Learn with NITISH KUMAR

📰 News : As births decline, China to allow couples to have third child. • Decision comes after the TWO CHILD POLICY largely failed to boost birth rates.

📰 News : HC livestreams proceedings on YouTube on a trial basis. • Karnataka second to do after Gujarat High Court.

📰 News : Nagaland bamboo finds home in Kerala. • A rare bamboo from Nagaland has found a second home in Wagamon in Idukki, Kerala. • The bamboo species, Chimonobambusa callosa is an Eastern Himalayan hill bamboo from the Indo-China region. • It can grow to a height of 5 to 10 meters. • Chimonobambusa callosa, a long rhizomes spreading bamboo, is ideal for soil protection. • It's characterized by straight, green culm, with rings of thorns adorning the nodes, the bamboo has ornamental value.

You have been invited by Nitish to join classroom UPSC CDS CAPF, NDA AFCAT Enroll to Teachmint using: https://www.teachmint.com/enroll/163887527/60b5b2dcda99fa048d095145 Classroom ID: 163887527 Subject: General Studies,Current Affairs,Political Science,International Relations

🇦🇪UAE’s “Golden Visa” system offers long-term residency 📰 News : Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has received his "Golden Visa" from the UAE government. What is a Golden Visa? • The Golden Visa system was introduced by the United Arab Emirates(UAE) Government in 2019. • The Golden Visa essentially offers long-term residency (5 and 10 years) to people belonging to specific groups. • The visa enables foreigners to live, work and study in the UAE without the need of a national sponsor. Further, the foreigners can have 100% ownership of their business in the UAE. Which are those specific groups?  • The Visa is offered to the following groups with specific eligible criteria : Investors, Entrepreneurs, Individuals with outstanding talents like researchers, medical professionals and person within scientific and knowledge fields, remarkable students. Why this move by the UAE Government? • The move targets wealthy individuals ready to offer the UAE significant investment. In exchange, they get an opportunity to reside within the country. • It also aims to attract talented professionals from various fields of expertise and further encourage innovation, creativity and applied research. This will add to the appeal of a career in the UAE for the world’s brightest minds. Significance for India: • It would attract more Indian professionals and businessmen to the Gulf nation and strengthen the India-UAE Relations. • It will also facilitate the return of Indians to the UAE to resume work after the relaxation of COVID-19 related restrictions.

International Energy Agency (IEA) : • The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an autonomous intergovernmental organisation which works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy. • It was established in the wake of 1973 (set up in 1974) oil crisis, after the OPEC cartel had shocked the world with a steep increase in oil prices. • Headquarters : Paris in France. • It was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics about the international oil market and other energy sectors. • The latter has focused on mitigating climate change. The IEA has a broad role in promoting alternate energy sources (including renewable energy), rational energy policies, and multinational energy technology co-operation. • The IEA acts as a policy adviser to its member states but also works with non-member countries, especially China, India, and Russia. • The IEA has 3 main areas of focus, i.e. 3Es: Energy security, Economic development and Environmental protection. • Currently, it has 30 members countries and 8 associate member countries at present. A candidate country must be a member country of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). But all OECD members are not IEA members. • Mexico officially became the International Energy Agency’s 30th member country in February 2018, and its first member in Latin America. • India became an associate member of the International Energy Agency in 2017. • Reports released by IEA : India Energy Outlook Report, Global Energy & CO2 Status Report, World Energy Statistics, World Energy Balances, Energy Technology Perspectives.

⛽Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus (OPEC +) : • The Non-OPEC countries which export crude oil are termed as OPEC plus countries. • OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan. • The OPEC+ group was formed in 2017 to take coordinated actions to stabilize oil prices and have been undertaking corrections in supply in the oil markets since 2017. • Its aim was to undertake production restrictions to help resuscitate a flailing market. • OPEC’s 13 members control 35 percent of global oil supplies and 82 percent of proven reserves. With the addition of the 10 Non-OPEC nations, notable among them Russia, Mexico and Kazakhstan, those shares increase to 55 percent and 90 percent respectively. • This affords OPEC+ a level of influence over the world economy never seen before. • OPEC and OPEC+ play a significant role in determining global oil prices.

⛽Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) : • It is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in September 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela • Headquarters : Vienna in Austria. • Currently, it has 13 members. They are Algeria, Angola, UAE, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Congo, Libya, Nigeria, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea. • It aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil in the world market, in order to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries. • It is also designed to ensure that oil consumers continue to receive stable supplies of oil. • OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization. • India is the world’s third-biggest oil importer. India imports about 84% of its oil and relies on West Asian supplies to meet over three-fifths of its demand.

SSB_INTERVIEW Lecturette Topic: Indian Missile System https://youtu.be/fLehuBis5X0

Yellow Fungus : • Yellow Fungus, dangerous than white or black fungus, is another fungal infection that has been attributed to COVID-19. Health experts say it is a fatal infection. • Yellow Fungus is commonly found in reptiles. • Yellow Fungus thrives in unhygienic and high humidity conditions, or consuming unhygienic food. • Environments with unsanitary conditions or humidity levels of more than 30 to 40 per cent are home to bacteria and fungus. • Its symptoms are weight loss, extreme lethargy, decrease in appetite or no appetite at all, internal bleeding, pus leakage, organs failure, malnutrition, slow healing of wounds, Necrosis(in the worst case). • The primary treatment is the anti-fungal infection Amphotericin-B. • Health experts state that healing Yellow Fungus takes longer compared to Black or White Fungus.

White Fungus (Candidiasis) : • White Fungus or Candidiasis or Aspergillosis is a fungal infection caused by a yeast (a type of fungus) called Candida. • Candida normally lives on the skin and inside the body, in places such as the mouth, throat, gut, and vagina, without causing any problems. • Candida can cause infections if it grows out of control or if it enters deep into the body (for example, the bloodstream or internal organs like the kidney, heart, or brain). • The most common species that causes infection is Candida albicans. • This infection can be caused due to low immunity, or if people come in contact with things that contain these moulds like water, etc. • Children and women are more at risk of contracting the fungal infection. • Like the black fungus, white fungus is also more likely to afflict people with compromised immune systems, pre-existing medical conditions, AIDS, a recent kidney transplant or diabetes. • White fungus affects the lungs as well as other parts of the body including the nails, skin, stomach, kidney, brain, private parts and mouth. • Patients with the white fungus are currently being treated with known anti-fungal medication.

Black fungus (Mucormycosis) : • Mucormycosis or Black fungus is caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes. • It was previously known as zygomycosis. •  Mucormycetes are present in the environment, especially in soil and in relation with decomposing organic matter, such as leaves, animal dung and compost piles. They are more common in the soil and in the summer season. • It enters the body through fungal spores from the air or can also occur on skin after a cut, burn, or skin injury and affects other parts of the body such as the eyes. • It's not contagious but can be fatal if not detected early. • It's a serious but rare disease. • Mucormycosis largely affects people who have health problems or use medicines that depress the body’s ability to combat germs and illness. It reduces the ability to fight environmental pathogens. • It's common among the COVID-19 patients who takes steroid therapy and has deranged sugar control. • High blood sugar level increases the risk of the black fungal infection. • Diabetes mellitus is the most common underlying cause. • The main line of treatment is an anti-fungal drug called Amphotericin B, which is given over an extended period of time under strict observation. Surgery might also be warranted. • There are chiefly five types of mucormycounder. They are : 1) Rhinocerebral (sinus and brain) mucormycosis, 2) Pulmonary (lung) mucormycosis, 3) Gastrointestinal mucormycosis, 4) Cutaneous (skin) mucormycosis, 5) Disseminated mucormycosis. • The central government has placed it under the category of ‘Notifiable’ under Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) : • National Green Tribunal (NGT) is a quasi-judicial, statutory body established on October 18, 2010 under the NGT Act, 2010. • Headquarters : New Delhi, India. • NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same. • The NGT has five places of sittings, New Delhi is the Principal place of sitting and Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Bhopal are the other four. Functions and Powers of NGT : • It is formed for effective and expeditious disposal of cases that are related to the protection and conservation of the environment, forests, and other natural resources. • To give relief and compensations for any damages caused to persons and properties. • To handle various environmental disputes that involve multi-disciplinary issues. • It helps in the reduction of the litigation burden on environmental matters in the higher courts. • NGT provides a faster solution for various environment-related disputes that are less formal and less expensive. • It curbs environment damaging activities and ensures the strict observation of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) process. • The National Green Tribunal resolves various civil cases under the following seven laws that are related to the environment: 1) Water Act (Prevention and Control of Pollution), 1974. 2) Water Cess Act (Prevention and Control of Pollution), 1977. 3) Forest Act (Conservation), 1980. 4) Air Act (Prevention and Control of Pollution), 1981. 5) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. 6) Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991. 7) Biological Diversity Act, 2002. • Any violation pertaining to the above laws or any decision taken by the Government under these laws can be challenged before the NGT. • The decision of the NGT is binding on the parties unless they approach the Supreme Court in appeal and the NGT’s order is either stayed or reversed. Members of NGT : • NGT comprises of the Chairperson, the Judicial Members and Expert Members. They shall hold office for term of five years and are not eligible for reappointment. • Also, there should be a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 fulltime Judicial as well as Expert members in the NGT. • The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with Chief Justice of India (CJI). • A Selection Committee is formed by the central government of India for the appointment of Judicial members and Expert members.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) : • The CBI was set up in 1963 by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs. • Now, the CBI comes under the administrative control of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. • The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962–1964). • The CBI is not a statutory body. It derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. Functions of CBI : • The CBI is the main investigating agency of the Government of India. • Its important role is to prevent corruption and maintain integrity in administration. It works under the supervision of the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) in matters pertaining to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. • It investigates crimes of a serious nature, maintains crime statistics and disseminating criminal information. • It investigate cases connected to infringement of economic and fiscal laws. But cases of this nature are taken up by the CBI either at the request of the department concerned or in consultation with the concerned department. • It also provides assistance to the Central Vigilance Commission and Lokpal. • It is also the nodal police agency in India which coordinates investigation on behalf of INTERPOL member countries. Appointment & Tenure : • The CBI is headed by the Director. • The Director of the CBI is appointed as per section 4A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946. • The Central Government shall appoint the Director of CBI on the recommendation of a three-member committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him. (If there is no recognized leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, then the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha will be selected). • The Director of CBI has been provided security of two-year tenure in office by the CVC Act, 2003. Problems associated with CBI : • The agency is dependent on the home ministry for staffing since many of its investigators come from the Indian Police Service. • The CBI also relies on the ministry of law for lawyers and also doesn’t have functional autonomy to some extent. • The CBI, run by IPS officers on deputation, is also vulnerable to the government’s ability to manipulate the senior officers because they are dependent on the Central government for future postings. • Since Police is a State subject under the Constitution, and the CBI acts as per the procedure prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which makes it a police agency, the CBI needs the consent of the State government in question before it can make its presence in that State. This can lead to certain cases not being investigated and seeing a silent deadlock. Recently, states like Andhra Pradesh (consent is again given after change of government in-state) and West Bengal withdrew consent. • CBI which investigates cases of national importance has been censured for its mishandling of several scams owing to political pressure. • The landmark judgment in Vineet Narain v. Union of India in 1997 laid out several steps to secure the autonomy of CBI.

🏝Lakshadweep : • Lakshadweep, an archipelago of 36 islands totalling 32 square kilometers in the Arabian Sea. • Lakshadweep islands are called as the coral islands, because they have been formed from corals. • Lakshadweep has the highest ST population. • 97% land is covered by forest or trees, the highest in India. • Over 96.5% of the population is Muslim, the highest in India. • 65% inhabitants consume beef, the second highest in India. • Zero murders were recorded in 2017. • Only about 7% of men consume alcohol, the lowest in India. • About 3% lives below the national poverty line, the second lowest in India.

📰 News : WhatsApp approaches Delhi HC to challenge new IT rules.

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) : • The Security Council was established by the UN Charter in 1945. It is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. • The other 5 organs of the United Nations are—the General Assembly, the Trusteeship Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat. • Its headquarters is in New York, USA. • Its primary responsibility is to work to maintain international peace and security. • It can also deploy UN peacekeeping operations and impose sanctions on states, impose diplomatic relations severance, financial restrictions and penalties, blockades and even collective military action if required through Security Council resolutions. • It is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states. • UNSC has a total of 15 members in the Council, out of which 5 are permanent and 10 are non-permanent members. • The five permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the USA. • The non-permanent members(10) are elected for two-year terms by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). • These 10 seats are distributed among the regions thus : 5 for African and Asian countries, 1 for Eastern European countries, 2 for Latin American and Caribbean countries, 2 for Western European and other countries. • Of the 5 seats for Africa and Asia, three are for Africa and two for Asia; there is an informal understanding between the two groups to reserve one for an Arab country. • The five permanent members are given ‘great power unanimity’ referred to as the veto power, which means if any of these countries veto a resolution it can’t be passed even if it has the 9 votes needed. • 5S approach of India is Samman (Respect), Samvad(Dialogue), Sahyog(Cooperation), Shanti(Peace), Samriddhi(Prosperity). • India has been trying to make its way into the list of permanent members of the UNSC but has not been successful. China, in particular, has been blocking India’s push for a permanent seat at the Council. • The council's presidency is a capacity that rotates every month among its 15 members.

🌪 Cyclone : • The term 'Cyclone' is derived from the Greek word 'Cyclos' which means 'Coiling of the Snake'. • A cyclone is any low-pressure area with winds spiralling inwards. • Cyclones rotate anti-clockwise in Northern Hemisphere and rotate clockwise in Southern Hemisphere. • The process of Cyclone formation and intensification is called Cyclogenesis. • Cyclones are not only present on Earth but also spotted on other planets like Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune. • The Great Red Spot is the hurricane on Jupiter which is going on from 340 years. • Great Black Spot was spotted in the Southern Hemisphere of Neptune. Formation of Cyclone : • When it comes to the formation or strengthening of a cyclone, Cyclogenesis plays a crucial role. • Tropical cyclones are formed over warm ocean water near the equator. • Cyclones are fueled by available heat in the water bodies and the conducive temperature for the intensification of the cyclone is 28 degrees Celsius and above. The Bay of Bengal is usually warmer than the Arabian Sea, it results in more cyclones being formed over it. • Warm moist air near the surface of the ocean rises upwards. This creates a low-pressure area near the surface. This results in the movement of cooler air from surrounding areas into the low-pressure area. Now even this cool air becomes warm and moist and rises up. • The above cycle keeps continuing. The warm moist air which rises up, cools the water in the air, resulting in the formation of clouds. • This whole system of clouds and winds spins and grows. This entire cycle continues resulting in a cyclone. When the winds reach a speed of 63 mph, it is called a tropical storm, when the winds reach a speed of 119 kmph it is called a tropical cyclone or hurricane. Names of cyclone according to their location : • Hurricane - North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific. • Typhoon - Northwest Pacific. • Cyclone (Tropical cyclone) - South Pacific and Indian Ocean. • Willy Willy - Australia. Cyclones are classified on the basis of the wind speed : • Depression - 31–49 km/h. • Deep depression - 50–61 km/h. • Cyclonic storm(Cyclone) - 62–88 km/h. • Severe cyclone - 89–117 km/h. • Very severe cyclone - 118–166 km/h. • Extremely severe cyclone - 166–221 km/h. • Super cyclone - above 222 km/h. How cyclones are named? • The cyclones that are formed in any ocean basin around the world are named by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs). There are a total of six RSMCs in the world, including the India Meteorological Department (IMD). • The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia Pacific (ESCAP) have been naming cyclonic storms since 2000. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) names the cyclones developing over the north Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. It also issues advisories to 12 other nations in the region on the development of cyclones and storms. • The India Meteorological Department is one of the six RSMCs mandated to provide tropical cyclone advisories to 13 member countries including Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. • In 2000, a group of nations called WMO/ESCAP-- Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand-- decided to name cyclones in the region. • In 2018, five more countries were added-- Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. • After the aforementioned countries sent in suggestions, the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) finalise the list. • In April 2020, IMD released a list of 169 cyclone names. 13 suggestions were sent in by the aforementioned WMO/ESCAP member nations. • Naming the cyclones help the people to remember the incident. It also helps the authorities to disseminate the correct information. The recall value is also very high.

Types of majorities : • The Parliament passes the bills to make them as laws with a majority. There are different types of majorities in the Indian Parliament.  • The 4 types of majorities are : Simple, Absolute, Effective & Special majority. 1) Simple majority  : • This refers to a majority of more than 50% of the members present and voting in the House. [For example, in the Lok Sabha, out of the total strength of 545, suppose 45 were absent and 100 abstained from voting. This means, only 400 members were present and voting. In this case, the simple majority needed is 201 (50% + 1).] • It is also known as Functional or Working majority. • This is the most commonly used type of majority. • When the law does not specify the kind of majority needed, a simple majority is used for passing bills or motions. • This majority is used to pass Money/Financial/Ordinary bills, non confidence motion, etc. 2) Absolute majority : • This refers to a majority of more than 50% of the House’s total membership. • This means that in the Lok Sabha, the absolute majority is 273. (50% more than 545, the total membership of the Lok Sabha). • This majority is used during the general election, for the formation of government at Center and States. 3) Effective majority : • This refers to a majority of more than 50% of the effective strength of the House. • This means that in the Lok Sabha, out of the total strength of 545, suppose 5 are vacant seats. This means, the effective strength of the House is (545 – 5)  = 540. In this case, the effective majority is 270. • This majority is used to remove Deputy chairman of RS, Deputy speaker of LS, etc. 4) Special majority : • 4 types of special majorities are there. They are i ) Special majority as per Article 249. • Special majority as per article 249 requires a majority of 2/3rd members present and voting. For example, if out of the 245 members in Rajya Sabha, if only 150 are present and voting, then the special majority required as per article 249 would be 101. • It is used to pass the Rajya Sabha resolution to empower the parliament to make laws in the state list. ii ) Special majority as per Article 368. • Special majority as per article 368 requires a majority of 2/3rd members present and voting supported by more than 50% of the total strength of the house. • It is used for most of the Constitutional amendment bills, removal of SC & HC judges, CAG, etc. iii ) Special majority as Per Article 368 + State ratification. • This majority requirea 2/3rd members present and voting supported by more than 50% of the state legislatures (Half of the states) by a simple majority. • This type of special majority is required when a constitutional amendment bill try to change the federal structure. Example : NJAC. • It is used to pass a constitutional amendment bill which affects federalism like the position of High Court Judges. iv ) Special majority as per Article 61. • Special majority as per article 61 requires a majority of 2/3rd members of the total strength of the house. • It is used for the impeachment of President.