Most Probable Topics (401-500)

1.Great Indian Hornbill

– The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) , is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals. The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity. It is predominantly frugivorous, but is an opportunist and will prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds.

– Its one of the most effective seed dispersers.

 – They are hunted for meat, and the tribal communities use their feathers for head dresses.

Distribution- Western Ghats and North Eastern part of India,Himalayas.

IUCN- Vulnerable

The  rare Great Indian Hornbill was documented probably for the first time within Coonoor town in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu on April 10. The Great Indian Hornbill is the largest of the four hornbill species seen in the Nilgiris. But it has never been documented in the town before. It is mostly known to populated the lower Nilgiris, at around 1,200 metres above mean sea level.

2.Bt Brinjal

Brinjal has been genetically modified by inserting a protein gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to give protection against certain pests. The result is Bt brinjal, which was developed in India by Maharashtra-based seed company Mahyco.

It was on the verge of becoming India’s first GM food crop, when the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) cleared it for commercialisation in 2009, before doubts about the long-term impact on consumer health and plant biodiversity led then-Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to slap an indefinite moratorium on the crop.

3. Online Video Games

– Dota 2

– PUB G

-Fortnite

4. Groundnuts

Fatty acid composition defines groundnut oil quality. Six saturated fatty acids including palmitic acid constitute 10%, whereas oleic acid (monounsaturated fatty acid) together with linoleic acid (polyunsaturated fatty acid) constitutes nearly 80% of unsaturated fatty acid in groundnuts. It is highly desirable to increase the oleic acid content and reduce both linoleic acid and palmitic acid content.

Groundnuts grown in India have about 55% oleic acid, about 25% linoleic acid and around 10% palmitic acid, whereas in the U.S., several groundnut varieties have 80% oleic acid and just 2-3% linoleic acid. Efforts have been taken to increase the oleic acid content and reduce both linoleic and palmitic acid content for health benefits and to increase the shelf-life.

5. Tiger census

Held every 4 years

This is the fourth cycle of the tiger census. The first was conducted in 2006, second in 2010 and   third in 2014. A team of over 44,000 officials is working on the census along with 55 biologists, the WII scientist said.

According to the last survey conducted in 2014, the tiger count was 2,226

Number of states have increased this time. Nagaland, Manipur and Gujarat have been included this time besides the 18 tiger reign states.

Release in June 2019

6. Manuratna

– a high yielding rice variety developed by the Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Mannuthy, Thrissur, in 2017

7. Rythu Bandhu

– Farmers’ investment support scheme in Telangana, offering farmers ₹8,000 per acre in a bid to enhance agricultural productivity and… break the vicious cycle of rural indebtedness.

– Only land-owning farmers are eligible beneficiaries and there is no cap on the number of acres owned.

8. MONICA — short for ‘Model for Nitrogen and Carbon in Agro-Ecosystems’

– can supply solutions to uncertainties in the agriculture sector to a great extent.

 Its arguably the first crop simulation model (CSM) to be successfully integrated on a cloud platform.

CSMs are essentially decision-making, analytical tools that furnish farmers with plot-level advisories, taking into account parameters that determine crop productivity such as soil conditions and weather.

9. DeepFake

DeepFake is the portmanteau of ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake.’ One can even think of DeepFakes as the Internet’s ‘false positives’. Derived from the malicious use of FakeApp, a face-swapping software which utilises AI and graphics processors, the idea is to swap someone’s face with another and make it look like they’re doing or saying something they very well shouldn’t be.

10. World Wide Web

– 30 years

–Tim Berners-Lee invented it at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research beginning with a proposal published on March 12, 1989.

11. The Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new mysterious dark storm on Neptune and provided a fresh look at a long-lived storm circling around the north polar region on Uranus, NASA said.

Like Earth, Uranus and Neptune have seasons, which likely drive some of the features in their atmospheres, according to the U.S. space agency.

However, their seasons are much longer than on our planet, spanning decades rather than months, NASA said in a statement.

12. Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

– a native of the Americas, is a pest which destroyed maize crops in Karnataka.

Its an invasive species of pest.

The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) has sounded the alarm after the invasive agricultural pest Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) was discovered in Karnataka this July. A major maize pest in North America, the Fall Armyworm arrived in Africa in 2016. Since then, it has threatened the continent’s maize crop, a staple which feeds 300 million people.

The Karnataka finding is the first report of the pest in Asia. The discovery is more worrisome because the pest feeds on around 100 different crops, such as vegetables, rice, and sugarcane.

13. Integrated farming system (IFS)

– a host of activities, apart from agriculture, so that he or she gets a higher income than what he or she has been earning under the conventional way of farming, such as rearing milch cattles.

14. Gene editing has the potential to make hardier and more nutritious crops — as well as offering drug companies new ways to fight human disease.

15. According to statistics, the largest mangrove Sundarbans produce about 1.1 lakh kg of honey every year, while the third largest mangrove Bhitarkanika extract 30,000 kg. Coringa, Andhra Pradesh,the second largest mangrove in the country, is seeing an alarming decrease in the honeybee population. A study by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation on honey production in Coringa mangroves about four years ago has found that ‘aegiceras corniculatum,’ popularly known as ‘black mangroves’ andGuggilam in Telugu, is the source of quality nectar in Coringa, but the trees are felled for firewood.

16. Biosimilars

A biosimilar (also known as follow-on biologic or subsequent entry biologic) is a biologic medical product that is almost an identical copy of an original product that is manufactured by a different company.Biosimilars are officially approved versions of original “innovator” products and can be manufactured when the original product’s patent expires.Reference to the innovator product is an integral component of the approval.

Unlike with generic drugs of the more common small-molecule type, biologics generally exhibit high molecular complexity and may be quite sensitive to changes in manufacturing processes. Despite that heterogeneity, all biopharmaceuticals, including biosimilars, must maintain consistent quality and clinical performance throughout their lifecycle.

17. Denisovans

Analysis of a fossil jawbone containing molars recovered from Baishiya Karst cave in Xiahe, Gansu, China shows Denisovans lived in the Tibetan Plateau some 1,60,000 years ago.

The first evidence for Denisovans or Denisova hominins was first discovered in 2008 in a cave in the Altai mountains in Siberia. This is the first time evidence of Denisovan presence has been found outside the Denisova cave.

Denisovans are an extinct species of human of robust build, distributed from Siberia to SE Asia in the Upper Palaeolithic.

18.  40% of amphibian species, more than a third of all marine mammals threatened: UN report

Known as the Global Assessment, the report found that up to one million of Earth’s estimated eight million plant, insect and animal species is at risk of extinction, many within decades.

The authors identified industrial farming and fishing as major drivers with the current rate of species extinction tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the last 10 million years. Climate change caused by burning the coal, oil and gas produced by the fossil fuel industry is exacerbating the losses, the report found.- IPBES Report

The threatened list includes more than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33% of reef-forming corals, and more than a third of all marine mammals.

19. InSight Lander

NASA’s robotic Mars InSight lander has recorded a likely “marsquake” for the first time ever, the U.S. space agency said. The faint seismic signal, detected by the lander’s Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, was recorded on April 6, the lander’s 128th Martian day.

This is the first recorded trembling that appears to have come from inside the planet, as opposed to being caused by forces above the surface, such as wind, NASA said in a statement.

20. Raja Ravi Varma(29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906)

He was a celebrated Indian Malayali painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art for a number of aesthetic and broader social reasons. Firstly, his works are held to be among the best examples of the fusion of European techniques with a purely Indian sensibility. While continuing the tradition and aesthetics of Indian art, his paintings employed the latest European academic art techniques of the day. Secondly, he was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure.

In particular, his depictions of Hindu deities and episodes from the epics and Puranas have received profound acceptance from the public and are found, often as objects of worship, across the length and breadth of India.

Raja Ravi Varma was closely related to the royal family of Travancore of present-day Kerala state in India.

21. Fresco (plural frescos or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.

Mural, a painting applied to and made integral with the surface of a wall or ceiling.

22. Cheriyal

It’s an art form of painting scrolls for storytelling in Telangana.

 Named after the town, the form was practised by these families and their ancestors since the 12th Century.

23. The Gond paintings stand out for use of bright colours and intricate lines. The Gond art mostly represents a tree emerging out of birds (peacocks) and animals (ox, horse, deer, elephant and tiger).

The Koya artists draw on the surface motifs of their sacred ‘Hariveni’ posts, sacred flags and big bottle gourds.

The paintings of Naikpod tribals are reflections of face masks of their kings, Pandavas like Bheema, and traditional village temple deities.

24. Kotpad handloom fabric ,Odisha– Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

25. Koodiyattam

Koodiyattam , is a traditional performing artform in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of Koothu, a Tamil/Malayalam performing art which is as old as Sangam era. It is officially recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

26. Kathakali

Kathakali  is one of the major forms of classical Indian dance.It is a “story play” genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colorful make-up, costumes and facemasks that the traditionally male actor-dancers wear.  Kathakali is a Hindu performance art in the Malayalam-speaking southwestern region of India (Kerala).

The traditional themes of the Kathakali are folk mythologies, religious legends and spiritual ideas from the Hindu epics and the Puranas.[7] The vocal performance has traditionally been performed in Sanskritised Malayalam.

27. Kalamkari art– mentioned earlier also

(appeared thrice in the Hindu in recent past)

28. Official Secrets Act (India) (important this year because of Rafael Papers leak)
29. Representation of the People Act, 1951 ( important due to general elections this year)
30. Right to Information Act, 2005
31. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017
32. Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996
33. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
34. Environment Protection Act, 1986
35. Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
36. Citizenship Act

Important Areas for Map based Questions

37. Israel and Middle East
38. Indian Ocean Islands, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands
39. South China Sea disputed islands
40. Persian Gulf
41. Horn of Africa
42. Mediterranean Sea and lakes of Middle East, Seas& Straits around Mediterranean region
43. South East Asia, including Indonesian Archipelago, Malacca Strait
44. Eastern Europe(including Crimea) and Central Asia
45. WASSENAAR ARRANGEMENT

(Not to be confused with the Wassenaar Agreement)

The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies is a multilateral export control regime (MECR) with 42 participating states .The Wassenaar Arrangement was established to contribute to regional and international security and stability by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.

– established on 12 July 1996, in Wassenaar, the Netherlands

-Secretariat-  Vienna, Austria

Important Points-

1.India is the 42nd member since 2017.

2.China and Israel are not members.

3.Admission of new members requires the consensus of all members.

46. NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a multilateral export control regime and a group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.

-“Non-Proliferation Principle” adopted in 1994, whereby a supplier, notwithstanding other provisions in the NSG Guidelines, authorises a transfer only when satisfied that the transfer would not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

-The NSG was founded in response to the Indian nuclear test in May 1974 and first met in November 1975.

–48 members

-India is a not a member. China is a member.

47. Australia Group

The Australia Group is a multilateral export control regime (MECR) and an informal group of countries (now joined by the European Commission) established in 1985 (after the use of chemical weapons by Iraq in 1984) to help member countries to identify those exports which need to be controlled so as not to contribute to the spread of chemical and biological weapons.

-“no-undercut” requirement – any member of the group considering making an export to another state that had already been denied an export by any other member of the group must first consult with that member state before approving the export.

-“catch-all” provision –  member states to halt all exports that could be used by importers in chemical or biological weapons programs, regardless of whether the export is on the group’s control lists.

–Paris,France– venue of meeting every year

–India is the last member. China is not a member.

-43 members.

48. Missile Technology Control Regime

Established in April 1987, the voluntary Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) aims to limit the spread of ballistic missiles and other unmanned delivery systems that could be used for chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks. The regime urges its 35 members,which include most of the world’s key missile manufacturers, to restrict their exports of missiles and related technologies capable of carrying a 500-kilogram payload at least 300 kilometers or delivering any type of weapon of mass destruction

Important Points-

1.India is a member.

2.China is not a member.

3.MTCR is not a treaty and does not impose any legally binding obligations on Partners.

4.The regime was formed in 1987 by the G-7 industrialized countries

5.It is an informal political understanding among states.

6.Category I items include complete rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems (including ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles, sounding rockets, cruise missiles, target drones, and reconnaissance drones), capable of delivering a payload of at least 500 kg to a range of at least 300 km.Pursuant to the MTCR Guidelines, exports of Category I items are subject to an unconditional strong presumption of denial .

Category II items include other less-sensitive and dual-use missile related components, as well as other complete missile systems capable of a range of at least 300 km, regardless of payload. Their export is subject to licensing requirements taking into consideration the non-proliferation factors specified in the MTCR Guidelines.

49. IAEA

-The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organisation on 29 July 1957.

-Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.

-Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field.

Headquarters –  Vienna, Austria

The IAEA serves as an intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear power worldwide. The programs of the IAEA encourage the development of the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, science and technology, provide international safeguards against misuse of nuclear technology and nuclear materials, and promote nuclear safety (including radiation protection) and nuclear security standards and their implementation.

The IAEA’s current Director General is Yukiya Amano.

The IAEA is generally described as having three main missions:

1.Peaceful uses: Promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy by its member states,

2.Safeguards: Implementing safeguards to verify that nuclear energy is not used for military purposes, and

3.Nuclear safety: Promoting high standards for nuclear safety.

Project Midan

Project Midan: Developing and Building an Underground Nuclear Test Site in Iran

Israeli-seized nuclear archive documentation indicates that Iran had begun the process of establishing an underground nuclear test site and developing the necessary methods to estimate nuclear explosive yield in the early 2000s, an effort known as “Project Midan.”

The project had identified five potential test site locations and was developing approaches, including seismic and other methods, to measure the explosive yield of an underground nuclear test.

50. MPV

– The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs has envisaged engagement of Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) in the States/UTs who will act as a link between police and community and help women in distress.

– Haryana is the first state to adopt this initiative.

– For implementing the initiative of Mahila Police Volunteer, fund will be released out of Nirbhaya Fund to the States.

51. Particularly Vulnerable Tribe Groups of Andaman & Nicobar

– There are 6 aboriginal tribes in Andaman & Nicobar Islands belonging to two broad groups of Negrito and Mongoloid. Except Nicobarese (Mongoloid), the rest 5 are recognized as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) i.e. Sentinelese (Negrito), Great Andamanese (Negrito), Ongs (Negrito), Jarawas (Negrito) and Shom Pens (Mongoloid).

• Sentinelese: They the only remaining tribe in the Andamans to still maintain their isolation from the rest of the world and live like hunter gatherers.They are connected to the Jarawa on the basis of physical, as well as linguistic similarities. o Both Sentinelese men and women do not wear cloths.
• Great Andamanese: The great Andamanese is a collective term used for 10 different tribes that lived in most of the large islands in the Andaman. They are also known for their brave History where they fought with bows and arrows with the English men who tried to occupy their land (The Battle of Aberdeen).Today most tribes are extinct and their cultural and linguistic identities largely been lost. (e.g. their members now speak mostly Hindi).
• Jarawa: Jarawas continue to be hunting and gathering nomadic tribe and are often hostile to outsiders. o Men fish with bows and arrows in the coastal waters while women catch fish with basket.
• Onge: They are hunting and gathering tribe settled at Dugong Creek and South Bay on Little Andaman Island.
• Shompen: The Shompens are primarily hunter-gatherers and also practise a little bit of horticulture and pig rearing.
• Nicobarese: They are largest of tribes and are primarily horticulturalists

52. SAMAGRA SHIKSHA – INTEGRATED SCHOOL PROGRAMME

53. Operation Digital Board

Ministry of Human Resource Development launched Operation Digital Board (ODB). It aims to set up one digital and interactive board per classroom in government and government-aided schools by 2022.It will be introduced in schools from class 9th onwards as well as in higher education institutions.

54. BHARATIYA SHIKSHA BOARD

Ministry Human Resource Development has given its approval for the setting up of country’s first national school board for Vedic education – Bhartiya Shiksha Board (BSB).

• Its objective is to standardise Vedic education through drafting syllabus, conducting examinations and issuing certificates.
• BSB will also be assigned the responsibility of evolving new kinds of schools that offer a blend of Vedic and modern education apart from affiliating traditional pathshalas.
• The board will be setup as per the model bye laws framed by Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Vedavidya Pratishthan, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

55. GIAN (Ministry of Human Resource Development)

• GIAN in Higher Education aims at tapping the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs internationally to encourage their engagement with the institutes of Higher Education in India
• It would help to augment the country’s existing academic resources, accelerate the pace of quality reform, and elevate India’s scientific and technological capacity to global excellence.
• The initiative provides participation of foreign faculty as Distinguished / Adjunct / Visiting faculty / Professors of Practice, etc. in delivering Short or Semester-long Courses in IITs, IIMs, Central Universities, IISc Bangalore, IISERs, NITs and IIITs and subsequently cover good State Universities.
• These lectures would be made available later to the students across the country through the SWAYAM and the National Digital Library.

56. ASTANA DECLARATION

Global Conference on Primary Health Care by UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO), has concluded with Astana Deceleration in Kazakhstan. All the 192-member countries of the United Nations, including India, signed the Astana Declaration.

It is the global commitment to strengthen Primary Health Care.

This declaration reaffirms the historic 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata. Alma-Ata Declaration was the first declaration which identified Primary Health Care as a key to the attainment of the goal of Health for All.

57. POSHAN ABHIYAAN

POSHAN Abhiyaan (PM’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) was formally launched by the Prime Minister from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to reduce malnutrition from the Country in a phased manner, through the life cycle concept, by adopting a synergised and result oriented approach.

58. SDG INDIA INDEX – BASELINE REPORT 2018

NITI Aayog recently came up with the SDG India Index- Baseline report 2018. SDG India Index

• NITI Aayog has developed the SDG India Index in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Global Green Growth Institute and United Nations in India.

Kerala and Himachal Pradesh are the top performers among states with a score of 69. Chandigarh leads the UTs with a score of 68.

• According to the SDG India Index, the nation as a whole has a score of 58, showing the country has reached a little beyond the halfway mark in meeting the SDGs.

59. COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT OF PEOPLE’S ACTION AND RURAL TECHNOLOGY (CAPART)

It chaired by the Union Minister for Rural Development, was launched for sustainable development of rural areas.

• It is an autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
• It works as a nodal agency for catalyzing and coordinating the emerging partnership between voluntary organizations and the Government.

60. MEKONG GANGA COOPERATION (MGC)

MGC is an initiative by six countries – India and five ASEAN countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and communications.

It was launched in 2000.

61. Uniting for Consensus (UfC) or Coffee Club

UfC is a movement to counter the bids for permanent seats proposed by G-4.

• It demands that a consensus must be reached first on the form and size of the Security Council before expanding it.
• It is led by Italy and includes Pakistan, South Korea, Canada, Argentina and some other countries.

62. Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC or BWC)

• It is a legally binding treaty that outlaws biological arms.
• It was adopted by UN in 1972 and came into force in 1975.
• It bans the development, stockpiling, acquisition, retention, and production of Biological agents and toxins of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes; Weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict. The transfer of or assistance with acquiring the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment, and delivery vehicles described above.
• India signed the convention in 1973 and ratified it in 1974

63. UN-HABITAT

India has been unanimously elected as the president of the UN-Habitat. On behalf of India, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister will preside over the deliberations of the 58- member Governing Council (GC) of the UN-Habitat for the next two years.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development.

• It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976.
• UN-Habitat maintains its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya.

64.International Maritime Organisation

IMO is a specialized United Nations agency which is committed towards safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean ocean and plays an important role to create fair, effective and universally accepted regulatory framework.

• It is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO has 172 Member States and three Associate Members.

65. AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (AFDB)

The 52nd Annual Meetings of the African Development bank was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

• This was the first time that the Annual Meetings of AfDB were being held in India.
• The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is a multilateral development finance institution.
• It was founded in 1964 and comprises three entities: The African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund.
• Its mission is to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent through promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region.

66. Debt to GDP ratio

67. ORGANIC FOOD- FSSAI

FSSAI has defined

Organic Agriculture: A system of farm design and management to create an ecosystem of agriculture production without the use of synthetic external inputs such as chemicals, fertilisers, pesticides and synthetic hormones or genetically modified organisms.

68. Seed Replacement Ratio (SRR)

• It is a measure of how much of the total cropped area was sown with certified seeds in comparison to farm saved seeds.
• It represents the access of farmers to quality seed and directly proportional to productivity of farming.

69. CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted three Codex standards for black, white and green pepper, cumin and thyme in Geneva.

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental body with over 180 members, within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme.

It was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1963 with the purpose of protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade.

• Codex food safety standards are also referred in the WTO’s Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS Agreement).

70. Coastal Economic Zones

71. MINAMATA CONVENTION

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is first global legally binding treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.

• It was agreed in Geneva, Switzerland in January 2013 and came into force in August, 2017.

Minamata- Place in Japan.

72. Below 50 initiative:

It was launched by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The goal is to create the demand and market for those sustainable fuels that produce at least 50% less CO2 emissions than conventional fossil fuels.

• Bonn Climate Meet,Germany

73. INDIA STATE OF FOREST REPORT 2017

74. Alien Invasive Animal Species

Fall armyworm

African Apple Snail

Papaya Mealy Bug

Cotton Mealy Bug

Orange Cup-Coral

Primrose Willow

74. NATIONAL WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (NWAP) FOR 2017- 2031

Important Components of NWAP 2017-2031

• strengthening and promoting the integrated management of wildlife and their habitats
• adaptation to climate change and promoting integrated sustainable management of aquatic biodiversity in India
• promoting eco-tourism, nature education and participatory management
• strengthening wildlife research and monitoring of development of human resources in wildlife conservation
• enabling policies and resources for conservation of wildlife in India.

75. BIODIVERSITY HERITAGE SITES

Ameenpur Lake became the first water body in the country to be declared a Biodiversity Heritage Site.

 It is located on the western fringes of Hyderabad in Telangana state.

It is a man-made lake and was constructed during the reign of Ibrahim Qutab Shah, who ruled the kingdom of Golconda between 1550 and 1580.

Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS)

• They are well defined areas that are unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems – terrestrial, coastal and inland waters and, marine having rich biodiversity comprising of any one or more of the following components:

1. a) Richness of wild as well as domesticated species or intra-specific categories.
2. b) High endemism,
3. c) Presence of rare and threatened species, keystone species, species of evolutionary significance,
4. d) Wild ancestors of domestic/ cultivated species or their varieties, past preeminence of biological components represented by fossil beds and
5. e) Having significant cultural, ethical or aesthetic values and are important for the maintenance of cultural diversity, with or without a long history of human association with them.

Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (BDA) the State Government in consultation with local bodies notifies Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS).

76. WETLAND CONSERVATION RULES

Central government notified Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.

Provision under the new rules –

• Definition of wetlands: They are defined as “an area of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.
• Decentralisation of Power: Under the new rules, the central government has empowered the states and union territories to identify and manage their wetlands.
• Constitute State Wetlands Authority in each State and union territories that will be headed by the State’s environment minister.
• Setting Up National Wetlands Committee: it will replace Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA), to monitor implementation of these rules and advise the Central Government on appropriate policies and action programmes for conservation and wise use of wetlands
• Banned activities: Certain activities are banned in notified wetland like setting up of industries, dumping of solid, electronic, hazardous and construction wastes, poaching of animals, conversion of wetland area into non-wetland purposes, encroachment and even construction of any permanent structure will also be banned at the notified wetlands.

77. Zero Budget Natural Farming

• It is a natural farming technique developed by Subhash Palekar in which farming is done without use of chemicals and without using any credits or spending any money on purchased inputs.
• ZBNF reduces the cost of production down to zero due to utilisation of all the natural resources available in and around the crops. Farmers use earthworms, cow dung, urine, plants, human excreta and other biological fertilizers for crop protection.
• Under this inter-cropping is practised.
• Contours and bunds to preserve rain water as it promotes maximum efficacy for different crops.
• ZBNF also includes replenishing water bodies such as farm ponds to ensure water availability during dry spells

78. EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY

• In 2018, Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 1, whereas it fell on August 2 for 2017.
• It is the date when humanity annual demand on nature exceeds what Earth can regenerate over the entire year.
• It is calculated by WWF and Global Footprint Network.

79.National Nutrition Strategy

80. Biofortification.

81. Copernicus Programme

Copernicus Programme is Earth observation programme headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA).

• India will get free, full and open access to the data from the Copernicus Sentinel family of six satellites.
• Reciprocally India will provide free, full and open access to the data from ISRO’s land, ocean and atmospheric series of civilian satellites the exception of commercial high-resolution satellites data.
• The services address six thematic areas: land, marine, atmosphere, climate change, emergency management, and security.

82. MICRO-LED

It is an emerging flat panel display technology in which displays consist of arrays of microscopic LEDs forming the individual pixel elements.

• These are simply traditional LEDs shrunk down and placed into an array. The LED technology is not new but manufacturing a panel array using such tiny components is very difficult and currently not commercially viable over OLED.

OLEDs and MicroLEDs

• OLEDs are self-emissive, which means they requires no backlight; instead, it lights each individual pixel as needed. Like OLED, Micro LED too don’t need backlight.
• OLEDs are made of organic materials that age, resulting in a decrease in luminance over time, with the potential for uneven ageing. MicroLEDs being inorganic (gallium nitride) are not as susceptible to ageing.
• This switch from organic to inorganic also reduces the need for a polarizing and encapsulation layer, making panels thinner.
• The OLED manufacturing process also limits the possible screen shapes and sizes. The MicroLED technology are “modular” in nature which are flexible to configure any size.
• MicroLEDs are more power-efficient than OLEDs.

83. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells:

These cells are produced by genetically manipulating somatic cells to produce embryonic-like stem cells .

In vitro fertilization (IVF) means fertilization outside of the body. In IVF, the woman’s eggs are collected, along with sperm from the male partner or donor. The egg and sperm are left in a culture dish in the laboratory to allow the egg to be fertilised. If fertilisation occurs and an embryo develops, the embryo is then placed into the woman’s uterus in a procedure called an embryo transfer.

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves transferring eggs and sperm into the woman’s fallopian tube. So fertilization occurs in the woman’s body.

84. PROJECT DHOOP

It is a nationwide campaign launched by FSSAI along with NCERT, New Delhi Municipal Council and North MCD Schools to spread awareness about consumption of Vitamin D through natural sun light and consuming fortified food among school going children.

The deficiency of Vitamin D can cause Rickets in children and Osteomalacia in adults, whereas acute deficiency could lead to brain, cardiovascular and kidney damage.

Source of Vitamin D – Fish liver oil, egg yolk, milk, liver etc.

85. Oxytocin

Union government restricted the manufacture of Oxytocin formulations for domestic use to public sector only. The government has also banned imports of the oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a hormone produced in humans by the hypothalamus (a part of brain) and secreted by the pituitary gland. It is also produced in animals naturally.

Usage of Oxytocin

• During Childbirth- The hormone stimulates the uterine muscles to contract, so labor begins. It is also used to control post-delivery bleeding
• Breastfeeding- It promotes lactation by moving the milk into the breast during feeding.
• Human bonding activities- released naturally during sex, it is also known as ‘love hormone’.

It has been misused for increasing milk production in animals, increasing size of vegetables, accelerate puberty among trafficked girls etc.

86. DOMESTIC-SYSTEMATICALLY IMPORTANT BANKS

DSIBs are also referred to as “Too Big To Fail” (TBTF) because of their size, crossjurisdictional activities, complexity and lack of substitute and interconnection.

• Banks whose assets cross 2% of the GDP are considered DSIBs. If these banks fail, they can have a disruptive effect on the economy.
• They are domestically identified by Central Banks of a country and globally by BASEL committee on banking supervision.
• HDFC was recently recognised as DSIB.

87. Priority Sector Lending

88. Anglo-Mysore Wars

89. Eutrophication

Eutrophication is characterized by excessive plant and algal growth due to the increased availability of one or more limiting growth factors needed for photosynthesis (Schindler 2006), such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrient fertilizers. Eutrophication occurs naturally over centuries as lakes age and are filled in with sediments (Carpenter 1981). However, human activities have accelerated the rate and extent of eutrophication through both point-source discharges and non-point loadings of limiting nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, into aquatic ecosystems (i.e., cultural eutrophication), with dramatic consequences for drinking water sources, fisheries, and recreational water bodies.The known consequences of cultural eutrophication include blooms of blue-green algae i.e., cyanobacteria, tainted drinking water supplies, degradation of recreational opportunities, and hypoxia.

When these dense algal blooms eventually die, microbial decomposition severely depletes dissolved oxygen, creating a hypoxic or anoxic ‘dead zone’ lacking sufficient oxygen to support most organisms. Dead zones are found in many freshwater lakes including the Laurentian Great Lakes (e.g., central basin of Lake Erie; Arend et al. 2011) during the summer. Furthermore, such hypoxic events are particularly common in marine coastal environments surrounding large, nutrient-rich rivers (e.g., Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico; Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay)

(Dead Zone of Gulf of Mexico was in new due to its expansion.)

90.INTERNATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORTS (TIR) CONVENTION

India ratified United Nations TIR convention in June, 2017 becoming its 71st signatory

• TIR stands for Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transport
• It is an international transit system under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
• It facilitates seamless movement of goods within and amongst the parties to the Convention
• The TIR system secures customs duties and taxes and provides a robust guarantee

91. Coastal Economic Zone

It is conceptualised as a spatial-economic region which could extend along 300-500 km of coastline and around 200-300 km inland from the coastline. Each CEZ will be an agglomeration of coastal districts within a State.

Government has given the approval for setting up India’s first mega coastal economic zone (CEZ) at Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Maharashtra.

92. BEHDIENGKHLAM FESTIVAL

Behdiengkhlam festival was recently celebrated at Jowai, Jaintia Hills District in Meghalaya.

It is a traditional festival clebrated after sowing is done seeking a good harvest and to drive away plague and diseases. (“beh dien” means to drive away with sticks and “khlam” means plague or pestilence.)

The festival is observed by ‘Pnars’ who believe in the traditional faith of “Niamtre”.

93. Bathukamma

Bathukamma that means ‘Mother Goddess come Alive’ is a colourful floral festival of Telangana celebrated towards the end of monsoon.

Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack of different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal value, arranged in seven concentric layers in the shape of temple gopuram.

94. Pochampalli Sarees

The art originated in 18th Century in Pochampally town of Telangana and is locally called as Chit-ku. The town is popularly known as the silk city of India.

• These sarees are culturally popular for the Ikat styling and designs (geometrical) imprinted on this fabric.
• The Poochampalli Ikat Sarees also have GI tag in their name.

95. BirdLife International has recognised three new sites in Goa and nine in Kerala as “Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas”.

• Newly identified IBAs of Kerala: Achencoil Forest Division; Anamudi Shola National Park; Camel’s Hump Mountain, Wayanad; Kurinjimala Wildlife Sanctuary; Malayattoor Reserve Forest; Mankulam Forest Division; Mathikettan Shola National Park; MuthikulamSiruvani; Pampadum Shola National Park
• In Goa: Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Navelim Wetlands and Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Kerala IBAs are home to three critically endangered species (IUCN status)

o White-rumped Vulture

o Indian Vulture

o Red-headed Vulture

96. Project Tiger (1973)

It’s a centrally Sponsored Scheme for in-situ conservation of wild tigers in designated tiger reserves (50 at present).

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA): It is a statutory body and has overarching supervisory/coordination role as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

It implements major tiger conservation initiatives like project tiger, Tiger conservation plan etc.

Minister of MoEFCC is the chairman of the authority.

97. “125th Year of Mahatma Gandhi’s Pietermaritzburg Station Incident”- South Africa

– 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of Swaraj

Gandhiji described this vision in many of his writings, most notably in Hind Swaraj, a treatise written in 1909 while he was aboard a ship, coming back from Britain. He wrote about the idea of a self-contained village republic inhabited by individuals whose lives were selfregulated. In Gandhiji’s philosophy, swaraj for the nation did not mean merely political independence from British rule. Swaraj, for him, was something more substantive, involving the freedom of individuals to regulate their own lives without harming one another. His swaraj was one where every individual was his or her own ruler, with the capacity to control and regulate his or her own life. This would remove inequalities of power and status in society and enable proper reciprocity.

98. 98. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) or Bonn convention

• It is the only convention under UNEP which provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats (and their migration routes). India is a member of the convention.
• Appendix I of the Convention: It includes Migratory species threatened with extinction.
• Appendix II of the Convention: It includes Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation.

99. CITES
100. Banni Grasslands

The Banni grassland of Gujarat (near Rann of Kutch) is the largest natural grassland in the Indian subcontinent known for its scarce rainfall and semi-drought conditions.

Nomadic tribes (Maldhari) are leaving their villages in Banni region due to water scarcity.

Study all government schemes and International Reports .

Most of the topics in the lists have been picked from The Hindu newspaper.