TRIUMPH IAS ACADEMY MUMBAI

Current Affairs

2023-01-18T19:01:00.001-08:00

A radio signal originating from atomic hydrogen in an extremely distant galaxy was detected by the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) located in Pune. This is the largest astronomical distance over which such a signal has been picked up.

The findings have been published in the scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Astronomers from McGill University in Canada and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have used data from the telescope to detect atomic hydrogen.

GMRT is a low-frequency radio telescope that helps investigate various radio astrophysical problems ranging from nearby solar systems to the edge of the observable universe.

Atomic hydrogen is the basic fuel required for star formation in a galaxy. When hot ionised gas from the surrounding medium of a galaxy falls onto the universe, the gas cools and forms atomic hydrogen. This then becomes molecular hydrogen and eventually leads to the formation of stars.

www.downtoearth.org

Gaganyaan - ISRO

2023-01-18T18:57:00.002-08:00

The primary mandate of HSFC is to spearhead ISRO’s Gaganyaan programme through co-ordinated efforts and focus all the activities that are carried out in other ISRO centres, research labs in India, Indian academia and Industries towards accomplishing the mission. HSFC, as the lead Centre for Human space flight activities conforms to high standards of reliability and human safety in undertaking R&D activities in new technology areas, such as life support systems, Human Factors Engineering, Bioastronautics, Crew training and Human rating & certification. These areas would constitute important components for future sustained human space flight activities like rendezvous and docking, space station building and interplanetary collaborative manned missions to Moon/Mars and near-earth asteroids.

Gaganyaan

Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3 days mission and bring them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.

The project is accomplished through an optimal strategy by considering inhouse expertise, experience of Indian industry, intellectual capabilities of Indian academia & research institutions along with cutting edge technologies available with international agencies. The pre-requisites for Gaganyaan mission include development of many critical technologies including human rated launch vehicle for carrying crew safely to space, Life Support System to provide an earth like environment to crew in space, crew emergency escape provision and evolving crew management aspects for training, recovery and rehabilitation of crew.

Various precursor missions are planned for demonstrating the Technology Preparedness Levels before carrying out the actual Human Space Flight mission. These demonstrator missions include Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT) and Test Vehicle (TV) flights. Safety and reliability of all systems will be proven in unmanned missions preceding manned mission.

Human rated LVM3 - HLVM3

LVM3 rocket - The well proven and reliable heavy lift launcher of ISRO, is identified as the launch vehicle for Gaganyaan mission. It consists of solid stage, liquid stage and cryogenic stage. All systems in LVM3 launch vehicle are re-configured to meet human rating requirements and christened Human Rated LVM3. HLVM3 will be capable of launching the Orbital Module to an intended Low Earth Orbit of 400 km.

HLVM3 consists of Crew Escape System (CES) powered by a set of quick acting, high burn rate solid motors which ensures that Crew Module along with crew is taken to a safe distance in case of any emergency either at launch pad or during ascent phase.

Orbital Module

Orbital Module (OM) that will be Orbiting Earth comprises of Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM). OM is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics systems with adequate redundancy considering human safety.

CM is the habitable space with Earth like environment in space for the crew. It is of double walled construction consisting of pressurized metallic Inner Structure and unpressurised External Structure with Thermal Protection System (TPS). It houses the crew interfaces, human centric products, life support system, avionics and deceleration systems. It is also designed for re-entry to ensure safety of the crew during descent till touchdown.

SM will be used for providing necessary support to CM while in orbit. It is an unpressurized structure containing thermal system, propulsion system, power systems, avionics systems and deployment mechanisms.

New technologies being developed for Gaganyaan

Human safety is of paramount importance in Gaganyaan mission. In order to ensure the same, various new technologies comprising of Engineering systems and Human centric systems are being developed and realised.

Crew training for Gaganyaan

Astronaut Training Facility established in Bengaluru caters to Classroom training, Physical Fitness training, Simulator training and Flight suit training. Training modules cover academic courses, Gaganyaan Flight Systems, Micro-gravity familiarization through Parabolic Flights, Aero-medical training, Recovery & Survival training, mastering of Flight Procedures and training on Crew Training Simulators. Aero medical training, Periodical flying practice and Yoga are also included as part of the training.

ADB, India sign $96.3 million loan to improve water supply and sanitation services in Himachal Pradesh

2022-08-24T09:55:00.001-07:00

Ministry of Finance22-August, 2022 16:38 IST

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India today signed a $96.3-million loan agreement to provide safe drinking water and improve water supply and sanitation services in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

The signatories for the Himachal Pradesh Rural Drinking Water Improvement and Livelihood Project were Mr. Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, who signed on behalf of Government of India and Mr. Takeo Konishi, Country Director for ADB in India, who signed for ADB.

After signing the loan agreement Mr Mishra stated that the project is aligned with the objectives of the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission which aims to provide piped water to all rural households by 2024 and it will upgrade water supply infrastructure and strengthen institutional capacity to ensure safe, sustainable, and inclusive rural water supply and sanitation services.

“ADB's involvement in the project will provide water management best practices, strengthen institutional capacity, and guide tariff reform,” added Mr. Konishi. “These interventions will address the government’s aim of providing uninterrupted pressurised water supply to households, inclusive sanitation services, strengthening operation and maintenance for sustainable service delivery, and building capacity of relevant staff.”

More than 90% of the state's rural population have access to drinking water, but the water supply infrastructure needs revamping, to result in efficient and improved service quality. The ADB project will connect 75,800 households to the service, providing uninterrupted water supply to about 3,70,000 residents across 10 districts. To improve water supply and sanitation services, the project aims to construct 48 groundwater wells, 80 surface water intake facilities, 109 water treatment plants, 117 pumping stations, and 3,000 km of water distribution pipelines. A pilot fecal sludge management and sanitation programme will also be implemented in Sirmaur District, benefiting 250,000 residents.

The project will strengthen the capacity of the Jal Shakti Vibhag of the Government of Himachal Pradesh and gram panchayat (local government) village water and sanitation committees. It will support the state governments water tariff policy reforms and introduce an asset management system at the state-level and district asset management plans. Key project stakeholders and community-based organisations will be trained on water management, including livelihood skills training for women self-help groups.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members-49 from the region.

****

RM/MV/KMN

(Release ID :237315)

10 new wetlands added to Ramsar sites in India- PIb

2022-08-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

India adds 10 more wetlands designated as Ramsar sites to make total 64 sites

Posted On: 03 AUG 2022 7:35PM by PIB Delhi

India adds 10 more wetlands designated as Ramsar sites to make total 64 sites covering an area of 12,50,361 ha in the country. The 10 new sites include: Six (6) sites in Tamil Nadu and One (1) each in Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. Designation of these sites would help in conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources.

India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. India signed it on 1st Feb 1982. So far 64 wetlands covering an area of 12,50,361 ha have been designated as Ramsar Sites of International Importance from India, till date.

10 wetlands designated as Ramsar sites

S.No	Name of wetland	Area in Ha	State	Date of Designation	Page No.
	Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary	72.04	Tamil Nadu	08-11-2021	2-3
	Satkosia Gorge	98196.72	Odisha	12-10-2021	4-5
	Nanda Lake	42.01	Goa	08-06-2022	6-7
	Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve	52671.88	Tamil Nadu	08-04-2022	8-9
	Ranganathituu BS	517.70	Karnataka	15-02-2022	10-11
	Vembannur Wetland Complex	19.75	Tamil Nadu	08-04-2022	12-13
	Vellode Bird Sanctuary	77.19	Tamil Nadu	08-04-2022	14-15
	Sirpur wetland	161	Madhya Pradesh	07-01-2022	16-17
	Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary	40.35	Tamil Nadu	08-04-2022	18-19
	Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary	43.77	Tamil Nadu	08-04-2022	20-21
	Total area of 10 wetlands	1,51,842.41
	TOTAL area of 64 Ramsar Sites in India (After designation of 10 more sites as above)

Happy Independence Day to all!!

2022-08-14T23:27:00.003-07:00

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of 76^th Independence Day. Here is what he said:

Remembering India’s Heroes

Prime Minister Modi began his address by remembering the freedom fighters, revolutionaries, and nation builders.

He recalled the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Ramprasad Bismil, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Subash Chandra Bose, and all other freedom fighters who shook the foundations of the British Empire. He also invoked tribal freedom fighters such as Birsa Munda, Tirot Singh and Alluri Sitarama Raju, who played a pivotal role in keeping the freedom struggle alive in every corner of India.

Do Away With Colonial Hangover

Prime Minister Modi urged the people of India to discard the mindset of ‘Ghulami’ that makes us seek certificates from foreign powers. He said that India is capable enough to put in place its own measuring parameters based on its civilisational heritage.

He said that through the New Education Policy, an attempt has been made to liberate our young generation from the vestiges of a colonial past. By emphasising learning in the mother tongue, the language barrier that might restrict talent has been removed.

Five Resolutions For The Next 25 Years

The Prime Minister urged people to focus their energies on the five resolutions of making India a developed nation, removing every trace of the colonial mindset, taking pride in its heritage, fostering unity, and fulfilling their duties in the next 25 years.

He urged the youth to dedicate the next 25 years of their lives to the development of the nation. He added that we will work towards the development of the entire humanity, and that is the strength of India.

Modi said India will have to move ahead with big goals to fulfil the vision of a developed India. The world looked at India with pride and hope, and as a problem-solver.

Lauded India’s Collective Spirit

Prime Minister Modi also lauded citizens of the country for coming together in the fight against COVID-19, and said India has administered a record 200 crore vaccine doses in a time-bound manner, a feat that would not have been possible for another nation.

There was an increase in ‘jan chetna’ or collective spirit.

"The fight against COVID-19 was an example of this ‘jan chetna’ where citizens came together. From supporting doctors to propelling research to taking vaccines to the remotest parts, we stood together. The country's citizens stood with corona warriors and showed their support by banging thalis and lighting diyas," he said.

Lauding citizens for leading the way in taking vaccines, he added: "When there was confusion prevailing in the world over the efficacy of vaccines, my country's people came forward and we accomplished the feat of administering 200 crore vaccine doses. That surprised the world."

The Prime Minister also stressed the fact that the country broke previous records in the administration of vaccine doses.

He added that the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign has been another example of nation's collective spirit.

Respect And Empower Nari Shakti

Prime Minister Modi underlined the importance of eliminating a culture of demeaning women through words or deeds. He said that gender equality is the key to a united India.

"For the nation to achieve a bigger target, that too, at a much faster pace, it is crucial that we empower women around us in every sphere. It is only with their equal participation that India could forge ahead on the path of development." Acknowledging the contribution of women, in every field, he said that there is hardly any sector left, where India’s women are not making their mark.

Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Talking about building a self-reliant India, Prime Minister Modi said that for how long we would depend on the outside world to meet our needs? He said that Aatmanirbhar Bharat is not a government scheme. It is a mass movement.

He said that for the first time in 75 years, a made-in-India gun was used for the ceremonial 21-shot salute to the tricolour at the historic Red Fort on Independence Day.

In his speech, Prime Minister Modi commended the armed forces personnel for adopting his vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and taking steps towards realising it.

While referring to the Defence Ministry's decision to issue multiple 'positive indigenisation lists', the Prime Minister lauded Indian soldiers for taking the resolve of not importing 300 items, that they listed to source indigenously.

He recalled how children between the age of five and seven years have been telling their parents that they do not want toys made outside India.

Fight Against Corruption And Nepotism

Prime Minister Modi said the two big challenges before the country are corruption and nepotism, asserting that the nation has to fight against these together.

Talking about corruption, he said the nation shows anger towards corruption, but not the corrupt. Until and unless people have the mentality of penalising the corrupt, the nation cannot progress at an optimum pace, he said.

On nepotism, the Prime Minister said that it has infiltrated all the institutions of the country, harmed real talent and led to more corruption. “We need to give opportunities to those who are talented and will work for the progress of the nation. Talent will be the basis of New India,” he said.

Hailing Innovation

Prime Minister Modi said that the government has opened up new opportunities for the youth in sectors such as space, deep ocean and so on. Through the PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme, it has dedicated Rs 1 lakh crore to make India a hub of manufacturing, bring new technology in the country and create more and more employment opportunities.

Hailing UPI (unified payment interface), he lauded the revolution India has brought about in the fin-tech sector at the back of its technological prowess. He added that digital is the way forward, and to ensure that India becomes digital, his government is ensuring optical fibre network reaches every village in the country.

Showing the road ahead, Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India needs to become self-reliant in new-age technologies, including solar power, wind power, mission hydrogen, biofuel, electric vehicle and so on.

He hailed the young entrepreneurs emerging from tier-2 and tier-3 cities and changing the startup landscape with their innovation

AAROGYA SETU - OPEN API SERVICE

2020-08-22T11:22:00.002-07:00

As we move on to the new normal of learning to live with COVID19, Aarogya Setu team has worked on a new innovative feature which is called ‘Open API Service’. In order to help businesses and economy to start functioning while being safe, the Open API Service enables organizations to check the status of Aarogya Setu and integrate it into its various Work from Home features. The Open API Service of Aarogya Setu, addresses the fear/risk of Covid-19 infections and help the people, businesses and the economy to return to normalcy.

Aarogya Setu has been powering India’s fight against COVID-19 since its launch on 2nd April 2020. Aarogya Setu has now emerged as the most downloaded contact tracing App in the world, with more than 15 crore Users. The overwhelming support of the people has enabled Aarogya Setu to aid the efforts of frontline health workers and the Government in COVID-19 mitigation and management efforts. More than 6.6 million Bluetooth contacts have been traced and percentage positive of those who have tested is almost 27%. Thus Aarogya Setu based Bluetooth contact tracing and testing is very efficient and effective. Similarly, many others have been advised for caution and quarantine and it has led to breaking the chain of spread and has been effective in early detection and ensuring that fatality rates in India are amongst the lowest. The Aarogya Setu ITIHAS interface which uses location data and Aarogya Setu analytics to predict emerging hotspots at Sub Pincode levels has been very effective in helping the health officials and administration to take necessary precautionary steps. More than 30,000 hotspots have been identified at a very granular level of 300 m X 300 m and shared with State Governments and Districts.

Since its launch, Aarogya Setu has continuously innovated and introduced more novel features like e-pass integration, QR Code scanning, sharing of Health status with family/known persons - all of which have been very effective in keeping India and Indians safe in line with the motto of Aarogya Setu – Main Surakshit, Hum Surakshit, Bharat Surakshit.

Open API Service

The Open API Service of Aarogya Setu, can be availed by organizations and business entities, who are registered in India with more than 50 employees, and they can use the Open API Service to query the Aarogya Setu Application in real-time and get the health status of their employees or any other Aarogya Setu User, who have provided their consent for sharing their health status with the organization. The Open API shall only provide the Aarogya Setu status and name of the Aarogya Setu User (with User's consent). No other personal data shall be provided through the API.

Registration for Open API Service can be done at : https://openapi.aarogyasetu.gov.in

Technical queries, related to Open API can be addressed to : openapi.aarogyasetu@gov.in

SOURCE PIB

Lebanon Beirut Blasts

2020-08-07T04:02:00.003-07:00

Under normal storage conditions and without very high heat, it is difficult to ignite ammonium nitrate, says expert.

Ammonium nitrate, which Lebanese authorities have said was the cause of the Beirut blast, is an odourless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertiliser that has been the cause of numerous industrial explosions over the decades.

Watch | Massive explosion in Beirut

Massive explosion in Beirut

Volume 90%

These include notably at a Texas fertiliser plant in 2013 that killed 15 and was ruled deliberate, and another at a chemical plant in Toulouse, France in 2001 that killed 31 people but was accidental.

When combined with fuel oils, ammonium nitrate creates a potent explosive widely used by the construction industry, but also by insurgent groups like the Taliban for improvised explosives.

It was also a component in the bomb behind the 1995 Oklahoma City attack.

In agriculture, ammonium nitrate fertiliser is applied in granule form and quickly dissolves under moisture, allowing nitrogen — which is key to plant growth — to be released into the soil.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored for years in a Beirut portside warehouse had blown up, killing dozens of people and causing unprecedented damage to the Lebanese capital.

However, under normal storage conditions and without very high heat, it is difficult to ignite ammonium nitrate, Jimmie Oxley, a chemistry professor at the University of Rhode Island, told AFP.

“If you look at the video (of the Beirut explosion), you saw the black smoke, you saw the red smoke, that was an incomplete reaction,” she said.

“I am assuming that there was a small explosion that instigated the reaction of the ammonium nitrate — whether that small explosion was an accident or something on purpose I haven't heard yet.”

That's because ammonium nitrate is an oxidizer — it intensifies combustion and allows other substances to ignite more readily, but is not itself very combustible.

For these reasons, there are generally very strict rules about where it can be stored: for example, it must be kept away from fuels and sources of heat.

In fact, many countries in the European Union require that calcium carbonate to be added to ammonium nitrate to create calcium ammonium nitrate, which is safer.

UAE enters the nuclear race

2020-08-07T04:00:00.004-07:00

UAE has announced the operations of Barakah nuclear power plant. It is the UAE’s first nuclear reactor that has achieved criticality. The plant is located in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. It was built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation.

New Education Policy 2020

2020-08-07T03:52:00.001-07:00

The Vision of this Policy This National Education Policy envisions an education system rooted in Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India, that is Bharat, sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing high-quality education to all, and thereby making India a global knowledge superpower. The Policy envisages that the curriculum and pedagogy of our institutions must develop among the students a deep sense of respect towards the Fundamental Duties and Constitutional values, bonding with one’s country, and a conscious awareness of one’s roles and responsibilities in a changing world. The vision of the Policy is to instill among the learners a deep-rooted pride in being Indian, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect, and deeds, as well as to develop knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living, and global well-being, thereby reflecting a truly global citizen.

The complete pdf is available on PIB and can be downloaded from there.

Congratulations to all UPSC toppers!!!

2020-08-07T03:48:00.001-07:00

A total of 829 candidates have qualified for civil services, including IAS and IPS, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced on Tuesday.

Pradeep Singh, Jatin Kishore and Pratibha Verma secured the first, second and third positions respectively, the Commission said without sharing further details of the toppers.

A total of 829 candidates have been recommended for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among ..

Pradeep Singh AIR 1 UPSC TOPPER 2019

2020-08-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

UPSC Civil Services 2019 Result Live Updates: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday declared the final result of civil services exam 2019 at upsc.gov.in. A total of 829 candidates have been recommended for appointment to Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service; and Central Services, Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’. This year, Pradeep Singh has emerged as the topper of UPSC CSE 2019. UPSC has also released the merit list of candidates who have cleared the UPSC CSE 2019 exam. Pradeep Singh is the UPSC 2019 topper followed by Jatin Kishore and Pratibha Verma. UPSC will release the marksheet of candidates who have qualified the UPSC Civil Services Exam within 15 days from the date of declaration of results.

Hindustan times

PM SVANidhi Scheme

2020-07-28T08:22:00.002-07:00

Government of India has launched PM SVANidhi Scheme to facilitate collateral free working capital loan upto Rs.10,000/- of one-year tenure, to approximately, 50 lakh street vendors, to resume their businesses. Incentives in the form of interest subsidy (@ 7% per annum) and cash back (upto Rs.1,200/- per annum) are being provided to promote good repayment behaviour and digital transactions respectively. The interest subsidy effectively works out to 30 % of the entire interest burden for a loan of Rs. 10,000 @ 24 % annual interest.

Therefore, in effect the vendor does not pay any interest, rather gets a subsidy on the loan amount if he repays in time and uses digital transactions for all receipts and payments. The scheme entails enhanced next tranche of loan on early or timely repayment. Loan processing has begun since July 02, 2020 through an IT platform “PM SVANidhi” with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which is the implementing agency for the scheme administration.

PIB

Eight Core Industries Output shrank by 23.4%

2020-07-16T19:36:00.002-07:00

Barring fertiliser, all seven sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, steel, cement, and electricity — had recorded negative growth in May.

The output of eight core infrastructure industries shrank by 23.4% in May due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to the official data.

Also read: IMF projects sharp contraction of 4.5% in Indian economy in 2020

The eight core sectors had expanded by 3.8% in May 2019, the data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on June 30 showed.

Barring fertiliser, all seven sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, steel, cement, and electricity — had recorded negative growth in May.

During April-May 2020-21, the sectors output dipped by 30% as compared to 4.5% in the same period previous year.

Also read: Indian economy to contract by 4% in 2020-21, forecasts ADB

“In view of nationwide lockdown during April and May 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic, various industries — Coal, Cement, Steel, Natural Gas, Refinery, Crude Oil etc experienced substantial loss of production,” the Ministry said in a statement.

These eight industries accounts for 40.27% in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

The Hindu

Google to invest $10 billion in Indian digitization fund

2020-07-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Focus on four areas

He said the investment will focus on four areas important to digitization including enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language, building products and services that are deeply relevant to India’s unique needs, empowering businesses in their digital transformation journey and leveraging technology and AI for social good, in areas like health, education, and agriculture.

With today’s announcement, Google becomes the latest U.S.-based technology firm to commit investments in India. In April, social networking major Facebook bought 9.9% stake in Jio Platform for ₹43,573.62 crore, while e-commerce giant Amazon had in January announced $1 billion investment over five years to help digitise small and medium businesses.

In India, Google has invested in multiple startups — either directly or via Alphabet’s growth fund CapitalG. Some of these start ups are Dunzo, Fynd, Halli Labs, Where in My Train, Aye Finance, Cardekho, Cuemath, Freshworks and Practo. In his address at the event, Minister for Communications and IT Ravi Shankar expressed hope that with this new Fund, Google will focus on promoting Indian startups further.

Source : The Hindu

BSE: Asia's First and Fastest Stock Exchange!!

2020-07-16T19:26:00.001-07:00

Established in 1875, BSE (formerly known as Bombay Stock Exchange), is Asia's first & the Fastest Stock Exchange in world with the speed of 6 micro seconds and one of India's leading exchange groups. Over the past 143 years, BSE has facilitated the growth of the Indian corporate sector by providing it an efficient capital-raising platform. Popularly known as BSE, the bourse was established as ‘The Native Share & Stock Brokers' Association’ in 1875. In 2017 BSE become the 1st listed stock exchange of India.

Today BSE provides an efficient and transparent market for trading in equity, currencies, debt instruments, derivatives, mutual funds. BSE SME is India’s largest SME platform which has listed over 250 companies and continues to grow at a steady pace. BSE StAR MF is India’s largest online mutual fund platform which process over 27 lakh transactions per month and adds almost 2 lakh new SIPs ever month. BSE Bond, the transparent and efficient electronic book mechanism process for private placement of debt securities, is the market leader with more than Rs 2.09 lakh crore of fund raising from 530 issuances. (F.Y. 2017-2018).

Keeping in line with the vision of Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’be Prime Minister of Inida, BSE has launched India INX, India's 1st international exchange, located at GIFT CITY IFSC in Ahmedabad.

Indian Clearing Corporation Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of BSE, acts as the central counterparty to all trades executed on the BSE trading platform and provides full novation, guaranteeing the settlement of all bonafide trades executed.

BSE Institute Ltd, another fully owned subsidiary of BSE runs one of the most respected capital market educational institutes in the country.

BSE has also launched BSE Sammaan, the CSR exchange, is a 1st of its kind initiative which aims to connect corporate with verified NGOs

BSE's popular equity index - the S&P BSE SENSEX - is India's most widely tracked stock market benchmark index. It is traded internationally on the EUREX as well as leading exchanges of the BRCS nations (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa)

BSE official website

Indigenous Indian COVID19 vaccines in the global race to end the pandemic

2020-07-16T19:12:00.003-07:00

With the announcement of COVAXIN by Bharat Biotech and ZyCov-D Vaccine by Zydus Cadila the proverbial silver line in the dark clouds of COVID19 appears at the horizon. Now the nod given by the Drug Controller General of India CDSCO (The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) for the conduct of the human trial for the vaccines, marks the beginning of the end.

In the past years, India has emerged as one of the significant vaccine manufacturing hubs. Indian manufacturers account for 60% of vaccine supplies made to UNICEF. The vaccine for novel coronavirus may be developed anywhere in the world, but without Indian manufacturers involved the production of required quantity is not going to be feasible.

Vaccine race

More than 140 candidate vaccines are under various stages of development. One of the leading candidates is AZD1222 developed Jenner Institute of University of Oxford and licenced to AstraZeneca British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. The MRNA-1273 vaccine developed by Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Washington and taken up for production by the US-based Moderna pharmaceutical is just a step behind. Both these firms have already inked an agreement with Indian manufacturers for production of the COVID vaccines.

Parallelly Indian institutions have also engaged in R&D for the development of vaccines in India. With the primary scientific inputs coming from institutions like Pune based ICMR institution National Institute of Virology and Hyderabad based CSIR institution Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, six Indian companies are working on a vaccine for COVID-19. Along with the two Indian vaccines, COVAXIN and ZyCov-D, the world over, 11 out of 140 vaccine candidates have entered the human trials.

Immune system

Antigen from the pathogen and antibodies produced by the human immune cells can be thought of as matching the compatible pair. Every pathogen has specific molecular structures called as antigen. They are like the surface with a particular hue and design. Once infected by the germ, the human immune system develops antibodies that match the antigen.

Just as the retailer of design matching material stockpile hundreds of design pieces of riots of colours and hues, our immune system has ten thousand types of antibodies. If the pathogen is a known enemy, the immune system can pull the matching design piece from the stock. Once the match is made the pathogen is inactivated. No longer it can infect.

However, if the microorganism is unfamiliar, and mainly when it has evolved for the first time, there is no matching colour and hue in the repertoire. Nonetheless, unlike the textile, the antibody can evolve. At first, near matches are tried. After various cycles of antibody development, the best fit matures. The time lag between the identification of the main surface colour that is an antigen, and finding a pairing design piece, that is antibodies, is what makes the infection mild or severe. If only the immune system can neutralise the germ instantly, the infection can be prevented.

Immune System memory and vaccine

Like a new hue of design piece once acquired is stocked for future, once the new antibody matching the antigen evolves, it is retained in the immunological memory. Next time the same pathogen invades, immunological memory getsactivated, and twinned antibody is released. The infection is nipped in the bud. We acquire immunity.

A vaccine is a method to artificially inducing the immunological memory. Once the antigens of the nasty pathogen are introduced, the immune system is triggered into developing pairing antibodies and immunological memory.

There are many ways in which one can artificially stroke the immune system to develop antibodies and memory. The bottom line is presenting the antigens of the novel coronavirus to the human immune system. From adenovirus-based live-attenuated virus to recombinant genetic technology is used to develop several types of vaccines. Two among the various possibilities produced in India are inactivated virus vaccine and DNA plasmid vaccine.

How these vaccines work

We can inactivate a whole virus with heat or formaldehyde (that is 'killed'), yet keep the antigen molecular structures still intact. However, the inactivated virus will not be able to infect or cause disease, as it is no longer functional. The Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN uses the virus isolated from an Indian patient by the National Institute of Virology to develop the inactivated virus vaccine.

Novel coronavirus infects the human cells with the help of its spike proteins. The spike protein of the virus binds with the ACE2 receptors on the surface of the human respiratory tract cells. Once the virus fuse, the viral genome is slipped into the human cell where around a thousand copies of the virus are made in just ten hours. These baby viruses emigrate to nearby cells. Infection can be arrested if only we can deactivate the spike protein of the novel coronavirus. Thus the antigen on the spike protein is a crucial vaccine target. If the antibody blocks the spike protein, then the virus cannot bind the cell and multiply.

The genomic code of the spike protein is spliced into a harmless DNA plasmid. This modified plasmid DNA with the genetic code of viral spike protein is introduced into the host cells. The cellular machinery translates the DNA and produces the viral protein encoded in the genome. The human immune system recognises the alien protein and develops a matching antibody. After this vaccination, if at any time, we are infected by the novel coronavirus, then sensing the spike protein antibodies are released instantly. The immune killer cells seize deactivated viruses. Contagion is arrested even before infection sets in.

PIB

India banned 59 Chinese apps!!

2020-07-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Government of India, on 29th June, 2020, made an important announcement. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology banned 59 mobile apps, based on information that these apps threaten the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order. The list of apps which will no longer be available to users in India includes the popular social media platform TikTok, file transfer service ShareIt, social networking service Helo and document scanning application CamScanner. The Government has done this by invoking its powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, as well as relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009.

Stealing and Mining of Data by Elements Hostile to National Security

One of the reasons that led to the ban of these apps is the intelligence that some apps have been stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data to servers based outside India. Well, this might make someone wonder: how can transmission of seemingly innocuous data from something like a social networking app threaten the national security and defence of the country?

To gain a better appreciation of the gravity of the issue which may tend to be looked upon as a relatively harmless issue by the lay person, let us hear from Dr. Deepak P., Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Queen’s University Belfast (United Kingdom) who specializes in Artificial Intelligence and Data Ethics. Dr. Deepak explains the sensitivities involved in the use of applications run by firms which are based outside India and who are bound by the laws and regulations prevailing in a foreign country. The data collected by these firms may be stored on servers located outside the country. While such data normally resides in the custody of the company itself, they may have to honour data requests received by governments of those countries. Moreover, many firms have been found to honour such requests, which thereby poses the risk of Indian users’ data getting into powers which could use that information strategically, against our national interests.

Data is powerful. Data Mining technologies have become very advanced today, throwing open many ways in which danger may strike. Dr. Deepak cites the example of online fitness tracker app Strava, a San Francisco based service that uses a mobile phone's GPS to track the subscriber's exercise activity. It enables users to evaluate and compare their performance with each other and over time. In November 2017, the app released a heatmap – a data visualization of 27 billion kilometres of running activity recorded on the app between 2015 and September 2017, containing around 3 trillion data points. Looking at the data, Nathan Ruser, a young international security student at an Australian university realized this can be dangerous. Why? It occurred to him that among the millions of users of the app are military personnel who regularly go for running and jogging. He found that the app data can reveal unknown information about military bases, including the routes taken by soldiers, commonly used exercise routes and patrolled roads. This could hence pose a direct threat to national security.

Another point to bear in mind when thinking of data and information security, says Dr. Deepak, is that we will not typically be able to anticipate the myriad ways in which a data set can end up being used, while the data is being produced or even transmitted. The above example of the running app illustrates this. He gave another example, of what is known as forensic genealogy, wherein genetic information sourced from consumer companies are used to identify suspects or victims in criminal cases. This has been used by police in USA to solve many cases, recalls Dr. Deepak. The DNA profile from the crime scene is uploaded to a public-access database containing genetic information of people. The database enables identification of relatives based on comparison of DNA profiles, thereby helping law enforcement agencies in identifying potential suspects or victims of cases.

The Government of India has said that the compilation of data from mobile apps and its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.

Need for More Public Awareness

Dr. Deepak says there is a need for building and promoting greater public awareness on data privacy and data and information security. There has been a phenomenal expansion in our use of digital technologies. While they improve our lives in many ways, it is necessary to be conscious and aware also of the risks they pose and to be judicious consumers of mobile and internet technologies. On this particular decision of banning the 59 mobile apps, Dr. Deepak says that it will be helpful for the government to let citizens know the specific ways in which these apps pose a threat and the details of the process by which the complaints and reports which led to the ban were obtained and examined, to instill public confidence that due process has been followed and required action taken in time. He adds that doing so will also help increase public understanding and participation on this issue, in a deliberative democracy such as ours.

Does the Ban Violate WTO Regime?

The Government of India has invoked the ban to safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users and to ensure the safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace. However, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, has expressed concern regarding the decision, stating, among other things, that the decision “suspects of violating the WTO rules”. Let us listen to Dr. James J. Nedumpara, Professor and Head, Centre for Trade and Investment Law, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade to help us evaluate the validity of this argument.

Dr. Nedumpara says that it would be difficult to establish a National Treatment obligation (i.e., obligation to treat foreigners and locals equally) from India, in terms of its services commitments in terms of the apps. The apps do not specifically come under the schedule of concessions of WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). In his view, the argument that India has violated Most Favoured Nation obligation is also not tenable. In any case, he notes that irrespective of any trade obligations, India's measures squarely fall within the national security exceptions provided under Article XIV bis of GATS. Dr. Nedumpara explains that there has been a clear case of emergency in international relations which has been prevalent at the time the decision has been taken. Further, India has already articulated its security interests in taking the decision. He adds that while the official statements by the two countries do not expressly mention any connection between the border tension and the decision to ban the apps, a sufficiently strong case can be constructed based on the accompanying incidents. Dr. Nedumpara makes it clear that India is hence in a position to prove the existence of all requirements necessary for the invocation of the national security exception under GATS. He however added that recourse to trade exceptions is not called for in the absence of any trade violations.
PIB

How to be a UPSC topper using 5 tricks!!

2020-07-16T14:13:00.001-07:00

UPSC is an exam which is designed for people who are

1) Consistency

The most important factor which decides your success in upsc is consistency, if you are regular with your studies, test series and newspaper analysis, mains answer writing practice, you are way through it.

2) Revision

Many people keep on reading new things and forget to revise, revision is the key to success, if you are doing it all the time then during exam time, all the information is in front of your eyes which will make you topper at upsc.

3) Paper Analysis and solving tricks

This exam is more about strategy than about information or knowledge, it is about your application of knowledge in limited time at exam hall.
Therefore it is important to understand, types of questions and their patterns.
It is important to solve the papers on time or within the time frame, which requires a consistent effort.

4) Toppers talk
A lot can be learnt from toppers interview, as their mistakes and their learnings.

5) Test Series and paper evaluation

Solving previous years papers and also test series plays an important role in preparing the candidate for the exam.

All the very best guys!!!
Hope it helps
Triumph IAS Academy

Hagia Sophia, is now a Mosque!!

2020-07-16T13:43:00.001-07:00

As per the latest ruling of the turkish supreme court, the status of museum is replaced with that of mosque, Ataturk had converted the hagia sophia or aya sophya mosque in to a museum after the fall of Osmani Caliphate in 1924.

The status of mosque is being restored by the turkish government and as per the laws of land and soverignty of turkey.

UPSC 2019 Mains General Studies paper 4

2019-10-02T02:52:00.000-07:00

SECTION ‘A’

1.(a) What are the basic principles of public life? Illustrate any three of these with suitable examples. (150 words) 10

1.(b) What do you understand by the term ‘public servant’? Reflect on the expected role of public servant. (150 words) 10

2.(a) Effective utilization of public funds is crucial to meet development goals. Critically examine the reasons for under-utilization and mis-utilization of public funds and their implications. (150 words) 10

2.(b) “Non-performance of duty by a public servant is a form of corruption”. Do you agree with this view? Justify your answer. (150 words) 10

3.(a) What is meant by the term ‘constitutional morality’? How does one uphold constitutional morality? (150 words) 10

3.(b) What is meant by ‘crisis of conscience’? How does it manifest itself in the public domain? (150 words) 10

4.(a) Explain the basic principles of citizens charter movement and bring out its importance. (150 words) 10

4(b) There is a view that the Official Secrets Act is an obstacle to the implementation of Right to Information Act. Do you agree with the view? Discuss. (150 words) 10

5.(a) What do you understand by probity in governance? Based on your understanding of the term, suggest measures for ensuring probity in government. (150 words) 10

5.(b) “Emotional Intelligence is the ability to make your emotions work for you instead of against you”. Do you agree with this view? Discuss. (150 words) 10

What do each of the following quotations mean to you?

6.(a) “An unexamined life is not worth living”. – Socrates(150 words) 10

6.(b) “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.” – M.K. Gandhi(150 words) 10

6.(c) “Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. When there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world” – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (150 words) 10

SECTION ‘B’

You are heading the rescue operations in an area affected by severe natural calamity. Thousands of people are rendered homeless and deprived of food, drinking water and other basic amenities. Rescue work has been disrupted by heavy rainfall and damage to supply routes. The local people are seething with anger against the delayed limited rescue operations. When your team reaches the affected area, the people there heckle and even assault some of the team members . One of your team members is even severely injured. Faced with this crisis, some team members plead with you to call off the operations fearing threats to their life.

In such trying circumstances, what will be your response? Examine the qualities of a public servant which will be required to manage the situation. (250 words) 20

Honesty and uprightness are the hallmarks of a civil servant. Civil servants possessing these qualities are considered as the backbone of any strong organization. In line of duty, they take various decisions, at times some become bonafide mistakes. As long as such decisions are not taken intentionally and do not benefit personally, the officer cannot be said to be guilty. Though such decisions may, at times, lead to unforeseen adverse consequences in the long-term.

In the recent past, a few instances have surfaced wherein civil servants have been implicated for bonafide mistakes. They have often been prosecuted and even imprisoned. The instances have greatly rattled the moral fibre of the civil servants.

How does this trend affect the functioning of the civil services? What measures can be taken to ensure the honest civil servants are not implicated for the bonafide mistakes on their part? Justify your answer. (250 words) 20

An apparel manufacturing company having a large number of women employees was losing sales due to various factors. The company hired a reputed marketing executive, who increased the volume of sales within a short span of time. However, some unconfirmed reports came up regarding his indulgence in sexual harassment at the workplace.

After sometime a woman employee launched a formal complaint to the management against the marketing executive about sexually harassing her. Faced with the companies’ indifference, in not taking cognizance of her grievances, she lodged an FIR with the police.

Realizing the sensitivity and gravity of the situation, the company called the woman employee to negotiate. In that she was offered a hefty sum of money to withdraw the complaint and the FIR and also give in writing that the marketing executive is not involved in the case.

Identify the ethical issues involved in this case. What options are available to the woman employee? (250 words) 20

In a modern democratic polity, there is a concept of the political executive and permanent executive. Elected people’s representatives form the political executive and bureaucracy forms the permanent executive. Ministers frame policy decisions and bureaucrats execute these. In the initial decades after independence, the relationship between the permanent executive and the political executive were characterized by mutual understanding, respect and cooperation, without encroaching upon each other’s domain.

However, in the subsequent decades, the situation has changed. There are instances of the political executive insisting upon the permanent executive to follow its agenda. Respect for an appreciation of upright bureaucrats has declined. There is an increasing tendency among the political executive to get involved in routine administrative matters such as transfers, posting etc. Under this scenario, there is a difinitive trend towards ‘politicization of bureaucracy’. The rising materialism and acquisitiveness in social life has also adversely impacted upon the ethical values of both the permanent executive and the political executive.

What are the consequences of this ‘politicization of bureaucracy’? Discuss. (250 words) 20

In one of the districts of a frontier state, narcotics menace has been rampant. This has resulted in money laundering, mushrooming of poppy farming, arms smuggling and near stalling of education. The system is on the verge of collapse. The situation has been further worsened by unconfirmed reports that local politicians as well as some senior police officers are providing surreptitious patronage to the drug mafia. At that point of time a woman police officer, known for her skills in handling such situations is appointed as superintendent of police to bring the situation to normalcy.

If you are the same police officer, identify the various dimensions of the crisis. Based on your understanding, suggest measures to deal with the crisis. (250 words) 20

12. In recent times, there has been an increasing concern in India to develop effective civil service ethics, code of conduct, transparency measures, ethics and integrity systems and anti-corruption agencies. In view of this, there is a need being felt to focus on three specific areas, which are directly relevant to the problems of internalizing integrity and ethics in the civil services. These are as follows:

Anticipating specific threats to ethical standards and integrity in the civil services,
Strengthening the ethical competence of civil servants and
Developing administrative processes and practices which promote ethical values and integrity in civil services.

Suggest institutional measures to address the above three issues. (250 words) 20

UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies paper 1

2019-10-02T02:28:00.000-07:00

(Answer in 150 words) 10mks

Highlight the Central Asian and Greco Bactrian elements in the Gandhara art.

The 1857 uprising was the culmination of the recurrent, big and small local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule. Elucidate.
Examine the linkages between the nineteenth century’s ‘Indian Renaissance’ and the emergence of national identity.
Assess the impact of global warming on the coral life system with examples.

Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology.

Can the strategy of regional resource-based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India?

Discuss the factors for localisation of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India.

What makes the Indian society unique in sustaining its culture? Discuss.

“Empowering women is the key to control population growth.” Discuss

What are the challenges to our cultural practices in the name of secularism?

(Answer in 250 words) 15mks

Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate.
Assess the role of British imperial power in complicating the process of transfer of power during the 1940s.
Explain how the foundations of the modern world were laid by the American and French Revolutions.

What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India?

How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism?
How is efficient and affordable urban mass transport key to the rapid economic development in India?

How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and coastal environment? Give suitable examples.
Do we have cultural pockets of small India all over the nation? Elaborate with examples.

What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?

Are we losing our local identity for the global identity? Discuss.

UPSC MAINS 2019 ESSAY QUESTION PAPER

2019-09-29T22:35:00.002-07:00

Write two essays from both the sections each (125 x 2) 250 marks
Section A
1) Wisdom finds Truth.

2)Values are not what Humanity is, but what Humanity ought to be.

3) Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society.

4) Courage to accept and dedication to improve are the two keys to success.

Section B
1) South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures
and plural identities.

2) Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness

3) Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy

4) Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities
through reskilling and upskilling

2019-05-12T15:15:00.001-07:00

In order to make this information more easily accessible in one place, the NARI portal summarizes over 350 government schemes and other important information for the benefit of women, with more being added everyday. It provides links to the Ministries, Departments and autonomous bodies offering these schemes as well as easy access to online applications and grievance redressal.

NARI will provide information to women on issues affecting their lives. There are tips on good nutrition, suggestions for health check ups, information on major diseases, tips for job search and interview, investment and savings advice, information on crimes and against women and reporting procedures, contacts of legal aid cells, simplified adoption procedures and much more. It will endow women with the power of information to build their life skills and facilitates them in taking full advantage of the services provided by the Government for them.

Through e-Samvad portal, NGOs and civil society can provide their feedback, suggestions, put up grievances, share best practices etc. Senior Officers within MWCD will be able to view the inputs/suggestions received for their concerned subject areas and appropriately respond to NGOs. This will help in formulation of effective policies and measures for welfare of women and children.

Empowerment and welfare of women and children is top priority of the government, NARI and e-Samvad portals are initiatives

2019-05-12T15:09:00.002-07:00

2017 has been a major milestone year for the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. While the period since 2014 to 2016 was utilised for the purposes of reform and course correction, 2017 witnessed consolidation, culmination and the rollout of a new road-map for the Highways sector. Keeping the rapid developments in the sector in mind, RBI appreciated the highway infrastructure development sector in their Annual Report 2016-17, noting that there is a decline in cost and time overruns to the tune of Rs. 1.5 Billion and an all-time rise in award and construction of highways projects including a peak of daily additions to the roads constructed. Further, it pointed out that stalled projects had declined, both in terms of value and numbers. Another creditworthy development was that following the upgrade of India's sovereign rating from Baa3 positive to Baa2 stable on 16th November 2017, Moody's Investors Service upgraded the issuer ratings of National Highways Authority of India to Baa2 from Baa3 and revised the outlook to stable from positive.

1.2 2017 witnessed several highlights. This was the year when engineering marvels like the Dhola Sadiya bridge in Assam and Chenani Nashri tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir were opened up to connect far-off areas and pave the way for their socio-economic development. This was also the year that saw the launch of Bharatmala Pariyojana, India’s largest ever highways development programme that promises to optimize the efficiency of road traffic movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps. In the area of road safety too, we witnessed a slight decrease in the number of road accidents.

1.3 Year 2017 can also be seen as a major turning point for transport planning in the country, with the idea of multi-modal transport development gaining ground. The Union Budget 2017-18 set the ground for this with a comprehensive budget for the transport sector as a whole. MoRTH took the idea further by organising the India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit, organized in May 2017 and by actively promoting multi-modal transport planning with greater synergy in investments in railways, roads, waterways and civil aviation.

1.4 The Ministry and its project executing organizations have carried forward the good work of the previous years in 2017, expanding the national highways network in the country, taking various steps to make these highways safer for the commuter and making best efforts to minimize adverse impacts on the environment. Significant activities taken up by the Ministry during the year are as follows:

2. CONSTRUCTION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

2.1 Award / Construction Statistics:

Award and construction activity is a direct consequence of demand, land availability and management of contracts. March 2017 witnessed the highest awards at 15948 kilometres and construction at 8231 kilometres. The table below details the trends of NH construction over the years:

Year	Award (kms)	Construction (kms)
2014-15	7972	4410
2015-16	10098	6061
2016-17	15948	8231
Note: 2017-18 is work in progress and with the finalisation of the Bharatmala Pariyojana and its contours, the activity of award and construction has been focused in concerted directions

2.2 New Programmes, Projects and Structures

(i) Bharatmala Pariyojana: Phase-I

This is a new umbrella program for the highways sector that aims to optimize the efficiency of road traffic movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps. Special attention has been paid to fulfilling the connectivity needs of areas of economic activity, places of religious and tourist interest, border areas, backward and tribal areas, coastal areas and trade routes with neighbouring countries under the programme. Multi-modal integration is one of the key focuses of this programme. A total of around 53,000 kms of NHs have been identified to improve National Corridor efficiency, of which 24,800 kms are to be taken up in Phase-I, which will be implemented over a period of five years i.e. 2017-18 to 2021-22 in a phased manner. This includes 5,000 kms of the National Corridors, 9000 kms of Economic Corridors, 6000 km of Feeder Corridors and lnter-Corridors, 2000 kms of Border Roads, 2,000 kms of Coastal Roads and Port Connectivity Roads and 800 kms of Green-field Expressways.Total likely fund provision for Bharatmala Phase-I is Rs. 5,35,000 cr. Bharatmala will be a major driver for economic growth in the country. lt is estimated that more than 35 crore man-days of employment shall be generated under Phase-l of the programme.

(ii) Chenani- Nashri Tunnel

An ideal example of the government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ initiative, the 9 km long, twin-tube, all-weather tunnel between Udhampur and Ramban in Jammu & Kashmir is not only India’s longest highway tunnel but also Asia’s longest bi-directional highway tunnel. Built at an elevation of 1200 metres on one of the most difficult Himalayan terrains, the tunnel cuts the travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by two hours, bypassing about 41 kms of road length. It will also ensure an all-weather passage on a route that often sees heavy traffic jams and disruptions due to landslides, snow, sharp curves, breakdown of vehicles and accidents. The tunnel has been constructed at a cost of about Rs 3720 crores and is a part of the 286-km-long project for four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

(iii) Dhola Sadiya Bridge

The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated India's longest bridge- the 9.15 km long Dhola-Sadiya Bridge over River Brahmaputra in Assam on 26^th May 2017. The bridge has ensured 24x7 connectivity between upper Assam and Eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh, marking a major transformation from the ferry-based, day-only connectivity that collapsed during floods. It has considerably reduced the distance and travel time between the two states. The distance between Rupai on NH- 37 in Assam to Meka/Roing on NH-52 in Arunachal Pradesh has been cut down by 165 KM. The travel time between the two places has come down from six hours to just one hour – a total five hour reduction.

(iv) Extra-dosed Bridge across River Narmada at Bharuch

A new four lane, Extra-dosed Bridge across river Narmada at Bharuch, inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 9^th of March 2017, has brought major relief for people travelling on the Vadodara- Surat section of NH-8. The 1.4 km ‘Extradosed’ cable stayed bridge is the longest in India and the second such bridge in the country after Nivedita Setu over Hooghly.

(v) Bridge over River Chambal at Kota

A 6-lane Cable Stayed Bridge across river Chambal at Kota was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 29^thAugust 2017. Built at a cost of Rs. 278 Crores, this bridge marks the completion of the East-West corridor.

2.3 Status/ Progress of important programmes/ projects under implementation

(i) Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna

The projects envisages development of easy access to the four prominent Dhams, namely, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedranath and Badrinath, situated in the state of Uttrakhand. These four Dhams are prominent pilgrimage centres. The project entails development of 889 km of roads with configuration of two-lane with paved shoulders at an estimated cost of about Rs. 12,000 crore. So far, 24 works have been sanctioned traversing a length of 395 kilometres. 22 works covering a length of 340 kilometre have been awarded. The projects are being taken up on EPC mode amd the program is targeted for completion by March, 2020

(ii) Eastern Peripheral Expressway– Western Peripheral Expressway

The project of Peripheral Expressways around Delhi, comprising Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) emanating from NH-1 (near Kundli) and terminating at NH-2 (near Palwal), bypassing Delhi aims to decongest Delhi and reduce pollution levels in the NCR. While the EPE is being developed by the NHAI, the WPE is being developed by the State of Haryana. Each of these Expressways is 135 km long, leading to an outer-outer ring road of 270 kms for Delhi. These Peripheral Expressways are to be access controlled six-lane roads. The work, being executed in six packages, is due for completion before March 2018.

(iii) Delhi-Meerut Expressway

The Delhi-Meerut Expressway aims to provide a fast link between the two cities. The alignment of DME starts from Nizammudin Bridge from Delhi and follows existing NH 24 upto Dasna. While one leg of DME will continue from Dasna on NH 24 to Hapur, a Greenfield alignment has been planned from Dasna to Meerut. The 8.7 km, 14-lane highway is being completed in a record time of about 15 months as against the originbal scheduled completion period of 30 months. This first stretch from Nizamudin Bridge to UP Border is provisioned with with 14 lanes, and has several features that would help reduce pollution. These include a 2.5 metre wide cycle track on either side of the highway, a vertical garden on the Yamuna Bridge, solar lighting system and watering of plants through drip irrigation only.

(iv) Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway

The 473 km expressway will link Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway to Mumbai-Pune Expressway thus providing Expressway connectivity from Ahmedabad to Pune for a length of about 650 Km. The project will be taken up in three phases. Land acquisition, environment clearance etc are at advanced stage of approval for Phase I and II. Bids have also been invited for the First package of of phase -1.

(v) Bangalore-Chennai Expressway (262 km)

Bangalore-Chennai Expressway is a green-field alignment and will be operated with a closed toll system. There are two existing roads connecting Bangalore-Chennai, one is via Hoskote (Bangalore)-AP then to Chennai & second is via Electronic City (Bangalore) Hosur (Tamil Nadu) and then to Chennai. The alignment of proposed expressway is passing in between these two stretches. The processes of land acquisition, environment and other pre-cnstruction activities are under progress.

(vi) Byet Dwarka – Okha Bridge

The Ministry has taken up constuction of a signature 4-lane Bridge to connect the mainland at Okha to Byet-Dwarka Island off the Gujarat Coast with this signature Bridge spanning a length of 2.32 kms. The Project has been awarded on 01.01.2018 at a cost of Rs. 689.47 crores. This will be the longest span cable stayed bridge in India with the main span of 500 mtrs. The project is scheduled to be completed in 30 months time.

2.4 New Expressways planned under under Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I

(i) Delhi-Jaipur Expressway

(ii) Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway

(iii) Vadodra-Mumbia Expressway

(iv) Hyderabad- Vijayawada- Amravathi (HVA) Expressway

(v) Nagpur-Hyderabad-Bangalore (NBH) Expressway

(vi) Kanpur Lucknow (KL) Expressway

(vii) Ring road/ Expressway at Amravathi

2.5 Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS)

The Ministry took-up a new initiative, known as Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS), to inventorise all structures e.g. Bridges and culverts constructed on the National highways. The consultants have completed their report and also undertaken the condition assessment of all the existing bridges on National Highways. As such, inventory for more than 1,62,000 bridges and culverts has been completed. A total of 147 Bridges have been identified as distressed structures which call for immediate restoration/ replacements. A time-bound action plan to undertake repairs and restoration or construction of new bridges in place of the decadent structures has been put in place.

2.6 Setu Bharatam

In order to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic, Ministry has envisaged a plan for replacement of Level Crossings on National Highways by ROBs/ RUBs under a scheme known as Setu Bharatam. Under this programme, construction of 208 RoBs/ RuBs on Level Crossings (which are not falling under any other programme like NHDP etc.) at an estimated cost of Rs. 20,800 crore is envisaged. Out of these 208 ROBs, Detailed Project Reports for 127 ROBs have been received in the Ministry, out of which 78 ROBs with an estimated cost of Rs. 6428.57 crore have been sanctioned till 31.03.2017, of which 35 works have been awarded so far. 09 ROBs with an estimated cost of Rs. 576.58 crore have been sanctioned till date during FY 2017-18.

2.7 Funding Models and other policies to facilitate construction of National Highways

(i) Measures to revive Languishing stalled projects:

The Ministry has focused on completion of on-going projects along with sanction and award of new projects. A total of 73 projects (8,187 km) worth an estimated investment of Rs.1,00,000 crore were identified as Languishing Projects. The reasons for delay were identified and policy interventions undertaken to address the same. This, inter alia, includes (a) One Time Fund Infusion Scheme (OTFIS) whereby financial assistance is provided by NHAI to the contractor/ concessionaire in the form of a working capital loan, (b) Rationalized Compensation whereby a one-time compensation, equivalent to annuities that were missed on account of delay in completion of the project , is provided to the concessionaire in the case of BOT (Annuity) projects; (c) Extension of concession period, (d) Substitution of concessionaire & Termination. As on date, the entire portfolio of languishing projects that have been taken up for revival/ completion is as per table below:-

Description of Projects	Number of Projects	Length in Kms
Projects where issues have been resolved through regular monitoring	15	2054.94
Projects terminated and re-packaged and re-bid.	48	5090.68
Projects revived after policy interventions	10	1041.00
Total	73	8186.62 or 8187

(ii) Toll- Operate-Transfer (TOT)

The Ministry is monetizing its road assets constructed with public funds through Toll-Operate-Transfer (ToT) scheme. The scheme envisages bidding of bundled national highways for a concession period of 30 years. The bids for the first bundle of 9 NHs have been invited and are scheduled to be received on 09.01.2018.

(iii) Masala Bonds

Targeting mobilization of funds, NHAI launched an issue of Masala Bonds at the London Stock Exchange in May 2017. The Masala Bond saw an overwhelming response from a wide spectrum of investors. The initial benchmark issue of Rs 1500 crore was upsized to Rs 3000 crore. Asia contributed 60 percent and Europe 40 percent of subscription. 61 percent of the amount is from fund managers or insurance funds, 18 percent from banks and 14 percent from private banks. NHAI’s Masala Bonds have been rated the best for the year 2017.

(iv) Planning for Multi Modal Transport Systems

An India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit was organized in New Delhi from 3^rd to 5^th May 2017. It was attended by around 3000 delegates from India and abroad which included central and state government organizations, international organizations like World Bank and ADB, global transport and supply chain experts and representatives of private companies. Thirty-four MoUs amounting to about Rs 2 lakh crores were signed at the end of the Summit. Carrying the initiative further, the Ministry is actively engaged with a few states for establishment of Multi-modal Logistics Parks in this direction.

Further, it has been decided to develop state-of-the-art Inter-modal stations at Varanasi and Nagpur as the two pilots. A Committee has been constituted for review, monitoring and implementation of these Inter-modal Stations at these locations under the Chairmanship of respective Divisional Commissioners with the charter to facilitate DPR preparation etc.

(v) Decentralisation & Administrative Measures

(a) Enhanced powers for approval of projects have been delegated to the NHAI Board specifically in the case of EPC projects and all PPP (BOT) projects where no VGF is involved. This will fast track the decision making process.

(b) Powers for appraisal and sanction of NH projects implemented through the state PWDs have been enhanced and certain field offices of MoRTH are now headed by the CE-ROs with a view to further streamlining various processes. This is expected to increase efficiency and speedier decision making.

(c) Within the Bharatmala Parijoyna 10% of the funds will be ear-marked under the Grand Challenge mechanism for the State Governments where sufficient and timely land is made available.

2019-04-10T21:10:00.001-07:00

National Council on Nutrition under Chairmanship of Vice-Chairman of NITI Ayog to report to Prime Minister every six month

The Government has recently approved the setting up of new National Nutrition Mission (NNM) to address the problem of malnutrition in the country at a total cost of Rs. 9046.17 crore for a period of three years i.e. 2017-18 to 2019-20.
The salient features of the Mission are ensuring convergence - NNM will ensure convergence with various programmes; incentivizing States/ UTs for achieving goals; IT enabled Real TimeMonitoring (ICT-RTM); Evaluation; weighing efficiency and making nutrition visible; Community mobilisation awareness advocacy; IEC, Jan Andolan - to educate the people on nutritional aspects, on-line Course on Nutrition for Children, Nutrition message from folk songs and songs on WASH, sending messages on nutrition and also creating ring-tones, Yoga for children at AWCs; strengthening human resource; measuring height and length of children below 6 years of age; roll out of NNM in 315 districts in 2017-18, 235 districts in 2018-19 and remaining districts in 2019-20. A total of about 10 crore beneficiaries are covered under the Mission.
There is a provision for setting up of a National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges under the Chairmanship of Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog. The Mission is to submit report to the Prime Minister every six months.