Social Issues

Question 1

National Commission for Minorities

Answer 1

It was set up under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992.
It is a quasi-judicial body with powers of a civil court.
It consists of a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and five Members to be nominated by the Central Government –all should be from Minority communities.
The Chairperson and every Member shall hold office for a term of three years from the date he assumes office.
The central government presents its report to the parliament.

Question 2

Operation Digital Board (ODB).

Answer 2

Recently, Ministry of Human Resource Development launched Operation Digital Board (ODB).
o It aims to set up one digital and interactive
board per classroom in government and
government-aided schools by 2022.
o It will be introduced in schools from class
9th onwards as well as in higher education
institutions.
o It aims to make the learning as well as the
teaching process interactive and popularize
flipped learning as a pedagogical approach.
o University Grant Commission will be the
implementing agency of ODB for higher
education.

Question 3

SWAYAM:

Answer 3

A Web portal where Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) will be available free of cost on all kinds of subjects with a provision of certificate / credit-transfer.

Question 4

Swayam Prabha:

Answer 4

It is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting of high-quality educational programmes on 24X7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite.

Question 5

Diksha:

Answer 5

National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers portal, to help teachers to create training content, profile, in-class resources, assessment aids, news and announcement and connect with teacher community.

Question 6

SDG INDIA INDEX - BASELINE

REPORT 2018

Answer 6

NITI Aayog has developed the SDG India Index in
collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics &
Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Global
Green Growth Institute and United Nations in
India.
• The SDG India Index tracks progress of all
States and UTs on 62 Priority Indicators
selected by NITI Aayog
• It measures their progress on the outcomes of
the interventions and schemes of the
Government of India.

Classification Criteria based on SDG India
Index Score is as follows:
o Aspirant: 0-49
o Performer: 50-64
o Front Runner: 65-99
o Achiever: 100
• Kerala and Himachal Pradesh are the top
performers among states with a score of 69.
Chandigarh leads the UTs with a score of 68.
• According to the SDG India Index, the nation as
a whole has a score of 58, showing the country
has reached a little beyond the halfway mark in
meeting the SDGs.

Question 7

Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

Answer 7

• It is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental
organization dedicated to supporting and promoting
strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in
developing countries and emerging economies.
• India is not yet a member country of the GGGI but is
recognised as a partner.

Question 8

DUBAI DECLARATION’ ADOPTED

TO MEASURE PROGRESS OF SDGS

Answer 8

At the conclusion of the UN World Data forum, 2018,
‘Dubai Declaration’ was adopted.

• It is hard to measure the actual progress of the
SDGs due to lack of data for two-thirds of the
indicators. Only 0.3% of aid goes to the
development of statistical systems.
• Recognizing this, Dubai Declaration was
adopted which detailed measures to boost
funding for data and statistical analysis for
monitoring and speeding up progress towards
the 2030 SDGs.
• Aimed towards mobilizing domestic and
international funds and activating more
effective data partnerships, this Declaration
supports the implementation of the Cape Town
Global Action Plan for Sustainable Development
Data

Question 9

Cape Town Global Action Plan for

Sustainable Development Data

Answer 9

• Informally launched at the 1st UN World Data
Forum and was adopted by the UN Statistical
Commission in March 2017.
• Intended to provide a framework for discussion
on, and planning and implementation of
statistical capacity building necessary to achieve
the 2030 Agenda.

Question 10

WORLD SUMMIT ON

ACCREDITATION

Answer 10

The World Summit on Accreditation (WOSA-2018)
was held New Delhi, which provides platform to
stakeholders to share their knowledge and
information on accreditation.
About WOSA
• It is a biennial summit organized by National
Board of Accreditation (NBA).
• The theme of WOSA 2018 is “Challenges and
Opportunities in Outcome Based
Accreditation”.

Question 11

National

Board of Accreditation (NBA).

Answer 11

• It is an autonomous organisation under Ministry
of Human Resource Development.
• It was initially established under AICTE (All India
Council of Technical Education) act, in 1994.
• It is engaged in quality assurance of programs
offered by professional and technical
institutions in India through accreditation.
• It has been accorded Permanent Signatory
Status of Washington Accord since 2014.

Question 12

UN GLOBAL MEDIA COMPACT

Answer 12

Recently more than 30 organizations from across
the world including India’s Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting have come together to form a
global media compact.
More about the compact
• It is an initiative of the United Nations, in
collaboration with the UN Foundation.
• It is aimed at advancing awareness and ensuring
accountability in the Governments regarding
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be
achieved by 2030.
• It seeks to inspire organisations around the
world to create content partnerships with the
UN and leverage their resources and creative
talent to advance the Goals.

Question 13

SOUTH-EAST ASIA REGULATORY

NETWORK

Answer 13

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare
launched the Information Sharing Platform (ISP) Gateway for SEARN developed by Centre
for Development of Advanced Computing
(CDAC).
• SEARN was launched by the WHO South-East
Asia Region member countries to enhance
information sharing, collaboration and
convergence of medical product regulatory
practices across the Region to guarantee access
to high-quality medical products.
o It is led by a steering group of which India is
a permanent member.

Question 14

GOOD SAMARITAN LAW

Answer 14

• Karnataka became the first state in the country

with a Good Samaritan law in place

Question 15

SWACHH SURVEKSHAN 2019

Answer 15

• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs recently
launched Swachh Survekshan 2019, SBM
ODF+ and SBM ODF++ Protocols and web-based
citizen engagement platform (Swachh
Manch portal).
• Results of Swachh Survekshan 2019 have been
announce recently.

The ODF+ protocol says that a city, ward or
work circle could be declared ODF+ if, “at any
point of the day, not a single person is found
defecating and/or urinating in the open, and
all community and public toilets are functional
and well-maintained.”

• The ODF++ protocol adds the condition that
“faecal sludge/septage and sewage is safely
managed and treated, with no discharging
and/or dumping of untreated faecal
sludge/septage and sewage in drains, water
bodies or open areas.”

Question 16

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Urban)

Answer 16

• The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) aims at
o elimination of open defecation
o eradication of manual scavenging
o modern and scientific municipal solid waste
management
o to effect behavioural change regarding
healthy sanitation practices
o generate awareness about sanitation and its
linkage with public health
o capacity augmentation of Urban Local Bodies
and
o to create an enabling environment for private
sector participation in capital and operation
and maintenance expenditure.

• At the core of this mission lie six components:
o Individual household toilets (IHHL);
o Community toilets;
o Public toilets;
o Municipal Solid Waste Management;
o Information and Educating Communication
(IEC) and Public Awareness;
o Capacity Building

Question 17

Astana Declaration

Answer 17

Recently, Global Conference on Primary Health
Care by UNICEF and World Health Organisation
(WHO), has concluded with Astana Deceleration
in Kazakhstan. All the 192-member countries of
the United Nations, including India, signed the
Astana Declaration.
More on news
• It is the global commitment to strengthen
Primary Health Care.
• This declaration reaffirms the historic 1978
Declaration of Alma-Ata. Alma-Ata
Declaration was the first declaration which
identified Primary Health Care as a key to the
attainment of the goal of Health for All.

Question 18

DELHI DECLARATION ON

DIGITAL HEALTH

Answer 18

Recently, the Delhi Declaration on digital health for sustainable development was adopted at the 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit.

• It called for WHO’s leadership in digital health.
• It committed to accelerate and implement the appropriate digital health interventions to improve health of the population at national and sub-national levels by 2023.
• The Global Digital Health Partnership Summit was hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP).
o The Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) is a collaboration of governments and territories, government agencies and WHO, to support the effective implementation of digital health services.

Question 19

WHO Framework convention

on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)

Answer 19

First international public health treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO.
• The objective of this Convention and its protocols is to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic
consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
• The convention recommends large pictorial health warnings.
• India is a party to WHO FCTC. India, for the first time, hosted the 7th session of COP meeting of FCTC.

Question 20

Central Drug Standards Control Organisation

CDSCO

Answer 20

It is the national drug regulatory authority under
Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare.
• It is responsible for approval of New Drugs,
Clinical Trials in the country and laying down the
standards for Drugs.
• It exercises control over the quality of imported
drugs and coordination of the activities of State
Drug Control Organisations.
• It provides expert advice with a view of bringing
about the uniformity in the enforcement of the
Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

While CDSCO has sole responsibility for Periodic Safety
Update Reports, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission
(IPC) is in charge of co-ordinating Adverse Drug
Reports (ADRs).

Question 21

Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission

Answer 21

• It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry
of Health & Family Welfare.
• It is dedicated for setting of standards for drugs,
pharmaceuticals and healthcare devices/
technologies etc.
• It also provides Reference Substances and
Training.

Question 22

JANAUSHADHI SUVIDHA - OXOBIODEGRADABLE

SANITARY NAPKIN

Answer 22

under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi
Pariyojana (PMBJP).

• The affordable sanitary napkins (at Rs. 2.50
per pad) will now become available at
Janaushadhi Kendras.
• Jan Aushadhi Suvidha comes with a special
additive, which makes it biodegradable when
it comes in contact with oxygen after being
discarded, thus ensuring ‘Swachhta,
Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the
underprivileged Women of India.

Question 23

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi

Pariyojana (PMBJP)

Answer 23

• It is a campaign launched by the Department
of Pharmaceuticals, to provide quality
medicines at affordable prices to the masses
through special kendra’s known as
Janaaushadhi Kendra.

The implementing agency for the scheme is
Bureau of Pharma PSU of India

Question 24

The Ujjwala Sanitary Napkins initiative

Answer 24

It is an initiative by three oil marketing companies –
IOCL, BPCL and HPCL (under Petroleum and
Natural Gas Ministry) – was launched in Odisha.
• The Ujjwala pads will be made of virgin wood pulp
sheet, non-woven white sheet and a gel sheet
which are all biodegradable in nature.

Question 25

Menstrual Hygiene for Adolescent girls Schemes

Answer 25

• It is under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Under the scheme, funds are provided to
States/UTs through National Health Mission for
decentralized procurement of sanitary napkins
packs for provision primarily to rural adolescent
girls at subsidized rates as per proposals received
from the States and UTs in their Programme
Implementation Plans.
• This scheme encompasses provision of funds to
ASHAs to hold monthly meeting with adolescents
to discuss issues related to menstrual hygiene.

Question 26

NATIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY

NHA

Answer 26

The Union Cabinet has approved the restructuring of existing National Health Agency as “National Health Authority”.

• It has now been made an attached office to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for better implementation of Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).
• The Cabinet also approved a proposal to upgrade the post of the NHA CEO to that of a Secretary to the Government of India. Now the CEO will have
o Full financial powers (Till now, all funds released by the NHA were done through the Ministry of Health).
o Complete administrative control of the NHA.

• The existing multi-tier decision making structure has been replaced with the Governing Board:
o It will be chaired by the Minister for Health and Family Welfare
o Its members will include NITI Aayog CEO and NHA CEO.
o Due representation has been provided to domain experts and the states shall also be represented on the Board on rotational basis.
o The board will meet at least once in three months.

The Union Cabinet took this step through an executive order, thus taking the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) out of the ambit of the Ministry of Health whose role will now be limited to acting as the nodal ministry for NHA in parliamentary matters, like the presentation of annual reports.

Question 27

National
Health Stack (NHS)

Answer 27

NITI Aayog has unveiled the blueprint of National Health Stack (NHS), a shared digital healthcare infrastructure.

About NHS
• It is a collection of cloud-based services.

• It will be India’s first futuristic nationally shared digital healthcare infrastructure usable by both the Centre and
states across public and private sectors.

Question 28

Integrated Health Information Platform

Answer 28

• IHIP is a web-enabled near-real-time electronic information system to enable the creation of standards compliant Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of the citizens on a pan-India basis.

• Key features of IHIP
o Real time data reporting (along through mobile application); accessible at all levels (from villages, states and central level)
o Advanced data modelling & analytical tools
o GIS enabled Graphical representation of data into integrated dashboard
o Role & hierarchy-based feedback & alert mechanisms
o Geo-tagging of reporting health facilities
o Scope for data integration with other health programs

• Integrated Disease Surveillance Project
(IDSP): aims to strengthen/maintain
decentralized laboratory-based IT enabled
disease surveillance system for epidemic
prone diseases to monitor disease trends and
to detect and respond to outbreaks in early
rising phase through trained Rapid Response
Team (RRTs).
• IDSP as a segment of IHIP intends to receive
person-level data from health facilities across
all States and Union Territories on all health
events.

Question 29

National Health Portal (NHP)

Answer 29

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has set up the National Health Portal in December 2014 in pursuance to the decisions of the National Knowledge Commission, to provide healthcare related information to the citizens of India and to serve as a single point of access for consolidated health information.
• This portal serves as a single point of access for consolidated and authentic information and resources on the health sector to a wide spectrum of users such as academicians, citizens, students, healthcare professionals and researchers.

Question 30

NATIONAL HEALTH RESOURCE

REPOSITORY (NHRR)

Answer 30

• It is the first ever registry in India of authentic, standardised and updated geospatial data of all public and private healthcare resources which inter-alia includes, hospitals, diagnostic labs, doctors and pharmacies, etc.
• NHRR is conceptualised by Central bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI). ISRO is the project technology partner for providing data security.

Question 31

National Health Profile

Answer 31

• Objective of this annual publication is to create a database of health information of India which is comprehensive, up-to-date and easily accessible to all stakeholders in the healthcare sector.
• National Health Profile covers- Demographic information, Socio-economic information, Health status, Health finance indicators, Comprehensive information on health infrastructure and human resources in health.
• It is prepared by Central Bureau of Health Intelligence.

Question 32

Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI)

Answer 32

• Established in 1961 by the Act of Parliament on the
recommendation of Mudaliar committee, it is the
Health Intelligence Wing under Directorate General
of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare (MoHFW).
• Its vision is to have “A strong Health Management
Information System in entire country”.

Question 33

REVITALISING INFRASTRUCTURE
AND SYSTEMS IN EDUCATION (RISE)
BY 2022

Answer 33

• Its objectives include:
o Qualitatively upgrade the research and academic infrastructure in India to global best standards by 2022.
o Make India into an education hub by making available high-quality research infrastructure in Indian higher educational institutions.
o To allow access of HEFA funding to institutions like Central Universities, AIIMS, IISERs and newly created Institutes of National Importance, without creating any additional burden to the students.
o To bring greater accountability and speed in execution of infrastructure projects and avoid all cost/time over-runs, moving from the block-grant mode to project-mode for all infrastructure projects.
o To cater to the requirements of the Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, and medical institutions like AIIMSs in a faster time frame.
• Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) has been tasked to mobilise Rs. 1,00,000 crore for this initiative.
• As per this initiative, the scope of institutions to be funded through HEFA has been enlarged to encompass School Education and Medical Education institutions, apart from Higher Education.

Question 34

HEFA

Answer 34

• HEFA was setup in 2017 by the Central Government as a Non-Profit, Non-Banking Financing Company (NBFC) for mobilising extra-budgetary resources (funds from the market using market-based instruments) for building crucial infrastructure in the higher educational institutions under Central Government.
• The total authorized equity capital of HEFA has been raised to Rs.10,000 crore.
• HEFA is a joint venture of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and Canara Bank with an agreed equity participation in the ratio of 91% and 9% respectively.
• Mission of HEFA: To provide timely finance at competitive interest rates for capital assets creation in India’s educational institutions and supplement it with grants by channelizing CSR funds from the corporate and donations from others.

Question 35

ALL INDIA SURVEY ON HIGHER

EDUCATION (AISHE)

Answer 35

• Ministry of Human Resource Development
(MHRD) initiated an AISHE in the year 2010-11
to build a robust database and to assess the
correct picture of higher Education in the
country.

• Indicators of educational development such
as Institution Density, Gross Enrolment Ratio,
Pupil-teacher ratio, Gender Parity Index, Per
Student Expenditure is also calculated from
the data collected through AISHE.
• The survey is now an annual exercise.

Question 36

THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE ON
ACADEMIC NETWORK (GIAN) COURSE

Answer 36

Second GIAN Course on ‘Urban Analytics: Evaluating and Measuring Sustainability of Cities’ was released recently.

• GIAN in Higher Education aims at tapping the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs internationally to encourage their engagement with the institutes of Higher Education in India
• It would help to augment the country’s existing academic resources, accelerate the pace of quality reform, and elevate India’s scientific and technological capacity to global excellence.
• The initiative provides participation of foreign faculty as Distinguished / Adjunct / Visiting faculty / Professors of Practice, etc. in delivering Short or Semester-long Courses in IITs, IIMs, Central Universities, IISc Bangalore, IISERs, NITs and IIITs and subsequently cover good State Universities.
• These lectures would be made available later to the students across the country through the SWAYAM and the National Digital Library.

Question 37

INSTITUTIONS OF EMINENCE

Answer 37

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has granted Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to six institutions, three public — IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and IISc Bangalore – and three private — BITS Pilani, Manipal University, and the yet-to open Jio University.

• In this context, the government had formed an Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) chaired by N. Gopalaswami to recommend 20 institutions as Institutions of Eminence.

• IOE is a tag given to institutions which
o are either among Top 50 in the National institution Ranking Framework (in their category) or among Top 500 in internationally recognised rankings like the Times Higher Education World University Rankings;
o have a good mix of foreign and domestic students as well as faculty;
o have international standard infrastructure and are multi-disciplinary in their approach

Benefits of declaration as IoE
• Financial Assistance: financial assistance up to Rs. 1000 Crore over the period of five years.
• Autonomy: These Institutions shall be provided with greater autonomy to:
o admit foreign students up to 30% of admitted students;
o recruit foreign faculty upto 25% of faculty strength;
o offer online courses upto 20% of its programmes;
o enter into academic collaboration with top 500 in the world ranking Institutions without permission of UGC;
o fix and charge fees from foreign students without restriction;
o flexibility of course structure in terms of number of credit hours and years to take a degree;
o complete flexibility in fixing of curriculum and syllabus, etc.

Question 38

HAPPY SCHOOLS PROJECT

Answer 38

Recently, Happy School Project was launched by UNESCO with the involvement of UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEPS) in India.

It was launched in 2014 with the aim of promoting learner well-being and holistic development in school.
• It aims to bring happiness and the quality of education together by calling for education systems to shift away from traditional measures and to instead embrace a diversity of talents and intelligences by recognizing
values, strengths and competences that contribute to enhancing happiness.
• The Project framework consists of 22 criteria for a happy school under three categories – People, Place and Process.

Question 39

Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and

Sustainable Development

Answer 39

• It is the first UNESCO specialized education
institute in India, and the first Category 1 institute
in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Its role will be to support member governments,
provide advocacy, commission research and
enhance capacity building.
• It will also act as a clearing house for Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD) and Peace
Education.

Question 40

PERFORMANCE GRADING INDEX

PGI

Answer 40

The Ministry of Human Resource Development
(MHRD) has introduced the Performance Grading
Index or PGI to assess the quality of school
education offered by all states.

The Index will grade States and UTS thus
allowing for more than one State/UT to
occupy the same grade, and therefore all 36
States and UTS to ultimately reach the highest
level

• It has 70 indicators divided into two
categories viz Outcomes and Governance
processes.
o The first category is divided into four
domains viz. Learning outcomes, Access
outcomes, Infrastructure and Facilities
and Equity outcomes.
o The second category covers attendance,
teacher adequacy, administrative
adequacy, training, accountability and
transparency.

Question 41

SAMAGRA SHIKSHA -

INTEGRATED SCHOOL PROGRAMME

Answer 41

• It is an overarching programme for the school education sector which envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels
• It subsumes the three erstwhile centrally sponsored schemes i.e. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).

• It will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the Centre through a single State Implementation Society (SIS) at the State/UT level.
• At the National level, there would be a Governing Council headed by Minister of Human Resource Development and a Project Approval Board (PAB) headed by Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy.
• The Department will be assisted by a Technical Support Group (TSG) at Educational Consultants of India Limited (EdCIL).
o EdCIL is a Mini Ratna Category-1 CPSE under Ministry of Human Resource Development offering management and consultancy services in all areas of education and human resource development, both within India and overseas.
• States are expected to bring a single Plan for the entire school education sector.

Question 42

VAN DHAN VIKAS KENDRAS

Answer 42

It is primarily a component under the Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain.

Under the Van Dhan Scheme, TRIFED will facilitate establishment of MFP-led multipurpose Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, a cluster of 10 SHGs comprising of 30 tribal MFP gatherers each, in the tribal areas.
• Each Kendra would act as common facility centres for procurement cum value addition to locally available MFPs and skill-based handicraft. Training and technical support is provided by TRIFED.
• The scheme is being implemented through Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level and TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level.
• At State level, the State Nodal Agency for MFPs and the District collectors are envisaged to play a pivot role in scheme implementation at grassroot level.
• Locally the Kendras are proposed to be managed by a Managing Committee (an SHG) consisting of representatives of Van Dhan SHGs in the cluster.

• Besides, partnership models with Banks/PSUs/ private sector shall also be explored for their active participation and financial assistance under CSR funds.
• The first multipurpose “Van Dhan Vikas Kendra” on pilot basis is being run in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh

Question 43

Restricted Area Permit (RAP)

Answer 43

The Central government is planning to reimpose Restricted Area Permit (RAP) in the North Sentinel Island

• Due to security reasons, certain areas have been declared as Protected Area/Restricted Areas where no foreigner can enter or stay without obtaining permit from the competent authorities.
• Under the Foreigners (Restricted) Areas Order, 1963, parts of Sikkim and entire Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been declared as `Restricted’ Areas.
• Under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958, all areas falling between the ‘Inner line’ and the International Border of the State have been declared as ‘Protected Areas’.
• Currently Protected Areas are located in- all of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

Question 44

All India Pension Adalat

Answer 44

The ‘All India Pension Adalat’ was organised by
the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare,
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and
Pensions, Government of India.

The Pension Adalats are being convened with the
objective of on-the-spot redressal of pensioners’
grievances within legal framework by bringing on
a common table the aggrieved pensioner, the
concerned department, the bank or Central
Government Health Scheme (CGHS)
representative

Question 45

CPENGRAMS

Answer 45

Grievance Portal for the Central Government
pensioners called CPENGRAMS (Centralized
Pensioners Grievance Redress And
Monitoring System)

Question 46

Bhavishya-

Answer 46

an online Pension Sanction &

Payment Tracking System

Question 47

Sankalp-

Answer 47

to provide a platform for the
pensioners to access opportunities available
for useful interventions in the society. It also
facilitates the Organizations working in these
areas to select appropriate skill and expertise
from the available pool of volunteers

Question 48

Anubhav-

Answer 48

A platform for retirees to share
experience of working with the Government.
This facility provides a sense of fulfilment and
satisfaction to the retirees and also create a
data base of useful suggestion and
information.

Question 49

Jeevan Praman:

Answer 49

It is a biometric enabled
Digital Life Certificate for Pensioners
Scheme. Pensioners of Central Government,
State Government or any other Government
organization can take benefit of this facility.

Question 50

CENSUS 2021

Answer 50

Census 2021 will for the first time collect data on
Other Backward Classes (obc)

• The responsibility of conducting the decennial
Census rests with the Office of the Registrar
General and Census Commissioner, India
under Ministry of Home Affair.

For the first time, census was conducted in 1872.

Question 51

PRADHAN MANTRI JAN
VIKAS KARYAKARAM (PMJVK)

Answer 51

The Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) under Ministry of Minority Affairs has been restructured and renamed as Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK).

• The criteria for identification of Minority Concentration Towns (MCTs) and Cluster of Villages has been rationalised and is based on 2011 census.
o Earlier only those Towns which were found backward in terms of both in Basic Amenities and Socio-economic parameters were taken up as MCTs. Now, the Towns which were found backward in either or both criteria have been taken up as MCT.
o Now the population criteria for selection of cluster of villages has been lowered to 25% population of minority community (which was earlier at least 50%).
• Funding of the scheme would be from budgetary provision of the Ministry of Minority Affairs. The recurring/maintenance expenses will be borne by the State Government/UTs/Organization
o 80% would be earmarked for projects related to education, health and skill development.
o 33 to 40% would be specifically allocated for women centric projects.
• The PMJVK would now cover five more States/UTs namely Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Goa and Pondicherry (total 32 States/UTs).
o Unit area of implementation has been further broadened by including Minority Concentration Districts Headquarters in addition to the minority concentration
Blocks, Minority Concentration Towns and cluster of minority concentration villages.
• Monitoring Mechanism:
o An online module along with geo-tagging has been included.
o All implementing agencies are to be brought under Public Finance Management System (PFMS) and its effective use ensured to monitor fund utilization has been made in PMJVK.

Question 52

Transformation of Aspirational Districts

Answer 52

It aims to quickly and effectively transform the chosen 115 districts, with at least one from 28 states (excluding Goa).
• The broad contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and Competition (among districts driven by a mass Movement).
• The states would be the main drivers of this programme while NITI Aayog will anchor it.
• The Key Performance Indicators chosen to monitor the progress of districts are to be district specific.
• 5 sectors identified to monitor the progress are- Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Basic Infrastructure and Financial Inclusion and Skill Formation.
• The programme includes appointment of Central and State Government Officers at the level of Additional/Joint Secretary as the “Prabhari” and Nodal Officers. These officers are to act as a bridge between centre, state and district.

Question 53

Bandicoot

Answer 53

India’s first ‘manhole cleaning robot’ is
an exoskeleton robot which cleans manholes
without the need for humans to enter the pit.

Question 54

Yogyakarta principles

Answer 54

• Supreme Court has held that the ‘Yogyakarta
Principles on the Application of International Law in Relation to Issues of Sexual Orientation and
Gender Identity’ should be applied as a matter of
national law.
• These were published as the outcome of an
international meeting of human rights groups in
Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in November 2006.

Question 55

MAHILA POLICE VOLUNTEER

Answer 55

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs has envisaged engagement of Mahila Police Volunteers
(MPVs) in the States/UTs who will act as a link between police and community and help women in distress.
• Haryana is the first state to adopt this initiative.
• For implementing the initiative of Mahila Police Volunteer, fund will be released out of Nirbhaya Fund to the States.

Question 56

SAFE CITY PROJECT

Answer 56

• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has
approved a Safe City project for Lucknow at a
total cost of Rs.194.44 crore under the
Nirbhaya Fund Scheme.
• This approval is a part of MHA’s plans to
implement Safe City projects in 8 selected
cities, namely, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata,
Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad
and Lucknow under Nirbhaya Fund with the
purpose of strengthening safety and security
of women in public places.
• The project is implemented with collaboration
of the Ministry of Women and Child
Development, Ministry of Urban
Development, Ministry of Electronic and
Information Technology, respective
municipal and police commissioners of the
cities besides civil society organizations.

Question 57

ONE STOP CENTRES

Answer 57

Ministry of Women and Child Development has
approved 100 additional One Stop Centres.
One Stop Centre (OSC) Scheme
• It is a sub-scheme under National Mission for
Empowerment of Women being run by
Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• It is aimed at supporting women affected by
violence in private and public spaces, within
the family, community and at the workplace.
• Establishment of OSCs was one of the key
components of Nirbhaya Fund. Every OSC is
integrated with newly operational Women’s
Helpline (181).

Question 58

National Mission for Empowerment of Women

Answer 58

• It is an initiative of the Government of India (GOI) with a view to empower women socially, economically and educationally by securing convergence of schemes/programmes of different Ministries/Departments as well as effective implementation of various social laws concerning women.
• In this endeavour, the Mission seeks to utilise existing structural arrangements of participating Ministries, wherever available, and make use of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as far as possible.
• It has a National Mission Authority (NMA) at the apex level under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, which is meant to provide policy direction to the Mission and enable convergence across ministries.

Question 59

Nirbhaya Fund

Answer 59

• It is a dedicated fund set up by Ministry of Finance,
in 2013, for implementation of initiatives aimed at
enhancing the safety and security for women in
the country.
• It is a non-lapsable corpus fund.
• Ministry of Women and Child Development is the
nodal Ministry to appraise schemes under Nirbhaya
Fund and also to review and monitor the progress
of sanctioned Schemes in conjunction with the line
Ministries/Departments.
• Central Victim Compensation Fund has been
created under Nirbhaya, which is a corpus fund to
support States/UTs for their Victim Compensation
Scheme. This helps in ensuring adequate and
timely support for women survivors of crime and
violence.

Question 60

Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)

Answer 60

It is a statutory body (under JJ Act) of Ministry of
Women & Child Development. It functions as the
nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is
mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and
inter-country adoptions.
• CARA is designated as the Central Authority to
deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance
with the provisions of the Hague Convention on
Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by India in
2003.
• CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan,
abandoned and surrendered children through its
associated /recognised adoption agencies.

Question 61

Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance

System (CARINGS)

Answer 61

• It is an e-governance measure to facilitate child
adoption.
• It is a centralized data bank of adoptable children
and PAPs.

Question 62

Savita Law

Answer 62

Ireland passed a Bill (popularly called Savita Law)

to legalise abortion following a referendum

Question 63

Adoption Rules in India:

Answer 63

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2018 seeks to empower the District Magistrate, instead of the court, to issue adoption orders to ensure timely processing of adoption case

• Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2015 has provisions for adoption of orphaned, abandoned and surrendered (OAS) children and also adoption of children by relatives.
• All adoptions under the Act must proceed as per the Adoption Regulations framed by Central Adoption Resource agency (CARA) and notified by the Central Government.
• The Act mandates the State Government for recognizing one or more institutions or organizations in each district as a Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA) for the rehabilitation of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through adoption and noninstitutional care.

• CARA will report and facilitate all adoptions under the JJ Act, 2015 through Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System (CARINGS).
• For safeguards, CARA would maintain adoption records and ensure post-adoption follow up.
• Currently only biological parents or adoptive parents are recognized leaving out the step parent of any legal responsibility. The regulation:
o Defines the step parent legally.
o Allows birth certificate of the adopted child to have their name in it.
• District Child protection Unit (DCPU) will maintain a panel of professionally qualified or trained social workers.

Question 64

POCSO e-box

Answer 64

• It is a National Commission for Protection of Child
Rights (NCPCR) initiative to help children report
such crimes directly to the Commission.
• The online complaint management system enables
easy reporting and timely action against the
offenders under the POCSO Act, 2012.

Question 65

National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights

Answer 65

This statutory body at the National and State level
has been set up under the Commission for
Protection of Child Rights Act 2005.
• It is under the control of the Ministry of Women &
Child Development, set up in 2007.
• It consists of one Chairman and Six other member
(out of which atleast two are woman having
experience in Child Psychology, Education etc.).

Question 66

Adultery

Answer 66

The Supreme Court unanimously struck down
Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that
makes adultery a punishable offence.
Court’s Stand
• SC held that the law was unconstitutional and
fell afoul of Article 21 (Right to life and
personal liberty) and Article 14 (Right to
equality). It destroys and deprives women of
dignity and offends sexual freedom of
women.
• Mere adultery can’t be a crime unless it
attracts the scope of Section 306 (abetment
to suicide) of the IPC. It can be ground for civil
issues including dissolution of marriage but it
cannot be a criminal offence.
• The apex court also declared Section 198(1)
and 198(2) of the CrPC, which allows a
husband to bring charges against the man
with whom his wife committed adultery,
unconstitutional.

Question 67

National Database on Sexual

Offenders (NDSO)

Answer 67

India recently became the ninth country in the world to launch a National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO). It was rolled out by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) along with Ministry of Women and Child Development.

• Contains details of around 4.5 lakh people convicted of various sexual offences: It will include names and aliases, address, photograph, identifiers including PAN and AADHAAR, criminal history, fingerprints and palm prints among others of the people convicted under charges of rape, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and of “eve-teasing”, from 2005 onwards.
• Maintained by National Crime Records Bureau (under Ministry of Home Affairs): It will also track regular updation of records by the State Police.
• Accessible only to Law Enforcement Agencies:
It would not compromise any Individual’s privacy