Issues With Finance Bill 2017

30-Jun-2017
Why in news?
The cut down of tribunal autonomy by the finance bill 2017 has been a controversy.
What are characters of Finance bill 2017?
Finance bill 2017 was passed as a money bill and Raja Sabha cannot make any decisions on the bill.
It is a bulk bill of 40 amendments to different laws, such as variety of existing taxation laws, use of Aadhaar, income tax returns and raids, caps in cash transaction.
It laid the foundations for of the merger of several tribunals.
The Bill included amendments to legislation on multiple subjects, in an attempt to rationalise the functioning of multiple tribunals.
What are the issues with Provisions in Finance bill 2017?
Taxes cannot be paid without an Aadhaar card.
The corporates will not be required to name the beneficiary political party in the balance sheets to which they are funding.
Cash transaction was limited to Rs 2 lakh per person per day per event.
Income tax raids to take place without furnishing a reasonable explanation as was required under IT Act, 1961, and without needing a court order.

What are decisions on tribunals?

• There used to be 26 tribunals but now they are down to 19.
• The Competition Appellate Tribunal will be merged with the National Company Law Tribunal.
• The Telecom Dispute Appellate Tribunal will also do the work of the Cyber Law Appellate Tribunal .
• The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal.
• The tribunal relating to the Employees’ Provident Fund will be subsumed in the Industrial Tribunal.
• The qualifications, tenure, conditions of service, removal and emoluments of the chairpersons and members of these tribunals will all be under the control of the Centre.

What are the issues with the decisions on tribunals?
There’s no clear rationale behind this replacement, and seems to be rather arbitrary.
The amendments make the independence of the tribunals questionable.
Adjudicatory bodies under different laws cannot be abolished by a money bill.
The reconstitution of the tribunals will be determined by the outcome of the legal challenge.
The doctrine of separation of powers has been violated and the independence of judicial bodies compromised by the Finance Act.

Source: The Hindu

Plz like this page too

Dadabhai Naoroji- The man who brought statistics into politics

Source :PIB

Death Centenary of Dadabhai Naoroji, 

30 th June

Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917) – one of the makers of modern India- passed away on June 30, 1917. His death centenary is an apt occasion to revisit his legacy.

Two features of his long and distinguished career stand out prominently:

• Sustained advocacy of Indian cause abroad and
• Use of statistics to shape public discourse.

He was the first Indian to be elected to the House of Commons (1892). He formulated the famous drain-of-wealth theory, which became India’s cornerstone argument against the British rule. In his late years, he was the first to give expression to the demand for Swaraj from platform of Indian National Congress (1906). He served the cause of India’s political emancipation for six decades.

Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in a poor Parsi family, he began his career as a teacher of mathematics and natural philosophy at Elphinstone Institute (later Elphinstone College). He was the first Indian to become a full professor. As a member of the Students Literary and Scientific Society formed in the Institute, he acted as a pioneer of women’s education. He was an active member of the Bombay Association (1852), the first association in the western India to consider political issues. Its meetings were held in the hall of the Institute. In 1851, he founded Rast Goftar (Truth Teller), a Gujarati fortnightly with a Persian name. It was a progressive journal educating readers on duties of citizenship.

In 1855, he resigned from his professorial job; and relocated to Britain to set up a mercantile firm. The company he founded in partnership with Muncherji Hormmusji and Kharshedji Rustamji Cama was the first Indian firm to operate in Britain. Through this commercial venture, Dadabhai had hoped to make Britain confident about Indian entrepreneurship. But having a fastidious sense of ethics, he could not long survive in that commercial environment. In 1859, he opened his own mercantile firm in London viz. Dadabhai Naoroji & Co in partnership with Jamshedji Palanji Kapadia and Pestanji Ratanji Colah. He established it beyond doubt that ethical values and business acumen could co-exist. He wanted Indian businessmen to learn from the methods and devices of their British counterparts.

But politics was his true calling. In 1867, he founded the East Indian Association. It was a political advocacy group for India having both British and Indians on its membership roll. It was the first political organization with members from different provinces of India. Two young law students viz. W.C. Bonnerji (1844-1906) and Pherozeshah M. Mehta (1845-1915) became his disciples. In their mature years both served as the President of Indian National Congress (estd.1885).

Dadabhai read the paper ‘ England’s Duties to India ’ before a pre-dominantly British audience at East India Association on May 2, 1867. It was in that paper he accused of Britain siphoning off wealth from India. An extract reads-

“ In the shape of “home charges” alone there has been a transfer of about 100 millions of pounds sterling, exclusive of interest on public debt, from the wealth of India to that of England since 1829, during the last thirty-six years only. The total territorial charges in India since 1829 have been about 820 millions. Supposing that out of the latter sum only one-eighth represents the sum remitted to England by Europeans in Government service for maintenance of relatives and families, for education of children, for savings made at the time of retiring, the sums expended by them for purchases of English articles for their own consumption, and also sums paid in India for Government stores of English produce and manufacturers- there is then another 100 millions added to the wealth of England”.

 Where from he got those statistics in the paper? These were based on Parliamentary Returns of Indian Accounts. He also relied upon the Second Customs Report, 1858. His speeches were tinged with such mathematical data. But he knew that audience could lose patience with figures. But a reader can revisit them as often he/she wants. Thus his essays were laced with heavy statistics. His speeches were lucid.
Dadabhai turned price rise, wages, taxation, tariff, rents, lending rates, agricultural output, industrial production data, import & export figures and currency exchange rates into political talking points. He tried to establish that British rule had led to economic ruination of India. It had steeply increased the poverty. He argued that such a malevolent policy militated against British principles themselves. Therefore, he named his magnum opus ‘ Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’ (1901).

Dadabhai himself was not satisfied with the method of collection of statistics by the provincial governments. In the paper titled ‘ Poverty of India’ , read before the Bombay Branch of East Indian Association of 1876, he pointed at statistical fallacies and means to improve them. He went into nitty-gritty of acreage, crop production, prices, domestic consumption pattern, imports and exports. It requires a great deal of imagination, thorough collection of figures and meticulous data crunching to establish how British rule was impoverishing India. Dadabahi was actually laying down the path for future leaders. The opinion of a lawmaker with grasp over figures, as much over facts, carries greater credibility.

The other important legacy of Dadabhai was advocacy of India’s cause abroad. He did it through the East Indian Association. He then espoused the Indian cause in the British Parliament. He was the first Indian to be elected to the House of Commons. He represented the Central Finsbury constituency as a candidate of Liberal party between 1892 and 1895.

He twice served as the President of Indian National Congress (1886 and 1893) besides representing India at International Congress of Social Democrats at Amsterdam in 1905. He permanently returned to India from Britain in 1908 at the ripe age of 83. He passed away in Bombay on June 30, 1917 leaving a weighty bequest of experience and achievements behind.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Please don't forget to like our page

GSAT-17

 29 june 2017

Why in news?

ISRO’s GSAT-17 was launched successfully from French Guiana.

What are its specifications?

• It was launched by a heavy duty rocket of Arianespace from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana.
• It was launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
• After its injection into GTO, ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan takes control of GSAT-17 and performs the initial orbit raising maneuvers using the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) of the satellite.
• It would then be placed in circular Geostationary Orbit.
• What is the significance?
• GSAT-17, the latest communication satellite, is the third satellite launch by ISRO this month.
• The other two were the first developmental flight of GSLV MkIII and PSLV C-38 missions, both from Sriharikota spaceport.
• It has designed in-orbit operational life is about 15 years.
• It carried payloads in Normal C-band, Extended C-band and S-band to provide various communication services.
• The satellite also carries equipment for meteorological data relay and satellite-based search and rescue services being provided by earlier INSAT satellites.
• It will strengthen ISRO’s current fleet of 17 telecommunications satellites.
• It provides the continuity in services of ageing two satellites, as well as augmenting our transponder capability, and widening our horizon to mobile satellite services as well as to Antarctica areas.
• ISRO has been dependent on Ariane-5 rocket for carrying its heavier satellites, until the development of GSLV Mk III for this purpose.
• GSAT-17’s launch was the 21st satellite from ISRO by Arianespace.

Source: The Indian Express

Plz like our page too Thank you

   

PM’s Three Nation Visit 

PM’s Three Nation Visit
 28 June 2017

• Why in news?

Prime Minister completed his three-nation tour of Portugal, United States and Netherlands.

What are the outcomes?

Portugal - PM met his Portuguese counterpart and signed 11 MoUs in areas including double taxation avoidance, investments, science and technology, and culture.
The two nations have agreed to establish a joint science and technology fund worth 4 million euros.

U.S - PM met with US President, following which the two nations issued a joint statement.
He also interacted with the Indian diaspora as well as top US CEOs inviting them to invest in India.
PM faced three imperatives in making U.S visit a success.
Establishing a personal understanding with U.s.President - Both the leaders established some personal warmth.
But they should also move beyond their early affinity and identify global issues on which they can seek each other’s advice and support.
To signal that the US-India relationship remains solid -
The joint statement reaffirmed an emphasis on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific maritime collaboration and articulated a common understanding of the terrorist threat.
It also highlighted deepening defense ties, including a significant offer of Guardian UAVs.
The UAV deal is significant because it required the administration to overcome a ‘presumption of denial’ under its MTCR obligations.
But issues like India’s concerns on the immigration process, H1B visa curbs and U.S’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord were not brought up.
To shape the new administration’s view of regional challenges - It is particularly related to that of China and Pakistan. Here the fruits of the summit are somewhat less clear.
The joint statement reaffirmed the US-India strategic convergence in Asia.

On China - It highlighted a shared concern over North Korea and posed a critique of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
But it did not made it clear whether India and U.S have a similar view of the challenge that China poses to our shared interests in Asia.
Without that common view, US-India defence cooperation could eventually wane.

On Pakistan - US made a strong statement in the wake of the Uri attacks.
It also designated Syed Salahuddin as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
This might suggest that U.S is moving towards present Indian goverment’s view of Pakistan.
But it is yet to develop a complete South Asia strategy to address the problems of cross-border militancy from Pakistani territory.

U.S still has numerous investments with Pakistan.
It also cannot afford to alienate Pakistani when it is considering reinvesting in an Afghan peace process.
For the US, the visit might mean finding ways to ensure that trade disputes are handled respectfully and involving in areas of strategic importance with ease.

Netherlands - PM lauded the Netherlands for helping India successfully get a membership of MTCR.

The Netherlands expressed its support for India’s early membership to the 48-member NSG and the Wassenaar Arrangement.
Netherlands also welcomed India’s recent application for membership in the Australia Group and supported the country’s bid for a permanent UN Security Council seat.
MTCR membership enables India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhances its joint ventures with Russia.
The aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogramme payload for at least 300 kilometres, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Source: The Indian Express

Plz like and share this page too

Marawi Seige - Philippines

Why in news?

The city of Marawi has been engulfed by a deadly, ongoing siege since late May.

What is the reason for conflict?

• Marawi City, is the capital and the largest city of the province of Lanao del Sur on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.
• Marawi siege started in May 2017 when Philippine government security forces began to take on heavily armed militants linked to the Islamic State.
• Militants also include the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups.
• The siege is also aimed to capture or kill Isnilon Hapilon.
• Hapilon is the leader of the Abu Sayyaf Islamist group who was named emir of the “Caliphate” in Southeast Asia by IS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2016.
• Philippine President declared martial law across the island for 60 days.
• Some blame the political leadership for ignoring the rise of the IS. e.g Philippine President rejected a ceasefire offer from the Maute group.
• This group is on the front lines in the fight against the Philippine military in Marawi.

What is the present situation?

The death toll is estimated to be above 300.
Over 200,000 residents have fled what has effectively become an urban battlefield.
U.S’ military advisers and intelligence analysts have been deployed to aid Philippines.
Rebels still control key areas.
Many civilians remain in the area, complicating any planned government assault.

What is the significance?

• IS jihadist have set Singapore as a target in their publications and videos.
• Malaysia faced its first IS attack when a grenade injured eight people at a nightclub near Kuala Lumpur.
• As the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, Indonesia is concerned that IS members could easily infiltrate.
• So the present war has political significance throughout the region and beyond.
• It is also seen as a move by Mr. Duterte’s to divert attention beyond the infamous brutal drug war that his government has waged.
• Nevertheless, now Mr. Duterte is aiming to bring the battle to a quick, decisive end, and if necessary, to resume negotiations with some groups.
• Tackling the humanitarian crisis created by this conflict depends on these negotiations and on relief efforts.
• Mindanao has been rocked by armed insurgency for years. So to prevent future crisis the long neglect of Mindanao should be ended.

Source: The Hindu

Kindly like this page

India-Malaysia Bilateral Relations

India-Malaysia Bilateral Relations

All india radio news 👇

http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx

India-Malaysia have been in 60 years long formal diplomatic relationship. In India’s Look East policy, Malaysia is a very important partner. On the agenda with Malaysia, the economic cooperation and defence relationship is being emphasised a lot. Both the countries also want to strengthen the military relationship in near future.

• Defence relations

First MoU for defence cooperation was signed in 1963 and since then, there has been extensive cooperation. Malaysia Navy has been participating in the Milan exercise which India holds every two years. There is lot of scope in defence cooperation with Malaysia as it is good in manufacturing and eventually India has to also move forward towards manufacturing of defence products and equipment. And India also needs to have market for its own defence manufactured stuff.

• Counter-terrorism

The whole world is today dealing with menace of ISIS. Counter- terrorism is an issue on which India and Malaysia can find a common ground. India is also battling cross border terrorism whereas there have been threats of ISIS on Malaysia. Malaysia is an Islamic country but a moderate country. All the religions are treated equally. There are about 8% people of Indian origin and have full freedom to practice their religion etc. Thus, Malaysia is also worried about the radicalisation that is being forced upon by ISIS. Earlier there were reports of Malaysians being involved in terrorist activists. But lately there hasn’t been such reports. This shows that Malaysians have become very conscious of this danger to their society.

• Maritime

India has taken a consistent view of the same but the nations involved around the issue have not shown uniformity in responding to the same. Some are willing to go with china while some are not. Malaysia has had more of a quiet diplomacy. It feels that South China Sea issue could become a major irritant in the region as the time goes by.

China’s strengths and military capabilities have been known post its reaction to the ruling on maritime security by the international tribunal. The countries which are aggrieved, on whose territorial waters china is encroaching, they are not in a position to take on china directly. In ASEAN also, the members have not been able to take a collective position. Thus there is a move to have some kind of code of conduct for all countries in South China Sea but the progress on it is less. In this environment, role of Malaysia will be important in respect of how it deals with aggressive stance of china.

In the regional equations and the situations of major players in the Asian region, some have referred to it as Asian century given the fact that India and China are fast growing economies of world. Nations like Malaysia, Sri Lanka are trying to wedge their interest somewhere and feel secure. In a practical world, such nations in Asia realised that they need India and also China and hence national interests dictate that they align with multiple partners.

Whether the countries of the region say it publicly or not but they would like to ensure that rise of china is peaceful. If the signals from China are otherwise, then they’ll definitely like to have a balancing power. That balancing power can either be only Japan or India and may be some extent Vietnam. It may not be said publicly, but the strategic thinkers, foreign policy analysts of the countries of the region know that India is a peaceful country and doesn’t have expansionist desires. It is also a reliable partner and thus it should be strengthened.

Economic cooperation

Malaysia can play an important role in India’s Make in India mission. Malaysia has already invested 5 billion dollars and have many construction projects in India. Hence, the scope for more Malaysian investment is there. They have a sovereign fund which is called ‘khazana’ and they are looking for avenues to invest. For example, they have been present in Rajasthan and Amravati where they are into joint projects.

Malaysia has capacity of becoming part of global value chain in electronic hardware where Indian companies have not been successful in becoming a global value chain. Thus, it is one area where India can learn from Malaysia.

• Ayurveda

Ayurveda seems to be a growing area in Malaysia. Indian food, yoga and Ayurveda are soft power which has potential for increasing demand. Lot of people are trying to move away from chemicals for their personal use and for good health, they want natural products. Ayurveda has the answers for them which India can extensively promote in Malaysia.

Diaspora

Malaysia has a significant diaspora of Indian population. When one comes from a country which has substantial population that has routes to India, there are bound to be cultural inclination and soft corner. There are at present around 2 million people of Indian origin that are in Malaysia. They have now fully integrated in the Malaysian society. Earlier when they came to Malaysia in 19 century, they were plantation workers who were poor and at the bottom of the society. Now they are gradually coming up and they have a bright future. Politically also they are getting integrated in the mainstream positions.

• Conclusion

Ties between India and Malaysia have shown a marked upswing in recent years giving economic cooperation stronger roots. India is keen on building stronger political, economic and strategic ties with Malaysia. In recent years, Indian firms have moved to Malaysia in a big way, making it a base to do business with other ASEAN countries. With respect to counter-terrorism, Malaysia has been greatly successful in countering radicalization and terrorism which is another area from where India can draw critical points. Thus, there is a good potential for both the countries to further their relationship on various fronts.

Plz like and share this page

Muncipal bonds, why it was in news

Municipal Bonds 

Source. Bussiness line 

What is the issue?

PMC recently succeeded by issuing municipal bonds.
It may not be easy to replicate, but it can serve as a role model for local bodies.

What is municipal bond?

• A municipal bond is a debt security issued by a state, municipality or county to finance its capital expenditures, including the construction of highways, bridges or schools.
• Municipal bonds are mostly exempt from federal taxes and from most state and local taxes, making them especially attractive to people in high income tax brackets.

What is the history of municipal bonds?
Between 1997 and 2010, the city corporations of Ahmedabad, Nashik and Bengaluru experimented with bond issues but barely managed to raise Rs.1,400 crore.
The poor investor response was due to the fact that these bonds were not tradable and lacked regulatory clarity.
SEBI’s detailed guidelines for the issue and listing of municipal bonds in March 2015, clarified their regulatory status and rendered them safer for investors.
What is the recent incident?
The municipal bond market in India is coming alive with
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) raisied Rs.200 crore in the first set of a proposed
Rs.2,264-crore offer.
It also listing the bond on BSE recently.
It is a ten-year bond offer carrying a coupon of 7.59%.
It received a good reception raising hopes that future offers will be well-received.
What is the significance of municipal bond market?
The take-off of the municipal bond market is critical for India’s large cities and towns to upgrade their creaking infrastructure.
The ability of municipal bodies to be self-sustaining is also critical to the success of the Centre’s pet projects such as Smart Cities and AMRUT.

Press Information Bureau ( PIB ) – 4 th June to 10 th June , 2017

❶ ‘Skill for Life, Save a Life’ initiative to promote skill development in the health sector

❷ Mission Innovation

❸ Cabinet approves MoU between India and Mali for standardization and conformity assessment

❹ India signs the Multilateral Convention to implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) in Paris

❺ SATH program launched by NITI Aayog

❻ Successful launch of GSLV-MK III

❼ India’s first Rural LED Street Lighting Project in Andhra Pradesh

❽ INSV TARINI Maiden Visit to Mauritius

❾ Committee of Secretaries to be set up soon to tackle The issue of Groundwater Depletion

⑵ India’s Seafood Export at all-time High in 2016-17 :MPEDA

⑪ ‘DigiYatra’- A New Digital Experience for Air Travellers

Detail 👇 

‘Skills for Life, Save a Life’ Initiative’ aims to upscale the quantity and quality of trained professionals in the healthcare system. Under this initiative various courses are planned to be initiated targeting specific competencies for healthcare professionals as well as for general public.

‘Skill a Life, Save a Life’ program by launching First Responder course for professionals as well as general public, to be conducted in Central and State government training institutes from the next month across the country in each district, to empower every single citizen of the country to be the first person to provide first aid and initial care in case of an emergency.

Importance of the initiative

India is working towards the attainment of the global mandate of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for providing affordable, accountable and appropriate health care of assured quality to the fellow citizens, which is possible through substantive and strategic investment in the health workforce.
This is part of a larger plan and program for ensuring Universal Health Coverage.
This program will provide trained and skilled people by broadening the base to include the community.
As per the Census figures of 2011, the population of senior citizens in India is 10.38 crore. More than 70% of the population of senior citizens live in rural areas of the country.
A sizeable percentage (5.2%) of the senior citizens suffers from some sort of disabilities related to old age. Projections indicate that the number of elderly population will increase to around 173 million by 2026.
The proposal for formulation of a Scheme for providing
Physical Aids and Assisted-Living Devices for Senior Citizens belonging to BPL Category was announced in the Budget 2015-16. Pursuant to this, the “Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana” has been formulated.
The Scheme aims at providing Senior Citizens, belonging to BPL category and suffering from any of the age related disability/infirmity viz. Low vision, Hearing impairment, Loss of teeth and Locomotor disability, with such assisted-living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily functions, overcoming the disability/infirmity manifested. The assistive devices shall be of high quality and conforming to the standards laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards, wherever applicable.
Under the Scheme, the following Aids and Assisted-Living Devices will be provided to eligible elderly beneficiary senior citizens, depending upon their physical impairment
Walking sticks
Elbow crutches
Walkers / Crutches
Tripods / Quadpods
Hearing Aids
Wheelchair
Artificial Dentures
Spectacles

❷. Mission Innovation

About: World’s Energy Leaders Gather in Beijing for 2nd Mission Innovation Ministerial and 8th Clean Energy Ministerial.
Details
India was also one of the three countries, which took initiative in sowing the seed of ‘Mission Innovation’. These initial efforts culminated into 20 countries joining in November 2015 to launch Mission Innovation. All the MI countries bring significant research prowess and resources in this global endeavour. Community of Mission Innovation has now enlarged to 23 countries and includes European Union.
India’s plan of setting up 175 GW renewable power capacity by the end of 2022 is fully matched with tremendous progress on the ground. During the last year alone, the capacity addition of solar energy was more than the cumulative capacities set up till 2015 and our renewable energy capacity has leapfrogged to more than 52 GW. By 2030, non fossil energy sources will make up 40 percent of installed capacity.
India has vibrant national R&D infrastructure with R&D institutions, several universities, technical institutions, public sector undertakings and industries conducting research funded by Ministry of Power, Renewable Energy and Science & Technology.
India has funded around US $ 50 million towards national as well as bilateral programmes with Netherlands, UK and US. India has also launched initiatives for renewable forecasting and scheduling, storage technologies, wide area grid measurement, demand response pilots etc. Monitoring, protection and control of grids, forecasting of generation and loads, seamless two way grid operations, systems for large data management, robust and secure communication technologies, devices and components for better functionality ,demand side management and storage, etc are important issues for larger as well as micro grids.

❸ Cabinet approves MoU between India and Mali for standardization and conformity assessment

About: The MoU aims to facilitate closer cooperation and provide a mechanism by which India and Mali can work together towards the common aim of strengthening standardization and conformity assessment activities in order to facilitate sharing of expertise and mutual trade.

India signs the Multilateral Convention to implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) in Paris

About: The event marks a milestone in the global efforts to check tax evasion and tax planning strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax jurisdictions where there is no or little economic activity resulting in no or little overall corporate tax being paid.

Uses:
The Multilateral Convention aims at swift and consistent implementation of the treaty related BEPS measures.
India has been a very active player in this global initiative and has significantly contributed to the development of the new international standards under the BEPS package.
India would welcome more and more jurisdictions to become signatories the Multilateral Convention and also include more of their bilateral treaties as Covered Tax Agreements.
The Convention will ensure that the minimum standards regarding prevention of treaty abuse and amelioration of the international tax dispute resolution process are implemented in all Covered Tax Agreements quickly.
Other BEPS outcomes such as amendment of the definition of the term ‘Permanent Establishment’ to plug unintended interpretation leading to fiscal evasion, prevention of double non-taxation of hybrid entities, time threshold for treaty benefits to dividend and capital gains transactions will be incorporated in the Covered Tax Agreements where all Contracting Parties agree.

‘Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh’, a National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counselling Centre

About: ‘Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh’ , a National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counselling Centre at the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC), New Delhi. This would be the largest human milk bank and lactation counselling centre available under the public sector in North India. It is established in collaboration with the Norwegian government, Oslo University and Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI).
Benefits:
It is envisaged that with this donor human milk bank, all newborns in and around Delhi will have access to life saving human milk regardless of the circumstances of their birth.
National human milk bank and lactation counseling centre that will collect, pasteurize, test and safely store milk that has been donated by lactating mothers and make it available for infants in need.
In addition, this facility will protect, promote and support breastfeeding of their own healthy mothers by providing lactation support to mothers through dedicated lactation counsellors.
This project will not only act as a dedicated centre to support breastfeeding and improve infant survival but also act as the teaching, training and demonstration site for other milk banks to be established under the Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Mothers Absolute Affection (MAA ) programme was launched to create awareness regarding breastfeeding as being the most cost-effective way of enhancing the child’s immunity.

GSLV markIII

About: The GSLV-Mk III is the
heaviest rocket ever made by India and is capable of carrying the heaviest satellites made till date. It is intended to launch satellites into geostationary orbit and as a launcher for an Indian crew vehicle. The GSLV-III features an Indian cryogenic third stage and a higher payload capacity than the current GSLV.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosynchronous_Satellite_Launch_Vehicle_Mark_III

The first developmental flight (GSLV MkIII-D1) of India’s heavy lift launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III was successfully conducted today (June 05, 2017) evening from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota with the launch of GSAT-19 satellite. This was the first orbital mission of GSLV MkIII which was mainly intended to evaluate the vehicle performance including that of its fully indigenous cryogenic upper stage during the flight. Weighing 3136 kg at lift-off, GSAT-19 is the heaviest satellite launched from the Indian soil.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III is the next generation launch vehicle of ISRO which will be capable of launching four-tonne class satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
It has an indigenous cryogenic third stage, designated as C25. The C25 stage is considered as the most powerful upper stage developed by ISRO which uses Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) propellant combination.

India’s first Rural LED Street Lighting Project in Andhra Pradesh

About: Government of India, through the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) under the Ministry of Power, would be retrofitting 10 lakh conventional street lights with LED lights in Gram Panchayats of 7 districts in Andhra Pradesh.

This is the first project for rural LED street lighting in the country under the Government of India’s Street Lighting National Project (SLNP) . In the first phase, the replacement will be undertaken in gram panchayats of the districts of Guntur, Prakasham, Nellore, Kurnool, Kadapa, Ananthapur and Chittoor.
This replacement drive in rural areas will help the gram panchayats to cumulatively save approximately 147 million units of electricity annually and lead to reduction of 12 crore tonnes of CO2.
Andhra Pradesh was the first state to seek assistance from EESL to replace conventional street lighting with LED lighting in Visakhapatnam, after the cyclone Hudhud caused extensive damage to the then existing street lighting infrastructure.
Ever since then, EESL has installed over 5,90,000 LED street lights in the State. These installations have led to an annual savings of over 7.8 crore kWh, translating into an annual reduction of over 65,000 tonnes of CO2.

INSV TARINI Maiden Visit to Mauritius

About: Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini entered Port Louis harbour, Mauritius on her maiden visit to the island nation since induction in the Indian Navy. Tarini is the sister Vessel of Indian Navy’s first sailing Vessel INSV Mhadei , that has numerous accomplishments to her name. INSV Tarini is 55 feet in length and built in India in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Indian Navy, fructified by M/s Aquarius Shipyard, Goa.

Committee of Secretaries to be set up soon to tackle The issue of Groundwater Depletion

About: A committee would be formed soon comprising Rural Development Secretary, Water Resource Secretary and Environment Secretary to tackle the issue of groundwater depletion. The use of plastic material is a major cause of pollution to river Ganga and should be stopped.
Groundwater Depletion in India
Total replenishable groundwater resource in the Ganga basin is 170.99 billion cubic metres (BCM).
Ganga basin alone accounts for nearly 40 % of the country’s total replenishable groundwater resource of the country which is 433 BCM.
Net ground water availability is 398 BCM.
The annual groundwater draft (a reasonable release of discharge) is 245 BCM (as on 31st March 2017) and out of total 6607 assessed units (blocks, mandals, districts) as many as 1071 units are ‘over-exploited’, 217 units are ‘critical’, 697 units are ‘semi-critical’ and 4530 are ‘safe’.
Apart from these, there are 92 assessment units which were found to be completely saline.

‘DigiYatra’- A New Digital Experience for Air Travellers

About: ‘DigiYatra’ is an industry-led initiative co-ordinated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in line with Digital India’s vision to transform the nation into a digitally empowered society. This follows Air Sewa which brings together all the stakeholders on a common platform for handling customer grievances and disseminating real-time data.
‘DigiYatra’ initiative aims to bring together entire industry to develop a digital ecosystem that will deliver Indian customers a seamless, consistent and paperless service experience at every touch point of their journey.
DigiYatra initiative envisages providing airline travellers in India, a pioneering ‘digitally unified flying experience’ across all stages of their journey. All aviation stakeholders – airlines, airport operators, security and immigration agencies, cab operators, retail establishment and others are working to devise digital standards which can enable seamless exchange of data and information.
Platform will be built on 4 key pillars , like Connected Passengers, Connected Airports, Connected Flying and Connected Systems which can make it possible over a period of time for passengers to:
Plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares at the time of ticket booking,
Optionally link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated check-ins without requiring any paper-based interventions,
Walk-through security scanners swiftly owing to advanced biometric security solutions,
Receive relevant information pertaining to various facilities, protocols, airline timings, queue lengths at airports etc.,
Engage in customised digital offerings at experience zones,
Get real time notifications about congestion and delays to have greater visibility on the next step of journey,
Conveniently navigate through the airport using digital guidance systems, interactive kiosks and augmented reality apps,
Stay connected during flights and indulges in immersive experiences. Also book in-flight services and destination based offerings digitally,
Get a prompt when their luggage reaches the baggage claim belt , and
Submit grievances, share experiences and provide feedback.

 If you like this article kindly like and share

27 june 2017 prelims facts

CHESS rocket

NASA is launching a new CHESS sounding rocket which will study vast interstellar clouds to understand about the earliest stages of star formation.

Deep in space between distant stars, vast clouds of neutral atoms and molecules, as well as charged plasma particles called the interstellar medium that may evolve into new stars and even planets.
It will measure light filtering through the interstellar medium to study the atoms and molecules within, which provides crucial information for understanding the life-cycle of stars.
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/nasas-chess-rocket-to-launch-on-june-27-will-study-interstellar-clouds/

UN Public Services Award

The United Nations Public Service Awards is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service.
It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide.
Through an annual competition, it recognizes the work of public servants, and encourages young people to pursue careers in the public sector.
This year, India was named
first in the Asia-Pacific group for the category: 'Reaching the Poorest and Most Vulnerable through Inclusive Services and Participation'.
The West Bengal government is among the winners to receive this Award for its initiative named “Kanyashree” to combat child marriage and ensure education to the girl child in the state.
The award is given on the occasion of The United Nations Public Service Day. It is celebrated in The Hague, Netherlands this year.

Kanyashree Prakalpa Scheme

The scheme aims to improve status of adolescent girls from disadvantaged families through small cash transfers.
Through the initiative, cash was deposited into the bank account of girls for every year they remained in school and were unmarried.
https://wbkanyashree.gov.in/kp_scheme.php

World’s largest floating solar plant

China switched on the world's largest floating solar plant, offshore from the city of Huainan in the eastern Anhui province.

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/china-switches-on-worlds-largest-floating-solar-plant/article19149213.ece

Press Information Bureau ( PIB ) – 29 th May to 4 th June , 2017

DEEP OCEAN MISSION

The ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ will improve India’s position in ocean research field.
Polymetallic nodules

The program on Poly metallic nodules was initiated at CSIR-NIO with the collection of the first nodule sample from Arabian Sea on board the first Research Vessel Gaveshani in 1981.

India was the first country in the world to have been given the Pioneer Area for exploration of deep-sea mineral viz. Polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin in 1987.

Subsequently, Environment Impact Assessment studies for nodule mining, development of metal extraction process, and development of mining technology have been taken up under the national program on Polymetallic nodules funded by Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Based on the resource evaluation, India has now retained an area of 75,000 sq km with an estimated resource of about 100 million tons of strategic metals such
Copper, Nickel, Cobalt besides Manganese and Iron .

NATIONAL COMMISSION
FOR SCHEDULED TRIBES AND NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR SCHEDULED CASTE

Certain Communities suffering from Extreme Social & Economic Backwardness- like Untouchability Primitive Agri-Practices, Lack of Infrastructural facilities, Geographical Isolation- needed special consideration for safeguarding their interests.
These communities were notified as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as per provisions of Art. 341(1) and 342(1) of the Constitution respectively.

Background:

In order to ensure that the safeguards are properly implemented the Constitution on its inception, provided for appointment of a special office under Article 338 of the Constitution to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes.
These commissions report to the President of India.
In pursuance of this provision a Special Officer known as the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes was appointed for the first time in 1950.
Art 338 was amended (46 CAA) as it was felt that the
office of the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was not enough to monitor the safeguards provided to SCs & STs. Here, the single member Special Officer was replaced by multi-member system, called the Commission for SCs & STs
The National Commission for SCs & STs came into being consequent upon the 65th Amendment Bill, 1990
In the 89th Amendment of the Constitution it was decided to have a separate National Commission for Scheduled Castes & separate National Commission for Scheduled Tribes which came into effect from 2004.

NCSC- Major functions under art 338
To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under constitution or any other law
To inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of SCs
To participate and advise on the planning process of socio-economic development of SCs
To annually present report to the President
To make in such reports recommendations as to the measures that should be taken by the Union or any State for the effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of SCs
NCST
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) was established by amending Article 338 and inserting a new Article 338A in the Constitution through the Constitution (89th Amendment) Act, 2003.
The term of office of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and each member is three years from the date of assumption of charge.
Chairperson has been given rank of Union Cabinet Minister.
Major functions of commission under 338A
To investigate & Monitor matters relating to Safeguards provided for STs under the Constitution or under other laws
To inquire into specific complaints relating to Rights & Safeguards of STs
To participate and Advise in the Planning Process relating to Socio-economic development of STs
To annually present report to the President
To discharge such other functions in relation to STs as the President may, subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, by rule specify

In news : NCST has expressed its displeasure over the slow progress on the issue of displacement of tribals due to Roukela Steel Plant. NCST also expressed its displeasure over the non issue of Pattas for the agricultural and residential land issued to the displaced tribals and directed the District administration to issue these Pattas immediately.
The commission directed the Union Steel Ministry to constitute a high level committee under a Joint Secretary to investigate that whether the land acquired for the steel plant was handed over to any cooperative society or private organisation and if so, whether the prior permission of the Govt was obtained or not. The committee should also investigate that how much land is being utilised by the steel plant.

URGA KANJUR

(Topic: Culture, Literature)
What: ‘Urga Kanjur’ is a sacred Tibetan Buddhist text.
In news: PM of India presented it to the head priest of the Datsan Gunzechoinei Buddhist Temple, St Petersburg.
The Urga edition of the Tibetan Kanjur was unknown till 1955 when one Prof Raghu Vira brought to India its complete set of 104 volumes with a volume containing the catalogue.
It was presented to him by Mongolian prime minister as a unique bibliographic rarity.

Darwaza Band

What: For promotion of toilet usage across the country’s villages, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has come out with an aggressive new campaign called Darwaza Band.

The campaign has been
supported by the World Bank and is being rolled out countrywide immediately after the launch.

It is designed to encourage behaviour change in men who have toilets but are not using them.

Behaviour change has been the focus of Swachh Bharat Mission , which is being pursued through a countrywide comprehensive IEC (Information-Education-Communication) programme.
Communication campaigns have been taken up both, at the central and State levels, for promoting sustained use of toilets and for sustaining the Open Defecation Free status achieved.

SPARROWS-ITS

In news : In accordance with the Government of India’s policy to introduce online Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) for Group ‘A’ services, the SPARROW-ITS (Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online Window) was launched.
The APARs would be generated and transmitted online to the concerned officers for filling up of the self appraisal.
The officer can then submit the self appraisal online through Digitally Signed Signature (DSC) or through E-sign.
The subsequent processes of reporting and reviewing would also be done online by the Reporting and Reviewing Officer by using DSC or E-sign.
Significance
The idea of switch over from manual to online system is to ensure ready access of APAR dossier by the authorized users, preventing loss of APARs in transition, address the issues of ante-dating, remarks recorded by the Reporting Authorities without dates, etc.
It brings in transparency into the APAR management system.
The APAR dossiers are readily available for promotions at various levels which used to get delayed for want of updated APARs.

INAM-Pro +

What: INAM-Pro+ is an upgraded version of INAM-Pro, the web portal
designed by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) , launched by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

It is a web platform for Sale and Purchase of Construction Material and Service
INAM-Pro has been highly acclaimed by the construction industry and IT sector and has also been recognized and listed in the Book-on-Innovations “New Beginning”. It initially dealt in cement.
Following the success with cement , the portal has recently been upgraded as INAM-Pro+ to include the A to Z of construction materials, equipments/machinery and services like purchase/hiring/lease of new/used products and services in the domains of Construction Materials viz, cement, steel, bitumen, stone aggregates, concrete, bricks, wood, sanitary items, paint etc

Soil Health Card scheme

Importance: Soil Health Card helps in increasing the productivity and reduced the cost of production 93% samples for Soil Health Card tested so far
Background: it was initiated for farmers in 2015.
Soil Health Card provides information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil along with
recommendations on appropriate dosage of nutrients for improving soil health and its fertility.

SEVERE CYLONE MORA

What: Bangladesh has evacuated at least 350,000 people as a Cyclone Mora lashed coastal areas. It raised its storm danger signal to the highest level of 10.

The cyclone was expected to weaken in Bangladesh by late morning as it moved inland towards India where authorities have warned of heavy rain in the northeastern states of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
Severe cyclone
If the sustained winds around the centre reach 118 km/h (gusts in excess 165 km/h). then the system is called a severe tropical cyclone.
These are referred to as hurricanes or typhoons in other countries.
The circular eye or centre of a tropical cyclone is an area characterised by light winds and often by clear skies.
Tropical cyclone intensity is defined by the maximum mean wind speed over open flat land or water.
Tropical Cyclone Category System
Category 1
A Category 1 cyclone’s strongest winds are GALES with typical gusts over open flat land of 90 – 125 km/h.
Negligible house damage. Damage to some crops, trees and caravans
Category 2
A Category 2 cyclone’s strongest winds are DESTRUCTIVE winds with typical gusts over open flat land of 125 – 164 km/h.
Minor house damage. Significant damage to signs, trees and caravans. Risk of power failure.
Category 3
A Category 3 cyclone’s strongest winds are VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with typical gusts over open flat land of 165 – 224 km/h.
Some roof and structural damage. Some caravans destroyed. Power failures likely.
These winds correspond to the highest category on the Beaufort scale, Beaufort 12 (Hurricane).
Category 4
A Category 4 cyclone’s strongest winds are VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with typical gusts over open flat land of 225 – 279 km/h.
Significant roofing loss and structural damage. Many caravans destroyed. Dangerous airborne debris. Widespread power failures.
Category 5
A Category 5 cyclone’s strongest winds are VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with typical gusts over open flat land of more than 280 km/h.
Extremely dangerous with widespread destruction.

Links of Some imp topics, updated on our pages during the month of june (Revision)

Deep ocean mission

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1126975337408772&id=375596015880045

TIR convention

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1143068922466080&id=375596015880045

COMPACT
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1142884059151233&id=375596015880045

LIGO, NAG, AUSINDEX 17, ANUGA

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1137777859661853&substory_index=0&id=375596015880045

TELE law, ANUYATRA
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1137777859661853&substory_index=0&id=375596015880045

KALADAN PROJECT
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1135201576586148&id=375596015880045

India EU Free trade agreement

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1132343453538627&id=375596015880045

UDAY and problems and way to tackle

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1132019463571026&id=375596015880045

GSLV mark III… ORANGE TIGER RESERVE AND OTHER
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1130430377063268&id=375596015880045

SAMPADA scheme
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1129807883792184&id=375596015880045

Ken betwa project
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1129556213817351&id=375596015880045

Prithvi missile, global peace index and other
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1129556213817351&id=375596015880045

Pardhan mantri matritva yogjna
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1128203043952668&id=375596015880045

Mother and father of all bombs

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1127685950671044&substory_index=0&id=375596015880045

India's own gps nav IC

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1127681027338203&id=375596015880045

Solar rooftop investment programe
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1127377237368582&id=375596015880045

What is the meaning of Eid ul Fitr? What is Fitr mean....?

Islam believes that disparity amongst the rich and poor needs to be consistently and continously bridged.
One of the pillars of islam is to pay zakat or obligatory charity. This is 2.5% of your wealth to be paid annually. This can be paid anytime throughout the year however most people pay this in the holy month of Ramadan.
In correlation with this the festival at the end of Ramadan is to be celebrated by the rich and poor alike. It is not befitting of a muslim to celebrate when his poor neighbour can not. Thus 'fitr' in eid-ul-fitr is the amount each muslim capable of paying gives to his needy muslim counterpart so that both may celebrate on equal terms.

Sadqa e fir? 
Sadqa-e-Fitr (also known as Fitrana) is an amount of charity in the form of staple foodstuffs which all Muslims with the means are required to pay at the end of holy month of Ramazan.

Sadqa-e-Fitr is an act of thankfulness towards Allah Almighty for having enabled us to observe the fasts of Ramazan and also purifies us from any shortcomings during the month.
In addition it is intended to share joy and happiness amongst Muslims especially the poor and needy by helping them to celebrate Eid ul Fitr.
......... EID mubarak remember me in your prayers

1 june to 15 june prelims facts, also imp for mains 2017

Kalvari subMarine

It is a class of submarines based on Scorpene class submarines
It is a class of diesel-electric
attack submarine
They are being built under technology transfer agreement with France
They are being built under P75 (Project 75)
The project was necessitated by the dwindling number of submarines in the Indian Navy.
They use guided weapons such as tube-launched anti-ship missiles and torpedoes on enemy submarines from the surface or underwater.
Besides warfare, they can perform varied functions will include intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance etc.
2 Scorpene class submarines already inducted are:
INS Kalvari
INS Khanderi

GSLV mark III

It is the next generation launch vehicle of ISRO
It will be capable of launching
four-tonne class satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
It has an indigenous cryogenic third stage , designated as C25 .
The C25 stage is considered as the most powerful upper stage developed by ISRO which uses
Liquid Oxygen ( LOX) and
Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) propellant combination.
ISRO as of now have the capability to launch satellites only up to 2.2 tonne.
It will end ISRO’s dependence on foreign agencies to launch heavy satellites.

Global peace index 2017
Read more. https://www.affairscloud.com/india-ranked-137th-global-peace-index-2017/
India is ranked 137/163
Last year India was ranked 141.
The index is compiled every year by the Sydney-based think tank Institute for Economics and Peace.
Iceland in ranked 1

Mega food park scheme
Ministry/Department : Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Objective: Aims to provide a mechanism to bring together farmers, processors and retailers and link agriculture production to the market so as to ensure maximization of value addition, minimization of wastages and improving farmers’ income
Scheme:
Government provides financial support to establish the mega food parks in the country.
The Scheme has a cluster based approach based on a hub and spokes model
It includes creation of infrastructure for primary processing and storage near the farm in the form of Primary Processing Centres (PPCs) and Collection Centres (CCs) and common facilities and enabling infrastructure like roads, electricity, water, ETP facilities etc. at Central Processing Centre (CPC)
Mega Food Park project is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which is a Body Corporate registered under the Companies Act. State Government/State Government entities/Cooperatives applying for setting up a project under the scheme are not required to form a separate SPV.
The financial assistance for Mega Food Park is provided in the form of grant-in-aid at 50% of eligible project cost in general areas and at 75% of eligible project cost in NE Region and difficult areas (Hilly States and ITDP areas) subject to maximum of Rs. 50 crore per project
Factual Information:
Started in 2008

☞ Pressurized Water Reactors

They are one of three types of light water reactor (LWR), the other types being boiling water reactors (BWRs) and supercritical water reactors (SCWRs).
In a PWR, the primary coolant (water) is pumped under high pressure to the reactor core where it is heated by the energy released by the fission of atoms.
The heated water then flows to a steam generator where it transfers its thermal energy to a secondary system where steam is generated and flows to turbines which, in turn, spin an electric generator.
In contrast to a boiling water reactor, pressure in the primary coolant loop prevents the water from boiling within the reactor.
All LWRs use ordinary water as both coolant and neutron moderator .

Gravitational waves

Gravitational Waves:
Gravitational waves are oscillations in the fabric of space-time, moving at the speed of light and caused by the acceleration of massive objects.
They can be generated, for example, by supernovas, neutron star binaries spiralling around each other, and pairs of merging black holes.
Hypothesised by Albert Einstein a century ago
These were first seen last year by the ground-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)
Why they are useful ?
These waves will be particularly useful for studying black holes (the existence of which was first implied by Einstein’s theory) and other dark objects, because they’ll give scientists a bright beacon to search for even when objects don’t emit actual light.
With this, mapping the abundance of black holes and frequency of their mergers could get a lot easier.
Since they pass through matter without interacting with it, gravitational waves would come to Earth carrying undistorted information about their origin.
They could also improve methods for estimating the distances to other galaxies.

Parasar Bharti

Prasar Bharati is a statutory autonomous body
It is established under the
Prasar Bharati Act
Established in 1997
It is the Public Service Broadcaster of the country.
The objectives of public service broadcasting are achieved in terms of Prasar Bharati Act through All India Radio and Doordarshan.

Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP)
What is QIP?
A QIP is a capital raising tool
In a QIP a listed company can issue equity shares, fully and partly convertible debentures, or any security (other than warrants) that is convertible to equity shares.
Apart from preferential allotment, this is the only other speedy method of private placement whereby a listed company can issue shares or convertible securities to a select group of investors.
But unlike in an IPO or an FPO (further public offer), only institutions or qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) can participate in a QIP issuance.
QIBs include mutual funds, domestic financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies, venture capital funds, foreign institutional investors, and others.
There are a few rules to follow:
The market regulator has stated that there should be at least two QIBs if the issue size is less than Rs.250 crore, and at least five investors if the size is more than Rs.250 crore.
A single investor cannot be allotted more than 50% of the issue.
Why QIP?
For the issuing company, QIPs are less cumbersome than IPOs and FPOs. It doesn’t have to file a pre-issue document with the capital markets regulator, and only a placement document with the stock exchanges, which only has details of the issue.
QIP is also a less expensive mode of raising capital than, say, an IPO, FPO or rights issue.
For the QIBs, unlike in an IPO where an anchor investor has to stay invested for a month, there are no such restrictions with QIPs.
Why in news?
SBI is going to raise money via QIP

INS khanderi
It is a scorpene class submarine
It is the second of the six submarines being built as part of Project 75 of Indian Navy.
INS Khanderi has been named Khanderi, after the Island fort of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji which played had vital role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in late 17th century. Khanderi is also name for Tiger Shark.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

NTCA is a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change.
It was provided statutory status by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 which had amended Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
It addresses the administrative as well as ecological concerns for conserving tigers, by providing a statutory basis for protection of tiger reserves.
It also provides strengthened institutional mechanisms for the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and endangered species.
It ensures enforcing of guidelines for tiger conservation and monitoring compliance of the same.
It also places motivated and trained officers having good track record as Field Directors of tiger reserves.

Orange tiger reserve
It is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River.
It is 49th Tiger Reserve of country, notified in 2016.
It has the smallest core of 78.28 sq. km.
It is also known as the mini Kaziranga National Park (IUCN site) since the two parks have a similar landscape made up of marshes, streams and grasslands.
The park has a rich flora and fauna, including great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, pigmy hog, elephants, wild buffalo and tigers. It is the only stronghold of rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river.

Rutland island
It is in South Andaman
It will be developed as DRDO’s long range missile testing facility
DRDO has been seeking the approval for the test facility since 2012
Island is very rich in Marine life
The project was continuously stalled by the environment ministry as the project involves diversion of 49.978 acres forest land, of which 0.84 ha falls in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park and 49.138 ha reserve forest within 10km of the Eco Sensitive Zone.
National Board of Wildlife as given its approval now due to strategic importance of the project.

Brown dwarft
Brown dwarfs are objects which have a size between that of a giant planet like Jupiter and that of a small star.
In fact, most astronomers would classify any object with between 15 times the mass of Jupiter and 75 times the mass of Jupiter to be a brown dwarf.
Given that range of masses, the object would not have been able to sustain the fusion of hydrogen like a regular star; thus, many scientists have dubbed brown dwarfs as “ failed stars ”.

Habibgang railway station

It will be India’s first railway station to be redeveloped in PPP mode.
It will be redeveloped by a private company who has won the bid
Company will develop four commercial land parcels to make Habibganj a commercial hub with shops, offices and hotels, all in a span of three years.
This project is a part of the Indian Railways’ ambitious plan to re-develop 400 A1 and A category railway stations

AEROBOATS

Build jointly by India-Russian Joint Venture
It is capable of travelling on land, water, snow and sand.
It has been designed to access difficult terrain, such as flooded or marshy areas in which the regular boats cannot ply because of shallow water, patches of dry land or by marine vegetation.
In India, these aeroboats will be helpful for disaster management authorities. It would be helpful especially to save hundreds of lives during the monsoon season.

BIMSTC
BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
It is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia.
7 members :
Bangladesh
India
Myanmar
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Bhutan
Nepal
Established in 1997 in Bangkok
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand were founding members
HQ : Dhaka, Bangladesh

The main objective of BIMSTEC is technological and economic cooperation among south Asian and south east Asian countries along the coast of the bay of Bengal . Commerce, investment, technology, tourism, human resource development, agriculture, fisheries, transport and communication, textiles, leather etc. have been included in it
BIMSTEC uses the alphabetical order for the Chairmanship
Bhutan has never been chairman (Skipped itself)
Current chairmanship : Nepal

Astana
Capital of Kazakhstan
Hosted SCO summit
From mains point of view visit http://aovious.blogspot.in/2017/06/astana-summit.html?m=1

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

It is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation
Founded in 2001 in Shanghai
6 members :
China ,
Kazakhstan ,
Kyrgyzstan,
Russia,
Tajikistan , and
Uzbekistan
SCO evolved from Shanghai Five (All above minus Uzbekistan)
On July 10, 2015, the SCO decided to admit India and
Pakistan as full members, and they are expected to join by 2017
Main activities: cooperation on security, military activities, and economic and cultural cooperation
Member countries are rich in energy resources (both fossil fuels and uranium)
HQ : Beijing , China
Latest Summit:
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 2016
This year it meet at
Astana (Kazakhstan)

KELT-9b

It is the hottest known exoplanet.
It is warmer than most starts in universe.
The planet’s day-side temperature is 4,326 degree Celsius and is only 926 degree Celsius cooler than the Sun
Due to the bombardment of stellar radiation, the planet is very hot so much so that the molecules such as water, carbon dioxide and methane can not form there

Oxytocin
What is Oxytocin?
It is a female hormone
It has also been dubbed the love hormone, hug hormone, cuddle chemical, moral molecule, and the bliss hormone due to its effects on behavior, including its role in love and in female reproductive biological functions in reproduction.
Oxytocin is a hormone that is made in the brain, in the
hypothalamus. It is transported to, and secreted by, the
pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain.
It acts both as a hormone and as a brain neurotransmitter.
The release of oxytocin by the pituitary gland acts to regulate two female reproductive functions: Childbirth and
Breast-feeding .
Why its sale is being limited?
The drug is used by diary owners and farmers to boost milk production and make vegetables look bigger and fresher. But, it was found that indiscriminate use of Oxytocin in milch animals and by farmers was causing irreversible hormone damage.

United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC)

It is a part of UN System
Founded in 1974
Established by UN General Assembly.
Established with an objective to promote, coordinate and support South-South and triangular cooperation across the world
UNOSSC receives policy directives and guidance from the General Assembly and through its subsidiary body, the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation.
UNOSSC submits its strategic planning frameworks to the UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS Executive Board for approval and funding.
Why in news?
India and the UN Office for South- South Cooperation have launched a partnership fund that will support sustainable development projects across the developing world

India-UN Development Partnership Fund
About Fund:
It is a fund to promote sustainable development projects across the developing world.
Launched by India and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation ( UNOSSC )
It will be utilized to carry out country-level projects that would be catalytic towards achieving the 17 sustainable development goals ( SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda
The Partnership fund would be
managed by UNOSSC
Purpose:
The establishment of the fund is aimed at reducing poverty and hunger, improving health, education and equality, and expanding access to clean water, energy and livelihoods.
The fund would focus on transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world especially on Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Sustainable Action for Transforming Human capital (SATH)
Ministry/ Department: NITI Ayog
NITI Aayog under the SATH initiative plans to identify and build three future ‘role model’ states for health systems.
The vision of the program is to initiate transformation in the education and health sectors .
The program addresses the need expressed by many states for technical support from NITI.
Program:
NITI Ayog will identify three states and will work with them
It will help in designing a robust roadmap, develop a program governance structure, establish monitoring and tracking mechanisms, and provide support to the state institutions to achieve the end objectives.
SATH program will be implemented by NITI Aayog along with McKinsey & Company and IPE Global consortium
NOTE: You can use SATH in your answers related to NITI Ayog, Cooperative Federalism or Centre State Relations.

Tele law
Ministry: Ministry of Law and Justice in partnership with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Aims to provide legal services to people using digital technology vis CSCs
Scheme:
Under the scheme, a portal called ‘Tele-Law’ will be launched, which will be available across the Common Service Centre (CSC) network.
‘Tele-Law’ will enable people to seek legal advice from lawyers through video conferencing available at the Common Service Centres (CSC).
Additionally, law school clinics, District Legal Service Authorities, voluntary service providers and Non-Government Organisations working on legal aid and empowerment can also be connected through the CSCs anywhere and anytime, in order to strengthen access to justice for the marginalized communities.
The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) will provide a panel of lawyers from State capitals, who will be available through video conferencing to provide legal advice and counselling to the applicants, across the 1000 Common Service Centres (CSC).
Under this scheme, every Common Service Centre (CSC) will engage a Para Legal Volunteer (PLV) , who will be the first point of contact for the rural citizens and will help them in understanding the legal issues, explain the advice given by lawyers and assist in further action required in cases as per the advice of the lawyer.
A trained PLV will be available in a CSC for ten days in a month under the Scheme. These PLVs will help the applicant connect with a lawyer through the video conferencing facility at the CSC and will keep a track of the progress of the applicants’ cases and grievances and maintain a record.
They will also submit the records maintained to the District Legal Service Authority every week.
NOTE: It is an innovative step to provide legal services at doorstep of citizens. Can be used in answers related to our legal system.

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)

Ministry/Department : Ministry of Women and Child Development
Objectives:
To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;
To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
To achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.
Scheme:
Following six services are provided under ICDS:
It is a Centrally sponsored Scheme implemented by States/UTs across the country.
Supplementary nutrition (SNP),
Immunization,
Health check-up,
Referral services,
Pre-school non-formal education and
Nutrition & health education are provided.
Factual Information:
Launched in 1975
WB and UNICEF supports it

Free movement regime (FMR)Issue

Fact:
India shares 1,643-km long border with Myanmar that passes through four states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
What is Free movement regime (FMR)?
The formation of Myanmar as a separate State in 1935 and decolonisation of the sub-continent in 1947 divided ethnic communities living along the Indo-Myanmar border.
These communities, particularly Nagas, found the newly created boundary to be inconsistent with the traditional limits of the region they inhabited. And they felt a deep sense of insecurity because they became relegated to the status of ethnic minorities on both sides of the border.
To address their concerns and enable greater interaction among them, the Indian and Myanmarese governments established the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed Nagas to travel 16 kilometres across the border on either side without any visa requirements.
Why FMP is causing issues now?
Free movement regime is being misused by militants and trans-border criminals who smuggle weapons, contraband goods and fake Indian currency notes. Taking advantage of the free-movement regime, occasionally they enter India, commit crimes and escape to their relatively safer hideouts.
What government is doing in this regard?
The Union Home Ministry has constituted a committee to examine methods to curb the misuse of free movement along the Myanmar border.

ANUGA
ANUGA stands for Allgemeine Nahrungs Und Genußmittel Ausstellung (General Food and Non- essential Provisions Exhibition)
It is the world’s biggest and most important trade fair for Food and beverage trade .
It takes place biennially (every 2 years)
India will be co-partner country in ANUGA 2017

Nag missile

It is a “ Fire and Forget” anti-tank missile
It is a guided missile
Developed by DRDO under Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.
The missile incorporates an advanced passive homing guidance system and possesses high single-shot kill probability. It is designed to destroy modern main battle tanks and other heavily armoured targets.
Nag can be launched from land and air-based platforms.
It is in service since 2015.
It is developed under Indian Ministry of Defence’s integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP), which also involved the development of four other missiles that are Agni, Akash, Trishul and Prithvi.

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

CAH is an inherited disorder that affects the adrenal glands where the glands cannot produce cortisol and aldosterone, and instead produce an unwanted excess amount of androgens.
A child with CAH lacks enzymes the adrenal glands use to produce hormones that help regulate metabolism, the immune system, blood pressure, and other essential functions.
Parents with children suffering from it often have great difficulty in the upbringing of the child, including treatment, getting school admission and other support issues.

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

It is an intergovernmental organisation
Established in 1996 under UNCLOS
UNCLOS was signed in 1982 (Came in force in 1994)
It established an international framework for law over “all ocean space, its uses and resources”
The Tribunal is composed of 21 independent members who are elected from among persons enjoying the highest reputation for fairness and integrity and of recognised competence in the field of the law of the sea.
The Tribunal has the power to settle disputes between party states.
Currently, there are 161 parties
Based in Hamburg, Germany
Why in news?
India’s law expert Neeru Chadha has been appointed as a judge at the tribunal

Bosphorus Strait

It is a natural strait connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara
It has huge strategic significance.
It’s length is 32 kilometers (20 miles) in the north to south direction.
Bosphorus strait separates the
European part from the Asian part of Istanbul.
Why in news?
Its colour has been changing suddenly.
Change of colour is due to a surge in numbers of the micro-organism Emiliania huxleyi.
One of the most successful life-forms on the planet, Emiliania huxleyi is a single-celled organism visible only under a microscope.
Its astonishing adaptability enables it to thrive in waters from the equator to the sub-Arctic

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Set up in 1977
It is 13th specialised agency of the United Nations.
India is a founder member of IFAD and a key contributor among the member countries.
IFAD works towards removing poverty and hunger in rural areas all over the world, especially in developing countries.
Its goal is to empower poor rural men and women in developing countries to achieve higher incomes and improved food security.
IFAD is managed by the two main governing bodies i.e. the Governing Council and the Executive Board. The Governing Council is the highest decision-making body of IFAD.

Babulwadi
It is Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra located very close to West Coast.
World’s largest refinery is being set up here.
Being on the West coast will be helpful in easily sourcing the crude oil from the Middle-East, Africa and South America.
The Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum has have signed the joint venture agreement to jointly set up the complex here.

Interest Subvention Scheme

The interest subvention scheme was introduced in 2006-07 with the view of providing concessional credit to farmers.
This will help farmers getting short term crop loan up to Rs. 3 lakh payable within one year at only 4% per annum.
The Interest Subvention Scheme will continue for one year and it will be implemented by NABARD and RBI
The interest subvention will be given to Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Private Sector Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) on use of own funds and to NABARD for refinance to RRBs and Cooperative Banks.
Positives:
1. Increase of formal loaning system
2. Increase in financial inclusion.
3. Decrease in interest rates of money-lenders
4. Decrease in farmers distress due to availability of loan for agriculture on lesser rates of interest
Negatives:
1. Big farmers gets most of the benefit as scheme do not differentiate b/w small and big farmers
2. Net loan value is more than the entire agriculture input gives sign of diversion of funds.
3. Though net loan value has increased, farmers income goes down
4. No substantial increase in production
5. Delay in settlement of interest and low budgetary support to scheme hampers banks growth
6. Non-institutional loan sources still prevail because of lesser number of bank branches in rural areas
7. Unsettled claims lie at 35,000 crore and the current budgetary allocation is not enough to solve the problem.
Way Forward:1. An income based policy should be used wherein the money is directly transferred to the farmers Aadhar linked accounts. This will ensure better targeting and plug leakages.
2. A subsidy income package can be designed on a per hectare basis, with higher rates for small landholders.
3. Banks must be quickly compensated to prevent overburdening. Budgetary allocations can be improved.

Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017Aims to deal with financial sector crisis and protect interest of customers.
Provisions:
The Bill would provide for a comprehensive resolution framework for specified financial sector entities to deal with bankruptcy situation in banks, insurance companies and financial sector entities.
The Bill when enacted, will pave the way for setting up of the Resolution Corporation. It would lead to repeal or amendment of resolution-related provisions in sectoral Acts as listed in Schedules of the Bill.
It will also result in the repealing of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act, 1961 to transfer the deposit insurance powers and responsibilities to the Resolution Corporation.
The Resolution Corporation would protect the stability and resilience of the financial system ; protecting the consumers of covered obligations up to a reasonable limit; and protecting public funds, to the extent possible.
The bill also seeks to give comfort to the consumers of financial service providers in financial distress.
It also aims to inculcate discipline among financial service providers in the event of financial crises by limiting the use of public money to bail out distressed entities.
The new bill will complement the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 by providing a comprehensive resolution framework for the financial sector. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 was enacted recently to deal with the insolvency of non- financial entities

For more plz like my fb page 👇