Self Study Materials
Complete
CURRENT
AFFAIRS
2016
JULY
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NATIONAL
1. LCA - Light Combat Aircraft - Tejas
The Indian Air Force inducted the first squadron of home-grown Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA) Tejas.
State-run HAL handed over the first two Tejas aircraft to IAF which will make up the
‘Flying Daggers’ 45, the name of the first squadron of the LCA.
What are the features of Tejas?

The Tejas aircraft is unique for its aerodynamically unstable tailless compound
delta-wing configuration, optimised primarily for maneuverability and agility. In
simple terms, this means it can be maneuvered in any direction regardless of pure
aerodynamic principles.

It is designed to meet the tactical requirements of a modern air force and is a multirole aircraft capable of comprehensive air superiority and air defence roles.

It has the fly-by-wire system, which means that the manual flight control has
been replaced by an electronic interface which automatically maneuvers the flight,
helping it stabilise, when needed. Signals sent by the aircraft computers are
translated into actions by the aircraft itself, without the input of a pilot.

Its maximum speed is supersonic at all altitudes and it has service ceiling of 50,000
feet.

The material that Tejas is made of is chosen such that the aircraft can be of the
lightest weight possible and yet strong at the same time. 45% of its airframe,
including in the fuselage (doors and skins), wings (skin, spars and ribs), elevons,
tailfin, rudder, air brakes and landing gear doors is made of CFC materials.

These materials also call for fewer joints or rivets, increasing the aircraft’s reliability
and lowering its susceptibility to structural cracks which may be caused by fatigue.

The Tejas is also distinctive with its Glass Cockpit, which refers to a modern cockpit
in which all the round dialled electro-mechanical instruments have been replaced
with Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) and a Head Up Display (HUD).

A glass cockpit uses several displays driven by flight management systems, which
can be adjusted to display flight information as needed. This helps in simplifying
aircraft operation and navigation, thus allowing pilots to focus only on the most
necessary information.
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
In terms of the weapons that it can carry, Tejas is designed to host a veritable
plethora of air to air, air to surface, precision guided and standoff weaponry. In the
air to air arena, the Tejas carries long range beyond visual range weapons.

A wide variety of air to ground munitions and an extremely accurate navigation and
attack system allow it to prosecute surface targets over land or at sea with
unparalleled accuracy, giving the Tejas true multi/swing role capability.
The following specific aerodynamic features contribute to the aircraft’s excellent
performance in a wider flight envelope:
i.
Highly optimised wing, with appropriate variation of thickness, camber and twist
along the span.
ii. Cross-sectional area distribution along the length, adjusted for good high speed
characteristics
iii. Leading Edge slats, scheduled for favourable aerodynamic behaviour.
iv. Wing-shielded bifurcated air intake duct, with diverters, suitably matched with
engine to avoid buzz and to minimise distortion throughout the flight envelope.
2. PRASHIKSHAK
The Union Human Resources Development has launched an online teacher education
portal for DIETS (District Institutes of Education and Training) Known as
‘PRASHIKSHAK’.

It has been developed by the Union HRD Ministry in collaboration with the Central
Square Foundation.

Currently, there are 588 DIETs functioning in the country with an intake of 98052
students and sanctioned faculty strength of 12647.

The portal will benefit the overall education system and the students of our country.
What is its objective?
The objective of Prashikshak is to help DIETs make informed decisions about their
institutes, compare the performance of their institute against other DIETs in the
state/country as well as help aspiring teachers make informed decisions about which
institute to join.
What is its need?
Many people in the country feel that the education system is not good and there are
many loopholes. To address this problem and to make improvements in the system this
portal can be helpful.
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Who will use it?
The major users of Prashikshak will be Pre-service teacher educators, DIET principals
and faculty, Policy makers at District, State Government and National Level, and the
General public.
3. Nivaran Portal
The Union Railway Ministry has launched an online system for redressal of service
related grievance of serving former Railway Employees – known as Nivaran Portal.

The Application is developed by CRIS [Centre for Railway Information Systems],
the IT arm of Indian Railways, on the basis of process designed by Establishment
directorate of Railway Board which deals with staff matters and technical guidance
of Computerisation and Information System directorate.

This online system facilitates the employees to lodge their grievances and also
monitor their progress. The system would also provide facility for lodging appeal to
the higher authority in case the decision is not found satisfactory. Highest
controlling authorities shall also be able to monitor the progress of grievance
redressal by field offices.
4. Defence Communication Network
The
Union
Defence
Ministry
launched
India’s
first
integrated
Defence
Communication Network [DCN], which will enable Indian Army, Air Force, Navy
and Special Forces Command to share situational awareness for a faster decision making process.

The DCN, a strategic, highly secure and scalable system, has a pan-India reach from Ladakh to the North East to island territories.

Built by HCL under a nearly Rs. 600 crore project, DCN offers high quality voice,
video and data services covering 111 entities spread across the country.

It is capable of working on terrestrial as well as satellite mode of communication and
has also been fixed onboard different military vehicles.
5. India ranks at 105th position out of 130 countries globally on the 2016, Human Capital
Index which was released in the World Economic Forum report.
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
The first, second and third positions go to Finland, Norway and Switzerland
respectively.

India has got better rankings in HCI’s indicators such as quality of education system
(39th), staff training (46th) and ease of finding skilled employees (45th).

India is the second largest country in the global distribution of tertiary degree
holders (after China) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects.
6. Indian Navy has launched the fourth and last ship in the series of the Water Jet Fast
Attack Craft called INS Tarasa at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd
(GRSE), Kolkata.

It has been named after the picturesque island in the Andaman and Nicobar
archipelago in Bay of Bengal.

It is an improved variant of the car Nicobar class – 1 high speed offshore patrol
vessels and will perform anti-smuggling, fishery protection, search and rescue
operations.

These Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft are powered by the latest MTU
engines and can attain a maximum speed of up to 35 Knots. The indigenous CRN 91
Gun with Optronic Pedestal gives the ships the requisite firepower to undertake its
role of patrolling at sea effectively.
7. National Green Highways Mission
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has launched NGHM
National Green Highways Mission to provide a holistic vision of developing ecofriendly and green National Highways.

NGHM has laid out an ambitious plan of planting ten crore shade trees along the
national highway and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set
aside one per cent from the road construction budget for this project.
What are the objectives?
1. The objective of the mission is to develop eco-friendly
national highways with
participation of the community, farmers, NGOs, private sector, institutions, government
agencies and the forest department for economic growth and development in a
sustainable manner.
2. It plans to create job opportunities for one lakh people as the plantation is being carried
out by start-ups and vendors, besides NGOs involved in similar projects.
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3. It also plans to sequester approximate 12 lakh metric tonnes of carbon from the
atmosphere in the whole country, which will have a dramatic impact in cleaning the
atmosphere.

Under the initiative, a plantation drive on 1,500 km of national highways was
launched at a cost of Rs 300 crore. The mission aims to provide a green canopy along
1,00,000 km of highways and create jobs for one million youths.

It will be linked with Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme later.

They have also launched ‘Adopt a Green Highway’ Program, ‘Kisan Harit Rajmarg
Yojana’ and ‘National Green Highways Mission Mobile App’.

Kisan Harit Rajmarg Yojana is a pilot scheme to extend the green belt beyond the
existing ‘Right of Way’ of highways.
8. The First Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre in India was
inaugurated at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

It has ultra modern facilities like e-court, e-library, e-filing, Video conferencing, esummons, arbitration centre and a mediation centre.
9. Rapid Rural Police Response System
RRPRS - Rapid Rural Police Response System has been launched in Punjab to
ensure prompt and effective police response in 12,000 villages across the state.

It is a 24 x 7 hours system and “100” is the helpline number.

Under the system, police will respond to any crime or law and order situation within
20 minutes of it being reported.

As per the system, the Punjab Police will divide the rural areas of Punjab into 724
traditional rural 'zails' with 16 to 18 villages under one zail. One assistant subinspector will be in charge of each zail and he would be responsible for law and order
and patrolling of his own zail.

This intensive patrolling network, will be operational by October, facilitating
seemless coordination between various control rooms.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who launched the scheme, also flagged
off 400 new motorcycles and 220 new Bolero jeeps under the new system.
10. JNPT - Jawaharlal Nehru Port at Nhava Sheva has become the first port in India
to implement logistics data bank tagging systems of containers.
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
Under this system, RFID – Radio Frequency Identification Tag will be attached to
each container, which would automatically identify and track tags attached to
objects. This is the one used for AIDC – Automatic Identification and Data Capture.
11. 19 new ministers were inducted in the Union council of ministers. With this the total
number of Ministers in the Union Council has gone up to 83, exceeding the
constitutional cap of 82.

According to article 75 the total number cannot exceed 82, ie 15% of the total no: of
members of Lok Sabha.

This provision was added by the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003.
12. Interest Subvention Scheme has been approved for farmers for getting crop loan payable
within one year upto 3 lakhs rupees at only 4% per annum.

Union Govt. will provide an interest subvention of 2% ie an effective interest rate of
7% for loans upto 6 months to give relief to small and marginal farmers who borrow
at 9% for the post – harvest storage of their produce.

It has been provided to Public sector, Private sector, Co-operative, Regional Rural
Banks and NABARD.

The Govt. has earmarked a sum of Rs. 18,276 crore for this purpose.
13. Union Govt. has given approval to the High Court’s Alteration of Names Bill, 2016.

It facilitates changing of the names of Madras High Court as Chennai High Court
and Bombay High court as Mumbai High Court respectively.
14. India’s 13th major port will be built at Enayam near Colachel in Tamil Nadu.

It seek’s to make India a transshipment hub for the global East-West maritime
trade route.

It will act as a major gateway container port for Indian Cargo that is presently
trans-shipped outside India.
15. The world’s largest Charkha was unveiled at the Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi
International Airport in New Delhi.

It was made from high quality Burma teak wood and weights 4 tones, is 9 feet wide,
17 feet tall and 30 feet long.
16. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved
National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme.
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
It would be implemented by Director General of Training under Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship.

It provides for incentivizing employers to engage apprentices.

25% of the total stipend payable to an apprentice would be shared with employers
directly by Government of India.

It is for the first time a scheme has been designed to offer financial incentives to
employers to engage apprentices.

In addition, it also supports basic training, which is an essential component of
apprenticeship training.

50% of the total expenditure incurred on providing basic training would be
supported by Government of India.

The Scheme will catalyze the entire apprenticeship ecosystem in the country and it
will offer a win-win situation for all stakeholders.

It is expected to become one of the most powerful skill-delivery vehicle in the
country.

It has an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore with a target of 50 lakh apprentices to be trained
by 2019-20.
BACKGROUND

Apprenticeship Training is considered to be one of the most efficient ways to develop
skilled manpower for the country. It provides for an industry led, practice oriented,
effective and efficient mode of formal training.

The National Policy of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015 launched by
the Prime Minister focuses on apprenticeship as one of the key components for
creating skilled manpower in India.

The present scheme also aims to achieve the objective as stated in the National
Policy, 2015.

The policy proposes to work pro-actively with the industry including MSME to facilitate
tenfold increase opportunities in the country by 2020-20.
17. Rajasthan has become the first state in India to introduce minimum wages for part time
workers.

With this, part time workers in Rajasthan now come under the Minimum Wages
Act, 1948.

It is now mandatory for employer to pay 50% of the prescribed a day minimum wage
to a person who works for less than 4 hours a day.
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18. National Mineral Exploration Policy
National Mineral Exploration Policy [NMEP], 2016 – has been unveiled by the
Union Government for the adaptation of comprehensive exploration of non-fuel and noncoal mineral resources.
NMEP has the following main features for facilitating exploration in the country:
i.
The Ministry of Mines will carry out auctioning of identified exploration blocks for
exploration by private sector on revenue sharing basis in case their exploration leads
to auctionable resources. The revenue will be borne by the successful bidder of those
auctionable blocks.
ii. If the explorer agencies do not discover any auctionable resources, their exploration
expenditure will be reimbursed on normative cost basis.
iii. Creation of baseline geoscientific data as a public good for open dissemination free of
charge.
iv. Government will carry out a National Aerogeophysical Program for acquiring stateof-the-art baseline data for targeting concealed mineral deposits.
v. A National Geoscientific Data Repository is proposed to be set up to collate all
baseline and mineral exploration information generated by various central & state
government agencies and also mineral concession holders and to maintain these on
geospatial database.
vi. Government proposes to establish a not-for-profit autonomous institution that will
be known as the National Centre for Mineral Targeting (NCMT) in collaboration
with scientific and research bodies, universities and industry for scientific and
technological research to address the mineral exploration challenges in the country.
vii. Provisions for inviting private investment in exploration through attractive revenue
sharing models.
viii.On the lines of UNCOVER project of Australia, the government intends to launch a
special initiative to probe deep-seated/ concealed minerals deposits in the country in
collaboration with National Geophysical Research Institute and the proposed NCMT
and Geoscience Australia.
In order to implement the recommendations of the NMEP, initially an amount of about
Rs.2116 crore over 5 years would be required over and above the annual plan budget of
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the Geological Survey of India under the Ministry of Mines. The NMEP will benefit the
entire mineral sector across the country.
The major impact of NMEP are the following:1. The pre-competitive baseline geoscientific data will be created as a public good and will
be fully available for open dissemination free of charge. This is expected to benefit
public and private exploration agencies.
2. The collaboration with scientific and research bodies, universities and industry for the
scientific and technological development necessary for exploration in public- private
partnership.
3. Government will launch a special initiative to probe deep-seated/concealed mineral
deposits in the country. Characterizing India's geological cover, investigating India's
lithospheric architecture, resolving 4D geodynamic and metallogenic evolution, and
detecting and characterizing the distal footprints of ore deposits, would be the main
components of this initiative.
4. A National Aerogeophysical Mapping program will be launched to map the entire
country with low altitude and close space flight to delineate the deep-seated and
concealed mineral deposits.
5. Government will engage private agencies for carrying out exploration in identified
blocks/areas with the right to certain share in the revenue accruing to the State
government through auction.
6. Public expenditure on regional and detailed exploration will be prioritized and subject
to periodical review based on assessment of criticality and strategic interests.
BACKGROUND:

The Ministry of Mines has, in the recent past, taken a series of measures for the
growth of the mineral sector, including allowing 100% FDI.

However, these initiatives have fetched only limited success. Further, over the years
the dynamics of the mineral sector have undergone sea change thereby creating new
demands and imperatives.

There is a compelling need to provide an impetus to exploration activity in the
country. This has prompted the Government to carry out a comprehensive review of
its exploration policy and strategy.

The amendments brought in to the MMDR Act in 2015 is a step in this direction.
The most important feature of this amendment is that mining leases (ML) and
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prospecting license-cum-mining lease (PL-cum-ML) will be granted only through an
auction process.

This is expected to bring in transparency, expeditiousness and simplification in
procedures in grant of mineral concessions.

Against this background, the NMEP has been framed so as to provide a new set of
objectives, sense of purpose and direction to exploration within the amended legal
framework.
19. The Union Finance Ministry has constituted four members committee headed by Dr.
Shankar Acharya to examine the feasibility and desirability of having a new financial
year.

The other three members are P.V. Rajaraman, K.M. Chandrasekhar and Dr. Rajiv
Kumar.

They have been tasked to examine the merits and demerits of various dates for the
commencement of the financial year by considering relevant factors.
20. India was ranked 91st in the Networked Readiness Index, 2016 by the Geneva based
World Economic Forum.

The index measures countries success in creating the necessary conditions for a
transition to a digitized economy and society.

Singapure was ranked the first and Finland and Sweden occupied the second and
third positions respectively.

India’s position has come down for the fourth consecutive year (2015-89th, 2014-83rd,
2013 - 68th).

India scored worse in terms of business and innovation environment, infrastructure
and on sub-indices for levels of skill and individual usage.
21. Namami Gange Programme
‘Namami Gange Programme’ has been launched by the Union Government for cleaning
of river Ganga and its tributaries from Haridwar, Utharakhand.

The Union Cabinet approved the action plan proposed by Centre to spend Rs 20,000
Crores till 2019-2020 on cleaning the river, increasing the budget by four-fold and
with 100% central share – a central sector scheme.

Recognizing the multi-sectoral, multi-dimensional and multi-stakeholder nature of
the Ganga Rejuvenation challenge, efforts have been made to improve the interministerial, and centre-state coordination with increased involvement in preparation
of action plan and increased monitoring at central and state levels.
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
The implementation of the program has been divided into entry-level activities (for
immediate visible impact), medium term activities (to be implemented within 5 years
of time frame), and long-term activities (to be implemented within 10 years).

Entry-level activities includes river surface cleaning to address the floating solid
wastes; rural sanitation to arrest the pollution (solid & liquid) entering through
rural sewage drains and construction of toilets; renovation, modernization, &
construction of crematoria that prevents the disposal of un-burnt/ partially burnt
bodies in the river; repair, modernization & construction of ghats to improvise the
human-river connect.

Medium-term activities will focus on arresting the municipal and industrial
pollution entering into the river. To address the pollution through municipal sewage,
2500 MLD additional treatment capacity is to be created in next 5 years.

Special Purpose Vehicle will manage concessionaires in all major cities, market will
be developed for treated water, and long term sustainability of assets will be
assured.

For managing the industrial pollution, efforts have been initiated to improvise the
compliance through better enforcement. Grossly Polluting Industries located along
Ganga have been directed to reduce the effluent quality & volume or implement
zero-liquid discharge.

Action plan for the implementation of these directions by Pollution Control Boards
are already prepared and timelines have been assigned for each category of industry
with detailed consultations. All the industries have to install real-time on-line
effluent monitoring stations.

Apart from these activities, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, and water
quality monitoring are also being taken up under the program. Programmes for
conservation of key iconic species such as Golden Mahaseer, Dolphins, Ghariyals,
Turtles, Otters, etc. have been already initiated.

Similarly, under ‘NamamiGange’ 30,000 hectares of land will be afforested for
increased recharge of the aquifers, reduced erosion, and improved health of river
ecosystem.

Under the long-term, providing adequate flow to the river is envisioned through
determination of e-flow, increased water-use efficiency, and improved efficiency of
surface irrigation.

It is worth mentioning that cleaning river Ganga is extremely complex due to its
socio-economic & cultural importance and yet, exploitation for various uses. Never in
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the world such a complex program has been implemented and will require
participation across sectors and each and every citizen of the country. There are
various ways in which each one of us can contribute to the cause of cleaning river
Ganga:
Contribution of funds:
Restoring the quality of a river with the length and population as large as that of Ganga
requires huge investments. Government has already increased the budget by four-fold but
still may not be enough to the requirements. Clean Ganga Fund has been established that
provides a platform to all for contributing funds to clean river Ganga.
Reduce, Reuse and Recovery:
Majority of us do not realize that used water and filth of our homes can end up in the rivers
if not disposed properly. Sewerage infrastructure is already being constructed by the
Government but citizens can reduce the usage of water and generation of waste. Reusing
and Recovery of used water and organic waste & plastics can greatly benefit the program.
22. Krishi Vigyan Kendra
KVK - Krishi Vigyan Kendra has been launched by the Union Govt. to provide
information and advisory to the farmers and facilitate online monitoring.

It will help to create awareness about various programmes and benefit farmers and
youth in joining different training programmes.

Agriculture - related information of the districts and question and answer facilities
for farmers are available in this portal.

Currently there are 645 KVK-s in the country.
23. The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has constituted a Cyber cell to
check the online abuse and harassment of women and children on social media
platforms.

The Ministry will be working with ‘Twitter India’ to address abusive behavior,
violent threats and harassment on social media and also with the Cyber – Crime
cells of the police.
24. The second unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, India’s largest nuclear power
plant in Tamil Nadu became operational.

The nuclear reactors of the plant have been built with Russian expertise.

The power generated from the plant will provide electricity to Tamil Nadu,
Puduchery, Kerala and Karnataka.
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25. The first direct bus-service between Pokhara (Nepal) and New Delhi was launched as
per the Motor Vehicle Agreement signed between both countries.
26.UIDAI Rules, 2016 (Terms and conditions of service of Chairperson and Members) has
been notified by the Union Government to give legal status to UIDAI-Unique
Identification Authority of India.

These rules have detail provisions for appointment of its Chairperson and members.

Besides these, Secretaries of Department of Personnel and Training Finance and
Department of Electronics and Information Technology and two experts will be its
members.
27. INS India, the base depot ship of Indian Navy at New Delhi celebrated its 75 th
anniversary (Platinum Jubilee) on 13th July, 2016.

It has the privilege of being the Flagship of the chief of the Naval Staff and it
provides administrative and logistics cover to all officers and sailors borne in Naval
Headquarters and other units at Delhi.
28. The Union Cabinet has approved the revival of three fertilizers default Fertilizers Units
such as Barauni (Bihar), Unit of Hindustan Fertilizers Corporation Ltd (HFCL), Urea
Unit of FCIL at Gorakhpur (UP) and Urea unit of FCIL at Sindri (Jharkhand)

These units would be revived by means of special purpose vehicles of public sector
units through ‘nomination route’.

In 2015, the revival of these three units were done through building route, but it was
a failure.

With the revival of these units, the growing demand for urea in Bihar, West Bengal
and Jharkhand could be met; it helps in saving Govt. Subsidy on freight and also
accelerate the economic dev. of the region by providing employment opportunities.
29. Union Cabinet approved the RCE – Revised Cost Estimate of 7290,62 crore rupees
for the ongoing 1020 MW Punatsangchhu – II Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan.

India and Bhutan had signed bilateral agreement to execute this in April 2010, in
which 3777.8 crore rupees with funding by Union Govt. as 30% grant and 70% loan
at 10% annual interest was approved.

Due to inflation from March 2009-15, increase in capacity of HEP from 990 MW to
1020 MW and drainage in surface power house to underground power house, the
cost has escalated much.
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30. Rs. 12000 crore will be allocated to PMKVY - Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana.
PMKVY
is
the
flagship
scheme
of
the
Ministry
of
Skill
Development
&
Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
The objective of this Scheme is to encourage skill development for youth by providing
monetary
rewards for
successful
completion of approved training
programs.
Specifically, the Scheme aims to:

Encourage standardization in the certification process and initiate a process of
creating a registry of skills.

Enable and mobilize a large number of Indian youth to take up skill training and
become employable and earn their livelihood.

Increase productivity of the existing workforce and align the training and
certification to the needs of the country.

Provide Monetary Awards for Skill Certification to boost employability and
productivity of youth by incentivizing them for skill trainings

Reward candidates undergoing skill training by authorized institutions at an
average monetary reward of Rs. 8,000 per candidate.

Benefit 24 lakh youth at an approximate total cost of Rs. 1,500 Crores.
Strategy and Approach
i. The Scheme will provide monetary incentives for successful completion of marketdriven
skill training and certification to approximately twenty four lakh youth in a span of one
year from the date of implementation of the scheme.
ii. This Scheme shall be implemented through Public-Private and Public-Public
partnerships.
iii. NSDC will be the implementing agency for this Scheme.
iv. All trainings and certification under Recognition of Prior Learning will be specifically
oriented for developing skills in specific growth sectors.
v. Assessment and training bodies for all purposes of the Scheme will be separate and no
overlap of roles will be allowed to maintain transparency and objectivity.
vi. The monetary reward will be wholly funded by the MSDE, Government of India and will
be affected through bank transfer to the beneficiaries’ accounts. For facilitating the
smooth disbursement as prescribed under the scheme, the entire money along with the
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additional implementation fund will be transferred to National Skill Development Fund
for further utilization by NSDC.
Key Features:
Standards
Training will be done against standards (National Occupational Standards - NOS and
Qualification Packs - QPs for specific job roles) formulated by industry-driven bodies,
namely the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs).
Demand - Driven Targets
Based on assessment of skill demand and the ‘Skill Gap Studies’, target for skill training
would be allocated to sector skill councils by NSDC in consultation with the SSCs,
States/UTs and the Central Ministries/Departments under the oversight of the Steering
Committee of PMKVY.
Target Aligned To National Flagship Programmes And Regions
Target for skill training would be aligned to the demand from the Central Government’s
flagship programmes, such as - ‘Swachh Bharat’, ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘National
Solar Mission’ and so on.
31. Operation Sankat Mochan
Operation ‘Sankat Mochan’ was an operation of the Indian Air Force to evacuate
Indian citizens and other foreign nationals from South Sudan during the South
Sudanese Civil War. The operation was carried out in view of 2016 Juba clashes.

It was undertaken by Indian Air Force and was headed by V. K. Singh.

There were around 600 Indians in South Sudan; around 450 in Juba and others
elsewhere in the country.

Two heavy-lift C-17 military transport Aircrafts have been developed by UIAF in
service to make the evacuation.

Juba-Kampala-Trivandrum-Delhi is the flight route for evacuation.
32. Proof firing tests of Armament System for 155 mm x 52 calibre Advanced Towed
Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) was successfully conducted by DRDO.

Pune based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) is the
nodal laboratory of DRDO for design and development of ATAGS.
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33. Transforming India Website
With the aim of sharing the impact of various governance initiatives with citizens in
real-time, the government has launched a website - 'Transforming India'.

The website was launched by Union Minister of Electronics and Information
Technology and Law and Justice - Ravi Shankar Prasad.

This site is an effort by the government to comprehensively record each and every
aspect of this transformation.

This site will provide information in a user-friendly format enabling citizens to
view the content in the form of info graphics, e-books, performance dashboard,
videos, daily news corner, and engage with the content by comments and sharing
the content through social media.
Key facets of the website are the following:

It promotes accountability in major national initiatives, acts as a repository of major
policies and decisions and provides a central platform to citizens for sharing of
transformational changes that they see around themselves.

The website thus bridges the gap between citizens and government and provides a
seamless interface for two way information interchange.

This community based platform facilitates two-way communication between the
government and citizens.

There is a section in the site especially for citizen voices. Citizens can share stories
about transformative growth in India that they see around themselves.
34. HDFC - Housing Development Finance Corporation has become the first Indian
company to issue rupee-denominated bonds called ‘Masala Bonds’ on London stock
exchange.

With this, HDFC is planning to rise 750 million dollars from the overseas market
during the current financial year.

Masala bonds refer to rupee-donated bonds through which Indian entities can raise
money from foreign markets, in rupee and not in foreign currency.
35. India’s first e-court (paperless court) was opened at high Court of Judicature at
Hyderabad.

It enables speedy justice for the litigants.
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
The e-courts will ensure easy and better access to justice for Public and also
Integrate the Courts, Police Stations, Prosecution, Forensic Science Laboratories
and Jails.
36. The Indian Railways has initiated process to launch - Tri-NETRA - Terrain Imaging
for Diesel Drivers - Infrared enhanced optical and radar assisted system to avoid train
accidents.

It is based on technology employed by fighter aircrafts to see through clouds and
operate in pitch darkness and will be very useful for drivers during fog, heavy rain
and night time.
37. Child Labour Amendment Bill, 2016
The Parliament passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill,
2016.
The Main Features of the Bill Are the Following:
The bill seeks to prohibit the employment of children below 14 in all occupations
and enterprises, except those run by his or her own family.

It seeks to make child labour a cognizable offence attracting a jail term of up to three
years and penalty up to fifty thousand rupees.

Children below 14 will be allowed to work only in family enterprises, that too after
school hours. This exception does not cover attending technical institutions where
there is a subordinate relationship of labour or work which is outsourced and
carried out at home (Section 3).

The bill also defines children between 14 to 18 years as adolescents and bars their
employment in any hazardous occupations.

The purpose of the bill is to restrict employment of children below 14 years in
factories and other establishments.

A provision of creating Rehabilitation Fund has also been made for the
rehabilitation of children.

The new bill has been linked with the Right to Education Act.
In terms of Article 32 of the UNCRC, which India ratified in 1992, all children have the
right “to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is
likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the
child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.”
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CHALLENGES:

Apart from the large agriculture sector, most other instances of child labour is found
in unregulated home-based enterprises and occupations like carpet-weaving, lock
manufacturing, beedi making and matchbox production.

The lure of cheap labour, nimble hands and an apparent blanket of legitimacy
makes such outsourcing a tempting proposition for unscrupulous middlemen. This
could be a potential loophole through which children over the age of 14 years are
exploited.

The biggest loss due to child labour is education. The idea of children going to school
and working simultaneously is unsustainable since they would be unable to balance
the two as reflected in the high drop-out rates in the country (39.2% boys and 32.9%
girls by Std VIII).

On any given day only 71% of enrolled children attend school in India. Only 74.6% of
children studying in 8th grade can read a Std II level text (or higher). Around 32.5
% children in Std II cannot even recognize letters in the alphabet.
Half of all
children in Std V have not yet learned basic arithmetic skills that they should have
learned by Std II. It is unrealistic to expect children to work and study at the same
time.
ARGUMENTS:
One of the key debates around the bill was about the minimum age for employment. The
Bill endeavours to harmonise both the Child Labour Act and Right to Education (RTE) Act
by fixing the minimum age to enter employment at 14 years. Also, the bill seeks to
harmonise the national law with ILO’s Convention 182, which requires countries to
prohibit employment of children in the worst forms of child labour. The amendment also
prohibits employment of adolescents (children between 14-18 years) in hazardous labour
(Section 3A).
SOLUTIONS:
Age-appropriate
rehabilitation
for
children
engaged
in
child
labour,
effective
implementation of the RTE Act and adequate budgetary allocations for education are
crucial to address this issue.
Community participation in planning, implementation and monitoring of services for
children, through mechanisms such as school management committees (SMCs) and child
protection units (CPUs) are critical ways to prevent child labour.
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Middlemen may devise new ways to involve children in employment through production
processes in households, so it is imperative that the sector has a close regulatory oversight
through appropriate monitoring mechanisms.
38. Union Cabinet has approved the Transgender Persons (Protection to Rights) Bill 2016 to
protect transgenders from discrimination and abuse against them.

It aims for the Social, Economic, and Educational empowerment of marginalized
transgenders’ community.
39. Union Cabinet has approved the incorporation of Sagarmala Development
Company (SDC) to give a push to port-led economic development under the
Sagarmala Project.

It will be incorporated under the Companies act, 2013 with an initial authorized
share capital of 1000 crore rupees and a subscribed share capital of 90 crore rupees.

SDC will be under the administrative control of Union Ministry of shipping.

It will mainly identify port-led development projects and assist the project special
purpose vehicles in project development and structuring activities, bidding out
projects for private sector participations, etc.
40. The Election Commission of India
has launched
National Electoral Roll
Purification 2016 across the country.

Motto 2016: ‘No voter to be left behind’.

The aim is to improve health of electoral rolls and optimize the polling station
location and area.

It also aims to make electoral rolls error free.

It provides every elector with photo electoral rolls with good quality correct images
confirming to ECI standard.
41. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
jointly inaugurated the Petrapole integrated check post through video-conferencing.

It is the biggest land port in South Asia and the largest land customs station in
Asia.

It is the Indian side of Petrapole – Benapole border checkpoint between India &
Bangladesh.

Trade more than 15000 crore rupees (50% of trade between India and Bangladesh)
takes place through this and also provide better facilities for efficient and effective
discharge of functions such as security, customs, immigration, quarantine, etc.
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
This trade is more than all other Indian Land Ports and Land Customs Stations
put together.
42. 7 Indian Companies - Indian Civil Corporation (161st), Reliance Industries, Tata
Motors, SBI, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Rajesh Exports have made it
to the latest Fortune 500 list of the world’s biggest corporations in terms of revenue.

Fortune 500 list is an annual ranking of the world’s wealthiest companies, compiled
and published by the American business magazine Fortune and published globally
by Time Inc.

Walmart, State Grid and China National Petroleum hold the 1st, 2nd and 3rd
positions respectively.
43. Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has
constituted a four-member committee headed by Madhav Chitale to prepare
guidelines for desiltation of Ganga River
44. Union Ministry of Science and Technology has launched ‘Solar Power Tree’ to
generate electricity by harnessing maximum solar energy in a limited space by the
vertical arrangement of solar cells.

It reduces the requirement of land as it takes only 4 square feet of land for installing
a 5 kW Solar Power Tree.

It has been developed by CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)
-
CMERI (Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute).
45. India’s first Green Rail Corridor was launched on the 114km long Rameswaram –
Manamadurai street in Tamil Nadu.

It ensures ‘zero toilet discharge’ on rail tracks as the trains are equipped with biotoilets.
46. The Lok Sabha has passed the Institute of Technology Amendment Bill, 2016 to amend
the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 to add six new IIT-s as institutions of national
importance.

There will be addition of six new IIT-s in Tirupati, Palakkad, Goa, Dharwar, Bhilai
and Jammu.

It would bring the Indian School of Mines at Dhanbad within the ambit of the
Parent Act.
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47. Himayat
Union Government has approved 1600 crore rupees for Jammu Kashmir under skill
development initiative programme ‘Himayat’.

Both rural and urban youth of Jammu Kashmir would be given job intensive
vocational training for the next 5 years.

‘Himayat’ is an Urdu word which means ‘support’.

Placement will be provided in various sectors like ITes, sales and customer services
and hospitality and a provision has also been kept for foreign placements as well.
48. Lok Sabha has passed the Lokpal and Lokayukta Amendment Bill, 2016 without
discussion.

It seeks to amend the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013, which provides Lokpal (at
the centre) and Lokayukta (at States) statutory backing to inquire into allegations
of corruption against certain public functionaries and for related matters.

It amends section 44 of the parent act, which deals with provision of furnishing of
details of assets and liabilities of public servants within 30 days of joining the
Government Service. The Amendment Bill has removed the period of 30 days and
now the public servants will make those declarations in the form and manner as
prescribed by the Government.

The Bill enables the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha in
the absence of a recognized leader of opposition to be a member of the selection
committee that would select the Ombudsman.
Background:

According to the rules notified under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013, every
public
servant
shall
file
declaration,
information
and
annual
returns
pertaining to his assets and liabilities as well as of his spouse and dependent
children as on March 31 on or before July 31 of that year.

The extension given now is the fifth since the Act came into force in January 2014.
49. India’s CSIR - Council of Scientific Industrial Research was ranked the World’s 12th
best Government Institution.

It is the only Indian Government Institute to achieve a place among the top 100
global institutions.

CSIR is an autonomous body established in 1942 and is the largest research and
development organization in India.
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
It activities include aerospace and structural engineering, metallurgy, ocean
sciences, life sciences, chemicals, mining, food, petroleum, leather and environment.

National Centre for Scientific Research (France) won the first position.
50. Union Cabinet would raise foreign shareholding limit from current 5% to 15% in Indian
Stock Exchanges to enhance global competitiveness, to adopt latest technology and for
the overall growth and development of the National Capital Market.

The increased limit is for stock exchange, depository, commodity derivative
exchange and banking and insurance companies.
51. The Union Cabinet approved Goods and Services Tax Constitutional Amendment
Bill.

The Cabinet has approved the removal of 1% additional tax on inter-state sales and
also the removal of 1% additional manufacturing levy tax by manufacturing states
from the bill.

The Cabinet has also approved the inclusion of 5 years compensation clause for State
Governments for any loss that may incur and adjudication of dispute between state
and the Union Government by the GST Council, which will have representation from
both the centre and states.
52. The Lok Sabha has passed Benami Transactions Prohibition Amendment Bill to amend
and strengthen Benami Transactions Prohibition Act, 1988 in terms of legal and
administrative procedures and to curb the domestic black money.

In Benami Transactions the persons who pays for the property is directly or
indirectly the ultimate beneficiary of the property in future.

The Amendment Bill would widen the scope for legal actions in Benami Transactions
by specifying penalties and establishing Adjudicating Authorities and Appellate
Tribunal.

The penalty for false information would be rigorous imprisonment ranging from 6
months to 5 years and a fine which may extend to 25% of the fair market value of the
Benami property.
53. Haryana Government has launched ‘Pashudhan Bima Yojana’ to provide insurance
cover to cattle breeders.

Insurance cover will be provided at a premium of Rs. 100 for cows, buffaloes, bulls
and camels and at Rs. 25 for sheep, goat and pig for a period of 3 years. The scheme
is free of cost for scheduled caste cattle breeders.

In case of death of cattle, compensation would be given.
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54. The Parliament has passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2016 for the
establishment of funds under the public accounts of the central and state levels for
Compensatory Afforestation.

Under the public accounts of India, it established NCAF (National Compensatory
Afforestation Fund) and under the public account of each state, State Compensatory
Afforestation Fund.

NCAF will get 10% of funds and the remaining will go to respective State Fund.

The fund payments include Compensatory Afforestation, net present value of forests,
etc.
55. The Strategic Forces Command, the tri-service command which forms part of the
National Command Authority has been added to the Second Schedule of the Right to
Information Act, 2005.

Second Schedule includes Intelligence and Security Agencies like Intelligence
Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing of the Cabinet Secretariat, Directorate of
Revenue Intelligence, BSF, NSG, Assam Rifles, etc. under its ambit.

Union Govt. has issued a notification mentioning SFC has been brought under
subsection (2) of section 24 of the RTI.

Section 24 of the RTI states that this law is not applicable to intelligence and
security agencies specified in the second schedule. The only exception these have is
for information on cases of corruption and violations of human rights.

SFC is responsible for tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile in India.
56. India became the first country to make a contribution (US 100,000 dollars) to the
United Nations Trust Fund in support of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by
peacekeepers.

The Trust Fund was established in March 2016 under the aegis of United Nations
Department of field support.
57. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in India to have ‘Happiness Department’
that will work as knowledge resource centre on the subject of happiness on the lines of
Bhutan.India was ranked 118 according to the world happiness report published by the
United Nations.

Bhutan is the first country in the world to come up with the concept of Gross
National Happiness.
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Gross National Happiness (GNH) Index:
The Gross National Happiness (GNH) index was proposed by Bhutan in 1971 to champion a
novel approach to measure prosperity by measuring spiritual, physical, social and
environmental well-being of its citizens and environment.
The four pillars of GNH are Sustainable and equitable socio-economic development,
Conservation of the environment, Preservation and promotion of culture and Good
governance.
58. Pema Khandu of Congress Party sworn in as the 10th Chief Minister of Arunachal
Pradesh.

With this, he became the youngest Chief Minister in the Country.
59. India ranked 35th among 160 countries in the Logistics Performance Index 2016 of
World Bank Group.

Germany has topped in LPI for the third time with Luxembourg and Sweden being
the second and third positions.
60. The Union Cabinet has approved proposals for extending several benefits to persecuted
minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh living in India on long-term
visas.

They can now take up self-employment, buy property, open bank accounts and get
driving licences, PAN card and Aadhaar.

The registration fees for citizenship will be reduced to Rs. 100 from Rs. 3,000-15,000.
The Citizenship Rules, 2009, will be amended soon to help such persons get
citizenship.

The beneficiaries can buy property for self-occupation or use in self-employment.
They are allowed free movement within the State of their stay, and can get their
long-term visa papers transferred from one State to another.

The government has permitted them to apply for long-term visas from the place of
their current residence, even if they have moved to the present place without
seeking permission.

The government has waived the penalty on late application for extension of their
short- or long-term visas.

The Collector or District Magistrate would be empowered to authorise an officer not
below the rank of Sub-divisional Magistrate for administering the oath of allegiance
to the applicant.
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
The powers will be delegated to the Collectors of 16 districts in Chhattisgarh,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for
two years for registration as citizens of India.
ASYLUM

The right of asylum is an ancient juridical concept, under which a person persecuted
by their own country may be protected by another sovereign authority or a foreign
country.

Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has
the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution."

The United Nations 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the
1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees guides national legislation
concerning political asylum.

Under these agreements, a refugee is a person who is outside their own country's
territory owing to fear of persecution on protected grounds. Protected grounds
include race, caste, nationality, religion, political opinions and membership and/or
participation in any particular social group or social activities.

Rendering true victims of persecution to their persecutor is a particularly odious
violation of a principle called non-refoulement, part of the customary and trucial
Law of Nations.
These are the accepted terms and criteria as principles and a fundamental part in the 1951
United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees non-refoulement order.

India is offering asylum to considerable number of refugees however India is not the
signatories of the 1951 Refugee convention of the UN.

There is a considerable increase in number of people seeking asylum in India. India
does not have national asylum legislation. In India foreigners are generally dealt
under the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the
Foreigners Order, 1948.
INTERNATIONAL
1. RIMPAC - Rim of the Pacific the world’s largest international maritime exercise was
held at Hawaii, United States with the participation of navies from 26 countries. Its
theme was ‘Capable, Adaptive, and Partners.’
2. The first meeting of BRICS working group and energy saving and energy efficiencies
was held at Vishkhapatanam, Andhra Pradesh.
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
The Meeting deliberated a work plan on the development of cooperation in energy
saving and energy efficiency with BRICS.

India focused in particular with the LED street lighting programme and PAT –
Performance Achievement and Trade programme for industrial energy efficiency.

The Second BRICS Youth Summit was held at Guwahati in Assam.

Theme – ‘Youth as Bridge for Intra – BRICS exchanges’.

It has adopted ‘Guwahati BRICS Youth Summit 2016 Call to Action and focused on
enhancing people-to-people contacts of BRICS member states.

India will host the meet of the heads of Anti-narcotics agencies of BRICS nations to
discuss the issues related to narcoterrorism, money laundering and maritime during
trafficking.
India has taken over the BRICS chairmanship for the year 2016 for the second time
after 2012.

China inducted its largest indigenously designed and developed transport aircraft
named as ‘Y - 20’.
It has a maximum take – off weight of 200 tonnes and is ideal for transporting cargo
and personnel over long distances in diverse weather conditions.

IUCN has declared Bornean orangutan, a primate species native to the island of
Borneo as endangered.

It is found only in the wild in Sumatra Island (Indonesia) and Borneo in the Malaysian
states of Sarawak and Sabah and Kalimantan.

Awarding to the IUCN assessment, its population has declined by 2/3 rd Since the early
1970-s, so that it may further decline to 47,000 animals by 2025 with 86% population
loss.

Deforestation, Hunting and slow breeding are the major causes noted for the reduction
in its population.

Conservative party leader Theresa May become the Prime Minister of United
Kingdom. (She succeeds David Cameron).

She became UK’s second – ever – female Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher.

Hague Tribunal has declared that China has no historic and economic rights across
large swathes of South China Sea.

The ruling came from an arbitration tribunal under the UNCLOS United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea which both China & Philippines have signed and
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China’s rights are incompatible with the EEZ-Exclusive Economic Zones provided in
the UNCLOS.

India supports freedom of navigation and flight and unimpeded commerce based on
the principles of International law in South China Sea.

UNESCO has added nine new sites on the world heritage list. They are the following:

Old city of Ani (Turkey): It is the Turkish province of kars. It was the capital of the
Amenian Kingdom in the 10th century once.

Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (China): It dates back to the 5th
century B.C. The landscape straddles steep cliffs in South West China and represent
the only trace left west china and represent the only trace left of the Luoyue people.

Qauat (Iran): They are ancient aqueducts trapped into alluvial aquifer and
transported water underground across vast valleys. It helps in sustaining
agricultural life and settlements in arid areas.

Nalanda Mahavihara (India): The ruins of the old Nalanda University comprise
the archeological remains of monasticism-scholastic from the 5th century B.C to the
13th century A.D.

It is the 26th cultural site of India to achieve this status.

It was founded by Kumaragupta I of the Gupta Dynasty.

It is the second world heritage site in Bihar after Bodhgaya’s Mahabodhi Temple to
be accorded UNESCO’s world heritage site tag.

Artificial islets of Nan Madol (Micronesia): They are 99 artificial islets made of
basalt and coral boulders. They are home to ruins ranging from temple to tombs
dating between 1200 and 1500 A.D.

Stecci sites: They are medieval tomb stones and graveyards carved from limestone.

Ancient Philippines (Spain): It is Greek archeological site founded in 356 B.C by the
Macedonian king Philip.

Antequera Dolmens (Spain): It comprises of three megalithic monuments as well as
two natural mountainous formations.

Gorham’s Cave Complex (Britain): They are natural sea caves in the British oversea
territory of Gibraltar. The site provides evidence of Neanderthal occupation over a
span of more than 1, 25, 000 years.

UNESCO has listed Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier’s work among the world
heritage sites list.
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
His works were added in the list in recognition of his contribution in spearheading
the modern architectural movement after World War I, with an emphasis is on
functionality, bold lines and materials such as concrete, iron and glass.

His famous works are La Cite Radieuse housing project in Marseille, Dominican
monastery of La Tourette near Lyon and La Villa Savoye near Paris.

He had also prepared the master plan for the city of Chandigarh and contributed
specific designs for several buildings in Chandigarh’s capital complex.

This capital complex of Chandigarh was added in the list of transnational category.
It includes Punjab and Haryana High Court, Secretariat and Assembly.

Khangchendzonga National Park was added in the ‘mixed heritage site category’
of the list as it exhibits qualities of both natural and cultural significance.

It is the first mixed heritage site from India.

It covers 25% of Sikkim and is home to a significant no. of endemic, rare and
threatened plant and animal species including large no. of bird and mammal
species.

With these additions, India became the first country to get three sites inscribed in
the world heritage list at a single session of the committee meeting.

The solar impulse 2 has become the first aircraft to circle the globe using solar
energy, after travelling 26744 miles across 4 continents, 3 seas and 2 oceans since
setting off from Abu Dhabi in March, 2015.

It is a Swiss Long Range Solar powered aircraft project

It is the first aircraft to fly day and night without consuming conventional fuel.

It is a single-sector aircraft made of carbon fibre and has 2300 kg weight and 72 m
wingspan.

It is solely propelled by the solar energy and emits zero carbon dioxide.

Its construction was started in 2011. Its first test flight was conducted in the US in
2013.

In its 17 – leg voyage the Aircraft has racked up 558 hours of flight time.

It was piloted in turns by Markus Scherdel, Andre Borschberg and Bertrand
Piccard.

Joint expeditions made by the Union Oil Ministry and the US Geological Survey in the
Bay of Bengal have discovered large, highly enriched accumulations of natural gas
hydrate in Indian Ocean.

Natural gas hydrates are naturally occurring ice-like combination of natural gas
(mostly methane and water).
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
This is the first of its kind discovery in the Indian Ocean which has the potential to
be producible and opens up a new resource to meet the needs of energy demanding
India.

China unveiled the world’s largest amphibious aircraft dubbed as the AG600.

It is a massive seaplane which has a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes and a
maximum range of 4500 km.


It will be used for fighting forest fires and performing marine rescues.
Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia for the second
time.

Sushila Karki has become the first woman Chief Justice of Nepal.

She will head the judiciary till June 6, 2017.

She is known for her zero tolerance against corruption in the Judiciary.
15. The eleventh edition of Asia-Europe Meeting Summit began in Ulaanbaatar, the
capital of Mongolia.

Theme - 20 years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity.

ASEM 2016 will also take into consideration issue of terrorism during deliberations
after recent terror strike in Bangladesh and some European countries.

It is being held in the new world environment following Britain’s exit from the
European Union and a global economic slowdown.
AGREEMENTS
1. Isa And World Bank
The World Bank Group signed an agreement with the International Solar Alliance
(ISA), consisting of 121 countries led by India, to collaborate on increasing solar energy
use around the world, with the goal of mobilizing $1 trillion in investments by 2030.

The projects now under preparation include solar rooftop technology, infrastructure
for solar parks, bringing innovative solar and hybrid technologies to the market, and
transmission lines for solar-rich States.

The commitment includes an agreement for a $ 625 million grid-connected rooftop
solar programme for financing the installation of at least 40 megawatts of solar
photovoltaic installations.
Major areas identified for working jointly include:
(a) Developing a roadmap to mobilize financing.
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(b) Developing financing instruments including credit
enhancement, reduce hedging
costs/currency risk, bond raising in locally denominated currencies etc. which support
solar energy development and deployment.
(c) Supporting ISA’s plans for solar energy through technical assistance and knowledge
transfer.
(d) Working on mobilization of concessional financing through existing or, if needed, new
trust funds.
(e) Supporting RE-INVEST events.
Background

India is the largest client of the World Bank Group. Between 2015 and 2016, the Group
lent around $4.8 billion to India. This includes $2.8 billion from the International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), $1.0 billion from the International
Development Association (IDA) and approximately $1.0 billion in investments from the
International Finance Corporation (IFC).

As of June 2016, total IBRD and IDA net commitments stood at $27 billion (IBRD $16
billion, IDA $11 billion) across 95 projects. At the end of May 2016, IFC’s India portfolio
contained 248 projects, amounting to a committed and disbursed exposure of
approximately $4.4 billion.
2. India And Bangladesh

For the construction of 1320 megawatt coal fired power plant near Sunder bans.

Exim Bank in India will provide US 1.49 billion dollar for this biggest project under
bilateral co-operation between both countries.

SBI has signed MoU with SINE Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at IIT
Mumbai to promote innovation by start – ups in the financial sector.
3. India And Asian Development Bank

Signed 100 million dollars loan agreement for irrigation projects, drainage system
and water management in Vennar sub-basin of Cauvery delta in Tamil Nadu.

The project aims to improve existing infrastructure, provide flood protection and
strengthen embankments of 6 major irrigation water channels in Vennar system.
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
The loan funds will support Tamil Nadu’s water resource professionals to manage
resources better and with greater involvement of the stakeholders they service.
4. India And Switzerland

For co-operation in skill development.

If focuses on capacity building and exchange of best practices in the area of skill
development between both countries.
5. India And Mozambique

Air Services Agreement in order to promote the air connectivity between the two
countries.

The designated airlines of either countries will be able to establish offices in the
territory of other country for the promotion and sale of air services.
6. India And Japan

Signed Social Security Agreement.

It will benefit Indian and Japanese professionals and skilled workers working in
each other’s country and will also boost bilateral business likeages.

It will help to avoid double security contributions.

New Delhi Municipal Council with National Environmental Engineering Research
Institute.

To develop 12 sewage treatment plants to irrigate its parks in a bid to develop green
areas and revamp big and small parks.
7. India And Cambodia

The first Bilateral Investment Treaty was signed between India and Cambodia to
promote and protect investments in either country with the objective of increasing
bilateral investment flows.
8. India And United States

India has signed a defence deal with United States over $1 billion to purchase four
additional Poseidon-81 ling range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine
warfare aircraft.

It has the ability to do broad area, maritime and littoral operations and is equipped
with sophisticated Harpoon missiles, light weight torpedoes and rockets.

The Indian Navy is the first international customer for the P-81.
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9. India And Tunisia

For strengthening bilateral co-operation in the field of information and
communications technology and digital economy.
10. India & South Africa

On Tourism Grass root innovation, Information & Communication Technology,
Programme of co-operation in Arts and Cultures.
11. India And Kenya

On Defence cooperation

In the field of Space Technology partnership

Revised double taxation avoidance agreement

Bilateral agreement on exemption of visa for holders of diplomatic Passports.

In the field of National Housing Policy Development and Management.

On Co-operation in the field of expertise sharing, standardization and mutual trade
between BIS and Bureau of Kenya Standards (BKS).
12. India & Tanzania

In the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Hemeopathy.

It was signed as part of Union Ministry of Ayush’s Mandate to propagate Indian
Systems of Medicine globally
13. India & Mauritius
•
In the field of rural development and poverty alleviation.
14. NITI Aayog has signed statements of Intent with Tech giant Intel India to set up Atal
Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) under the Atal Innovation Mission.
•
The primary aim of ATL is to cultivate adaptive learning innovation skills among
young minds in the country.
15. TASL - Tata Advanced Systems Ltd and US based Bell Helicopter have signed a deal to
jointly develop the helicopter market in India.
•
It seeks to support of India’s aviation and defence modernization initiatives with an
emphasis on ‘Make in India’.
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TECHNOLOGY
1. Sensitive Electronic Nose
Researchers from the University of Leuven in Belgium have developed a super
sensitive electronic nose comprising of chemical sensors metal – organic frame works
(MOF-s).

MOFS-s are like microscopic sponges and can absorb a lot of gas into their minute
pores.

The Super – Sensitive E-nose has the ability to detect pesticides and nerve gas in
very low concentrations by analyzing their chemical makeup.

MOF can be used to screen some one’s breath for detecting diseases such as Lung
Cancer and Multiple Sclerosis in an early stage.
2. ‘My Speed’ mobile application has been launched by the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India for measuring the real time mobile internet speed that consumers get.

This is the first application to be launched under the Digital India initiative.

With this the users can check the speed of their 3 G or 4 G connection or the home
broad band’s Wi-Fi Speed.

The data collected from this app. will be directly relayed to the TRAI’s analytics
portal and keep them apprised of the Internet speeds throughout India.
3. A Social media banking platforms for Face book and Twitter users – the SBI
Mingle has been launched by the SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya on the 61 st
State Bank Day (July 1st).

On Face book, SBI services such as balance enquiry, mini statement, funds transfer
within SBI and interbank and beneficiary management services are currently
available now.

On Twitter, balance enquiry and mini statement services are available now.

Besides this, SBI has also launched SBI – Flip kart Partnership and SBI – Digital
Villages.
4. Facebook’s Internet drone named ‘Aquila’ has passed first full-scale test. This was the
first time using the full-scale drone.

Aquila is solar-powered internet drone designed to beam the internet service to
remote areas of the world.

It has been designed in such a way that it will be able to fly without landing for
three months at a time.
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
It will operate between 18 km and 27 km above the altitude of commercial airplanes
in the star to share so that it would not be affected by weather.
5. India’s first Centre of Excellence on Internet of things was launched in Bengaluru by
the NASSCOM to encourage start-ups to come up with tech solutions centred on
internet of things.
The Centre will function for accelerating, funding, mentoring and enterprise for the key
emerging IOT starting who have been selected for incubation and will focus on building
solutions for applications such as agriculture, automobile, telecom, health care and
consumer goods’.
STATE
1. Kerala Govt. has proposed “Fat Tax” of 14.5% on junk food like pizzas, burgers, Pasta,
etc. to discourage the fast food culture.

Its major concern is with issues related to public health rather than revenue
generation.

Companies will pass on this tax partially or fully to the customers which may make
them cut back on fast foods.
2. Kerala launches world’s first ‘digital student incubator’, as a digital makeover of the
startup village in Kochi.

This start up village is India’s first PPP model technology incubator and has
supported more than 500 start ups and helped create 3000 jobs during its first
phase in 2012-2015.

The move will increase by reaching out to 5 million students in 3500 Engineering
Colleges across the country and will also provide them a completely digital
incubation framework, ranging from application for admission to teaching,
mentoring and graduation.
APPOINTMENTS
1. Sudarshan Sen
Sudarshan Sen has been appointed as the Executive director of Reserve Bank of India
after N.S. Viswanathan who has been elevated as the Deputy Governor of RBI.
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2. M.V. Dhekane
ISRO Inertial System Unit – IISU, Thiruvananthapuram has appointed renowned
scientist M. V. Dhekane as it seventh director.

The Specialised field of IISU include inertial sensors and systems in satellite
technology, fields of launch vehicle inertial systems, spacecraft inertial systems
reliability and quality assurance.
3. Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Konkan
Railway Corporation Limited.

KRC is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways and has its headquarters at CBO Belpur
in Navi Mumbai.
4. D. Rajkumar
D. RajKumar was appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat
Petroleum Co-operation Limited (after S.Varadarajan).
5. Ashok Patnaik
Ashok Patnaik has been appointed as the CEO of NATGRID (National Intelligence
Grid).

He will succeed Raghu Raman, the first CEO of NATGRID.

NATGRID is a central agency which aims to have an integrated intelligence grid
that will ink and store sensitive personal information on citizens from different
Govt. agencies for counter terror investigations.

It was established to bolster India’s counter terrorism capabilities by combining 21
sensitive databases of personal information related to various domains.

The domains are banks, credit cards, cell phone usage, immigration records, income
tax records, etc.
6. KVR Murthy
KVR Murthy has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Jute
Corporation of India Limited.

JCIL is a nodal agency of Union Government that assist jute cultivators by
providing minimum price support.
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7. Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi
Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi has been appointed as the new Chairman of CBSE.

His appointment was made by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet.
8. Kudsi Erguner
The Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner was appointed as the UNESCO artists for peace
for his:

Efforts to promote universal values of music, an essential instrument of dialogue
between cultures.

Contribution to the protection of musical heritage.

Support for the International Decade of the rapprochement of cultures (2013-2022).

Unwavering commitment to the ideals of the organization.
9. Guruprasad Mohapatra
Guruprasad Mohapatra was appointed as the Chairman of Airports Authority of
India.

AAI is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation
infrastructure in India.
10. Ajay Bhushan Pandey
Ajay Bhushan Pandey has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Unique
Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

UIDAI is a nodal statutory organization behind the Aadhar.
11. Ganesh Singh
Ganesh Singh has been appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Committee of
parliament to examine provisions of the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, 2015.

The Right to Fair, Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill creates five special categories of land use.

They are defense, affordable housing, rural infrastructure, industrial corridors and
infrastructure including PPP-s where Government owns the land.
12. Buddha Rashmi Mani
Buddha Rashmi Mani has been appointed as the Director General of National
Museum.

He will have tenure of 3 years or till the age of 70.
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
He had led excavations in Haryana, Delhi, UP and Jammu & Kashmir and also in
the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi – Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya.

He is also serving as the General Secretary of the Indian Archaeological Society.
13. Mr. Michel Barnier
The former French Financial Services Commissioner Mr. Michel Barnier has been
appointed as the Chief Brexit Negotiator by the European Union Commission under
article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.

He is the Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP).

He was the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services (ECIMS)
from 2010 to 2014, where he had handled issues like reforms in the banking union,
financial sector and digital single market in the European Union.
14. Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale
Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of
Allahabad High Court, after Justice D. Y. Chandrachud who was appointed as Supreme
Court Judge.
SPACE
1. NASA’S Juno spacecraft has successfully entered into the orbit of Jupiter on 4th July,
2016. It was launched as part of NASA’S New Frontiers program in 2011 to study
Jupiter’s composition, gravity field, magnetic field and polar magnetosphere.

Juno is the first mission designed by NASA to see beneath Jupiter’s clouds but it is
not the first aircraft to orbit Jupiter (the first being Gallileo Probe which had orbited
Jupiter from 1995-2003).


Juno has the mission life of 20 months from July 2016 to Feb. 2018.
Astronomers for the first time have sighted a Jovian planet orbiting a triple star
system, named as HD 131399Ab.

It is located 340 light years from Earth in the constellation centaurus.
AWARDS
1. Nimi Sunil Kumar
Gourmand World Cook book – Award for 2015-16 goes to the Cookbook Author and
food blogger Nimi Sunil Kumar.

It is known as the Oscar Award in the field of Cookery.
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
She was bestowed with this award for her cookbook ‘4 ‘O’ clock Temptations of
Kerala’.

She has won award for the second Time and in 2013, her ‘lip – Smacking dishes of
Kerala’ was selected third in the Best Local Cuisine Book in the world.
2. Captain Radhika Menon
The first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptionary Bravery at sea for
2016 from the International Maritime Organisation goes to Captain Radhika Menon.

She will be bestowed with this Award for leading the difficult rescue operation in the
Bay of Bengal in June 2015, thereby saving the lives of seven fishermen.

She is a native of Kodungallur in Kerala and was the first woman to join the
shipping corporation of India (as a Trainee radio officer).

In 2011, she became the first woman to become Captain of Indian Marchant Navy.
3. Dr. Raghuveer Chaudhari
India’s highest literary honour Jnanapith Award was conferred to the renowned
Gujarathi writer Dr. Raghuveer Chaudhari.

He has authored more than 80 books and his popular works include Venu Vatsala,
Amrita, Uparvas, Purvarang and Laagni Samjya Vina Chuuta Padvanu

He also worked as a columnist for various newspapers such as Sandesh
Janmabhumi, Nirikshaka and Divya Bhaskar.

He is the fourth Gujarathi writer to receive this award after Uma Shankar Joshi,
Pannalai Patel and Rajendra Shah.

He has received Various accolades including Sahitya Academy Award for his novel
Trilogy Uparvaas in 1977.
4. Nigerian journalist and presenter Didi Akinyelure has won the second BBC World
News Komla Dumor Award.
5. Rohit Khandelwal
Rohit Khandelwal has won the prestigious Mr. World title, 2016, which was held at
Southport Theatre, England.

He is an actor, model and television personality and winner of Mr. India 2015
contest.

With this, he became the first Indian and First Asian to win the Mr. World title.
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6. The Kerala Tourism has won two Gold Gongs in the Travel Advertisement Broadcast
Media and E-News letter categories at the PATA-Pacific Asia Travel Association
Awards in recognition of its trend setting marketing initiatives.

In 2015, Kerala Tourism had won PATA Gold in the heritage and culture category
for its Muziris heritage project.
7. Bapi Lahiri
The famous music director and singer Bapi Lahiri has been bestowed with
Mahanayak Award by the West Bengal movement.

This award was instituted by the West Bengal Government in 2012 in the memory
of Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar, who is reserved as ‘Mahanayak’ there.
8. Avasarala Kanyakumari
The Sangeetha Kalanidhi Award 2016 goes to the renowned violinist Avasarala
Kanyakumari.

With this, she becomes the first female violinist to receive this prestigious award.

She has created seven ranges under the title ‘Saptadri’, seven names of Lord
Venkateswara of Tirupati, Mahalakshmi, Tirumurti and Bharat.
9. Total 6 awardees were selected for the 2016 Ramon Magsaysay Award, regarded as
Asia’s Nobel Prize.
1. Bezwada Wilson (India):- He is the National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari
Andolan (SKA).

He has been recognized for asserting the inalienable right a life of human
dignity and also for his remarkable work in liberating scores of people engaged
in manual scavenging across India.
2. Thodur Madabusi Krishna (India):- He is a Carnatic music vocalist and has been
recognized for ensuring social inclusiveness in culture.
3. Dompet Dhuafa (Indonesia):- She has been recognized
for expanding the
transformative impact of Zakat.
4. Conchita Carpio-Morales (Philippines):- She has been recognized for restoring faith
in the rule of law.
5. Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers:- This has been recognized for building a
world of genuine solidarity.
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6. Vientiane Rescue (Laos):- This organization has been recognized for volunteering to
save lives at risk.

Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in 1957 in the memory of the third
President Ramon Magsaysay of Philippines who had died in air disaster in
March 1957.

It was established by the Trustees of New York City based Rockefeller Brothers
Fund and Philippines Government.
10. Syed Nayeemuddin
Indian footballer Syed Nayeemuddin was bestowed (16th recipient) Mohun Bagan
Ratna for his inevitable contributions for the success of the club.

The award is presented annually on Mohun Bagan Day – July 29.

Syed Nayeemuddin was the coach of Indian Football Team in 1997 and under his
guidance, India won the South Asian Football Federation Cup.

He is the only sports person to be honoured with both Arjuna and Dronacharya
Awards for football.
11. Adman Srinivasan Swamy
Adman Srinivasan Swamy, popularly known as Sundar was conferred with AAAI Advertising Agencies Association of India’s Life Time Achievement Award.

He had served as the President of AAAI for three consecutive terms from 2004 to
2007.

He is the Vice Chairman of ASCI - Advertising Standards Council of India.
OBITUARIES
1. Pandit Lacchu Maharaj
Internationally famous maestro Pandit Lacchu Maharaj passed away in Varanasi.

His real name was Lakshmi Narayan Singh.

His unique style of playing Tabla coupled with perfection had earned him fame as
Lacchu Maharaj.

He refused to be honoured with Padma Shri Award saying that no award was bigger
than laurels from the audience.
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2. Mahasweta Devi
Renowned author and social activist Mahasweta Devi passed away in Kolkata.

She was born in Dhaka (now in Bangladesh) in 1926.

Her first book Jhansi Rani was published in 1956.

She was the author of the films Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998) and Rudaali.

Her remarkable works are Agnigarbha (womb of fire), Aranyer Adhikar (The
Occupation of the Forest), Dhowli, Dust on the Road, Bashai Tudu, Till Death Do Us
Part, Old Women, etc.

She was honoured with Sahitya Academy Award, Padma Shri, Jnanpith Award,
Ramon Magsaysay Award and Desikottam Award.

She was the founder member of aboriginal united association and had started a
tribal magazine in 1980, named as Bortika.
3. R. C. Dhere
Eminent Marathi literary scholar R.C. Dhere passed away.

He had unraveled the cultural linkage between the past and the present through his
writings on folk deities and gods, Saint Literature, Bhakti cult, Folk literature,
Culture and Art and Holy Places.

‘History of Nath Cult, Chakrapani, History of Datta Cult, Lajjagauri, Khandoba,
Shree Tulja Bhavani and In Search of Indian Theatre are some of his popular books.

He had received Maharashtra Gaurav Award Sahitya Academy Award in 1987 and
also Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad Award etc.
4. Om Prakash Sonik
Renowned music director Om Prakash Sonik Passed away in Mumbai.

Some of his popular works are Bhakti Mein Shakti. Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya, Dharma,
Aabroo, Raftaar and Sawan Bhadon’.

He was composer part of the Sonik – Omi duo consisting of Master Sonik,
(a
blind Music Director) and his nephew Omi.
5. Mubarak Begum
Legendary playback singer Mubarak Begum passed away in Mumbai.

She is best known for the evergreen songs “Kabhi Tanhaiyon Mein Hamari Yaad
Aayegi” from the movie Hamari Yaad Aayegi, “Ham Haal-e-dil Sunaenge” and “O
Mere Humrahi”.
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6. Mohammed Shahid
Indian Hockey player Mohammed Shahid passed away due to multiple organ failure
in Haryana.

He was a member of the Indian Hockey Team that had won silver medal at the 1982
Asian Games and Bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games.

His biggest contribution was the ‘half push-half hit’. It was a stroke he used to hit
the ball using the same grip used to dribble the ball.

He had won Arjuna Award in 1981 and Padma Shri in 1986.
7. Sayed Haider Raza
Sayed Haider Raza, the legendary modern Indian artist passed away in New Delhi.

He depicted the concepts like ‘purush-prakriti’, ‘bindu’ and ‘nari’ in his works.

He was honoured with Padma Shri in 1981, Fellowship of the Lalit Kala Academy in
1981, Padma Bhushan in 2007, Padma Vibhushan in 2013 and Commandeur de la
Legion d’honneur (the highest French Honour) in 2015.
8. Dr. Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao
Famous agricultural scientist Dr. Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao passed away in
Hyderabad.

He is known as “Father of Hybrid Sorghum”.

He is recognized for his basic and applied research in breeding and agronomy of
several dry land crops.

He was honoured with S S Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences and Atma
Gaurav Award in 2003 and distinguished Agricultural Scientist Award in 2008 by
Andhra Pradesh Government.
HEALTH
1. WHO has certified India as Yaws, Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus free country? India
is the first country under the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) roadmap, 2012
to eliminate Yaws.
YAWS
It is a chronic bacterial infection that affects skin, cartilage and bones.
Transmission: by direct contact with the fluid from a lesion of an infected person.
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Causative Organism: Spirochete bacteria Treponema pallidum pertenue
2. The world’s first hospital on a train of Indian Railways – ‘The Lifeline Express’ has
completed its 25 year of service to the poor and under privileged masses of rural India.

The lifeline express is also known as the Magic Train of India.

It is the first ever hospital-on-rails in the world.

It was started with an aim to provide on the spot diagnostic, medical and advanced
surgical treatment for disabled adults and children using the Indian Railway
Network.
3. World’s first Zika Vaccine test on humans is to be conducted by China.

They are first international researches team in the world to complete all the steps in
the regulatory process for the test.

Brazilian scientists have identified another type of Zika-transmitting mosquitoCulex quinque fasciatus.

It is known as the domestic mosquito in Brazil.
4. Brazil has been declared measles free by WHO, after no case was registered in 2015.

Due to the joint efforts of WHO and PAHO (Pan American Health Organization),
Brazil did not saw any domestic cases of measles from 1985 to 2000.

But in 2013, the disease broke out in the North-Eastern Brazilian states.
MEASLES
Highly contagious air-borne disease.

Transmission: - Orally through mucous or Saliva through sneezing, coughing, etc.

Symptoms: - First symptoms appear after 10 days with red spots on the skin.

Complications: - Pneumonia, blindness and even death in malnourished children.
5. Peru has declared Zika Outbreak as a health emergency across its northern half after
102 people were infected with the virus.
Transmission
It is a mosquito – borne virus Transmitted by aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Family : Flaviviridae

Genus

It was first identified in Uganda in 1947 and its name has been derived from Zika
: Flavivirus
forest.
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Signs & Symptoms

Newborn Babies : Microcephaly

Adult & Children : Mild flu-like symptoms like rash to other neurological problems.

Treatment: No Specific treatment or vaccine

Prevention: Protection from mosquito bites and clearing, stagnant water where
mosquitoes breed.
DAYS
1. July 1

:
National Doctor’s Day
It is in honour to the legendary Physician Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy whose birth and
death anniversary coincides on the same day.
2. July 6
:
3. July 11 :

World Hepatitis Day.
Theme of the year: Elimination (by 2030).
7. July 29 :

Nelson Mandela International Day.
Theme 2016: Take Action, Inspire change
6. July 20 :

World Youth Skills Day
Theme of the year: Skills development to improve youth employment.
5. July 18 :

World Population Day.
Theme of the year : ‘Investing in teenage girls’.
4. July 15 :

World Zoonoses Day
International/Global Tiger Day.
The day was founded with an aim to double the tiger population by 2022.
8. July 30 :
World day against Trafficking in persons.
BOOKS
1. Who moved my interest rate?
–
Biography of D. Subbarao.
2. Hit Refresh
–
Sathya Nadella
3. The Great Derangement
–
Amitav Ghosh
4. Courage and Commitment
–
Margaret Alva
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SPORTS
1. Argentina’s women’s team won the 2016 champions Trophy title of Hockey by
defeating Netherland (by 2-1 goals).

The final match was played at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London,
UK.

They were the Champions in 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. With this
victory, they got the record of being Champions for the seventh time

Best player – Carla Rebecchi (Aregentina).

Best Goal Keeper – Joyce Sombrock (Netherlands)
2. India’s largest food products marketing organization Amul has become the official
sponsor of Indian contingent to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Amul will use its famous, tagline ‘Amul Doodh Pita hai India’ to cheer the Indian
contingents.

It has also embarked upon ‘Eat milk with every meal’ campaign to highlight the
importance of milk and milk products such as cheese, yogurt, butter, ghee, paneer,
etc.
3. The 2016 Austrian Grand Prix Title of Formula One goes to the Mercedes driver
Lewis Hamilton from Great Britain.

The second position was to the Ferrari diver Sebastian Vettel of Germany.

Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton title 2016 in the men’s singles category was
won by the Ace Indian Shuttler B. Sai Praneeth. He has defeated Lee Hyun II of
South Korea in the final match.
4. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu became the first Indian football player to play in UEFA
European league.

He is the fifth Indian football player to play in Europe at professional level after
Mohammed Salim, Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Pal.
5. Para Swimmer Niranjan Mukundan has won 8 medals (including 3 gold medals) in
the IWAS-International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports U-23 World Games held at
Prague, Czech Republic.
He was Junior World Champion 2015, got National Award for Best Sports-person of the
year 2015 and Ekalavya Award of 2016.
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Category
Winners
Defeated Whom
1.
Men’s Singles Title
Andy Murray, Britain
2.
Women’s Singles Title
Serena
Williams,
Milos Raonic, Canada
United
Angelique Kerber, Germany
States
3.
Men’s Doubles Title
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Julien
Nicolas Mahut, France
Benneteau
and
Edouard Roger - Vasselin,
France
4.
Women’s
Doubles Serena Williams and Venus Timea Babos (Hungary) and
Title
Williams, United States
Yaroslava
Shvedova
(Kazhakstan)
5.
Mixed Double Title
Henri
Kontinen
(Finland)
and Heather Watson (UK)
Anna
-
Lena
Gronefield
(Germany)
6. The 2016 Wimbledon Championship was held from June 27 to July 10 at the AU
England Lawn Tennis and Croquet club in Wimbledon, London, UK.
7. UEFA European Football Championship, 2016 goes to Portugal, defeating
France.

The only goal for Portugal team was scored by Eder at 109 minute in the 11 minutes
of extra time.

In the final match played at stade de France, Portugal defeated France by
1-0
goal score.

Renato Sanches (Portugal) was the young player of the Tournament and Antoine
Griezmann (France) with 6 goals and 2 assists got the Golden boot award.
8. India’s Chess Grand Master Harika Dronavalli has won the Fide Women’s Grand
Prix Trophy in Chendu, China; defeating Russia’s Olga Girya.

She has won the Commonwealth Women’s Championship in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

She has won Bronze Medal in 2010 Asian Games in woman’s individual rapid event
and also at the Women’s World Chess Championship, 2015.

She has won the individual silver at woman’s world team chess championship 2015.
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
She has received Arjuna Award in 2007.
9. Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Saurav Ghosal have won the 73rd Senior National
Squash Championship in Men’s and Women’s single categories respectively.

Dipika Pallikal Karthik (world no. 19) has defeated Joshina Chinappa and got her
second title after she had won it in 2011.

Saurav Ghosal has defeated Harindarpal Singh Sandhu and won the title for the
11th time.
10. India’s first multi-city marathon ‘The Great India Run’ was flagged off at the Amar
Jawan Jyoti India Gate in New Delhi.

The 1480 km long ultra-marathon will feature 15 of the best ultra marathoners from
Asia, Africa, US and Europe in its inaugural edition.
11. Indian test team Captain Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to score a
double century outside India.

He is the third Captain who scored double century in test match vs West Indies in
the Caribbean.

He broke Mohammad Azharuddin’s long standing record of 192 in 1990 against New
Zealand. It was also the highest score by an Indian captain in the West Indies.

With this, he became the fifth Indian captain to score a double century in a Test
match.
12. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has become the first Indian Junior athlete to create
a world record in the IAAF Under 20 World Athletics Championship held at Poland.

He won Gold medal by throwing javelin at a record distance of 86.48m in his second
attempt.

With this he broke the previous record of Latvian Zigismunds Sirmais (84.69
metres).
13. Indian shooters Manavaditya Rathore and Anant Naruka had won Bronze medal
in the Champion of Champions Match at the Junior World Cup, Italy.
14. The 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix Title of Formula One goes to Mercedes driver Lewis
Hamilton of Great Britain.

Besides this, he has won the Monaco Grand Prix, Canadian Grand Prix, Austrian
Grand Prix and British Grand Prix.

He holds the record of winning most Hungarian Grand Prix titles (5 - in 2007, 2009,
2012, 2013, and 2016).
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15. ICC (International Cricket Council) has selected Karen Rolton, Arthur Morris, Muttiah
Muralitharan and George Lohmann to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

With this, Muttiah Muralitharan becomes the first Sri Lankan Cricket player to be
included into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

He has the world record for the most wickets in both Test and ODI Cricket formats
and for holding number one spot in the ICC’s player rankings for test bowlers for
1711 days.

In 2001, Arthur Morris was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. He
died in 2015 at the age of 93.

Karen Rolton has the record of scoring the highest runs for Australia in women’s
test cricket and also for scoring 209 not out against England in 2001.

George Lohmann had taken 112 wickets and was regarded as one of the greatest
bowlers of all time.
*****************
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