May 15. DIPLOMACY:
French President Francois Hollande becomes first Western head of state to attend GCC summit @Riyadh. France to supply 24 Rafale jets to Qatar for 7 billion $.
Pranab Visit to Russia to commemorate 70 years of end of WW2. Hindu gone crazier than usual, running daily report recycling the same sentences as if nothing else to report. ⇒ US and EU leaders had attended 50th and 60th commemoration but not attending this one to protest against Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. ⇒ 25 nations including BRICS, will participate though. India participating because Russia too had supported us in our ‘difficult’ times.⇒ Military parade on 9th May. Russia to display latest T-14 Armata tanks. India’s Nine Grenadiers to participate in parade, with Russia’s Red Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Modi’s visit to China, South Korea and Mongolia in May week2. He’ll visit Russia twice in 2015: BRICS summit @July and Bilateral India-Russia Summit in November.
ECONOMY:
Most bank use magnetic stripe based credit / debit cards. RBI ordered them to switch to only EVM chip-based and PIN-enabled cards from 1st September because Sept.1 because they protect against counterfeit (skimming) and lost and stolen card fraud. ⇒ State Bank of India (SBI) in association with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched ‘State Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card’ for high networthy individuals. It gives 5% cash-back on utility bill payments, 1% fuel surcharge waiver and complimentary airport lounge access.
Cabinet approves 3 social security schemes (1) Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) (3) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) (3) Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY): 1 year accidental death-cum-disability cover. ⇒ 2 lakh for death ⇒ 2 lakh if both eyes, hands, legs gone ⇒ 1 lakh if 1 eye,hand,leg gone. ⇒ 18 to 70 y.o. savings account holders eligible. ⇒ Premium of Rs. 12 per annum per subscriber, auto-debited from your bank account. Breakup: 10 Rs. To insurance company, 1 rupee to agent, 1 rupee to bank ⇒ Validity 1 year, can be renewed. ⇒ General insurance companies – public and private sector, will be implementing this.
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana: (PMJJBY) ⇒ 1 year life insurance cover worth Rs.2 lakh rupees ⇒ Death by any reason eligible ⇒ LIC and other life insurance companies to implement ⇒ premium: 330 per year per person, auto debited from bank savings account. Breakup: 289 to Insurance co. Rs.30 to agent, Rs.11 to bank ⇒ eligible 18-50 years savings account holder. If he has multiple savings account- he can join only once. Atal Pension Yojana (APY): ⇒ for unorganized workers, pension after 60 years age. ⇒ Rs.1k, 2k, 3k, 4k and 5k per month, depending on contribution by the client. ⇒ eligibility: 18 to 40 years ⇒ PFRDA to implement, money autodebited from your bank account ⇒ Government to contribute equal amount in the fund, if you’re not an income tax payer, and not covered in any other social security scheme of Government such as EPFO, Coal Mines, Tea plantation, Seamen’s provident fund, J&K employee PF etc. ⇒ Previous Swavlamban scheme had similar feature- Government to co-contribute in unorganized sector worker’s NPS account. Now all those Swavlamban accounts to be migrated to Atal Pension Yojana, unless the client wants to opt out. Then he’ll continue in NPS.
Kazi Nazrul Islam (KNI) Airport in West Bengal is India’s country’s first private greenfield airport. PM Modi planning to Inaugurate it and become first passenger.
Inland waterways: China, Europe >40% goods moved through inland waterways, while in India hardly 3%. ⇒ We’ve Total inland water way >14,000 kms. ⇒ Cost of transporting goods per kms: road- Rs.1.5, Rail-Rs.1, inland waterway just 30 paise. Till now we had five laws for five inland water ways viz. (1) Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system (Allahabad-Haldia-1620 km); (2) Brahmaputra (Dhubri-Sadiya-891 km) (3) West Coast Canal (Kottapuram-Kollam) along with Udyogmandal and Champakara Canals-(205 km) (4) Kakinada-Puducherry canals at Godavari and Krishna rivers (1078 km) (5) East Coast Canal at Brahmani river and Mahanadi delta rivers (588 km). ⇒ National Waterways Bill 2015 consolidates them into a single law. ⇒ 7th Sch. Entry 24 allows union to make laws on inland waterways- their shipping, navigation. ⇒ this new bill wants to create 101 waterways.
GOVERNANCE:
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014 passed in Lok Sabha. ⇒ Teens between 16-18 ages be tried as adults for heinous crimes such as murder and rape. But Juvenile Justice Board (including psychologists and social experts) will decide on case by case basis, whether given teenager should be tried a ‘child’ or as an ‘adult.⇒ Such 16-18 y.o. juvenile will remain in Borstal. Borstal is an institution meant adolescent offenders. If post-21 years any signs of reform seen then their sentence will be reduced. ⇒ no provision for death sentence or life imprisonment. ⇒ If minor did crime in 16-18 age but was caught post-21 age, then he’d *not* be tried as an adult. It all depends on board decision.
Gujarat cadre IAS officer Achal Kumar Jyoti appointed as Election Commissioner.
1941: Delhi special police Establishment act. 1963: CBI setup via home Ministry resolution. D.P. Kohli was the founder director of the CBI (1963).
J Bill Pro Arguments: ⇒ National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics says 3,887 juveniles committed heinous crimes in 2013 alone. ⇒ SC itself asked Government to relook into this. ⇒ Yes in poverty and envy the teens may commit crime but its no justification they should not be punished.
JJ Bill Anti Arguments: ⇒ Teens from SC/ST and other sections will be persecuted. ⇒ hardly ~1400 juvenile rape cases. (5% of total rape cases). And in many those cases, matter was of elopement / consensual sex. So, it’s a misconception that juveniles rapists are rising in number. ⇒ 80% juveniles criminals come from <50k /per year income group., 50% of them did not finish primary school. So better focus on their education and vocational skills first. ⇒ SC upheld present system in Swamy vs Raju (2014) and Salil Bali vs Union of India (2013) ⇒ Juvenile criminal involved in the Nirbhaya gangrape, was a misguided teenager with traumatic childhood, who received no support from child welfare agencies, and therefore and developing the bad company of crooks. ⇒ Today’s ads, TV & movies encourage children towards sex, alcohol and drugs.
119th Amendment bill 2013: ⇒ was pending in Rajya Sabha since 2013. Finally passed. ⇒ It operationalizes the 1974 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement. ⇒ Land transfer to occur at West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam. ⇒ India will get 2,777.038 acres and transfer 2,267.682 acres to Bangladesh. ⇒ 90% fencing finished. But work delayed thanks to land acquisition, wildlife clearance and protests by locals. ⇒ In 1974, India had transferred Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. Now DMK, CPI et al demanding Government to take it back because the transfer was against SC verdict on Berubari case.
ENVIRONMENT/AGRO:
Antarctica is surrounded by Southern Ocean. This ocean accounts for 10% of the world’s oceans and 50% of marine mammal biomass. It has multiple species of pinnipeds and whales ⇒ Examples of Pinniped- walrus, sea lions and seal. They have whiskers & legs are modified flippers. ⇒ Ocean is in news because of Adelies penguins. ⇒ Adelies penguins are migratory species, feed on krill & fish, smallest penguin in this ocean.
Threats to Taj Mahal ⇒ 50k visitors a day, causing wear and tear to the marble floor. ⇒ Because of SC intervention, sulphur dioxide emission is reduced. But still carbon particles from vehicles and industries present. Given the heat, Mineral impurities of marble get oxidised and create brown stains. ⇒ Agra lies in a semi-arid zone, with ~49C in Summer. Hot winds have abrasive effect on marble ⇒ Rain causes chipping, cracking and weathering effect on marbel. ⇒ The iron dowels used to fix the marble slabs on the building are getting rusted. get rusted and the rust flows down with rain, getting deposited on the marble.
The 2016-Simhastha Kumbha, to be held in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. Following eco-friendly measures taken ⇒ ban on plastic ⇒ only bicycles and battery-operated vehicles allowed.
Gotland islands belongs to Norway and located in Baltic sea. But Facebook showing it in Norway, hence controversy. Location becomes important for world Geography MCQ
A new concept called ecological engineering to reduce pests. Ecological engineering concept by Hyderabad research institute. ⇒ Focus on pest management through biocontrol agents and bio pesticides. No chemical spray is required.
At present Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund gives tax exemption to donors. But this money can be used only to help Indian citizens. ⇒ Modi asked people to donate here for Nepal
earthquake so, So than guidelines have to be amended. ⇒ Although under India-Nepal Friendship Treaty (1950), our government can give “national treatment” to Nepalis for property and commercial rights. So PM is free to use his discretionary powers to extend the fund for Nepali citizens.
SCIENCE TECH, IT , DEFENCE, HEALTHCARE:
Indo-French naval exercise (VARUNA) concluded at Panaji, Goa. 1983: joint exercises begin. 2001: renamed as Varuna. 2015: fourth edition of the joint exercise.
Mid 90s: Dr.Kalam proposes ballistic missile defense system (BMD) i.e. a missile that can shoot down enemy missiles. DRDO began working since Late 90s to provide cover for Delhi, Mumbai etc. Anti-arguments ⇒ tests failed last month ⇒ will encourage Pak. to produce more missiles, to simultaneously attack multiple targets in India ⇒ US Senate report says BMDs have only 30% success rate, yet costs are prohibitive e.g. for Each Indian city such missile defense shield to cost ~1 lakh crore minimum. ⇒ for a fully functional BMD, you need radars, command-control-centre and geo-stationary satellite- we don’t have that satellite yet.
Asthma: airways shrink, because of immunological response to an allergen such as dust, food additives etc. Allergan vary from person to person⇒ Narrowed airways means difficulty in breathing. ⇒ Asthma is not curable but fully controllable, with proper treatment. ⇒ Asthama inhalers contain Bronchodilators & similar anti-inflammatory agents that help relaxing the airway ⇒ May 5 World Asthama Day.
Blackberry (Canadian Company) had aquired Movirtu for virtual identity solutions provider. Blackberry now sought permission from Indian Government to launch Virtual SIM cards that will allow customers to use nine different numbers through a single SIM ⇒ system already started in Africa. ⇒ this system works with all type of smartphone whether android, iphone or windows based.
Autism= auto+ism. It’s a complex neuro-development disorder ⇒ problem in language skills & communication. ⇒ Symptoms begin at age of 3. ⇒ Government recognizes it as a disability.
Opto Circuits India is a Medical devices maker. Its product Powerheart G5 AED got approval by USFDA ⇒ AED =Automated external defibrillator (AED). ⇒ During Cardiac arrest, defibrillators give electrical shock to revive the heart.
UN Road Safety Week: theme ‘Children and Road Safety ⇒ World Red Cross Day: 8th May. 2015 marks 50th Anniversary.
CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) is world’s biggest particle physics laboratory . CERN operates the Large Hadron Collider. Until now India was an observer. Now Cabinet clears India’s “associate membership” to CERN. Total 21 member States.
The boiling point of milk (100.17C) is slightly higher than of water (100C). When milk heated, its relatively less dense constituents like the fat/proteins begin to float on top cream layer. So, milk vapor can’t pass through this upper layer. So, at boiling point milk will overflow due to large quantity of milk vapor rupturing the cream layer. ⇒ Milk cooker is a double-walled vessel. Its gap has water, which boils before milk. So, inner vessel remains at 100C. So, cream layer forms but milk vapor doesn’t form. That’s why milk will not overflow in a milk cooker.
Government prohibits hotels and farmhouses From using laser lights near airports because it creates confusion to the pilot.
2004: NASA’s Messenger spacecraft Launched to investigate mercury planet. It gave information about Mercury’s magnetic anomalies and ice polar craters. 2015: it crashed on Mercury, because of the sun’s gravitational pull.
Babasaheb Purandare is a right wing historian and Shiv Sena leader. He’s nicknamed “Shiv Sahir” (Shivaji’s poet) because of his bestselling narrative Raja Shiva Chatrapati and Janata Raja ⇒ Maharashtra Government to give him “Maharashtra Bhushan” award. Controversy because ⇒ Purandare’s versions don’t match with other historians such as Sir Jadunath Sarkar (“Shivaji and his times”) and Govind Pansare (“Who was Shivaji”). ⇒ Purandare says Shivaji’s birth date as February 19, 1630. But Sir Jadunath Sarkar said it was April 6, 1627. ⇒ Sambhaji Brigade’s founder Purushottam Khedekar alleges that Purandare twisted facts about Shivaji to stok tensions between Hindus and Muslims.
Chetan Bhagat’s novel Half Girlfriend. He had portrayed royal family of Dumraon (Bihar) in poor light. ⇒ Dumraon acceded to Indian Union in 1952. Last ruler Maharaja Bahadur Kamal Singh. His descendants went to court against Bhagat’s novel. Bhagat agreed to change name of place from “Dumraon” to a fictional place “Simraon”
Rakhigarhi village in Haryana- Harappan burial mound with 4 skeletons found from Mature Harappan period (2600 BCE-1900 BCE). 2 men, 1 woman, 1 child. S.Korean university extracted DNA from it to predict their skin,hair colors and facial features. This site also has Harappan painted pottery, goblets, terracotta figurines of wild boar and dogs, and furnaces and hearths-meaning possible bangle and bead-making industry.
Buddha Purnima celebrated on May 4th. Modi wisdom: ⇒ Lord Buddha’s teaching of ‘Atta Deepo Bhavah’ (Be your own light) is one of the greatest and shortest management lessons ever, ⇒ Buddhism as the way to a world free of war and violence. ⇒ 21st Century belongs to Asia and Buddha’s message will be guiding light for Asia.