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Test 20 as per schedule (Click2View) is History+ Art & Culture

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Here are 2 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- India highest recipient of remittances

Foreign remittance

1. A remittance is a transfer of money by a foreign worker to an individual in his or her home country
2. Money sent home by migrants competes with international aid as one of the largest financial inflows to developing countries
3. Workers’ remittances are a significant part of international capital flows, especially with regard to labour-exporting countries
4. In 2014, $436 billion went to developing countries, setting a new record. Overall global remittances totaled $582 billion in 2015
5. Some countries, such as India and China, receive tens of billions of US dollars in remittances each year from their expatriates and diaspora
6. In 2014, India received an estimated $70 billion and China an estimated $64 billion

B2B #2: From news- Intra-State e-way bills: phase 3 to start Apr. 25

What is e-way bill?

1. The E-way bill, short form for electronic way bill, is a document to be generated online under the GST system, when goods of the value of more than ₹50,000 are shipped inter-State or intra-State
2. The E-way bill must be raised before the goods are shipped and should include details of the goods, their consignor, recipient and transporter
3. For a comprehensive read, Click here

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

Name : Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Recently in News because : India Has Been Re-Elected To The UN’s Principal Organ, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for Another Three-Year Term

Objective : ECOSOC is the United Nations’ central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development

Members : The Council’s 54 member Governments are elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. Seats on the Council are allotted based on geographical representation with fourteen allocated to African States, eleven to Asian States, six to Eastern European States, ten to Latin American and Caribbean States, and thirteen to Western European and other States

Headquarters : New York

Year Founded : ECOSOC is one of the six main organs of the United Nations established by the UN Charter in 1945

Here are 3 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- Minorities’ commission to seek constitutional status

National Commission for Minorities (NCM)

1. The Union Government set up the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992
2. Six religious communities, viz; Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis) and Jains have been notified in Gazette of India as minority communities by the Union Government all over India
3. The NCM adheres to the United Nations Declaration of 18 December 1992 which states that “States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic, Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity”
4. Constitution of India doesn’t define the word ‘Minority’ but has used the word minorities considering two attributes religion or language of a person
5. The Commission shall consist of

• a Chairperson,
• a Vice-Chairperson and
• Five Members to be nominated by the Central Government from amongst persons of eminence, ability and integrity; provided that five members including the Chairperson shall be from amongst the minority communities

B2B #2: From news- CCEA approves restructured Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan

Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)

1. The aim of the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan is to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system across the country and address critical gaps that constrain its success
2. RGSA seeks to:

• Enhance capacities and effectiveness of Panchayats and the Gram Sabhas;
• Enable democratic decision-making and accountability in Panchayats and promote people’s participation;
• Strengthen the institutional structure for knowledge creation and capacity building of Panchayats;
• Promote devolution of powers and responsibilities to Panchayats according to the spirit of the Constitution and PESA Act;
• Strengthen Gram Sabhas to function effectively as the basic forum of peoples participation, transparency and accountability within the Panchayat system;
• Create and strengthen democratic local self-government in areas where Panchayats do not exist;
  Strengthen the constitutionally mandated framework on which Panchayats are founded

B2B #3: From news- Health Ministry to roll out prog to combat hepatitis

Hepatitis

1. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue
2. Some people have no symptoms whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes, poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pain, or diarrhea
3. Hepatitis may be temporary (acute) or long term (chronic) depending on whether it lasts for less than or more than six months
4. Acute hepatitis can sometimes resolve on its own, progress to chronic hepatitis, or rarely result in acute liver failure
5. Over time the chronic form may progress to scarring of the liver, liver failure, or liver cancer

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

Name of the scheme : Swachhata Pakwada

Objectives : Mandates to State and City Governments to undertake extensive audit of toilets in urban areas under ‘Swachh Pakhwada’, to ensure that they are functional and fully used.

Salient Features : – As a part of behavioral change communication, hoardings and posters of ‘Asli Tarakki’ campaign, prioritizing construction of toilets over other needs like owning a scooter or a TV set, are to be prominently and widely displayed during the fortnight. – Google Toilet Locator to be launched for the benefit of the people of National Capital Region which helps in locating the nearest toilet for use.

Nodal Ministry : Ministry of Urban Development

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 19 as per schedule (Click2View) is CA Dec’17

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Here are 2 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- India to push for local manufacturing of APIs, reduce dependence on China

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)

1. All drugs are made up of two core components: the API, which is the central ingredient, and the excipients, the substances other than the drug that helps deliver the medication to your system
2. The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) is the part of any drug that produces its effects
3. Excipients are chemically inactive substances, such as lactose or mineral oil
4. The quality of APIs has a significant effect on the efficacy and safety of medications

B2B #2: From news- Swell waves forecast along India’s coasts

Swell Waves

1. ‘Swell waves’ are massive ripples that form on the sea due to winds coming from as far away as Madagascar
2. Swells are collections of waves produced by storm winds raging hundreds of miles out to sea, rather than the product of local winds along beaches
3. They are often referred to as surface gravity waves
4. Swell continues to move under winds and waves that have long since changed direction, it can even head in the opposite direction as the wind and waves
5. They might appear to be tsunami-like waves but have completely different characteristics
6. They can have heights between 2 m and 3 m and periods between 17-22 seconds

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

Name : RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands

Brief Intro : The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975 after UNESCO, the Convention’s depositary received the instruments of accession from the countries. – The RAMSAR Secretariat is based at the headquarters of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gland, Switzerland. – World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2nd.

Objective :  An intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Type : Conventions

Category : E&B

Year : 1971

Importance (wr. Prelims) : Medium

Place : Ramasar

Key Terms/ Institutions spinoffs : The Montreux Record – a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character are of concern. It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.

India specific trivia : India currently has 26 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites)

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 17 as per schedule (Click2View) is December’17 CA

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- Reviewing the Contempt of Courts Act

Law Commission of India

1. It is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India. First law commission of independent India was established post the Independence in 1955
2. Composition: Chairman, 1 Permanent Member, 1 Member Secretary, 2 Part-time Members, 2 ex-officio
   members. (21 st Law Commission Chairman: Justice BN Chauhan)
3. Tenure: 3 Years
4. Function: Advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice for “Legal Reforms in India”
5. Recommendations: NOT binding
6. First Law Commission was established during the British Raj in 1834 by the Charter Act of 1833
7. Chairman: Macaulay
8. Recommended for the Codifications of the IPC, CrPC etc.

B2B #2: From news- Health ministry to name hospitals which do not perform under Kayakalp initiative

‘Kayakalp’ initiative

1. ‘Kayakalp’ programme was launched by the health ministry following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to the people of India to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of “Swachh Bharat” (Clean India)
2. It is an initiative for awarding public health facilities
3. It aims to incentivise such facilities that show exemplary performance in adhering to standard protocols of cleanliness and infection control as well as inculcate a culture of ongoing assessment and peer review of performance related to hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation
4. It was launched in May 2015

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

Key words related to History : Samiti

Dynasty/era : Vedic period

Meaning : The references to samiti come from the latest books of the Rig-Veda showing that it assumed importance only towards the end of the Rig-Vedic period. Samiti was a folk assembly in which people of the tribe gathered for transacting tribal business. It discussed philosophical issues and was concerned with religious ceremonies and prayers. References suggest that the Rajan was elected and re-elected by the Samiti.

Here are 3 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news-  Supreme Court rules NCMEI has wide powers

National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI)

1. The National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) was established to protect and safeguard the educational institutions which are established by the minorities in India
2. The key objective is to ensure that the true amplitude of the educational rights enshrined in Article 30(1) of the Constitution is made available to the members of the notified religious minority communities
3. This entails, inter alia, addressing all issues that pertain to the denial, deprivation or violation of the constitutional rights of the minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, including all issues related to the grant of NOC, minority status certificates and affiliation to universities, wherever applicable
4. The commission is headed by a Chairman who belongs to a minority community and has been a Judge of a High Court
5. Two members are nominated by Central Government. They too must belong to a minority community and must be “persons of eminence, ability, and integrity”

B2B #2: From news- No relaxation in new bad loan rules, indicates RBI

 Strategic debt restructuring (SDR) 

1. Under SDR, banks who have given loans to a corporate borrower gets the right to convert the full or part of their loans into equity shares in the loan taken company
2. The SDR gives banks more power in the management of the company who has taken the loan and has defaulted
3. The SDR initiative can be taken by the group of banks or JLF that have given loans to the particular defaulted entity

Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A)

1. The S4A Scheme aims at a deep financial restructuring of big debted projects by allowing lender (bank) to acquire equity of the stressed project
2. The scheme makes financial restructuring of large projects at the same time helping the lender’s ability to deal with such stressed assets
3. It is intended to restore the flow of credit to critical sectors including infrastructure
4. For an account to be eligible for restructuring under the S4A Scheme, the total loans by all institutional lenders in the account should exceed Rs 500 crore (including rupee loans, foreign currency loans/external commercial borrowings)
5. Under the S4A Scheme, banks would be to allow existing promoter to continue in the management even while being a minority shareholder. Whereas in the case of SDR, the promoter is delinked and ownership is changed

B2B #3: From news- Olive Ridleys return for rare mass nesting

 Olive ridley sea turtle

1. The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, are smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, species of sea turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans
2. They can also be found in warm waters of Atlantic ocean
3. These turtles, along with their cousin the Kemps ridley turtle, are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs

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

Name : Aditya-L1

Details : It is India’s first solar mission. It will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the chromospheres and collect data about coronal mass ejection, which will also yield information for space weather prediction. Significance of the mission: The data from Aditya mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating between different models for the origin of solar storms and also for constraining how the storms evolve and what path they take through the interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth. Position of the satellite: In order to get the best science from the sun, continuous viewing of the sun is preferred without any occultation/ eclipses and hence, Aditya- L1 satellite will be placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system. What are Lagrangian points and halo orbit? Lagrangian points are the locations in space where the combined gravitational pull of two large masses roughly balance each other. Any small mass placed at that location will remains at constant distances relative to the large masses. There are five such points in Sun-Earth system and they are denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5. A halo orbit is a periodic three-dimensional orbit near the L1, L2 or L3.

Year of Launch : 2019

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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 16 as per schedule (Click2View) is Polity(Advanced)

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Here are 3 Back2Basics collections from today’s news items

B2B #1: From news- India takes US steel tariff issue to WTO’s safeguards committee

WTO dispute settlement mechanism

1. Dispute settlement is regarded by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the central pillar of the multilateral trading system, and as the organization’s “unique contribution to the stability of the global economy
2. A dispute arises when one member country adopts a trade policy measure or takes some action that one or more fellow members considers to a breach of WTO agreements or to be a failure to live up to obligations
3. The operation of the WTO dispute settlement process involves the parties and third parties to a case and may also involve the DSB panels, the Appellate Body, the WTO Secretariat, arbitrators, independent experts, and several specialized institutions
4. The General Council discharges its responsibilities under the DSU through the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB)
5. Like the General Council, the DSB is composed of representatives of all WTO Members
6. By joining the WTO, member countries have agreed that if they believe fellow members are in violation of trade rules, they will use the multilateral system of settling disputes instead of taking action unilaterally
7. This entails abiding by agreed procedures (Dispute Settlement Understanding) and respecting judgments, primarily of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), the WTO organ responsible for the adjudication of disputes

B2B #2: From news:  Bharat-22 ETF offer may worth Rs 10,000 crore

Exchange traded fund (ETF)

1. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are mutual funds listed and traded on stock exchanges like shares
2. The ETF simply copies an index and endeavors to accurately reflect its performance
3. In an ETF, one can buy and sell units at a prevailing market price on a real-time basis during market hours
4. There are four types of ETFs already available — Equity ETFs, Debt ETFs, Commodity ETFs and Overseas Equity ETFs
5. The Bharat 22 ETF to be offered now allows the Government to park its holdings in selected PSUs in an ETF and raise disinvestment money from investors at one go
6. It tracks the specially made S&P BSE Bharat 22 Index, managed by Asia Index Private Limited
7. This index is made up of 22 PSU stocks and with a few private sector companies

B2B #3: From news: Law Commission for simultaneous polls

Law Commission of India

1. Law Commission of India is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India
2. Its major function is to work for legal reform
3. Its membership primarily comprises legal experts, who are entrusted a mandate by the Government
4. The Commission is established for a fixed tenure and works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice
5. Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, a former judge of the Supreme Court was appointed Chairman of the 21st Law Commission on 10 March
6. This post was lying vacant since September 2015. 66-year old Justice Chauhan is currently heading the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal
7. One of the key issues pending before the Law Commission is a call on amending the Indian Penal Code (IPC) amid allegations of abuse and arbitrary use of the law

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

Name: Kavach (KVx) series laser walls

Defence Forces: Army

Module Type: Tech Misc.

Brief Intro:

1.The hi-tech Kavach (KVx) series laser walls immediately alert the nearest outpost about intrusion attempts and triggers action from a Quick Response Tool(QRT), which is IoT device, developed by CRON Systems, a Delhi-based defence IoT company. 2.CRON Systems has developed Kavach laser walls after working with our jawans on ground and thoroughly understanding their needs and challenges.It takes five KVx-series walls, connected with infra-red, to secure a kilometre-long stretch. Each wall is connected with a quick response tool (QRT), an IoT device, to help jawans respond to alerts.