1. ___________________
Government and World Economic Forum's Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution Network will launch an innovative project to deliver emergency medical supplies such as blood and vaccines via drones, called Medicine from the Sky.
2. JATAN : Virtual Museum software has been developed by Human Centres Design and Computing Group C-DAC Pune. It is used for creating digital collections in various museums and digital archival tools that are used in background for managing National Portal and Digital Repository for Indian Museums.
- Currently there are __________________________
Archaeological Site Museums under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Out of these, 2 Site Museums, namely Velha Goa and Nagarjunakonda, have been digitised during 1st phase. Rest are being digitized in phased manner.
3. One Nation One Ration Card scheme will be available across country from ______________ 2020, which will allow portability of food security benefits. Poor migrant workers will be able to buy subsidised rice and wheat from any ration shop in the country, so long as their ration cards are linked to Aadhaar.
- Aadhaar linkage is not necessary to access NFSA benefits in a beneficiary’s local registered ration shop, however it will be necessary to access portability scheme.
- NFSA provides rice at Rs. 3/kg and wheat at Rs. 2/kg to the beneficiaries.
4. According to first comprehensive census of orchids of India titled Orchids of India: A Pictorial Guide -
- India is home to _________________ species of orchid, out of which, 388 species of orchids are endemic to India.
- Orchids can be broadly categorised into 3 life forms -
- Epiphytic - Plants growing on another plants including those growing on rock boulders and often termed lithophyte.
- Terrestrial - Plants growing on land and climbers.
- Mycoheterotrophic - Plants which derive nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi that are attached to the roots of a vascular plant).
5. Aditya Birla World Academy (Mumbai) is only Indian school to be featured in The Commonwealth at 70: From Westminster to the World book published by the popular ______________ publishers St James's House and the History of Parliament Trust.
6. An 82-member Special Rhino Protection Force has been deployed in Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in __________________, trained to combat poachers and understand animal behaviour. This Special Force has been raised by initiative of both central as well as state governments so as to control rhino poaching in tiger reserve.
7. __________________ Updates -
- State Assembly passed Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission Bill 2019 which aims to regulate school fees & that in turn reduce the burden on parents.
- It provides setting up of commission which will be supervised by a retired high court judge to maintain standards of school education, competencies of teachers, information disclosure, effective inspection, monitoring of schools, implementation of provisions of RTE (Rights To Education) Act 2009.
- As per RTE act, every private school should provide 25 % seats at free of cost and government should pay those fees. But in AP, RTE Act was not executed in even one school for past 5 years.
- Became first Indian state to reserve jobs for locals, with state assembly passing Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Act 2019. It reserves 75% private jobs across all categories in industrial units, factories, joint ventures as well as the project that are in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
8. As Per Ministry Of Women And Child Development Data, Sex Ratio at Birth increased to 931 from _____________________ between 2015-16 to 2018-19.
9. As a boost to Mission _____________________, MOU signed between Intellectual Property Facilitation Cell (IPFC) (Ministry of Defence) and National Research Development Corporation (Ministry of Science and Technology). It will boost efforts of MoD towards promoting a culture of Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Indian Defence industry.
10. Asia’s 1st Six Sigma Institute of Mountain Medicines and High Altitude Rescue will be established at Rudraprayag district in _____________________, as a high altitude institute of mountain medicine, training and research center.
- This would be dealing with health issues related with high altitudes and would be first of its kind in Asia. It will offer courses in mountains medicines and high altitude rescue and will also train local people, schools and colleges in high altitude rescue and disaster.
- Budget proposed is INR 750 crores.
11. Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL), Oil India Limited (OIL) and GAIL Gas Limited (GGL) signed agreement for setting up of a new company for implementation of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in five districts namely Kamrup, Kamrup, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj of __________________. Over 4 lakh households will be connected with Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and 72 CNG(Compressed natural gas) stations will be set up.
12. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), flagship initiative of NITI Aayog, launched ACIC (___________________________) program in NITI Aayog, New Delhi. It aims at spurring community Innovation in underserved and unserved areas of country.
- ACIC are expected to focus and channelize the creative energies of researchers and innovators to find solutions that benefit the larger civil society.
- ACIC will make available cutting-edge innovation platforms across all corners of our country, with a focus on aspirational districts, tier 2 and 3 cities and to North-east and J&K which will give a fillip to the skill development and employment opportunities in these areas.
13. Believe Foundation (India) and Dr. Raman Bhai Patel Foundation (__________________) hosted first edition of Gandhi-Mandela Peace Initiative, with events in New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The event conferred Gandhi Mandela Peace Initiative Awards to Global Leaders.
- Annual Gandhi Mandela Peace Medal 2019 has been awarded to global spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh.
- Gandhi Mandela Award 2019 for Social Impact conferred on Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS).
14. _________________ (BCC) signed MoU with BRICS for promoting trade and investments between BRICS countries and
India (Particularly Eastern India). BCC was established in 1900 as “Marwari Chamber of Commerce” at Calcutta. After Indian Independence, it was re-christened as Bharat Chamber Commerce.
15. Bills Passed / Presented in Budget Session of Parliament 2019 -
- Concerned sessioon is First of newly-constituted ____________________________________________________________ Lok Sabha. It was to be held between June 17 - July 26, 2019. The same has been extended till Aug 07, with govt looking to finalize on several pending legislations.
- Bills passed by Both Houses (Lok sabha and Rajya Sabha)
- Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It allows trusts to establish units in Special Economic Zone (SEZs). It replaces Special Economic Zone (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 promulgated March 2019 and amends SEZ Act 2005.
- It amends definition of “person” under Section 2(v) of SEZ Act 2005 to include ‘trusts’. Apart from trusts, it also includes any entity that central government may notify from time to time in definition of ‘person’. As per act, proposal for establishment of SEZ be made by any “person”.
- The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill 2019, aimed at providing relief to persons in Jammu and Kashmir living in areas adjoining international border.
- It will replace The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 by amendments in Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act 2004 and bringing persons residing in the areas adjoining International Border within the ambit of reservation at par with persons living in areas adjoining Actual Line of Control (ALoC).
- Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends Homoeopathy Central Council Act 1973 and replaces the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 that was promulgated in March 2019. It sets up Central Council of Homoeopathy which regulates homoeopathic education and practice.
- Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Bill 2019 -
- It provide for reservation of posts in appointments by direct recruitment of persons belonging to SC/ST and Educationally Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections to teachers’ cadre in Central Educational Institutions. It aims at implementing 200-point reservation system instead of 13-point roster system for concerned recruitment.
- Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends Central Universities Act 2009, which establishes universities for teaching and research in various states. Bill provides for establishment of two central universities in Andhra Pradesh to be known as the Central University of Andhra Pradesh and the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh.
- Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Bill 2019 -
- It amends Indian Medical Council Act 1956 and replaces Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Ordinance 2019 which was promulgated in February 2019.
- It sets up Medical Council of India (MCI) which regulates medical education and practice.
- 1956 Act provides for supersession of MCI and its reconstitution within a period of three years from the date of its supersession. In interim period, Act requires government to constitute a Board of Governors, to exercise powers of MCI. The Bill amends the Act to reduce time period for supersession of the MCI from 3 years to 2 years.
- Act provides for Board of Governors to consist of up to seven members including persons of eminence in medical education, appointed by government. Bill amends this provision to increase strength of Board from 7 to 12 members.
- Dentists (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends Dentists Act 1948, which regulates profession of dentistry and constitutes Dental Council of India, State Dental Councils and Joint State Dental Councils.
- Register of dentists is maintained under Act in Part A and Part B. Persons with recognised dental qualifications are registered in Part A and persons not possessing such qualifications are in Part B. Part B persons are those who have practicing as dentists for at least 5 years.
- Under the Act, composition of mentioned Councils includes representation from dentists registered in Part B. The Bill seeks to remove mandatory requirement of representation of dentists registered in Part B in these Councils.
- Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- Bill amends Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, which provides for a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), State Human Rights Commissions (SHRC), as well as Human Rights Courts.
- Under the Act, chairperson of NHRC is a person who has been a Chief Justice of Supreme Court. Bill amends this to provide that a person who has been a Judge of Supreme Court.
- Act provides for two persons having knowledge of human rights to be appointed as members of the NHRC. Bill amends this to allow three members to be appointed, of which at least one will be a woman.
- the Act, the chairperson of a SHRC is a person who has been a Chief Justice of a High Court. The Bill amends this to provide that a person who has been a Judge of a High Court will be chairperson of a SHRC.
- Act states that chairperson and members of the NHRC and SHRC will hold office for five years or till the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier. Bill reduces the term of office to three years or till the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier.
- Bill provides that government may confer on a SHRC human rights functions being discharged by Union Territories. Functions relating to human rights in case of Delhi will be dealt with by NHRC.
- Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- Bill additionally allows ‘offline verification’ of an individual’s identity, without authentication, through modes specified by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by regulations. During offline verification, agency must obtain consent of individual, inform them of alternatives to sharing information, and not collect Aadhaar number / biometric information.
- It allows voluntary linking of the 12-digit identification number as part of know your customer (KYC) guidelines to open bank accounts or get a mobile connection.
- Entities using Aadhaar - Under the Act, usage of Aadhaar number for establishing identity of an individual, is permitted. Bill removes this provision and makes the permission subject to several UIDAI regulations.
- Aadhaar number of children - Bill specifies that at the time of enrolling a child to obtain an Aadhaar number, enrolling agency shall seek consent of his parent or guardian. After attaining 18 years age, child may apply for cancellation of its Aadhaar.
- Disclosure of information in certain cases - Under the Act, restrictions on confidentiality of Aadhaar information do not apply in case disclosure is pursuant to an order of a District Court (or above). Bill amends this to allow such disclosure only for orders by High Courts (or above). Bill amends rule to allow such disclosure on directions of officers not below the rank of a Secretary (Joint Secretary earlier).
- UIDAI Fund - Under the Act, fees and revenue collected by UIDAI will be credited to the Consolidated Fund of India. Bill removes this provision, and creates Unique Identification Authority of India Fund.
- Complaints - Under the Act, courts can take cognizance of an offence only if UIDAI registers a complaint. Bill amends this to allow individual to register complaints in certain cases, including impersonation or disclosure of their identity.
- Bill defines Aadhaar ecosystem to include enrolling agencies, requesting agencies, and offline verification-seeking entities.
- Penalties - Under the Bill, UIDAI may initiate a complaint against an entity in Aadhaar ecosystem for failure to comply with Act or UIDAI directions, and furnish information required by UIDAI. Adjudicating Officers appointed by UIDAI may impose penalties up to 1 crore rupees on such entities.
- Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends Right to Information Act 2005.
- Under the Act, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs) are appointed for term of five years. Bill states that central government will notify term of office for the CIC and ICs.
- Bill seeks to amend provisions related to salaries, allowances, and other terms and conditions of service of the central and state CIC and ICs, stating thet these will be determined by the central government.
- Act states that at the time of the appointment of the CIC and ICs (at the central and state level), if they are receiving pension or any other retirement benefits for previous government service, their salaries will be reduced by an amount equal to the pension. Bill removes these provisions.
- New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill2019 -
- Bill seeks to provide for establishment of a 7 Member NDIAC to conduct arbitration, mediation, and conciliation proceedings. It declares NDIAC as an institution of national importance.
- International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR) is a registered society to promote resolution of disputes through alternative dispute resolution methods (such as arbitration and mediation). Bill seeks to transfer existing ICADR to central government
- Members of NDIAC will hold office for three years and will be eligible for re-appointment. retirement age for Chairperson is 70 years and other members is 67 years.
- NDIAC will establish a Chamber of Arbitration which will maintain a permanent panel of arbitrators. NDIAC may also establish an Arbitration Academy for training arbitrators and conducting research in area of alternative dispute resolution.
- National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act 2008 and provides for a national-level agency to investigate and prosecute offences listed in a schedule (scheduled offences).
- Scheduled offences are are to be investigated and prosecuted by NIA. These offences under Acts such as Atomic Energy Act 1962 and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967.
- Bill seeks to allow NIA to investigate the following offences, in addition - human trafficking, offences related to counterfeit currency or bank notes, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, and offences under Explosive Substances Act 1908.
- Bill states that in addition, officers of NIA will have the power to investigate scheduled offences committed outside India, subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries
- Act allows the central government to constitute Special Courts for the trial of scheduled offences. Bill amends this to state that central government may designate Sessions Courts as Special Courts for trial of scheduled offences.
- Companies (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends Companies Act, 2013.
- Act contains 81 compoundable offences punishable with fine or fine or imprisonment, or both. Bill re-categorizes 16 of these offences as civil defaults, where adjudicating officers may now levy penalties instead.
- Under the Act, if companies which have to provide for Corporate Social Responsibility, do not fully spent funds, they must disclose reasons for non-spending. Under the Bill, any unspent annual CSR funds must be transferred to one of funds under Schedule 7 of Act (e.g., PM Relief Fund) within six months of financial year.
- However, if CSR funds are committed to certain ongoing projects, then unspent funds will have to be transferred to an Unspent CSR Account within 30 days of end of the financial year, and spent within three years.
- Any violation may attract fine between Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,00,000 and every defaulting officer may be punished with imprisonment of up to three years and / or fine 50,000 and 25,00,000.
- Under the Act, the National Financial Reporting Authority can debar a member / firm from practising as a Chartered Accountant for a period between six months to 10 years, for misconduct.
- Bill amends punishment to provide for debarment from appointment as an auditor / internal auditor of a company, or performing a company’s valuation, for period between six months to 10 years.
- Bill states that a company may not commence business, unless it files a declaration within 180 days of incorporation, confirming that every subscriber to Memorandum of the company has paid for shares taken by him, and files a verification of its registered address with RoC within 30 days of incorporation.
- Act requires companies to register charges on their property within 30 days of creation of charge, extendable upto 300 days with permission of RoC. Bill changes deadline to 60 days (extendable by 60 days).
- Under the Act, change in period of financial year for a company associated with a foreign company, has to be approved by National Company Law Tribunal. Bill transfers these powers to central government.
- Under the Act, a regional director can settle offences with a penalty of up to five lakh rupees. Bill increases this ceiling to Rs 25 lakh.
- Under the Act, central government or certain shareholders can apply to NCLT for relief against mismanagement of the affairs of company.
- Bill states that in such a complaint, government may also make a case against an officer on ground that he is not fit to hold office, for reasons such as fraud / negligence. If NCLT passes an order against officer, he will not be eligible to hold office in any company for five years.
- If a person holds beneficial interest of at least 25% shares in a company or exercises significant influence or control over the company, he is required to make a declaration of his interest.
- Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill 2019 -
- It provides for a mechanism to ban unregulated deposit schemes and protect interests of depositors. It also seeks to amend three laws - Reserve Bank of India Act 1934, Securities and Exchange Board of India Act 1992 and Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act 2002.
- Bill bans unregulated deposit schemes. A deposit-taking scheme is defined as unregulated if it is taken for a business purpose and is not registered with the regulators listed in the Bill.
- Bill provides for the appointment of one or more government officers, not below rank of Secretary to state / central government, as Competent Authority. Police officers receiving information about offences under Bill will report to Competent Authority.
- Police officers (not below rank of an officer-in-charge of a police station) may seize any property believed to be connected with an offence under Bill, with or without a warrant. Competent Authority will have powers similar to those vested in a civil court.
- Bill provides for the constitution of one or more Designated Courts in specified areas.
- After provisional attachment of deposit taker’s assets, Competent Authority will approach Designated within 30 days (extendable to 60 days). to make provisional attachment absolute and ask for permission to sell assets.
- Designated Court shall will seek to complete process within 180 days of being approached by Competent Authority.
- Bill provides for central government to designate an authority to create an online central database for information on deposit takers.
- Bill defines three types of offences, and penalties related to them -
- Running (advertising, promoting, operating or accepting money for) unregulated deposit schemes.
- Fraudulently defaulting on regulated deposit schemes
- Wrongfully inducing depositors to invest in unregulated deposit schemes by willingly falsifying facts.
- Penalties -
- Accepting unregulated deposits will be punishable with imprisonment between 2 - 7 years, along with fine ranging from 3 - 10 lakh rupees.
- Defaulting in repayment of unregulated deposits will be punishable with imprisonment between 3 - 10 years, and a fine ranging from 5 lakh rupees to twice the amount collected from depositors.
- Repeated offenders will be punishable with imprisonment between 5 - 10, along with a fine ranging from Rs 10 lakh to five crore rupees.
- Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019 (Informally called as Teen-Talak Bill) -
- It replaces an Ordinance promulgated on February 21, 2019.
- Bill makes all declaration of talaq, including in written or electronic form, to be void and illegal. It defines talaq as talaq-e-biddat or any other similar form of talaq pronounced by a Muslim man resulting in instant and irrevocable divorce.
- Talaq-e-biddat refers to practice under Muslim personal laws where pronouncement of word ‘talaq’ thrice in one sitting by a Muslim man to his wife results in an instant and irrevocable divorce.
- Bill makes declaration of talaq a cognizable offence, attracting up to three years’ imprisonment with a fine.
- Cognizable offence is one for which a police officer may arrest an accused person without warrant.
- Bill provides that the Magistrate may grant bail to accused. Bail may be granted only after hearing woman, and if Magistrate is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for granting bail.
- Offence may be compounded by Magistrate upon request of woman.
- Compounding refers to the procedure where the two sides agree to stop legal proceedings, and settle dispute.
- Affected woman is entitled to seek subsistence allowance from her husband for herself and for her dependent children, with amount to be determined by Magistrate.
- Affected Muslim woman is entitled to seek custody of her minor children. Manner of custody will be determined by Magistrate.
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016., which provides a time-bound process for resolving insolvency in companies and among individuals.
- Under the Code, a creditor may file an application before National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for initiating insolvency resolution process. NCLT must find existence of default within 14 days. A Committee of Creditors (CoC) consisting of financial creditors will then be constituted for taking decisions regarding insolvency resolution. CoC may either decide to restructure debtor’s debt by preparing a resolution plan or liquidate debtor’s assets.
- CoC must complete a resolution process within 180 days, extendable by 90 days if the extension is approved by NCLT.
- If resolution plan is rejected by CoC, debtor will go into liquidation. Code places financial creditors ahead of operational creditors. In a 2018 Amendment, home-buyers who paid advances to a developer were to be considered as financial creditors.
- Bill addresses three issues -
- Strengthens provisions related to time-limits.
- Specifies minimum payouts to operational creditors in any resolution plan.
- Specifies manner in which representative of a group of financial creditors (such as home-buyers) should vote.
- Resolution plan -
- Code provides that resolution plan must ensure that operational creditors receive an amount which should not be lesser than amount they would receive in case of liquidation. Bill amends this to provide that amounts to be paid to operational creditor should be higher of -
- Amounts receivable under liquidation, and
- Amount receivable under a resolution plan, if such amounts were distributed under same order of priority (as for liquidation).
- E.g, if default were for Rs 1,000 crore and resolution recovered 800 crores, operational creditor must at least get an amount which they would have received if Rs 800 crore have been obtained through liquidation proceeds.
- Bill states that this provision would also apply to insolvency processes.
- As per Code, NCLT must determine b existence of default within 14 days of receiving a resolution application. Bill states that in case NCLT does not find existence of default and has not passed an order within 14 days, it must record reasons in writing.
- Code states that insolvency resolution process must be completed within 180 days, extendable by a period of up to 90 days. Bill adds that resolution process must be completed within 330 days, including extension and time taken in legal proceedings. On the enactment of Bill, if any case is pending for over 330 days, Bill states it must be resolved within 90 days.
- Code specifies that, in cases when debt is owed to a class of creditors beyond a specified number, financial creditors will be represented on committee of creditors by an authorised representative, who will vote on behalf of creditors.
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2019
- It amends Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012, which seeks to protect children from offences such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography.
- The Bill enhances jail term / fine for variosu types of sexual crimes against children.
- Act penalises storage of pornographic material for commercial purposes with a punishment of up to three years, or a fine, or both. Bill amends this to provide that the punishment can be imprisonment between three to five years, or a fine, or both.
- National Medical Commission Bill 2019
- It seeks to repeal Indian Medical Council Act 1956 and provide for a reformed medical education system.
- Bill sets up National Medical Commission (NMC). Within three years of the passage of the Bill, state governments will establish State Medical Councils at state level. NMC will consist of 25 members, appointed by central government.
NMC will look after Functions related to medical education and profession across nation.
- Central government will constitute a Medical Advisory Council, as primary platform through which states/UTs can put forth their views and concerns before NMC.
- Bill sets up autonomous boards under the supervision of NMC.
- Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) and the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB).
- Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) - Will have the power to levy monetary penalties on medical institutions which fail to maintain the minimum standards as laid down by the UGMEB and PGMEB.
- Ethics and Medical Registration Board - Will maintain a National Register of all licensed medical practitioners, and regulate professional conduct.
- NMC may grant a limited license to certain mid-level practitioners connected with the modern medical profession to practice medicine. These practitioners may prescribe specified medicines in primary and preventive healthcare.
- There will be a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for admission to under-graduate and post-graduate super-speciality medical education in all medical institutions regulated under the Bill.
- Bill proposes a common final year undergraduate examination called the National Exit Test for the students graduating from medical institutions to obtain the license for practice.
- Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It seeks to amend Motor Vehicles Act 1988, to provide for road safety.
- Government will develop a scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour. Bill defines golden hour as time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is highest. Bill increases minimum compensation for hit and run cases.
- Bill requires government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India, to be utilised for related causes.
- Bill defines a good samaritan as a person who renders emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident. Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or death of an accident victim.
- Bill allows government to order for recall of motor vehicles if a defect in vehicle may cause damage to environment / driver / other road users.
- Government may develop a National Transportation Policy, in consultation with state governments.
- Bill provides for a National Road Safety Board to be created by central government. It will advise central and state governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management.
- Bill increases penalties for several offences under the Act.
- Maximum penalty for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000. If a vehicle manufacturer fails to comply with motor vehicle standards, penalty will be a fine of up to Rs 100 crore, or imprisonment of up to one year. government may increase fines mentioned under Act every year by up to 10%.
- Bills Passed by Lok Sabha (Pending in Rajya Sabha) -
- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill 2019 -
- It amends Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
- Bill additionally empowers government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds such as terrortist organizations.
- Bill adds Provisions related to that if investigation is conducted by an officer of National Investigation Agency (NIA), approval of Director General of NIA would be required for seizure of such property.
- Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within scope of any of the treaties listed in a schedule to the Act. The Schedule lists nine treaties. Bill adds another treaty to the list - International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).
- Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It amends Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956, which provides for adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-state rivers and river valleys.
- Under the Bill, when a state puts in a request regarding any water dispute, central government will set up a Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), to resolve the dispute. DRC will comprise of a Chairperson, and experts with at least 15 years of experience in relevant sectors.
- DRC will seek to resolve dispute through negotiations, within one year (extendable by six months). If dispute cannot be settled by DRC, central government will refer it to Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal, within 3 months from receipt of report from DRC.
- Central government will set up an Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal, for adjudication of water disputes. All existing Tribunals will be dissolved, and pending disputes will be transferred to new Tribunal. Tribunal will consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, three judicial members, and three expert members.
- Under the Act, Tribunal must give its decision within three years, which may be extended by two years. Under the Bill, the proposed Tribunal must give its decision on the dispute within two years, which may be extended by another year.
- Under the Act, decision of Tribunal must be published by central government in official gazette, with same force as that of an order of Supreme Court. Bill removes requirement of such publication.
- Bill adds that decision of Tribunal will be final and binding on parties involved in dispute. Bill makes it mandatory for central government to make a scheme to give effect to decision of Tribunal.
- Under the Act, central government maintains a data bank and information system at national level for each river basin. Bill provides that central government will authorise an agency to maintain such data bank.
- Code on Wages Bill 2019 -
- It subsumes relevant provisions of Minimum Wages Act, 1948, The Payment of Wages Act, 1936, The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 and The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. After enactment of Code on Wages, all these four Acts will get repealed.
- The Code on Wage universalizes provisions of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all employees irrespective of the sector and wage ceiling.
- At present, the provisions of both Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply on workers below a particular wage ceiling working in Scheduled Employments only. This would ensure "Right to Sustenance" for every worker and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage from existing about 40% to 100% workforce.
- At present, many of the states have multiple minimum wages. Through Code on Wages, the methodology to fix the minimum wages has been simplified and rationalised by doing away with type of employment as one of the criteria for fixation of minimum wage.
- Repealing and Amending Bill 2019
- Bill repeals 68 laws that have been listed in the First Schedule of the Bill. These include Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act 1976 and Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2001.
- Bill makes minor amendments to two Acts which relate to substitution of certain words. The two Acts are Income Tax Act 1961, and India Institutes of Management Act 2017.
- Consumer Protection Bill 2019
- It replaces Consumer Protection Act 1986.
- Six consumer rights have been defined in the Bill -
- To be protected against marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property
- To be informed of the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services
- To be assured of access to a variety of goods or services at competitive prices
- To seek redressal against unfair or restrictive trade practices.
- Government will set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to protect and enforce rights of consumers. CCPA will regulate matters related to violation of consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and misleading advertisements.
- CCPA may impose a penalty on a manufacturer or an endorser of up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to two years for amisleading advertisement. In subsequent offence, fine may extend to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment of up to five years.
- Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (CDRCs) will be set up at the district, state, and national levels.
- District CDRC will entertain complaints where value of goods and services does not exceed Rs one crore. State CDRC will entertain complaints when the value is more than Rs one crore but does not exceed Rs 10 crore. Complaints with value of goods and services over Rs 10 crore will be entertained by the National CDRC.
- Bills Passed by Rajya Sabha (Pending in Lok Sabha) -
- Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019
- It amends Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act 2008, which established Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA). AERA regulates tariffs and other charges for aeronautical services provided at civilian airports with annual traffic above 15 lakh passengers.
- Act defines a major airport as one with annual passenger traffic over 15 lakh, or any other airports as notified by the central government. Bill increases the threshold of annual passenger traffic for major airports to over 35 lakh.
- Bill adds several clauses related to determining tariff, tariff structures, or development fees.
- Bills Introduced in Lok Sabha -
- National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill 2019 -
- It seeks to amend National Institute of Design Act 2014, which declares National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad as an institution of national importance.
- Bill seeks to declare four National Institutes of Design in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Haryana as institutions of national importance. Currently, these are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas.
- The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill 2019
- It amends Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act 1951, which provides for erection of a National Memorial in memory of those killed / wounded on April 13, 1919, in Jallianwala Bagh. It also creates a Trust to manage the Memorial.
- Under Act, Trustees of Memorial include PM as Chairperson, President of Indian National Congress, Minister in-charge of Culture, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Governor of Punjab, Chief Minister of Punjab, and 3 eminent persons nominated by government. Bill removes President of Indian National Congress as a Trustee.
- Act provides that three trustees nominated by government will be trustees for a period of five years and will be eligible for renomination. Bill allows government to terminate term of a nominated trustee before expiry of period of his term without assigning any reason.
- Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 -
- Bill defines surrogacy as a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple with intention to hand over the child after birth to intending couple.
- Bill prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy involves no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance coverage during pregnancy.
- Intending couple should have a ‘certificate of essentiality’ and a ‘certificate of eligibility’ issued by the appropriate authority.
Certificate of essentiality will be issued upon fulfilment of given conditions related to proven infertility and other terms.
- To obtain a certificate of eligibility from appropriate authority, surrogate mother has to be - a close relative of the intending couple, a married woman having a child of her own, 25 to 35 years old, a surrogate only once in her lifetime and possess a certificate of medical and psychological fitness for surrogacy.
- Central and state governments shall appoint one or more appropriate authorities within 90 days of the Bill becoming an Act.
- To act as Surrogacy clinics, Clinics must apply for registration within a period of 60 days from the date of appointment of the appropriate authority.
- Central and the state governments shall constitute National Surrogacy Board (NSB) and State Surrogacy Boards (SSB), respectively.
- Offences under Bill include undertaking or advertising commercial surrogacy, exploiting surrogate mother, abandoning a surrogate child, selling or importing human embryo or gametes for surrogacy. Penalty is imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine up to 10 lakh rupees.
- Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019 -
- Bill prohibits discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment.
- Every transgender person shall have a right to reside and be included in his household.
- No government or private entity can discriminate against a transgender person in employment matters, including recruitment, and promotion.
- Educational institutions shall provide inclusive education, sports and recreational facilities for transgender persons, without discrimination.
- A transgender person may make an application to the District Magistrate for a certificate of identity, indicating the gender as ‘transgender’.
- Government will take measures to ensure full inclusion of transgender persons in society.
- Bill recognizes several offences against transgender persons. Penalties for these offences vary between six months and two years, and a fine.
- National Council for Transgender persons (NCT) will be formed with Union Minister for Social Justice as (Chairperson) and other designated members.
- Dam Safety Bill 2019 -
- It provides for surveillance, inspection, operation, and maintenance of specified dams across country.
- Bill applies to all specified dams in the country. These are dams with height over 15 metres, height between 10 metres to 15 metres and subject to certain additional design and structural conditions.
- National Committee on Dam Safety will be constituted and will be chaired by the Chairperson, Central Water Commission. All other members will be nominated by central government.
- Functions of Committee include formulating policies and regulations regarding dam safety standards and prevention of dam failures, and analysing causes of major dam failures and suggesting changes in dam safety practices.
- National Dam Safety Authority will be headed by an officer not below rank of an Additional Secretary. Functions include
- Implementing the policies formulated by the National Committee on Dam Safety.
- Resolving issues between State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs), or between a SDSO and any dam owner in that state
- Specifying regulations for inspection and investigation of dams
- Providing accreditation to agencies working on construction, design, and alteration of dams.
- State governments will establish State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs). All specified dams situated in a state will fall under the jurisdiction of that state’s SDSO. In certain cases National Dam Safety Authority will act as the SDSO. These include cases where a dam extends over multiple states or is owned by a central public sector undertaking. SDSOs will
- Keep perpetual surveillance, inspect, and monitor operation and maintenance of dams
- Keep a database of all dams and recommend safety measures to owners of dams.
- Bill provides for constitution of State Committees on Dam Safety by state governments. Functions of Committee include -
- Reviewing work of SDSO
- Ordering dam safety investigations
- Recommend dam safety measures and reviewing progress on such measures
- Assess potential impact on upstream and downstream states.
- Owners of specified dams are required to provide a dam safety unit in each dam.
- Bill provides for two types of offences -
- Obstructing a person in discharge of his functions under the Bill and
- Refusing to comply with directions issued under the Bill.
- Offenders will be punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine, or both.
16. Butterfly species Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) officially declared as state butterfly of Tamil Nadu. Tamilnadu is _______________ Indian state to mark a species as state butterfly.
- Maharashtra was 1st to declare Blue Mormon as its state butterfly, followed by Common peacock in Uttarakhand, Southern bird wings in Karnataka and Malabar banded peacock in Kerala.
17. Cabinet Approvals (Jul 17, 2019) -
- General Approvals -
- Approved extension of term of 15th Finance Commission up to 30thNovember, 2019 (By a Month). It is headed by ____________________________. 15th FC was constituted on 27tn November 2017, and had to submit its Report by 30th October 2019, covering a period of five years commencing from 1st April, 2020.
- Cabinet approved amendment to enable 15th Finance Commission to address serious concerns regarding allocation of adequate, secure and non-lapsable funds for defence and internal security of India.
- Amendment provides that 15th FC shall also examine whether a separate mechanism for funding of defence and internal security ought to be set up and if so how such a mechanism could be operationalized.
- MOUs -
- Inter-Institutional Agreement with USA for cooperation in field of medicine.
- CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affair) Approvals -
- Approved constructing a new railway line in Uttar Pradesh, between Sahjanwa and Dohrighat (81.17 Km) with estimated cost of 1320 crores, to be completed by 2023-24 and will be executed by North Eastern Railway.
- Approved expenditure on pre-investment activities and various clearances for Dibang Multipurpose Project (MPP) in Arunachal Pradesh for an amount of Rs. 1600 crore. Estimated total cost of Project is INR 28080 crores, to be comleted in 9 years.
- The project shall generate 2880MW (12x240MW) power to produce 11223MU of energy in a 90% dependable year. This is largest ever Hydro Electric Projects to be constructed in India. The dam is 278 metres high and will be highest dam in India once completed.
- Project is located on river Dibang, in Lower Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh. Government of Arunachal Pradesh will get 12% free power from project. 1% free power will be given in Local Area Development Fund (LADF).
- Approved constructing New Bongaigaon and Agthori via Rangiya doubling (142.97 km) of Northeast Frontier Railway in Assam with cost of 2042 crores,to be completed by 2022-23, under Northeast Frontier Railway.
- Approved constructing a 3rd railway line between Allahabad - Mughalsarai (now Pt. DeenDayal Upadhyaya Jn.) (Length 150 km) with estimated cost of 2649 crores, by 2023-24 and under North Central railway.
18. Cabinet Approvals (July 10, 2019) -
- General Approvals -
- Approved banning Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill 2019, to replace banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance 2019, which will otherwise cease to operate after six weeks after reassembly of Parliament. It will help tackle the menace of illicit deposit taking activities in country.
- Approved introduction of the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill 2019 in Parliament, aimed at enhancing coverage of safety, health and working conditions provisions manifold as compared to the present scenario. New Code has been drafted after amalgamation, simplification and rationalisation of 13 Central Labour Acts -
- The Factories Act, 1948;
- The Mines Act, 1952; The Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986;
- The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996;
- The Plantations Labour Act, 1951;
- The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970;
- The Inter-State Migrant workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979;
- The Working Journalist and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service and Misc. Provision) Act, 1955;
- The Working Journalist (Fixation of rates of wages) Act, 1958;
- The Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961;
- Sales Promotion Employees (Condition of Service) Act, 1976;
- The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966; and
- The Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers Act, 1981. After the enactment of the Code, all these Acts being subsumed in the Code will be repealed.
- Approved Inter-State River Water disputes(Amendment) Bill 2019 for adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers and river valley thereof. It seeks to amend the Inter State River Water Disputes Act 1956, to streamline adjudication of inter-state river water disputes and make the present institutional architecture robust.
- Approved introducing Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019 in Parliament. It provides a mechanism for their social, economic and educational empowerment.
- To protect children from Sexual offences, Cabinet approved Amendments in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012. It will make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children including death penalty, and provides for levy of fines and imprisonment to curb child pornography.
- Approved Grant of Organised Group 'A' status to Indian Railway Protection Force (RPF) and consequential benefits of Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) with effect from 01-01-2006 and Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG) @ 30% of Senior Duty Post (SDP) with effect from 06.06.2000.
- It will end stagnation, improve career progression of officers and keep up their motivational level.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Approvals -
- To boost rural road connectivity, ,launch of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-lll (PMGSY-III) was approved. Under PMGSY-III Scheme, it is proposed to consolidate __________________________ Km road length in States.
- This would facilitate easy and faster movement to and from Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals.
- It will entail anestimated cost of INR 80250 crores, to be shared in ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State for all States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States, for which it is 90:10.
- Project period is 2019-20 to 2024-25.
- Under PMGSY, 599090 Km road length has been constructed since its inception in Dec 2000.
19. Cabinet Approvals (July 24, 2019) -
- General -
- Approved to dissolve National Institute of Miners' Health (NIMH) and merge it with ICMR-National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) Ahmedabad. It will prove beneficial to both Institutes in term of enhanced expertise in field of occupational health besides efficient management of public money.
- Approved Sale of 481.79 acres of land held by Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd. (FACT) to Govt. of Kerala. It will help FACT to reduce bank borrowings and implement projects for enhancing fertilizer production capacity.
- CCEA -
- Approved Creation of buffer stock of ____________________ metric tonnes (LMT) of sugar for one year and to incur estimated maximum expenditure of 1674 crores. Reimbursement under the scheme would be met on quarterly basis to sugar mills which would be credited into farmers’ account on behalf of mills against cane price dues. Subsequent balance would be credited to mill’s account.
- Approved Determination of ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ of sugarcane payable by sugar mills for 2019-20 sugar season, based on the recommendation of Commission of Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) as per its report of August 2018. CACP has recommended same price for the 2019-20 sugar season as it was for the sugar season 2018-19.
- CCEA also approved to provide a premium of Rs. 2.75 per qtl for every 0.1% increase above 10% in the recovery.
20. Cabinet Approvals (July 31, 2019)
- MOUs -
- Bolivia, Baharain - Cooperation in Exploration and Uses of Outer Space for peaceful purposes.
- General Approvals -
- Approved extension of term of commission constituted under Article 340 of the constitution to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within other Backward Classes in the Central List by six months beyond 31st July, 2019 and upto 31st January, 2020.
- Approved setting up ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow (Russia), with average annual expenditure of about Rs. 1.50 crores. ISRO Technical Liaison Unit (ITLU) at Moscow will enable coordination for timely interventions on diversified matters with Russia and neighbouring countries for realization of programmatic targets of ISRO.
- Keeping in view 15th August 2022 timeline for realization of Gaganyaan human space programme, it is prudent to avail technical cooperation from International space agencies, with demonstrated technical capabilities in specific areas.
- Earlier, ISRO Technical Liaison Units are established at at Washington(USA) and Paris (France), to liaise with various Government and space agencies in USA and Europe, respectively.
- Approved signing of UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) resulting from mediation by India scheduled to be held in August 2019.
- It will boost confidence of investors and shall provide a positive signal to foreign investors about India's commitment to adhere to international practice on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
- To encourage international commercial arbitration in India and to evolve a comprehensive ecosystem of arbitration, Government is establishing New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) as a statutory body.
- Commercial Courts Act 2015, has been further amended and legislative exercise to further amend Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996, is underway. These will encourage settlement of commercial disputes, domestic and international, in India through ADR Mechanism of Arbitration, Conciliation and Mediation.
- UN General Assembly adopted UN Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation ("the Convention") in December 2018. It was authorized that Convention will open for signature at a signing ceremony to be held on 7th August 2019 in Singapore and will be known as the "Singapore Convention on Mediation" (the Convention).
- Convention provides a uniform and efficient framework for the enforcement of international settlement agreements.
- CCEA -
- Approved proposal of Department of Fertilizers for fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy Rates for P&K Fertilizers for 2019-20. Expenditure for release of subsidy on P&K Fertilizers during 2019-20 will be Rs. ______________________________.50 crores. Approved rates for NBS (
Per Kg Subsidy rates (in Rs) -
N (Nitrogen)
|
P(Phosphorus)
|
K(Potash)
|
S(Sulphur)
|
18.901
|
15.216
|
11.124
|
3.562
|
21. Cabinet approved bill to form National Medical Commission (NMC), to replace Medical Council of India (MCI).
- NMC Bill 2019 aims to repeal and replace Medical Council Act of ________________, which stated responsibilities and the functions of Medical Council of India (MCI). NMC will be responsible for conducting entrance exams, such as National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). It will also be implementing the National Exit Test (NEXT) for medical students upon completion of their education.
- NMC will also be responsible for allowing new courses and fees to be introduced as well as for increasing the number of seats in colleges.
- There will be four autonomous boards which fall under NMC - A board to oversee Undergraduate Medical Education, another to take care of Postgraduate Medical Education, Medical Assessment and Rating Board, and Ethics and Medical Registration Board.
22. Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda launched Phase-II of the DBT (____________________) of Fertilizer Subsidy (DBT 2.0).
- Department of Fertilizers implemented Phase-I of DBT system in fertilizer subsidy pan-India in Fertilizers, from
March 2018, which envisaged release of 100% subsidy on various fertilizer grades to fertilizer companies on the basis of actual sales made by retailer to beneficiaries.
- Initiatives of DBT 2.0 Include DBT Dashboards (To facilitate accurate information gathering and decision-making), PoS 3.0 Software and Desktop PoS Version.
- Phase-II of DBT will explore the feasibility of direct cash transfer of over INR 70000 Crores subsidy to farmer’s accounts. An expert committee under NITI Aayog was constituted in Sep 2017 to suggest a model for implementation of phase-2.
- A dedicated Help Desk is set up to provide quick response to queries as a preparatory to DBT implementatio, on toll free number 1800115501.
23. _____________ Govt. launched a unique garbage cafe scheme in Ambikapur of Surguja district which has become India’s first ‘Garbage Cafe’ for Rag Pickers. Rag pickers and homeless will collect plastic waste, and in return, municipal corporation will offer them food.
24. __________ Updates -
- __________Police signed MoU with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to set up Rooftop Solar Energy Systems in more than 200 of its buildings across city. Rooftop Solar Systems of total capacity of about 3-4 MW will be implemented across various Delhi Police buildings.
- __________ government announced to shut down Rajghat thermal power plant and turn it into a 5000 KW solar park.
- __________-Lucknow Tejas Express (announced in 2016), will be first train to be operated by private players.
25. Department of Telecom (DoT) and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) signed MoU to develop a ________________ (BRI) for Indian States and Union Territories (UTs). First estimate will be made in 2019. Subsequently, it will be made every year until 2022.
- This index will appraise condition of underlying digital infrastructure and related factors at the State/UT level, providing useful insights into strategic choices made by States for investment allocations in ICT programmes.
26. District Administration Udhampur (____________________) launched a helpline, “Jeene Do”. to improve sex ratio and deal with defaulters of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques PCPNDT Act under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. Mobile Number 9469793363 has been dedicated to the public to register complaints regarding sex determination during prenatal checkups.
27. E-Commerce Major _______________ launched an Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) preparation app called JEE Ready, as Amazon’s first product in the edtech sector in India.
28. Environment Ministry selected _____________ beaches in India to vie for a ‘Blue Flag’ certification, an international recognition conferred on beaches that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental propriety. Blue Flag Programme for beaches and marinas is run by international NGO FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education).
29. General Events / Conferences (July 1 - 10, 2019) -
- Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has set up its first “Aadhaar Seva Kendra”, in Delhi and Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh). UIDAI aims to set up 114 such centers by end of 2019.
- Devotees observed annual fair at shrine of Baba Dalip Singh Manhas, a saint popularly known as Baba Chamliyal, in Samba districtof Jammu and Kashmir. But there was no traditional exchange of ‘shakkar (soil) and sharbat (water)’ with Pakistan for 2nd successive year.
- Railways released its new All India Railway Time Table known as “TRAINS AT A GLANCE (TAG)”.
- To make ‘drugs-free panchayats’, district administration Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir (J&k) launched an anti Drug Campaign called “Operation Khumaar” in all 312 Panchayats.
- Delhi Police had launched Operation Milap in Dec 2014, to rescue missing children and hand them over to their families. It has been huge success and resulted in safe rescue of over 330 Children so far.
- India – ASEAN Troika Trade Ministers’ meeting held in New Delhi, for informal consultation on ongoing _______________________ (RCEP).
- To curb menace of unauthorized Packaged Drinking Water in Railways, an all India drive named “Operation Thirst” was launched by RPF.
- Annual Bonalu festival kicked off at the Jagadamba temple in historic Golconda Fort, Telangana.
- Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed five important bills - Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill 2019, Goods and Service Tax (Amendment) Bill 2019, Municipal Corporation Bill 2019, State Higher Education Council Bill 2019 and Protection of Medical Service Personnel and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss of Property) Bill 2019.
- A fortnightly bulletin (15 Days) of National Museum of Indian Cinema as “NMIC Bulletin“ has been launched in Mumbai.
- Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Seed Federation announced to produce seeds under brand name ‘Sah-Beej’.
- PM Narendra Modi unveiled statue of former PM Late Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi.
30. General Events / Conferences (July 21 - 31, 2019) -
- Haryana Govt. invited Nepal to be Partner Country for International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav to be held at Kurukshetra in December 2019.
- International Bus and Car show Prawaas 2019 held in Mumbai (__________________________).
- FICCI international Seminar on ‘Nation Building Through Shipbuilding’, held at New Delhi.
- 13th edition of the annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS) organized by American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in Hyderabad.
- INS Tarkash visited Russia to take part in the Russian Navy Day celebrations.
- U.S. Embassy in Nepal organized a South Asia Air Quality Tech Camp in Kathmandu.
- Online payment solutions provider PayPal Holdings opened a 3rd Global Technology Centre at Western Aqua at Kondapur in Hyderabad, Telangana after Bengaluru and Chennai.
- Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising the third edition of Global Ayurveda Summit 2019 at Kochi.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a Dashboard of Department Defence Production (DDP), to help in effective monitoring of various initiatives and schemes of the department. Dashboard is available for general public at www.ddpdashboard.gov.in.
- 1st ever Himalayan States Conclave hosted in Mussoorie (Uttarakhand),by government of Uttarakhand with Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) as its knowledge partner. Chief guest was Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
- 22nd National Conference on e-Governance 2019 will be held in Shillong (Meghalaya) in Aug 2019, as first time this mega knowledge sharing event is being organized in north-eastern region. ‘Digital India: Success to Excellence’ is the theme of event.
- PSU EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited) signed MoU with New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) to encourage Electric Vehicles (EV) in Noida, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and to install approximately 100 public charging station across city.
- Western Railway General Stores Depot (GSD) became first in Indian Railways to opened a heritage gallery of the printing and allied machines used in the Western Railway Printing Press since (1948) at Mahalaxmi in Mumbai.
- Delhi Government launched 15-day “Happiness Utsav” in over 1000 schools, To celebrate completion of a year of introduction of its happiness curriculum.
- University Grants Commission(UGC) released a list of 23 universities which are declared “self-styled” and “unrecognized“. Uttar Pradesh has most 8 fake universities, followed by Delhi (7).
- Ministry of Mines organized an interactive workshop called ‘Waste to Wealth’ in New Delhi for discussing productive utilisation of bauxite residue, commonly known as Red Mud.
- First International Solar Alliance (ISA) Standing Committee Meeting held in New Delhi.
- Utar Pradesh (UP) government will install a 251-metre-tall statue of Lord Ram at Ayodhya which will become the world’s tallest statue surpassing the record held by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Statue of Unity in Gujarat (182-metre).
31. General Conferences / Events (July 11 - 20, 2019) -
- 8th meeting of India-Uzbekistan Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism held in New Delhi.
- 11th Mekong Ganga Cooperation Senior Officials’ Meeting (MGC SOM) 2019 held in ____________________. 6 MGC member states - ndia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
- Kerala government's Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) hosted ‘Women Startup Summit 2019’ in Kochi.
- International Police Expo 2019 Held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, focused on everything related to police forces.
- Culture Minister Prahalad Singh Patel inaugurated architectural illumination of 17th Century Monument Safdarjung Tomb in New Delhi.
- India will host 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019 at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh).
- Govt. Inaugurated an Agri Business Incubation Centre in Chhattisgarh, in Indira Gandhi Agriculture University of Raipur. It has been set up under the National Agriculture Development Scheme- RAFTAAR.
- 4th Director General level talks between Narcotics Control Bureau (India) and Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (Myanmar) held in New Delhi.
- National Seminar Cum Workshop on “Statistics and Sustainable Development Goals held at University of Lucknow (UP).
- India held six-week-long Artificial Limb Fitment Camp in Tanzania which benefited over 500 differently abled Tanzanians.
- Annual festival of worship of 14 Gods, known as Kharchi Puja celebrated in Tripura.
- US India Strategic and Partnership Forum 2nd annual leadership summit held in Washington. "US India Bilateral Trade Report" was released on the occasion. It says that India-US trade may reach USD 238 billion by 2025.
- Uttar Pradesh Govt. has set target of $1 trillion economy for state, over next 5 Years.
- Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology and Earth Sciences inaugurated Next Generation Sequencing (NSG) facility at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad (Telangana). It would include technology for high genome sequencing and also diagnostic sequencing of clinical samples. It is 4th such facility in the country.
- Golden Jubilee Edition of International Film Festival of India, will be held in November 2019 in Panaji, Goa. Russia will be IFFI partner in this edition.
- 19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting held in London (UK), attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on India's Behalf.
- Ministry of Information & Broadcasting's Film Divisions launched documentary film club “KSHITIJ” in Mumbai.
- Indian Navy's INS Tarkash reached Karlskrona (Sweden), as first visit of an Indian Naval Ship to Swedish shores after a gap of more than 15 years.
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched special campaign called Jan Jagrukta Abhiyaan in New Delhi, aimed towards sensitizing and mobilising community for prevention and control of vector borne diseases (VBDs).
- Pune based National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has acquired rare footage of 1948 Marathi film ‘Vande Mataram’, in which legendary writer and playwright P.L. Deshpande played major role.
- Korean automobile Major Hyundai will begin making electric cars in Chennai facility, making Tamil Nadu first state in India to manufacture electric cars.
- 8 more routes (including 2 DoNER Routes) became functional Under Regional Connectivity Scheme /Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme of Ministry of Civil Aviation. With this, UDAN routes Operational so far increased to 194 routes.
- Assam Tourism Development Corporation will spent 150 crore rupees to develop the 316 locations under Axom Darshan.
- India and European Union (EU) held 5th high-level dialogue on migration and mobility (HLDMM) in New Delhi.
32. ___________________CM Pramod Sawant announced upcoming launch of India’s first-ever ‘Water Taxis’, which will allow people to travel in inland waterways.
33. ____________________________ and Tata Trusts will expand their ‘Internet Saathi’ digital literacy programme for rural women to villages in Punjab and Odisha. It has so far reached 2.6 lakh villages across 18 states.
34. Government announced to set-up two Skill Centre of Excellence (CoEs) in ________________ – one in Greater Noida for Plumbing and one in Varanasi for Services Sector. Both centres will be having international state-of-the-art infrastructure, to be created under joint collaboration between State and Centre Government.
35. Govt. declared State of __________________ a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of 6 more months under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
36. Govt. proposed light urban rail transit system - 'Metrolite' - in small cities and towns having lower projection of ridership, with each train having three coaches (300 passengers capacity) and a restricted speed of ________________.
- For segregation with road traffic, fencing can be provided on either side of network.
- Metrolite platforms will not have AFC gates, platform screen doors, X-ray and baggage scanner.
- Maximum operational speed of the Metrolite is 60 KMPH.
37. _________________ topped in area of solar rooftop installations, with total 261.97 megawatts (MW) of installed rooftop solar capacity. Total rooftop solar installations in India is 1700.54 MW as of now.
38. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched a Scheme called “________________” of University Grants Commission (UGC), which aims at mentoring National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) accreditation aspirant institutions to develop quality assurance in Higher Education.
- Scheme will be implemented through a “Hub & Spoke” model where mentor institution -called ‘Hub’ has the responsibility of guiding mentee institution (through secondary branches ‘Spoke’) for self-improvement.
39. ______________ CM Manohar Lal Khattar launched online portal named “Meri Fasal Mera Byora” (https://www.fasalhry.in), for farmers to directly avail crop related benefits of state government schemes after self -reporting their land and crop-related details
40. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan released ____________________ (NDHB) report -
- It aims to create a National Digital Health Eco-system that will support Universal Health Coverage in an inclusive, easily accessible, affordable, efficient, timely and safe manner.
- There is a need to ensure convergence across these IT systems to monitor and provide health services in an efficient manner, creating need of an integrated e-Health system under National Digital Health Blueprint.
41. ICMR’s National Institute for Medical Statistics launched ____________________________
(NDQF) to improve quality of health and demographic data in India.
- It seeks to generate meaningful dialogue around improvement of data quality, for health and medical research in particular. It will integrate learnings from scientific and evidence-based initiatives and guide actions by periodic workshops and conferences.
42. IIT ______________ Updates -
- Partnered with Tata Medical Center for setting up an image data bank for cancer patients & in particular, radio oncology (controlled use of radiation to treat cancer), called Comprehensive Digital Archive of Cancer Imaging (CHAVI).
- Researchers developed an application called CARE4U that connect caregiver to elderly person, which can detect whether elderly has fallen down. If there is a fall, app calls caregiver and emergency services along with providing exact location of elderly person.
43. IT Firm ____________________ acquired Bengaluru based AI firm Lymbyc for INR 38 crores.
44. India's first Design Development Center 'Fashionova' launched in ___________________'s Surat (Also called Textile city). It will promote city in fashion design sector.
45. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) ______________ signed Seperate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Carleton University (Canada) and Montpellier Business School (France) to promote advancement in teaching, research, cultural understanding.
46. India’s first cow sanctuary Kamdhenu Gau Abhyaran in Agar Malwa (_______________), will be privatised due to financial crises. It was set up in September 2017. NGO Akshaya Patra is keen on managing it at no profit no loss basis.
- Also, India’s first elephant rehabilitation centre will be set up by Kerala State Government in its ecotourism village of Kottoor, at cost of INR 105 crores.
47. ________________ co-founder Nandan Nilekani introduced a new platform “Sahamati” based on a new class of non-banking financial institutions called the account aggregator (NBFC-AA) model. This will work as consent brokers, which will take users permission to access their financial accounts, aggregate and organize all their financial information in one place.
48. Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan campaign for water conservation in 1592 stressed blocks in ____________ districts.
- Campaign is centred on 5 aspects -
- Water conservation and rainwater harvesting
- Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks
- Reuse of water and recharging of structures such as borewell
- Watershed development
- Intensive afforestation
- Campaign will run through citizen participation during Monsoon season- from 1st July to 15th September, 2019. Additional Phase 2- from 1st October to 30th November 2019 for States receiving North East retreating monsoons.
49. ____________ Govt. Updates -
- Will form a Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) Investment and Holding Company Ltd in order to bring investments from overseas Keralites for major infrastructure development in state. 74% stake of company will be held by expats and 26% will be held by state Government.
- Will set up country’s first space tech park at Thiruvananthapuram Knowledge City, aimed at making the city a manufacturing hub for space-related technology.
50. ______________ Updates -
- Assembly passed Public Service (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Amendment Bill 2019 for increasing reservation in government jobs and education for Other Backward Classes (OBC) to 27% from present 14%.
- Bill will now go to the governor and president for assent. With this, reservation in state will touch 73% (breach of 50% cap mandated by Supreme Court) including 10 percent quota for Economically Weaker Section from general category.
- State's First International Flight service launched, to Dubai from Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar International Airport Indore.
51. ________________ Updates -
- Became first state to adopt an Automated Multi-modal Biometric Identification System (AMBIS) i.e. digital fingerprint and iris scanning system to help police investigations. AMBIS is updated version of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which has been used by Indian law enforcement agencies to search finger and palm prints.
- State government increased financial assistance given to families of martyred and disabled soldiers hailing from state, from Rs 25 lakh to Rs.1 crores.
52. _________________ became 1st state in India to ensure conservation of water and have its own State Water Policy. Objective is to recognize water resources as a common pool resource (CPR), provide safe and hygienic water for drinking, domestic needs and sanitation.
53. Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' released ‘___________________’, a University Grants Commission (UGC) Guide to Student Induction Programme. It aims at helping new students adjust and feel comfortable in new environment and to students build bonds with other students and faculty members
54. Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel announced to include remaining 02 languages from ______________ Schedule of Indian Constitution - Nepali and Santhali in Sub-Field of Field “Literature” in scheme component ‘Award of Senior/Junior Fellowships to Outstanding Artistes in the Fields of Culture’.
- “Literary Arts” is one of Fields under this Scheme where candidates can apply for research in 22 languages as their Sub-Field.
55. Ministry for Labour & Employment had launched PENCIL (_____________________) Portal (pencil.gov.in), to resolve Complaints of Child Labour. So far, Over 360 complaints have been resolved. It was launched in September 2017.
56. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signed Statement of Intent (SoI) for undertaking a pilot study in 3 districts of Bhopal, Rajkot and Nanded in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and _________________________ respectively, with IBM India.
- IBM’s Watson Decision Platform will give solution in agriculture through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and weather technology at village level level to provide weather forecast and soil moisture information, to help farmers in taking decisions regarding water and crop management.
57. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched a project for undertaking ‘immunocontraceptive measures’ for population management of 4 species of wild animals namely __________________, Wild boar, Monkeys and Blue Bull (Nilgai).
58. Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC) recommended ‘in-principle’ permission for survey and exploration of Uranium in Amrabad Tiger Reserve in _________________.
- Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) had earlier sought permission from Environment Ministry to carry out survey and drilling of boreholes around for exploration of uranium in Amrabad and Udimalla (Mahaboobnagar district) region in adjoining Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh, for use in nuclear power generation.
- AMD Proposal indicated that northern part of Cuddapah basin (second largest Proterozoic sedimentary basin in India) is most promising and potential area in India for locating high grade, large tonnage uranium deposits.
- In India, uranium deposit discovered till now was low grade / low tonnage, but amid huge amount of electricity to be produced by nuclear route, economically feasible high grade deposits are to be found out expeditiously.
59. Ministry of ___________________ drafted a ‘Model Tenancy Act’ 2019, aimed at balancing interests of both owner and tenant and create an accountable ecosystem for renting premises in efficient manner. It is expected to give a fillip to private participation in rental housing for addressing huge housing shortage across country.
- It has been proposed to cap the security deposit equal to a maximum of two month’s rent in case of residential properties and, minimum of one month’s rent in case of non-residential property.
- After coming into force of this Act, no person shall let or take on rent any premises except by an agreement in writing.
- Within two months of executing rental agreement both landowner and tenant are required to intimate to Rent Authority about agreement and within seven days a unique identification number will be issued by Rent Authority to both parties.
- A digital platform will be set up in the local vernacular language of the State for submitting tenancy agreement and other documents.
- Comments from public and other stakeholders are invited by 01-08-2019.
60. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) announced that all lanes in all toll fee plazas on National Highways across country as dedicated ‘FASTag lanes‘ from 1 _____________ 2019. FASTag aims To ensure seamless traffic and prevent congestion at toll plazas.
- Among all lanes, only one hybrid lane (where FASTag and other modes of payment will be accepted) will be allowed at every toll plaza.
- After 1 ______________ 2019, non-FASTag users will be charged double fees if they pass through FASTag-only lanes.
- FASTag is an electronic toll connection device which is installed in vehicle to help drivers to drive through toll plazas without having to stop. FASTag uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to enable direct toll payments while vehicle is moving.
61. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) launched India’s first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) dashboard, to effectively track country’s progress on Agenda ________________ adopted by UN. It was launched on occasion of National Statistics Day (June 29).
- It will be India’s official data repository of National Indicator Framework (NIF) on SDGs, which is India’s largest monitoring framework with 306 statistical indicators.
62. ___________ Updates -
- Partnered with Facebook-owned WhatsApp to support growth of a robust ecosystem to promote women entrepreneurs in India. WhatsApp will partner with Women Transforming India (WTI) awards 2019 which is a flagship initiative of __________. WTI winners will be provided support amounting to $100000.
- ______'s "Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index (AMFFRI)" ranked Maharashtra at top, based on degree of reforms states have taken in agricultural marketing.
63. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed MoU with __________________________________ (NIIF), to co-operate in formation of SPVs to execute fund arrangement for large size road projects particularly green field projects to be executed by NHAI in future. This is expected to bring huge amount of investment at economical rate for highway development in India and reduce stress of borrowing on NHAI.
64. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) signed agreement to form a joint venture (JV) company to set up an 800 MW Technology Demonstration Plant (TDP) at NTPC’s existing power plant in Sipat, ____________________. Based on Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) technology, It will be an efficient and environment-friendly coal-fired power plant.
65. _________________ will be set up by commerce and industry ministry, to improve availability of funds for traders and to reduce compliance burden. The board will consist of 15 member.
66. Nishagandhi Monsoon Ragas Music Festival organised by ______________ Tourism in Thiruvananthapuram. It marks state’s successful entry into music tourism and seeks to attract more tourists to Kerala. Eminent classical musicians Parassala B Ponnammal and T V Gopalakrishnan have been selected for inaugural Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram. It carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, citation and memento.
67. ___________ Railway zone started a unique initiative to earmark a special portion of the SLR coach with pink colour, to help women passengers with better safety and security.
68. __________________ Updates -
- Govt. renamed State Assembly Secretariat building as ‘Lok Seva Bhavan’.
- Government announced to provide INR 10000 per month to Padma award winners of state facing financial problems.
- Received GI tag for its version of Rasgulla, a year after west Bengal got the GI tag for its version of Rasagola in November 2017. _____________ had been claiming GI tag for the sweet since a few years. GI registry based in Chennai, issued formal certification to ___________ Small Industries Corporation Limited (OSIC) for “_____________Rasagola".
69. On 12 July 2019, ______________ government observed Save Water Day across state to spread the message of water conservation. This is the 1st time the day was observed.
- Jul 12 is also observed as International Malala Day, observed by United Nations (UN) to highlight work for education of Pakistani children by Pakistani child activist Malala Yousafzai.
70. Power Ministry Issued Draft Distribution Perspective Plan for power sector in India, as he first ever plan at Distribution level.
- Till now, Government has been preparing Perspectives Plans for Generation and Transmission Sectors under National Electricity Plan (NEP). Distribution plan keeps needs of consumers at center of its focus.
- The plan lays emphasis on 100% metering of all consumers and providing an electricity connection on demand. It also envisages conversion of all Electricity consumer meters into smart meters in prepaid mode by __________________.
- Plan anticipates increase in Distribution substation capacity by 38%, Distribution transformation capacity by 32% and an increase in different type of feeder lengths by 27-38% till 2022.
71. Prasar Bharati and Indian Institute of Technology ________________ signed MOU for research collaboration in newly emerging technologies and broadcasting-related areas, to boost research activities in broadcasting field.
72. _________________ Govt. will establish a Vedic education and culture board in State, to assist future generations to take inspiration from Vedic culture, tradition, and values. It was announced during 25th ‘Bhamashah Sammelan’ in Jaipur.
73. ____________ tied up with Facebook for digital literacy initiative called 'Digital Udaan'. It will have audio-visual training in 10 regional languages.
74. Scientists led by Duke University in US and National University of Piura in _________________ discovered fossils of world’s smallest monkey in Amazon forests. Team found 18 million years old fossil teeth, which is related to the small monkey of a new species.
75. _________________ Railways commissioned longest electrified tunnel in India, with 6.6 km Length, as part of recently completed Obulavaripalli – Venkatachalam railway line.
76. _____________ Updates -
- Directed Meghalaya government to deposit INR 100 crore fine imposed on it by National Green Tribunal (NGT) for failing to curb illegal coal mining with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
- Allegations of environmental degradation by illegal coal mining in Meghalaya were proved from report of Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board.
- Earlier, In December 2018, 15 miners were trapped in an illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, about 3.7 km deep inside a forest, when water from nearby Lytein river gushed into it.
- Ordered central government to make a special court in each district having more than 100 cases pending under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. These courts will be funded by centre government and will be established under a central scheme.
- Will begin hearing of decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid conflict in Ayodhya from 2 August. SC ordered mediation panel to submit their report by 31 July.
77. Tamil Nadu Govt.announced creation of 2 new districts - Tenkasi and Chengalpattu, by bifurcating Tirunelveli and Kancheepuram districts respectively. With this, number of districts in state went up to _________________.
78. Unique strategy adopted by __________________ Railway called ‘Plan Bee’ to keep wild elephants away from train tracks has won the ‘Best Innovation Award’ in Indian Railways for 2018-19 fiscal. The prize comprises of cash award of Rs.3 lakh.
- Plan Bee is an amplifying system that imitates the buzz of a swarm of honey bees to keep wild elephants away from railway tracks.
79. __________ Updates -
- CM Yogi Adityanath launched 24X7 toll-free ‘CM Helpline 1076’ for people to lodge complaints from anywhere in state.
- State government launched campaign called ‘Dastak’ to eradicate deadly Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) disease. Dastak Campaign will run state-wide throughout July 2019. In 2018, UP government started ‘Dastak’ campaign in association with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) to control encephalitis and other vector-borne diseases.
80. Uttarakhand Government implemented a one-time settlement’ _______________________ day scheme for debt trapped state cooperative banks which have NPA of Over 391 crores INR. In this, relief will be given to those who have taken loans up to 60 lakhs from cooperative banks.
81. _____________ Updates -
- CM Mamata Banerjee launched a unique initiative called ‘Didi Ke Bolo’ (Tell your sister) campaign to reach out to people of State. It is devised to entertain voters’ regarding various issues for which phone number (9137091370) and website www.didikaybolo.com are also launched.
- State government signed MOU with British Council for improving English Speaking skills of students studying in Polytechnic Colleges in state.
82. World Bank offered loan of _______________ to the Kerala Government for the Resilient Kerala project, aimed at enhancing the state’s resilience against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
