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IASbaba PIB Weekly : Press Information Bureau – 10th June to 16th June, 2018

IASbaba Press Information Bureau 10th June to 16th June, 2018 ARCHIVES GS-2 To be launched: Solar Charkha Mission (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) By: Ministry of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) The Mission will cover 50 clusters and every cluster will employ 400 to 2000 artisans 15 new state-of-the-art technology centers are being set up all over the country including North-East Work being done by the Ministry has promoted Ease-of-Doing-Business with the setting up of 4 portals: ‘MSME Sambandh’, MSME Samadhaan, Udyog Aadhaar and Udyam Sakhi To be launched: Composite Water Management Index (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) NITI Aayog has come up with the Composite Water Management Index as a useful tool to assess and improve the performance in efficient management of water resources. This index is an attempt to inspire States and UTs towards efficient and optimal utilization of water, and recycling thereof with a sense of urgency. The index can be utilised to formulate and implement suitable strategies for better management of water resources. Cabinet approves Agreement between India and Peru: The agreement aims to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable issues on the basis of mutual benefit equality and reciprocity. Repositioning of North Eastern Council: Has approved the proposal of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for the nomination of the Union Home Minister as ex-officio Chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC) - a statutory body with Governors and Chief Ministers of all the eight North Eastern States as its Member The Cabinet also approved that Minister of State (Independent Charge); Ministry of DoNER would serve as Vice Chairman of the Council. Under the new arrangement with Home Minister as Chairman and Minister of DoNER as Vice Chairman, NEC and all the Governors and Chief Ministers of North Eastern States as Member would provide a forum for discussing inter-state matters more comprehensively and also consider common approaches to be taken in future. NEC can now also perform the tasks undertaken by the various Zonal Councils to discuss such inter-State issues as drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and ammunition, boundary disputes etc. Background: NEC was established under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971 as an apex level body for securing balanced and coordinated development and facilitating coordination with the States. Proposal for enactment of Dam Safety Bill, 2018: It will help all the States and Union Territories of India to adopt uniform dam safety procedures which shall ensure safety of dams and safeguard benefits from such dams. This shall also help in safeguarding human life, livestock and property. The Bill provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in the country to ensure their safe functioning. The Bill provides for constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety which shall evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations as may be required for the purpose. The Bill provides for establishment of National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body which shall discharge functions to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country. The Bill provides for constitution of a State Committee on Dam Safety by State Government. Background: Due to lack of legal and institutional architecture for dam safety in India, dam safety is an issue of concern. Unsafe dams are a hazard and dam break may cause disasters, leading to huge loss of life and property. The Dam Safety Bill, 2018 address all issues concerning dam safety including regular inspection of dams, Emergency Action Plan, comprehensive dam safety review, adequate repair and maintenance funds for dam safety, Instrumentation and Safety Manuals. It lays onus of dam safety on the dam owner and provides for penal provisions for commission and omission of certain acts. MoU between the ICMR and INSERM, France: The MoU aims at cooperation in areas of common interest within the medical, life sciences and health research fields. Based on scientific excellence on both sides, the parties have agreed to have a specific focus upon: Diabetes and Metabolic disorders; Bio-ethics with focus on Ethics and regulatory issues of Gene editing techniques; Rare diseases Three Year Action Plan of Agricultural Education Division & ICAR Institutes The scheme is aimed to generate quality human resources from the institutions of higher agricultural education. It encompasses several new initiatives including, steps to attract talented students, reducing academic inbreeding and addressing faculty shortage.   It will also take care of green initiatives, mitigating faculty shortage, international ranking, alumni involvement, promoting innovations, inspired teacher network, reducing inbreeding, academia interface, technology enabled learning, Post-doctoral Fellowships, Agriculture Education Portal, Scientific Social responsibility etc. for quality assurance ranking of the agricultural universities has been linked to the financial support under the scheme along with accreditation. Support for strengthening and modernization of infrastructure related to student and faculty amenities and capacity building of both faculty and students in cutting edge areas through Niche Area of Excellence programme will improve teaching and encouraging holistic development of the students. Please Note: Exercise SURYA KIRAN-XIII: Joint military training exercise between India & Nepal India is one of the largest importers and in 2017; it imported nearly 150 Million US Dollar worth Li-Ion batteries. The auto mobile sector of India is one of the largest in the world and accounts for over 7.1 % of India’s GDP and contributes nearly 22 % of India’s manufacturing GDP. Faster Adoption Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) Launched in 2015; is proposed to be implemented over a period of 6 years till 2020 22 Original Equipment Manufacturers with 80 models are registered for availing demand incentive Lithium-ion batteries can power any electrical application without the need of physical wires-means wireless. Li-Ion batteries have applications in Energy Storage System – From hearing aid to container sized batteries to power a cluster of villages Electric Vehicles (2-wheeler, 3-wheeler, 4-wheeler and Bus) Portable electronic sector Grid Storage Telecom and Telecommunication Towers Medical Devices Household and Office Power Back (UPS) Powering Robots in Processing Industry UTTAM App has been launched for ensuring transparency and efficiency in coal quality monitoring process. Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India (SHAKTI), for auction and allotment of coal linkages, will lead to affordable power and transparency in allocation of coal. Maternal Mortality Rate: India has registered a record 22% reduction in MMR since 2013, which is the highest percentage decline so far when compared to all the previous reductions in MMR as per the previous rounds of SRS. India has met the MDG target for MMR of 139/lakh live births by achieving 130 by 2015. The Quarterly Employment survey (New Series) is an enterprise based survey, carried out with an objective to measure relative change in employment situation over successive quarters for the establishments having 10 or more workers. India’s First National Rail & Transportation University: Vadodara Atal Tinkering Labs: By NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) For nurturing innovation and entrepreneurial spirit among secondary school children across India ATLs will soon be established in every district of India, seeking to enable an innovation ecosystem, which will facilitate transformational change in technological innovation and pedagogy. Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. AIM is mandated to create an umbrella structure to oversee innovation ecosystem of the country and revolutionizing the innovation eco-system - touching upon the entire innovation life cycle through various programs. The Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) create innovators, Atal Incubation Centres and support to Established Incubation Centre ensure that innovations are taken to the market and help create enterprises around these innovations. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) – to promote co-operative marketing of Agricultural Produce to benefit the farmers. Procures pulses, oilseeds and onion from farmers Procured 31.91 lakh metric tonnes of pulses and oilseeds in 2017-18 thereby benefitting over 20 lakh farmers; money was directly transferred to farmers’ accounts. Swajal scheme: Aim to provide villages with piped water supply powered by solar energy. The scheme will train hundreds of rural technicians for operation and maintenance of Swajal units. Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM): 20 States sign MoU for implementing the scheme National Tribal Museum & National Level Tribal Research Institute: Proposed to be set up at Delhi Host of European Union Film Festival: India - organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, and European Union Ten new Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) launched under Swachh Bharat Mission Raghavendra Swamy Temple (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh) Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal) Brahma Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana) Vidur Kuti (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh) Mana village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand) Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh, J&K) Nagvasuki Temple (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh) Ima Keithal/market (Imphal, Manipur) Sabarimala Temple (Kerala) Kanvashram (Uttarakhand) Quotes: The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Development & Environment Development and environment need not be antithetical to each other, but must foster a complementary and symbiotic relationship. All scientific endeavors must aim at finding solutions to the problems faced by the society. Science has no meaning if it does not the touch the lives of the people. Scientists and technocrats cannot remain in ivory towers. Peace & Development Both beyond and within the boundaries is crucial for rapid development of our country. India believes in resolving differences through negotiations in an atmosphere of trust and good will and added that no problem or issue is beyond solution if the intentions are right. Atal Mission will help Arunachal address infrastructure issues relating to water supply, septage management and sewer networks, storm water drains, non-motorised urban transport and open spaces and parks. New energy, new resolve, new hope, new approaches and new thinking are driving this change.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 18th June 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 18th June 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Highlights of NITI Aayog’s fourth governing council meeting Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II and III – Indian Polity and Economy; C-S relations In news: Prime Minister calls for widespread consultation on simultaneous elections in the country, keeping in view aspects such as the resulting financial savings and better utilisation of resources. There were no signs of amending Terms of reference (ToR) of 15th Finance Commission Important value additions About 15th Finance Commission’s ToR Terms of reference of 15th Finance Commission – has become a major item which has led to the controversy. It deals with distribution of revenue collected to states. The ToR of 15th Finance Commission has drawn protests from many states, especially from southern ones. They allege that the ToR was in contradiction to the principles of Federalism enshrined in the Constitution and also would result in revenue loss to performing states. They oppose the ToR recommendation to use the 2011 census to calculate population for allocation of union tax revenue in place of 1971 census, which was used by previous Finance Commissions. Do you know? Fifteenth Finance Commission (FCC) is headed by NK Singh. Finance Commission is constitutionally-mandated body established once every five years by President to devise a formula for distributing net tax proceeds between centre and states as well as among states and local bodies. The recommendations of 15th Finance Commission (FFC) will come into effect from 1 April 2020. Dhanush a.k.a Desi Bofors Key points: Dhanush - indigenously upgraded artillery gun It is ready for induction into the Army Developed by the Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory (GCF) Dhanush is an upgraded version of the Swedish Bofors gun procured by India in the mid-1980s. (The design is based on Bofors, therefore Dhanush is aka Desi Bofors) Pic credits: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2018/06/18/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_07/b6e1ba4a_2181033_101_mr.jpg Fast recap: We had read about AH-64 Apache attack helicopters; Chinook heavy-lift helicopters; C-130J Hercules ; Howitzers; Harpoon anti-ship missile system -- (India US deal) S-400 Triumf; Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters – (India and Russia) SPYDER – (India and Israel) Article link: Battle ready: Dhanush artillery gun clears final trials Centre State Relations: Andhra Pradesh versus Centre Pending issues between Andhra government and the Centre – bifurcation-related Special Category Status (SCS) construction of a capital city Polavaram project revenue deficit and pull back of ₹350 crore relating to the backward areas development fund. Other areas of contention Establishment of a greenfield crude oil refinery and petrochemical complex Railway zone Increase of seats in the Assembly Resolving anomalies in the taxation matters Construction of a steel plant at the YSR Kadapa district Establishment of the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor the Visakhapatnam and the Vijayawada metro rail, the Dugarajapatnam port and establishment of a Greyhound Training Centre Just know the following pointers - Polavaram project and Dugarajapatnam port is associated with Andhra Pradesh Special Category Status (SCS) is granted by National Development Council (NDC), a NITI Aayog body SCS is granted to States that are disadvantaged as compared to the others 1st State to be granted the status: Jammu and Kashmir Other States having the SCS status: Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, and Uttarakhand Set of parameters that determine the decision: Hilly and difficult terrain Low population density or the presence of sizeable tribal population Strategic location along international borders Economic and infrastructural backwardness Non-viable nature of state finances Assistance provided to the States with Special Category Status: Receive preferential treatment in the form of 30 percent of the Centre’s budget Concession on excise duty and other tax breaks to attract industries and investment Option to avail benefits of debt swapping and debt relief schemes In central government-sponsored schemes and external aid, the states get it as 90 percent grants and 10 percent loans. Other states receive only 30 percent of their funds as grants. (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL TOPIC:General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests Countering China in the Indo-Pacific Introduction: Security cooperation between Japan, India, the US and Australia is on the rise. At the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the defence ministers of Japan, the US and Australia reiterated their shared commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. It was closely followed by Japan-India-US Malabar exercises in Guam. Japan, India, the US and Australia will also join Rimpac (Rim of the Pacific) exercises. Turning Indo-Pacific security cooperation into a “counter China strategy”: There are three possible ways- Focusing on the link between Indo-China border area and the East China Sea. If India cooperates with Japan and the US, it will not need to deal with all the Chinese fighter jets at once, because China is likely to keep some of its fighter jets to defend its eastern front. Japan and the US are willing to support India’s efforts to modernize its defence in the Indo-China border area. The US has already exported transport planes, attack helicopters, heavy-lift helicopter, ultra-light howitzers and carbines for Indian forces. Since 2014, Japan has invested in India’s strategic road project in the North-East region. There is a high possibility that in the near future India will be the most influential sea power in the Indian Ocean Region. Japan, the US and Australia will then be able to deploy more military force in the East China Sea and South China Sea to maintain the military balance against China. Therefore, these three countries should share the know-how related with anti-submarine capabilities and enhance India’s military preparedness. Developing infrastructure in countries of the region. Bangladesh has already chosen Japan’s Martabali port project instead of China’s Sonadia port project. If the Trincomalee port project—involving Japanese assistance—in Sri Lanka succeeds, then the importance of China’s Hambantota port will decline. Similarly, the Chabahar port project in Iran can mitigate the importance of the Chinese Gwadar port in Pakistan. The Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC), a result of Indo-Japanese cooperation, will also counter China’s growing influence in Africa. Japan, India, the US and the Australia can collaborate to support South-East Asian countries in the South China Sea. The South-East Asian countries need to beef up their military power. Japanese investment in India’s strategic road project in the latter’s North-East region will help increase India-South-East Asia trade. There is a possibility that growing India-South-East Asia trade could reduce China’s influence in South-East Asia. Conclusion: Security cooperation among Japan, India, the US and Australia is increasingly reasonable. The time has come to proactively further this cooperation to ensure prosperity and stability in the whole of Indo-Pacific. Connecting the dots: Security cooperation among Japan, India, the US and Australia can help counter China in the Indo-Pacific region. Comment. ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment NITI Aayog ‘Composite Water Management Index’ and Mihir Shah Committee on water management Introduction: In earlier article we had read about NITI Aayog report ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (CWMI) dealing with water crisis. NITI Aayog had released the results of a study warning that India is facing its “worst” water crisis in history, which had implications for the health of the entire population. Outcome of Composite Water Management Index According to the CWMI developed by Niti Aayog, 70% of the water resources are identified as polluted. If the water accessible to millions is contaminated, the problem is infinitely worse than that of availability. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and Telangana have initiated reforms for judicious water use, while populous ones such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have failed to respond to the challenge. Tamil Nadu, which has a middling score, does well on augmentation of water sources, but is abysmally poor in ensuring sustainable use for farming. As per the report, CWMI the crisis is only going to get worse. By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual 6 per cent loss in the country’s GDP. Indices considered for ratings – States were rated on the basis of – performance in augmenting water resources and watersheds investing in infrastructure providing rural and urban drinking water encouraging efficient agricultural use Need of the hour: Two areas that need urgent measures are augmentation of watersheds that can store more good water, for use in agriculture and to serve habitations, and strict pollution control enforcement. Mihir Shah Committee In order to meet the above demands, Committee on Restructuring the Central Water Commission and the Central Ground Water Board (chaired by Mihir Shah) was constituted. Mihir Shah Committee has called for a user-centric approach to water management, especially in agriculture. User-centric approach Mihir Shah Committee advocates decentralisation of irrigation commands, offering higher financial flows to well-performing States through a National Irrigation Management Fund. It also calls for awarding an index rank, which would help States feel the need to be competitive. It will also foster “competitive and cooperative federalism”. The Committee suggests for robust data collection to understand groundwater extraction patterns, as less than 5% of about 12 million wells are now under study. The Committee highlights that the growing pace of urbanization calls for a new management paradigm, augmenting sources of clean drinking water supply and treatment technologies that will encourage reuse. Pollution can be curbed by levying suitable costs. Conclusion: Therefore, all these forward-looking changes would need revamped national and State institutions, and updated laws. A legal mandate will work better than just competition and cooperation; it would make governments accountable. Connecting the dots: What India needs is not interlinking of rivers but something else to achieve water, agriculture and livelihood security. Critically analyze. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) Consider the following statements about Polavaram Project It implements Godavari-Krishna link under National River Linking Project It has been accorded national project status by the central government The dam is across the Krishna River Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.2) Consider the following statements The Chairman of the Finance Commission is the Cabinet Secretary Setting up of Finance Commission is a Constitutional obligation under Article 280 of the Constitution of India Select the correct statements 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements with reference to Finance Commission It is a quasi-judicial body. The chairman of the commission is not eligible for reappointment. The qualifications of the members of commission are not specified in the Constitution. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 and 2 1 and 3 2 and 3 1, 2 and 3 Q.4) Consider the following and find the correct match Dhanush is the surface-to-surface missile and a naval variant of Prithvi missile Dhanush is an upgraded version of the Swedish Bofors gun procured by India Select the correct one 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Fifteenth Finance Commission (FCC) is headed by – Preetham Reddy Y V Reddy NK Singh Mihir Shah Q.6) Committee on Restructuring the Central Water Commission and the Central Ground Water Board is chaired by – Preetham Reddy Y V Reddy NK Singh Mihir Shah MUST READ India's Dutch disease Indian Express Creating more jobs in India Business Line Wanted, a national rubber policy Business Line

IASbaba's OFFLINE CLASSES

ORIENTATION on 21st June, 2018 - IASbaba’s Connect to Conquer (C2C) OFFLINE MAINS 2018 Mentorship Based Test Series and Discussion Classes!

Dear Aspirants, IASbaba is happy to announce the commencement of C2C- OFFLINE MAINS 2018 Mentorship Based Test Series and Discussion Classes!  The Orientation Session will be held on 21st June, 2018 (Thursday). The 1st Test will be held on 23rd June 2018 (Saturday)   In the Orientation Session, we will start with Comprehensive Strategy class which includes tangible Answer writing guidelines. What would we do in this session: How to cover the entire syllabus in 45 days straight. What to read and how to read Understanding the core demand of a question. How to answers in atleast 3-4 different ways. Clearcut Essay strategy in the form of an algorithm. We invite non-registered candidates also(who are hopeful of clearing prelims) to come and see the difference that IASbaba offers. The above is subject to condition of availability of seats. At IASbaba we teach how to read and what to read and not mere provide an environment for students to self read. To Know more about C2C programme and the Schedule -> CLICK HERE   VENUE: No. 1737/37, MRCR Layout, Vijayanagar Service road, Vijayanagar, Bangalore – 560040. Landmark: Vijayanagar Metro station or Above Apple Showroom Mail: support@iasbaba.com Mobile No- 9035077800/6362224637 (10 AM to 5 PM)   Timings : 11 am to 2 pm (21st June, 2018)   The class will be taken by Yeshwanth Gurukar on pro bono basis. He was ranked 107 in UPSC in 2010 and has an MBA from IIM Bangalore   Thank You IASbaba  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 3]

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 3] Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements about International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) It is aimed at eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. It is one of the United Nations specialised agencies It is headquartered in Washington DC, USA Select the correct statements 1 Only 1 and 2 1, 2 and 3 2 and 3 Q.2) Consider the following statements about ‘Compact2025’ Being a member of Compact2025 signals engagement and buy-in for stakeholders across multiple sectors to work together to end hunger and undernutrition by 2025. It is initiated and facilitated by World Bank Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) ‘Mihir Shah Committee’ is associated with which of the following? Water Reforms Education Reforms Tax Reforms Labour Reforms Q.4) Broad Money (M3) includes which of the following? Savings Deposit with Post Office Time Deposits with Banks Other deposits with RBI Select the correct code: 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.5) Which of the following statements about Capital Adequacy Ratio is correct? It is expressed as a percentage of a bank's risk weighted credit exposures It is the ratio of liquid assets to net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) It is the minimum fraction of the total deposits of customers, which commercial banks have to hold as reserves either in cash or as deposits with the central bank It is the rate of interest charged by the RBI for providing funds or loans to the banking system To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best  IASbaba

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Believing in yourself – Inspirational & Educative Articles

Believe in Yourself: It is said that, ‘There is magic in believing in a dream that nobody else sees but you’. Very few of us truly understand the beauty of this line. By the very definition, a dream is something only you can see and pursue, it is not meant to be understood by everybody around you. Tomorrow is not a fixed reality. Tomorrow doesn’t even exist. It manifests itself entirely based on your dreams and desires. Your dreams and desires of today is what determine the nature of your tomorrow. Don’t let anybody tell you that your dreams are too big and cannot be accommodated by reality. There is no fixed reality to measure your dreams against. Your dream is your only measuring yardstick of life. Don’t be afraid to dream big and beyond what has already been achieved. Everything man has achieved has happened because somebody once dared to dream. Everything around you is a product of this dreaming and only those who fully believe in themselves can reach to their dreams. Doubt is a constant companion on the journey of life and only the one who can accept this doubt as a part of reality and move beyond it can truly dream about achieving something different. Your very dreaming process is the space in which reality manifests itself. Your thoughts become things so be careful about what you dream. A mediocre dream manifests itself as a mediocre life. The kind of thoughts you generate and hold in your mind, determines your tomorrow. Believing in yourself is not a logical process. It requires a certain amount of madness. If your entire life is perfectly logical and understandable, then know that there is something missing in the process of your dreaming. Life is part logical and part madness. The madness is what will help you to dream big and imagine a life that you want to live. There are four stages of movement; Instinct, emotion, intelligence and awareness. Believing in yourself will help you to move up this ladder. At the instinct level, you don’t have much control over your dreams and your life. At the emotion level, you have some control. At the level of intelligence your control increases tremendously and eventually when you reach the level of awareness, you can be fully in control of your life. Only belief in yourself and being aware of what is happening within and around you will help you to regain control over your life and direct it in the direction of your choice. Belief is the fuel that will help you to move forward and this belief is always accompanied by some amount of madness. If your life is not making perfect sense, then know that you are on the right path! “The articles are a copyright of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.”

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 16th June 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 16th June 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Centre allows pulses import despite overflowing godowns In news: Union government is enforcing an additional import agreement with Mozambique at a time when domestic stocks are at their highest, domestic production is expected to be high and prices are crashing. In 2016, India has signed an MoU to double pulses imports — mostly arhar — from the east African nation over a five-year period. This obligates India to buy 1.5 lakh tonnes from Mozambique this year. The government has also explored the possibility of similar long-term agreements with countries such as Kenya. Farmers’ groups have been agitating about falling crop prices. Note: Just know that India imports pulses (esp arhar or pigeon pea) from the east African nations. Tur (Arhar) - Kharif crop = called pigeon pea, tropical (central + southern - MH is a major producer) Article link: Centre allows pulses import despite overflowing godowns India-US: Apaches deal In news: U.S. State Department has approved the sale of six additional AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to India. The Army will operate them. Already we have covered this issue. Below points are for revision. Key points: Defence deals between India and US AH-64 Apache attack helicopters Chinook heavy-lift helicopters C-130J Hercules M777 howitzer Harpoon anti-ship missile system Defence deals between India and Russian Russian Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters SoftBank decides to invest $100 billion in solar power generation Part of: Mains GS Paper I, III- Social issues, Inclusive growth Key pointers: SoftBank Group Corp has decided to invest $60 billion-$100 billion in solar power generation in India. Japan's internet conglomerate and the Indian government are expected to reach a formal agreement. The company is expected to make the investment through a fund backed by Saudi Arabia's government. Saudi Arabia is the largest investor in SoftBank's Vision Fund, which raised over $93 billion last year. In 2015 SoftBank pledged to invest $20 billion in Indian solar projects with a goal of generating 20 gigawatts (GW) of energy as the majority partner in a joint venture with India's Bharti Enterprises and Taiwan's Foxconn. India has set a target to achieve an operational solar power capacity of 100 GW by 2022, five times current levels, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's renewable energy strategy. SoftBank's Vision Fund has exposure to solar energy through its investment in the world's largest such project in Saudi Arabia. (MAINS FOCUS) HISTORY/NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 1: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism. General Studies 2: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries Secularism in India About: The below article tries to answer how did the idea of secularism take root in India. Background: During colonial rule in India, England was not a secular country and there was no wall of separation between church and state. The “Act of Supremacy” enacted in 1534 declared that the monarch was the “Supreme Head of the Church of England”. The Archbishops and other high-level church officials were appointed by the government. New monarchs were crowned by a senior member of the clergy, and senior bishops were represented in the House of Lords. Much of this remains true today. Even in British India, initially East India Company (EIC) got itself intricately entangled with the administration of religious institutions. Temple employees were appointed by government officials. Royal salutes were fired from the batteries of Fort St. George in Madras, at the celebration of Pongal, and at Ramzan. Under the orders of the public officer of the district, a religious offering was made at temples for a good monsoon. Laws were enacted which said that the “general superintendence of all lands granted for the support of mosques [and] Hindu temples” was vested in the colonial government. However, all this annoyed Christian missionaries and members of the clergy in England and India who put pressure on the government. Religious Endowments Act of 1833 Consequently, in 1833, the Court of Directors of the EIC sent instructions to the colonial government outlining its policy towards India’s religions. (Religious Endowments Act) All “religious rites” that were harmless were tolerated, however false the creed by which they are sanctioned.” The interference of British Functionaries in the interior management of native temples, in the customs, habits and religious proceedings of their priests and attendants, in the arrangement of their ceremonies, rites and festivals, and generally in the conduct of their interior economy, were ceased. It was in this manner that the seeds of secularism were sown in India. In other words, the colonial government was directed to disentangle itself from “superstitious” Indian religious institutions, because Indian religions were considered heathen and false. However, the Church of England in India was still established for a long time. Therefore the wall of separation between temple and colonial state in India was achieved in 1863 (Religious Endowments Act). With this law the Colonial government got rid of its burden. However, this colonial vision of secularism was rejected by India’s founding fathers. Vision of India’s founding fathers After the Government of India Act, 1919, Indian legislators came to power at the provinces. Indian political leaders enacted the far-reaching Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1926, which virtually took over the management and administration of Hindu temples in the province. It established “boards” appointed by the government. Temple trustees had to furnish accounts to and obey the instructions of the boards. Temples’ surplus funds could be spent by the boards themselves, on any “religious, educational or charitable purposes not inconsistent with [their] objects”. Constitutional framers were inspired by the US Constitution provision which prohibits Congress from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion”. In the Constituent Assembly, B.R. Ambedkar drafted an establishment clause which said that “[t]he State shall not recognize any religion as State religion.” K.T. Shah’s draft said that the government would be “entirely a secular institution”, which would “maintain no official religion [or] established church”. However, these clauses didn’t find their way into the Constitution. If it had, then the Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1926, could possibly have been found unconstitutional. Later, H.V. Kamath tried to move an amendment in the Constituent Assembly to introduce an establishment clause - “The State shall not establish, endow, or patronize any particular religion.” However, his amendment was put to vote and rejected. Current scenario The Supreme Court has allowed governments to heavily regulate Hindu temples on the theory that the freedom of religion does not include secular matters of administration which are not essential to the religion. Sometimes, the court has perhaps gone a little too far since the line between integral religious practice and non-essential secular activity is often hard to draw. For instance, though the government cannot interfere with rituals and prayers at temples, it can regulate the amount that temples spend on such things. Even the appointment of priests in Hindu temples has been held to be a secular activity, which the government can regulate. Conclusion: In a letter written in 1802, President Thomas Jefferson advanced the idea of a “wall of eternal separation between church & state” in the U.S. The wall of separation between temple and state in India was first constructed by a colonial government which wanted to distance itself from religions that it considered heathen and false. That wall was then pulled down by Indian leaders who felt that government entanglement in religious institutions, especially Hindu temples, was essential, even in a secular state. Connecting the dots: Give your views on the right to freedom of religion as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Do they make India a secular state? What is secularism? Also discuss how did the idea of secularism take root in India. ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Water Pollution, Wastewater management. Plastic Waste Management: Requires much more Introduction: Every piece of plastic ever disposed of is damaging the earth. It’s lying somewhere in the earth, floating in the ocean, or been broken down into microparticles and in the food chain. Although a fraction of the plastic disposed of is recycled, most of it eventually ends up in the ocean or in dump sites outside city limits. The best way to reduce plastic pollution is to reduce and phase out its consumption. Rules: India’s Plastic Waste Management Rules (published in March 2016) called for a ban on plastic bags below 50 micron thickness and a phasing out, within two years, of the manufacture and sale of non-recyclable, multi-layered plastic. More than 20 Indian States have announced a ban on plastic bags. Cities such as Bengaluru announced a complete ban (gazette notification), in 2016, on the manufacture, supply, sale and use of thermocol and plastic items irrespective of thickness. There are stiff fines that cover manufacturing and disposal. Results: A Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report has said that the above-mentioned ban is barely effective. Citizens need to be aware of the rules. Governments need to work with citizens to collect fines. Companies need to be held accountable in terms of their environmental and social responsibilities. There should be research on ways to implement these rules, waste generation quantities and trends and find innovative alternatives to plastic. We also need strategies to deal with the plastic that has already been disposed of. India generates an estimated 16 lakh tonnes of plastic waste annually. If sold at the global average rate of 50 cents a kg, it can generate a revenue of Rs. 5,600 crore a year. Segregation at source: In order to realise the potential for recycling, waste must first be segregated at source. This segregated waste should be then transported and treated separately. As mentioned in the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, waste has to be segregated separately at source. This includes separation of dry (plastic, paper, metal, glass) and wet (kitchen and garden) waste at source. Collection of waste: The primary responsibility for collection of used plastic and multi-layered plastic sachets (branded chips, biscuit and snack packets) lies with their producers, importers and brand owners. Companies should have already submitted plans, by September 2016, for waste collection systems based on extended producer responsibility (EPR) either through their own distribution channels or with the local body concerned. Here, the onus of disposal and recycling of products and materials is with producers, rather than on taxpayers and governments. However, none of this has happened at any perceivable scale. Companies say that plastic waste is too complex or pretend to be completely unaware of these rules. Solutions: Implementing EPR collectively: The complexity of dealing with plastic waste is because of its ubiquity and distributed market. Several companies produce the same type of packaging so it is impossible for a given company to collect and recycle only its own packaging. Instead, these companies can collectively implement EPR by geographically dividing a region into zones and handle the waste generated in their designated zones. This strategy was used in Switzerland to recycle thermocol used for insulation of buildings. This also reduces collection, transportation and recycling costs. Companies and governments should interact and research on how to implement such plans. Adopting innovative means: In India, some companies have helped empower the informal recycling sector, giving waste pickers dignity and steady incomes. Another firm has worked with the informal sector and engineered the production of high quality recycled plastic. These companies, large corporates and governments could cooperate to implement innovative means to realise the value of plastic disposed of while simultaneously investing in phasing it out. Example- A Canadian company monetises plastic waste in novel ways. It has one of the largest chains of waste plastic collection centres, where waste can be exchanged for anything (from cash to medical insurance to cooking fuel). Through this, multinational corporations have invested in recycling infrastructure. Such collection centres, like the ones operated by informal aggregators in India, can be very low-cost investments (a storage facility with a weighing scale and a smart phone). Conclusion: It is time we rethink, reduce, segregate and recycle every time we encounter a piece of plastic so that it stops damaging our environment and our lives. Connecting the dots: Given the huge toll of plastic waste on our environment and health, it is time to focus on plastic waste management is more robust manner. Comment. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) Consider the following crops of India: Cowpea Green gram Pigeon pea Which of the above is/are used as pulse, fodder and green manure? 1 and 2 only 2 only 1 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 Q.2) Article 27 of Constitution of India deals with Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion Freedom to manage religious affairs Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions MUST READ Temple and state The Hindu A spate of lynchings The Hindu Little power, great responsibility Indian Express India without water Business Line How digitisation can drive growth in India Business Line Trump has a point about rule-based trade Business Line

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 15th June 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 15th June 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) President rejects Tamil Nadu’s request to release Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts In news: President Ram Nath Kovind rejects Tamil Nadu government’s request to release the seven prisoners convicted for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In the last four years, Tamil Nadu government has written twice to the Home Ministry to pardon the convicts and release them on humanitarian grounds. President has rejected the request on the advice of the Home Ministry. The President is bound by the advice of his Council of Ministers in such matters. Do you know? Article 72 deals with power of president to grant pardons, etc., and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases Article 161 deals with power of governor to grant pardons, etc., and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases President can grant pardon, reprieve, respite and remission of punishment, or suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence: In all cases where the punishment or sentence is by a court martial; In all cases where the punishment or sentence is for an offence against a Union law; and In all cases where the sentence is a sentence of death. The pardoning power of the President is independent of the Judiciary; it is an executive power. India is facing its worst water crisis: NITI Aayog Part of: Mains GS Paper I, II- Social issues, Government interventions in key sectors Key points: NITI Aayog released the results of a study warning that India is facing its “worst” water crisis in history. Nearly 600 million Indians faced high-to-extreme water stress and about 2,00,000 people died every year because of inadequate access to safe water. Worst affected cities – Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad Critical groundwater resources, which accounted for 40% of the water supply, are being depleted at “unsustainable” rates and up to 70% of the supply is “contaminated”. As per the report, titled ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (CWMI) the crisis is only going to get worse. By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual 6 per cent loss in the country’s GDP. Best managing states (‘Non-Himalayan States’) Worst managing states (‘Non-Himalayan States’) Gujarat Jharkhand      2. Andhra Pradesh      2. Bihar      3. Madhya Pradesh      3. Haryana Pic credits: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2018/06/15/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_06/f9c9f3ab_2173869_101_mr.jpg Article link: India is facing its worst water crisis: NITI Aayog - NATIONAL - The Hindu About Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) AWBI is constituted under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act. The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country. Established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. In news: Recently, AWBI has released a directive to all state departments that it is their responsibility to protect all strays – cattle, dogs and cats wandering on streets. Animal welfare officers for each district will be appointed and they would have a critical role to play in ensuring that strays are not mistreated. Do you know? The AWBI does not have the right to prescribe punishments or fines for violations of the PCA Act but can pursue legal action. Functions of The Animal Welfare Board of India To keep the law in force in India for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals under constant study and to advise the government on the amendments to be undertaken in any such law from time to time. To advise the Central Government on the making of rules under the Act with a view to preventing unnecessary pain or suffering to animals generally, and more particularly when they are being transported from one place to another or When they are used as performing animals or when they are kept in captivity or confinement. Article link: States should protect all strays: AWBI - NATIONAL (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology Roadmap for reducing vehicular pollution Introduction: The WHO global air pollution database report that ranked 14 Indian cities among the 15 of the world’s most polluted, in terms of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration. Cities provide 60 per cent to 65 per cent of India’s GDP and 45 per cent to-50 per cent of our consumption. As per a World Economic Forum study, the number of million-plus urban conglomerates in India has increased from 35 in 2001 to 53 in 2011. By 2030, this number is expected to grow to 87. Cities are often the primary avenue that allow people escape out of poverty, especially from traditional agriculture. The next two decades will only see an acceleration of migration into our cities. Currently, the World Bank assesses health and welfare losses at 7.7 per cent of India’s GDP (PPP adjusted). If these costs are unchecked, they will grow sharply in the coming decades. Hence, controlling urban pollution needs to be a key strategic objective for India. India’s urban pollution: As measured by PM 2.5 level is already about 40 per cent above the global safe limits across major Indian cities. 70 per cent to 80 per cent of urban pollution (as measured by PM 2.5) comes from vehicular emissions, domestic activity, construction activity, industry activity and road dust. Government policy can influence all these areas but two require urgent attention and will create the largest short term impact — vehicular emissions and domestic activity. Vehicular pollution: Vehicular pollution contributes around 35 per cent of the total PM 2.5 emissions today. Of the total vehicular pollution, 40 per cent to 45 per cent comes from two-wheelers and another 30 per cent to-35 per cent from four wheelers. In a future with internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles (even post BS VI roll out), urban pollution will continue to remain 25 per cent to 30 per cent above safe global standards because of the growth in automobiles. Addressing vehicular emissions: It requires a multi-pronged approach. It needs to combine the already-proposed tighter emission norms (in form of BS VI), with a push for shared mobility and public transport and adoption of alternate mobility technologies. Government policy will impact adoption that will affect both the extent and the future growth of urban pollution. The policy roadmap: Incentives for adoption of alternate mobility technologies. Restrictions on elements that contribute negatively to strategic objectives (such as congestion charges on polluting technologies). Provision of enabling infrastructure. Adoption of alternate mobility technologies: We need to assess and refine the monetary incentives that are offered to bridge the viability gap for electric vehicles for the purpose of containing urban pollution. These include upfront subsidies, road/registration tax, reduced taxes, and interest rate subsidy. Globally, incentives for adoption of alternate mobility technologies have been known to help — China grants a 45 per cent subsidy on vehicle purchases and Norway and Brazil have their own schemes. Given their significance in an EV, India might need to consider pushing for battery localisation. Cell investments would need a long lead-time to materialise. Hence, the government needs to drive immediate investments by providing subsidies and tax breaks to local manufacturers along with support for research and development in the e-mobility domain. Non-monetary incentives: Technology choices should be rewarded with exemption from tolls/taxes, special toll lanes and other preferred access to public infrastructure. Globally, Norway gives preference to high occupancy vehicles and China gives preferential licence access. London imposes congestion charges during working hours on weekdays to vehicles entering the city centre. All these disincentives to traditional cars help in the push for electric vehicles. Providing an enabling infrastructure: There is an early need to standardise charging infrastructure/equipment to ensure interoperability and make it widespread. European manufacturers have formed a consortium, “Ionity”, to provide interoperable charging points across the continent. Similarly, China has standardised charging infrastructure to ensure increased usage and set up 16,000 charging points across the country. The country aims to set up more than 4.8 million charging points at an investment of almost $20 billion by 2020. China has regulations to include charging infrastructure in all residential buildings. India needs to start learning from global examples to push enabling infrastructure. Conclusion: The need to address urban pollution is urgent. Focusing on reducing contribution of vehicular pollution to overall urban pollution will help address the urgency. Connecting the dots: Controlling urban pollution needs to be a key strategic objective for India. Discuss in brief. Also suggest how vehicular pollution can be controlled by adopting a strategic roadmap. INTERNAL SECURITY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security. Challenges to internal security through communication networks Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism. Shifting taxonomy of violence Issue: India has witnessed saga of violence and conflicts. Recent events in Thoothukudi (on May 22 and 23) have highlighted the changing nature of violence, and the inadequacy of existing rules and procedures to deal with new-era protests. There is a need for redefining the internal security landscape as at present no one, the courts of judicature included, seems to understand the shifting taxonomy of violence. Examples of incidents which caused law and order problems due to industry versus environment concerns – Sterlite’s copper smelters in Thoothukudi tanneries spewing effluents in Kanpur iron mines in Goa Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984, the mother of all environmental tragedies. Added to above list, are the escalating violence resulting from caste conflicts, such as – most recent Dalit uprising farmers’ woes across the country rape of young women and children issues revolving around tradition versus modernity outsider versus insider syndrome, especially in the Northeast All the above issues had resulted in highly complex violence (police firings, death of over a dozen individuals, etc) and need careful attention. In instances of this kind, it is vital to try to determine the actual trigger that led to the violence. In many conflicts, presence of ‘agent provocateurs’ or outsiders especially militant elements from outside, who are pre-programmed to create chaos, has led to more violence. Examples of such incidents – In Thoothukudi, the revolt was against Sterlite and its so-called disdain for the environment and the suffering of the locals. In Bhangar, West Bengal, for months villagers have been up in arms against a power grid project for which land had been acquired many years ago. The conditions may be different, but the opposition remains equally intense. In both instances, we see organisations genuinely interested in the welfare of the locals initially launching the agitations, which gradually tend to be taken over by extreme right-wing and left-wing organisations. The result remains the same: widespread disruption. Protests today are beginning to embrace entire communities. Governments and even tribunals are today viewed by protesters with deep suspicion, limiting opportunities for adjudication. Contrary judgments at different times by the High Courts and the Supreme Court have hardly helped. This is a phenomenon seen in other protest movements elsewhere as well. In other words, this is the age of ‘high voltage’ revolt, basically an expression of repressed anger. Much of this arises from an “embedded wisdom” that the system is being “manipulated” in favour of the rich, the powerful, and the big multinationals. This is something that is not confined to India alone. Police effectiveness Authorities need to understand the metastasising nature of the protests and signs of the growing revolt of an ‘underclass’ against the so-called ‘elite’. The police also do not seem to have taken into consideration the kind of impetus provided to agitational methodologies by the ‘digital wave’. Unfortunately, the authorities tend to be look at current agitations through simple equations. They remain prisoners to Newton’s Third Law. Outdated ideas can no longer explain the complex nature of today’s agitations. There is an urgent need for changes in in administrative policies and police methodologies. The latter consequently find themselves severely handicapped in handling agitations, especially those agitations sponsored by today’s newest ‘elite’, viz. the middle class. Erection of barricades and promulgation of Section 144, have little relevance in the circumstances prevailing today. Police effectiveness is also hampered on account of several other reasons, including that they are often outnumbered by mobilised crowds, driven by indignation and rage, predisposed towards creating disorder. The way forward: The police on their part need to realise that existing laws and procedures notwithstanding, merely putting faith and focus on strength is not likely to succeed. It ignores the asymmetrical measures available to today’s mobs, and the limits that these impose on tactics and policies of a bygone era. Revamping intelligence and introduction of new methods to overcome the lacunae in intelligence collection. Police need to strengthen their ‘contextual’ intelligence to deal with today’s situations. This involves anticipating the meaning of ‘street power’ – enhanced by information technology and the presence of flash mobs. New ‘smart tactics’ have to be developed. Simply blaming the police is no answer to the growing volumes of protests everywhere. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) Consider the following statements The Governor can pardon a death sentence prescribed by a state law A Governor whose term has expired may be reappointed in the same state or any other state Which of the above statement[s] is/are incorrect? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) With regard to pardoning power of the President, which of statements given below is incorrect? The power to pardon is to be exercised by the President on the advice of the Union Cabinet The President cannot pardon sentences inflicted by court martial The Constitution does not provide for any mechanism to question the legality of decisions of President None Q.3) Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts of India? Arsenic Sorbitol Fluoride Formaldehyde Uranium Select the correct answer using the codes given below 1 and 3 only 2, 4 and 5 only 1, 3 and 5 only 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Q.4) Consider the following w.r.t Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) The Animal Welfare Board of India is a non-statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country. It was established under the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 Select the correct statements 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 MUST READ The changing nature of violence The Hindu Decongesting our cities The Hindu Islands apart The Hindu Health and poverty Business Line Is it advantage wireless tech again? Business Line

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 2]

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 2] Archives Q.1) ‘Ottawa Declaration’ is associated with Arctic Council Eurasian Economic Union NAFTA EFTA Q.2) Consider the following g statements about ‘Blue Flag Certification’ It is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its stringent standards Chandrabhaga beach of Odisha is the first in Asia to get the Blue Flag certification Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about ‘Dutch disease’ It refers to the negative consequences arising from large increases in the value of a country's currency The origin of the term can be traced to the Dutch economic crisis of the 1960s following the discovery of North Sea natural gas Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Which of the following statements about ‘Fragile Five’ is/are correct? It is a term coined to represent emerging market economies that have become too dependent on unreliable foreign investment to finance their growth ambitions Fragile Five refers to BRICS countries Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following statements about General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) It is designed by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) It has been designed to protect the personal data of E.U. residents. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 To Download the Solution – Click here All the Best  IASbaba

IASbaba’s Integrated Learning Programme (ILP)- 2019- Admissions Open Now!

Dear Friends, Yes!! The wait is finally over! The wait for the most reliable, effective and affordable programme for UPSC preparation - ILP 2019. Let us begin by thanking all of you who have made ILP a grand success beginning from the year 2016. Your countless emails and queries about the ILP has made us resolve to make ILP, better and bigger than its previous year. The year-2018 is a monument year for IASbaba for two reasons. One, way back in 2015 we had said that ILP would stand out as the most comprehensive tool for UPSC preparation and yes now most of you would have realised the same in prelims 2018. Two, when the storm brews and brews strong, its IASbaba who has been standing tall!  Hundreds of time we have told students not to depend on mere last minute tools, some compilations or series (which UPSC tracks) and blindly trust them and finally end up in the ditch. Aspirants fail to realise that it is not the last minute miracle but consistent effort throughout the journey. It is the process that is important. It is the process that is sustainable. And yes ILP is that!! And this is not a mere coincidence, we have done it year on year from the day of our genesis. Year on Year ILP has proven to be the indestructible tool!!  UPSC Prelims 2016 UPSC Prelims 2017 UPSC Prelims 2018 UPSC Mains UPSC Mains 2016- Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 UPSC Mains 2017 Check the feedback from our users here And look at the results in mere 3 years we have got all the ranks that others aspire.  Saumya Pandey, Dinesh Kumar, Neha Jain, Tapasya Parihar, Abhijeet Sinha, Abhijit Gupta and hundred others! The above only add to ILP‘s growing phenomena. It is nothing but the GOOD karma we have earned out of our strategy, hard work and your countless blessings! INTEGRATED LEARNING PROGRAMME (ILP)-2019 NOTE- FULL PLAN OF ILP-2019 is shared in the end.  You need to remember that this is not only a PRELIMS TEST SERIES. It is a complete package which will enable/guide you qualitatively/quantitatively through the process of Civil Services Examination. When you subscribe to our ILP-2018 programme, you will have huge expectations on us. On the similar lines, we too have a few expectations like Complete Dedication Consistency Courage to “walk that extra mile” Faith in our program What sets ILP apart from regular online tools! Firstly and most importantly you must understand that it’s the philosophy of IASbaba which has been implemented in the form of ILP. We take no shortcuts, no half measures. We only believe in comprehensive and holistic preparation and that is where ILP includes:  FEATURES of ILP-2019 Programme: ILP 2019 is an integrated programme. ILP will cover Prelims and Mains in an integrated manner. It is not only a Prelims Test Series but consist of both Prelims and Mains aspects of preparation.  Module Wise Learning– Each module will have 4 stages for seven days and every seventh day there will be a test. After 6 modules there will be a revision module which will have 8 stages. CURRENT AFFAIRS FROM BABAPEDIA- Current Affairs will be updated on daily basis on Babapedia. One has to cover daily target and then learn/make notes of current affairs from Babapedia. 52 TESTS for Prelims: Tests will be Stage-Wise + Revision Tests + Subject Wise + Full Mocks + 12 CSAT Full Mocks- A total of 52 Prelims High-Quality Tests. MAINS MOCK and SYNOPSIS– The entire mains syllabus will be finished before Prelims. After every two stages, there will be Mains Mock with detailed synopsis i.e. two Mains mock in each Module. In total, there will be 32 Mains Mocks and Synopsis covering all the GS papers 1, 2, 3 and 4 qualitatively. NOTE that evaluation is not part of ILP. Only Synopsis will be provided.  Post Prelims (Mains)- After Prelims, there will be revision plan for Mains with revision Mocks for all GS papers of Mains along with Synopsis. Essay Guidance- We will be providing quality guidance for Essay along with few Mock Essays from our side. It will help you prepare for Essay in a succinct manner. VALUE ADD NOTES and Mind Maps/Infographics- Regular Value Add notes/mindmaps/infographs will be provided for both Prelims and Mains. All the topics in the syllabus will be covered exhaustively and in a very lucid manner. Value Add will be provided for all the topics of Mains and Prelims.  Discussion Forum - There will be a discussion forum where students will be able to connect with each other as well as with IASbaba. You will be able to ask your queries there. Abhivyakti (Query Resolution)- There will be a forum for addressing your subject related genuine queries. STRUCTURE of the Program -ILP 2019: The complete program is divided into MODULES and each module consists of 4 stages with 7 Days in each stage. In each stage, one has to prepare for Mains and Prelims simultaneously.  ILP 2019 has been designed considering the constraints of “WORKING PROFESSIONALS”. The plan of ILP-2019 is designed in such a way that working professionals can adjust their timings to cover all the topics. Limited standard sources have been mentioned which will be coupled with comprehensive VALUE ADD NOTES (VAN). This will help working candidates to stick to limited sources and maximise their output through multiple revisions.  At the end of each stage, there will be an objective test with questions of varying difficulty level, which will help you judge your understanding of the topics covered and see where you are standing in the competition. The Test Platform is designed to provide timely feedback on your performance and your standing in terms of Rank. A detailed solution will be provided for each test. A total of 52 Prelims Tests including 12 Full-Length CSAT test is part of ILP- 2019. Each Prelims tests can be taken thrice. There is no fixed time for taking tests. It is flexible. But we advice you to take the tests on time to compare your ranking with others. Otherwise, there is no competitive encouragement to continue this journey :) There will two Mains Mock in each Module (every alternate stage) with a detailed synopsis provided for the same. A total of 32 such Mocks is part of ILP-2019. All the Prelims and CSAT Tests of the ILP will be provided in Hindi also. ILP-2019 will commence from 16th July 2018. The validity of the programme is till September 2019.  Prelims Tests will end in April and you will get complete 1 month for revision. The month of May 2019 is given for REVISION so that you consolidate your preparation in a much effective manner for the battle on 2nd June 2019 :) SAMPLES OF VAN AND BABAPEDIA NOTE- Below is just a sample. ILP-2019 will contain a much better and comprehensive Value Add Notes (VAN). This becomes even more important because we do not burden our aspirants with loads of sources/books to read. Our VAN and few standard sources will be more than enough for the qualitative preparation one needs in this journey. VALUE ADD NOTES & MIND-MAPS Click on the image to see complete File Polity Click to Download  Economy Click to Download History Click to Download MAINS MOCK & SYNOPSIS Click to Download BABAPEDIA Note- This time Babapedia will also feature MAPPING initiative. This will help you prepare all IR, Resources, Location-based questions comprehensively. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ASPIRANTS JOINING ILP-2019 ILP-2019, unlike other programmes, is not only unique for its approach but the dedication of IASbaba towards aspirants. We do not want an aspirant to just join ILP but grow with it. Through ILP, we do not just teach candidates but our aim is to nurture them. And provide them a clear path through which they are not lost. We try to act as a mentor, guide and a motivator. Aspirants who have followed ILP in letter and spirit have made us proud by having their names in the holy PDF of UPSC. More than us, it is you who will define the success. We can be the facilitator as far as quality guidance is concerned. We cannot spoonfeed the process to be inculcated within you if you aren't motivated all the time. This programme will provide everything that you need to qualify this examination. Please Note: ILP being a complete package, We are offering at minimal price possible. Still, We have noticed many aspirants sharing ILP or even Xerox centres illegally publishing the same and this also has been brought to your notice by none other than our students.  ILP Platform is IP protected to avoid such miscreants but it is more about the trust with which IASbaba and you share this journey. In the past IASbaba has taken legal actions. We request all the aspirants to understand that quality requires sustenance. You are the fuel for us! Kindly do not resort to unethical methods. IASbaba has the technology to track the same. However, we want to avoid such situation in your interest!  Kindly remember that all those successful candidates were full-time followers of ILP, not just subscribers or last-minute gamblers who wanted only hit ratio. ILP-2019 starts on 16th July. The ILP Platform will be active few days before that. You will be notified before 16th July once the ILP platform is active.  ILP Connect: Unique mentorship program of IASbaba for aspirants who have taken ILP There is no extra fee for ILP Connect. Based on your profile and performance in ILP, IASbaba will automatically contact you. You can fill your profile here after subscribing to ILP: Fill the form after Subscribing/joining ILP-2019. Use the payment link below to join ILP-2019 first and then fill the form below for ILP Connect.  Click to fill the form Abhijeet Sinha (Rank 19)  and Abhijeet Gupta (Rank 511) were our ILP Connect student from IASbaba’s 1st batch of 2017. FEE DETAILS ILP-2019- 9999+Tax Online Payment - To make the Online Payment - Click Here NOTE: After the successful payment, please check your email (SPAM and JUNK FOLDERS TOO). You will receive an acknowledgement for the fees paid. Also, you can download the PDF after successful payment, it contains your ID and Password, but you will be able to login only when the platform is active.  ILP-2019 starts on 16th July. The ILP Platform will be active on 14th of July. You will be notified before 16th July once the ILP platform is active.  Offline Payment Details: Please mail us the acknowledgement at ilp@iasbaba.com if making offline payment.  Bank details BANK Name CANARA BANK BANK BRANCH BANGALORE KLE SOCIETY ACCOUNT NAME IASBABA ACCOUNT NUMBER 8418201003785 IFSC CODE CNRB0008418 ACCOUNT TYPE CURRENT ACCOUNT We hope, this ILP proves to be much bigger and better in terms of content quality and reach, touching thousands of aspirants devoid of expensive coaching and proper guidance. ILP will prove to be a game changer provided you are honest and sincere with the guidelines to follow it. There is no substitute for smart and hard work. 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IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 14th June 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 14th June 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Downturn in India-Maldives ties Part of: GS Mains Paper II – India and its neighbours; International Relations In news: Applications for work permits of around 2,000 Indians are pending with the Maldivian Embassy. During February, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen had ordered an Emergency, which India took a strong position against it. After that incident, the Maldives Immigration Authority has reportedly held up thousands of work permits to Indians. Important Value Additions: Key concerns: Turbulent Maldivian politics: Maldives continues its descent into political anarchy with democratic institutions facing an unabated onslaught under the authoritarian regime of President Abdulla Yameen. Maldives growing “closeness” with China: Both China and Pakistan stepping up their strategic inroads into the Maldives Religious radicalization: The island-nation (Maldives) is being radicalized by the Saudi funds and influence ISIS threat: Growing Islamic radicalisation in the tiny island-nation of about four lakh people once known for its tolerant practices has many foreign governments, including India, deeply concerned. No FTA with India: Maldives and India do not have a Free Trade Agreement. However Maldives and China entered into Free Trade Agreement. Yameen government asked India to remove its Dhruv advanced light helicopters from Maldives (which India had gifted in 2013). Yameen government has alleged that tensions over the presence of the two Indian helicopters in two strategically important locations in the Laamu and Addu atolls have been growing. Work permits are not currently being issued to Indian Nationals. Article link: Downturn in ties with Maldives hits Indians' job opportunities Green ambitions — on renewable energy targets Indian government had set a target of achieving 175 gigawatts (GW) of capacity from renewable energy sources by 2022. Recently, Union Power Minister said India would overshoot its target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity to 225 GW. However, this is a tall claim, considering India has missed several interim milestones since it announced its 175 GW target in 2015. Do you know? 175 GW renewable energy targets by 2022 – 100 GW Solar 60 GW Wind 10 GW Biomass and 5 GW Hydro Concerns: Despite renewable capacity being augmented at a blistering pace targets are missed. Technological and financial challenges remain: both wind and solar generation could be erratic, and India’s creaky electricity grid must be modernised to distribute such power efficiently. To hit its 2022 target of 175 GW, 106 GW will have to be added in four years, more than twice the capacity added in the last four. Of the current goal of 100 GW from solar energy by 2022, 40 GW is to come from rooftop installations, and 60 GW from large solar parks. Despite being the fastest-growing renewable-energy segment so far — rooftop solar clocked a compound annual growth rate of 117% between 2013 and 2017 — India only hit 3% of its goal by the end of 2017, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report. Homeowners aren’t buying the idea of installing photovoltaic panels on their terraces because the economics does not work out for them. Article link: Green ambitions — on renewable energy targets Combating cyber threat: Government initiatives Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Cyber security Key pointers: To combat cyber threat, the government is coming up with more cyber security labs. The government has earlier launched Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) to tackle these crimes. The government launched its first DITAC in Gurugram, Haryana in 2016 in collaboration with National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO). The second one is being set up in Mohali, Punjab. DITACs will monitor and police cyber crimes committed through different platforms such as mobile, email, computer and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Apart from DITACs, the government also established National Cyber Coordination Centre, an operational cyber security and e-surveillance agency in India. National Informatics Centre opened the fourth new data centre in Bhubaneswar, the second largest after the one in New Delhi, recently. Background: Cyber attacks have grown in terms of sophistication and reach in the recent times. The country is witnessing growing cyber crime ranging from fraud calls to malwares that bring banking systems to a standstill. India was one of the worst hit countries by the WannaCry ransomware malware affecting sectors such as banking, finance and manufacturing last year. Dam Safety Bill 2018 Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Infrastructure Key pointers: The Bill proposes to help all the States and Union Territories adopt uniform dam safety procedures, which will ensure safety of dams and safeguard the benefits from them. It will also help in safeguarding human life, livestock and property. The Bill provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in the country to ensure their safe functioning. It also talks about the constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety which will evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations as may be required. It prescribes setting up a National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body which will discharge functions to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country. There will also be State-level committee on Dam Safety to be set up by each State Government. Background: There are over 5,200 large dams in India and about 450 are under construction. In addition, there are thousands of medium and small dams. Due to lack of legal and institutional architecture, dam safety is an issue of concern. Unsafe dams are a hazard and dam break may cause disasters, leading to huge loss of life and property, a Government statement said. Restructuring of the North Eastern Council Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Polity Key pointers: North Eastern Council The Cabinet has decided that Home Minister will now head the North Eastern Council (NEC) while Minister-in-Charge of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) will be the co-chair. Under the new arrangement with Home Minister as Chairman and Minister of DoNER as Vice-Chairman, NEC and all the Governors and Chief Ministers of the North-Eastern States as members would provide a forum for discussing inter-State matters more comprehensively and also consider common approaches to be taken in the future. NEC can now perform the tasks undertaken by the various Zonal Councils to discuss inter-State issues as drug trafficking, smuggling of arms and ammunition, boundary disputes etc. About NEC: The Council is a statutory body with Governors and Chief Ministers of all the eight North-Eastern States as its members. NEC implements various projects through the State and Central agencies. U.S. nod for six more Apaches In news: U.S. State Department has approved the sale of six additional AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to India. The Army will operate them. Key points: Defence deals between India and US AH-64 Apache attack helicopters Chinook heavy-lift helicopters C-130J Hercules M777 howitzer Harpoon anti-ship missile system Article link: US nod for six more Apaches Person in news: Bindeshwar Pathak Part of: Prelims In news: Noted social reformer and founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak was  with Japan’s prestigious ‘Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture and Community’ for his significant work in tackling poor hygiene and discrimination. The award honours people in Asia who have made significant contributions in one of the three areas: regional growth; science, technology and innovation; and culture and community. Former PM Manmohan Singh and Infosys chairman N. R. Narayana Murthy are among the few Indians who have won the prize in the past. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 1: Urbanization, their problems and their remedies General Studies 2: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Municipal governance: An analysis About: It’s been 25 years since decentralised democratic governance was introduced in India by the 73rd and 74th Constitution Amendments, which came into force on April 24 and June 1, 1993, respectively. Central Government’s Smart Cities mission completes three years this month. Therefore the below article examines India’s tryst with municipal governance. Analysis: We know from ARC reports and previous articles that – Local governments (esp. Panchayats) are financially constrained and do not have the administrative capacity to carry out its functions. It is also important to explore how urban local governments are actively disempowered and depoliticised as an institution. How are urban local governments disempowered and depoliticized? The disempowerment and depoliticisation has happened in multiple ways. First, elected representatives at the city-level are rendered powerless by making them subservient (subordinate) to the State government. i.e. in most municipal corporations, while the mayor is the ceremonial head, the executive powers of the corporation are vested with the State government-appointed commissioner. This disjuncture in municipal governance has been exploited by State governments to ensure that no city-level politician challenges their control over a city. Municipal corporations are further denied their political role by the continued operation of various parastatal agencies created by the State government. These may take the form of urban development authorities (which build infrastructure) and public corporations (which provide services such as water, electricity and transportation). These agencies, which function with a certain autonomy, are accountable only to the State government, not the local government. Even urban planning and land-use regulation (globally a quintessential local government function) is with State government-controlled development authorities. Two, new Central government programmes are further making local governments powerless and depoliticized. While parastatal agencies and unelected commissioners are pre-74th Amendment legacies that have not been undone, what is also worrying is the further depoliticisation of local government in recent years. Central government programmes such as the Smart Cities Mission seek to ring fence projects from local government. This programme mandates the creation of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for Smart Cities which will have “operational independence and autonomy in decision making and mission implementation”. It further “encourages” a State government to delegate “the decision-making powers available to the ULB (urban local body) under the municipal act/government rules to the Chief Executive Officer of the SPV”. The creation of parallel institutions that disempower the elected local government shows how higher levels of government distrust local politics and craftily retain control of a city’s reins. Even for performing functions that are within its purview (such as levying local taxes or undertaking civic projects above a certain budget) the local government requires State government permissions. Hence, municipalities are not yet autonomous units that can be genuinely called as the “third tier” of government in India’s federal system. Even after the 73rd and 74th Amendments, India has effectively only two levels of government — Union and State. Three, inherent limitations in 74th Amendment provisions While the 74th Amendment has become a guide or inspiration for civic activism in many cities, however it has certain inherent limitations. Many of its key provisions are not mandatory for the State government. The functions listed under the 12th Schedule — which a State government is expected to devolve to the local government — do not include essential civic issues such as urban transportation, housing or urban commons. The 74th Amendment also contains an industrial township exception whereby a municipality need not be constituted in areas which are declared as industrial townships. These provisions have been employed by State governments to keep local governments weak. Four, over-reliance on semi-representative bodies Civic activism has often been focussed on the creation of two bodies mandated by the 74th Amendment — ward committees and metropolitan planning committees. However, an over-reliance on such semi-representative bodies does not augur well for creating a genuinely democratic city government. In fact, civil society’s fixation with nominating its members into ward committees can further depoliticise local governments and make them captive to the interests of certain elite resident welfare associations. Instead of distrusting them, we must acknowledge that local governments are inherently political spaces where multiple interests compete. The way ahead: As cities struggle to meet the basic needs of their inhabitants, it is important to re-examine the existing modes of organising power in urban India. Unlike the 73rd Amendment which provides for three levels of panchayats (village, taluk, and district levels), power in urban areas is concentrated in a single municipal body (whether it is a municipal corporation, municipal council or town panchayat). However, as Indian cities have grown exponentially over the last 25 years, with some crossing the 10 million population mark, it is important that policy makers rethink the present model of urban governance that vests power in a singular municipality. While urban governance reforms can take multiple shapes, they must be foregrounded in the political empowerment of local government that furthers local democratic accountability. Final crux – Powerless mayors and city councils, severe fragmentation of governance – multiple civic bodies, parastatals – multiple civic bodies with frequent change of toothless mayors, commissioners. Local government has the least amount of capability, quality of delivery and poor processes that are being followed. Most of the laws and policies that they are following are archaic. All these have resulted in urban local governments’ active disempowerment and depoliticisation. Connecting the dots: For India to make urbanisation sustainable, it must first tackle the problems of multiplicity of jurisdictions, weak revenue base and human resource capacity deficit that impact most of its cities. Analyse. Urban local governments are actively disempowered and depoliticised as an institution. Do you agree?  Elucidate. NATIONAL TOPIC:General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary Making government litigation more efficient: LIMBS Introduction: LIMBS stands for Legal Information Management and Briefing System. It is a Ministry of Law and Justice initiative. The idea is to reduce government litigation, or in other word to make government litigation more efficient. At the moment, this is about civil cases (not for criminal cases) and is about the Union government (not the state governments). LIMBS is still a work in progress (not every ministry/department is part of LIMBS yet). Background: The LIMBS project began internally at the ministry of railway sometime in 2013, but was soon expanded as a single platform across ministries. In July 2015, it was hosted on the NIC (national informatics centre) server. The law ministry, by a gazette notification in February,206, formally launched LIMBS to monitor cases filed against the Union government. Benefits of LIMBS: Earlier, information about cases involving 64 ministries/departments was scattered in different places, typically in the form of physical files. That information is now available on a single platform, in electronic form. Once data are available in this form, several questions can be asked. What types of cases are these? How old are they? What is the financial implication? Can cases be clubbed? Can some disputes be settled outside court? Why did the government lose a case? Should more resources be devoted to certain courts? Is distribution of cases even across advocates? What is the track record of specific advocates? It will thus help reduce delays in filing responses in cases , contempt notices because of such delays and consequent monetary penalties. LIMBS is meant to improve the Union government’s handling of cases. An advocate, an arbitrator, or a new user from a ministry/department can log in. Ministry’s designated nodal officer authenticates the user’s credentials and only authenticated users are allowed to access the website and enter the case details. Government being biggest litigant: A sample survey conducted in Karnataka found that in 65 per cent of civil cases, the government was a litigant, sometimes on both sides. Government litigation crowds out the private citizen from the court system. Much of this government litigation is in the form of appeals and this survey again found that 95 per cent of government appeals fail. In a way, they are appeals that shouldn’t have been made in the first place. One way of reducing the load on courts is to reduce the quantum of cases that come to the courts. Conclusion: LIMBS provides benefits ranging from advocates getting paid on time to figuring out whether government should litigate (not just appeal). It also identifies petty cases the government can simply drop. However, its scope must now be increased to include all the government departments and having similar system at states- level too. Connecting the dots: Legal Information Management and Briefing System is a project to make government litigation more efficient. Its scope must now be broadened. Discuss. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) Consider the following pairs and choose the correctly matched pair/s from below options: Defence deal : : Associated country C-130J Hercules : : India-US S-400 Triumf: : India-Russia Harpoon : : India-Israel Choose appropriate code from options below: 1 only 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 Q.2) Consider the below statements with regard to renewable energy policy of India: Indian government has set a target of achieving 225 gigawatts (GW) of capacity from renewable energy sources by 2022. It has set a target to achieve 100 GW solar power capacity till 2022. Which of the statements above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) The Government of India has set a target of 175 GW renewable power installed capacity by the end of 2022. In this context, arrange the following renewable energy sources in the decreasing order of their specific targets: Small hydro power Solar power Biomass power Wind power Select the correct answer using the codes given below: 2-4-3-1 4-2-1-3 1-3-2-4 4-2-3-1 Q.4) Which Schedule of the Constitution contains provisions of Municipal Corporation? Schedule Eleven Schedule Five Schedule Twelve Schedule Six Q.5) Consider the following statements in regard to local governments in relation to 73rd and 74th Amendments: Local government is enumerated in concurrent list. The amendment made a provision for the mandatory creation of the Gram Sabha. One third of the positions in all panchayat institutions are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Which of the above given statements is/are correct? 1 only 2 only 1 and 3 2 and 3 MUST READ An improbable friendship The Hindu The missing tiers The Hindu Green ambitions The Hindu Trump's disruptions Indian Express More power to the farmer Business Line

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