Context: Union Environment Minister released the India State of Forest Report 2019 in New Delhi.

• India State of Forest Report 2019, an assessment of the country's forest resources, is a biennial report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).

• Karnataka tops the list of states followed by Andhra Pradesh and Kerala in terms of increase in forest cover.


• The total tree and forest cover is around 25 percent of the geographical area of the country.


• The total tree and forest cover in the country has increased by 5,188 square kilometers in the last two years which includes an increase of 3,976 sq. km (0.56 percent) of forest cover and 1,212 sq. km (1.29 per cent) of tree cover.


• There has been a decrease in forest cover to the extent of 765 sq. km (0.45%) in the north-east region. Except for Assam and Tripura, all states in the region show a decrease in the forest cover.


• Forest cover in the hill districts of the country is 2,84,006 sq. km, which is 40.30% of the total geographical area of these districts. The current assessment shows an increase of 544 sq. km (0.19 per cent) in 140 hill districts of the country.

Context: Union Minister for Civil Aviation launched the Biometric enabled Centralised Access Control System (CACS) and ‘e-BCAS Project Training Module’ to enhance security and ease of doing business at airports.

• The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India). It is the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in India.

• Covering 43 Airports of AAI and 5 Joint Venture airports at present, the CACS project is aimed to digitize the employee movement process at the airports.


• The objective of the ‘e-BCAS Project: Training Module’ is to make all the activities in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) transparent, userfriendly, and efficient and above all, the project intends to provide an ease of doing business with the stakeholders.

Context: Phase-1 services of the e-Governance (eGCA) project of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

• The services were launched on the new DGCA website (www.dgca.gov.in).

• The eGCA project is being implemented with TCS as Service Provider and PWC as Project Management Consultant.


• The project has been conceptualized for automation of the processes and functions of DGCA.


• The project envisages an end-to-end solution including various software applications, connectivity with all the regional offices, a ‘portal’ for the dissemination of information and for providing online and speedy service delivery in a secure environment.


• The eGCA project is expected to be completed by the end of the year 2020. With this launch, the issue of Commercial Pilot License (CPL-A) with Flight Radio Telephony Operators License (FRTOL) and Instrument Rating has been automated.

Context: The President of India presented Dada Saheb Phalke Award to Amitabh Bachchan.

• Dadasaheb Phalke (1870–1944), was an Indian film-maker who directed India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913). He is regarded as "the father of Indian cinema."

• Dadasaheb Phalke award, India's highest award in cinema, is presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals (an organization set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).


• The award prize consists of a golden lotus, a cash prize of ₹10 lakh and a shawl.


• The award is given to people for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema".


• It was first presented in 1969. The first recipient of the award was actress Devika Rani, “the first lady of Indian cinema.”

Context: Madhya Pradesh has got its first elephant colony in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

• The ‘Tiger State’ of Madhya Pradesh, which in the 2019 census recorded the most number of estimated tigers at 526, thus securing the title.

• Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh.


• Bandhavgarh was declared a national park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993.


• The park derives its name from the most prominent hillock of the area, which was said to be given by Hindu Lord Rama to his brother Lakshmana to keep a watch on Lanka. Hence the name Bandhavgarh (means Brother's Fort in Sanskrit).

Context: The report titled 'World Economic League Table 2020' was released by the UK-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

• The World Economic League Table is an annual calculation by Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) jointly published by CEBR and Global Construction Perspectives. The base data for 2019 is taken from the IMF World Economic Outlook.

• India will overtake Germany to become the fourth-largest economy in the world by the year 2026. India is all set to overtake Japan to become the third-largest economy by 2034.


• India is also set to become a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2026, 2 years later than the government's target of 2024.


• India has decisively overtaken both France and the UK to become the world's fifth-largest economy in 2019.

Context: Union Finance Minister has said that no Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) will be applicable on transactions through homegrown RuPay and UPI platforms beginning 1st of January next year.

• Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is the cost paid by a merchant to a bank for accepting payment from their customers via digital means. The merchant discount rate is expressed in percentage of the transaction amount.

• Department of Revenue (DoR) will soon notify RuPay and UPI as the prescribed mode of payment for digital transactions without any MDR.


• Now all companies with a turnover of 50 crore rupees or more will be mandated to provide the facility of payment through RuPay Debit card and UPI QR code to their customers. All banks will also start a campaign to popularise RuPay Debit card and UPI.

Context: Central government's citizen engagement platform - MyGov has reached one crore registered users.

• Launched in 2014


• MyGov is a citizen engagement platform founded by the Government of India to promote the active participation of Indian citizens in their country's governance and development.


• It is aimed at creating a common platform for Indian citizens to "crowdsource governance ideas from citizens". Its users discuss and contribute to various government projects and plans.


• The website is hosted and managed by the NIC - National Informatics Centre.

Context: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has constituted a 28-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCES) chaired by former Chief Statistician Pronab Sen.

• The high-level panel under Pronab Sen will review and develop the country’s surveys on employment, industry and services sector amid criticism of official statistics.


• It will review the existing framework of data sources, indicators and definitions of an index of industrial production, periodic labor force survey, time use survey, economic census, and unorganized sector statistics, among others.


• The SCES will subsume in it the four standing committees on labor force statistics, industrial statistics, services sector and unincorporated sector enterprises.


• Earlier, in March this year, expressing concern over “political interference” in influencing statistical data in India, as many as 108 economists and social scientists had called for the restoration of “institutional independence” and integrity to the statistical organisations.

Context: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) announced a new milestone achieved by the Aadhaar project – crossing of the 125 crore mark.

• Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity number that can be obtained voluntarily by residents or passport holders of India, based on their biometric and demographic data.


• The data is collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), a statutory authority established in 2009 by the government of India, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.


• The data is gathered under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016.


• In September 2018, the Supreme court upheld the validity of the Aadhaar system.

Context: The last of Indian Air Force’s (IAF) MiG-27 was decommissioned at Jodhpur Air base, South West Air Command (SWAC) and entered the pages of history.

• With decommissioning of the MiG-27, the number of IAF’s fighter squadron has gone down to 28 as compared to the authorised 42 squadrons to fight a two-front war with Pakistan and China.

• The Russian origin aircraft was inducted in IAF in 1985 the IAF has flown 165 MiG-27 fighters and has been the backbone of ground attack fleet for the past four decades.


• Why it has been decommissioned? Every aircraft has a life and though it had been upgraded it has completed its operational life cycle. There have been several technical issues reported by the pilots.


• IAF has been gradually retiring the Russian MiG variants of fighters from service including the MiG-23 BN & MiG-23 MF and the pure MiG 27 have already retired earlier. The MiG-29 UPG will be operated by the IAF and the Indian Navy will operate two squadrons of the MiG-29K/KUB off its aircraft carriers.

Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed large cooperative banks to report all exposures of 5 crore rupees and more to the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC). The move is aimed at the early detection of financial distress.

• The RBI has created a CRILC of commercial banks, all India financial institutions and certain non-banking financial companies with multiple objectives, which, among others, include strengthening offsite supervision and early recognition of financial distress.


• With a view to building a similar database of large credits extended by primary (urban) co-operative banks (UCBs), it has been decided to bring UCBs with assets of ₹500 crores and above under the CRILC reporting framework.

Context: Human Resource Development Minister launched the five documents developed by University Grants Commission (UGC) covering the 5 verticals of Quality Mandate in New Delhi.

• UGC has set up a Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (UGCCARE) to continuously monitor and identify quality journals across disciplines.

• These five documents cover evaluation reforms, eco-friendly and sustainable university campuses, human values and professional ethics, faculty induction and academic research integrity.


• The Higher Education Quality Improvement Programme Mandate aims at evolving higher education system to equip country’s next-generation with vital skills, knowledge, and ethics for leading a rewarding life.


• In order to make student assessment more meaningful, effective and linked to Learning Outcomes, the report ‘Evaluation Reforms in Higher Educational Institutions in India’ is very timely and beneficial for HEIs.


• SATAT – the Framework for Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Campus development in Higher Educational Institutions – encourages universities to adopt policies to enhance the environmental quality of the campus.


• UGC has also developed a policy framework- “MulyaPravah - Guidelines for Inculcation of Human values and Professionals Ethics in Higher Educational Institutions”.


• Guidelines for Guru-Dakshta - A guide to Faculty Induction Programme will fulfill its main objective to motivate the faculty to adopt learner-centered approaches, ICT integrated learning and new pedagogic approaches to teaching-learning.

Context: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said that customers can recharge FASTags through any BHIM UPI enabled mobile app.

• FASTag, by the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC), has been made mandatory for toll payment in the country from 15 of this month.

• Established in 2008.


• Headquarter in Mumbai.


• NPCI is an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India.


• The corporation's current and future service portfolio includes: National Financial Switch (NFS), Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), RuPay, National Common Mobility Card, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), Unified Payments Interface (UPI), BHIM, Bharat Bill Payment System, etc.


• Established by Reserve Bank of India & Indian Banks' Association (IBA).


• A not-for-profit organisation registered under section 8 of the Companies Act 2013.

Context: National Consumer Day was observed on December 24, 2019. The theme of this year is “alternate consumer grievance/dispute redressal”.

• Recently, Parliament passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 which has replaced the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.


• It entails setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. The CCPA would make interventions to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices.

• Objective of the day is to make every consumer more aware of their rights and responsibilities.


• On this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted which aims to provide consumers with effective safeguards against different types of exploitation, such as defective goods, deficiency in services and unfair trade practices.

Context: The Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions launched the ‘Good Governance Index (GGI)’ on the occasion of Good Governance Day.

• The Good Governance Day is observed on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (December 25).

• The Good Governance Index (GGI) is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs.


• The GGI takes into consideration ten sectors:


• Agriculture and Allied Sectors


• Commerce & Industries


• Human Resource Development


• Public Health


• Public Infrastructure & Utilities


• Economic Governance


• Social Welfare & Development


• Judicial & Public Security


• Environment


• Citizen-Centric Governance.


• These ten Governance Sectors are measured on total 50 indicators.


• The states and UTs are divided into three groups:

i) Big States
ii) North-East & Hill States
iii) UTs.


• The states and UTs are ranked on all indicators separately, at the same time composite ranking is also calculated for these states and UTs under their respective groups based upon these indicators.

Context: The Union Cabinet has given its approval to release funds to the tune of Rs. 627.40 crore for the 10 projects sanctioned during 2018-19 and additional Rs. 1854.67 crore for sanctioning of new projects during 2019-20 in Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

• Implementing under Ministry of Tourism.


• It is Central Sector Scheme.


• Launched in 2015.


• Developing critical tourism infrastructure to make India a world class tourist destination.


• Under the Scheme 15 circuits have been identified for development namely Himalayan Circuit, North East Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, and Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit and Sufi Circuit.

Context: Intersex individuals and rights organisations have sought a national ban on unnecessary medical surgeries conducted on children with intersex traits and appealed to the Union government to protect their human rights.

• While the term intersex is confused with transgender, the two in-fact have very different meanings.


• Individuals who identify as transgender or transexual have a gender that is different from the one traditionally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.


• Intersex refers to people born with biological or physical characteristics that are more diverse than stereotypical male or female bodies.

• The demand for a nation-wide ban comes months after the Tamil Nadu government banned normative surgeries on infants and children except in life threatening situations after a historic judgment of the Madras High Court on April 22, 2019.


• If adopted nationally, India could become only the third country after Malta and Taiwan, to have a legal regime which protects the rights of intersex children.


• The World Health Organisation and the United Nations Human Rights Council has called upon the Member States to end invasive and irreversible medical surgeries and other medical treatment on intersex children.

Context: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the implementation of the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL).

• It’s a Central Sector Scheme.


• Implementation Period is of 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25).
  
• Out of the total outlay of Rs. 6000 crore, 50% shall be in the form of World Bank loan, and the remaining 50% shall be through Central Assistance from regular budgetary support. The entire amount shall be passed on to the States as Grants.


• The scheme aims to improve groundwater management through community participation in identified priority areas in seven States, viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.


• The Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.


• ATAL JAL has two major components:


• Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for sustainable ground water management in the States including improving monitoring networks, capacity building, strengthening of Water User Associations, etc.


• Incentivising the States for achievements in improved groundwater management practices namely, data dissemination, preparation of water security plans etc.

Context: Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister unveiled India's first long-distance Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) bus fitted with CNG cylinders in New Delhi.

• It can travel around one thousand kilometre in a single fill.


• The first long-range interstate CNG bus will ply from Delhi to Dehradun. such type of buses will soon ply between Delhi to Jaipur, Chandigarh and Agra.


• The project has been executed by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), the largest CNG distribution company in the country in partnership with Mahindra & Mahindra, & Agility Fuel Solutions of USA.


• It has been achieved through the pioneering design of Type IV Composite Cylinders in buses, replacing traditional very heavy Type-I Carbon Steel cylinders. These cylinders are 70% lighter than the Type - I (all steel) cylinders which are being used in India currently.

Context: The Union Cabinet has approved promulgation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 to amend the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

• Under the Amendments, the liability of a corporate debtor for an offense committed prior to the commencement of the corporate insolvency resolution process shall cease.


• The corporate debtors will have immunity against offences committed by them prior to the commencement of the resolution process.


• In addition, it provides immunity from any action against the property (such as attachment, seizure, or confiscation) of the corporate debtor in relation to such offences. Such immunity will be granted if the resolution plan approved by the NCLT results in the change of promoters or management of the corporate debtor.


• However, any person in charge of the corporate debtor, or associated with it, will continue to be held liable for such offences.

Context: The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban had achieved its goal of making urban India free of open defecation, though urban local bodies in West Bengal had not been declared open defecation free (ODF).

• The Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban (SBM-U), launched on 2nd October 2014 aims at making urban India free from open defecation and achieving 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste in 4,041 statutory towns in the country.

• Urban areas of 35 states and Union Territories have become Open Defecation Free (ODF). In all, 4,320 cities out of 4,372 have declared themselves ODF, of which 4,167 cities have been certified through third-party verification.


• This has been achieved by the construction of nearly 65.81 lakh individual household toilets against Mission target of 59 lakhs and 5.89 lakh seats of public toilets against Mission target of 5.08 lakh seats.

Context: The First tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed under Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund (FIDF) between the department of Fisheries Government of India, NARBARD and the Government of Tamil Nadu for the implementation of FIDF.

• In October 2018, Union Cabinet approved the creation of special FIDF.


• From the FIDF, entrepreneurs, fishermen and cooperatives will get loans at subsidised interest rate. The credit from the fund will help attract investment in fisheries development and boost fish production by 67% in next four years from the current level of 12 million tonnes to 20 million tonnes by 2022-23.


• The approved fund size is Rs. 7,522 crore, comprising Rs 5,266 crore to be raised by the nodal loaning entities (NLEs), Rs 1,316 crore from beneficiaries’ contribution and Rs 939.48 crore by budgetary support. The credit from the FIDF will have to be disbursed by 2022-23.


• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC) and all scheduled banks are the designated NLEs in disbursal of the fund.


• The Department of Fisheries under the FIDF provides interest subvention up to 3% per annum for providing the concessional finance by the NLEs at the interest rate not lower than 5% per annum.


• The government has fixed the repayment period at maximum 12 years including moratorium of two years on principal amount.

Context: The Union Ministry of Road Transport issued a notification regarding Automotive Industry Standards (AIS)-155 in respect of Microdot identifiers if affixed on the motor vehicles and their parts.

• This was done through amendment in Rule 92 of the Central Motor vehicles (Fourteenth Amendment) Rules 1989.


• As per new notification, the Manufacturers who are affixing microdot identifiers in the motor vehicles and their parts, components, assemblies, subassemblies shall conform to Automotive Industry Standards (AIS)-155 as amended from time to time.”

• Microdot technology involves spraying the body and parts of the vehicle or any other machine with microscopic dots, which give a unique identification.


• The microdots and adhesive will become permanent fixtures/affixation which cannot be removed without damaging the asset, that is the vehicle itself. These nearly invisible microdots can only be read physically with a microscope and identified with ultraviolet light source.


• Use of this technology will help check theft of vehicles and also use of fake spare parts.

Context: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment informed Rajya Sabha about the status of Manual scavenging related deaths.

• There are about 60,440 manual scavengers identified across the country, in 17 States. The Parliament had enacted the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

• 282 people have died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the country between 2016 and November 2019.


• Among the States, Tamil Nadu has recorded 40 deaths, the highest in number, in these four years. This is followed by Haryana with 31 deaths, and Gujarat and Delhi with 30 deaths each.


• The deaths have been higher in states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh where there has been rapid and unplanned urbanisation.

Context: December 22 was Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, conversely, December 22 was Summer Solstice, the year’s longest day.

• The Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees away from the perpendicular.


• This tilt — combined with factors such as Earth’s spin and orbit — leads to variations in the duration of Sunlight that any location on the planet receives on different days of the year.


• The Earth’s North Pole points towards the North Star over an extended period, as the Earth moves around the Sun through the course of a year.


• The Northern Hemisphere spends half the year tilted in the direction of the Sun, getting direct sunlight during long summer days. During the other half of the year, it tilts away from the Sun, and the days are shorter.


• Winter Solstice, December 21, is the day when the North Pole is most tilted away from the Sun.

Context: The ‘Nagpur Resolution- A holistic approach for empowering citizens’ was adopted during the Regional Conference on ‘Improving Public Service Delivery – Role of Governments’, in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

• The conference was organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra.


• The Conference resolved that Government of India and the State Governments shall collaborate to:


• empower the citizens through timely updation of citizens charters, implementation of enactments and benchmarking standards for continuous improvement;


• empower citizens by reduction in timelines of grievance redressal;


• adopt a holistic approach for improved service delivery through digital platforms;


• achieve a sense of common identity by the exchange of expertise in the areas of Improved Service Delivery between the paired States under the Ek Bharat – Shresht Bharat Program.


• Ensure timely publication of Good Governance Index to identify the quality of governance in 10 sectors especially those pertaining to welfare and infrastructure at the Union, State and District levels.

Context: To promote exports from agriculture produce rich regions of India, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is sending the first trial shipment of vegetables by sea route from Varanasi to Dubai.

• APEDA is an organization under Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.


• It is responsible for promoting exports of Agriculture and Processed Food Products from India.


• It was established under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in 1985.


• Headquarter in New Delhi.

Context: Russia honoured two members of the British “Cambridge Five” spy ring that passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II.

• The Cambridge Five was a KGB group of British spies who passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II and the early stages of the Cold War.


• The KGB, translated in English as Committee for State Security, was the main security agency for the Soviet Union from 1954 until its break-up in 1991.


• The group comprised Donald Maclean (1913-83), Guy Burgess (1911-63), Harold ‘Kim’ Philby (1912-88), Anthony Blunt (1907-83) and John Cairncross (1913 – 1995). None was ever prosecuted for spying.


• All of the five were convinced that the Marxism–Leninism of Soviet Communism was the best available political system, and especially the best defence against the rise of fascism.

Context: The annual report of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for 2018-19 was released recently.

• The insurance density of the life insurance sector in 2018 was $55, unchanged from the life insurance density of the previous year.


• Life insurance penetration for 2018 was 2.74%, slightly lower than the 2.76% of 2017. Life insurance penetration increased from 2.15% in 2001 to 4.60% in 2009, and has thereafter showed a generally decreasing trend.


• The insurance density of the non-life insurance sector has risen from $2.4 in 2001 to $18 in 2017 and to $19 in 2018. The non-life insurance penetration has risen from 0.56% in 2001 to 0.97% in 2018, shows the report.

• Insurance density is measured as the ratio of premium (in US dollars) to the total population.


• Insurance penetration is measured as the ratio of premium (in US$) to GDP (in US$).


• Insurance density and insurance penetration indicate the level of development of the insurance sector.

Context: The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) approved the recommendation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to auction over 8,300 MHz of spectrum, including airwaves to be used for offering 5G services, with a reserve price of ₹5.22 lakh crore.

• The Government of India, vide Resolution dated 22nd October 2018, has re-designated the 'Telecom Commission' as the 'Digital Communications Commission'.


• The DCC consists of a Chairman, four full-time members, and four part-time members. The Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Telecommunications is the ex-officio Chairman of the DCC.


• The DCC is responsible for: Formulating the policy of Department of Telecommunications for approval of the Government;


• Preparing the budget for the Department of Telecommunications for each financial year and getting it approved by the Government; & Implementation of the Government's policy in all matters concerning telecommunication.

Context: After operating Panna-Mukta oil and gas fields for 25 years, Royal Dutch Shell and Reliance Industries will revert the western offshore fields back to state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).

• The Panna-Mukta oilfield consists of two contiguous offshore oil and gas fields in the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai coast.


• In 1994, these were awarded to a consortium of US energy giant Enron and Reliance. Enron during its bankruptcy was taken over by BG Group of UK in 2003. BG Group's interest was subsequently taken over by Shell in 2016.


• RIL and Shell, through its subsidiary BG Exploration & Production India (BGEPIL), hold 30 percent each in Panna, Mukta, and Tapti joint venture (JV), while the remaining 40 percent is owned by ONGC, the government nominee.

Context: EChO Network was launched in New Delhi by Prof. K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

• EChO Network is a national program to provide a template for cross-disciplinary leadership in India with the specific focus of increasing research, knowledge, and awareness of Indian ecology and the environment.


• EChO Network would develop a national network to catalyse a new generation of Indians who can synthesize interdisciplinary concepts and tackle real-world problems in medicine, agriculture, ecology, and technology.


• The program will then train postdoctoral leaders in research and outreach on these topics, while also incorporating current public and private efforts into a national network.

Context: The 38th meeting of the GST Council was chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi.

• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has fixed a uniform tax rate of 28% on both state-run and private lottery. It also decided to rationalize the GST rate on woven and non-woven bags to 18%.


• The rates on the lottery and woven and non-woven bags will be effective from the 1st of March next year.


• The GST Council also decided to exempt upfront amount payable for long term lease of industrial and financial infrastructure plots by an entity having 20% or more ownership of Central or State Government.


• It also recommended that Grievance Redressal Committees (GRC) will be constituted at Zonal/State level with both CGST and SGST officers and including representatives of trade and industry and other GST stakeholders (GST practitioners and GSTN etc.).


• The council also approved various amendments to laws which will be introduced in Union Budget 2020.

Context: The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) released The 2019 Pollution and Health Metrics: Global, Regional and Country Analysis report.

• In 2017, pollution was responsible for 15% of all deaths globally, and 275 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years.


• India had most deaths — about 2.3 million — caused by pollution in 2017. India is followed by China in the number of pollution deaths, with about 1.8 million.


• Chad tops the list of countries with the most pollution-related deaths in proportion to their population, whereas India is at number 10 with 174 deaths for every 1,00,000 people.

• The report provides a ranking of pollution deaths on global, regional and country levels.


• It uses the most recent Global Burden of Disease data from the Institute of Health Metrics Evaluation.

Context: Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced the setting up of a Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize.

• This was announced by him while attending the second meeting of the National Committee for the Commemoration Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary, chaired by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.


• Portuguese Prime Minister is the only foreign Prime Minister to be a part of the committee.


• The committee includes Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Cabinet colleagues, and Chief Ministers, apart from Gandhians.

• Portugal would launch the prize in order to promote Gandhi’s ideals. Every year, the prize would be inspired by Gandhi’s thoughts and quotes.


• The first edition of the prize would be dedicated to animal welfare. Gandhi had said “the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated”.

Context: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) deferred implementation of zero-interconnect usage charge (IUC) regime by a year, besides kick-starting a consultation on the need to fix minimum tariff for mobile calls and data.

• For wireless to wireless domestic calls, termination charge would continue to remain as ₹0.06 per minute up to December 31, 2020. From January 1, 2021, onwards the termination charge for wireless to wireless domestic calls shall be zero.


• The BAK (bill and keep) or zero IUC regime was to come into effect from January 1, 2020.


• The deferment by a year will be a huge relief for Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, who had pitched for postponing the implementation. However, Reliance Jio was in not in favor of deferring it.

• These charges are paid by a telecom services provider whose subscriber makes a call to the service provider whose subscriber receives the call.


• There are various components of IUC:


• Origination charges


• Transit charges (carriage charges)


• Termination charges


• International termination charges


• International settlement rates


• Currently only calls made via wireless to wireless devices attract IUC in India.


• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has fixed the IUC rates at 6 paise per minute.


• TRAI wants to bring IUC to zero because it Is assumed all networks have moved to VoLTE, or voice over LTE (Long Term Evolution). Jio is entirely a VoLTE network, but Vodafone and Airtel continue to offer their legacy 2G and 3G networks as well.

Context: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has notified the setting up of the first ever Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tripura.

• The SEZ is being set-up at Paschim Jalefa, Sabroom, South Tripura District.


• It will be a Sector Specific SEZ for Agro-Based Food Processing. Rubber-based industries, textile and Apparel Industries, bamboo and Agri-food Processing Industries will be set-up in the SEZ.


• The developer of the SEZ will be Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) Ltd.


• After it is set up, 100 percent Income Tax exemption will be provided on export income for SEZ units under Section 10AA of the Income Tax Act for the first 5 years.


• Setting up of the SEZ in Sabroom will open up new avenues to attract private investment considering the proximity of the Chittagong Port and construction of the bridge across Feni River in South Tripura which is underway.

Context: Sahitya Akademi announced its annual Sahitya Akademi Awards in 23 languages. In Hindi, Nand Kishore has been awarded for his Poetry ‘Chheelate Hue Apne Ko’ and in English Shashi Tharoor has been awarded for his Non-Fiction ‘An Era of Darkness’.

• Seven books of poetry, four of a novel, six of short stories, three of essays and one each of non-fiction, autobiography and biography have won the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2019.


• The Awards were recommended by distinguished Jury members representing 23 Indian languages and approved by the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.


• The Award in the form of an engraved copper-plaque, and a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000/- will be presented to the authors of these books at a special function to be held in February 2020.


• The Awards relate to books first published during the five years immediately preceding the year of Award (i.e. between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2017).

Context: International Migrants Day 2019 is being celebrated on December 18 with the theme #WeTogether.

• In 2019, the number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million, 51 million more than in 2010.

• The United Nations (UN) International Migrants Day is annually held on December 18 to recognize the efforts, contributions, and rights of migrants worldwide.


• It is celebrated through the UN-related agency International Organization for Migration (UN Migration).


• This date was chosen because it was on 18 December 1990 that the UN adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Context: December 16, 2019 marked the 134th day of the continuing Internet shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir, which began on August 5, the day the erstwhile state was stripped of its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. This is the longest ever continuous Internet shutdown in the country.

• Home Departments in the states are mostly the authorities that enforce shutdowns, drawing powers from The Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. The central government also has powers under this law, but has not used it.


• Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 has enabled many of the shutdowns in the recent past. It gives the District Magistrate or any other executive magistrate empowered by the state government the power to issue orders to “maintain public tranquility”.


• Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, allows central and state governments to prevent the transmission of messaging during a “public emergency or in the interest of public safety”, or “in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state”, etc.

Context: The Union Minister for Communications launched the National Broadband Mission.

• Broadband access to all villages by 2022.


• Laying of incremental 30 lakhs route km of Optical Fiber Cable and increase in tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand of the population by 2024.


• Develop innovative implementation models for Right of Way (RoW) and to work with States/UTs for having consistent policies pertaining to expansion of digital infrastructure including for RoW approvals required for laying of OFC.


• Develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) to measure the availability of digital communications infrastructure and conducive policy ecosystem within a State/UT.


• Creation of a digital fiber map of the Digital Communications network and infrastructure, including Optical Fiber Cables and Towers, across the country.


• Investment from stakeholders of USD 100 billion (Rs 7 Lakh Crore) including Rs 70,000 crore from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

Context: The revised Mobile Number Portability (MNP) rules issued by telecom regulator TRAI came into effect from December 16, 2019. The new rules are slated to make the porting process fast and simple.

• Under the new rules, it would take only 3 days to port from one network to another in the same circle while Porting for another circle will be executed within 5 working days. Earlier MNP used to take a week to be completed.


• For corporate mobile connections, there is no change in the porting timelines.


• The revised process comes with conditions for generation of Unique Porting Code (UPC). Mobile users can generate the UPC and avail the mobile number porting process. In new process, the UPC can be generated only when the subscriber is eligible to port-out his/her mobile number.


• A positive validation of various conditions will determine generation of the UPC. For instance, in case of a post-paid mobile connection, the subscriber has to ensure clearance of outstanding dues towards the existing telecom service provider for the issued bills as per normal billing cycle.


• Once UPC is generated, it will be valid for four days for all 'Licensed Service Areas (LSAs)' except the circles of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East, where it will remain valid for 30 days.

Context: Giving a big boost to digital funds movement, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) operationalised round-the clock (24 X 7 basis) availability of the National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT). RBI also asked the banks not to levy any charges on NEFT transfer from savings bank account holders.

• The NEFT system, which was first introduced in the late 1990s as the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) system, attained its present avatar in 2005.


• Now that NEFT is 24x7, 365 days a year, is it still different from IMPS? Yes, very much so.


• For one, NEFT transactions will only be credited to the beneficiary account in batches, unlike the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) system, which transfers money in real time.


• Secondly, unlike IMPS, for which banks charge a certain amount depending on the quantum of money being transferred, NEFT transactions have been made free by RBI from July 1, earlier this year.


• Thirdly, unlike IMPS, which can only be transacted online, a NEFT transaction can be done offline by visiting a bank branch.


• Additionally, as per the RBI mandate, there's no limit on the amount of money that may be transferred via NEFT — unlike IMPS, where a maximum of Rs 2 lakh per day can be transferred.

Context: Negotiators at the Madrid climate talks finally threw up their hands on the contentious issue of setting up a new carbon market under the Paris Agreement.

• Carbon markets allow the buying and selling of emission reductions in the form of carbon credits, and enable countries struggling to meet their climate targets to buy these credits from countries that are in a position to reduce their emissions beyond their own targets.


• Such a carbon market existed under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol as well but that regime is coming to an end next year. The current negotiations are about creating a similar market under the successor Paris Agreement regime.

• The big disagreement is over the transition of unsold carbon credits from the Kyoto regime to the new market.


• Countries like India, China and Brazil want their unsold carbon credits to be valid in the new market while the developed countries are opposing it on the ground that many of these credits were bogus and did not represent actual emission reductions.


• The provisions relating to setting up a new carbon market are described in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. These provisions allow for two different approaches of carbon trading.


• Article 6.2 enables bilateral arrangements for transfer of emissions reductions, while ensuring that they do not double-count the reductions. Article 6.4 talks about a wider carbon market in which reductions can be bought and sold by anyone.


• Article 6.8 provides for making ‘non-market approaches’ available to countries to achieve targets. They could include any cooperative action, like collaboration on climate policy or common taxation, that are not marketbased.

Context: Recently, Minister of Shipping informed Lok Sabha that the Government has taken many steps to clear the uncertainty of the Shipping industry arising out of impending IMO regulations to reduce the level of sulphur oxide emissions from ship's exhaust from January 2020.

• International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations to reduce sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions from ships first came into force in 2005, under Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (known as the MARPOL Convention).


• Since then, the limits on sulphur oxides have been progressively tightened.


• From 1 January 2020, the limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships operating outside designated emission control areas will be reduced to 0.50% m/m (mass by mass).


• This will significantly reduce the number of sulphur oxides emanating from ships and should have major health and environmental benefits for the world, particularly for populations living close to ports and coasts.

Context: Coal Ministry has decided to establish a Sustainable Development Cell (SDC) to promote environmentally sustainable coal mining in the country.

• The Cell will advise, mentor, plan and monitor the mitigation measures taken by the coal companies for maximizing the utilization of available resources in a sustainable way, minimizing the adverse impact of mining and mitigating it for further eco-system services.


• It will address environmental concerns during the decommissioning or closure of mines.


• The move gains significance as the new private entities are now going to form a significant part of the future.

Context: The Railway Ministry clearing the decks for the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here to continue making Vande Bharat Express trains is seen as a welcome move though senior officials are sceptical of rolling out 45 rakes, 720 coaches, by 2021-22.

• Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is a manufacturer of rail coaches located in the neighbourhood of Perambur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.


• It was established in 1952 and was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955.


• It is owned and operated by the Indian Railways.


• The ICF is one of the three rake production units of the Indian Railways, the other two being the Modern Coach Factory at Raebareli and the Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala.


• The new age flagship Trainset code-named Train 18 was rolled out by ICF by the end of October, 2018.

Context: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) used its emergency powers to raise ceiling prices of 21 essential medicines by 50%.

• These essential medicines include Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, anti-malaria drug Chloroquine, anti-leprosy drug Dapsone among others. The increase in prices of these key drugs was on account of a sharp rise in the cost of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from China.


• The price increase was based on a recommendation by the Standing Committee on Affordable Medicines and Health Products (SCAMHP) under Niti Aayog.

• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is a government regulatory agency that controls the prices of pharmaceutical drugs in India.


• Established in 1997.


• Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

Context: According to the data presented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in the Lok Sabha, around 3 lakh rural habitations lack quality drinking water supply.

• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has been launched in August 2019 in partnerships with States to provide potable water through Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) at the service level of 55 lpcd by 2024.

• Over three lakh rural habitations across the country continue to be deprived of the government’s minimum prescribed provision of 40 litre per capita per day (lpcd) of potable drinking water with assured quality with sources at a reasonable distance.


• As reported by States/UTs till Dec. 2019, 15.56% rural habitations have service level of less than 40 lpcd, whereas 3.17% of rural habitations are with water sources having quality issues.


• Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam top the list where the coverage is facing quality issues or seeing diminished supply.

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the first meeting of the National Ganga Council in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

• The Council has been given overall responsibility for the superintendence of pollution prevention and rejuvenation of River Ganga Basin, including Ganga and its tributaries.


• He urged for a holistic thinking process where ‘Namami Gange’ evolves to ‘Arth Ganga’ or a sustainable development model with a focus on economic activities related to Ganga.


• For monitoring the work progress under Namami Gange, PM also gave directions for the setting up of a Digital Dashboard where data from villages and urban bodies should be monitored on a daily basis by Niti Ayog and Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Context: Minister of Jal Shakti informed Lok Sabha about the Atal Bhujal Yojana.

• The World Bank has approved Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), an Rs.6,000 Crore Central Sector Scheme, for sustainable management of groundwater resources with community participation.


• The funding pattern is 50:50 between Government of India and World Bank.


• The scheme envisages active participation of the communities in various activities such as the formation of Water User Associations, monitoring and disseminating groundwater data, water budgeting, preparation and implementation of Gram-Panchayat wise water security plans, etc.


• The identified water-stressed areas for the implementation of the scheme fall in the States of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Context: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment informed Lok Sabha that the deadline for the government’s Accessible India campaign has been extended to March 2020 due to slow progress.

• Accessible India campaign aims at making public spaces friendly for persons with disabilities.


• Under the Rights of PwD Act, 2016, all existing and new public buildings have to follow the accessibility standards notified on June 15, 2017. The existing buildings were given five years to comply.


• The original deadlines under the Accessible India campaign were July 2016 for conducting an accessibility audit of 25-50 of the most important government buildings in 50 cities and making them completely accessible and March 2018.


• The decision to extend the deadline was taken by the Central Advisory Board chaired by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Context: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Friday passed the Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill, 2019 (Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2019).

• Disha is the name given to a veterinarian who was raped and murdered in Hyderabad on November 27. On the morning of December 6, the Cyberabad police shot all four accused in an encounter.

• It has prescribed the death penalty for rape crimes where there is adequate conclusive evidence. Provision is given by amending Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.


• It also prescribes life imprisonment for other sexual offenses against children and includes Section 354 F and 354 G in IPC.


• In cases of harassment of women through social or digital media, it states two years imprisonment for the first conviction and four years for second and subsequent convictions. For this, a new Section 354 E will be added to IPC, 1860.


• It envisages the completion of investigation in seven days and trial in 14 working days, where there is adequate conclusive evidence, and reducing the total judgment time to 21 days from the existing four months.


• The period for disposal of appeal cases has been reduced to three months. Amendments are being made in Section 374 and 377 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1973.


• The government will constitute special police teams at the district level to be called District Special Police Team to be headed by DSP for investigation of offenses related to women and children.

Context: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing the Agreement on Social Security between the India and Brazil.

• India has been entering into bilateral Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with other countries in order to protect the interests of Indian professionals / skilled workers working abroad for short durations and enhance the competitiveness of Indian companies.

• Avoiding making of double social security contributions by the workers (detachment).


• Easy remittance of benefits (Exportability).


• Aggregating the contribution periods (in two countries) to prevent loss of benefits (Totalization).


• Disability insurance benefits to the Indian nationals working abroad.


• As on date, India has signed SSAs with 18 countries.

Context: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has begun preparatory works for setting up a third rocket launchpad in the small coastal hamlet of Kulashekhrapattinam in the Thuthukudi district of Tamil Nadu.

• At present, the ISRO has two launch pads at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.


• The demand for additional launch pads has arisen as a result of the increase in the number of satellite launches from India, both for domestic and international customers. ISRO says that it had launched as many as 17 missions in 2018 alone.


• Recently, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office informed Rajya Sabha that the government had a proposal to set up a rocket launching pad near Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu.

Context: The Lok Sabha passed the International Financial Services Centres Authority Bill, 2019.

• An International Financial Services Centres (IFSC) provides jurisdiction for carrying out international financial services domestically.


• Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat is the only functional IFSC in India as of now. There is no limit on the number of IFSCs that can be set up. Other states can also seek nod for similar centers.


• The Bill will apply to all IFSCs set up under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005.


• The Bill sets up the International Financial Services Centres Authority. It will consist of nine members, appointed by the central government. Members will have a term of three years, subject to reappointment.


• The bill seeks to establish a unified Authority to develop and regulate the financial services market in the IFSC’s in India. Currently, multiple agencies are entrusted with regulating the specific market including the RBI, SEBI, IRDA, and PFRDA.


• Fourteen Central Acts would be amended including seven relating to the RBI, three each relating to the SEBI and the IRDA and one on the PFRDA.


• The proposed authority will be subjected to the scrutiny of the CAG and the CVC. The Central agencies like the CBI, the ED and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act-PMLA will have jurisdiction over the proposed authority.

Context: Union Cabinet has approved the "Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme" for the purchase of high-rated pooled assets from financially sound Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)/Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) by Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

• SMA-0 accounts are the special mention accounts (SMA) against which the principal or interest or any other amount wholly or partially is overdue between 1-30 days.

• PSBs can purchase high-rated pooled assets from financially sound NBFCs/HFCs, with the amount of overall guarantee provided by the government till the first loss of up to 10 percent of the fair value of assets being purchased by banks or Rs 10,000 crore, whichever is lower.


• The scheme would cover NBFCs / HFCs that may have slipped into SMA-0 category during the one year period prior to 1.8.2018, and asset pools rated "BBB+" or higher.


• The window for one-time partial credit guarantee offered by Gol will remain open till 30th June, 2020 or till such date by which Rs. 1,00,000 crore assets get purchased by the Banks, whichever is earlier.


• Power has been delegated to the Finance Minister to extend the validity of the Scheme by up to three months taking into account its progress.


• Major Impact: The scheme will help address NBFCs/HFCs resolve their temporary liquidity or cash flow mismatch issues, and enable them to continue contributing to credit creation and providing last mile lending to borrowers, thereby spurring economic growth.

Context: Bharti Airtel has introduced Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), a first for India.

• Airtel says it will soon be compatible with all broadband services and Wi-Fi hotspots, and rolled out in other locations. Reliance Jio can be expected to roll out its own VoWiFi service soon.

• It uses the high-speed Internet connection, available via broadband, to make and receive high definition (HD) voice calls. Users don’t have to pay extra for these calls as it is using a Wi-Fi network.


• Wi-Fi Calling can be configured on compatible smartphones by upgrading operating systems to the version that supports Wi-Fi Calling and enabling this in Settings. Keeping VoLTE switched on will help in seamless voice calling, but this is not essential.


• This is not much different from a voice call using WhatsApp or any other over-the-top messaging platform, but here the call is from one number to another, and not using an app.


• Airtel Wi-Fi calling claims to enhance indoor voice calling experience for smartphone customers. Since these calls use stable Wi-Fi connections, call drops are not expected to be a problem. Wi-Fi Calling is aimed especially for areas where cellular networks are not strong.


• At the moment the service is limited to Delhi-NCR users with compatible devices. For now, it will work only for users who have Wi-Fi on Airtel Xstream Fiber home broadband.

Context: This year's Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) was jointly released by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and Climate Action Network at the COP25 climate summit in the Spanish capital Madrid.

• India for the first time ranks among the top 10 in CCPI. India was ranked 9th in the high category showing that emissions are still comparatively low.


• As none of the countries assessed is already on a path compatible with the Paris climate targets, the first three places of the ranking remain unoccupied.


• Sweden (4th) and Denmark (5th) achieved overall high or very high ratings.


• While only two G20 countries, the UK (7th) and India (9th), are ranked in the high category, eight G20 countries are remaining in the worst category of the index. Australia (56th out of 61), Saudi Arabia and above all the US perform particularly poor.


• China, the largest global emitter slightly improves its ranking in the index to 30th place.

Context: Minister of Culture and Tourism informed Rajya Sabha that the Government is developing ‘Gandhi Encyclopedia’ to spread awareness in the society.

• Ministry of Culture has approved a project for the development of Gandhi Pedia by National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata.


• It is being developed for the promotion of appropriate Gandhian philosophy and thoughts through social media platforms under 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi commemoration


• it is being developed with financial assistance of Rs. 5.25 crore.

Context: National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched interest rate options on 10-year Government bonds. Rival bourse BSE launched trading in interest rate options based on government securities in August this year.

• Interest rate options are financial derivative contracts whose values are based on an underlying interest rate. Market participants can use options to trade and hedge interest rate risk on a transparent platform.


• These interest rate options by NSE are based on 10-year government bonds maturing in 2029 with a coupon rate of 7.26 percent and 6.45 percent. Presently, interest rate futures are available on seven government bonds for residual maturity ranging from 4 years to 15 years.


• The move is aimed at providing an efficient tool for managing interest rate risk and exposure through hedging. Interest rate options will provide institutional investors the ability to manage risk through a non-linear product which is otherwise not available to them.

Context: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the subscription of compulsorily convertible debentures (CCDs) of Piramal Enterprises by Caisse dedépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. Upon conversion, the equity shareholding of CDPQ in Piramal Enterprises will increase from 3.68 % to 8.99 %.

• A debenture is a medium- to long-term debt security issued by companies to borrow money from investors at a fixed interest rate, though physical assets or collateral do not secure them.


• A debenture comes in two forms – non-convertible and convertible.


• Convertible debentures can be converted into the company’s equity after a predetermined period of time.


• Compulsory Convertible Debenture (CCD) is a type of debenture in which the whole value of the debenture must be converted into equity by a specified time. A CCD can be classified as hybrid security, meaning it is neither considered pure debt nor pure equity.


• Under FDI guidelines, CCDs are treated as equity for the purposes of reporting to Reserve Bank of India.


• Section 71 of the Companies Act, 2013 states that a company could issue debentures with an option to convert into shares either wholly or partly at the time of redemption.

Context: Human Rights Day is being celebrated on the 10th December.

• Since its inception on the 12th October 1993, the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) has endeavoured to promote a culture of human rights.


• The NHRC, like most of the human rights institutions in the world, is a recommendatory body as per the Protection of Human Rights Act passed by Parliament.

• Human Rights Day is celebrated on the 10th December every year to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.


• The Declaration recognizes that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of mankind are the foundation of justice, freedom, and peace in the world.


• The United Nations’ theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is: “Youth Standing up for Human Rights.”

Context: Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is preparing the ground for enforcement of piped water quality standards in the states.

• He was speaking at a workshop organized by BIS to disseminate information about the requirements of IS 10500:2012, the piped water quality standard.


• However, it is not yet clear whether the Centre’s own flagship mission to provide piped water to all households by 2024 will implement the BIS standard.


• Unlike the BIS standard for bottled water, which is mostly produced by private companies, the standard for piped water — largely supplied by government agencies — is not yet mandatory.


• Jal Shakti is the nodal Ministry for the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide functional household tap connections to 14.6 crore rural households by 2024.

Context: Members of the Jat community in Rajasthan have opposed the release of the movie Panipat in Rajasthan, accusing its makers of wrongly portraying the 18th-century ruler of Bharatpur, Maharaja Suraj Mal.

• The film, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker is based on the third Battle of Panipat, which was fought between the Marathas and Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.


• The film shows Maharaja Surajmal as having denied help to the Maratha army.

• Maharaja Suraj Mal (1707 – 1763) or Sujan Singh was a Jat ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan.


• The Jats, under Suraj Mal, overran the Mughal garrison at Agra and plundered the city taking with them the two great silver doors of the entrance of the Taj Mahal which were then melted down by Suraj Mal in 1763.


• He was killed in an ambush by the Mughal Army on the night of 25 December 1763 near Hindon River.

Context: Response to RTI queries have revealed that almost six years after the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, was signed into law, several key provisions needed for the anti-corruption ombudsman to function have still not been operationalised.

• Section 60 of the Act gives the Lokpal the power to make regulations on “the manner and procedure of conducting preliminary inquiry or investigation”.

• The term Lokpal was coined in 1963 but it was not until January 2014 that the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act came into force. It was more than five years later, in March 2019, that the first chairperson and members of the Lokpal were appointed.


• More than eight months later, the institution is functioning out of a government-owned hotel in Delhi.


• The Lokpal has not yet notified a format for filing complaints. Despite that obstacle, 1,065 complaints were sent to the Lokpal office.


• The process of constituting the Lokpal’s inquiry and prosecution wings has not yet begun, and regulations for how to conduct preliminary investigations have not been made.


• The rules for the disclosure of assets and liabilities by public servants have not been notified either. This is a key provision as the amassing of assets disproportionate to the known sources of income is often the basis for a complaint.

Context: Union Ministry of Health and Family tabled in Parliament the figures related to malaria, dengue, and chikungunya cases.

• The NVBDCP is a comprehensive program for prevention and control of vector-borne diseases namely Malaria, Filaria, Kala-azar, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Dengue and Chikungunya.


• Directorate of NVBDCP is the central nodal agency for the prevention and control of vector borne diseases.

• There has been a Year on year, drop-in malaria, dengue and chikungunya cases.


• In 2018, the country recorded 4,29,928 cases of malaria, 1,01,192 cases of dengue, and 57,813 clinically suspected cases of chikungunya. For each of these diseases, the number of cases was less than in 2017, when there were 8,44,558 cases of malaria, 1,88,401 of dengue and 67,769 of chikungunya.


• The highest number of malaria cases in 2018 was recorded in Uttar Pradesh, at 86,486.


• For dengue, Punjab recorded the highest number of cases in 2018, at 14,890.


• For clinically suspected cases of chikungunya, the highest count was 20,411 in Karnataka.

Context: President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for the Paika Memorial at the bottom of Brunei Hill in Odisha's Khurda district to mark 200 years of the Paika Rebellion, which is sometimes described as the first war of independence.

• It was an armed rebellion against the British East India Company's rule in Odisha in 1817, forty years before the revolt of 1857.


• The Paikas (pronounced “paiko”, literally ‘foot soldiers’) were the traditional landed militia of Odisha who served as warriors and was charged with policing functions during peacetime. In March 1817, The Paiks rose in rebellion under their leader Bakshi Jagabandhu and projected Lord Jagannath as the symbol of Odia unity.


• The rebellion quickly spread across most of Odisha before being ruthlessly put down by the company's forces.


• By May 1817, the British managed to re-establish their authority over the entire province, but it was a long while before the tranquillity finally returned to it.


• The Ministry of Culture has recognised the Paika Rebellion at the national level. The decision to commemorate the bi-centenary of the revolution was announced in the 2017-18 Budget Speech.

Context: According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications, Greenhouse gas emissions directly from the movement of volcanic rocks can create massive global warming effects.

• The researchers said one such role in climate change could be played by Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs), extremely large accumulations of rocks forming when magma traveled through the crust towards the surface.


• They created a model of changes in carbon emissions during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) - a short interval of maximum temperature lasting around 100,000 years some 55 million years ago.


• As part of the study, the researchers calculated the greenhouse gas fluxes associated with the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) - one of Earth's largest LIPs that spans Britain, Ireland, Norway and Greenland.


• The simulations by the researchers predicted that the volcanic rocks part of the NAIP could have initiated PETM climate change. According to the researchers, the PETM is the largest natural climate change event of this era.

Context: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs launched the Independent Director’s Databank in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and the rules made thereunder.

• All existing Independent Directors are required to register themselves in the databank within 3 months from 01 December 2019.


• The Databank can be accessed at www.mca.gov.in or independentdirectorsdatabank.in

• The Databank portal will be maintained by the Indian Institute for Corporate Affairs (IICA).


• To provide an easy platform for the registration of existing Independent Directors as well as individuals aspiring to become independent directors.


• To provide a wide array of e-learning courses on various topics including the Companies Act, Securities laws, basic accountancy, board practices, board ethics and board effectiveness for capacity building of Independent Directors.

Context: The Union Ministry for Environment has objected to a Uttarakhand government’s notification defining the term ‘forest’.

• In a notification on November 21, the Uttarakhand government said that in areas recorded as “deemed forest”, only tracts 10 hectares and more, and having a canopy density of greater than 60%, would be considered as forests.


• Land already registered as ‘reserved’ and ‘protected’ forests would be out of the remit of this definition. However, land recorded in government records as ‘revenue’ land could potentially be influenced by this definition of deemed forest.

• Deemed forests, which comprise about 1% of India’s forest land, are a controversial subject as they refer to land tracts that appear to be a “forest”, but have not been notified so by the government or in historical records.


• Environmentalists say Uttarakhand’s criteria paves the way for large parts of forestland to be captured by builders and industrialists.


• According to it, the Uttarakhand order was in “contravention” of the Supreme Court's orders.


• The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 would be applicable to all areas recorded as forest in any government records.

Context: A study published in the journal Nature has for the first time provided evidence of a planet surviving a white dwarf event.

• Some 4.5 billion years from today, our Sun will run of fuel and shed its outer layers. What will remain of the Sun is called a “white dwarf”.


• In the process, it will destroy Mercury, Venus and probably Earth, and is expected to radiate enough high energy photons to evaporate Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.


• Astronomers from the University of Warwick and the University of Valparaíso have reported the first indirect evidence of a giant planet orbiting a white dwarf star (WDJ0914+1914). It is the first time any such planet has been found.


• The discovery is significant because while there was growing evidence accumulated in the past two decades that planetary systems can survive into white dwarf stars, only smaller objects such as asteroids had been detected so far. This is the first evidence of an actual planet in such a system.

Context: Minister for AYUSH informed Lok Sabha about the AYUSH82 formulation.

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through its constituent laboratories namely CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow; and CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow developed NBRMAP-DB as anti-diabetic formulation.


• The knowhow for the product was licensed to M/s AIMIL Pharma Ltd., Delhi who are manufacturing and marketing it as BGR-34, across the country.

• The Central of Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS), an autonomous body under Ministry of AYUSH has been engaged in extending research-oriented Ayurveda based on integrative health care services for the management of Madhumeha which is Diabetes Mellitus.


• CCRAS had developed the AYUSH82 formulation for diabetes through the scientific process of drug development and commercialized through National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for wider public utility.

Context: The Ministry of Coal, after a long gap of 4 years, has approved the allocation of five Coal Mines. This was the result of the electronic auction conducted by the Ministry of Coal in November 2019.

• The five Coal Mines allocated are:

i. Bikram (Madhya Pradesh)
ii. Brahampuri (Madhya Pradesh)
iii. Bhaskarpara (Chhattisgarh)
iv. Jagannathpur B (West Bengal)
v. Jamkhani (Odisha)


• Of the five mines, two were allocated to Birla Corporation Ltd and one each to Vedanta Ltd, Prakash Industries Ltd and Powerplus Traders Pvt Ltd.


• The significant feature of the allocations is that for the first time, the successful bidders shall have the flexibility to sell 25% coal produced in the open market. This will boost the coal production in the country and reduce the dependence of industries on imported coal.

Context: Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) signed a MOU with Bank of Baroda for Investor Awareness.

• In 2016, Government of India established Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the provisions of section 125 of the Companies Act, 2013.


• The Authority is entrusted with the responsibility of administration of the Investor Education Protection Fund (IEPF), make refunds of shares, unclaimed dividends, matured deposits/debentures, etc. to investors and to promote awareness among investors.


• IEPF has been set-up under Section 205C of the Companies Act, 1956 by way of the Companies (Amendment) Act, 1999.

Context: Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned Women Help Desks in Police Stations across the country.

• Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned a sum Rs. 100 crores from Nirbhaya Fund for setting up/strengthening of Women Help Desks in Police Stations.


• This scheme would be implemented by the States and Union Territories.


• Women Help Desks would focus on making the Police Stations more women-friendly and approachable, as they would be the first and single point of contact for any woman walking into a police station.


• Essentially, lady police officers would be deployed at these help desks. These help desks would have enlisted panel of experts like lawyers, psychologists and NGOs to facilitate legal aid, counseling, shelter, rehabilitation, and training, etc.

Context: Exercise INDRA 2019 will be conducted in India from 10 — 19 December 2019 simultaneously at Babina (near Jhansi), Pune, and Goa.

• Exercise INDRA 2019 a joint, tri services exercise between India and Russia.


• The INDRA series of exercise began in 2003 and the First joint Tri-Services Exercise was conducted in 2017.


• Company sized mechanised contingents, fighter and transport aircraft as well as ships of respective Army, Air Force, and Navy will participate in this exercise of ten days duration.

Context: Across the world, various territories are agitating for independence — Bougainville, an island in the Pacific, Catalonia in Spain, Kurdistan in Iraq, Tibet in China. New countries are suddenly in high demand.

• A region’s quest for nationhood mainly depends on how many countries and international organisations recognise it as a country.


• The biggest sanction of nationhood is the United Nations recognising a territory as a country. UN recognition means a new country has access to the World Bank, the IMF, etc. Its currency is recognised, which allows it to trade.

• There is no law barring regions from declaring independence.


• In June 1945, the right of “self-determination” was included in the UN charter. This means that a population has the right to decide how and by whom it wants to be governed.


• Kosovo in Serbia declared independence in 2008, and only a few other countries recognise it.


• According to 1933’s Montevideo Convention, a country-hopeful must have a defined territory, people, government, and the ability to form relationships with other countries.

Context: The Government of India approved the transfer of 3.7 acres of land at Pragati Maidan to ITDC and ITPO on a 99-year lease for ₹611 crores to set up a five-star hotel.

• The Union Cabinet has authorized ITPO to transfer land at Pragati Maidan on a 99 year fixed leasehold basis at a price of Rs. 611 crore in favour of the SPV, which will be formed by India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for development and operation of a five-star hotel.


• The implementation of the International Exhibition and Convention Centre (IECC) project is in full swing and is scheduled to be completed in the year 2020-21.


• India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) is implementing its mega project of redevelopment of Pragati Maidan into world-class IECC.


• The hotel facility is an integral part of IECC project which will promote India as a global Meetings, Initiatives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) hub.

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Fit India School grading system in schools across the country.

• The Fit India School rankings have been divided into three categories -- The Fit India Schools, which is the first level of ranking, Fit India School (3 star) and Fit India School (5 star).


• In the Fit India Movement, schedules have been drawn for ranking schools in accordance with fitness. The level of ranking will depend on how much importance the school gives to inculcating fitness among its students and teachers, besides facilities available for fitness activities.


• The schools that achieve this ranking will also be able to use the Fit India logo and flag.


• Schools can declare themselves as fit by visiting the Fit India portal.

Context: This year the Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) is being organized across many cities in the world including Dhaka between 28 November to 18 December.

• The International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) is the UN migration agency established in 1951. With 173 member states and a further 8 states holding observer status, it works to ensure orderly and humane management of the migration issue.

• The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was launched by the International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) in 2016.


• GMFF features films and documentaries that capture the promise and challenges of migration and the unique contributions that migrants make to their new communities.

Context: Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to implement the “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS).

• The Registration of Political Parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.


• A party seeking registration under the said section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation.

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reviewed the system and process of registration of political parties. The new guidelines will be effective from 1st January,2020.


• Accordingly, the PPRTMS will be implemented through an online portal, to facilitate tracking of the status of the application by applicants.


• Under PPRTMS, the applicant (who is applying for party registration from 1st January 2020 onwards) will be able to track the progress of his / her application and will get the status update through SMS and email.


• The applicant is required to provide contact mobile number and email address of the party/applicant in his application if he/she wishes to track the progress of the application.


• The new guidelines have been hosted on the Commission’s website

Context: Ministry of Jal Shakti tabled data on water contamination in Parliament.

• Among rural habitations in Indian states, 55,511 face quality issues with drinking water.


• As of November 27 this year, 3.22 percent of rural habitations across all states and UTs, accounting for 3.73 percent of the population, we're consuming drinking water with quality issues.


• Iron is the most common contaminant of drinking water, with over 18,000 rural habitations affected, followed by salinity that affects roughly 13,000 rural habitations, arsenic (12,000), fluoride (nearly 8,000) and heavy metal.


• Rajasthan has the highest number of rural habitations affected by contamination overall, at 16,833. Most of these – 12,182 – are affected by salinity in drinking water, at 12,182.


• West Bengal has the highest number of rural habitations affected by arsenic contamination, at 6,207, followed by Assam (4,125)


• Assam has the highest number of rural habitations affected by iron contamination, at 5,113, followed by West Bengal (5,082).


• States and UTs that are not affected by any of these contaminants include Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu.

Context: Government of India launched nationwide vaccination drive to prevent eight diseases under Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 on December 2, 2019.

• The scheme is aimed at immunizing children under the age of 2 years and pregnant women against eight vaccine preventable diseases.


• The IMI covers vaccines for diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and Hepatitis B. Vaccines for Japanese encephalitis and Hemophilus influenza are also being provided in selected areas.


• The IMI 2.0 aims to achieve targets of full immunization coverage in 272 districts spread over 27 States.


• The Immunization activity under IMI 2.0 will be carried out in 4 rounds between December 2019 and March 2020.


• Under this campaign, vaccination services will be provided free of cost to the dropout and left out children and pregnant women.

Context: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin inaugurated the “Power of Siberia” gas pipeline.

• Russia has been a primary gas supplier to Europe, but the Power of Siberia is the first cross-border gas pipeline between Russia and China, adding a prominent eastern dimension to Moscow’s energy blueprint.


• This massive cross-border undertaking is not only central to China’s energy security but also for bolstering special ties between Beijing and Moscow.


• The brand new pipeline is an emblem of closer energy integration in Eurasia.

• Under the contract, Russia will deliver 1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas to China over the next 30 years. The 30-year project is anchored by a $400 billion gas deal.


• From Siberia to China’s Yangtze River delta in Shanghai, the massive pipeline will cover 8,000 km, with 5,111 km inside China, passing through nine provinces and municipalities.


• Gas is being sourced from Chayandinskoye and Kovytka fields in eastern Siberia and is then piped to Blagoveshchensk — the last town on the Russian side of the border. From there, it is tunneled under the Amur River, before entering Heihe on the Chinese side.

Context: The 8th India-China joint training exercise 'HAND-INHAND 2019' with the theme counter-terrorism under the United Nations mandate is scheduled to be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from 07 to 20 December 2019.

• The aim of the annual exercise is to promote close relations between ‘Armies’ of India and China and to enhance the ability of the joint exercise commander to take military contingents of both nations under command.


• The Chinese contingent from the Tibet Military command comprising of 130 personal and the Indian Contingent of similar strength will participate in the 14 day long training exercise.

Context: Operation Clean Art was recently conducted in India to ensure that the mongoose hair brush trade is closed down across the country.

• Operation Clean Art was the first pan India operation to crack down on the smuggling of mongoose hair in the country.


• It was conceived by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).


• It was a planned raid, not to apprehend criminals, but to check on organised factories that were making paintbrushes with mongoose hair.


• Raids were carried out not only in Uttar Pradesh, but also at Jaipur in Rajasthan, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, and in Kerala, on the same day. The entire operation across the country yielded 54,352 brushes and 113 kg of raw hair.

• There are six species of mongoose found in India.


• The mongoose is listed under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 - making its hunting, possession, transportation, and trade a punishable offence.


• Mongoose hair is in high demand among artists worldwide because of the quality of brushes they help create, which define lines clearly and hold paint properly. India is a major source of these brushes. For about 150 kg of mongoose hair, at least 6,000 animals would have been killed.

Context: According to data provided in Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Environment, At last count, the rivers of Assam and Uttar Pradesh respectively had 962 and 1,275 Gangetic dolphins (or Platanista gangetica).

• The population assessment in Assam was done between January and March 2018, while the UP count of 1,272 is for 2015, up from 671 in 2012.


• In Assam, the assessment was carried out in three rivers, with the Brahmaputra accounting for 877 of the 962 dolphins.

• In addition to the species being India’s national aquatic animal, the Gangetic dolphin has been notified by the Assam government as the state aquatic animal, too.


• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Gangetic dolphin as an endangered species in India.


• The Conservation Action Plan for the Gangetic Dolphin, 2010-2020, identified threats to these dolphins that include the impact of river traffic, construction of irrigation canals and depletion of their prey-base.

Context: Joint military exercise ‘SURYA KIRAN – XIV’ between India and Nepal will be conducted at Salijhandi, Rupendehi district of Nepal from 03 to 16 December 2019.

• Exercise SURYA KIRAN - XIV is an annual event which is conducted alternatively in Nepal and India.


• The aim of this exercise is to conduct a Battalion level combined training between Indian Army and Nepal Army to increase interoperability in jungle warfare and counter terrorist operations in mountainous terrain, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief etc.

Context: Lok Sabha passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Bill, 2019.

• The bill provides for a legal framework to grant ownership rights to nearly 40 lakh people living in unauthorized colonies in Delhi.


• The bill will allow registration of properties and provide certain relief to the residents of 1731 unauthorized colonies in the city from registration charges and stamp duty.

• The Bill provides for recognizing the property rights of residents of certain unauthorized colonies in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Bill provides that the central government may regularise transactions of immovable properties held by residents of certain unauthorized colonies, through notification.


• The Bill defines a resident as a person with physical possession of the property on the basis of a registered sale deed or certain other documents. The definition


• includes legal heirs of residents but does not include any tenant, licensee, or persons permitted to use the property.


• An unauthorized colony is defined as a colony or development comprising of an adjoining area, where no permission has been obtained for the approval of layout or building plans. Further, the Delhi Development Authority must have had notified the colony for regularisation.


• The residents will be required to pay certain charges to obtain such ownership. These charges may be notified by the central government.

Context: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s paid a two- day visit to India. This was Mr Gotabaya's first overseas visit since assuming office.

• Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former Defence Secretary who is credited with ending the country’s long civil war, was sworn in as the island nation’s new president on November 18.


• Three days later, he appointed his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a 400 million dollar Line of Credit to Sri Lanka to boost the island nation's development. India will also extend a 50 million dollars Line of Credit to Sri Lanka to fight terrorism.


• The Prime Minister also said that the two leaders had decided to utilize the $100 million credit line earlier announced for setting up solar projects in the country.


• The two sides also discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, including fulfilling the aspirations of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, the situation in the Indian Ocean region and steps to boost trade and investment ties.

Context: Shipping Ministry gave approval for the development of the Loktak Inland Waterways improvement project in Manipur under the central sector scheme.

• The project will develop the Inland water transport connectivity in the North East States and give a boost to the tourism sector also.


• The estimated cost of the project is over 25 crore rupees.

• The lake is located near Moirang in Manipur state, India.


• Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India.


• It is famous for the phumdis floating over it. Phumdis are a series of floating islands, exclusive to the Loktak Lake in Manipur. They are heterogeneous mas
  ses of vegetation, soil and organic matter, in different stages of decay.


• It has been designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1990.


• It is also listed under the Montreux Record in 1993, "a record of Ramsar sites where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring or are likely to occur".

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