User talk:Gaurav4291/SEP2015

1965 War
Q. Critically comment on the role played by UNO and its agencies in brokering peace and resolving conflicts between India and Pakistan since Independence.


 * Kashmir issue was taken to UNSC in 1948 by Nehru
 * Issue was taken under Chapter 6 –peaceful resolution of disputes whereas Chapter -7 deals with aggression
 * Paks operation Gibraltar led to 1965 War – that ended with Tashkent agreement (intervention by UN, US and USSR).
 * And After Bangladesh liberation war – Simla agreement was signed (only bilateral negotiations) - therefore India has maintained of no third party intervention on Kashmir issue (not even UN)

Death Penalty

 * Law commission gave report – A P Shah committee
 * Recommended abolition of death penalty in all cases but terrorism related activities and waging war
 * Reasons:
 * 1) Doesn’t serve the goal of deterrence
 * 2) The rarest of rare principle is arbitrary and judge centric
 * 3) Issues of errors and miscarriage of justice
 * 4) Death penalty do not act as a deterrence as those terrorist are themselves seeking death
 * 5) These terrorists are then seen as motivational and inspirational figures for these terrorists organisations
 * Recommended greater reformation of convicts
 * Also recommended rehabilitative justice for victims
 * Recommended parliamentary debate for death penalty on terrorism related activities.
 * A number of countries have abolished it or kept a moratorium

Trade and development in ASIA - BCIM, CPEC
Charting a new Asian history – Trade and development in ASIA

Q. Compare and contrast how will the implementation of BCIM corridor and CPEC (china-pak economic corridor) will impact India’s interest in the region. Also suggest what modifications, if made to these two initiatives, will help the countries in the region to cooperate each other peacefully.

Geography and History as co-allies Potential of BCIM: Possible cooperation:
 * 1) Both geography and history has had an influence on each other in past and is influencing each other in the present times.
 * 2) Historically the Asian region was geo-politically, geo-economically and geo-culturally interconnected.
 * 3) This interconnection was shattered by western forces which created the modern geographical and political barriers that affected the trade and development of this region.
 * 4) China’s initiative of Silk road economic belt, 21st century maritime silk road under one belt one road envisages the same to interconnect asia-europe-africa. AIIB and Silk road fund is setup to provide investment funds in these projects.
 * 5) India’s own initiative of Mausam (connecting indian ocean countries, reviving historical and cultural linkages), Spice route(ancient sea route network connecting asia, africa and europe) is endeavored in the same direction.
 * 6) BCIM initiative envisages to connect B, C, I and M through an economic corridor, modern railways, road and ports  – which will connect the N-E states to the mainland India and give India access to south-east Asian economies, will help Bangladesh landlocked on three sides to increase economic avenues.
 * 1) Will connect NE states with Kolkata and with the rest of the nation and will enhance India’s policy of act east. It will open gates to the south-east Asian economies.
 * 2) Tourism will also get a boost. Nations like Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand have a larger tourist footfall than Bangladesh and our NE states.
 * 1) Cooperation in CPEC (China Pakistan economic cooperation) and BCIM. CPEC connects china with Pakistan through road that connects to Gwadar port. It passes through PoK. CPEC can accommodate indian side Kashmir and Punjab to truly integrate the region.
 * 2) CPEC could also connect the Land-locked Afghanistan.
 * 3) Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline could be extended to India.
 * 4) These developments in Pakistan will bring peace and prosperity. A prosperous Pakistan is beneficial for all.

Associated Problems strategic issues :
 * 1) Seven sisters of NE could come into affluence of China
 * 2) CPEC - would legitimise Pakistan's position on PoK

India-Aus relations
Q. Discuss India’s economic and defense relationship with Australia and its significance for India’s ambitions in Asia-Pacific region.


 * 1) In past India and Australia has shared a common past both have fought alongside each other in the first and second world war. Australia has defended India in Burma during 2nd world war.
 * 2) Both have strong interest in a secure indo-pacific region.
 * 3) Indian ocean will account for the major share of trade,
 * 4) Thus, greater security and stability is required
 * 5) Tensions in Indo-pacific ocean due to territorial disputes are a great concern for freedom and stability of the region, especially in south china sea.
 * 6) Both country sees each other as a partner to provide security and stability in the region
 * 7) Defense cooperation – AUSINDEX(Naval exercise), air exercise (maritime security)
 * 8) Annual trade b/w two is $16 billion. Imports and exports are almost balanced.
 * 9) Both the country wants each others support in the security, stability and prosperity of the Indian Ocean.
 * 10) In 2014, a framework for security cooperation was formalized – which incorporated greater defense interaction.
 * 11) Going to sign a comprehensive economic cooperation 
 * 12) India has interest in coal and minerals field in Australia,
 * 13) Nuclear supply from Australia,
 * 14) Cultural ties – Indian student population, people to people connect, business ties,

'''Q. In recent years, it is apparent that establishment of peace between India and Pakistan is becoming elusive. Critically analyzed the factors and examine if it is the interest of India to compromise its stand on some of the issues to evolve a win-win outcome.'''

Santhara
•	SC lifts the stay

Hot mix plants
•	NGT prohibits use of hot mix plants running along the roadside •	Hot mix plants are self-contained bitumen

Vachana Literature
•	From Karnataka •	Rhythmic style of writing •	About realization of God

Domestic Systematically Important banks (D-SIBs)

 * RBI declared SBI and ICICI as D-SIBs
 * Under D-SIB framework RBI has to declare each year the D-SIB banks
 * Framework also requires it to be placed in one of the buckets based on its systematic importance scores
 * reqd. to maintain additional Tier 1 capital requirement (0.2 to 1%) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaurav4291 (talk • contribs) 09:58, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Tier I capital requirement to be maintained is 7%

ILP in Manipur
Q. Write a critical note on recent crisis in Manipur related to the passing of certain Bills and the ongoing ethnic clashes.
 * Demand of ILP by meitis tribe, thus Nagas and Kukis fear that their land rights will be snatched


 * Recent release of Manipur peoples Act, Land Reforms act and Manipur shop and establishment act were the cause of tension
 * A provision in peoples of Manipur peoples Act defines a Manipur citizen as who was registered in all the three National Population register 1951, Census 1951 and Village directory 1951
 * Many people will not be having any documentation since hill regions are mostly cut-off.
 * Fear that people who were not registered will be denied services and amenities meant for Manipur people. They will be excluded from the state quota in engineering and medical colleges.
 * Solution:
 * 1) To implement 6th schedule in Manipur (which will give autonomy to the respective tribes in their region). Currently autonomous district councils look after the affairs of these regions.

Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule

 * Fifth Schedule contains provisions as to the Administration and Control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes.
 * Sixth Schedule contains provisions as to the Administration of Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

Base rate formula proposed by RBI

 * To calculate base rate for lending
 * Brings uniformity among the banks
 * Proposal : to calculate based on marginal cost of the funds, since it is more sensitive to changes in policy rates
 * Currently : calculated based on average cost of funds, Marginal cost and blended cost(liabilities)

Gandhi – Mandela series

 * India – S.A cricket series

Reservation
E : A new edifice for reservations Q. Critically analyse the role of caste as cause and facilitator of poverty in India. And critically comment if de-reservation should be used to address inequality. Intro:
 * Recent agitations ( Jats, Gujjar, Patels) show resentment among these communities.
 * All societies have seen caste discrimination but in no society it has been institutionalised in the form that Indian society has seen. A child\’s future can be reasonably predicted based on his/her circumstances of birth (her caste, parental education, etc.)

Negatives of current reservations system: Solution: Conclusion:
 * Poorest among the reserved communities remains dis-advantaged: Most of the benefits have gone only to a few, better educated and well off among the reserved communities. The poor among these communities still remain dis-advantaged. They cannot compete with the kids of these well to do families of the same community.
 * Caste polarisation: resentment grows among the poor sections of the reserved communities, at the same time communities excluded from the reservations develop animosity. Caste based leaders can easily take advantage of this animosity.
 * Dis-reservation: Reservation should be given to the underprivileged who cannot afford good education, are not able to get jobs. Families (kids of IAS, IPs, MLA\’s, and Doctors) who have already risen vertically should not be given reservation as they are able to provide good education to their kids. This would vacate the space for truly dis-advantaged.
 * Addressing the poor in the un-reserved category: based on parental education, the school child attended, these groups can be given reservation under other categories.
 * No child should be denied opportunities for higher education: scholarships, soft loans, and other mechanisms should be strengthened so that no one is denied an opportunity because of poverty or caste
 * Once above three major areas are dealt with the truly dis-advantaged group will have a chance to come up and we can think of removing the system of reservations slowly -slowly.
 * All these efforts should be combined with national efforts in providing good quality education to all.

Parallel trials by media

 * 1) Media\’s role in ensuring justice in cases like Jessica Lal but a no-holds barred media trial is unfair journalism.
 * 2) Media can make someone a criminal without even knowing the whole matter.

Road renaming

 * 1) A part of history is lost
 * 2) Aurangzeb was seen as villain – forced conversion into muslims

Beyond the pass fail binary
Debate on pass-fail system and no detention policy.

No detention policy (NDP) No detention policy should be seen with the other two ideas promoted by RTE – AAAC (admission into age appropriate class), CCE (Continuous and comprehensive evaluation). Current system:  These ideas of NDP, AAAC and CCE are already proven in many countries. For these to be successful in our education system bottom-up changes are needed in the education system. Curriculum needs to include more activity based learning, focus should be on learning not on passing the class, Interaction and collaboration should be encouraged.
 * No detention policy was brought in RTE Act 2009
 * In a rigid examination system – examination is the only motivation for learning. The joy of learning is left behind
 * But with no-detention policy, control over children is lost.
 * No detention policy doesn\’t ensure effective learning, it only ensures that everyone gets through the basic elementary education.
 * Education should be directed in a child-centered way – learning through activities, providing a free atmosphere for her mental growth, interaction and effective collaboration among the children of same age brings about progressive learning.
 * Continuous evaluation: every child has its own pace of learning and he should be allowed to follow a different path to reach to the accepted level of education. One routine exam based on fixed questions is not able to properly assess her emotional and moral growth. Hence the need for continuous and comprehensive evaluation. The system of pass-fail will only artificially bunch together the children thus the need for NDP.
 * Current system is based on the ladder type system. A child has to learn a set syllabus in a time bound manner to reach to the next step. Once he fails he has to start everything from scratch. And if one passes it he doesn\’t gets c chance to improve his skills.
 * It should changed with a continuous learning curve, which not necessarily needs a time bound approach, gives flexibility to the child to learn at her own pace. Thus there is a need for continuous evaluation. This system focuses on progressive learning.

APEC and India
Why India has not been granted membership till now? Reasons: Benefits for India Benefits for APEC Thus, seeing India\’s ambitions of being the fastest growing economy in the world and seeing the vast size of India\’s economy the next logical step seems India\’s inclusion in APEC.
 * Asia-Pacific economic cooperation
 * 21 member countries (pacific rim country)
 * India is not a part
 * India is trying for a membership, in past other members have objected since India is not a pacific rim country
 * India\’s own policy – lack of economic (trade and tariff) liberalization, and non-compliance of free trade norms
 * Reluctance among member nations of APEC –perception about India\’s unwillingness for the agenda of regional economic integration.
 * Attract Investment: Govt.s Make in India programme aims at enlarging India\’s manufacturing sector, which would require heavy FDI inflows. But sighting India\’s regulationary policies investors are hesitant. India\’s inclusion in APEC will help India to attract these investments.
 * Improvements in trade practices: India\’s engagement with member nations in APEC will help India evolve best trading practices and will help manufacturers in raising their standards to compete in global market.
 * Strategic benefits: In today\’s scenario national policies are greatly affected by economic considerations, India\’s presence in APEC will give India more strategic benefits.
 * New market: India\’s growing population and growing rate of consumption will provide APEC members a major market for their goods and services.
 * Improve APEC\’s credibility: APEC\’s credibility over the years has deteriorated. Bringing India – one of the fastest growing economy in present times will increase its credibility in comparison to other similar forums like TPP, RCEP (ASEAN +6 others including India), etc.
 * Enhance peace and stability: India\’s inclusion will increase inter-dependence among the economies thus will bring stability and peace in the region
 * India\’s growing population can meet world\’s labour demand as most of the developed countries are groped with the problem of an ageing population.

NOTE: http://asiasociety.org/files/ASPI_India_APEC_Issue_Brief_1507.pdf

Role of UN and its agencies in curbing Corruption

 * UNCAC (UNs convention against corruption)

1965 War
'''1965 was a watershed event for the subcontinent. For India, it banished the ghosts of 1962, and proved to be a litmus test for its capabilities both on the battlefront and the diplomatic chessboard. Critically comment.'''

In 1965, India was still recovering from the 1962 war, nation was gripped with acute food shortages and the new PM Lal Bahadur Shahstri was still finding his feet\’s after the death of his predecessor Nehru. India was most vulnerable at this point, thus Pakistan saw it as the time to attack India for the cause of Kashmir. Pakistan envisaged 4 pronged plan – India fought back, attacked Lahore that worried Pakistan whose ammunition was dwindling fast as America stopped supplies to both the countries. Pakistan sought China\’s help in the war. China was pushing India to dismantle its post on the Tibetan border and gave an ultimatum for the same. India asked for a neutral observer which was declined by China. India was in talks with US and USSR for support if China takes advantage of the situation and attacks India. Pakistan feared losing important cities, they accepted the UNSC ceasefire resolution that culminated in the Tashkent agreement
 * 1) Operation gibraltor in J&K to engineer an uprising in Kashmir.
 * 2) Attack in Punjab to cut-off Kashmir from India
 * 3) Infiltration in Rann of Kuch
 * 4) Capturing Amritsar and other important cities and demand Kashmir in exchange of these cities

New policy for auction of Oilfields

 * Shift to revenue sharing instead of profit sharing(cost-recovery)
 * Unified licensing for all hydrocarbons in the field (oil, gas, shale oil, shale gas, etc.) instead of separate license for each
 * Bidders will be free to sell oil or gas at market determined prices, no interference from government

CECA with Australia

 * Comprehensive economic cooperation agreement

GDP calculation

 * GVA and GDP are two measures of aggregate economic activity
 * In new method for GDP, subsidies are subtracted and taxes are added to GVA to arrive at GDP

Automobile Industry slowdown

 * Needs GST – cascading effect on taxes
 * Skipping BS 5 and going to BS 6 will add extra burden

Startups

 * Framework to encourage startups
 * Handholding in initial phases,
 * Linking companies with universities and institutions,
 * Consultancy on IPR
 * Finance support

Greenpeace

 * NGO – environment and peace
 * HQ Netherlands
 * Govt. canceled its FCRA license
 * FCRA (foreign contribution regulations act) – It regulates the acceptance and usage of foreign funds by individuals, organizations or companies and prohibit its usage against india\’s economic interest

Juhmpa Lahiri

 * Novelist
 * Wrote – The lowland

Kadhamal violence

 * In Orissa
 * Atrocities on Christians, on kui tribals
 * Forced conversion
 * Low conviction rate,
 * Poor compensation, - compensation given for damages to houses were very low

Kui (kondhs) tribals

 * In Orissa, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh,
 * Practiced human sacrifice

New model in oilfield auction

 * Shift from profit sharing to revenue sharing
 * In profit sharing, govt. has to dig out all the cost details of these undertakings, revenue sharing is simpler
 * Companies are allowed to sell oil and gas at market prices and revenue will be shared at market prices. If company sells at lower than market prices govt. still will be getting revenues at market prices. And if companies are selling at higher than market prices than the govt. will get revenue at this higher price.
 * Unified licensing: Earlier companies had to acquire separate licenses for extracting different hydrocarbons. Now same license is valid for all type of hydrocarbons (oil, gas, shale oil and shale gas). A move in the direction of ease of doing business.

G20 meeting

 * In Ankara, Turkey, 2015
 * Meeting of Finance ministers and Central bank governors
 * Competitive currency devaluation when global demand is sluggish is a major threat to stability in global economy.
 * 2016 - China
 * 2017- Germany
 * 2018- India

Training pharmacists

 * To avoid unsafe practices of abortion, pharmacists who are the first point of contact are trained to dispense correct dose, drug and advising patients how to use.

Crude oil formation
Q. Explain the process of formation of crude oil and natural gas. Examine why there is so much oil in Middle East but less in India.

Crude oil and natural gas are obtained from sedimentary rocks. They were formed from remains of dead plants and animal that were buried under sand and rocks. over millions of year, high pressure and heat, in the absence of air, converted them to oil and gas.

Why Middle East has high reserves?


 * 1) Sedimentation was high in 30 deg South-North were temperature and organic activity was high ( Mid-east was in this area when it was a part of Gondwana land, and India was further south)
 * 2) Submergence : Mid-east was submerged under Tethys sea thus was subjected to more sedimentation as compared to India(which was not submerged). With plate tectonics, Mid-east rose up above the sea level exposing the surface. Part of India like Gujarat, parts of Rajasthan, Assam were also submerged for some time thus some oil reserves are found there.
 * 3) Oil is found in Sedimentary rocks but not all sedimentary rocks have oil. Important factors for sedimentary rocks to have oil are
 * Porosity – to accommodate large amount of oil - Mid-east rocks are made of limestone and dolomite which are porous whereas Indian rocks are hard not so porous.
 * Permeability - to discharge oil and gas when oil is drilled (dolomite and limestone has high permeability).
 * Porous sand beds, sandstone should be capped by impervious bed so that oil do not dissipate to surrounding rocks.

Where is crude oil found? (General) [Crude oil-http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/chemistry/materialsfromoil/how_crude_oil_was_formed/revision/1/] - sometimes called petroleum - is found in the Earth\’s crust. Millions of years ago small animals and plants died and fell to the bottom of the sea. Their remains were covered by mud. How did it get trapped underground? The mud eventually turned to rock. This rock put a lot of pressure on the dead animals and plants. Rocks around them also heated them up. Together the heatand the pressure turned the remains into crude oil. It was important that noair or oxygen was present.
 * Mud layer above the sea bed gradually turns to rock
 * Formation of crude oil from dead animal and plant layer

7th Pay commission
Why give periodic pay revisions? Arguments Against Pay revision Arguments for Pay revision
 * It is already linked with inflation.
 * At lower entry levels – pay is higher in govt than in pvt
 * Puts a lot of pressure on govt. finances
 * It should be linked with productivity – Should not be flat across the board
 * Staff should be downsized
 * Competition for talent : agreed that entry level pay are higher which is to attract best of the talents and retain them. Pvt. Companies have more contract labor at low levels thus there entry pay is lower.
 * Burden on Govt. finances : There will only be a nominal increase in expenditure and pressure will be felt for only a couple of years then it will stabilize
 * Downsizing : We should focus more on right sizing – we need more doctors, engineers, etc.
 * Pay linked to productivity : difference in Pvt and Govt. is shown in terms of productivity. Dept. should be audited on efficiency and productivity and they should be guided on best practices for customer satisfaction

Contingency and Asset development fund of RBI

 * Contingency reserve funds are meant to be used to meet an unforeseen situation like a financial crisis – ex. When a systematically important bank goes bankrupt, then the RBI has to take its losses into its own balance sheet

Systematically important Banks – SBI and ICICI

 * They are important because of their large size, complexity and interconnectedness. If they fail it can cause failure of essential financial services.
 * These banks are seen as "TO BIG TO FAIL". This creates an expectation of government support in times of distress. Due to this perception they enjoy certain advantage in the funding market.
 * This perception can increase risk-taking, reduces market discipline and increases the probability of distress in future.
 * Thus these banks should be subjected to additional policy measures to deal with systemic risks and moral hazard posed by them.
 * Assessment methodology parameters:
 * 1) Size
 * 2) Interconnectedness
 * 3) Substitutability
 * 4) Complexity
 * 5) Not all banks are assessed, small banks are not assessed as it would be an unnecessary burden on them
 * 6) Banks are subjected to additional CET 1(Common equity capital) requirement ranging from 0.2 to 0.8% of RWA's (risk weighted assets).

Dengue Serotypes

 * 1) There are 4 serotypes ( DEN-1,2,3 and4)

Azadpur Mandi

 * Proposal to relocate Azadpur mandi
 * Pressure on infrastructure, congested roads, no toilets, less shops, no means of disposing agri-waste
 * Solution : Bio-methanation plant to dispose agri-waste

OROP

 * Paramilitary also demands OROP
 * Danger is not only from across the border but also from within the country
 * They are the first line of defence

Farmers near borders
 * Farmers who unknowingly cross borders are returned back without subjecting them to any kind of torture.
 * Identity cards for farmers in nearby locations.

ILP

 * ILP – MAN (Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland currently has ILP in place
 * Aim : to dis-allow outsiders to own land in the state. Outsiders needs permit to enter the state.
 * Why : 1. Increased pressure on land and natural resources. 2. Fear of getting marginalized
 * Thus State Govt. passed Manipur people protection bill – which keeps the base year as 1951 to identify the outsiders – But people are angry over this since, many do not have documents.
 * Meiteis largely lives in the valley region and some other communities such as kuki, nagas and others occupy the Hilly regions.
 * Tension among the communities : Kukis and Nagas feel that ILP will disallow them to own land and resources in the state
 * Schedule 6 – Administration of tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura. Autonomy is given in the tribal regions.

China market downturn

 * After the real estate bubble bursted, finance market started to look for emerging markets like China and India.
 * China\’s rapid growth is mainly due to the exports
 * 1) One disadvantage of export led growth is once global demand reduces the growth comes crashing down,
 * 2) This export was promoted by keeping the domestic demand low by keeping local wages down so that export is promoted
 * 3) Once the global demand reduced – China\’s export started reducing – China started changing from a export led market to a domestic-oriented market  thus China started heavily in domestic infrastructure but the domestic demand was not able to meet the supply. Finance market turned to real estate for higher returns but the demand was not there. Firms started to have idle inventories.
 * 4) To revive the export-oriented growth – China devalued it\’s currency – so the financers flee the market ( since value of their assets in the country will reduce)
 * 5) Thus market came crashing
 * 6) Argument that India should take advantage of the situation –
 * 7) China\’s exports has reduced not because their goods have become more expensive than Indian but because of the low demand in the global market
 * 8) Currency devaluation – If countries get into currency devaluation war – it will hurt more to India and its companies than to china and its companies since their pockets are big and can take damage for a longer period of time.

Hiroshima – 6 Aug 1945

 * 1) Little boy – Bomb
 * 2) Enola Gay – Aircraft name
 * 3) Nagasaki – Fat Man

Aurangzeb

 * Destruction of temples, but also gave heavy grants to few temples like vrindavan
 * Re-introduced jizyah (religious tax)

Tuhfat-ul Hind

 * a Persian account of Indian music, Braj glossary and grammar,
 * under the patronage of Jahandar, Aurangzeb\’s grandson

Destruction of monuments

 * Stated Goal : to eradicate idolatry – to eradicate practices that are not in consonance of one\’s own religious beliefs.
 * Real Goal : Is to attract attention of global community by destroying objects of global importance
 * Historically it\’s been a practice to destroy ones cultural identities to symbolically erase the group

Bamyan Buddhas

 * In Afghanistan
 * Example of Gandhara art

Gandhara Art
Influence of greek
 * Influence of Greek Hellenistic art – wavy robe, realistic facial features, the halo (the bright light behind the head), curly hair

World economic forum

 * NGO in Switzerland
 * In the field of economics
 * India ranks low in the parameters of Inclusive growth and development

IIP (Index for industrial production)

 * Current base year :2004-5 and propose base year : 2011-12
 * IIP currently represents only the largest production units – This is not a true representation of manufacturing growth since it is the small and medium enterprises that gives the true representation of growth.
 * Number of items in the IIP basket has been improved,
 * Lesser volatility : Data from 8 manufacturing units are taken for each item to ensure less volatility
 * CSO is also preparing for an index for services

More women workers can boost growth

 * Key policy areas for women\’s economic empowerment are – Education, Workplace and Family
 * Education :
 * 1) Beyond investment social programmes are necessary – cash transfers to poor families should be made conditional based on child\’s attendance in school.
 * 2) Better infrastructure – roads, schools, toilets, etc.
 * 3) Not necessarily, increase in education levels of women is translated into employment – best example Japan.
 * 4) We have to break social and legal barriers.

Pecuniary Jurisdiction

 * if the value of the property in dispute is up-to 2 crores or a limit value, the district court under which the locality falls has the jurisdiction to hear the case. Value is estimated based on circle rates.

Delhi High court amendment Bill 2015
 * Increase of pecuniary jurisdiction of Delhi HC from 20 lakh Rs to 2 Crore Rs with concurrent increase in district court as well
 * The increase was necessary since the property prices has increased many folds
 * This will help the litigants
 * 1) Reduced litigation fees
 * 2) Faster delivery as these can be settled in lower courts, no need to go to HC
 * Only 4 courts out of 24 have the original jurisdiction to hear civil cases.

Pampa Award

 * Highest literary award given by Karnataka govt.

Global warming

 * Goal – limit temperature rise to 2 over pre-industrial levels

Freedom of Speech

 * A19 (1)– freedom of speech and expression
 * A19 (2) – imposes reasonable restrictions in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, Security of state, law and order, decency and morality, friendly relations with foreign states.
 * People are discontent about many things – poverty, unemployment, farmers suicide, etc – they should be allowed to raise their voice
 * Freedom of press is implied form A19(1)

MFN – Most favored nation

 * An MFN provision in international law prohibits host countries (i.e. country in which investment is located) from discriminating between investors from different countries. This means if there is an MFN clause in a treaty between country and country B, country B can invoke this clause to get the same benefits that country A may be providing to any third country C.

GHGs

 * Global atmospheric temperature has already risen by 0.8 C above pre-industrial levels.
 * There is a correlation between wealth and emissions, wealthy nations are emitting many folds more than an under-developed or developing countries
 * But there a are wealthy nations – that have lower emissions – that can be attributed to better national policies on environment, natural resources
 * A distinction should be made between essential emissions (burning wood for cooking, providing electricity to people) and luxury emissions (Pollution from SUVs, unnecessary Air travels)
 * There is a limit upto which the environment can take emissions and absorb it. Already a heavy amount of emissions have been transferred into the atmosphere. There is a limit upto which environment can absorb emissions with a stable environment
 * Already one set of countries has used up the large quota of emissions, and have grown rich.
 * Delayed effects : Global climate system changes very slowly – whatever actions we take today will be visible and will affect the future generations
 * Worst affected – will be African nations ( due to economics), small island nations ( in pacific and Indian ocean), Delta region

42nd amendment

 * Added word – Secular and socialist and integrity

INTACH

 * Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage

Gender Parity at workplace

 * Indian navy to give permanent commission to women officers as well
 * Arguments in favor:
 * 1) They undergo same training
 * 2) They are unable to find jobs after for their qualification
 * Arguments against:
 * 1) Soldiers at frontline will not be willing to accept a women as their leader due to mentality
 * 2) Society is still not accepting women in combat role
 * 3) Gender parity in police forces and armed forces in India is much lower than other countries.

Coal Pollution

 * 1) Even with growth in renewable energy  generation, use of coal remains in-evitable for India. Thus better utilization of coal is the way forward.
 * 2) World Bank to stop funding coal projects
 * 3) Problems:
 * 4) Increased local area pollution,
 * 5) Many plants are run at poor efficiency
 * 6) Solutions:
 * 7) Switch from sub-critical plants to super-critical and ultra-super critical plants that would reduce pollutants
 * 8) Proper treatment of waste ash – India\’s coal being high ash coal
 * 9) Carbon sequestration

Coal
 * 1) Emissions: Co2, NOx, CO, SO2, Mercury and others
 * 2) Clean carbon technologies:
 * 3) Washing minerals and impurities from carbon,
 * 4) Treating flue gases,
 * 5) Gasification - is a process that converts organic or fossil fuel based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures (>700 °C), without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam. The resulting gas mixture is called (CO and H2)syngas (from synthesis gas or synthetic gas) or producer gas and is itself a fuel. The power derived from gasification and combustion of the resultant gas is considered to be a source of renewable energy if the gasified compounds were obtained from biomass. The advantage of gasification is that using the syngas is potentially more efficient than direct combustion of the original fuel because it can be combusted at higher temperatures or even in fuel cells.
 * 6) Carbon capture and storage technologies to capture carbon from flue gases.

MDG – Millennium development goal

 * 1) MDG 4 – Child mortality
 * 2) Goal – To reduce child mortality under age 5yrs by 2/3rds
 * 3) India is lagging
 * 4) Reasons for child mortality
 * 5) Premature deliver, complications during delivery, lack of basic medical facilities
 * 6) Infectious diseases

The imperfect Gandhi was more radical and progressive than most contemporary compatriots.
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/why-attacks-on-gandhi-are-good/

Preparation of National Register of Citizens in Assam
E : The starkness of being nowhere
 * The exercise will identify the immigrants who crossed the borders after 1971, they will be identified and deported
 * Problems:
 * 1) Historical and political :
 * 2) With the treaty of Yandabo which ended the First Anglo-Burmese war, Burma ceded Assam to British India.
 * 3) Assam was merged into the then Bengal presidency which included the east Bengal as well.
 * 4) Assam and Bengal was forced to co-exist administratively
 * 5) In partition of 1947, India\’s eastern boundary saw more exodus of people, and internal turmoil in east Pakistan and in Bangladesh after 1971 made sure movements across the boundary as a regular feature even after 1971.
 * 6) The Native Assamese and tribals would find automatic inclusion in the list but the Bengali speaking population will be left hapless.
 * 7) The population having voter Ids will also be deemed immigrants.
 * 8) With no agreement with Bangladesh, they will not be taken back.
 * 9) Thus going by current norms and practices they\’ll be evicted to no man\’s land on India-Bangla border.

Linking rivers

 * Godavari and Krishna in Andhra Pradesh
 * 1) Pattiseema lift irrigation project
 * 2) In lift irrigation - water is not transported using gravity - but by means of pumps and other means
 * 3) In lift Irrigation - in regions where dam is at low height and farms are at higher height, lift irrigation is used.

Negatives of river linking
 * 1) Could lead to environmental damages - since rivers are ecologically different - linking two rivers can be harmful to aquatic life
 * 2) Ground water in the nearby area of the canal will rise rapidly and can cause damages to root life thus affecting plants and crops in the nearby areas

CAG

 * PAC (Public accounts committee) – to recommend to make CAG answerable to parliament
 * Against : CAG should be autonomous like EC

SDGs (Sustainable development goals)

 * MDGs deadline is 2015
 * MDGs were established in millennium summit in 2000 – held at New York
 * MDGs 8 Goals – poverty, Education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, environmental sustainability, reducing HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases, global partnership in development, 
 * SDGs to be adopted from 2016 and is to be achieved by 2030
 * SDGs was formally discussed at Rio in 2012
 * SDGs include 17 goals with a number of targets targeting – Poverty, hunger, climate change, improving health and education, etc.
 * Challenges for India:
 * 1) India doesn\’t have relevant data to formulate policies,
 * 2) Lack of financial support,

Eritrea

 * 1) Source of third largest refugees to EU
 * 2) Close to Red Sea
 * 3) http://www.nationsonline.org/maps/eritrea-political-map.jpg
 * 4) neighbouring nations - Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti
 * 5) after just crossing gulf of aden  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaurav4291 (talk • contribs) 11:25, 11 May 2016 (UTC)

Small Finance Banks

 * 1) RBI to come up with small finance banks licences

Bankruptcy code to be finalised shortly

 * 1) It will bring sound discipline for borrowers taking huge loans from banks

CPI inflation target

 * Target Jan 2016 – 6%
 * Short term target – 4%

Spectrum

 * Spectrum trading to be allowed so that unused spectrum can be bought by other operator
 * Air waves can be shared by different operators to reduce call drops
 * Those operators who are not able to build scale can sell their spectrum to other operators

Attack on rationalists writers

 * Reason : because of the intolerance and hatred towards the views on religion and superstitions by these writers
 * A25 not only allows the freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion of one\’s choice but also gives an individual freedom of conscience
 * One is free to propagate their views
 * Govt. also takes the side of religious groups so as not to anger a larger group which might result in clashes
 * These killings have a chilling effect on freedom of views

Migrants and Refugees
Gender equality
 * Refugees are given international protection under 1951 refugee convention
 * Refugees – any person who is forced by internal disturbances, armed conflicts in the country to move out of the country
 * Whereas migrants are persons who choose to leave their country for better prospects – thus are not given international protection are dealt with national laws
 * Many countries bar women to do a particular jib just because they are women

Dealing with hate speech

 * Internet is being used as a tool to disseminate dangerous messages – helps in reaching more people and also helps in reaching farther
 * Ways to deal with internet hate speech:
 * 1) Censorship of internet –
 * 2) Blocking sites, censoring messages
 * 3) Punish the speaker –
 * 4) Solution: counter messages

Illegal Mining

 * Justice M.B Shah commission on illegal mining
 * Problems of illegal mining:
 * 1) Underpaid workers,
 * 2) Ecological damage,
 * 3) Loss of livelihood for native aadivasi\’s
 * 4) Loss of earning\’s for state
 * 5) Recent amendments in mining laws gave state the powers to auction coal fields without consulting with other ministries such as Ministry of Tribal Affairs
 * 6) District mineral foundations are formed – to look in the interest and benefits of communities affected by mining activities
 * 7) Mining companies are supposed to pay – 15% royalty to DMFs – so that this amount can be used in the welfare of these people
 * 8) A number of govt. officials and executives are in DMF, thus govt. exercises extreme control
 * 9) Solution : More civil society participation, autonomy to DMFs, involvement of important stakeholders like ministry of forest and environment and ministry for tribal affairs

Hindi as official language in UN

 * For
 * 1) More number of people speaking Hindi than any-other regional language
 * 2) Hindi\’s entry in UNs official language will pave the way forward for other languages
 * 3) Gandhiji\’s view on national language –
 * 4) It should be easy to learn,
 * 5) It should be spoken by a majority of population,
 * 6) Political activities can be carried out throughout the nation in that language

MSMEs as engines for growth

 * MSMEs are labour intensive, thus employ a big population
 * With climate change and pressure on agriculture sector more people will need to be provided with employment
 * MSMEs can absorb these labour
 * Problems and Solutions:
 * 1) Finance -  Govt. Jan dhan yojana will help, but easy access to Bank loans are also important, Japan has a upper ceiling on interest rates
 * 2) Capability development
 * 3) Will help India in developing a strong manufacturing base – which will help in making a stable economy

Saudi attacks on Yemen

 * Main motto is not to allow Iran a strong foothold in the region.
 * Saudi is backing the current president; Houthis are Shias and are reportedly close to Iran.
 * If Houthis are able to gain political power in Yemen, Iran will get a stronghold in regional politics

Ramaswamy Iyer

 * 1) Books:
 * 2) Living rivers, dying rivers
 * 3) Towards water wisdom – limits, wisdom, harmony
 * 4) Human intervention in the natural course of rivers are damaging the rivers ecosystem – hydroelectric projects, change of route,
 * 5) The concept of stakeholders (farmers, industries, cities getting electricity from these projects) being consulted should be changed. The beneficiaries are stake-gainers and the people affected by these projects are stake-losers. The latter should be given primacy.

GDP

 * GDP = GVA +DITS (DITS – Difference between indirect taxes and subsidies)

Homo-naledi

 * Fossil remains found in a cave in South Africa
 * Resembles human and ape

DG level talks on border issues

 * No immediate retaliatory firing in case of ceasefire violations
 * Wait for 1 hr, establish connection across border

Reservations

 * 1) Two main criteria’s that should be looked into:
 * 2) Criteria to identify dis-advantaged groups
 * 3) nature of benefits
 * 4) Possible Criteria’s other than caste:
 * 5) Type of school attended – private or govt., in rural or urban area
 * 6) Parents education,
 * 7) Sibling education,
 * 8) Size of family,
 * 9) Disadvantage is just not in terms of economic conditions, but also social, cultural and political.

Indian roller (Neelkanth or pala pitta)

 * State bird of tellangana

AUSINDEX

 * Maritime exercises

Ban on Meat sale
Sanskrit under Mughals
 * Can freedom of one\’s religious preferences hamper one\’s choice of food.
 * Sanskrit flourished under the royal court of : Akbar, Jahangir and ShahJahan
 * Sanskrit started declining and Hindi started coming up in the reign of Shahjahan
 * Aurangzeb\’s reign simply happen to coincide with the decline of Sanskrit
 * Aurangzeb beat Dara Shikoh ( in battle of Samugarh)to come to power. Shikoh engaged himself in cross-cultural exchange of Sanskrit. Aurangzeb to bring a change in rule started to cut ties with Sanskrit

Amravati – Heritage town

 * Amravati Stupa
 * Protection of Heritage : Two schemes launched HRIDAY (For heritage sites) and PRASAD (For Pilgrimage sites)
 * HRIDAY – Heritage city development and augmentation yojana
 * PRASAD – Pilgrimage rejuvenation and Spirituality augmentation drive
 * Smart city project should focus on social, economic, sustainability development and as well as cultural development – that will direct us truly in the direction of sustainable heritage development.
 * Rapid economic growth could also have negative effects on the cultural heritage of the city.
 * Solutions:
 * 1) Encouraging local participation, local leadership – to pursue only relevant and responsible development
 * 2) Increasing number of visitors can have negative effects on environment – need to have a check on visits,

OROP

 * 1) OROP brings a trilemma in defense policy : Remuneration, defense preparedness and fiscal balance
 * 2) If remuneration has to increase without losing the grip of defense preparedness – fiscal balance has to come down. All three cannot be maximized
 * 3) While it cannot be completely escaped, but the effects can be mitigated – by rapid and sustainable economic growth
 * 4) Defense personnel cost will increase, solution – to decrease the manpower and invest in strategic arsenal like submarines, nuclear weapons, defense infrastructure, etc.
 * 5) But to fight infiltration along borders, to man maritime borders – defense personnel will be needed
 * 6) Solution: productivity, advance equipment\’s, better training and health

Agriculture

 * Problems:
 * 1) Untimely rains owing to western disturbances, el-Nino
 * 2) Farmers in debt burden
 * 3) In future also it looks this will deteriorate
 * 4) Solutions:
 * 5) Invest in weather sciences : weather forecasting
 * 6) Labour and agricultural inputs are becoming expensive, whereas there are a number of policies that determine the rate and place where farmers can sell there produce – Changes in APMC regime, NAM-portal
 * 7) Rainwater harvesting, better irrigation, better technology, per drop-more crop
 * 8) Strengthen agri-insurance sector – better computation of damages and faster clearances

Gelatin or gelatine

 * (from Latin: gelatus meaning "stiff", "frozen")
 * is a translucent, colourless, brittle (when dry),
 * flavourless foodstuff,
 * derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products.
 * Capsule is made of gelatin
 * And also as explosives

India- Srilanka relations

 * New govt. has come,
 * CEPA (comprehensive economic partnership agreement) to revive economic relations
 * Human rights violation in Sri Lanka
 * Concerns of fishermen of both sides

Ease of business doing ranking

 * By world bank
 * Gujarat number 1
 * 8 Parameters
 * 1) Setting up a business,
 * 2) allotment of land and obtaining construction permit,
 * 3) complying with environment procedure,
 * 4) complying with labour regulations,
 * 5) obtaining infrastructure-related utilities,
 * 6) registering and complying with tax procedures,
 * 7)  carrying out inspections and enforcing contracts
 * 8) Some features that can improve ease of doing business
 * 9) Online single-window clearances for registration and licenses
 * 10) Fixed timelines for getting electricity, meter connections
 * 11) Online data of land earmarked for industrial use
 * 12) More reforms – electronic courts ( e-filing of disputes, e-payments and electronically signed judgements)

Global competitiveness report

 * 1) By world economic forum

Srilanka

 * Working towards a new constitution that will help in devolution of powers to provincial councils
 * Will work towards redressing the grievances the minority communities

RSOC

 * commissioned by ministry of women and child development and assistance was given by UNICEF — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaurav4291 (talk • contribs) 06:48, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
 * Shows rapid improvement in some areas which saw focus in the last decade,
 * But some areas are still lagging, these needs focused attention
 * Areas that showed progress:
 * 1) Institutional deliveries
 * 2) Deliveries attended by a skilled provider
 * 3) This shows the impact of janani suraksha yojana and also cash incentives for institutional deliveries
 * 4) But this does not translate into pre and post natal maternal care
 * 5) Immunization coverage has increased but India still lags behind Bangladesh and Nepal, the progress could be attributed to ASHA workers and other self help groups
 * 6) Areas that are lagging – clean drinking water, sanitation,
 * 7) Govt. has reduced budget allocation for ICDS, states has to bear the additional cost on the backdrop of more devolution to states
 * 8) Conclusion: Some areas has shown improvement the reason being more focused approach, the future roadmap demands similar focused approach for other areas as well.

ASHA

 * 1) Accredited social health activists
 * 2) National Rural Health Mission, 2005 proposed an ASHA worker in each village
 * 3) Every village has an ASHA worker who is trained in basic health care related to deliveries, HIV/AIDs, TB, immunization, etc.
 * 4) They are the first point of contact for the people in village for basic health care
 * 5) They are responsible for spreading awareness, motivating people to take advantage of institutional deliveries

ICDS

 * 1) Integrated child development services schemes
 * 2) Provides a package of services :
 * 3) Supplementary nutrition,
 * 4) Pre-school non formal education,
 * 5) Nutrition and health education,
 * 6) Immunization
 * 7) Health check up
 * 8) Referral services through anganwadi centres to children below 6 yrs and pregnant and lactating mothers

EPW : Time to repeal 124A

 * 1) 124A – IPC section deals with charges of sedition
 * 2) Mere discontent of the citizens against the govt. policies and actions cannot be termed as seditious act
 * 3) This section can have a chilling effect on the freedom of speech and expression
 * 4) It can be used against the citizens who raise their voices and show fault in the govt. policies which is no desired

Sri Lankamalleshwar sanctuary

 * Habitat for endangered bird – Jerdon\’s Courser
 * Andhra Pradesh — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaurav4291 (talk • contribs) 11:33, 11 May 2016 (UTC)

India’s relations with North Korea

 * Traditionally North Korea was ignored because of their support to Pakistan, and South Korea\’s sensitivity
 * North Korea has largest reserves of rare earth metals – that could support our growing IT industry

IRRC – India rapid reaction cell

 * US setup an IRRC to fast-track India-US defence ties

UN report on Srilanka war crimes

 * Proposes an international mechanism for trials including international jury, lawyers, etc.

UNGA Adopted resolution for UNSC reforms

 * UNSC was formed to meet the challenges of post-world war
 * Last decades has seen rise of new economic and military powers – namely, BRICS
 * Geo-political rivalry between UNSC members has not resulted in no great steps in many globally important issues – Syrian crisis
 * UNSC could be sidelined by emerging powers if it doesn\’t reformed
 * G4 (India, Japan, Germany and Brazil) – eyeing seat in permanent members
 * Opposition from China, US and Russia – didn\’t gave any solid commitments – US and Russia did not want any change to the Veto power – they made no comment on their support to India\’s membership
 * And also from Uniting for consensus group (opponents of expansion)
 * France and UK are supporting G-4\’s membership but UK is against altering veto power
 * Solution: is to initially accept non veto permanent membership, or expanded re-electable semi-permanent membership

Opinion polls

 * Humans have always wanted to predict future
 * Analysis of various surveys, that none is able to predict accurately
 * Opinion polls can influence voters, these can be misleading
 * Guidelines should be issued – These polls should declare their past accuracy as per a standard definition

Asylum seeker in Europe
Balkans
 * Migrants coming from other poor countries also for better economic prospects
 * Dublin Regulation – EU law for processing applications of asylum seekers – In whichever state migrant enters first or applies for asylum, that state is responsible for processing of application.
 * http://unitedprayerforeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Balkans-map.jpg
 * Is the region of south-east Europe
 * Countries:
 * 1) Greece
 * 2) Albania
 * 3) Turkey
 * 4) Macedonia,
 * 5) Bulgaria,
 * 6) Serbia, etc.
 * 7) Surrounded by Black sea, Ionian sea, Adriatic and Aegean sea

Financial Inclusion

 * 1) Nachiket Mor committee gave report on Financial inclusion, recommends
 * 2) Electronic bank account for all citizens
 * 3) Access to financial services – deposits, insurance, credit, etc.
 * 4) Recommended Payments bank and wholesale consumer banks and wholesale investment banks (to penetrate credit services)
 * 5) unified customer redressal agency - to hear customer grievances  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaurav4291 (talk • contribs) 09:28, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

CSR

 * 1) Recommends spending 2% of the average of the companies last 3 year profit before tax on activities ranging from socio-economic upliftment of the community, sustainable environment, education, sanitation, clean drinking water, wtc.
 * 2) Some companies spend on building Hospitals, International schools under CSR activities, but these charge high fess at market rates – thus in no way they improve socio-economic condition
 * 3) Most of the companies target their value chains – spending on inputs or outputs, trg. of their personnel, etc.

Pung cholam

 * 1) Classical dance of Manipur
 * 2) Incorporates martial art acrobatic moves,
 * 3) Pung is a small drum

SAFAR-India Index

 * Air quality index

Dengue

 * This time type 4 is prevalent
 * Type 2 is considered more dangerous than type 4

Kawal tiger reserve

 * Adilabad, tellangana
 * Tigers can migrate form Tadoba-Andheri tiger reserve to Kawal tiger reserve
 * Tadoba-Andheri Tiger reserve – maharastra
 * http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/02027/hy29tiger2_eps_2027686g.jpg
 * Indravati tiger reserve - chattisgarh

LIBOR

 * London interbank offered rate
 * It is a benchmark rate that some of the world\’s leading banks charge each other for short term loans
 * It is based on five currencies:
 * 1) US dollar
 * 2) Euro
 * 3) Pound sterling
 * 4) Swiss Franc
 * 5) Japanese Yen

Laos

 * 1) Hamid Ansari visited Laos
 * 2) New direct air routes between India and Laos
 * 3) Greater economic cooperation
 * 4) Laos extended its support for India\’s UNSC bid
 * 5) History- Buddha statue – relics of Buddha was taken to Laos in 2nd century B.C – The stupa is Laos national symbol

GST
Negatives:
 * 1) GST aims to reduce multiple taxes. Article 246A confers power on parliament and state legislatures to levy GST. Thus GST council will only formulate a model plan, the states are allowed to modify it according to their needs – which will ultimately bring non-uniformness.
 * 2) Confusion on Central GST, State GST and inter-state GST – framework not decided yet
 * 3) States want a GST rate of 26% whereas Centre wants it in the range of 16-18%. Such a high rate will invite tax evasion
 * 4) Complexity : concept of importing and exporting states, exclusion of petroleum, real state and electricity from the ambit of GST
 * 5) States are very diverse economically – Jharkhand, Assam cannot be compared with Maharashtra and Gujarat economically – there could be difficulties in treaty economically different states in the same manner. It will be difficult for center to compensate states that will be losing taxes
 * 6) Currently, state and central taxes are processed by state and central officers respectively, who will process the combined GST? If each states will be processing taxes in its region, than there will be no role of central tax officers except in cases of inter-state taxes??

Immunity should not become impunity

 * 1) Protection to ambassadors is required for a unhindered work so that they can work without the fear of the host nation
 * 2) But in grave crimes they should be tried,
 * 3) To stop these kind of actions in future, govts. Should take legal actions against such diplomats,
 * 4) In Vienna convention 1961 also, it provides immunity against criminal, civil and administrative jurisdiction except in cases of grave crimes

Nuclear disarmament
Reasons to sign of CTBT, NPT,

Wassenaar Arrangement

 * It is a multilateral export control regime (MECR)
 * It ensures that the transfer of traditional arms and dual-use goods and technologies doesn\’t hamper international security and stability, thus it provides transparency in the export of these goods and technologies.

Bali agreement

 * Is a trade agreement under WTO
 * Provides provisions for reduction of import duties and agricultural subsidies
 * has provisions for food security
 * Bali agreement is part of Doha development round
 * Doha development round was started in 2001 - to remove trade barriers and bali agreement was adopted 2013

Red sanders (Red sandalwood) smuggling in Andhra Pradesh

 * Lack of adequate staff
 * Lack of modern weapons
 * It is endangered species under IUCN

Nepal’s New constitution

 * Secular (not just a Hindu nation), Democratic, Republican
 * Divided into 7 states
 * Madehesis community not happy – since their population is divided into separate states

Preparing for climate exiles

 * People will migrate to safer places with increase in global warming (high sea levels, droughts, floods, etc.)
 * This could pose similar changes as posed by migration in west due to conflicts
 * Small island nations of Pacific and Indian ocean are in danger of submergence
 * Low-lying delta regions – ex Ganga-Brahamputra are in danger
 * More than a tenth of humanity resides in vulnerable regions of the world that are within 10 meters of today\’s sea level, also known as Low Elevation Coastal Zones (LECZ). Close to half of Bangladesh lies in the LECZ
 * Thus there is need of preparation to tackle these situations if the need arises
 * UNFCCC is working on Loss and Damage mechanism that addresses issues related to loss and damages due to climate change despite the efforts in combating climate change –

Muga silk

 * Is native to Assam
 * Golden in color, silkworms feed on som leaves
 * GI tag accorded in 2007
 * Adulterated with Tussar silk
 * Tussar silk is made in Bihar, W.B, Orissa, Chhattisgarh

Govt. subsidies

 * Govt. subisidies food, fertilisers, oil and many others
 * Problems in subsidies:
 * 1) First, Most of the subsidies are intended to target BPL, but is directed to many others
 * 2) Second, leakages in the distribution system
 * 3) Third, Govt. has to have separate stocking centres – thus problems of rotting due to poor infrastructure
 * 4) Fertiliser subsidies:
 * 5) Fertiliser is heavily subsidized thus farmers are prone to excessive usage of fertilisers which ultimately deteriorates soil and water quality
 * 6) With subsidies, manufacturers become less productive
 * 7) Solution:
 * 8) Technological advancements on storage infrastructure can help but only to a limited extent
 * 9) Removal of price distortion and direct transfer of subsidies to beneficiaries will help in mitigating these losses in the system

GST implementation

 * 1) Companies will need time to follow new rules and regulations,
 * 2) Staff needs training
 * 3) Software up-gradation will be needed

Educational qualification for contesting in Panchayat elections

 * Will leave almost half of the population out

Draft National encryption policy

 * Proposal that every citizen should keep a copy of his communications on cyber space (emails, chats, etc.) and should be made available to security agencies when demanded

Ima Keithel (mother\’s market) – famous in Manipur

 * Enaphi (Shawl), Phanek (Wrap/sarong), leiroom (scarf) – dresses from North-East

Section 124A of IPC – Sedition

 * Maharastra Govt. passed a circular that – criticism of a politician or a civil servant in the form of words, signs, etc. can attract sedition charges under section 124A of IPC if it shows them as representatives of the Union or state Govt.
 * HC put a stay – on the grounds that it violates fundamental right

National Health Profile

 * Prepared by central bureau of health intelligence
 * India has poor bed to patient and doctor to patient ratio in hospitals – even less then some poorer countries
 * India’s expenditure on Health care (as a percentage of GDP) is less than some of the poorer countries
 * Bihar and Maharastra has the least ratio

TSD
•	Technical services division – a covert intelligence unit of army •	Allegations of misuse of funds •	All documents related to TSD were destroyed before the end of Gen. V.K singh’s tenure

OECD
•	Organisation for economic co-operation and development •	Total – 34 Members, India is not a member

Problems with Nepal’s Constitution

 * Madhesis not happy with some provisions of the constitution
 * Indian govt. also asked Nepal govt. to look into the concerns of Madhesis and other minorities
 * Concerns:
 * 1) In interim constitution, representation in parliament was based on Population, geographic and special characteristics and in case of Madhes – they were given representation based on population. But in constitution last part was removed
 * 2) Important post of President, PM, CM, Chief Justice, Speaker etc can be acquired by citizens who have acquired citizenship based on descent. Citizen who acquired citizenship by birth or normalization are debarred.
 * 3) Representation in National assembly is not based on population (It is fixed same for each state)

Panchsheel

 * Set of 5 principles that govern relations between two states
 * Signed between India and China
 * 5 Principles:
 * 1) Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty
 * 2) Mutual non-aggression
 * 3) Mutual non-interference in each other’s internal matters
 * 4) Equality and cooperation for mutual benefit.
 * 5) Peaceful co-existence.

NSSO Released data on Skill Development

 * NSSO (National Sample Survey Office)
 * NSSO did survey on Education and vocational training in 2011-12
 * Data – Only 10% of the employable population received any kind of training

Swami Dayanand Saraswati died

 * Propogated Vedanta
 * Vedanta – One of the 6 orthodox school of Hindu philosophy
 * 1) Philosophy based on Upanishads, Brahma sutra and Bhagavad gita

Rajasthan Govt. Increased reservation to 68%

 * Gave reservations to Gujjars and economically backwards
 * At the time country’s reservation policy is based on social deprivation that a caste has faced for centuries in past
 * Gujjars haven’t faced that – they are just economically poor – so for that purpose poverty alleviation programmes like MNREGA are there

9th Schedule

 * Protects any legislation within this schedule from judicial review.
 * Any law or legislation in 9th schedule cannot be deemed void on the grounds that it violates fundamental rights.
 * It can only be repealed or amended by legislature

Great Power Greater responsibility

 * India is aiming for a UNSC seat – through reforming the current UNSC membership
 * A negotiating text on UNSC reforms has been adopted in UN general assembly – This text will form the basis for further discussions
 * India faces strong opposition from Pakistan, P5 members are still reluctant to change in the UNSC membership
 * The only way forward for India is to show that India has the necessary credentials to take a seat in the council
 * India should take active participation in global problems and should show leadership in providing long term sustainable solutions
 * India has the opportunity to show her leadership skills in problems like – IS extremism and EU refugee crisis
 * Solution for IS extremism – India’s population can help in countering IS idea propagation
 * India along with Germany should work in providing livelihoods for refugees, India herself has gone through this mass people’s movement in past and has humanely dealt with it (Bangladesh liberation)
 * India will prove its credibility not just in terms of its large democracy or emerging economy but as a problem solver.

Sedition Law – IPC section 124A

 * Charges of sedition should be put only when the act or speech incites violence or disaffection against the govt.
 * Mere criticism of govt. policies and public servants cannot account for sedition

Netaji’s Slogan

 * Give me blood and I’ll give you freedom was given at Port Blair, Andaman
 * Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry into the alleged disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose,

JNNURM

 * RPMCs – reforms and performance management cells under JNNURM – a body of experts to guide municipal bodies in urban planning

Illegal mining

 * Satellite imagery to check illegal mining

Usha mehra commission

 * formed after Delhi rape case
 * Recommended greater coordination between Delhi transport department and police department

MAT

 * Foreign companies that do not have permanent establishment in India and is from a country with which India has signed DTAA ( Double tax avoidance agreement) is exempted from MAT from April 2001.
 * Earlier govt. exempted FII/FPI’s from payment of MAT on capital gains made prior to Apr, 2015

Free basics

 * Launched by Facebook
 * Will provide internet access – basic services (Some of them mKisan, mera doctor, etc)

The politics of iconography

 * NDA releasing postage stamps of leaders – neglecting Gandhi’s ( Indira and Rajiv Gandhi)
 * There is a perception that Congress govt. neglected others -

Hindu Mahasabha

 * Lala Lajpat Rai, Madan Mohan Malviya were members
 * Madan Mohan Malviya (First president of Hindu Mahasabha)
 * Madan Mohan Malviya Founded – BHU

Scheduled Castes federation

 * Founder – Dr. B R Ambedkar
 * Founded in 1942
 * Successor of ILP ( Indian labour party, founder – Dr. B.R Ambedkar, founded in 1936)

Rani Gaidinliu

 * Joined Heraka religious movement at the age of 13 yrs
 * Revolted against British govt. in the Assam and adjoining naga areas

Project Nigheban at Delhi

 * CCTV cameras for surveillance
 * Mall owners, RWA,s, PPP investment for these cameras
 * These are mapped on google maps, and gives real time access to police dept.

Pending cases in courts

 * Data grid of cases filed and pending – will help in tracking of cases
 * Data grid will help in analysing the performance of courts

Astrosat

 * India’s Astronomy satellite
 * Launched by PSLV

Macaulay

 * Brought Indian education system

The challenge of skills and jobs

 * A majority of employable Indian population is unskilled,
 * Majority have not received any formal trainings, most of them acquired hereditary skills or learned on the job
 * Only 2.2% received any kind of formal vocational training, (Germany – 75%, China – 50%, and Japan – 80%)
 * Problem is acute in rural areas, lack of any training makes them vulnerable – they are employed in low paying jobs

Factors affecting India’s policy rate

 * US fed’s interest rate – US Fed’s rate have been stagnant – They did not increase it – If they had increased it – investors will take their money out of India and go back to US – then to counteract India will have to increase its rate
 * Currently, Industry is demanding rate cut – since inflation is also low
 * Other factor – Transmission of already effected rate cuts – Banks have not transferred the complete rate cuts to investors
 * Current monetary policy framework – makes RBI accountable if inflation ends up above the target – thus RBI will be cautious

Phillips curve

 * Inverse relation between rate of inflation and rate of unemployment
 * This is only valid in the short run
 * In long run, rate of unemployment is a vertical line
 * http://www.macrobasics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Phillips-Curve.png

Binary star

 * A star system having two stars revolving around a common center of mass

Cabinet committee on security

 * Headed by PM
 * Members – Finance minister, Defense minister, Home affairs, minister of external affairs
 * Looks into the matter of defense expenditure, matters of national security

Space based observatory

 * Limitation of ground based observatory is that it cannot study UV and X-ray wavelengths as these two are blocked by atmosphere

Rate Cut by RBI

 * Two type of people will be affected, one –borrowers (large companies), two – savers ( citizens, senior citizens)
 * A rate cut will decrease borrowing cost – thus giving advantage to large companies
 * A rate cut will decrease income on savings – thus affecting general public – income on savings should be able to match inflation

Carbon credit

 * Allows nations to pollute environment, and get rid of the blame by paying for the emissions
 * It should be changed with green credit, green growth activities must be incentivise

SASTRA Ramanujan prize

 * 2015 – Dr Jacob Tsimerman
 * In the field of mathematics
 * Age limit below 32 yrs

Russian Support for Syria

 * Russia is supporting Assad’s regime
 * Sent troops, aircrafts for support
 * Russia’s only naval base outside Russia is in Syria

Wages for parliamentarians

 * Salaries and emoluments of legislators in India may not be unusually high as compared to global standards, but people are agitated by two issues:
 * The power of legislatures to decide their own emoluments
 * And the loss to exchequer by frequent logjams, despite of parliament not being to work, legislatures get their salaries, D.A’s
 * In UK, a separate body decides the emoluments of parliamentarians
 * A pay panel is formed to fix emoluments of parliamentarians

Whip

 * Is a political party official – who ensures party discipline in legislature
 * Ensures party members are present and votes as decided by party
 * Whip cannot direct members in case of election of President

CAG : Make it accountable to parliament?

 * In extreme cases, if parliament comprises of majority members from a single party, they could prevent audit scrutiny of uneconomical or non-judicious transactions
 * If at all CAG does not perform his duties in consonance with the constitution, the provision for his impeachment is provided in constitution (A 148)
 * Solution: CAG can be appointed by a collegium consisting of PM, CJI, Leader of Opposition in lok sabha

CAG

 * A(148~151)
 * CAG audits receipts and expenditures of Union and state govt. and also any undertaking substantially financed by govt.
 * Audits – Consolidated funds of Union and states, Public accounts and contingency funds
 * CAG is made external auditor of some UN organisations – world food programme, IAEA (International atomic energy agency) and WIPO (World intellectual property organization)
 * The reports by CAG is undertaken by PAC and Committees on public undertakings
 * CAG is ranked 8th in Indian order of precedence, and enjoys same status as a judge of SC
 * Appointment – by President following a recommendation by PM
 * Term – 6 yrs or age of 65 yrs
 * Can be removed on the grounds of proven misbehavior or incapacity -after an address in both the houses
 * CAG is the head of Indian audits and accounts services — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaurav4291 (talk • contribs) 06:40, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

PAC

 * Public accounts committee – audits expenditure of GOI
 * Comprises of members of parliament 22 (15 from Lok sabha and 7 from Rajya sabha)
 * Term is 1 year
 * Chairman elected by Speaker of Lok sabha ( Chairman is from opposition)

Debate on life imprisonment

 * Prisons are seen as correctional facilities, which gives opportunities of reform to these convicts – honest wage and some education
 * Life imprisonment is given as an alternative to death penalty
 * By giving life imprisonment – it denies the opportunity of any reform
 * Many countries have removed life imprisonment – saying it is against human dignity

Women collectives

 * Such as Self-help groups
 * Regular group meetings builds social capital which enhances their status both in house and community
 * Studies shows - women who meet regularly in a group – have shown improvement in maternal mortality and neo natal mortality
 * These self-help groups can educate women about – HIV, abusive relationships, health, etc.

T-Bill

 * Treasury bill
 * Is a short term borrowing instrument (less than a year)
 * It is issued at a discounted rate ( A 1000 Rs bill will be given for 990 and at the maturity the investor will get 1000Rs)
 * Much safer –as it is backed by govt.

Green field investment
What is the difference between a green field and a brown field investment?

Green-field and brown-field investments are two different types of foreign direct investment, or FDI. Green-field investments occur when a parent company begins a new venture by constructing new facilities in a country outside of where the company is headquartered. Brown-field investments occur when a company or government purchases an existing facility to begin new production.

MAT – Minimum alternate tax

 * MAT is levied on entities which don’t pay corporate income tax because of several exemptions and incentives.
 * Justice A.P Shah recommended that MAT should not be levied on FII’s
 * MAT will not be applicable to a foreign company if it is based in a country with which India has DTAA while also it does not have a permanent establishment in the country.

Educational qualifications in Panchayat elections

 * For : will encourage people to go to school
 * Against : it’s not people that they don’t want education, they have been denied this right historically, they have been oppressed by the higher castes
 * Condition that farmers with any loan arrears will not be able to contest in elections, most of the small land holding farmers are ridden with debt, this will allow only large and rich farmers to contest
 * Centuries ago electoral franchise was available only to male property owners, our fore-fathers fought for universal right of vote and universal right of contesting elections

Net Neutrality

 * Offers advantages to both users and numerous start-ups
 * Digital India – aims to provide internet access to the masses
 * Facebook’s free basics aims to do the same – but it could lead to discrimination of small start-ups
 * Access could be provided making data cheaper
 * US govt. has voted in the favor of Net-neutrality, this made sense in an economy where vast majority can afford internet access. But in an economy like India with vast majorities which cannot afford internet access, where infrastructure and power costs are high, data plans are costly – this doesn’t make sense
 * With increasing income, population will automatically start for opting for data plans that offers less restrictions and Net neutrality will automatically prevail
 * To make Digital India a success – internet access to majority is primary

Project 15A

 * second stealth missile guided destroyer
 * INS kochi – second stealth missile guided destroyer
 * 3 -destroyers to be made - Kolkata, Kochi and Chennai — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gaurav4291 (talk • contribs) 06:19, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

Mural paintings at Parthasarthy temple

 * Depicts mahabharta
 * Belongs to the period og gingee nayak
 * Parthasarthy temple
 * 1) Dedicated to Krishna