World Water Week

• from August 24 till September 1
• Organised by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
• Theme is- “Seeing the Unseen: The Value of Water”.

World Water Day

• March 22 
• Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
• Theme of 2022 “Groundwater: making the invisible visible.”
• The theme was decided by UN-water at its 30th meeting in Rome. It was proposed by the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC).

Government Initiatives

• Catch the Rain campaign 2022
• Jal Andolan a Jan Andolan
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’
• Atal Bhujal Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme
• National Water Mission
• Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has instituted National Water Awards and “Water Heroes – Share your stories” 
• Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP)
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)

Hayabusa-2 mission

• was launched in December 2014
• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) 
• To study the asteroid Ryugu
• Ryugu is also classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs). and was discovered in 1999.
• The Hayabusa mission-1 brought samples from the asteroid Itokawa in 2010.

Asteroids

• Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, much smaller than planets
• called minor planets

NASA

• NASA’s OSIRIS-REX mission collected samples from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020, which will be brought to Earth in 2023.

Source: The Indian Express

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• a permanent intergovernmental international organization. 
• It meets once every year 
• The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the highest decision-making body in the SCO
• The Secretariat in Beijing (China) and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent(Uzbekistan).
• Russian and Chinese are the official working languages of the SCO.
• SCO Business Council’s Permanent Secretariat is headquartered in Moscow.

History

• Before creation of SCO in 2001,Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five
• It was after the accession of Uzbekistan to the organization in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO.
• India and Pakistan became members in 2017.
• 17^th September, 2021, it was announced that Iran would become a full member of the SCO.

SCO full members

•  India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Drought

Drought is a rainfall-scarce period, affecting the availability of water for irrigation, drinking,etc 

They are classified into three types:

• METEOROLOGICAL drought is a prolonged dry spell in periods when rainfall is expected 
• HYDROLOGICAL drought is when scarcity of water begins to hit normal supplies in the system 
• AGRICULTURAL drought is when scarcity of water begins to affect the agricultural production

Source: The Indian Express

Number of women scientists goes up

 

Source: The Indian Express

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

• Statutory authority
• Under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• Aadhar Act 2016
• 12 digit 

National Investigation Agency (NIA)

• Central Agency
• It is empowered to deal with terror-related crimes across states w/o special permission from the states.
• NIA Act, 2008
• Works Under Ministry Of Home Affairs

Curzon

• Appointed Viceroy of India In 1899
• Partition Bengal 1905
• "We could lose all our dominions and still survive, but if we lost India, Our sun would sink its settings."

Reforms

• Universities Act of 1904: brought all the universities in India under the control of the government.
• The Agriculture Research Institute In Pusa(Bihar)
• Police Commission 1902: Chairman: Andew Frazer
• Northwest Frontier Province(NWFP)
• Imperial cadet Corps
• Ancient Monuments Act, 1904

PYQs

• 2014

Compassion towards the weaker section of society

• to suffer with another person.

Venkatesham Burra (IAS)

• Self-Help Groups: Aasara
• NGOs:  Ashraya

Prasanth Nair IAS

• Compassionate Kozhikode and Operation Sulimani 

Question

“Public service is recognized on the basis of tolerance and compassion towards the weaker section of the society.” Explain the values of tolerance and compassion in this context. (UPPSC 2019)

Source: The Indian Express

Essay

 “Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.” 

                                                                                                      - Fredrick Buechner

SA8000 certificate

• By Social Accountability International
• social certifications for decent workplaces across all industrial sectors

Facts

• In 2007, Medak district administration became the first government agency in Asia to receive SA8000 certificate
• It was one of the world’s first auditable social certifications for decent workplaces across all industrial sectors

Reference:

• Social Accountability International

Police System

• Ideal Police System
• Numerous Tasks Of Police Stations: The Bureau of Police Research& Development (BPR&D): Identified 45 Tasks
• Time Bound Service Delivery: India Justice Report (IJR) 2020: Tata Trusts
• Modernisation of Police: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA): 20000 Crore for the modernization of police (2017-2020)

Technology-driven service delivery

National Crime Records Bureau

Report: Crime in India 2019

• As per the report, 25,023 cases of assault on women, 11,966 rape cases, and 4,197 “dowry deaths” have been pending trial for five to 10 years.

Source: The Indian Express

Gabon: African country

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

Bilkis Bano gang rape case

**For the Exam

• Remission

Afghanistan

PYQs

Consider the following countries: 

1. Azerbaijan 

2. Kyrgyzstan 

3. Tajikistan 

4. Turkmenistan 

5. Uzbekistan 

Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan? [2022]

(a) 1, 2 and 5 only 

(b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only 

(c) 3, 4 and 5 only 

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

👉For Answer: Click Here

Khongjom Day: 23 March

• Paid Homage to the martyrs of 1891 War
• Anglo - Manipur War
• The Kingdom of Manipur and the British Empire

Paona Brajabasi

• A military officer

Facts Related to the 15 August and 26 January

Purna Swaraj

• Lahore Session
• 1929

January 26, 1930

• Choose the 1st Independence Day

December 29, 1929

• Hoisted the national flag 
• River Ravi
• Lahore

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant: Ukraine

• Southern Ukraine
• Beside the Kakhovka reservoir on the Dnipro river
• Largest nuclear plant in Europe
• 10th Biggest in the world

**Under control of Russia

Italy

• Lake Garda: country’s largest lake
• lake shrinks

**Also in News

• Po River

World's Largest Floating Solar Plant

• Madhya Pradesh
• On Narmada
• Omkareshwar Dam
• 600 MW 

iDEX

 Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)

• Launched in 2018
• innovation ecosystem for Defence

Funded and Managed by Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)

 Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO)

• not-for-profit organisation
• formed under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013
• funded by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)

Objective

• indigenization
• innovation

Source

• The Indian Express

PESA Act

The Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA  Act), 1996

• Fifth Schedule Areas
• Except for these States: Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram
• Bhuria Committee recommendations

 Types of powers have been given to a Gram Sabha under PESA:

• Developmental
• Dispute resolution
• Ownership and management of natural resources

State governments are expected to amend their respective Panchayati Raj Acts without making any law that would be inconsistent with the mandate of PESA.

Source

• The Indian express

Henipavirus

• Visit

What is the Fifth Amendment? (USA)

• constitutional right against self-incrimination

In the context Of India:

• Article 20(3): right against self-incrimination.

**News 

Trump refuses to answer questions in NY deposition, invokes Fifth Amendment shield

Source:

• The Indian Express

Lumpy skin disease

• Cattle
• Vaccine: Lumpi-ProVacInd 
• Development: IndianVeterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly) and -National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana)

**News

12/08/2022

Corbevax vaccine

• To protect against COVID-19.
• Manufacturer: Biological E. Limited
• Vaccine type: Protein subunit
• Administration method: Intramuscular injection

Source:

•  who.int

Montenegro

Inflation

 Causes of the current Inflation

• Fiscal Deficit
• Current Account Deficit
• Interest Rate
• Monetary Policy
• Supply Side
• Tax Policy

Vocabulary

1. Cynicism: सनक
2. Abomination: घृणा
3. cumbersome: भारी-भरकम
4. clogged: भरा हुआ
5. ostensible:दिखावटी
6. indomitable: न बदनेवाला

Muga Silk

• GI Tag
• Assam
• Golden Silk
• GAMOCHA: The Pride Of  Assam
• National Handloom Day: 7 August

Flag Code of India 2022

 The Constituent Assembly of India adopted the National Flag on July 22, 1947.

For Essay

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Taiwan

 Taiwan

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna Gramin

Nodal Ministry

• Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD)

Centre State Ratio

• The Centre and states share the expenditure in the ratio of 60:10.
• In the case of Himalayan states, Union Territories, and states in the North-East, the ratio is 90:10.

Supreme Court

• Articles 124 to 147
• Part V

Aneurysm

• a swelling of the arteries and veins in any part of the body.
• It occurs most commonly in the aorta, back of the knees, brain or intestines. If the aneurysm gets ruptured, it can even cause internal bleeding and stroke.
• remains undetected
• it is not always possible to prevent aneurysm, but certain lifestyle changes can help reduce risk.

Risk factors for aneurysm

• Smoking, age, high cholesterol, obesity, hypertension or tissue disorders. 

Source: The Indian Express

INS Sindhudhwaj

• The Soviet Union in 1987
• Kilo Class diesel-electric submarines 

 

Project 75I

• Six attack submarines were supposed to be built in India

System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

• First developed in Madagascar in the 1980s and since then several countries in the world practicing it.
• India

Benefits

• to save 15 to 20 % improve groundwater, improve rice productivity.
• all types of soil including less fertile soil 

Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR)

• only for mid to heavy textured soils

Source: The Indian Express

Sun Temple

1.  Modhera Sun Temple, Gujarat
2. Konark Sun Temple, Odisha
3. Brahmanya Dev Temple, Unao (Madhya Pradesh)
4. Suryanaar Kovil, Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu)
5. Suryanarayana Swamy temple, Arasavalli (Andhra Pradesh)
6. Dakshinaarka Temple, Gaya (Bihar)
7. Navalakha Temple, Ghumli (Gujarat)
8. Martand Sun temple, Kashmir

PYQs

Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples? (CSE 2017)
1. Arasavalli
2. Amarkantak
3. Omkareshwar

Select the correct answer using the code given below

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains Question

1. Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss 
2. Indian philosophy and tradition played a significant role in conceiving and shaping the monuments and art in India. Discuss

Modhera Sun Temple

• 11th century (1026)
• Raja Bimdev I - Chalukya
• Solanki Dynasty
• Nagara Style
• World Heritage Site
• **India's First 24*7 solar-powered village

PYQs

Which of the following is/are famous for Sun temples? (CSE 2017)
1. Arasavalli
2. Amarkantak
3. Omkareshwar

Select the correct answer using the code given below

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains Question

1. Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss 
2. Indian philosophy and tradition played a significant role in conceiving and shaping the monuments and art in India. Discuss

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)

 Definition

• MSME definition was announced in the Atmnirbhar Bharat package on 13th May, 2020. 
• As per this announcement, the definition of Micromanufacturing and services units was increased to Rs. 1 Crore of investment and Rs. 5 Crore of turnover. 
• The limit of the small unit was increased to Rs. 10 Crore of investment and Rs 50 Crore of turnover. 
• Similarly, the limit of the medium unit was increased to Rs. 20 Crore of investment and Rs. 100 Crore of turnover.
• For medium Enterprises, now it will be Rs. 50 Crore of investment and Rs. 250 Crore of turnover.

Ministry of MSME has reiterated that it has put in place a very strong handholding mechanism for MSMEs and new entrepreneurs in the name of Champions (www.champions.gov.in) which was recently launched by the Prime Minister.

Source:

• https://msme.gov.in
  

Kargil Vijay Diwas

• 26 July

Heatwaves

• Period of abnormally High Temp.
• India: May-June

Criteria

• for Plains >40 C and Hilly Region >30 C

World Press Freedom Day

• 3rd May

 World Press Freedom Index

• published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
• Theme: "Journalism under digital siege"
• India ranked 150th among the 180 countries.

Source: The Indian Express

Marburg virus disease

• similar to Ebola fever
• Outbreak in Ghana
• Fruit bats
• spread through direct contact with blood

**1st 1967, Marburg (Germany)- Lab

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

1. Consciousness - चेतना
2. Revere - Respect - आदर करना
3. Deceased - मृतक
4. Cognitive intelligence- संज्ञानात्मक बुद्धि

Kali Bein

• starts from Hoshiarpur
• meets the confluence of the rivers Beas and Sutlej in Kapurthala

Significance

• First Guru, Nanak Dev, is said to have got enlightenment here

**CM Punjab: drink water from it

Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh

• Madhya Pradesh
• Cheetah from South Africa and Namibia

Population Viability Analysis

• the cheetahs will have a long-term future only in population size of 50 or more.

Status of Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus)

• IUCN - Vulnerable
• CITES - Appendix I

Reference

• Kuno National Park

Gender gap in the STEM field

 Facts

• Women account for over 43 % of all Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates in India, one of the highest in the world, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report 2019-20.
•  just 14 % of them pursue scientific research in universities and institutions.

Problem

• Low: Women's Entry
• stereotype
• Career (male dominance)

Suggestion

• Role Model (e.g.Sunita Williams, Kalpana Chavala, Neena Gupta-Indian mathematician and Ramanujan Prize 2021 winner)
• Social Media
• Mentorship program
• Gender Neutral role
• Facilities

Source: The Indian Express

**Gender Gap Index

Mission Shakti

• 15th Finance Commission period 2021-22 to 2025-26
• an integrated women empowerment program is launched as an umbrella scheme for the safety, security, and empowerment of women for the implementation program.

Sambal

• It is for the Safety and Security of Women. 
• It comprises schemes of One Stop Centre (OSC), Women Helpline (WHL), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), with a new component of Nari Adalats.

Samarthya

• It is for the Empowerment of Women.
• Ujjwala, Swadhar Greh, and Working Women Hostel.
•  Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)  
• Gap Funding for Economic Empowerment

Nari Adalat

• the for providing women with an alternate grievance redress mechanism to resolve cases of petty nature (harassment, subversion, curtailment of rights or entitlements) at the gram panchayat level, which will be implemented in a phased manner.

Source: The Indian Express

**Essay writing

**Society (Mains)

**Scheme Related to Women

**1098 -Child Line

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

• Centre’s flagship program
• Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry

Targets

• improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) by 2 points every year
• improvement in the percentage of institutional deliveries at 95% or above,
• 1% increase in 1st Trimester ANC Registration per year
• 1 % increase in enrolment at secondary education level and skilling of girls and women per year
• check dropout rate among girls at secondary and higher secondary levels
• raising awareness about safe menstrual hygiene management.

Source: The Indian Express

**Khelo India

**Nari Adalat

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

• emergency measures when air quality worsens in Delhi

GPSC | UPDATE ||

 

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

• (PMFBY) scheme was launched in India by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, New Delhi from the Kharif 2016 season onwards.

Objective

• Providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen events
• Stabilizing the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.
• Encouraging farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices
• Ensuring the flow of credit to the agriculture sector which will contribute to food security, crop diversification, and enhancing growth and competitiveness of the agriculture sector besides protecting farmers from production risks.

Coverage of Crops

• Food crops (Cereals, Millets and Pulses),
• Oilseeds
• Annual Commercial / Annual Horticultural crops

Source:

• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
• https://twitter.com/pmfby

Cervical Cancer: HPV vaccine (Cervavac)

• Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) 

Human papillomavirus

• a viral infection that's passed between people through skin-to-skin contact.

Quadrivalent vaccine

• A vaccine that works by stimulating an immune response against four different antigens, such as four different viruses or other microorganisms.
• e.g. Gardasil, Cervavac

Cervical Cancer

• the second most common cancer type
• in women of reproductive age (15–44)

India

• India accounts for about a fifth of the global burden, with 1.23 lakh cases and around 67,000 deaths per year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)

• (CDSCO) headed by the Drugs Controller General (India) is the Central Authority for regulating the quality of drugs marketed in the country under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. 

Source:

1. IE
2. https://www.cancer.gov

**The Serum Institute of India(SII)'s vaccine Cervavac recently received the Drugs Controller General of India's(DGCI)approval for market authorization.

Gender Gap Index

• released by the World Economic Forum(WEF)
• four key areas: health, education, economics and politics.

Cognizable offences

• Cognizable offenses are those the police can arrest without any warrant.
• serious in nature

e.g. Rape, murder, kidnapping, dowry death , etc

Bail

• CrPC does not define the Bail.
• only categories offenses under the Indian Penal Code as ‘bailable’ and ‘non-bailable’.
• The CrPC empowers magistrates to grant bail for bailable offenses as a matter of right.
• Non-bailable offenses are cognizable, which enables the police officer to arrest without a warrant.

Source: IE

**Topics: Comparing Constitution(UK)

**Related to Mains Exam

Interpol

• the world’s largest international police organization
• HQ: Lyon, France

India

• CBI is a nodal agency

International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE)

• It is Interpol’s initiative against child sexual abuse
• The ICSE database uses video and image comparison to analyse Child Sex Exploitation Material (CSEM)

Related to India

• India is the 68th country to have access to this database and software.

Data

• India reported over 24 lakh instances of online child sexual abuse from 2017 to 2020, with 80% of victims being girls below the age of 14 years, according to Interpol data.

Source: IE

Questions

1.The national motto of India, ‘Satyameva Jayate’ inscribed below the Emblem of India is taken from (CSE 2014)

a) Katha Upanishad
b) Chandogya Upanishad
c) Aitareya Upanishad
d) Mundaka Upanishad

2. Which of the following is the custodian of the Constitution of India? (CSE 2015 )
a) The President of India
b) The Prime Minister of India
c) The Lok Sabha Secretariat
d) The Supreme Court of India

CERN

• world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory.

Key achievements

• The Higgs boson
• The W boson
• The Z boson
• The Large Hadron Collider 
• The Birth of the web
• Antimatter

Recent News

• The scientists at CERN say they have observed a new kind of “pentaquark” and the first-ever pair of “tetraquarks”, adding three members to the list of new hadrons found at the LHC.

India

• 2016- Associate member
• ALICE experiment:  Study of Quark-Gluon Plasma

Source: IE

floating solar plant

• largest floating solar plant in Telangana 
• NTPC

Krishi Jagran

James Webb Space Telescope

Agency

• European Space Agency 
• Canadian Space Agency
• Launched on December 25, 2021
• 1st photo on July 12, 2022

About

• second Lagrange point (L2)
• At L2, the gravitational pulls of the sun and the Earth keep Webb’s motion around the sun in synchronization with Earth’s.
• Infrared light

Aim

• to understand the Universe and our origins

38th Parallel

• Divided North and South Korea

World Population Prospects 2022

• UN
• India Will Surpass China as the world's most populous country by 2023.
• World Population will reach 8B.

Nord Stream 1 Pipeline

• Russia to Germany
• Under the Baltic Sea

Location-Based Question

• Baltic Countries
• Map
• Keyword Type Qs
• Refer

Baduy: Indigeneous People of Indonesia

• Live in the hinterlands of Banten, Java
• Practice Sunda Wiwitan - Religion

Digital Nomads

Digital Nomads are people who work remotely while traveling to different places and spending their earned income in the host country.

**Indonesia Announced Digital Nomad VISA

Source: IE

Nehru Trophy

• Related to Boat Race
• Kerala 

Singalila National Park

• Singalila Ridge,  in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

Red Panda

• IUCN Red List: endangered species 
• Red pandas are shy, solitary, and arboreal animals and are considered an indicator species for ecological change.

Zonal Councils

• Zonal Councils were set up vide Part-III of the States Re-organisation Act, 1956. 

five Zonal Councils

1. The Northern Zonal Council
2. The Central Zonal Council 
3. The Eastern Zonal Council
4. The Western Zonal Council
5. The Southern Zonal Council

The North Eastern Council was set up under the North Eastern Council Act, 1972.

STRUCTURE

• Chairman - The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils.

• Vice Chairman - The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
• Members- Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
• Advisers- One person nominated by the Planning Commission for each of the Zonal Councils, Chief Secretaries, and another officer/Development Commissioner nominated by each of the States included in the Zone

Reference

• Zonal Councils