detailed syllabus for UPSC CSE

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Poverty GS2

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for 2021, launched by UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), showed that 27.9% of India's population were multidimensionally poor.

ENGLISH ANTONYMS AND SYNONYMS

 Synonym & Antonym Questions with explanations

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Synonym & Antonym Questions with explanations

Synonyms

Select the word that most nearly means the word provided.

1. modest most nearly means

A. attractive

B. clever

C. current

D. humble

2. Custom most nearly means

A. dessert

B. habit

C. ethic

D. deliver

3. prolong most nearly means

A. extend

THE

BUREAU

LEARNING HUB

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B. inquire

C. relax

D. wait

4. hustle most nearly means

A. dance

B. hurry

C. busy

D. clean

5. solemn most nearly means

A. amusing

B. harmful

C. speech

D. serious

6. imply most nearly means

A. suggest

B. stab

C. thick

D. destroy

7. ramble most nearly means

A. knot

B. confuse

C. wander

D. wonder

8. beneficial most nearly means

A. help

B. advantageous

C. charity

D. wise

9. flare most nearly means

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A. judicial

B. temper

C. style

D. blaze

10. negligent most nearly means

A. pajamas

B. morbid

C. careless

D. dark

11. aloof most nearly means

A. above

B. tidy

C. clever

D. reserved

12. resolve most nearly means

A. turn

B. puzzle

C. decide

D. want

13. congregate most nearly means

A. worship

B. gather

C. disturb

D. hurry

14. utter most nearly means

A. express

B. defer

C. borrow

D. laugh

15. fearless most nearly means

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A. powerful

B. cowardly

C. brave

D. careful

16. negligible most nearly means

A. insignificant

B. arguable

C. careless

D. dark

17. placid most nearly means

A. calm

B. lazy

C. solemn

D. devious

18. rake most nearly means

A. thin

B. scoundrel

C. gentleman

D. shovel

19. dupe most nearly means

A. rancher

B. trick

C. simpleton

D. drug

20. stigma most nearly means

A. stain

B. trial

C. difficulty

D. holiness

21. reside most nearly means

A. remain

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B. home

C. dwell

D. sediment

22. covetous most nearly means

A. quiet

B. sneaky

C. lurking

D. greedy

23. abide most nearly means

A. endure

B. hate

C. attendance

D. live

24. shrewd most nearly means

A. intractable

B. mean

C. astute

D. intelligent

25. fetter most nearly means

A. rancid

B. praise

C. hamper

D. persist

26. flagrant most nearly means

A. vibrant

B. glaring

C. vicious

D. pleasant

27. mitigate most nearly means

A. relieve

B. blend

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C. defend

D. confuse

28. rail most nearly means

A. scold

B. push

C. try

D. punish

29. meld most nearly means

A. character

B. distinction

C. blend

D. firmness

30. rally most nearly means

A. demonstrate

B. muster

C. course

D. truly

31. abject most nearly means

A. indigent

B. desire

C. despondent

D. extreme

32. bespoke most nearly means

A. gentle

B. quiet

C. tailored

D. handsome

33. diffident most nearly means

A. apathetic

B. shy

C. arrogant

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D. quarrelsome

34. proffer most nearly means

A. mendicant

B. wastrel

C. predict

D. tender

35. mordant most nearly means

A. dead

B. gruesome

C. fetid

D. caustic

36. churlish most nearly means

A. childish

B. boorish

C. tempestuous

D. disorderly

37. antediluvian most nearly means

A. antiquated

B. parched

C. nonsectarian

D. nonsensical

38. picayune most nearly means

A. petty

B. spicy

C. paltry

D. southern

39. smite most nearly means

A. flee

B. speck

C. dirt

D. strike

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40. winnow most nearly means

A. carve

B. wind

C. weed

D. carry

Answers and explanations

1. d. modest means to be free of conceit or pretension, or humble

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2. b. a custom means a long-established practice, or a habit

3. a. to prolong means to lengthen in time, or to extend

4. b. to hustle means to hurry

5. d. solemn means marked by grave sobriety, or serious

6. a. to imply means to express indirectly, or to suggest

7. c. to ramble means to move aimlessly from place to place, or to wander

8. b. beneficial means causing benefit, or advantageous

9. d. flare means a fire or blaze used to signal; flair means talent or style

10. c. negligent means marked by neglect, or careless

11. d. aloof means distant in feeling, or reserved

12. c. one meaning of resolve is to decide, often to stop from doing something

13. b. to congregate means to gather in a group

14. a. to utter means to express in words

15. c. fearless means lacking fear, or brave

16. a. negligible means so small or insignificant as to deserve little attention

17. a. placid means free of disturbance, or calm

18. b. a rake is a dissolute person, or a scoundrel

19. b. to dupe means to deceive or to trick

20. a. stigma means a mark of shame or discredit, or a stain

21. c. to reside means to occupy a place as one’s home, or to dwell

22. d. covetous means having an inordinate desire for wealth, or greedy

23. a. to abide means to endure without yielding, or to withstand

24. c. shrewd means marked by clever awareness, or astute

25. c. to fetter means to hamper, or to restrain

26. b. flagrant means obviously wrong or immoral; glaring means painfully obvious

27. a. mitigate means to make less severe or painful, or to relieve

28. a. to rail means to scold in harsh, abusive language

29. c. to meld means to merge or to blend

30. b. to rally means to arouse for action, or to muster

31. c. abject means cast down in spirit, or utterly hopeless; despondent means having lost all hope

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32. c. bespoke means custom-made; tailored also means custommade

33. b. diffident means shy or lacking in confidence

34. d. to proffer means to put something forward for acceptance, or to tender

35. d. mordant means biting or caustic in means or speech

36. b. churlish means resembling an ill-bred or vulgar person, or boorish

37. a. antediluvian means so ancient that it could have come before the time of the flood and Noah’s ark, or antiquated

38. c. picayune means trivial or of little value; paltry means trivial or meager

39. d. smite means to strike heavily especially with the hand

40. c. to winnow means to sift or get rid of, like weed, it is often used with “out’’

Antonyms

Select the word that is most opposite to the word provided.

41. detain is most opposite to

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A. release

B. silence

C. forget

D. prosper

42. famous is most opposite to

A. boring

B. poor

C. obscure

D. untalented

43. colossal is most opposite to

A. easy

B. tiny

C. graceful

D. roof

44. fluid is most opposite to

A. solid

B. liquid

C. afraid

D. decent

45. continue is most opposite to

A. curve

B. argue

C. carry

D. pause

46. labor is most opposite to

A. amuse

B. cat

C. rest

D. strive

47. brawny is most opposite to

A. swift

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B. weak

C. strong

D. pale

48. fickle is most opposite to

A. steady

B. kind

C. please

D. finagle

49. inept is most opposite to

A. clumsy

B. infer

C. competent

D. foolish

50. pivotal is most opposite to

A. turning

B. wavy

C. unimportant

D. clear

51. cursed is most opposite to

A. swore

B. pious

C. unfortunate

D.

E. lucky

52. candid is most opposite to

A. unkind

B. blunt

C. valid

D. dishonest

53. flaunt is most opposite to

A. regard

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B. sink

C. hide

D. propose

54. heal is most opposite to

A. sew

B. foot

C. good

D. maim

55. pacify is most opposite to

A. excite

B. land

C. coddle

D. unhand

56. sullen is most opposite to

A. dirty

B. cheerful

C. clean

D. risen

57. assure is most opposite to

A. alarm

B. reassure

C. quiet

D. unsure

58. fallacious is most opposite to

A. perfect

B. truthful

C. accidental

D. disarming

59. gumption is most opposite to

A. seriousness

B. apathy

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C. levity

D. despair

60. ecstasy is most opposite to

A. hate

B. agony

C. languor

D. fatigue

61. astute is most opposite to

A. distraught

B. careful

C. generous

D. gullible

62. winsome is most opposite to

A. dour

B. attractive

C. mysterious

D. clever

63. droll is most opposite to

A. forget

B. charm

C. sedate

D. absurd

64. enigmatic is most opposite to

A. healthy

B. watchful

C. disastrous

D. obvious

65. obtuse is most opposite to

A. slim

B. acute

C. opaque

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D. thick

66. obsequious is most opposite to

A. clear

B. clever

C. domineering

D. dandified

67. doleful is most opposite to

A. empty

B. rich

C. witty

D. vivacious

68. wanton is most opposite to

A. merciful

B. repast

C. brilliant

D. vicious

69. banal is most opposite to

A. sincere

B. wealthy

C. extraordinary

D. trustworthy

70. lugubrious is most opposite to

A. quick

B. cheerful

C. salubrious

D. dry

71. perspicacious is most opposite to

A. calm

B. easy

C. dull

D. winsome

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72. elan is most opposite to

A. inelegance

B. stupidity

C. obscure

D. despair

73. recondite is most opposite to

A. manifest

B. flexible

C. provident

D. sociable

74. gainsay is most opposite to

A. regret

B. own

C. prudent

D. prude

75. effluvium is most opposite to

A. land

B. essential

C. fragrance

D. solid

76. parsimony is most opposite to

A. generosity

B. sinfulness

C. verbosity

D. tenderness

77. truculent is most opposite to

A. faltering

B. gentle

C. facile

D. submissive

78. spurious is most opposite to

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A. disingenuous

B. thoughtless

C. placid

D. genuine

79. welter is most opposite to

A. order

B. freeze

C. patron

D. sustain

80. eclat is most opposite to

A. apathy

B. dullness

C. silence

D. disinterest

Answers and explanations

41. a. to detain means to hold or keep back; to release means to let go

42. c. famous means widely known; obscure means little known

43. b. colossal means incredibly large, therefore tiny is the opposite

44. a. a fluid is a substance that flows; a solid does not flow

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45. d. to continue means to act without interruption; to pause means to stop temporarily

46. c. to labor means to work; to rest means to cease working

47. b. brawny means muscled or strong, therefore weak is the opposite

48. a. fickle means to lack steadiness, therefore steady is the opposite

49. c. inept means to lack competence, therefore competent is the opposite

50. 120. c. pivotal means very important, or crucial, therefore unimportant is the opposite

51. d. cursed means to be the subject of misfortune, or to be unlucky, therefore lucky is th opposite

52. d. candid means to be frank, or honest, therefore dishonest is the opposite

53. c. to flaunt means to display showily, or to show off, therefore hide is the opposite

54. d. to heal means to restore to health; to maim means to injure

55. a. to pacify means to soothe, or calm, therefore excite is the opposite

56. b. sullen means showing a disagreeable mood, or lacking cheer, therefore cheerful is the opposite

57. a. to assure means to make sure by removing doubt or worry; alarm means to give warning or to arouse fear

58. b. fallacious means tending to deceive; truthful means disposed to tell the truth

59. b. gumption means initiative, or drive; apathy means a lack of interest or concern

60. b. ecstasy means a state of rapturous delight; agony means intense pain of mind or body

61. d. astute means shrewd or showing acute mental vision; gullible means easily duped or cheated

62. a. winsome means cheerful and engaging; dour means gloomy or sullen

63. c. droll means to have a humorous or odd quality; sedate means unruffled or serious

64. d. enigmatic means mysterious or obscure, therefore obvious is the opposite

65. b. obtuse means insensitive or stupid; acute means marked by keen perception or shrewd

66. c. obsequious means subservient or fawning; domineering means exercising overbearing control

67. d. doleful means full of grief or cheerless; vivacious means full of life and spirit

68. a. one meaning of wanton is malicious or merciless, therefore merciful is the opposite

69. c. banal means trite or commonplace, therefore extraordinary is the opposite

70. b. lugubrious means mournful, or dismal, therefore cheerful is the opposite

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71. c. perspicacious means keen or astute, therefore dull is the opposite

72. d. elan means vigorous spirit or enthusiasm; despair means an utter loss of hope

73. a. recondite means difficult for one of ordinary understanding to comprehend; manifest means easily understood or recognized

74. b. to gainsay means to deny; one meaning of to own is to admit

75. c. effluvium means an offensive smell; fragrance means a sweet or delicate odor

76. a. parsimony means thrift or stinginess, therefore generosity is the opposite

77. b. truculent means cruel or savage, therefore gentle is the opposite

78. d. spurious means lacking genuine qualities, or false, therefore genuine is the opposite

79. a. welter means a state of wild disorder, or turmoil, therefore order is the opposite

80. b. eclat means a dazzling effect, or brilliance, therefore dullness is the opposite

Comprehensive Current affairs 6 April 2021

 1). NPCI transfers automatic bill payments business to new subsidiary.

As per RBI directive, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has transferred all its Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) transaction mandates to a new subsidiary called NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited (NBBL).

BBPS is an interoperable bill payments platform used by banks, fintech companies and biller merchants to automate bill collection and request solutions.

NBBL has come into effect from April 1, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NPCI.

NPCI is an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India.It is formed underPayment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

2). National Aquifer Mapping And Management program.

National Aquifer Mapping And Management program (NAQUIM) was initiated in 2012 as a part of the Ground Water Management and Regulation scheme.

Key objectives;

To delineate and characterize the aquifers.

Develop plans for sustainable ground water management in the country.

It is being implemented by Central Ground Water Board, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

An aquifer is a body of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater.

There are two general types of aquifers confined and unconfined.

3). Army War College.

 

The Army War College (AWC), Mhow celebrated its Golden Jubilee today to mark 50 glorious years of its inception as the premier training institute of Indian Army.

The College is the fountain-head of all tactical training in the Indian Army and solely responsible for training officers of the Indian Armed Forces and from friendly foreign countries.

The College is the leading seat for learning of Warfare, carrying out research in tactics, logistics, contemporary military studies and improvement in military doctrine.

The college was originally established as the College of Combat at Mhowin Madhya Pradesh on 1 April 1971.

It was spun out of the Infantry School, Mhow. In 2003, the college was renamed as the Army War College, Mhow.

The Army War College with its proud distinctive identity stands by the inscribed motto ‘Yuddhaya Karir Nischaya’ which means ‘Into Battle With Resolve.

4). My NEP 2020 platform of NCTE Portal.

Ministry of Education launched the “MyNEP2020” Platform of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Web Portal.

Platform seeks to invite suggestions/inputs/membership from the stakeholders for preparing a draft for the development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission forMentoring Program membership (NMM).

NCTE was established under the NCTE Act 1993 as a statutory body. Its objectives include Planned and coordinated development of the teacher education system.

Regulation of norms and standards in teacher education system and their proper maintenance and topics related thereto.

5). 5 MoUs signed between India-Bangladesh.

 

 

India and Bangladesh signed 5 MoUs in the fields of Disaster Management, trade, NCC, ICT and setting up of sports facilities.

They discussed bilateral issues covering areas of commerce and trade, water resources, security and defence, power and energy among others.

Foundation stone was laid for infrastructure development for power evacuation facilities from the Rooppur Nuclear power plant.

The Bangladesh leg of the Banagabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition was inaugurated by the two Prime Ministers. It will be taken to other parts of the world including the UN.

6). Resolution 46/L1.

India abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that makes a wide-ranging and damaging commentary on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

Resolution 46/L1 has decided, among other things, to “strengthen” the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights “to collect, consolidate, analyse, and preserve information and evidence and develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka.

It refers to “persistent” lack of accountability for rights abuses committed through the years by “all parties” in Sri Lanka, including the LTTE.

Most seriously, it expresses a lack of confidence in the ability of the present government in Colombo to address the shortcomings.

Among the 14 countries that abstained were Japan, Indonesia, Bahrain and Nepal. Among the 11 that voted against were China, Cuba, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, and Venezuela.

7). Watergate scandal.

 

 

G Gordon Liddy, the former FBI agent and Republican adviser who was widely considered the mastermind behind the 1972 Watergate break-in, died at the age of 90. He passed away at his daughter’s house in Virginia, his son told the Associated Press.

The Watergate Scandal, in which a group of men tied to former President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign broke into the Democratic headquarters in Washington DC’s Watergate complex, is often regarded as one of the darkest chapters in US history.

It led to the country’s first and only presidential resignation — an issue that was cited repeatedly towards the fag end of Donald Trump’s tenure as president, when he was facing impeachment for his role in the Capitol Hill riots.

Liddy was famously known to have been unapologetic about his role in the Watergate crimes, for which he spent over four years in prison, including 100 days in solitary confinement.

About Watergate scandal:

On June 17, 1972, at 2:30 am, five burglars were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters at the Watergate Hotel, just over a kilometre away from the White House.

The prowlers, who were caught wiretapping phones and stealing documents, were later found to be linked to President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign.

The break-in was not their first attempt at breaching the DNC headquarters. After they failed to complete their mission during a previous attempt at forced entry, they returned a month later to finish the job.

8). 17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar underlined the importance of connectivity between members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which marks its silver jubilee next year.

 

 

They encouraged Member States to complete their internal procedures for adoption of the BIMSTEC Charter and endorsed Rationalization of Sectors and Sub-sectors of cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework which will be adopted at the next BIMSTEC Summit.

The meeting welcomed the proposal of the Chair to hold the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit in Sri Lanka in next few months in consultation with the Member states.

The meeting took note that the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate, being hosted in India, is fully functional with the state of the art facilities to provide Disaster Early Warnings.

8). Index of eight core industries.

The Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry ofCommerce and Industry released Index of Eight Core Industries for February, 2021.

The decline of 4.6% is witnessed in all 8 sectors.

It accounts 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

8 core sectors includes Refinery Products (28.04%),Electricity (19.85%), Steel (17.92%), Coal (10.33%), Crude Oil(8.98%), Natural Gas (6.88%), Cement (5.37%), Fertilizers (2.63%).

9). Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021.

The corporate affairs ministry has announced companies will have to disclose any holding or dealings in cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies in their financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies.

All companies will now have to disclose in their statutory financial filings to the RoC any profit or loss on transactions involving cryptocurrency.

The amount of cryptocurrency held on the reporting date, and any deposits or advances received from anyone for the purpose of investing in cryptocurrencies or virtual currencies.

 

 

The government’s new bill – Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021 — aims to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies while setting the stage to roll out the legal framework for an “official digital currency”.

The Centre will take a calibrated approach to cryptocurrencies and will not close the window on experimentation with cryptocurrencies.

10). African elephants.

According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), African elephants are under threat due to poaching and habitat loss.

African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth.They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears. (Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears.)

There are two species of African elephant.

Savanna elephants are larger animals that roam the plains of sub-Saharan Africa.

Forest elephants are smaller animals that live in the forests of Central and West Africa.

Savanna elephants are now endangered and the forest elephants are critically endangered.

11). Wind Pattern and Ventilation Index Forecast.

Air quality over Delhi-NCR is likely to remain in Moderate category.It is published by Ministry of Earth Science.

Other similar initiatives launched by ministry:

MAUSAM APP: Forecast weather conditions of around 450 cities, which will show the weather conditions of the past 24 hours and seven days.

MEGHDOOT APP: provide location, and crop and livestock-specific weather-based agro advisories to farmers in local languages.

 

 

DAMINI APP: It is developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) for Lightning Warning.

12). Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Rajinikanth has been nominated for this coveted award for his contribution as an actor, producer and screenwriter.

The award was introduced in 1969 by the government to honour the Father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj GovindPhalke Popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke.

He made the first Indian Feature film Raja Harishchandra (1913).

The award is announced by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and recognises the contribution of film personalities and their outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema.

The first recipient of this award was Devika Rani.

Comprehensive Current affairs 8 March 2021

 1.     QS World University Rankings 2021.

Three Indian Institutes of Technology have entered the prestigious group of the top 100 engineering institutes with IIT-Bombay grabbing the best-ever 49th position in the engineering and technology category followed by IIT Delhi (54) and IIT Madras (94). MIT, USA has retained its top position.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore — that secured number one position in the NIRF 2020 — is placed at the 92nd spot for natural sciences, followed by IIT Bombay (114), IIT Madras (187), and IIT Delhi (210), as per the data released by QS.

QS World University Rankings by subject calculate performance based on four parameters:

·        academic reputation,

·        employer reputation,

·        research impact (citations per paper) and

·        the productivity of an institution’s research faculty.

2.     National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive.

Under the scheme, development of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple, Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh was approved.

PRASHAD is a Central Sector Scheme launched by Ministry ofTourism in 2014-15 with objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.

Activities under scheme include:

·        Infrastructure development,

·        Last mile connectivity,

·        ATM/ Money exchange,

·        Parking,

·        Drinking water,

·        First aid centers,

·        Eco-friendly modes of transport,

·        Internet connectivity.

3.     India - Sweden Virtual Summit

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the King-dom of Sweden H.E. Stefan Löfven held a Virtual Summit where they discussed bilateral issues and other regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

The Prime Minister fondly recalled his 2018 visit to Sweden for the first India-Nordic Summit, and the India visit of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden in December, 2019.

The two leaders reviewed the extensive ongoing engagement between India and Sweden, and expressed satisfaction at the implementation of the Joint Action Plan and Joint Innovation Partnership agreed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sweden in 2018.

Prime Minister Modi welcomed Sweden’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

The leaders also noted the growing member-ship of the India-Sweden joint initiative – the Leadership Group on Indus-try Transition (LeadIT) that was launched during the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 in New York.

4.     Marine Spatial Planning.

India and Norway agree to conduct marine spatial planning (MSP) in Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

MSP is a process of analyzing and allocating spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic and social objectives.

MSP initiative will be implemented by Ministry of Earth Sciences and Norwegian Environment Agency through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway.

Earlier, National Centre for Coastal Research had developed coastal management plans for Chennai, Goa,and Gulf of Kachchh which proved very successful.

5.     NH – 248BB .

The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways reviewed the progress of India’s first grade separated urban expressway, Dwarka Expressway (NH – 248BB).

The 29-kilometre long Expressway, being constructed under the Bharatmala Project and with a cost of Rs8,662 crore, would be completed before the Independence Day next year.

Being built in four packages, total length of the Expressway is 29 kilometres out of which 18.9 kilometre length falls in Haryana while remaining 10.1 kilometre length is in Delhi. It starts from Shiv-Murti on National Highway-8 and ends near KherkiDaula Toll Plaza.

Delhi-Gurugram section of National Highway-8, a part of Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai arm of Golden Quadrilateral (GQ), is presently carrying traffic of over three lakh Passenger Car Units (PCUs), which is much beyond design capacity of this 8-lane highway, leading to severe congestion and with the construction of the present project, 50 to 60 per cent traffic on National Highway-8 will be reduced.

Significance:

It will be the first-ever elevated Urban Expressway in India and will immensely help reducing the air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

The Dwarka Expressway would also be the first instance of a project where Tree Plantation of approximately 12,000 trees has been undertaken, keeping protection of the environment in view

This will have longest (3.6 kilometre) and widest (8 lane) Urban Road Tunnel in India. The project’s road network will also comprise of four levels, i.e., tunnel / underpass, at-grade road, elevated flyover and flyover above flyover.

It will also comprise India’s first 9-kilometre long 8-lane flyover (34-metre wide) on single pier with 6-lane service roads.

There will be a fully automated tolling system with 22 lanes toll plaza. The entire project will be equipped with Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).

6.     Information Technology(IT) Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules,2021.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has clarified that Part III of rules are administered by Ministry itself and powers have not been delegated to State Governments.

Part III of rules prescribes age-based classification and a three-tier grievance redress system mechanism which includes an oversight mechanism of government at the third level.

Rules were recently notified under IT Act, 2000 to regulate digital news and current affairs and publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms).

Comprehensive Current affairs 5 March 2021

Sugamya Bharat App

Union Minister for Social justice and Empowerment will virtually launch Sugamya Bharat App.

The App have been developed by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

A Crowdsourcing Mobile Application is a means for sensitising and enhancing accessibility in the 3 pillars of the Accessible India Campaign i.e. built environment, transportation sector and ICT ecosystem in India.

The app provides for five main features, 4 of which are directly related to enhancing accessibility, while the fifth is a special feature meant only for Divyangjan for COVID related issues.

The accessibility related features are:

1.      The registration of complaints of inaccessibility across the 3 broad pillars of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyaan.

2.      Positive feedback of examples and best practices worth emulating being shared by people as jan-bhagidhari; Departmental updates.

3.      Guidelines and circulars related to accessibility.

Features:

The Sugamya Bharat App is a simple to use Mobile App with an easy registration process, requiring only 3 mandatory fields, namely, Name, Mobile number and Email-id.

Registered users can raise issues related to accessibility being faced. The App has been provided with several user-friendly features like easy drop-down menus, videos in Hindi and English, along

with sign language interpretation have been added demonstrating the process of registration and uploading complaints with photographs.

The App is made accessible for ease of use for persons with disabilities also with features such as font size adjustment, color contrasting option, text to speech, and having an integrated screen reader in Hindi and English.

It is available in 10 regional languages, namely, Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, Odia, Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Malayalam.

The App also has provision of easy photo uploads with geotagging option of the premise where accessibility intervention is required.

The App has provision for providing notifications to the users at the time of registration, regular status updates as well as at the time of resolution and closure of the complaint.

Land Ports Authority Of India.

The Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) has celebrated its 9th Foundation Day on 01 March 2021.

LPAI is a statutory body under Ministry of Home Affairs, to develop, sanitize and manage facilities for cross-border movement of passengers and goods at designated points along the international borders of India.

Key functions:

To address security imperatives at integrated check posts (ICP).

Construct roads, terminals and ancillary buildings at ICP.

Provide appropriate space and facilities for immigration, customs, security, taxation authorities, animaland plant quarantine, warehouses, cargo etc.

 

 

 

Pompeii

Archaeologists working at Pompeii have announced the discovery of a large ceremonial chariot, found with four wheels, its iron components, bronze and tin decorations, mineralised wood remains, and imprints of organic materials.

The excavation of the chariot

It is likely that the chariot was used as a transport vehicle by Roman elites during various ceremonies.

This chariot is “entirely unique in Italy” –– because of its state of preservation, and because it is not a chariot used for agricultural products or the activities of daily life.

Background:

Pompeii was a Roman town in Southern Italy’s Campania region situated along the Bay of Naples. The town was completely buried by volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, over 2,000 years ago.

Arktika-M.

Russia launched its space satellite Arktika-M.

It is the country’s first Arctic monitoring satellite to monitor the climate and environment in the Arctic region.

The Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average over the last three decades.

This opens up opportunities for huge oil and gas reserves that are being eyed by countries including the United States, Russia, Canada etc.

Revision in the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

The NITI Aayog recently circulated a discussion paper on a proposed revision in the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

 

Under Schedule-I of the Act, these subsidised prices were fixed for “a period of three years from the date of commencement of the Act”. While different states began implementing the Act at different dates, the deemed date of its coming into effect is July 5, 2013, and the three-year period was therefore completed on July 5, 2016.

The NFSA provides a legal right to persons belonging to “eligible households” to receive foodgrains at subsidised price– rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg and coarse grain at Rs 1/kg — under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

These are called central issue prices (CIPs).

A revision of CIPs is one of the issues that have been discussed. The other issues are updating of the population coverage under the NFSA, and beneficiary identification criteria.

Under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Act, the term “eligible households” comprises two categories — “priority households”, and families covered by the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).

Priority households are entitled to receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month, whereas AAY households are entitled to 35 kg per month at the same prices.

NITI Aayog proposal:

The discussion has been held under the chairmanship of Prof Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog.

The NITI Aayog has suggested that the national rural and urban coverage ratio be reduced from the existing 75-50 to 60-40.

To make these changes in the law, the government will have to amend subsection (2) of Section 3 of the NFSA. For this, it will require parliamentary approval.

Besides the Food Ministry and the NITI Aayog, discussions on the proposed revisions include the Chief Economic Adviser and top officers of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

 

Implication of the revision for the Centre and the states:

If the national coverage ratio is revised downward, the Centre can save up to Rs 47,229 crore (as estimated by the NITI Aayog paper). However, the move may be opposed by some of the states.

On the other hand, if the rural-urban coverage ratio remains at 75-50, then the total number of people covered will increase from the existing 81.35 crore to 89.52 crore —an increase of 8.17 crore.

This estimate by the NITI Aayog is based on the projected 2020 population, and, according to the paper, will result in an additional subsidy requirement of Rs 14,800 crore.

Udaipur Science Centre.

The Udaipur Science Centre, at Udaipur, Tripura was dedicated to the people by the Governor of Tripura.

Udaipur Science Centre is the 22nd Science Centre which has been developed by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) and handed over to the State Governments under the Ministry of Culture’s Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science.

This Science Centre has been developed at a cost of Rs 6.00 crore funded jointly by Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India and Dept. of Science, Technology & Environment, Government of Tripura.

With this; NCSM has now set-up science centres in all the north eastern states.