Category: Ranker Webinars

Here are 2 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- Western Ghats forest cover vital for Tamil Nadu’s South-West monsoon rainfall

Western Ghats

1. It is also known as Sahyadri (Benevolent Mountains) is a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, located entirely in India
2. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India
3. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea
4. A total of thirty-nine properties including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests were designated as world heritage sites – twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra

B2B #2: From news- Niti Aayog partners with Google to grow India’s artificial intelligence ecosystem

Machine Learning

1. Machine learning is the science of getting computers to act without being explicitly programmed.
2. It is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
3. Machine learning focuses on the development of computer programs that can access data and use it learn for themselves.
4. The process of learning begins with observations or data, such as examples, direct experience, or instruction, in order to look for patterns in data and make better decisions in the future based on the examples that we provide.
5. In the past decade, machine learning has given us self-driving cars, practical speech recognition, effective web search, etc.
6. Examples: Google Assistant, Google Allo etc.

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)

Recently in News because : Neeru Chadha won a crucial election to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), becoming the first Indian woman to be elected as judge to the tribunal

Objective : To adjudicate disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Members : The Tribunal is composed of 21 independent members elected by secret ballot by the States Parties to the Convention

Headquarters : Hamburg, Germany

Year Founded : Created by UNCLOS in 1982 (Came in force in 1994)

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Test 31 as per schedule (Click2View) is Misc Test 7 (Govt. Schemes)

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Here are 2 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- Jaipur Foot to be exhibited at the U.N.

Jaipur Foot

1. The Jaipur Foot, also known as the Jaipur Leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations
2. Designed in and named after Jaipur, India, the prosthetic leg was designed to be inexpensive, water-resistant, and quick to fit and manufacture
3. The Jaipur Foot is made of polyurethane
4. It is fitted free of cost by Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahyata Samiti
5. The government of India supports Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahyata Samiti with financial aid to carry out the work done by the organization

B2B #2: From news- Inter-country child abduction: Central panel questions key principle of Hague Convention

Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

1. Hague Abduction Convention is a multilateral treaty developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) that provides an expeditious method to return a child internationally abducted by a parent from one member country to another
2. The Convention was drafted to ensure the prompt return of children who have been abducted from their country of habitual residence or wrongfully retained in a contracting state not their country of habitual residence
3. The Convention applies only to children under the age of 16
4. The Convention requires that a court in which a Hague Convention action is filed should not consider the merits of any underlying child custody dispute, but should determine only that country in which those issues should be heard
5. The Convention mandates return of any child who was “habitually resident” in a contracting nation immediately before an action that constitutes a breach of custody or access rights
6. The Convention provides special rules for admission and consideration of evidence independent of the evidentiary standards set by any member nation
7. The Convention was concluded 25 October 1980 and entered into force between the signatories on 1 December 1983

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name of the scheme : Digital India

Objectives : To transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy

Salient Features : The Digital India programme is centred on three key vision areas: – Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen -Governance & Services on Demand -Digital Empowerment of Citizens It aims to provide the much needed thrust to the nine pillars of growth areas, namely : -Broadband Highways, -Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity, – Public Internet Access Programme, -e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology, -e-Kranti – Electronic Delivery of Services, -Information for All, Electronics Manufacturing, -IT for Jobs and -Early Harvest Programmes

Nodal Ministry : The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

Here are 2 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- Accelerate efforts to end rabies: WHO to India, South East Asian countries

GAVI- the Vaccine Alliance

1. Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization is a public-private global health partnership committed to increasing access to immunization in poor countries
2. It is a global Vaccine Alliance with the goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries
3. Gavi brings together developing countries and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialized and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists
4. Gavi was launched in 2000
5. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland

B2B #2: From news- MHA fast-tracks security clearance for overseas investment proposals

Revised National Security Clearance Policy, 2015

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs had formulated a new national security clearance policy in 2015 after the government decided to speed up projects, which were stuck for lack of approval by Intelligence Bureau (IB) or other agencies including the State police
2. It has introduced the National Security Clause as an important component of this Policy
3. It aims to extend fast-track security clearance to foreign investment proposals in the critical sectors such as telecom, private security, and defense while ensuring that national interests are not endangered
4. The clearance process aims to boost government’s ease-of-doing-business and Make in India initiative.
5. The policy has 15 parameters on which inputs from security agencies are sought. Once it has got an application from an investor, the Ministry decides on the status of security clearance to the company within 4-6 weeks.
6. As per the policy, the promoters, owners, and directors of the company are mandated to give self-declarations regarding any criminal history on their part, which reduced the period required to give security clearance from 2-3 months earlier to just 4-6 weeks now
7. Security inputs from the Intelligence Bureau, the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and other agencies are sought only in cases of serious crimes and not in case of minor offenses

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : G-7

Brief Intro : The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—that meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.

Objective : To discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.

Type : Summit/ Conference

Category : Economy

Year : 1975

Importance (wr. Prelims) : High

Key Terms/ Institutions spinoffs : Russia belonged to the forum from 1998 through 2014—then the Group of Eight (G8)—but was suspended after its annexation of Crimea in March of that year.

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We have started our Open SIP program in conjunction with our PAID program (Click2Know all details of the program)

We will be running this special FREE initiative on daily basis providing students with revision questions for static subjects as well as current affairs starting from June 2017

Test 29 as per schedule (Click2View) is MISC Test 5

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Here are 3 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news-  India gold demand seen rising

World Gold Council

1. The World Gold Council is the market development organisation for the gold industry. It works across all parts of the industry, from gold mining to investment, and their aim is to stimulate and sustain demand for gold
2. They frequently publish research that demonstrates gold’s strength as a preserver of wealth – both for investors and countries
3. They also provide analysis of the industry, offering insights into the drivers of gold demand. They have also launched various products such as SPDR GLD and gold accumulation plans in India and China
4. The World Gold Council is an association whose members comprise the world’s leading gold mining companies
5. It helps to support its members to mine in a responsible way and developed the Conflict Free Gold Standard
6. Headquartered in London United Kingdom, they have offices in India, China, Singapore, Japan and the United States

B2B #2: From news- What Railways hope to learn from German Rail

Linke Hoffman Busche (LHB) coaches

1. LHB coaches are the passenger coaches of Indian Railways that have been developed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany
2. These coaches are produced by Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala, Punjab
3. The coaches are designed for an operating speed up to 160 km/h and could go up to 200 km/h
4. During derailment or collision, these coaches do not climb over each and crash because of a special type of CBC (center buffer coupler)

B2B #3: From news- [op-ed snap] Acting against a judge

Impeachment of a Supreme Court Judge

1. Article 124(4) of the Constitution of India states: “A Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be removed from his office except by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting has been presented to the President in the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity”
2. 100 Lok Sabha MPs or 50 Rajya Sabha MPs is the minimum number of signatories required to issue the notice
3. The notice has to be handed over either to the Speaker if it is from Lok Sabha MPs or to the Chairman if it is Rajya Sabha MPs
4. If and when the motion is admitted, the Speaker or the Chairman will have to constitute a three-member committee to investigate the charges leveled against the Supreme Court judge
5. This committee will consist of a senior Supreme Court judge, a High Court judge, and a ‘distinguished jurist’ — who is a highly qualified law professor who has been appointed as a Supreme Court judge by the President of India

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Key words related to History : Rajsuya

Dynasty/era : Vedic period

Meaning : – basically a ceremony for the consecration of a kind. It lasted for a day of prayers and sacrifices and extracting soma, but preceded by a long period, extending to maybe a year, during which time various preliminary rites were observed. During this ritual, the king received a bow and an arrow (or other weapons as the priest was advised) and declares himself the king. He performed various acts symbolising his conquests and was finally anointed by a priest, a kshatriya and a vaishya.

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We have started our Open SIP program in conjunction with our PAID program (Click2Know all details of the program)

We will be running this special FREE initiative on daily basis providing students with revision questions for static subjects as well as current affairs starting from June 2017

Test 28 as per schedule (Click2View) is CA March+ April’18

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Here are 2 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- [op-ed snap] Protect patents: on revoking Monsanto’s Bollgard-2 patent

Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt)

1. It is a soil-dwelling bacterium, commonly used as a biological pesticide
2. It occurs naturally in the gut of caterpillars of various types of moths and butterflies plant leaves etc.
3. Bt produces insecticidal action when used in the genetic modification of crops
4. Bt cotton was the first genetically modified crop to be approved for cultivation in India in 2002, with the introduction of Monsanto’s GM cotton seeds
5. Other Bt crops used in India: Bt Brinjal, Bt/GM Mustard
6. Issues with Bt modified crops:  Costly seeds, Gene pool contamination,  Increasing incidence of pest resistance, the toxicity of food crops etc

B2B #2: From news- Govt. doubles PMVVY pension investment limit to ₹ 15 lakh; extends scheme by two years

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)

1. The government has launched the PMVVY to provide social security during old age and to protect elderly persons aged 60 and above against a future fall in their interest income due to uncertain market conditions
2. The PMVVY is being implemented through Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
3. The scheme provides an assured pension based on a guaranteed rate of return of 8 percent per annum for ten years, with an option to opt for the pension on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annual basis
4. The difference between the return generated by LIC and the assured return of 8 percent annually will be borne by the government of as a yearly subsidy

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name :  Cartosat-2 series

Details :  The launch marks the roll out of the 100th satellite by ISRO. 30 other satellites – 28 foreign and 2 Indian. 2nd time that ISRO has been able to place satellites in 2 different orbits This was done through the “multiple burn technology” under which the rocket’s engine is switched off and then switched on to control its height.

Launch Vehicle :  PSLV C40

Link for the test: Click2Attempt  (Let us know your score in comments)

We have started our Open SIP program in conjunction with our PAID program (Click2Know all details of the program)

We will be running this special FREE initiative on daily basis providing students with revision questions for static subjects as well as current affairs starting from June 2017

Test 27 as per schedule (Click2View) is MISC (Full syllabus)

Liked the test? You can join our FLT program containing more such high-level questions. The module contains 11 FLTs (8 paper 1 TS + 3 CSAT)

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Here are 2 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- DoT releases draft National Telecom Policy

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

1. NPPA is a regulatory agency under Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers of India which was established to fix/ revise the prices of controlled bulk drugs and enforce prices and availability of the medicines in the country, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 1995
2. It renders advice to the Central Government on changes/ revisions in the drug pricing policy
3. It regularly publishes lists of medicines and their maximum ceiling prices
4. It is also entrusted with the task of recovering amounts overcharged by manufacturers for the
   controlled drugs from the consumers
5. It also monitors the prices of decontrolled drugs in order to keep them at reasonable levels.

B2B #2: From news- India rejects U.S. request on medical device price caps

Universal Service Obligation Fund

1. USOF was formed by the Central Government in 1999 to help fund projects to provide widespread and non-discriminatory access to quality ICT services at affordable prices to people in rural and remote areas
2. The money for this fund comes through a Universal Access Levy (UAL) charged from the telecom
   operators as a percentage of various licenses fees being paid by them
3. The amount from UAL is deposited into the Consolidated Fund of India and require prior parliamentary approval to be dispatched
4. It is headed by the USOF Administrator who reports to the Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT)

As a part of revision for Prelims 2018, Here’s a Factoid to brush up your concepts

Name : Barak

Defence Forces :  Army

Module Type :  Missiles

Brief Intro : 1.Barak 8 (the Hebrew word for Lightning) also known as LR-SAM or as MR-SAM is an Indian-Israeli surface-to-air missile (SAM), designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs as well as cruise missiles and combat jets. Both maritime and land-based versions of the system exist. 2.Barak 8 was jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, Elta Systems, Rafael and other companies. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) produce the missiles.

Note4students (wherever applicable) : Also used by navy