Vrichigam. ie November-December.
• It is performed only in Kali Temple as a presentation to Goddess.
• It is a part of Bhadrakali cult. It depicts the triumph of Goddess Bhadrakali over the asura Darika.
• Mudiyettu is performed by Marar and Karuppu community.
• Shiva, Narada, Darika, Danavendra, Bhadrakali, Kooli, and Koimbidar are the seven charaters of Mudiyettu.
• In 2010, Mudiyettu was inscribed in the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity after Koodiyattam

Some of the other important theatre forms are Kala of Vaishnaite tradition, Bhuta in Karnataka, Daskathia in Odisha, Garodas in Gujarat, Jatras in Eastern India, Kariyila in Himachal Pradesh, Powda in Maharashtra, Burra Katha in Andhra Pradesh, Bayalata in Karnataka and Kuruvanji in Tamil Nadu.

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
[op-ed snap] Slowing down fast: Industrial growth
Renewable Energy Certificates
[op-ed snap] Hard landing: Jet Airways’ temporary halt
[op-ed snap] Capital gains

Enviro & Biodiversity
[pib] Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific (RCAP) Congress
Long Period Average: The IMD yardstick for determining rainfall
Western Disturbances
The Face of Disasters 2019 Report
[op-ed snap] Humanise the law

Governance
India short of 6 lakh doctors, 2 million nurses: U.S. study
Explained: What Supreme Court said on petition to disqualify tainted candidates
[op-ed snap] The ethical act of voting
[op-ed snap] The Lack of a Legal Status for the Model Code of Conduct Leaves Room for Ambiguity
CSIR plans genome sequencing to map population diversity
[op-ed snap] A manifesto for health

International Relations
Bhutan govt to place bill for ratification of BBIN initiative at its upper senate
[op-ed snap] Indian elections, South Asian concerns
External Affairs Ministry sets up Indo-Pacific Wing
China backs “Wuhan spirit” despite differences on BRI
[op-ed snap] A bad deal

Polity
[op-ed snap] Level-playing field matters
How Justice Chandrachud’s dissent on Aadhaar influenced Jamaica ruling
[op-ed snap] Indelicate imbalance
[op-ed snap] Sealed disclosure
[op-ed snap] The legacy of Ambedkar
Voting rights of undertrials and convicts

Science Tech
CSIR plans genome sequencing to map population diversity
Saturn’s moon Titan has 100-m deep methane lakes
Universe’s first molecule detected in space

Security Issues
India successfully test-fires Sub-sonic cruise Missile Nirbhay

Trivia
Explained: History behind Notre Dame- Soul of the French nation

 

And these issues will be covered in detail

• Genome Sequencing
• Wuhan Spirit
• Loc Trade Suspension
• Industrial Growth
• Aviation Sector Concerns

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

 

Technology and Energy Security

Report name – Technical Cooperation Report

Issuing agency – IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)

 

Report name – Nuclear Technology Review

Issuing agency – IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)

 

Report name – Safety Reports

Issuing agency – ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)

 

 

Report name – Global Innovation Index

Issuing agency – Cornell University INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

 

Report name – World Energy Outlook (WEO)

Issuing agency – International Energy Agency

 

Report name – Southeast Asia Energy Outlook

Issuing agency – International Energy Agency

 

Report name – OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report

Issuing agency – OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries )

 

Report name – World Oil Outlook

Issuing agency – OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

 

Report name – World Intellectual Property Report (WIPR)

Issuing agency – WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)

 

 

Report name – Global Information Technology Report

Issuing agency – WEF (World Economic Forum)

 

Report name – The Energy Report

Issuing agency – WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

 

Social development

Report name – Global Wage Report

Issuing agency – ILO (International Labour Organization)

 

Report name – World Employment and Social Outlook

Issuing agency – ILO (International Labour Organization)

 

Report name – World Social Protection Report

Issuing agency – ILO (International Labour Organization)

 

Report name – Global Hunger Index

Issuing agency – Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide

 

Report name – World Happiness Report

Issuing agency – Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

 

 

Report name – Global Corruption Report (GCR)

Issuing agency – Transparency International

 

 

Report name – Levels and Trends in Child Mortality Report

Issuing agency – UN Inter-agency Group

 

 

Report name – The State of the World’s Children reports

Issuing agency – UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund )

 

 

Report name – Report on Regular Resources

Issuing agency – UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund )

 

Report name – The Global Report

Issuing agency – UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). To read more about UNHCR, click here and here.

 

Report name – State of world population

Issuing agency – UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)

 

Report name – Global education monitoring Report

Issuing agency – UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

 

Report name – Global Gender Gap Report

Issuing Agency – World Economic Forum (WEF)

 

 

Report name – Human Capital Report 2016

Issuing agency – World Economic Forum

 

Security Issues

Report name – World Wildlife Crime Report

Issuing agency – UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)

 

 

Report name – World Drug Report

Issuing agency – UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)

 

Report name – Global Report on Trafficking in Persons

Issuing agency – UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)

 

Report name – Reports on Counterfeiting and Organized Crime

Issuing agency – UNICRI (United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute)

 

Report name – Global Money Laundering Report

Issuing agency – FATF (Financial Action Task Force)

1.Why India wants to study human microbiome

Background

1. From November 19 to 22, Pune hosted an international conference on microbiome research- a field of study that is still in its infancy in India.
2. That could be set to change, with a proposed project that would study and map the human microbiome across the country.

What is human microbiome?

1. The human body carries diverse communities of microorganisms, which are mainly bacterial. These are referred to as “human microbiome”.
2. These organisms play a key role in many aspects of host physiology, ranging from metabolism of otherwise complex indigestible carbohydrates and fats to producing essential vitamins.
3. Not all microbiomes are harmful. They help maintaining immune systems and acts as a first line of defense against pathogens.

Scope for Research

1. Research on the human microbiome has thrown light on various aspects how different parts of the human body are occupied by characteristic microbial communities.
2. It throws light on how various factors contribute in shaping the composition of the microbiome, including the genetics, dietary habits, age, geographic location and ethnicity.
3. These studies laid a strong foundation to decipher the microbiome’s implications on health and a wide range of diseases.

Indian Microbiomes are Unique

1. Scientists at NCSS have conducted a meta-analysis on intestinal microbiota (community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms) of healthy Indian individuals and compared it with that of individuals from other parts of the world.
2. It shows that the Indian population harbours a distinct gut microbial community, which, scientists calls for an in-depth investigation of the Indian microbiome.

2.A universal flu vaccine identified

Potential vaccine for flu

1. Scientists have identified a potential universal influenza vaccine that could protect people against most strains of the virus
2. The candidate vaccine elicited a strong antibody response to a structure on the surface of flu viruses, called the hemagglutinin (HA) stalk
3. It has the potential to be developed into a universal flu vaccine, which — unlike the current seasonal flu vaccines — could be given a few times over a lifetime to provide protection potentially similar to a tetanus vaccine.

3.Hybrid pixel detector technology (Medipix3)

The next wave in medical imaging

1. The hybrid pixel detector technology which the Large Hadron Collider used to track accelerated particles has been used to produce the first three-dimensional colour images of the human body
2. A chip of the Medipix family developed by CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, has been used to take colour see-through images of body parts which are a generation ahead of the currently available technology

Current technologies and their shortcomings

1. The traditional radiological practices are complementary
2. Techniques based on X-rays suffer from the deficit that they can sharply visualise only hard tissues
3. The shadows of soft tissues are less precise
4. Blood vessels and other conduits are imaged with invasive dyes
5. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a slightly different picture, based on the difference in water and fat content in tissues
6. Positron emission tomography (PET) finds widest use in oncology

New Technology and its advantages

1. The Medipix3 promises a single solution superior to its predecessors
2. Using algorithms to model very accurate spectroscopic data in three dimensions, it shows all tissues with equal clarity, in colour
3. In the case of a fracture, for instance, not only would it show physical damage to a bone — which is what an X-ray depicts — but it would also reveal trauma to surrounding tissue and reveal if blood and nerve supply is compromised
4. Also, it would depict structures exactly as they are, and not all of us are built exactly the same
5. In the near future, when medical care will be customised to the individual, this exactitude would make a difference to the efficacy of care
6. If a complete image of a human were taken by a future iteration of this technology, it might even be possible to 3D print a lost limb or a malfunctioning organ
7. Researchers have already used Medipix to image cancerous tissue, bones and joints and the blood supply to the heart.

 

4.Rajasthan institute comes up with new sheep insemination technique

New insemination technique for sheep

1. Scientists at the Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI), Avikanagar, have come up with a new laparascope-assisted insemination technique for sheep

Why important?

1. The new technique has resolved the difficulties involved in freezing of semen and inability to transit the tortuous reproductive tract of the ruminant mammals kept as livestock
2. The success with frozen semen in the sheep was earlier very low because of its poor freezability

How can the new technique help?

1. The new technique would help achieve up to 60% survival in the birth of lambs and would have an immense potential for rapid multiplication of elite germplasm
2. As many as 40 females can be inseminated from a single ejaculate using the technique
3. The new technique’s invention would be of great help in the breed improvement programmes.

5.IIT-Roorkee scientists develop app to monitor patients at risk of heart failure

Mobile app for monitoring Heart Failure

1. IIT Roorkee have developed a mobile app that can remotely monitor patients at risk of heart failure and provide them with medical assistance
2. Name of the app: ‘Dhadkan’ 

Particulars of the app

1. It can automatically send notifications to both the doctor and the patient, in case of any drastic changes in patient’s data indicating possibility of imminent heart failure
2. The mobile app has been designed to be ‘easy-to-use’ so that people in rural areas can also benefit
3. The app also provides for two-way communication between doctors and patient
4. In addition, patients have the freedom to send ECG reports to the doctor if needed

Working

1. It collects patient’s data (at any desired interval) on blood pressure, heart rate, and weight, and transmits it to the authorized caregiver (a doctor, nurse or paramedic) who is linked to the patient during the initial registration

6.Scientists report previously-unrecognised anatomical structure in the human body

 

Connective tissue proteins discovered

1. Researchers have reported a previously unrecognised structure in the human body which may have implications in the mechanisms of major diseases
2. The study reveals that layers below the skin’s surface, which were long thought to be dense, connective tissues are instead interconnected, fluid-filled compartments
3. This series of spaces, supported by a meshwork of strong (collagen) and flexible (elastin) connective tissue proteins, may act like shock absorbers that keep tissues from tearing as organs, muscles, and vessels squeeze, pump, and pulse as part of daily function

How is this new find helpful?

1. These anatomic structures may be important in cancer metastasis, oedema, fibrosis, and mechanical functioning of many or all tissues and organs
2. This finding has potential to drive dramatic advances in medicine, including the possibility that the direct sampling of interstitial fluid may become a powerful diagnostic tool.

7.In Haryana, the making of an Indian brain template

Database of brain images

1. A group of scientists is preparing a one-of-its-kind database of brain images that, when compiled together, could result in a so-called Indian Brain Template (IBT)
2. The research is being carried out at National Brain Research Centre (NBRC)

Usefulness of IBT

1. It will serve as a guide to neuroscientists and surgeons, who have so far based their knowledge of intricate brain anatomy on Caucasian models
2. Scientists will be looking out for the quantity of a molecule called glutathione, an antioxidant known to help repair cell damage
3. Reduced glutathione concentrations in the parietal cortical region — near the back of the brain near where the skull bulges — may help predict Alzheimer’s disease.

8.Electricity from soil bacteria and reading lights from plants

Generating electricity from plants and microbes

1. A group of researchers at the Wageningen University in the Netherlands has hit upon a method that generates electricity from living plants and the microbes
2. These microbes live beneath plants in the soil, where the plants drop their roots

Plant microbial fuel cells

1. The plant does photosynthesis, using sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon dioxide, generating food in the form of carbohydrates and oxygen for our breathing
2. The microbes in the soil use some of this organic material coming out of the plants into the ground, metabolize them and, in the process, generate carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions and electrons
3. While the plant above the ground does photochemistry, the bacteria beneath do electrochemistry, generating positive and negative ions
4. Scientists have placed positive and negative electrodes in appropriate positions and obtained an electric current, just as we do with batteries
5. This method of producing electricity is through what is termed as plant microbial fuel cells (PMFC)

Advantages

1. The method is completely natural and environment-friendly
2. It needs no externally added material and is part of a cyclic process in nature

Making plants glow

1. A firefly glows because it has an enzyme that converts a molecule called luciferin into oxyluciferin, and the energy released in this reaction comes out in the form of visible light
2. The enzyme is called luciferase
3. Plants do not have luciferin or luciferase
4. If we can somehow inject into a plant luciferin and luciferase, perhaps the plant too will emit light
5. The technology of nanoparticles is being experimented to do this

 

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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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,