KAS MAINS · India. Megalithic Culture in Pothamala Hills o New menhirs were found on the Pothamala hills on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. o Pothamala hills houses hundreds of cobbled

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

2019 – 2020

for

KAS MAINS


MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Paper I

A. History

A.1 Ancient and Medieval Period

A.1.1 Salient features and major landmarks of ancient and medieval

India.

Megalithic Culture in Pothamala Hills

o New menhirs were found on the Pothamala hills on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu

border.

o Pothamala hills houses hundreds of cobbled stone structures, pointing to

the existence of a structured graveyard of a prehistoric civilisation dating

back around 3,000 years.

o These menhirs are the largest-ever recorded Menhirs in Kerala.

o Menhirs are monolithic slabs that are erected above the ground and may

be small or gigantic in height.

o Menhirs are endemic to certain regions only and are a feature of

megalithic culture.

A.2.2 India – Struggle for independence;

A.2.4 India after Independence, Post independent consolidation and

reorganisation;

A.2.5 Independent India and her neighbours.

Indian Union Muslim League(IUML)

o Context: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Aditynath recently equated the

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with the pre-partition Muslim League.

o It was a political party established in 1906 in the British Indian Empire. Its

strong advocacy for the establishment of a separate Muslim-majority

nation-state, Pakistan, successfully led to the partition of British India in

1947 by the British Empire.


o Soon after Partition, the All India Muslim League, which had led the

movement for Pakistan, was disbanded. Over the next few months, the

party of Mohammed Ali Jinnah was succeeded by the Muslim League in

West Pakistan and The All Pakistan Awami Muslim League in East

Pakistan.

o In East Pakistan, the Awami Muslim League championed the cause of

Bengali nationalism, and sought to chart a course independent from

Punjabi-dominated West Pakistan. Under the leadership of Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman, East Pakistan ultimately broke free from the West.

o In independent India, the All India Muslim League was succeeded by the

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

o The IUML fought elections under the Constitution of India, and has always

had a constant, if small, presence in Lok Sabha.

o The IUML is the strongest in Kerala, and has a unit in Tamil Nadu as well. It

has long been recognised by the Election Commission of India as a state

party in Kerala.

A.3 Kerala History

Kerala History Congress

o The meet will deliberate on a multitude of multi-disciplinary human

interactions and encompass technical sessions on subjects including film

and media, art, architecture, literature, historiography, archaeology,

anthropology, and higher education.

o Objectives:

Promotion and encouragement of the scientific study of Kerala History;

Holding Congresses and publishing the Proceedings, Bulletins,

Memoirs, Journals and other works;

Encouragement to Local history, Oral history, Family history etc;

The management and disposal of funds, property and endowments for

the purposes stated above;

Performance of all other acts conducive to the fulfillment of the

objectives of the Congress;

Co-operation with other organizations in India and abroad holding

similar objectives.


B. Cultural Heritage of Kerala

B.1.Cultural Heritage of Kerala Art Forms, literature, sculpture,

architecture, salient features of society

The Kerala Literature Festival (KLF)

o Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), found in 2016, is an annual literary

festival held in Kozhikode.

o Organised by DC Kizhakemuri Foundation (DCKF).

o The four-day festival includes debates and discussions, cultural activities,

cartoon and painting exhibitions, mini film fests and cookery show.

Epiphany festival

o The Epiphany festival was celebrated in parts of India, such as Goa and

Kerala.

o In Goa, the celebration is known by its Portuguese name ‘Festa dos Reis’,

and in parts of Kerala by its Syriac name ‘Denha’.

o Epiphany is among the three oldest and major festival days in Christianity,

the two others being Christmas and Easter.

o It is celebrated on January 6 by a number of Christian sects, including

Roman Catholics, and on January 19 by some Eastern Orthodox churches.

o Epiphany is a feast day, or a day of commemoration, which in Christianity

marks the visit of the Magi (meaning the Three Wise Men or Three Kings)

to the Infant Jesus.

Different harvest festivals in India.

o Vaisakhi- Celebrated by Sikhs.

o Vishu- Kerala.

o Rongali Bihu- Assam.

o Naba Barsha- Bengal.

o Puthandu Pirappu- Tamil Nadu.

PettaThullal

o The ritualistic sacred dance to celebrate the victory of good over evil in

the legend of Lord Ayyappa who killed the demon princess Mahishi, which

denotes the beginning of the last leg of the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage

season.


o A study by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has pointed to

the presence of hazardous metals, including lead, arsenic, and cadmium,

in this powder.

o Plans are afoot to promote organic varieties of the brightly coloured

powder as an alternative to chemical powder.

Champions Boat League (CBL)

o The Champions Boat League (CBL) has been conceived by tourism officials

in Kerala on the model of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to transform the

state’s legendary and historically-significant ‘vallamkali’ (snake boat races)

into a world-class sporting event.

o Snake boat races owe their origins as far back as the 13th century when

princely kingdoms, located in present-day Alappuzha along the

backwaters, would have raging battles in the water.

o These battles used to be fought on the snake boats especially constructed

for the purpose.

Chamayam 2020’ - Cultural fete of transgender persons on Friday

o ‘Chamayam 2020’ is the annual cultural fiesta of the transgender

community at Kozhikode.

o Organised by ‘Punarjani Cultural Society’, an organisation for the welfare

of the community.

o Kerala was the first issued a Transgender Policy in 2015 following

Supreme Court rule on National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India

Case in 2014.

o ‘State Policy for Transgenders in Kerala 2015’, ensures transgender

personalities equal access to social and economic opportunities,

resources and services, right to equal treatment under the law, right to

live life without violence and equitable right in all decision making bodies.

Tirur Betel

o The Geographical Indication (GI) under the Department for Promotion of

Industry and Internal Trade has recently registered 4 new GIs.

Palani Panchamirtham, an abishega Prasadam, is one of the main

offerings for the presiding deity of Arulmigu Dhandayuthapaniswamy

Temple, situated in palani Hills in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu.


Tawlhlohpuan is a medium to heavy, compactly woven, good quality

fabric from Mizoram.

Mizo Puanchei is a colourful Mizo shawl/textile, from Mizoram.

Tirur betel mainly cultivated in Malappuram District of Kerala, is valued

both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties. Even

though it is commonly used for making pan masala for chewing, it has

many medicinal, industrial and cultural usages.

Gadhika Folk Art Fair and Product Exhibition

o It is jointly organised by the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Tribes

Development Department and the Kerala Institute for Research Training

and Development Studies (KIRTADS)..

o The Gadhika Mela is organised with the aim of displaying and marketing

handicrafts and promoting the unique crafts of the Scheduled Tribes and

Scheduled Tribes.

o Gadhika is an art from practised among the Adiya community of Wayanad

district.

Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award 2019

o Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been conferred the Dr

Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award 2019 for her vision of a

peaceful and prosperous South Asia and her contribution to fostering

cooperation between India and Bangladesh.

o The award has been instituted in the memory of former Indian President

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

o Earlier, the Presidents of the Maldives, Ghana and Mauritius had received

the award since its introduction in 2015.

o The award is presented by Dale View, a non-governmental organisation

registered under the Charitable Societies Act. It was created in 1978 in

Kerala to bring about socio-economic development to rural areas through

education.

o The award is given every year to honour statesmen or leaders who have

shown excellence in their fields to achieve the best for their countries.


India international seafood show (IISS)

o The 22nd edition of India international seafood show (IISS) will be held in

Kochi, Kerala from 7 to 9 February 2020.

o It is a biennial show organized by the Marine Products Export

Development Authority (MPEDA) in association with the Seafood

Exporters Association of India (SEAI).

9th Sargaalaya International Art and Craft Festival (SIACF)

o The annual Sargaalaya International Arts & Crafts Festival is held at

Sargaalaya Crafts Village, Iringal, Kozhikode District from December 20 to

January 5.

o Sargaalaya is an arts and crafts village in Iringal, Kozhikode district, Kerala,

India. It was established in 2011 by The Kerala Tourism Department.

o The Kerala State Tourism award function is also held at the crafts village.

o Sargaalaya has over 60 stalls selling various ethnic crafts and it also

houses The Crafts Design and Technology development centre, which

provides training for craftsmen to learn new techniques in traditional

handicrafts.

Poopoli

o Poopoli, an international flower show and agri fest organised jointly by

the Kerala Agricultural University and the Department of Agriculture

Development and Farmers’ Welfare, will be held at the Regional

Agricultural Research Station at Ambalavayal from January 1 to 12.

o Poopoli-2020 is the sixth edition of the fest.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial: Golden Jubilee Celebrations

o Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a monument in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.

o It was built in 1970 in honour of Swami Vivekananda who is said to have

attained enlightenment at this place in 1892, prior to his famous Chicago

trip.

o Two main structures: Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada

Mandapam.

National Florence Nightingale Award 2019

o The National Florence Nightingale Award 2019 was awarded to 36

awardees.


o Lini Puthuserry was awarded posthumously who passed away while on

duty caring for a NIPAH infected patient in Kerala.

o These awards were instituted in the year 1973 by the Government as a

mark of recognition for the meritorious services rendered by nurses to

the society.

o Florence Nightingale, (also called as Lady with the Lamp), was a British

nurse, statistician, and social reformer who was the foundational

philosopher of modern nursing.

o The WHO has also announced 2020 as the year of the nurse and mid-wife.

2020 will also mark the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale

Spiritual Circuit in Kerala

o Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a project for the development

of spiritual circuit comprising three important pilgrimage centres of Sree

Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Aranmula and Sabarimala in Kerala.

o The Sree Padmanabaswamy Temple is considered as one of the 108

divyadesams of Lord Vishnu.

o Swadesh Scheme - scheme with an objective to develop theme based

tourist circuits in the country. These tourist circuits will be developed on

the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in

an integrated manner.

o The scheme is 100% centrally funded for the project components

undertaken for public funding.

Eco Circuit

o Pathanamthitta – Gavi – Vagamon – Thekkady, Eco-Circuit under the

Swadesh Darshan scheme of Ministry of Tourism.

o Major works carried out under the project includes Eco Adventure

Tourism Park at Vagamon, Cultural Centre at Kadamanitta, Eco Log Huts

at Peerumedu, Idukki, Approach Roads, Walking trails, Rain Shelters at

Pine Valley Forest, Thekkady, Kumily, Moozhiyar Dam, Penstock and Kakki

Dam.

o Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship schemes of Ministry of

Tourism for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned

and prioritised manner.


o The Ministry of Tourism recognizing the tourism potential of the State has

sanctioned 7 projects in the State of Kerala under the Swadesh Darshan

and PRASHAD schemes for an approximate amount of Rs. 550 crores.

Idukki’s Marayoor Jaggery gets GI Tag.

o The Marayoor Jaggery, the traditional and handmade product from Idukki

district of Kerala, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from

the Central Government.

o The Jaggery is produced in Marayoor, a town in Idukki district of Kerala. It

is made from sugarcane and no chemicals are added during the

manufacturing process.

o It is not produced in modern factories or using modern equipment. It is

prepared in sheds located on the sugarcane farm.

GI Certification for five varieties of Indian Coffee.

o The DPIIT has recently awarded Geographical Indication (GI) to five

varieties of Indian coffee.

Coorg Arabica coffee: grown specifically in the region of Kodagu district

in Karnataka.

Wayanaad Robusta coffee: grown specifically in the region of Wayanad

district which is situated on the eastern portion of Kerala.

Chikmagalur Arabica coffee: grown specifically in the region of

Chikmagalur district and it is situated in the Deccan plateau, belongs to

the Malnad region of Karnataka.

Araku Valley Arabica coffee: grown in hilly tracks of Visakhapatnam

district of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha region. The coffee produce of

Araku, by the tribals, follows an organic approach in which they

emphasise management practices involving substantial use of organic

manures, green manuring and organic pest management practices.

Bababudangiris Arabica coffee: grown specifically in the birthplace of

coffee in India and the region is situated in the central portion of

Chikmagalur district. This coffee is also called high grown coffee which

slowly ripens in the mild climate and thereby the bean acquires a

special taste and aroma.


Hermann Gundert

o Herman Gundert: German missionary-cum-scholar, the great lover of

Malayalam language and literature who spent two decades in Kerala till

April 1859.

o The hard disc of the digital archives was handed over to Chief Minister

Pinarayi Vijayan by Heike Oberlin, Professor of Indology, University of

Tubingen, Germany.

o It was in Tubingen University that Gundert took doctorate before coming

to Kerala in 1838.

o The university library had taken up the project to digitise and make

available online the legacy of Herman Gundert to Malayalam and other

languages.

o The corpus of nearly 80 manuscripts, 150 printed works, and some palm

leaf manuscripts of the German scholar available with the university runs

into some 42,000 pages.

o Besides manuscripts, printed works, and palm leaf manuscripts, the

Malayalam-English dictionary which he began compiling in Kerala and

completed in Germany, notes prepared for grammar, and the books of his

friends had been digitised.

o Tubingen University had commenced the maiden course in Malayalam.


Paper II

EVM Controversies

o There have been rising controversies about EVMs regarding their safety

features.

o EVMs are developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Electronics

Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).

o VVPAT machines will be adjoined to the EVMs, further it will generate a

paper slip consisting of, name and serial number of the candidate and

his/her corresponding symbol.

o In Subramanian Swamy v/s ECI 2014 Case, Supreme Court said that VVPAT

is necessary for transparency and must be implemented by ECI.

o EVM was first used in 1982 Kerala assembly by-elections

o The Representation of People’s Act was amended in 1988 to allow the

usage of EVMs.

2018 flood affected migration of birds in Kerala.

o A waterbird survey conducted as part of the annual Asian Water bird

Census (in the Upper Kuttanad region, Kerala) has spotted three new

species — Greater flamingo, Grey-headed lapwing, and Blue-cheeked

bee-eater.

o The survey however pointed that compared to the previous years, the

number of winged visitors to the region has declined drastically.

o 2018 flood and subsequent delay in preparing paddy fields affected their

migration.

o The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) is co-coordinated by Wetlands

International, as part of global programme, the “International Waterbird

Census”.

Appointments of DGPs

o The Supreme Court has dismissed the pleas of the states of Punjab,

Kerala, West Bengal, Haryana and Bihar which sought implementation of

their local laws regarding the selection and appointment of DGPs.


o Supreme Court held that the directions of the court on selection and

appointment of DGPs were issued in larger public interest and to protect

the police officials from political interference.

o States and Union Territories shall send names of senior police officers to

the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for being considered as

probable candidates for the post of DGPs or police commissioners. The

UPSC would then prepare a list of three most suitable candidates out of

the list of names sent by states and Union Territories. The states are free

to appoint any one of them as the police chief.

The Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV)

o It is in Bio 360 Life Sciences Park at Thonnakkal in the capital city,

Thiruvananthapuram.

o The first virology institute in India to be affiliated to the Global Virus

Network (GVN).

o The first building of the project, being undertaken under the Kerala State

Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE).

Kasturirangan Report on Western Ghats

o The Committee on Government Assurances in the Rajya Sabha has urged

the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to constitute a

committee to address the issues and grievances of local people in

Western Ghats. The committee has submitted a report in this regard.

o Over 56,000 square kilometres of ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) in the

Western Ghats could not be earmarked as ‘no-go’ zones due to State

governments’ ‘insensitivity’.

o The panel had examined issues regarding the categorisation of the

Western Ghats as ESA as per the recommendations of two committees

led by Madhav Gadgil and K. Kasturirangan.

o It defined the boundaries of the Western Ghats for the purposes of

ecological management. It proposed that this entire area be designated as

ecologically sensitive area (ESA).

o Within this area, smaller regions were to be identified as ecologically

sensitive zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on their existing condition and nature of

threat.


Gas Hydrate reserves.

o According to the latest estimates of the US Geological Survey, India has

the second largest gas hydrate reserves after America.

o The Krishna-Godavari (KG), Cauvery and Kerala basins alone have 100-130

trillion cubic feet of estimated reserves.

Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

o Strategic Oil Reserve is storage of crude oil which would act as a cushion

during any external supply disruptions.

o The Visakhapatnam Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility was

recently operationalized.

o According to the IEA and the Integrated Energy Policy 2006 a country

should maintain a reserve equivalent to 90 days of oil imports for

strategic-cum-buffer stock purposes.

o Presently, strategic reserves are situated at Visakhapatnam (Andhra

Pradesh), Mangalore (Karnataka), and Padur (Kerala) with three projects

in pipeline at Chandikhol (Odisha), Bikaner (Rajasthan) and Rajkot

(Gujrat).

o International Energy Agency is an autonomous body, founded in 1974 to

help countries collectively respond to oil supply disruptions, within the

OECD framework.

Kerala Education Bill case 1958.

o It said minority should to be a group of people who are numerically a

minority in a ‘State as a whole’ as distinguished from any particular area

or region’.

o Context: The Supreme Court recently asked the National Commission for

Minorities to take a decision on a plea seeking guidelines for defining the

term ‘minority’ and for their identification State-wise.

Global Climate Report

o The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), releases its annual

report, State of the Global Climate.

o As per the report, in 2018, weather and climate events accounted for

most of nearly 62 million people affected by natural hazards. The report


identified the floods in Kerala as one of the main indicators of extreme

weather events due to climate change.

Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

o It is a set of guidelines laid down by the Election Commission to govern

the conduct of political parties and candidates in the run-up to an

election. This is in line with Article 324 of the Constitution, which gives the

Election Commission the power to supervise elections to the Parliament

and state legislatures.

o It comes into force the moment an election is announced and remains in

force till the results are declared. This was laid down by the Supreme

Court in the Union of India vs. Harban Singh Jalal and Others Case.

o The origins of the MCC lie in the Assembly elections of Kerala in 1960,

when the State administration prepared a ‘Code of Conduct’ for political

actors.

Transgender Rights

o In the judgment delivered in Arunkumar and Sreeja v. Inspector General

of Registration and Others (2019), the Madras High Court, has extended

enjoyment of civil rights, especially those pertaining to marriage, to

transpersons.

o The term ‘transgender’ refers to all those who differ in behaviour and

appearance from the usual gender stereotypes. It includes transsexuals,

transvestites (cross-dressers), intersexed individuals and gender queers.

In the Indian context, it also includes social identities such as hijras,

kinnars, aravanis, jogtas, Shivshaktis and aradhis.

o The court refers to NALSA v. Union of India (2014), which held that

transgender persons have the right to decide their “self-identified

gender”.

o Last year, in a landmark verdict a constitutional bench of Supreme Court

in Navtej Singh Johar v/s Union of India case declared parts of Section 377

of IPC as unconstitutional.

o Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, defines a

transgender person and prohibits discrimination in areas such as

education, employment, and healthcare. It also provides for constituting a


National Council for Transgender headed by the Union Ministry of Social

Justice and Empowerment.

o Kerala State Government brought the ‘State Policy for Transgenders in

Kerala 2015’ to provide the “right to live with dignity.”

Dicolouration of Periyar

o The Periyar River in Kerala has turned black near the Pathalam Regulator

cum Bridge.

o The discolouration of Periyar and fish kill has been a serious issue for last

couple of years. Decrease in dissolved oxygen level has caused several

fish-kills in the past few years.

o The discolouration was due to the poor quality of water as a result of

eutrophication. When excessive nutrients reach the water-body, it will

lead to algal bloom. A few days later, algae will die and decay, resulting in

a foul smell and discolouration of water.

o Water in some reaches of the river system has been stagnant. Reduced

water flow in the system has added to the deteriorating water quality.

o Huge quantities of organic load in the form of sewage from nearby

townships are regularly reaching the river system. Discharge of untreated

effluents into the river from industrial units is also causing discolouration

of water.

Two new bird species in Kerala

o Two new species of birds have been spotted in North Kerala’s Aralam

Wildlife Sanctuary during a recent bird survey in the district.

o The new species spotted were Woolly-necked Stork and White-bellied

Drongo, both dry-land species.

Café Scientifique

o ‘Café Scientifique’ is the first of its kind initiative in the State of Kerala

aimed at popularising Science.

o The café envisages bringing science back into popular culture by

demystifying scientific research for the public and empowering non-

scientists to comfortably assess science and technology issues,

particularly those that impact social policymaking.


o The plan is to organise meetings of science enthusiasts in the district

every month at a café or a convenient place, where one or more scientists

are invited to talk to the public about new developments in science.

o Various topics such as universe, climate change, evolution, genetics and

human-animal relations will be discussed in every monthly gathering.

o It is a grassroots public science initiative based on the French Café

Philosophique model. Originating in England, the concept quickly gained

popularity and was adopted by other countries.

National E-Vidhan Application Project.

o The Kerala Legislative Assembly recently announced an initiative to

digitize all its records and proceedings under its ambitious project called

E-Vidhan.

o Once the project is completed, all the Assembly proceedings like

submission of notice by a member, question and answers, and all the

other correspondence and business concerning the Assembly will go

paperless.

o Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) is the ‘Nodal Ministry’ for its

implementation in all the 31 States/UTs with Legislatures.

o The funding for e-Vidhan is provided by the MoPA and technical support

by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MietY).

o The funding of NeVA is through Central Sponsored Schemee. 60:40; and

90:10 for North East & hilly States and 100% for UTs.

o The State Government will appoint a Secretary level officer to be

designated as the nodal officer/representative for e-Vidhan

implementation in the State Legislature(s).

Demolition of constructions in Kerala

o CRZ Rules govern human and industrial activity close to the coastline, in

order to protect the fragile ecosystems near the sea. The Rules, mandated

under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, were first framed in 1991.

o They sought to restrict certain kinds of activities, like large constructions,

setting up of new industries, storage or disposal of hazardous material,

mining, or reclamation and bonding, within a certain distance from the

coastline.


o In all CRZ Rules, the regulation zone has been defined as the area up to

500 m from the high-tide line.

o While the CRZ Rules are made by the Union Environment Ministry,

implementation is supposed to be done by state governments through

their Coastal Zone Management Authorities.

Kerala State Amphibian.

o Purple frog could be soon designated as Kerala’s state amphibian. There is

a proposal on this.

o It is also known as Maveli frog or Pignose Frog. It is relatively round in

shape as compared to other flattened frogs. Compared to other frogs it

has a small head and an unusual pointed snout (muzzle).

o They were thought to be limited to south of the Palghat Gap (a pass which

is located between Nilgiri Hills to north and Anaimalai Hills to south) in

Western Ghats, but are now known to be quite widely distributed in

Western Ghats.

o The frog should rightly be called ‘living fossil’ as it is believed that they

have co-existed with dinosaurs almost 70 million years ago.

o IUCN Red List: Their conservation status is endangered as per

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Grizzled giant squirrel at Pakkamalai Reserve Forests

o For the first time, researchers have sighted nests of the grizzled giant

squirrel at Pakkamalai Reserve Forests near Gingee in the Eastern Ghats.

o The grizzled giant squirrel is usually known to nest in the Western Ghats in

Southern India ranging from Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to

Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Palani hills in Tamil Nadu.

o It has been categorised as near threatened by the Red List and listed

under Schedule II of CITES.

o It is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Room of the river

o One of the flagship projects of the Netherland government, “Room of the

river” is to be replicated in Kerala’s Kuttanad, which remained submerged

for weeks during Kerala floods.


o It is a flood mitigation initiative which is aimed at protecting areas

adjoining rivers from routine flooding and improving water management

systems in delta regions.

o Key concept behind the project: To provide more space for the water

body so that it can manage extraordinary high-water levels during floods.

The project involves tailor-made solutions for each River.

First Resilient Kerala Program

o The Government of India, the Government of Kerala and the World Bank

signed a Loan Agreement of USD 250 million for the First Resilient Kerala

Program.

o First Resilient Kerala Program was launched recently to enhance the

State's resilience against the impacts of natural disasters and climate

change.

o It is part of the Government of India’s support to Kerala’s ‘Rebuild Kerala

Development Programme’.

o The Program represents the First ‘State Partnership’ of the World Bank in

India; it is the First of two Development Policy Operations aiming to

mainstream disaster and climate resilience into critical infrastructure and

services.

Scientists decode genome of ‘miracle plant’

o ‘Arogyapacha’ (Trichopus zeylanicus) is endemic to the Agastya hills, and

is known for its medicinal properties.

o This ‘miracle plant’ is known for its traditional use by the Kani tribal

community to combat fatigue.

o Studies have also proven its anti-oxidant, aphrodisiac, anti-microbial, anti-

inflammatory, anti-tumour, anti-ulcer, hepatoprotective and anti-diabetic

properties.

o Kani is a tribe living in the Western Ghats area of Kerala, India. Their use

of the forest plant arogyapacha (trichopus zeylanicus) as a key ingredient

in a herbal remedy called Jeevani was noted by visiting scientists.

Blue flag Challenge

o Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change has selected

12 beaches in India to compete for the ‘Blue Flag’ certification.


o The 12 beaches include Kappad, Kerala.

o The Blue Flag certification is given to environmental- friendly, clean

beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism operators.

o The certification is provided by FEE (the Foundation for Environmental

Education) – a Copenhagen based international, non-governmental

organisation. The program was first started in 1985 in France.

o There are 33 environment and tourism-related conditions for Blue Flag

Certification. Few of them include, having proper waste disposal system,

availability of clean water for tourists, disabled friendly etc

All India Tiger Estimation Report.

o The Tiger Census in India is the world’s most extensive biodiversity

mapping exercise.

o It is conducted by National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife

Institute of India.

o The All India Tiger Estimation 2018 used M-STRiPES (Monitoring System

for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status).

o Madhya Pradesh has highest number of tigers (526), followed by

Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).

o Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population. All other

states had positive increase.

o Madhya Pradesh’s Pench sanctuary and Kerala’s Periyar sanctuaryhas

been designated as best managed Tiger Reserves in India with a score of

93.75% .

o Tiger is listed as “Endangered” in IUCN Red List. It is listed in Schedule 1 of

the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It is listed in Appendix 1 of CITES.

Hurdles in Colistin ban

o Kerala is gearing to implement the Union Ministry’s ban on Colistin and its

formulations, for food producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and

animal feed supplements.

o Colistin is a valuable, last-resort antibiotic that saves lives in critical care

units.

o Off-late there has been rise in patients who have exhibited resistance to

this drug (ineffective against pathogens).


o Colistin is highly misused in poultry industry as a growth promoter which

is one of reason for increasing antibiotic resistance in India.

Posco Court

o The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to set up special courts in

each district across the country that have over a 100 cases of child abuse

and sexual assault pending trial under the Protection of Children from

Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

o Such courts will be funded by the central government. The fund will not

only take care of the appointment of the presiding officer but also

appointments of support persons, special public prosecutors, court staff

and infrastructure, including creation of child friendly environment and

vulnerable witness court rooms.

o Kerala has the worst judge-case ratio, as it has set up just three

designated courts for 14 districts with each required to deal with 2,211

cases.

Orchid census

o Botanical Survey of India has release first ever comprehensive census of

Orchids of India.

o Total number of orchid species or taxa to 1,256.

o Kerala has 111 of these endemic species while Tamil Nadu has 92 of them.

Yeoman – Butterfly

o Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) butterfly species endemic to Western

Ghats has been declared the state butterfly of Tamil Nadu.

o Uniformly orange in colour with a dark brown outer ring, Tamil Yeoman is

among the 32 butterfly species found in the Western Ghats.

o This butterfly species moves in groups in large numbers, but only in a few

places. Also known as Tamil Maravan, which means warrior, these

butterflies are found mainly in the hilly areas.

o For the first time Tamil Nadu has declared its state butterfly and only fifth

in the country to do so.

o Maharashtra was the first to declare Blue Mormon as its state butterfly,

followed by Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern bird

wings) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock).


Women drivers for Govt, PSU vehicles

o Kerala government has approved a proposal to frame a new law for the

appointment of women as drivers in State Public Sector Undertakings and

various departments of the Kerala Government.

o This is for the first time when any state government decided to allow

women to drive government vehicles.

Forest Coverage

o Data related to forest cover was recently shared in Parliament by the

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

o These assessments are done by the Forest Survey of India, whose findings

are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The last report

was published in 2017.

o The lowest forest and tree cover in the country is in Haryana, at 6.79 per

cent of its geographical area.

o At 97 per cent, the Union Territory of Lakshadweep is on top – its

geographical area is only 30 square km.

o Goa and Kerala are two other states with more than 50 per cent of their

geographical area under forest and tree cover.

o In terms of geographical area, the highest tree and forest cover is in

Madhya Pradesh, with 85,487 sq km.

Akshaya Project

o Akshaya project implemented by the Kerala IT Mission combines the

power of State machinery, the reach of Panchayats and the

entrepreneurial spirit of Akshaya operators to steer the project.

Access to Internet is a basic right under Article 21, Kerala HC

o The Kerala High Court has held that the right to access the internet is a

basic fundamental right.

o In Faheema Shirin vs State of Kerala, the High Court made this

observation while ordering the principal of a college in Kerala to re-admit

a student who had been expelled from the college hostel for using her

mobile phone beyond the restricted hours.

o The Kerala High Court declared the right to Internet access is a

fundamental right and forms part of the right to privacy and the right to


education under Article 21 of the Constitution. So, it is important to

recognise the right to Internet access as an independent right.

o The court also pointed out that the Human Rights Council of the United

Nations had said that the right of access to Internet is a fundamental

freedom and a tool to ensure right to education.

FOREST PLUS 2.0

o The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the

Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of

India have jointly launched the “Forest-PLUS 2.0: forests for water and

prosperity” program.

o It is a five-year programme initiated in December 2018 after Forest-PLUS

completed its five years in 2017.

o Under the joint program, USAID will provide technical assistance to

MoEFCC to improve management of forested landscapes in Gaya in Bihar,

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Medak in Telangana.

Nilgiri Tahr

o They are stocky goats endemic to Nilgiri Hills and southern portion of

Western Ghats in Kerala and TamilNadu.

o They are found in the open montane grassland habitat of the South

Western Ghats montane rain forests eco-region.

o They are listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List. It is the state animal of

Tamilnadu.

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme

o Ration card holders in Kerala and Karnataka, as well as in Rajasthan and

Haryana, will be able to buy subsidised food from ration shops in the

neighbouring States.

o Every state has its own rules for Public Distribution System (PDS). If ‘One

Nation, One Ration Card’ is implemented, it will further boost corruption

in an already corrupted Public Distribution System.

o Tamil Nadu has opposed the proposal of the Centre, saying it would result

in undesirable consequences and is against federalism.


India Justice Report (IJR)

o It has been prepared by Tata Trusts in collaboration with Centre for social

Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Daksh,

TISS-Prayas and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

o It is India's first-ever ranking of states on justice delivery.

o The list is topped by Maharashtra. Maharashtra is followed by Kerala and

Tamil Nadu.

Kerala Fibre Optic Network Project

o The Kerala Cabinet has approved a Rs 1,548-crore fiber-optic network

project.

o To be completed by December 2020, the project seeks to fulfil the

government’s aim of making internet access a ‘citizen’s right’.

o Aims to provide free high-speed internet connection to around 2 million

families in the state to provide free high-speed internet to over 20 lakh

below poverty line (BPL) households.

o The project is expected to help the country’s IT industry and open major

opportunities in the fields of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and

startups. It is also expected to help in better management of the

transport sector.

o It is a collaborative initiative of the state's power utility Kerala State

Electricity Board and Kerala State IT Infrastructure Ltd.

India State of Forest Report for the year 2019

o The Forest Survey of India released the India State of Forest Report for

the year 2019.

o FSI undertakes biennial assessment of country’s forest resources, the

results of which are presented as the India State of Forest Report (ISFR).

o Forest Survey of India (FSI), a premier national organization under the

union Ministry of Environment and Forests is responsible for assessment

and monitoring of the forest resources of the country.

o The top five States in terms of increase in forest cover areKarnataka

(1,025 sq km), Andhra Pradesh (990 sq km), Kerala (823 sq km), Jammu &

Kashmir (371 sq km) and Himachal Pradesh (334 sq km).


Bar-headed goose

o Spotted in the wetlands of Karingali Puncha, near pandalam in

Pathanamthitta District.

o Bar-headed goose (Ansar Indicus) a migratory bird, found in central China

and Mangolia and they breed there.

o They start migration to Indian Sub-continent during winter and stay till

the end of the season. They return home by crossing Himalayan ranges.

o They are one of the highest flying birds.

o Classified as “Least Concerned” in ICUN Red list.

o ‘Karingali Puncha’ wetlands reported to have the highest bird count in the

Asian Waterbird Census of 2015.

Kerala Government banned single use plastic from January One.

o After considering environmental and health issues related to mounting

plastic waste, the government decided to ban single-use-plastic products

in the state from January 1, 2020.

o Will severely affect advertisement and flex printing businesses.

o 18 states have banned the use of plastic carry bags in India.

o Stringent action will be taken against those who defy the ban as per the

Environment Act 1986.

National Children's Science Congress 2019.

o National Children’s Science Congress is a flagship programme of National

Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department

of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India.

o It is an inclusive programme open to children of the age group from 10-17

years covering all background either school going or out of school system,

belonging to geographic, language and cultural regimes across the

country and open to all children including children with disabilities.

o 27th National Children’s Science Congress is hosted by Kerala State

Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), Government

of Kerala at Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar in association with Mar Ivanios

College and Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology.

Dr. Srinivasan Memorial Lecture.

o Organized by The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI).


o Late S Srinivasan (former director of VSSC) was an eminent scientist in the

launch vehicle sector.

Hema Commission

o The Hema Commission, appointed by the State government to study the

problems faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry, submitted

the report.

o Report recommending the setting up of a tribunal with a district judge as

its head to settle issues within the film industry.

o The commission was appointed in June 2017 in the wake of the debates

that roiled the industry following the alleged abduction and sexual assault

of a female actor and the formation of the Women in Cinema Collective

(WCC).

o The report flags major issues faced by women in the industry, including

the practice of casting couch.

o The report says that those who face sexual harassment or other issues

within the industry often do not lodge a formal complaint as those who

are vocal about issues have an unofficial ban.

o Lack of proper toilet facilities or green rooms in the sets is highlighted in

the report. The usage of drugs and other substances also finds mention in

it.

o The proposed tribunal will have to look at not just issues faced by women,

but the entire industry. Those who are found to be guilty of

misdemeanours should face punishments, including fines and bans for

specific periods.

Senna spectabilis

o The Forest and Wildlife Department is planning to adopt steps to arrest

the rampant growth of invasive plants, especially Senna spectabilis, in the

forest areas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), including the Wayanad

Wildlife Sanctuary.

o Invasive plants, especially Senna spectabilis, are posing a major threat to

the forest areas of the reserve, owing to its quick growth and coppicing

character.


o The plant has started to invade the adjacent Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger

reserves in Karnataka and the Mudumalai tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu.

o Due to mass flowering and drying of bamboo species in Wayanad, lots of

open spaces were created which had been occupied by Senna spectabilis.

o An adult tree grows up to 15 to 20 metres in a short period of time and

every year distributes thousands of seeds after gregarious flowering.

o The thick foliage arrests the growth of other indigenous tree and grass

species and causes food shortage for the wildlife population, especially

herbivores.

o Wildlife will not feed on the leaf of the tree as it is not palatable for them.

o The vayal ecosystem (marshy land) of the forest area now has this plant in

large numbers.

o The allelochemicals produced by this plant adversely affect the

germination and growth of the native species.

Operation Pure Water

o The district administration of Ernakulam launched ‘Operation Pure Water’

to ensure that the drinking water supplied in the district is clean.

o Operation Pure Water was launched based on a suggestion by Kerala

Legislative Assembly Committee on Petitions.

o The responsibility of providing adequate supply of drinking water to cater

to the needs of the district should be borne by the Kerala Water Authority

(KWA).

o Tanker trucks engaged in the supply of drinking water should draw water

from hydrants of the KWA.

o Tanker trucks which are not registered with the Food Safety and

Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is not allowed to engage in water

supply. Such tanker trucks should also register with the district

administration.

o The Assembly Committee on Petitions had ordered that water tankers be

colour-coded in accordance with a High Court directive, besides ensuring

ethoxylated polyethiemine (EPI) coating inside the tanker.


Suchitwa Sagaram (Clean sea)

o Suchitwa Sagaram, Kerala’s celebrated mission to clean the sea of plastic

that garnered global attention.

o The project aims to reduce plastic waste accumulation in the sea.

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)

o Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued norms

CRZ norms in 2019 replacing CRZ norms 2011. The new have been issued

according to the Section 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

o It also envisages the creation of an appropriate authority at the state/UT

level to be responsible for enforcement and enactment of these

provisions.

o Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) was created under

CRZ notification.

Related norms:

CRZ-III A - These are densely populated rural areas with a

population density of 2161 per square kilometre as per 2011

Census. Such areas shall have a No Development Zone (NDZ) of 50

meters from the HTL as against 200 meters from the High Tide Line

stipulated in the CRZ Notification, 2011 since such areas have

similar characteristics as urban areas.

Temporary tourism facilities such as shacks, toilet blocks, change

rooms, drinking water facilities etc. have now been permitted in

Beaches. Such temporary tourism facilities are also now

permissible in the "No Development Zone" (NDZ) of the CRZ-III

areas as per the Notification. However, a minimum distance of 10

m from HTL should be maintained for setting up of such facilities.

CRZ notification by Ministry of Ministry of Environment and Forests in

1991.

It declares coastal stretches as CRZ and regulates certain activities

within the zone.

The provisions of the act are to be implemented by the coastal

states and Union Territories.


Global meet on marine ecosystems

o Third symposium on marine ecosystems – challenges and opportunities,

held at Kochi.

o Organised by the Marine Biological Association of India.

o MECOS-3 will set a platform for discussion on a wide range of topics,

including impact of climate change on marine ecosystems and unusual

warming of the Arabian Sea.

ERUDITE Scholar-in-Residence

o Programme provides graduates, young researchers and university

teachers to provide opportunity to interact with Nobel Laureates and

other scholars of worldwide recognition.

o Nobel laureate Michael Levitt will delivered a public lecture at the

University of Kerala.

o Prof. Levitt, an American-British-Israeli biophysicist, had received the

Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2013 for the development of multi-scale

models for complex chemical systems.

The Miyawaki method of afforestation

o Kerala Government is planning to implement Miyawaki method in

Government offices, Schools and Purampoke Lands.

o The Miyawaki method of afforestation has revolutionised the concept of

urban afforestation by turning backyards into mini-forests.

o The Miyawaki method was developed by a Japanese botanist ‘Akira

Miyawaki’.

o The Forest Department of Kerala is the nodal agency in the State.

Wayanad wetland bird count

o It is a water bird census organised jointly by the Social Forestry Wayanad,

Hume Centre for Ecology (HCE) and Wildlife Biology, and Ratufa Nature

Club of College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CVAS), Pookode.

o Wetland ecosystems play a major role in maintaining water resources of a

region and lifeline of agriculture production systems.

o The data generated from the annual event contributes to the global

efforts to understand the changes in avian population in response to

climate and ecosystem changes.


Paper III

Kerala records a rising graph of crimes against children.

o There has been a steady increase in crimes committed against children in

Kerala.

o Increased reporting of crimes because of better awareness.

Aardram mission

o Mission AARDRAM aims at creating "People Friendly" Health Delivery

System in the state. The approach will be need based and aims at treating

every patient with ‘dignity'.

o Main objective is to transform PHCs (Primary Health Centre) into FHCs

(Family Health Centre’s).

o Half the world's population has no access to the most essential health

services.

o According to Astana Declaration, the following services are part of PHC

services:

Vaccination.


Screenings.

Prevention, control and management of non-communicable and

communicable diseases.

Care and services that promote, maintain and improve maternal, new-

born, child and adolescent health.

Mental health and sexual and reproductive health.

o Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3) also provide new impetus to

reach universal health coverage via strengthened primary health care.

Karthiyani Amma became Commonwealth Learning Goodwill Ambassador.

o Karthiyani Amma is from Alappuzha district in Kerala. She secured top

position with 98% marks in Kerala Literacy Mission’s Akshara Laksham

(million letters) literacy exam for Grade 4. She was 96 year old.

Women’s Wall (Vanitha Mathil) to protect renaissance value.

o It is organised by the government and supported by various social

organisations having links with the renaissance movement, the Women’s

Wall is an attempt by the government to defend the state from communal

forces.

Nari Shakti – Hindi word of the year 2018

o The word Nari Shakti is chosen as the word of the Year 2018 by the

Oxford dictionaries.

o Large spike in the use of word Nari Shakti in March 2018 around the

Government of India’s Nari Shakti Puraskar.

o Supreme Court also upheld Nari Shakti’s prominence in 2018 with its two

important decisions. One was a ban on ‘triple-talaq’ and second, the

taking down of a rule that disallowed menstrual women entry to the

Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

India’s largest start-up Ecosystem.

o It is a facility at the Technology Innovation Zone (TIZ) housing incubation

set-ups across a string of segments in modern technology.

o The Integrated Startup Complex under the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM)

includes the ultra-modern facilities of:

Maker Village that promotes hardware startups.

BioNest that promotes medical technologies.


BRINC which is the country’s first international accelerator for

hardware startups.

BRIC which aids developing solutions for cancer diagnosis and care.

Centre of Excellence set up by industry majors such as UNITY.

Kerala sets up Drug price monitor.

o Kerala has become the first State to set up a price monitoring and

research unit (PMRU) to track violation of prices of essential drugs and

medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO).

o The State Health Secretary would be the Chairman of the society and the

Drugs Controller would be its member secretary.

o The new watchdog will offer technical help to the State Drug Controllers

and the NPPA to monitor notified prices of medicines, detect violation of

the provisions of the DPCO, look at price compliance, collect test samples

of medicines, and collect and compile market-based data of scheduled as

well as non-scheduled formulations.

Operation ‘Sagar Rani’

o Kerala State Food Safety Department launched ‘Operation Sagar Rani’ to

ensure safety and hygiene at fish handling and distribution centres in

2017.

o As part of the initiative, Kerala food safety department officials seized

nearly 9,600 kg of fish preserved in formalin at a border check post in

Kollam district.

Trans Fatty Acids

o Kerala has drawn up an action plan to generate public awareness on the

harmful effects of Trans Fatty Acids (TFA) in commercially available food

items and to encourage the local food industry to meet the current

statutory limits set for TFA.

o Various studies suggest that an unhealthy diet with a high TFA content is a

significant factor that pushes up metabolic syndrome and the burden of

its associated complications.

o The Health Department is being supported in this initiative by Vital

Strategies, the nutrition wing of the World Bank; the WHO; the FSSAI; and

the State Food Safety wing, which will be in charge of enforcement.


o TFA containing oils can be preserved longer, they give the food the

desired shape and texture and can easily substitute ‘Pure ghee’. These are

comparatively far lower in cost and thus add to profit/saving.

Millet Village Scheme

o The project aimed at protecting seeds of traditional varieties of millets

and ensures food security and livelihood for tribals.

o The scheme also provides financial assistance to farmers for cultivation of

millets crops.

o Millets also are known as ‘nutri-cereals’ and have a high protein content,

short growing season, climate change resilience and low water

requirement.

o The Millet Village scheme was first launched in Attappady in Palakkad

district of Kerala.

India’s 2nd longest rail tunnel

o A 10.7-km railway line, including a 9.02-km tunnel, has been proposed to

connect the upcoming Vizhinjam International Multipurpose Deep-water

Seaport to the railway network.

o The 9.02-km tunnel, mooted by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL),

will be the second longest railway tunnel in the country.

o The 11.26-km Pir Panjal rail tunnel, connecting Banihal and Hillar

Shahabad, is the longest.

West Nile Virus (WNV)

o A section of the media has reported that a seven year old boy from

Malappuram District of Kerala is suffering from West Nile Virus (WNV).

o West Nile Virus (WNV) is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to

the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae.

o West Nile Virus (WNV) can cause neurological disease and death in

people. WNV is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North

America and West Asia.

o WNV is maintained in nature in a cycle involving transmission between

birds and mosquitoes. Humans, horses and other mammals can be

infected.


o Human infection is most often the result of bites from infected

mosquitoes.

Mango Showers

o Mango showers is a colloquial term to describe the occurrence of pre-

monsoon rainfall. They are notable across much of South and Southeast

Asia, including India, and Cambodia.

o In India, the mango showers occurs as the result of thunderstorm

development over the Bay of Bengal. They are also known as ‘Kaal

Baishaki’ in Bengal, as Bordoisila in Assam and as Cherry Blossom shower

or Coffee Shower in Kerala.

o Towards the close of the summer season, pre-monsoon showers are

common, especially in Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu in India.

They help in the early ripening of mangoes, hence the name.

EnviStats-India 2019

o India’s economic growth, took a toll on its natural assets like forests, food,

clean air, etc.

o In the last 6 years, the rate of growth of forest stock has reduced by more

than 10% in almost all states.

o The natural capital are those elements of the nature that provide valuable

goods and services to humans, such as the stock of forests, food, clean air,

water, land, minerals, etc.

o The report also reveals few positive trends. For example, Andhra Pradesh,

Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra and Odisha show an increase in

parameters such as transition of fallow land to farmland, increase in

forest cover along with growing carbon stock and new sources of

minerals. It, however, shows alarming effects of climate change,

urbanisation and decline in forest resource.

Malnutrition-free India

o According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4, India has

unacceptably high levels of stunting, despite marginal improvement over

the years.


o According to NFHS-4 data, India has more stunted children in rural areas

as compared to urban areas, possibly due to the low socio-economic

status of households in those areas.

o Almost double the prevalence of stunting is found in children born to

mothers with no schooling.

o In terms of geographical regions, Bihar (48%), Uttar Pradesh (46%) and

Jharkhand (45%) have very high rates of stunting, while States with the

lowest rates include Kerala, and Goa (20%).

Vessel C-441

o Indian Coast Guard commissioned an interceptor vessel C-441, at a

ceremony held at the Vizhinjam harbour.

o ICGS C-441 is the seventh interceptor vessel amongst the series designed

and built indigenously by L & T Ltd., Surat.

o Indian Coast Guard Ship C-441 is capable to undertake multifarious

activities like:

Close coast surveillance

Interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to boats and

crafts in distress at sea

Enhance the search and rescue capacity of Kerala seas.

World Health Organisation database – Low density of Health Professionals.

o According to a World Health Organisation database, despite the health

sector employing five million workers, India continues to have low density

of health professionals.

o India is in the “critical shortage of healthcare providers” category.

o Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the worst hit while

Delhi, Kerala, Punjab and Gujarat compare favourably.

o The health workforce in India comprises broadly eight categories, namely:

doctors (allopathic, alternative medicine); nursing and midwifery

professionals; public health professionals (medical, non-medical);

pharmacists; dentists; paramedical workers (allied health professionals);

grass-root workers (frontline workers); and support staff.

o The doctor-density ratio in India at 8 per 10,000 people as against one

doctor for a population of 1,000.


Masala Bonds

o Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board issued Masala Bonds to raise

funds from the overseas market.

o Masala Bonds are rupee-denominated bonds i.e. the funds would be

raised from overseas market in Indian rupees.

o Eligibility: Any corporate, body corporate and Indian bank is eligible to

issue Rupee denominated bonds overseas.

o RBI mandates that the money raised through such bonds cannot be used

for real estate activities other than for development of integrated

township or affordable housing projects.

o It also can’t be used for investing in capital markets, purchase of land and

on-lending to other entities for such activities as stated above.

o The Rupee denominated bonds can only be issued in a country and

subscribed by a resident of such country that is a member of financial

action task force and whose securities market regulator is a member of

International Organisation of Securities Commission.

o According to RBI, the minimum maturity period for Masala Bonds raised

up to Rupee equivalent of USD 50 million in a financial year should be 3

years and for bonds raised above USD 50 million equivalents in INR per

financial year should be 5 years.

World Customs Organisation (WCO).

o Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is organising a

meeting of the Regional Heads of Customs Administration of Asia Pacific

Region of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) in Kochi, Kerala.

o India is holding the meeting in capacity of vice chair of Asia Pacific region

(2018 for a 2-year period).

o It was established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC).

o It is an independent inter-governmental body whose mission is to

enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.

o WCO offers its members a range of Conventions and other international

instruments, as well as technical assistance and training services provided

either directly by the Secretariat or with its participation.


o WCO has also been responsible for administering the World Trade

Organization’s agreement on Customs Valuation which provide a system

for placing values on imported goods, and the Rules of Origin, which are

used to determine the origin of a given commodity.

Nipah virus

o The Nipah virus resurfaced in Kerala with the confirmation of the infection

in a 23-year-old college student.

o Nipah Virus is a zoonotic virus i.e. transmitted from animals to humans.

o Fruit bats are the natural host of Nipah virus.

o It was first recognised in 1998-99 during an outbreak among pig farmers

in Malaysia and Singapore.

o In 2018, there was a Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode and Malappuram

districts of Kerala

First Resilient Kerala Program

o The Government of India, the Government of Kerala and the World Bank

signed a Loan Agreement of USD 250 million for the First Resilient Kerala

Program.

o First Resilient Kerala Program was launched recently to enhance the

State's resilience against the impacts of natural disasters and climate

change.

o It is part of the Government of India’s support to Kerala’s ‘Rebuild Kerala

Development Programme’.

o The Program represents the First ‘State Partnership’ of the World Bank in

India; it is the First of two Development Policy Operations aiming to

mainstream disaster and climate resilience into critical infrastructure and

services.

Non-resident Keralite Investment Company

o To channel investments from overseas Keralites for major infrastructure

development in the state, the Kerala state Government has decided to

form an NRK investment company.

o NRK Investment and Holding Company Ltd. will be formed with 74% share

capital from NRKs, the state government will hold the remaining 26%

stake.


o The Chief Executive Officer of Norka Roots will be the Special Officer of

the new company.

Child Well-Being Index Report

o World Vision India, a child-focused humanitarian organization and IFMR

LEAD, a research organization based in India, have released India Child

Well-Being Report.

o It provides insights on health, nutrition, education, and sanitation and

child protection.

o It examines how India fairs on child well-being using a composite child

well-being index. The index is based on three dimensions viz.

Healthy individual development,

Positive relationships and

Protective contexts.

o NITI Aayog has cited the report as crucial and said that it can be used both

by the Government and civil organizations to achieve the goal of child

well-being.

o Kerala (0.76), Tamil Nadu (0.67) and Himachal Pradesh (0.67) topped the

child-wellbeing index. Puducherry performed the best among union

territories.

o Meghalaya (0.53), Jharkhand (0.50) and Madhya Pradesh (0.44)

performed worst in the overall index.

o India had ranked 113th in the End of Childhood Index- a part of the Global

Childhood Report, published by the NGO Save the Children in May 2019.

Singapore had topped the index which ranked 176 countries.

Total Fertility Rate

o The 2017 Sample Registration System (SRS) data of 22 states on Total

fertility Rate (TFR) has been compiled by the Registrar General & Census

Commissioner under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

o TFR indicates the average number of children expected to be born to a

woman during her reproductive span of 15-49 years.

o TFR of 2.1 children per woman is called Replacement-level fertility. This

represents the level at which a population can replace itself from one

generation to other without growing or declining.


o The Sample Registration System is the most regular source of vital

statistics in India since 1964. The SRS provides information on (a)

population composition, (b) fertility, (c) mortality, and (d) medical

attention at the time of birth or death.

o TFR for India has declined to 2.2 in 2017 after being stable at 2.3 between

2013 and 2016.

o Kerala has lower TFR (1.7) than National average.

Sex-ratio at birth

o The sex ratio at birth (SRB) in the country, defined as the number of

female births per 1,000 male births.

o SRB improved from 914 to 919 between the third and fourth National

Family Health Surveys (NFHS), carried out in 2005-06 and 2015-16

respectively.

o Second highest improvement in SRB was in Kerala, by 122 points from 925

in 2005-06 to 1,047 in 2015-16 (the highest SRB among all states).

Women drivers for Govt, PSU vehicles

o Kerala government has approved a proposal to frame a new law for the

appointment of women as drivers in State Public Sector Undertakings and

various departments of the Kerala Government.

o This is for the first time when any state government decided to allow

women to drive government vehicles.

Paraquat Herbicide

o Doctors in Odisha’s have urged the Odisha government to ban paraquat

herbicide that has killed around 170 people in the last two years.

o Paraquat is a toxic chemical that is widely used as an herbicide (plant

killer), primarily for weed and grass control.

o The herbicide has been banned in 32 countries including Switzerland,

where herbicide producing company Syngenta is based.

o Paraquat also figures on the list of 99 pesticides and herbicides that the

Supreme Court is hearing to ban in an on-going case. So far in India, only

Kerala has banned the herbicide.

o Paraquat is yet to be listed in the prior informed consent (PIC) of the

Rotterdam Convention.


Shola Grasslands

o The Shola vegetation are tropical montane forests found in the Western

Ghats separated by rolling grasslands in high altitudes.

o Shola grasslands consist of dwarf trees growing 25-30 feet.

o The Shola forests and associated grasslands store large quantities of

water on the mountain ranges, thus serving as huge `water harvesting and

storage structures.

o Many of the rivers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu originate from the Shola

grasslands and were perennial. With depletion of Sholas and other

forests, the streams that supply water to them dry up in summer.

o The Forest Departments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, besides private

planters, were responsible for large-scale destruction of Sholas during the

past two centuries.

o The spread of invasive species like acacia have eaten into as much as two-

thirds of natural grasslands.

Vaidyaratnam P. S. Varier

o Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated 150th birth anniversary

celebrations of Vaidyaratnam P.S. Varier.

o Vaidyaratnam P. S. Varier (1869–1944) was an Ayurvedic physician from

Kerala, India.

o He is well-regarded as the founder of Kottakkal Arya Vaidyasala, a major

Ayurvedic treatment centre in Kerala.

o He also wrote text books for students of Ayurveda. One of them,

Ashtangasariram, won a certificate in 1932 from the National

Organisation of Physicians.

o He founded a drama troupe which was developed to be the famous

Kathakali troupe, P.S.V. Natyasangham.

First International Women's Trade Centre (iWTC)

o Kerala will set up the country's first International Women's Trade Centre

(iWTC), in consonance with the United Nations Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs), in Kozhikode.


o It is a key project of the state's Gender Park “Vision 2020” under the

Department of Social Justice. The first phase is scheduled to be completed

by 2021.

o The facility will have women's start-up and incubation centre, business

centers and offices, retail fashion and technology outlets, health and

wellness centers, performing arts centre, residential suite and day-care

for seniors and children.

o iWTC will also have a dedicated space for cultural expressions of women

to promote and showcase performing arts and cultural forms like dance,

music and theatre.

School Education Quality Index (SEQI)

o Niti Aayog released the school education quality index (SEQI) aimed at

evaluating the performance of states and Union Territories (UTs) in the

school education sector.

o Kerala bagged the top spot with 76.6 per cent and while Uttar Pradesh

with 36.4 per cent scored the lowest for 2016-17.

o The School Education Quality Index (SEQI) was developed to evaluate the

performance of States and Union Territories (UTs) in the school education

sector.

PM-JAY health scheme

o PM-JAY is the flagship scheme of the government with an aim to bring

quality healthcare to around 50 crore poor and vulnerable Indians.

o Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have

emerged as the top performing States of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan

Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Liver transplant registry

o India’s first voluntary liver transplant registry that started on August 15,

2019.

o Initiated by the Liver Transplantation Society of India, the registry aims to

collate national data of the procedures and their outcomes.

o Hospitals from Delhi NCR, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have

voluntarily reported their transplants to the registry.


Multidisciplinary drifting observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate

(MOSAiC) expedition.

o Vishnu Nandan, a 32-year-old polar researcher from Kerala, will be the

only Indian among 300 scientists from across the world aboard the

MOSAiC expedition.

o The aim of the expedition will be to parameterise the atmospheric,

geophysical, oceanographic and all other possible variables in the Arctic,

and use it to more accurately forecast the changes in our weather

systems.

o MOSAiC, the largest ever Arctic expedition in history, will be the first to

conduct a study of the North Pole for an entire year. Previous studies

have been of shorter periods as the thicker sea ice sheets prevent access

in winter.

NH 766

o NH 766 is a key highway between Karnataka and Kerala that passes

through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka.

o Kerala’s Wayanad district has witnessed a series of protests against a ban

on night traffic on the forest stretch of NH 766.

o Night traffic would affect behaviour biology such as breeding and parental

care of animals, disrupt their life cycle and make them stray to human

habitats.

Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar River Link Project

o The Kerala State government is saying that it is taking all precautions to

prevent the implementation of the Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar river link

project.

o The river link proposal is listed among the river linking projects of the

NWDA.

Eat Right Mela

o Organised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

o Aim: To make citizens aware of the health and nutrition benefits of

different types of food.


Good Governance Index (GGI)

o Tamil Nadu has topped the Good Governance Index among 18 big States

in the country.

o The State was ranked among the top five in six parameters, including

public infrastructure, judicial and public security and public health, among

others.

o The Good Governance Index was released by the Union Ministry of

Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.

o The Index takes 10 sectors into consideration: agriculture and allied,

commerce & industries, human resource development, public health,

public infrastructure & utilities, economic governance, social welfare &

development, judicial & public security, environment and citizen-centric

governance.

o Tamil Nadu was followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and

Andhra Pradesh in the overall ranking of 18 big States.

o For the purpose of the rankings, the States and Union Territories (UTs)

were divided into three groups – Big States, North-East & Hill States and

Uts. The States and Uts were ranked on all indicators separately.

o Tamil Nadu was followed by Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra and Haryana in

the public infrastructure rankings, and by Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan

and Maharashtra in the rankings for judicial and public security.

o Last year (2018 GGI) Kerala topped the Index.

‘Theerasenakkoru License’ project

o Department of Fisheries to train boat sranks and provide them licence for

operating fishing boats is under consideration.

o ‘Theerasenakkoru License’ project - an initiative launched by the district

administration in connection with Safe Kollam.

o o The new regulations of the Centre would prevent the fishers from

venturing beyond 12 nautical miles, limiting their fishing rights to

territorial waters.

Muhammodayam

o A joint initiative of the panchayat and the Ashoka Trust for Research in

Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a Bengaluru-based non-profit


organisation, which is aimed at the conservation of the Vembanad Lake

ecosystem by developing sustainable livelihoods and management of

natural resources.

o It is funded by the Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Indian

Space Research (ISRO), through its CSR (corporate social responsibility)

activities.

o Muhamma to be first synthetic pad-free panchayat in the country. Project

to manage menstrual waste by encouraging women to switch to reusable

pads made of clothes and menstrual cups was launched by Food and Civil

Supplies Minister – Part of Muhammodayam. As part of the project, the

panchayat has started distributing cloth pads and menstrual cups to

women.

Penkaruthu

o ‘Penkaruthu’ - Kalaripayattu training organised by the Kerala State Youth

Welfare Board for young women to increase their confidence and mental

and physical strength.

Haritha Keralam

o Haritha Keralam is an Umbrella Mission integrating the components of

Waste Management, Organic Farming, and Water Resources

Management.

o Haritha Karma Sena – Work force selected by local bodies to work with

Haritha Keralam Mission, Suchitwa Mission and Clean Kerala Company for

a garbage free kerala.

o Suchitwa Mission is the Technical Support Group (TSG) in Waste

Management sector under the Local Self Government Department,

Government of Kerala. It is responsible for providing technical and

managerial support to the Local Self Governments of the State.

o The Mission is also the Nodal agency for implementing Swachh Bharat

Mission (Urban), Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) and Communication and

Capacity Development Unit (CCDU) in the State.

Hunger-free programme

o The Hunger-free Kerala (Vishappurahitha Keralam) project aims to

provide quality food to the hungry at least once a day.


o The state government envisaged the ‘Vishappurahitha Keralam’ project as

part of the 13th five year plan.

o The project is being implemented by Department of Food and Civil

supplies.

o Hunger Free City – It is a scheme under Kerala Social Security Mission. The

project titled “Hunger Free City” aims to provide highly subsidized meals

once a day to public at designated centers in a city and it is aimed at

ensuring that no person in the city goes without at least one square meal

a day.

Ascend 2020

o The global investors meet by the State Government.

o Organised by Department of Industries.

o Ascend 2020 is the government’s flagship event to put up a platform for

global, national, and State players to understand and evaluate the

investment potential of Kerala in the spirit of building a new Kerala

envisaged under Nava Keralam.

o More than a hundred projects being showcased by the State government

at the event.

Jeevani project

o The pan-kerala mission mode vegetable cultivation drive, a 470-day

programme, which saw its soft launch on New Year Day and will

culminate on Vishu in 2021.

o Mission project under the Department of Agriculture.

o The programme involved the entire spectrum of society. Students,

teachers, Kudumbashree members, people’s representatives in different

local bodies and the government, religious institutions and their land.

National laurel for Kudumbashree

o The Kudumbashree Mission has bagged the second position in the

Systematic Progressive Analytical Real time Ranking (SPARK) of States for

implementation of the Centrally sponsored Deen Dayal Antyodaya

Yojana- National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) programme for the

year 2018- 19.


o Rs.9 crore cash prize would be utilised for more effective implementation

of Plan projects including vocational skill training, support for

entrepreneurs and creation of ‘ayalkoottam’ neighbourhood groups for

strengthening the Kudumbashree system as well as for setting up markets

for street vendors and shelter homes for people spending the night in

streets

o Kudumbashree emerged at the top position in skill training.

o Andhra Pradesh bagged the first position among States in the ranking.

o Kerala listed fourth among States in the ranking.

Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD)

o A case of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, a

viral disease transmitted to humans through a species of ticks usually

found on monkeys, has been reported from the Begur area under the

Appapara Family Health Centre in Thirunelly grama panchayat in

Wayanad district.

o The first case of the disease in the district was reported in 2013.

Vimukthi Mission

o Vimukthi is an anti-narcotics campaign launched by the Government of

Kerala to highlight the seriousness of the situation and to create

awareness among the people, especially the youth.

o It is a collective effort aims at eradicating all sorts of narcotic substances

from Kerala.

o It is being implemented with the help of students Police Cadets, Vimukthi

Anti Drug Clubs of School and Colleges, National Service Scheme ,

Kudumbasree, Residence Association, State Library Council, and anti

alcoholic organization, Different student, youth and Women’s

organizations and Vimukthi Committees formed in Ward, Panchayat and

Block levels of Local Bodies.

o Kudumbashree units have been made active partners in all campaigns of

Vimukthi down to the ward level across the State.

o The campaign is being mounted by the State Excise Department, under

which the Vimukthi mission has been launched.


Kerala Institute for Research, Training and Development Studies of

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (KIRTADS)

o KIRTADS is purely a governmental organization under the Scheduled

Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development ministry and functions as a

separate Directorate.

o Its main objective is to carry out research that helps to promote

development among the Scheduled Communities in Kerala.

o It also attempts to identify the needs and problems confronting the

marginalized section of the population and suggest recommendations to

the government in finding a panacea for their overall development.

VAIGA -2020

o The fourth edition of the VAIGA -2020 meant for sustainable development

through Agripreneurship.

o VAIGA (Value addition for Income Generation in Agriculture) exhibition,

aimed at exploring possibility of processing and value addition of

agriculture products.

India Skills Kerala 2020

o India Skills Kerala 2020 is organized by the Industrial Training

Department and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), the State’s

Skill Development Mission under the Labour and Skills Department.

o It was launched to setting the stage for youngsters to compete in a wide

range of vocational and non-vocational skills.

o District and Zonal levels of competitions will be held to find state level

winners.

o State level winners will participate in India Skills 2020, and the National

winners will get opportunity to participate in World Skills 2021 to be

held in Shanghai, China.

Documents

KAS MAINS · India. Megalithic Culture in Pothamala Hills o New menhirs were found on the Pothamala hills on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. o Pothamala hills houses hundreds of cobbled