CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2018

GOVERNMENT

1. The central government has taken a decision to completely electrify (by

2021-22) the missing links and last mile connectivity on the broad gauge

network of the Indian railways, at a cost of approximately Rs. 12,000

crores. The decision has been taken in the interests of: (i) safety; (ii) speed

(reducing delays caused by change of traction from diesel to electric and

vice versa); and (iii) energy security as the proposed electrification would

reduce the dependence on high speed diesel oil and also reduce

greenhouse gas emissions; (iv) economy: it is expected that there will be

net fuel savings of about Rs. 3,700 crore per annum, and lower

maintenance costs as electric locomotive maintenance is lower than

diesel locomotive maintenance cost.

2. As per the recommendations of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board and

an expert committee, the central government has banned, with

immediate effect, the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 fixed

dose combination (FDCs) drugs in the country as it is believed that these

FDCs could have adverse health impacts. Six FDCs have been exempted

but with conditions. FDCs are defined as single dosage drugs which have
 two or more drugs combined in a fixed ratio. These drugs are sold over

the counter without a prescription. An attempt to ban FDCs was also tried

in early 2016 which was struck down by the High Court. On the centres

appeal in the Supreme Court the matter was to be considered by the

Drugs Technical Advisory Board. Reports have held that individually the

drugs do not harm but when combined they could have serious side

effects. The latest decision of the government has again been challenged

at the High Court of Delhi.

3. Tobacco is considered injurious to health and several countries have

imposed strict rules on the use of tobacco. The central government apart

from ensuring that there are warning labels on packets of cigarettes on

the ill effects of smoking is also considering advising the states to impose

a ban on Electronic Nicotine Delivery System or the newly introduced “e-

cigarettes”. These e-cigarettes contain nicotine, but no tobacco. There

are opposing views on e-cigarettes. One view is that there is insufficient

research available to indicate as to how safe these e-cigarettes are. Some

believe that e-cigarettes can not only lead to nicotine addiction but also

contain heavy metals such as chromium, nickel and lead, which are linked

to cardio-vascular diseases, brain damage and cancer. E-cigarettes are a

fire hazard, and they are also known to sometimes even explode. The
 second view is that they are safer for the health than conventional

cigarettes; they can help people kick the tobacco habit.

4. The central government has announced enhancement in salaries to

Anganbadi and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers. In

addition incentives for ASHA workers would also be doubled and all

workers would be provided free insurance cover under the government’s

insurance schemes. This would cover 1.28 million anganbadi workers, 1

million helpers and 1 million ASHA workers. These workers are at the core

of the Nutrition Mission and the Health Mission.

5. Since 2015, the state of Odisha has been considering the creation of a

Legislative Council or a Vidhan Parishad. To determine the efficacy of

having a Legislative Council, a duly constituted committee examined the

Councils in the states of Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka

and made a positive recommendation on the basis of which a decision to

create a legislative council was taken. The Council can have no more than

49 members as it is mandated by Article 171 (1) of the Constitution that

the total strength of the Council shall not exceed one third of the total

members of the Assembly. The expected cost to the state would be

approximately Rs. 35 crores per annum. The Upper House in the

country’s Parliament was started under the Government of India Act

 1919 and established in 1921. Currently seven states in India have a

Legislative Council. An MLC has a six year term with one third of the

members retiring every two years. Once the state Assembly of Odisha

passes a resolution it will be sent to the centre for approval. Thereafter

under Article 169 of the Constitution Parliament has to enact a law.

6. There are a large number of widows resident in Brindavan (estimated to

be 3000) with a number of them living in indigent conditions. The central

government has constructed, at a cost of approximately Rs. 58 crores a

1000 bed “widows home” titled ‘Krishna Kutir’ at Vrindavan in Mathura.

This will be run by the central government in partnership with the state

government. The facilities take care of the need of geriatrics and disabled

persons. The home also has a skill training centre to enable the widows

to learn a skill and move away from begging. It is little away from the

main city and some widows are reluctant to shift into the new premises

as it would mean being far away from the temples, where they get alms

and food on which they surive.

7. The Census 2021 will, for the first time, collect data on Other Backwards

Castes. The 2011 census did collect caste based data but the results have

still not been put in the public domain. Presently the time taken for

release of the complete data can go up to 7 years. However, with the use
 of technology it is believed that the time period could be reduced to three

years.

8. The “Swadesh Darshan” scheme of the Ministry of Tourism has identified

13 thematic circuits for integrated development of infrastructure and

under the Prasad scheme thirteen religious sites have been identified for

integrated development thereby enhancing the experience of the

pilgrims. The Ministry provides (100 per cent) funds to the state

governments, the allocation of which is determined by a National

Steering Committee chaired by the Minister. Under the Swadesh Darshan

Scheme India’s first integrated tribal circuit tourism project, covering 13

sites, was launched in Chhattisgarh in September 2018.

9. As part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (a campaign to clean India’s towns

and villages and eliminating open defecation) the central government has

now launched the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ Movement to further boost

participation of the citizens of the country in the clean India campaign

and ensure that the objective of the scheme is achieved by the prescribed

deadline which is the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd

October 2019.

10.As per data of the National Crime Records Bureau West Bengal is the

leading state for trafficking of women and children. In order to combat

 this, the state government has launched a new scheme in September –

“Swayangsiddha”. The word means self-reliance. The people of the state,

particularly women and children would be made aware of the scourge of

trafficking and its adverse impacts. The scheme would be implemented

by the Police Department.

11.The central government had formed the National Testing Agency (NTA)

to conduct competitive examinations for JEE, NEET amongst others. The

NTA has now opened around 3400 Test Practice Centres (TPCs) across the

country. The idea behind the TPCs is that students across the country,

particularly in rural and remote areas could log into the NTA’s website

and solve the practice test papers so that they are prepared to take the

entrance examinations. These practice papers would also prepare the

students for any change in the pattern of the exams. For the convenience

of the students the test papers would be set in various languages. Those

students with access to computers and smartphones can practice the

tests online, while those who do not, can appear in these test centres

where the government has provided computers.

12.The President of India has promulgated an ordinance under Article 123

of the Constitution – Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage)

Ordinance 2018. This was done after the Triple Talaq Bill having been
passed in the Lok Sabha, in December 2017, was subsequently blocked in

the Rajya Sabha, primarily due to opposition by the Congress. The

Supreme Court had in August 2017 declared ‘triple talaq’ to be illegal and

had banned the practice indicating that it violated the fundamental rights

of Muslim women and had held that the government should pass a

legislation. The Ordinance defers somewhat with the Bill. The Ordinance

has declared the pronouncement of ‘talaq’ as void and illegal and

punishable with imprisonment for up to three years and a fine. The

complaint earlier could be lodged by anyone but has now to be lodged by

the wife or her relatives. The offence is now bailable (as decided by the

magistrate after taking the opinion of the wife) whereas in the original

Bill it was non-bailable and non-compoundable. The custody of a minor

child would be given to the wife who would also get maintenance money,

as decided by the magistrate. The Ordinance has been contested in the

Supreme Court wherein it has been stated that there was no need for an

Ordinance and the only intent seemed to be to punish Muslim men which

violates Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. The PIL also contends

that the Ordinance was issued under Article 123 of the Constitution

whereas there was no emergent reason which required immediate

action.
13.E-Vidhan is a project under the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs which

aims, through digitization, to make both houses of Parliament as also the

state legislatures paperless. In order to roll out the project at the earliest

the Ministry proposes to set up Project Monitoring Units at central and

state levels. It is part of the Digital India initiative. The first state in the

country to launch the E-Vidhan project was Himachal Pradesh (a pilot

project with central assistance) at a cost of approximately Rs. 8 crores.

All activities such as sending of questions and receiving replies would be

in the e-format, there would be digital recording of the house

proceedings and LED screens would display call attention motions.

14.Sikkim has got its first airport at Pakyong village 35 kms from the state

capital, Gangtok, 10 years after the proposal was approved in October

2008. The delay in the implementation of the project was due to

agitation by the villagers for suitable compensation and rehabilitation.

Situated at a height of 4500 feet it is one of the highest airports in the

country, and the land was carved from the mountainside and extensive

soil reinforcement was required. It is a Greenfield airport, the first

Greenfield airport in the North East. The inauguration of the airport

resulted in Sikkim joining the other states in the country with an airport,

as it was the only state which did not have an airport. The airport has
 enabled SpiceJet to announce flights to Sikkim (under the UDAAN

scheme); the airport can also be used to land military aircraft. The

opening of the airport is expected to give a boost to tourism.

15.The central government has constituted an eight member “search

committee” for identifying and recommending suitable candidates for

the post of Lokpal and other members. The Lokpal, as per the Lokpal Act,

can enquire into allegations against the Prime Minister, the Council of

Ministers both serving and out of power, Members of Parliament,

government servants, and employees of any company, trust or society

set up by an Act of Parliament. The searchncommittee is headed by

Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, a retired judge of the Supreme Court. The

other members have been drawn from a cross section of society as

mandated by the Lokpal Act where 50 per cent of the members are to be

drawn from amongst the SC/ST/OBC and women. The members are:

Arundhati Bhattacharya; A Surya Prakash, AS Kiran Kumar, Lalit K Panwar,

Justice Sakha Ram Singh Yadav, Shabbirhusein S Khandwawala and Ranjit

Kumar. The Committee has been formed after a gap of four years from

the time the Act received Presidential assent in 2014. The search

committee will send its recommendations to the Selection Committee

consisting of the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the
 Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court

judge nominated by him and an eminent jurist nominated by the

President. (Mukul Rohtagi, ex Attorney General of India has been

nominated). The Congress nominee has not attended a single meeting of

the Selection Committee chaired by the Prime Minister as he was invited

as a ‘special invitee’ and not as leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

The Act provides for only the Leader of the Opposition to be a member

and the party should have at least 10 per cent of the total seats in the Lok

Sabha whereas the Congress has less than 50 seats.

16.India has not signed the Non-proliferation Treaty and has, till now, been

denied membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. International

sanctions were also imposed after the nuclear tests in 1998. However, by

signing a Civil Nuclear Cooperation Deal with the USA, India was allowed

to import nuclear technology and raw materials necessary to run its

nuclear reactors for power generation and other peaceful purposes.

India’s nuclear facilities are subject to inspection by the International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). India has now ratified an additional

protocol, to the Safeguards Agreement signed with IAEA in 2009. With

this a total of 26 Indian nuclear facilities will be under IAEA safeguards.

The IAEA would check import/export data to ensure that the nuclear
 technology has been used for civilian purposes and not diverted for

military applications. This transparency is expected to boost international

confidence and increase nuclear trade, in the civilian domain, with Japan,

France and USA. India’s military nuclear facilities are not covered by any

protocol.

17.Tuberculosis is one of the major causes of health related deaths in the

country. The government has taken a decision that TB or tuberculosis

should be eradicated from the country by 2025. There are also a large

number of patients who are not provided health care in time as the

specimen of their sputum does not reach the laboratory in time. This is

due to the lack of adequate transport facilities, particularly in the rural

areas. This is slated to change with the services of the Department of

Posts. A pilot project is testing the concept of the sputum sample being

transported by the postal department so that it can be tested in time and

the extent of the disease conveyed to the infected person. Additionally,

since the person will not have to travel himself/herself the chances of

spreading the infection is reduced to the minimal. The cost of the exercise

of transporting the sample would be borne by the concerned state

government.
18.Ayushman Bharat is the National Health Protection Scheme which was

launched in September 2018. (The scheme has been discussed in detail

in Part 1 Chapter 6 under the heading Development Schemes in the

book).

19.Under the scheme Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban

Transformation (AMRUT) the state of Andhra Pradesh has come first in

the East of Living Index rankings. The Index was first released in January

2018 and covers 116 cities, capital cities and cities with population of 10

lakh or more. The index on which cities are to be evaluated has four main

parameters which are institutional (governance) social (health, education

and other social welfare schemes), economic (economy, employment)

and physical factors (municipal waste management; housing, land use

transport, water and power, green open spaces. Weightage is given to

around 15 categories under the main four parameters. The information

is collected from the local bodies. States have the freedom to frame their

annual action plans which will after concurrence of the central

government be funded. The amount of assistant provided is 50 per cent

for those cities with a population of up to 10 lakhs and one third of the

cost for those with a population of over 10 lakhs. State governments

 cannot retain a part of the funds which have to be released to the local

bodies within one week of receipt.

20.The National Digital Communications Policy 2018 (NDCP-2018) has

recently been approved by the central government and will replace the

National Telecom Policy 2012. As a corollary the Telecom Commission

has been renamed as the Digital Communications Commission. The new

policy is ‘customer focused’ and ‘application driven’ and is expected to

transition India to become a digitally empowered society. The key

objectives are stated to be: broadband for all; creation of 40 lakh

additional jobs in the digital communications sector; enhancing the

contribution of the sector to GDP from 6 per cent in 2017 to 8 per cent

by 2022. It is envisaged that every citizen will be provided universal

broadband connectivity and all gram panchayats will be connected by

2020 with 1Gbps. The policy also states that a comprehensive data

protection regime for digital communications would be developed that

safeguards the privacy and choice of the citizens.

21.The Medical Council of India has long been criticised for being ineffective

and corrupt. A Bill to replace the Council with a National Medical

Commission was placed before the Parliament but was not passed. The

term of the medical council is coming to an end in November and to

 ensure a smooth transition an Ordinance has been signed by the

President. A committee has been appointed in supersession of the

Council to manage the affairs of the medical sector which were hitherto

looked after by the Council. The Bill had proposed the constitution of four

autonomous boards which would supervise medical education at the

under graduate and postgraduate level; would consider the accreditation

of medical institutions; the registration of medical practitioners. The

Commission would have a chairman and members who would be

selected by a search committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary and

would also include 12 ex-officio members. Medical institutions

recognised by the government would now be able to add seats and start

courses without referring the matter to the National Commission. The

fees for 40 per cent of the seats would be decided by the government.

Students would need to pass a common entrance exam for entry and an

exit exam before they could take up any assignment.

SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

22.Drones have been in the market for some time and the technology is

constantly evolving. They are used for: military purposes, surveys,

cinematography; to prevent poaching; spraying pesticides and dozens of

other applications. A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

equipped with sensors, cameras, navigational systems. Drones are

controlled remotely. To the aerial drones has been added, India’s first

commercial underwater robotic drone named “EyeRov Tuna”. Its name

derived from the start-up EyeRov Technlogies. The drone was developed

at Maker Village in Kerala which is India’s largest hardware incubator and

the idea was conceived by two IIT alumini. The developers understood

the need for a lightweight remotely controlled vehicle to investigate

underwater structures (foundations of dams and bridges) as also ships

and other ocean going vehicles to determine the need for maintenance

and repair as also for underwater research. The drone can operate at

depths of 100 meters and can be customized as per requirement. The

company is looking at demand from the defence sector.

23.India is committed to reduce its Greenhouse emissions as part of its

intended nationally determined contributions which all nations who

were signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change have stated. In pursuance of this low carbon emission

 strategy the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has developed a voluntary

star rating system for Energy Efficient chiller systems. Chillers, used for

space conditioning consume more than 40 per cent power in buildings.

The utilization of chillers is slated to grow further with economic

development of the country. The rating system in a range of 1 to 5 would

be conferred on provision of a test certificate from designated agencies

duly verified by the BEE. It is believed that energy labelling is a cost

effective method for improving energy efficiency. The programme is

expected to save electricity as also reduce CO2 emissions.

24.Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur have linked the

changes in the Indian monsoon (low and erratic rainfall causing both

drought and floods) to pollution. Their research has linked anthropogenic

emissions to higher levels of aerosols in the atmosphere Aerosols disturb

cloud formations interfering with the pattern of rainfall leading to uneven

distribution. This is believed to be responsible for extremely heavy

rainfall in some areas and no rainfall in others. Pollution, therefore, needs

to be reduced as changes in the monsoonal pattern impacts agriculture

adversely leading to other societal impacts.

25.The nuclear research reactor ‘Apsara’ (located at Trombay in

Maharashtra) has been recreated in a new avatar and is now called

 ‘Apsara-upgraded’. This reactor, the first nuclear reactor of the country,

was commissioned in August 1956 and was closed down in 2009. The

design and development of the original Apsara reactor is credited to Dr.

Homi Jehangir Bhabha the father of nuclear sciences in India. The reactor

itself was supplied by France as was the fuel. This new ‘Apsara’ has been

made indigenously and will be using Indian made low enriched uranium.

It is expected to further increase the production of radio isotopes and

would be used for research in nuclear physics, material science and

radiation shielding. The original Apsara had contributed extensively to

the development to the nuclear power programme in the country; to the

development of medical sector as also the agriculture sector.

26.Snow Leopards have recently been sighted in the Lippa Asrang Wildlife

sanctuary in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh indicating that they

have identified a new habitat for themselves possibly due to the

availability of a large and wide prey base.

27.The Singphan wildlife sanctuary in Nagaland, which is contiguous to the

Abhaypur Reserve Forest of Assam, has been declared as the 30th

elephant reserve in the country. Currently it is estimated at Nagaland has

a population of approximately 446 elephants.

28.The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences has developed

indigenously an anti-nuclear medical kit for protection against radiation

in case a person is exposed to a nuclear attack. Currently India imports

these kits from USA and Russia. The kit has been equipped

comprehensively to protect against radiation and nerve gas. The kit is

expected to be used by the paramilitary forces, the police and the armed

forces as they would be first in the line of attack.

29.Melting of the ice cap is attributed to climate change. The fact that the

icecap is melting is undisputed. What is not known is as to how fast the

ice sheets are melting. NASA has been monitoring the change in the polar

ice caps for the last fifteen years through various missions. NASA will now

be launching its ICESat-2 mission using advanced observational

technologies to ascertain precise information. ICESat-2 is a follow on

mission. The four objectives of the mission are:

o Measure melting ice sheets and determining the effect on sea

levels.

o Measure and study changes in the mass of ice sheets and glaciers.

o Estimate and study sea ice thickness.

o Measure the height of land surfaces and will also measure the

density of forests.
 ICESat 2 will circle the earth four times a year to collect information.

30.An environmentally friendly alternative to diesel engine powered trains

is now available with the first hydrogen powered passenger train (named

iLint) unveiled in Germany. The engine has been made by the French

company Alstom. The engines run on fuel cells that produce electricity

due to a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen and batteries

store the excess electricity till required. These are termed as zero

emission engines as all they release is water and steam. The hydrogen

powered trains can travel up to 1000 km without refuelling and can reach

speeds of 140 km per hour. Other countries have also shown interest in

the hydrogen powered trains, with France indicating that its first train

would be running in 2022. Hydrogen powered trains are currently more

expensive to acquire than diesel powered trains, though they are cheaper

to run.

31.There has been a breakthrough in medical science with scientists using

stem cells to successfully grow oesophagus (food pipe) organoids. This

would bring relief to patients suffering from birth defects of the

oesophagus such as oesophageal atresia (a narrowing of the

oesophagus); treatment of cancers; gastroesophageal reflux disease and

in other diagnosis and regenerative therapies. Of course it will several

 years for doctors to be able to use an oesophagus made from stem cells

for treatment of patients.

32.Cyclone-3, is a cyclotron facility under the administrative control of the

Department of Atomic Energy located in the Variable Energy Cyclotron

Centre in Kolkata which has recently become operational (test trials). It

will produce radioisotopes (for nuclear imaging) which are critical to the

diagnosis of cancer as also its treatment. India imports a part of its

requirement of radioisotopes and obtains some from its own nuclear

reactors such as ‘Apsara’ In Trombay. When Cyclone-3 becomes fully

operational the availability domestically will increase and the cost should

go down.

33.Commercial space flights to the moon, which were only speculated upon

earlier, will become a reality around 2023 when the first tourist will fly on

a Big Falcon Rocket of SpaceX, when it is ready. The first person who has

booked his passage to the moon is Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese

businessman. The billionaire businessman will be accompanied by eight

other people, all in the field of arts. This will be the first lunar journey by

mankind after 1972. Maezawa and others would also not be landing on

the moon, but travelling in a loop around the moon.

34.The Western Ghats is recognized as one of the biodiversity hot spots in

the world. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has issued a draft

notification declaring the entire Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive area.

State governments were to identify those areas that were eco-sensitive.

Declaration of an area as eco-sensitive means that they can be no

activities such as mining or setting up of industries or power plants in the

area. There are six states which are concerned with the notification.

When the first draft was published in 2014 all the states reacted

adversely as it would impact economic development. In 2010 Madhav

Gadgil headed working group recommended that 75% of the Western

Ghats should be declared as eco-sensitive whereas another committee

recommended 37%. The Gadgil report also recommended that the local

communities should have a say in any development project whereas the

Kasturirangan committee recommended that they should not be

consulted. Of the six governments Karnataka is set to reject the

notification.

35.Nepal is showing the way for tiger conservation. It is estimated that the

population of tigers has grown in Nepal from 120 in 2009 to 235

presently. This has been possible due to the initiatives taken by the

government: increasing the number of wildlife soldiers in the protected

 areas; developing alternative livelihoods for the local communities so

that there is no over dependence on forest products and the forests are

free from human interference, providing a good environment for the

prey base of tigers to increase; involving the communities in the buffer

zones to prevent poaching; efficient management of the wildlife parks

has also restored the quality of forests. It is believed that Nepal would

reach the goal of doubling its tiger population, reached at the ST

Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010 well before the target year of 2022.

SNIPPETS

36.The Rajiv Gandhi International airport at Hyderabad has been awarded

the Airports Council International’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) World

no. 1 Airport Award Trophy in the category of 5 to 15 million passengers

annually. The airport has been consistently ranked amongst the top 3 in

the world by ASQ for nine years. The airport is a public partnership

endeavour of GMR with the Airport Authority of India, the state

government and Malaysia Airports Holdings with GMR being the major

partner with 63 per cent share. ASQ was created in 2006 and surveys

around 350 airports in around 85 countries as per a strict criteria.

37.The National Hindi Day is observed on 14th September every year. It was

on this day, in 1949, that the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi

as the official language (not the national language) of the country by

approving Article 343 of the Constitution. Hindi is spoken by around 250

million people worldwide. It is also spoken in countries like Mauritius, Fiji,

Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nepal. Unlike English, Hindi

is a phonetic script i.e. the words are pronounced exactly as they are

written. The word Hindi has been derived from the Persian word ‘Hind’.

A number of Hindi words have a bearing on English such as Yoga, cheetah,

guru amongst others.

38.VC 11184 is the name of India’s new missile tracking and surveillance ship

which is being built at Hindustan Shipyard Limited for the National

Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and will undergo sea trials

before it is handed over. The ship would be fitted with radar, multiple

missile tracking antennas, it would carry a helicopter and a crew of 300

personnel. Once this ocean surveillance ship is handed over to NTRO

India will join four other countries which have similar ships – US, Russia,

China and France

39.“NOTA” or “none of the above”, was in the news with the removal of this

option from the ballot papers of the Rajya Sabha as per directions of the
 Supreme Court which was hearing a public interest litigation in the

matter. The litigant had contended that if Nota was allowed in the Rajya

Sabha polls it would lead to “horse trading and corruption”. The option

has been included by the Election Commission of India early in January

2014. This is a ballot option provided to voters who do not want to vote

for any candidate. It is a button which is at the bottom of the list of

contesting candidates and thus, unlike earlier, secrecy is maintained.

Earlier Section 49 (O) of the Conduct of Election Rules a voter could cast

a negative vote after informing the presiding officer who would put a

remark in the form and obtain the signature of the voter. This was

deemed to be unconstitutional by the Apex court as it was then easy to

identify the person who had opted not to vote and pursuant to a direction

of the Court Nota was included in the ballot. This option was first used in

the assembly elections in 2013. The Court has now stated that NOTA is

used when an individual has to exercise his vote and not in the case of

“proportional representation”.

40.“Nomadic Elephant” is the name of a joint military exercise, conducted

bilaterally, between India and Mongolia. The exercise is expected to

improve the skills of both countries in joint counter insurgency and

counter terrorist operations.

41.Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, will become the first

airport in the country to use face recognition technology by early 2019.

This biometric technology will identify travellers by their faces and would

cut down on time taken to check the identity of the passenger at various

points of the airport. This is part of the government’s DigiYatra project

which aims to make air travel paperless. Passengers would first need to

log on to the digiyatra platform and upload all the required data after

which they would be issued a unique identification number which would

need to be quoted for booking tickets. Thereafter the face recognition

would take over for a smooth and hassle free journey through the airport.

42.A recently published report ‘Pakistani nuclear forces 2018’ forecasts that

Pakistan’s stockpile of nuclear weapons will see an increase by the year

2025 making Pakistan the fifth largest nuclear weapon state in the world.

Presently there are eight countries that have detonated nuclear

weapons, five of these are members of the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, namely USA, Russia, the UK, France

and China and three members India, Pakistan and North Korea who have

not ratified the treaty.

43.Under the umbrella of Indo-US defence cooperation a joint military

exercise is conducted annually, termed Yudh Abhyas. Both countries will

 work together on counter insurgency and counter terrorism for two

weeks and the exercise will conclude with an operation against imagined

terrorists.

44. India will participate in the 2021 round of the Programme for

International Student Assessment (PISA) after a gap of nine years. The

worldwide study conducted every three years by the Organization for

Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) evaluates the level of

educational performance of 15 year olds across the world with the

objective to improve educational policies and outcomes. In the test

conducted in 2009 Indian students performed badly. The flaw of learning

by rote was exposed. PESA seeks to learn what students learn both in

class rooms and outside and how they apply themselves to real world

situations.

45.A successful mid-air refuelling of TEJAS was carried out by the Indian Air

Force. Tejas is the indigenously developed aircraft by Hindustan

Aeronautics Limited. Refuelling in mid-air increases the range of the

aircraft making it more lethal and effective.

46.BC Roy award, given in several categories, was started in 1962 by Medial

Council of India in memory of Dr. Roy and is conferred by the President

of India on 1st July, the birthday of Dr Roy, also known as National

 Doctors’ Day. For 2018 Dr. BK Misra will be given the award under the

category Eminent Medical Person of the year.

47.The interstate Shahpur Kandi project will be constructed on the River Ravi

jointly by the governments of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Both the

states have agreed to work towards completing the project within a

period of three years at a cost of approximately Rs. 2,800 crores. This

project was approved as a ‘National Project’ in 2008. Power and water

would be shared as per an agreed agreement between the two states.

Work commenced in 2013 but was stopped by J&K due to doubts on

Punjab adhering to the commitments made. An agreement was again

signed in early 2017 but was not followed up. It is hoped that the third

agreement would mean that the project would be completed to the

benefit of both the states.

48.S Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist at ISRO, who was wrongly arrested

and implicated in a false case has been given relief by the Supreme Court

which has awarded him a compensation of Rs. 50 lakhs and has also

directed that all those police officers who were part of the conspiracy to

declare him a spy would be investigated and if found guilty punished. The

investigation would be carried out by a three member committee (the

cost of which would be borne by the central government) headed by a

 retired judge of the Supreme Court. The Court had in its judgement

recognized that the arrest and imprisonment of the scientist was a

violation of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the

Constitution.

49.The Bogibeel bridge is a rail and road bridge which is being constructed

over the River Bhramaputra and once completed will be the second

longest bridge over the Bhramaputra after the Dhola Sadiya bridge.

50.Section 498A of the Indian penal code provides for punishment which

would mean a jail term of three years and a fine if anyone is caught

subjecting a woman to cruelty or harassing a woman for pecuniary

benefit. However, often the section was abused by the woman to punish

her husband and in laws. A Division Bench of the Supreme Court of India

in the case of Rajesh Sharma vs. Union of India where it had laid down

safeguards against the misuse of the Section. The court had directed: that

no immediate arrest would be made; Family Welfare Committees would

be constituted in every district to look into complaints under Section

498A and the report of the committee would be considered before any

action of arrest was initiated; bail applications would be decided as far as

possible on the same day; there was no requirement of the personal

appearance by relatives; impounding of passports and issuance of red

 corner notices should not be done routinely. A larger bench of the Court,

hearing petitions filed by NGOs, has now modified the earlier order

indicating that the directions given earlier did not flow from any provision

in the Indian Penal Code. The court has indicted that under section 19(ii)

which deals with investigation by designated officers the investigation

would be carried out, as earlier, by the police and the Director Generals

of Police of each State should ensure that rigorous training is given; under

section 19 (iii) where District and Sessions Judge could dispose of cases

where a settlement had been reached the court has directed that if a

settlement is reached the concerned can approach the High Court under

Section 482 of the CrPC and the High Court will dispose of the same under

the law laid down in the case of Gian Singh. Regarding clubbing of

connected cases and dispensing with personal appearance an application

is to be filed under Section 205 or 317 CrPC.

51.Johnson and Johnson (J&J), a global company, is in the eye of a storm in

India due to its “ASR Hip System”. Internationally J&J had recalled its ASR

Hip System in 2010 on a complaint from the UK. It was found that the

product made of cobalt and chromium ‘leaked’ into the blood system of

the patient, causing contamination. J&J had agreed to pay a $2.5 billion

compensation to around 8000 patients in USA. The J&J subsidiary DePuy

 has claimed that they had informed the government of the recall of the

implants and had set up a help line in 2010 to assist those patients who

had suffered due to the ASR implant. In India the product had been

implanted in approximately 5000 patients. The government has now

constituted an expert committee to determine the extent of the problem

for each patient and how much compensation is required. Thereafter the

company will be approached to pay compensation.

52.Panchayat elections are scheduled to be held in Jammu and Kashmir

beginning October 2018. The last Panchayat polls were held in 2011 and

polls for urban local bodies were last held in 2005. Two political parties

the PDP and the National Conference have announced their intention to

boycott the polls. Jammu and Kashmir has its own Panchayati Raj Act

which was notified in 1989, though the first elections were held only in

2001 and again in 2011.

53.15th September is celebrated as Engineer’s Day. It is the birthday of

Mokshagundam Visvesvarya an engineer known for his mastery of

irrigation design and often referred to as the father of engineering in

India. He earned his license in Civil Engineering from the University of

Bombay. He served as the Chief Engineer of the Mysore State and is a

 recipient of the Bharat Ratna. He had earlier been knighted by King

George V and was given the title of ‘Sir’.

54.India’s borders with Pakistan, and Bangladesh have been fenced but

there are stretches which have rivers and canals making them difficult to

fence. It is across these stretches that infiltration takes place. This will

now change with the installation of ‘Smart Fences’. This is a non-physical

barrier which also has sensors, cameras and radars which deliver a very

high probability of detection and prevent incursions. This smart fence has

no environmental limitations and can be used in any geography including

along the sea and in other corrosive environments. India has installed its

first smart fence. This is in consonance with its Comprehensive Integrated

Border Management system wherein which it is planned to completely

seal the India Pakistan and the India Bangladesh borders.

55.An Assamese film ‘Village Rockstars’ (winner of the National Film Award

for Best Feature Film) has been selected as India’s official entry to the

Academy Awards (Oscars). The film was unanimously selected by the jury

among a number of other films including some like “Manto”, and “Love

Sonia”. The selected movie would need to be promoted extensively at

the Oscars with critics, press etc. if it is to be selected but there is a dearth

of funding. Appreciation of the film at the National Awards and its

 selection for the Oscars it is believed will give a boost to Assam’s flagging

film industry.

56.A new airport at Jharsuguda in Odisha (developed by the Airport

Authority of India in collaboration with the state government) has

become operational. This is the second airport in the State and would

improve connectivity with the mineral rich areas of Western Odisha. The

airport has been named after Veer Surendra Sai a freedom fighter.

57.Coal gasification technology will be used for the first time in the country

by Talcher Fertilizers a joint venture between Gas Authority India Limited,

Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited and Coal India Limited. This

will pave the way for other industries to use gas from coal and reduce

emissions which are harmful for the environment that come from

burning coal itself, specially in terms of particulate matter.

58.Neelakurinji is the name of an exotic species of plant that flowers only

once in 12 years. The state of Tamil Nadu has announced a scheme for

the protection of the plant which is found in the shola forests in the

Western Ghats. The Nilgiri Hills got their name of ‘Blue Mountains’ from

the blue flowers, Neelakurinji.

59.With increasing incidents of sexual offences against women, a National

Database of Sexual Offenders (available only to law enforcement

 agencies) has been prepared and released by the Ministry of Home

Affairs making India the 9th nation to have a registry of this kind. This

database would contain the DNA samples of around 4.5 lakh offenders

including fingerprints and PAN nos. The storage of the data would

depend on the danger posed by the offenders ranging from a low of 15

years to a high of 25 years. Additionally the central government has

keeping in mind the rising incidents of violence against women launched

a web portal – Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children

(CCPWC). Citizens can send in their complaints regarding objectionable

material to the portal which will also receive complaints of cybercrime.

The complaints can be posted with full contact details or sent in

anonymously. Investigations would be conducted by the state police.

60.The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has agreed to come on board as a third

‘strategic partner’ in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Further terms of the partnership have still to be negotiated. The CPEC is

currently largely funded by China and the partnership with Saudi Arabia

is perhaps to secure Pakistan against a debt trap, as happened to Sri

Lanka where the country unable to service its debt to the Chinese for

building the Hambantota port, f0rcing the Government to lease out the

port to the Chinese on a 99 year lease.

61.In the Mahatma Gandhi centenary year people and institutions linked

to his life will be duly recognized. One such institution is the Dakshin

Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in Madras, now Chennai, established by

Annie Besant with support from Gandhiji in 1918 to spread the use of

Hindi in the Southern states. This was established by an Act of

Parliament and authorised to award degrees. The Hindi Prachar Sabha

emerged out of the freedom movement as it was felt that there should

be a single Indian language which would unite the country. Mahatma

Gandhi was the founder President of the organization till he lived. The

institution was recognized as an Institute of National importance in

1964 and celebrated its centenary in September 2018 with the

President of India as the chief guest.

62.Sometimes, a State Assembly can be dissolved mid-term. Even in such

cases, the Model Code of Conduct earlier came into play on the

announcement of the date of elections. The Election Commission has

recently directed that henceforth once a state assembly is dissolved

the Model Code of Conduct would come into force immediately. The

code would apply even on a caretaker government as well as the

central government in matters relating to a particular state where the

state assembly has been dissolved.

63.The Prime Minister has been awarded the Champions of the Earth

Award for his leadership in the International Solar Alliance as also the

pledge to eliminate single use plastic in India by 2022. The Prime

Minister has been recognized in the Policy Leadership category along

with French President for the pioneering work in the International

Solar Alliance. The Champion of Earth Prize has been awarded to

Cochin International Airport Limited for the use of solar energy in

running the airport. It is the world’s fully solar-powered airport.

64.In 2009 Aadhaar (the biometric technology platform) was conceived

to be used for identifying beneficiaries of government subsidies and

eliminating leakages in the distribution system. The use of Aadhar

was subsequently mandated for transactions for every conceivable

purpose. This led to the perception that Aadhaar was intrusive and

was an attempt by the state to exercise surveillance on the citizens.

Aadhaar was challenged in the Supreme Court mentioning that it was

against the fundamental right to privacy. It was also mentioned that

the Act had been passed as a ‘Money Bill’ in Parliament wheras it

should have been discussed in the Upper House. Aadhaar has been

found to be constitutionally valid by a five judge constitution bench

of the Supreme Court in a 4:1 judgement in September 2018.

 However, the court has struck down some of the provisions of the

Aadhaar Act: Linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts, mobile phone

numbers; for school admissions, enrolling for exams, buying of train,

rail or air tickets is no longer compulsory. Private companies,

including payment banks, cannot insist on Aadhaar as Section 57 of

the Aadhaar Act has been struck down. It will be used by those keen

on availing benefits under welfare schemes of the centre or states in

order that the subsidies reach the true beneficiary. However, a child

cannot be denied a mid-day meal on the basis that the child does not

have an Aadhar card. It is required for filing of income tax returns.

Regarding data the Court has struck down Regulation 27(1) and

reduced the storage period of data from five years to six months.

Regulation 26 has been amended to ensure that the metabase for a

transaction is impermissible and in case of theft of data a person can

file a complaint which hitherto could only be done by the

government.

65.In order to spread awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals

(adopted in 2015) and the need to adhere to the timeline of 2030 the

United Nations has in partnership with several media organizations

announced ‘Gobal Media Compact’. This is an alliance of media and

 entertainment companies across the world who will leverage their

resources and creativity to advance awareness on the SDGs. Media

Compact will also use the power of the media in countries who are

lagging behind in the implementation of the SDGs both to shame them

into meeting the targets as also motivating them. These companies will

also have the opportunity to create media content in partnership with

the United Nations on the Sustainable Development Goals. Collectively

the global media companies and others in various countries have a reach

across all continents and to the entire population of the world.

66.In order to ensure transparency and accountability the Supreme Court

has decided to live stream court proceedings. Initially those cases of

Constitutional or national importance would be live streamed. Courts in

the country are open to members of the public but very often due to

logistical reasons a person may not be able to witness the proceedings.

Very often the litigant may not be in a position to reach Delhi and would

be dependent on his legal counsel. By going ‘live’ the court would be

providing access to justice to all and those watching would be able to

understand first-hand the court proceedings and form a reasoned

understanding of the case. The Supreme Court would be framing rules

to ensure that the dignity of the litigants and the right of the public are
 protected. Live streaming would be extended to other courts in a phased

manner so that ‘open courts’ would reduce the crowds in the courts.

Younger lawyers would be able to make an impression, lawyers would

not be able to seek adjournments. There are some issues that the court

would need to keep in mind while framing the rules such as the need for

a reasonable time delay between the live telecast and the court

proceedings so that in case the court feels that something cannot be

telecast there is time to edit the same. There is also a downside to live

streaming as has been witnessed in Parliament with members

grandstanding so that their constituents would see how active they are

in Parliament.

67.Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to adultery has been

struck down unanimously by a five judge Constitution Bench of the

Supreme Court which has declared it unconstitutional. The 158 year old

provision of Section 497 punished a married man for having sex with the

wife of another man but only if it was done without the connivance or

consent of the husband. Which means that if the husbands consent was

there it was not an offence. The woman was, therefore, considered as an

object who had no role to play and was subject to the whims of her

husband. Women could not file a case under Section 497 against their
 husbands, only the husband could, thus reinforcing the perception of the

wife being the property of the husband. . This was considered a violation

of a woman’s right to dignity and sexual autonomy and was therefore an

infringement of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. By their judgement

the Justices have overturned earlier judgements of the Supreme Court. It

was lso held that relationship between consenting adults cannot be

treated as a criminal offense. Now adultery is no longer a criminal offence

but can be a ground for civil litigation.

SPORTS

68.An award, the Most Valuable Player Award, (instituted in 1998) is

conferred by the Olympic Council of Asia at the conclusion of the Asian

Games. The award carries a cash award of US $ 50,000 and a trophy.

Japanese swimmer Ikee was the unanimous choice for the award winning

the most number of gold medals at the Asian Games 2018.

69.India’s participation in the Asian Games held in Indonesia in the month

of August/September 2018 saw a medal haul of 69 medals: 15 gold, 24

silver and 30 bronze. Gold was won in a variety of events:

1. Men’s 1500m event – Jinson Johnson

2. Women 4x400m relay - Hima Das, M R Poovamma, Saritaben Gayakwad

and Vismaya Velluva Koroth

 3. Men’s triple jump event – Arpinder Singh

4. Women’s heptathlon – Swapna Barman

5. Men’s 800 m – Manjit Singh

6. Boxing 49 kg - Amit Panghal

7. Bridge men’s pair – Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar

8. Javelin throw – Neeraj Chopra

9. Men’s shotput – Tajinderpal Singh Toor

10.Men’s quadruple sculls category - Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om

Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh

11.Tennis Men’s doubles - Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan

12.Air pistol 25m – Rahi Sarnobat

13.Air pistol 10 m – Saurabh Chaudhary

14.Wrestling 50 kg category – Vinesh Phogat

15.Wrestling 65 kg men’s category – Bajrang Punia

73..Naomi Osaka won the US Open 2018 women singles title defeating

Serena Williams and the men’s final was won by Novak Djokovic defeating

Juan Martin del Potro.

70.Noted hockey player and former Indian Hockey captain, Sardar Singh,

after a disappointing outing at the Asian Games 2018 has announced his
 retirement from international hockey. He is a recipient of the Rajiv

Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and the Padma Shri.

71.The National Sport Awards for 2018 were conferred by the President in

the following categories and to the sportsmen mentioned below.

(i) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for outstanding performance by a

sportsperson over a period of four years.

(ii) Arjuna Award for consistently performing well for four years.

(iii) Dronacharya Award for coaches for their wards obtaining medals.

(iv) Dhyan Chand Award for life time contribution to sports development.

(v) Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar to corporates (both in private and

public sector) and individuals for sports promotion and development.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

S. Mirabai Chanu for weightlifting

Virat Kohli for cricket

Arjuna Award

Neeraj Chopra, Jinson Johnson and Hima Das for athletics

Smriti Mandhana for cricket

Manpreet Singh for Hockey

Manika Batra and G. Sathiyan for table tennis

 Rohan Bopanna for tennis

Dronacharya Award

Tarak Sinha for cricket

Clarence Lobo for hockey.

Dhyan Chand Award

Satyadev Prasad for archery

Bharat Kumar Chetri for Hockey

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited/JSW Sports/Isha Outreach.

72.The President of India has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the 46th

Chief Justice of India (and the first from Assam, and the North East),

under the powers vested in him under Article 124 of the Constitution of

India. He has succeeded Justice Dipak Misra. Justice Gogoi was elevated

to the Supreme Court in 2012. Before his appointment to the Supreme

Court Justice Gogoi was the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High

Court. Justice Gogoi was one of the four Supreme Court judges who held

a Press Conference against the then Chief Justice Dipak Mishra.

73.LK Advani has been renominated as the Chief of the Ethics Committee of

the Lok Sabha along with all the members. The Committee is tasked into

upholding the ethical standards required of Members of Parliament by:

 looking into complaints received pertaining to unethical conduct; by

taking up any complaints suo motu and making its recommendations to

the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for further action; and formulating a code

of conduct for the Members. Ethics Committee was first formed in 2000

but on an adhoc basis and was made a permanent standing committee

only in August 2015.

74.Pakistan has the first woman Chief Justice - Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar

who has been appointed to the High Court of Balochistan.

75.Dr Arif ur Rehman Alvi has been was elected as 13th President of

Pakistan. As per the Constitution the President cannot interfere in the

running of the government. He can grant pardons and has control of the

military. However, appointments to the higher posts in the military can

be made in consultation with and approval of the Prime Minister. The

President of Pakistan is elected for a five year term through an electoral

college, comprising the Senate, National Assembly and the four provincial

assemblies, and the voting is secret.

76.There has been growing concern in the country over the spread of ‘fake’

news on social media through platforms such as WhatsApp. The central

government has been insistent that the social media platform identify the

source of the fake messages and also appoint a grievance officer for India.
 Whatsapp has appointed Komal Lahiri, as Chief Grievance Officer who

however will be stationed in the US. Regarding the origin of the messages

the company has regretted its inability stating that it would not be

possible.

OBITUARIES

77.Kalpana Lajmi, a well-known film director expired in September 2018. Her

body of work was limited to only six feature films but each one a

masterpiece focussing as they did on women’s issues. She was the

constant companion of the legendary Bhupen Hazarika and even

authored a book on him titled “Bhupen Hazarika – As I Knew Him”.