current affairs

1. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
NATURAL ECONOMIC ZONE (NEZ)
 Entire Northeast region has a ―Natural Economic Zone (NEZ)‖ and said that it would be his
priority to nourish the NEZ and tap its potential for the benefit of the region.
 Northeast region as India‘s ―capital of organic agriculture‖
HORNBILL FESTIVAL
 celebration held every year in the first week of December, in Nagaland
 held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima
 All the tribes of Nagaland take part
 aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its
extravaganza and traditions
 Festival is named after the hornbill, the globally respected bird and which is displayed in
folklore in most of the state‘s tribes.
INITIATIVES FOR NORTHEAST REGION
 modern apparel and garment manufacturing centre would be set up immediately in the State
capitals of Assam, Nagaland and Sikkim
 Ishan Uday special scholarships for 10,000 students from the Northeast
 Ishan Vikas scheme for facilitating exposure visits of 2000 students and 500 teachers of
colleges in the region
NATIONAL LOK ADALAT
 organised by the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA)
 cases settled out of court include family disputes, matrimonial cases, motor accident claims,
bank recoveries, petty criminal matters, revenue matters, disbursement of payment under
the MGNREGA and other government welfare schemes.
T.S.R SUBRAMANIAN COMMITTEE
 examine six laws administered by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate
Change
 six laws to be put under the scanner
o Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
o Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
o Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
o The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
o The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
o Indian Forest Act (IFA) of 1927.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) FOOD CROPS
 Europe does not permit field trials and that the average Indian farm is of very small size
(which could lead to severe adverse impact on biodiversity through gene-flow).
 no independent expert agencies in the country
MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE
 Proposed new law, the Environment Laws (Management) Act (ELMA). The application for
environmental clearances expects the applicant to be honest and truthful.
 Setting up of special environment courts presided over by a session‘s judge and higher
penalties.

2.  proposes to create new agencies, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)
at the national level and the State Environment Management Authority (SEMA) as the
pivotal authorities to process applications for a one-window composite environmental
clearance
 NEMA and SEMA will replace the Central/State Pollution Control Board.
 Takes away the role of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which, under the proposed
ELMA, will only be able to judicially review the decisions of the Appellate Boards.
 Special environment courts shall dispose of cases expeditiously within six months. Aggrieved
parties may approach an appellate board presided over by a retired High Court judge.
 for linear projects, it is recommended that FRA needs amendment to consider
removal of the condition of Gram Sabha approval
o Forest and environmental clearances should time bound and streamlined.
o Wildlife Management plans to be made mandatory;
o The demarcation of eco sensitive zones to be enforced around all protected areas
and
o Proposed the banning of polythene bags and plastic bottles into protected areas.
 Only environmental, rehabilitation and resettlement issues are captured in the public
hearing.
 "Only genuine local participation" is permitted.
 creating an Environment Reconstruction Fund for facilitating research
STILLWELL ROAD
Stillwell road‘, as a trade route from Assam to China‘s Yunnan province.
GLOBAL FINANCIAL INTEGRITY
 non-profit, research and advocacy organization located in Washington, D.C
 research on national and multilateral policies, safeguards, and agreements aimed at
curtailing illicit financial flows and enhancing global development and security
 ranked the country third globally
ANTI-HIJACKING (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2014
 Brought by Beijing Protocol, 2010, of the UN body International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO), which have been signed and ratified by India.
 Stringent measures to deal with civilian aircraft being used as a weapon of mass destruction
by terrorists as 9/11.
 Powers to concerned agencies and security forces to immobilise an aircraft and allow the
Indian Air Force to scramble its fighters to intercept a hijacked aircraft and force it to land.
 A hostile plane could also be shot down if there was evidence that it could be used as a
missile to hit a vital installation.
INDIA BANS IS
 Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a
Sunni Islamist rebel group that controls territory in Iraq and Syria and also operates in
eastern Libya, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, and other areas of the Middle East, North Africa,
South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
ORDINANCE TO AMEND LAND ACT
 The Cabinet has amended the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land
Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
 Amendments have now relaxed the requirements of consent and Social Impact Assessment
survey for projects in the following areas:

3. o Defence and defence production
o Rural infrastructure (including rural electrification)
o Affordable housing
o Industrial corridors
o Social infrastructure projects including PPPs in which ownership rests with the
government
 Under the 2013 Act, compensations were hiked up to four times and twice the market
value in rural areas and urban areas
 Consent from 70 per cent of the affected land owners in case of their lands being acquired
for a public private partnership (PPP) project. If the acquisition was meant for private
companies, consent from 80 per cent of the affected owners was required.
WHAT DOES THE ORDINANCE MEAN?
For Industries
Ordinance envisages projects in defence, rural housing and industrial corridors as exempt from
seeking
80% approval from affected persons.
Private hospitals, educational institutions and hotels will be included under definition of public
purpose, and exempt from SIA.
The Ordinance aims to make land acquisition easier for industries, as delays in approvals have
restricted growth in industry and infrastructure, according to stakeholders.
For Farmers
Farmers' compensation will remain the same — four times the market rate for urban areas, and
twice for rural areas.
13 statutes that were previously exempted from the rigours of compensation have now been
included.
Multi-crop land can be acquired for five purposes without consent of affected families: national
security, defence, rural infrastructure, industrial corridors and social infrastructure.
ORDINANCE TO HIKE FDI IN INSURANCE TO 49%
 Hike Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap in the insurance sector to 49 per cent from 26 per
cent. The 49 per cent cap would include both FDI and foreign portfolio investments.
 GIC is the sole national reinsurer.
COAL MINES (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) BILL 2015
 The coal bill opens the sector for commercial mining and aims to facilitate the auction of over
200 cancelled coal blocks.
 There will be a concrete arrangement of computerized auction of coal and mineral blocks.
The auction of these blocks was being carried out through an e-auction process to
transparency of the process.
 The main purpose of the ordinances, which are now being replaced by the bill, was to
overcome acute shortage of coal in core sectors and ensure energy security. They facilitated
allocation of coal mines to steel, cement and power utilities which are vital for
development.
 Assuring states that their interests would be taken care of, Govt said upfront fees as well
as their share in royalty payment would go to the states. However, Congress found
fault with the government's plan to let states having coal blocks alone to have the lion's share
of revenue generated by the their auction and demanded other states should also be given a
slice of the cake.
 Government entities including public sector units such as NTPC and State Electricity Boards,
however, will not have to go through the auction route as a pool of coal mines will be
reserved for allocations to them from the cancelled blocks.

4.  The proceeds from the e-auction will go entirely to the state government where the coal
mines are located including Jharkhand, Orrisa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
 UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime.
 It is established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control
Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
 UNODC operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices
MAKING ‗MAKE IN INDI A‘ HAPPEN
 India must become a manufacturing powerhouse in order to gainfully employ its
demographic dividend.
 improve the ease of doing business in India are these —stop tax terrorism, improve
infrastructure, reform labour laws, invest in skills development, make it easier to acquire
land, implement Goods and Services Tax (GST) and fast track approvals.
FOR AN INDUSTRIAL POLICY
India must have a clear industrial policy that spells out priority sectors and how we will build
competitive advantage in a way that is consistent with our obligations to the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
Five priority industries:
 Defence, because we are the world‘s leading arms importer.
 The second critical industry is electronics hardware. India imports $45 billion of mobile
phones, computers and communications hardware; by 2020, this is projected to grow to
$300 billion and exceed Our oil import bill.
 The third industry is construction. India will invest a trillion dollars over the coming years
in improving infrastructure.
 The fourth is health care. India‘s generic pharmaceutical industry is world class.
 Finally, agro-industries. We are one of the largest agricultural nations.
GOOD GOVERNANCE DAY
THE RAJASTHAN PANCHAYATI RAJ (SECOND AMENDMENT), ORDINANCE 2014
 As per the provision, any individual contesting the ZilaParishad or PanchayatSamiti
polls should have a basic qualification of Class X,
 while those aspiring to be elected to Panchayats as sarpanch should have passed Class
VIII and
 Anyone contesting the election for sarpanch in the scheduled area should have passed
Class V.
FARM LOAN WAIVER HITS CREDIT FLOW

5. URBAN DEVELOPMENT- THE RIGHT TO CITY
 The Right to the City campaign aims at making urban spaces more inclusive, keeping in
mind the lakhs of migrants that move here from rural India every year. Half of the country‘s
population will call urban India home by 2025.
SUGAMYA BHARAT CAMPAIGN
 Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) is the nationwide campaign for
achieving universal accessibility for all citizens including Persons with Disabilities, to be able
to gain access and live independently
 The Accessible India Campaign comprises of the following key components:-
o Create Mass Awareness
o Capacity Building
o Interventions (Technology solutions, Legal framework, Resource generation)
o Leverage corporate sector efforts including CSR resources.
o Leadership endorsements
ORDINANCE TO AMEND LAW ON ARBITRATION
 The Ordinance is aimed at making it mandatory for commercial disputes to be settled within
nine months and also putting a cap on fee of arbitrator. The proposed amendments stipulate
that the presiding officer of a commercial dispute will have to clear the case within nine
months.
 The arbitrator will be free to seek an extension from the High Court. But in case of further
delays, the High Court will be free to debar the arbitrator from taking up fresh cases for a
certain period.
INTELLIGENCE BUREAU REPORT 2014
A Intelligence Bureau report, ―Concerted efforts by select foreign-funded NGOs to take down Indian
development projects‖, in 2014 alleged that several foreign-funded environmental NGOs were
targeting
development projects across the country.
According to report, the following categories of developmental projects have been opposed by NGOs.
Nuclear power plants.
Uranium mines.
Coal-Fired power plants (CFPPs).

6. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Mega industrial projects (Posco and Vedanta).
Hydel projects (at Narmada Sagar and in Arunachal Pradesh) and
Extractive industries (oil, limestone) in the north-east.
SMART CARDS FOR UNORGANISED SECTOR WORKERS
 Every worker in the unorganised sector may soon be issued a smart card with a unique
identification number for accessing social schemes and benefits. It was launched in Gujarat.
 The Gujarat launch (a card, ―U-WIN ) was a pilot for launching the card in all States.
 The proposal is all workers must get three things — health insurance, pension and
disability assistance.
 This card will allow workers to self-certify that they are unorganised sector workers, and get
these
 benefits through a portable card
 The portable benefits card will be issued under the Unorganised Workers Social
Security Act, 2008.
 Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008, Act provides for constitution of the National
Social Security Advisory Board at the Central level, which is to recommend social security
schemes, health and maternity benefits and pension schemes for unorganised workers
NRI VOTING
With the amendment, NRIs can exercise their voting rights, but have to fulfills two conditions.
Registered as a voter: NRIs have to be registered in electoral rolls of the constituency where
they arelisted as residents before leaving India.
Physically present: Section 20A had required NRIs to be physically present in their respective
constituencies at the time of elections.
But ,now The Union government informed the Supreme Court that it had accepted Election
Commission's recommendation to allow NRIs to vote through e-ballot system or through proxy.
MINES AND MINERALS (DEVELOPMENT & REGULATION) AMENDMENT BILL 2015
The Bill amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
The new act, once in force, will add a new 4th schedule to include mining of bauxite, iron ore,
limestone and manganese ore, now called notified minerals, under its purview
Primarily, the new bill seeks to introduce a regime of auction to grant prospecting licences, like
for coal blocks. It proposes that there will no renewal of mining concessions, unlike the original act
of 1957. But it proposes a licence for 50 years as against 30 now. The government has already
identified 199 mines for auction. The new act will call for state governments to grant mining
leases and prospecting licensecum- mining leases for notified and other minerals,
with the central government's approval, which will prescribe the terms and conditions for
selection of bidders as also the procedure for auction.
The central government may also reserve some mines exclusively for some specific purposes,
as also set the eligibility conditions for the same.
To plug another loophole that leads to arbitrariness, the central government will be permitted
to increase the area allowed for mining, instead of granting additional leases. Presently, while
10 sq km is set as maximum limit for prospecting per lessee, a leeway is given to alter this.
The proposed legislation also calls for the setting up of a District Mineral Foundation
where mining takes place that will address the grievances of the people affected by mining, with a
contribution not exceeding a third of the royalty rate.
Another body, the National Mineral Exploration Trust, shall be appointed by the central
government for regional and pan-India planning.

7. CITIZENSHIP (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE, 2015
It amends the following provisions of the Indian Citizen Act, 1955:
At present one year continuous stay in India is mandatory for Indian Citizenship which is
relaxed stating that if the Central Government is satisfied that special circumstances exist, it may,
after recording such circumstances in writing, relax the period of twelve months specified upto a
maximum of thirty days which may be in different breaks.
To enable for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by a minor, whose parents are
Indian
Citizens.
To enable for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by a child or a grand-child or a great
grandchild of such a citizen.
To enable for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by such spouse of a citizen of India
or spouse of an OCI registered under Section 7A and whose marriage has been registered and
subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation
of the application under this section.
In respect of existing PIO card holders central government may, by notification in Official
Gazette,
specify a particular date from which all existing PIO card holders will be deemed to be OCI card
holders.
MERGER OF THE PIO AND OCI SCHEMES
The amendments to the Citizenship Act will benefit PIOs and will give them benefits like life-
long visa
and exemption from registering with the FRO/FRRO if their stay here exceeds six months.
The ordinance rolling PIO and OCI schemes into a single Indian Overseas Cardholder scheme
will drop
the clause requiring foreigners married to Indian citizens to continuously stay in the country for a
period
of one year before they can apply for Indian citizenship.
The amendment will allow foreigners breaks not exceeding 30 days, to travel abroad during the
mandatory one-year stay in India.
1,000 MW GRID-CONNECTED SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PROJECTS
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), , has approved the scheme for setting
up of 1000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects by Central Public Sector units
(CPSUs) and other government organisations
 These projects are to be established with VGF (viability gap fund) support of Rs.1,000 crore
over a period of three years (2015-16 to 2017-18).
 Organisations such as NTPC, NHPC, CIL, IREDA and Indian Railways, among others have
agreed to set up solar plants
 Centre has also proposed to establish 25 Solar Parks, each with a capacity of 500 MW
and above with a target of over 20,000 MW of solar power installed capacity over a period of
5 years (2014-19).
PRESIDENTS VIEW ON ARTICLE 108

8. The President pointed out that he had ―seen since 1952 till today only four times laws were passed
by joint session‖. A joint session of Parliament is not a ―practicable solution‖ to resolve a
legislative impasse.
ARTICLE 371(J)
 The Hyderabad-Karnataka region comprises Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Bellary and
Gulbarga that that are in the present state of Karnataka. The Hyderabad-Karnataka
region is the second largest arid region in India.
 The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), the apex consumer
forum, has held that ―no complaint by a person alleging deficiency in services rendered by
the CPIO/PIO is maintainable before a Consumer Forum.‖
MOTOR VEHICLE (AMENDMENT) BILL 2015 PASSED BY PARLIAMENT
The bill aims at bringing e-rickshaws and e-carts under the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1957 so
that
they can ply on roads across the country.
Government will also make efforts to provide loans at three to four percent interest to people
belonging
to SCs, STs and OBC for buying e-rickshaws.
Women and the physically handicapped will be given driving licenses for these..
SHANTA KUMAR COMMITTEE
 Restructure, reorient and reform the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
FOR THE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY ACT
To cut the public distribution system beneficiaries for subsidized foodgrains to 40 from 67
per cent
under the National Food Security Act.
The rationed grains to be priced at 50 per cent of the minimum support price paid to
farmers.
Each beneficiary should be given 7 kg of grain instead of 5 kg under the Act, and cash
transfers be
introduced in a phased manner.
It is estimated that this will reduce the foodgrain requirement under TPDS from 61.4
million tonnes to
about 40 million tonnes.
FCI has not been fulfilling its three key objectives in recent years:
Providing price support to farmers,
Delivering food through the PDS, and
Reducing volatility of food prices (and addressing food security) through public stockholding
HINDU WIFE‘S RIGHT TO MAINTENANCE
The Law Commission submitted its 252nd Report on "Right of the Hindu Wife to Maintenance: A
relook at Section 18 of the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956" to the Law Ministry.

9. The Commission recommended that a new clause be inserted in the Act to state that in cases where
the husband is unable to provide for his wife, on account of:
Physical disability;
Mental disorder;
Disappearance;
Renunciation of the world by entering any religious order or other similar reasons, the Hindu
wife is
entitled to claim maintenance from members of the husband's joint Hindu family.
INITIATIVES TOWARDS NORTH EAST PEOPLE- BEZBARUAH COMMITTEE
The Ministry accepted recommendations made by the Committee with regard to immediate
measures,
including:
Amending the Indian Penal Code, 1860 to insert provisions criminalising:
Promoting or using criminal violence against members of a race on grounds of their race or
place of origin
Words or actions intended to insult members of a particular race
Setting up a panel of lawyers by the Delhi Legal Service Authority for providing legal assistance
to people
from the North East;
Education related measures, like a scholarship for students from the North East and Sports
related measures, like identifying talented sports persons from the North East and arranging for
their training.
Creating a computerised database of people from the North East
Establishing a North East Centre in Delhi which would be an autonomous institution
responsible for the above-mentioned database, holding cultural performances, etc
TRIBAL COMMUNITIES AND ISSUES FACED BY THEM- XAXA COM
The report details the situation of tribal communities: Scheduled Tribes, de-notified tribes and
particularly vulnerable tribal communities.
GOVERNANCE OF TRIBAL AREAS
The question of autonomy in scheduled areas has been set out in Schedules V and VI of the
Constitution.
In Schedule V areas, the Tribes Advisory Council — a body with elected and community
representatives from Scheduled Tribes — will advise the governor on matters of administration and
governance in scheduled areas.
The deliberations of the Tribes Advisory Councils have been found to be tokenistic, and the councils
themselves filled with bureaucrats and ministers instead of representatives of tribal communities
with
effective voice.
Even with the Autonomous Councils in the Schedule VI States, which have a more robust formal
autonomy, the committee finds that ―there is a huge discrepancy between the formal rules
guaranteeing autonomy and the informal workings of autonomy on the ground.‖
RECOMMENDATIONS OF PROFESSOR XAXA COMMITTEE REPORT
Government/policy makers must understand the tribal economy before planning any
intervention. Tribal economy is the best development model and needs to be replicated anywhere in
the country.
Protection of bio-diversity rich mountains and forests (moratorium of mining in biodiversity
rich
forest/zones)
Use of renewable energy like solar and hydro through indigenous techniques Promote use
of

10. traditional transportation system for possible distance coverage
Implementation of Scheduled Area provisions (PESA) in true spirit
De-scheduling of schedule area due to decline of tribal population to be abolished. Declare all
tribal
populated areas as scheduled areas.
Language used for learning in schools not suitable for tribal children. Teachers are not familiar
with tribal language, should be take care of.
Develop curriculum in all tribal languages till Standard/Class 7.
Protect and promote traditional herbal medicines through the community ownership
Ensure ownership of community over their own herbal treatment practices.
Train traditional healers with improved technology to ensure better healthcare in remote
villages
Ensure all NT and DNT communities are included in census with dignity.
For social, economic and educational development one independent authority should be
established at national and state level.
The High Level Committee to recommend the setting up of a cell ―in order for the Governor to
properly carry out the duties of the post vis-à-vis protection of the tribes‖
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS FOR SCHEDULED TRIBES
The Constitution of India, Article 366 (25) defines Schedule Tribes as ―such tribes or tribal
communities or part of our groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under
Article 342 to the Schedule Tribes (ST) for the purposes of this Constitution‖.
In Article 342, procedure to be followed for specification of Scheduled Tribes is prescribed. However,
it does not contain the criterion for the specification of any community as Schedule Tribe. A well-
established criterion being followed is based on certain attributes such as:
Geographical isolation: They live in cloister, exclusive remote and hills and forest areas.
Backwardness: Livelihood based on primitive agriculture, low cost closed economy based on
low level of technology which leads to their poverty. They have a low level of literacy and health.
Distinctive culture, language and religion: They have developed their own distinctive
culture, language and religion, community-wise.
Shyness of contact: They have marginal degree of contact with other cultures and people
MAKE IN NORTHEAST
 The initiative will seek to promote exclusive Northeast expertise in areas like tea processing,
organic farming, food processing, and wind power generation, AYUSH and wellness
therapies like spas.
 Assam has the highest contribution of less than 30 per cent (2013-14) closely followed by
Sikkim, which is a leader in organic farming and tourism.
SARDAR PATEL URBAN HOUSING MISSION- HOUSING FOR ALL
 Sardar Patel Urban Housing Mission‘ will soon be launched to ensure housing for all by 2022
by building 30 million houses for the economically weaker sections and low income groups.
 To be built through public-private-partnership, interest subsidy and increased flow of
resources to the housing sector, these houses are also aimed at creating slum free cities
across the country.
NITI AAYOG (Chart from the PDF directly of Jan)
PRESIDENT GIVES ASSENT TO SETTING UP OF NJAC
The bill, 124th amendment to the Constitution, grants Constitutional status to the NJAC and
its
composition which will be headed by the Chief Justice of India.
The approved bill provides for the new Article 124A of the Constitution of India, which will
define the composition of the JAC. Article 124B will identify its functions

11. Constitution of – NJAC---Six-member Commission had-
The CJI as chairperson , ex officio ,
Two senior most Supreme Court judges as members ,next to the CJI – ex officio,
The Union Minister of Law and Justice, ex-officio
Two eminent persons
(to be nominated by a committee consisting of the CJI, PM and the Leader of opposition in the
Lok Sabha or where there is no such Leader of Opposition, then, the Leader of single largest
Opposition Party in Lok Sabha), provided that of the two eminent persons, one person would be
from the S C or ST or OBC or minority communities or a woman. The eminent persons shall be
nominated for a period of three years and shall not be eligible for re-nomination.
Role of NJAC:
The NJAC is expected to usher in transparency in judicial appointments in the highest
courts and end the highest judiciary‘s two-decade-old grip over appointments of judges through the
collegium system.
Under the present Collegium system, the CJI would consult the four senior most judges of
the SC for Supreme Court appointments and two senior-most judges for high court appointments.
It would restore an equal role for the executive in higher judicial appointments.
Ensuring that the persons recommended are of ability and integrity
RIGHT TO VOTE FOR UNDERTRIALS
Right to vote is not a fundamental right or a constitutional right but is only a statutory right.
Being a statutory right, the legislature can determine the terms on which the right to vote is to be
enjoyed by the people of India subject to Articles 325 and 326 of the Constitution.
Section 62(5) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 governing the ―right to vote‖,
stipulates that
no person shall vote in any election if they are confined in a prison ―under a sentence of
imprisonment
or transportation or otherwise‖ or are in the ―lawful custody‖ of the police.
Chapter 43 of the Reference Handbook on the General Elections, 2014 also makes it clear that
―undertrial prisoners‖ are not eligible to vote, even if their names are on the electoral rolls.
India denies voting rights to not only individuals convicted of a crime and serving a sentence in
prison,
but also to undertrials and even those in police custody.
GIPC INDEX
 The Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) is the principal institution of the United
States Chamber of Commerce handling all issues relating to intellectual property. The GIPC
champions intellectual property (IP) rights as vital to creating jobs, saving lives, and
advancing global economic growth.
 In the 2015 GIPC Index, India ranked 29 out of the featured 30 countries
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX (WPFI)
 World Press Freedom Index is produced by France based international nongovernmental
organization Reporters Without Borders (RWB).
WPFI aims to promote and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press.
The WPFI ranks the performance of countries according to index calculated based upon various
parameters. Few important parameters are given below:
media pluralism and independence
respect for the safety and freedom of journalists and
The legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate
India was ranked 136 out of 180 nations;

12. INTRA-DISTRICT DISPARITY
To measure the extent of backwardness, researchers looked at five indicators:
Agricultural workers as a proportion of all workers
Female literacy rate
Access to electricity
Access to water and sanitation and
Access to banking
RESILIENT CITY
A Resilient City is one that has developed capacities to help absorb future shocks and stresses to its
social, economic, and technical systems and infrastructures so as to still be able to maintain
essentially the same functions, structures, systems, and identity.‖
―100 RESILIENT CITIES" (100RC) NETWORK
100RC, pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, is dedicated to helping cities around the world
become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the
21st century.
100 Resilient Cities takes the view that resilience enables cities
To evaluate their exposure to specific shocks and stresses,
To develop a proactive and integrated plan to address those challenges, and
To respond to them more effectively.
Resilience is about making cities better, for both the short and long term, for everyone.
CHRONIC STRESSES Weaken the fabric of a city on a day to day or cyclical basis. Examples of
these stresses
include high unemployment; an overtaxed or inefficient public transportation system; endemic
violence; and
chronic food and water shortages.
ACUTE SHOCKS are the sudden, sharp events that threaten a city, including earthquakes, floods,
disease
outbreaks, and terrorist attacks.
Three Indian cities, Bengaluru, Chennai and Surat have made it to the 100 Resilient Cities
(100RC)
project, run by the New Yorkbased nonprofit organisation Rockefeller Foundation.
The financial commitment for the project is $100 million. The cities would get funds to recruit
the chief
resilience officer. Other than that, support would be in the form of tools, people and the network.
 Two States and one Union Territory — Nagaland, Mizoram and Puducherry — have no
women MLAs.
 Four additional States — Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Punjab — have women MLAs,
but no women Ministers.
SPECIAL COMMERCIAL COURTS
Recommendations of Law commission in its 253rd report:
 To set up special commercial courts for the speedy disposal of ―high value commercial suits‖
and suggested ―substantial‖ changes in the Civil Procedure Code.
 Establishment of a commercial division in the High Courts to ensure speedy disposal of
highvalue commercial suits.
 A commercial appellate division will hear appeals on the orders and decrees of the
commercial courts.
 The Chief Justice will nominate judges with expertise and experience in commercial matters
to the commercial and appellate courts.
 All pending commercial disputes beyond the specified value will be transferred to the
commercial division.

13. COMMERCIAL DIVISIONS BILL/ACT
The Commercial Divisions bill introduces a commercial division in every high court having original
jurisdiction and commercial courts in such districts, as the Central government, in consultation with
the concerned State government and Chief Justice of the concerned High Court, may establish.
 The bill will define ‗commercial disputes‘ so as to include ordinary transactions of merchants,
bankers, financiers, joint ventures, partnerships, insurance companies and so on.
 These specialised courts will resolve all ―commercial‖ disputes of value of over Rs. 1 crore.
 The Bill provides for a fast track mechanism with stringent timelines.
 For the first time it introduces in the Indian system the concept of a case management
conference wherein a procedural order is passed prior to trial, setting out a time table
(including timebound oral arguments supplemented with written arguments) which has to
be strictly adhered to.
 The court is given wide powers to ensure that strict compliance is enforced. Moreover, the
court, too, is mandated to deliver its judgment within a period of 90 days.
 The Bill also makes mandatory the ‗cost follow the event‘ regime, whereby, as a general rule,
the party against whom the order/judgment is passed bears the entire cost of litigation,
subject to exceptions where delaying parties, even if successful, have to bear part of the cost.
MATRUBHASHA DIVAS
The Centre has asked all the schools and higher educational institutions to celebrate February 21
as
―Matrubhasha Divas‖ by organising daylong activities like group songs and essay competitions in
Indian languages, with the UNESCO recently declaring it as International Mother Tongue Day.
 Currently, five states — Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Himachal
Pradesh — have anticonversion laws in place to prevent forced conversions. The laws do not
ban conversions so long as they are voluntary.
PHARMA JAN SAMADHAN SCHEME
The Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers launched ‗Pharma Jan Samadhan‘ scheme.
Features
It is a web enabled system for redressal of consumers‘ grievances relating to pricing and
availability of
medicines.
It is created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA).
Pharma Jan Samadhan will provide consumers and others with an on-line facility to redress
their
complaints relating to over-pricing of medicines, non-availability or shortage of medicines, sale of
new
medicines without prior price approval of NPPA, and refusal of supply for sale of any medicine
without
good and sufficient reason.
NPPA will initiate action on any complaint within 48 hrs of its receipt.
Significance
This phama-literacy initiative would create awareness among the people and would act as a
deterrence
against black-marketing, spurious medicines, and inflated cost of drugs.
This step will empower the common man.
ATAL INNOVATION MISSION (AIM)
Finance minister announced the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), in the NITI Aayog, with an
initial fund of

14. Rs 150 crore for research and development.
AIM would draw upon national and international experiences to foster a culture of innovation,
research
and development and scientific research in India.
AIM will be involving academicians, entrepreneurs and researchers.
PRICE STABILISATION FUND
The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation has approved the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) as a
Central
Sector Scheme. The Price Stabilization Fund (500 Cr) will be managed centrally by a Price
Stabilization Fund Management Committee (PSFMC) which will approve all proposals from State.
Objective:
The objective of the PSF is to support market interventions for price control of perishable agri-
horticultural
commodities during 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Revolving fund: For this purpose, the States will set up a revolving fund to which Centre and State
will contribute equally (50:50).
Procurement:
Procurement of these commodities will be undertaken directly from farmers or farmers‘
organizations at
farm gate/mandi and made available at a more reasonable price to the consumers.
Initially the fund is proposed to be used for onion and potato only.
The Government may have three types of agricultural policies to influence price behaviour, namely
production policies (influencing production), trade policies (export/import policy influences
domestic
supplies) and direct price stabilisation policies such as buffer stocks, emergency reserves, price
controls,
and prohibition of private trade.
URJA SANGAM 2015 - INDIA‘S GLOBAL HYDROCARBON SUMMIT
Prime Minister inaugurated ‗UrjaSangam 2015‘ at VigyanBhavan, New Delhi, which is India‘s
biggest
global hydrocarbon meet, aimed at shaping India‘s energy security.
UrjaSangam aims to showcase India‘s potential in the hydrocarbon sector to the world and
create an
investor-friendly atmosphere, besides positioning India‘s thought leadership by creating a new
―Energy
Security‖ platform. On the global level, the summit aims to firm up cooperation agreements with key
global players.
PM urged all stakeholders to increase the domestic production of Oil and Gas to reduce import
dependence from 77 % to 67% by the year 2022.
The Prime Minister appealed to well-to-do sections of Indian society to voluntarily give up LPG
subsidy,
so that the benefit of the same could be shared more widely with poorer sections of society.
CATTLE SLAUGHTER AND THE BAN ON BEEF
 The bill amends Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act 1976 and bans slaughter of bulls and
bullocks in the state.
 However, this Act allows slaughter of water buffaloes, which provides carabeef that is
generally considered as an inferior quality meat.
BHARAT RATNA FOR A B VAJPAYEE AND MADAN MOHAN MALVIYA
Former PM A B Vajpayee and late educationist Madan Mohan Malviya have been awarded
Bharat Ratna.

15. It is country‘s highest civilian award given to citizens for their exceptional work in the field of
art, literature and science, and public service. In Dec‘ 2011, govt had changed the criteria for
including sportsperson for this award thus added category for performance of highest order in
any field of human endeavour. The Prime Minister himself recommend this awrad to the
President.
The recipient receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. It does not
carry any monetary grant.
So far 45 people have been honoured with the Bharat Ratna since its inception (including
Madan Mohan Malviya and A. B. Vajpayee). In February 2014, it was awarded to eminent scientist
Prof C.N.R. Rao and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
Madan Mohan Malviya
o Born on 25 Dec‘1861 and was an educationist and notable politician.
o He founded Asia‘s largest residential university – Banaras Hindu University.
o Malviya was the President of the INC in 1909, 1918, 1932 and 1933.
o A staunch proponent of Hindu nationalism. Associated with right-wing Hindu Mahasabha.
o He died in 1946.
AtalBihari Vajpayee
o Born on 25th Dec‘ 1924.
o Elected to the LokSabha for 9 times and twice to the RajyaSabha.
o Cabinet Minister of External Affairs in Janta Government headed by Morarji Desai from 1977-79.
o First PM from outside the Congress party to serve a full five-year term.
o He is amongst the founder members of erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh which later became
known as BJP in 1980.
o In 2009, he retired from active politics due to health concerns.
o Recently, Union government had announced to observe his birthday as Good Governance Day.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is National Mission for Financial Inclusion. Its objective is to
eradicate financial exclusion by covering all households in the country with banking facilities and
having a bank account for each household.
Key Features of the Scheme
PMJDY has been launched in mission mode and its objective is to ensure access to financial services,
namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an
affordable manner. Several key features of the scheme include:
Interest on deposit
Accidental insurance cover of Rupee One Lakh.
No minimum balance required
Life insurance cover of Rs.30,000/-
Easy Transfer of money across India
Further, the beneficiaries of Government Schemes would get Direct Benefit Transfer in these
accounts; After satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months, an overdraft facility will be
permitted; Access to Pension, insurance products.; Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card
must be used at least once in 45 days; Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one
account per household, preferably lady of the household.
Digital India Programme
Salient Features
• Umbrella programme which includes the hitherto National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) to
connect 2,50,000 gram Panchayats by providing internet connectivity to all citizens.
• To be completed in phased manner by 2019.
• To be monitored by a Digital India committee comprised of several ministers.

16. • Contemplates creation of massive infrastructure to provide high-speed internet at the gram level, e-
availability of major government services like health, education, security, justice, financial inclusion
etc. thereby digitally empowering citizens.
• Will also ensure public answerability via a unique ID, e-Pramaan based on standard government
applications and fully online delivery of services.
• Has capacity to create huge number of jobs.
• If implemented well, will be a great boost for the electronics industry in India and expectedly will
see a fall in imports of electronics.
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
On the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, PM Modi launched the Sansad Adarsh Gram
Yojana keeping his commitment, he made to the nation in his Independence Day speech. The
scheme is properly and religiously implemented will revolutionize the village economies and culture.
It encourages MPs or Sansads to identify and develop one village from their respective constituency
as a model village by 2016 and two more by 2019. This will ensure development of 2500 villages.
Here are some of the highlights of the Yojana:
• MPs are required to pick one village with a population of 3000-4000 in plains and 1000-3000 in
hills within a month of the launch.
• MPs cannot pick villages which belong to themselves or their spouses.
• The scheme requires them to draft a village development plan, motivate inhabitants to participate
in growth via different activities, identify gaps in funding and mobilising MPLAD funds to create
additional resources specifically from CSR initiatives of various corporate houses, in areas of
sanitation and water supply.
• The outcomes of the same should cover a wide spectrum of indicators like health, nutrition and
education through organising and monitoring immunization drives, improving standard and quality
of mid-day meal schemes, improving Aadhaar enrolment, setting up ―smart schools‖ with IT-enabled
classrooms and e-libraries, Panchayat infrastructure improvement under schemes such as
MGNREGA and Backward Regions Grants Fund etc.
Social development and harmony should be encouraged through activities like identifying and
celebrating a village day, a village song and also laying stress on alternate modes of dispute
resolution.
• The scheme also has provisions to plug all gaps which were hitherto a mark of every government
yojana. The implementation will be ensured by web-based monitoring and an initial 5-month review
by an independent agency. District Collectors will carry ground-level surveys along with monthly
review meetings to monitor progress . At the State-level too, Chief Secretaries will head empowered
committee on the same and the Minister for Rural Development and Secretary, Rural Development,
will chair two national-level committees to track the scheme
Ustad Scheme
USTAD stands for Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development
Scheme. It was recently launched by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Dr. Najma Heptullah
in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in order to improve degrading conditions of world famous Banaras Saree
weavers who belong to minority communities.
• The Scheme aims at upgrading Skills and Training of minority communities by preservation of
traditional ancestral Arts and Crafts.
• It also envisages boosting the skill of craftsmen, weavers and artisans who are already engaged in
the traditional ancestral work.
• Under the scheme, assistance will be provided to traditional artisans to sell their products in order
to make them more compatible with modern markets.
• It is fully funded by Union Government and Union Ministry of Minority Affairs is nodal agency in
implementing it.
Namami Gange Project

17. Namami Gange Project or Namami Ganga Yojana is an ambitious Union Government Project which
integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. It its maiden
budget, the governnment announced Rs. 2037 Crore towards this mission. The project is officially
known as Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission project or 'Namami Ganga Yojana'.
This project aims at Ganga Rejuvenation by combining the existing ongoing efforts and planning
under it to create a concrete action plan for future.
Salient Project features
Over Rs. 20,000 crore has been sanctioned in 2014-2015 budget for the next 5 years.
Will cover 8 states, 47 towns & 12 rivers under the project.
Over 1,632 gram panchayats on the banks of Ganga to be made open defecation-free by 2022.
Several ministries are working with nodal Water Resources Ministry for this project includes -
Environment, Urban Development , Shipping, Tourism & Rural Development Ministries.
Prime focus will be on involving people living on the river‘s banks in this project.
Under the aegis of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) & State Programme Management
Groups (SPMGs) States and Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions will be involved in
this project.
Setting river centric urban planning process to facilitate better citizen connects, through
interventions at Ghats and River fronts.
Expansion of coverage of sewerage infrastructure in 118 urban habitations on banks of Ganga.
Enforcement of Ganga specific River Regulatory Zones.
Development of rational agricultural practices & efficient irrigation methods.
Setting Ganga Knowledge Centre.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is a proposed scheme by the Government of
India which envisages connecting the irrigation system's three crucial components – The Field
application, water sources & distribution network for optimal usage.
Specifications:
In the recent budget 2014-15 over Rs. 1000 crore were allotted to rejuvenate irrigation sector.
The new irrigation scheme aims to cover un-irrigated 65 per cent of the total 142 million hectares
of farm land.
It primly focuses on 'end-to-end solution' in irrigation supply chain by implementing the new
programme in a "project mode" with decentralised state-level planning and execution.
PMKSY projects would be scrutinised by the State Level Project Screening Committee (SLPSC)
and sanctioned by the State Level Sanctioning Committee, which is already set under Rashtriya
Krishi Vikas Yojana.
The state agriculture department would be the nodal agency for implementation of PMKSY
projects with inter-ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) for periodic review of the same.
The funds under PMKSY will be allocated only if state government has prepared the district
irrigation plans and state irrigation plans.
PMKSY funds would be given to states as 75 per cent grant by the central government and the
remaining 25 per cent share is to be borne by the state government. But, for the northeastern region
and hilly states, the funding pattern would be 90:10.
PMKSY envisage interlinking of perennial rivers to avoid drought and floods situations.
Soli Health Card will be issues to farmers to know their soil contents for better production.
Strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendras or agriculture science centres in all the districts of the
country to aid the farmers with new technology up gradation for irrigation.
Linkage of this scheme with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme to
channelize the available work force to productive & value added work.
Shramev Jayate (Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram)
The scheme is aimed at creating conducive environment for industrial development and doing
business with ease. At least four crore laborers are expected to benefit from this scheme. Several
initiatives were taken by the Government under the scheme.

18. A dedicated Shram Suvidha Portal which would allot Labour Identification Number (LIN) to
nearly 6 lakhs units and allow them to file online compliance for 16 out of 44 labour laws.
National Ayush Mission
Government has permitted the launching of National Ayush Mission (NAM) to attend to the gaps in
health services in vulnerable and far-flung parts of the country. The judgment to launch the NAM
was taken in a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Via the
AYUSH Mission (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), the Govt. is
looking forward to address gaps in health services by backing the attempts of state governments for
delivering Ayush health services and education in the country, mainly in vulnerable and remote
areas. The Mission will assist in improving the Ayush education via improvement in the number of
advanced educational institutions and deliver improved access to Ayush services via growth in
number of Ayush hospitals and dispensaries. The mission will also assist sustained accessibility of
quality raw material for Ayush systems of medicine and advance accessibility of quality drugs via
growth in number of pharmacies and drug laboratories.
Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana
Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana has been launched on pilot basis in only 1 block in each of the 10 states
viz. Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan,
Maharashtra and Gujarat. The overall objective of the scheme is to raise the level of Tribals by
focusing on the below:
• Provision of a better living standard and quality of life
• Improving access to and quality of education
• Generating resources for long-term and sustainable growth
• Bridging infrastructural gaps
• Protection of tribal culture and heritage
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
This is a General Insurance Scheme which provides an insurance cover at a minimal annual
premium for death or disability of the person due to accidents.
• The risk coverage of the scheme for accidental death or full disability is Rs. 2 lakhs and for partial
disability is Rs. 1 lakh.
• Anyone who falls in the age-bracket of 18-70 years can avail the benefit of this scheme and get
enrolled.
• He should have a bank account linked with his Aadhaar card. He/she has to fill a simple form
before June 1, every year and also declare the name of his nominee. The people who subscribe have
to renew it every year or give instructions of auto-debit to bank every year to avoid hassles. The
annual premium is a meagre amount of Rs. 12. This is comparatively very reasonable as similar
insurance in private sector would have a premium of Rs. 100, as per experts. The payments will be
automatically debuted from the subscriber‘s account annually.
• It will be offered by all the public-sector insurance companies like New India Assurance Company,
National Insurance Company, United India Insurance Company, The Oriental Insurance Company
etc. These will operate by tie-ups with respective banks.
• Other ministries of government will also contribute to the scheme for different categories of
beneficiaries with from Public Welfare Fund created from unclaimed money or their budget. The
common publicity expenditure will be taken care of by the government.
The scheme which promises to bring affordable insurance cover to many individuals who were far
from insurance net might not bring much cheer to middle class as the cover is inadequate.
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
This is a Life Insurance scheme which guarantees cover of Rs. 2 lakhs in case of natural or accidental
death. Anybody who has an Aadhaar number with a linked bank account and falls in the age- bracket
of 18-50 years can enrol for the same.

19. • The annual premium for the scheme is Rs. 330 which has to be automatically debited from the
subscriber‘s bank account. Anyone can either renew the scheme annually or opt for the long-term
provision in which case the amount will be automatically deducted.
• The scheme will be majorly implemented by Life Insurance Corporation of India. Other insurers
can also join if willing.
Atal Pension Yojana
Atal Pension Yojana would gradually replace the Swavalamban Scheme which did not cover many
people due to ambiguities in benefits after 60. Also, latter did not have minimum guaranteed
pension provision. The main attraction of Atal Pension Yojana is that it guarantees a minimum
pension amount at the age of 60, to subscribers which will vary from Rs. 1000 per month; Rs. 2000
per month; Rs. 3000 per month; Rs. 4000 per month and Rs. 5000 per month depending upon their
contributions.
• The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.
• The minimum period of contribution by subscriber is 20 years or more.
• The Central Government will contribute 50% of the subscriber‘s contribution or Rs. 1000 per
annum for a period of 5 years. This provision is for people who are non-tax payers and join NPS
before 31stDecember, 2015.
Atal Pension Yojana will become operational from 1st June, 2015. Anybody who has attained the
desired age and has an Aadhaar number along with a linked bank account can enrol for the scheme.
Government will undertake all expenses incurred during promotional and development activities
done to incentivise people to join the scheme.
Self Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU) Scheme
SETU or Self Employment and Talent Utilization Scheme is a techno-financial, incubation and
facilitation programme to give support and encouragement to young start-ups and other
selfemployment technology-intensive ideas. An allocation of Rs. 1000 Crore has been made for SETU
Scheme. This amount will initially rest with the NITI Aayog. It will involve setting up of incubation
centres and enhance skill development. It aims to create around 100,000 jobs through start-ups.
Shramev Jayate (Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram)
Shramev Jayate program aimed at creating conducive environment for industrial development and
ease of doing business through introduction of several labour reforms. This program was launched to
support the ‗Make in India‘ campaign of India for encouragement of manufacturing sector, thus felt
need to bring labour reforms. This program targets to benefit at least four crore labourers. Schemes
launched under Shramev Jayate Programs are:
Shram Suvidha Portal:
Developed by Ministry Labour & Employment to create a conducive environment for industrial
development. The main features of this Portal are:
Allocation Unique labour identification number (LIN) to labour to facilitate online registration.
The compliances would be reportable in Single Harmonized Form which will make it simple and
easy for those filing such forms.
Filing of self-certified and simplified Single Online Return by the industry.
Labour inspector can upload inspection report within 72 hours.
This portal will help timely redressal of grievances.
Above features will bring ease in compliance of provisions related to labour and will be a step
forward in promoting the ease of doing business. Under this it is proposed to allot LIN to all these 6-
7 lakh units.
Labour Inspection scheme:
A transparent Labour Inspection scheme is being developed to bring in transparency in labour
inspection. The following features of the inspection scheme are:
Inspection list will also contain serious matters regarding employee.
A computerized list of inspections will be generated randomly.

20. Complaints based inspections will be determined centrally after examination based on data and
evidence.
Provision of Emergency List of serious cases in specific circumstances.
AMENDMENTS TO THE PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT, 1988
The Union Cabinet gave its approval to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.The proposed
amendments would fill in perceived gaps in the domestic anti-corruption law and also help in
meeting the country's obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
(UNCAC) more effectively.
The proposed amendments are mainly aimed at laying down more stringent measures to tackle
corruption as follows:
Providing for more stringent punishment for the offences of bribery, both for the bribe giver and
the bribe taker.
Penal provisions being enhanced from minimum 6 months to 3 years and from maximum 5
years to 7 years (The seven year imprisonment brings corruption to the heinous crime category).
To contain gain of benefits from profits of corruption, the powers of attachment are proposed to
be conferred upon the trial Court (Special Judge) instead of the District Court.
The ambit of the existing Act will be enhanced to make commercial entities liable for
inducement of public servants. Under the present law, only individuals are liable.
The proposed amendment bill also provides for issue of guidelines to commercial organisations
to prevent persons associated with them from bribing a public servant.
The average trial period of cases under PC Act in the last 4 years has been above 8 years. It is
proposed to ensure speedy trial by providing a trial completion within 2 years.
Intentional enriching by public servants will be construed as criminal misconduct and
possession of disproportionate assets as proof of such illicit enrichment.
Non-monetary gratification has been covered within the definition of the word gratification.
By way of explanation 2 to section 7(2), the obligation of a public servant has been explicitly
delineated such that the public servant deters from violating a statutory duty or any set of rules,
government policies, executive instructions and procedures.
It is also proposed to extend the protection of prior sanction for prosecution to public servants
who cease to hold office due to retirement, resignation etc.Further, prior sanction for inquiry and
investigation shall be required from the Lokpal or Lokayukta, as the case may be, for investigation of
offences relatable to recommendations made or decision taken by a public servant in discharge of
official functions or duties.
REAL ESTATE (REGULATION AND DEVELOPMENT) BILL
SOME MAJOR POINTS OF THIS BILL
Real Estate Regulatory Authority will be formed for every state/UT which will mandate
and regulate the rules pertaining to real estate transactions.
The Bill provides for mandatory registration of all projects with the Real Estate Regulatory
Authority in each State. Real estate agents who intend to sell any plot, apartment or building should
also register themselves with this authority
It makes mandatory the disclosure of all information for registered projects like details of
promoters, layout plan, land status, schedule of execution and status of various approvals
The Bill seeks to make property brokers accountable as they have also been made punishable for
noncompliance of the orders of Regulatory Authority and Appellate Tribunals to be set
under the law.
50% of the money received from the buyer needs to be deposited in a bank; solely for the
purpose of construction alone. Any ‗major‘ changes to the original design and construction plan of
the project needs approval from atleast2/3rd of all allottees of the project.
It seeks to enforce the contract between the developer and buyer and act as a fast track
mechanism to settle disputes.
NATIONAL AGRICULTURE INSURANCE SCHEME(NAIS)

21. The Government introduced in 1999-2000, a new scheme titled ―National Agricultural Insurance
Scheme‖ (NAIS) or ―Rashtriya Krishi Bima Yojana‖ (RKBY).NAIS envisages coverage of all food
crops (cereals and pulses), oilseeds, horticultural and commercial crops. It covers all farmers, both
loanees and non-loanees, under the scheme.
NAIS operates on the basis of:
Area approach- defined areas for each notified crop for widespread calamities.
On individual basis- for localized calamities such as hailstorms, landslides, cyclones and floods.
GREENPRINT FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
Some critical points for action in executing the plan for ―Green India‖ are discussed below:
 Refocus the relevant laws
 Remodel the federal structure
 Restructure the Indian Forest Service (IFS).
 There is the matter of financial independence
 Some attention needs to be paid to wildlife and heritage towns
 Developing wildlife tourism.
SECTION 499 AND 500 OF THE INDIAN PENAL CODE
Section 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, pertaining to criminal defamation.
Section 499 defines the offence ‗defamation‘.
Section 500. (Punishment for defamation): Whoever defames another shall be punished with
simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.
As the law stands, defamation is both a civil wrong and a criminal offence. In a civil action, a
person may be sued for monetary compensation while a criminal wrong can invite imprisonment up
to two years.
The constitutionality of these provisions has been challenged in the Supreme Court and the
court has issued notice to the government.
The Hindu had in 2003 filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the vires of
Section 499, inter alia on grounds that it violated the freedom of press guaranteed under Article
19(1)(a).
The petitions contend that Sections 499 and 500 of the IPC travel beyond the restrictions
enshrined in Article 19(2), thus constricting free speech beyond reasonable limits.
Under Article 19(2), free speech can be curtailed only by way of reasonable restrictions. Such a
restriction must not be arbitrary or excessive, and the impairment of freedom must be ‗as little as
possible‘. But criminal prosecution in India can be incredibly harassing and intimidating, and have a
chilling effect, thus being an ‗unreasonable‘ restriction.
WHAT IS A SMART CITY?
A city equipped with basic infrastructure to give a decent quality of life, a clean and sustainable
environment of some smart solutions.
Basic infrastructure:
Assured water and electricity supply, sanitation and solid waste management, efficient urban
mobility and public transport, robust IT connectivity, e-governance & citizen participation, safety &
security of citizens.
Smart solutions
Public information, grievance redressal, electronic service delivery, citizens' engagement, waste to
energy compost, 100% treatment of waste water, smart meters & management, monitoring water
quality, renewable source of energy, efficient energy & green building, smart parking, intelligent
traffic management system.
THE ATAL MISSION FOR REJUVENATION AND URBAN TRANSFORMATION
(AMRUT)

22. The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) of 500 cities, which
replaces the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, with outlays of Rs. 50,000 crore.
AMRUT, which seeks to lay a foundation to enable cities and towns to eventually
grow into smart cities, will be implemented in 500 locations with a population of one
lakh and above.
Assistance from the centre for AMRUT will amount to 50 percent of project cost for cities and
towns with a population of up to a million and one-third of the project cost for those with a
population of above a million. Central assistance will be released in three instalments in the ratio of
20:40:40 based on achievements.
AMRUT will focus on ensuring basic infrastructure services such as water supply,
sewerage, storm water drains, transport and development of green spaces and parks with special
provision for meeting the needs of children.
Implementation will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, setting up
of professional municipal cadre, devolving funds and functions to urban local bodies, review of
building bye-laws, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of
urban local bodies, energy and water audit and citizen-centric urban planning.
RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR
The Reserve Bank of India‘s (RBI) decision to grant special status to the renewable energy sector,
among others, under priority sector lending, is expected to accrue large benefits for the sector.
Renewable Energy has come under priority sector lending along with medium enterprises and social
infrastructure.
It will help government to achieve 100 GW of green energy target by 2022.
This will boost investments from the SME sector in renewable space as finance will be available
at a competitive rate.
The move will help SMEs to grow and expand their manufacturing capacity as they would
become competitive
Now commercial banks need to extend loans of up to a limit of Rs.15 crore to borrowers for
setting up solar based power generators, biomass based power generators, wind mills, micro-hydel
plants and for non-conventional energy based public utilities such as street lighting systems and
remote village electrification.
For individual households, the loan limit will be Rs.10 lakh per borrower.
STEM SKILLS
STEM refers to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM talents are in great
demand in
workplaces today. However, according to various studies, it‘s a demand that is not being adequately
met
by the current education system.
In its ‗Analysis of Talent Supply and Demand‘ report 2014, NASSCOM says, ―The country is
churning out a
number of engineers every year, but only 21 per cent of the total engineering graduates are
employable.‖
One of the reasons for poor development of STEM skills is the lack of linkage between education
and
industry. Exposure to industry would enable students to acquire these skills as part of their natural
learning process. In the Indian scenario, such opportunities are scarce for college students
It has been established the world over that 80 per cent of the fastest growing occupations
require STEM
skills
China, India and Brazil are the largest producers of STEM graduates, in that order, together
accounting
for 88 per cent of STEM graduates.

23. E-TOURIST VISA ( Ministry of Home Affairs)
The ―Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic Travel Authorization (TvoA-ETA)‖ scheme, which was
launched in 2014 to
facilitate short duration visits by travellers from as many as 44 countries, has now been renamed ―e-
Tourist Visa‖
to clarify that it is not an on-arrival scheme.
The name of the scheme [TVoA-ETA] is creating confusion among tourists, who are under the
impression that the
visa is being granted on arrival.
UNION CABINET APPROVES AMENDMENTS TO THE WHISTLE BLOWERS
PROTECTION ACT, 2011
The amendments incorporate necessary provisions aimed at strengthening safeguards against
disclosures which may prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of the country,
security of the
State, scientific or economic interest of the State etc.
Safeguards have also been provided in respect of such disclosures which have been exempted
under
section 8(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.
Whistle-Blowers Act 2011
Definition: Whistle blowing is the act of disclosing information by an employee or a
stakeholder on
illegal or unethical conduct within an organisation. This mechanism was established in 2004
through a
government notification, which was issued on the direction of Supreme Court after the murder
of
SatyendraDubey, a whistleblower.
In 2007, the second ARC recommended that a law be passed to shield informants from
retribution.
India is also a signatory to the UN Convention against Corruption, which includes
provisions for
protecting whistle blowers.
Features of The Act
1. The Act provides that any public servant or any other person including an NGO may
make a public
interest disclosure to a Competent Authority(which can then conduct an inquiry and recommend
appropriate action against the guilty to head of the organization), notwithstanding anything
contained in the provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 in Public interest.
2. The Competent Authority under the Act include
o The PM/CM for Ministers
o Chairman/ Speaker of legislature for MPs/MLAs
o High Court in relation to any subordinate judge
o Central/State Vigilance Commissions/other designated authority, for employees of Central &
State Government organizations
o Appropriate CA to be designated for Armed Forces/ forces charged with the maintenance of
public order/ any intelligence organisation or any person connected with the
telecommunication systems for these organisations.
3. CA may seek assistance of the CBI/ police authorities/ any other authority to carry out inquiries
under the Act. For the purpose of inquiries, CA shall have all the powers of a civil court.
4. Directions of CA are binding. Public authority to act on recommendations of CA within 3 months
(max. 6 months) or record reasons in writing for disagreement, else pay penalty up to 30,000 rupees
for non-compliance with CA directions.
5. The Special Protection Group (SPG) has been kept out of the ambit of act. The demand to include

24. higher judiciary (Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts) has been rejected.
6. It ensures confidentiality and penalizes any public official that reveals a complainant‘s
identity,
without proper approval, with up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to 50,000 rupee.
PARLIAMENT PASSES INDIA-BANGLADESH LAND BOUNDARY AGREEMENT
Background
The SC in Berubari case 1960 held that the power of Parliament to diminish the area of
state (under Art 3) does not cover cession of Indian Territory to a foreign country. Hence,
Indian Territory can be ceded to a foreign state only by amending the Constitution under
Article 368.
119th Constitutional Amendment Bill -
In line with the Berubari judgement, the Government of India came up with the 119th
Constitutional
Amendment Bill as it requires ceding part of Indian Territory to Bangladesh. It involves exchange of
land
in 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves on Indian soil. Indian enclaves in
Bangladesh are spread over 17,149 acres, while Bangladesh enclaves in India are located in 7,110
acres
of land, implying that India will have to cecede some part of its territory.
Since it provides for exchange of territories in the States of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya,
and
Tripura, the bill amends paragraph relating to the territories of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and
Tripura in the First Schedule of the Constitution
UN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Nadia, which was declared as the first “open defecation free”district in country, has
won the United
Nations Public Service Award 2015 in the category of improving delivery of public services.
Nadia has earned praise for making available toilets for all under the programme ―Sabar
Shouchagar.
Other Districts -While Hooghly and Burdwan districts have bagged the second and third
positions,
Jaisalmer in Rajasthan also features in the top 10 list of open defecation free districts.
UNDERTRIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
BLACK MONEY BILL
The Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015, popularly known as black
money bill was passed by Parliament.

25. NEW BENAMI TRANSACTION (PROHIBITION) BILL, 2015
WHAT IS A ‗BENAMI‘ TRANSACTION?
A transaction is considered benami (literally ‗nameless‘ or ‗without a name‘) when the consideration
for a property that is transferred to a person or is held by him/her is paid by another person.
OBJECTIVE OF BILL:
To curb the generation of black money inside the country
PROVISIONS
The Bill seeks to amend the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 and act as a major
avenue for
blocking generation and holding of black money in the form of benami property, especially in real
estate
The bill defined benami transaction as an arrangement where:
o The property is held by a person on behalf of another person who has paid for it
o The property has been bought in a fictitious name
o The owner of the property is not aware of or denies knowledge of such ownership.
These provisions, however, were not to apply to any transaction entered into by an individual in
the
name of his mother, father, spouse, brother or sister.
It Provides for attachment and confiscation of benami properties and imposes fine with
imprisonment.
With regards to penalties for benami transactions, the bill proposed a maximum punishment
of two
years imprisonment.
It provided for the aggrieved party to move an Appellate Tribunal for the purpose and again the
High
Court within 120 days of the tribunal's order
CURB ON GOVERNMENT ADVERTISEMENTS

26. The court held that the photos of only three constitutional authorities - Prime Minister,
President and Chief Justice of India - can be used in such ads. But for that too, the personal
approval of these three authorities need to be got before publication.
EUTHANASIA: RIGHT TO LIFE VS RIGHT TO DIE
MEANING OF EUTHANASIA
The word euthanasia, originated in Greece, literary means a good death but in this context it means
mercy Euthanasia encompasses various dimensions, from active (introducing something to cause
death) to passive (withholding treatment or supportive measures); voluntary (consent) to
involuntary (consent from guardian) and physician assisted (where physician‘s prescribe the
medicine and patient or the third party administers the medication to cause death).
Request for premature ending of life has contributed to the debate about the role of such practices in
contemporary health care. This debate cuts across complex and dynamic aspects such as legal,
ethical, human rights, religious, economic, social and cultural aspects of the civilised
society.killing.
SUPREME COURT GUIDELINES ON EUTHANASIA
Active euthanasia: Administering of lethal injection to snuff out life is illegal in India
Passive euthanasia: Withdrawing life support, treatment or nutrition that would allow a
person to live,
was legalised by way of SC guidelines in 2011.
Parents, spouse, close kin, "next friend" can decide, in best interests of the patient, to
discontinue life
support. The decision must be approved by a HC.
In dealing with such a plea,
Chief Justice of High Court must create a Bench of at least 2 judges to reach a decision.
Bench must nominate three reputed doctors.
A copy of the doctors's panel report must be provided to close kin and State govt. Only then can
verdict be reached.
DEENDAYAL UPADHYAYA GRAM JYOTI YOJANA
This scheme will enable to initiate much awaited reforms in the rural areas. The earlier
scheme for rural electrification viz. Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY)
has been subsumed in the new scheme as its rural electrification component.
COMPONENTS
The major components of the scheme are:
Feeder separation. Rural feeder segregation is the separation of technical infrastructure of
agriculture consumers from non-agriculture consumers.
Strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution network.
Metering at all levels (input points, feeders and distribution transformers).
Micro grid and off grid distribution network & Rural electrification.
BUDGETARY SUPPORT AND FUNDING MECHANISM
Grant portion of the Scheme is 60% for other than special category States (up to 75% on
achievement of prescribed milestones) and 85% for special category States (up to 90% on
achievement of prescribed
milestones).
The milestones for the additional grant are: timely completion of the scheme, reduction in AT&C
losses as per trajectory and upfront release of subsidy by State govt.
All North Eastern States including Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand are included in special category States.
Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) is the Nodal Agency for operationalization of this
Scheme.

27. SCHEMES FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has been implementing two special
schemes for women namely Mahila Udyam Nidhi which is an exclusive scheme for providing
equity to women entrepreneurs and the Mahila Vikas Nidhi which offers developmental
assistance for pursuit of income generating activities to women.
THREE SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES LAUNCHED
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched three schemes — the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti
Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and the
Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
These initiatives are aimed at providing a universal social security net that will be linked
to individual
user's bank accounts.
The schemes -- two insurance products and one pension product -- are targeted
especially to the
unorganised sector and economically weaker population but others can enroll themselves as well.
PMJJBY PMSBY APY
Entitlements Renewable one year
life cover of
Rs. 2 lakh
Renewable one-year
accidental death-
cumdisability
cover of Rs. 2
lakh for
partial/permanent
disability.
Focus on the
unorganised
sector
A fixed minimum
pension of
Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000
per
month starting at the
age of
60 years, depending on
the
contribution.
Eligibility All savings bank
account holders
in the age group of 18-
50 years.
All savings bank
account
holders in the age
group of 18-70 years.
All savings bank
account
holders in the age
group of 18-
40 years.
Premium Rs. 330 per annum per
subscriber
Rs. 12 per annum per
subscriber
From Rs 42 to Rs 210
per month
for entry at the age of
18 years
Administered
Through
Banks/Insurance firms Banks/Insurance firms Pension Fund
Regulatory
andDevelopment
Authority (PFRDA)
RASHTRIYA RAJMARG ZILA SANJOYOKTA PARIYOJNA
After Bharat Mala and Sagar Mala— aimed at improving road connectivity in border areas and
coastal
regions respectively — the government has now cleared plans to connect 100 of the 676 district
headquarters in the country with world-class highways.
The Rashtriya Rajmarg Zila Sanjoyokta Pariyojna entails development of 6,600 km of highways
at an
estimated cost of about Rs 60,000 crore
NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME

28. The Union Cabinet approved the flagship ―Namami Gange‖ Program which integrates the efforts to
clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. The program will cover 12 rivers (
not just river Ganga) in 8 States.
Mission Focus
‗NamamiGange‘ will focus on pollution abatement interventions namely Interception,
diversion & treatment of wastewater flowing through the open drains through bio-remediation /
appropriate in-situ treatment / use of innovative technologies / sewage treatment plants (STPs) /
effluent treatment plant (ETPs);
Implementing Machinery
The program would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG),
and its state counterpart organizations i.e., State Program Management Groups (SPMGs).
NMCG will also establish field offices wherever necessary. In order to improve implementation, a
three-tier mechanism has been proposed for project monitoring comprising of
o High level task force chaired by Cabinet Secretary assisted by NMCG at national level,
o State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary assisted by SPMG at state level, and
o District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.
Namami Gange Programme stresses on improved coordination mechanisms between
the various
Ministries/Agencies of the central and state governments.
In an attempt to bolster enforcement the Centre also plans to establish a 4-battalion Ganga
Eco-Task Force, a Territorial Army unit, apart from contemplating on a legislation that aims to
check pollution and protect the river.
People-Centred
The government is focusing on involving people living on the banks of the river to attain
sustainable
results.
States and grassroots institutions such as Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions
will be involved by implementing agency National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its state
counterparts, State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs)
Funding
Centre will take over 100% funding of various activities/ projects under this program.
Taking a leaf from the unsatisfactory results of earlier Ganga Action Plans, the Centre now plans
to
provide for operation & maintenance of the assets for a minimum 10 year period, and adopt a
PPP/SPV approach for pollution hotspots.
The program has a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore for the next 5 years. This is a
significant fourfold increase over the expenditure in the past 30 years (GoI has incurred an overall
expenditure of
approximately Rs. 4000 crore on this task since 1985).
GLOBAL PEACE INDEX 2015
The Global Peace Index for 2015, released by nonprofit Institute for Economics and Peace,
ranked 162 nations around the globe based on 22 indicators that includes military spending,
homicide rates and deaths from conflict, civil disobedience and terrorism etc.
India ranks a lowly 143rd on a global peace index, lagging way behind the likes of Bhutan
(18), Nepal (62), Sri Lanka (114) and Bangladesh (84). Pakistan is ranked at 154, while Afghanistan
at 160.
Iceland has emerged as the most peaceful nation in the world. Six out of the top 10 most
peaceful
countries were European, with Denmark and Austria holding the second and third. US is also
ranked at a lowly 94 scoring badly in terms of militarisation, homicides and fear of
violence. China is ranked 124.

29. BIBEK DEBROY COMMITTEE REPORT ON RESTRUCTURING OF RAILWAYS
The Bibek Debroy committee report on the restructuring of Indian Railways lays down a five-year
roadmap to evolve a statutory rail regulator, scrap the Rail Budget and make room for more players
in an ―open access‖ regime which turns the Railways into just another train-service provider in the
country.
Committee's recommendations are based on three pillars: commercial accounting,
changes in HR and an independent regulator.
The report envisages the creation of a Railway Ministry eventually with at least three
Secretary-level officers (―not attached with the Railway Board‖) to lay down policy for the rail
sector, not just of Railways alone that ―should ensure competition…encourage private entry and
private investments.‖
The report makes the existence of an independent, quasi-judicial Railway Regulatory
Authority of India a prerequisite for reforms like un-bundling and restructuring of Railways. It
will be up to the Regulator to decide technical standards, set freight rates and resolve
disputes. The Regulator can recommend fare revisions but these will not be binding on the
Railway Ministry.
The Regulator will work under the policy framed by the Ministry, while the present Railway
Board will become a board of Indian Railways — the government-run operator — alone. The Board
itself might be pruned to having only five secretary-level officers from the present seven.
The Rail Budget should cease to exist after 5 years and the government should take the
entire burden of social cost borne by Railways by way of subsidy.
The first five years will see preparatory work: migration to a commercial accounting system (to
figure out the social cost burden) in two years; uniform induction system of all new Human
Resource; and devolution of powers to General Managers, Divisional Railway Managers and Station
Managers.
It recommended separation of railway track construction, train operations, and rolling-stock
production units under different entities to enable open access.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation Limited (DFCCL) should be made autonomous
and separated from Indian Railways so that it gives non-discriminatory access to both Indian
Railways and private operators. The Committee does not recommend privatization of Indian
Railways. It does, however endorse private entry… with the proviso of an independent
regulator. The committee recommended commercial accounting as without it is difficult to
know the rate of return on the projects.
GREENHOUSE GASES: INDIA FOURTH BIGGEST EMITTER
As the global community gears up for the crucial Paris climate summit, the World Resources
Institute (WRI) — a global research organization — has come out with its latest analyses of the
countrywise emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases.
Six of the top 10 emitters are developing countries.
o China ranks first, contributing 25% of global emissions, making it the top emitter.
o The US and EU are the 2nd and 3rd largest emitters.
o India despite being the 4th largest carbon emitter continues to be far behind the other three
top big emitters in terms of per capita emission.
ANDHRA GOVERNMENT TO SET UP KRISHI CABINET
Chief Minister unveiled his plan to formulate a 'Krishi cabinet' with a group of ministers headed
by him
to give more thrust on agriculture. With this, Andhra Pradesh is set to become third state
after Bihar and Madhya Pradesh to have the Krishi cabinet in the country.
The State has taken the lead in introducing a separate budget exclusively for agriculture
in 2015-16. The Krishi cabinet will meet every month and take stock of the flow of funds for
agriculture and the allied activities and implementation of the major plans pertained to

30. these areas on a fast track.The Krishi cabinet would also aim at mitigating rural poverty
by ensuring agriculture a profitable activity through the mission on primary sector.
INCREASING PULSE PRODUCTION IN INDIA
Pulses in India are grown on about 25 mha of land, largely rain-fed, with only 16 % under irrigation.
Production hovers between 18-20 MMT. Pulses need much less water and are nitrogen
fixing, so they do not need much chemical fertiliser. India produced 101 MMT of rice from
about 43 mha, almost 60 % of which is irrigated. The key point in the case of rice is that it needs
high doses of water for irrigation, roughly 3,000-5,000 litres per kg of rice,
depending on where it is being grown. Further, 40-50 % of irrigation water goes back to
groundwater with much higher nitrate content, polluting potable water. This percolated water
has to be lifted time and again through highly subsidised power.
Nai Roshan Scheme
*The Minister of Minority Affairs recently said that the government has been successfully
implementing the ―Nai Roshni” Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women from
2012-13.
*The scheme aims to empower and instill confidence among minority women by providing
knowledge, tools and techniques for interacting with Government systems, Banks and other
institutions at all levels.
*The scheme is implemented through Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The scheme
is implemented with the involvement of the Gram Panchayat at village level and Local Urban bodies
at the District level.
1. Swarajya Se Surajya: Saal Ek Shuruwaat Anek
--Good Governance
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Nurturing of team India through the emphasis on co-operative and competitive federalism
Unprecedented 10% increase in the devolution of funds to states
More funds to be passed on through reforms in Auction process of coal and other minerals
NITI Aayog constituted for National development through genuine Centre-State partnership
National Judicial appointments Commission
Expenditure management Commission to rationalize Government expenses
Bio-metric attendance rolled out for Government employees; resulting in higher productivity and
responsiveness
Record Parliamentary Efficiency---Number of sittings highest in a decade and 47 bills passed (highest
in 6 years)
2. 'Sarve Santu Niramayah'
Health Assurance to All - Mission Indradhanush
Vaccination cover against 7 deadly disease;
More than 89 lakh children to be covered by 2020
35 lakh already immunized
3. Our Daughters - Our Pride'
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
Under this scheme a saving account can be opened by the parent or legal guardian of a girl child of
less than 10 years of age (born on or after: 02-December-2003; For FY 2014-15) with a minimum
deposit of ₹ 1,000/- in any post office or authorised branches of commercial bank.
---For the FY 2015-16, Government of India has declared an interest rate of 9.2 per cent on SSY
scheme. It was 9.1% for FY 2014-2015; yearly compounded.—this is tax exempted.
---The account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of opening of the account or till
marriage of the girl child.
---Partial withdrawal up to 50 per cent of the account balance is allowed, only once after the girl child
completes age of 18 years, for the purpose of financing her higher education.

31. ---Per girl child only single account is allowed. Parents can open this account for maximum two girl
child. In the event of birth of twin girls in 2nd birth or birth of 3 girl child's in 1st birth itself, this
facility will be extended to third child.
---Minimum deposit amount for this account is ₹ 1,000/- and maximum is Rs.1,50,000/- per year.
And also money to be deposited for 14 years in this account
---Passbook facility is available for the Sukanya Samriddhi Account
---From the FY 2015-16, the interest earned in this account will be exempted from taxes.
43 lakh accounts opened in post offices with a total deposit of Rs 562 crore
4. Su-Shasan' - Transparent and Corruption-free Government
Free Allotment and auction related
Spectrum Allocation—Most successful ever-yielding Rs. 1.09 lakh crores
Mines Act modernized replacing the discretionary mechanism with a transparent and competitive
auction process
LED bulbs---74% reduction in the prices (rs 310 to Rs. 82) due to transparent procurement
Coal Auction and allotment---3.35 lakh crores mobilized from 67 blocks (out of 204 cancelled blocks)
over the lifespan of mines.
All proceeds in Coal auction and allocation goes to the Coal Bearing states—West bengal; Odisha;
Jharkhand; Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh
5. Dharti ki Dharohar---
Leaving behind a better Planet (environment Sustainablity)
Rs 38, ooo crores to be transferred to states for afforestation under the CAMPA Law
Campa—Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority
GOI has also allocated funds to protect 5- endangered species of the nation:---
1. Dugong (sea cow),
2. Gangetic Dolphin,
3. Great Indian Bustard,
4. Manipur Brow Antler Deer (Sangai) and
5. Wild Water Buffalo
In due course, others will be taken up as well
The number of tigers increased to 2226
27% increase in the population of Asiatic Lions in Gir
30% subsidy to 2-3-4 wheeler electric commercial vehicles
All environmental clearances to be made online.
6. Swacch Bharat
A nation-wide people-driven movement initiated
Over 58 lakh toilets build in 2014-15
Target to build 6.6 Crore toilets by 2019---support for building individual toilets increased to Rs 12,
000 for BPL households
All schools across the country to have toilets within one year---4.2 toilets in all
In April, 2015 Nadia became the first district in India to become Defacation-free
Nadia district could achieve this feat due to its collaborative effort with the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank aimed at construction of toilets across the district.
Incidentally, in order to eliminate open defecation from the rural landscape of the state, the Chief
Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee formally launched the Mission Nirmal Bangla (MNB)
on 30 April 2015 and declared the day as Nirmal Bangla Diwas to mark the occasion.
The mission is akin to the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in its objectives which was launched on 2
October 2014--- with the objective of ensuring cleanliness in all the 4041 statutory cities and towns
of the country by 2 October 2019 which marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Banko Bikano—Bikaner government Open Defecation Scheme. Bikaner builds the largest
number of toilets in 2014-15 overcoming all odds like water scarcity and size. It also took the
overall sanitation coverage to 80% in just 2 years. Bikaner also has the highest number of
Open Defecation Free (ODF) panchayats in Rajasthan. Thus out of 219 Gram Panchayats, 180 are

32. now ODF. –All of these were just achieved in just two years under a special sanitation programme,
Banko Bikano (brave and beautiful) supported by the Ministry of Water and Sanitation programme
of the World Bank.
---In 2011, the sanitation coverage in the district the second largest in Rajasthan and fourth largest in
the country was just 20% which has now touched to 80%.
7. Annadata Sukhi Bhava' - Farmers' Welfare
Relief to farmers affected by natural calamities
Compensation against crop-damage increased by 50%
Eligibility for receiving support lowered from 50% to 33%
Grain quality norms relaxed for procurement
Strong Positions at Global WTO negotiations---Securing our farmers‘ long term interests
Farm Credit target raised to rs 8.5 lakh crores ensuring convenient access to loans at concessional
rates
Use of Mobile governance in agriculture given a fillip with more than 550 crore SMS sent to about 1
crore farmers as advisories and information.
Loans restructured---and re-scheduled for the affected farmers
Actively working with States to Create a Unified National Agriculture Market for a better deal for
farmers
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) launched to promote Organic Farming
Various steps taken to empower sugarcane farmers—250% increase in the ethanol blending and
increase of Import Duty
8. Saksham Bharat
Education and Skills Development---
Dedicated ministry for the skill development created
National Skill Mission and National Skill Development Policy
Skill Certification given Academic Equivalence under School to Skill Programme
76 lakh youth provided Skill Training
Saksham –or Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Boys (2014)
Aims at all-round development of Adolescent Boys and make them self-reliant, gender-sensitive and
aware citizens, when they grow up.
It cover all adolescent boys (both school going and out of school) in the age-group of 11 to 18 years
subdivided into two categories, viz. 11-14 & 14–18 years.
Sabla—Or Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (2010)
Empowering adolescent girls (Age) of 11–18 years with focus on out-of-school girls by improvement
in their nutritional and health status and upgrading various skills like home skills, life skills and
vocational skills.
Implemented in 205 districts across the country in a pilot basis
It is being implemented using the platform of Integrated Child Development Services Scheme. The
scheme has two major components namely nutrition and non-nutrition component.
Nutrition is being given in the form of Take Home Ration or Hot Cooked Meal for 11 to14 years out
of school girls and 14 to18 years to All AGs, out of school and in school girls.
In the Non Nutrition component, the out of school Adolescent Girls 11 to18 years are being provided
IFA supplementation, Health check-up and Referral services, Nutrition and Health Education,
Counselling and guidance on family welfare, Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health (ARSH), child
care practices and Life Skill Education and vocational training. A sum of Rs. 650 crores including
Rs. 65 crore for North Eastern Areas has been allocated for Sabla for 2013-14.
Merged Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG) and Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY).
9. Neeranchal
To give an added impetus to watershed development in the country, a new programme called
―Neeranchal‖ with an initial outlay of ` 2,142 crores in the current financial year.

33. Pashmina Promotion Programme (P-3) and a programme for the development of other crafts
of Jammu & Kashmir is also to be started. For this a sum of Rs. 50 crores is set aside
10. Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission will be launched to deliver integrated project based
infrastructure in the rural areas.
The scheme will also include development of economic activities and skill development.
The preferred mode of delivery would be through PPPs while using various scheme funds.
It is based on the example of Gujarat that has demonstrated successfully the Rurban development
model of urbanization of the rural areas, through which people living in the rural areas can get
efficient civic infrastructure and associate services.
11. One Rank One Pension Scheme
One pension scheme for all military personnel in the current session of the Parliament.
This is a scheme which will ensure that the soldiers of the same rank and also the same length of
service will get the same pension, irrespective of their retirement date.
In simple words, it requires equal pension for those who retired in one particular year; as those who
retires in another year at the same position, and for the same duration of services rendered. Also the
difference in pension of present and past pensioners in the same rank occurs on account of the
number of increments earned by the defence personnel in that rank.
Till now there were no such rules; While every pay commission bumps the salaries of government
servants, pensions of ex-servicemen remain the same.
Any hike in the pension scheme will thus automatically be passed to the past pensioners
Implication of such a scheme-- The launch of this scheme is expected to push up the defence
expenditure of the Centre‘s defense payments by a record 40%; and posing fresh challenges to keep
the Centre‘s fiscal deficit within the budgetary target of 4.1 % of the GDP.
Why it is being demanded—
---Civilian employees retire at 60; while military personnel retire much earlier based on ranks when
family liability is maximum and also second option for career is impossible
--Most of the officers retire at early 50‘s,
---Terms and conditions of military service is much tougher than civilian employees
---Soldiers undergo hardships postings; with risk of life and restriction towards fundamental rights
---Successive pay commissions have widened the gap between veterans who have retired earlier and
those who retire late
**Till now, the scheme is yet to be rolled out.
13. Education Schemes of the GOI
(a) Swayam—Leveraging Mass open online courses to enable Mass Online Education
Study Webs of Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds
Programme of the Ministry of Human resources, GOI
At least one crore students are expected to benefit in 2 to 3 years through this initiative
All courses would be offered free of cost under this programme however fees would be levied in
case learner requires certificate.
Professors of centrally funded institutions like IITs, IIMs, central universities will offer online
courses , with the collaboration of foreign Universities as well
Subjects offered-- engineering education, social science, energy, management, basic sciences.
(b) Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya for Teacher’s training programme—
Launched to raise the quality of training
(c) UDAAN—Scheme dedicated to the development of Girl Child Education
UDAAN is an initiative by CBSE to enable disadvantaged girl students to transit from school to
post-school professional education specially in Science and Mathematics
support 1000 disadvantaged girls per year and provide them free online resources in Class XI and
Class XII