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■ Shakti Electronic Warfare system : • Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over advanced electronic warfare system ‘Shakti’ to the Chief of Naval Staff. • "Shakti" is an advanced electronic warfare (EW) system. • It has been designed and developed by the Defence Electronics Research Laboratory in Hyderabad, which is part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). • It has been designed for the Indian Navy’s capital warships for the purposes of interception, detection, classification, identification and jamming of conventional and modern radars. • The Shakti system aims to provide an electronic layer of defence against modern radars and anti-ship missiles to ensure survivability in the maritime battlefield. This system will replace earlier generation EW systems of the Indian Navy. • The system has been integrated with the wideband electronic support measures (ESM) and electronic counter measures (ECM) for the defence of Indian Navy ships against missile attacks. • The ESM of the system helps in finding accurate direction and interception of modern radars. • The system has a built-in radar fingerprinting and data recording replay feature for post-mission analysis. • First Shakti system has been installed on-board INS Visakhapatnam and second Shakti system is being installed on-board  Indigenous Aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. • 12 Shakti Systems, developed by Defence Electronics Research Laboratory of DRDO, are under production at Bharat Electronics Ltd. • Shakti Electronic Warfare was developed under the ship borne project of SAMUDRIKA Programme. □ SAMUDRIKA Programme : • SAMUDRIKA Programme aims at the design and indigenous development of a family of Seven Electronic Warfare Systems meeting the requirements of Navy for different platforms viz., Ships, Helicopters and Aircrafts. • They were grouped under two projects. They are air borne projects and ship borne projects. • The ship borne systems are NAYAN, SHAKTI and TUSHAR. • The air borne systems are SARAKSHI, NIKASH, SARANG and SARVADHARI.

■ DAC approves AK-203 deal with Russia. • The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) which met under the Chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the long-pending deal for the manufacture of 6.71 lakh AK-203 assault rifles in India, according to a defence source. • The two countries had signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) in February 2019 following which a Joint Venture, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), was set up at Korwa in Uttar Pradesh for manufacturing the rifles. • Another deal likely to make progress is for Igla-S Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) systems. The Ka-226T utility helicopter deal is unlikely to be cleared, according to official sources. • The DAC approved a proposal for the procurement of GSAT-7C communication satellite for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of ₹2,236 crore, a Defence Ministry statement said. • Induction of GSAT-7C Satellite and ground hubs for Software Defined Radios (SDRs) will enhance the ability of the armed forces to communicate beyond Line of Sight (LoS) among one another in all circumstances in a secure mode, the Ministry statement said. □ About Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) : • The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard. • The Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council. • The objective of the Defence Acquisition Council is to ensure expeditious procurement of the approved requirements of the Armed Forces in terms of capabilities sought, and time frame prescribed, by optimally utilizing the allocated budgetary resources. • It also has the power to approve any deviations in an acquisition, and recommends all big capital defence purchases for approval of the Cabinet committee on security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister. • It is constituted for overall guidance of the defence procurement planning process. • It was formed in 2001 after the Group of Ministers recommendations on 'Reforming the National Security System', post Kargil War (1999).

📰 NEWS (24-11-2021) : ■ New cryptocurrency bill seeks to ban private players : • The Union Government will introduce a Bill to regulate cryptocurrency and ostensibly ban all private cryptocurrencies. • The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021, which is yet to be officially approved by the Cabinet, seeks to create a facilitative framework for creation of the official digital currency to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India. • The central bank (RBI) is planning to launch a pilot project for an official digital currency soon. • The Bill also seeks to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India. However, it allows for certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses. • At present, El Salvador is the only country to have given cryptocurrency the status of a legal tender. It also plans to build a "Bitcoin City". The city will be located along the Gulf of Fonseca near the Conchagua volcano. ■ Generalised System of Preferences (GSP): • India government sought for the restoration of the GSP to the US. • India was removed from the GSP during Trump administration. • Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a preferential tariff system extended by developed countries to developing countries (also known as preference receiving countries or beneficiary countries). • It is a trade program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for the products from designated beneficiary countries and territories. • The objective of GSP was to give development support to poor countries by promoting exports from them into the developed countries. • Indian exporters benefit indirectly through the benefit that accrues to the importer by way of reduced tariff or duty free entry of eligible Indian products. • Reduction or removal of import duty on an Indian product makes it more competitive to the importer – other things (e.g. quality) being equal. ■ Caste wise Census : Andhra Pradesh House passes resolution, seeks caste census of BCs for growth. • The AP Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging the Centre to conduct caste wise census of the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of citizens along with that of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the minorities while holding the General Census for 2021. • Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the enumeration of the Backward Classes (BC) would help devise better policies for their welfare, education and employment. • The last caste-based census was conducted in 1931. • In 1941, caste-based data was collected but not published. • Every Census in independent India from 1951 to 2011 has published data on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but not on other castes. Before that, every Census until 1931 had data on caste. ■ Mahar Vir Chakra for Galwan hero : • Param Vir Chakra is India's highest war time gallantry award. • Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest war time gallantry award. • Vir Chakra is the third highest war time gallantry award. ■ Government launches new 'Bharat Gaurav' trains to boost tourism : • A set of around 190 theme-based trains called Bharat Gaurav trains will soon be launched, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said. • These trains will showcase India's culture and heritage.

📰 News (23-11-2021) : ■ Acting Chief Justice Bhandari takes charge at Madras High Court : • Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari was sworn in as the acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. • He was administered the oath of office by the Governor. • He was transferred to the Madras High Court from the Allahabad High Court. • According to court sources, Justice Bhandari would be considered for the post of Chief Justice of Madras High Court after December 23. Currently, he acts as the Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court. • Article 223 - Appointment of acting Chief Justice : The President can appoint a judge of a high court as an acting chief justice of the high court when the office of chief justice of the high court is vacant; (or) the chief justice of the high court is temporarily absent; (or) the chief justice of the high court is unable to perform the duties of his office. ■ Minimum Support Price (MSP) : • The MSP is the rate at which the government purchases crops from farmers, and is based on a calculation of at least one-and-a-half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers. • MSP is a “minimum price” for any crop that the government considers as remunerative for farmers and hence deserving of support. • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) of the Union government fixes or takes a final decision on the level of MSPs and other recommendations made by Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP). ■ 510 tonnes of fortified rice meant for PDS expires : • About 510 tonnes of fortified rice, meant for distribution to consumers through the public distribution system (PDS), has expired, and the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) has decided to sell the stock as animal feed. Since the stock did not meet quality standards during lab tests. • The stock was part of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab’s (J-PAL) “Alleviating anaemia” project, launched in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Government. It aimed at addressing anaemia through food fortification, at scale, by distributing fortified rice with vitamins and micronutrients to consumers. • Due to unavoidable circumstances, the 510 tonnes of fortified rice got expired before being issued to PDS shops. Therefore, it has been decided that the 510 tonnes of expired fortified rice will be sold through e-tenders, for use as animal feed (not for human consumption). • Fortification : Fortification is the practice of increasing the content of essential micronutrient — vitamins and minerals in food. • “Rice can be fortified by adding a micronutrient powder to it that adheres to the grains or by spraying the surface of ordinary rice grains, in several layers, with a vitamin and mineral mix...,” according to WHO. ■ First all-India survey on domestic workers kicks off : • The first-ever All-India Survey on Domestic Workers was flagged off by Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav. • The survey, being carried out by the Labour Bureau, was aimed at estimating the number of proportion of domestic workers at the national-level and in the States; the proportion of domestic workers who live-in/live-out, engaged in informal employment and migrant/non-migrant; wages of such workers; and other socio-economic factors, a Ministry statement said. • The survey would also include details of the number of households with live-in/live-out domestic workers and the average number of workers engaged by various kinds of households. ■ Rohingya refugees : • The Rohingya people are stateless, Indo-Aryan ethnic group who reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar. The majority are Muslim while a minority are Hindu. • They are described by the United Nations (UN) as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. • The Rohingya population is denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar nationality law. • In June 2015, the Bangladesh government suggested resettling Rohingya refugees on the Bhasan Char island under its Ashrayan Project.

■ Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act : • The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) enacted in 2012 and amended in 2019. • The Act was formulated to effectively address sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and pornography. • The Act defines Child as any person below eighteen years of age. • The Act also defines different forms of sexual abuses, including penetrative and non-penetrative assault, as well as sexual harassment and pornography. • The Act stipulates that a case of child sexual abuse must be disposed of within one year from the date the offence is reported. • The Act prescribes a maximum punishment of life imprisonment or the death penalty. The Act provides a mandatory minimum punishment of three years. • The Act provides for relief and rehabilitation as soon as the complaint is made to the Special Juvenile Police Unit or the local police. • The Act provides for the establishment of Special Courts for the trial of offences under the Act. • Before enacting POCSO Act, Goa Children’s Act 2003 was the only legislation which specifically focuses on child abuse. Thus national-level legislation was the need of the hour that can be implemented in every State and UTs. • India is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. So the POCSO Act was a mandatory international commitment to protect the rights of children. • The Act was amended in August 2019 to provide more stringent punishment, including the death penalty, for sexual crimes against children.

📰 News : Indore keeps cleanest city tag yet again. • Indore was ranked the cleanest city for the fifth consecutive year by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry in its annual cleanliness ranking. • Among cities, Surat and Vijayawada secured second and third place respectively. • Among cities with population over 1 lakh, Indore, Surat, Vijayawada, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Ambikapur, Tirupati, Pune, Noida and Ujjain were the top 10, in that order. • Noida was named the cleanest among medium-sized cities, that is with 3 lakh to 10 lakh population. • Among the big cities with population of 10 lakh to 40 lakh, Navi Mumbai was ranked the cleanest. • Of cities with population less than 1 lakh, Maharashtra’s Vita was the cleanest, followed by Lonavala and Sasvad. • The Swachh Survekshan Awards 2021 handed out by President Ram Nath Kovind. • Chhattisgarh was awarded the cleanest state for the third time, in the category of States with more than 100 urban local bodies. • Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh were ranked second and third respectively with over 100 urban local bodies. • Jharkhand was judged the cleanest State with less than 100 ULBs, followed by Haryana and Goa. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Varanasi, won the award for the cleanest “Ganga city”. • The New Delhi Municipal Council’s area was ranked the cleanest in the category of cities with 1-3 lakh population.

📰 NEWS (20-11-2021) : ■ Algal bloom affects coral reef ecosystem in Gulf of Mannar : • The surface seawater had turned greenish. Researchers ascertained that the green tide was the blooming of Noctiluca scintillans, which is non-toxic. • However, corals were found to be affected by the asphyxiation caused by the N.scintillans that triggered the massive death of marine organisms • Proliferation or outbreak of N.scintillans, a free-living marine dinoflagellate phytoplankton, results in millions of cells per litre of water, which is known as algal bloom. • Massive fish mortality is often associated with algal blooms due to depletion of dissolved oxygen level caused by N.scintillans respiration. Further, the dense cells of N.scintillans can damage fish gills • The branching coral, Acropora is the worst affected coral genus contributing more than 95% of the total dead corals • Montipora and Pocillopora were the other coral genera affected by the bloom. But, massive coral genera such as Porites, Dipsastraea and Favites did not face mortality, but were stressed with excessive mucus secretion • In general, factors like well-mixed and nutrient-rich waters, seasonal circulation, currents and nutrient enrichment of coastal waters by human activities influence the occurrence and intensity of algal blooms • Climate change has been reported to be the prime reason for such blooms and, predictably, blooms will recur in future as climate change worsens • What is Coral reefs? - Coral reefs are the colonies of tiny living creatures that are found in oceans. They are the underwater structures that are formed of coral polyps that are held together by calcium carbonate.The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system. It is located along the North Eastern coast of Australia. ■ Burial urn containing human skull and bones unearthed at Adichanallur : • Adichanallur is an archaeological site in Tamil Nadu. • It is located on the banks of the river Tamirabarani • Korkai, the capital of the Early Pandyan Kingdom, is located about 15 km from Adichanallur ■ Allahabad High Court urges Centre to speed up Uniform Civil Code : • Stating that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) “is a necessity and mandatorily required today,” the Allahabad HC has called upon the Central government to forthwith initiate the process for its implementation • The UCC “cannot be made ‘purely voluntary’ as was observed by Dr. B.R Ambedkar 75 years back, in view of the apprehension and fear expressed by the members of the minority community,” said Justice Suneet Kumar • The court directed the Centre to consider the constitution of a committee or commission for implementing the mandate of Article 44, as directed by the Supreme Court • Article 44 - The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India. ■ With National Education Policy mandate, Odisha bats for mother tongue of tribals : • The language base of Odisha’s adivasi communities is as diverse as 21 spoken languages further divided into 74 dialects. • The ST and SC Development Department of the State government has already started working on project called ‘Samhati’ to address the language issues faced by tribal students in early grades or elementary classes. • The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI) along with the Academy of Tribal Language and Culture (ATLC), Bhubaneswar are implementing the project. ■ NCRA astronomers discover rare radio stars : • Pune-based National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) have used the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) to discover eight stars belonging to a rare category called ‘Main-sequence Radio Pulse’ emitters or MRPs. • Of the total 15 MRPs known so far, 11 have been discovered by the NCRA-TIFR team alone • The MRPs are stars hotter than Sun with unusually strong magnetic fields, and much stronger than stellar wind (a continuous flow of gas from a star’s upper atmosphere). Due to this, they emit bright radio pulses like a lighthouse.

■ In NEWS (19-11-2021) : ● Russia Successfully Test Fires Zircon Hypersonic Missile. • Russia successfully tests its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, one the latest additions to the country's arsenal of weapons called "invincible" by President Vladimir Putin. • Hypersonics can travel more than five times the speed of sound and manoeuvre in mid-flight, making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles. ● Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) : • ASEAN is an organisation established in 1967 with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by its founding members to promote economic growth, peace, security, social progress and cultural development in the Southeast Asian region. • Its headquarters is at Jakarta in Indonesia. • The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”. • ASEAN member countries are Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ● Supreme Court : ‘Sexual intent’, not ‘skin-to-skin’ contact, key in POCSO assault case. • The most important ingredient for constituting an offence of sexual assault under Section 7 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act is the “sexual intent”, and not the “skin-to-skin” contact with the child”, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while quashing two judgments of the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. • The court ruled, the “act of touching the sexual part of body or any other act involving physical contact, if done with ‘sexual intent’, would amount to ‘sexual assault’ within the meaning of Section 7 of POCSO Act”. □ About Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) : • Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 was enacted to protect the children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography with due regard for safeguarding the interest and well-being of children. • It defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age and regards the best interests and welfare of the child as a matter of paramount importance at every stage, to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child. • It defines different forms of sexual abuse, including penetrative and non-penetrative assault, as well as sexual harassment and pornography. • The Act stipulates that a case of child sexual abuse must be disposed of within one year from the date the offence is reported. • It was amended in August 2019 to provide more stringent punishment, including the death penalty, for sexual crimes against children.

■ Norovirus : • Norovirus is an animal-borne disease. It is highly contagious. • It is a group of viruses that leads to gastrointestinal illness. • It can be transmitted through contaminated food, water, and surfaces. The primary route for the virus transmission is oral-faecal. • It is the most common pathogen implicated in outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease (inflammation of the stomach and intestines), according to the World Health Organization. • The symptoms of norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. It can cause inflammation of stomach or intestines - called acute gastroenteritis. Other symptoms include fever, headache and body aches. • Norovirus is resistant to many disinfectants and can heat up to 60°C. Therefore, merely steaming food or chlorinating water does not kill the virus. The virus can also survive many common hand sanitisers. • A person can be infected with different varieties of norovirus several times in their lives, but developing immunity to one type doesn't provide protection against other varieties. • The virus can be transferred from an infected to a healthy individual through contaminated surfaces or food. • The virus can affect people across all age groups but is known to cause serious symptoms in children, the elderly and people with co-morbidities. • There is no specific treatment available to cure the virus, generic medications for diarrhoea and vomiting can help cure the disease.

📰 News : Telangana Village "Pochampally" selected as one of 'Best Tourism Villages' by UNWTO : • Telangana's Pochampally village was selected as one of the best tourism villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). • The village is renowned for its handloom waved Ikat sarees.  • Pochampally village is known as the "Silk City of India" because of the gorgeous sarees woven in a distinctive design known as Ikat. • Pochampally Ikat was designated as a Geographical Indicator (GI Status) in 2004. • Pochampally is also known as "Bhoodan Pochampally" in commemoration of the Bhoodan Movement launched by social reformer Acharya Vinobha Bhave from the village on April 18, 1951. • The Ministry of Tourism recommended three villages for the UNWTO Best Tourism Village entry from India. These were Kongthong in Meghalaya, Ladhpura Khas in Madhya Pradesh, and Pochampally in Telangana. Pochampally was awarded by the UNWTO. □ About Tourism Village by UNWTO : • The Tourism Villages is a global initiative to highlight villages where tourism preserves cultures and traditions, celebrates diversity, provides opportunities and safeguard biodiversity, according to UNWTO. • The 'Best Tourism Villages' by UNWTO pilot initiative aims to award those villages which are outstanding examples of rural destinations and showcase good practices in line with its specified nine evaluation areas. • It also aims to support villages to enhance their rural tourism potential through training and access to opportunities for improvement. □ About United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) : • The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations tasked with promoting responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism. • Its headquarters is in Madrid, Spain. • It is the world's leading international tourist organisation, promoting tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability, as well as providing industry leadership and support in the advancement of knowledge and tourism policy around the world.

■ In NEWS (16-11-2021) : ● Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated "Birsa Munda museum" in Ranchi. • He also celebrated the first ever "Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas or Tribal pride day" (November 15) to mark Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary. • Birsa Munda is an Indian Tribal leader and a freedom fighter who belongs to the Munda tribe and spearheaded an Indian tribal religious Millenarian movement in late 19th century during the British rule. • The "Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas" will be observed to commemorate tribal freedom fighters. ● The Union Health ministry revised the post-mortem protocols to allow for conducting the autopsy after sunset. ● PM Modi to inaugurate Purvanchal Expressway today : • Purvanchal Expressway connects Lucknow to Ghazipur. • Purvanchal Expressway's total length is 340.824km and it is a fully access controlled 6 lane expressway, which can be upgraded to 8 lanes. • It would be the longest operational expressway of India, overtaking Agra-Lucknow Expressway, which is 302-km long.