IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote th
Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA St
The IAEA has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The IAEA has two "Regional Safeguards Offices" whi
The IAEA serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the peaceful
The programs of the IAEA encourage the development of the peaceful applications of nuclear technolog
provide international safeguards against misuse of nuclear technology and nuclear materials
and promote nuclear safety (including radiation protection) and nuclear security standards an
Three main pillars or areas of work underpin the IAEA's mission: Safety and Security; Science and
The Board of Governors is one of two policy making bodies of the IAEA. The Board consists of 22 mem
The outgoing Board designates the ten members who are the most advanced in atomic energy technol
North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East and Sou
General Conference Function is to serve as a forum for debate on current issues and policies. Any of

United Nations Security Council

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one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of internationa
Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international san
it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states
Security Council was created following World War II to address the failings of another international org
The Security Council consists of fifteen members. The great powers that were the victors of World Wa
These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on th
The Security Council also has 10 non permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two ye
Veto Power
Under Article 27 of the UN Charter, Security Council decisions on all substantive matters require the aff
A negative vote or "veto" by a permanent member prevents adoption of a proposal, even if it has receive
Abstention is not regarded as a veto in most cases, though all five permanent members must actively c

APEC

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that see
It was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia Pacific economies and t
to fears that highly industrialized Japan (a member of G8) would come to dominate economic
and to establish new markets for agricultural products and raw materials beyond Europe (wh
APEC works to raise living standards and education levels through sustainable economic growth and to
APEC includes newly industrialized economies, although the agenda of free trade was a sensitive issue
Aims to enable ASEAN economies to explore new export market opportunities for natural resources su
APEC's Three Pillars(BOGOR GOALS):
Trade and Investment Liberalisation
Business Facilitation
Economic and Technical Cooperation
To help achieve the Bogor goals, APEC ministers committed to reduce tariffs on environmental goods

Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matt

The Convention was developed jointly by the OECD and the Council of Europe in 1988 and amended b
The Convention was amended to respond to the call of the G20 at its April 2009 London Summit to align
in particular to ensure that developing countries could benefit from the new more transparent
The Convention has now taken on increasing importance with the G20s recent call for automatic excha
Designed to facilitate international co operation among tax authorities to improve their ability to tackle ta

National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010

The central government plans to issue a unique identification number (called Aadhaar) to every residen
The number shall be linked to a residents demographic and biometric information.
A resident can use his Aadhaar number to identify himself anywhere in the country in order to access c

Highlights
The Bill seeks to establish the National Identification Authority of India (NIAI) to issue unique identification
Every person residing in India is entitled to obtain an Aadhaar number after furnishing relevant demogra
The information collected shall be stored in the Central Identities Data Repository. This shall be used to
Sharing of data is prohibited except by the consent of the resident; by a court order; or for national secu
Key issues and Analysis
The Bill does not make it mandatory for an individual to enroll with the NIAI.
However, it does not prevent any service provider from prescribing Aadhaar as a mandatory requireme
The information collected by NIAI may be shared with agencies engaged in delivery of public benefits an
The Bill states that no court shall take cognizance of any offence, except on a complaint made by the N

Role of Aadhar within PDS

One Aadhaar = one beneficiary: Aadhaar is a unique number, and no resident can have a duplicate num
Portability in identification:Aadhaar is a universal number, and agencies and services can contact the c
Aadhaar based authentication to confirm entitlement delivered to the beneficiary : Authentification can ta
Aadhaar based authentication to track food grain movement
Electronic benefit Transfers : Beneficiaries could have an online food account on the PDS system, wh

Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013

The Lokpal consists of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight members of which 50% shall be judicial
50 per cent of members of Lokpal and Lokayuktas shall be from SC/ST/OBCs, minorities and Women
Lokpal at Centre and Lokayukta at States
The Lokpal Chairperson or member shall not be connected with any political party and one member wil
The selection of Chairperson and members of Lokpal shall be through a Selection committee consistin
Prime Minister, Speaker of Loksabha, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice o
The Selection Committee may consider a candidate other than one recommended by the Search Com
Inquiry initiated by the Lokpal shall be completed within 60 days and investigation to be completed within
All entities receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the Foreign Contribution Regulation
Provides adequate protection for honest and upright Public Servants.
The CBI may, with the consent of the Lokpal, appoint a panel of Advocates other than the Govt Advocat
The Act also incorporates provisions for attachment and confiscation of property acquired by Corrupt m
Why Lokpal in India?
There is no truly autonomous or empowered body at present to deal with corruption cases involving the
Corruption has become more remarkable since the initiation of the developmental and welfare program
To tackle corruption in the past government had enacted the Prevention of Corruption Act,1988 along w
Need for an agency independent of the executive, legislative and judiciary, to look into citizens grievanc
Due to burgeoning scams, result was the outburst of the accumulating anger and the unhappiness of th

Jan Lokpal Bill

Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizens Ombudsman Bill) is an Indian draft anti corruption bill that would create the Jan
Features
To establish a central government anti corruption institution called Lokpal, supported by Lokayukta at th
Lokpal will be supervised by the Cabinet Secretary and the Election Commission and completely indep
Members will be appointed by judges, Indian Administrative Service officers with a clean record, private
Every month on its website, the Lokayukta will publish a list of cases dealt with, brief details of each, the
Government office work required by a citizen that is not completed within a prescribed time period will r
Complaints against any officer of Lokpal will be investigated and completed within a month and if found
The existing anti corruption agencies (CVC, departmental vigilance and the anti corruption branch of the

World Trade Organisation

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize interna
The organization officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing th
The organization deals with regulation of trade between participating countries by providing a framewor

a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participant's adherence to WTO agreements, which a
Functions
It oversees the implementation, administration and operation of the covered agreements
It provides a forum for negotiations and for settling disputes
Principles of the Trading system
Non discrimination. It has two major components: the most favoured nation (MFN) rule, and the nationa
Reciprocity. It reflects both a desire to limit the scope of free riding that may arise because of the MFN r
Binding and enforceable commitments. The tariff commitments made by WTO members in a multilate
Transparency. The WTO members are required to publish their trade regulations, to maintain institution
Safety valves. In specific circumstances, governments are able to restrict trade.

Doha Development Round

Current trade negotiation round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which commenced in Novemb
Its objective is to lower trade barriers around the world, and thus facilitate increased global trade.
The most significant differences are between developed nations led by (EU), (USA), and Japan and the
What are the Issues?
Agriculture
End agreement to commit to substantial improvements in market access; reductions (and ultimate elim
Import sensitive products are of most concern to developed countries like the European Union, while d
Access to Patented medicines
Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) issue involves the balance of interests b
Special and Differential Treatment
Developing countries wanted to negotiate on changes to S&D provisions, keep proposals together in th
Developed countries wanted to study S&D provisions, send some proposals to negotiating groups, and
Developing countries claimed that the developed countries were not negotiating in good faith, while dev
Implementation Issues
Developing countries claim that they have had problems with the implementation of the agreements rea

Bali Package
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The Bali Package is a trade agreement resulting from the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Tra
The package forms part of the Doha Development Round, which started in 2001
The accord includes provisions for lowering import tariffs and agricultural subsidies, with the intention o
Developed countries would abolish hard import quotas on agricultural products from the developing wo
Another important target is reforming customs bureaucracies and formalities to facilitate trade
How it helps India ?
During the conference, the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed to allow countries to provide subs
WTO has issued a revised draft of the Bali Package which addresses Indias concerns on food securit
The draft proposes an interim mechanism to safeguard minimum support prices to farmers against WT
The deal allows nations such as India to fix a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farm produce and to se
It also permits countries to store food grains to meet contingency requirements.
India gains global leadership by getting a crucial poor rich country imbalance corrected on a multilateral

Mid Day Meal Scheme

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The Mid Day Meal Scheme is a programme of the Government of India designed to improve the nutritio
The programme supplies free lunches on working days for children in Primary and Upper Primary Clas
Alternate Innovative Education Centres, Madarsa and Maqtabs supported under Sarva Shiks
In 1925, meal scheme was launched for disadvantaged groups in Madras Municipal Corporation. By 19
The Government of India initiated the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education
Article 21 " Right to life" of Constitution when read together with Articles 39(a) and 47, makes the Rig
Implementation Models
Decentralized Model meals are cooked on site by local self help groups, parent teacher associations,
Disadvantages include lax monitoring, poor hygiene, and corruption
Centralized Model an external organization cooks and delivers the meal to schools, mostly through pu

Walk through
Caste based discrimination in serving of food
The State of School Feeding Worldwide 2013 Report observes the two procurement processes in India
items like fresh fruits or vegetables, procured at the State level
According to the Report the Midday Meal Scheme is the primary reason behind increase in gross prima
The link is more pronounced in case of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
Report notes that school feeding schmemes must be complemented with curriculum, textbooks, teach
Despite the success of the program, child hunger as a problem persists in India. According to current s

Provides for 5% reservation in public sector jobs and makes the private sector more accountable for cr
To ensure political participation, the Bill says that every person with disability who fulfils eligibility require
He/she should not be disqualified from exercising the voting right on the grounds of disability, irrespectiv
Further, it says that any person who is unable to vote in person due to disability or because of admissio
It allows mentally unsound women the right to fertility and prescribes punishment for forced abortion or

Right of persons with Disabilities Bill, 2011

New Pricing Formula

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Based on the Rangarajan committee formula.

The new formula will be valid for five years and applies only to new contracts or renewals when existing
It does not apply to contracts which contain a specific formula for natural gas price indexation or fixing.
As per the Rangarajan formula, beginning 1 April 2014, all domestic gas will be priced at an average of
The increased domestically produced gas price in the country would hover around 7 8/mmBtu dollar at

Is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the
Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of
While the Secretary General of the United Nations receives instruments of ratification and accession an
the UN has no direct operational role in the implementation of the Convention
UNCLOS III
In 1973, the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea was convened in New York
In an attempt to reduce the possibility of groups of nation states dominating the negotiations, the confer
The convention introduced a number of provisions. The convention set the limit of various areas, meas
Internal Waters
Covers all water and waterways on the landward side of the baseline. The coastal state is free to set la
Territorial Waters
Out to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres; 14 miles) from the baseline, the coastal state is free to set laws
Vessels were given the right of innocent passage through any territorial waters, with strategic straits all
Archipelagic Waters
A baseline is drawn between the outermost points of the outermost islands, subject to these points bein
The state has full sovereignty over these waters (like internal waters), but foreign vessels have right of i
Contiguous zone
Beyond the 12 nautical mile (22 km) limit, there is a further 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the territorial
customs, taxation, immigration and pollution, if the infringement started within the state's terr
Exclusive economic zone
These extend from the edge of the territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres; 230 miles) fr
Continental Shelf
The continental shelf is defined as the natural prolongation of the land territory to the continental margin
A state's continental shelf may exceed 200 nautical miles (370 km) until the natural prolongation ends

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

BCIM Economic Corridor

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The Bangladesh China India Myanmar Economic Corridor is an initiative conceptualised for significant g
The multi modal corridor will be the first expressway between India and China and will pass through My
These advantages for greater market access for goods, services and energy, elimination of non tariff b

development of value and supply chains based on comparative advantages, by translating co

The proposed corridor will cover 1.65 million square kilometres, encompassing an estimated 440 millio
This interconnectedness would facilitate the cross border flow of people and goods, minimize overland
Dec 18, 2013, the four nations drew up a long discussed plan, emphasising the need to quickly improve
Benefits
access to numerous markets in Southeast Asia, improvement of transportation infrastructure and crea
it will lead to industrial transfer boosting industries such as processing, manufacturing and commerce l
As labour costs rise in China, labour intensive industries such as textile and agro processing will eventu
Indias isolated eastern and north eastern states also stand to gain by higher trade and connectivity with

The Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2013

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The Constitution (120th Amendment) Bill, 2013 amends provisions related to appointment and transfer
It establishes a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) as per Article 124 A and to make recommen
It empowers Parliament to pass a law providing for the composition, functions and procedures of the JA
The JAC Bill, 2013 states that the JAC shall comprise
(i) the Chief Justice of India (CJI)
(ii) two other senior most judges of the Supreme Court (SC)
(iii) the Union Minister for Law and Justice
(iv) two eminent persons to be nominated by the Prime Minister, the CJI and the Leader of Op
The functions of the JAC include making recommendations for appointments of the CJI, SC judges, Ch
Key Issues and Analysis
The current method of appointments has been examined by various bodies including the Law Commiss
They vary in the role of the executive and judiciary in making appointments of judges
The composition of the JAC has not been included in the Constitution, but has been left for Parliament t
This implies that modifying the composition of the JAC would not require a constitutional amendment, b
The Article 124 (2) of the Constitution of India will be amended to give power to the President of India to

National Skills Qualifications Framework

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a quality assurance framework which organizes qualifications according to a series of levels of knowled
These levels are defined in terms of learning outcomes which the learner must possess regardless of w
NSQF will also facilitate Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) that is largely lacking in the present educa
The credit accumulation and transfer system that will be integrated in the NSQF will allow people to mo
Framework would be anchored, operationalized by the National Skill Development Agency, autonomous

A new approach to addressing persistent regional imbalances in development in India. The program su
The BRGF Program covers 250 districts in 27 States, of which 232 districts fall under the purview of Pa
The remaining 18 districts are covered by other local government structures, such as Autonomous Dis
Objectives
Bridge critical gaps in local infrastructure and other development requirements that are not being adequ
Strengthen, to this end, Panchayat and Municipality level governance with more appropriate capacity bu
Provides professional support to local bodies for planning, implementation and monitoring their plans
Improve the performance and delivery of critical functions assigned to Panchayats, and counter possib
Unique Features
First, the approach of putting the Panchayats and the Municipalities at the center stage of planning and
Second, no Central funding stream is as untied as the BRGF the funds can be applied to any prefere
Third, no other programme spends as much funds, nearly 11 percent of the total allocation, for capacit

Direct Benefit Transfer or DBT is an anti poverty program launched by Government of India on 1 Janua
bring transparency and terminate pilferage from distribution of funds sponsored by Central Government
In DBT, benefit or subsidy will be directly transferred to the citizens living below poverty line. No subsid
The price of the commodity remain same as that of the market price , government itself decide the sub

Backward Regions Grant Fund

Direct transfer of cash subsidy

Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System CPSMS can be used for the preparation of beneficiary list, dig
Without elimination of the corruption, Cash transfer may not necessarily lead to fiscal savings.
Since, the Cash transfers have been linked to the Aaadhar, there seems to be no or minor loopholes in

The C Rangarajan panel recommended the guidelines prescribing bailout packages for developers of h
The panel recommended that 75% of the premium amount payable to the government will be restricted
Further it recommended that the road developers should submit the entire premium amount three years
The proposal says if toll revenues turn out to be more than projected, the money left after servicing deb

Rangarajan Panel on Highway Sector

Double Taxation and DTAA

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Is the levying of tax by two or more jurisdictions on the same declared income (in the case of income ta
This double liability is often mitigated by tax treaties between countries.
India has comprehensive Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAA ) with 88(signed 88 DTAAs o
This means that there are agreed rates of tax and jurisdiction on specified types of income arising in a c
Under the Income Tax Act 1961 of India, there are two provisions, Section 90 and Section 91, which pro
Section 90 is for taxpayers who have paid the tax to a country with which India has signed DT
Section 91 provides relief to tax payers who have paid tax to a country with which India has no
Issue with Mauritius
India wants Mauritius to amend DTAA but the differences over capital gains tax, especially the definition
Mauritius wants India to separate the two issues trade liberalization through the Comprehensive Econo
India, is of the view that conclusion of the trade deal would entail monetary concessions to Mauritius an
Article 13 on capital gains of the India Mauritius DTAA provides for taxation of capital gains only in the c
India proposed to amend the pact to provide the source based taxation of such capital gains (in this cas
The Mauritius govt issues Tax Residency Certificate (TRC) to companies investing from that country in
LOB Clause
Mauritius and India agreed on the principle of including a Limitation Of Benefit or anti treaty shopping law
The LOB clause limits treaty benefits to those who meet certain conditions including those related to bu
Limitations
An anti abuse provision that sets out where residents of the Contracting States are entitled to
Purpose : Aimed at preventing treaty shopping or inappropriate use of tax pacts by third coun
To limit the ability of third country residents to obtain benefits under the said treaty
Indias desire is to discourage Treaty shopping by the LOB policy
Treaty Shopping
The practice of structuring a multinational business in order to take advantage of more favora
A business that resides in a home country and not having a tax treaty with the source countr

UNESCO
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the Unit
Its purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educa
in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fu
It is the heir of the League of Nations' International Commission on Intellectual Cooperation.
UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs: education, natural sciences, social and h
Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy, technical, and teacher training programmes; internati
the promotion of independent media and freedom of the press; regional and cultural history projects; th
translations of world literature; international cooperation agreements to secure the world cultural and n
UNESCO's aim is "to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable develop

Education for All

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Education For All is a global movement led by UNESCO(United Nation educational,Scientific and Cultur
UNESCO has been mandated to lead the movement and coordinate the international efforts to reach E
Governments, development agencies, civil society, non government organizations and the media are b

The EFA goals also contribute to the global pursuit of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
The Fast Track Initiative was set up to implement the EFA movement, aiming at "accelerating progress
Highlights of Report 2013 14 (Global)
Goal 1 Pre Primary Education
Despite improvements, far too many children lack early childhood care and education. In 201
Goal 2 Universal Primary Education
The number of children out of school was 57 million in 2011, half of whom lived in conflict affe
Goal 3 Lower Secondary Education
Many adolescents lack foundation skills gained through lower secondary education. In 2011, 6
Goal 4 Adult Literacy
Adult literacy has hardly improved. In 2011, there were 774 million illiterate adults, a decline of
Goal 5 Primary Education Gender Disparity
Even though gender parity was supposed to be achieved by 2005, in 2011 only 60% of countr
Goal 6 Lower Secondary Education Gender Parity
Poor quality of education means millions of children are not learning the basics. Around 250 m

P5+1
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The P5+1 is a group of six world powers which in 2006 joined the diplomatic efforts with Iran with regar
Term refers to the P5 or five permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely United States, R
P5+1 is often referred to as the E3+3 (or E3/EU+3) by European countries
Up to now, the UN Security Council has adopted six resolutions in response to the Iranian nuclear progr
Role of germany
Germany is the key trading partner of Iran. Iran's nuclear program depends mainly upon German produ
Around 50 German firms have their own branch offices in Iran and more than 12,000 firms have their ow
The Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce has estimated that economic sancti
Sanctions would especially hurt medium sized German companies, which depend heavily on trade with
2013 Interim agreement, 2014 negotiations
On 24 November 2013, an interim agreement was reached between the P5+1 countries and Iran in Ge
It is expected to lead to a six month freeze and partial rollback of portions of Iran's nuclear program in e

Urjit Patel Committee

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Choice of nominal anchor: Currently, RBI uses a "multiple indicator approach" to draw monetary policy
Inflation, as measured by CPI should be the nominal anchor for the monetary policy framewo
Nominal Anchor will be targeted at 4% with a band of +/ 2%
CPI inflation should be brought down to 8% over next 12 months, 6% in next 24 months befor
Committee recommended that monetary policy decision making be vested in a Monetary Policy Comm
The two schemes Dependence on Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) and Cash Management Bills (C
All fixed income financial products should be treated on par with the bank deposits for the purposes of t
Detachment of Open Market Operations (OMOs) from the fiscal operations and instead linked solely to

National Urban Health Mission

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The Union Cabinet gave its approval to launch a National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a new sub m
One Urban Primary Health Centre (U PHC) for every fifty to sixty thousand population.
One Urban Community Health Centre (U CHC) for five to six U PHCs in big cities.
One Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) for 10,000 population.
One Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for 200 to 500 households
The interventions under the sub mission will result in

Reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

Reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)

Universal access to reproductive health care

Convergence of all health related intervention

International Renewable Energy Agency

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organization to promote a

It was founded in 2009 and its statute entered into force on 8 July 2010. The agency is head quartered
RENA will provide practical advice and support for both industrialised and developing countries, help the
The agency will facilitate access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of rene

Indian Housing Project of SriLanka

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The Indian Housing Project is a housing reconstruction project funded by the Government of India and i
Four Implementing Agencies (IAs) have been selected for this project, which is being executed in the N
UN Habitat
International Federation for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
India launched 3rd phase of Housing Project in Sri Lanka
Sri lankan Red Cross Society
Under the Indian Housing project of Sri Lanka 50000 houses will be constructed and this is the single la
Under the beneficiary driven model 2 lakh 55 thousand rupees are transferred to selected beneficiaries
The construction work is done by the internationally chosen agencies, which needs to work under the s
The beneficiaries are selected on basis of clearly laid down criteria in consultation with the Government
The Housing Project, with a commitment of over 270 million US dollars in grants, is the flagship project

National Waterway Project 4

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National Waterway 4 (NW 4) is a 1,095 kilometres (680 mi) long waterway in India. It has been declared
It connects the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and the union territory of Puducherry.
The NW 4 runs along the Coromandal Coast through Kakinada, Eluru, Commanur, Buckingham Canal
It was declared a National Waterway on 24 November 2008 under the Provisions of National Waterway
History
In India, the national waterways are developed by the central government through the Inland Waterways
IWAI was set up by the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act in 1985 and given responsibility of devel
It is a statutory autonomous body for regulating and developing navigation and shipping in the inland wa
Along with IWAI, Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC) also supports the IWT sector thr

Capacity Building Scheme Under National E Governance Plan

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The scheme is mainly for providing technical & professional support to State level policy & decision ma
Establishment of Institutional Framework for State Level Strategic decision making including setting up
Imparting of specialized training, Orientation programme for SeMTs and decision makers (state legislat
Strengthening of Training Institutions in States
The scheme has an outlay of Rs.313 crore for a period of three years and will be implemented by the D
Need for Scheme
Aligning project design to NeGP service orientation
Bringing standardization and consistency across initiatives and at the same time, have the resources
Change Management
Government Process Reengineering
Optimizing cost and resource utilization
Leveraging external resources
Implementing best practices followed elsewhere
Project and Programme Monitoring

Cabinet approved the guidelines for television rating agencies

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All the rating agencies including the existing rating agencies shall obtain registration from the Ministry o
All the rating agencies should go through detailed registration procedure, eligibility norms, terms and co
No company will be allowed to hold not more than 10 percent of paid up equity in both rating agencies a
Rating need to be technology neutral and shall capture across multiple viewing platforms (cable TV, Dir
The rating agencies should scale up a minimum panel size of 20000 households to be implemented wi
The rating agency shall submit the detailed methodology to the government and publish it on their webs
It shall set up an effective complaint redressal system with tool free number and an internal audit mech

The guideline would come into effect immediately from the date of notification and 30 days time would b

Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project

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Strengthening and empowering of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as well as ensuring direct involvem
Sanitation in conjoint approach with water is conceptualized as an integrated component of the propos
The project will implement pilot programs such as 24/7 water supply provision in select areas, and new
There shall be an intensive Capacity Building programme for all stakeholders down to the GP level
Intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and Behavioural Change Communication (B
The project will support the universal provision of household connections, meters for bulk water supply,
There will be a focus on monitoring and surveillance of drinking water quality,
Grievance redressal measures of a GP, District and State level will be captured by the Monitoring and E
Technical, financial, procurement and social audits during scheme planning, implementation and O&M
Demonstration of beneficiary support for the schemes through a onetime upfront community contributio
The Project will adopt a phased approach for achieving full Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost rec

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill, 2006

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Highlights
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill, 2006 replaces the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 197
The 1976 Act lists a number of organisations and individuals that are prohibited from accepting foreign
The Bill requires all persons with a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social program
Organisations must renew FCRA certification every five years. Both the application and the renewal ca
The Bill allows the central government to conduct separate audits for FCRA certified organisations and
Key Issues and Analysis
Though the stated objective of the Bill is to strengthen internal security, it addresses only the voluntary s
Many of the objectives of the Bill are met by other laws in force such as the Unlawful Activities Preventio
It gives the cent govt powers to classify any organisation of "political nature" category receiving foreign c
The FCRA registration process under the Bill confers a number of discretionary powers to the authorise
There are a number of terms in the Bill including, foreign source, foreign hospitality, and speculative

Agriculture Ministry issued guidelines on National Mission on Oil seeds

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The issued scheme is aimed at enhancement of production of traditional and tree borne oilseeds. The s
Implementation of strategy includes
Increasing Seed Replacement Ration
Irrigation coverage under oilseeds from 26 to 36 %
Diversify of area from low yielding cereal crops to oilseed crops and inter cropping of oilseeds with cere
Use of fallow land after paddy and potato cultivation

IIIF will help create a new class of capital or venture capital to set up and scale entrepreneurial skills an
The Fund will invest in innovative ventures that are scalable, sustainable and therefore profitable.
It will address social needs of less privileged citizens in areas such as healthcare, food, nutrition, agricu
It will also partner the entire ecosystem in this space, including incubators, angel groups, and also publ
The Fund will be registered under SEBIs Alternative Investment Fund Category I guidelines.
The initial corpus of fund is 500 crore rupees with the Union Ministry of MSME committing 20 percent an
The Government will set up Asset Management Company to take the responsibility of day to day operat

The guidelines issued on loan restructuring for NBFCs were based upon the recommendations of Maha
NBFCs to have more flexibility to deal with stressed loans but it is mandatory for them to set aside a su
NBFCs, like commercial banks, are required to set aside a 5% provision against restructured loans. Fo
At present, a majority of the NBFCs are not allowed to accept public deposits and most of their funding
An infrastructure loan given by an NBFC will become a non performing asset (NPA) if the project fails to
If the loan is given to a non infra project, it will become an NPA if the borrower fails to commence comm

NIC and Union Ministry of MSME launched India Inclusive Innovation Fu

RBI issued new guidelines for loan restructuring in NBFCs

NBFCs will have to make a provisioning of 0.25% of the loan amount for such loans.
For commercial real estate loans, an extension of DCCO will not be considered as restructuring if the r

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has issued guidelines for providing benefits a
The National Manufacturing Policy, (NMP) notified in 2011, provides benefits and incentives to the man
The policy is applicable to the NIMZs as well as manufacturing clusters promoted by the industry iteself
A cluster is defined as a concentration of manufacturing units located within a clearly demarcated geog
Key features
To avail the benefits/dispensations, the cluster should meet the definition as per the guidelines and mus
The state government should constitute a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for each cluster as a non pro
State governments will need to simplify state level business regulations like clearances, returns, and la
All the units in the cluster will be eligible for incentives for developing or manufacturing environment frien
A standard deduction of 150% of the expenditure would be available to private units skill development pr

DIPP Issues guidelines and benefits for Clusters outside NIMZ( National

Guidelines on New Land Policy for Major Ports

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Aimed at helping them leverage their land resources for commercial advantage and provide necessary
Discretionary powers have been reduced and tender cum auction has been prescribed as the most pre
land can be allotted only through licensing in custom bond areas by inviting competitive bidding, while la
There is also a provision to license land outside custom bond areas, but it should be only for port relate
The guidelines has also made it mandatory to draw land use plan by covering all land owned and mana

Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Programme

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The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has launched a health programme for adolescents, in the age
The key principles of this programme is adolescent participation and leadership, Equity and inclusion, G
The programme envisions enabling all adolescents in India to realize their full potential by making inform
To guide the implementation of this programme, MOHFW in collaboration with UNFPA has developed a
It realigns the existing clinic based curative approach to focus on a more holistic model based on a con
It introduces community based interventions through peer educators, and is underpinned by collaborat
Objectives:
Improve Nutrition
Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health
Enhance Mental Health
Prevent Injuries and violence
Prevent substance misuse

Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

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The Act consolidates eight laws governing the food sector and establishes the Food Safety and Standa
It requires all food business operators (including small businesses and street vendors) to obtain a licen
According to the Regulations, all food business operators had to get a licence or registration within one
Key Issues
The organised & unorganised food sectors are required to follow the same food law. The unorganised
Does not require any specific standards for potable water ( provided by local authorities).Responsibility
The Bill excludes plants prior to harvesting and animal feed from its purview. Thus, it does not control t
The power to suspend the license of any food operator is given to a local level officer. This offers scop
The Act requires a food business operator to get different licenses if articles of food are manufactured o
News papers reported that the Supreme Court is examining the question whether liquor is a food

Weightage for the medals won in Olympic Games (Summer, Winter, Paralympic), Asian Games,Comm
Weightage to the marks given by Selection Committee for assesment of the eligble sportsperson/coac
Sportspersons who had won the medals and trained by the coach under the consideration for the awar
In a particular sports discipline, names of not more than 2 Sportspersons ( 1 male and 1 female) and n

Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports issues New guidelines for awards

SEBI approved the new Corporate Governance norms

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The board approved a long term policy for mutual funds to tax breaks on investments up to 2 lakh rupe
The SEBI board also approved new Know Your Client Registration Agency (KRA) Regulations which w
Exclusion of nominee Director from the definition of Independent Director
Performance evaluation of Independent Directors and the Board of Directors
Prohibition of stock options to Independent Directors
Separate meeting of Independent Directors
To restrict the total tenure of an Independent Director to 2 terms of 5 years
Compulsory whistle blower mechanism
At least one woman director on the Board of the company
Constitution of Stakeholders Relationship Committee
Enhanced disclosure of remuneration policies
Prior approval of Audit Committee for all material Related Party Transactions (RPTs)

The Gold Standard is a standard for creating high quality emission reductions projects in the Clean Dev
It was designed to ensure that carbon credits are not only real and verifiable but that they make measu
Its objective is to add branding, a label to existing and new Carbon Credits generated by projects which
The Gold Standard is open to any non government, community based organization especially those wit
What is CDM?
The Clean Development Mechanism is one of the flexibility mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol t
The CDM is defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, and is intended to meet two objectives:
to assist parties in achieving sustainable development and in contributing to the ultimate obje
to assist parties included in achieving compliance with their quantified emission limitation and
The CDM addresses the second objective by allowing countries to meet part of their emission reduction
The projects and the issue of CERs is subject to approval to ensure that these emission reductions are
The CDM is supervised by the CDM Executive Board (CDM EB) and is under the guidance of the Confe

CDM Gold Standard

Whistleblowers Protection Bill, 2014

Seeks to establish a mechanism to register complaints on any allegations of corruption or wilful misuse
Highlights
The Bill seeks to protect whistleblowers, i.e. persons making a public interest disclosure related to an a
Any public servant or any other person including a non governmental organization may make such a dis
Every complaint has to include the identity of the complainant.
The Vigilance Commission shall not disclose the identity of the complainant except to the head of the d
The Bill prescribes penalties for knowingly making false complaints
Key Issues and Analysis
Need to protect honest officials from undue harassment with protecting persons making a public interes
It punishes any person making false complaints. However, it does not provide any penalty for victimisin
The CVC was designated to receive public interest disclosures since 2004 through a government resol
The power of the CVC is limited to making recommendations. Also it does not have any power to impo
The Bill has a limited definition of disclosure and does not define victimisation
Differs on many issues with the proposed Bill of the Law Commission and the 2nd ARC report. These

National Mission for Green India

Respond to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures, which would help
Enhancing carbon sinks in sustainably managed forests and other ecosystems;
Adaptation of vulnerable species/ecosystems to the changing climate; and
Adaptation of forest dependant communities
Increased forest/tree cover on 5 m ha of forest/non forest lands and improved quality of forest cover on
Improved ecosystem services including biodiversity, hydrological services and carbon sequestration as
Increased forest based livelihood income for 3 million forest dependent households

Enhanced annual CO2 sequestration of 50 60 million tonnes by the year 2020

The GIM will be converged with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Comp
The Union government will provide 90 percent of the funds for implementing the scheme in the north ea

Equal Opportunities Commission for Minorties

A statutory body to check discrimination of minority communities in jobs and education.

The Justice Sachar Committee, which went into the socio economic backwardness of Muslims, had re
EOC will also deal with grievances like denial of accommodation or buying rights to minorities in housin
The EOCs mandate is to ensure that no minority community is discriminated against on religious grou
EOC is a three member body and will be headed by a retired judge of the High Court. It will not have an

OPCW

The Organisation for prohibition of Chemical weapon is the United Nations implementing body of the C
The OPCW was established in 1997 and is headquartered at Hague, Netherlands. At present OPCW h
Key Functions:
Destroying all existing chemical weapons under international verification by the OPCW
Monitoring chemical industry to prevent new weapons from re emerging
Providing assistance and protection to States Parties against chemical threats
Fostering international cooperation to strengthen implementation of the Convention and promote the pe

The street vendors protection of livelihood and regulation of street vend

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The Bill aims to protect the livelihood rights of street vendors as well as regulate street vending through
Any person intending to undertake street vending needs to register with the Town Vending Committee (
The state government shall frame a scheme for street vendors. The local authority shall, in consultatio
The TVC comprises of the municipal commissioner, representatives of street vendors, local authority, p
This Bill shall not apply to Railways land, premises and trains.
Key Issues and Analysis
Currently, street vending is regulated under municipal laws enacted by state legislatures. Parliaments c
The Bill does not specify principles to be followed by govts in issuing vending certificates, allocating ven
The Bill does not require the stakeholders to be consulted in the formulation of the street vending plan.
The central law will have overriding effect on state laws that are inconsistent with the Bill. Current state
The Standing Committee suggests making the Bill applicable to the Railways, incorporating specific pro

Vocationalisation of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Schem

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This is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) under which financial assistance will be given to all State
To enhance the employability of youth through competency based modular vocational courses.
To maintain their competitiveness through provisions of multi-entry multi-exit learning opportunities and
To fill the gap between the educated and the employable.
To decrease pressure on academic higher education.
Further, skills and employability of the youth will be enhanced through industry and demand driven voca

In 1986, Union Government started the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) primarily with the
CRSP adopted a demand driven approach with the name Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) with effect
To give a fillip to the TSC, Government of India also launched the Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) that sou
Encouraged by the success of NGP, the TSC was renamed as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA).
Main Objectives
Bring about an improvement in the general quality of life in the rural areas.
Accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to achieve the vision of Nirmal Bharat by 2022 with all gram
Motivate communities and Panchayati Raj Institutions promoting sustainable sanitation facilities through
To cover the remaining schools not covered under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan & Anganwadi Centres in the
Encourage cost effective and appropriate technologies for ecologically safe and sustainable sanitation.
Develop community managed environmental sanitation systems focusing on solid & liquid waste mana

Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan

National Mission Agricultural Extension and Technology

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The aim of the Mission is to restructure and strengthen agricultural extension to enable delivery of appro
This is envisaged to be achieved by a judicious mix of extensive physical outreach and interactive meth
institution strengthening to promote mechanisation, availability of quality seeds, plant protectio
Consists of four sub missions
Sub Mission on Agricultural Extension
Sub Mission on Seed and Planting material
Sub Mission on Agricultural Machanizarion
Sub Mission on Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine

National Mission on Libraries

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Creation of National Virtual Library of India

Setting up of NML model Libraries
Quantitative and Qualitative survey of Libraries
Capacity Building
National Virtual Library of India would provide digital resources by digitizing the relevant reading materia
The target users of NVLI will not only be students, researchers, doctors and professionals but also the
This initiative of National Mission on Libraries will largely facilitate the internet savvy people in making m

National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem

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This mission has been launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
The Mission has been developed with its primary objective to develop a sustainable national capacity to
The mission will also assist states in the India n Himalayan Region with implementation of actions selec
To build and support capacities at central and state levels to assess climate change and formulation of
Safeguard the communities in the Himalayas from the impacts of climate change through evidence bas
What it will Address?
Himalayan glaciers and associated hydrological consequences
Prediction and management of natural hazards
Biodiversity conservation and protection
Wild life conservation and protection
Traditional knowledge societies and their livelihood
Capacity in regulation of science and critical peer evaluation to help governance issues related to suste
Assist in restoration and rehabilitation process of Uttrakhand

To permit the use of GMOs and products thereof for commercial applications.
To adopt producers for restriction or prohibition, production, sale, import & use of Genetically Modified O
To approve for conduct of large scale field trials, evaluation of large scale field trial data and final approv
To authorize large scale production and release of GMOs and products thereof into the environment.
To authorize agencies or persons to have powers to take punitive actions under the EPA

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee

Aditya Puri Panel on Credit Information

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The Report is titled Data Format for Furnishing of Credit Information to Credit Information Companies (C
The Committee has suggested to provide customers with a free copy of their Credit Information Report
The committee also recommended a common Data Quality Index that could assist credit institutions in
To use a common data format that includes additional information in the formats, such as, dispute code
The committee has showed its concern that low usage of credit information by member institutions an
increasing the coverage of credit information in terms of membership (all credit institutions should be m
CICs should have a common classification of Credit Scores so that it would be easier to understand an

FIH Introduced 4 quarter format in Hockey

-

International Hockey Federation (FIH) on 20 March 2014 introduced a new format of 60-minute game in

The new rule (format) will be applied to all the continental Olympic qualifying events from 1 September
Under the new format, 40-second time-out will be provided when a penalty corner is awarded and after
The 40-second time-out will give a time for on-field celebration to the teams. It will also add time for vid
These additional time-outs for penalty corners and after goals in the new 60-minute format will primarily
After the first and third quarters each team will have a two-minute break with a 10 minute break at halftim

Reducing the amount of dangerous nuclear material (highly enriched uranium and plutonium) in the wo
Improving the security of radioactive material (including low-enriched uranium) that can be used to mak
Improving the international exchange of information and international cooperation.
The NSS countries agreed to keep the quantities of nuclear material as low as possible and to reduce t
The agreement also covers other radioactive material, such as low-enriched uranium, cobalt-60, stront
These materials have useful applications in hospitals industry, research and can also be used with ordi
These countries have also pledged to allow teams of international experts to evaluate their security proc
About Nuclear Security Summit
The goal of the Summit is to address the threat of nuclear terrorism by enhancing international coopera
The first NSS was held in Washington DC in 2010 and the second NSS was held in Seoul in 2012. The

Third Nuclear Security Summit

International Security Assistance Force

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The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan that w
Its main purpose is to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebui
ISAF was initially charged with securing Kabul and surrounding areas from the Taliban, al Qaeda and fa
so as to allow for the establishment of the Afghan Transitional Administration headed by Ham
In October 2003, the UN Security Council authorized the expansion of the ISAF mission throughout Afg
Troop contributors include from the United States, United Kingdom, NATO member states and a numb
The intensity of the combat faced by contributing nations varies greatly, with the United States sustainin
Four Stages
Stage 1: to the north completed October 2004
Stage 2: to the west completed September 2005
Stage 3: to the south completed July 2006
Stage 4: ISAF takes responsibility for entire country completed October 2006
United Nations Security Council resolution 1386
adopted unanimously on 20 December 2001, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in Afghani
Council authorised the establishment of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to assist the
The Security Council supported international efforts to eradicate terrorism in accordance with the Unite
The Council reiterated its support for the Bonn Agreement and noted an offer by the United Kingdom to

NSA level meeting on trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation between In

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During the third NSA-Level meeting in Delhi, the participants reviewed and expressed satisfaction over
Initiatives to enhance Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) through access to systems run under the ae
such as Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) services and sharing of Automatic Ide
Training and capacity building initiatives in areas of MDA, Search and Rescue, and Oil Pollution Respon
Joint activities including trilateral exercises, maintaining lines of communication on illegal maritime activ
They also discussed new areas of cooperation including hydrography; training in Visit, Board, Search a
raining on board Indian Sail Training Ships; exchanges between think tanks; and joint participa

Supreme Court directed all States and UTs to implement Manual Scaven
-

Directions for rehabilitation of those involved in manual scavenging by providing cash assistance, educ
At least one member of their family shall be given, subject to eligibility and willingness, training in liveliho
Besides, one adult member of the family is given subsidy or concessional loan for taking up an alternat
To address sewer deaths, it suggested that entering sewer lines without safety gears should be made
The people who were employed as scavengers should be allotted residential plots or constructed hous

Persons released from manual scavenging should not have to cross hurdles to receive what is their leg
Safai karamchari women should be provided support for dignified livelihood in accordance with their cho
The Railways should take time-bound strategy to end manual scavenging on the tracks and persons re

IMT is an innovative domestic money remittance facility.

It allows the customer to send money to a receiver only by using the receivers mobile number through
The receiver can withdraw money from a Bank of Indias ATM without using a card.
The monthly withdrawal limit prescribed for IMT transaction is 25000 rupees for receiver, and per transa
IMT is valid for 14 days only from the date of issue. After 14 days the transaction expires and the sende
IMT can also be cancelled by the sender before its expiry and withdrawal
Process of Transaction
The sender initiates IMT by providing receivers mobile number, four digits sender code, the IMT amoun
The sender provides receivers name, address and mobile number to the bank either on SMS or Interne
The receiver receives the notification of IMT on his mobile phone, along with a four-digit SMS Pin.
The sender separately communicates the four-digit sender code to the receiver.
The receiver, after getting these two pieces of information - one from the sender and the other on SMS,

Instant Money Transfer Scheme

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System

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an autonomous regional satellite navigation system being developed by the Indian Space Research Org
The requirement of such a navigation system is driven by the fact that access to foreign government-co
The IRNASS would provide two services, with the Standard Positioning Service open for civilian use an
As per ISRO the series of satellite would provide an accurate real time Position, Navigation and Time (
The IRNSS system mainly consists of three components, namely
Space Segment (Constellation of Satellites & SignalInSpace)
Ground Segment and User Segmen
IRNSS will have two types of signals in L5 and S-band centre frequency
L band centre frequency being 1176.45 MHz and S-band centre frequency being 2492.028 MH
IRNSS Applications
Mapping and geodetic data capture with precise timing
Visual and voice navigation for drivers,
Integration with mobile phones and terrestrial
Aerial and marine navigation,
Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travelers

Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana scheme launched in UAE

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The implementation of the MGPSY scheme will be facilitated by UAE Exchange that is offered by the Ind
Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) is a special social security scheme for overseas
The MGPSY is aimed at helping the workers to save money for their retirement, their return to India and
It provides home and a life insurance cover for 1 lakh rupees during their work abroad.
The Government of India will contribute up to 2000 rupees every year for male workers and 3000 rupee
It will be added to the Pension and Life Insurance (PLIF) account of each eligible subscriber.
workers have to contribute between 1000 & 12000 Rs per annum towards the pension fund and 4000 R
Indian Workers Resource Centre or IWRC is the support center for Indian workers in the UAE while Ba

The main features of the Banking Union reforms :To establish a new oversight system known as the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) un
SSM will be complemented by a Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM). SRM will act on the a
A fund of 55 billion euros (76 billion dollars) will be set up to cover the cost of closures. The fu
Customer deposits will be guaranteed up to 100000 euros, with the banks also required to m
Lenders must comply with stricter rules of conduct and capital levels. The aim is to limit the

European Parliament approved the Banking Union reforms

Umesh Bellur headed GIRO Advisory Group submitted its report to RBI
-

The Reserve Bank of India constituted the GIRO Advisory Group (GAG) in October 2013 to implement a
(GIRO) - Government Internal Revenue Order
It is a centralised process that allows payments for utility bills, educational fees and insurance premium
Advisory Group has suggested setting up two Organisations, Bharat Bill Payment Services (BBPS) and
Recommended a tiered structure where the Bharat Bill Payment Services (BBPS) will be the authorise
BBPOUs will be the authorised operational units, working in adherence to the standards set by the BBP
The BBPS will also handle the settlement responsibilities arising out of the transactions in the system.
All the entities in this tiered structure will operate under the uniform and single brand of the BBPS.

MCA notified rules on providing insurance cover for public deposits

-

Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) notified rules on providing insurance cover for public deposits
The rules called Regulations for Acceptance of Deposits by Companies was notified under section 73(2
Section 73(2) (d) of the Act provides a mandatory insurance cover for public deposits garnered by com
The deposit insurance contract shall specifically provide that in case the company defaults in repaymen
depositor shall be entitled to the repayment of principal amount of deposits and the interest th
Provided that in the case of any deposit not exceeding 20000 rupees, the deposit insurance contract sh
All deposit-taking companies would need to maintain a Deposit Repayment Reserve Account with a sc

Kasturirangan Task Force on Waste to Energy submitted its report to th

-

he report highlighted the need for an integrated approach towards Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) manag
It emphasized the need for setting up centralised or decentralised waste processing facilities keeping i
The report provides guidance for the selection of appropriate technology and clearly indicates technolog
It emphasizes on converting the combustible waste into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to be used in pow
Urban India currently generates 170000 tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) each day. Only 19% of th
The thrust of the task force is therefore to minimize the quantum of waste for disposal by optimal utiliza
adopting the concept of 5-R Reduce, Reuse, Recover,Recycle and Remanufactureand thr
The report strongly recommended Public Private Partnership (PPP) as a mode of service delivery to ac
Considering the projected waste generation of 165 million tonnes by 2031, the requirement of land for s
The Task Force (TF) has taken a serious view and considers it imperative to minimize the wastes goin
The report also guide Urban Local Bodies (ULB) for adopting an integrated approach towards MSW ma
to advise Government of India and the State Governments to extend financial and technical s

Drishti System
-

Drishti system is a sophisticated instrument for assessment of Runway visual range, which is a critica
Drishti Transmissometer, a visibility measuring system is an innovative, indigenous product designed ,
Web enabled health monitoring, remote control of the system from any location in the country for acces
Servicing is made user friendly and cost-effective by modular electronics and virtual instrumentation co

Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty

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CANWFZ treaty is a legally binding commitment of Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajik
Was signed on 8 September 2006 at Semipalatinsk (a major Soviet nuclear site), Kazakhstan. Hence i
Included Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan and came into force on 21
Treaty and its Protocol will promote regional cooperation, security, stability and peace in the region with
CANWFZ Treaty complements the NPT and enhances the international nonproliferation regime by proh
Under the Treaty, the five Central Asian zone states will not allow the stationing of nuclear weapons wit
These states are also required to adopt the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Additional Proto

Till now, banks allowed minors to operate bank accounts only along with a parent or a guardian. All child
RBI took this initiative to promote the objective of financial inclusion and also to bring uniformity among
Main Highlights

RBI allowed the minors of age above 10 years to open Savings bank acc

All minors can now open a savings/fixed/recurring bank deposit account through either his/her natural g
Banks may keeping in view their risk management systems, fix limits in terms of age and amount up to
The banks can also decide on the minimum documents which are required for opening of accounts by
Banks are free to offer additional banking facilities like Internet banking, ATM/debit card, cheque book fa
On attaining majority, the minor would be required to confirm the balance in his/her account.
If the account was operated by the natural/legal guardian, fresh operating instructions and specimen si

Cheque Truncation System

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Cheque Truncation System (CTS) or Image-based Clearing System (ICS), in India, is a project underta
CTS is basically an online image-based cheque clearing system where cheque images and Magnetic In
Truncation means, stopping the flow of the physical cheques issued by a drawer to the drawee branch.
The physical instrument is truncated at some point en route to the drawee branch and an electronic ima
Cheque truncation, would eliminate the need to move the physical instruments across branches, excep
This would result in effective reduction in the time required for payment of cheques, the associated cos

The term beyond-visual-range missile (BVR) usually refers to an air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) that is cap
This range has been achieved using dual pulse rocket motors or booster rocket motor and ramjet susta
In addition to the range capability, the missile must also be capable of tracking its target at this range or
Astra - First indigenously developed air-to-air missile Astra successfully test fired on from a Sukhoi-30
India becomes the fifth country to have BVR missile. Only a few countries like the US, Russia
60-km plus range missile possesses high Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP) which makes it
Astra is a highly advanced state of the art missile with excellent ECCM (electronic counter-co

Digitally preserve important historical sites for the benefit of future generations in Scotland and oversea
Share and promote Scottish technical expertise in conservation and digital visualisation.
Foster international collaboration and build lasting partnerships that capitalise on cultural connections w
Provide 3D digital models and data to site staff to better care for the heritage asset.
Create digital documentation and accurate 3D surveys of the sites for future development of innovative

Beyond Visual Range

Scottish Ten Project

Shome Panel on Tax Administration

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A separate budget allocation is recommended to ensure time-bound tax refund and a passbook schem
The retrospective amendments to tax laws should be avoided as a principle and Income Tax Return sh
The present functions of the Department of Revenue should be allocated to the two Boards (CBDT and
Two Boards (CBDT and CBEC) should move towards a unified management structure with common B
An Independent Evaluation Office should be set up to monitor performance of the tax administration, pro
The tax administration should have greater functional and financial autonomy and independence from g
Permanent Account Number (PAN) should be developed as a common business identification number
Both central excise, service tax should be covered under a single registration as both the taxes are adm
Each rule, regulation and other tax policy measure such as exemptions should be reviewed periodically
A minimum of 10 per cent of the tax administration's budget must be spend on taxpayer services.

The aim of the Project is to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean world and collate archaeological and
Ambassadors of several countries namely China, UAE, Qatar, Iran, Myanmar, and Vietnam have also e
It is a Union Ministry of Culture initiative with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New De
The main objective of the project is transnational nomination of Maritime Cultural Routes, creation of a c
linking other UNESCO cultural conventions with the World Heritage convention through this t
At the macro level the project is aimed to re-connect and re-establish communications between cou
At the micro level the projects focus is on understanding national cultures in their regional maritime

Union Ministry of Culture launched project Mausam to explore multi-face

World Bank released a report on power sector reforms in India

The report reviews Indian power sector across key areas of access, utility performance, and financial s
It identified electricity distribution to the end consumer as the weak link in the sector
The report recommended freeing utilities and regulators from external interference, increasing accounta
Highlights
Indias annual per capita power sector consumption at around 800 kWh is among the lowest levels in th
Total accumulated losses in the power sector stood at 1.14 trillion rupees in 2011. These losses are ov
Due to accumulated losses, the power sector debt reached 3.5 trillion rupees in 2011, as much as 5%
Over 60% of the sectors accumulated losses in 2011 came from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
While grid connectivity has increased, over 200 million people without power live in electrified villages.
It takes seven procedures and 67 days to get a power connection for a commercial establishment in Ind
In 2010 some 87% of the domestic electricity supplied India-wide was subsidized. Over half of subsidy
Factors responsible for increasing losses in the power sector
The cost to discoms of purchasing power has risen faster than revenues
Fuel shortages and the need for expensive fuel imports by generators and generation inefficiencies
Rising interest expenses and tariffs not keeping pace with costs over the years
Under-collection of bills and delayed collection of payments
More than one-fifth of electricity purchased being collectively lost by the utilities
Key Recommendations
State governments should pay subsidies transparently, fully, and on time, when they mandate free pow
State governments must also improve the targeting of subsidies so resources are not wasted and actu
Utilities must be freed from government interference and their management professionalized. Despite c
Banks/lenders should hold utilities accountable for efficient operation and not lend to those that are not
Regulators should transparently revise tariffs in line with efficient costs, hold utilities to service standard
Consumers need to pay for the power they use, and hold regulators and state governments accountab
Union government should pledge no future bailouts, give regulators autonomy and adequate resources,
Union government should also allow competition to create pressure for efficient operation, and promote

The debt securities have to be of minimum of 100 crore rupees for both non-banking finance companie
The issuer need to make additional disclosures and attain atleast 75 percent of the base issue size.
If the issuer does not receive minimum subscription, the entire application money will have to be refund
SEBI prescribes a minimum subscription limit of 90 percent in case of an initial public offering.
In case of public issue of non-convertible debentures (NCDs), the issuer can decide the amount of min
Foreign Portfolio Investors (FIIs) investment in non-convertible shares or debentures will be included wi
SEBI exempted the issuers of tax-free bonds from the minimum subscription limit as specified by the C

SEBI issued new norms for public issuance of debt securities

Know Your Customer Norm (KYC)

-

KYC is a term used for customer identification process.

The objective of the KYC guidelines is to prevent banks being used, intentionally or unintentionally by cr
KYC has two components - Identity and Address. While identity remains the same, the address may ch
RBI issued guidelines to banks under Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and Rule 7 of Pr
These guidelines were issued on the recommendations made by the Financial Action Task Force (FAT
RBI issued KYC guidelines in 2004 to which banks had to become compliant by 31 December 2005

Nuclear Threat Initiative

-

Is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by Ted Turner and Sam Nunn in the United Sta
which exists to strengthen global security by reducing the spread of nuclear, biological and ch
NTI is an operational organization, actively engaged in developing, shaping and implementing projects
NTI engages in model programs to inspire private and governmental efforts toward threat reduction.
NTI helped create the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS), established in Vienna in 2008

Heliborne Survey System

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System comprises magnetic , gravimetric, spectrometric as well as Time domain Electromagnetic sen

This system with additional and more advanced sensors will focus onto greater details in smaller areas
Fitted with state of art sensors, HGSS will bolster the probing prowess of aerogeophysical surveys for l
Time domain Helicopter Borne EM system
Advanced Airborne Gamma Ray Spectrometer
Magnetometer
Gravimeter
GPS Receivers
Data Acquistion Systems

HydrofluoroCarbon
-

any of several organic compounds composed of hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon. HFCs are produced s
While HFCs have an ozone depletion potential of zero, they are potent greenhouse gases, and thus the
They became widely used in the late 1980s, with the introduction of the Montreal Protocol, which phase
Uses
As refrigerants, HFCs are used in a wide variety of cooling systems, from refrigerators and fr
HFCs are also used as blowing agents in the production of polymer foams
as firefighting agents (having replaced halons); as solvents in cleaning products for plastics a
as propellants in metred-dose inhalers prescribed for the treatment of asthma
The breakdown of HFCs occurs in the troposphere (the lowest portion of the atmosphere), where they
Within the troposphere, the carbon-fluorine bonds in HFCs are highly effective at trapping solar radiation

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
-

Any of several organic compounds composed of carbon, fluorine, and chlorine

When CFCs also contain hydrogen in place of one or more chlorines, they are called hydrochlorofluoro
trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) and dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), found use as aerosol-spray p
They are well suited for these and other applications because they are nontoxic and nonflammable and
CFCs, once released into the atmosphere, accumulate in the stratosphere, where they contribute to th
Stratospheric ozone shields life on Earth from the harmful effects of the Suns ultraviolet radiation

International treaty, adopted in Montreal on Sept. 16, 1987, that aimed to regulate the production and us
Initially 46 countries, now has 200 signatories
In the early 1970s, American chemists F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina theorized that chlorofluo
releasing atoms of chlorine and chlorine monoxide that are individually able to destroy large n
In 1978 CFC-based aerosols were banned in the United States, Norway, Sweden, and Canada.
Further validation of their work came in 1985 with the discovery of a hole in the ozone shield over Anta
Following above discovery, representatives from 28 countries met to discuss the issue at the Vienna C
The meeting called for international cooperation in research involving ozone-depleting chemic
empowered the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to lay the groundwork for th
The initial agreement was designed to reduce the production and consumption of several type
Amended to further reduce and completely phase out CFCs and halons, as well as the manufacture an

Montreal Protocol

Greenhouse Gases
-

any gas that has the property of absorbing infrared radiation (net heat energy) emitted from Earths surf
Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases. To a lesser ext
Greenhouse gases have a profound effect on the energy budget of the Earth system despite making up
Processes which affect GHG are :tectonic activties, fossil-fuel combustion, vegetation, soil, wetland, ocean source and sinks
Some gases have a high capacity for absorbing infrared radiation or occur in significant quantities, whe
Radiative Forcing:- is a measure of the influence a given greenhouse gas or other climatic factor (such
Major Greenhouse Gases
Water Vapour
most potent of the greenhouse gases in Earths atmosphere, but its behaviour is fundamentally differen

The primary role of water vapour is not as a direct agent of radiative forcing but rather as a climate feed
The warmer the surface, the greater the evaporation rate of water from the surface.
Carbon dioxide
Natural sources of atmospheric CO2 include outgassing from volcanoes, the combustion and natural d
These sources are balanced, on average, by a set of physical, chemical, or biological processes, calle
Significant natural sinks include terrestrial vegetation, which takes up CO2 during the process of photos
Oceanic Sinks - solubility pump, involves the descent of surface sea water containing dissolved CO2
Biological Pump :-involves the uptake of dissolved CO2 by marine vegetation and phytoplankton living in
Methane (Marsh Gas)
colourless, odourless gas that occurs abundantly in nature as the chief constituent of natural gas, as a
as a product of the anaerobic bacterial decomposition of vegetable matter under water
Methane also is produced industrially by the destructive distillation of bituminous coal in the manufactur
Because of its abundance, low cost, ease of handling, and cleanliness, such gas is widely used as a fu
CH4 is more potent than CO2 because the radiative forcing produced per molecule is greater.
In addition, the infrared window is less saturated in the range of wavelengths of radiation absorbed by C
CH4 exists in far lower concentrations than CO2 in the atmosphere, and its concentrations by volume i

Shale Gas
-

Is natural gas obtained from sheetlike formations of shale, frequently at depths exceeding 1,500 metres
Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks consisting of silt- and clay-sized particles that were laid dow
Over time the mud layers were buried by further sedimentation, and the resulting heat and pressure tra
Gas that was generated in the shales migrated into more-permeable rock layers, forming todays so-ca
The problem for producers is that it diffuses at an extremely slow rate and must be extracted through u
The most productive method is usually horizontal drilling through the shale seam, followed by hydraulic
natural gas is promoted as a bridge fuel, a clean-burning fossil fuel that will enable society to lower its
Little more on Shale
Shales characteristically consist of at least 30 percent clay minerals and substantial amounts of quartz
They also contain smaller quantities of carbonates, feldspars, iron oxides, fossils, and organic matter.
Shales typically have a laminated structure and are fissile; i.e., they exhibit a tendency to split into thin la
Such physical properties as permeability and plasticity are largely dependent on the grain sizes of the c

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

-

Prelude
Achieving global nuclear disarmament was the subject of the General Assemblys first resolution in 194
It has been a prominent theme of review conferences held at the UN since 1975 of States parties to the
It was identified a priority goal of the General Assemblys first Special Session on disarmament in 1978
Current Situation
Yet today, some 17,000 nuclear weapons remain. Countries possessing such weapons have well-fund
As of 2014, not one nuclear weapon has been physically destroyed pursuant to a treaty, bilateral or mu
Meanwhile, the doctrine of nuclear deterrence persists as an element in the security policies of all poss
Relevance
Above facts provide the foundation for the General Assemblys designation of 26 September as the Inte
provides an occasion for the world community to reaffirm its commitment to global nuclear disarmame
provides an opportunity to educate the publicand their leadersabout the real benefits of eliminating

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Bill 2010

-

Bill amends the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, which provides for control, re
The Bill adds a new definition of central government factories and amends the definitions of commer
In the Act, commercial quantity is defined as any quantity of drugs or psychotropic substances above
The Bill broadens the definition of illegally acquired property to include not just property derived from in
The central government may permit and regulate the sale, purchase or consumption of poppy straw pro
The Act prohibits any person from possessing or transferring any property or concealing the nature and

Global Innovation Index

-

is an annual publication which features, among others, a composite indicator that ranks countries/econ
Cornell University joined INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization as co-publisher
Conceptual Framework
The Global Innovation Index is the simple average of the Input and Output Sub-Indices.
The Innovation Efficiency Ratio is the ratio of the Output Sub-Index over the Input Sub-Index.
The Innovation Input Sub-Index is the simple average of the first five pillar scores.
The Innovation Output Sub-Index is the simple average of the last two pillar scores
Pillars
Institutions,
Human capital and research,
Infrastructure,
Market sophistication,
Business sophistication,
Knowledge and technology outputs, and
Creative outputs

Sorphene Class Submarine

-

a class of diesel-electric attack submarine jointly developed by the French DCN and the Spanish comp
features diesel propulsion and an additional air-independent propulsion (AIP)
What is AIP
Technology which allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without the need to access atmospheric
A nuclear ship's reactor must constantly pump coolant, generating some amount of detectable noise
Non-nuclear submarines running on battery power or AIP, on the other hand, can be virtually silent
AIP is usually implemented as an auxiliary source, with the traditional diesel engine handling propulsion
Most such systems generate electricity which in turn drives an electric motor for propulsion or recharge
In Context to India
In 2005, India chose the Scorpne design; purchasing six for US$3 billion (US$ 500m per boat
submarines are to be manufactured under a technology transfer agreement by the state-owned Mazag
First Scorpene submarine is to be named INS Kalvari and sea trails will start within 2015

IRIGC
-

The Indo-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC) is the main body that conducts affairs at th
It is divided into two parts, the first covering Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Co
normally co-chaired by the Russian Deputy Prime Minister and the Indian External Affairs Min
second part of the commission covers Military Technical Co-operation this is co-chaired by the two co

launched a new Aadhaar-based digital life certificate for pensioners Jeevan Pramaan that will allow se
Pensioners will no longer have to submit a physical life certificate in November each year, to ensure co
Department of Electronics and IT has developed a software application which will enable the recording
Key details of the pensioner will be uploaded to a central database on real-time basis, ultimately enablin

The programme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY), was announced in 2014 budget and
The Union water resources ministry is the nodal ministry for implementing the programme
PMKSY is for those regions which are not covered by earlier irrigation programmes like the Accelerated
which is meant to provide irrigation to the north-eastern states, other hilly states like Uttarakh
The scheme is fully centrally funded, and would converge with rural development schemes like (MGNR

PM Launches Digital life certificate for Pensioners

Pradhanmantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana

Union Budget 2014-15

Rural Development
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission for integrated project based infrastructure in the rural areas.

- 500 crore rupees for Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana for feeder separation to augment pow
- 14389 crore rupees provided for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna(PMGSY).
- More productive, asset creating and with linkages to agriculture and allied activities wage employment
- Under Ajeevika, the provision of bank loan for women SHGs at 4 percent to be extended to another 10
- Initial sum of 100 crore rupees for Start Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme for encouraging rura
- Allocation for National Housing Bank increased to 8000 crore rupees to support rural housing.
- New programme Neeranchal to give impetus to watershed development in the country with an initial o
- Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) to be restructured to address intra-district inequalities
Urban Development
- Housing for All by 2022
- Mission on Low Cost Affordable Housing anchored in the National Housing Bank to be set up
- Slum development to be included in the list of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to enco
- One Hundred Smart Cities to be developed at a cost of 7060 crore rupees
- Tax incentives for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS)
Weaker Sections and Minorities
Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojna for the welfare of the tribals with an outlay of 100 crore rupees
National level institutes for Universal Inclusive Design, Mental Health Rehabilitation and a Centre for D
Up gradation of Traditional Skills in Arts, Resources and Goods for the up gradation of skills and trainin
Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY) to be revived for a limited period from 15 August, 2014 to 14 A
Women and Child Development
- Safety for Women on Public Road Transport Project with an outlay of 50 crore rupees started
- Scheme to increase the safety of women in large cities with an allocation of 150 crore rupees
- Crisis Management Centres to be set up in all the government and private hospitals of the districts of
- Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana a focused scheme to generate awareness and help in improving the
- School curriculum to have a separate chapter on gender mainstreaming
Health and Family Welfare
- Free Drug Service and Free Diagnosis Service to achieve Health for All
- Two National Institutes of Ageing to be set up at AIIMS, New Delhi and Madras Medical College, Chenn
- A national level research and referral Institute for higher dental studies to be set up
- AIIMS like institutions in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Vidarbha in Maharashtra and Poorvanchal in U
- 12 new government medical colleges to be set up
- 15 Model Rural Health Research Centres to be set up for research on local health issues concerning
- A national programme in Mission Mode to halt the deteriorating malnutrition situation in India to be put i
Employment and Skill Development
- Skill India to be launched to skill the youth with an emphasis on employability and entrepreneurial skills
- More productive, asset creating and with linkages to agriculture and allied activities wage employment
- Start Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme ?for encouraging rural youth to take up local entreprene
School and Education
- A School Assessment Programme initiated at a cost of 30 crore rupees
- Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya New Teachers Training Programme to infuse new training tools and mo
- Communication Linked Interface for Cultivating Knowledge (CLICK) and online courses to be establish

Rashtriya Gokul Mission

-

to promote conservation and developments of indigenous breeds of cows in a focused and scientific m
Aim and Objective of the Mission
- Development and conservation of indigenous breeds
- Undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds to improve the genetic makeu
- It aims at enhancing milk production and productivity
- Upgradation non-descript cattle using elite indigenous breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Deoni, Tharpark
- Distribution of disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural service
Gokul Gram
Under the mission an Indigenous Cattle Centres or Gokul Grams will be established in breeding tracts o
The native breeding tracts
Near metropolitan cities for housing the urban cattle

These Grams that will have a capacity of 1000 animals will have unproductive animals along with produ
Gokul Grams will have house fodder production to meet the Nutritional requirements of the animals

The Council strongly condemned the failure of Israel to end its prolonged occupation of the Occupied P
It also condemned all violence against civilians wherever it occurs, including the killing of two Israeli civi
It also called for an end to attacks against all civilians, including Israeli civilians
It demanded Israel to immediately and fully end its illegal closure of the occupied Gaza Strip
It called upon the international community to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance and serv
It expresses deep concern at the condition of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails and det
It also recommended the Government of Switzerland to promptly reconvene the conference of High Co
What is UNHRC
is a United Nations System inter-governmental body whose 47 member states are responsible for prom
Is the successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR, herein CHR), and is a subsidiary b
The council works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and e
Special procedures is the general name given to the mechanisms established by the Human Rights Co
Special procedures can be either individuals (called "Special Rapporteurs" or "Independent Experts") w

Main Highlights of UNHRC Resolution -2014

Union Government notified Public Servants Rules, 2014

-

It has been made mandatory for all Government employees to file declarations of their assets and liabili
Declarations to be made
New forms for filing the returns have been issued by the Government
the employees will have to declare motor vehicles, aircraft, yachts or ships, gold and silver jewellery an
give detail of their immovable properties and statement of debts and other liabilities on first appointment
declarations are in addition to such returns being filed by the government employees under various serv

Supreme Court ruled no automatic arrest of accused in dowry cases

-

The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice C K Prasad directed

- All the State governments to instruct its police officers not to automatically arrest when a case under S
- The police should satisfy themselves about the necessity for arrest under the parameters laid down fl
- The police officer shall furnish the reasons and materials which necessitated the arrest before the ma
- A person accused of offence punishable with imprisonment for a term up to seven with or without fine
- The attitude of police to arrest first and then proceed with the rest is despicable and it must be curbed
- Any arrest or detention by a police official without recording reasons as aforesaid by the judicial magis

is a vaccination program launched by the Government of India in 1985

It became a part of Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme in 1992 and is currently one of the
The program consists of vaccination for seven diseases- tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping
On 2014 it was announced that four vaccines will be added to the program, namely rotavirus, rubella an
Importance and Impact of these vaccines
These vaccines will collectively expedite Indias progress on meeting the Millennium Development Goal
The recent introduction of the pentavalent vaccine will help in preventing at least 1 lakh infant deaths, de

Universal Immunization Programme

Marrakesh Treaty
-

Marrakesh Treaty formally is the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually
Created to set mandatory limitations and exceptions for the benefit of blink, visually impaired and otherw
Contracting parties need to adopt national law provisions that permit reproduction, distribution and mak
India became the first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for p
Benefits of Marrakesh Treaty
- Access to published works for millions of blind, visually impaired and other print disabled persons in In
- It will establish equal rights and opportunities for education and employment for them
- It will also facilitate import of accessible format copies from the member states by the Indian authorize

- It will facilitate translation of imported accessible format copies and export of accessible format copies

Trade Receivables Discounting System (TRDES)

-

Scheme for setting up and operating an institutional mechanism for facilitating the financing of trade rec
Facilitate the discounting of both invoices as well as bills of exchange.
Direct participants in the TReDS will be MSME sellers, corporate buyers and financiers, both banks and
What are the RBI Guidelines
provide the platform to bring these participants together for facilitating uploading, accepting, discounting
may also introduce some random audits to ensure that there is no window dressing and that factoring
Would put in place a standardized mechanism / process for on-boarding of buyers and sellers on the T
Governed by the regulatory framework put in place by the Reserve Bank of India under the Payment an

Iron Dome Anti - Missile Defence System

-

The Iron Dome Anti-Missile Defence System was designed by Haifa-based Rafael Advanced Defence S
Decision to build the system was taken in 2007 after the Second Lebanon War in 2006 in which Lebano
It was first operated in April 2011 to combat Grad Rocket fired from Gaza by Hamas.
The dome is the only dual defence system in the world that offers protection against short-range missil
Comprises of
Detection & Tracking Radar built by the Elta defense company
Battle Management & Weapon Control designed by the mPrest Systems software company
Missile Firing Unit manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd

Passive Immunization
-

Pre-synthesized elements of the immune system are transferred to a person so that the body does not
This method of immunization begins to work very quickly, but it is short lasting, because the antibodies
Currently, Anitbodies can be used for passive immunization
Occurs physiologically, when antibodies are transferred from mother to fetus during pregnancy, to prote
Artificial passive immunization is normally administered by injection and is used if there has been a rec
Why in news?
Zmapp - Drug uses passive immunization to treat Ebola infection
How it works
First antibodies are extracted from infected patients and then induced into mice
The Ebola protein is then genetically altered and then inserted into tobacco leaves through a unique me
The antibodies are then inserted into tobacco leaves using this technology and grown in large numbers
Finally, the antibodies against the Ebola virus are then administered to patients to develop immunity to t

Dot Bharat Domain

-

Union govt launched a New Domain, Dot Bharat in Devanagri Script

Domain will cover eight languages like Hindi, Bodo, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Marathi, Nepali and Sindhi
The included languages are from the list of 22 languages that has been included in the Eighth Schedule
Purpose
Creation of the domain .Bharat is aimed to connect people with social media and provide contents in re
The domain will provide information to people in their own regional languages which will help in promotio
Website with this domain would also in bringing revolutionary changes in economic activities at least of
Developed by the joint efforts of National Internet Exchange of India and Centre for Development of Adv

SC issued notice to government seeking response on amendment of Art

-

Article 348 states that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and all the High Court shall be done in Eng
The notice was issued on a plea of lawyer Shiv Sagar Tiwari seeking Courts direction to the governmen
Petitioner in its plea said that use of English as an official language in higher judiciary is a legacy of Briti
Logic and Arguments
Although Hindi in Devanagiri script is considered as an official national language as per Article 343, but
it is provided that all the proceedings in the Supreme Court and High Court shall be in English

Under Article 349 of the Constitution, the Parliament was bound to bring an amendment for change of la
same has not been done till date and people are forced to use English in the apex court

Improving workers safety

Increasing the provision for overtime
Increasing the penalty for violations of the Act
Relaxing the norms for women to work night shifts in some industry segments
Reducing the number of days an employee needs to work before becoming eligible for benefits such as
Provisions
Seeks to allow women to work at night between 7 PM and 6 AM, provided their work places have suffici
Allows prosecution of factory owners to be commuted to penalties for minor offences
proposes to change the eligibility criteria for entitlement of annual leave with pay.
Cuts the minimum number of days employees must have worked to claim the benefit from 240 to 90 da

Training of non-engineers as apprentices

Expand employment opportunities
Appointment of apprentice from employers native state
Allows employer to formulate its own policy of recruitment
Proposes to expand the scope of employment for apprentices and push for the induction of more non-e
Aims at allowing young job seekers and students to gain industry-relevant skills on the shop floor.
Allows industries to appoint apprentices from a different state from where the employer is located.
Every employer allowed formulating its own policy on recruiting apprentices who have completed trainin

Factories Amendment Bill, 2014

Apprentices Amendment Bill, 2014

Juvenile Justice Bill, 2014

-

The bill will treat minors above the age of 16 as adults, who are accused of heinous crimes like rape an
The bill empowered the Juvenile Justice Board to decide whether a minor would be tried in a regular co
The bill provides that if a minor is sent to regular court, he would not be sentenced to life or death if foun
Provision for Children in conflict zones and Corporal punishment
The Bill proposes up to seven year rigorous imprisonment, 5 lakh rupees fine or both for militant groups
The Bill widens the definition of corporal punishment by including physical and verbal abuse.
It proposes stringent punishment for those who subject "a child to corporal punishment causing hurt an
Offenders could face jail term between six months on first conviction
If the offender is an employee of an institution dealing with children, he can be dismissed from service f

Securities Laws Amendment Act, 2014

- The Act empowers the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to clamp down on illicit money-poo
- It is a part of the government and regulators efforts to tighten noose around fraudsters in the wake of
- It would also facilitate setting up of a special SEBI court to fast-track the investigation and prosecution
- It also grants approval for search and seizure operations in suspected cases of frauds.
- It has as many as 57 clauses to amend various sections of the SEBI Act and two other related legisla

115th Constitutional Amendment Bill

-

The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution to provide for the introduction of a Goods and Services Tax (G
The Bill allows both Parliament and state legislatures to frame laws with respect to GST. Parliament w
The Bill creates Goods and Services Tax Council consisting of state Finance Ministers, the Union Finan
The Bill provides for a Dispute Settlement Authority to settle disputes between states or between states
The Bill exempts certain commodities from GST, including petroleum products and alcoholic liquor for h

Re-launched scheme would provide financial security to almost half a million people by ensuring regula
- The scheme would help the senior citizens across the country by providing monthly pension ranging f

Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana

- The scheme is available to citizens aged 60 years and above

- A beneficiary can take loan (up to 75% of subscribed amount), which will be availed after 3 years from
- On death, the full purchase price will be refunded to nominee
- Exit/surrender would be allowed after 15 years or earlier in special circumstances like critical / termina
- Payment will be through ECS or NEFT

Digital India Programme

-

The programme is worth 1 lakh crore rupees and seeks to transform the Indian economy into a digitally
The Digital India programme is a transformed version of the already running National e-Governance Pla
Aim
To provide thrust to nine growth areas. These are: broadband highways, everywhere mobile connectivit
e-Kranti (which aims to give electronic delivery of services), information for all, electronics ma
Vision
creation of ICT infrastructure like high speed Internet at gram panchayat level, on demand availability of
Monitoring
headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) will
A Digital India Advisory Group will be formed and will be chaired by the Union Minister of Communicatio
an Apex Committee which will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and the Expenditure Finance Comm
Implementation of the Programme
Government will prefer to adopt Public Private Partnerships (PPP) wherever feasible for rolling out Digit
Apart for existing e-governance projects, government will restructure National Informatics Centre which
Google App
Google is working with the government (Dept of Information Technology) to encourage digital literacy an
The mobile app will bring the PMO to every citizen.
Through this app, Google pledge to support and endorse the PM's digital India programme.
The app will further help the Indian Government to realize the vision of a digitally connected, knowled
The app will continue to build a vibrant language ecosystem online.
The app will help women and small and medium enterprises get online and showcase Indias heritag

Delhi Resolution
-

3rd Meeting of SAARC Ministers of Culture was held in Delhi, where this resolution was taken: To declare 201617 as the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage with bamiyan as cultural capital
To formulate proposals for transnational nominations for the world heritage list and a regional list of
To recognize the impact and contribution of maritime routes and the monsoon as also other inland r
To enhance interaction between member countries by redefining cultural linkages through transnatio
To establish a SAARC Cultural Heritage Committee (SHC) and build cultural institutions
To promote the literatures produced in the local languages of the regions, and make them available
To accord the highest priority to the preservation of folklores and other oral traditions that embody lo

The Mission will provide the operational framework and unity of purpose to ensure the rapid, effective an
ensure essential services, preserve stability and prevent its spread to countries which are cu
The Mission will rely on the support of the entire UN system in particular the critical technical expertise o
The hub of the Mission will be located in Accra, Ghana

In case encounter that leads to death, FIRs should be filed and magisterial probe under Section 176 of
No guidelines are in place for encounter killings in the country.
Cases of death in police encounters continue to occur in spite of Constitutional provisions for safeguard
Court also said that no out-of-turn promotion or instant gallantry rewards should be bestowed on the co
It must be ensured at all costs that such rewards are given or recommended only when the gallantry of

United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER)

SC issued guidelines on fake encounters and called for mandatory regis

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

 The Yojana aims at training 10 lakh (1 million) rural youths for jobs in three years, that is, by 2017.
The minimum age for entry under the Yojana is 15 years compared to 18 years under the Aajeevika S
Skill development training centres to be launched so as to address the unemployment problem in the
The skills imparted under the Yojana will now be benchmarked against international standards and wil
The Kaushalya Yojana will also the address the need for imparting training to the differently-able perso

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban areas

Imparting skills with an expenditure of 15000 rupees to 18000 rupees on each urban poor
Promotion of self-employment through setting up individual micro-enterprises and group enterprises
With interest subsidy for individual projects costing 2lakhs rupees and 10 lakhs rupees for group enter
Training urban poor to meet the huge demand from urban citizens by imparting market oriented skills
Enabling urban poor form Self-Help Groups for meeting financial and social needs with a support of 10
Development of vendor markets besides promotion of skills of vendors
Construction of permanent shelters for urban homeless and provision of other essential services.

Swachh Bharat Mission for Urban Areas

-

The Mission is the urban component of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and will be implemented by Union M
The rural component of the Mission will be implemented by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanita
Main elements
The Mission includes elimination of open defecation, conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets
The Programme consists of components for providing (i) Individual household toilets; (ii) Community an
It would cover 1.04 crore households, provide 2.5 lakh seats of community toilets, 2.6 lakh seats of pub
Aim
It aims towards bringing a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices
Generating awareness among citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public health.
It also aims at strengthening of urban local bodies to design, execute and operate systems to fulfill thes
Creating an enabling environment for private sector participation in capital expenditure and operational e

Make in India Campaign

-

Campaign is aimed to attract foreign companies to set up their manufacturing units in India and to seek
The objective of the campaign is to get manufacturing sector to grow over 10% on a sustainable basis
The campaign is aimed to transform the economy from the services-driven growth model to labour-inte
This will help in creating jobs for over 10 million people, who join the workforce every year
The programme lays emphasis on 25 sectors with focus on job creation and skill enhancement.
Features
The government will look into all regulatory processes to ease the burden of investors.
A dedicated cell has been created to answer queries from business entities through a newly created
While an exhaustive set of FAQs on this portal will help investors find instant answers to their gener
The DIPP and industry lobby FICCI have jointly set up an eight-member expert panel to address que
All central government services are being integrated with an e-Biz single window online portal.
States have been advised to introduce self-certification.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has been asked to give all security clearances to investment pro

Word AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
NAM is aimed at addressing the gaps in health services particularly in vulnerable and far-off areas
Prospects of Mission
The improvement of AYUSH education through enhancement in the number of upgraded educationa
Better access to AYUSH services through increase in number of AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries
Sustained availability of quality raw material for AYUSH systems of medicine
Availability of quality Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy (ASU&H) drugs through increase in

National Ayush Mission

Maharaja Bond

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) raised 100 million US dollars (600 crore rupees) from intern
This is the first international AAA issuance in India wherein HSBC, ICICI securities, and SBI Caps are th
Characterisitic Features of Maharaja Bond
The Maharaja Bonds were issued under the 2.5 billion US dollars programme of World Bank spread o
These bonds will help develop infrastructure for the domestic capital markets.
These bonds offer an innovative structure to attract different types of investors to the domestic capital
There are four different tranches with different maturities under the same issuance
(i) five-year bullet bond of 25 million US dollar; (ii) ten-year bullet bond of 25 million US dollar;
IFC can increase the size of issuance according to its funding needs under the STRPP structure.
The bonds proceeds issued under STRPP structure will be used for infrastructure investments in Indi

For smooth transportation of perishable goods, which will facilitate in creation of a database of bottlenec
RVC is a joint initiative of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, National Centre for Cold-chain
The information provided by the RVC would help transporters to en-route trips away from critical zones
Actions that will be taken on the basis of the complaints received would help in minimizing wastage tha

Reefer Vehicle Call-in-Centre

RBI issued guidelines on implementation of Basel III Capital Regulations

-

Banks can issue the instruments with the principal loss absorption through either (i) conversion into co
Banks should ensure that the non-common equity capital instruments issued by them meet all the elig
The Call option on Additional Tier 1 instrument Non-Cumulative Preference Shares (PNCPS) and Perp
Banks can issue Tier 2 capital instruments that are Redeemable Non-Cumulative Preference Shares (
Banks can issue Tier 2 debt capital instruments (Perpetual Cumulative Preference Shares / Redeema
At present, the Call option on the PNCPS and PDI respectively is permissible only after the instrument h

Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) programme

-

ETC is a programme of electronically making the payment on highway tolls without stopping the vehicle
The vehicles will be provided a unique number of the RFID Tag that should be affixed on the wind shield
The RFID Tag on windshield will be read by the readers fitted in the dedicated ETC lanes of plazas, wh
The complete process of payment will be automated.
The dedicated ETC lanes will have colour coding for distinct identity recognized as FASTag lanes.

Was first published by World Economic Forum

Index seeks to measure aspect of gender equality - the relative gaps between women and men across
Three basic concepts underlying Global Gender Gap index - it focuses on measuring gaps rather than l
Following variables are used for calculations of index:Economic Participation and Opportunity
Ratio: Female labour force participation over male value
Wage equality between women and men for similar work
Ratio: Female estimated earned income over male value
Ratio: Female legislators, senior officials and managers over male value
Ratio: Female technical professional and workers over male value
Educational Attainment
Ratio: Female literacy rate over male value
Ratio: Female net primary enrolement over male
Ratio: Female net secondary enrolment over male
Ratio: Female Gross tertiary enrolment ratio over male
Health and Survival
Sex ratio
Female healthy life expectancy over male
Political Empowerment
Female with seats in parliamentary over male

Global Gender Gap Index

Female at ministerial level over male

Number of years of a female head of state over male

New Counter Naxal Doctrine

-

Union ministry demarcated the role of the state police and central paramilitary forces (CPMFs) in anti-M
Ministry proposed to put state police forces in the lead, while tasking CPMFs with using their pan-Indian
Will seek to fight the Maoists through a four-pronged approach, comprising elements like security-relate
The approach of the new law will be to focus on security interventions in worst LWE-affected areas
In moderately-affected areas, it will witness security and development initiatives going hand in hand; wh
Seeks to encourage police/CPMFs to recruit local tribal youth by holding more rallies and working aroun
There is emphasis also on honouring tribal icons by renaming projects and key local buildings after them

It aims to keep the soul of rural India alive while providing its people with quality access to basic ameniti
It places equal stress on nurturing values of national pride, patriotism, community spirit, self-confidence
It is unique and transformative as it has a holistic approach towards development.
It envisages integrated development of the selected village across multiple areas such as agriculture, h
SAGY aims at instilling certain values, such as people's participation, Antyodaya, gender equality, dignit
The gram panchayat would be the basic unit for development. It will have a population of 3000-5000 in p
In districts where this unit size is not available, the gram panchayats approximating the desirable popula
The MP would be free to identify a suitable gram panchayat for being developed as Adarsh Gram, other
The scheme will be implemented through a Village Development Plan that would be prepared for every
The constituency fund, MPLADS, would be available to fill critical financing gaps.
Gives focus to community participation.
The participation of women in the decision-making process will be encouraged. The scheme envisages
Ensuring universal access to education facilities, adult literacy, e-literacy are also important goals of SA
Adoption and adaptation of technology and introduction of innovations are critical to this programme, wi
At the national level, a separate, real time web based monitoring system will be put in place for the sche
Monitoring
The Union Ministry of Rural Development will put in place a specially designed capacity building program
At the state level, there will be an Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Secretary consisting of t
The District Collector will be the nodal officer for implementing the SAGY. He will conduct a monthly rev

Main Highlights of Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

National Air Quality Index

-

The National Air Quality Index is an initiative under Swachh Bharat Mission envisioned by Prime Ministe
AQI will act as a One Number- One Colour-One Description to judge the Air Quality for Common Man.
The earlier measuring index was limited to three indicators, while this index has been made quite comp
The proposed AQI will consider eight parameters (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb) for
This index was developed by an expert group comprising medical professionals, air quality experts, aca
There are six AQI categories namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Sev
This index transforms various air pollution levels into a single number for a simple description of air qua
The AQI will prompt the local authorities to take quick action to improve air quality and is aimed at attrac

It is responsible for coordinating the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies,
The ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, an
A number of non-governmental organizations are granted consultative status to the Council in order to p
ECOSOC as a quality platform for high-level engagement among member states and with international

Under the scheme, Union Government will provide 10 crore rupees for each block for the development
These blocks have been selected on the recommendations of the concerned States and have very low
The scheme mainly focuses on bridging infrastructural gaps and gap in human development indices be

United Nations Economic and Social Council

Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY)

VKY also envisages to focus on convergence of different schemes of development of Central Ministries
Initially the blocks having at least 33 percent of tribal population in comparison to total population of the b

Scheme is aimed at creating conducive environment for industrial development and doing business wit
Highlights
Labours will be provided Unique Labour Identification number, Local Interconnect Network, to facilitate t
Unified Labour Portal (Shram Suvidha) and a Transparent & Accountable Labour Inspection Scheme to
Demand Responsive Vocational Training
Apprentice Protsahan Yojana
Portability through Universal Account Number for Employees Provident Fund Account Holders
Implementation of Revamped Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) for the workers in the unorgan

Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram

-

National Mental Health Policy

-

Promote mental health, prevent mental illness, enable recovery from mental illness, promote destigmat
Ensure socio-economic inclusion of persons affected by mental illness by providing accessible, afforda
To provide universal access to mental health care
To increase access to and utilisation of comprehensive mental health services by persons with mental
To increase access to mental health care especially to vulnerable groups including homeless persons,
To reduce prevalence and impact of risk factors associated with mental health problems
To reduce risk and incidence of suicide and attempted suicide
To ensure respect for rights and protection from harm of persons with mental health problems
To reduce stigma associated with mental health problems
To enhance availability and equitable distribution of skilled human resources for mental health
To progressively enhance financial allocation and improve utilisation for mental health promotion and ca
To identify and address the social, biological and psychological determinants of mental health problems

Swachhta Udyami Yojana

-

Objective of cleanliness and providing livelihood to Safai Karamcharis and liberated Manual Scavengers
The Scheme provides financial assistance to Safai Karamcharis and identified Manual Scavengers for
The entrepreneurs of the target group may also avail assistance for purchase of vehicles such as Jetti
Beneficiaries can also take contracts from the Municipalities to operate these vehicles in areas under t
Beneficiaries will be provided loan at a very concessional rate of interest of 3-4 percent per annum.
Each identified Manual Scavenger will be provided capital subsidy upto 3.25 lakhs rupees

Is a non-legally binding political declaration that grew out of dialogue among governments, companies a
World Leaders endorse a global timeline to cut natural forest loss to half by 2020, and strive to end it by
Calls for restoring forests and croplands of an area larger than India and cutting carbon pollution every y
Commodity traders calling for public policies to eliminate deforestation, pledge by indigineous peoples t
New commitments from forest country governments to reduce deforestation or restore degraded lands
Support alternatives to deforestation driven by basic needs (such as subsistence farming and reliance

Is a fund within the framework of the UNFCCC founded as a mechanism to redistribute money from the
in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter cl
Wiill support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties using the
Issues
Most controversial aspects of the GCF concerns the creation of the Fund's Private Sector Facility (PSF
Many advocate a PSF that appeals to capital markets, in particular the pension funds and other institutio
Several developing countries and non-govt organizations have suggested that the PSF should focus on
Using the money in the right way in order to enforce actual change on the ground is one of the biggest c
All stakeholders should be involved in the process, instead of using a top-down approach

New York Declaration on Forests - Climate Summit 2014

Green Climate Fund

-

United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change

-

Is an international environmental treaty negotiated at the United Nations Conference on Environment an

Objective of the treaty is to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that w
The treaty itself set no binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries and contains
Instead, the treaty provides a framework for negotiating specific international treaties (called "protocols"
The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to ass
In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and established legally binding obligations for developed cou
The 2010 Cancn agreements state that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 C (3.6 F

Contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in tr
It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities o
Three sections
Section I: It contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including
Section II: It contains special and differential treatment (SDT) provisions that allow developing and least
Category A: provisions that the member will implement by the time the Agreement enters int
Category B: provisions that the member will implement after a transitional period following th
Category C: provisions that the member will implement on a date after a transitional period f
Section IIi: It contains provisions that establish a permanent committee on trade facilitation at the WTO,

On Trade Facilitation Agreement

Pan Pacific Islands Project

-

India announced number of measures to strengthen relationships with Pacific Islands.

Given the distance between the islands and poor connectivity, e-networks are an effective means for co
In keeping with the success achieved in the pan-Africa Project,propose to develop Pan Pacific Islands P
Working on a solar energy project with the Pacific Islands at the community level. The regional hubs wi

Is a diversified equity fund,including large, mid and small cap companies

Basically an investment fund which meets all requirements of shairah law and principles articulated for
Fund must follow a variety of rules, including investing only in Shariah-compliant companies, appointing
Shares linked to tobacco, alcohol, gambling and casinos and financial institutions that earn interest wou

Guidelines were issued after SEBI found that there could be probable misuse of Offshore Derivative Ins
Offshore Derivative Instruments (ODIs) can be issued by only to an FPI who is the resident of a country
Foreign entities only those countries who have signed multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU
If any bank is an applicant, it must be the resident of a country whose central bank is a member of Bank
Foreign portfolio investors who are two or more ODI subscribers having common Beneficial Owner (BO
The investment as FPI and positions held as ODI subscriber will be clubbed together with reference to
All new foreign investors keen to invest in Indian markets will need to register as FPIs, which have been
Foreign funds with opaque structures will not be allowed to come in under the new FPI regime.

Shariah Equity Fund

SEBI guidelines on ensuring Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPIs) regulation

Cash Management Bills

-

Under the Ways and Means Advance (WMA) facility of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the governmen
If the government borrows anything above that limit, it will have to pay an interest of two percentage poin
However, if the government mobilizes funds through CMB, it usually pays a lower rate of interest
About Cash Management Bills
The Cash Management Bills will be non-standard, discounted instruments issued for maturities less tha
The Cash Management Bills will have the generic character of Treasury Bills
Features
a) The tenure, notified amount and date of issue of the proposed Cash Management Bills will depend up
b) The proposed Bills will be issued at discount to the face value through auctions, as in the case of the

c) The announcement of the auction of the proposed Bills will be made by the Reserve Bank of India thr
d) The settlement of the auction will be on T+1 basis.
e) The Non-Competitive Bidding Scheme for Treasury Bills will not be extended to the Cash Manageme
f) The proposed Bills will be tradable and qualify for ready forward facility

Kisan Vikas Patra

-

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), a certificate savings scheme was launched by the Union Government on 1 Ap
The scheme provided facility of unlimited investment by way of purchase of certificates from post office
Highlights
The scheme will provide facility of unlimited investment by way of purchase of certificate from post o
The KVP will be available to the investors in the denomination of 1000, 5000, 10000 and 50000 rupe
The certificates can also be issued in single or joint names and can be transferred from one person
The facility of transfer from one post office to another anywhere in India and of nomination will also b
Kisan Vikas Patra scheme has unique liquidity feature, where an investor can encash his certificate

referred to as a concentrating linear Fresnel reflector is a specific type of linear Fresnel reflector (LFR
Linear Fresnel reflectors use long, thin segments of mirrors to focus sunlight onto a fixed absorber loca
These mirrors are capable of concentrating the suns energy to approximately 30 times its normal inten
This concentrated energy is transferred through the absorber into some thermal fluid (this is typically oi
The fluid then goes through a heat exchanger to power a steam generator. As opposed to traditional LF

Compact Linear Fresnel reflector

Dangaria Kandha
-

Local tribe of the region named as Niyamgiri, which is characterized by the presence of ecstatic Niyam
Niyamgiri is the local place which falls under the Rayagada District in the south Western Region of the
People practice Horticulture and shifting cultivation. Recently the tribe came into news for their revolutio
They worship Niyamraja, the god of the Niyamgiri Jungle. Their existence has come into question due to
They along with 'Kutiya Kondh' tribe were recently in news as gram sabhas of these two tribal areas ref

Principle of international environmental law establishing that all states are responsible for addressing gl
Principle balances, on the one hand, the need for all states to take responsibility for global environmenta
These differences in turn are linked to the states contributions to, as well as their abilities to address, th
CBDR was formalized in international law at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Common responsibiltiy - 1967 UN resolution that had first emerged as an expression of concern for the
The 1992 UN negotiations were organized around the four key themes of climate change, deforestation
It recognizes the historical correlation between higher levels of development and a greater contribution
CBDR is not unanimously accepted among developed countries

Common but Differentiated Responsibilities

Insurance Laws (Amendment Bill) -2015

-

incorporates certain provisions to provide Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRD
It also provides for enhancement of the foreign investment cap in an Indian Insurance Company from 26
Capital Availability
enable capital raising through new and innovative instruments under the regulatory supervision of IRDA
Greater availability of capital for the capital intensive insurance sector would lead to greater distribution
more innovative product formulations to meet diverse insurance needs of citizens, efficient service deliv
Consumer Welfare
enabling penalties on intermediaries / insurance companies for misconduct and disallowing multilevel m
Amended Law has several provisions for levying higher penalties ranging from up to Rs.1 Crore to Rs.
Empowerment of IRDAI
will entrust responsibility of appointing insurance agents to insurers and provides for IRDAI to regulate t
Empowered to regulate key aspects of Insurance Company operations in areas like solvency, investme
empowers the Authority to regulate the functions, code of conduct, etc., of surveyors and loss assesso

Expands the scope of insurance intermediaries to include insurance brokers, re- insurance brokers, ins

Mission Indradhanush
-

aims to immunize all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases namely diphtheria, whooping
launched the Mission on Good Governance Day to mark the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Madan M
technically supported by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other donor partners. Mass media, in
Focused and systematic immunization drive will be through a catch-up campaign mode where the aim

Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, 2015

-

Addition of New Schedule - adds a new 4th schedule in the parent Act to include mining of bauxite, iron
Lease Period - Bill has changed it for 50 years, as against present 30 years for all minerals other than
Auction of notified and other minerals - State governments will grant mining leases and prospecting lic
Maximum area for mining - a person could acquire one mining lease for a maximum area of 10 sq km
District Mineral Foundation (DMF) to be set up in mining areas affected by mining operations to address
National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) to be set up for regional and pan-India planning and detailed

The bill has provisions for allocation of coal mines through a transparent bidding process i.e e-auction.
The e-auction of coal blocks will ensure the continuity in coal mining operations and promoting optimum
The bill also facilitate e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines dire
It has provisions that propose strong measures for rehabilitation and compensation for displaced perso
The bill also provides for vesting of the right, title and interest over the land and mine infrastructure toge

Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill 2015

Green Bonds
-

A bond is a debt instrument with which an entity raises money from investors. The bond issuer gets ca
difference is that the issuer of a green bond publicly states that capital is being raised to fund green pro
Indian firms like Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd and Greenko have in the past issue
Green bonds are issued by multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, corporations, government ag

Monetary Transmission
-

Monetary transmission is the process through which changes in a central banks monetary policy gets
If a central bank reduces interest rates it charges borrowing banks, it would expect that reduction to be
Banks can raise lending rates faster after a policy rate hike because loans are mostly at variable rates a
Thats because the cost of deposits cant be reduced in the short term, they carrying a fixed rate of inte
For instance, the credit growth has slowed to 11 per cent in 2014-15, down from 15 per cent previous y
Banks have also seen a major stress in their balance sheets due to a high level of bad loans

that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear we
ational treaty, the IAEA Statute,the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
Safeguards Offices" which are located in Toronto, Canada, and in Tokyo, Japan
operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear power worldwide
ions of nuclear technology
gy and nuclear materials
ear security standards and their implementation.
d Security; Science and Technology; and Safeguards and Verification
oard consists of 22 member states elected by the General Conference, and at least 10 member states nominated by the out
in atomic energy technology, plus the most advanced members from any of the following areas that are not represented by t
ica, Middle East and South Asia, South East Asia, the Pacific, and the Far East
ues and policies. Any of the other IAEA organs, the Director General, the Board and member states can table issues to be d

aintenance of international peace and security

hment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions;

another international organization, the League of Nations, in maintaining world peace.

the victors of World War II Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States along with France and China, serve as
tion, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary General.
onal basis to serve two year terms. The body's presidency rotates monthly between its members.

ve matters require the affirmative votes of nine members

osal, even if it has received the required votes
members must actively concur to amend the UN Charter or to recommend the admission of a new UN member state

mber economies that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia Pacific regio
Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world;
me to dominate economic activity in the Asia Pacific region;
rials beyond Europe (where demand had been declining)
e economic growth and to foster a sense of community and an appreciation of shared interests among Asia Pacific countries
ade was a sensitive issue for the developing NIEs at the time APEC founded
for natural resources such as natural gas, as well as to seek regional economic integration (industrial integration) by means

on environmental goods and services to be less than 5% by 2015 and establish a public private partnership to tackle non tari

tance in Tax Matters

e in 1988 and amended by Protocol in 2010.

9 London Summit to align it to the international standard on exchange of information on request and to open it to all countries
he new more transparent environment
t call for automatic exchange of information to become the new international tax standard of exchange of information.
ve their ability to tackle tax evasion and avoidance and ensure full implementation of their national tax laws, while respecting t

adhaar) to every resident of India

untry in order to access certain benefits and services.

ssue unique identification numbers (called Aadhaar) to residents of India

nishing relevant demographic and biometric information
ory. This shall be used to provide authentication services.
rder; or for national security, if directed by an authorised official of the rank of Joint Secretary or above

a mandatory requirement for availing services

ivery of public benefits and services with prior written consent of the Aadhaar holder
complaint made by the NIA

can have a duplicate number since it is linked to their individual biometrics

ervices can contact the central Unique Identification database from anywhere in the country to confirm a beneficiarys identity
y : Authentification can take at real time and even performed through mobile phone

t on the PDS system, which would enable governments to directly communicate details of food entitlements to residents

hich 50% shall be judicial members.

, minorities and Women

arty and one member will be an eminent jurist nominated by the President.
tion committee consisting of:
k Sabha, Chief Justice of India, Eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India on the basis of recommendations of
nded by the Search Committee
on to be completed within 6 months
n Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in excess of 10 lakh rupees per year brought under jurisdiction of Lokpal

er than the Govt Advocates

ty acquired by Corrupt means, even while prosecution is pending

uption cases involving the political class and the bureaucracy

ntal and welfare programmes after the attainment of independence which swelled the administrative machinery
ruption Act,1988 along with the existing Indian Penal Code, 1860. However these measures were found to be ineffective
ok into citizens grievances and cases of corruption have been widely felt
and the unhappiness of the citizens with the prevailing governance system in India.

that would create the Jan Lokpal,an independent body similar to the Election Commission with the power to prosecute politic

ported by Lokayukta at the state level.

on and completely independent of govt and free from ministerial influence in investigations
h a clean record, private citizens and constitutional authorities through a transparent and participatory process
, brief details of each, their outcome and any action taken or proposed
scribed time period will result in Lokpal imposing financial penalties on those responsible which will then be given as compen
hin a month and if found to be substantive, will result in the officer being dismissed within two months
i corruption branch of the CBI) will be merged into Lokpal which will have complete power and authority to independently inve

vise and liberalize international trade.

h Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948
by providing a framework for negotiating and formalizing trade agreements

TO agreements, which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments

FN) rule, and the national treatment policy

se because of the MFN rule, and a desire to obtain better access to foreign markets
O members in a multilateral trade negotiation and on accession are enumerated in a schedule (list) of concessions
ns, to maintain institutions allowing for the review of administrative decisions affecting trade, to respond to requests for inform

commenced in November 2001 under then director general Mike Moore

eased global trade.
USA), and Japan and the major developing countries led and represented mainly by India, Brazil, China, South Korea, and So

uctions (and ultimate elimination) of all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade distorting support
European Union, while developing countries are concerned with special products those exempt from both tariff cuts and su

he balance of interests between the pharmaceutical companies in developed countries that held patents on medicines and th

p proposals together in the Committee on Trade and Development, and set shorter deadlines.
o negotiating groups, and leave deadlines open
g in good faith, while developed countries argued that the developing countries were unreasonable in their proposals.

on of the agreements reached in the earlier Uruguay Round because of limited capacity or lack of technical assistance

ference of the World Trade Organization in Bali, Indonesia on 37 December 2013

idies, with the intention of making it easier for developing countries to trade with the developed world in global markets
s from the developing world and instead would only be allowed to charge tariffs on amount of agricultural imports exceeding s
o facilitate trade

countries to provide subsidy on staple food crops without any threat of punitive action.
concerns on food security.
es to farmers against WTO caps till a permanent solution is adopted
r farm produce and to sell staple grains to the poor at subsidised rates.

orrected on a multilateral forum

ed to improve the nutritional status of school age children nation wide

and Upper Primary Classes in Government, Government Aided, Local Body, Education Guarantee Scheme
orted under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and National Child Labour Project schools run by the Ministry of Labour
icipal Corporation. By 1980s Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the UT of Puducherry had universalized a cooked school feedi
rt to Primary Education is to help improve the effectiveness of primary education by improving the nutritional status of prima
a) and 47, makes the Right to Food a derived Fundamental Right which is enforceable by virtue of the constitutional remedy p

nt teacher associations, or village committees. This system has the advantage of being able to serve local cuisine, providing

hools, mostly through public private partnerships. Advantages of the centralized kitchen include ensuring hygienic and nutritio

ement processes in Indias Midday Meal scheme one for food grains which are subsidized by the Centre through Food Co

d increase in gross primary enrolment between 2001 02 and 2007 08.

iculum, textbooks, teachers and an environment conducive to learning.

a. According to current statistics, 42.5% of the children under 5 are underweight.

more accountable for creating a disabled friendly environment.

ho fulfils eligibility requirements is entitled to be registered as a voter
ds of disability, irrespective of any stipulation to the contrary in any law for time being in force
y or because of admission to hospital for treatment is entitled to opt for postal ballot.
ent for forced abortion or hysterectomy on them.

r renewals when existing ones expire

price indexation or fixing.
e priced at an average of international hub prices and the cost of LNG imported into India.
und 7 8/mmBtu dollar at the current rate. This would be almost double that of the current rate.

See Graphics
rence on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982.
h respect to their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management
ication and accession and the UN provides support for meetings of states party to the Convention
of the Convention

ened in New York

e negotiations, the conference used a consensus process rather than majority vote.
t of various areas, measured from a carefully defined baseline

stal state is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource.

al state is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource
, with strategic straits allowing the passage of military craft as transit passage,

ubject to these points being sufficiently close to one another

gn vessels have right of innocent passage through archipelagic waters (like territorial waters)

22 km) from the territorial sea baseline limit, the contiguous zone, in which a state can continue to enforce laws in four specif
ted within the state's territory or territorial waters, or if this infringement is about to occur within the state's territory or territoria

kilometres; 230 miles) from the baseline. Within this area, the coastal nation has sole exploitation rights over all natural reso

to the continental margins outer edge, or 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coastal state's baseline, whichever is greater
atural prolongation ends

eptualised for significant gains through sub regional economic cooperation within the BCIM.
and will pass through Myanmar and Bangladesh
elimination of non tariff barriers, better trade facilitation, investment in infrastructure development, joint exploration, developm

antages, by translating comparative advantages into competitive advantages, and through closer people to people contact
g an estimated 440 million people in Chinas Yunnan Province, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bihar in Northern India combinati
oods, minimize overland trade obstacles, ensure greater market access and increase multilateral trade
e need to quickly improve physical connectivity in the region, talks in the south western Chinese city of Kunming (provincial c

n infrastructure and creation of industrial zones

acturing and commerce logistics
gro processing will eventually be shifted out of China.
ade and connectivity with China and the rest of Asia

ppointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary

and to make recommendations to the President on appointment and transfer of judges to the higher (Article 124 B)judiciary
and procedures of the JAC

CJI and the Leader of Opposition of the Lok Sabha.

of the CJI, SC judges, Chief Justice and other High Court (HC) judges, and transfer of HC judges

cluding the Law Commission and the Parliamentary Standing Committee

been left for Parliament to decide by law

nstitutional amendment, but may be altered by a simple majority in Parliament.
the President of India to appoint the Judges on the recommendation of the JAC

eries of levels of knowledge, skills and aptitude

t possess regardless of whether they were acquired through formal, non formal or informal learning.
king in the present education and training scenario. Additionally, it would help alignment of Indian qualifications to international
F will allow people to move between education, vocational training and work at different stages in their lives according to thei
ent Agency, autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Finance, mandated to coordinate and harmonize skill development

in India. The program subsumed the Rashtriya Sama Vikas Yojana (RSVY), a plan previously administered by the Planning C
ll under the purview of Parts IX and IX A of the Indian Constitution dealing with the Panchayats and the Municipalities, respect
uch as Autonomous District and Regional Councils under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution

that are not being adequately met through existing inflow

e appropriate capacity building, to facilitate participatory planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring, to reflect
monitoring their plans
yats, and counter possible efficiency and equity losses on account of inadequate local capacity

er stage of planning and implementation

be applied to any preference of the Panchayat/ Municipality, so long as it fills a development gap and the identification of the
otal allocation, for capacity building and staff provisioning

ment of India on 1 January 2013. This program aims to transfer subsidies directly to the people living below poverty line
d by Central Government of India
w poverty line. No subsidy will be given to those people who don't require it
ment itself decide the subsidized price and pay the difference between market price and subsidized price directly to the family

ation of beneficiary list, digitally signing the same and processing of payments in the bank accounts of the beneficiary using th
o fiscal savings.
no or minor loopholes in the unique identification. What Aadhaar does is to confirm that "X is truly X".

kages for developers of highway projects and the task of implementation lie with the National Highway Authority of India
ernment will be restricted in the first three years of the contract.
mium amount three years before the completion of full contract.
ey left after servicing debt and other necessary costs would go to NHAI as advance payment.

(in the case of income taxes), asset (in the case of capital taxes), or financial transaction (in the case of sales taxes).

h 88(signed 88 DTAAs out of which 85 have entered into force)countries.

es of income arising in a country to a tax resident of another country
nd Section 91, which provide specific relief to taxpayers to save them from double taxation
hich India has signed DTAA,
ry with which India has not signed a DTAA.

x, especially the definition of enterprise and the treatment of shell companies are acting as hindrances
e Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA); and revision in DTAA
cessions to Mauritius and definition of enterprise and treatment to shell companies cannot be different in DTAA and CECPA
capital gains only in the country of residence of the investor.
h capital gains (in this case India) to prevent the misuse of the treaty by shell companies set up by third countries corporate e
sting from that country into India and those companies could take the benefit of the agreement by not paying capital gains

or anti treaty shopping law clause in the revised tax treaty to ring fence its jurisdiction from any attempts of round tripping and
luding those related to business, residency and investment commitments of the entity seeking benefit of a Double Taxation A

ing States are entitled to the treatys benefits

of tax pacts by third country investors
he said treaty

advantage of more favorable tax treaties available in certain jurisdictions

y with the source country (from which it receives income), can establish an operation in a second source country having a fa

alized agency of the United Nations

llaboration through education, science, and culture
uman rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the UN Charter.
Cooperation.
ral sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information
ng programmes; international science programmes
ultural history projects; the promotion of cultural diversity;
e the world cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage Sites) and to preserve human rights, and attempts to bridge the worl
erty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and inform

onal,Scientific and Cultural Organization), aiming to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015
ational efforts to reach Education for All
ons and the media are but some of the partners working toward reaching these goals.

elopment Goals (MDGs), especially MDG 2 on universal primary education and MDG 3 on gender equality in education, by 20
at "accelerating progress towards quality universal primary education

are and education. In 2012, 25% of children under 5 suffered from stunting.

whom lived in conflict affected countries

dary education. In 2011, 69 million adolescents were out of school, with little improvement in this number since 2004

erate adults, a decline of just 1% since 2000

2011 only 60% of countries had achieved this goal at the primary level and 38% at the secondary level.

the basics. Around 250 million children are not learning basic skills, even though half of them have spent at least four years i

forts with Iran with regard to its nuclear program

namely United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, and France, plus Germany
the Iranian nuclear program starting from 2006

ainly upon German products and service

12,000 firms have their own trade representatives in Iran
ted that economic sanctions against Iran may cost more than 10,000 German jobs and have a negative impact on the econo
pend heavily on trade with Iran.

countries and Iran in Geneva, Switzerland

n's nuclear program in exchange for decreased economic sanctions on Iran, as the countries work towards a long term agre

to draw monetary policy perspective. The Committee made the following recommendations:
monetary policy framework.This is bcoz CPI, as an indicator of retail inflation, is closest proxy of true cost of living and influen

% in next 24 months before formally adopting the recommended target

a Monetary Policy Committee. This committee should be composed of 5 members,with Governors as its head. Shall be acco
ash Management Bills (CMBs) may be discontinue and the government debt and cash management must be taken over by
sits for the purposes of taxation and TDS
d instead linked solely to the liquidity management.

(NUHM) as a new sub mission under the over arching National Health Mission (NHM).

500 households

organization to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy

gency is head quartered in Abu Dhab
eloping countries, help them improve their regulatory frameworks and build capacity
ta on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state of the art technological exp

Government of India and implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Sri Lanka (GO
being executed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka.

d and this is the single largest full grant assistance programme of Indian Government anywhere in the world
to selected beneficiaries for repairing of the houses and 5.50 lakh rupees for fully reconstruction of the houses.
eeds to work under the supervision of the beneficiary themselves.
tion with the Government of Sri Lanka.
ts, is the flagship project of Indias developmental assistance to Sri Lanka

ndia. It has been declared as an Indian National Waterway and is currently under development
ritory of Puducherry.
anur, Buckingham Canals and also through part of Krishna and Godavari rivers in South India.
ons of National Waterways Bill, 2006.[1] It is being developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI),[2] and is sche

gh the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) the regulatory body for the Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) sector
en responsibility of development, maintenance, and regulation of national waterways in the country.
shipping in the inland waterways
pports the IWT sector through transportation of cargo via inland waterways and the operation and maintenance of the vessel

evel policy & decision making bodies and to develop specialized skills for e governance
king including setting up of State e Governance Mission Team (SeMT)
on makers (state legislature and senior bureaucrats), knowledge sharing and bringing in international best practices

be implemented by the Department of Information Technology

ime, have the resources and flexibility to drive this plan

ration from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

lity norms, terms and conditions, cross holding norms, period of registration, security conditions and other obligations.
in both rating agencies and media Company.
g platforms (cable TV, Direct to Home, Terrestrial TV etc).
ds to be implemented within six months of the guidelines coming into force. The panel size shall be increased by 10000 ever
d publish it on their website.
nd an internal audit mechanism.

and 30 days time would be given to the existing rating agency

s ensuring direct involvement of beneficiary communities in the scheme implementation. Schemes will be implemented with
component of the proposed project
in select areas, and new technologies such as use of solar energy
down to the GP level
hange Communication (BCC) programs will be carried out.
ers for bulk water supply, and promotion of household meters, wherever appropriate,

d by the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system proposed under the project,
mplementation and O&M will be conducted
ont community contribution (Rs. 450 per household/ Rs. 225 for SC/ST household) towards capital cost
ntenance (O&M) cost recovery through user fees

ion (Regulation) Act, 1976 (FCRA). The Bill seeks to regulate the acceptance and utilization of all foreign funds through don
d from accepting foreign contribution. The Bill adds organisations of a political nature and electronic media organisations to
ligious or social programme to register under FCRA to accept foreign contribution.
cation and the renewal carry a fee
ertified organisations and grants it the power of search and seizure

esses only the voluntary sector and only foreign funding. This constitutes less than one per cent of gross inflow of foreign fun
lawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the Foreign Exchange Management Ac
ategory receiving foreign contribution but does not provide any guidelines to define organisations of a political nature
y powers to the authorised officer
pitality, and speculative business that either lack clarity or are not defined

sion on Oil seeds and Oil Palm

ree borne oilseeds. The scheme also seeks to bringin large area under the oil palm cultivation.

ping of oilseeds with cereals, sugarcane and pulses

ive Innovation Fund

entrepreneurial skills and innovation in the firms delivering goods and service to the poorest of the country.
herefore profitable.
are, food, nutrition, agriculture, education, skill development, energy, financial inclusion, water, and sanitation and employme
gel groups, and also public R&D programmes and laboratories to support the commercialisation and deployment of socially r
y I guidelines.
committing 20 percent and rest would be given by banks, insurance companies, overseas financial and development instituti
bility of day to day operations of the fund, which will build a mentoring network, incubation and provide training and skills deve

ecommendations of Mahapatra Committee. Mahapatra Committee headed by B Mahapatra, Executive Director at RBI
or them to set aside a substantial amount of provisions to cover restructured loans.
st restructured loans. For existing stock, the provisions will go up to 5% in a phased manner by March 2017.
and most of their funding needs are met by borrowing from commercial banks.
NPA) if the project fails to take off commercially within two years from the original date of commencement of commercial ope
fails to commence commercial operations within one year from the original DCCO,

d as restructuring if the revised DCCO falls within a period of one year from the original date of commercial commencemen

de NIMZ( National Manufacturing Policy)

es for providing benefits and dispensations to the manufacturing industry clusters located outside National Investment and M
nd incentives to the manufacturing industry with an aim to raise the share of manufacturing in the GDP to 25% and create 10
ed by the industry iteself
clearly demarcated geographical area with the land use notified as such by the state government

er the guidelines and must be notified by the state governments as a 'cluster' under the NMP
each cluster as a non profit company. An SPV will prepare a strategy for development and self regulation of the cluster
earances, returns, and labour law enforcement
acturing environment friendly technologies and/or related equipment
units skill development projects.

e and provide necessary regulatory framework for land allotment by major ports.
escribed as the most preferred method of allotment
mpetitive bidding, while land outside custom bond areas can be leased through tender cum auction
uld be only for port related activities
all land owned and managed by all the 12 major ports of the country

adolescents, in the age group of 10 19 years, which would target their nutrition, reproductive health and substance abuse, a
p, Equity and inclusion, Gender Equity and strategic partnerships with other sectors and stakeholders
potential by making informed and responsible decisions related to their health and well being and by accessing the services a
UNFPA has developed a National Adolescent Health Strategy
tic model based on a continuum of care for adolescent health and developmental needs.
nderpinned by collaborations with other ministries and state governments

Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) as the regulator

vendors) to obtain a licence or registration
or registration within one year of the notification.

d law. The unorganised sector, such as street vendors, might have difficulty in adhering to the law, for example, with regard
uthorities).Responsibility of the person preparing or manufacturing food to ensure that he uses water of requisite quality even
Thus, it does not control the entry of pesticides and antibiotics into the food at its source.
officer. This offers scope for harassment and corruption
food are manufactured or sold at different premises.
her liquor is a food

ines for awards

pic), Asian Games,Commonwealth games, and World Cup held once in 4 years
igble sportsperson/coach keeping in view factors like profile and standard of sports events in which medal has won
onsideration for the awards
male and 1 female) and names of not more than 2 coaches in case of Dronacharya award with highest marks as per criteria

tments up to 2 lakh rupess

RA) Regulations which will make easier for the investors to comply with Know Your Client (KYC) requirements across variou

projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Joint Implementation (JI) and Voluntary Carbon Market
ut that they make measurable contributions to sustainable development worldwide.
erated by projects which can then be bought and traded by countries that have a binding legal commitment according to the
ation especially those with an interest in the promotion of sustainable development or a focus on climate and energy issues.

ed in the Kyoto Protocol that provides for emissions reduction projects which generate Certified Emission Reduction units wh

buting to the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Chnage, which is to prevent dangero
d emission limitation and reduction commitments (greenhouse gas (GHG) emission caps)
f their emission reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol by buying Certified Emission Reduction units from CDM e
e emission reductions are real and "additional.
he guidance of the Conference of the Parties (COP/MOP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

orruption or wilful misuse of power against a public servant. The Bill also provides safeguards against victimisation of the pe

disclosure related to an act of corruption, misuse of power, or criminal offence by a public servant.
ion may make such a disclosure to the Central or State Vigilance Commission.

cept to the head of the department if he deems it necessary. The Bill penalises any person who has disclosed the identity o

ns making a public interest disclosure.

any penalty for victimising a complainant
ough a government resolution. There have been only a few hundred complaints every year. The provisions of the Bill are sim
have any power to impose penalties

2nd ARC report. These include non admission of anonymous complaints and lack of penalties for officials who victimise w

asures, which would help :

quality of forest cover on another 5 m ha (a total of 10 m ha)

carbon sequestration as a result of treatment of 10 m ha.

ent Guarantee Act, Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), and National Afforestation Pro
e scheme in the north eastern states, and 75 percent of the funds for other states. State governments will meet the balance

dness of Muslims, had recommended setting up of such a panel

hts to minorities in housing societies
against on religious grounds by redressing complaints.
Court. It will not have any powers to impose penalties.

plementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention

nds. At present OPCW has 190 member countries.

ntion and promote the peaceful use of chemistry

ion of street vending act 2012

e street vending through demarcation of vending zones, conditions for and restrictions on street vending.
wn Vending Committee (TVC). He may then apply for a vending certificate that will be issued based on various criteria.
hority shall, in consultation with the planning authority, frame a street vending plan once every five years.
vendors, local authority, planning authority, local police, resident welfare association and other traders associations.

gislatures. Parliaments competence to legislate on this issue depends on whether the Bill is interpreted as substantively add
ertificates, allocating vending zones and the number of vendors per zone. Absence of such norms could defeat the purpose
the street vending plan. This could lead to a lack of safeguards in ensuring that plan is determined in a fair manner.
ith the Bill. Current state laws differ with the Bill in terms of powers of the TVC, and mechanism for dispute resolution.
incorporating specific provisions of the scheme in the Bill, and consultation with the TVC on the vending plan

Education Scheme

e will be given to all State Governments and Union Territorys for implementation of vocational education in Government Seco
cational courses.
earning opportunities and vertical mobility.

and demand driven vocational courses

CRSP) primarily with the objective of improving the quality of life of the rural people and also to provide privacy and dignity to w
mpaign (TSC) with effect from 1999
Puraskar (NGP) that sought to recognise the achievements and efforts made in ensuring full sanitation coverage
Abhiyan (NBA).

harat by 2022 with all gram Panchayats in the country attaining Nirmal status.
anitation facilities through awareness creation and health education.
nganwadi Centres in the rural areas with proper sanitation facilities and undertake proactive promotion of hygiene education,
d sustainable sanitation.
olid & liquid waste management for overall cleanliness in the rural areas

o enable delivery of appropriate technology and improved agronomic practices to farmers.

ach and interactive methods of information dissemination, use of ICT, popularisation of modern and appropriate technologies
ality seeds, plant protection etc. and encourage aggregation of Farmers into Interest Groups (FIGs) to form Farmer Producer

relevant reading material in different languages, which would be shared at all levels
ofessionals but also the educationally, socially, economically and physically disadvantaged groups.
avvy people in making maximum use of library resources.

ange (NAPCC)
nable national capacity to continuously access the health status of the Himalayan Ecosystem and enable policy bodies in the
mentation of actions selected for sustainable development
hange and formulation of response measures to challenges in the Himalayan region
nge through evidence based policy formulation and enhanced research and capacity

e issues related to sustenance of the Himalayan Ecosystem

of Genetically Modified Organisms both for research and applications under EPA.
trial data and final approval for release of transgenic crop in to the environment.
f into the environment.

nformation Companies (CICs).

Credit Information Report (CIRs). It would help create awareness about the need to have credit discipline and help detect iden
ssist credit institutions in determining the gaps in their data and also help move towards improving their performance over a
ts, such as, dispute codes, consumer comments on dispute, details of collateral and a continuing mechanism for making ch
y member institutions and other specified users needs to be addressed.
t institutions should be members of all CICs) and products and by creating awareness about Credit Information Reports (CIR
e easier to understand and interpret them.

mat of 60-minute game in Hockey, comprising four 15-minute quarters

vents from 1 September 2014.

ner is awarded and after a goal is scored.
will also add time for video replays and analysis for the televised matches, overall addition of engagement of fans to the gam
inute format will primarily ensure the actual playing time and will also eliminate the dead time associated with penalty corner
10 minute break at halftime

and plutonium) in the world that terrorists could use to make a nuclear weapon.
that can be used to make a dirty bomb

possible and to reduce them where possible

ranium, cobalt-60, strontium-90 and caesium-137
an also be used with ordinary explosives to make a dirty bomb
valuate their security procedures for nuclear material

ing international cooperation to prevent the illicit acquisition of nuclear material by non-state actors such as terrorist groups a
eld in Seoul in 2012. The United States will host the next Summit in 2016

sion in Afghanistan that was established by the United Nations Security Council in December 2001 by Resolution 1386,as en
ssist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions but is also engaged in the 2001present war with insurgent groups
Taliban, al Qaeda and factional warlords
nistration headed by Hamid Karzai
F mission throughout Afghanistan,and ISAF subsequently expanded the mission in four main stages over the whole of the co
mber states and a number of other countries.
e United States sustaining the largest numbers of casualties in intensive combat operations,

on the situation in Afghanistan, particularly resolutions 1378 (2001) and 1383 (2001),
Force (ISAF) to assist the Afghan Interim Authority in the maintenance of security in Kabul and surrounding areas
ccordance with the United Nations Charter, and reaffirmed resolutions 1368 (2001) and 1373 (2001)
by the United Kingdom to lead ISAF. It stressed the need for all Afghan parties to adhere to human rights and international hum

eration between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives

ressed satisfaction over the progress in the implementation of various activities in the identified areas
ystems run under the aegis of the International Maritime Organization (IMO),
d sharing of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data;
and Oil Pollution Response; and
n on illegal maritime activities, formulation of marine oil pollution response contingency plans and cooperation in legal and po
in Visit, Board, Search and Seizure Operations; t
k tanks; and joint participation in adventure activities

nt Manual Scavengers Act

g cash assistance, education and benefits of other social welfare scheme

ngness, training in livelihood skill and shall be paid a monthly stipend during rehabilitation period.
n for taking up an alternative occupation.
y gears should be made a crime even in emergency situations. And for such death, a compension of 10 lakh rupees should b
lots or constructed houses or money for such construction according to their eligibility and willingness.

o receive what is their legitimate due under the law.

accordance with their choice of livelihood schemes.
he tracks and persons released from manual scavenging should not have to cross hurdles to receive what is their legitimate

mobile number through the banks ATM and retail internet banking facility.

r receiver, and per transaction limit of 10000 rupees.

on expires and the sender is credited back with the IMT amount.

der code, the IMT amount and authorises the transaction from either banks ATM or banks internet banking.
k either on SMS or Internet banking.
four-digit SMS Pin.

er and the other on SMS, walks into the banks nearest IMT-enabled ATM and withdraws cash by punching in the mobile num

ian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which would be under complete control of the Indian government.
to foreign government-controlled global navigation satellite systems is not guaranteed in hostile situations
e open for civilian use and the Restricted Service, encrypted one, for authorised users (military)
n, Navigation and Time (PNT) services to users on a variety of platforms with 24x7 service availability under all weather cond

uency being 2492.028 MHz.

unched in UAE

e that is offered by the Indias Ministry of Overseas in association with Alankit Assignments
ity scheme for overseas Indian workers on temporary work permit in 17 Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries.
nt, their return to India and resettlement and provides life insurance cover against natural death during the period of coverage.

workers and 3000 rupees every year to women workers for up to either five years or until the worker returns home, whichev
ble subscriber.
pension fund and 4000 Rs towards the return and resettlement fund. They will derive corresponding benefits when they go b
rkers in the UAE while Bank of Baroda is the official banking partner of the scheme to enroll the workers.

ory Mechanism (SSM) under the European Central Bank (ECB) this will become operational from November 2014.
M). SRM will act on the advice of the ECB to stabilise or close down a bank before it can do any wider damage to the econom
e cost of closures. The fund will be paid by a levy on the banks.
banks also required to meet this commitment by setting aside enough reserves
s. The aim is to limit the amount of risk a lender can take on and to ensure that shareholders and creditors shoulder the cost

its report to RBI

ober 2013 to implement a national GIRO-based Indian Bill Payment System.

s and insurance premium by just visiting the bank branch

ent Services (BBPS) and the Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units (BBPOUs)
PS) will be the authorised standard setting body & will function as a not-for-profit organisation which has necessary experie
standards set by the BBPS & may be operated on commercial lines by existing entities in the bill payments space as well as
nsactions in the system.
brand of the BBPS.

ublic deposits

cover for public deposits

otified under section 73(2) (d) of the Companies Act 2013.
eposits garnered by companies and a penalty of up to 18% annual interest for defaulters
any defaults in repayment of principal amount and interest thereon
posits and the interest thereon by the insurer up to the aggregate monetary ceiling as specified in the contract
sit insurance contract shall provide for payment of the full amount of the deposit
eserve Account with a scheduled bank and this account would need to have at least 15% of the total amount of deposits.

ed its report to the Planning Commission

olid Waste (MSW) management, stressing reduction and segregation of waste at source and also efficient utilization of variou
essing facilities keeping in view the quantity and quality of waste generated and financial viability of the processing technology
learly indicates technologies that could be adopted by various classes of cities
(RDF) to be used in power plants based on RDF.
each day. Only 19% of this waste is treated and rest goes to dump sites causing serious problems to health and environmen
disposal by optimal utilization of the potential of all components of MSW by :d Remanufactureand through integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management, derive energy and other useful products
e of service delivery to achieve the target set for Sustainable Waste Management.
requirement of land for setting up landfill for 20 years could be as high as 66 thousand hectares of precious land
minimize the wastes going to landfill by at least 75% through processing of MSW using appropriate technologies
proach towards MSW management with a focus on W to E
financial and technical support to facilitate optimum utilization of municipal solid waste as a resource, tapping unutilized ene

range, which is a critical parameter for safe landing and takeoff of aircraft in poor visibility
nous product designed ,developed by CSIR-NAL to cover the wide span of lowest to highest visibility (< 25 to > 2000 m) aidin
n in the country for accessing the data and for maintenance are the other important features
virtual instrumentation concepts in the design.

khstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) that demands not to manufacture, acquire, test, or possess n
e), Kazakhstan. Hence it is also known as Treaty of Semipalatinsk, Treaty of Semei or Treaty of Semey.
d came into force on 21 March 20009. This is the worlds first nuclear free zone located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere.
d peace in the region with a view to create the necessary conditions for the development and prosperity of their peoples.
oliferation regime by prohibiting, among other things, the development and testing of nuclear weapons within Central Asia.
g of nuclear weapons within their territories.
y (IAEA) Additional Protocol.

Savings bank accounts

ent or a guardian. All children and teenagers below the age of 18 are considered minors under current rules.
bring uniformity among banks in opening and operating minors accounts

gh either his/her natural guardian or legally appointed guardian.

of age and amount up to which minors may be allowed to operate the deposit accounts independently.
opening of accounts by minors.
ebit card, cheque book facility, etc, subject to the safeguards that minor accounts are not allowed to be overdrawn and that th
s/her account.
uctions and specimen signature of the minor should be obtained and kept on record for all operational purposes

ndia, is a project undertaken by the Reserve Bank of India RBI, for faster clearing of cheques
e images and Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) data are captured at the collecting bank branch and transmitted el
er to the drawee branch.
nch and an electronic image of the cheque is sent to the drawee branch along with the relevant information like the MICR field
across branches, except in exceptional circumstances.
ques, the associated cost of transit and delays in processing, etc., thus speeding up the process of collection or realization o

sile (BVRAAM) that is capable of engaging at ranges of 20 nmi (37 km) or beyond
et motor and ramjet sustainer motor.
its target at this range or of acquiring the target in flight
ired on from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet over the Arabian Sea off Goa.
ntries like the US, Russia, France and Israel have managed to develop BVR missiles till now.
y (SSKP) which makes it highly reliable
CM (electronic counter-counter measures) features, smokeless propulsion and process improved effectiveness in multi-targe

in Scotland and overseas.

on cultural connections with Scotland.

evelopment of innovative world class and innovative research, education and management.

d and a passbook scheme for Tax Deduction at Source (TDS).

nd Income Tax Return should also include wealth tax details.
e two Boards (CBDT and CBEC). This will empower the tax departments to carry out their assigned responsibilities efficientl
structure with common Board for both direct and indirect taxes called the Central Board of Direct and Indirect Taxes
he tax administration, promote accountability, evaluate the impact of tax policies and assess all factors
and independence from governmental structures.
ess identification number (CBIN). It is to be used by other government departments also such as customs, central excise, se
as both the taxes are administered by the same department.Cross utilisation of credit is permitted between central excise, se
d be reviewed periodically to see whether they remain relevant to the contemporary socio-economic conditions
taxpayer services.

explore multi-faceted Indian Ocean

ollate archaeological and historical research in order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interacti
and Vietnam have also expressed keen interest in the multi-faceted cultural project.
he Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi as the nodal coordinating agency.
al Routes, creation of a comprehensive database and UNESCO web platform on Maritime Cultural Landscapes and Routes
convention through this theme
munications between countries of the Indian Ocean world and it would lead to an enhanced understanding of cultural values a
n their regional maritime milieu

in India

ormance, and financial sustainability.

nce, increasing accountability, and enhancing competition in the sector in order to move it to a higher level of service delivery

ong the lowest levels in the world.

011. These losses are overwhelmingly concentrated among distribution companies (discoms) and bundled utilities State E
n 2011, as much as 5% of Indias GDP.
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Jharkhand. Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for 40% of the sectors accum
ve in electrified villages.
ercial establishment in India. In China it takes 28 days, in Thailand 35, and in Singapore 36 days.
ed. Over half of subsidy payments (52%) India-wide went to the richest 40% of households in the country in 2010

generation inefficiencies

n they mandate free power supply.

are not wasted and actually reach the poor.
ofessionalized. Despite corporatization, utility boards remain state-dominated and are rarely evaluated on performance.
end to those that are not credit-worthy.
ilities to service standards, and create a predictable environment for decision-making.
governments accountable for quality of power they supply.
and adequate resources, and hold them accountable for their performance.
nt operation, and promote rural access to electricity in a financially responsible manner.

anking finance companies (NBFCs) and non-NBFC issuers.

f the base issue size.
ney will have to be refunded within 12 days from the date of the closure of the issue along with interest at the rate of 15 per ce
l public offering.
decide the amount of minimum subscription and disclose the same in the offer document.
ntures will be included within the 51-billion US dollars limit meant for corporate debts.
mit as specified by the Central Board of Direct Taxes. It also sought to increase the transparency of utilisation of the procee

y or unintentionally by criminal elements for money laundering.

ame, the address may change and hence the banks are required to periodically update their records.
ct, 1949 and Rule 7 of Prevention of Money-Laundering Rules, 2005.
Action Task Force (FATF) on Anti Money Laundering (AML) standards and on Combating Financing of Terrorism (CFT).
y 31 December 2005

m Nunn in the United States,

nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and also to reduce the risk that they will actually be used
d implementing projects
ward threat reduction.
in Vienna in 2008

main Electromagnetic sensors to be mounted and operated from an Advanced Light Helicopter

r details in smaller areas identified from regional surveys covering parts of Obvious geological Potential (OGP) areas with in
geophysical surveys for locating deep-seated, concealed mineral and ore deposits of country

on. HFCs are produced synthetically and are used primarily as refrigerants.
ouse gases, and thus their manufacture and use became increasingly regulated in the 21st century.
al Protocol, which phased out the use of chemicals such as halons and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that contribute to the de
from refrigerators and freezers to automotive air-conditioning units.

ng products for plastics and metals and in plasma etching for semiconductor technology

tmosphere), where they are split by reactions with hydroxyl radicals (OH).
at trapping solar radiation (specifically, infrared radiation) and redirecting that radiant energy toward Earths surface.

called hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs. CFCs are also called Freons

d use as aerosol-spray propellants, solvents, and foam-blowing agents.
c and nonflammable and can be readily converted from a liquid to a gas and vice versa.
here they contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer.
ultraviolet radiation

ate the production and use of chemicals that contribute to the depletion of Earths ozone layer.

a theorized that chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds combine with solar radiation and decompose in the stratosphere,
ly able to destroy large numbers of ozone molecules
den, and Canada.
e ozone shield over Antarctica by the British Antarctic Survey
the issue at the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer :g ozone-depleting chemicals (ODCs)
lay the groundwork for the Montreal Protocol.
nsumption of several types of CFCs and halons to 80 percent of 1986 levels by 1994 and 50 percent of 1986 levels by 1999
ell as the manufacture and use of carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbon

emitted from Earths surface and reradiating it back to Earths surface, thus contributing to the phenomenon known as the gr
e gases. To a lesser extent, surface-level ozone, nitrous oxides, and fluorinated gases also trap infrared radiation
ystem despite making up only a fraction of all atmospheric gases

cean source and sinks

significant quantities, whereas others have considerably lower capacities for absorption or occur only in trace amounts
her climatic factor (such as solar irradiance or albedo) has on the amount of downward-directed radiant energy impinging up

is fundamentally different from that of the other greenhouse gases

t rather as a climate feedbackthat is, as a response within the climate system that influences the systems continued activ

combustion and natural decay of organic matter, and respiration by aerobic (oxygen-using) organisms.
ological processes, called sinks, that tend to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
ing the process of photosynthesis.
containing dissolved CO2
and phytoplankton living in the upper ocean or by other marine organisms that use CO2 to build skeletons and other structure

uent of natural gas, as a component of firedamp in coal mines,

us coal in the manufacture of coal gas and coke-oven gas

gas is widely used as a fuel in homes, commercial establishments, and factories.
ecule is greater.
f radiation absorbed by CH4, so more molecules may fill in the region.
ncentrations by volume in the atmosphere are generally measured in parts per billion (ppb) rather than ppm

exceeding 1,500 metres (5,000 feet)

rticles that were laid down hundreds of millions of years ago as organic-rich mud at the bottom of ancient seas and tidal flats
ng heat and pressure transformed the mud into shale and the organic matter into natural gas
rs, forming todays so-called conventional reservoirsgas deposits that are easily tapped through conventional drilling
st be extracted through unconventional means.
am, followed by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of the rock by the injecting of fluid at extremely high pressure.
nable society to lower its emissions of greenhouse gases in the short term while proceeding with the development of renewa

tantial amounts of quartz.

sils, and organic matter.
ndency to split into thin layers that are usually parallel to the bedding-plane surface.
n the grain sizes of the constituent minerals

eapons

lys first resolution in 1946

75 of States parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
on disarmament in 1978, which attached a special priority to nuclear disarmament.

weapons have well-funded, long-range plans to modernize their nuclear arsenals

o a treaty, bilateral or multilateral, and no nuclear disarmament negotiations are underway
curity policies of all possessor states and their nuclear allies.

26 September as the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
obal nuclear disarmament as a high priority
al benefits of eliminating such weapons, and the social and economic costs of perpetuating them.

h provides for control, regulation of narcotic drugs ,psychotropic substances and the forfeiture of property related to illicit traff
e definitions of commercial quantity, and small quantity.
ropic substances above the specified amount and small quantity is any amount less than the specified amount.
t property derived from income out of an illegal act under this law but also the equivalent value of such property.
mption of poppy straw produced from plants from which no juice has been extracted through lancing.
oncealing the nature and location of property derived from an offence under the Act or any other corresponding law in anothe

that ranks countries/economies in terms of their enabling environment to innovation and their innovation outputs
ation as co-publisher

put Sub-Index.

N and the Spanish company Navantia and now by DCNS

d to access atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel)

unt of detectable noise
an be virtually silent
gine handling propulsion on the surface
or propulsion or recharges the boat's batteries

$ 500m per boat

y the state-owned Mazagon Docks in Mumbai and delivered between 2016 2019

hat conducts affairs at the governmental level between both countries

nological and Cultural Co-operation
ndian External Affairs Minister.
co-chaired by the two countries respective Defence Ministers

amaan that will allow self-certification and benefit over a crore pensioners in the country
each year, to ensure continuity of pension being credited into their account owing to the facility
will enable the recording of the pensioners Aadhaar number and biometric details from a mobile device or computer, by plug
e basis, ultimately enabling the Pension Disbursing Agency to access a Digital Life Certificate

nced in 2014 budget and Rs 1,000 crore was allocated for it.
programme
mes like the Accelerated Irrigation Programme Benefit (AIPB),
r hilly states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu&Kashmir, integrated action plan (IAP) districts or districts affec
ent schemes like (MGNREGS) and other schemes of agriculture ministry and land resources department.

cture in the rural areas.

paration to augment power supply to the rural areas.

ivities wage employment would to be provided under MGNREGA.

e extended to another 100 districts.
me for encouraging rural youth to take up local entrepreneurship programs.
ort rural housing.
e country with an initial outlay of 2142 crores rupees.
trict inequalities

ank to be set up
y (CSR) activities to encourage the private sector to contribute more

rore rupees
ation and a Centre for Disability Sports to be established
adation of skills and training in ancestral arts for development for the minorities to be launched
m 15 August, 2014 to 14 August 2015 for the benefit of citizens aged 60 years and above

e rupees started
150 crore rupees
spitals of the districts of NCT of Delhi in 2014-15
and help in improving the efficiency of delivery of welfare services meant for women with an outlay of 100 crore rupees

s Medical College, Chennai

htra and Poorvanchal in Uttar Pradesh with an outlay of 500 crores rupees

ealth issues concerning rural population

tuation in India to be put in place within six months

and entrepreneurial skills

ivities wage employment would to be provided under MGNREGA
o take up local entrepreneurship programs with an outlay of 100 crore rupees to be launched

ew training tools and motivate teachers with an outlay of 500 crore rupees
e courses to be established as virtual classrooms with an outlay of 100 crore rupees

focused and scientific manner. The Mission is a focused project under National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy D

prove the genetic makeup and increase the stock

al, Rathi, Deoni, Tharparkar, Red Sindhi and others

ished in breeding tracts of indigenous breeds. The Gokul Grams will be set up in a PPP mode and will be established in

animals along with productive ones in a ratio of 60:40

ments of the animals

pation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem

e killing of two Israeli civilians

ed Gaza Strip
rian assistance and services to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip
ees in Israeli jails and detention centres.
e conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention

are responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world
HR), and is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly
n Rights (OHCHR) and engages the United Nations' special procedures
by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world
Independent Experts") who are intended to be independent experts in a particular area of human rights, or working groups us

of their assets and liabilities and those of their spouses and dependent children

ld and silver jewellery and bullion possessed by them, their spouses and dependent children
lities on first appointment or as on March 31 of every financial year
oyees under various services rules.

n dowry cases

rest when a case under Section 498-A of the IPC (dowry harassment) is registered.
parameters laid down flowing from Section 41 Criminal Procedure Code.
the arrest before the magistrate.
seven with or without fine, cannot be arrested by the police officer only on its satisfaction that such person had committed the
ble and it must be curbed.
said by the judicial magistrate concerned shall be liable for departmental action by the appropriate High Court and amount to

nd is currently one of the key areas under National Rural Health Mission(NRHM) since 2005.
eria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles and Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B was added to the UIP in 2007
mely rotavirus, rubella and Japanese encephalitis, as well as the injectable polio vaccine

nnium Development Goal 4 targets to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by the year 2015 and meet global polio eradication t
st 1 lakh infant deaths, deaths of adult in working age group and up to 10 lakhs hospitalization each year

ished Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities, and was signed in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 28
ually impaired and otherwise print disabled (VIPs).
ion, distribution and making available of published works in accessible formats, like Braille to VIPs.
s to published works for persons who are blind and visually impaired

int disabled persons in India

es by the Indian authorized entities like as educational institutions, libraries and other such institutions working for benefits of

accessible format copies in Indian languages

the financing of trade receivables of MSMEs from corporate buyers through multiple financiers

nanciers, both banks and non-bank (NBFC factors)

g, accepting, discounting, trading and settlement of the invoices or bills of MSMEs.

essing and that factoring units uploaded on the exchange are authentic & based on genuine transactions
yers and sellers on the TReDS using KYC norms
ia under the Payment and settlement Systems Act 2007

fael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd

r in 2006 in which Lebanon-based Shia Islamist militant group Hezbollah fired hundreds of missiles at Israel

gainst short-range missiles, rockets, artilleries, aircraft and helicopters by intercepting them in the mid-air

ware company

so that the body does not need to produce these elements itself
because the antibodies are naturally broken down, and if there are no B cells to produce more antibodies, they will disappea

during pregnancy, to protect the fetus before and shortly after birth
d if there has been a recent outbreak of a particular disease or as an emergency treatment for toxicity

ves through a unique method developed by a German company, Icon Genetics.

grown in large numbers for extraction.
to develop immunity to tackle the disease.

rathi, Nepali and Sindhi

ed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India

nd provide contents in regional languages, especially to those who are not conversant with English.
which will help in promotion of e - governance
omic activities at least of rural India resulting in creation of business opportunities and jobs for almost all sections of the soci
e for Development of Advanced Computing

amendment of Article 348 of Constitution

ourt shall be done in English

irection to the government to amend the Constitution for making Hindi official language for conducting court proceedings in h
diciary is a legacy of British rule and it should be done away

e as per Article 343, but unfortunately in Article 348 of Chapter III under Part XVII of the Constitution
Court shall be in English

endment for change of language in the Supreme Court 15 years after the commencement of the constitution
sh in the apex court

gible for benefits such as paid leave

work places have sufficient amenities and ensure their safety

benefit from 240 to 90 days

e induction of more non-engineers as apprentices.

s on the shop floor.
employer is located.
ho have completed training in the employers establishment

nous crimes like rape and murder. The JJ Act, 2000 treats any person below the age of 18 as juvenile.
ld be tried in a regular court or sent to a correctional centre.
ced to life or death if found guilty.

or both for militant groups who recruit child soldiers or use children for any purpose.
verbal abuse.
nishment causing hurt and emotional distress for the child

dismissed from service for repeat offence

down on illicit money-pooling schemes, arrest of defaulters, to access call data records and other frauds.
raudsters in the wake of several cases of illicit money-polling activities that includes ponzi operators.
stigation and prosecution process.
two other related legislations

ods and Services Tax (GST).

ct to GST. Parliament will have the exclusive power to levy GST on imports and inter-state trade.
Ministers, the Union Finance Minister, and Union Minister of State for Revenue to make recommendations with respect to GS
states or between states and the Union with regard to GST. Appeals from the Authority lie with the Supreme Court.
s and alcoholic liquor for human consumption

eople by ensuring regular income during their advancing year

monthly pension ranging from 500 to 5000 rupees per month (which is an overall rate of 9.38 percent per annum on their depo

availed after 3 years from the Date of Commencement

nces like critical / terminal illness of self or spouse

n economy into a digitally empowered knowledge economy

ational e-Governance Plan. The programme will be implemented in phases from 2014 till 2018

where mobile connectivity, Public Internet Access Programme, e-Governance,

ion for all, electronics manufacturing, IT for Jobs and early harvest programmes

on demand availability of government services like health, education etc, and digital empowerment of citizens especially thro

omic Affairs (CCEA) will accord approval for projects

Minister of Communications and IT
xpenditure Finance Committee (EFC) or Committee on Non Plan Expenditure

asible for rolling out Digital India programme.

nformatics Centre which facilitates roll out of IT projects in government departments

courage digital literacy and internet safety by introducing curriculums for schools, officials and elected representatives

dia programme.
itally connected, knowledge economy.
showcase Indias heritage and culture through the digital medium

ution was taken:as cultural capital

list and a regional list of heritage sites.
oon as also other inland relations
nkages through transnational nominations
al institutions
nd make them available to readers across the world
traditions that embody local narratives and local cultures

e (UNMEER)

ure the rapid, effective and coherent action necessary to treat the infected,
o countries which are currently unaffected.
tical technical expertise of the World Health Organization (WHO)

r mandatory registration of FIRs

be under Section 176 of the Criminal Procedure Code should be carried out.

l provisions for safeguarding the personal liberty and life of a citizen

d be bestowed on the concerned officers soon after the occurrence of the incidents.
only when the gallantry of the concerned officers is established beyond doubt.

ars, that is, by 2017.

rs under the Aajeevika Skills Programme.
ployment problem in the rural area.
ational standards and will complement the Prime Ministers Make In India campaign.
the differently-able persons

h urban poor
and group enterprises
hs rupees for group enterprises. Subsidized interest rate will be 7 percent
ng market oriented skills through City Livelihood Centres.
eeds with a support of 10000 rupees per each group who would in turn would be helped with bank linkages.

er essential services.

e implemented by Union Ministry of Urban Development

rinking Water and Sanitation.

oilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, Municipal Solid Waste Management.
toilets; (ii) Community and public toilets; and (iii) Municipal Solid Waste Management in all 4041 statutory towns
ets, 2.6 lakh seats of public toilets and solid waste management facility for all town

tation practices
ublic health.
ate systems to fulfill these objectives
enditure and operational expenditure

units in India and to seek greater foreign investment

% on a sustainable basis over a long run
owth model to labour-intensive manufacturing-driven growth

kill enhancement.

f investors.
s through a newly created web portal
nt answers to their general queries, the back-end support team of the cell would answer specific queries within 72 hours.
pert panel to address queries and concerns of investors
ndow online portal.

ances to investment proposals within 3 months

Homoeopathy.
ble and far-off areas

r of upgraded educational institutions

ospitals and dispensaries, availability of drugs and manpower.

rugs through increase in number of pharmacies, drug laboratories and improved enforcement mechanism of ASU&H drugs

crore rupees) from international and domestic institutional investors through its first onshore rupee bond named Maharaja Bo
ties, and SBI Caps are the lead- arrangers.

e of World Bank spread over five years.

s to the domestic capital markets.

d of 25 million US dollar; and (iii) two Separately Tradeable Redeemable Principal Parts (STRPPs) with maturities ranging fro
he STRPP structure.
cture investments in India

of a database of bottlenecks and their types experienced during the transportation of goods on the national highways
nal Centre for Cold-chain Development (NCCD) and Mahindra Logistics
away from critical zones and improve service options for refrigerated transport services
minimizing wastage that occurs due to delay in transportation of perishable goods

pital Regulations

her (i) conversion into common shares or (ii) write-down mechanism (temporary or permanent) which allocates losses to th
by them meet all the eligibility criteria such as legal, accounting and operational etc., in order for such instruments to be reco
hares (PNCPS) and Perpetual Debt Instruments (PDI) will be permissible at the initiative of the issuer after the instrument ha
ative Preference Shares (RNCPS) and Redeemable Cumulative Preference Shares (RCPS) with a min original maturity of at
ence Shares / Redeemable Non-Cumulative Preference Shares / Redeemable Cumulative Preference Shares) to retail inve
only after the instrument has run for at least ten years.

hout stopping the vehicle at the toll plazas.

affixed on the wind shield of the vehicle.
ETC lanes of plazas, which will deduct an appropriate amount depending upon the class of vehicle from the account of the u

d as FASTag lanes.

women and men across four key areas: Health, Education, Economy and politics
asuring gaps rather than levels, it captures gaps in outcome variables rather than gaps in input variables, it ranks countries ac

forces (CPMFs) in anti-Maoist operations.

ith using their pan-Indian mandate for seamless operations across state borders and holding the counter-insurgency grid tog
ments like security-related measures, development-based approach, rights and entitlement-based measures and public per
LWE-affected areas
s going hand in hand; while in less affected areas, development interventions will take precedence
rallies and working around the DoPT rules to identify ways to push up their representation in the forces.
y local buildings after them

access to basic amenities and opportunities to enable them to shape their own destiny.
nity spirit, self-confidence and on developing infrastructure.

as such as agriculture, health, education, sanitation, environment, livelihoods etc.

ya, gender equality, dignity of women, social justice, spirit of community service and etc in the villages and their people so tha
pulation of 3000-5000 in plain areas and 1000-3000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas.
ating the desirable population size may be chosen.
d as Adarsh Gram, other than his/her own village or that of his/her spouse.
uld be prepared for every identified gram panchayat with special focus on enabling every poor household to come out of pove

d. The scheme envisages holding Mahila Sabhas and Bal Sabhas to discuss women and children specific issues and conce
lso important goals of SAGY.
al to this programme, will include use of space application and remote sensing for planning, mobile based technology for mo
e put in place for the scheme covering all aspects and components

capacity building programme for government functionaries at different levels including gram panchayats.
Secretary consisting of the relevant departments and including experts, as required with at least two civil society representa
will conduct a monthly review meeting with representatives of the participating Line Departments. The MPs concerned will ch

isioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce the culture of cleanliness, launched by Union Ministry of Environment, F
uality for Common Man.
s been made quite comprehensive by the addition of five additional parameters.
O, O3, NH3, and Pb) for which short-term National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed
s, air quality experts, academia, NGOs, and state
Poor, Very Poor, and Severe with colour coding ranging from green to dark red.
ple description of air quality to citizens.
lity and is aimed at attracting people's participation in the process

N specialized agencies, their functional commissions and five regional commissions

mic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations syst
o the Council in order to participate in the work of the United Nations
tes and with international financial institutions, the private sector and civil society on global trends, policies and action

ock for the development of various facilities for the Tribal people.
States and have very low literacy rate.
n development indices between Schedule tribes and other social groups.

ment of Central Ministries/Departments and State Governments with outcome oriented approach.
to total population of the block will be targeted under the scheme.

nt and doing business with ease

ect Network, to facilitate their online registration.

ur Inspection Scheme to facilitate ease of compliance (http://efilelaboutreturn.gov.in) to facilitate ease of compliance especi

Account Holders
e workers in the unorganized sector

ness, promote destigmatization and desegregation,

viding accessible, affordable and quality health and social care to all persons through their life-span within a right based fram

s by persons with mental health problems.

uding homeless persons, persons in remote areas, educationally, socially and deprived sections.

health problems

r mental health
health promotion and care
of mental health problems and to provide appropriate interventions

rated Manual Scavengers to achieve the overall goal of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
d Manual Scavengers for Construction, Operation and Maintenance of community toilets in (PPP) Mode and for Purchase of
of vehicles such as Jetting and Suction machines, Vacuum Loaders, Garbage collection and disposal vehicles etc.
vehicles in areas under their jurisdiction.
4 percent per annum.
khs rupees

vernments, companies and civil society, spurred by the SecretaryGenerals Climate Summit
20, and strive to end it by 2030
g carbon pollution every year - between 4.5 and 8.8 billion tonnes
by indigineous peoples to protect hundreds of millions of hectares of tropical forests
r restore degraded lands, new procurement policies for several of the largest forest commodity importer governments
ce farming and reliance on fuel wood for energy) in ways that alleviate poverty and promote sustainable and equatable devel

distribute money from the developed to the developing world,

n practices to counter climate change
country Parties using thematic funding windows.It is intended to be the centrepiece of efforts to raise Climate Finance of $10

vate Sector Facility (PSF)

n funds and other institutional investors that control trillions of dollars that pass through Wall Street and other financial centers
the PSF should focus on "pro-poor climate finance" that addresses the difficulties faced by micro-, small-, and medium-size
nd is one of the biggest challenges ahead

rence on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 1
mosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system
al countries and contains no enforcement mechanisms i.e legally non-binding
eaties (called "protocols") that may set binding limits on greenhouse gases
he Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change
gations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
ed to below 2.0 C (3.6 F) relative to the pre-industrial level.

ods, including goods in transit.

r appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues

rance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out provisions for customs cooperation
low developing and least-developed countries (LDCs) to determine when they will implement individual provisions of the Agre
the Agreement enters into force (or in the case of a least-developed country member within one year after entry into force)
sitional period following the entry into force of the Agreement
fter a transitional period following the entry into force of the Agreement and requiring the acquisition of assistance and suppo
e facilitation at the WTO, require members to have a national committee to facilitate domestic coordination and implementat

an effective means for coordination

elop Pan Pacific Islands Project for telemedicine and tele-education
vel. The regional hubs will be developed in the Pacific Islands

principles articulated for Islamic finance

nt companies, appointing a Shariah board, carrying out annual shariah annual audit and purifying certain prohibites types of in
ns that earn interest would be excluded in fund

(FPIs) regulation

of Offshore Derivative Instruments especially P-Notes for money laundering and other such purposes
the resident of a country whose securities market regulator is a signatory to International Organization of Securities Commi
m of Understanding (MoUs) or a signatory to bilateral (MoUs) with SEBI are eligible for issuance ODIs.
ank is a member of Bank for International Settlements.
mon Beneficial Owner (BO) shall be considered together as a single ODI subscriber, in the same manner as is being done in
gether with reference to investment restrictions.
s FPIs, which have been divided into three categories as per their risk profiles.
new FPI regime.

dia (RBI), the government can borrow up to 20000 crore rupees till March 2015 to meet such short-term cash shortfall
st of two percentage points above the repo rate i.e 10% given the current repo rate
wer rate of interest

ued for maturities less than 91 days.

ement Bills will depend upon the temporary cash requirement of the Government. However, the tenure of the proposed Bills w
ons, as in the case of the Treasury Bills.

Reserve Bank of India through separate Press Release to be issued one day prior to the date of auction.

d to the Cash Management Bills.

nion Government on 1 April 1988.

rtificates from post offices in various denominations

of certificate from post office in various denominations.

0, 10000 and 50000 rupees with no upper ceiling on investment.
sferred from one person to any other person. The investment made in the certificate will double in 100 months.
d of nomination will also be available under the scheme.
an encash his certificates after the lock-in period of 2 years and 6 months and thereafter in any block of six months on pre-de

ar Fresnel reflector (LFR) technology.

nto a fixed absorber located at a common focal point of the reflectors
30 times its normal intensity
al fluid (this is typically oil capable of maintaining liquid state at very high temperatures)
opposed to traditional LFRs, the CLFR utilizes multiple absorbers within the vicinity of the mirrors

esence of ecstatic Niyamgiri Hills.

h Western Region of the state of Odisha, India. The tribe is a peace loving tribe known for their simplicity in life
o news for their revolutionary vote against the continuation of mining in the mineral rich Niyamgiri hills by the Vedanta Corpor
come into question due to some industrialization in the area.
these two tribal areas refused their consent to an ambitious bauxite project of mineral major Vedanta company

onsible for addressing global environmental destruction yet not equally responsible.
y for global environmental problems and, on the other hand, the need to recognize the wide differences in levels of economic
eir abilities to address, these problems
nce on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
ession of concern for the loss of natural resources belonging to all (especially maritime, such as whales and tuna).
ate change, deforestation, desertification, and biodiversity degradation
nd a greater contribution to the degradation of global environmental resources, such as water and air, and enables the sharin

ent Authority of India (IRDAI) with the flexibility to discharge its functions more effectively and efficiently
urance Company from 26% to an explicitly composite limit of 49% with the safeguard of Indian ownership and control

atory supervision of IRDAI.

ad to greater distribution reach to under / un-served areas,
ens, efficient service delivery through improved distribution technology and enhanced customer service standards

d disallowing multilevel marketing of insurance products in order to curtail the practice of mis-selling.
up to Rs.1 Crore to Rs. 25 Crore for various violations including mis-selling and misrepresentation by agents / insurance co

es for IRDAI to regulate their eligibility, qualifications and other aspects

s like solvency, investments, expenses and commissions and to formulate regulations for payment of commission and cont
veyors and loss assessors.

e- insurance brokers, insurance consultants, corporate agents, third party administrators, surveyors and loss assessors

mely diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B by 2020.
of Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malaviya and birthday of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee
partners. Mass media, interpersonal communication, and sturdy mechanisms of monitoring and evaluating the scheme
paign mode where the aim is to cover all the children who have been left out or missed out for immunization.

de mining of bauxite, iron ore, limestone and manganese ore as notified minerals.
r all minerals other than coal, lignite and atomic minerals.
eases and prospecting licence-cum-mining leases along with approval of Union government
ximum area of 10 sq km
ing operations to address local area grievances.
dia planning and detailed mine exploration.

g process i.e e-auction.

s and promoting optimum utilization of coal resources.
e use and allot mines directly to state and central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
ation for displaced persons.
mine infrastructure together with mining leases to successful bidders.

The bond issuer gets capital while the investors receive fixed income in the form of interest. When the bond matures, the mo
raised to fund green projects, which typically include those relating to renewable energy, emission reductions and so on
nko have in the past issued bonds that have been used for financing renewable energy, however, without the tag of green bon
porations, government agencies and municipalities.

ks monetary policy gets reflected in the real economy

pect that reduction to be passed on to eventual customers as a result of the monetary transmission process.
mostly at variable rates and can be re-priced faster
arrying a fixed rate of interest.
m 15 per cent previous year.
el of bad loans

ose, including nuclear weapons

ecurity Council

tes nominated by the outgoing Board

are not represented by the first ten:
can table issues to be discussed by the General Conference (IAEA Primer)

nce and China, serve as the body's five permanent members

UN member state

ng Asia Pacific countries

ial integration) by means of FDI

nership to tackle non tariff barriers in this sector

to open it to all countries

ge of information.
x laws, while respecting the fundamental rights of taxpayers.

m a beneficiarys identity

lements to residents

of recommendations of the 4 members of Selection Committee

machinery
und to be ineffective

power to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without prior government permission

ry process

then be given as compensation to complainant

ority to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician

parliaments

of concessions
ond to requests for information by other members

ina, South Korea, and South Africa

distorting support
om both tariff cuts and subsidy reductions

ents on medicines and the public health needs in developing countries

n their proposals.

chnical assistance

d in global markets
ural imports exceeding specific limits.

ed a cooked school feeding programme for children up to primary level

nutritional status of primary school children
e constitutional remedy provided under Article 32

e local cuisine, providing jobs in the area, and minimising waste.

uring hygienic and nutritious food

Centre through Food Corporation of India (FCI),

nt, and the management of marine natural resources.

nforce laws in four specific areas

tate's territory or territorial waters

ghts over all natural resources.

ine, whichever is greater

oint exploration, development of mineral, water, natural resources

ople to people contact

Northern India combination of rail, road, water & air linkage
of Kunming (provincial capital of Yunnan), which borders Myanmar

r (Article 124 B)judiciary

lifications to international qualifications.

eir lives according to their needs and convenience.
monize skill development efforts of the GOI and the private sector.

nistered by the Planning Commission

he Municipalities, respectively.

and monitoring, to reflect local felt needs

d the identification of the work is decided with peoples participation

g below poverty line

price directly to the family of the BPL in their account.

of the beneficiary using the Aadhaar Payment Bridge of NPCI

y Authority of India

se of sales taxes).

ent in DTAA and CECPA

ird countries corporate entities

not paying capital gains tax in India

pts of round tripping and money laundering activities

fit of a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).

ource country having a favorable tax treaty, in order to minimize its tax liability with the home country

tempts to bridge the worldwide digital divide

ommunication and information

d adults by 2015

quality in education, by 2015

mber since 2004

pent at least four years in school

tive impact on the economic growth of Germany

towards a long term agreement

cost of living and influences expectations of households.

as its head. Shall be accountable for failure to establish and achieve nominal anchor
nt must be taken over by the governments Debt Management Office

the art technological expertise

ernment of Sri Lanka (GOSL)

he houses.

dia (IWAI),[2] and is scheduled for completion in 2013.

nsport (IWT) sector

aintenance of the vessels and waterway terminals.

al best practices

d other obligations.

increased by 10000 every year until it reaches 50000 households.

will be implemented with integral involvement of GPs

oreign funds through donations, gifts or grants

c media organisations to the list

gross inflow of foreign funds into India

xchange Management Act, 1999, and the Income Tax Act, 1961
political nature

anitation and employment generation.

d deployment of socially relevant innovative technologies and solutions.

and development institutions.

de training and skills development programmes to entrepreneurs and IIIF assisted companies

ve Director at RBI

ement of commercial operations (DCCO),

mercial commencement.

ational Investment and Manufacturing Zones

DP to 25% and create 100 million jobs.

ation of the cluster

and substance abuse, among other issues

accessing the services and support

for example, with regard to ingredients etc.

r of requisite quality even when tap water does not meet the required safety standards.

medal has won

est marks as per criteria

uirements across various segments of the capital markets

mitment according to the Kyoto Protocol

mate and energy issues.

ssion Reduction units which may be traded in emissions trading scheme

ch is to prevent dangerous climate change

uction units from CDM emission reduction projects in developing countries

ntion on Climate Change

st victimisation of the person who makes the complaint

s disclosed the identity of the complainant.

visions of the Bill are similar to that of the resolution

officials who victimise whistleblowers.

National Afforestation Programme.

nts will meet the balance requirement.

on various criteria.

rs associations.

eted as substantively addressing rights and obligations of street vendors (Concurrent List) or relating to municipal zoning (St
could defeat the purpose of enacting a law to ensure uniformity in the legal framework.
n a fair manner.
dispute resolution.

ation in Government Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools

de privacy and dignity to women.

tion coverage

on of hygiene education, sanitary habits among students.

appropriate technologies, capacity building

o form Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)

nable policy bodies in their policy-formulation functions.

pline and help detect identity theft at an early stage.

heir performance over a period of time.
mechanism for making changes to data formats - improve data quality
Information Reports (CIRs

ement of fans to the game.

ated with penalty corner set up while allowing for teams to enjoy their goal celebrations

such as terrorist groups and smugglers.

by Resolution 1386,as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement

war with insurgent groups

over the whole of the country

unding areas

ghts and international humanitarian law.

operation in legal and policy issues related to piracy.

f 10 lakh rupees should be given to the family of the died.

e what is their legitimate due under the law.

nching in the mobile number, sender code, and SMS Pin

ty under all weather conditions.

d (ECR) countries.
g the period of coverage.

r returns home, whichever is earlier.

benefits when they go back home and during their old age.

ovember 2014.
er damage to the economy

editors shoulder the cost of any rescue, not the taxpayer.

h has necessary experience in the payment systems space

yments space as well as new entities interested in this segment.

amount of deposits.

fficient utilization of various components of the waste.

he processing technology.

to health and environment.

her useful products

precious land
echnologies

ce, tapping unutilized energy potential of the MSW

y (< 25 to > 2000 m) aiding pilots for safe landing and take-off.

quire, test, or possess nuclear weapons.

he Northern Hemisphere.
rity of their peoples.
s within Central Asia.

be overdrawn and that these always remain in credit.

nal purposes

ranch and transmitted electronically.

mation like the MICR fields, date of presentation, presenting banks

collection or realization of cheques.

fectiveness in multi-target scenario.

responsibilities efficiently.
d Indirect Taxes

stoms, central excise, service tax, DGFT and EPFO

etween central excise, service tax under the CENVAT credit rules
conditions

ial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean

Landscapes and Routes

anding of cultural values and concerns

er level of service delivery.

bundled utilities State Electricity Boards (SEBs) and the State Power Departments.

0% of the sectors accumulated losses.

ountry in 2010

ed on performance.

st at the rate of 15 per cent per annum for the delayed period.

of utilisation of the proceeds.

g of Terrorism (CFT).

ntial (OGP) areas with in country

) that contribute to the depletion of Earths ozone layer

Earths surface.

in the stratosphere,

t of 1986 levels by 1999

hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs), methyl bromide, and other ODCs.

omenon known as the greenhouse effect

ared radiation

y in trace amounts
diant energy impinging upon Earths surface.

systems continued activity

etons and other structures made of calcium carbonate

ncient seas and tidal flats.

onventional drilling

e development of renewable energies in the long term.

operty related to illicit traffic of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances.

fied amount.
ch property.

responding law in another country

tion outputs

vice or computer, by plugging in a biometric reading device

districts or districts affected by Left extremism and drought-prone areas

of 100 crore rupees

ine Breeding and Dairy Development

will be established in

parts of the world

hts, or working groups usually composed of five members (one from each UN region)

erson had committed the offence.

igh Court and amount to contempt of court

dded to the UIP in 2007

global polio eradication targets

arrakesh, Morocco, on 28 June 2013

s working for benefits of visually paired people

bodies, they will disappear.

st all sections of the society

g court proceedings in higher judiciary

ations with respect to GST.

Supreme Court.

per annum on their deposits)

of citizens especially through digital literacy.

ed representatives

utory towns

eries within 72 hours.

anism of ASU&H drugs

bond named Maharaja Bonds

with maturities ranging from 13 to 20 years.

ational highways

ch allocates losses to the instruments.

h instruments to be recognised as regulatory capital instruments.
r after the instrument has run for at least five years.
min original maturity of at least five years compared to 10 years at present.
nce Shares) to retail investors, subject to the board approval.

rom the account of the user.

bles, it ranks countries according to gender equality rather than women's empowement

unter-insurgency grid together.

measures and public perception management

es and their people so that they get transformed into models for others.

hold to come out of poverty.

pecific issues and concerns.

based technology for monitoring, agriculture technology for increasing productivity etc.

o civil society representatives.

e MPs concerned will chair the review meetings

Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change

d the United Nations system

olicies and action

se of compliance especially for four Central Government Organizations i.e. ESIC, EPFO, DGMS and CLC.

within a right based frame work.

ode and for Purchase of Sanitation related Vehicles.

sal vehicles etc.

orter governments
able and equatable development

e Climate Finance of $100 billion a year by 2020

nd other financial centers

small-, and medium-sized enterprises in such countries

Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992

ual provisions of the Agreement

ar after entry into force)

of assistance and support for capacity building

dination and implementation of the provisions of the Agreement

rtain prohibites types of income such as interest, by donating them to charity

ion of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)

anner as is being done in the case of FPIs.

erm cash shortfall

re of the proposed Bills will be less than 91 days.

00 months.

k of six months on pre-determined maturity valu

ls by the Vedanta Corporation

a company

ces in levels of economic development between states.

ales and tuna).

r, and enables the sharing of responsibility accordingly

rship and control

ice standards

by agents / insurance companies

of commission and control of management expenses

s and loss assessors

luating the scheme

he bond matures, the money is repaid.

reductions and so on
hout the tag of green bonds

g to municipal zoning (State List).