6/>>g · the jio digital udaan programme is being launched across 200 locations in 13 states...

CTRRENS AFFAIRS

DIGESS. Most Important current affairs collected for school students from The HINDU / The Indian Express / Press Information Bureau etc..

SUCCESS PREAMBLE JULY 2019 | Get Daily Quiz , Infographics @

www.facebook.com/race2ias

1

1

---------------------------------------------

Nationwide Jal Shakti Abhiyan

launched

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh

Shekhawat has launched ‗Jal Shakti

Abhiyan‘ across the country to

acceleratewater

harvesting and conservation measures.

The scheme is aimed at making water

conservation and promotion of irrigation

efficiency a mass movement through asset

creation and communication campaigns.

Over 250 officers, including Additional and

Joint Secretaries, have been appointed as

in-charge of water-stressed districts in the

country to plan ways to conserve the natural

resource.

1st July: National Doctor's Day

The National Doctors‟ Day is

celebrated every year on 1st July in

India to honour the legendary physician

and the 2nd Chief Minister of West

Bengal Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.

This is a vital day for doctors as it

provides them with an opportunity to

reflect on their career and remind them

about practising the art and science of

Medicine and Surgery in an ethical

manner

Dr Roy was honoured with the country's

highest civilian award ‗Bharat Ratna‘.

NASA announces 'Dragonfly'

mission to explore Saturn's moon,

Titan

The US space agency NASA has announced

to launch a spacecraft in 2026 to explore the

richly organic world of Titan. A rotorcraft called 'Dragonfly' will arrive at

the Saturn's moon in 2034, looking for

SUCCESS PREAMBLE JULY 2019 | Get Daily Quiz , Infographics @ www.facebook.com/race2ias

2

2

prebiotic chemical processes common on

both Titan and Earth.

It may lend clues to how life may have

arisen on Earth.

Titan is the second largest moon in the solar

system and is an icy world whose surface is

completely obscured by a nitrogen-based

golden atmosphere, four times denser than

Earth's

India signs Rs 200 Crore deal with

Russia for „Strum Ataka‟ anti-tank

missiles

India has signed a deal with Russia for

acquiring the „Strum Ataka‟ anti-tank

missiles. The deal has been signed under the

emergency clause as a result of which the

missile would be delivered within a time of

3 months of the signing of the contract.

The deal is worth around Rs 200 Crore.

The deal would give an added capability to

the Mi-35 attack choppers to take out

enemy tanks and other armored elements

Abu Dhabi to host first ISA's joint

security exercise „ISALEX19‟

Representatives of 50 law enforcement

agencies of the International Security

Alliance are taking part in the first joint

security exercise ‗ISALEX19‘ in Abu Dhabi.

Joint Security Exercise will test the

readiness of the different teams and to

evaluate the tools, strategies and

procedures developed jointly between

member countries. The participants include

representatives from tactical teams, rapid

intervention units, communications, civil

defence, and explosive ordnance disposal,

teams.

Tamil yeoman‟ declared Tamil

Nadu‟s state butterfly

Tamil Nadu Government has

declared Tamil Yeoman(Cirrochroa thais)

as the state butterfly, based on the

recommendation of state forest

department.

With this, Tamil Nadu became the fifth

state in the country to announce its state

butterfly.

Maharashtra was the first to declare Blue

Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) as its state

butterfly, followed by Uttarakhand

(Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern

bird wings) and Kerala (Malabar banded

peacock). These butterflies are also known as Tamil

Maravan, which means warrior.


3

3

UGC approves a scheme “STRIDE”

to boost research culture in India

The scheme will strengthen research

culture and innovation

incolleges & Universities.

It will provide support to research projects

that are socially relevant, locally need-

based, nationally important and globally

significant.

Objective of STRIDE is to identify young

talent, strengthen research culture, build

capacity, promote innovation and support

trans-disciplinary research for India‘s

developing economy and national

development.

Parliament approves the resolution

to extend President rule in J&K

The Parliament has given its nod to the

resolution seeking an extension of President rule in Jammu and

Kashmir for a further period of six

months with effect from 3rd July 2019.

Jammu and Kashmir

Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was

also passed by Parliament with Rajya Sabha

approving it today.

A total of 3.50 lakh population of 435

villages will be benefitted through this

amendment.

The reservation bill proposes to give three

per cent reservation in educational

institutions and government jobs to people

living within 10 kilometres of the

International Border in Jammu.

Centre constitutes High Powered

Panel of CMs for 'Transformation of

Indian Agriculture'

The Union Government has constituted a

high-powered committee of chief ministers

of several states for transforming Indian

agriculture and raising farmers‘ income. Maharashtra Chief Minister „Devendra

Fadnavis‟ will be the convenor of the

committee.

While the chief ministers of Karnataka,

Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar

Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been

included as members.

Union Agriculture, Rural Development and

Panchayati Raj Minister will also be a

member of the committee.

Besides, NITI Aayog member Ramesh

Chand has been named the Member

Secretary.

Indian pro boxer Vaibhav Yadav

wins WBC Asia title


4

4

Indian pro boxer ‗Vaibhav Yadav‘ has

become the World Boxing Council (WBC)

Asia silver welterweight champion in

Pattaya, Thailand.

He defeated Thailand's Fahpetch

Singmanassak.

The fight was conducted by the Asian

Boxing Council and approved by the WBC.

Vishwanathan reappointed RBI

deputy governor for one year

N.S. Vishwanathan has been reappointed

as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of

India.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet

has approved the extension of

Vishwanathan's term as RBI deputy

governor by one year (from 4 July 2019).

Vishwanathan is in charge of regulation of

banks, non-banking finance companies

and cooperative banks.

Besides Vishwanathan, the other deputy

governors of the RBI include B.P. Kanungo

and M.K. Jain.

Union Govt. to enhance import limit

on Tur Dal

According to Minister of State for Consumer

Affairs, Danve Raosaheb Dadarao, The

Union Government has decided to enhance

the import limit on Tur Dal from two lakh

metric tonne to four lakh metric tonnes for

the year 2019 - 20.

The Union government has also decided to

release two lakh metric tonnes of Tur Dal,

available in the buffer stock of pulses to

States and Union Territories under the Price

Stabilization Fund.

The US designates Baloch Liberation

Army as a terror group

The United States has designated the

Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which is


5

5

fighting Pakistani rule in Balochistan

province, as a terrorist organisation.

BLA is an armed separatist group that

targets security forces and civilians, mainly

in ethnic Baloch areas of Pakistan.

The department has also made it a crime for

anyone in the US to assist the BLA terrorists

and freezing any US assets they may have.

The US has also sanctioned Hezbollah

operative Husain Ali Hazzima, chief of the

Beirut-based terrorist group's intelligence

unit.

India to contribute USD 5M in 2019

to UN Palestine refugee agency

India has pledged to contribute USD 5

Million in 2019 to the UN Palestine

refugee agency.

The Indian Government is assisting 150

Palestinian professionals every year under

the Indian Technical and Economic

Cooperation Programme.

The United Nations Relief and Works

Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near

East (UNRWA) (Created in December 1949)

is a relief and human development agency

which supports more than 5 million

registered Palestinian refugees.

Govt hikes Minimum Support Price

of Kharif crops for 2019-20 season

The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic

Affairs has approved the increase in the

Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all Kharif

crops for 2019-20 Season.

Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of paddy

has been increased by 65 rupees per

quintal, Jowar by 120 rupees and Ragi by

253 rupees per quintal.

According to Agriculture Minister Narendra

Singh Tomar, the move will lead to

increased investment and production

through assured remunerative prices to the

farmers.

Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the price at

which government purchases crops from

the farmers, whatever may be the price for

the crops.

Jio launches „Digital Udaan‟, a

digital literacy initiative in

partnership with

Facebook

Reliance Jio has launched a new digital

literacy programme “Digital Udaan”.

The objective of the Digital Udaan‟ is

to provide digital literacy to first-time

internet users who are using the connected

internet ecosystem and apps for the very

first time.


6

6

The Jio Digital Udaan programme is being

launched across 200 locations in 13 states in

partnership with Facebook.

As a part of the Digital Udaan initiative, Jio

will engage with users every Saturday to

help them learn about the JioPhone

features, use of various apps and internet

safety including use of Facebook on

JioPhone.

Rahul Gandhi resigns as Congress

President

Rahul Gandhi officially resigned as

Congress President.

In his resignation letter, Mr Gandhi said, he

is responsible for his Congress' defeat in

Lok Sabha elections.

He said, accountability is critical for the

future growth of Congress and therefore, he

is resigning as party president.

According to Mr Gandhi, the party's

working committee should meet

immediately to decide on his successor.

Ambati Rayudu retires from all

forms of cricket

Indian middle-order batsman Ambati

Rayudu (33-year) retired from all forms of

cricket. He did not specify the reasons for calling it

quits. Ambati Rayudu was in India's official

standbys list for the on-going World Cup

but was omitted twice.

He eventually made his international debut

in July 2013, in an ODI against Zimbabwe.

Rayudu played 55 ODIs for India, scoring

1694 runs at an average of 47.05. He,

however, did not play any Test.

IMF approves USD 6 billion loans to

Cash-Strapped „Pakistan‟

The Executive Board of the International

Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved USD 6

billion loan for cash-strapped Pakistan over

a period of three years.

The loan amount will help to support

Pakistan‘s economic plan that aims at

returning sustainable growth to the

country‘s fragile economy and improving

the standards of living.

The USD 6 billion financial aid includes an

immediate disbursement of USD 1 billion to

help Pakistan address its balance of

payment crisis.

while the remaining amount will be phased

over the duration of the programme.

The approved loan aims to support

Pakistan‘s economic plan, which aims to


7

7

return sustainable growth to the country‘s

economy and improve the standards of

living.

Rural sanitation coverage jumped to

99% from 38% in 2014

According to Minister of State for Jal Shakti

Rattan Lal Kataria, Under Swachh Bharat

Mission (Gramin), nine crore 62 lakh

individual household toilets have been

constructed so far.

The sanitation coverage in the rural areas of

the country has increased to more than 99%

(over 38% on 2nd October 2014).

632 Districts, 30 States, over 2.50 lakh Gram

Panchayats and five lakh 67 thousand 498

villages have been declared open

defecation Free.

Maharashtra tops in NITI Aayog‟s

Agricultural Marketing & Farm

Friendly Reforms Index

As per the Economic Survey 2018-19,

Maharashtra state has achieved first rank in

the NITI Aayog‘s launched ―Agricultural

Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms

Index (AMFFRI).

The Index was launched in 2016 and ranks

states based on the degree of reforms they

have undertaken in agricultural marketing.

Veteran industrialist BK Birla

passes away

Veteran industrialist Basant Kumar Birla,

(98-years) passed away in Mumbai.

He was the Chairman of the BK Birla Institute

of Engineering and Technology,

Krishnarpan Charity Trust and about 25

other educational trusts and institutes.

BK built educational institutions ranging

from schools and colleges to engineering

and management institutes across the

country.

PMMSY: A new scheme to promote

processing in the fishery sector


8

8

The new scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matsya

Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), will be

established under the Department of

Fisheries for a robust fisheries management

framework.

She also announced the creation of a new ministry for fisheries sector Ministry of

Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and

Dairying.

The new ministry was formed in order to

promote the allied farm sector that has huge

potential to help achieve the government's

target of doubling farmers' income by 2022.

The budget allocated for the newly carved out Ministry of Fisheries, Animal

Husbandry and Dairying is Rs 3,737

crore.

Of the total budget allocated to the new ministry, Rs 2,932.25 crore is estimated to

be spent on various schemes to promote

animal husbandry and dairying, while Rs

804.75 crore for the fisheries sector in the

current fiscal.

Budget 2019: Rs 3.18 lakh crore

allocated to the defence budget

During an interview to Finance Minister

Sitharaman said she had - an allocation of Rs

3.18 lakh crore was made in the Union

Budget to the defence sector for 2019-20 as

against last year's Rs 2.98 lakh crore.

Out of the total allocation, Rs 1,08,248 crore

has been set aside for capital outlay to

purchase new weapons, platforms and

military hardware.

The revenue expenditure, which includes

expenses on salaries and maintenance of

establishments, is pegged at Rs 2,10 lakh

crore as against Rs 1.88 lakh crore for 2018-

19.

The outlay for pension is Rs 1.12 lakh crore

to accommodate the rise in view of the

implementation of the one rank one pay

principle.

Budget 2019: To help marginal

cultivators government proposes

10,000 FPOs

The government plans to form 10,000 farmer producer

organisations (FPOs) in the next five years.

This is expected to help small and marginal

cultivators team up to get lower rates for

inputs and sell produce at higher rates.

The budget proposal to set up 10,000 FPOs

is a path-breaking step to ensure

economies of scale for farmers.

An FPO can raise capital only from farmer

members or get grants from the

government, which are usually meagre.

India could lose the equivalent of 34

million jobs in 2030 due to global

warming: ILO

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) released its report ‗Working on a Warmer


9

9

Planet: The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour

Productivity and Decent Work.

By 2030 the 2.2 per cent of total working

hours worldwide is projected to be lost

every year, either because it is too hot to

work or because workers have to work at a

slower pace.

The global productivity losses would be

around 80 million full-time jobs (equivalent

to an economic loss of US$ 2,400 billion).

The accumulated global financial loss due

to heat stress is expected to reach USD

2,400 billion by 2030.

Although most of the impact in India will be

felt in the agricultural sector.

More and more working hours are

expected to be lost in the construction

sector where heat stress affects both male

and female workers

World Zoonoses Day observed on

July 6

The World Zoonoses Day is observed every

year on July 6.

The day is observed to create awareness on

zoonotic diseases, how to prevent them and

what actions to take when exposed.

The day has been observed since 1885 to

mark the day Louis Pasteur administered his

first rabies vaccine.

Millions of people across the globe every

year fall prey to the diseases like swine flu,

bird flu, cat scratch fever, rabies,

leptospirosis, Lyme disease, cowpox,

Ebola, SARS, hantavirus, anthrax,

monkeypox, etc. these diseases are known

as zoonotic diseases.

Brazil wins the Copa America 2019

Title

Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 to win its first

Copa America title since 2007.

Jesus scored the decisive goal after a

penalty from Peru captain Paolo Guerrero

cancelled out Everton‘s opener for hosts

Brazil at Rio de Janeiro‘s Maracana stadium. A last-minute penalty from substitute

Richarlison sealed a win for Brazil which

handed the South American giants their

ninth Copa triumph and first since 2007.

Argentina took third place by beating Chile

2–1 in the third-place match. Brazil's veteran right-back Dani

Alves was player of the tournament

Govt to invest 50 lakh crore rupees

in railways by 2030

According to Railway Minister Piyush

Goyal, the union government is eyeing


10

10

investment of 50 lakh crore in railways by

the year 2030 to make it the best in the

world.

The Minister said that the rail infrastructure

in the country increased by mere 30 per

cent in the last 65 years due to the lack of

adequate investment, while freight and

passenger traffic increased by 1500 per

cent.

Mr Goyal announced that the entire Konkan

Railway route from Mumbai to Mangaluru

via Goa would be electrified at the cost of

11,000 crore rupees.

The electrification of railways will improve

speed and reduce pollution on the scenic

Konakan railway route.

India gets its 38th UNESCO World

Heritage Site as Pink City Jaipur

The Walled City of Jaipur, known for its

iconic architectural legacy and vibrant

culture, on made its entry into the UNESCO

World Heritage Site list.

The announcement was made after the 43rd

Session of the UNESCO World Heritage

Committee, underway at Baku (Azerbaijan).

The committee examined the nomination of

the Walled City of Jaipur for inclusion in the

World Heritage list.

With this, India now has 38 World Heritage

Sites (30 cultural properties, 7 natural

properties and one mixed site).

Italy's Prosecco hills added to

UNESCO World Heritage list

Italy's north-eastern Conegliano and

Valdobbiadene hills (home to the world-

famous sparkling wine prosecco) have

been added to the UNESCO World Heritage

list.

The region became Italy's 55th World

Heritage site.

The landscape is characterised by hogback

hills, ciglioni -- small plots of vines on

narrow grassy terraces -- forests, small

villages and farmland.

The prosecco sparkling white, which has

the highest classification available to Italian

wine, is produced in a territory spread over

nine provinces in Italy's northeast.

Prosecco has become the most popular

Italian wine abroad, with its exports seen

rising by a record 21% in 2019 in foreign

markets.


11

11

Kyriakos Mitsotakis becomes

Greece's new PM

Kyriakos Mitsotakis (51-year) was sworn

in as the Prime Minister of Greece.

Mitsotakis‘ New Democracy party won an

outright majority with 158 seats in the 300-

seat legislature. Earlier, he was Leader of the

Opposition (from 2016 to 2019) and also

served as Minister of Administrative Reform

(from 2013 to 2015).

Mitsotakis is the son of former Prime

Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, one of the

country‘s longest-serving parliamentarians.

BSF launches Operation „Sudarshan‟

to fortify anti-infiltration along Pak

Border

The Border Security Force (BSF) has

launched massive exercise, code-named

'Sudarshan', to fortify the 'anti-infiltration

grid' along the Pakistan border in Punjab

and Jammu.

The exercise will see the entire BSF's senior

field brass, thousands of troops and

machinery being deployed in these forward

areas. It will cover the entire over the 1,000 km

length (Jammu shares 485-km and Punjab

shares 553-km) of the India-Pakistan

International Border.

It further runs down towards Rajasthan and

Gujarat on India‘s western flank.

A fleet of heavy and small all-terrain

vehicles has been mobilised in these areas

as the field commanders are moving in

those localities.

Parliament passes Aadhaar and

Other Laws (Amendment) Bill

.

The bill seeks to amend Aadhaar (Targeted

Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies,

Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 and to further

amend the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the

Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The bill also proposes giving a child an

option to exit from the biometric ID

programme on attaining 18 years of age.

The Bill, which also provides for a stiff Rs 1

crore penalty and a jail term for private entities

violating provisions on Aadhaar data.

According to Law Minister Ravi Shankar

Prasad, the amendments to Aadhaar & other

laws were necessitated after the Supreme

Court's ruling on privacy.


12

12

India successfully tests vertical

steep dive version of Brahmos

missile

India has successfully tested the vertical

steep dive version of the Brahmos

supersonic cruise missile that changes the

dynamics of conventional warfare.

The upgraded version of the world‘s fastest

supersonic cruise missile with an enhanced

range of up to 500 km is also ready.

Brahmos missile, which cruises at almost

three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8,

is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on

the Su-30 fighters

The United States beat the

Netherlands to win women‟s World

Cup 2019

United States women‟s soccer team

successfully claimed the 2019 FIFA

Women‟s World Cup, beating the

Netherlands (2-0) in Lyon, France.

This is the record fourth title for the United

States (1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019).

The other winners are Germany, with two

titles; and Japan and Norway with one title

each.

Rahul Dravid appointed as head of

National Cricket Academy

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

has appointed former cricketer Rahul

Dravid as the head of National Cricket

Academy (NCA), Bengaluru.

Dravid will be involved in mentoring,

coaching, training and motivating players,

coaches and the support staff at the

academy.

Dravid will look after all cricket-related

activities at the NCA and the head coach of

India's under-19 & India A team.

Madhya Pradesh to produce its own

seeds soon

In Madhya Pradesh, along with

distribution and marketing of certified and


13

13

high-quality seeds to farmers, the Madhya

Pradesh State Cooperative Seed Federation

will produce seeds too.

The decision has been taken in a Board of

Directors‘ meeting held under the

chairmanship of the Minister for

Cooperatives Govind Singh in Bhopal

today.

The brand name of seeds will be ‗Sah-Beej‘.

A plan has been made to produce seeds

from the next Rabi season.

A large number of seed committees present

in the state, which will be linked to the seed

federation and these committees will help

in the marketing of seed

Parliament adopts resolution

levying 200% duty on Pakistani

goods

Parliament (The Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha)

has adopted a statutory resolution for

levying 200% duty on all goods originating

in or exported from Pakistan.

Parliament approved the amendment in the

first schedule of the Customs Tariff Act in

this regard.

India had notified the basic customs duty to

200% on all goods exported from Pakistan

with effect from 16th of February 2019. Basic

Customs Duty is the duty imposed on the

value of the goods at a specific rate

Sri Lanka: Annual festival at historic

Kataragama temple attracts

devotees

The fortnight-long festival began last week and

is joined by people all over Sri Lanka and

abroad.

The festival will end next week on full moon

night with a water cutting ceremony,

Thousands of devotees travel for hundreds of

kilometres on foot to attend the fortnight-long

festival.

The place finds mention in Skanda Purana and

is popular for centuries-old Hindu temple of

Lord Kartika, known locally as Katargama

Deviyo.

Sunil Chhetri and Ashalata Devi

wins AIFF Player of the Year

Indian captain Sunil Chhetri (34-years) has

won the AIFF Men‟s footballer of the

year 2018-19 award.


14

14

Sunil Chhetri has already won Player of the

Year award in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014 and

2017.

Currently, Chhetri plays for Bengaluru FC

in the Indian Super League (ISL).

India midfielder Abdul Samad was named

the AIFF Emerging Men's Player of the Year.

Ace Indian Women‘s footballer Ashalata

Devi has won the Women‘s footballer of the

year award.

The AIFF Player of the Year is an annual

association football award presented to the

best footballer in India over the previous

year (2018-19 season).

. 'Gully Boy' wins NETPAC Award at

BIFAN in South Korea

Indian movie 'Gully Boy' has been honoured

with the NETPAC (The Network for the

Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award for Best

Asian Film at Bucheon International

Fantastic Film Festival (23rd) in South

Korea.

The film features actors Ranveer Singh and

Alia Bhatt.

The film 'Gully Boy' has been directed by

Zoya Akhtar (released on 14th February

2019).

'Gully Boy' is inspired by the lives of

Mumbai street rappers Vivian Fernandes

aka Divine and Naved Shaikh (aka Naezy

World Population Day

World Population Day 2019 is observed on

July 11

The Day aims to focus attention on the

urgency and importance of population

issues.

World Population Day was established by

United Nations Development Programme in

1989.

2019 World Population Day calls for global

attention to the unfinished business of the

1994 International Conference on

Population and Development (ICPD) held in

Cairo.

At IPCD 179 governments adopted a

Programme of Action and called for

women‘s reproductive health and rights to

take centre stage in national and global

development efforts.

How India controls dessert locusts

Agriculture Minister has told Parliament that

recently, there has been an incursion of

desert locusts in Rajasthan and Gujarat from

areas bordering Pakistan.

Locusts are large herbivorous insects that

can be serious pests of agriculture due to

http://www.newsonair.com/News?title=World-Population-Day-being-observed-today&id=368315

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-india-controls-dessert-locusts-rajasthan-and-gujarat-5824435/

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/how-india-controls-dessert-locusts-rajasthan-and-gujarat-5824435/


15

15

their ability to form dense and highly

mobile swarms. They are species of short-

horned grasshoppers.

India has a Locust Control and Research

scheme responsible for control of desert

locusts.

Locus warning Organisation (LWO) is

responsible to monitor and control the

locust situation in Scheduled Desert Area

(SDA) mainly in the States of Rajasthan and

Gujarat by way of intensive survey,

surveillance, monitoring and control

operations.

Govt approves changes in POCSO

Act, includes death penalty for

sexual offences against children

The Union Cabinet has approved an

amendment to the Protection of Children

from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012.

The amendment provides for stringent

punishment, including death penalty, for

sexual assault of children.

The amendments also provide for levy of

fines and imprisonment to curb child

pornography.

Amendments are also proposed to protect

children from sexual offences in times of

natural calamities.

The amendments are aimed to establish

clarity regarding the aspects of child abuse

and punishment thereof.

88 manual scavenging deaths in

3 years

According to the Social Justice and

Empowerment Ministry,88 people have

died in manual scavenging related deaths

in the past three years.

Tamil Nadu had the highest number of

sewer deaths followed by Gujarat.

Manual scavenging is the practice of

manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of,

or handling human excreta.

The International Labour Organization

(ILO) distinguishes three forms of manual

scavenging: a) Removal of human

excrement from public streets and dry

latrines, b) Cleaning septic tanks, and c)

Cleaning gutters and sewers.

Manual scavenging in India is prohibited

under the Prohibition of Employment as

Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation

Act 2013.

Honour for „Plan Bee‟ that helped

save jumbos

Plan bee has been given the best innovation

award in Indian Railways for the 2018-19

fiscal.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-approves-changes-in-pocso-act-includes-death-penalty-for-sexual-offences-against-children/article28354431.ece



https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/88-manual-scavenging-deaths-in-3-years/article28336989.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/88-manual-scavenging-deaths-in-3-years/article28336989.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/honour-for-plan-bee-that-helped-save-jumbos/article28335811.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/honour-for-plan-bee-that-helped-save-jumbos/article28335811.ece


16

16

Plan bee is an amplifying system imitating

the buzz of a swarm of honey bees to

keep wild elephants away from railway

tracks. This strategy was adopted by the

Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

NFR officials have said that a mix of Plan Bee

and other measures have helped them save

1,014 elephants from 2014 to June 2019.

Plan bee was adopted as there are 29

earmarked elephant corridors with the

operating zone of NFR spread across the

north-eastern states and parts of Bihar and

West Bengal

India urges Commonwealth to

readmit Maldives as member

1. Maldives had left the Commonwealth in

2016 at the height of political turmoil in the

country. However, the situation in Maldives

changed in 2018 when a new president

came to power. 2. Commonwealth of Nations is an

international intergovernmental

organization of countries that were mostly

former territories of the British Empire and

dependencies.

3. Commonwealth was established by the

London Declaration in 1949. Queen

Elizabeth II is the head of the

Commonwealth.

4. The current membership includes 53

Countries. The membership is based on

free and equal voluntary cooperation.

5. The member states of the commonwealth

are not legally liable or bound to each

other. They are rather united by language,

history, culture, likeness of democracy,

human rights and the rule of law.

Study in India‟ programme to

encourage flow of inbound

international students in India

1. The programme aims to attract foreign

students to pursue higher education in the

country.

2. The objectives of the programme includes

(a) to make India a preferred education

destination/hub for foreign students (b)

improve the soft power of India with a focus

on the neighbouring countries and use it as

a tool in diplomacy (c) to increase India‘s

market share of global education exports

(e) improvement in overall quality of

higher education and (f) increase in global

ranking of India.

3. The programme will focus on attracting

International students from select 30 plus

countries across South-East Asia, Middle

East and Africa.

Lifting 271 mn out of poverty in

10 yrs,India fastest, Jharkhand

No.1 area: UN


17

17

1. The report has stated that among the

selected countries with a significant

reduction in MPI value, India has reduced

the multidimensional poverty the fastest in

absolute terms.

2. The report cites Jharkhand which has

reduced multidimensional poverty from

74.9% to 46.5% in the ten years since 2005-

06 as an example of the poorest region

improving the fastest.

3. The index says that India was among the

countries where poverty reduction in rural

areas outpaced that in urban areas which is

an indicator of pro-poor development.

4. As per Index, 1.3 billion people in the

world are still multidimensional poor. It

says that level of Inequality and poverty is

very high in Sub-Saharan Africa and South

Asia.

5. The Global MPI Report is prepared by the

United Nations Development Programmed

(UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human

Development Initiative.

6. The criterion for someone to be declared

as deprived as per MPI are as follows :(a)

Education (year of schooling, child

enrollment) (b) Health (child mortality,

nutrition) and (c) Standard of living

(electricity, drinking water, sanitation,

flooring, cooking fuel, assets).

Indian scientists develop wonder

material „black gold‟

1. Indian scientists from Tata Institute of

Fundamental Research (TIFR) have developed a new material called ―Black

gold‖.

2. This material was developed using gold

nanoparticles. This material can potentially

be used for applications ranging from solar

energy harvesting to desalinating seawater.

3. The new material has unique properties

such as capacity to absorb light and carbon

dioxide (CO2).Gold does not have these

properties.

4. Black gold has the ability to absorb the

entire visible and near-infrared region of

solar light. It does so because of inter-

particle plasmonic coupling as well as

heterogeneity in nanoparticle size.

5. Black gold could also act as a catalyst and

could convert CO2 into methane at

atmospheric pressure and temperature

using solar energy.

6. The material can also be used as a nano-

heater to convert seawater into potable

water with good efficiency

U.S. will consider „301 probe‟ on

India, says trade official

301 probe is employed as a precursor to

tariffs and other trade measures against a

country. It can result in the U.S imposing

tariffs or taking other trade action against its

trading partners if the parties do not come

to a settlement.

Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act, 1974 was

also authorised in a 2017 probe that

resulted in tariffs on Chinese exports to the

U.S. Earlier this week, the USTR had

announced a 301 probe against France on a


18

18

digital services tax.

However, deputy USTR has also said that

India finalising data localisation policies

could be deal-breaker across the board

between the two countries.

Data localisation refer to regulations that

dictate how data on a nation‘s citizens is

collected, processed and stored inside the

country.

In 2018, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had

asked payment firms to ensure their data

are stored exclusively on local servers. This

had affected US foreign firms such as

MasterCard and Visa

Setting up of Neutrino Observatory

The Government of India has approved a

project to build the India-based Neutrino

Observatory (INO) at Pottipuram in Theni

District of Tamil Nadu.

A neutrino is a subatomic particle with no

electric charge. They are considered to be

the second most abundant particle in the

universe after photons or light particles.

Currently, three types of neutrinos called

flavors are known: (a) Electron Neutrino (b)

Muon Neutrino and (c) Tauon Neutrino

Further, Neutrinos can change from one

flavor to another as they travel. This process is called neutrino oscillation.

Neutrinos are important as they hold the

key to several important and fundamental

questions on the origin of the Universe and

the energy production in stars.

Further, if the properties of neutrinos can

be studied better, they can also be used in

astronomy to discover what the universe is

made up of.

India to handover 200 houses in

Myanmar‟s Rakhine State

India has handed over 250 pre-fabricated

houses to Myanmar. These houses were

built for the displaced Rohingya returnees

from Bangladesh.

The Indian government had taken up the

project under its Rakhine State

Development Programme (RSDP) under

which $25 million was allocated for a period

of five years.

The MOU on RSDP was signed between

India and Myanmar in December 2017.It

aims to contribute to the socio-economic

development of the area.

The programme includes creation of

infrastructure in the areas of education,

health, agriculture and allied activities,

agro-processing, community development

sectors and related training in these areas.

India‟s Anshula Kant is World

Bank MD and CFO


19

19

The World Bank has announced the appointment of Anshula Kant as Managing

Director and Chief Financial Officer of the

World Bank Group.

She is currently the Managing Director of

the State Bank of India (SBI). She will also be

the first woman Chief Financial Officer of

the World Bank.

The World Bank was created at the 1944

Bretton Woods Conference along with the

International Monetary Fund (IMF).The

World Bank and the IMF are both based in

Washington D.C and work closely with each

other.

ISRO‟s lunar touchdown has dry run

on soil fetched from Tamil Nadu

ISRO‘s Chandrayaan-2‘s lander and rover

has been tested on a simulated surface at

Lunar Terrain Test Facility (LTTF) in

Bengaluru.

Chandrayaan-2, India‘s second Moon

mission, will be launched on July 15, 2019

Chandrayaan 2 will comprise of an Orbiter,

Lander named ‗Vikram‘ and Rover named

‗Pragyan‘. The orbiter will circle the moon

and provide information about its surface.

The lander will carry a camera, a

seismometer, a thermal instrument and a

NASA-supplied laser retroreflector that will

help calculate the distance between the

Earth and the moon

The lander will make a soft landing near the

lunar South and send out the rover. The

rover will be used mostly for in situ

experiments. Only Russia, USA and China

have soft landed on moon so far.

LaQshya

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had

launched LaQshya (Labour room Quality

improvement Initiative) in 2018.

The objectives of LaQshya are a) To reduce

maternal and newborn mortality &

morbidity due to haemorrhage, retained

placenta, obstructed labour, newborn

sepsis, etc., b) To improve Quality of care

during the delivery and immediate post-

partum care, stabilization of complications

and ensure timely referrals, and enable an

effective two-way follow-up system and c)

To enhance satisfaction of beneficiaries

visiting the health facilities and provide

Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) to all

pregnant women attending the public

health facilities.

India is home to 1,256 species of orchid,

says first comprehensive survey

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/isros-lunar-touchdown-has-dry-run-on-soil-fetched-from-tamil-nadu/article28416365.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/isros-lunar-touchdown-has-dry-run-on-soil-fetched-from-tamil-nadu/article28416365.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-is-home-to-1256-species-of-orchid-says-first-comprehensive-survey/article28429797.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-is-home-to-1256-species-of-orchid-says-first-comprehensive-survey/article28429797.ece


20

20

According to the publication, Orchids of

India: A Pictorial Guide- the first

comprehensive census of orchids of India,

the total number of orchid species endemic

to India is 388.

The Himalayas, North-East parts of India

and Western Ghats are the hot-spots of

orchids.

The highest number of orchid species is

recorded from Arunachal Pradesh followed

by Sikkim and West Bengal. The Western

Ghats have high endemism of orchids.

Orchids are broadly categorised into three

life forms: a) epiphytic (plants growing on

another plants including those growing on

rock boulders and often termed lithophyte),

b) terrestrial (plants growing on land and

climbers) and c) mycoheterotrophic (plants

which derive nutrients from mycorrhizal

fungi that are attached to the roots of a

vascular plant). Law Commission to be formed soon

The three-year term of the 21st Law

Commission under Justice B.S. Chauhan had

ended on August 31, 2018.

Law Commission of India is non-statutory

body. It is established through an order of

the Government of India. The government

of India constitutes the Law Commission for

a fixed tenure (every three years).

The main function of the Law commission is

to reform laws. The Commission acts as an

advisory body to the Ministry of Law and

Justice.

The First Law commission pre-

independence was set up in 1834 under the

Charter Act, 1833. The chairman of the

commission was Lord Macaulay.

first Law Commission of India post-

independence was established in 1995. The

then Attorney-General of India, Mr

M.C.Setalvad was the Chairman of the

Commission

India, Russia seek to skirt US

sanctions threat to arms deals

Russia and India have agreed on a new

mechanism which will allow payments for

multi-billion dollar defence deals to be

made using their own national currencies.

This mechanism was established after

Indian banks with exposure to the US had

suspended payments and instalments to

Russia to avoid the threat of punitive

sanctions under Countering America‘s

Adversaries through Sanctions

Act(CAATSA).

Further,the US administration has also been

persuading India to cancel the Russian S-

400 missile defence system.India had

signed a $5.4 billion deal to purchase five

batteries of the Russian S-400 Triumf missile

system in 2018.

Russia has been struggling to maintain sales

of its defence sector because of U.S.

sanctions that threaten anyone who buys

Russian weapons.

The 2017 act of CAATSA requires the

imposition of sanctions on persons and

entities that knowingly engaged in a

significant transaction with Russia‘s defence

or intelligence sectors.

Over 5 billion dollar penalty

imposed on Pakistan in Reko Diq

case

The World Bank‘s International Centre for

Settlement of Investment Disputes(ICSID)

has imposed a penalty of $5.95 billion

against Pakistan in the Reko Diq case.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/law-commission-to-be-formed-soon/article28430767.ece

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-russia-seek-to-skirt-us-sanctions-threat-to-arms-deals/articleshow/70231272.cms

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-russia-seek-to-skirt-us-sanctions-threat-to-arms-deals/articleshow/70231272.cms

http://www.newsonair.com/News?title=Over-5-billion-dollar--penalty-imposed-on-Pakistan-in-Reko-Diq-case&id=368507




21

21

The penalty was imposed on Pakistan for

unlawful denial of a mining lease to a

Tethyan Copper Company(TCC) for the

Reko Diq project in 2011.The company had

claimed 11.43 billion dollars in damages.

Reko Diq Mine is one of the world‘s

biggest untapped copper and gold deposits

located in Balochistan,Pakistan.Reko Diq

area is buried at the foot of an extinct

volcano near the frontier with Iran and

Afghanistan.

It has estimated reserves of 5.9 billion tons

of low-grade copper and gold reserves

amounting to 41.5 million oz.

The ICSID is part of and funded by the

World Bank Group.It is headquartered in

Washington,D.C,United States.It was

established by the Convention on the

Settlement of Investment Disputes between

States and Nationals of Other States.

No intent to exclude India from

Afghan diplomacy: China

China has tried to reassure India that it does

not intend to exclude India from

international diplomacy on Afghanistan.

This assurance came after India was

excluded from the quadrilateral talks

among China,Russia, the U.S. and Pakistan

on the Afghanistan peace process.

The four countries had jointly urged the

Taliban to immediately agree to a ceasefire

and begin direct negotiations with the

Afghanistan government to end the 18-year

violence in the war-torn country.

Further,China has said that there was no

deliberate intent among the participants to

exclude India from discussions on the

Afghanistan peace process.

Ujjwala has cut rural women‟s chest

congestion by 20%: Study

According to a study by Indian Chest

Society and Indian Chest Research

Foundation, Ujjwala scheme has helped

reduce chest congestion in rural women by

20%. The study has been published in the

International Journal of Medical and Health

Research.

Launched in 2016, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala

Yojana is a scheme of the Ministry of

Petroleum & Natural Gas.

It aims to safeguard the health of women &

children by providing them with a clean

cooking fuel – LPG.

The scheme provides free LPG connections

to economically weaker families. The

connections are issued in the name of

women of the households.

Sewer deaths: Centre calls for quick

response units

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs

Ministry has asked all States and Union

Territories to set up emergency response

sanitation units (ERSU).

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/no-intent-to-exclude-india-from-afghan-diplomacy-china/article28448386.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/no-intent-to-exclude-india-from-afghan-diplomacy-china/article28448386.ece

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ujjwala-lpg-scheme-pares-chest-ailment-among-rural-women-by-20/articleshow/70233738.cms

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ujjwala-lpg-scheme-pares-chest-ailment-among-rural-women-by-20/articleshow/70233738.cms

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sewer-deaths-centre-calls-for-quick-response-units/article28493374.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sewer-deaths-centre-calls-for-quick-response-units/article28493374.ece


22

22

The ERSUs are to set up in capital cities of

each State/UT and in all major cities having

a municipal corporation and/or water and

sewerage board with population of more

than one lakh.

The ERSUs would include trained cleaners

wearing protective gear. The district

Magistrate or municipal commissioner

would be designated as the Responsible

Sanitation Authority, which would organise

the staff for the ERSU.

Those trained, equipped and certified as

sewer entry professionals would be the only

ones allowed to enter sewers and septic

tanks.

Google India‟s „Internet Saathi‟

programme to empower rural

women

The Internet Sathi Programme will be

expanded in the villages of Punjab and

Odisha.

The Internet Sathi programme is an

initiative by Google India and Tata Trusts. It

was launched in 2015.

The programme aims to facilitate digital

literacy among women in rural India.

Under the programme, women (Internet

Sathis) are educated on how to use the

internet. These women, in turn, impart

training to other women in their community

and neighbouring villages.

The programme started as a pilot in

Rajasthan. It has since then expanded to 2.6

lakh villages in 20 states.

Over 820 million people suffering

from hunger:UN Report

The UN report titled ―The State of Food

Security and Nutrition in the World‖ was

prepared by the UN Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and other United

Nations agencies including the World

Health Organization (WHO).

The report also found that income inequality

is rising in many of the countries where

hunger is on the rise making it even more

difficult for the poor, vulnerable or

marginalised to cope with economic

slowdowns and downturns.

The report also says that after decades of

decline, malnutrition has began to increase

in 2015 mainly because of climate change

and war.

Further, it says that in the Indian Himalayas,

economic slowdown coupled with natural

resource depletion and climate change has

negatively impacted on food production

and employment opportunities. This

resulted in increased threats to food

security due to lower purchasing power.

Elon Musk unveils project on mind-machine

interface

Neuralink has developed technology meant

to be implanted into the brain. It is

designed to allow people to operate

computers and smartphones with their

thoughts. It has developed a robot to insert


23

23

those threads in the brain, under the

direction of a neurosurgeon.

Neuralink has planned to seek US Food and

Drug Administration‘s approval for a human

clinical trial on a version of its device that is

only intended for patients with serious

unmet medical diseases. The first clinical

trial will target patients with complete

paralysis due to an upper spinal cord.

Neuralink is a neurotechnology company

founded by Elon Musk in 2016. It aims to

build a scalable implant to connect human

brains with computers.

Remnants of Iron Age in

Malampuzha

Explorers from Government Victoria

College have discovered iron implements

from the catchment area of the Malampuzha

dam in the Palakkad district. The iron

implements were unearthed from a cist

burial found in the area. They belong to the

Iron Age in Kerala.

In Kerala, the Iron Age burials dated back

to 700 BC. These burials are the evidence

for secondary burials which was practised

during that period.

The iron implements were spotted during a

survey of Iron Age sites and burials as part

of a University Grants Commission (UGC)-

aided project that began in 2014

Launching the Broadband

Readiness Index for Indian States

and Union Territories (2019-2022)

The Department of Telecom(DoT) and the

Indian Council for Research on International

Economic Relations(ICRIER) has signed an MoU to develop a Broadband Readiness

Index(BRI) for Indian States and UT.

The first BRI estimate will be made in 2019

and subsequently every year until 2022.

The index will access the states digital

readiness both on the demand and supply

parameters that would also spur

competitiveness among them and create

new opportunities in the wireless

infrastructure space.

The index would also create a collaborative

institutional mechanism between the

Centre,states and local bodies and other

stakeholders.

Extinction of Great Indian

Bustard, Lesser Florican: SC

forms panel to frame

emergency plan

The Supreme Court formed high powered

committee on a plea which has contended

that the population of the Great Indian

Bustard and Lesser Florican has seen a

sharp decline over the past few decades.

The petitioner blamed various reasons for

the threats faced by the two birds including

mortality by collision with infrastructure,


24

24

particularly power lines and wind turbines,

depletion of grasslands and hunting.

The Great Indian Bustard is a bustard

found in India and the adjoining regions of

Pakistan.It is found in

Rajasthan,Gujarat,Maharashtra, Karnataka

and Andhra Pradesh in India.It is also the

State bird of Rajasthan.

The lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus)

also known as the likh or kharmore is the

smallest in bustard family.It is endemic to

the Indian Subcontinent.

These bustards are found mainly in

northwestern and central India during the

summer but are found more widely

distributed across India in winter.The bird

is an endangered species in the

International Union for Conservation of

Nature‘s (IUCN) Red List.

Karnataka crisis: What‟s a „whip‟,

and what does it do?

A whip in parliamentary parlance is a

written order that party members be

present for an important vote, or that they

vote only in a particular way. In India all

parties can issue a whip to their members.

Parties appoint a senior member from

among their House contingents to issue

whips — this member is called a Chief

Whip. The Chief Whip is assisted by

additional Whips.

There are three kinds of whips- a) one line

whip, b) two line whip and c) three line

whip,rebelling against a three-line whip can

put a lawmaker‘s membership of the House

at risk

The anti-defection law, 1985, contained in

the 10th Schedule of the Constitution allows

the Speaker to disqualify such a member.

The only exception is when more than a

third of legislators vote against a directive,

effectively splitting the party.

Child labour in film, TV comes

under scanner

1. The Union Labour and Employment Ministry

has expressed concern over violations of

child labour rules in film and television

industry.

2. It has also urged the Ministry of Information

and Broadcasting to ensure strict

compliance by the industry with the norms

on working conditions for children. Further,

it has said that mandatory disclaimers

should be presented when children appear

on screen.

3. Child Labour is prohibited in India under

the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation)

Act, 1986 (amended in 2016) and Child

Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)

Amendment Rules, 2017.

4. Under the Child Labour (Prohibition and

Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017, child

artistes are supposed to work for a

maximum of five hours a day and not more

than three hours without rest.

INS Sagardhwani Flagged Off for

„Sagar Maitri‟


25

25

The ship‘s mission has been conceptualised

by Defence Research and Development

Organization (DRDO). It is in consonance

with the Prime Minister‘s vision of ‗Safety

and Growth of All in the Region‘ (SAGAR)

SAGAR seeks to promote closer

cooperation in socio-economic aspects, as

well as greater scientific interaction,

especially in ocean research in underwater

acoustics, among Indian Ocean Region

(IOR) countries.

The prime objectives of the SAGAR MAITRI

mission-2 are a) data collection from the

entire North Indian Ocean, focusing on the

Andaman Sea and adjoining seas and b)

establishing long term collaboration with

eight IOR countries in the field of ‗Ocean

Research and Development‘.

India draws new „red lines‟ for talks

on Afghan peace process

India has shared a table with the Taliban for

the first time in November, 2018.India has

now spelt out its three new red lines on the

peace and reconciliation process in

Afghanistan.

The first is that all initiatives and processes

must include all sections of the Afghan

society including the legitimately elected

government. This is important as the Afghan

government was often side-lined by

international interlocutors when they

engaged with the Taliban.

The second is that any process should

respect the constitutional legacy and

political mandate. This means that the

achievement of establishing democratic

processes and human rights including

women‘s rights should be respected.

The third is that any process should not

lead to any ungoverned spaces where

terrorists and their proxies can relocate.

This is crucial for India as it points out the

threat from terrorist groups including the

Haqqani network, Al Qaeda must not be

allowed to operate from Afghanistan.

Former athlete P T Usha nominated

for IAAF's Veteran Pin

Former athlete P T Usha (55-years) has

been nominated for the International

Association of Athletics

Federations (IAAF) Veteran Pin.

She will receive the pin during the opening ceremony of the 52nd IAAF Congress in

Doha, Qatar.

Usha's most memorable performance came

in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where

she became the first Indian to reach the

finals of the 400m hurdles but lost the

bronze by one-hundredth of a second.

She is often called the "queen of Indian

track and field". Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil

Usha (retired Indian track and field athlete)

has been associated with Indian athletics

since 1979.

Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit

passes away

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-draws-new-red-lines-for-talks-on-afghan-peace-process-5836841/

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-draws-new-red-lines-for-talks-on-afghan-peace-process-5836841/


26

26

Former Delhi Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Shiela Dikshit (81 years)

passed away at Escorts Fortis hospital in

Delhi.

She was suffering from a heart ailment for a

long time.

Dikshit served at the Chief Minister of Delhi

for a period of 15 years from 1998 to 2013.

Presently, she was holding the office of

Delhi Congress president.

Kerala will host Women Startup

Summit 2019

The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is

hosting the Women Startup Summit on

August 1.

The summit will be hosted in association

with the Indian Women Network floated by

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), at

the Integrated Startup Complex, Kochi.

Successful women leaders, startup

founders, policymakers and women

entrepreneurs will participate in the

summit.

The theme of this summit is ‗Developing an

Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystem‘.

About 20 women startups shortlisted from

the ―She Loves Tech‖ national grand

challenge will be showcased in the summit

Google India's 'Internet Saathi'

programme to empower rural

women

Google India's 'Internet Saathi' programme

aimed to empower rural women on how to

use the Internet has now added two more

states - Punjab and Odisha.

With this, the programme has now reached

2.6 lakh villages in 20 states.

Launched as a pilot project in 2015, along

with Tata Trusts, 'Internet Saathi'

programme focuses on educating women

on how to use the Internet.

These women, in turn, impart training to

other women in their community and

neighbouring villages.

Govt bans use of antibiotic Colistin

in animal feed, poultry, aqua farms

https://indianexpress.com/article/business/govt-bans-use-of-antibiotic-colistin-in-animal-feed-poultry-aqua-farms-5840867/

https://indianexpress.com/article/business/govt-bans-use-of-antibiotic-colistin-in-animal-feed-poultry-aqua-farms-5840867/


27

27

study had ranked India the fourth largest

consumer of antibiotics in food animals

globally Colistin is a polypeptide

antibiotic from the group of polymyxins. It

is predominantly used in veterinary

medicine in the treatment of intestinal

diseases as well as other infections. The

drug has been highly misused in India‘s

poultry industry.

In humans, it is used as a last line therapy

to treat infections caused by multidrug-

resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

According to the World Health

Organisation (WHO), Colistin is a

―reserve‖ antibiotic.

The prohibition comes as an effort to curb

the growing menace of antimicrobial

resistance (AMR). One of the major cause

of AMR is the rampant use of antibiotics in

livestock animals and poultry.

The after China, the United States and

Brazi

India China to have Joint Military

Exercise in Meghalaya

India and China will hold the 8th edition of

the annual military exercise Hand in Hand

in December 2019.

It is at the company level, meaning around

100-120 infantry troops from both sides will

be participating.

It will be based on counter-terrorism and

humanitarian assistance and disaster relief

operations.

Hand-in-Hand military exercises are

tactical-level operations that aims to build

closer relations between Indian and

Chinese armies. The first Hand in Hand

exercise was held in Kunming, China in

2007.

Thirty Meter Telescope

There have been protests in Hawaii over

Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) – a proposed

astronomical observatory with an extremely

large telescope (ELT). It is proposed to be

built on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano and

the highest point in Hawaii.

The protests are taking place as Mauna Kea

is considered to be a sacred ground by

native Hawaiians. Spain‘s Canary Islands is

a backup site, if the TMT cannot be built on

Mauna Kea.

The Thirty Meter Telescope is called so

because of its 30 m prime mirror diameter.

The TMT will provide information about the

nature of ―first-light‖ objects and their

effects on the universe‘s evolution. It will

also observe the formation and

development of the large-scale structures

by looking at faint distant galaxies and the

intergalactic medium, providing

information the nature of dark matter that

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-china-to-hold-annual-military-exercise-in-meghalaya-in-december/articleshow/70295618.cms

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-china-to-hold-annual-military-exercise-in-meghalaya-in-december/articleshow/70295618.cms

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/thirty-meter-telescope-hawaii-its-construction-is-facing-protests-why-is-it-special-5840854/


28

28

are inaccessible using any other

techniques.

World celebrates 50th anniversary

of Apollo 11 moon landing

July 20th marked the 50th anniversary of

Apollo 11 moon landing. Apollo 11 was the

fifth crewed mission of NASA‘s Apollo

program.

On 20 July 1969, the Eagle module from

Apollo 11 landed at Tranquility Base, a site

on Moon.

Neil Armstrong, one of the astronaut aboard

the Apollo 11, made history by becoming

the first person to walk on the Moon. Buzz

Aldrin, another astronaut, became the

second person to walk on moon.

NASA has recently announced its new

manned mission to the moon -Artemis.

ARTEMIS stands for Acceleration,

Reconnection, Turbulence and

Electrodynamics of the Moon‘s Interaction

with the Sun.

Moon mission to try landing on

Sept 7

The moon landing has been planned during

the particular period as the landing site will

remain well illuminated by sunlight over the

next one month while the Lander and Rover

could work and collect data. Also, there is

no lunar eclipse during this period.

The Chandrayaan-2 is India‘s second lunar

mission. It is a fully indigenous mission.

Chandrayaan-2 will comprise of an Orbiter,

Lander named ‗Vikram‘ and Rover named

‗Pragyan‘

The orbiter will circle the moon and

provide information about its surface, while

the lander will make a soft landing on the

surface and send out the rover. The rover

will be used mostly for in situ experiments.

The lunar mission will carry out extensive

three-dimensional mapping of the

topography of the lunar South Pole region.

It will also determine its elemental

composition and seismic activity.

Pencil Portal

Union Minister for Labour has informed Lok

Sabha that 361 Complaints of Child Labour

have been resolved Through Pencil Portal.

PENCIL portal stands for Platform for

Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour

http://www.newsonair.com/News?title=World-celebrates-50th-anniversary-of-Apollo-11-moon-landing&id=368842

http://www.newsonair.com/News?title=World-celebrates-50th-anniversary-of-Apollo-11-moon-landing&id=368842

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chandrayaan-2-will-not-face-any-more-glitches-says-isro-chairman-k-sivan/article28627403.ece

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chandrayaan-2-will-not-face-any-more-glitches-says-isro-chairman-k-sivan/article28627403.ece

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=192049


29

29

(PENCIL).The portal is administered by the

Ministry of Labour & Employment.

It is an electronic platform to ensure

effective enforcement of the provisions of

the Child Labour Act and smooth

implementation of the National Child

Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme.

The portal has five components namely (a)

Child Tracking System, (b) Complaint

Corner, (c) State Government, (d) National

Child Labour Project and (e) Convergence.

Since the subject of labour is in the

concurrent list, the enforcement of the

policy depends on respective state

governments.

This online portal aims to connect the

Centre to the state government, district and

to all project societies for effective

implementation of NCLP.

NCLP is a Central Sector Scheme for the

rehabilitation of child labour. The Scheme

seeks to adopt a sequential approach with

focus on rehabilitation of children working

in hazardous occupations & processes in the

first instance

Prime Minister‟s Research Fellows

(PMRF) Scheme

Union Minister for Human Resource

Development (HRD) has informed Lok

sabha about the Prime Minister‘s Research

Fellows (PMRF) Scheme.

The PMRF scheme is aimed at attracting the

talent pool of the country to doctoral (Ph.D)

programs of Indian Institutes of Technology

(IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

for carrying out research in cutting edge

science and technology domains with focus

on national priorities.

Under it, students who have completed or

are in final year of B.Tech /Integrated

M.Tech/ M.Sc courses in Science and

Technology streams from IISc/IITs/IISERs/

NITs/IIITs will be offered direct admission

in PhD programme in IITs/IISc.

Further, selected students will be offered

monthly fellowship of Rs.70, 000 for first two

years, Rs.75, 000 for 3rd year and Rs.80, 000

in 4th and 5th years.

Each selected fellow student will also be

provided research grant of Rs.2.00 lakh for

a period of 5 years to cover their foreign

travel expenses for presenting research

papers in international conferences and

seminars.

The scheme will help tapping talent pool of

country for carrying out research

indigenously in cutting edge science and

technology domains

Government aims to cut patent

examination time to six months

Department for Promotion of Internal

Industry and Trade (DPIIT) aims to reduce

the time taken to examine patents to six


30

30

months as part of its five year plan from 18

months currently.

A patent is a form of intellectual property. A

patent gives its owner the right to exclude

others from making, selling and importing

an invention for a limited period of time

usually twenty years. The patent rights are

granted in exchange for an enabling public

disclosure of the invention.

India also hopes that it will improve its

position further in the global innovation

index (GII), 2019 based on its improvement

in areas such as ease of doing business.

The GII has been jointly developed by the

WIPO, Cornell University and Paris-based

business school Insead. It includes more

than 80 indicators exploring a broad vision

of innovation including political

environment, education, infrastructure and

business sophistication.

In 2018, India has improved its ranking to

the 57th position from the 60th in 2017 while

China‘s ranking went up to 17th from 22nd a

year ago. Further, Switzerland has been on

top of the index for the last eight years.

The global launch of the GII 2019 which

would rank 130 countries will be released in

New Delhi. It is co-organised by WIPO,

DPIIT and CII.

The GII 2019 will also analyse the medical

innovation landscape of the next decade

looking at how technological and non-

technological medical innovation will

transform the delivery of healthcare

worldwide

Scrutinise RTI bill: Opposition

Opposition parties have criticised the Right

to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and

moved a resolution to send it to the

Parliamentary Standing Committee for

further discussion.

RTI Act

2005

sets the

term of

the

Chief

Information Commissioner (CICs) and

Information Commissioners (ICs) at the

centre and state levels at five years (or until

the age of 65, whichever is earlier).

The amendment bill 2019 proposes that the

appointment will be for such term as may

be prescribed by the Central Government.

RTI ACT 2005 states that salaries,

allowances and other terms of service of the

Chief Information Commissioner shall be

the same as that of the Chief Election

Commissioner, and those of an Information

Commissioner shall be the same as that of

an Election Commissioner.

At the state level, CIC and IC salary shall be

equivalent to election commissioner and

Chief Secretary respectively.

The amendment proposes that the salaries,

allowances and other terms of service of the

Chief Information Commissioner and the

Information Commissioners at centre and

state level should be prescribed by the

Central Government.

Opposition parties have criticised the

amendment bill on the grounds that it would

dilute the Act and curtail the independence

of the CIC and other information officers.

They have opined that the amendment

would also allow Centre to simply transfer

any authority be it the CIC or any of the

SICs in the event a case is directed against

the interests of the government.

The RTI Act 2005 aims to promote

transparency and accountability in the

working of Public Authorities.

The Act provides that Public Authorities are

required to make disclosures on various

aspects of their structure and functioning.


31

31

This includes: a) disclosure on their

organisation, functions, and structure, b)

powers and duties of its officers and

employees, and c) financial information

Karnataka Speaker disqualifies 14

more rebel MLAs till end of

Assembly term

Karnataka Assembly Speaker has

disqualified 14 MLAs under the tenth

schedule of the Constitution (anti defection

law).

The disqualification bars the legislators

from contesting Assembly polls for the term

of the current Assembly and also bars them

from holding constitutional posts during this

period.

The Anti-defection law is contained in the

10th Schedule of the Constitution. It was

enacted by Parliament in 1985.

The purpose of the anti-defection law is to

curb political defection by the legislators.

The law applies to both Parliament and state

assemblies.

It lays down the process by which

legislators may be disqualified on grounds

of defection by the Presiding Officer of a

legislature based on a petition by any other

member of the House.

There are two grounds on which a

member of a legislature can be

disqualified:

a) if he/she voluntarily gives up the

membership of his/her party and b) if a

legislator votes in the House against the

direction of his/her party and his/her action

is not condoned by his party.

There is an exception that has been

provided in the law to protect the

legislators from disqualification. The 10th

Schedule says that if there is a merger

between two political parties and two-thirds

of the members of a legislature party agree

to the merger, they will not be disqualified.

In Kihoto Hollohan vs Zachillhu and Others

(1991),the Supreme Court Constitution

Bench had declared that the Speaker‘s

decision was subject to judicial review.

Further, the Speaker of the House does not

have the power to review his own decisions

to disqualify a candidate. Such power is not

provided for under the Schedule and is not

implicit in the provisions either

India must convince industry of

RCEP‟s benefits: Australia

Australian High Commissioner to India has

said that Indian government must convince

the industry of Regional Comprehensive

Economic Partnership(RCEP) benefits.

Recently, Indian Commerce minister had

met industry bodies to review issues that

India would need to keep in mind when

continuing deliberations on the RCEP in

China.

The associations had said that industries are

apprehensive of India signing RCEP

because of fears that China will use it to

enter and dominate the Indian market by

dumping it with cheaper goods.

However, the Australian envoy has said that

Indian government should explain to the

industry that RCEP will open the door for

Indian industry to multiple markets.

The RCEP will also allow Indian industry

access to a number of countries in the

region and is a pathway to India‘s economic

development.

Further, she said that other challenge would

be if RCEP countries decide to go ahead

without countries like India and China as


32

32

these are the two biggest economies of the

region.

RCEP is proposed mega trade pact

between the ten member states of the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN) (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar),

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the

Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam)

and the six states with which ASEAN has

existing Free trade

agreements(FTA‘s)(Australia, China, India,

Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).

It aims to boost goods trade by eliminating

most tariff and non-tariff barriers — a move

that is expected to provide the region‘s

consumers greater choice of quality

products at affordable rates. It also seeks to

liberalise investment norms and do away

with services trade restrictions

States told to set up Centres to

detain illegal migrants

The Central Government is planning to

release a Model Detention Manual,2019.

The manual has asked all states and union

territories to set up at least one detention

centre each with modern amenities for

illegal migrants/ foreigners.

The aim behind setting up such detention

centres is to restrict the movement of

foreigners staying back illegally and

thereby ensure that they are physically

available at all times for expeditious

repatriation or deportation.

As per the manual, states will not need any

specific approval from the Union home

ministry for setting up a detention or

holding center.

Further, every detention centre shall have a

cell which will provide help to the detainee

foreigners for contacting the concerned

embassy or their family through proper

procedure.

The manual also says that a skill centre and

crèche facilities for children may also be

provided within the detention camp.

Further, observing that detention centres in

most states were being run from prison, the

manual has also directed that detention

centres or camps be set up outside jail

premises.

This manual comes in the backdrop of the

exercise in Assam where the National

Register of Citizens (NRC) is being finalised

for which the Supreme Court has extended

the deadline till August 31,2019.

According to Citizenship Act 1955, an

illegal migrant is a foreigner who enters the

country without valid travel documents like

a passport and visa or enters with valid

documents but stays beyond the permitted

time period. Illegal migrants may be

imprisoned or deported under the

Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport

(Entry into India) Act,1920

Preventive steps taken to check

Marine Pollution


33

33

Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and

Chemical & Fertilizers has informed Lok

Sabha about the various preventive steps

taken by the Government of India to check

marine pollution.

The Minister informed that India is a

signatory to MARPOL (International

Convention on the Prevention of Marine

Pollution).

In addition, the Prevention of Marine

Pollution is also dealt with by Merchant

Shipping Rules, 2009 framed under the

Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.

The Minister has also informed that periodic

surveys of Indian flag vessels are carried

out in order to ensure compliance to the

above rules.

In 2019, steering committee with

stakeholders from all the concerned

Ministers and Departments has been

constituted by the Ministry of Environment,

Forests and Climate Change to tackle the

issues of marine plastic littering.

MARPOL is the main international

convention covering prevention of pollution

of the marine environment by ships from

operational or accidental causes. The

Convention was adopted in 1973 at IMO.

The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in

response to a spate of tanker accidents in

1976-1977.

Ministry of mines organises a

workshop on Effective utilization of

Red Mud

Ministry of Mines has organised a workshop

called ‗Waste To Wealth‘ on effective

utilization of ‗Red Mud‘.

The workshop was organised in association

with Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research

Development and Design Centre

(JNARDDC).

Red Mud is a solid waste generated during

the aluminium production process.This is an

environmental concern due to the presence

of impurities such as caustic soda and

others minerals.

The global generation of red mud is more

than 150 million tonnes and there exists a

global inventory of more than three billion

tonnes.Red mud generation in India is

around 9 million tonnes per year.

The workshop discussed on the present

status regarding the generation of Red Mud

and its safe disposal and utilization. The

deliberations were also held on efforts for

effective utilisation of red mud with

necessary government support

Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana

Union Minister of Textiles has informed Lok Sabha about the Ambedkar Hastshilp

Vikas Yojana (AHVY).

The Government had launched the

Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana (AHVY)

in the year 2001-2002.

The objective of the scheme is to mobilize

the artisans into Self Help Groups and

training the groups on various aspects of

forming and running the community

business enterprises for self-sustainability

of artisans.

The Government has identified and

adopted 90 clusters across the country

which will also cover aspirational districts,

women clusters, weaker section and export

potential clusters. The objective is to

transform these clusters in a time period of

3 years by ensuring self-sustainment of the

Self Help Groups and artisans of these

clusters.

Government has also taken initiative to

organize campaign to educate cluster

artisans about the scope of Producer

Company and its importance for long term

sustainable business development for the

cluster.

In addition to the above, the Government

has organized Hastkala Sahyog Shivirs at

more than 300 places all over the country

for providing Aadhaar linked Pahchan card,

marketing facilities, facilitating to artisans

through Mudra loan and enrolment of

artisans under different schemes

http://www.pib.nic.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1580494





34

34

China plans to build more military

facilities abroad

China has released a white paper titled

―China‘s National Defence in the New Era‖.

The paper has touched upon various

aspects of its military development

comparing with India, US, Russia and other

countries.

The white paper has tried to justify China

building military facilities in foreign

locations and signalled that it would

continue with efforts in this direction.

China has already established a military

support base in Djibouti in the Horn of

Africa.

Further, experts have said that China may

establish military bases in countries with

which it has a longstanding friendly

relationship and similar strategic interests

such as Pakistan and in which there is a

precedent for hosting foreign militaries.

India has also been worried that China‘s

People‘s Liberation Army would use the $60

billion China-Pakistan Economic

Corridor(CPEC) to extend its military

reach.

CPEC refers to a number of major

infrastructure works currently under way in

Pakistan intended to link Kashgar in China‘s

Xinjiang province to Gwadar deep sea port

close to Pakistan‘s border with Iran. The

project seeks to expand and upgrade

infrastructure across the length and breadth

of Pakistan.

The CPEC passes through Pakistan-

Occupied Kashmir (Gilgit-Baltistan). As

both India and Pakistan claim all of Kashmir,

the area is considered a disputed territory

by India. According to India, it undermines

India‘s strategic interests and territorial

integrity

5G, data localisation to dominate

BRICS meeting

The two-day BRICS foreign ministers is set

to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This

meeting is being held in preparation for the

11th BRICS summit in November, 2019.

The meeting is expected to call for a united

stand on issues surrounding 5G networks

and data storage.

The BRICS countries may also search for

common ground on data localisation after

the Reserve Bank of India had passed

guidelines ensuring that financial data

pertaining to Indians is stored only in Indian

servers.

The meeting will also make a special

mention of the U.S. opposition to Chinese

telecom major Huawei.

India is yet to clarify whether it will include

Huawei in its trials of 5G equipment due to

start in September, 2019.The issue had

been raised on the sidelines of the Osaka

G-20 summit but no decision has been

announced.

BRICS is an association of Brazil, Russia,

India, China and South Africa, the five

fastest emerging nations. The BRICS

Leaders Summit is convened annually.

Together, BRICS accounts for about 40% of

the world‘s population and about 30% of the


35

35

GDP (Gross Domestic Product) making it a

critical economic engine.

The 10th BRICS summit was held in

Johannesburg, South Africa. The theme of

10th BRICS Summit was ―BRICS in Africa:

Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and

Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial

Revolution

India‟s first dragon blood-oozing

tree

Researchers from Assam have discovered Dracaena cambodiana. It is a

dragon tree species in the Dongka Sarpo

area of West Karbi Anglong.

This is for the first time that a dragon tree

species has been reported from India.

This plant yields dragon‘s blood which is a

bright red resin used since ancient times as

medicine, body oil, varnish, incense and

dye.

Several antifungal and antibacterial

compounds, antioxidants, flavonoids, have

also been extracted from various parts of

the plant.

Researchers have said that in India, the

Dracaena genus belongs to the family

Asparagaceae. It is represented by nine

species and two varieties in the Himalayan

region, the northeast and Andaman and

Nicobar Islands. But Dracaena cambodiana

is the only true dragon tree species.

However, ecent overexploitation to meet

the increasing demand for dragon‘s blood

has resulted in rapid depletion of the plant.

For this reason, the species is already listed

in the inventory of Rare and Endangered

Plants of China

ISRO now looks to solar mission

Aditya-L1

Following the successful launch of

Chandrayaan-2, Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) is now focussing on

launching the Aditya L-1 mission.

The Aditya L-1 mission is a satellite

designed to study the sun. It will be India‘s

first satellite to do so.

The mission is aimed at studying the Sun

from a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth

Lagrangian point 1, henceforth the name

Aditya-L1

The Aditya L-1 mission will study the Sun‘s

corona -the outer layer.

The major objectives of the mission are: a)

Realization and launch of a satellite in a Halo

orbit around L1, b) Understanding solar

upper atmospheric (chromosphere and

corona) dynamics, c) Study of

chromospheric and coronal heating and d)

Observe the in-situ particle and plasma

environment to provide data for the study of

particle dynamics from the Sun.

Lagrangian points are the positions in the

orbits of two large celestial bodies, where

the smaller object or satellite will be

affected by the combined gravitational pull

of the two large bodies (e.g. the Sun and the

Earth).

There are 5 such points out of which, only at

L1, the gravitational attraction of one of the

larger bodies is cancelled by the other


36

36

Milky Way‟s violent birth decoded

According to scientists, Milky Way was

shaped in its present form as a result of

collision with another smaller galaxy called

Gaia-Enceladus, 10 billion years ago.

The study has been based on data from the

Gaia space observatory- a space

observatory of the European Space Agency

(ESA). Gaia seeks to map the positions of

more than 1 billion stars to the highest

precision

The merger of the Milky Way and Gaia-

Enceladus increased Milky Way‘s mass by

about a quarter and triggered a period of

accelerated star formation which lasted for

2 to 4 billion years.

Galaxies of all types began to form

relatively soon after the Big Bang explosion.

The Big Bang explosion marked the

beginning of the universe some 13.8 billion

years ago.

However, the galaxies were relatively

smaller that time and subsequent galactic

mergers have given galaxies their present

configuration.

This Indian Ocean snail species

may be first victim of deep-sea

mining

The scaly-foot snail or Sea Pangolin is the

first marine species to be assessed as

officially endangered due to the potential

threat of deep sea mining.

The scaly foot snail is found at three

hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean,

east of Madagascar. The three vents include

Longqi vent field, Kairei vent field and the

Solitaire vent

The International Union for Conservation of

Nature has listed it as ‗Endangered‘ in the

Red List.

Seabed mining is the process which

involves extracting submerged minerals

and resources from the sea floor, either by

dredging sand or lifting material in any

other manner.

The International Seabed Authority, an

autonomous international organization

established under the 1982 United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea, is

currently formulating guidelines on how to

conduct sea-bed mining.

There are growing concerns among

environmentalists that seabed mining

would harm marine organisms, disrupt

marine ecosystem, thereby impact the rich

biodiversity of oceans

New Space India Limited

The Central had set up New Space India

Limited (NSIL) in March 2019. It is a Central

Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE), under the

administrative control of Department of

Space (DOS).

The NSIL has been set up to meet the

increasing demands of Indian space

programmes and to commercially exploit

the emerging global space market.

The main functions of NSIL are: a)

Manufacture of Small Satellite Launch

Vehicle (SSLV) in collaboration with Private


37

37

Sector, b) production of Polar Satellite

Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through Indian

Industry, c) production and marketing of

Space based products and services,

including launch and application, d)

Transfer of technology developed by ISRO

Centres and constituent units of DOS and e)

Marketing spin-off technologies and

products/services, both in India and

abroad.

NSIL is the second commercial entity of the

Department of Space (DoS) after Antrix

Corporation Limited which was set up in

1992 to market the products and services of

the Indian Space Research Organisation

(ISRO)

Introducing all the servicesone-by-one.

Know

the

Service


38

38

INDIAN CIVIL ACCOUNT SERVICE

The Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) is one of the ‗Group A‘ services one can

join after clearing the UPSC exam. The service is headed by the Controller General

of Accounts. The ICAS service was created in 1976 to provide accounting and

auditing services to the Government of India. It functions through the Indian Civil

Accounts Organisation under the Ministry of Finance.

Functions of ICAS

The ICAS fulfils the following functions:

Development of processes, systems and forms related to government accounts of the Union of

India and the states.

Framing and optimization of manuals, rules and procedures for accounting of receipts and

payments according to Government Accounting Rules 1990.

Preparation of monthly and annual account statements along with periodic audits of revenue,

deficits and borrowings.

Monitoring and reconciliation of cash balances of the Government of India with the Reserve

Bank of India.

Coordination of management accounting systems in Civil Ministries along with developing

and implementing human resource augmentation programmes for the service and allied

organisations.

.

6/>>g · the jio digital udaan programme is being launched across 200 locations in 13 states...

Documents