WEEKLY ROUND UP (3rd TO 7th February 2020) - National IAS ...

National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

                                               PRESENTS

          WEEKLY ROUND UP
              (3rd TO 7th February 2020)

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

                                                  INDEX

SL                                             TOPIC                                   PAGE
NO                                                                                      NO
                                           Connect to Prelims

  1                                 ARCHIMEDES PRINCIPLE                                3
  2                          CUSTOM & EXCISE DUTY (BUDGET)                              3

  3                                  EDUCATION BUDGET                                   4

  4                                      HEALTH BUDGET                                  5

  5                              WOMEN AND CHILD BUDGET                                 5
  6                                SOCIAL WELFARE BUDGET                                6

  7                              FINANCIAL SECTOR (BUDGET)                              7

  8                                     TOURISM BUDGET                                  8

  9                                           SANTUSHT                                  8
 10                                   ADDU TOURISM ZONE                                 9
 11                                   JEBEL ALI GAS FIELD                               9
 12                                   WORLD CANCER DAY                                  10
 13                           MISSING CHILDREN AND WOMEN                                11
 14                                       VELUTHEEYAM                                   11
 15                           SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FEE                               12
 16                                     MAITREE EXPRESS                                 12
 17                                          DefExpo 2020                               13
 18                                        UDYANOTSAV                                   13
 19                       PURIFIED TEREPHTHALIC ACID (PTA)                              14
 20                                   MEDICAL DATA LEAK                                 15

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

                                  CONNECT TO PRELIMS

   1. ARCHIMEDES PRINCIPLE

 A video of an elephant being rescued in Jharkhand went viral recently, winning officials
  of the state forest department praise online.
 They applied the Archimedes Principle, or the ‘upward buoyant force theory’, to bring the
  elephant out of the well.
 In physics, the Archimedes Principle refers to the law of buoyancy (the ability or
  tendency of something to float in water or other fluids).
 According to the principle, when an object is completely or partially submerged in a fluid,
  whether gas or liquid, it is acted upon by an upward force (buoyancy) equal to the weight
  of the fluid it has displaced.
 The force acting downward on the object is the weight of the object.
 The upward force is the one given by the Archimedes Principle.
 The difference between the two forces is the net force acting on the object.
 If the buoyant force is more than the weight, the object rises; if it is less, the object sinks.
 ‘If the net force is zero, the object remains in place, and neither rises nor sinks.
 In the case of the elephant rescued in Jharkhand, the forest officials pumped water into
  the well so that the elephant could float to the surface.

   2. CUSTOM & EXCISE DUTY (BUDGET)

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

 Customs duty is being raised on items like footwear (from 25% to 35% on footwear and
  from 15% to 20% on parts of footwear) and furniture (from 20% to 25%).
 To give impetus to the domestic medical equipment industry, the Finance Minister
  proposed to impose a nominal health cess (at the rate of 5%), by way of a duty of
  customs, on the imports of medical equipment keeping.
 The Union Budget proposed to abolish anti-dumping duty on PTA (Purified Terephthalic
  Acid). The PTA is critical input for textile fibres and yarns.
 The Union Budget also proposed to reduce basic customs duty on imports of news print
  and light-weight coated paper from 10% to 5%.
 This levy on these items have put additional burden on print media at a time when it is
  going through a difficult phase.
 The Budget also proposed to raise excise duty, by way of National Calamity Contingent
  Duty on Cigarettes and other tobacco products. No change is being made in the duty rates
  of bidis.

   3. EDUCATION BUDGET

 The Union Budget 2020-21 lays special emphasis on the employability and quality
  aspects of education.
 A total outlay of Rs.99,300 crore has been earmarked for the education sector in 2020-
  21 and Rs.3000 crore for Skill Development.
 About 150 Higher Educational Institutions will start apprenticeship embedded
  degree/diploma courses by March 2020-21.
 National Skill Development Agency will give special thrust to infrastructure-focused
  skill development opportunities, the Minister explained.
 The New Education Policy will be announced soon.
 Steps will be taken to enable sourcing External Commercial Borrowings and FDI to
  ensure greater inflow of finance to attract talented teachers, innovate and build better labs.
 Degree level full-fledged online education programme will be started to provide
  quality education to students of deprived sections.

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 However, these shall be offered only by institutions who are ranked within top 100 in the
  National Institutional Ranking Framework.
 Under its “Study in India” programme, an Ind-SAT is proposed to be held in Asian
  and African countries for benchmarking foreign candidates who receive scholarships for
  studying in Indian higher education centres.
 A National Police University and a National Forensic Science University have also
  been proposed in the domain of policing science, forensic science, cyber-forensics etc. in
  the Budget.

   4. HEALTH BUDGET

 About Rs. 69,000 crore have been provided for health care in Union Budget 2020-21.
 It includes Rs. 6400 crores for Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
 Viability Gap Funding Window is proposed for Setting Up Hospitals under Prime
  Minister Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) in PPP Mode.
 The Finance Minister also announced to expand Jan Aushadhi Kendra Scheme to all
  districts offering 2000 medicines and 300 surgicals by 2024.
 To meet the requirement of qualified medical doctors, it is proposed to attach a medical
  college to an existing district hospital in PPP mode.
 The Government will also encourage large hospitals with sufficient capacity to offer
  resident doctors DNB/FNB courses under the National Board of Examinations.

   5. WOMEN AND CHILD BUDGET

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 Finance Minister unveiled several key proposals with focus on women and child in the
  Union Budget 2020-21.
 The Finance Minister said due to ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, Gross enrolment ratio of
  girls across all levels of education is now higher than boys.
 At elementary level, it is 94.32 % as against 89.28 % for boys.
 Rs 35,600 crore is allocated for nutrition-related programmes for the year 2020-21.
 ‘Poshan Abhiyan’ which was launched in 2017-18 to improve the nutritional status of
  children (0-6 years), adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
 Task force will be appointed to examine issue about age of girl entering motherhood.
 The Finance Minister proposed an outlay of about Rs 28,600 crore for programs that were
  specific to women.

   6. SOCIAL WELFARE BUDGET

 Finance Minister unveiled several key proposals with focus on social welfare in the
  Union Budget 2020-21.
 Addressing the issue of manual scavenging, the Finance Minister said, that there shall be
  no manual cleaning of sewer systems or septic tanks. Suitable technologies for such tasks
  have been identified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
 The Finance Minister proposed a budget provision of about Rs 85,000 crore for 2020-21
  to further the government’s commitment towards the welfare of Scheduled Castes and
  Other Backward Classes.
 She also provided an allocation of Rs 53,700 crore for the year 2020-21 for further
  development and welfare of Scheduled Tribes.
 Further, keeping in mind the concerns of senior citizens and DIVYANG, the Finance
  Minister proposed an enhanced allocation of about Rs 9500 crore for 2020-21 in the
  Union Budget.

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

   7. FINANCIAL SECTOR (BUDGET)

 With a view towards unlocking flow of capital to the financial sector, the Union Minister
  for Finance unveiled several reforms in the Union Budget 2020-21 across the banking
  sector, financial markets and infrastructure financing.
 She announced that Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) has
  been permitted to increase Deposit Insurance coverage to Rs. 5 lakh per depositor
  from Rs. 1 lakh previously.
 Limit for NBFCs to be eligible for Debt Recovery Mechanism via SARFAESI Act,
  2002, is proposed to be reduced from existing asset size limits of Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 100
  crores or loan size from existing Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 50 lakh.
 She proposed amendments in PFRDAI Act that will also facilitate separation of NPS
  trust for Government employees from PFRDAI.
 This would also enable establishment of a Pension Trust by the employees other than
  Government.
 The Government has proposed sale of a part of its holding in LIC by way of Initial
  Public Offer (IPO).
 The Finance Minister highlighted the Government’s commitment to infrastructure
  investment with its announcement of Rs 103 lakh crore National Infrastructure
  Pipeline projects.
 She informed that Rs 22,000 crore has already been provided for the same.
 She proposed the setting up of an International Bullion Exchange at GIFT-IFSC as an
  additional option for trade by global market participants.
 FPI limits in corporate bonds are proposed to be increased to 15 per cent of outstanding
  stocks from the current 9 per cent.

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

 New Debt-based Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) consisting primarily of Government
  Securities will be floated.

   8. TOURISM BUDGET

 To make India an attractive destination for both international and domestic tourists, the
  Finance Minister proposed to allocate Rs 2,500 crores in 2020-21 for the tourism sector
  and Rs 3,150 crore for Ministry of Culture.
 In order to have well-trained resources in the disciplines of museology and archeology,
  the Finance Minister proposed to establish first Indian Institute of Heritage and
  Conservation with the status of a deemed university to operate under the Ministry of
  Culture.
 In a major bid to revitalise tourism, finance minister proposed 8 new museums, which
  includes building infrastructure around 5 Iconic Sites, besides proposing renovation of 5
  major museums across the length and breadth of India.
 Five Archeological sites to be set-up/developed as Iconic Sites with on-site Museums
  at the following locations: Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh), Shivsagar
  (Assam), Dholavira (Gujarat) and Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu).
 Maritime Museum to highlight Harappan Age at Lothal, Ahmedabad, will be
  renovated by Ministry of Shipping.
 Support will be provided for setting up Tribal Museum in Ranchi (Jharkhand).

   9. SANTUSHT

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

 Union Minister for Labour and Employment informed Lok Sabha about the Santusht.
 ‘Santusht’ - Implementation Monitoring Cell (IMC) has been constituted in the Office of
  Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment in January 2020.
 The objective of ‘Santusht’ is to promote transparency, effective delivery of public
  services and implementation of policies, schemes of Ministry of Labour at grassroot level
  through constant monitoring.

   10. ADDU TOURISM ZONE

 India and Maldives signed five MoUs for establishing the Addu Tourism zone in five
  islands of Addu atoll at a cost of 2.49 million dollars.
 A 6th MoU to set up a bottled water plant in Hoarafushi was also signed.
 Addu Atoll, also known as Seenu Atoll, is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives.
 Administratively, Addu Atoll is the location of Addu City, one of the two cities of the
  Maldives.
 Addu City consists of the inhabited areas of Addu Atoll, namely the natural islands of
  Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, and Hithadhoo.
 Addu Atoll, together with Fuvahmulah, extend the Maldives into the Southern
  Hemisphere.

   11. JEBEL ALI GAS FIELD

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

 The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the discovery of a new natural gas field
  containing 80 trillion standard cubic feet of gas in the cross-border area of the Emirates of
  Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
 The Jebel Ali gas field, spanning an area of 5,000 square kilometres in the cross-border
  area of the two emirates, represents one of the largest natural gas discoveries in the UAE.
 The discovery strengthens the UAE’s position among countries with the world’s largest
  natural gas reserves.
 This discovery will help UAE in transiting the gulf nation from a net importer of gas to a
  potential net exporter of gas in coming times.

   12. WORLD CANCER DAY

 World Cancer Day 2020 is being observed on the 4th of February with the theme “I am
  and I will.”
 It is observed on the 4th of February every year by the Union for International Cancer
  Control (UICC) to create awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention,
  detection, and treatment.
 In 2020, the celebration of World Cancer Day will see its 20th anniversary.
 On February 4, 2000, World Cancer Day was written into the Charter of Paris Against
  Cancer.
 The document was signed in between then French President and UNESCO General
  Director.
 The Union for International Cancer Control is a membership based, non-governmental
  organization that exists to help the global health community accelerate the fight against
  cancer.
 It was founded in 1933 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
 Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. World Health Organization
  (WHO) has warned that cancer cases will rise by 81 percent in low and middle-income
  countries by 2040 because of a lack of investment in prevention and care.

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   13. MISSING CHILDREN AND WOMEN

 The highest number of women and children who go missing in the country are from
  Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh respectively, according to a study by the National
  Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
 The NCRB study was based on the annual Crime in India Report compiled by the agency
  for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018.
 According to the report, the States where the highest number of women went missing in
  the three years are Maharashtra, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
 In 2016, as many as 28,316 women went missing in Maharashtra, followed by 29,279 in
  2017, and 33,964 in 2018.
 In 2016-18, a total of 63,407, 63,349 and 67,134 children were reported missing across
  the country.
 The study said that in Madhya Pradesh, Indore reported the highest number of missing
  children, with 596 in 2017 and 823 in 2018.

   14. VELUTHEEYAM

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 A tri-metal sculpture of Jesus Christ, Healing Christ, on the central courtyard of the
  Believers Church Medical College (BCMC) Hospital in Thiruvalla has entered the
  Universal Records Forum’s (URF) book of world records.
 A URF team adjudged that the 368-cm tall statue, weighing 2,400 kg, is the ‘largest tri-
  metal Jesus sculpture’ in the world.
 The statue is sculpted with an alloy of zinc, copper, and velutheeyam (an alloy of tin
  and aluminium).

   15. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FEE

 Ending decades of free entry to Indian tourists visiting Bhutan, the Bhutanese
  Government has decided to levy a daily ₹1,200 ($17) fee for “regional tourists” from
  India, the Maldives and Bangladesh, beginning July 2020.
 The fee, called a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), is meant to help the government
  deal with burgeoning numbers in tourist traffic, which it is seeking to regulate through a
  new tourism policy.
 The decision was passed by the National Assembly as a ‘Tourism Levy and Exemption
  Bill of Bhutan’, 2020.
 The SDF is considerably lower than the $65 charged to other foreign tourists, who are
  also charged a compulsory flat “cover charge” of $250 per day.

   16. MAITREE EXPRESS

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 The frequency of the Maitree Express and Bandhan Express trains connecting Bangladesh
  and India has been increased.
 Maitree Express running between Dhaka and Kolkata will now run 5 days a week.
 Bandhan Express running between Kolkata and Khulna will now be running twice a
  week.
 The increased frequency of these trains will enhance the connectivity between India and
  Bangladesh further.

   17. DefExpo 2020

 DefExpo-2020, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence is being held for the
  first time in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from 5th to 9th Feb 2020.
 The 11th edition of Def Expo promises to bring new technologies, technological
  solutions, where Defence manufacturing companies from India and abroad showcase their
  products and services in Defence arena, on a single platform.
 The DefExpo 2020 is being organized by Department of Defence Production, Ministry
  of Defence.
 Full support is being received from Government of Uttar Pradesh.
 The main theme of the DefExpo India- 2020 is ‘India: The Emerging Defence
  Manufacturing Hub’ and the focus will be on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.
 The fifth India Russia Military Industry Conference will be held on the sidelines of
  DefExpo 2020 at the venue.
 Over 100 Russian and over 200 Indian industry leaders are expected to participate.
 Bandhan, a ceremony for signing of MoUs, launch of products and major
  announcements, will be presided by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh.
 Live demonstration will be held at two locations viz. one at the exhibition site and the
  other at the Gomati river front.

   18. UDYANOTSAV

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National IAS Academy Weekly Roundup – 3rd to 7th February 2020   Contact: 9632334466

 The President of India opened the annual “Udyanotsav” of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
 The Mughal Gardens will remain open for the general public from February 5, 2020 to
  March 08, 2020.
 The Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India, is flanked by the
  iconic Mughal gardens — spread over 15 acres.
 The gardens are a blend of the Mughal and English style of gardening and are inspired
  by the Persian Charbagh style.
 It is replete with canals, fountains, elaborate flower beds, well-trimmed shrubs, and a near
  endless variety of flowers.
 A part of the gardens — comprising the Herbal Garden, the Bonsai Garden, the main
  Mughal Garden, the Spiritual Garden — is open to the public every year in February-
  March under the event called the Udyanotsav (translates to ‘Garden Festival’).
 Charbagh is a Persian/Islamic quadrilateral garden layout based on the four gardens
  of Paradise mentioned in the Qur'an.
 The quadrilateral garden is divided by walkways or flowing water into four smaller parts.
  Significant use of rectilinear layouts is made within the walled enclosures.
 Some of the typical features include pools, fountains and canals inside the gardens.
 They are found in countries throughout Western and South Asia, including Iran and
  India.

   19. PURIFIED TEREPHTHALIC ACID (PTA)

 During her Budget speech, Finance Minister said the government was abolishing in
  “public interest” an anti-dumping duty that was levied on imports of a chemical called
  PTA.
 Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) is a crucial raw material used to make various products,
  including polyester fabrics. PTA makes up for around 70-80% of a polyester product.
 This includes products like polyester staple fibre and spun yarn.
 Some sportswear, swimsuits, dresses, trousers, curtains, sofa covers, jackets, car seat
  covers and bed sheets have a certain proportion of polyester in them.
 The duty had meant importers were paying an extra $27-$160 for every 1,000 kg of PTA
  that they wanted to import.
 Removing the duty will allow PTA users to source from international markets and may
  make it as much as $30 per 1,000 kg cheaper than now.

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   20. MEDICAL DATA LEAK

 According to a recent report published by Greenbone Sustainable Resilience, a German
  cybersecurity firm, Medical details of over 120 million Indian patients have been leaked
  and made freely available on the Internet.
 The report also places Maharashtra at the top of the States affected by the global medical
  data leak.
 Maharashtra ranks the highest in terms of the number of data troves available online, with
  3,08,451 troves offering access to 6,97,89,685 images.
 The next is Karnataka, with 1,82,865 data troves giving access to 1,37,31,001 images.
 The report classifies countries in the “good”, “bad” and “ugly” categories based on the
  action taken by their governments in stopping it. India ranks second in the “ugly”
  category, after the U.S.
 The data leak of records, includes images of CT scans, X-rays, MRIs and even pictures of
  the patients.
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