-
2019-07-31 11:31:07+00:00
Today is the birth anniversary of a great novelist and celebrated storyteller Munshi Premchand. He was born on 31st July 1880 in Lamhi Village near Varanasi. Premchand's stories confront the truth of this society underlining the importance of truth, justice and loyalty.
He has voiced various social issues including poverty and exploitation. His stories 'Kafan', 'Namak Ka Daroga', 'Panch Parmeshwar', 'Poos Ki Raat', 'Budhi Kaki', 'Idgah' and novels 'Godan', 'Seva Sadan', 'Rangbhoomi' are timeless and ever relevant.
-
2019-07-31 11:26:55+00:00
CCEA approves Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers for the year 2019-20; expected expenditure during 2019-20 to be Rs. 22,875.50 crore.
-
2019-07-31 06:16:22+00:00
Electrocution kills nearly 30 Indians a day.
-
2019-07-30 16:33:12+00:00
Consumer Protection Bill, 2019
The Lok Sabha today passed the Consumer Protection Bill 2019.
Salient Features of the Bill
1. Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA): Executive Agency to provide relief to a class of consumers. The CCPA will be empowered to-
a) Conduct investigations into violations of consumer rights and institute Complaints /Prosecution
b) Order recall of unsafe goods and services
c) Order discontinuance of Unfair Trade Practices and Misleading Advertisements
d) Impose penalties on Manufactures /Endorsers /Publishers of Misleading Advertisements
2. Simplified Dispute Resolution process
i) Pecuniary Jurisdiction enhanced to-
• District Commission –Up to Rs1 crore
• State Commission- Between Rs1 crore and Rs 10 crore
• National Commission –Above Rs.10 crore
ii) Deemed admissibility after 21days of filing
iii) Empowerment of Consumer Commission to enforce their orders
iv) Appeals only on question of law after second stage
v) Ease of approaching consumer commission
• Filing from place of residence
• E-filing
• Videoconferencing for hearing
3. Mediation
• An Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism
• Reference to Mediation by Consumer Forum wherever scope for early settlement exists and parties agree for it.
• Mediation cells to be attached to Consumer Forum
• No appeal against settlement through mediation
4. Product Liability
A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller to be responsible to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services
The Basis for product liability action will be:
• Manufacturing defect
• Design defect
• Deviation from manufacturing specifications
• Not conforming to express warranty
• Failing to contain adequate instruction for correct use
• Services provided arefaulty, imperfect or deficient
New Bill- Benefit to Consumers
💎Presently Consumer only have a single point of access to justice, which is time consuming. Additional swift executive remedies are proposed in the bill through Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
💎Deterrent punishment to check misleading advertisements and adulteration of products
💎Product liability provision to deter manufacturers and service providers from delivering defective products or deficient services
💎Ease of approaching Consumer Commission and Simplification of Adjudication process
💎Scope for early disposal of cases through mediation
💎Provision for rules for new age consumer issues: e-commerce & direct selling. #acumenias
-
2019-07-30 14:57:29+00:00
Dear aspirants,
Acumen IAS is planning to extend our help to differently abled students to make them better prepared for civil service examination. If any of your friends/relatives are interested please share this Google form with them.
Thank you
-Acumen Team
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScneHMjpw9ETJa9pfIM0NliisiCw2JTuuKsDiFsoruWrzpMzw/viewform?usp=pp_url
-
2019-07-29 09:00:10+00:00
Fact box: Tigers in India
✅All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 estimates population of tigers in India has increased from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018, a rise of 33 per cent.
✅Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
✅Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase.
✅Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tigers, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu registered the “maximum improvement” since 2014.
✅Since 2006, the Wildlife Institute of India — an Environment Ministry-funded body — has been tasked with coordinating the exercise.
✅That year, it emerged that India had only 1,411 tigers. This rose to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014 on the back of improved conservation measures and new estimation methods.
✅There are 50 tiger reserves in India which are governed by Project Tiger which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
✅Tigers are widely distributed from the alpine Himalayas to the rain forests of southern Western Ghats and from the dry forests of Rajasthan to the moist forests of north-east India.
✅In 1970 India had only 1800 tigers and Project Tiger was launched in Jim Corbett National Park. #acumenias
-
2019-07-29 08:33:48+00:00
International Tiger Day was created at st Petersburg Tiger Summit (SPTS) 2010.
Objective: To raise awareness about declining numbers of wild tigers.
-
2019-07-29 08:25:25+00:00
💎Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)💎
✅It is a proposed free trade agreement between the ten member states of the ASEAN and the 6 states with which ASEAN have existing free trade agreements - Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
✅RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed trade agreement which includes several Asian and American nations but excludes China and India.
✅It will cover trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical co-operation, intellectual property, competition, dispute settlement and other issues.
✅It takes into account the East Asia Free Trade Agreement (EAFTA) and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) initiatives, with the difference that the RCEP is not working on a pre-determined membership. #acumenias
-
2019-07-28 15:30:04+00:00
🚩Civil Aviation Ministry announced addition of 8 more air routes under UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik), the regional air connectivity scheme.
🚩These air routes have become functional and started operations.
🚩New 8 Routes added are: Mysore-Goa, Goa-Mysore, Mysore-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Mysore, Mysore-Kochi, Kochi-Mysore, Kolkata-Shillong, and Shillong-Kolkata.
🔸UDAN or Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik is a regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
🌀It was scheme on 21 October 2016 to stimulate regional air connectivity and make air travel affordable to masses.
🌀Objective: It aims to make flying affordable besides connecting underserved and unserved airports across India.
🌀Besides seeking boost to regional air connectivity it provides various incentives to airlines.
-
2019-07-28 08:52:19+00:00
Tourist attraction: With heavy rainfall in the Sharavati Catchment area, Jog falls in Shivamogga, Karnataka, has attracted large number of visitors this month.
Major waterfalls in India
✅Jog Waterfall – Karnataka- Sharavathi River
✅Kunchikal Falls- Karnataka- Varahi River
✅Barehipani Falls- Odisha- Budhabalanga River
✅Dudhsagar Falls- Goa- Mandovi River
✅Athirappilly falls – Kerala- Chalakkudy River
✅Thalaiyar Falls- Tamil Nadu- Manjalar River
✅Chitrakot Waterfall – Chhattisgarh- Indravati River
✅Dhuandhar Waterfall – Madhya Pradesh- Narmada River
✅Meenmutty Falls- Kerala
✅Nohkalikai Falls- Meghalaya
✅Nohsngithiang Falls- Meghalaya
✅Kynrem Falls- Meghalaya
✅Langshiang Falls- Meghalaya
✅Vantawng Falls- Mizoram
✅Kune Falls- Maharashtra
✅Thoseghar Waterfall – Maharashtra
✅Courtallam Waterfall – Tamil Nadu
✅Talakona Waterfall – Andhra Pradesh. #acumenias
-
2019-07-27 18:48:20+00:00
✉️ Are you planning to appear for CAPF Exam 2019/2020?
Poll is anonymous!
Be aware: People might be able to guess your votes by tracking the percentage/vote count and your online status.
┌ Yes (144 votes)
└ ▬▬▬▭▭▭▭▭▭▭ (34%)
┌ No (204 votes)
└ ▬▬▬▬▭▭▭▭▭▭ (49%)
┌ I'll appear if I gets proper guidance (71 votes)
└ ▬▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭ (17%)
419 users voted so far
Click on the a), b) buttons below to see the option names.
-
2019-07-26 09:50:31+00:00
🔏Public Accounts Committee (PAC)🔏
✅It is one of the standing parliamentary committees, which was first established in 1921 under the Government of India Act 1919 provisions.
✅Public Accounts Committee has 22 members of which 15 are from Lok Sabha while 7 from Rajya Sabha.
✅The members are elected by members of Parliament amongst themselves via a system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote; so that all parties get due representation in it.
✅Members are elected for a period of one year.
✅A minister cannot be a member of PAC.
✅The chairman used to be of ruling party till mid 1960s, however, now the chairman of PAC is from opposition by convention. #acumenias
-
2019-07-26 08:32:41+00:00
“Kargil has once again shown that whenever our patriotism is aroused,all of us stand as One, with full confidence and determination,as a fist clenched in conviction.”: Ex PM AtalBihariVajpayee in his Independence day speech,1999,after Kargilvictory.
-
2019-07-26 06:23:23+00:00
Dear students,
You must be knowing that we are not doing any promotions, or advertising in our channel for more subscribers. Our content team is working day and night to curate important current affairs for you, we want you to clear this exam, we are ready to do anything for your success. However if you feel our content is helping you in your preparation, please share it with your friends/groups so that we can reach to more students.
We won't boast about ourselves, neither we do any paid promotion. Let the success talk for us.
We need only your support. We are daily getting many mails from the subscribers and we feel so happy to read all those and incorporating those suggestions. Thank you so much. 👍
Keep sending your feedbacks to academic.acumenias@gmail.com
-
2019-07-25 17:09:31+00:00
💦Mangdechhu power project💦
💦India is a major stake holder in Mangdechhu project as it is one of the ten Hydroprojects planned by Bhutan to generate 10,000MW hydropower by 2020 with support from the Government of India.
💦It is bagged by the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL).
💦 It will be implemented on a bilateral basis. #acumenias
-
2019-07-25 15:04:58+00:00
🌕Chaukhandi stupa🌕
🌕It is located at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh.
🌕It has been declared to be of national importance by the Archaeological survey of India.#acumenias
-
2019-07-25 14:50:53+00:00
Rajya Sabha passes POCSO(Amendment) Bill, 2019👆👆
-
2019-07-25 14:49:30+00:00
👇👇
-
2019-07-24 20:58:37+00:00
💎Mercury💎
💎RESEARCHERS of the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), have found that people living in a city with active coal-fired power plants and consuming local aquatic produce may have higher body levels of mercury.
💎Mercury is a neurotoxin that is used in industry and consumer products and exists as a natural impurity in ores.
💎It is non-degradable and circulates widely within and between ecosystems.
💎Mercury has adverse effects on lungs and kidneys, and heart diseases.
💎Coal-fired power plants are estimated to be the largest emitters of mercury to the atmosphere”.
💎The total mercury emissions in India are estimated to become around 540 tonnes in 2020.
💎Hair is an excellent indicator of mercury in the body. Hair concentrates mercury and its sampling is non-invasive, making it easy to both measure and correlate to the amount of mercury in the body.#acumenias
-
2019-07-24 18:18:51+00:00
UPSC capf admit card 👇
https://upsconline.nic.in/eadmitcard/admitcard_capf_2019/admit_card.php#hhh1
-
2019-07-24 05:32:18+00:00
1992 :: Yeltsin Suspends Rocket Technology Transfer to India Following Objection From The United States.
Then ISRO Worked On Its Own And Today ISRO Is Leading Space Agency of The World. #acumenias
-
2019-07-24 03:43:47+00:00
Ebola Virus:
❄️Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.
❄️The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
❄️EVD first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, one in what is now Nzara, South Sudan, and the other in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). #acumenias
-
2019-07-23 12:11:13+00:00
💎Chandra Shekhar Azad was born on July 23, 1906. He was popularly known as by his self-taken name Azad ("The Free").
💎He was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican Army (HSRA) after the death of its founder, Ram Prasad Bismil, and three other prominent party leaders, Roshan Singh, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Ashfaqulla Khan.
💎He often used the pseudonym "Balraj" when signing pamphlets issued as the commander in chief of the HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republic Army).
💎He was involved in the Kakori Train robbery of 1925, the attempt to blow the Viceroy's train in 1926 and the shooting of J.P.Saunders at Lahore in 1928. He died fighting the British in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) on 27 February 1931. #acumenias
-
2019-07-23 08:21:19+00:00
Saltwater Crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles. It listed as least concern by IUCN. It is found throughout the east coast of India.
-
2019-07-23 03:15:06+00:00
Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019👆👆
-
2019-07-22 21:36:43+00:00
India’s general elections, the world’s largest electoral exercise to elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha recently concluded. Being conducted in seven phases over the course of two months, it has some interesting facts to throw up. Here’s a look.
-
2019-07-22 08:35:23+00:00
Dear students,
Kindly send your feedbacks to academic.acumenias@gmail.com
We would like to hear from you
1. Does the channel helping you in preparation?
2. What more you expect from us?
We will be launching our website soon to help you better, so what all you want us to provide to you to help you crack IAS in very first attempt.
-
2019-07-22 08:14:17+00:00
💎Last week, Hawaii saw protests against plans to start construction of a giant telescope atop Mauna Kea, the US state’s highest mountain at 14,000 feet.
💎The telescope is being built by an international collaboration of government organisations and educational institutions, at a cost of $1.4 billion.
💎“Thirty Metre” refers to the the 30-metre diameter of the mirror, with 492 segments of glass pieced together, which makes it three times as wide as the world’s largest existing visible-light telescope.
💎One of its key uses will be the study of exoplanets, many of which have been detected in the last few years, and whether their atmospheres contain water vapour or methane — the signatures of possible life.#acumenias
-
2019-07-22 07:54:17+00:00
Chandrayaan 2's Rover is a 6-wheeled robotic vehicle named Pragyan. It can travel up to 500 m and leverages SolarEnergy for its functioning. It can communicate with the Lander.
-
2019-07-22 07:43:28+00:00
7 Charts show why India is a world leader in urbanisation.
-
2019-07-22 03:59:01+00:00
Delhi lost Rs 2.9 crore to ATM frauds in a year.
-
2019-07-21 16:34:29+00:00
JalShaktiAbhiyan for Water 🌊Conservation.
The campaign will run through citizen participation during the monsoonsession from 1st July 2019 to 15th September 2019.
-
2019-07-21 13:26:33+00:00
The Orbiter payloads will conduct remote-sensing observations from a 100 km orbit while the Lander and Rover payloads will perform in-situ measurements near the landing site.
-
2019-07-21 13:24:39+00:00
The Moon is the closest cosmic body at which space discovery can be attempted and documented. It is also a promising testbed to demonstrate the technologies required for deep-space missions.
Take a look at the mission payloads of Chandrayaan2🚀
-
2019-07-20 23:32:17+00:00
Italy’s Mount Etna, Europe’s biggest live volcano, erupted overnight with lava flows and explosions, volcanologists said on Saturday. The eruption forced the closure of two airports in Sicily’s second-biggest city of Catania.
-
2019-07-20 23:29:10+00:00
A 165-million-year-old fossil of Microdocodon gracilis, a shrew-like mammal, found in China in 2014, was examined recently. Researchers find in it the earliest evidence of tiny hyoid bones that link the back of the mouth, the pharynx, to the openings of the oesophagus and larynx. The tiny animal must have weighed 5 to 9 grams.
-
2019-07-20 23:10:44+00:00
A view of the natural arch formation at the Mangamaripeta Beach in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Geological scientists and INTACH want it to be notified as geo-heritage.
-
2019-07-20 14:56:36+00:00
Nolan Committee
-
2019-07-20 06:11:45+00:00
May 15-July 20, 2019 -- On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon, declaring, as he stepped on to the lunar surface, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. #acumenias
-
2019-07-20 04:35:25+00:00
Temple city of Bagan, Myanmar for being awarded the UNESCO World Heritage status! There are more than 2,200 temples and pagodas to visit in this magical city. #acumenias
-
2019-07-20 04:26:56+00:00
NAG-fire & forget anti tank missile uses imaging infrared seeker in lock-on-before-launch mode.The robust imaging algorithm has made the missile hit the target even in severe summer desert conditions which is unique in its class. #acumenias
-
2019-07-19 14:44:16+00:00
🌊Blue Flag Programme🌊
❄️It is international recognition conferred on beaches and marinas that meet certain criteria of cleanliness and environmental propriety and equipped with amenities of international standards for tourists.
❄️It is run by international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
❄️It was first started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987.
❄️Since 2001 it has been implemented in areas outside Europe when South Africa joined.
❄️Criteria: There are almost 33 criteria that must be met by beaches and marinas to qualify for Blue Flag certification. It includes water meeting certain quality standards, having waste disposal facilities, first aid equipment, disabled- friendly and no access to pets in main areas of beach. Some of these criteria are voluntary and some compulsory.
❄️Validation: If approved, beaches are given blue flag tag for a year and they must apply annually to continue meriting right to fly this flag at their locations.
❄️12 Beaches Selected are: Bhogave (Maharashtra), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Miramar (Goa), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha), Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Kappad (Kerala) and Eden (Puducherry).
❄️These 12 beaches are being developed by Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), in accordance with Blue Flag standards. SICOM is an Environment Ministry’s body working for management of coastal areas. #acumenias
-
2019-07-19 14:40:06+00:00
🐢Incredible India 2.0 Campaign🐢
🐋It was released globally during 2018-19 with the tagline “Find the Incredible You”.
🐠This new edition marked shift from generic promotions undertaken across world to market specific promotional plans and content creation.
🦜It focuses on digital and social media and promotion of Niche Tourism products of India.
🐁As part of Campaign, 5 new television commercials were produced by Ministry, which were aired globally in TV, digital and social media. These were:
🌺Yoga: The Yogi of the Racetrack
Wellness: The Reincarnation of Mr. and Mrs. Jones
🍁Luxury: The Maharani of Manhattan
🌷Cuisine: The Masala MasterChef
🌼Wildlife: The Sanctuary in Paris
🦔The series of films have received more than 153 million views on social media. They were earlier awarded 1st Prize in category of TV Cinema Spot at International Golden City Gate Tourism Awards at Berlin, Germany in March 2019. #acumenias
-
2019-07-19 09:30:44+00:00
💧Chandipura Virus💧
💎The Chandipura virus was discovered by 2 Pune-based virologists of the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in 1965.
💎The Chandipura Vesiculovirus (CHPV) predominantly affects children.In 2010, 29 suspected cases were reported of which 17 were children, all from Kheda, Panchmahals and Vadodara.
💎The virus spreads mainly through the bite of sand flies and sometimes through mosquitoes.
💎The symptoms include sudden high fever accompanied by headache, convulsions and vomiting, sometimes leading to unconsciousness.
💎Cases have mostly been reported during monsoon and pre-monsoon, when sand flies breed. #acumenias
-
2019-07-19 09:13:28+00:00
• July 19 marks 50 years of nationalisation of banks in India
• Indira Gandhi carried out bank nationalisation through an Ordinance in 1969
• 14 big private banks were nationalised to help agriculture and social welfare programmes
-
2019-07-18 13:54:15+00:00
Acumen IAS - Mains Value Addition points
-
2019-07-18 09:24:33+00:00
Finance Commission❓
✅Finance Commission
is constituted by President under Article 280 of Constitution of India.
✅It is constituted to give recommendations on distribution of tax revenues between Union and the States and amongst States themselves.
XV FC:
✅It was constituted by Presidential Order on November 2017 under the Chairmanship of N. K. Singh.
✅It will decide formula for devolution of revenue/funds between Centre and States, for a 5 year period– April 2020 to March 2025.
-
2019-07-18 09:01:47+00:00
International Court of Justice (ICJ)❓
✅ICJ is principal judicial body of UN.
✅It was established in 1945 via UN Charter and its jurisdiction is worldwide.
✅ It is located in “The Hague” in Netherlands and has 193 state parties.
✅The major functions of ICJ are to settle legal disputes submitted to it by states and to provide advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international organs, agencies, and UN General Assembly.
✅ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by UNGA and UN Security Council.
✅These organs vote simultaneously but separately. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive absolute majority of votes in both bodies.
✅In order to ensure measure of continuity, one third of ICJ is elected every three years.
✅Judges are eligible for re-election. President and Vice-President are also elected by the court, but for three-year periods.
-
2019-07-17 08:29:45+00:00
Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama❓
✅It has elected 4 eminent personalities in field of Performing Arts namely tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, dancer Sonal Mansingh, dancer and choreographer Jatin Goswami and Bharatnatyam exponent K. Kalyanasundaram Pillai for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows or Akademi Ratna Awards for 2018.
✅The fellowship, referred to as Akademi Ratna, is a coveted honour conferred on artists.
✅It has been conferred since 1952 and is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists.
✅These honours not only symbolize highest standard of excellence and achievements, but also recognize sustained individual work and contribution.
✅Akademi Fellow honour carries a purse money of Rs.3,00,000/- (3 lakh)
Akademi Award honour carries Rs 1,00,000/- (1 lakh), besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
✅The awards will be conferred by President of India at a special investiture ceremony.
-
2019-07-17 08:10:25+00:00
Acumen IAS - Mains Value Addition points
-
2019-07-16 20:46:42+00:00
https://telegramguide.com/telegram-channels-for-upsc/
We have been again listed as one of the best telegram channel of 2019.
Thank you so much for your support.👍
-
2019-07-16 19:00:52+00:00
Acumen IAS- Mains 2019 Value Addition points
-
2019-07-16 18:22:06+00:00
Acumen IAS - Mains 2019 Value Addition points
-
2019-07-16 18:21:10+00:00
Acumen IAS - Mains 2019 Value Addition points
-
2019-07-16 17:27:55+00:00
🅰cumen IAS- Mains 2019 Value Addition points.
-
2019-07-16 17:24:58+00:00
Acumen IAS- Mains Value Addition points
-
2019-07-15 06:52:53+00:00
⛳Mediterranean sharks face risk of 'disappearing'.
🌊Sharks are at risk of disappearing from the Mediterranean as overfishing and plastic pollution choke populations of the endangered hunters, warns a report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
🌊More than half of shark and ray species in the Mediterranean are under threat, it says.#acumenias
-
2019-07-15 06:27:08+00:00
♂️The population of the Ganges dolphin has been pegged between 150 and 200.#acumenias
♂️Restricting the speeds of vessels and blowing sirens and horns is how the Ministry of Shipping plans to safeguard the population of the Ganges River Dolphin, in the country’s one dolphin reserve through which National Waterway-1 connecting Haldia to Varanasi passes.#acumenias
♂️The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS), from Sultanganj to Kahalganj on the Ganga in Bihar is the only dolphin sanctuary in the country. The Ministry in its response admitted that the Sultanganj-Kahalgaon stretch of National Waterway-1 passes through it.#acumenias
-
2019-07-15 06:05:33+00:00
Currently there are nearly four lakh registered electric or battery operated vehicles in India and half of them are in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, according to road transport ministry’s data.
#acumenias
-
2019-07-15 05:53:51+00:00
⛳ASI has taken up restoration work of Gadchiroli’s Markandeshwar Temple which has sustained damage from lightning twice. #acumenias
⛳It has a group of ancient temples that is variously known as the ‘mini Khajuraho’ or ‘Khajuraho of Vidarbha’. And for the past two years, these are being restored by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).#acumenias
⛳Built between the 9th and 12th centuries, the Markandeshwar group of temples may have had up to 24 different temples. Today, the ruins of about 18 can be seen. The group gets its name from the main temple dedicated to Lord Shiva called Markandeshwar or Markandadeo temple, which lies in Markanda village on the banks of the Wainganga river. It falls in the Chamorshi tehsil of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. It is this temple that is being conserved since 2017.#acumenias
-
2019-07-15 05:45:16+00:00
💎Analysis of data for 50 metropolitan cities for 2016, 2017 and 2018 showed a declining trend in Delhi, Varanasi, Ranchi, Raipur, Vijayawada and Bengaluru, among others.
💎The level of PM10 rose in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot (all in Gujarat), Jodhpur, Kota (both in Rajasthan), Gwalior and Jabalpur (MP). @acumenias
-
2019-07-14 21:47:36+00:00
Dear aspirants,
We are glad to announce that we have started our Acumen IAS YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, page to serve you better and maximize our reach to aspirants.
You must be knowing that we never do any paid or cross promotion, rather we got amazing responses due to our content quality and mouth promotion.
So kindly follow us and support us and share with your friends.
Your support motivates us to make better quality content.
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Acumen-IAS-3030994707176208/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpiyzn7qVfWhS3aWiBsfljw
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/acumenias/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/Acumenias1
NB: We are not responsible for any content published in our name in other YouTube channel, website and android app. They're fake and using our name to get publicity. We'll be coming up soon with our own website. Stay tuned... 👍
-
2019-07-14 18:01:25+00:00
🏹The government selected the nine professionals, largely from the private sector, signalling a major shift in the entry of professionals in shaping policies. Acumenias
🏹This is perhaps the first time that a large of group of experts with domain knowledge will enter the government through the lateral-entry process.(example- gs paper 2 - lateral entry) #acumenias
-
2019-07-14 14:33:28+00:00
Chandrayaan2 will be aided in achieving its mission by some of India's most advanced engineering marvels
➡️Lander capable of 'Soft Landing' on lunar surface
➡️Algorithm wholly developed by India's scientific community
➡️Rover capable of conducting in-situ payload experimentsi
-
2019-07-13 18:34:26+00:00
Apidima 1 is the name of the oldest modern human remains ever discovered in Europe, and older than any known Homo sapiens specimen outside of Africa.
"It shows that the early dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa not only occurred earlier, before 200,000 years ago, but also reached further geographically, all the way to Europe
-
2019-07-12 14:06:53+00:00
UPSC prelims 2019 results out
-
2019-07-11 07:18:41+00:00
Utkarsha 2022 ❓
✅ It is a three- year road map for medium term objective to be achieved for improving regulation, supervision of RBI.
✅ It was recently finalised by the RBI.
✅This medium-term strategy is in line with Global central banks’ plan to strengthen regulatory and supervisory mechanism.
Follow Acumenias channel.
-
2019-07-11 07:16:41+00:00
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision ❓
✅It has said that India is compliant regarding regulation on large exposures though, in some other respects, the Indian regulations are stricter than the Basel large exposures framework.
🌀For example, banks’ exposures to global systemically important banks are subject to stricter limits in line with the letter and spirit of the Basel Guidelines.
The scope of application of the Indian standards is wider than just the internationally active banks covered by the Basel framework.
What are Basel Norms❓
✅Basel is a city in Switzerland. It is the headquarters of Bureau of International Settlement (BIS), which fosters co-operation among central banks with a common goal of financial stability and common standards of banking regulations.
✅Basel guidelines refer to broad supervisory standards formulated by this group of central banks – called the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).
✅The set of agreement by the BCBS, which mainly focuses on risks to banks and the financial system are called Basel accord.
✅The purpose of the accord is to ensure that financial institutions have enough capital on account to meet obligations and absorb unexpected losses.
✅India has accepted Basel accords for the banking system.
Basel I❓
✅In 1988, BCBS introduced capital measurement system called Basel capital accord, also called as Basel 1.
✅It focused almost entirely on credit risk. It defined capital and structure of risk weights for banks.
✅The minimum capital requirement was fixed at 8% of risk weighted assets (RWA).
RWA means assets with different risk profiles.
🌀For example, an asset backed by collateral would carry lesser risks as compared to personal loans, which have no collateral. (AcumenIAS)
✅India adopted Basel 1 guidelines in 1999.
Basel II❓
✅In June ’04, Basel II guidelines were published by BCBS, which were considered to be the refined and reformed versions of Basel I accord.
✅The guidelines were based on three parameters, which the committee calls it as pillars:
🔰Capital Adequacy Requirements: Banks should maintain a minimum capital adequacy requirement of 8% of risk assets.
🔰Supervisory Review: According to this, banks were needed to develop and use better risk management techniques in monitoring and managing all the three types of risks that a bank faces, viz. credit, market and operational risks.
🔰Market Discipline: This need increased disclosure requirements. Banks need to mandatorily disclose their CAR, risk exposure, etc to the central bank.
✅Basel II norms in India and overseas are yet to be fully implemented. (follow acumen ias telegram channel)
Basel III❓
✅In 2010, Basel III guidelines were released. These guidelines were introduced in response to the financial crisis of 2008.
✅A need was felt to further strengthen the system as banks in the developed economies were under-capitalized, over-leveraged and had a greater reliance on short-term funding.
✅Also the quantity and quality of capital under Basel II were deemed insufficient to contain any further risk.
✅Basel III norms aim at making most banking activities such as their trading book activities more capital-intensive.
✅The guidelines aim to promote a more resilient banking system by focusing on four vital banking parameters viz. capital, leverage, funding and liquidity. #AcumenIAS
-
2019-07-11 07:10:45+00:00
Plan Bee❓
✅Plan Bee an amplifying system imitating the buzz of a swarm of honey bees to keep wild elephants away from railway tracks earned the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) the best innovation award in Indian Railways for the 2018-19 fiscal.
✅A device was designed to generate the amplified sound of honey bees audible from 700-800 metres.
✅The first instrument was installed at a level crossing west of Guwahati on a track adjoining the Rani Reserve Forest, an elephant habitat.
✅The Plan Bee device has been helpful in diverting herds of elephants, especially when trains approach and dashing becomes imminent.
✅A mix of Plan Bee and other measures have helped them save 1,014 elephants from 2014 to June 2019.
Why such plan❓
✅The desperation to find an “elephant repellent” was triggered by 67 jumbos being knocked down by trains from 2013 to June 2019.
✅Most of these cases were reported from Assam and northern West Bengal.
✅There are 29 earmarked elephant corridors with the operating zone of NFR spread across the north-eastern states and parts of Bihar and West Bengal.
✅Trains are required to slow down at these corridors and adhere to speed specified on signs. (Acumen IAS)
✅But elephants have ventured into the path of trains even in non-corridor areas, often leading to accidents resulting in elephant deaths.
-
2019-07-10 20:05:21+00:00
The Bharat Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BRICS of Commerce and Industry for promoting trade and investments between BRICS countries and eastern part of India, in particular.
💎Bharat Chamber of Commerce💎
BCC was initially established in 1900 as the “Marwari Chamber of Commerce” at Calcutta.
💧Following Indian Independence, in 1949 Chamber re-christened itself as Bharat Chamber Commerce.
💧Function: It works towardsexpanding economic and commercial activity via enhancement of efficiency and competition at all levels
💧Economic empowerment of society in rural areas via guidance on application of appropriate technology and evolving marketing strategies
💧Promoting Bilateral Trade using Business Delegation as engine for exploring opportunities. acumenias
🔥BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry🔥
💧BRICS CCI is a parent organization which promotes commerce and industry in BRICS nations. It was founded in 2012 with efforts of eminent professionals and entrepreneur.
💧It is a not-for-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO).
💧Objective: to create an enabling support system especially for MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) segment of businesses and young entrepreneurs from across all geographies. acumenias
-
2019-07-10 11:43:04+00:00
‘International Trade Corridor’💡
✅ Program aims to expand about 500 kilometers of roads in lndia’s North Bengal and N-E Region that will enable efficient and safe transport within lndia and regionally with other SASEC member countries + Loan extended by ADB($150 million) + Program is an important initiative in Regional Connectivity aimed at increasing domestic and regional trade through North Bengal-N-E Region Intl Trade corridor by upgrading key roads.
✅It will give a boost to lndia’s efforts to promote regional connectivity in the South Asia.
-
2019-07-10 05:26:55+00:00
💎 Aadhar bill💎
• The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 passed in the Parliament allows voluntary use of Aadhaar as proof of identity for users to open bank accounts and get mobile phone connection. acumenias
• The Bill amends the Aadhaar act, the Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
• The Aadhaar Act provides targeted delivery of subsidies and benefits to individuals residing in India by assigning them unique identity numbers, called Aadhaar numbers.
Provisions of the Aadhaar Amendment Bill:
• Voluntary use: The changes provide for voluntary use of Aadhaar number. Subsequent to this amendment, no individual shall be compelled to provide proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo authentication for the purpose of establishing his/her identity unless it is so provided by a law made by Parliament. acumenias
• Offline identification: It allows for a system of offline identification, I.e. without biometric verification.
• Private entities: It proposes deletion of section 57 of the Aadhaar Act relating to use of the biometric identifier by private entities. The amendment will also prevent denial of services for refusing to, or being unable to, undergo authentication.
• Children: Children would be enrolled in Aadhar only with the consent of the parents/guardians and it gives an option to children to cancel their Aadhaar on attaining 18 years.
• UIDAI Fund: It provides for establishment of Unique Identification Authority of India Fund, and confers enhanced regulator-like power on the UIDAI to give directions as it may consider necessary to any entity in the Aadhaar ecosystem. @acumenias
-
2019-07-09 07:32:28+00:00
🔥MOSAiC mission🔥
🌦The MOSAiC mission stands for Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate.
🌦It is a one-year-long expedition into the Central Arctic, planned to take place from 2019 to 2020.
🌦For the first time a modern research icebreaker will operate in the direct vicinity of the North Pole year round, including the nearly half year long polar night during winter.
🌦It comes about 125 years after Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen first managed to seal his wooden expedition ship, Fram, into the ice during a three-year expedition to the North Pole.
🌦MOSAiC will contribute to a quantum leap in our understanding of the coupled Arctic climate system and its representation in global climate models. acumenias
🌦The focus of MOSAiC lies on direct in-situ observations of the climate processes that couple the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, bio-geochemistry and ecosystem.
💧Why need to study Arctic climate?
💧 The Arctic is a key area of global climate change, with warming rates exceeding twice the global average.
💧The observed rate of climate change in the Arctic is not well reproduced in climate models. acumenias
💧Many processes in the Arctic climate system are poorly represented in climate models because they are not sufficiently understood. acumenias
💧Understanding of Arctic climate processes is limited by a lack of year round observations in the central Arctic. @acumenias
-
2019-07-09 07:27:47+00:00
🌳Coffee Table Book🌳
🌳The Book showcases key milestones achieved by the Government of India in its efforts to make the nation free from hunger and malnutrition and WFP’s role in this endeavour. acumenias
🌳Some of the major turning points in India’s journey towards food and nutrition security captured in the book include the Green Revolution, the White revolution, improvements in livestock and dairy development and digitization of food safety nets.
🌴World Food Programme🌴
🌴The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations.
🌴It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
🌴According to the WFP, it provides food assistance to an average of 91.4 million people in 83 countries each year. acumenias
🌴From its headquarters in Rome and from more than 80 country offices around the world, the WFP works to help people who cannot produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families. acumenias
🌴It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its executive committee. @acumenias
-
2019-07-09 07:25:02+00:00
💎Defence💎
Rafale Jet
• The DassaultRafale is a fourth generation multirole fighter aircraft that was developed through the 1990s and early 2000s by France's Dassault Aviation. It is considered among the most advanced fighters. acumenias
• It is equipped with a wide range of weapons, it is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions. acumenias
• Over the next few year, 36 Rafales, armed with deadly Meteor and Scalp missiles, will be inducted into the IAF to constitute two squadrons.
Meteor misssile
• Meteor is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed by European missile manufacturer MBDA, that can travel at a speed of over mach 4.
• It offers a multi-shot capability against long range manoeuvring targets, jets, UAVs and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures (ECM) environment with range well in excess of 100 kilometres (62 mi).
SCALP missile
• SCALP is a British-French low-observable air-launched cruise missile.
• Storm Shadow is the British name for the weapon; in French service it is called SCALP EG.
• It is the air-launched long range, conventionally armed, deep strike weapon, designed to meet the demanding requirements of pre-planned attacks against high value fixed or stationary targets.
• It is a fire and forget missile, programmed before launch. Once launched, the missile cannot be controlled or commanded to self-destroy and its target information cannot be changed.
• The missile has a range of approximately 560 km (300 nautical miles), and is powered by a turbojet at Mach 0.8. acumenias
C 295 aircraft
• C-295 is a twin-turboprop tactical military transport aircraft, and is currently manufactured by Airbus.
• The twin-wheeled nose gear provides operational improvements even on unpaved runways. acumenias
• It has higher safety margins for flying over oceans and mountainous terrain. For instance, it has a very high single-engine drift down altitude. Even if one engine fails, it can maintain 17,000-18,000 feet altitude. @acumenias
-
2019-07-08 17:41:23+00:00
Acumen’s Initiative for Mains (AIM)
💎National Green Tribunal (NGT)💎
The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 provided for the establishment of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) as a quasi-judicial body for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection, and to reduce the burden of litigation on higher courts. acumenias
Functions of the NGT:
• NGT is authorized to dispose of cases dealing with law violations related to environment, conservation of forests and natural resources.
• The Tribunal has original and appellate jurisdiction with regard to the implementation of seven environmental laws, including The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 etc.
• It can provide relief and compensation to the victims of pollution and other environmental damage.
• The Tribunal has the same powers as are vested in a civil court.
Significance
• NGT helps reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts on environmental matters.
• It is less expensive compared to courts and provides a faster way of resolving environment related disputes.
• It plays a crucial role in curbing environment-damaging activities.
• It ensures proper implementation of environmental acts.
• It also gives recommendations regarding policies form environment protection.
Since its formation, NGT has played an important role in environment regulation, as seen in cases related to Yamuna conservation zone, cancellation of coal block in Chhattisgarh forest etc. However, NGT has also been challenged for overeaching often into the domain of the executive and the judiciary. Government should explore amending the parent Act to clarify its jurisdiction, powers of compensation etc. so that it can more effectively function towards environment protection in India.
-
2019-07-07 18:06:35+00:00
💎Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)💎
💎'Zero Budget' means without using any credit, and without spending any money on purchased inputs. 'Natural farming' means farming with Nature and without chemicals.
💎The basic “toolkit” of ZBNF methods was put together by Subhash Palekar, who developed the practice after his own efforts at chemical farming failed. acumenias
💎He identified four aspects that are integral to the process and which require locally available materials:
• Jiwamrita - Soil rejuvenated with cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, pulses flour and other local materials to increase microbes that can convert all the necessary “non-available” nutrients into “available” form.
• Bijamrita - Seeds treated with cow dung and urine, bund soil and lime
• Acchadana - Cover crops, straw and other organic matter to retain soil moisture and build humus
• Whapasa - Providing water to maintain the required moisture-air balance. acumenias
-
2019-07-07 18:00:56+00:00
⛳Chagos Islands = home to US military base of diego Garcia under lease from the UK since 1960s + ICJ recently ruled that UK must hand over Chagos islands to Mauritius and complete the process of decolonization + India too support Mauritius in this case.
-
2019-07-07 18:00:13+00:00
☪Organisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC) = 1969 founded + 57member states including Iran and Pakistan+ Hq at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia+ Objective is to Raise the collective voice of the Muslim world+OIC has permanent delegations to United Nations and the European Union+ In this organisation, India is a blocked country, though it has about 12% of the world’s Muslim population.
☪India has been blocked by Pakistan from joining the OIC over Kashmir issue + OIC regard parts of Kashmir as “occupied byIndia”+ It is second largest inter-governmental organization after UN.
-
2019-07-07 06:23:18+00:00
🌸India 38 the UNESCO world heritage site
The pink city : Jaipur
✓ known for its exemplary town planning.
✓ architectural marvel - Eg -: Hawa Mahal , Jantar mantar. acumenias
-
2019-07-06 04:17:46+00:00
🙋🏻♂️PVTGs 🙋🏻♂️
Criteria for identification of PVTGs
✓ preagricultural level of technology
✓ low level of litearcy
✓ economic backwardness
✓ a declining and stagnant population
🙋🏻♀️Scheme : under ministry of tribal affairs
- Development of PVTG : specifically for pvtg population , covers around 75 identified PVTGs
✓ aims at planning socuo- economic development in a comprehensive manner while retaining culture & heritage of communities by adopting habitat level development approach. acumenias
-
2019-07-05 07:55:24+00:00
👆can be quoted in answers related to digital india.... Also important for prelims
Use of ICT in education
✓ SWAYAM: The ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds' (SWAYAM) is an integrated platform for offering online courses and covering school (9th to 12th) to Post Graduate Level. acumenias
✓SWAYAM Prabha: SWAYAM Prabha is an initiative to provide 32 High Quality Educational Channels through DTH (Direct to Home) across the length and breadth of the country on 24X7 basis
✓National Digital Library (NDL): The National Digital Library of India (NDL) is a project to develop a framework of virtual repository of learning resources with a single-window search facility.
✓Spoken Tutorial: They are 10-minute long, audio-video tutorial, on open source software, to improve employment potential of students. It is created for self learning, audio dubbed into all 22 languages and with the availability of online version. acumenias
✓Free and Open Source Software for Education (FOSSEE): FOSSEE is a project promoting the use of open source software in educational institutions
-
2019-07-05 05:42:52+00:00
⛳Aparna Kumar first IPS to conquer the seven summits ⛳
-
2019-07-04 08:45:31+00:00
Classical economics thinks of humans as robots; #EcoSurvey2019 argues for an ambitious agenda for social change, treating humans as humans, relying on the lessons offered by #BehaviouralEconomics
-
2019-07-04 06:27:47+00:00
🏹What is RIC trilateral🏹
Inspired by common goals, it is a platform for Russia, India and China to coordinate on global issues in the spirit of openness and solidarity.
-
2019-07-04 06:03:01+00:00
Stretching from Senegal to Angola, the Gulf of Guinea covers over 6,000 kilometers of coastline and comprises of 20 coastal states, islands, and landlocked states. This sea basin is of geo-political and geo-economic importance for the transport of goods to and from central and southern Africa. Additionally, it is a chokepoint for African energy trade, with intensive oil extraction in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Most attacks in Western Africa take place in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region, although there have been reported attacks in Benin, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Togo, and Sierra Leone among others.
-
2019-07-04 05:59:38+00:00
Nine years ago, on July 28, 2010, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognised water and sanitation as ‘essential human right’ in its Resolution 64/292 .
Yet just 50 countries provide drinkable tap water, as per a travel advisory by the United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a government health agency. The UN has estimated that 2.1 billion people didn’t have access to safe drinking water in 2017.
Developed nations, essentially Europe, Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, make the bulk who provide drinking water on tap. High-income countries included Israel, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Middle-income countries in the list were Chile, Costa Rica and Palau.
Industrialised countries have strict drinking water laws. In the US, public water supply is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Other laws and amendments were added later to protect drinking water sources — rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and wells (except private wells that serve fewer than 25 individuals).
In the United Kingdom, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, established in 1990, oversees public water supply. The agency has powers to take action if standards are not met by authorities.
In European Union countries, drinking water is regulated by the European Drinking Water Directive, which sets minimum quality standards for water intended for human consumption.
On March 28, 2019, the EU parliament voted in favour of an update of the rules to increase consumer confidence and encourage drinking of tap water. The new legislation aims to further improve tap water quality.
In Singapore, drinking water is regulated by the Environmental Public Health Regulations 2008, based on WHO guidelines.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines provide guidance to regulators and suppliers on water safety.
-
2019-07-04 05:55:20+00:00
The Army plans to deploy women soldiers from the corp of military police, who will be trained at the CMP Centre in Bengaluru, for crowd control and frisking of women protesters in militancy-hit areas like Jammu & Kashmir and the northeast. The Army plans to induct 1,700 women in the PBOR (personnel below officer rank) category in the CMP in a phased manner over the next 17 years.
-
2019-07-03 20:41:01+00:00
United States Declaration of Independence
Engrossed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence
Historical Context
Signed by representatives from 13 states on 4th July 1776 the declaration was a statement adopted by the Second Congressional Congress and the first step toward forming an independence United States.
The declaration was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by the Committee of Five headed by John Adams before being further refined by Congress. It was first printed and disseminated by John Dunlap in Philadelphia and then sent across America. A copy reached the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army George Washingtonwho read it to his troops on the 9th July.
The engrossed version of the Declaration with its signatures was requested by Congress in 1777 and it is this copy that resides on display in the National Archives.
-
2019-07-02 14:36:34+00:00
Acumen’s Initiative for Mains (AIM)
Infrastructure financing is a challenge because of the following factors:
•🚊Complex arrangements: Infrastructure projects are often complex and involve a large number of parties which lead to diffused accountability.
• 🚉Legal hurdles: Such projects require multiple legal arrangements to ensure proper distribution of payoffs and risk-sharing to align the incentives of all parties involved.
• ✈️High gestation period: Long term nature of the projects subjects them to various risks including those due to changes in policies, delays in clearances, etc.
• 🛫Asset-liability mismatch: Due to perceived assurance of government backing for maintaining regular financial flows, debt financing is dominated by Public sector banks in India who are already facing severe financial crunch due to mounting Non-Performing Assets (NPAs).
• 🛰Public-private Partnership (PPP): PPP models like BOT haven’t been successful and hence not desirable by private sector.
• 🚀Policy and regulation: Uncertain policies related to applicability of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT), introduction of GAAR, land acquisition etc. have increased the perceived risk in the infrastructure sector.
• 🛸Cross-cutting issues: Inefficient transport and energy infrastructure leads to cost and time overruns that in turn have a bearing on the techno-economic viability of the projects.
Steps taken to improve flow of funds to infrastructure sector
• 🚤Limited cost overrun financing and extension of time for completion of projects has been allowed subject to certain conditions without change in classification of the loan.
• ⛵️Banks can raise funds from the market by way of infrastructure bonds and the assets financed by such funds are exempted from the Priority Sector Lending (PSL) requirements.
• 🛳RBI has allowed setting up of Infrastructure Debt Funds (IDFs), both as NBFCs and Mutual Funds, to take over the post construction assets from banks.acumenias
• 🛶Efficient bond markets for de-risking the banks’ balance sheets for providing credit enhancement for bond issuances.@acumenias
-
2019-07-02 14:32:13+00:00
Acumen’s Initiative for Mains(AIM)
🌎Causes of Floods:🌎
🌊Heavy rainfall: Heavy rain in the catchment area of a river causes water to over-flow its banks, which results in the flooding of nearby areas. It is the primary cause for floods in India. Climate change is also believed to the reason behind erratic monsoons and increase in the frequency of flash floods.
🌊Sedimentation: Rivers carry sediments and deposit the sediments over its bed, and as a result become shallow over time. The water carrying capacity of such river is reduced and they become highly prone to overflowing.
Inadequate drainage system to carry away the rainwater quickly to streams/rivers.
🌊Deforestation: Vegetation increases percolation of water into the ground. Deforestation increases flow directly into the surface water bodies and consequently, increasing the chance of floods. Acumenias
🌊Other causes: Changes in the course of the river, unplanned reservoir regulation, failure of flood control structures etc. acumenias
🌎Impacts:🌎
🌊Loss of life and property: Floods causes damage to economic infrastructure like buildings, transportation networks, electricity equipment etc. and often leads to loss of lives as well.acumenias
🌊Impact on Agriculture: Recurrent floods leads to submergence of fields leading to destruction of crops increasing the distress of farmers.
Effect on soil: Floods remove the top-layer of the soil leading to soil erosion affecting the soil fertility.acumenias
🌊Disease outbreak: Flood effects the availability of safe drinking water which leads to out-break of epidemics like diarrhea, viral infection, malaria and many other infectious diseases.
🌊Others impacts: Strain on the administration, cost of rescue and rehabilitation of the flood affected population are other causes of concern.@acumenis
-
2019-07-02 13:58:03+00:00
👮🏻♂️Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA)👮🏻♂️
👮🏻♀️Centre has declared entire State of Nagaland a ‘disturbed area’ for a period of 6 more months under Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) with effect from 30 June 2019.acumenias
👮🏻♀️On passing of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Bill by both Houses of Parliament and approved by President on 11 September 1958 it became known as Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958.acumenias
👮🏻♀️It empowers security forces to maintain public order in ‘disturbed areas’. If reasonable suspicion exists, Armed forces have authority to prohibit a gathering of five or more persons in an area, can conduct search operations anywhere without warrant, arrest anyone without warrant, ban possession of firearms among others.
👮🏻♀️The AFSPA is imposed in areas where armed forces are required to operate in aid to civil authorities.
👮🏻♀️For the AFSPA to become valid, an area, however, needs to be declared disturbed either by the Central or the state government under the section 3 of the 1958 Act. acumenias
👮🏻♀️The Central Government, or the Governor of the State or administrator of the Union Territory can declare the whole or part of the State or Union Territory as a disturbed area. A suitable notification would have to be made in the Official Gazette. acumenias
👮🏻♀️The Ministry of Home Affairs would usually enforce this Act where necessary, but there have been exceptions where the Centre decided to forego its power and leave the decision to the State governments.@acumenias
-
2019-07-01 14:29:03+00:00
July 1 is celebrated as National Doctors' Day to honour the legendary physician and second CM of West Bengal Dr. Birhan Chandra Roy who was born on July 1 and died on the same date. The day is dedicated to all medical professionals who dedicate their lives to serve patients. Theme for 2019 is " Zero Tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical establishment ".acumenias
-
2019-07-01 03:33:29+00:00
**Acumen’s Initiative for Mains(AIM)**
Various cyber threats:
👨🏻🚒Cyber Crime: Cybercrimes are usually of two kinds:
1 Those directed at computers or other devices (for example, hacking, malware, DoS attacks virus attacks etc)
2 Those where computers or other devices are integral to the offence (for example, online fraud, identity theft, cyber bullying, distribution of child exploitation material etc)
👨🏻🚒Cyber Espionage: Cyber espionage represents the strategy of breaking into computer systems and networks in order to extract sensitive governmental or corporate information.
👨🏻🚒Cyber Terrorism: Actions threatening unity and security of India or striking terror in people by denying access of penetrating into a computer to cause death and destruction of property or adversely affect the critical information infrastructure. acumenias
👨🏻🚒Cyber Warfare: States attacking the information systems of other countries for disrupting their critical infrastructure and disrupt an adversary’s ability to function during a conflict. acumenias
Measures to counter cyber threats:
👩🏼⚖️Legal measures
• Information Technology Act 2008 (as amended in 2012)
• Relevant sections of Indian Penal Code.acumenias
👩🏼⚖️Administrative Measures
• National Cyber Security Policy 2013 (NCSP): serves as an umbrella framework for defining and guiding the actions related to security of cyberspace.acumenias
• CERT-In: A Computer Emergency Response Team –India (CERT-In) as nodal agency for cyber security incident response. It runs the 24x7 National Watch and Alert System.
• National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC): NCCC is to ensure near real time threat assessment and to coordinate between intelligence agencies.
• National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC)
• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) for cyber crime monitoring
• Setting up of cyber forensic units and creating trained human resources. #acumenias