Most Probable Topics (301-400)

Generally,one question is related to terms associated with WTO every year.We have posted the complete glossary of all important terms as a single article in Pro section.Here we are enlisting the most important ones out of them-

1. Amber box subsidies (asked earlier)

This refers to subsidies that support the prices or the production of agricultural products which have to be reduced or eliminated under the Agreement o Agriculture.

Green box subsidies

This refers to that category of agricultural subsidies that are government-funded and do not involve price support. Under the AoA, these subsidies are given the “green light” in that they need not be reduced or eliminated.

Blue box subsidies

This refers to subsidies or direct payments to agricultural producers that are provided by WTO Members under the Agreement on Agriculture .Such payments must be part of programs aimed at limiting agricultural production and must also meet certain specified production-related criteria. These payments do not need to be reduced or eliminated.

Doha issues  (asked in previous Prelims exam)

These are the new issues that have been placed on the  WTO’s discussion agenda as a result of the Doha Ministerial Declaration. These issues are to be discussed by two new working groups and by the

General Council (through the CTD in special sessions), and include the following: (i) the relationship between trade, debt, and finance to be handled by the Working Group on Trade, Debt, and Finance; (ii) the relationship between trade and transfer of technology to be handled by the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology; and (iii) issues relating to the trade of small economies to be handled by the General Council, through the CTD in special sessions.

Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) (asked earlier)

This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that sets out the rules under which WTO Members may establish and apply sanitary and phytosanitary measures that could  directly or indirectly affect international trade in goods.

Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement)

This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that sets out the rules under which WTO Members may provide and apply subsidies for domestic products or impose  countervailing measures on subsidized imported products.

Special and differential treatment (S&D) (asked in previous prelims)

This refers to the principle that would provide developing countries with special privileges vis-à-vis  compliance with WTO obligations in view of their different or lower state of economic development. This usually takes the form of exemptions from some WTO rules or else in the form of special trade rights (such as longer transition periods or lesser degrees of trade liberalization needed).

Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS Agreement)

This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that, among others, makes the trade concepts of national treatment and most favoured nation treatment applicable to the protection, application, and use of IPRs. Any violation of the TRIPS Agreement can be brought for dispute settlement under the DSU. Like most other Uruguay Round agreements, this agreement is binding on all WTO Members.

Trade-related Investment Measures Agreement (TRIMS Agreement)

This is the Uruguay Round agreement annexed to the WTO Agreement that covers and sets up rules under which the provisions of GATT 1994 requiring national treatment, prohibiting quantitative restrictions, and requiring transparency, are made applicable to  measures that WTO Members may adopt or implement to encourage or regulate investments. Any violation of the TRIMS Agreement can be brought for dispute settlement under the DSU. Like most other Uruguay Round agreements, this agreement is binding on all WTO Members.

Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)

These refer to trade restrictions that are effectively caused by technical regulations or standards such as packaging or labeling requirements, certification requirements, sanitary or phytosanitary measures, testing requirements, health and safety regulations, product quality standards, etc.

Quantitative Restrictions (QRs)

These are trade measures that impose a quantitative limit or cap on the importation or exportation of specific goods. It includes import or export bans or embargoes, quotas, non-automatic licensing requirements, and voluntary export restraints.

Eco-labeling

This refers to packaging or labeling requirements that indicate the environmental origin, performance, or characteristics of a particular product.

2. Most Favored Nation treatment (MFN)

This means that WTO Members are normally required not to prefer or favor one or some WTO Member over other WTO Members. There should be equal treatment in terms of market access for goods, services, service suppliers, and IPRs coming from other WTO Members regardless of origin. This is reflected in Article I of GATT 1994, Article II of GATS, and Article 4 of the TRIPS Agreement.

(full article in strategic articles section)

National Treatment (NT)

This refers to the obligation to treat domestic and imported goods, services, service suppliers, investments, and IPRs equally or in the same way.

3. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code- Recent SC judgement
4. Bretton Woods Institutions- World Bank and IMF- important every year- 75^th anniversary in 2019.

5. Inflation

6. Project Sashakt

It is aimed at helping the banks retain and recover the value of stressed assets and improve the credit culture & capacity in the long run. It is a five-pronged strategy towards  resolution of stressed assets, as recommended by Sunil Mehta Committee.

7. Non-performing asset (NPA)

It is a loan or advance for which the principal or interest payment remained overdue for a  period of 90 days or more. In case of Agriculture/Farm Loans, the NPA varies for short duration crop (interest not paid for 2 crop seasons) and long duration crops (interest not paid for 1 Crop season).

Classification of NPAs-

• Substandard assets: Assets which have remained NPA for a period less than or equal to 12 months.
• Doubtful assets: Assets which have remained in the substandard category for a period of 12 months
• Loss assets: Loss asset is considered uncollectible and of such little value that its continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted, although there may be some salvage or recovery value.

8. National Mineral Policy- 2019

• Introduction of Right of First Refusal for reconnaissance permit and prospecting license (RP/PL) holders- for encouraging the private sector to take up exploration.
• Encouragement of merger and acquisition of mining entities and transfer of mining leases
• Creation of dedicated mineral corridors to boost private sector mining areas.
• Granting status of industry to mining activity.
• Long-term import export policy will help private sector in better planning and stability in business.
• Auction unused reserved areas given to PSUs to give opportunity to private sector.
• Introduces the concept of Inter-Generational Equity that deals with the well-being not only of the present generation but also of the generations to come.
• Incorporation of e-governance- IT enabled systems, awareness and information campaigns
• Focus on using waterways- coastal waterways and inland shipping for evacuation and transportation of minerals.

9. Data Localization

RBI issued a circular mandating that payment data be stored only in India. Data localization is a concept that the personal data of a country’s residents should be processed and stored in that country. Some directives may restrict flow entirely, while others more leniently allow for conditional data sharing or data mirroring – in which only a copy has to be stored in the country.

10. NATIONAL RURAL ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION PROJECT

The World Bank and the Government of India has recently signed a $250 Million Agreement for the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP).

It would support enterprise development programmes for rural poor women and youth by creating a platform to access finance. It will also support youth skills development, in coordination with the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana. Peer-to-peer learning, a successful strategy under the NRLP will also continue to be used in this project.

11. SWAYATT is an initiative to promote Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions on Government e Marketplace (GeM).

GeM Start-up Runway is an initiative of GeM in association with Start -up India to facilitate Start-ups registered with Start -up India to access the public procurement market and sell innovative products and services to government buyers.

12. SAMADHAN PORTAL

Ministry of Labour and Employment launched Samadhan (Software Application for Monitoring and Disposal, Handling of Industrial Disputes) portal for conciliation, arbitration and adjudication of the industrial disputes.

13. Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (UCIL)

• under the Department of Atomic Energy, is the only organisation responsible for mining and processing of uranium ore for commercial purposes.Uranium mined by the UCIL is used for weapons and civil nuclear programmes both. The imported uranium is used for civil nuclear energy purposes only. Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) is responsible for survey and exploration of atomic mineral reserves in India.

14. SHAKTI

– SCHEME FOR HARNESSING AND ALLOCATING KOYALA TRANSPARENTLY IN INDIA SCHEME

– It is a transformational policy for auction and allotment of coal linkages. This policy will award fuel supply agreements (FSA) to coal plants already holding letters of assurance (LoAs).

15. COAL MINE SURVEILLANCE & MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMSMS)

• Launched by Ministry of Coal
• for reporting, monitoring and taking suitable action on unauthorised coal mining activities.
• It is a web based GIS application through which location of sites for unauthorised mining can be detected.
• The basic platform used in the system is of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology’s (MeiTY) map which provides village level information.
• Khan Prahari App– It is a tool for reporting any activity taking place related to illegal coal mining like rat hole mining, pilferage etc. Responsible citizens can also provide information using this.

16. UTTAM

• UNLOCKING TRANSPARENCY BY THIRD PARTY ASSESSMENT OF MINED COAL APP
• It aims to ensure transparency and efficiency in coal quality monitoring process.

17. ADVANCED MOTOR FUELS TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION PROGRAMME (AMF-TCP)

• India is joining Advanced Motor Fuels Technology Collaboration Programme as a member.
• It is one of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) transportation related Technology Collaboration Programme and will be implemented by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas with a vision to establish a sustainable transportation system that uses advanced, alternative, and renewable fuels, has reduced emissions and meets needs for personal and goods mobility on a local and global scale.

18. Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Regions (PCPIRs)

• It is cluster-based development model for setting up manufacturing facilities for both domestic consumption and exports in Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals.

19. Hydrocarbons Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP)

20. National Housing Bank

• It is a statutory body set up to operate as the principal agency to promote and regulate housing finance institutions in India both at local and regional level.
• It launched NHB Residex, the first official residential housing price index in 2007.

21. CREDIT ENHANCEMENT FUND

• Union Government is planning to launch a ₹500 crore Credit Enhancement Fund (CEF) to facilitate infrastructure investment by insurance and pension funds.
• The initial corpus of the fund, to be sponsored by IIFCL (India Infrastructure Finance Company), will be ₹500 crore, and it will operate as a non-banking finance company. It will provide credit enhancement for infrastructure projects which will help in upgrading credit ratings of bonds issued by infrastructure companies and facilitate investment from investors like pension and insurance funds.

22. The National Digital Communications Policy, 2018

The National Digital Communications Policy, 2018 seeks to unlock the transformative power of digital communications networks – to achieve the goal of digital empowerment and improved well-being of the people of India; and towards this end, attempts to outline a set of goals, initiatives, strategies and intended policy outcomes.

The National Communications Policy aims to accomplish the following Strategic Objectives by 2022:

1. Provisioning of Broadband for All
2. Creating 4 Million additional jobs in the Digital Communications sector
3. Enhancing the contribution of the Digital Communications sector to 8% of India’s GDP from ~ 6% in 2017
4. Propelling India to the Top 50 Nations in the ICT Development Index of ITU from 134 in 2017 5. Enhancing India’s contribution to Global Value Chains
5. Ensuring Digital Sovereignty

• Missions
• a) Connect India:

Establishing a ‘National Broadband Mission – Rashtriya Broadband Abhiyan’ to secure universal broadband access, to be funded through USOF and Public Private Partnerships.  BharatNet: Providing 1 Gbps to Gram Panchayats upgradeable to 10 Gbps

GramNet: Connecting all key rural development institutions with 10 Mbps upgradeable to 100 Mbps

NagarNet: Establishing 1 Million public Wi-Fi Hotspots in urban areas

JanWiFi: Establishing 2 Million Wi-Fi Hotspots in rural areas

• ‘Fibre First Initiative’ to take fibre network to Tier I/II/III towns & rural clusters
• Establishment of a National Digital Grid by creating a National Fibre Authority, enabling Infrastructure Convergence of IT, telecom and broadcasting by restructuring of regulatory frameworks, creating a Broadband Readiness Index for States/ UTs, facilitate the establishment of Mobile Tower Infrastructure etc.
• Recognizing Spectrum as a key natural resource
• Strengthening Satellite Communication Technologies in India
• Ensuring Customer Satisfaction, Quality of Service and effective Grievance Redressal by establishing Telecom Ombudsman and a centralized web-based complaint redressal system

• b) Propel India:

• Catalyzing Investments for Digital Communications sector by according telecom infrastructure the status of Critical and Essential Infrastructure, creating a roadmap for harnessing emerging technologies and promote local manufacturing and value addition.

• c) Secure India:

• Establishing a strong, flexible and robust Data Protection Regime, assuring security of digital communications by formulating a policy on encryption and data retention, instituting a sectoral Cyber Security Incidence Response System (CSIRT)
• Establishing a Pan-India network for Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) and framing & enforcing standard operating procedures to be followed during disasters and natural calamities.

23. PRAAPTI

• A web portal called PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators)
• It will capture invoicing and payment data in long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPAs) from the Generators.
• It would also help DISCOMs and GENCOs to reconcile their outstanding payments and enhance transparency in power purchase transactions.
• It would facilitate assessment of financial performance of DISCOMs.

24. PARIWARTAN

• Plan by Rural Electrification Corporation(REC)
• Under the plan a special purpose vehicle is proposed, a subsidiary company to securitize assets, be set up with Power Finance Corp and the lending banks, which would be overlooked by an asset management company.
• The goal of this scheme is to run these power assets to service their current debt, and look at breaking even before the lenders decide to takeover or sell the assets.
• The scheme is similar to SAMADHAN (Scheme of Asset Management and Debt Change Structure) under which the SBI led bankers’ consortium took over unsustainable debt of stressed power plants to avoid their liquidation.

25. Smart Meters

• measure and record electricity use at different times of the day and send this information to the energy supplier.
• allow two-way communication, between energy providers & consumers of electricity.
• might help in reducing the operational cost of distribution companies, enable remote metering, prevent thefts and pilferage and allow better load management.

26. Cabotage

• It to shipping along coastal routes between foreign sea ports & also to the restriction on the operation of vessels between sea ports within a particular country.
• It is governed by the Merchant Shipping Act (MSA) of 1958.
• It aims to protect domestic shipping industry from foreign competition as well as for the purpose of national security.

27. Freight Village

• “A freight village is a defined area within which all activities relating to transport, logistics and the distribution of goods, both for national and international transit, are carried out by various operators”
• India’s first freight village is being developed in Varanasi.
• The village is being funded by the World Bank and it is being developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India.

28. Inland Waterways of India

29. NABH Nirman Initiative

• NABH (NEXTGEN AIRPORTS FOR BHARAT) NIRMAN INITIATIVE
• Announced in Budget 2018-19, it seeks expansion of airport capacity more than 5 times to handle a billion trips a year.
• It aims to establish about 100 airports in 15 years at an estimated investment of Rs 4 lakh crore, a large part of the investment to be leveraged from private sector

30. WATER AERODROME

• water aerodrome is an area of open water that can be used by seaplanes as well as amphibious aircraft to land and take off.
• The Airports Authority of India has identified 5 states i.e. Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh where water aerodromes would be developed
• In its first phase, water aerodrome will be established at Chilika Lake in Odisha, Sardar Sarovar Dam and Sabarmati River Front in Gujarat.

31. Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)

32. National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy (NPPP)
    

Imortant features-

• Methodology of price fixation: Ceiling prices of essential drugs is fixed based on simple average of the prices of all brands of the drug (in a particular therapeutic segment), which have at least 1% market share.
• Revision of prices: Ceiling prices of scheduled medicines are allowed an annual increase as per the Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
• Non-scheduled formulations: Non-scheduled medicines are allowed a price increase of 10% per annum only, to control the overall prices of drugs.
• No separate price for imported drugs (if mentioned in Schedule 1 of DPCO).

33. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT (ITA) – WTO

• US and China have objected to India’s customs duties on information and communications technology (ICT) products on grounds that India is not adhering to the commitments under WTO’s ITA.
• Information Technology Agreement (ITA) is a plurilateral agreement which aims to completely eliminate all taxes and tariffs on information technology products by signatory parties

34. Technical Textiles

• textile material & products manufactured primarily for technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic and decorative characteristics.
• They can be made from any fibre yarn or filament of purely natural or synthetic origin .
• application not only in clothing but also in areas like agriculture (fishing nets), medical (sanitary napkins), infrastructure (wall coverings), automotive, aerospace, sports, defence and packaging.

35. NATIONAL MISSION ON GOVERNMENT E-MARKETPLACE

• GeM – It has been envisaged by Government of India as the National Procurement Portal of India.It is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface. It makes the process more transparent and efficient with complete security features due to e-sign at various stages.

36. Bureau of Indian Standards

• It is the National Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
• It is governed by Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016
• It provides various certification marks such as:
• BIS Hallmark for purity benchmarking for gold and silver jewellery.
• EcoMark for products conforming to a set of standards aimed at the least impact on the ecosystem).
• ISI Mark for industrial products. Mandatory for products such as electrical appliances like switches, electric motors, wiring cables, heaters, kitchen appliances, Portland cement, LPG valves, LPG cylinders, automotive tires.

37. CRISIDEX INDEX

• India’s first sentiment index, has been launched for micro and small enterprises (MSEs).
• CriSidEx is a composite index, developed jointly by CRISIL & SIDBI, based on a diffusion index of 8 parameters and measures MSE business sentiment on a scale of 0 (extremely negative) to 200 (extremely positive).

38. Baba Kalyani committee –

• Constituted by Ministry of Commerce to study the SEZ Policy of India

SEZ

• Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a specifically delineated duty-free enclave and deemed to be foreign territory for the purposes of trade operations and duties and tariffs.
• India’s SEZ Policy was implemented from 1 April, 2000. Subsequently the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 supported by SEZ Rules 2006 came into force.
• The Board of Approval chaired by the Secretary, Department of Commerce has been constituted by the Central Government in exercise of the powers conferred under the SEZ Act.

39. Sampark Portal – Launched by Ministry of MSME, it is a digital platform to connect job seekers with recruiters.
40. Solar Charkha Mission – Under this scheme, the capital subsidy and interest subvention will be provided for setting up solar charkha clusters (where Khadi will be produced on solar-energy operated charkhas).
41. Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) to organize the traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive.

42. National Policy on Electronics- 2019

Salient Features of NPE 2019

a) Create eco-system for globally competitive ESDM sector: Promoting domestic manufacturing and export in the entire value-chain of ESDM.

b)Provide incentives and support for manufacturing of core electronic components.

c)Provide special package of incentives for mega projects which are extremely high-tech and entail huge investments, such as semiconductor facilities display fabrication, etc.

d) Formulate suitable schemes and incentive mechanisms to encourage new units and expansion of existing units.

e) Promote Industry-led R&D and innovation in all sub-sectors of electronics, including grass root level innovations and early stage Start-ups in emerging technology areas such as 5G, loT/ Sensors, Artificial Intelligence (Al), Machine Learning, Virtual Reality (VR), Drones,   Robotics,   Additive   Manufacturing,   Photonics,   Nano-based devices, etc.

f) Provide   incentives   and   support   for   significantly   enhancingavailability of skilled manpower, including re-skilling.

g)Special  thrust  on  Fabless  Chip  Design  Industry,  Medical Electronic Devices Industry Automotive Electronics Industry andPower Electronics for Mobility and Strategic Electronics Industry.

h) Create Sovereign Patent Fund (SPF) to promote the developmentand acquisition of IPs in ESDM sector.

i) Promote trusted electronics value chain initiatives to improve national cyber security profile.

43. 4th Industrial Revolution

• 4 th IR refers to the combination of digital, biological & physical systems to completely transform the interaction between humans and machines and create optimum processes.
• It was a term coined by Klaus Schwab in 2016.
• It builds upon the first three industrial revolutions (steam power and mechanical production; assembly lines and electrification; and electronics and computing) using tools such as Big Data, AI, Augmented Reality, Internet of Things, Robotics & Additive manufacturing(read about these terms). Driverless Cars, Smart Robotics, Tougher Materials, 3D printing etc.

• World Economic Forum launched Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution in Maharashtra, India. The Centre has selected drones, artificial intelligence and blockchain as the first three projects.

• Located in Mumbai, this is the fourth such centre in the world after San Francisco, Tokyo and Beijing.

• This centre has been developed in partnership with the Government of India through the NITI Aayog.

44. National Policy on Software Products – 2019

To achieve the vision of NPSP-2019, the Policy has the following five Missions:

a) To promote the creation of a sustainable Indian software product industry, driven by intellectual property (IP), leading to a ten-fold increase in India share of the Global Software product market by 2025.

b) To nurture 10,000 technology startups in software product industry, including 1000 such technology startups in Tier-II and Tier-III towns & cities and generating direct and in-direct employment for 3.5 million people by 2025.

c) To create a talent pool for software product industry through (i) up-skilling of 1,000,000 IT professionals, (ii) motivating 100,000 school and college students and (iii) generating 10,000 specialized professionals that can provide leadership.

d) To build a cluster-based innovation driven ecosystem by developing 20 sectoral and strategically located software product development clusters having integrated ICT infrastructure, marketing, incubation, R&D/testbeds and mentoring support.

e) In order to evolve and monitor scheme & programmes for the implementation of this policy, National Software Products Mission will be set up with participation from Government, Academia and Industry.

45. FUTURE POLICY GOLD AWARD

• Sikkim has won the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award for its achievement in becoming the world’s first totally organic agriculture state.
• It is the first award that celebrates policies rather than people on an international level that create better living conditions for current and future generations.

46. Pokkali Paddy

Pokkali Paddy is a saltwater-tolerant paddy in the coastal fields of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts of Kerala. It is an indigenous method of rice-fish rotational cultivation practiced in the coastal belts. • This GI-Tagged paddy is a single-season (only one yield in a year) paddy raised in saltwater fields between June and November followed by a season of fish-farming. After the harvest, the paddy stubble in the fields acts as food and shelter for shrimp and small fish.

47. ENSURE PORTAL

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has launched an online portal “ENSURENational Livestock Mission- Entrepreneurship Development and Employment Generation (EDEG)” to make subsidy transfer process quicker & faster.

This portal has been developed by NABARD and operates under the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries.

48. 10^th Agriculture Census 2015-16
49. Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme (NBS)

• Under this scheme a fixed amount of subsidy decided on annual basis, is provided to fertilizer companies (other than Urea) depending on its nutrient content to fertilizer manufacturer.
• Under this scheme Minimum Retail Price (MRP) of Phosphatic & Potassic (P&K) fertilizers has been left open and the manufacturers/importers/marketers are allowed to fix MRP of P&K fertilizers at reasonable level.
• MRP will be decided taking into account the international and domestic prices of P&K fertilizers, exchange rate, and inventory level in the country.

50. Blue Economy

According to World Bank, Blue Economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.  It covers several sectors linked directly or indirectly to the oceans such as fishing, minerals, shipping and port infrastructure, marine biotechnology, marine renewable energy, marine tourism & ocean governance.

51. Following statements regarding Fisheries sector in India –

• 2 nd largest producer of fish and fresh water fish in the world.
• 68% production from inland fisheries & remaining 32% from marine fisheries.
• (Inland fisheries > Marine fisheries)

52. Krishi Kalyan Abhiyan

• launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare with an aim to aid and advice farmers to improve their farming techniques and raise their income.
• Distribution of soil health cards to all farmers
• 100% coverage of bovine vaccination for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in each village
• 100% coverage of Sheep and Goat for eradication of Peste des Petits ruminants (PPR)
• Artificial insemination saturation
• Demonstration programmes on Microirrigation and integrated cropping practice etc.
• It will be undertaken in 25 villages with more than 1000 population each in Aspirational Districts as identified in consultation with the Ministry of Rural Development in accordance with the guidelines of NITI Aayog.
• The overall coordination and implementation will be done by Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

53. PRADHAN MANTRI ANNADATA AAY SANRAKSHAN ABHIYAN (PMAASHA)

• It has 3 components complementing existing schemes of the Department of Food & Public Distribution:
• A) Price Support Scheme (PSS): Physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra will be done by National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) & Food Corporation of India.
• B)Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS): This will cover all oilseeds for which MSP is notified & Centre will pay the difference between MSP & actual selling/model price to farmer through DBT. Farmers who sell their crops in recognised mandis within the notified period can benefit from it.
• C)Pilot of Private Procurement and Stockiest Scheme (PPSS): A private player can procure crops at MSP when market prices drop below MSP & will then be compensated up to a maximum of 15% of MSP. This is optional for states and to be used for oilseeds procurement.

54. PRADHAN MANTRI KISAN SAMMAN NIDHI (PM-KISAN)

• To provide income support to all Small and Marginal landholding farmer families having cultivable land.
• To supplement the financial needs of the farmers in procuring various inputs to ensure proper crop health and appropriate yields, commensurate with the anticipated farm income
• Landholder Farmer families with total cultivable holding upto 2 hectares shall be provided a benefit of Rs.6000 per annum per family payable in three equal installments, every four months.
• Multiple land parcels (even if each is less than 2 hectares) held by a single family will be pooled together to determine eligibility.
• Even landholdings, bigger than 10 hectares, will be eligible for benefits under the scheme, if owned by multiple families (e.g. If five brothers jointly own a single 10 hectare holding, each of them will be eligible for the scheme)
• Responsibility of identifying the landholder farmer family eligible for benefit under the scheme shall be of the State/UT Government.

55. GDP calculation method in India

56. Index of Industrial Production

• It is a composite indicator that measures the short term changes in the volume of production of a basket of industrial products during a given period with respect to the base year 2011-12. –
• It is compiled and published monthly by CSO.
• Sectoral Composition of the IIP in decreasing order of weight: Manufacturing> Mining>Electricity.

57. Angel Tax

• It is a levy of 30% on the unlisted companies that have raised capital through sale of shares at a value above their fair market price. This excess capital is treated as income from other sources and is taxed.
• Fair value is a rational and unbiased estimate of the potential market price of a good, service, or asset. It is determined by the tax authorities.
• It was introduced in 2012 to prevent laundering of illegal wealth, by investing in shares of unlisted start-ups at extraordinary valuations.

58. Advance Pricing Agreement (APA)

It is a prospective agreement between a taxpayer and a tax authority, determining the transfer pricing methodology and liabilities in case of taxpayers’ international transactions to avoid future disputes. Taxpayers may enter into APAs with more than one tax authority – i.e., bilateral or multilateral APAs – through the mutual agreement procedure (MAP) included in most income tax treaties. Unilateral APAs involve agreements between only the taxpayer and one government.

59. CONTRACT FARMING

Under it, agricultural production (including livestock and poultry) can be carried out based on a pre-harvest agreement between buyers and producers.  It is aimed at reducing farmers’ risks by creating an assured market for their produce, while encouraging investment from agribusiness & food processing industries by enhancing productivity & cost efficiency.

60. CRISIL DRIP Index

• CRISIL released its rainfall parameter index also known as DRIP (Deficient Rainfall Impact Parameter) Index.
• Details DRIP Index move away from simply measuring rainfall volumetric data & captures the interaction between the most critical aspect of vulnerability (irrigation) and weather shocks.
• The higher the CRISIL DRIP score, the more adverse the impact of deficient rains.

61. PM SHRAM-YOGI MAANDHAN YOJANA (PMSYM)

Ministry of Labour and Employment launched pension plan ‘PM Shram-Yogi Maandhan Yojana’ for informal workers.

62. PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY (PLFS)

• National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has recently released draft report of the first Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS).
• PLFS was launched in 2017 by the NSSO, replacing the earlier Employment-Unemployment Survey where data was available only every 5 years.
• It is a regular survey for generating estimates of various labour force indicators on quarterly basis for urban areas and annual basis for both rural and urban areas, at State/UT and all-India level.
• It would supply data not only about the formal sector, but also about the informal sector.

63. Project Sashakt

• for the resolution of stressed assets in banking sector

64. INDIA POST PAYMENT BANK

• offers doorstep banking to customers.
• It has been incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 as a public limited company with 100% Government of India equity under Department of Posts (DoP) and is governed by the Reserve Bank of India.
• It aims to provide banking and financial services to people in rural areas, by linking all 1.55 lakh post office branches with IPPB. This will create the country’s largest banking network with a direct rural presence.
• It will not offer any ATM debit card. Instead, it will provide its customers a QR Code-based biometric card.

65. Banking Correspondents

They are individuals/entities engaged by a bank in India for providing banking services in unbanked / under-banked geographical territories. They work as an agent of the bank and substitutes for the brick and mortar branch of the bank.

66. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI)

• It is an initiative of RBI & Indian Banks Association (IBA) under provisions of the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, 2007
• It is the umbrella organization for all retail payments and settlement systems in the country.
• It also manages the UPI platform & links all the ATMs in India.
• Other initiatives under NPCI are: BHIM, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), RuPay, BharatQR, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), National Automated Clearing House (NACH) for financial institutions etc

67. UPI 2.0

• Linking of overdraft account to UPI apart from the savings and current accounts
• Allows pre-authorization of a transaction with payment scheduled at a later date
• Invoice to be sent by merchant to user’s inbox, allowing customers to check the credentials making the payments
• Notification sent to the user to check the authenticity of the merchants after scanning the QR code
• Transaction limit increased to 2 lakh daily (from 1 lakh). However, limits placed by individual banks and applications still remain.

68. Bharat 22 ETF

• Bharat 22 is an ETF that will comprise of bluechip stocks of 16 public sector enterprises, 3 public sector banks and three private companies (L&T, ITC & Axis Bank) where Specified Undertakings of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI) has stakes.
• ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company (AMC) will manage the ETF.

69. INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES CENTER AUTHORITY BILL -2019

• Union Cabinet has approved the International Financial Services Centres (IFSC) Authority Bill, 2019.
• SEZ act provides for the establishment of an IFSC in India within an SEZ in India and enables the Central Government to regulate IFSC activities.
• Gujarat International Finance Tech-City Co. Ltd (GIFT) is being developed as the country’s first IFSC.
• Any financial institution (or its branch) set up in the IFSC is treated as a non-resident Indian located outside India; expected to conduct business in such foreign currency and with such entities, whether resident or non-resident, as the Regulatory Authority may determine.

70. NATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING AUTHORITY

• It is established as an independent regulator to oversee auditing profession & accounting standards
• It will oversee the auditors of banks, insurers, electricity firms & other entities referred to it by the government.

71. Shale gas

Unlike conventional gas, which resides in highly porous and permeable reservoirs and can be easily tapped by standard vertical wells, shale gas remains trapped in its original source rock, the organic-rich shale that formed from the sedimentary deposition of mud, silt, clay, and organic matter on the floors of shallow seas.

The development of hydraulic fracturing technology (also known as hydrofracturing, hydrofracking, or simply fracking) has also improved access to shale gas deposits. This process requires injecting large volumes of water mixed with sand and fluid chemicals into the well at high pressure to fracture the rock, increasing permeability and production rates.  (Already asked in Prelims)

It’s a difficult and costly process.

72. Coalbed Methane

Coalbed methane (CBM or coal-bed methane is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds.In recent decades it has become an important source of energy in United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries.

The term refers to methane adsorbed into the solid matrix of the coal. It is called ‘sweet gas’ because of its lack of hydrogen sulfide. The presence of this gas is well known from its occurrence in underground coal mining, where it presents a serious safety risk. Coalbed methane is distinct from a typical sandstone or other conventional gas reservoir, as the methane is stored within the coal by a process called adsorption. The methane is in a near-liquid state, lining the inside of pores within the coal (called the matrix). The open fractures in the coal (called the cleats) can also contain free gas or can be saturated with water.

Unlike much natural gas from conventional reservoirs, coalbed methane contains very little heavier hydrocarbons such as propane or butane, and no natural-gas condensate. It often contains up to a few percent carbon dioxide.

73. Tight gas

Tight gas refers to natural gas that has migrated into a reservoir rock with high porosity but low permeability.

These types of reservoirs are not usually associated with oil and commonly require horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to increase well output to cost-effective levels.

74. Methane Hydrates

Methane hydrates, which consist of methane molecules trapped in a cage of water molecules, occur as crystalline solids in sediments in arctic regions and below the floor of the deep ocean. Although they look like ice, methane hydrates will burn if lit.

Methane hydrates are the most abundant unconventional natural gas source and also the most difficult to extract.

There is also a significant risk that rising temperatures from global warming could destabilize methane hydrate deposits, releasing the methane — a potent greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere, and further exacerbating the problem.

75. Biogenic gas

Certain types of bacteria, known as methanogens, can produce methane, the chief component of natural gas, in the process of breaking down organic matter in an oxygen-free environment.

This type of gas is call “biogenic” to differentiate it from the “thermogenic” or fossil gas produced from organic material buried in the Earth’s crust at high temperatures and pressures. The properties of biogenic methane are identical to those of thermogenic methane.

Livestock manure, food waste, and sewage are all potential sources of biogenic gas, or biogas, which is usually considered a form of renewable energy.

76. Biofuels

A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary biological processes, such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion. If the source biomatter can regrow quickly, the resulting fuel is said to be a form of renewable energy.

Biofuels can be derived directly from plants (i.e. energy crops), or indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial wastes. Renewable biofuels generally involve contemporary carbon fixation, such as those that occur in plants or microalgae through the process of photosynthesis. Other renewable biofuels are made through the use or conversion of biomass . This biomass can be converted to convenient energy-containing substances in three different ways: thermal conversion, chemical conversion, and biochemical conversion. .

Biofuels are in theory carbon-neutral because the carbon dioxide that is absorbed by the plants is equal to the carbon dioxide that is released when the fuel is burned.

Bioethanol is an alcohol made by fermentation, mostly from carbohydrates produced in sugar or starch crops such as corn, sugarcane, or sweet sorghum.

Jatropha curcas – a poisonous shrub-like tree that produces seeds considered by many to be a viable source of biofuels feedstock oil.

77. Biogas

Biogas is methane produced by the process of anaerobic digestion of organic material by anaerobes. It can be produced either from biodegradable waste materials or by the use of energy crops fed into anaerobic digesters to supplement gas yields. The solid byproduct, digestate, can be used as a biofuel or a fertilizer.

Biogas can be recovered from mechanical biological treatment waste processing systems. Landfill gas, a less clean form of biogas, is produced in landfills through naturally occurring anaerobic digestion. If it escapes into the atmosphere, it is a potential greenhouse gas.

Farmers can produce biogas from manure from their cattle by using anaerobic digesters.

78. Syngas

Syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and other hydrocarbons, is produced by partial combustion of biomass, that is, combustion with an amount of oxygen that is not sufficient to convert the biomass completely to carbon dioxide and water.Before partial combustion, the biomass is dried, and sometimes pyrolysed. The resulting gas mixture, syngas, is more efficient than direct combustion of the original biofuel; more of the energy contained in the fuel is extracted.

79. Algal Biofuel

Algae biofuel is an alternative to liquid fossil fuels that uses algae as its source of energy-rich oils. Algae fuels are an alternative to commonly known biofuel sources, such as corn and sugarcane.

Like fossil fuel, algae fuel releases CO2 when burnt, but unlike fossil fuel, algae fuel and other biofuels only release CO2 recently removed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis as the algae or plant grew. The energy crisis and the world food crisis have ignited interest in algaculture (farming algae) for making biodiesel and other biofuels using land unsuitable for agriculture.

Among algal fuels’ attractive characteristics are that

• they can be grown with minimal impact on fresh water resources
• can be produced using saline and wastewater,
• have a high flash point,
• and are biodegradable and relatively harmless to the environment if spilled.

Algae can be used to produce ‘green diesel’  through a hydrotreating refinery process that breaks molecules down into shorter hydrocarbon chains used in diesel engines.

Research into algae for the mass-production of oil focuses mainly on microalgae (organisms capable of photosynthesis that are less than 0.4 mm in diameter, including the diatoms and cyanobacteria) as opposed to macroalgae, such as seaweed. The preference for microalgae has come about due largely to their less complex structure, fast growth rates, and high oil-content (for some species). However, some research is being done into using seaweeds for biofuels, probably due to the high availability of this resource.

Species of Alage suitable for Biofuel Production-

Botryococcus braunii

Chlorella

Dunaliella tertiolecta

Gracilaria

Pleurochrysis carterae (also called CCMP647).[78]

Sargassum.

80. Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is the natural heat of the earth. Earth’s interior heat originated from its fiery consolidation of dust and gas over 4 billion years ago. It is continually regenerated by the decay of radioactive elements, that occur in all rocks.

From the surface down through the crust, the normal temperature gradient – the increase of temperature with the increase of depth – in the Earth’s crust is 17 °C — 30 °C per kilometer of depth (50 °F — 87 °F per mile).

Major geothermal fields are situated in circum-pacific margins, rift zones of East Africa, North Africa, Mediterranean basin of Europe, across Asia to Pacific.

There are four major types of Geothermal energy resources.

1. Hydrothermal
2. Geopressurised brines
3. Hot dry rocks
4. Magma

Currently, hydrothermal energy is being commercially used for electricity generation and for meeting thermal energy requirements.

81. Shale Gas ,Coalbed Methane ,Tight Gas in India

India has got technically recoverable shale gas of 96 trillion cubic feet.

The recoverable reserves are identified in-

 Cambay,

 Krishna – Godavari,

Cauvery,

Damodar Valley,

 Upper Assam,

 Pranahita – Godavari,

 Rajasthan and

Vindhya Basins.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has drilled the first exploratory shale gas well in Jambusar near Vadodara, Gujarat, in Cambay basin during October 2013.

82. Gas Hydrates

• They are formed when a gas such as methane gets trapped in well-defined cages of water molecules forming crystalline solids. It is a solid ice-like form of water that contains gas molecules in its molecular cavities.
• occur on continental margins and shelves
• associated with biologically rich cold seep ecosystems at the seafloor
• India has the second largest gas hydrate reserves after America.
• KG basin,Cauvery and Kerala basins

83. RE-WEAVE.IN

• launched by –Microsoft India
• It’s a e-commerce platform, under its Project ReWeave.
• The e-commerce platform hosts signature collections created by the weaver communities, showcase traditional designs and products created from natural dyes.
• Project ReWeave was launched in 2016 in partnership with Chaitanya Bharati, a Vishakhapatnam-based non-profit organization to ensure the revival of the traditional handloom art forms in the state

84. BHIM

• Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is a mobile app developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), based on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI).
• The app supports all Indian banks which use that platform, which is built over the Immediate Payment Service infrastructure and allows the user to instantly transfer money between bank accounts of any two parties.It can be used on all mobile devices.
• BHIM allow users to send or receive money to or from UPI payment addresses, or to non-UPI based accounts (by scanning a QR code with account number and IFSC code or MMID (Mobile Money Identifier) Code).
• Unlike mobile wallets (PayTM, MobiKwik, mPesa, Airtel Money etc) which hold money, the BHIM app is only a mechanism which transfers money between different bank accounts. Transactions on BHIM are nearly instantaneous and can be done 24/7 including weekends and bank holidays.
• BHIM also allows users to check the current balance in their bank accounts and to choose which account to use for conducting transactions, although only one can be active at any time.

• Users can create their own QR code for a fixed amount of money, which is helpful in merchant-seller-buyer transactions. Users can also have more than one payment address.

• If the 12-digit Aadhaar number is listed as a payment ID, the BHIM app will not require any biometric authentication or prior registration with the bank or Unified Payment Interface (UPI).

• Version 1.3 allows users to use mobile numbers from their contact book to send money and also save payment addresses for future use without needing to type the address again.

85. GOOGLE PAY /TEZ

• Tez was a mobile payments service by Google, targeted at users in India.It was rebranded to Google Pay on August 28, 2018.It operates atop the Unified Payments Interface, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India. It can be used where UPI payments are accepted. Tez works on the vast majority of India’s smartphones (with apps for both Android and iOS) .
• The application does not require users to share any personal information such as mobile numbers or usernames like other payment applications, instead uses Audio QR codes that rely on sound transmitted at a frequency inaudible to the human ear from the payee handset to the merchant handset. This technology does away with the need for NFC chips on the handsets and holds an additional advantage because a significant number of smartphones in India and other developing markets do not have NFC chips embedded.

86. USSD

• NUUP (National Unified USSD Platform) service (also known as *99# service) is based on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) service over USSD, initiated by the Government of India and developed by (NPCI) National Payments Corporation of India, to facilitate easy access banking services from mobile phones.
• USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) banking or *99# Banking is a mobile banking based digital payment mode. You do not need to have a smartphone or internet connection to use USSD banking. You can easily use it with any normal feature phone. USSD banking is as easy as checking your mobile balance. You can use this service for many financial and non-financial operations such as checking balance, sending money, changing MPIN and getting MMID.

87. Bio toilet

It is a type of toilet which disintegrates and decomposes the human waste into water and biogas. The decomposition is carried out by bacteria in the Bio-digestion tank.Methane is end result of decomposition.

Developed by DRDO for Indian Railways.

88. Japanese Encephalitis

• Japanese Encephalitis is a viral infection caused by RNA viruses belonging to the Flavivirus genus.

• It is a zoonosis – an animal disease that can spread to humans – primarily transmitted by evening biting Culex mosquitoes that feed on infected birds, pigs and other mammals passing the infection to humans living and working in rural areas around rice paddies and irrigation systems.

• Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an infection of the brain caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV).

• Pigs and wild birds serve as a reservoir for the virus.

89. Kyasanur Forest Disease

• Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to South India.
• The disease is caused by a virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae, which also includes yellow fever and dengue fever.

90. Electoral Bonds

91. MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT BRIEF 2018

• The World Bank recently released its Migration and Development Brief 2018.
• India has retained its spot as the world’s top remittance recipient.
• India was followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico ($36 billion), the Philippines ($34 billion) and Egypt ($29 billion)

92. NATIONAL INVESTMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

• NIIF is India’s first sovereign wealth fund that seeks to create long-term value for domestic and international investors seeking investment in Greenfield, Brownfield and Stalled infrastructure projects. This fund will invest only in commercially viable projects, which can pay back returns. NIIF is registered with SEBI as a Category II Alternative Investment Fund with a planned corpus of 40,000 crore.

93. Amnesty International

• Amnesty International is an NGO that is dedicated to the promotion and protection of internationally regarded human rights as declared in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Their goals, as described on their website, are to:-
• Stop violence against women
• Defend the rights and dignity of those trapped in poverty
• Abolish the death penalty
• Oppose torture and combat terror with justice
• Free prisoners of conscience
• Protect the rights of refugees and migrants
• Regulate the global arms trade

94. Oxfam International

• Oxfam International is an NGO which works with local partner organizations and people living under poverty trying to exercise their human rights. The areas Oxfam focuses on include development, emergencies, campaigning, advocacy and policy research.

95. Mercy Corps

• Mercy Corps is a global non-governmental, humanitarian aid organization operating in transitional contexts that have undergone, or have been undergoing, various forms of economic, environmental, social and political instabilities. The organization claims to have assisted more than 220 million people survive humanitarian conflicts, seek improvements in livelihoods, and deliver durable development to their communities.
• Mercy Corps proposes a mission to “alleviate suffering, purpose and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.”

96. Médecins Sans Frontières

• Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) of French origin best known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.
  

97. IUCN

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education.
• IUCN’s mission is to-
• “influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable“.
• Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.

98. WWF

• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of the wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.
• It was formerly named the World Wildlife Fund.
• WWF is the world’s largest conservation organization .
• WWF aims to “stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.”
• The Living Planet Report – is published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation. In addition, WWF has launched several notable worldwide campaigns including Earth Hour and Debt-for-Nature Swap, and its current work is organized around these six areas: food, climate, freshwater, wildlife, forests, and oceans.

99. Survival International

• Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples.

• The organisation’s campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples’ desires to keep their ancestral lands. Survival International calls these peoples “some of the most vulnerable on earth“, and aims to eradicate what it calls “misconceptions” used to justify violations of human rights. It also aims to publicize the perceived risks that tribes face from the actions of corporations and governments. Survival International states that it aims to help foster tribal people’s self-determination.

100. Greenpeace

• Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization . Greenpeace states its goal is to “ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity” and focuses its campaigning on worldwide issues such as climate change, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling, genetic engineering, and anti-nuclear issues. It uses direct action, lobbying, research, and ecotage to achieve its goals. The global organization does not accept funding from governments, corporations, or political parties, relying on three million individual supporters and foundation grants. Greenpeace has a general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council .