Apr 18, 2018 RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : China: The Doors Are Opening

China: The Doors Are Opening Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests In News: China has announced that they will open the country’s economy further and lower import tariffs on products including cars – struck a conciliatory tone on the rising trade tensions between China and the United States. China would also be raising the foreign ownership limit in the automobile sector and push previously announced measures to open the financial sector. Xi’s comments sent stock markets and the U.S. dollar higher on hopes of a compromise that could avert a trade war. Background: This comes amid rising trade tensions between China and United States following a week of escalating tariff threats, popped by US frustration with China's trade and intellectual property policies. Why: After Russian diplomats were asked to leave, there has been a sharp decline in the Russian ruble The Trump administration had imposed tariffs on nearly 1,300 items in the Chinese market to reduce the trade deficits. There is a worry that some of the other Western allies of the United States and Trump might follow suit and impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods. The recent 19 Party Congress and the two sessions - NPC as well as CPPCC sessions which reiterated the domestic consumption innovation as well as restructuring of the economy from manufacturing to the services There is a need for Chinese economy to reinvent itself. With the global financial crisis, the China model of export orientation is no longer the answer, so they have shifted in their plans towards domestic consumption. They're projecting themselves as a leading technological power. And so there is a need for heavy investments and artificial intelligence, for which China will have to become much more open in terms of ideas and competition. Impact on India: There will be some positive impact for Indian exporters as there'll be space created for them in China. The investment proportion needs to be increased. This will boost our Make in India programme. Tourism has been partly increased from roughly about one lakh to about nine lakhs after the e-visas have been instituted. So this is one area that the opening of the Chinese economy towards the Indian side could also probably contribute. Chinese company have come and put up shop in in the manufacturing sector. For example Pune and Ahmedabad, who have been identified in 2014, but not much progress has actually taken place. The Chinese labor costs are also increasing. Any move to offer better access in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, marine items and information technology would help India, which has been able to supply mostly raw inputs to the giant neighbour. China’s plan to better protect intellectual property rights could encourage Indian pharma companies to set up shop there. Conclusion We have to have some incremental approach in our production where we need to increase our export basket. We must look at trade in a much more coherent fashion. If people mentioned pharmaceuticals, practically all the precursor materials for Indian pharmaceuticals come from China. So the active ingredients in the antibiotics, the chemicals, they all come from China and in fact we are the gainers because we are getting the source material from manufacturing the high-value products and exporting them to the United States elsewhere. We should look at this as an opportunity rather than as a threat. Must Read: Link 1 + Link 2 + Link 3 + Link 4

Apr 18, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

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

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 18th April 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Law Commission recommends holding of simultaneous elections Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Indian polity Key pointers: Pic credits: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/article23579189.ece/alternates/FREE_660/TH17-SC-SIMULTAGBP3QQSTR1jpgjpg A draft white paper released by the Law Commission of India recommends holding of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies, possibly in 2019. It suggests amending the Constitution, Representation of the People Act of 1951 and the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha and Assemblies, to realise this objective. The commission was headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan. The commission says simultaneous elections were held in the country during the first two decades after Independence up to 1967. Dissolution of certain Assemblies in 1968 and 1969 followed by the dissolution of the Lok Sabha led to the “disruption of the conduct of simultaneous elections.” Article link: Click here India-Sweden: PM's visit to Sweden Part of: Mains GS Paper II- International relations Key pointers: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swedish counterpart has agreed upon a joint action plan (JAP) for both countries to take forward a wide range of initiatives in defence, trade and investment, counterterrorism, renewable energy, smart cities, women’s skill development, space and science and healthcare. Characterising the JAP as a “win-win partnership” for New Delhi and Stockholm, Mr. Modi underscored the critical role of the defence sector and security initiatives as a pillar of the bilateral relationship. On counterterrorism, Mr. Modi and Mr. Löfven emphasised that the global counterterrorism legal framework should be regularly updated to address the changing threat of terrorism with strength. Under the Sweden-India Innovation Partnership for a Sustainable Future, the Swedish government will kick start Innovation Partnership by providing up to 50 million Swedish kronor (over $59 million) for innovation cooperation in the field of smart cities and sustainability. Article link: Click here Kaladan Multimodal Project: Ongoing work Part of: Mains GS Paper II, III- International relations, Infrastructure Key pointers: After years of delay, India has finally kicked off the construction of the 109-km road project that connects Paletwa river terminal to Zorinpui on the Mizoram border in Myanmar, as part of the $484-million Kaladan Multimodal project. The Rs. 1,600-crore road project passes through dense forests and hilly areas. On completion, the project will help connect Mizoram with the Sittwe Port in Rakhine State of Myanmar. India has already completed the rest of the Kaladan project work in Myanmar. This includes the construction of the Sittwe Port on Lakadan river mouth in Rakhine, construction of a river terminal 158 upstream at Paletwa and dredging of the Kaladan river. On the Indian side, work is on to extend the Aizawl-Saiha National Highway to the international border at Zorinpui. Also, a Rs. 6,000-crore project is under way for four-laning the 300-km highway from Myanmar border to Aizawl to ensure the faster movement of goods. Completion of the Paletwa-Zorinpui road holds the key to operationalise the Kaladan multi-modal project. Article link: Click here Task force on natural gas: India and US Part of: Mains GS Paper II, III- International relations, Energy security Key pointers: India and the US has announced the formation of a task force on natural gas aimed at increasing the share of gas in India’s primary energy mix. Under the US-India Energy Partnership, the US and India will pursue four primary pillars of cooperation. These are oil and gas, power and energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable growth, and coal. The newly set up task force will have a team of US and Indian industry experts with a mandate to propose, develop, and convey, innovative policy recommendations to Government of India in support of its vision for natural gas in the economy of India. The work of the task force is expected to advance the strategic and economic interests of both the nations. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: 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 Reset of India's neighborhood policy Introduction: The government’s foreign policy moves over the past few months represent a profound shift in its thinking about the neighborhood.  On the mend: The “reset” with China: The trigger for the rapprochement between the two neighbours was the peaceful resolution of the Doklam standoff and Mr. Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Xiamen last year. To begin with, the government has taken care not to respond with any heat to reports of the Chinese build-up at Doklam. Keeping its responses cool, New Delhi has been repeating that the Doklam standoff point is untouched and Chinese construction on their side of the boundary is “not a threat” to India. The government has also gone to some lengths to tone down planned celebrations marking the anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s arrival from Tibet. New Delhi and Beijing have now embarked on a flurry of high-level visits that are meant to lead up to a summit meeting between the two leaders; they may even meet more than once. The shift has given rise to speculation that the two sides are intent on making significant progress in smoothening ties on outstanding issues such as boundary negotiations and also narrowing the trade deficit. In South Asian region: This flexibility is also mirrored in the government’s dealings in the South Asian region. With Maldives: Despite several appeals by the Maldivian opposition, and nudges from the U.S., the Modi government decided not to exert hard power in bringing Maldives President Abdulla Yameen around after he declared a state of emergency in the country. Nor did it engage China in a confrontation when Mr. Yameen sought Beijing’s support in this regard. The government remained silent as Male went a step further and held discussions with Pakistan’s Army Chief, Gen. on joint patrolling of its Exclusive Economic Zone, an area of operation in the Indian Ocean considered to be India’s domain.  With Nepal: Instead of seeing red when Prime Minister K.P. Oli made it clear that he would step up engagement with China in infrastructure development, India rolled out the red carpet for him earlier this month. Nor did India raise concern over Nepal’s Constitution which had sparked the confrontation between India and Nepal in 2015-16. Bhutan and Bangladesh: There has also been outreach to Bhutan and Bangladesh in recent weeks. Both Bhutan and Bangladesh are to hold elections this year, and with incumbent governments more favourably disposed to New Delhi than their challengers in the opposition, the results will have an impact on India’s influence in these countries as well. Quiet progress with Pakistan: This year, the government admitted in Parliament for the first time that National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval had met his Pakistani counterpart, as a part of “established channels of communications at various levels” between the two sides in the past few years, post-Pathankot. Meanwhile, the resolution of the standoff over the treatment of diplomats in Delhi and Islamabad indicates that neither government has the appetite for escalation at this point. The next steps: Overall it seems that India’s hard power strategy in the region is being replaced with a more conciliatory one. However, the next steps will be defined not by a quiet or defensive approach to redefining India’s foreign policy in the region, but with a more bold and proactive one. The reset with China will work only if there are transactional dividends for both New Delhi and Beijing. Two issues on which both governments can show flexibility are China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and India’s bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership. On the NSG, China could remove its block to India’s membership by adopting a more inclusive approach within the nuclear export control organisation. The goodwill from such a move would propel India-China relations forward. On the BRI, if there is political will on both sides, they needn’t look too far for creative solutions around India’s three concerns: on territorial integrity, transparency of projects and their sustainability. Territorial integrity- The solution is contained in a proposal under consideration — to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan. The shift from the CPEC to what could be called PACE or the Pakistan-Afghanistan-China Economic corridor would necessitate a shift away from projects in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Those projects may still be built and funded by China, but then would not constitute a part of the BRI route; as a result, India’s concerns on sovereignty could be dispensed with. Several countries, from Europe to Central and East Asia, are now echoing India’s concerns about the environmental and debt trap risks that BRI projects pose. India could take the lead in creating an international template for infrastructure and connectivity proposals, one that would seek to engage China and other donor countries in a structured approach towards debt financing. This would win India goodwill in the neighbourhood too, where every other country (apart from Bhutan) has signed on to the BRI but has felt alienated by India’s rigid opposition to the initiative. SAARC re-engagement: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit is to take place this year, with Pakistan as the host. India's decision on attending the meeting should be rational. Afghanistan, which supported India’s move to pull out of the SAARC summit in Islamabad in 2016 following the Uri attacks, is engaging with Pakistan again. Sri Lanka and Nepal, both sympathetic to India’s outrage over Uri, are pushing for a summit this year. Connecting the dots: The government’s foreign policy moves in recent times represent a profound shift in its thinking about the neighborhood. Discuss. INTERNATIONAL TOPIC:General Studies 2: 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 India's interest in re-energised Commonwealth Introduction: The Commonwealth Summit is to be held this week in London. The Indian debate on the future of the forum has certainly changed. After decades of ignoring it, Delhi now believes that a rejuvenated Commonwealth could lend greater depth to India’s global outreach. Background: When Jawaharlal Nehru decided to join the Commonwealth after Independence, many expressed deep discomfort with what they saw as a needless affiliation with the former colonial power. Nehru, however, stood steadfast in his commitment to the Commonwealth. For him, it was a valuable political and economic link to a major Western power during the Cold War. While both Indira and Rajiv saw some utility in India’s membership of the Commonwealth, India’s growing divergence with Britain and the West during the Cold War and an inward economic orientation severely limited Delhi’s possibilities with the forum. As Britain itself turned to Europe, the Commonwealth began to lose much of its lustre in London. When India opened up to the world, politically and economically, after the Cold War, with its focus on the US and China on the one hand and South Asia on the other, the Commonwealth simply fell off India’s mental map. Delhi’s renewed interest in the Commonwealth: It has been long overdue. It is based on common sense. At a moment when India's global interests are expanding, the pragmatists in Delhi argue, India must make the best use of all available multilateral forums, including the Commonwealth. Way ahead: The Commonwealth needs to give up its “prescriptive approach” on rights. The focus should be on bringing greater economic prosperity for the peoples of the forum through an enhanced trade and investment relationship. The Commonwealth could devote considerable energies towards the promotion of sustainable development and maritime security, which pose existential challenges to the many small and island states in the forum. The Commonwealth can become more valuable to its member states if it directs its aid and assistance to a few major priority areas rather than spreading its resources on a range of issues. India can and must do a lot of things in re-energising the Commonwealth. The government's emphasis must be on strengthening India’s contribution to the Commonwealth. As the soon-to-be largest economy in the forum, India can significantly increase its levels of economic assistance, give more to the maintenance of the Secretariat, boost the current efforts on capacity building, and above all, open its economy to facilitate trade liberalisation across the Commonwealth. Reviving the Commonwealth is not about India taking over from Britain. It is about reordering the relationship between Delhi and London. Although the relations between India and Britain have significantly improved, Britain is yet to do what most other Western powers have done. It is to recognise that India’s rise is in their own national interests. Britain has remained somewhat hesitant to align with India on the regional issues in the Subcontinent and beyond. A significant change in that direction could help transform the bilateral relationship as well as the Commonwealth. Conclusion: Many British intellectuals are warning against the illusion that the Commonwealth can be a substitute for the European Union. There is no reason for India to be drawn into that internal argument in Britain. What matters for India is the terms of engagement that are on offer for a new British relationship with India and the Commonwealth in the changed domestic and international context. Negotiating favourable terms is what that should matter for Delhi. Connecting the dots: A rejuvenated Commonwealth could lend greater depth to India’s global outreach. Discuss. MUST READ The new South Asia The Hindu Clamour for death The Hindu A nation of innovation Indian Express India lives in her villages not districts Livemint The confounding Syrian conflict Business Line

Apr 18, 2018 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – India's Legal System

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – India's Legal System Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

Apr 18, 2018

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 HISTORY & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 35]

Hello Friends,  The 60 Days Training has finally begun:) Before any competition, there is a preparatory phase. That phase involves a lot of sessions on strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the preparatory phase, the athletes train in a gradual manner. In the last phase, just before the actual competition, the training is done so as to sharpen their skills. This training requires complete focus and dedication. In this phase, the athletes do not try anything new or train in a new fashion rather focus on sharpening of skills, focusing on strength and precision. Similarly, the upcoming 60 days, is like the last phase (training session), just before the actual competition. Here, the focus should be on sharpening the concepts, consolidating the knowledge base and solidifying the learning with loads and loads of revision. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL DETAILS AND SOLVE QUESTIONS

Apr 17, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 17th April 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 17th April 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Sustaining seafood exports to EU Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Governance, Internal Security Key pointers: To ensure continued demand for seafood from the European Union, India will showcase the new measures implemented by it to improve vigilance and testing to assure the bloc that all steps were being taken to ensure that consignments meet the required quality standards. The EU is one of India’s top buyers of shrimps. Information on the traceability software for seafood has been implemented and new methods have been put in place to carry out inspections. Background: The EU has expressed its dissatisfaction with exports from India by tightening its rules on inspections and black-listing. India’s marine food exporters have been arguing that the EU’s decision to increase the sample size from 10 per cent to 50 per cent for testing the seafood consignments from India, while keeping it at 10 per cent for other countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh was unfair. The EU accounts for about 18 per cent of marine exports from India with Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain being among the top buyers. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections. Issues relating to poverty and hunger. General Studies 3: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Planning for internal migration due to climate change Background: The Syrian and Rohingya crises exemplified the typical conditions under which people are forcibly displaced: war, political persecution, economic instability and repression. Still, most of the world’s migration is internal, i.e. within the same country. Among the tens of millions displaced in 2015, 21.3 million were refugees, but 40.8 million were internally displaced. People usually change their homes to improve household income, for marriage or other purposes relating to family. Climate change and migration: With climate change, its worsening slow onset effects such as droughts, effects from sea level rise and water shortages, will cause many more to leave their homes and move to safer places. Such migration may be a choice in the initial stages; for instance, a young member may travel to a city close by during a drought to increase his or her family’s income. But as the stress becomes more severe, the decision to move may be forced. An ongoing process- The gradual rise in sea levels wherein people are compelled to leave their island nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and become climate exiles is one such ongoing process that will likely increase out-migration over time. The “Groundswell: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration” report by the World Bank: Estimates that in Latin America, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa over 143 million people would be forced to move within borders by 2050 as a result of slow onset climate events alone In the worst-case scenario, about 40 million of these migrants would be in South Asia, which is the most populous of the regions studied, with a number of climate change effects anticipated. South Asian (Indian) context: South Asia is characterised by rain-fed farmland in large parts of the region. With variability in the monsoons and warmer temperatures, crop failures will lead to migration from the Gangetic plains and from the rice-growing northeast of Bangladesh and the inundated coasts. While people normally gravitate to big cities, those along the coast such as Mumbai, Chennai, Chittagong and Dhaka will themselves be vulnerable to storm surges and other effects from sea level rise. The poor would be the worst affected by these slow onset events and most of them would migrate out of rural areas to nearby urban settlements, which would be cities and the peri-urban surroundings. “Hotspots” of in and out migration would be stressed for natural resources, public services and livelihoods. In India, there are already signs of unplanned and frontier-led growth in peri-urban areas. The implications of these internal migrations will be significant for development in the areas and for the lives of these people. What needs to be done? Understanding migration patterns, getting better socioeconomic data on migration and preparing in advance through appropriate planning is critical. Reducing GHG emissions is of utmost urgency, although that seems to be taking place at a pace determined by geopolitical as well as local initiatives. Integrating internal migration with ongoing development planning is vital. The peri-urban areas, which are expected to be hot spots, already show problems of water shortage, waste management, nutritional deficiency, limited services such as health and education, and poor infrastructure. Ecosystems, part of the natural resources in peri-urban areas, ought to be protected as “special ecological zones”, so that as urban settlements expand, they don’t eat into ecosystem services. Skill building, job training and other opportunities for education and jobs for locals and migrants would also have to become a focal point. Rights for those who are forced to migrate would be fundamental in these preparations, as studies and experience have shown that ignoring issues of social justice and equity in adaptation can lead to serious governance failure. Connecting the dots: The problem of internal migration is bound to increase with ongoing climate change. The implications of these internal migrations will be significant for development in the areas and for the lives of these people. Discuss. Also suggest measures to face the challenge. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Reaching the 5T mark: Transforming Agriculture, Manufacturing and Services Background: Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of India becoming a “Five Trillion Dollar” economy. How soon we can reach the 5T mark? What growth rate is required? What changes we need to introduce? Current size of the economy: There are two measures of GDP — at constant prices (2011-12) and current prices. Currently, India’s GVA is $1.8 trillion, GDP at constant price $2 trillion, and GDP at current price $1.8 trillion. World Bank says India’s GDP is expected to grow at 7.3 per cent in 2018-19. The RBI’s figure is 7.4 per cent. The GDP at current prices will reach 5T in 2027 at this growth rate. So if we sustain the base growth rate of 7.4 per cent, we will become a 5T economy within ten years. However, an ambitious agenda of change can push growth rates upwards. But achieving such high growth will require exceptional structural changes in all sectors of the economy. How to reach 5T? To reach 5T, we need to shift our perspective from policy to projects. Select sectoral initiatives can be converted into 100 projects. Each to be led by a competent leader with proven skills. The regular bureaucracy would facilitate the job of the project leader, who will be free to choose her team. Transforming Agriculture: By setting up a thousand world-class farms across the country Most farmers do not have the capacity or means to benefit from the existing schemes. A new model can be tried- where farmers learn to be productive by working in association with a professional firm which takes care of farming, marketing, and exports. The implementation will cover less than one per cent of the arable land and cost no money to the government. To implement, the government will need to identify 1,000 agriculture development regions (ADRs) each with a minimum area of 200 sq. km. State governments will take this land on a 10-year lease from the willing farmers. In return, the State governments will assess a farmer’s 10-year income and agree to pay double the amount in annual instalments. Farmers will remain the landowners. Next, the States will invite corporate farming ventures (CFVs) to work on each of the ADRs for 10 years. In return, CFVs will pay the money that the States promised to pay the farmers. The CFVs will apply modern techniques and investments to produce and market high-quality products. Farmers may work on the land and imbibe the right practices. Soon, the best practices will spread to adjoining areas. The model will turn millions of farmers into smart and prosperous entrepreneurs. ADRs will contribute substantially to production and exports. Transforming manufacturing: Challenge- Trade war-like situation emerging between the US and China, and MNCs looking for alternative manufacturing locations. India has to focus on setting manufacturing ecosystem for the skill and labour intensive product groups like machinery. This skill and labour-intensive products group can absorb part of surplus people from the agriculture or informal sector. Successful operations would require sector-specific policies and inviting an anchor firm for each major product group. Flexible labour laws are an essential precondition for large-scale manufacturing. Over 70 per cent of India’s exports come from the manufacturing sector. New manufacturing operations will allow India to become part of a few global value chains and help in raising exports to a trillion dollar mark. Transforming services: Services contribute to 56.5 per cent of GDP but create only 30 per cent of jobs. So far, IT sector has been the star, exporting over 80 per cent of its $150 billion turnover. As over 50 per cent of IT revenues come from the US, the future looks challenging with Trump at the helm. Way ahead: As over 40 per cent of the IT jobs India does will disappear due to automation, the sector needs to develop expertise in IOT, AI, and their applications. Travel and tourism, health, and professional services can be the other star service sectors. Better delivery of infrastructure, education and essential services would also create a large number of jobs and growth. The travel and tourism sector created 40 million jobs and contributed a significant 10 per cent to GDP. Considering the variety of experiences India offers, the sector can grow manifold with project-driven investments in budget hotels, medical tourism, tourist safety, and top 100 attractions. India as a global healthcare jobs provider can be another big story. Global healthcare and wellness is a $8 trillion industry, which would require over 100 million health workers in the next 15 years. The construction sector’s potential is largely untapped. It has slowed in the past two years but remains big with over 8 per cent share in GDP. It is the largest job-generating sector after Agriculture. The sector lacks transparency, and millions of buyers stand cheated in the hands of builders every year. Ensuring transparency and ease will revive the sector attracting FDI and create millions of new jobs. Connecting the dots: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently, spoke of India becoming a “Five Trillion Dollar” economy. Suggest what changes we need to introduce to achieve the goal at the earliest. Transforming agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors in a project mode can help India reach the goal of 5 trillion economy soon. Analyze. MUST READ It's time to replace the UGC Act The Hindu Towards a regional reset The Hindu A Post-fact conflict Indian Express India's grand illusion of a reset with China Livemint Let not my country awake to such bigotry Business Line

Apr 17, 2018 RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : The Korea Summit

The Korea Summit Archives 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 In News: The leaders of North and South Korea will meet on April 27 for the first time since 2007. The landmark meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un will be held at Freedom House on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The summit will be seen as a victory for Moon, who has long been pushing hard for diplomatic relations with North Korea. He said at his swearing-in ceremony in 2017 "for peace on the Korean Peninsula, I will do everything that I can do." A summit on April 27 will be only the third time that the leaders of the divided Koreas have met in the 65 years since the end of the Korean War. It comes in sharp contrast to 2017 when the peninsula appeared to be barreling toward conflict, with Kim overseeing a string of missile and nuclear tests and Trump promising "fire and fury" as Pyongyang threatened Guam, Hawaii and even the US mainland. Image Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/28/asia/south-korea-north-korea-talks-intl/index.html What has led to this? A realization has dawned upon South Korea to reach out peacefully to North Korea, and not to contain and change the regime. North Korea has reciprocated very well. Kim Jong Un has emerged as the best strategist of all the major powers that were playing this game. He has been able to manage China, US, North Korea. This inter-Korean dialogue is definitely welcome given the earlier circumstances from the last few decades. Two pronged Approach Inter-Korean relationship: Two leaders are willing to come together, and resume and update the sunshine policy followed in and before 2007. Denuclearization: There is a widespread belief that North Korea is prepared to denuclearize, but the North Korean leader has in fact not agreed to give up his nuclear weapons. Though there might be a buildup towards denuclearization. The way this summit would shape up, would lay the foundation of it. But the probable demands of North Korea might be – American troop should get out of South Korea Cease military exercise between America and South Korea Long standing demand of their maritime boundary between North & South Korea, which is extremely unfair to North Korea, should be renegotiated Role of U.S.A Trump has suddenly accepted Kim Jong-Un’s offer of a summit. This stunning development has raised hopes that a resolution of the North Korean nuclear challenges that have plagued the United States and its allies for a quarter of a century could be in the offing. He and his administration should reflect carefully and ask whether the “deal” they seek is really within reach Why: Kim may be hoping to offer President Trump a “freeze” of the North’s nuclear testing program that the U.S. president could then point to as the outcome of the summit. What would it mean: A “freeze” on the testing of North Korean nuclear weapons would leave the nuclear threat to our allies, our overseas bases, and the U.S. homeland in place. It would allow Pyongyang to continue to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons, build new nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems, improve its nuclear weapons and missiles through non-kinetic testing, and even construct additional facilities to produce more nuclear materials. Must Read: Link 1 Connecting the Dots: Why did the USA become involved in the Korean war? Discuss the consequences of the involvement.

Apr 17, 2018

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 HISTORY & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 34]

Hello Friends,  The 60 Days Training has finally begun:) Before any competition, there is a preparatory phase. That phase involves a lot of sessions on strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the preparatory phase, the athletes train in a gradual manner. In the last phase, just before the actual competition, the training is done so as to sharpen their skills. This training requires complete focus and dedication. In this phase, the athletes do not try anything new or train in a new fashion rather focus on sharpening of skills, focusing on strength and precision. Similarly, the upcoming 60 days, is like the last phase (training session), just before the actual competition. Here, the focus should be on sharpening the concepts, consolidating the knowledge base and solidifying the learning with loads and loads of revision. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL DETAILS AND SOLVE QUESTIONS

Apr 17, 2018 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – India - Latin America

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – India - Latin America Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

Apr 16, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

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

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 16th April 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Districts under LWE brought down to 30 Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Governance, Internal Security Key pointers: In a big development, the government has announced that 44 districts have been taken out of the list of Naxalism-affected areas. Here, the Naxal presence has either been entirely uprooted or restricted to minimal. Now, most of the left-wing extremism is restricted to just 30 worst-hit districts. The announcement was made by the home ministry saying that the forces have been able to reduce the geographical spread of Naxalism-related violence significantly in the last four years thanks to a multi-pronged strategy that involves security and development-related measures. The anti-Naxal policy has focussed on zero tolerance towards violence as well as massive efforts to bring in development in affected areas like new roads, bridges, and telephone towers to make the lives of the poor and the vulnerable easier. The SRE scheme: The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier listed 106 districts in 10 states as LWE-affected districts. These districts came under the purview of the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme that has been formulated for the purpose of reimbursement of security-related expenditure like transportation, communication, the hiring of vehicles, stipend to surrendered Maoists, construction of infrastructure for forces etc. Such a categorisation helps in focused deployment security as well as development-related resources. Recent survey: The initially-designated 106 SRE districts increased to 126 over the last few years due to a number of them being carved into smaller districts. The MHA recently carried out an extensive exercise to review the LWE-affected districts so as to ensure optimal deployment of forces and resources is these areas keeping in mind changed ground reality. It is part of this exercise that 44 districts have been excluded from the SRE list and 8 new added. Now, the total number of SRE districts stands at 90. Also, the count of worst LWE-hit districts has got reduced to 30 from 35. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL/ECONOMY TOPIC: General studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes. General studies 3: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it Investment and Infrastructure Agrarian/Rural distress and Rural Development The Aspirational Districts Programme Introduction: The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a radical departure from the country’s previous development strategies in its scale, scope and ownership. This landmark programme recognises the disparities in development across states and districts It focuses on transforming 115 districts across 28 states that have witnessed the least progress along certain development parameters. These 115 districts account for more than 20% of the country’s population and cover over 8,600 gram panchayats. A radical scheme: This is the first time that a government in India has focussed on India’s most backward districts and the exercise envisages a serious re-imagination of government and governance and deepens cooperative federalism. The programme is informed by the failures of the past and therefore has a more contemporary vision of how public services are best delivered to those who need them most. Deliberately, the districts have been described as aspirational rather than backward so that they are viewed as islands of opportunity and hope rather than areas of distress and hopelessness. Choosing of the 115 districts: The 115 districts were chosen by senior officials of the Union government in consultation with State officials on the basis of a composite index of the following- Deprivation enumerated under the Socio-Economic Caste Census. Key health and education performance indicators. The state of basic infrastructure. A minimum of one district was chosen from every State. The largest concentration of districts is in the States which have historically under-performed such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, or which are afflicted by left-wing extremism such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Funding: There is no financial package or large allocation of funds to this programme. The intent is to leverage the resources of the several government programmes that already exist but are not always used efficiently. The government doesn’t always need to spend more to achieve outcomes but instead to spend better. Key features of the programme: Focus on district-specific strengths: The composite district-level data allows GoI to take into account the huge variation within India. With districts as diverse as Dantewada and Bastar in Chhattisgarh that are affected by leftwing extremism and Baksa in Assam where access to education is a challenge, a‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy will not work. For instance, the priority given to stunting will vary in Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh, where 8.1% of its under-five-year-old population is stunted, than in Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh where nearly 39% of under-five children are stunted. The detailed data collected will allow the government to take into account the specific contexts, challenges and capacities of each district and state. Shifting the focus to socio-economic outcomes: The programme shifts the focus away from output and draws attention to socio-economic outcomes. To provide an initial benchmark for the programme, the government has collected statistics on 49 indicators across five core dimensions: health and nutrition, education, financial inclusion, agriculture and water resources, skill development and basic infrastructure. Not all dimensions are considered equal in the construction of the composite index for each district, acknowledging the specific nature of India’s development challenges. For example, health and nutrition and education are each given a 30% weightage in the index. These two areas account for 21 of the 49 indicators. Placing data at the core of policymaking: Through its large-scale efforts to collect, distill and disseminate data, the programme is grounded thoroughly in evidence. The NITI Aayog has created a dashboard to monitor real-time progress in the districts. The availability of the latest district-level statistics in the public domain is not only enhancing transparency and accountability, but it is also ensuring that policy actions are backed by evidence. Emphasising collaboration across various levels of government: The ADP brings together all levels of government, from central and state officers driving operations, to the district collectors implementing innovative measures on the ground. The ADP echoes the government’s belief that states and districts should have a greater voice in their development. It truly embodies India’s shift toward cooperative federalism. The local government is in a unique position to understand the complexities of the districts. They can experiment with different measures to enhance socio-economic development on the ground. Therefore, district collectors play a central role in improving outcomes, monitoring progress and decision-making in their respective aspirational districts. The state and central governments rank different districts to promote competition, augment technical capacity and share best practices with the districts. Partnering with civil society: The programme is a collaborative effort between government, various foundations and civil society. Through partnerships with several voluntary organisations, the programme benefits from different perspectives, technical skills and on-the-ground experience. For example, NITI Aayog is working with Piramal Foundation to strengthen public systems particularly in health and education. Similarly, Tata Trusts, IDinsight, L&T, ITC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are also playing key roles in the programme. These public-private partnerships will help boost implementation of the programme. Ensuring success of the programme: Achieving success in this programme requires three tiers of government, the Centre, States and district administrations, to work in tandem. It is necessary for the Centre and States to be involved because not all decisions can be taken at the level of district. On financial inclusion, the full cooperation of banks is necessary and only the Central government has leverage over them. Conclusion: In a way, the ADP is a big pilot programme from reorienting how government does its business of delivering development. A decisive shift in the paradigm of governance is likely to finally fulfil the many broken promises of the past. Connecting the dots: The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a radical departure from the country’s previous development strategies in its scale, scope and ownership. Analyze. INTERNATIONAL TOPIC : General Studies 2: 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 Boosting bi-lateral trade between India and Azerbaijan In news: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently visited Azerbaijan, in the backdrop of the mid-term ministerial meeting of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) countries, had been a long-pending one. Importance: Strategically located. $170-billion economy with substantial oil reserves Low on diplomacy index: The country ranks low on our diplomacy index. Though the period 2000-2010 saw a few senior ministers reach out through various delegations and platforms, Azerbaijan never really figured even in the second orbit of India’s foreign policy outreach. Bilateral trade between India and Azerbaijan: It has shot up almost 10-fold from 2005 to 2017 (from about $50 million to close to half a billion dollars in 2017). This jump in bilateral trade coincided with the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline to the Mediterranean port in 2007, from where Indian oil companies have been buying substantive quantities of crude oil (ONGC Videsh is an investor in BTC). Naturally, the bilateral trade between the two countries has largely been hydrocarbon-centred, with India being a minor exporter of only few products. Bilateral trade: Potential to grow Logistical complexity between India and Azerbaijan has been a key issue that led to the setting up of a trade foundation and the exploring of synergies between the two nations. The North South Transport Corridor (NSTC), amongst others, will go a long way in removing the fundamental logistical problems facing both the nations. The NSTC is a multi-modal network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, and Baku. Once complete, the route is set to drastically reduce transport time between India and Azerbaijan. The route bypasses the Suez Canal and will ensure Indian products reach St. Petersburg in Russia in just 14 days. At present, this is a 42-day journey, skirting North Africa and Europe. Going forward: Once the Iran-Azerbaijan leg of the NSTC is completed, Indian ports can be linked with Azerbaijan via Iran (Chabahar Port), providing a smoother logistics experience for suppliers at far lesser costs. A study says that the new route will reduce distance and costs by 40 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. Three sectors that have substantial potential for bi-lateral trade are food processing, pharma and technology. As Azerbaijan looks to diversify and reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons, India can play a very enabling role in partnering it for the same. Connecting the dots: The bilateral trade between Indi and Azerbaijan is set to grow. Discuss. MUST READ Mandate and allocations The Hindu Freeing the farm Indian Express The great bank fiddle Indian Express Beware of digital licence raj Business Line 

Apr 16, 2018 PIB

IASbaba PIB Weekly : Press Information Bureau – 8th April to 14th April, 2018

IASbaba Press Information Bureau 8th to 14th April, 2018 ARCHIVES GS-2 Launch of online dashboard to monitor public grievances on real time basis (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) The dashboard will monitor public grievances on real time basis and periodically review progress of systemic reforms. The systemic reforms and their monitoring metrics, catering to grievance issues are highlighted on the dashboard. This will enable concerned Ministries/Departments to monitor implementation of these reforms. Pradhan MantriAwasYojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) The erstwhile rural housing programme, Indira AwaasYojana (IAY), was restructured into PMAY-G. To achieve “Housing for All by 2022”, a target of completing one crore PMAY-G new pucca houses in rural areas by 31st March, 2019 and 2.95 crore pucca houses by 2022 was set. Of these, 51 lakh houses were to be completed by 31st March, 2018, which included completion of expected 2 lakh incomplete IAY houses as well. Construction of bigger and better houses has been possible due to Transparent beneficiary selection Capacity building of beneficiaries Timely availability of funds to the beneficiaries Structured monitoring and course-correction based on the feedback on implementation Facilitated by payment of assistance directly into the beneficiary account through IT-DBT platform directly from single State Nodal Account maintained at the State level. Use of IT-DBT platform has ensured transparent, hassle-free and quality programme implementation.  Payment to beneficiaries under PMAY-G, is routed through Public Financial Management System (PFMS). Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has led to: Reduction in time and cost in house construction Transparency leading to stoppage of leakages Ease in tracking fund flow to beneficiaries Better quality of construction of houses. Pucca houses constructed under PMAY-G with facilities like toilet, LPG connection, electricity connection, drinking water etc. is changing rural landscape at a very fast pace Launch of e-FRRO scheme (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) e-FRRO: e-Foreigners Regional Registration Office – to provide fast and efficient services to foreigners visiting India so that they have a pleasant experience of their stay here. Aimed at building a centralized, transparent online platform for the foreigners to avail visa related services and to provide Faceless, Cashless and Paperless services to the foreigners with user friendly experience The e-FRRO scheme would be a quantum jump in improving the ease of service delivery with respect to foreigners visiting and staying in India. In the new system, foreigners would be able to get as many as 27 Visa and Immigration related services in India from the comfort of their place of stay. Using the e-FRRO application, foreigners can apply online on the portal and obtain the service(s) through email/post without appearing in person at the FRO/FRRO office. Cabinet Approves MoU between India and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland: on the return of Illegal Migrants Will facilitate that the Visa Free Agreement for holders of Diplomatic passports as well as liberalization of UK Visa Regime for those who are travelling to the UK legally, after conclusion of the MoU It will ensure the return of persons who have no lawful basis to be in the territory of the other Party after verification of nationality to its satisfaction. It will help in streamlining the procedure of return of nationals who are caught to be staying illegally, belonging to the other party in a specified time-frame. Headquarters (Host country) Agreement between India and the International Solar Alliance The Headquarters Agreement will institutionalize the functional arrangements between India and ISA.   It will help in smooth transition of ISA as international inter-governmental organization. Creation of ISA will lead to accelerated solar technology development and deployment in ISA member countries including India. Exploration and Exploitation of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) from areas under Coal Mining Lease allotted to Coal India Limited (CIL) and its Subsidiaries The decision is in line with the Government’s initiatives of ‘Ease of Doing Business’.  It will expedite the exploration and exploitation of CBM, enhance the availability of natural gas and reduce the gap in demand and supply of natural gas. The increased development activities for exploration and exploitation of CBM gas reserves in-and-around the block will generate economic activities which in turn has potential to create employment opportunities in CBM operations and in the industries. MoU between India and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland on the return of Illegal Migrants The MoU will facilitate that the Visa Free Agreement for holders of Diplomatic passports as well as liberalization of UK Visa Regime for those who are travelling to the UK legally, after conclusion of the MoU. It will ensure the return of persons who have no lawful basis to be in the territory of the other Party after verification of nationality to its satisfaction. It will help in streamlining the procedure of return of nationals who are caught to be staying illegally, belonging to the other party in a specified time-frame. MoU between Indian Army and Axis Bank (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) MoU will benefit a large number of serving and retired Army personnel who are having their accounts with Axis bank; and also provide them an opportunity to access modern banking facilities. Army personnel will get free personal accident death cover and free permanent total disability cover of Rs 30 lakh and free educational cover of up to Rs 2 Lakh for children between the age of 12 and 20 years. India signs MoU with Republic of Korea (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) On: Mutual Recognition of Certificates of Competency of Seafarers This paves the way for the two governments to mutually recognize the certificates of maritime education and training, competency, endorsements and medical fitness of seafarers issued by each other. Indian Consortium and Saudi Aramco Sign MoU (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) An Indian Consortium consisting of IOCL, BPCL and HPCL and Saudi Aramco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop and build an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex, Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL) in the State of Maharashtra.  Saudi Aramco may also seek to include a strategic partner to co-invest in the project. The strategic partnership brings together crude supply, resources, technologies, experience and expertise of these multiple oil companies with an established commercial presence around the world. The refinery will be capable of processing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day (60 million metric tonnes per annum, or MMTPA). It will produce a range of refined petroleum products, including petrol and diesel meeting BS-VI fuel efficiency norms. The Refinery will also provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemicals complex, which will be capable of producing approx. 18 million tonnes per annum of petrochemical products. RRPCL will rank among the world’s largest refining & petrochemicals projects and will be designed to meet India’s fast-growing fuels and petrochemicals demand.  The project cost is estimated at around Rs.3 lakh crore (USD 44 billion). AIIB decides to invest $140M to improve Rural Connectivity in India (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) Aims to improve the rural road connectivity and management for residents of about 5,640 villages who use the rural roads for daily activities – approximately 1.5 Million rural residents in State of Madhya Pradesh are going to directly benefit from improved livelihoods, education and mobility Livelihoods of the rural population will be improved by expanding income earning opportunities through better farm-to-market road connections. Moreover, more children are expected to enroll in higher education programs and school attendance is expected to further improve. The road maintenance pilot under the Project will employ more women, contributing to gender equality and income generation The Project also aims to improve durability and accessibility, and enhance resilience to climate change of the gravel surfaced rural road in State of Madhya Pradesh while building the capacity of the State to manage its rural road network and road safety. The planned activities under the Project are: Upgrading the gravel surfaced roads to a sealed surface standard. Providing additional linkages to villages with potential for high growth Enhancing institutional capacity through implementing/upgrading a rural road asset management system and strengthening design and research and quality assurance capacity of the implementation agency Developing road safety management capacity with road accident data management system and piloting a comprehensive road safety program. Supporting design, implementation and management GS-3 Indian Railways setting new Benchmarks in Environmental Management (Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation) Pursuing sustainable growth through preserving the environment is one of the hallmarks of Indian Railways. To further spread its green initiatives, Indian Railways had entered into partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). CII’s GreenCo Rating System: A first-of-its-kind rating in the world that facilitates companies in improving their overall green performance GreenCo focus on major environmental areas including- energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, waste management, resource conservation, green supply chain, product stewardship and life cycle assessment. GreenCo has helped Indian Railways bring in a focused approach towards green practices by strengthening its energy conservation initiatives, facilitating renewable energy opportunities, water management and waste management. MNRE calls for ‘Expression of Interest’ for first offshore wind energy project of 1000 MW capacity (Topic: Infrastructure: Energy) The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) an autonomous body under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has called for ‘Expression of Interest’ (EoI) for the first offshore wind energy project of India. The global EoI is intended to shortlist prospective offshore wind energy developers for a 1000 MW offshore wind energy project in Gulf of Khambat, off the coast of Gujarat. The proposed area is located 23-40 km seaward side from Pipavav port. MNRE plans to install at least 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2022. The first offshore LiDAR was installed in Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat for measurement of wind resource and National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) is collecting wind speed data from November, 2017 onwards. Areas off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are two identified areas for development of offshore wind power. The second LiDAR would be installed off Tamil Nadu coast by September, 2018. In addition NIWE is planning to set up few more LiDARs for assessment of offshore wind resources. Besides necessary Geo-Technical and Geo-Physical studies off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are underway. At global level, it has been observed that, offshore wind energy while being better than onshore wind in terms of efficiency is also becoming competitive and comparable in terms of tariffs. With a large energy market in India, the EoI is expected to evince keen interest from leading players of offshore wind turbine manufacturers and developers. Indian industry can also participate along with suitable tie up with global players. PSLV-C41 successfully launches IRNSS-1I navigation satellite (Topic: Awareness in the fields of Space) In its forty third flight, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C41 successfully launched the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1I Navigation Satellite today from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. IRNSS-1I is the latest member of the ‘Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)’ system.  NavIC, also known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1,500 km around the Indian mainland. Till now, PSLV has successfully launched 52 Indian satellites and 237 customer satellites from abroad. Prelims Oriented News: 8th Theatre Olympics aimed to showcase the rich heritage and culture across the length and breadth of the country. Founder of Homoeopathy: Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann World Homeopathy Day: 10th April Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana: Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. Under the scheme, five crore (now 8 crores) LPG connections are to be provided to BPL households. The identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Territories. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG, so that they don’t have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood. Budget 2018 Update: Initially, government target was to provide free LPG connections to about 5 crore poor women. But now the target of providing free connection increased to 8 crore poor women. E-way Bill: As per the decision of GST Council, e-Way Bill system for all inter-State movement of goods has been rolled-out. It is expected that trade and industry will be further facilitated insofar as the transport of goods is concerned, thereby eventually paving the way for a nation-wide single e-Way Bill system NHAI signs agreement for its First International Project: To provide seamless vehicular movement for enhancing trade, business, health, education and tourism between Indian, Myanmar and Thailand, the National Highways Authority of India has signed an agreement for upgradation of Yagyi – Kalewa section of highway (Milepost 40/0 to Milepost 115/5) in Myanmar to two lane with earthen shoulder.   “Satyagrah se Swachhagrah” campaign: Mahatma Gandhi launched the Champaran Satyagrah over a century ago, on 10th April, 1917 against the Britishers to fight for the rights of farmers who were forced to undertake indigo cultivation. April 10th, 2018 marks the end of the centenary year celebrations of the Champaran Satyagrah, and is going to be celebrated through the “Satyagrah se Swachhagrah” campaign. Swachhagrahis are the ‘foot soldiers’ and motivators to implement the Community Approaches to Sanitation (CAS) at the village level. Swachhagrahis are key to driving progress towards achieving an open defaecation free nation. Swatch Bharat Leads to Swasth Bharat and Samruddhi Bharat CWG Updates: Indian women’s Table Tennis team won the Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games Weightlifter Vikas Thakur on winning the Bronze medal Punam Yadav won the Gold Medal in the 69 Kg women’s weightlifting event. Manu Bhaker bagged a Gold in the women’s 10m Air Pistol event. Heena Sidhu won the Silver in the women's 10m Air Pistol event. Ravi Kumar has won the Bronze in the men's 10m Air Rifle event. Tejaswini Sawant won Gold in the women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event. Anjum Moudgil bagged the Silver in the women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event MUDRA Yojana: To “fund the unfunded” by bringing such enterprises to the formal financial system and extending affordable credit to them It enables a small borrower to borrow from all Public Sector Banks such as PSU Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks, Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) for loans upto Rs 10 lakhs for non-farm income generating activities. As on 23rd March, 2018, 4,53,51,509 loans have been sanctioned, amounting to Rs. 2,28,144.72 Crore. The total amount disbursed under this scheme is Rs. 220596.05 Crore Loan of upto Rs. 50000 is given under sub-scheme ‘Shishu’ between Rs. 50,000 to 5 Lakhs under sub-scheme ‘Kishore’ and between Rs. 5 Lakhs to Rs.10 Lakhs under sub-scheme ‘Tarun’. Locate it on the map: Malabo Equatorial Guinea Swaziland Zambia Person in News Mahatma Phule An Indian social activist, a thinker, anti-caste social reformer and a writer from Maharashtra His work extended to many fields including eradication of untouchability and the caste system, women's emancipation and the reform of Hindu family life. In 1873, Phule, along with his followers, formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) to attain equal rights for people from lower castes. Phule is regarded as an important figure of the social reform movement in Maharashtra. He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women's education in India. He is most known for his efforts to educate women and lower caste people. The couple were among the first native Indians to open a school for girls in India. Dr B.R. Ambedkar An Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination against Untouchables (Dalits), while also supporting the rights of women and labour He was Independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Constitution of India and a founding father of the Republic of India Quotes: PM Narendra Modi, at the Eighth Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific “The mantra of 3R – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle- is at the heart of any vision towards the sustainable development of mankind. All stakeholders –producers, consumers and the State alike must adhere to this golden principle which can contribute significantly in solving the twin challenges of waste management as well as the sustainable development”. 3R FORUM: Aims and Objectives Aims  to address  how 3R and resource efficiency  measures can provide complementary  benefits in making cities and countries  clean, smart, liveable and resilient. Aims  to generate  policy-level,  institutional level  and technological insights  towards effective implementation  of 3R and resource efficiency to  foster circular economic development,  sustainable change in current use of  natural resources and ultimately achieve  a zero waste society. Seeks  to engage  the public and  private sector to  explore various partnership opportunities  in areas of 3R and waste management for  moving towards a zero waste society. The  Forum  further  provides an  opportunity to  establish insightful  linkages between the  principles of 3R and resource  efficiency and the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission). Through this Forum, India aims to strengthen this focus through its ‘Mission Zero Waste’ approach thereby encouraging cities, industries and other diverse stakeholders to see look at waste as a resource. 8TH Regional 3 R Forum MoHUA is actively promoting the concept of source segregation, both at household level and by bulk waste generators, to not only reduce the total amount of waste going into landfills, but also to ensure improved quality of input waste going into waste processing plants MOHUA is also actively promoting a variety of decentralised composting options among waste generators, including enforcing mandatory compliance by bulk waste generators for on-site processing of their wet waste generated. Parallely, MoHUA is encouraging the recycle and reuse of dry waste for higher value and earning potential. The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu On Internal Security CRPF is truly the strongest pillar of the country’s internal security apparatus. Ballot is infinitely more powerful than the bullet Terrorism, the enemy of humanity must be rooted out Peace is the pre-condition for progress and development On Energy India’s Energy Future has four pillars – Energy Access Energy Efficiency Energy Sustainability Energy Security