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scheme could now be availed by charitable institutions, the Central government, the State
government or any other entity owned by the Central government or the State
government + In 2015, the government launched the GMS to mobilise the gold held by
households and institutions + GMS allows bank customers to deposit idle gold holdings
for a fixed period in return for interest
Future of Consumption in Fast-Growth Consumer Market India Report = by WEF
(Annual GDP growth rate of 7.5%, India is currently the world's sixth-largest economy.
By 2030, domestic private consumption, which accounts for 60% of the country's GDP, is
expected to develop into a $6 trillion growth opportunity,")
Composition scheme = for small businesses and traders to pay a low and flat tax on their
turnover + under GST + turnover upto1.5 crore(raised recently from 75 lakhs) + only for
good providers(not for service providers)(however, GST Council )
National clean air programme(NCAP) = MoEFCC + programme to reduce particulate
matter (PM) pollution by 20-30% in at least 102 cities by 2024 + NCAP will be a mid-
term, five-year action plan, with 2019 as the first year. This is not a pan-India, but a city-
specific programme
Penna river = rises in Nandi Hills in Chikballapur District of Karnataka state + runs
north and east through the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to empty into the Bay
of Bengal.
Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) = Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare + 2003 + To correct regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/ reliable
tertiary healthcare services and also to augment facilities for quality medical education in
the country + It has two components(setting up of AIIMS like institutions + upgradation
of Government medical college institutions) + recently 3 new AIIMS at jammu, Kashmir
and Gujarat has been announced under the scheme
United Nations Peacekeeping Missions = Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role
held by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations as "a unique and dynamic instrument
developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the
conditions for lasting peace." + Blue helmet soldiers + Ethopia and rawandahav
contributed the highest number of personnel, followed by three Asian countries-
Bangladesh, India and Nepal
Renuka Dam = in the Upper Yamuna Basin + has been conceived as a storage project
on the Giri river (a tributary of the Yamuna) in Himachal Pradesh
Human Space Flight Centre(HSFC) = setup in Bengaluru + will carry out all activities
related to the human programme. Under it will function the Gaganyaan Project +
Mahad Satyagraha = 1927 + by B.R Ambedkar +symbolism of mass drinking of the
water, with Ambedkar himself taking the first sip, was akin to an act of civil disobedience
'Floating church' = Karnataka + French missionaries who built the Rosary Church on
the banks of the Hemavathi at Shettihalli village near Hassan in Karnataka in the 1860s
Plasma environment of the Moon = generated mainly by its interaction with the solar
plasma wind flowing towards it from the Sun + This plasma wind consists of charged
particles such as protons and is partly absorbed by the side of the Moon facing the sun +
The rest of the solar plasma wind incident on the Moon flows around it, but leaves a
wake (a void) on the side not facing (the night-side of the Moon)
Six new species of bent-toed geckos = a type of small lizard + recently discovered in
North-East India +All the new lizards belong to the genus Cyrtodactylus and are
calledbent-toed or bow-fingered geckos, named after their bent toes + (Kaziranga bent-
toed gecko + the Jaintia bent-toed gecko + Nagaland bent-toed gecko+ Abhayapuri bent-
toed gecko(from Assam) + etc)
Global status report on road safety 2018 = by WHO
Rare Diseases = Defined by WHO as as one that affects less than 1 in 1,000 (NOTE:
Definitions vary nationally) + Ambit of the National health Mission(NHM) is restricted
to primary and secondary health care so rare diseases (which come under tertiary care)
cannot be served + also called 'orphan diseases' because drug companies are not
interested in adopting them to develop treatments due to low profitability + most
common rare diseases include Haemophilia, Thalassemia, Sickle-cell Anaemia, auto-
immune diseases, etc + Karnataka is the first state to release a Rare Diseases and Orphan
Drugs Policy
National Policy for Treatment of Rare Diseases (NPTRD) = suspended now +
approved in 2017 on the orders of Delhi HC + policy also stated the role of the Union
Health Ministry by suggesting that a rare disease cell should be set up within the Ministry
and headed by a joint secretary + implementation was moved to NHM(National Health
Mission)
Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) = international programme that focuses on monitoring
the status of waterbirds and wetlands + AWC is co-coordinated by Wetlands
International- as part of global programme, the "International Waterbird Census" + The
census is carried out each January as a voluntary activity at national and local level. + In
India, the AWC is jointly coordinated by the Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS)
and Wetlands International
'Eco-friendly measures to mitigate impacts of linear infrastructure'= by MOEFCC +
an advisory document for mitigating human-animal conflicts
Farm-to-port project = UAE and Saudi Arabia had decided to use India as a base to
address their food security concerns + UAE and Saudi Arabia will use India as a base in
addressing their social security concerns(For the first time, India's export policy identifies
the potential of agriculture along with horticulture, dairy, plantation and fisheries) + farm-
to-port project will be similar to a special economic zone but in the style of a corporatised
farm, where crops would be grown keeping a specific UAE market(for example) in mind
National clean Energy Fund(NCEF) = 2011 + created out of cess on coal at ₹400 per
tonne to provide financial support to clean energy initiatives + an Inter Ministerial Group
chaired by the Finance Secretary was constituted to approve the project/schemes eligible
for financing under NCEF
"Mobile Broadband Index" = released annually by Nokia
Devadasi custom = practice of dedicating young girls to temples as an offering to
appease the gods
Global Housing Technology Challenge = Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty
Alleviation + Under this programme, Centre will offer about ₹150 crore as a technology
innovation grant to build 6,000 homes — cheaper, faster and better — using alternative
technologies and materials(aimed at introducing best technologies to construct houses
quickly and at a lower cost)
Lushai Hills = mountain range in Mizoram and Tripura, India + part of the Patkai range
system and its highest point is 2,157 m high Phawngpui, also known as 'Blue Mountain'.
Zagros Mountains = are a long mountain range in Iran, Iraq and southeastern Turkey
Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) — which has
been entrusted by the central bank board to review the performance of the banks under
PCA + BFS is chaired by the RBI Governor
Global Aviation Summit = 1
st ever in Mumbai + Conducted by the Ministry of Civil
Aviation and the Airports Authority of India in collaboration with the Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) + (India's first Air Cargo Policy is
unveiled at Global aviation summit + Despite registering a double-digit growth for nearly
four years in a row, India has remained without a specific policy for air cargo)
Brine = water comprising about 5% salt (By contrast, global sea water is about 3.5% salt)
+ often includes toxins such as chlorine and copper used in desalination+ About 55% of
the brine is produced in desalination plants processing seawater in Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates and Qatar, according to the study by the U.N. University's
Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)
Seno Ballena fjord = Chile + one of the most inhospitable places on earth
KichchuHaisodu = A ritual of trial by fire for cattle in Karnataka
Annual status of education report(ASER) = 13
th + done by NGO(Pratham) +
household survey + one to one assessment + representative sample of all
children(whether in or out of school) + focus on foundational skills like reading and
writing + (shows that more than half of Class VIII students cannot correctly solve a
numerical division problem and more than a quarter of them cannot read a primary level
text + at class III level, there is gradual improvement since 2014 + found that enrolment
is increasing and the percentage of children under 14 who are out of school is less than
4% + gender gap is shrinking) + ASER survey covered almost 5.5 lakh children between
the ages of 3 and 16 in 596 rural districts across the country + (Additional Information on
ASER Report: In 2017, it conducted the first alternate-year design known as ASER
'Beyond Basics', focusing on youth in the 14 to 18 age group in 28 districts across India
+ In 2018, ASER returns once again to the 'basic' model)
ASER Survey NAS Survey
It is a household survey conducted since
2005
It is a school-based survey
One-on-one oral assessments It is a pen-paper test
Aimed at representative sample of all
children (whether in school or out of
school)
It takes into account the children enrolled in government schools
It focuses on foundational skills such as
reading and math
It looks at wider variety of skills
It is limited to rural areas of the country It is conducted throughout the country in both rural and urban
areas
It is a citizen-led survey It is conducted by NCERT under Ministry of Human Resource
Development
Manipur became the first to pass a law against lynching
National skill competitions/India Skills 2018 = a commendable initiative of the
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) + Twenty-seven States
