About:

• Location:
  • Agasthyarkoodam is a peak within Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala.
    
    
  • This peak is a part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve which lies on the border between the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
    
    
  
  
  
• Height: Agasthyarkoodam is the second highest peak in the State at 1,868 m.
  
  
• Historical Significance:
  • Agasthyarkoodam is a pilgrimage centre for devotees of the Hindu sage Agastya, who is considered to be one of the seven rishis (Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas.
    
    
  • The Tamil language is considered to be a born from Agasthya. There is a full-sized statue of Agathiyar at the top of the peak and the devotees can offer pujas themselves.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The two have been awarded for developing a paradigm-breaking cancer therapy by “inhibition of negative immune regulation”, which has bettered the chances of full recovery in certain kinds of cancer by over three times.
  
  
• Instead of relying on external attacks on tumours with radiation and chemicals, which is the traditional method, immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy unleashes the body’s own defence system against the enemy within.
  
  
• While the technique remains under research and the and side-effects are not completely understood, six checkpoint inhibitor drugs have been approved for clinical use since 2011.
  
  
• They showed that the two proteins namely immunoglobulin cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibit the immune system’s response to cancer, and that inhibiting them would, in turn, give patients a fighting chance.
  
  
• PD-1, a receptor on the cell surface, is an ‘immune checkpoint’ which slows down the immune response and promotes self-tolerance, normally preventing auto-immune diseases.
  
  
• CTLA-4 performs a similar function on T-cells (so named because they mature in the thymus and the tonsils), which play an important role in immunity at the molecular level.
  
  

About:

• The National Security Guard (NSG) is an Indian special forces unit for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances.
  
  
• Units: It is a task-oriented Force and has two complementary elements in the form of the Special Action Group (SAG) comprising Army personnel and the Special Ranger Groups (SRG), comprising personnel drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces / State Police Forces.
  
  
• Parent agency: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
  
  
• Establishment: It was raised in 1984, following Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
  
  
• Status: It has been formed under the National Security Guard Act, 1986.
  
  
• Headquarters: New Delhi.
  
  
• The NSG was modelled on the pattern of the SAS of the UK and GSG-9 of Germany.
  
  
• Motto: Sarvatra Sarvottama Suraksa.
  
  
• According to ministry of home affairs website, It is one of the 7 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
  
  
• Director General (DG): The head of NSG, designated as Director General (DG), is selected by the Home Ministry. All the selected DGs have been officer from Indian Police Service (IPS).
  
  

Close Protection Force (CPF) Protocol:

• The National Security Guard (NSG), which also provides security cover to select VIPs like has adopted a “close protection force” (CPF) protocol to better secure the dozen VIPs under its ‘Z+’ cover of ‘black cat’ commandos.
  
  
• Now NSG commandos will provide close-body protection to VIPs every time they visit a public place compared with the earlier mobile security concept under which commandos secured the person only while on move.
  
  
• The Special Protection Group (SPG) protects its VIPs outside and inside a venue, with commandos encircling the VIP like their shadow, they said.
  
  

About:

• The Swachhata Rankings exercise has been initiated by Department of Higher Education to generate healthy peer pressure among higher educational institutions for maintaining hygienic campuses.
  
  
• 51 higher educational institutions have been selected for this year Swachhata Ranking Awards in 8 different categories: Universities (Residential & Non-Residential); Colleges (Residential & Non-Residential); Technical Institutions (Universities – Residential); Technical Colleges (Residential & Non-Residential) and Government Universities.
  
  

Criteria:

• The parameters for selecting the institutes are rain water harvesting, solar power, quality of hostel kitchen apparatus, water supply system quality, maintenance method sophistication etc.
  
  
• Any institution that wants to be considered for rankings has to necessarily adopt a village or some villages and carry out hygiene & health related activities in it.
  
  

About:

• Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) is the first of its kind unified access platform to help to realise the dreams of Women Entrepreneurs across India.
  
  
• It seeks to act as a medium for various stakeholders in the economy to come together and offer integrated services such as Incubation Support, Mentorship, Funding avenues, Compliance, Marketing Assistance etc for women entrepreneurs in India.
  
  
• Background:
  • In November, 2017, NITI Aayog in partnership with the Government of the U.S.A hosted the 8th Annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Hyderabad, India with the theme of ‘Women First, Prosperity for All’.
    
    
  • To take the idea forward, CEO, NITI Aayog announced setting up of WEP.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• AirSewa is operated through an interactive web portal and a mobile app.
  
  
• It was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to make air travel convenient by providing the following services –
  • Grievance redressal mechanism; and
    
    
  • Providing information on flight status/schedule information, airports etc.
    
    
  
  
  
• Now AirSewa 2.0, an upgraded version of AirSewa has been launched. Major improvements in the upgraded version of AirSewa include features such as –
  • secure sign-up and log-in with social media,
    
    
  • chatbot for travellers support,
    
    
  • improved grievance management including social media grievances etc.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha.
  
  
• It is located at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
  
  
• It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef in New Caledonia.
  
  
• In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
  
  
• Close to one million birds congregate on the mudflats of the lake during winter. The lake is home to 230 bird species, out of which 97 are intercontinental migrants from the Artic and Eurasian regions.
  
  
• One of the reasons behind the low turnout of migratory birds this year is the flooding after rain triggered by cyclone Titli that hit the Odisha coast in the second week of October.
  
  

About:

• Delhi Police has raised an All-Women Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team by inducting 40 women Commandos for Anti-Terrorism duty under the Special Cell.
  
  
• All the women officers in the India's first all-female commando team are from India's northeast.
  
  
• This team has been trained by National Security Guard (NSG).
  
  
• They will work alongside about five all-male commando teams in Delhi and will be deployed during the Independence Day celebrations of 2018.
  
  
• It is another move towards breaking gender stereotypes. According to official data, only around 7% of all police officials are women, well below a government target of 33%.
  
  

About:

• The Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) is the economic advisor to the Government of India working under the direct charge of the Minister of Finance.
  
  
• The CEA is the ex-officio cadre controlling authority of the Indian Economic Service.
  
  
• In June 2018, Arvind Subramanian resigned as the CEA. He was appointed in 2014. He was formerly an economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Since then, the post is vacant.
  
  
• First CEA: JJ Anjaria (1956-61).
  
  
• Other prominent CEA in the past: Manmohan Singh (1972-76), Kaushik Basu (2009-2012), Raghuram Rajan (2012-2013).
  
  

About:

• The Time Capsule contains 100 items that represent modern-day technology as experienced in India.
  
  
• The Capsule was buried at a depth of 10 feet and will remain buried for the next 100 years to Give Glimpse of Today’s Technology for Future Generations. The Time Capsule will be opened on 3rd January, 2119.
  
  
• The Capsule was made by students from various departments of Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar.
  
  
• List of items contained:
  • Besides replicas of Mangalyaan, Brahmos Missile and Tejas fighter jet representing India’s scientific prowess, the Capsule contains laptop, landline phone, smart phone, drone, VR glasses, stopwatch, Amazon Alexa etc.
    
    
  • It also includes consumer durables like air filter, induction cooktop, air fryer etc which are part of our day-to-day life.
    
    
  
  
  

Background:

• Sailors have for centuries sought a navigable Northwest Passage between Atlantic and Pacific oceans that crosses the Arctic as it is a shorter and a faster route.
  
  
• But Historically, thick ice made the journey impossible. Specialised ice-breaking vessels made the trip plausible, but that was very expensive. Also that too was possible only during the summer, when the ice was thinnest.
  
  
• But rapid climate changes to the climate have altered the region’s ice, making the trip possible.
  
  

Increasing importance of Arctic in world affairs due to Climate Change:

• Arctic region is increasingly being effected by external global forces - environmental, commercial and strategic.
  
  
• Current scientific consensus indicates the Arctic may experience nearly ice free summers as early as 2030’s opening up enormous opportunities as well as challenges not only for the littoral states but also the international community as a whole.
  
  
• The attraction of Arctic oil and gas reserves, unexploited marine living resources and shorter shipping routes connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans is undeniable.
  
  
• But the adversarial impact of melting Arctic Ice cap on the indigenous communities, the marine ecosystems and aggravation of global warming is equally undeniable.
  
  

Appointment of CJI:

Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the manner of appointing judges to the Supreme Court (SC). But there is no specific provision in the Constitution for appointing the Chief Justice.

• CJI should be the senior most judge of the Supreme Court (SC). Law Minister to seek recommendation of the outgoing CJI for appointment of new CJI at an appropriate time.
  
  
• In case of doubt about the fitness of the senior-most Judge to hold office of CJI consultation with other Judges under Article 124(2) to be made.
  
  
• Law Minister to put up recommendation to Prime Minister (PM) who will advise the President on appointment.
  
  

Seniority at the apex court is determined not by age, but by:

• The date a judge was appointed to the SC.
  
  
• If two judges are elevated to the Supreme Court on the same day, (1) the one who was sworn in first as a judge would trump another; (2) if both were sworn in as judges on the same day, the one with more years of high court service would ‘win’ in the seniority stakes; (3) an appointment from the bench would ‘trump’ in seniority an appointee from the bar.
  
  

Tenure:

• Once appointed, the Chief Justice remains in office until the age of 65 years.
  
  
• Article 124(4) of Constitution of India provides that a SC Judge including CJI can be moved only through a process of impeachment by Parliament
  
  

About:

• CBRN are weaponized or non-weaponized Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear materials that can cause great harm and pose significant threats in the hands of terrorists.
  
  
• Weaponized materials can be delivered using conventional bombs (e.g., pipe bombs), improved explosive materials (e.g., fuel oil-fertilizer mixture) and enhanced blast weapons (e.g., dirty bombs).
  
  
• Non-weaponized materials are traditionally referred to as Dangerous Goods (DG) or Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and can include contaminated food, livestock and crops.
  
  

Book:

• Meesha is a controversial Malayalam novel written by S. Harish.
  
  
• It was published in Mathrubhumi Weekly. After three episodes, Harish withdrew the novel after protests from Hindu organizations
  
  
• Petitioner N Radhakrishnan had initially demanded a ban on the book. Subsequently, he requested that the “objectionable” portions be removed.
  
  

Arguments given by Supreme court while rejecting the plea to ban it:

• The language used in the book are not even remotely obscene and derogatory to women.
  
  
• The culture of banning books directly impacts free flow of ideas, creates danger to intellectual freedom thereby gradually resulting in ‘intellectual cowardice’ and is an insult to freedom of speech, thought and expression.
  
  
• We do not live in a totalitarian regime but a democratic nation that permits free exchange of ideas and liberty of thought and expression.
  
  
• Before imposing any restriction, the court should see whether there it is really comes under the sweep of Article 19(2) of the Constitution.
  
  

E-waste Generation in India:

• India ranks fifth in the world in generating e-waste, according to the UN’s Global E-Waste Monitor, 2014.
  
  
• According a report by Assocham released in June 2018 –
  • India is among the top five e-waste generating countries in the world besides China, the US, Japan and Germany.
    
    
  • Among states, Maharashtra contributes the largest e-waste of 19.8% but recycles only about 47,810 tonnes per annum (TPA).
    
    
  
  
  

E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016: Salient features

• E-Waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018:Setting up of Producer Responsibility Organizations and e-waste exchange to facilitate collection and recycling,
  
  
• Assigning specific responsibility to bulk consumers of electronic products for safe disposal,
  
  
• Providing for economic incentives for collection of electronic waste, and
  
  
• Simplified permission process for setting up of dismantling and recycling facilities etc.
  
  

In March 2018, government notified the E-Waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018 thereby amending the E-Waste Management Rules 2016. Its Salient features are:

1. The e-waste collection targets under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) have been revised and will be applicable from 1 October 2017.
   1. The phase-wise collection targets for e-waste in weight shall be 10% of the quantity of waste generation during 2017-18, with a 10% increase every year until 2023.
      
      
   2. After 2023 onwards, the target has been made 70% of the quantity of waste generation as indicated in the EPR Plan.
      
      
   
   
   
2. Separate e-waste collection targets have been drafted for new producers, i.e. those producers whose number of years of sales operation is less than the average lives of their products.
   
   
3. It is mandatory for the PROs to register themselves with the CPCB. This will help the CPCB to keep a constant watch on them to check their activities.
   
   
4. Under the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) provisions, cost for sampling and testing shall be borne by the government for conducting the RoHS test. If the product does not comply with RoHS provisions, then the cost of the test will be borne by the Producers.
   
   

About:

• Objective: To improve the stability and working of 198 dams in 11 States and to ensure safety of downstream population and property.
  
  
• Coverage: The 7 states are Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand (Damodar Valley Corporation) and Uttarakhand (Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited).
  
  
• Duration: Initially, the six-year project commenced in 2012, with a scheduled closing on June 30, 2018. This has now been extended to June 2020.
  
  
• Funding: Out of the ₹3,466 crore cleared, ₹2,628 crore would be funded by the World Bank and ₹747 crore by the States and Implementing Agencies (IAs), and the balance ₹91 crore by the Central Water Commission (CWC). Originally, the total cost of DRIP was ₹2,100 crore.
  
  
• The primary beneficiaries are both urban and rural communities dependent on reservoir and downstream communities, who are prone to risk associated with dam failure. failure.
  
  

About:

• Background: The annual Right Livelihood Award was created in 1980 by Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull.
  
  
• Objective: It honours courageous people and organisations offering solutions to the root causes of global problems, that the prize founder, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes.
  
  
• Categories: Unlike most other international prizes, the Right Livelihood Award has no categories. 
  
  
• Recipients: It is usually shared by four Recipients, but may vary from year-to-year. 
  
  
• Prize money: The prize money shared by all Laureates is SEK 3 million (2017) but not always all Laureates receive a cash award. Often an Honorary Award is given to a person or group whose work the Jury wishes to recognise but who is not primarily in need of monetary support. 
  
  
• Award ceremony: It is Presented annually in Stockholm, Sweden.
  
  
• Although it is promoted as an "Alternative Nobel Prize", it is not a Nobel prize and does not have any organizational ties to the awarding institutions of the Nobel Prize or the Nobel Foundation.
  
  

About:

• The Jharsuguda airport has been developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in collaboration with the Odisha government.
  
  
• The airport will come up under the government's UDAN scheme.
  
  
• Till now, Bhubaneswar was the only operational airport of Airport Authority of India (AAI) in Odisha. The Jharsuguda airport will be second operational AAI airport in the state.
  
  
• The new airport has been named after Veer Surendra Sai (1809 – 1884) – an Indian freedom fighter and tribal leader who fought against the British East India Company.
  
  

About:

• Scientific name: Emberiza hortulana.
  
  
• Features: This small bird is about 16 cm in length and weighs just 20–25 gram.
  
  
• Distribution: ‘Ortolan bunting’ breeds from Mongolia to Europe and migrates in winter to Africa via the Middle East. While migrating, if an Ortolan bunting loses its way, it may land anywhere.
  
  
• IUCN status: Least Concern.
  
  

International Day of Sign Languages:

• International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated annually across the world on 23 September every year along with International Week of the Deaf.
  
  
• It is celebrated on 23 September as WFD was established on this date in 1951.
  
  
• Theme of International Day of Sign Languages is "With Sign Language, everyone is Included!”
  
  

Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC):

• ISLRTC is an autonomous organization under the administrative control of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.
  
  
• It was established in 2015 in accordance with the provisions of Societies Registration Act, 1860.
  
  

About:

• The far-right politician has been called “Trump of the Tropics.”
  
  
• Bolsonaro’s victory swings Latin America’s largest nation swiftly to the right and representing a significant break in voters’ support for the leftist party that dominated past elections.
  
  
• A former army captain, Bolsonaro has capitalized on Brazil’s political and economic turmoil by promising to “quebrar o sistema” — or “break the system.”
  
  

About:

• Working: Hydrogen trains use fuel cells that produce electricity through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, which leaves steam and water as the only emissions. Excess energy is stored in ion lithium batteries on board the train.
  
  
• Journey: This happened when Two Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, began running a 100 km (62-mile) route between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in
  
  
• Significance: This signals a shift from polluting diesel trains with costlier but eco-friendly technology.
  
  

Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan:

• Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan is an Indian classical vocalist belonging to the Dilli (Delhi) gharana.
  
  

Dilli gharana:

• The Dilli gharana was started to popularise and preserve the works of poet Amir Khusro (1253-1325).
  
  
• It is the oldest of the tabla gharanas and the first to establish improvisation rules.
  
  
• Delhi tabla style is famous for its vast and rich repertoire of Bols such as dha, tete (tite), terekete and tinnakena are prominent. The temperament and style of playing is generally soft.
  
  

International Maqom Festival:

• The international music festival, initiated by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirizoyev, is as much a cultural exchange, as part of the President’s ambitious plans to strengthen cultural ties across the region.
  
  

About:

• Transportation and Mobility, ranging from pedestrian and personal transport to public transit and freight movement, is a key driver of innovation and economic growth of the 21st century.
  
  
• In this background, MoveHack is being held with the objective of bringing innovative solutions to problems pertaining to mobility.
  
  
• The hackathon has two-pronged campaign approach:
  • Just Code It: Solutions through data analysis
    
    
  • Just Solve It: Solutions to transform mobility infrastructure through technology.
    
    
  
  
  
• Move Hack is focused on 10 themes and structured over three legs: (1) online, (2) followed by Singapore leg, and (3) the finals in New Delhi (in September 2018).
  
  
• It is being organized in partnership with Government of Singapore.
  
  

About:

• Visvesvaraya (1861 – 1962) was an Indian engineer, scholar, statesman.
  
  
• He was the chief engineer responsible for the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya district. He was also the chief designer of the flood protection system for the city of Hyderabad.
  
  
• He also served as the Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. It was during his period as Dewan that the Mysore Soap Factory (which makes the iconic Mysore sandal soap), the Bangalore Agricultural University, the Bank of Mysore and the Bangalore Press were set up.
  
  
• He penned his autobiography, Memoirs of my Working Life, in 1951.
  
  
• “Industrialise or Perish” was Visvesvaraya’s mantra.
  
  

Honours:

• In 1915, He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the British Indian Empire (KCIE) by King George V for his contributions to the public good.
  
  
• He received Bharat Ratna, in 1955.
  
  
• He is held in high regard as a pre-eminent engineer of India. 15 September is celebrated as Engineer's Day in India in his memory.
  
  

About:

• Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles as well as the god of wisdom and intelligence.
  
  
• It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi.
  
  
• Duration: It is a ten-day festival, starting on the fourth day of Hindu Lunisolar calendar month Bhadrapada, which typically falls in the months of August or September of the Gregorian calendar.
  
  

Celebrations:

• The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha clay idols privately in homes, or publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages).
  
  
• The festival ends on the tenth day after start, wherein the idol is immersed in a nearby body of water, thereafter the clay idol dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to Mount Kailash to Parvati and Shiva.
  
  
• At public venues, along with the reading of texts and group feasting, athletic and martial arts competitions are also held.
  
  

About:

• Neeraj Chopra is an Indian athlete from Haryana who competes in Javelin Throw.
  
  
• In the 2018 Commonwealth Games, he won the gold medal.
  
  
• Asian Games-2018:
  • In this process he broke his own national record by clearing a distance of 88.06 metres in men's final.
    
    
  • Chopra's gold is only the second medal India has won in javelin throw in Asian Games history after Gurtej Singh won a bronze in 1982 in New Delhi.
    
    
  
  
  

About:                                                   

• The three projects include:
  • 500 MW additional power supply from India to Bangladesh,
    
    
  • Akhaura - Agartala Rail Link and
    
    
  • Rehabilitation of the Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of Bangladesh Railways.
    
    
  
  
  
• The supply of additional 500 MW power to Bangladesh is being done using the transmission link between West Bengal and Bangladesh. With the completion of this project, 16 GW of power is now being supplied from India to Bangladesh.
  
  
• Akhaura-Agartala rail link would connect Akhaura in Bangladesh with Tripura’s capital city Agartala through Nischintapur in the Indo-Bangla border. The rail link is expected to be operational in 2019.
  • Apart from Agartala-Akhaura rail project, a bridge is being constructed over River Feni which would connect Sabroom in south Tripura with Feni district of Bangladesh.
    
    
  
  
  

IAU criteria for a planet:

• In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) established a definition of a planet according to which for an object orbiting its star to be classified as a planet, it needs to “clear” its orbit; in other words, it must be the largest gravitational force in its orbit.
  
  
• By the IAU definition, Pluto did not qualify because
  • it is influenced by Neptune’s gravity, and
    
    
  • it shares its orbit with frozen gases and other objects.
    
    
  
  
  

New Research:

• Researchers, in a study published in the journal Icarus, have however, opposed this standard for classifying planets.
  
  
• They reviewed scientific literature from the past 200 years and found only one publication (1802) that used the clearing-orbit requirement to classify planets, and suggested it was based on reasoning that has since been disproved.
  
  
• Instead they recommend classifying a planet based on if it is large enough that its gravity allows it to become spherical in shape.