General Studies: April 2019 PDF

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Appointments and Awards till April 2019

• Rishi Kumar Shukla appointed as CBI director replacing Alok Verma. 

• Saraswati Samman for 2018 to Telugu poet K Siva Reddy.

• Bharat Ratna 2019: Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh & Bhupen Hazarika.

General Studies for Exams: Mahamastakabhisheka Celebrations

10-day long Mahamastakabhisheka for 39-foot high Bahubali statue was celebrated in Dharmasthala, Karnataka.

• In 2019, the 4th mahamastakabhisheka of Lord Bahubali since its installation in 1982 was performed. 

• Lord Bahubali was the son of the first Jain Tirthankara, lord Rishabhanatha, .

• The sculpture is in the digambara form of Bahubali, representing complete victory over earthly desires and needs.

• The word Mahamastakabhisheka is a combination of three words viz: Maha (great), Masthaka (head) and Abhisheka (anointing) which literally means ‘the head anointing ceremony’.

• The ceremony is performed only once in 12 years.

Wage Code Bill, 2019

• 2017: Introduced in Lok Sabha first.
• Subsumes following 4 Acts:
• Payment of Wages Act, 1926.
• Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
• Payment of Bonus Act, 1965.
• Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.
• Object: To transform old and obsolete labour laws.
• Universalizes the provision of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to employees, irrespective of sectors.
• Central Government will fix floor wages taking into account living standard of workers.
• It may also fix different floor wages for different geographical areas.
• Minimum wages to be fixed higher than floor wages.
• Advisory boards to be constituted by the Central Government and state governments to advise government on issues of fixation of minimum wages, increasing employment opportunities for women etc.
• Prohibits gender discrimination in matters of payment of wages and recruitment.
• Constitutional Provisions:
• Article 43: state shall endeavor to secure to all workers a living wage and conditions of work ensuring a decent standard of life.
• Labour is the subject of Concurrent List.   
• Expert committee headed by Anoop Satpathy, submitted report on Determining the Methodology for Fixation of the National Minimum Wage.

April-2019: Minor topics.

Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojana.

• The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has launched it.
• Voluntary and contributory pension scheme for workers in the unorganised sector.
• Age-specific contribution by the beneficiary and the matching contribution by the Central Government.
• Eligibility: 
• The unorganised sector workers, with income of less than Rs 15,000 per month within age group of 18-40 years.
• Not covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme or Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
• Not an income tax payer.
• Minimum assured monthly pension of Rs 3000 after attaining the age of 60 years.
• LIC is the Pension Fund Manager.

Operation Digital Board (ODB).

• Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar launched Operation Digital Board to leverage technology in order to boost quality education in the country.
• On the lines of Operation Blackboard of 1987. 

Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog.

• For conservation, protection and development of cattle population in the country including development and conservation of indigenous breeds.

Gross Domestic Knowledge Product (GDKP).

• The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation in collaboration with Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). 
• Provides a fundamental measure of growth by including factors that involve the creation and accumulation of knowledge.

The e-AUSHADHI portal. 

• For online licensing of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs and related matters.

Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP).

• The flagship program of the Election Commission of India for voter education, voter awareness and voter literacy in India.

Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).

• U.S. trade program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products from 129 designated beneficiary countries and territories.
• India is the largest beneficiary.

GSAT-31

• India’s communication satellite.
• Launched by Ariane 5 rocket from French Guyana (South America).
• Placed in Geostationary Orbit (36,000 km above the equator). 

Salt Satyagraha Memorial.

• Inaugurated at Dandi in Navsari district, Gujarat. 
• It was dedicated by the PM to the nation on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 71st death anniversary (30th January).

POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission). 

• It targets to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight.
• Swasth Bharat Preraks will be deployed one in each district for fast and efficient execution of the Abhiyaan across the country and act as catalyst for fast tracking the implementation of the Abhiyaan.

General Studies: Small Topics.

• National People's Party recognized as a National Party.

• First political party from Northeastern India to have attained this status.
• 8th national party in the country.
• Conrad Sangma is its president.
• Ground of recognition: state party in 4 states of Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. 
• Its election symbol is a book.

• Paryatan Parv 2019 (October 2019)
• Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and  Minister of Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated at New Delhi.
• Dedicated to 150^th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Components: 
• Dekho Apna Desh:  To encourage Indians to visit their own country.
• Tourism for All:  Tourism Events at sites across all States in the country.
• Tourism & Governance:  Interactive Sessions & Workshops with Stakeholders on varied themes.

• Fit India Movement.
• On the occasion of National Sports Day 29th August 2019. 
• Prime Minister launched it across many schools across the country.

• 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting (10th MGC MM).
• Held on 01 August 2019 in Bangkok.
• MGC is a Sub-regional cooperation organisation. Its 6 members are:
• India,Combodia,Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. 
• China is not member.
• Except India, others are Mekong River Basin countries.

• Stride Scheme:
• Fund research projects that are socially relevant, locally need-based, nationally important and globally significant.
• Initiated by UGC.

General Studies for Exams: National Education Policy (NEP)

Points to remember:

• The first National Education Policy was framed in 1986 and modified in 1992.
• The draft of National Education Policy (NEP), 2019 was developed by a committee chaired by K. Kasturirangan. 
• The Draft Policy is built on foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability & Accountability.

Aims:

1. Extension of Right to Education Act - RTE, 2009 will cover all Indians between ages 3 and 18 by 2030 (from pre-school to class XII).
2. Age-appropriate foundational literacy and numeracy for every student to be achieved by 2025.
3. It proposes new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure, with 5+3+3+4 design for children in the age group 3-18 years. 
4. MHRD will be called the Ministry of Education (MoE).
5. Protect and promote our culture through the study of classical languages, mother tongues, and regional languages.
6. Promote school education, higher education and professional education (includes agricultural education, legal education, medical education and technical education).
7. Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog or the National Education Commission - apex body - to be constituted. 
• It will be chaired by the Prime Minister.
• Developing, articulating, implementing, evaluating, and revising the vision of education in the country.
• Oversee the implementation and functioning of several bodies including the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the proposed National Higher Education Regulatory Authority, and National Research Foundation.
8. The National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA) will be the only regulator for all higher education including professional education.
9. National Research Foundation: A National Research Foundation (NRF) to grant competitive funding for outstanding research proposals across all disciplines.

Read Full Draft

General Studies for Exams: Pradhan Mantri KisanSamman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

Points to remember:

1. Scheme to provide direct income support at the rate of Rs. 6,000 per year.
• Amount  to transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers, in three equal installments of Rs. 2,000 each.
• Transfer to be made in Aadhar linked-bank accounts of farmers.
2. Totally Centrally funded Scheme to benefit around 14.5 crore beneficiaries.
3. Launched by Prime Minister in February 2019, in Gorakhpur.
4. All land holding eligible farmer families (subject to the prevalent exclusion criteria) would avail of the benefits under this scheme. It excludes:
• Former or present holders of any constitutional posts;
• Former or Present (Ministers, State Ministers, MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Councils or Assemblies, Mayors of Municipal Corporations and Chairpersons of district panchayat).
• Income Tax payers. 
5. State/UT Governments will be responsible for identification of beneficiaries.

Source

General Studies for Exams: National Register for Citizens (NRC).

Object: move of government to update NRC in Assam, in order to identify illegal migrants to Assam from erstwhile East Pakistan (now called Bangladesh) on and after 25th March 1971 (cut-off date for the deportation of illegal migrants). 

Timeline:

• 1951: The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India. But remained updated until recently.

• 1985: Assam Accord: After 1971, a the six-year-long movement led by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) from 1979 to 1985, for deporting illegal migrants. 

• It demanded the updating of the NRC and the deportation of all illegal migrants who had entered Assam after 1951.

• The movement culminated in the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985.

• March 25, 1971 was set as the cut-off date for the deportation of illegal migrants.
• 2013: Assam Public Works and Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha & Ors filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court demanding the deletion of illegal migrants' names from voter lists in Assam.
• 2014: Supreme Court ordered for updation of NRC in accordance with Citizenship Act, 1955 and Citizenship Rules, 2003 in all parts of Assam.
• August 31, 2019: The updation process officially started in 2015 and the updated final NRC was released on August 31.
• Over 1.9 million applicants failing to make it to the NRC list.
• This led to protests.
• However, the excluded people have about 120 days to appeal against their exclusion to the foreigner tribunals.

General Studies for Exams: PM Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY).

Points to remember.

1. Voluntary and contribution based Pension scheme for farmers.
2. Launched by Prime Minister at Ranchi in September 2019.
3. Beneficiaries: all landholding Small and Marginal Farmers (with land holdings are less than 2 hectares of land).
4. A fixed pension of Rs.3,000/- to beneficiaries.
5. Eligibility:  farmers of the age between 18 and 40 years.
6. The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) shall be the Pension Fund Manager. 
7.  Farmers to make a monthly contribution of Rs.55 to Rs.200, depending on their age of entry, in the Pension Fund till they reach the retirement- 60 years.The Central Government will also make an equal contribution of the same amount.
8. Beneficiaries of PM-Kisan Scheme can allow their contribution debited from the benefit of that Scheme directly.

Bihar PCS J 2018 G.K. (Prelims) Paper.

Bihar PCS J 2018 G.K. by anoopuni4u on Scribd

General Studies for Exams: SUMAN Scheme

Points to remember.

1. Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (Suman) Scheme.
2. Aims to bring down the maternal and infant mortality  rates (MMR and IMR) in India.
3. Eligibility: All pregnant women, newborns and mothers up to 6 months of delivery.
4. Inaugurated by Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan at 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW).
5. Benefits: free healthcare to all beneficiaries, respectful care with privacy and dignity. Also it includes, ante natal check-ups, at least one checkup under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Iron Folic Acid supplementation, Tetanus diptheria injection.

General Studies for Exams: Col Chewang Rinchen bridge.

Points to remember.

1. Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated this strategically important bridge.
2. Col Chewang Rinchen was a highly decorated officer of Indian Army from Ladakh region. He is known as the “Lion of Ladakh”.
3. Bridge has been built by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) over River Shyok.
4. It connects Durbuk and Daulat Beg Oldie in Eastern Ladakh.
5. 430-metre bridge built at an altitude of about 15,000 feet using Micro Piling Technology.
6. India's highest altitude all-weather permanent bridge.
7. will lead to development of border areas and villages across Shyok River.