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2. Table of Content 9.World's Bank's "a glass half full report” 55 10.Sikkim Becomes World's First Organic 56 State 11.Problem with Mudra Loans, Rising NPA 58 12.Challenges In Metro Rail Planning 59 13.Mariculture Policy (Draft) of India: 60 14.Infusing liquidity through OMOS 61 E). Environment A). Topper’s Talk B). Policy and Governance 1.What is PM-AASHA ? 2.Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana. 8 3.BCCI is now covered under the RTI Act 9 4.Concerns around Corporate governance 10 5.Electricity Amendment Bill. 11 6.Food Security Scheme of Odisha. 12 7.Google to help the Election Commission in 2019 13 8.Section 377 9.27 Crore people out of poverty in India in the last 10 years 10.Oxfam World Inequality Index. 17 11.Choice Based Approach in PDS. 18 12.The Criminalization of Politics Supreme Court Verdict 13.Status of Poverty in India according to latest report 14.Sabarimala Temple Verdict by Supreme Court 21 15.SC/ST Promotion Supreme Court Verdict 23 16.Status of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan or SBA in Rajasthan C). International Relations 7 1.IPCC Report On Global Warming 62 2.Construction and Demolition Waste 63 Management 3.Arunachal Mega Dam Controversy 64 4.Windmill Pose Threat to Wildlife 65 F). Science and Technology 14 16 1.1st Ethics Code On A.I. 2.China To Launch Own Moon 67 3.Digi Yatra initiative 4.H1NI Virus 5.ISRO Launched Two British Satellites 70 6.Electric Vehicles: Jharkhand Modl 71 7.India's First Missile Tracking Ship 72 8.Mission to Mercury 73 9.Discovery Of Two New Planets 74 10.India's First Anti-Nuclear Medical Kt 75 11.ISRO Mystery Case G). Disasters 66 68 69 19 20 25 76 79 1.7 Rohingya deported to Myanmar 26 2.AGARTALA-AKHAURA Rlwy Project 27 3.U.S Sanctions on Chinese Military 4.INDO-BANGLA Pipeline Project 29 5.India-Russia New Defence Deal 30 6.VLADIMIR PUTIN Visit In India 31 7.Why China Heavily Investing In Africa? 32 8.World's Longest Sea Bridge 34 9.India and China to Sign Internal Security 35 Cooperation Agreement 10.US Federal Reserve Hikes Interest Rate 36 11.Why Is Iran Important To India 37 12.India-Japan First Ever Joint Military 38 13.Maldives Election Good News for India 39 14.CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO Controversy 40 15.NAFTA-USMCA 16.RCEP 17.India Wins Election to UNHRC with Highest Votes 18.Why is Uzbekistan Important for India 45 H). Miscellaneous 83 28 I). UPSC Prelims Capsule 87 J). Practice UPSC Mains Writing 96 42 43 44 D). Economy 1.Revival of Air India by GOI 46 2.Bank Merger of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank 3.Banning Import of Pet Coke 49 4.India China Bullet Train Plan- BCIM 50 Economic Corridor 5.Constitutional Validity of compensation law under GST 51 6.Increase in customs duty and Impact 52 7.Internationalization of Indian Rupee 53 8.What Are Unicorn Start-Ups 54 47

3. So please dedicate enough time to it, whether you are giving a mock test or the actual exam. 6.Many aspirants commit one fundamental mistake: they read and revise, over and over, but never practiced. Remember that the examiner checking your copy will have no idea about the number of books you’ve read or the number of hours you’ve slogged. Your answers are all that he has to judge you. So it makes sense to learn it, practice it and perfect it. 7.Mains exam demands not only our memory and intelligence, but also endurance. If you lack prior practice, writing relentlessly for 6 hours a day and do this for 5 days will cause both mental and physical fatigue. The only way to overcome it is to practice enough before the final exam. 8.General Studies demand only a peripheral understanding of an expansive set of topics. So it’s important that you try to gain minimum sufficient knowledge over a diverse set of subjects rather than obsessively focussing on one topic. For instance, it doesn’t make sense to read World History for three months at the expense of all other subjects. Always maintain that fine balance between all the topics and don’t get imprisoned in one. 9.In GS, there will be very few questions where you will have absolutely no clue. Even if you only have a vague idea, write those generic points. For instance, in last year’s GS-1 paper, for the question on the Malay peninsula, I knew no specific fact, except a vague idea that Singapore had a partial story similar to India. So I just wrote a generic answer comprising of problems such as ethnic strife, insurgency, and economic collapse. The examiner checking my copy might have given 2-3 marks for it, which I am sure any aspirant would gladly take. 10.You must develop the skill to speed read a committee or an organisation’s report on your computer (reading online saves you a lot of time) and highlight important lines as you read along. In the second reading, this highlighted portion is what you need to revise. It should look something like this. 11.In GS papers, map of India is your most effective tool for illustration. For example, I drew India maps and labelled relevant parts for questions on river linkage (GS-3), North-East insurgency (GS-3), Inland navigation (GS-1), India’s 18th-century fragmented polity (GS-1) etc. Practise it enough so that you are able to draw and label it under 60 seconds. 12.If you are taking a test series, please give those tests with all the seriousness of the final UPSC exam. In the mock test, if you take 10-15 additional minutes to finish the paper, you are cheating no one except yourself. Observe strict time limits. 13.You will never feel content with your Mains preparation and there is always a nagging tendency to just keep reading and procrastinate writing answers or skip an upcoming test. You have to overcome this reluctance through conscious effort. Suppose before a mock test if you were unable to finish the syllabus, you can postpone your test by a day or two, but don’t skip it altogether. 14.Perfectionism is your enemy. If you keep referring to countless sources to make that “perfect notes”, if you keep postponing your mock tests in order to write “perfect tests”, this mentality will bring you to ruin. Getting a good score in Mains is about attempting all questions to which some answers are excellent, some good and many above average. So instead of waiting A.Topper’s Talk How to conquer GS in UPSC Mains, Explained: By Anudeep Durishetty – RANK 1 ,UPSC CSE 2017 With 1000 marks spanning across four papers in Mains, GS feels like one giant, insurmountable mountain. The point of this article is to convince you that those fears are unfounded. I’ve written this post assuming someone who had already read the foundational books for GS Prelims. If you haven’t read them as yet, you should first read my post on GS Prelims. At the end of this article, I embedded download links to my complete GS notes and answer copies. There I had marked two particular answer booklets that accurately represent my writing style in Mains. I hope aspirants who are struggling with answer writing find them useful. I had also written previously about my UPSC journey here and on how to prepare for the Essay in this post. Marksheet As you start reading the books I mention here for GS mains, please keep the following points in mind: 1.Along with these books, get a printout of the syllabus and read it carefully. Your final aim must be: for each topic mentioned in the syllabus, you should have enough content to write a 250-word answer. 2.Go through the past five years’ question papers to understand the breadth and depth of questions UPSC usually asks. It’ll give you a good perspective of what’s important and what’s not. 3.Use the internet extensively, especially for topics like Science and Tech. Your target must be to gain knowledge, be it through books or through the internet. 4.For all subjects, you have to superimpose current affairs over it, especially for GS-2 and GS-3. For both these papers, current affairs form the nucleus. You will inevitably do a lot of reading on the internet, so use Evernote to organize and highlight content like this. 5.Give adequate time for revision. Without it, you will not be able to recollect whatever you may have read. Page 2 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

4. for that elusive perfection, start imperfect and then keep improving. 15.When you are buying coaching material, always ask yourself: “what's new is this material, adding to my preparation?” If you can’t answer that question convincingly, then the material probably isn’t really useful. 16.Just because I am AIR-1, it does not mean that my notes are the best or that this book list is the last word. If you have been studying some other material, that’s fine, too. To succeed in this exam, the source of material is not important. What’s important is you to understand the concepts, memorize the facts well and have a firm grip over the entire syllabus. fundamentals are correct. For example, in Warli art, human bodies are represented by triangles, heads by circles and hands by simple lines. Just get these basics right. Link to download diagrams is given at the end of the article. Art and Culture requires a ton of memorization and there’s really no shortcut to mastering it except through multiple revisions. ▪ Modern Indian History 1.A Brief History of Modern India- Spectrum Publications. 2.India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra (Read selectively for topics not covered in the Spectrum book) ▪ Questions on Indian history are something that every serious aspirant will answer well, so you really cannot afford to let go of these questions. If you had done your prelims preparation for this topic well, that is good enough. You just need to practise answer writing. India’s Post Independence History 1.India Since Independence by Bipan Chandra 2.For certain topics, I made notes from this book. Download link is given at the end. World History I prepared entirely for this topic from this outstanding book: Download ▪ Since revising this big book before the exam was difficult, I prepared concise notes from it. I also practised maps to demonstrate major world historical events. ▪ Link to download my notes and maps is given at the end of the article. Geography ▪ The study plan is the same as for prelims, which I’ve explained here. Indian Society ▪ This is a generic, nebulous topic with no style or structure. Questions are sometimes vague, philosophical and the challenge we face is not so much in lack of content as in presenting it concisely in 200 odd words. To understand the basics, read NCERT Sociology Std XI and XII. Make concise notes on each topic that includes: a crisp definition, latest statistics, govt schemes, criticism of these schemes; causes of issues such as communalism and regionalism, historical and current examples, their impact on our society, and your suggestions as the way ahead. (You can get these suggestions from the internet or ARC 2 or some committee report). In case if you find good coaching material for these topics, that’ll do as well. ▪ For this topic, a generic answer with proper structure and subheadings that cover multiple dimensions is good enough to fetch you marks. You can find my notes at the end of the article. GS 2 Polity, Governance and Social Justice Static Portion: Stiffer the climb, better the view. The list of books for GS Mains: GS 1 Indian Art and Culture 1.An Introduction to Indian Art – Class XI NCERT 2.Chapters related to culture in Ancient and Medieval India NCERTs 3.Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT) material 4.Heritage Crafts: Living Craft Traditions of India - NCERT ▪ For someone who is starting just now, this topic can overwhelm them. So I suggest beginners read this section after they get acquainted with other GS topics. ▪ In Art and Culture, questions asked by UPSC in recent years are more analytical— which requires both the factual content and good analysis to answer the why and how. You can answer such questions well only when you understand the historical background in which such art was produced. This is why it’s important that you read NCERT XI Ancient India for it gives you that historical context. ▪ For instance, don’t just memorise features of say, Sangam literature or Chola architecture, but understand the social, political, religious and economic context in which such grand art was produced. They will form the analysis part and will help you write great answers. ▪ Make good use of the internet to watch both visual and performing arts to understand how they actually look in real life. You will be able to recollect such visuals more easily. They will help you write a decent answer for questions which you only have a vague idea about. ▪ Wherever relevant, draw diagrams to illustrate your answers. For instance, you can draw a rough sketch to show the features of a Stupa, Dravida, and Nagara style architecture, Paleolithic art, Folk arts such as Warli, Harappan pottery, etc. You don’t need to be a Michelangelo for this, but you must ensure that the 1.Laxmikanth 2.Polity Notes (this will provide analytical content. Download link is given at the end of the article) Page 3 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

5. 3.ARC 2 (One of the best reports ever written for the government. It’s been more than ten years since the reports were published, but the content is still priceless. Read complete reports, memorise only recommendations) Current Affairs: Goals, Preamble, DPSP is also another good way to end your answers. International Relations ▪ Any good book that adequately covers the historical aspect of India’s bilateral relations. ▪ Current affairs: The Hindu, India’s World on RSTV, CivilsDaily or Insights or ForumIAS depending upon the topic. ▪ Questions on IR will be almost, always be about the current happenings in the world. But before you run after the Hindu or some other latest magazine for this section, it’s important that you understand the historical background of India’s relationship with other countries. This is indispensable because every bilateral issue that you see in the news can be traced back to history. Once you understand this historical context, this topic becomes uncomplicated. ▪ For example, let’s take India China relations. Don’t merely focus on Doklam crisis and troop positioning, but understand the larger context of our border dispute with China, the agreements we had signed starting with the Simla Accord of 1914. For India-Sri Lanka, don’t just concentrate that India voted for or against Sri Lanka at the UN, but understand how India always championed peace between the Tamils and the Sinhalese, the 1987 accord, its fallout, Sri Lankan civil war and what India did during these times. When you have that bigger picture in mind, each part of the puzzle becomes easier to fit in. ▪ For miscellaneous topics like diaspora and international institutions, refer to any good coaching material. ▪ Draw map wherever relevant. Example: for India-Iran relations, you can draw a rough map to show how the Chabahar port helps us to bypass Pakistan and reach Afghanistan. Act East policy can be demonstrated with arrows pointing from India and showing our specific relationship with Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and ASEAN, MGC, BIMSTEC etc., ▪ Each bilateral relationship or a global grouping is multi-faceted. To make your answers comprehensive, always write a multidimensional perspective that includes: the strategic dimension, defence co- operation, technology, education, culture, diaspora, trade and investment, co-operation in global fora etc. GS 3 Economy Static part: 1.Standard resources I already mentioned in my prelims post 2.Budget (any coaching material compilation) 3.Economic Survey (gist) 4.Niti 3-year Action Plan report (a good resource for policy recommendations that come in handy while you write conclusion) Current Affairs: 1.The Hindu 2.The Big Picture on RSTV 3.CivilsDaily current affairs material 4.I also referred to Insights/ForumIAS current affairs material for topics not covered well by CivilsDaily 5.PRS India for latest legislation 6.All India Radio – Spotlight (used to listen during my commute to the office) ▪ Open your answers with Constitutional articles. Question on Governor? Art 153 must be there in the first line. Question on Civil Services? Art 312 is where you begin. If there’s a technical term like ‘Parliamentary Sovereignty’, ‘Political democracy’ or ‘Social Audit’ — define them in your introduction telling the examiner what you understand by those terms. ▪ Supreme Court judgements are very important. Make a list of important judgements (both historical and current) and quote them to substantiate your answer. For example, when you are answering a question on Free speech, quoting SC judgement in Shreya Singhal vs Union of India case will add tremendous value to your answers. ▪ For a debatable topic, always write both sides of the issue even if not explicitly asked in the question. Example: A question might ask: Do you agree that Civil Services is in need of drastic reforms? For this, explain under a subheading why drastic reforms are needed. And in the next paragraph, counter by saying why drastic reforms are harmful. In the end, you can add the view of ARC 2/Hota/Surendranath committee to convey your view and end on a balanced note. ▪ For miscellaneous topics like the comparison of Constitutions, RPA Act, SHG, e-Governance etc. refer to any good coaching material to have 200-word worth content. Source latest examples and issues from newspapers and quote them in your answers. ▪ Prepare thoroughly on Govt policies and bills. PRS India is an excellent resource for all the latest legislation in the offing and The Hindu for policy criticism. But the newspaper is patently leftist and they publish articles incessantly and nauseatingly ranting on policies they don’t like (Eg: Aadhar). But as someone aspiring to be a civil servant, you need to be more dispassionate. This is why you must actively pursue articles with a contrarian and balanced opinions like this and this. ▪ Cram latest statistics pertaining to health, employment, women, education, poverty etc. Also apart from committees, you may quote authentic reports from reputed organisations such as Lancet, Transparency International, UNICEF, FAO etc to substantiate your point. I made notes on important statistics that can be used for all papers of GS and essay. Download link is given at the end of the article. ▪ Conclusion: Wherever possible, end with a committee/ commission recommendation or observation. For instance, a question on Centre-State relations should invariably end with Punchhi Commission, a question on death penalty with Law Commission and a question on Indian Constitution with NCRWC. Referring to Sustainable Development 1.The Hindu 2.CivilsDaily 3.I referred to Insights/ForumIAS current affairs material for topics not covered well by CivilsDaily Indian Agriculture, Land reforms, PDS, Food Processing, LPG, Infrastructure 1.Mrunal.org 2.Vision IAS Page 4 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

6. 3.The Hindu and CivilsDaily for current affairs ▪ You need to remember that for GS-3, questions revolve around current affairs and there is no dearth of material. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the trick is to restrict yourself to material that’s good enough for you to write a 250-word answer for all topics. It’s very important that you don’t get sunk under the heap of current affairs and coaching material. ▪ So for each topic mentioned in the syllabus, make concise notes from the resources mentioned above. I also found Niti Aayog’s 3-year Action Plan report really helpful for this paper. And just as I had mentioned for GS-2, statistics and committee reports are very important. breeder reactor, Uranium enrichment, Nuclear fission and fusion etc.), Defence (Cruise missile, Ballistic missile, Stealth Bomber etc), Biotech (Gene editing, Stem Cells, GM food etc), Communication (LIDAR, RADAR, LiFi, 5G etc). Any comprehensive material of a coaching institute will be sufficient for this (I referred to Vajiram printed notes). Whatever S&T topic you are learning, always focus on the concept, why is it in news, practical applications, potential threats, benefits far into the future etc. Just do this and you will easily handle this topic in the final exam. ▪ GS 4 ▪ 2nd ARC reports: Ethics in Governance, Promoting E-gov, RTI, Citizen-centric Administration, Personnel Administration. Read all ARC reports completely, memorise only recommendations. For moral thinkers, Google them to read about their major contributions and for misc topics such as corporate governance, I referred to Vajiram printed material. I also prepared some notes for certain topics (download link at the end of the article) I went through the syllabus and tried to define each term in clear words and simple sentences. I found this exercise very useful because these definitions inevitably formed the introduction to most of my answers. For all of ethics paper, the essence can be distilled as just this: a clear and simple definition of the term and a real-life example to illustrate the concept. You can draw flowcharts and schematics wherever apt. It’s important to understand that each question is an opportunity to display your ethics. This will be best demonstrated by the actions you did or some other personalised/ real-life examples you quote. Reflect on your childhood, school life, college time, professional career etc and glean examples that are simple, unpretentious and at the same time bring out your ethical values clearly. For some questions, you can also quote historical examples from the lives of great leaders. For case studies, my aim was not so much in writing ingenious, extraordinary solutions, but to write something that’s realistic and practicable and finish the paper no matter what. I always started with Q1 and not with case studies because I could not see how one mark in Section B (case studies) is superior to one mark in Section A. I gave equal importance and dedicated equal time to both the sections. Rest of the GS papers have 20 questions each, Ethics has only 14. But don’t let that number 14 fool you. I’ve always found GS-4 to be the lengthiest paper of all. Every question in Section A has many subparts that drain an inordinate amount of your time. In fact, if we go by the absolute numbers, we write more words in GS-4 than in other papers. So to manage your time well: Abide by the rule that you must complete at least 80 marks worth of questions in each hour, irrespective of whether you start with Section A or Section B. Just before GS-4, you would have had written three stressful GS papers that would put your body condition under severe mental and physical strain. But it’s important to stay mentally tough during this crucial period and push your endurance limits so as to survive another 3 hours of relentless writing. Remember that it’s all in the mind— it can be your biggest enemy or your greatest strength. Security ▪ ▪ ▪ Vajiram and Vision IAS material The Hindu and CivilsDaily for current affairs Prepare crisp and clear definitions of technical terms such as cybersecurity, terrorism, organised crime, money laundering, left-wing extremism etc. For questions on border security, draw India map to illustrate. ▪ ▪ ▪ Disaster Management ▪ Fundamental reading: CBSE book ▪ Prepare concise notes on NDMA (structure, functions, rules etc), international agreements such as Sendai Framework, latest current affairs from newspapers, internet and coaching material. ▪ Draw diagrams to illustrate concepts like river embankment, land zoning, watershed management etc. Environment and Ecology ▪ Shankar IAS book ▪ The Hindu and CivilsDaily for current affairs ▪ My handwritten notes (Download link given at the end) Science & Tech 1.The Hindu 2.Vision IAS Mains 365 3.YouTube ▪ This topic terrifies many aspirants, and for good reason. There’s no single book or resource to help one navigate this section and it all feels like one big haze. But there’s good news: the questions asked in S&T are mostly from current affairs and you are expected to have only a general understanding of the topics. ▪ During my preparation, I used to note down in my book whatever scientific term or technology that’s frequently talked about in news. For instance, these days we repeatedly encounter terms such as Artificial General Intelligence, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Cryptocurrency, CRISPR-CAS9 in news and on the internet. ▪ Note down all such scientific concepts that are in news and then scour the internet (especially Youtube) to understand them. There are many explainer videos on Youtube that explain the concept so well that even a school student can understand it. For instance, take this excellent video on blockchain technology. Once you see it, it’s impossible for you to miss a question on blockchain and its practical applications. ▪ Apart from the above, you need to learn fundamental terms and technologies used in Space (PSLV, GSLV, Cryo Engine etc), Nanotech, Nuclear Research (Fast ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Page 5 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

7. GS may look insurmountable at first, but remember that it’s always the small steps towards the summit that count. Through effective planning and adequate practice, anyone can conquer it. My best wishes. Until next time, Anudeep. Read More : https://anudeepdurishetty.in Page 6 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

8. It is an apex organization of the marketing cooperatives for agriculture production. B.Policy and Governance It comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and It was founded in October 1958 with its Head Quarter in New Delhi. It has four regional offices at Delhi , Mumbai ,Chennai and Kolkata with28 zonal offices indifferent states. FCI It stands for Food Corporation of India. It was set up on 14th Jan,1965. Its HQ is now in New Delhi ,but previously it was at Chennai. (Click on the image above to watch the video) Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) or Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana Will it help our Farmers?? PDPS is proposed to cover all oilseeds for which minimum support price (MSP) is notified. Giving a major boost to the pro-farmer initiatives of the government, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a new Umbrella Scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA) on September 12, 2018. In this, direct payment of the difference between the MSP and the selling/modal price will be made to pre- registered farmers selling their produce in the notified market yard through a transparent auction process. Umbrella Scheme big scheme under which many other small schemes are present. All payments will be done directly into the registered bank account of the farmer. BASICS The government has already increased the MSP (minimum support price) of kharif crops by following the principle of 1.5 times the cost of production. PILOT OF PRIVATE PROCUREMENT &STOCKIST SCHEME (PPPS) The cabinet also decided that the participation of private sector in procurement operation needs to be piloted on the basis of the learnings the ambit of private participation in procurement operations. NOTES According to a survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in the 70th round in 2013, only 6% of farmers are able to sell their produce at MSP. EXPENSES CONCERNING THE SCHEME According to a 2016 NITI Ayog evaluation report 79% farmers responded with ‘no’ when asked if they were satisfied with the MSP regime. The cabinet has decided to give additional government guarantee of Rs..16,550 crore, making it Rs.45,550 crorein total. Reasons for their dissatisfaction were delay in payments, lack of infrastructure at procurement centres, distance to procurement centres and delayed announcement of MSP rates. CONCLUSION The NITI Ayog recommended that steps be taken to improve “facilities at procurement centres, such as drying yards, weighing bridges, etc. should be provided to the farmers. PROBLEMS WITH MSP MSP is presently (September 2018) is declared for 23 crops. Shanta Kumar report on FCI- restructuring, Buffer stock,PDS & Food security & Direct Benefit Transfer. More Storage should be set up and maintained properly for better storage and reduction of wastage. The procurement centres should be in the village itself to avoid transportation costs. THE NEW SCHEME However, the government’s announcements to ensure that farmers get the benefit of the MSP have done little to reinforce the procurement infrastructure which was a key recommendation of the Centre’s NITI Aayog. The scheme is aimed at ensuring lucrative price to the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget 2018. The new Umbrella Scheme – 3 components Price Support Scheme (PSS) – Under the scheme, the physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds, and ‘copra’ (kernel of coconut) will be done by Central Nodal Agencies with the proactive role of the state governments. Further, in addition to NAFED, the Food Cooperationof India (FCI) will take up PSS operations in statesand districts. The procurement expenditure and losses due to procurement will be borne by the Union Government as per norms. (Scan the QR code to watch video.) NAFED It stands for National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India. Page 7 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

9. Tribute to former PM Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee . A new scheme named ‘Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna’ for Insured Persons (IP) covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 has been approved by the ESIC. ESIC (Employees’ State Insurance Corporation) The person who is insured under ESIC can avail Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana. Its aims are to the financial aid people who lost jobs because of the changing employment patterns. Insured persons covered under the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 for the period of two years continuously. Details of the scheme: The benefit of the scheme will be payable in cash directly to the bank account of insured persons in case of unemployment. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONGOING SCHEME The ongoing Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana(RGSKY) benefits formal sector workers registered with the ESIC. RGSKY introduced in 2005. Difference between RGSKY and Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana is that RGSKY will help when the industry is stopped working while in Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana it will help a person's when it's contract is terminated from the industry and the person is unemployed again. The money will be paid from their own contribution towards ESI scheme, in cash through bank account transfer. The scheme will be applicable to all factories and establishments employing at least 10 workers. Workers will be able to draw 47% of their total contributions towards ESIC after remaining unemployed for at least three months from the date of leaving their previous jobs. About Employee State Insurance (ESI) It is a self-financing social security and health insurance scheme for Indian workers. It is managed by Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) according to rules and regulations stipulated there in the ESI Act 1948. It is a statutory autonomous corporation under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. (Scan the QR code to watch the video) NOTES : Page 8 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

10. went through the law, orders of the Supreme Court, the Law Commission of India report, submissions of the Central Public Information Officer in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to conclude that the status, nature and functional characteristics of the BCCI fulfill the required conditions of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. INFORMATION COMMISSIONER SRIDHAR ACHARYULU • The matter came before him as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports did not give a satisfactory response to an RTI applicant, Geeta Rani, who had sought to know the provisions and guidelines under which the BCCI has been representing India and selecting players for the country. • Acharyulu directed the BCCI to put in place, within 15 days, online and offline mechanisms to receive applications for information under the RTI Act. THE VERDICT • “The BCCI should be listed as an NSF(National Sports Federation) covered under the RTI Act. •The RTI Act should be made applicable to the BCCI along with its entire constituent member cricketing associations, provided they fulfill the criteria applicable to the BCCI, as discussed in the Law Commission’s report,” he said. Note : We can't expect much from BCCI on the RTI Act. This is a brave decision by CIC and it should be appreciated. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now covered under the RTI Act and answerable to the people of the country under its mechanism, the Central Information Commission ruled recently. This decision is taken by the Central Information Commission (CIC) CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION (CIC) •The Central Information Commission has been constituted with effect from 12-10-2005 under the Right to Information Act, 2005. POWERS OF CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION (CIC) • The Commission has certain powers and functions mentioned in sections 18, 19, 20 and 25 of the RTI Act, 2005. • These broadly relate to adjudication in the second appeal for giving information, direction for record keeping, suo motu disclosures receiving enquiring into a complaint on the inability to file RTI etc; imposition of penalties and Monitoring and Reporting including preparation of an Annual Report. • The decisions of the Commission are final and binding. BCCI IS NOT HAPPY •The BCCI has always held the opposite view: that it did not come underthe ambit of RTI. •Lodha Committee (for BCCI) Recommended that BCCI should come under RTI. SOME FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW • The Government of India does not administer the Indian cricket team.BCCI develops it. • BCCI does not depend on the Government of India for its finances. • BCCI had avoided taxes on its income, claiming exemption as a charitable organization. • Although the Income Tax Department withdrew this exemption in 2007-08, BCCI only paid tax amounting to ₹ ₹41.9 crore (US$5.8 million) against its tax liability of ₹ ₹413 crore (US$58 million) in the 2009-10 financial year. On 12 September 2006 BCCI, announced that it will spend ₹ ₹ 1,600 crores over the subsequent one year to upgrade the cricket stadiums around the country. HOW did IT happen? •The commission, the top appellate body in RTI matters, (Scan the QR code to watch video.) NOTES: Page 9 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

11. Augmenting board strength and diversity- board of Directors, top 2000 listed companies have to mandatorily have a six-director board, 1000 companies should have a woman director in six. Number of directorships- maximum is 8 listed companies. Way Ahead- Rating of audit firms: it is because of improper auditing that the over or under statement happens, audit firms should be rated which will result in list of preferences. Low performing firms can perform better (Click on the image above to watch the video) Concerns around the corporate governance- Refers to a set of rules y which a firm is controlled or governed. The frim will benefit out of it. If not, the govt will loose Audit reports- provided value added reports, financial positions, performance of the company will be known Independent Audit committees: help in overcoming the corporate shocks, preparing for shocks professionally What is the issue- ● Growing concerns around companies of private and public sectors- Missing talent in critical positions- this issue needs to be addressed, filled by talented and skilled managers to better govern the firm. ● Calls for a greater examination of the roles of directors and audit firms. Some incidents to show the challenges Tenure of top management- long tenures of top management can be damaging, top posts should be re-examined, proper mechanisms should be found out ● ICICI bank- the manager and CEO requested for an early retirement, was based on allegations against her regarding the conflict of interest between Videocon group. ● ILNFS- a subsidiary has incurred a large loss, the audit report did not mention the name, disclosure was not made Corporate governance is weak ● Status of the firm ● (Scan the QR code to watch video) Concerns- NOTES: Turmoil in private sector banks- top banks of private sectors are facing problems, weaker bank boards, they derive rules for the banks, when it is weak corporate governance will be weak Bad loan crisis in PSBs- mounted with NPAs, serious bank loan crisis, chronic capitalism and weak governance. Overstating and understating in books- profit and loss account and bank sheets, it is here that the company’s profile is accessed, reflects the financial position of the banks, overstating means in case of profit, books will show more than the actual amount; understating happens with bad loans, grown 5-10 times but not reflected in the book of accounts. Major challenges to the governance Audit reports- must picture original reflection, ILNFS was an issue of cash-flow but reports showed improper audits Uday Kotak Committee- Separation of roles: listed companies on stock exchange with more than 40% shareholding, there should be separate roles of MD and CEO. Roles and responsibilities should be properly defined, no duplication should be there. Part of the promoter cannot be adopted as director. Mandatory disclosure- consolidated quality results should be disclosed Page 10 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

12. Increase in tariffs to households and the farmers (Click on the image above to watch the video) (Scan the QR code to watch video) Electricity Amendment Bill- Expected to come up in the Winter session Union cabinet has already prepared the draft bill Aim is to revive the power sector NOTES: There are shortcomings in the sector This bill will amend the 2003 Electricity Act About the Bill- Changes to the Act of 2003- some provisions would be changed, Increase reliability- Reduce risk- Failing of PPAs- Power Purchase Agreements, address these issues as well, PPA is a contract between the generator and purchaser, price of the purchase, time and term of the contract are important things. Distribution company The agreement is broken by the distribution company, sometimes. When the agreement is broken, sufferers will be generators. Power producing will be at loss. Investment become NPAs- loans for which the due is more than 90 days. Mounting of NPAs will create bank crisis. Key changes made in the bill- Penalties for failure to honor PPAs- PPA will be broken, in such cases penalties will be awarded to companies, penalty can be up to 10 million bucks per day Phasing out of cross subsidization- because of subsidy there will be some losses arising. Second group will be highly charged, industrial purchases of power are highly charged, some loses will arise out of households. This is an issue for the industrial sectors. Government is planning to phase out the subsidization for the households. This is highly apolitical call. The houses will end up paying high bills. Fairer pricing system will be one advantage. More output generation Sustainable power sector will be generated Impact Page 11 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

13. Leakages- PDF has its own leakages. The food scheme of Odisha might also incur loss. The intention will get diluted. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) What is the news- (Scan the QR code to watch video) Odisha govt. launched its own food security scheme on Gandhi Jayanti, 2018- not a part of NFSA. Targets to benefit 25 lakh people who were left out at the NFSA – only 78% is benefitted out from the NFSA. NOTES: Details- Background: 2008- 1kg of rice for INR 2/month 2013- Price of rice reduced to INR 1. 2014- NFSA implemented but many people were denied the right Present state government in 2014 election campaign had promised to introduce the state’s own food security scheme Highlights of the scheme- Beneficiaries will get 5 kg of rice per person per month at 1 rupees/kg- same provision like the NFSA in 2013 Distribution is carried out through e-POS device- designated fare price shop 25 lakh beneficiaries under SSFS 443.5 crore per year government spending Significance of the scheme- Universal coverage- provide food security to the left out category Food and nutrition security Criticism- vote bank politics because election is due next year. Odisha govt. should have better scheme to include those 25 lakh in NFSA. Concerns regarding SFSS- Fiscal consolidation- to bring down the expenditure of state or central govt. here it is state govt. of Odisha. Narrow the fiscal deficit, such a scheme will add on to the concern. Centre is providing subsidy. Expenses on cost of procurement, on distribution, on storage, on administration, etc. all the expenses will come to the state as well. Identification of beneficiary- the 25% has to be covered. The identification is difficult. Might lead to duplication.Widening of fiscal deficit for the state govt. Page 12 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

14. Apart From the Google, the Election Commission committee"Umesh Sharma" talked to Them. They are supporting the Election Commission andwill remove all kinds of political advertisements. Online Advertising Market Share (Worldwide data) (Click on the image above to watch the video) Google Facebook Yahoo/Microsoft Aol. 1.5% Others India's Online Advertising Market Share data is not yet released but it is said that Google has a 60% sharein Indian Advertisement. 44.1% 3.1% 12.3% Google to help the Election Commission in 2019 This is an important topic for Mains General Studies Paper 2 under the topic : 39% Salient features of the Representation of People's Act. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Our current Chief Commissioner O.P.Rawat recently said "How Google can help election commission" Google will bring great transparency to political Advertisements. Google Representatives met a committee which is under election commision of India. Google assurance was very much required as it covers a very large part of Online Advertising Market Share in India. Under the act of Section 126 (election silence) Section 126 (election silence) is part of Representation of the People Act, 1951. BASICS : The Election Commission (EC) has set up a 14-member committee to suggest changes in Section 126 of the Representation of the people(RP) Act, which prohibits poll campaign in the last 48 hours leading to voting, in the wake of media expansion. (Scan the QR code to watch video) The committee chaired by Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha. NOTES: Name of committee: Umesh Sinha Committee. The INTERNET has a very big role to play in our daily life and Election Commission (EC) of India has said that any kind of new campaign or advertisementshould not take place before 48 hours. It is quite possible to stop the campaign offline but doing this online is a difficult task . Umesh Sinha Committee took help from Google . Google said it will help election commission. Notes The candidate has to declare to the Election Commision about how much money he/she is going to spend on the campaign.(Online /Offline both) Candidate should give detail about the there advertisements to EC's Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.EC's Media Certification and MonitoringCommittee will certify the political advertisements whether it should run or not. It is said that advertisements certified or not certified both should not run before 48 hours of the election. Page 13 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

15. make it imperative for their recognition as an the identity of their own. WHAT DOES ‘QUEER’ MEAN AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM LGBT IDENTITIES? Now, when the bracket is extended, you arrive at ‘Q’ or Questioning/Queer/Genderqueer. People who identify as queer feel their gender and/or sexual identities falls outside the categories of man orwoman. They would either consider themselves as falling between the two or wholly different from them. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) SECTION 377 OBSERVATIONS (Imp For Mains Exam) Very important for Mains Paper 2 and for Prelim. The court recognized sexual orientation as a “natural and inherent” biologicalphenomena, and not a matter of choice. Governance - mechanisms, laws, institutions & Bodies constituted for the protectio& betterment of these vulnerable sections. (Imp) As per Section 377 , it was a punishable act to have intercourse with any man, woman or animals against the order of nature, meaning homosexualityand bisexuality were both outlawed. 6 SEPTEMBER 2018 has been a historic date for our country. HISTORIC DECISION BY SC Section 377 India joins 125 nations where homosexuality is legal as SC decriminalizes gay sex. The rule was first enacted in 1861 under the Britishrule, previous to that there was no law governingsexual intercourse in India. The Supreme Court decriminalized consensual intercourse between persons of the same sex and read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, thus providing a huge boost to the LGBTQ community of India. What the verdict means is that the LGBT community would be able to indulge in consensual sex freely. There is an exception though, the supreme court has rightfully protected animals under against attemptsby humans who have intercourse with them, that shall still remain under the purview of crime. Important for prelims. In this case Navtej Singh Johar(petitioner) v. Union of India homosexuality is legal. WHAT THE JUDGES SAID : 72 countries and territories worldwide still continue to criminalize same-sex relationships Writing for himself and Justice Khanwilkar, the Chief Justice has raised the individual’s identity to the pedestal of divinity— sans identity, the name is only a denotative term and the sustenance of identity is the filament of life. LGBTQ?? Lesbian – Refers to a homosexual woman or a woman who is sexually attracted to other women. Means an identity of the individual should not be crushed. Gay – Refers to a homosexual man or a man who is sexually attracted to other men. The destruction of individual identity would tantamount to the crushing of dignity, whichencapsulates privacy, choice,freedom of speech and other expressions. Attitudes and mentalities have tochange to accept distinct identities of individuals, who must be respected for who they are, and not compelled to become who they are not. Bisexual – A person who experiences sexualattraction to both men and women. Transgender - a person who is assigned to the male sex but identifies as a woman may be a transgender person. NOTES Conversely, a person who has been assigned the female sex at birth and who identifies as a man instead is also a transgender person ISN’T ‘HIJRA’ JUST THE INDIAN TERM FOR TRANSGENDER? The sexual orientation of each individual in the society must be protected on an even platform, for the right to privacy and the protection ofsexual orientation lies at thecoreof the fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. The Indian Hijra community itself is over 4,000 years old. Judgment Although many of them have biological and sexual identities same as the above-mentioned globally recognized LGBT identities.Cultural andbehavioral differences The Court found that the criminalization of sexual acts between consenting adults violated the Right to Equality guaranteed by the Constitution of India. Page 14 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

16. While reading the judgment, Chief Justice Misra pronounced that the Court found that "criminalizingcarnal intercourse" to be"irrational, arbitrary and manifestly unconstitutional.“ NOTES: The court ruled that LGBTs in India are entitled to all constitutional rights, including the liberties protected by the Constitution of India. INDIAN EQUAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HAVE UNDERTAKEN A LONG AND ARDUOUS JOURNEY TO DECRIMINALISE SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS. They had tasted their first victory when the Delhi High Court in July 2009 decriminalized homosexuality among consenting adults. However, in December 2012 the Supreme Court, quashing the High Court order, held that the order was legally unsustainable. In 2015, the Lok Sabha voted against theintroduction of a private member's Bill to decriminalize homosexuality, proposed by CongressMP Shashi Tharoor, indicating that the BJP led NDA Government was not in a hurry to legalize homosexuality. NOTES Soon after a group of well known LGBT rights activists, N S Jauhar, journalist Sunil Mehra, chef Ritu Dalmia, hotelier Aman Nath and business executive Ayesha Kapur approached the SC which agreed to reconsider the issue. The petition claimed their rights to sexuality,sexual autonomy, choice of sexual partner, life, privacy, dignity, and equality, the other fundamental rights guaranteed under Part- IIIof Constitution, are violated by Section 377. (Scan the QR code to watch video)) Page 15 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

17. East Asia and the Pacific 8.8% Latin America and the Caribbean 3.9% Europe and Central Asia 0.3% MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY INDEX How It Is Made! Health Child Mortality Nutrition Education Years of schooling School attendance Living Standards Cooking fuel Toilet Water Electricity Floor Assets Govt have initiated many programmes to help poor like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri UJJWALA Yojana . (Click on the image above to watch the video) THE 2018 MPI (Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index) Paints a picture of multidimensional poverty across 104 developing countries, covering 74 per cent of the global population. ABOUT MPI Jointly developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford, the 2018 global MPI casts light on who is multidimensionally poor, where do they live and how they are deprived. A new report shows the percentage of Indians living in poverty is half what it was a decade ago. But child poverty around the world is still rife, affecting nearly two-thirds of those under 18 in sub-Saharan Africa. MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY INDEX 2018 In the decade between 2005-06 and 2015-16, India has halved its Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) from 54.7 per cent to 27.5 per cent. According to MPI 2018 released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, there are 271 million fewer poor people in India in this period. FINDINGS OF THE REPORT 364 million Indians continue to experience acute deprivations in health, nutrition, schooling and sanitation About 196 million MPI poor people in India, accounting for more than half of all multidimensionally poor in India, live in the four states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Just over one in four multidimensionally poor people in India are under ten years of age. Traditionally disadvantaged groups, in terms of castes, religions etc, continue to be the poorest though they have experienced the biggest decadal reduction in MPI About the world report Maximum to minnimum poor people in different regions : Sub Saharan Africa (41.6%) South Asia 40.6% Arab states 10% (Scan the QR code to watch video) NOTES: Page 16 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

18. Contract-based works are highly informal Lesser social spending than the average- in health, education, well-being, more inequality, bring vulnerable into the mainstream Global picture- Topped by Denmark- high and progressive taxation (click on the image above to watch the video) Japan- top-ranking Asian country Oxfam World Inequality Index South Korea- 56 What is the news Progressive countries- S.Korea, Namibia, Uruguay, Ethipoia, Chile and Indonesia India has been ranked among the bottom 10 countries in the latest report- UK has released the report Recommendations- 147/157- current rank of India, among bottom most 10 countries, inequality index is very high All countries should develop national inequality action plans to achieve the UN’s SDGs on reducing inequality. What is the Oxfam World Inequality Index-? UK based charity organization Commitment to reducing inequality index Based on three indicators- government’s social spending, tax and labor rights Critical in reducing inequality Highlights about India- (Click on the image above to watch the video) Ranked 147/157 countries analyzed Less commitment to reduce inequality NOTES: If inequality reduced by a one-third, more than 170 million will move out of poverty Government spending on health, education and social protection is low Relatively higher subsidies are provided to the private sector Giving more focus on development than growth, aimed at increasing the well-being and improvement Tax structure of India- Looks reasonably progressive on paper- tax rate would increase with taxable amount increase Under collection- due to tax evasion, taxes are a major form of revenue, government can make more expenditure, inequalities will come down Govt can spend more on education, health and well-being. Social sector can be improved Labor Rights- poor performance of labor rights and respect for women is very less in workplace, firms prefer to employ male, gender disparity Women are engaged in agricultural and informal activities Lacks union organization Lack of enforcement of human rights Enabling working environments, proper payments for work done, due to informalization Page 17 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

19. Reduction in the impact of policy goals- providing food commodity, ensure food security, it is assured through availability and accessibility of food grains, the money credited can be used to purchase of non-food grains. Dissolve the entire policy Inflation- prices may vary, inflation is not taken into account in DBT, prices are constant, lesser purchase of food grain because market prices are higher, DBT process will get complicated, food and fuel have volatile prices, entire process would become complicated (Click on the image above to watch the video) What is PDS- Comparison- DBT and PDS DBT- quality and choice; money is transferred, choices will be increased Flagship food security program- govt. will procure from farmers and store it for later purpose. It is then transferred to the people. Food grains are available to the people at affordable prices PDS- lower price, higher quality- households will get food grains at lower price and the quantity will be high Suffers from various insufficiencies- Choice based PDS can be an answer to both DBT and PDS One major criticism- leakages Features of choice based PDS- Target is to reach out to the lower classes of the economy Choice for e-POS- electronic point of sale, choice of households can be captured in these machines and allocations can be made easily, govt. can provide MSP to households, risks are also there It is not reaching actual beneficiary, idea of DBT was implemented, and subsidy amount will be credited to the beneficiaries Choice based approach-people living in different parts require different commodities, food requirements are different, govt. can address this issue DBT- Cut administrative cost Beneficiary welfare- improves this welfare, more choices than PDS, and lead to welfare Reduce leakages Food of choice Reduce political and ethical risks- dilemma will be resolved between PDS and DBT Monthly transfers are made to the credit of the beneficiaries. Economic viability of PDS dealers improve- more economically viable, allow them to stock other food products too, will have more food grains available for them Targeted beneficiaries will directly get amount on their credit Beneficiaries can buy food grains of their choice Impact of food consumption and nutrition- huge impact on food consumption, pattern will improve Risks in DBT- Poor implementation- sometimes the vulnerable households can be excluded, benefits may not be reaching the beneficiaries Inadequate transfers- transfer is made in rupees so it can be adequate, market prices will be higher than the subsidized price. Financial inclusions- many bank accounts are not functional, around 60% are non-functional, there should be formal bank account for beneficiary (Scan the QR code to watch the video) NOTES: Page 18 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

20. CENTRAL GOVERNMENT Attorney General K K Venugopal had submitted that fast- track courts to try the charges against the candidates were “the only solution”. The Representation of People Act also recognizes this in principle, requiring the high courts to decide on election petitions within six months. COURT'S LOST CHANCE? Section 8 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, bans convicted politicians. But those facing trial, no matter how serious the charges, are free to contest elections. NOTES An affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court in March by the Centre also testifies to the shortcomings of the RPA's(Representation of People Act ) disqualification clause: There are more than 3800 criminal cases against 1765 MP's and MLA's across the country, of which 3045 cases are pending. (Click on the image above to watch the video) The Criminalization of Politics Supreme Court Verdict Above topic is important for PRELIMS Exam but very important for MAINS perspective for the topic CIVIL SERVICES MAINS GENERAL STUDIES PAPER 2 Topic: Indian Constitution -historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions, and basic structure. Topic: Salient features of the Representation of People's Act SUPREME COURT ON CRIMINALISATION OF POLITICS The Supreme Court's constitutional bench, in its judgment in CASE NAME: PUBLIC INTEREST FOUNDATION & OTHERS vs UNION OF INDIA. WHAT SUPREME COURT SAID Supreme Court delivered its much-awaited pronouncement on the petitions asking it to bar politicians facing heinous criminal charges — like rape, murder, and kidnapping — from contesting elections. A five-judge bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said that the Court cannot play the role of Parliament. The bench pronounced that it is not in a position to enable disqualification of candidates who face criminal charges. It has, however, provided a slew of directions to curb the criminalization of politics. First, while filing their nominations, the candidates must declare if there are pending criminal cases against them in courts. Second, political parties are also responsible for putting up details of criminal cases filed against their candidates on their websites. Third,Parliament must legislate on the matter to ensure that candidates with criminal antecedents do not enter public life or become lawmakers. Fourth, while filling the nomination forms, candidates must declare their criminal past and the cases pending against them in bold letters. Lastly, political parties should publicise the background of their candidates via the electronic media and issue declarations. The recommendations, though welcome, have practical issues. (Scan the QR Code to the watch video) NOTES: Page 19 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

21. Measures to be taken- Skill development- job and skill mismatch has to be rectified Digitization- better targeting is possible, leakage can be minimized. Welfare programs Focus on outcomes (Click on the image above to watch the video) Improve HH income- with household improvement, SOL is improved. Status of Poverty in India according to latest report- MDPI- It stands for Multi-dimensional poverty index. it is a measurement of poverty, developed by UNDP and OPHDI OPHDI- Oxford poverty and human development initiative Takes into account many dimensions, measures beyond the income- deprivation of households Dimensions involved- health, education and standard of living (Scan the QR code to watch the video) Indicators that measure- Health- nutrition and child mortality NOTES: Education- adult literacy and child enrolment Standard of living- cooking fuel, drinking water, electricity, toilet floor assets. Recent findings- MDI has been updated ● More than 270 million Indian moved out of poverty. Poverty rate has almost reduced to half between 2006-2016 High economic growth, economic liberation adopted since 1991 Real MPCE increased Monthly per capita consumption expenditure- expenditure of household increased. Health and Education parameters- policies like BetiBachaoBetiPadhao, Mid-day meal ● ● ● ● Standard of living- policies like SBM, MNGREGA, UJJWALA have uplifted standard of living Concerns- Lesser share of spending on health and education as a share of GDP In 2016-17, 364 million individuals were living in multi- dimensional poverty (MDP) 19% vulnerable to MDP and 9% vulnerable to severe MDP Existing issues in measuring poverty- Suresh Tendulkar committee report of 2009 Income based Poverty can be based on health, education and SOL. Govt. has introduced BPL + programs Govt. has the income plus approach Page 20 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

22. •A group of five women lawyers has challenged Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965, which authorises restriction on women “of menstruating age”. •Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, who represented the petitioners, said the restrictions went against Articles 14, 15 and 17 of the Constitution. • She argued that the custom is discriminatory in nature and stigmatised women, and that women should be allowed to pray at the place of their choice. KERALA GOVT’S STANCE While the Kerala government had opposed the entry of women in 2016, it told the SC during the hearing this year that it was in favour of allowing women to pray at the temple. Advocate Jaideep Gupta, representing the state government, said it would support the entry of women of all ages to the temple. SABARIMALA VERDICT The Supreme Court in September 2018 allowed women of all ages in the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in a 4:1 verdict, said banning the entry of women in Sabarimala temple is gender discrimination and the practice violates the rights of Hindu women. OBSERVATIONS While Justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud concurred with the CJI and Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice Indu Malhotra gave a dissenting verdict. OBSERVATIONS OF JUSTICE INDU MALHOTRA •Justice Malhotra, the only woman on the bench, said that the petition does not deserve to be entertained. • She was of the view that it is not for courts to determine which religious practices are to be struck down except in issues of social evil like ‘Sati’. Adding that the issue is critical to various religions, she said, “Issues of deep religious sentiments should not be ordinarily be interfered by the court. The Sabarimala shrine and the deity is protected by Article 25 of the Constitution of India and the religious practices cannot be solely tested on the basis of Article 14.” “Notions of rationality cannot be invoked in matters of religion,” said Justice Malhotra, adding: “What constitutes essential religious practice is for the religious community to decide, not for the court. NOW WHAT? The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandalapooja (approximately 15 November to 26 December), Makaravilakku or"Makara Sankranti" (Click on the image above to watch the video) Sabarimala Temple Verdict by Supreme Court Sabarimala Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage centre located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District. It is very important Hindu pilgrimage specially in southern part of India. It is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world with an estimated 45–50 million devotees visiting every year. BASICS The shrine at Sabarimala is an ancient temple of Ayyappan also known as sasta and Dharmasasta. In the 12th century, Manikandan, a prince of Pandalam dynasty, meditated at Sabarimala temple and became one with the divine. Manikandan was an avatar of Ayyappan. AYYAPPAN – HINDU GOD Belief - the deity is a ‘naishtika brahmachari’ (eternal celibate) PURITY • The devotees are expected to follow a Vratham (41- day austerity period) prior to the pilgrimage. • This begins with wearing of a special Mala (a chain made of Rudraksha or Tulasi beads is commonly used, though still other types of chains are available.). • During the 41 days of Vratham, the devotee who has taken the vow, is required to strictly follow the rules that include follow only a lacto-vegetarian diet (In India, vegetarianism is synonymous with lacto- vegetarianism), follow celibacy, follow teetotalism, not use any profanity and have to control the anger, allow the hair and nails to grow without cutting. WHO RUNS THE TEMPLE? •The temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, is one of the most famous temples in Kerala. •The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) manages the temple. •They argued that only women of a certain age are barred from entering the temple and that it is okay to wait till 50 to enter the holy shrine. THE ISSUE OF DISCRIMINATION - 1991 In 1991, the Kerala High Court restricted entry of women above the age of 10 and below the age of 50 from offering worship at Sabarimala Shrine as they were of the menstruating age. THE SABARIMALA CASE Page 21 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

23. (14 January) and Maha Vishuva Sankranti (14 April), and the first five days of each Malayalam month. (Scan the QR Code to watch video) NOTES: Page 22 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

24. VERDICT 2018 1. The person is really backward or not . (State has no need to show this) 2. Department's condition is deteriorating or not is also not important. 3. However, states will have to back it with data to show their inadequate representation in the cadre Supreme Court :Quota in the promotion, OK but keep out creamy layer among SCs, STs (Click on the image above to watch the video) SC/ST Promotion Supreme Court Verdict UPSC PERSPECTIVE Civil Services Mains General Studies Paper 2 under the topic Indian Constitution - historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions, and basic structure. BOOST TO SC/ST QUOTA IN PROMOTIONS Constitution Bench made it easy for SC/ST to get reservation in promotion for government job. BACKGROUND OF THE PREVIOUS JUDGEMENTS 1992 CASE (Indra Sawhney & Others Vs Union Of India (Mandal case)(OBC Reservation)) Supreme Court said SC/ST will get reservation in promotion for government job. No creamy layer test for SC/ST. Creamy layer test is present in OBC . RESERVATION IN PROMOTIONS Supreme Court Article 16 (4) . Stopped the reservation in the promotion for SC/ST in the job. Since 1950 there is reservation in promotion. Indra Sawhney & Others Vs Union Of India Why Reservation? SC/ST should get a good start at the institute. The reasoning was that reservation exists to create a level - playing field, to remedy unequal starting positions, thereby removing the justification for promotion quotas. The court used the light of Article 335 to justify this. So, in 1992 reservation in promotion for government job for SC/ST got stopped. GOVERNMENT CAME INTO ACTION Article 16 (4A) 1995 again reservation in promotion in the job again started . M NAGARAJ CASE 2006: 77th Amendment .Reservation in JOB promotion will continue. Supreme Court THE CONDITIONS Article 16(4A) is fine but Three conditions must be followed 1. The state has to show that the person is really backward. 2. The state have to show that the top admin of beaurocracy has lack of SC/ST people. 3. Proof that administration's efficiency is not disturbed while providing reservation in promotion for SC/ST in government job . PRESENT JUDGEMENT SEPTEMBER 2018 Supreme court in the present judgement (Jarnail Singh vs Lachhmi Narain Gupta) There is no need to revisit the judgment of M Nagaraj case by 7 judge bench. (Scan the QR Code to watch video) NOTES: Page 23 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

25. NOTES: (Click on the image above to watch the video) National database on sexual offenders- India has launched the National Database on Sexual Offenders. It has become the 9th country in the world to implement this Objectives of the NDSO- ● NDSO will maintain the database of convicted sexual offenders Database includes names, photographs, residential addresses, fingerprints, DNA samples, PAN and Aadhar numbers The data is maintained by National Crime Records Bureau Made available to only Law enforcement agencies Features of NDSO- ● ● ● ● Database- contain more than 4.5 lakhs cases, first- time offenders along with repeat offenders, details compiled from prisons across the country Classification of offenders- according to criminal history Period of data storage- depend on category a convicted falls, period depends on crime Juvenile offenders System Appeals Data Arrested and charge sheeted- the information will be stored except a limited access to the data What are the concerns? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Access- general public will not have access. The only law enforcement agency can know the records Classification- sexual offenses are classified. Under-reporting: offenses are committed by people known to the victim. According to NCRB, in 2015, out of 34,651, 33,098 are cases of offenders who are known to the victims. This leads to under reporting of the issues. Violence- data breach Discrimination- the details included and the data is breached, this is against the law. All these concerns need to be addressed. ● ● ● ● (Scan the QR code to watch the video) Page 24 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

26. NFHS- evaluation in Ajmer. Found out that open defecation is 39% in 2018. But this was declared ODF in the month of July 2016. The data contradicts. Indian Institute of Health Management and Research University- 4893 household survey was taken in October 2016. 49% was open defecation in Jaipur. Six months later, the state govt. declared the state ODF. Usage was not taken into account, only construction was considered. What steps should be taken- (Click on the image above to watch the video) Proper enforcement of laws on municipal solid wastes, protection of water sources and pollution control- according to SBA, 3/4th households have door-to-door municipal collection. But ground reality is different, more chances of waste generation, waste volumes continue to grow in reality Status of Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan or SBA in Rajasthan- Implementations of SBA in Rajasthan show that there are its own limitations in the state. There is a long way to go in achieving the goal. Manual scavenging- many areas of Rajasthan are not ODF. Funds should be given for rehabilitation. According to Ministry of Drinking water and Sanitation- Open defecation- govt. should reach out to areas where people defecate in the open. More focus should be given in these areas. Vision should be broader and target should be achieved. 86.8 million Household now has latrines- constructed under SBA. Subsidies were provided to construct latrines Sanitation access is provided to 94% in rural areas- 5, 07,369 open defecation free villages Swacch Bharat cess- 16, 400 crore fund was collected by the govt. and utilized for implementing SBA 25 states and UTs free of open defecation Ground Reality in Rajasthan- ODF- Open defecation free, people use latrines instead of open defecation, every household has toilets. Target has to be met within a particular period. Many vulnerable households did not get toilets, the usage is in questions (Scan the QR code to watch video) NOTES: Inclusion- houses constructed after 2012 were exempted from providing subsidies Self-declaration: it is the local officials who make this declaration. Pressure was there from high officials. Coercions-built toilets out of compulsions and did not use it later. Construction and usage should be met. There was a pressure from the govt. to construct toilets but no usage was there Awareness creation-5% should be used for spreading information. Only 0.5% was used for spreading information. Very poor Manual Scavenging- this has been reported. Some areas are not open defecation free Issues with survey of Ministry- Ministry’s MIS- Management Information System, the latrine construction survey is evaluated and not the usage. According to this survey, it is very high. But no usage according to the survey National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey- Quality Council of India- the latrine use was 90%. PHR has different opinions Page 25 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

27. People(illegal immigrant) from Mexico enter into the USA for getting jobs and other services (of the local people), s the president of USA is planning to build the wall against them. Similarly, Rohingya people entered India. NUMBERS? Rohingya people are having bad intentions?? are they linked to any terrorist activities. REFUGEES AND INDIA ● Most of the Rohingya Muslims living in India are registered with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), better known as UN Refugee agency. ● International organisations have appealed to India not to deport the Rohingyas. But, the government has stated that its decision to deport Rohingyas concerns the state of security. NOTES India does not have a refugee specific law and the matter falls under the Foreigners Act of 1946, enacted by the Central Legislative Assembly. The Foreigners Act makes undocumented physical presence of a foreigner in India a crime. It also empowers the government to detain a foreigner living illegally in the country till that person is deported. PROBLEM Myanmar have not registered them as the citizen of Myanmar .How will Indian government deport them. ISSUES OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS : An illegal immigrant ( without any document) Refugee (At the time of calamity) India has fundamental rights for foreigners too. Under the article :protection of life and personal liberty (Article 21) WHY 7 ROHINGYAS WERE DEPORTED? The Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine province on Myanmar’s western coast started arriving in sizeable numbers in India’s northeast in late 2011. C.INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (Click on the image above to watch the video) STATUS OF ROHINGYAS 7 Rohingya deported to Myanmar, Supreme Court gave the approval of the deportation. BASIC - WHO ARE ROHINGYA Rohingya are Muslims living in Arakan region of Myanmar. Myanmar government don't see them as a proper citizen hence they have not been given proper citizenship in Myanmar. 40,000 Rohingya don't have citizenship in Myanmar hence they have difficulty in finding the job and in other services too. WHY ROHINGYAS FLED MYANMAR? They have Indo- Tabitayan(facial features) ethnicity causes the problem here, developing countries are frequently seen with the problem of ethnicity which creates fighting among the individuals. Fighting in people due to there Race causes difficulty in finding the job and in other services too for them. The Whole Rohingya case:(Violence case (spark)) Rape of an Indo Tabitayan ethnicity girl happens and the rumours are spread that Rohingya's people raped her .so, there is clash/riots. Rohingya are running from their country after this clash Rohingya ran to Bangladesh because they have ancestral roots in Bangladesh. They ran to different countries as well. They entered India through boats via West Bengal. 40,000 Rohingya are presently in India. They are mainly spread all over India but the ratio is quite high in Jammu. Rohingya in India are mainly living in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan. Rohingya's illegally entered India. For example : (Scan the QR code to watch video) NOTES: Page 26 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

28. Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 1 Observer – Papua New Guinea. BIG PLANS(UPSC MAINS ANSWER WRITING) Tripura would be turned into ‘HIRA’, which is acronym for development in Highways, i-ways or Internet Services, Roadways and Airways. NOTES Referring to eight states of the northeast, PM had said the region would be developed into ‘Astalaxmi’. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) GS2 UPSC PERSPECTIVE (Scan the QR code to watch video) MAINS GENERAL STUDIES PAPER 2 under the topic India and its Neighbourhood- Relations. AGARTALA-AKHAURA RAILWAY PROJECT NOTES: Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar , Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the commencement of work for the Agartala-Akhaura railway projectthrough video conferencing. A HUGE PROJECT FOR BOTH COUNTRIES It will get over by 2019 very good project for the north eastern part of our country. NOTES 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh: It will be transferred through existing Bheramara (Bangladesh)-Baharampur (India) interconnection. With completion of this project, India willbe supplying around 1.16 Gigawatts of power toBangladesh. This project announced during his PM Modi’svisit to Bangladesh in 2015. AKHAURA–AGARTALA RAIL LINK(Very important for prelims UPSC ) The railway project was conceptualized in 2010. Later, both the countries had signed MoU on this railway project in 2013. It is expected that railway line will become operational in 2019. The railway project consists of constructing 15.054 km long railway line. It will provide another link in the cross-border connectivity between two countries by connecting Akhaura in Bangladesh with capital city of Tripura, Agartala through Nischintapur in Indo-Bangla border. It will help to develop socio-economic as well as cultural bond between two neighbouring countries TRIPURA TO BECOME GATEWAY TO ASEAN COUNTRIES Page 27 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

29. On August 2, 2017, President Donald Trump signed it into law while issuing two statements simultaneously that he believed the legislation was "seriously flawed" THE CHINESE RESPONSE "We strongly urge the US side to correct the mistakes immediately and revoke the so-called sanctions. Otherwise, the US has to bear the consequences of it." WHAT OTHER REACTION HAS THERE BEEN? • Russia has also criticised the sanctions on the Chinese military, warning the US against "playing with fire". • "It would be good for them to remember there is such a concept as global stability which they are thoughtlessly undermining by whipping up tensions in Russian-American ties," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in a statement. The US do not have any official power to put sanctions on any country, but US is doing this because it has a lot of gold deposits and the value of the dollar is very high. US economy is the biggest . Dollar is used in every transaction. The US is misusing its power. The US has given warning to India. US may put sanction on India if India deals with Russia for S-400. Not to buy defence system from Russia. What India can do? 1. Not to buy S-400 2. Stand with Russia and China. India needs help from the US. If the US puts sanction on India then it will be very bad for the Indian Economy. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) U.S Sanctions on Chinese Military The U.S has imposed a sanction (Punishment) on China because it bought military weapons from Russia. A DANGEROUS SCENARIO The US imposed sanctions Thursday against China's military for its purchases of Russian military equipment in a move US officials said is meant to punish Moscow for its "malign activities," including attacks on American elections. The USA is doing this because Russia took the side of the Republican party in the elections and recently China has bought equipment from Russia ,so sanction on China. NOTES "Today's actions are not intended to undermine the military capabilities or combat readiness of any country," the State Department said in a statement, "but rather to impose costs on Russia in response to its interference in the United States election process, its unacceptable behaviour in eastern Ukraine, and other malign activities." The punishment is given to Russia but the pain is felt by China . What will happen after sanction? The growth of the Chinese military will stop. Big companies(like Google , Apple) were about to trade in China but now they are stepping back for any trade in China. REASON FOR PUTTING SANCTION ON CHINA • The US says China has contravened US sanctions on Moscow introduced over Russian actions in Ukraine and alleged interference in US politics. • China recently bought 10 Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S400 missiles. • Beijing has not joined in the sanctions imposed on Moscow by the US and its Western allies since 2014. • Its forces took part in giant Russian war games held earlier this month. COUNTERING AMERICA'S ADVERSARIES THROUGH SANCTIONS ACT The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, CAATSA is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill was passed during the 115th Congress, 98–2 in the Senate. (Scan the QR code to watch the video) NOTES: Page 28 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

30. use its Chittagong and Mongla ports to transport cargo to and from its North eastern states. AGREEMENT ON SEA PORTS FOR TRANSPORTING GOODS • Under this agreement, India can transport goods as per capacity of two sea ports. NOTES : • Under it, India will have to follow General Agreement on Tariff and Trad (GATT) and Bangladeshi regulations, pay customs duties and buy tax equivalent bonds to transport freight. India will also pay fees for using infrastructure of Bangladeshi land ports. To keep track of cargo new modern tracking system will be used. • The agreement will be effective for five years, but it can be extended for another five years automatically. However, any side can cancel the agreement after giving six months’ notice and suspend deal. Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) will be prepared for implementing this agreement. The SOP will be prepared after consulting with various stakeholders. IMPORTANCE OF BANGLADESH According to global firepower index ECONOMY OF BANGLADESH The market-based economy of Bangladesh is the 42nd largest in the world in nominal terms, and 31st largest by purchasing power parity; it is classified among the Next Eleven emerging market middle income economies and a Frontier market. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) INDO-BANGLA PIPELINE PROJECT • Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on September 18, 2018 jointly launched the construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Product Pipeline. Pipeline is from India to Bangladesh Project through video conferencing. • The project will go a long way in strengthening the Indo- Bangla ties. It is a new milestone in the history of cooperation between India and Bangladesh. • Both the sides had entered into an agreement for the construction of the pipeline in April 2018 during Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale's visit to Dhaka. INDIA-BANGLADESH FRIENDSHIP PRODUCT PIPELINE PROJECT • The 130-kilometre pipeline will connect Siliguri in West Bengal in India and Parbatipur in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. • The six-kilometre Indian leg of the pipeline project will be implemented by the Assam-based Numaligarh Refinery Limited and the remaining 124kilometres of the pipeline project will be implemented by BangladeshPetroleum Corporation. •The capacity of the pipeline will be 1 million metric tons per annum. MAJOR MILESTONE • Bangladesh would initially receive 2.5 lakh tonnes of diesel every year and it would gradually be increased to 4 lakh tonnes. • The project will replace the existing practice of sending diesel by rail covering a distance of 510 kilometres. • The estimated project cost will be Rs 346 crore and it will be completed in 30 months time. • This will be the first such pipeline through which refined diesel will be supplied to Parbatipur depot from Numaligarh of Assam in India. BANGLADESH TO PROVIDE INDIA ACCESS TO KEY PORTS • Bangladesh Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved draft agreement allowing India to (Scan the QR code to watch the video) NOTES: Page 29 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

31. •An alternative arrangement, to pay in Indian rupee instead of the standard US dollar, is being worked out to partly deal with the matter. DETAILS OF THE DEAL • The agreement will allow India to procure four new warships from Russia for the Navy. • The deal will also involve building two of the ships at the Goa shipyard. • The deal has been processed as 2+2 scheme. (2 will come from Russia and two will be made in India(from scratch)) • In this scheme, the technology will be transferred to Goa Shipyard to construct two of the frigates from scratch. • The Indian-made warships are expected to cost 30-50% more than the direct Russian import due to the cost of building infrastructure and transfer of technology. THE DETAILS After Crimea fallout, Russia and Ukraine suspended all defense ties which rendered the underconstruction Admiral Grigorovich class frigates of limited operational use to Russian Navy until they were re-engined with Russian alternative which is expected to be ready only by 2020. NOTES •India’s defense acquisition council has sanctioned$75 million for acquiring M7N.1E gas turbine engines from Ukraine for powering the two Grigorovich class frigates that are expected to soon arrive in India from Russia. •India had agreed to purchase the two frigates Admiral Butakov and Admiral Istomin. (Click on the image above to watch the video) India to buy Four Russian Frigates for 2.2 Billion dollars - Made in India INDIA RUSSIA HIGH IN INVESTMENT External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that India and Russia should consider raising the overall investment target to $50 billion because the target of $30 billion set for 2025 has already been met. MAJOR PROJECTS IN PREVIOUS YEARS • ONGC Videsh Ltd in 2001 bought a 20 per cent stake in the Sakhalin-1 project in Far East Russia. OVERCOMING THE TRADE GAP BY INVESTMENT SUSHMA SWARAJ VISIT • Meeting prepared the groundwork for the annual India- Russia bilateral summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to be held in New Delhi next month. • Russia is one of only two countries with which India holds annual bilateral summits, the other being Japan. • The Indian Minister also said that both sides have agreed to organise the first-ever India-Russia Business Summit involving major companies from both countries in early October in India. THE PARTNERSHIP •The India-Russia bilateral relationship was elevated to Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership in 2010. •Modi and Putin have already met twice this year -- at an informal summit in the Russian resort city of Sochi in May and then on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil,Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit in SouthAfrica in June. Major defence deal between India and Russia. NOTES • Two weeks after India significantly upgraded its defence ties with the United States through the Comcasa (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement), the Modi government has cleared the way for one of the biggest purchases from Russia — $2.2-billion frigates deal. • Financial sanctions by the US have complicated purchase of weapons from Moscow as Indian banks are unable to transfer money to defence companies in Russia. (Scan the QR code to watch the video) NOTES: Page 30 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

32. installation of a single traffic-control centre for efficient management of rail traffic at the local level, efficient practices in freight and cargo operations, development of multi-modal terminals and a mutual exchange of the advanced technologies used by the two countries. AGRICULTURE The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Indian Potash Ltd and producers of phosphate-containing fertilisers PhosAgro Friday announced joint investments in mineral fertiliser production in Russia and India. ECONOMY Russia and India also agreed upon encouraging the use of national currencies while engaging in bilateral trade. Trade between Russia & India will reach $30bn by 2025 THE BIG INVITATION (significant) Vladimir Putin invites Modi to 2019 Vladivostok Economic Forum also known as the Eastern Economic Forum. (click on the image above to watch the video) Putin In India | S-400 | Space Exploration VLADIMIR PUTIN VISIT TO INDIA Vladimir Putin is the second most powerful person in the world according to the Forbes magazine. UPSC PERSPECTIVE Above topic is essential for both prelims and mains under the topic Civil services mains general studies paper 2 Sub Topics : Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and /or affecting India's interests. IMPORTANCE Russian President(Vladimir Putin) visits more frequently to India and this is the 3rd meeting in 2018. India finally signed the deal to purchase s-400 . LOW KEY ANNOUNCEMENT The deal for S-400 missile system was signed by Joint Secretary (Land Systems) from Indian Defence Ministry and Director General ROE (Rosoboronexport). Under COMCASSA, USA has warned countries not to do any deal with Russia, whoever will do the deal with Russia, the USA will put sanction on that country. Previously it was seen that China did deal with Russia and the USA have put sanction on China. India has friendly relations with the USA. USA did not put sanctions on India after this deal. This is a huge diplomatic victory for India. RELIANCE OFF-SET CLAUSE? S-400 is a NO Offset clause. It is government to the government initiative. LIST OF PACTS SIGNED Space Exploration More on Space – Along with assistance to India ‘s ambitious ‘Gaganyaan’ project, Russia has also agreed to set up data collection ground stations for India’s recently developed navigation system NaVIC. RAILWAYS The MoC includes the implementation of a ‘speed- upgradation project’ in the Nagpur-Secunderabad section, (Scan the QR Code to watch video) NOTES: Page 31 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

33. (click on the image above to watch the video) WHY IS CHINA BETTING ON AFRICA? ●Because of excellent growth opportunities (raw materials required for manufacturing) available in African countries China is emphasizing to increase its investment. ●If the product is manufactured then China requires different markets where it can export those products in African countries. ●In 2015, China’s President Xi Jinping announced a plan to invest $60billion in development projects across Africa. ●The benefits for African nations include the reduction of poverty, an increase in health infrastructure and industrialisation. Why China investing ●By investing in such a development project China increases the influence in the region and control the political power, Economic power of a particular country. ●China also increases its presence in African countries. 1.2 China emerged as African’s largest trading partner Amount of investments made by China ●Before the 21st century, there is less priority to African countries. ●Early 21st century China emphasizing more in African countries both Saharan & sub-Saharan countries. Foreign Direct Investment in Africa (2005) ●China has made an investment of over $300 million ●China investment is seeing not only in infrastructures like coastal railway or Hydropower dam but also emphasize promoting industrialization in African countries like Cement plants. The purpose is to improve the level of industrialization. 1.3 One Built One Road One Built One Road initiative is China wants to explore the markets available in different part of the world. Earlier China is an export-oriented economy. China mainly exports the products to the developed world (U.S.A, Europe). Because of adoption or protest nest policy i.e. country are increasing tariff and non-tariff barrier. If China has a dependency on this developed world then its economy would be affected. So, China is searching for an alternative. Page 32 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

34. Raw Material in African Countries -> Petroleum, Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Diamond etc NOTES: Strategic point of view ●Some African countries have an important strategic location because some of the sea routes are used by ships to reach to different countries. ●If China has a presence/influence in the countries then China can easily control the sea route which again provides a huge strategic advantage to China. ●If China able to control the sea route then it can impact on India’s economy because by controlling China limit the exporting in India. ●Increase in China presence in African countries will result in neo-colonialism. ●China is investing in infrastructure in African countries because Africa provides minerals to China that increase dependency of African countries on China. ●The Chinese-African relationship looks simple and based on Chinese exploitation of African resources; however, the relationship is very complex and multi-layered. ●By increasing the economic activities in African countries China is trying to connect different developing economies across the world. (Scan the QR Code to watch video Page 33 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

35. CRITICISM The critics called the bridge a 'white elephant' and a 'blood and sweat project', as more than 600 workers were injured and 10 died during construction. (click on the image above to watch the video) World's Longest Sea Bridge CHINA IN THE NEWS AGAIN (Scan the QR Code to watch the video) In 2018 China President Xi Jinping officially disclose the world’s longest sea bridge connecting with Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. It hooks with three important regions Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge(HKZMB or HZMB). NOTES: STRUCTURE Government start working according to China’s People decision. The bridge starts from Zhuhai and Macau Boundary, passes from Dual 3-lane carriageway then go to undersea tunnel (7km long) that comprises of two circles which are basically an Island chained with dotted line i.e underwater tunnel and reach to Hong Kong link road. Main bridge and tunnel length are 30 km. CHINESE ENGINEERING ●The submerged tunnel is 6.7-kilometer (4-mile) to avoid the busy shipping paths over the Pearl River Delta. ●The tunnel runs between two artificial islands, each measuring 100,000 square meters (1 million square feet) and located in relatively shallow waters. SOME POINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW It will shear the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from three hours to just 30 minutes The bridge designed in such a way that it deals with a magnitude eight earthquake, a super typhoon and strikes by super-sized cargo vessels was built using 400,000 tonnes of steel, enough to build 60 Eiffel Towers. ARE HONG KONG AND MACAU PART OF CHINA? The Special Administrative Regions are Hong Kong and Macau, two relatively independent regions within the People's Republic of China that maintain separate administrative, legal and judicial systems from the rest of the country. Page 34 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

36. ( Scan the QR code to the watch video ) ( Click on the image above to watch the video) India and China to Sign Internal Security Cooperation Agreement. NOTES Zhao Kezhi, China’s Minister of Public Security and Union Home MinisterRajnath Singh are slated to discuss various aspects of security cooperation between the two countries. For the first time, India and China will sign an internal security cooperation agreement next week, marking a new beginning in bilateral relations. While Mr. Singh is the head of eight central armed police forces with a combined strength of about 10 lakh personnel,Mr. Zhao is responsible for day-to-day law enforcement in China and commands about 19 lakh personnel. The scheduled meeting may lead to a future India-China agreement on the exchange of sentenced prisoners, another official said. Currently, India does not have an extradition treaty with China, nor a pact to exchange each other’s sentenced prisoners. There are at least 10 Indians in Chinese prisons and an equal number of Chinese citizens in Indian prisons. This will help in the improvement of relations between India and China hence we can see more agreements between India and China in the coming future. THE AGREEMENT The proposed pact is expected to cover areas of intelligence sharing, exchange programme, sharing of best practices, cooperation in disaster mitigation. INTERESTING TIMES - CLOSER INDIA CHINA Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held an informal summit in Wuhan, China, in April this year which helped repair bilateral ties. CHINA NEEDS INDIA IN THE TRADE WAR China seeks help from India to fight US trade protectionism. GOLDEN RULE OF GEOPOLITICS There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests. NOTES: Page 35 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

37. (Scan the QR code to watch video) (Click on the image above to watch the video) US Fed Rate Hike NOTES: The current affair was that- US federal Reserves raised interest rates for a 3rd time this year It is a rising cause of concern for India Effects of interest rise- Investment- investing in dollar will give more return. Since interest rates are high. The return and the risk in concerned. US economy is providing more return. Foreign companies invest in equity. It can be withdrawn anytime. Foreign portfolio investors will put out their capital from Indian market and invest in Indian market. Because of more return. Indian economy is providing low return. Demand of Indian rupee will fall. Leads to deprivation of Indian economy. Imports- the value of dollar increases. Leads to strengthening of dollar. Import bills will be expensive. Crude oil price will increase. Expensive imports. CAD- excess of value of imports over exports. Weakening of rupee bill will lead to widening of CAD Domestic inflation- it will lead to cost-push inflation. Cost of production increases as supply comes down. It leads to negative impact on the economy. GDP will come down. Economic Scenario- ● RBI/MPC- meet the differential in US economy and Indian economy. Reserve bank will increase the interest rate. Provide better returns. Loans will become expensive. Negative impact on economy. Private investment comes down. Fiscal burden for government. Production comes down because of absence of capital. Reserves- there are obligations from RBI. Further bring down the reserves RBI holds Balance of payment- chances of increase in capital flow. Negative impact on country’s finance situation. Protectionism- increase in custom duty and imports will become expensive. Reduce the supply of imported commodities. Cost of commodities will increase. Focus on enhancing the capacity of domestic producers. RBI must make smart policies to control the economy. ● ● ● Page 36 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

38. The United States indicated that it would expect India to reduce dependence on Iranian crude and ‘zero out’ energy ties with Tehran. NO VIOLATION OF SANCTIONS? India had earlier rushed some of its important ministers to Iran to launch the initiative on various development projects and the two sides did so despite the US warning. NOTES: (Click on the image above to watch the video) WHY IS IRAN IMPORTANT TO INDIA? Iran also has its plan to benefit from the port. As India is Iran’s largest customer hence the memorandum will help to increase economic growth and investment. UPSC PERSPECTIVE It will provide regional growth and prosperity byemployment generation and GDP growth. Above topic is important for Mains General Studies Paper 2 (Under India and its neighbourhood-International Relations) THE DEAL India: Chabahar port hand-over on Track. IRAN, RUSSIA, TURKEY Discussed Non-Dollar Trade At Summit Tehran. Sep 2018 "As per the agreement, we are now ready to hand over the Not to trade in dollar rather than use GOLD for trade. (Chabahar) to the Indian company. We have moved a step in the right direction already. We have provided a banking channel to India and India has accepted that formally,” Abbas Akhoundi, thevisiting Iranian minister told Indian media. Mr. Akhoundi helddiscussions with his Indian counterpart Nitin Gadkari. OIL The USA told India not to trade of oil from Iran. India is the second largest buyer from Iran after China. Iran has provided may premiums to India for the trade of oil. The first phase of Iran’s Chabahar port (Shahid Beheshti Port) holds significant strategic and economic importance for India. It is located on the Makran coast, Chabahar in southeasternIran. Its location lies in the Gulf of Oman. It can also help to reduce the import cost of oil to India. THE TRUMP FACTOR The trump administration is imposing serious economic costs on India through its misguided policies. It is Iran’s only oceanic port located on the Gulf of Oman, southeast of Iran near the Pakistani border. It has been jointly developed by India, Iran, and Afghanistan. The port will allow India to bypass Pakistan to transport goods to Afghanistan and Central Asia using a sea-land route. Chabahar Port lies in the Persian Gulf in Iran and will help Indiain expanding its maritime commerce in the region. IMPORTANCE ( Scan the QR code to watch video.) From Chabahar, the existing Iranian road network can link up to Zaranj in Afghanistan, about 883 km from the port. The Zaranj- Delaram road constructed by India in 2009 can give access to Afghanistan’s Garland Highway, setting up road access to four major cities in Afghanistan — Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, andMazar-e-Sharif. NOTES: CENTRAL ASIA (ASHGABAT AGREEMENT) No need for checking at check-post. THE NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR Improve trade of Russia and India. INDIA WENT ON WITH THE PORT DEVELOPMENT DESPITE US'S WARNING INDIA PLANS TO OPEN CHABAHAR PORT BY 2019 Page 37 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

39. • For its part, India is giving Japan exclusive access to its sensitive northeast region and the Andaman Islands for the development of infrastructure facilities. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) UPSC PERSPECTIVE India–Japan relations are solid so expect some questions. Under the section : “Special Strategic Global Partnership” With Russia we have “Special privileged strategic partnership” WHAT HAPPENED RECENTLY? To promote Military cooperation, India and Japan are all set to hold the first-ever joint military exercise. ‘DHARMA GUARDIAN-2018’ involving the Indian Army and Japan Ground Self Defence Force. In Japan, they call their army Japan Ground Self Defense Force. EXERCISE DHARMA GUARDIAN- 2018 6/1 GORKHA RIFLES will represent the Indian contingent while the Japanese contingent will be represented by 32 Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force. During the 14 days long exercise, due emphasis will be laid on increasing interoperability(synchronization between both ) between forces from both countries. Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. INDIA AND JAPAN HAVE CLOSE MILITARY TIES The two nations have frequently held joint military exercises and co-operate on technology. India and Japan concluded a security pact on 22 October 2008. ABOUT THE SECURITY PACT Japan and India have declared themselves “special strategic and global partners”. Japan signed a security declaration agreement with India in 2008, only the second of its kind, outside the Japan-US security treaty, after the security declaration agreement made with Australia in 2007. INDIA – JAPAN FRIENDSHIP • Japan is heavily involved in India’s infrastructure development projects. More than US$10 billion in Japanese aid – the most significant sum Tokyo has ever invested in a single project through its foreign aid program – has been committed to building the first high-speed railway in India. (Scan the QR code to watch video) NOTES: Page 38 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

40. ELECTION RESULT IN MALDIVES With Ibrahim Mohamed Solih now set to replace Abdulla Yameen, there may be a new dawn on the horizon. They want to balance trade between India and China. During his door-to-door campaign, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih promised that he would repair relations with the neighbours and India First foreign policy would be reinstated. TROUBLE FOR CHINA Under Mr Yameen, the Maldives has also welcomed Chinese money for major projects and signed a free trade agreement. More tourists from China now visit the Maldives than from any other country. Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party has taken an anti - China stance. Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed previously claimed China has pilled his County into a "debt trap". Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed supports India. The Maldives is a key battleground in the rivalry between China and India. NOTE: Maldives is not part of RCEP. Now, with the win, Maldives can set an free trade agreement with India. Maldives now can do Naval and Military exercise with India. Historic victory for Maldives. WAS IT A FAIR ELECTION? The US and European Union had threatened sanction Yameen and Members of his govt it they were seen to be interfering in the polls . (Click on the image above to watch the video) Maldives Election Good News for India? Ibrahim Mohamed Solih defeated Yameen Abdul Gayoom. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the presidential election, defeating President Abdulla Yameen who is known to be close to China. Solih has been a long-standing aide of pro-India politician and former President Mohamed Nasheed. Yameen Abdul Gayoom (former President) backed by China loses in the election. ABOUT MALDIVES Maldives is important country in Indian ocean region. It group of small islands. Small country. Because of its strategic location in the Indian ocean it is important to India. Member of SAARC(not active) The Maldives was a Commonwealth republic from July 1982 until its withdrawal from the Commonwealth in October 2016. Left commonwealth group INDIA- MALDIVES TENSION INDIA- MALDIVES needed each others help. INDIA- MALDIVES were good friends until Yameen Abdul Gayoom came in power in 2013. PM Modi in 2014 called him in his swearing ceremony. Yameen made many step against India. Yameen Abdul was pro-China and pro-Pakistan. Yameen Abdul Gayoom officials were opposing him so, he put them(opposition leaders) in jail. DIFFICULTIES FOR INDIA Yameen Abdul took many steps against India and signed MoU with Pakistan. Cancelled work permits of Indians working in the Maldives. Free trade agreement of the Maldives with China ,resulting china market overcoming the Maldives market. India helped the Maldives a lot. China was seen as dictating the foreign policy of Maldives under Yameen Abdul Gayoom making India’s strategic position vulnerable in the Indian Ocean. ABDULLA YAMEEN 6th president to the Maldives. Political party -Progressive Party of Maldives. (lost the elections) (Scan the QR code to watch video.) NOTES: Page 39 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

41. 3. The UK declared a Marine Protected Area around Chagos in 2010, which prohibits fishing and extractive industry and has the effect of preventing any resettlement. Therefore Mauritius claims sovereignty over the islands and the states that Britain claim is a violation of the law and of UN resolutions. MISUSE (Click on the image above to watch the video) In 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled this move as illegal under the United Nation CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO CONTROVERSY Above topic is very important for Mains General Studies Paper 2. Convention on the Law of The Sea (UNCLOS). “Mauritius holds legally binding rights to fish in the waters surrounding the Chagos Archipelago, to the eventual return of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius when no longerneeded for defense purposes, and to the preservation of the benefit of any minerals or oil discovered in or near the Chagos Archipelago pending its eventual return,” the ruling on March 19, 2015 in The Hague stated. International Relations - India and its neighborhood- relations. (Imp) Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora. WHAT IS THE ISSUE? The CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO(a group of islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 km south of the Maldives. According to PCA, Mauritius holds legally binding rights. NOTES : 1. It has been part of Maldives since the 18th century when French first settled the island. In June 2017, the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of asking the court to provide an advisory on UK & Mauritius over Chagos archipelago. 2. All of the islands of French colonial territory in the region were ceded to the British in 1810. Mauritius(very small in front of UK) further moved to INTERNATION COURT OF The Chagos Islands — referred to by the British as British Indian Ocean Territory, but which is not recognized as such by Mauritius — is home to the U.S. military base Diego Garcia(PART OF CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO ) JUSTICE, NETHERLANDS(ICJ) for it rights . INTERNATION COURT OF JUSTICE, NETHERLANDS is the UN's principal Judicial Organ. The voting was done whether Mauritius should take UK in ICJ or not Diego Garcia(PART OF CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO) was given onlease for 50 years to theBritish because Mauritius desperately wanted independence. VOTING RESULT : 94 Countries supported Mauritius. 1. Lease got over in 2016, as it completed its 50 years. But Britishers are not returning it. In the 1960s and 1970s, inhabitants(2000) were removed from the islands. 15 Countries supported the UK 65 Countries abstained from voting (EG: China) Mauritius won. Mauritius maintaining that the archipelago remains its integral part. India supported the draft resolution on the same matter in favor of Mauritius. NOTES. Indian Permanent Representative to the UN had said, "As part of our long standing support toall peoples striving for decolonization, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow # developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the 1. When Mauritius was not independent, the UK took away the part of the land from Mauritius. (which is illegal) 2. The UN resolution baned the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. Page 40 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

42. restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago." September 2018 news NOTES: India is supporting Mauritius in INTERNATION COURT OF JUSTICE, NETHERLANDS. India’s Ambassador Venu Rajamony said the historical survey indicates that the Chagos Archipelago throughout the pre- and post- colonial era has been a part of the Mauritian territory. India is going to stick to its earlier stand and stand by Mauritius in this fight against UK's colonial history and the rights of exiled islanders to return. WHY IS INDIA DOING THIS? India, as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonization, since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid. (Scan the QR code to watch the video) Page 41 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

43. Safety- given preference Dispute settlement- USA has agreed to restate ch 19 and 20 of older mechanism of NAFTA. This provides for settlement of disputes. Allows three countries to challenge each other’s anti-dumping and countervailing duty. Intellectual property – deals with stringent protection for trademarks Drugs- can sell the drugs. Can be reviewed by three countries after implementations. Review Concerns in the agreement- ( Click on the image above to watch the video) What is the news? Not all the amendments that are being made will have positive effect on the free trade The US, Mexico and Canada have arrived at a revised trade agreement- Tri-lateral agreement. USMCA is the new agreement. Many hard compromises are made by Canada and Mexico. Canada is giving higher diary production to US, producers in Canada will be harmed, increased competition, will get less price. This revised agreement replaces NAFTA-USMCA will replace NAFTA Labor regulation- minimum wages should increase the cost of production. Produce will be made globally less productive. North America will become tough investment area. What is NAFTA- North-American free trade agreement Before, Canada-US free trade agreement, need to arrive at a tri-lateral agreement then the NAFTA come into being. NAFTA- Came to effect on 1994 Successor of USA FTA Trilateral agreements (Scan the QR code to watch video) Lower tariff NOTES: Trade expansion- encouraged big business to supply chains around North America, expanded more than three times Deep political relationship New Deal- Will be known as US-Mexico- Canada Agreement or USMCA Several changes will be made to the earlier NAFTA and replace the NAFTA Does not play an important role in in promoting the cause of free trade Achieves the objective of avoiding any significant damage to the international trade system. Key changes made- Canada- changes in production quotas applied to Canada’s diary industry. Canada will have to allow local producers to compete with other, production was restricted earlier and now it will benefit the consumers, more choices for consumers. Cars and trucks- 75% work of components and 30% work on vehicles: clear the zero tariffs and 75% of its components must be manufactured in these three countries. 62.5 to 75 will be the improve. Should benefit the laborers, who work for 16$ per hours. Mexico has low labor cost. Page 42 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

44. To solve this PMO asked for the advice of Suresh Prabhu(Trade Minister) Suresh Prabhu puts these two concerns in front of the RCEP members 1.India's concern regarding China. 2.Regarding skilled professionals movement. This meeting happened in Singapore. (click on the image above to watch the video) RCEP members have agreed to them. The victory of India at RCEP meeting. FOR India RCEP is Postponed for one more year. This topic is very important for General Studies Mains Paper 2 under the topic IR (International Relations) There has been an inevitable linkage between services and goods negotiations, because RCEP is not a goods agreement alone, and services must be an integral part of the agreement. Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. It is an idea of a free trade agreement for countries like ASEAN Members(Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,Thailand, Vietnam) and the six Asia-Pacific states(Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand). India is very good in service sector like IT etc as campared to goods. SKILLED WORKERS (gift for India) Some countries should be united under the free trade agreement in terms of market access. Diminishing all the borders in terms of the market. RCEP countries will open up opportunities for India’s skilled professionals seeking gainful Lets us take a hypothetical example regarding it and know more about the RCEP. employment."MODE 4" of RCEP says that skilled , talented and educated youth can go to RCEP countries for work. Eg : Suppose one of the Australian company manufactures soap and they want to sell their soap in India. Let the cost of the soap be 100. TRADE DEFICIT India has a trade deficit with other 10 RCEP countries including China, South Korea, and Australia also. India will protect its own soap manufactures (eg lux, dove etc) and will put the tariff of 20 Rs on the Australian soap. People from the agriculture and dairy sector are telling to be not a part of RCEP countries, cause in coming time these countries can capture our market aggressively and we will have to face the problem and it will not be possible to put tariff at that time. Hence, Indians will have to pay 120 rs for the Australian soap and Indian soap be of 100 rs. Under RCEP any country can sell its product in another country at the minimum tariff. India's exports to RCEP account for about l5% of its total exports and imports from RCEP comprise 35% of the total imports. RCEP is a revolutionary idea and when it gets successful there will be a positive drift in the economy for a respective country hence providing a economic stability. WHAT WORRIES INDIA? Some hurdles are there in RCEP because there are some issues between India and China like trade deficit between them. We buy a lot from China. Eg: solar panels bought from China are not tariff-free. (Scan the QR Code to watch video) In RCEP china can get a direct access to the Indian market and that worries the Indian government. China will capture the Indian market in a decade and this will not be good for our country in the long-term. NOTES: WHAT JUST HAPPENED? India is planning to pull itself out from RCEP and this is itself a big news. Is it a loss of opportunity? Page 43 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

45. Western European and other States: 7 seats Eastern European States: 6 seats ● ● WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UNHRC, OHCHR AND HRC IN UN ? WHAT IS UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL (UNHRC) The Human Rights Council was established by the UN General Assembly in 2006 to replace the UN Commission on Human Rights. The United States, which withdrew from the Council earlier this year, received a symbolic one write-in vote. OHCHR is the Office of the United Nations High Comissioner for Human Rights. It's mandate is to promote and protect human rights. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is the principal human rights official in the UN. HOW IS THE UNHRC SEAT OF ANY USE TO INDIA ? India has won the seat with the highest number of votes which clearly reflects the country’s standing in the international community. When it nominated itself for the Council, the country showcased its position as “the world’s largest democracy and India’s secular polity”. In the nomination pledge, India presented a broader approach to human rights, emphasizing climate, justice, health and poverty alleviation. (click on the image above to watch the video) India Wins Election to UNHRC with Highest Votes. ABOVE TOPIC IS IMPORTANT UNDER THE SECTION INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS WHAT HAPPENED RECENTLY India has been elected to the United Nation’s top human rights body, UNHRC for a period of three years beginning January 1, 2019, by getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category, the highest number of votes among all candidates. KEY-HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ELECTION ● The 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held an election for new members to the United Nations Human Rights Council. ● The seats are allocated based on “equitable regional distribution” giving the Asia-Pacific region a total of 13 seats, with some coming up for election every year, where Pakistan and China are already members in the group. CONTROVERSY ● Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and India and the Philippines stake claim to 5 seats for Asia-Pacific region at UNHRC. ● In the Asia Pacific category, India got 188 votes followed by Fiji with 187 votes, Bangladesh 178, Bahrain and Philippines 165 each. ● India got the highest number of votes amongst all the 18 countries in the five regional categories. HOW ELECTIONS ARE CONDUCTED ● The Human Rights Commission has 47 members, selected each year by the UN General Assembly for staggered 3-year terms on a regional group basis. ● No member country may occupy a seat for more than two consecutive 3-year terms. ● To get elected to the Council, countries needed a minimum of 97 votes. The seats are distributed among the United Nation’s regional groups as follows: ● African States: 13 seats ● Asia-Pacific States: 13 seats ● Latin American and Caribbean States: 8 seats (Scan the QR Code to watch video) NOTES: Page 44 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

46. of which $1 billion is with Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan is a distant second. MUST ESTABLISH CONNECTIVITY North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) will deepen trade relation between India and Uzbekistan 17 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOUS) Modi also said that India has decided to extend a line of credit (LoC) of $200 million to Uzbekistan for housing. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Government of the Republic of India for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders. Memorandum between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of India on cooperation in the field of military education. SOME OF THE MAIN MOUS • Memorandum of Understanding between the Hakimian of Samarkand City, Samarkand region, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Municipal Corporation of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India. • Agreement on cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Confederation of Indian Industry on the establishment of the India- Uzbekistan business council. (Click on the image above to watch the video) Why is Uzbekistan Important for India? Above topic is Important under the topic International Relations for UPSC Mains Paper 2. WHAT HAPPENED EXACTLY. President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev is on the visit to India for two days. This is Mirziyoyev’s first visit to India since assuming office in 2016. About Uzbekistan In the capital of Uzbekistan , Tashkent peace treaty happened between India and Pakistan in the year 1966. Uzbekistan Was part of USSR in 1991. Uzbekistan is dependent on other countries for trade, especially on Nepal. Billions of wealth are present in their land. They are having rare minerals. Uzbekistan is making their economy strong slowly. Several excellent opportunities exist for Indian investment in the non-ferrous and rare-earth metals industry. Uzbekistan wants to export its minerals to India which would ultimately be better for there economies. NOTES : India has been citing obstructions of physical connectivity, Pakistan’s hostility and the instability in Afghanistan for its desultory attitude towards Central Asia. But such excuses can no longer hold true as distant countries like South Korea are doing enough business with the region. ASHGABAT AGREEMENT The Ashgabat agreement is a multimodal transport agreement between India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. Because of this agreement truck can pass easily through the border of each others country without any paperwork. India and Uzkebistan trade will increase. India and Uzbekistan set an annual bilateral trade target of $1 billion to be achieved within two years and agreed to boost connectivity as the two sides NOTES Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. China Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan's trade with India is a paltry $323 million. Under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. India’s current trade figure of about $100 billion with the SCO under which India’s current trade $90 billion with China, $8 billion with Russia only $1.5 billion with the Central Asian states, (Scan the QR Code to watch video) NOTES: Page 45 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

47. Government’s role- around 250 billion is infused in AI equity share by the Govt, repair done to the loss incurred in buying expensive aircrafts D.ECONOMY SPV- 7 billion rupees loss on 22 billion rupees, 466 billion debt burden is huge, transfer 300 billion rupees to SPV. Illusionary improvement will be created. The debt does not cease to exist Board Autonomy- the chairman as well as MD will be IAS officers, two members from Ministry of Civil Aviation, rest independent directors may or may not have knowledge about the aviation business market. What can be done to resolve the problems-? ( Click on the image above to watch the video) Air India should cease to be an airline for government servants and their families- because they don’t make payment UPSC Perspective – Important for GS3 What is the news- Union power needs to be curtailed Central government has proposed some measures to pave the way for revival of Air India. Over-staffing- there are more staff than the operations required What are the proposals made- Managerial talents from the Market- professionals with aviation knowledge should be hired Autonomy: planning to take steps to give significant autonomy to the board of directors who control the policies and guidelines of Air India. Taking independent decisions, capital expenditure, commercial decision making without much government interference. Larger issues need to be addressed properly. Special purpose vehicle- total debt of around 500 billion, 15 billion annually is spent for interest burdens. Not able to attract investors. The govt is planning to restructure the debt of Air India. Support- 500 billion rupees to Air India as a sovereign guarantee to Air India to raise money from the lenders at cheap rate. After 2018-19, Air India should not seek financial aid from government (Scan the QR code to watch video) Empowerment- empowering the Board of Directors for buying or leasing of new aircrafts. Mortgaging the assets to raise the capital, hiring professionals at the senior managerial post, rationalizing the work force without govt interference NOTES: Other plans- selling of Air India subsidiaries, monitoring core assets, holds a huge quantum of non-core assets. Operations- Air India will hire Chief Operating Officer who will be responsible for day-to-day activities of the Airline. Implementing strategies for cost implications. Focus- on increasing the efficiency of the Airline. Navaratna and Maharatna companies don’t need govt approval, autonomy in power is given to the company Board- the board should have professionals regarding deep understanding of airline business. Planning is very important so that in future losses will be minimized. Top industrialist will be inducted as high professional officers. Govt representation will be minimized to just one nominee. Problems associated- Page 46 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

48. PCA: Bank cannot give the loan to the private organisation, only to the government organisation. Of the three banks, Dena Bank is currently under the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework and has been restrained from further lending. It has a gross NPA ratio of 22 per cent - among the highest across the industry. Vijaya Bank, on the contrary, is among the better performing public sector banks with a gross NPA ratio of 6.9 per cent. Bank of Baroda, the largest of the three, has a bad loan ratio of 12.4 per cent. Banks under PCA are prohibited from fresh lending, paying dividends, and distributing profits. They are also required to keep an eye on provisioning on bad loans. RAGHURAM RAJAN WON’T HAVE LIKED THE IDEA. The merger of two (or more) unhealthy banks in the financial system will create an unhealthy entity that would lead to the creation of a bigger problem in the economy. Secondly, even in the case of the merger of an unhealthy bank with a large healthy bank, the merger would bring problems to the acquiring bank. Thirdly, in the event of a merger of a weak bank with a strong bank, the acquirer will have to deal with the cultural problems that arise out of the merger, besides dealing with the primary challenge — the bad loan pile in the weak bank, thereby creating difficulties for the strong bank.” He wanted that strong banks should merge together. THE RESULT OF THE MERGER With a combined business of Rs 14.82 lakh crore, 9,560 branches, and an employee strength of 85,675 would be India's third largest globally competitive bank. The merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will create a lender which will be the third largest in India. Banks will stop competing with each other. ( Click on the image above to watch the video) Bank Merger of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank : The merger of two strong banks (BoB and Vijaya) with a weak bank (Dena Bank) seems like a bailout package for Dena Bank, keeping aside strong bank’s minority shareholder’s interest. The Alternate Mechanism (headed by Arun Jaitley ), comprising Jaitley, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and railways and coal minister Piyush Goyal, was set up as an approval framework for proposals to merge state-run banks. 2 STRONG + 1 WEAK BANK Vijaya Bank is the only profit-making state-run bank and the only one that paid a dividend to the government in 2017- 18. Dena Bank, on the other hand, is facing restriction on lending and expanding business under PCA and is heavily dependent on the government for capital support. The government announced the amalgamation of three banks — Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank — aimed at creating the country’s third-largest bank with a business of Rs 14.82 lakh crore and over 9,600 branches across the country. About banks : Vijaya Bank: Mangalore based has its presence in south India. Dena Bank: Base in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Bank of Baroda: Strong in western and northern India. NOTES : BACKGROUND ON MERGER OF BANKS Consolidation of state-run banks was first mooted by the first Narasimhan committee in 1991. Three categories of bank 1.Three large banks with the international presence 2.Around 8-10 national banks 3.Several other regional banks What The New Bank Will Look Like The combination of Bank of Baroda-Dena Bank-Vijaya Bank will create a lender with a nationwide reach. While Bank of Baroda already has a widespread network, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank are more regionally focused. The merged bank will have an advances base of Rs 6.4 lakh crore. It will have a deposit base of Rs 8.41 lakh crore. In absolute terms, the gross non-performing assets(NPAs) will be at roughly Rs 80,000 crore. That suggests that the gross NPA ratio will work out to be about 13 per cent. MERGER IN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS The current proposal to merge all the state PSB's comes in the backdrop of increasing NPA's and consequent deteriorated asset quality and lower earnings. Page 47 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

49. (Scan the QR code to watch the video) NOTES: Page 48 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com

50. IMPACTS ● It impacts on Cement industries like Ambuja Cement, JK Cement, and India Cement etc. because it contains a huge amount of pet coke. Company try to find the other alternatives or use coal. Because of this cost of production is increasing ● BENEFITS OF BANNED ON PETCOKE ● It is benefit for LNG Importers, city gas distribution (CGD) etc those who are depend on Industrial Units, pet coke use LNG or finds other alternatives such as natural Gas. Foreign Exchange of Rs 15,000 Crore has been saved. (Click on the image above to watch the video) Banning Import of Pet Coke ● ● Petroleum coke or pet coke is a solid carbon-rich material contains 90% of carbon and 3% to 6% sulphur extracted from oil refining. Extract oil from oil will be known as Crude Oil. Crude oil contains lots of impurities in order to remove dirt refining process is used. The process of refining includes Crude Oil, Desalting, Distillation, Coking then Petroleum Coke. Petroleum Coke is a kind of by-product. Uses of Pet Coke -> Cement industries, Gasification, batteries, steel, aluminium etc. Petroleum Coke contains carbon, sulphur Burning of sulphur release harmful gases such as Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Ozone depletion gases. ● ● ● ● (Scan the QR Code to watch video) ● ● NOTES: For Example - Above Troposphere layer, Stratosphere layer is present between both Ozone layer exist. The ozone layer protects from UV rays. Sulphur Dioxide gases impact on the Ozone layer and create holes. ● Because of emission of gases it depletes the environment and also responsible for climate change & global warming. Lower grade pet coke contains a higher concentration of sulphur and use in coal-fired power plants. Coal-fired power plants -> Production of electricity are done by burning coal then boil the water and the steam produced. That steam is used for rotating the turbines. India is the world’s largest consumer of pet coke. The demand of pet coke in India is continuously increasing cross over the past 10 years at a rate of 16 per cent. S.A try to furnish the pet coke in other countries as there is some negative impact. Pet Coke release 11% more greenhouse gases as compared to Coal. Pet Coke is a source of fine dust which impact on lungs as well. Pet Coke contains toxic metal known as Vanadium. Seeing these disadvantages Government decided to banned the import of Pet coke. Environment Protection (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) in April 2017 has asked to ban on the use of pet coke in NCR Region. In October, 2017 Supreme Court had banned its use in Delhi NCR. Pet Coke banned only for the fuel purpose. It is used only in cement, lime Kiln, Calcium Carbide and gasification industries ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Page 49 of 111 For Free Download visit www.upsciq.com