“Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS

Department of Empowerment of persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment organised Regional Conference on “Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)” in Mumbai.
•It was the 2nd of a series of Regional Conferences
Scheme was made in 1999 recently revised in 2018.
To create an enabling environment to ensure equal opportunities, equity, social justice and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
•To encourage voluntary action for ensuring effective implementation of the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016
•programmes for pre-school and early intervention
•special education,
•vocational training and placement
•community based rehabilitation
•manpower development
•psycho-social rehabilitation of persons with mental illness
•rehabilitation of leprosy-cured persons, etc.

Yellow Fever Vaccine

• Yellow fever, a fatal disease, spreads through mosquitoes. It is often associated with jaundice, hence the name yellow.
• It is usually compulsory to get vaccinated before traveling to any of the yellow fever-endemic countries in parts of Africa, and Central and South America.
• Yellow fever vaccine which is known as 17D and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) also it is safe and affordable. However, there are reports of multisystem organ failure following vaccination

West Nile Fever

West Nile Virus have been reported in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts of Kerala which left the State Health Department with the twin problems of underreporting and identification of the source of West nile fever in the region.
Commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia, the West Nile Virus (WNV) causes viral infection which is typically spread by mosquitoes and can cause neurological disease as well as death.

1st identified in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937, and then was identified in birds in the Nile delta region
Till date no human to human transmission is reported
Its a RNA Virus.
Flavivirus type–> Zika+ Dengue+ Yellow fever+ WNV

Pulicat Lake

• A 3-day Flamingo Festival has begun at Pulicat lake.
• It is the 2nd largest brackish water ecosystem in the country after the Chilika lake in Odisha.
• The arrival of birds, which usually starts in the month of September, was delayed this year till December because of 47% deficit rainfall in the wake of climate change.
• It is located on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu with over 96% of it in Andhra Pradesh and 4% in Tamil Nadu.

Global Talent Competitive Index-2019

India = 80th rank
•It measures the ability of countries to compete for talent.
•It is released by INSEAD business school in partnership with Tata Communications and Adecco Group.
India’s biggest challenge is to improve its ability to attract and retain talent.
•India needs to address its poor level of Internal Openness in particular with respect to weak gender equality and low tolerances towards minorities and immigrant

Niti Aayog-led Committee to Monitor Pricing of Drugs

Union Govt formed–> NITI Aayog–> SCAMHP–>  recommending body to NPPA regarding prices of drugs and health products.

SCAMHP= Standing Committee on Affordable Medicines and Health Products
NPPA= National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority 
DPCO= Drugs (Prices Control) Order

The new committee can also exercise powers under Para 19 of Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO):

• NPPA exercises Para 19 powers in public interest.
• In 2013, the government had delegated these powers to NPPA, which it can exercise for setting the price cap of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs.
• NPPA used para 19 powers in 2017 to cap prices of cardiac drugs, stents, and knee implants.

Earlier NPPA was taking strict action against those companies found to be overcharging. This will weaken the functions of NPPA as an enforcement body.

Himalayan Glaciers Impacted by Climate Change

Chaturangi Glacier, a tributary of Gangotri glaciers, is receding.
Study by GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development and the Centre for Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) using the satellite data from 1989 to 2016 and kinematic GPS.

Chaturangi glacier was connected with the Gangotri glacier till 1989 but is now detached 

Gangotri glacier originates at the northern slope of Chaukhamba range of peaks in Garhwal Himalayas in Uttrakhand.

Gangotri is not a single valley glacier, but a combination of several other glaciers. This glacier comprises three main tributaries, namely Raktavaran (15.90 km), Chaturangi (22.45 km) and Kirti (11.05 km) and more than 18 other tributary glaciers.

The Bhagirathi, one of the main tributaries of the Ganga, originates from the gangotri glacier. The Ganges has 5 headstreams—the Bhagirathi, the Alaknanda, the Mandakini, the Dhauliganga, and the Pindar—all rise in the mountainous region of northern Uttarakhand.
ince Ganga originates from Gangotri glacier, which is fed by its tributary glaciers, the rapid retreat of glaciers like Chaturangi and Raktavaran will impact flow and water level in the Ganga.

Cabinet has approved the amendment to Article 280 and the sixth schedule to the Constitution in order to increase powers of Autonomous Councils in Sixth Schedule areas of North East.

The 10 autonomous councils among the 4 states under schedule six to the Constitution are:

Assam

1. Bodoland Territorial Council
2. Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council
3. Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council

Meghalaya

1. Garo Hills Autonomous District Council
2. Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council
3. Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council

Tripura

1. Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council

Mizoram

1. Chakma Autonomous District Council
2. Lai Autonomous District Council
3. Mara Autonomous District Council

• Amendment in article 280 to mandate the Finance Commission to recommend devolution of financial resources. This will significantly improve the financial resources and powers of the autonomous districts councils.
• Transfer of additional 30 subjects, including departments of Public Works, Forests, Public Health Engineering, Health and Family Welfare, Urban Development and Food and Civil Supply to Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council and Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council in Assam.
• Renaming of few existing autonomous councils as the present jurisdiction of these councils extend to more than one districts.
• Increase in seats in
  Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (30–> 35),
  Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council (30–> 40 seats),
  Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (30–> 42),
  Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (30–> 40) and
  Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (30–> 34).
• Provide for elected village municipal councils which will be empowered to prepare plans for economic development and social justice, including those related to agriculture, land improvement, implementation of land reforms, minor irrigation, water management, animal husbandry, rural electrification, small scale industries and social forestry.
• Elections to these village and municipal councils will be conducted by the State Election Commission. There will be a provision for anti-defection too.
• Reservation of at least 1/3 of seats for women in the village and municipal councils in the sixth schedule areas of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.
• At least 2 nominated members in all autonomous councils will be women.
• Meghalaya has for the time being kept out of the purview of the provision for elected village and municipal councils and 1/3 reservations for women.

There are other states which have autonomous councils but are formed as a result of other legislation.
Ladakh
Manipur
WB
De facto self-governing areas— North Sentilese Island.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_administrative_divisions_of_India

ILP–https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Line_Permit

GSTAT=  Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal

In case of Dispute–> Centre Vs State –> GSTAT should intervene and resolve.

The union cabinet has approved the creation of National Bench of the GSTAT.

GSTAT will be presided over by the President and will consist of one Technical Member (Centre) and one Technical Member (State).

GSTAT is the form of the 2nd appeal in GST laws and the 1st common forum of dispute resolution between Centre and States.

Exercise SEA VIGIL

• Location: Exercise SEA VIGIL, a first of its kind, was undertaken along the entire 7516.6 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India.
  
• Duration of exercise: 22-23 January 2019.
  
• Stakeholders: It is involving all the 13 coastal States and Union Territories along with all maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
  
• Objective: To validate the efficacy of the measures taken since ’26/11′.
  
• Salient Features:
  • Exercise SEA VIGIL was the largest coastal defence exercise off the Indian coast.
    
  • It was a build up towards the major theatre level tri-service exercise TROPEX [Theatre-level Readiness Operational Exercise] which Indian Navy conducts every two years. SEA VIGIL and TROPEX together will cover the entire maritime security.
    
  • The exercise involved both seaward and shore-based monitoring.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

• The 15^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) from January 21 to January 23, 2019.
• Its theme was “Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India”.
• It was organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in association with the government of Uttar Pradesh.
• PBD is celebrated on 9^th January. But this time dates were shifted to allow the guests attending the event to get an opportunity to participate in the ‘Kumbh Mela’ at Prayagraj and to attend the Republic Day parade.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated once in every two years

January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.
PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003.

Chakmas in CAB

•The Chakmas are ethnic people who lived in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, most of which are located in Bangladesh.
•Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists. They are found in northeast India, West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
•The Chakmas living in India are Indian citizens. Some of them, mostly from Mizoram, live in relief camps in southern Tripura due to tribal conflict with Mizos. These Indian Chakmas living in Tripura take part in Mizoram elections too. The Election Commission sets up polling booths in relief camps.

•The Chakmas living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts fled erstwhile East Pakistan in 1964-65, since they lost their land to the development of the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli River.
•They also faced religious persecution as they were nonMuslims and did not speak Bengali. They eventually sought asylum in India.

1960s, the Chakma refugees were accommodated in the relief camps constructed in the “vacant lands” of Tirap, Lohit and Subansiri districts of the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), a political division governed by the Union government.
•In 1972, NEFA –> turned Arunachal Pradesh. locals and regional political parties opposed resettling refugees.
•In 2015, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to grant citizenship to Chakma who had migrated from Bangladesh in 1964-69.
•The order was passed while hearing a plea by the Committee for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas. Following this, the Centre introduced amendments to the Citizenship Act, 1955.
•The Bill is criticized over making illegal immigrants eligible for citizenship on the basis of religion, which is a violation of Article 14.

Train 18

•Indian Railways’ fastest train, Train 18 named, Vande Bharat Express. •India’s 1st engineless semi-high speed train – “Train 18” – was rolled out by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
•Features: CCTV cameras, diffused lighting, automatic doors and footsteps, GPS-based passenger information system.
•Train 18 was the only new train announced in Budget-2018. It is manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

DAMaN Initiative: Odisha

•Odisha Government had launched a malaria control programme – “Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN)” initiative.
•This programme involves mass screening for malaria with treatment of positive cases along with intensified surveillance, mosquito control measures and regular health education activities throughout the year.
•For mass screening and treatment of patients in inaccessible areas, District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2), an open-source web-based surveillance for malaria is used. •Odisha, which accounts for over 40% per cent malaria burden of the entire country, has reported about 85% decline in average monthly malaria cases in the State.

•Recently the 2nd National Chilika Bird Festival kickstarted at Mangalajodi in Chilika.
•The festival is organised to promote eco-tourism and preservation of birds in Odisha. •National Chilika Bird Festival Award was given to MangalajodiEco-tourism Group for their active involvement in bird protection. •Mangalajodi, situated in the North Eastern Part of Chilika, is known as the “Birds Paradise of Asia” as the place witnesses the highest gathering of more than 10 Lakh species of birds.

•Chilika lake, located in the coastal Odisha is Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon.
•Chilika lake with its rich bio-diversity and socioeconomic importance has been a designated Ramsar site (a wetland of international importance) since 1981.
•Another major attraction at Chilika is Irrawaddy dolphins which are often spotted off Satapada Island in Chilka Lake.

SANH Nitrogen cycle study

The United Kingdom will fund the South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH), a group of 50 institutions to assess and study the quantum and impact of “nitrogen pollution” in South Asia.
•18 research institutions in India are the part of SANH which will study the impacts of the different forms of pollution to form a “coherent picture” of the nitrogen cycle.
•In particular, it will look at nitrogen in agriculture in eight countries — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives.
•This is a 5-year programme established with funds from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under its Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

India will participate in PISA

India and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has signed an agreement to enable India’s participation in Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) to be held in 2021.

• India stayed away from PISA in 2012 and 2015 on account of its dismal performance in 2009, when it was placed 72nd among the 74 participating countries.
• India criticized the method saying that questions were “out of context”. Thus, India chose not to participate in the 2012 and 2015 cycle of PISA.
  
  PISA is an international survey held every three years, coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
• First conducted in 2000, the major domain of study rotates between reading, mathematics, and science in each cycle.
• It is a competency-based test designed to assess the ability of the 15-year-old candidates that measures their reading, mathematics, and science literacy every three years to apply their knowledge to real-life situations
  Schools run by
  Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and schools in the UT of Chandigarh will participate.

World Steel Association (worldsteel).

India has replaced Japan as world’s 2nd largest steel producing country, while
China=1= the largest producer of crude steel accounting for more than 51% of production, according to World Steel Association (worldsteel).
•Others in the top 10 steel producing countries include the United States (4th place), South Korea (5th place), Russia (6th), Germany (7th), Turkey (8th), Brazil (9th) and Iran (10th).

•The World Steel Association (worldsteel) is a non-profit organisation with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. A second office in Beijing, China, opened in April 2006.

NGCD

The international day of girl child is celebrated on October 11 every year.
National Girl Child Day (NGCD) on 24th January

The Ministry of Women & Child Development has celebrated National Girl Child Day (NGCD) on 24th January 2019 in Delhi.
•The theme of NGCD 2019 was “Empowering Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow” and was celebrated with objectives of generating awareness on the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and create a positive environment around valuing the girl child.
•The celebrations also marked the 4th anniversary of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme which was launched in 2015.

Sangrai Dance

•Sangrai dance is performed by the Mog tribal community on the occasion of Sangrai festival during the month of Chaitra (in April) of the Bengali calendar year.
•The Mogs are one of the 19 tribes in Tripura.
•The Mogs are Arakanese descendants who migrated to Tripura through Chittagong Hill Tracts
•Mogs’ language is grouped under Tibeto-Chinese family which is also linked with Assam-Burmese section of language.

Roshni

•It is an app to help visually impaired, to differentiate between new post demonetization currencies of India.
•It is developed by IIT Ropar, Punjab.
•Earlier the visually impaired persons differentiated the currencies based on the length and width of the note, but after demonetization it became very difficult

Golden Langur

Assam State Zoo, Guwahati welcomed the birth of a baby Golden Langur at langur breeding facility.
•The Central Zoo Authority, New Delhi entrusted Assam with this task.
•It is one of the most endangered primate species in India.
•It is listed in Appendix I of CITES, as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

National Statistical Commission (NSC)

NSC was set up by the Government through a resolution in 2005.
•The setting up of the NSC followed the decision of the Cabinet to accept the recommendations of the Rangarajan Commission, which reviewed the Indian Statistical System in 2001.
•NSC is the apex advisory body on statistical matters as it was constituted to evolve policies, priorities, and standards in statistical matters.
•The NSC has 4 Members besides a Chairperson, each having specialization and experience in specified statistical fields.

Leprosy

•Leprosy (Hansen’s disease) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae that involves the skin and peripheral nerves.
•Although leprosy affects both sexes, in most parts of the world males are affected more frequently than females, often in the ratio of 2:1, according to WHO’s Global Leprosy Report.
•Leprosy is curable with MDT (multi drug therapy) and treatment in the early stages can prevent disability.

•World Leprosy Day is observed on the last Sunday of January
•In India, it is celebrated on the 30th January each year to commemorate the death of Mahatma Gandhi
•Recently, Shri Yohei Sasakawa has been awarded Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2018 for his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world

International Stock Taking Conference on Tiger Conservation

3rd Stock Taking Conference on Tiger Conservation relating to Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) implementation was held in New Delhi.
•2019 is the 2nd edition to be held in India after 2012 wherein progress against resolution adopted by tiger range countries in 2010 at St. Petersburg, Russia, was measured.
•The conference was hosted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in close collaboration with the Global Tiger Forum which is an International, Intergovernmental Organization for conserving tigers in the world.

Adopted In November 2010, by the leaders of 13 tiger range countries (TRCs) assembled at an International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
•The resolution’s implementation mechanism is called the Global Tiger Recovery Program whose overarching goal was to double the number of wild tigers from about 3,200 to more than 7,000 by 2022.

African Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO)

An international workshop on fisheries and aquaculture has called for regional cooperation among member countries of AARDO to develop joint fisheries management plans.
• Headquartered in New Delhi, was formed in 1962, is an autonomous inter-governmental organization comprising 33 members from Africa and Asia.
• It was earlier known as Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization.
• AARDO is one of the earliest examples of SouthSouth cooperation in rural development in the AfroAsian region.

India is one of the Founder Members of the Organization and is the largest contributor in terms of membership contribution

ISRO- Human Space Flight Centers

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has inaugurated Human Space Flight Center in Bengaluru.
• The center, a new management structure within the organization, will be in charge of all human-related programme at the ISRO, including the Gaganyaan project, that will send three astronauts to orbit the earth.
• 2 unmanned flights are scheduled for December 2020 and July 2021, while manned flight is expected to take place by December 2021.

Salt Satyagraha

The PM dedicated the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial at Dandi in Navsari district, Gujarat to the nation on Mahatma Gandhi’s 71st death anniversary.

• On March 12, 1930, Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhi and his supporters were to defy British policy by making salt from seawater.
• At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay and Karachi, Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt.
• Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians, and British authorities arrested more than 60,000 people. Gandhiji himself was arrested on May 5, but the satyagraha continued without him.
• On May 21, the poet Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some 150 miles north of Bombay. The incident, recorded by American journalist Webb Miller, prompted an international outcry against British policy in India.
• In January 1931, Gandhiji was released from prison. He later met with Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India, and agreed to call off the satyagraha in exchange for an equal negotiating role at a London conference on India’s future.
• In August 1931, Gandhiji traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the nationalist Indian National Congress. The meeting was a disappointment, but British leaders had acknowledged him as a force they could not suppress or ignore.

https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pm-dedicates-salt-satyagraha-memorial-to-nation

Venezuela

The leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Juan Guaido has declared himself as president of Venezuela on January 23, challenging the power of current President Nicolas Maduro, who was recently sworn in as president of Venezuela for a 2nd consecutive term.
• US has officially recognized Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Several EU nations, including France, Britain, Germany, and Spain have said they would recognize Guaido if President Maduro doesn’t announce new elections.
•However, Russia, Turkey, Iran, and China have supported President Nicolas Maduro and called him as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
•The US has also imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A (PVDSA).

•Venezuela has the highest proven oil reserves in the world. The economy of Venezuela is mainly oil-based.
•During the early 2000s, when oil prices were high, the Venezuelan government has used oil profits to reduce inequality and poverty, providing food subsidies.
•When oil prices dropped in 2014, the government suddenly had to make lots of cutbacks. This led many people to begin buying goods on the black market, causing inflation to rise.
•Currently, the annual inflation rate in Venezuela has reached 1.3 million%. This has led to the scarcity of basic items such as food and medicines and demonstrations against the government.

Venezuela was India’s 4th biggest crude supplier after Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran and accounts for about 12% of India’s total oil imports.

World Energy Outlook by EIA

The World Energy Outlook 2018 report released by International
Energy Agency’s (IEA) highlights the crucial considerations for the global energy industry in 2040, including the rise in demand for renewables and major fossil fuel concerns

World Economic Outlook Report

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released an update of its biennial World