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DAILY EXAMGROUND LUNCH 🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾 ✍️ One word substitution ✍️ @examground 1. One who doesn't consume any intoxicating drink - TEETOTALLER 2. One who is present everywhere - OMNIPRESENT 3. A very poor person - PAUPER 4. One who speaks many languages - POLYGLOT 5. To confirm with the help of evidence - CORROBORATE ✍️ Idioms ✍️ @examground 1. got out of hand - out of control 2. Monkey business - mischievous or deceitful behaviour 3. Road hog - rash driver 4. A mile a minute - too fast 5. Out of wits - confused ✍️ Vocabs ✍️ @examground 1. Emulate - to use as the model for one's speech mannerism, or behaviour 2. Ameliorate - to make something better 3. Plucky - having or showing determined courage in the face of difficulty 4. Purge - to get rid of 5. Vandalism - crime of damaging property By-ExamGround [Follow us on Instagram and Telegram] T.me/examground STAY TUNED!!

Maitri Setu between India and Bangladesh Part of: GS Prelims and GS – II – International Relations In news Indian Prime Minister inaugurated ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh. Constructed by: National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd Key takeaways The bridge ‘Maitri Setu’ has been built over Feni river. The river flows between Tripura and Bangladesh. The bridge joins Sabroom (in Tripura) with Ramgarh (in Bangladesh). With this bridge, Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is 80 km from Sabroom. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

The legacy and return of the Bamiyan Buddhas  Two decades later after its destruction, the Bamiyan Buddhas have been brought back to life in the form of 3D projections in an event called "A Night with Buddha". Bamiyan Buddhas In their Roman draperies and with two different mudras, the Bamiyan Buddhas were great examples of a confluence of Gupta, Sassanian and Hellenistic artistic styles. They are said to date back to the 5th century AD and were once the tallest standing Buddhas in the world. Salsal and Shamama, as they were called by the locals, rose to heights of 55 and 38 metres respectively, and were said to be male and female. Salsal means "the light shines through the universe"; Shamama is "Queen Mother". The statues were set in niches on either end of a cliffside and hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs. The significance of Bamiyan Bamiyan is situated in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush in the central highlands of Afghanistan. The valley, which is set along the line of the Bamiyan River, was once integral to the early days of the Silk Roads, providing passage for not just merchants, but also culture, religion and language. When the Buddhist Kushan Empire spread, acting as a crucible of sorts, Bamiyan became a major trade, cultural and religious centre. As China, India and Rome sought passage through Bamiyan, the Kushans were able to develop a syncretic (mix) culture. In the rapid spread of Buddhism between the 1st to 5th centuries AD, Bamiyan's landscape reflected the faith, especially its monastic qualities. Taliban's destruction of the Buddhas The hardline Taliban movement, which emerged in the early 1990s, was in control of almost 90 per cent of Afghanistan by the end of the decade. The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas was part of this extremist culture. In February 2001, the Taliban declared its intention to destroy the statues, despite condemnation and protest from governments and cultural ambassadors' world over. The aftermath of the destruction The Taliban's destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas met with global criticism, many of whom saw it as a cultural crime not just against Afghanistan but also against the idea of global syncretism. Following the fall, UNESCO included the remains in its list of world heritage sites in 2003, with subsequent efforts made to restore and reconstruct. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) Mission India and Japan are working together on a joint lunar polar exploration (LUPEX) mission that aims to send a lander and rover to the Moon's the South Pole around 2024. LUPEX Mission The LUPEX is a robotic lunar mission concept by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It would send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the Moon in 2024. JAXA is likely to provide the under-development H3 launch vehicle and the rover, while ISRO would be responsible for the lander. The mission concept has not yet been formally proposed for funding and planning. The Lunar Polar Exploration mission would demonstrate new surface exploration technologies related to vehicular transport and lunar night survival for sustainable lunar exploration in Polar Regions. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

[pib] 17 States implement One Nation One Ration Card System Seventeen (17) States have successfully operationalised the "One Nation One Ration Card system" with Uttarakhand being the latest State to complete the reform. One Nation One Ration Card This scheme aims to ensure all beneficiaries, especially migrants get ration (wheat, rice and other food grains) across the nation from any Public Distribution System (PDS) shop of their own choice. Under the existing system, a ration cardholder can buy food grains only from the fair price shop (FPS) in the locality where he or she lives. It was also launched with the purpose that no poor person should be deprived of getting subsidised food grains under the food security scheme when they shift from one place to another. It aims to reduce instances of corruption by middlemen and fraudulence in ration cards to avail benefits from different states. Who is eligible under this scheme? Any citizen, who is declared under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, will be eligible to get the benefit of this scheme across the country. The beneficiaries will be identified on the basis of their Aadhar based identification through the electronic point of sale (PoS) device. All the PDS shops will have the facility of electronic PoS devices. Impact on states The reform enables the States to better targeting of beneficiaries, elimination bogus/ duplicate/ineligible cardholders resulting in enhanced welfare and reduced leakage. An additional borrowing limit of 0.25 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is allowed to the States only on completion of both of the following actions: Aadhar Seeding of all the ration cards and beneficiaries in the State Automation of all the FPSs in the State. Back2Basics: Public distribution system (PDS) The public distribution system (PDS) is an Indian food Security System established under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution. PDS evolved as a system of management of scarcity through the distribution of food grains at affordable prices. PDS is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the State Governments. The Central Government, through the Food Corporation of India (FCI), has assumed the responsibility for procurement, storage, transportation and bulk allocation of food grains to the State Governments. The operational responsibilities including allocation within the State, identification of eligible families, issue of Ration Cards and supervision of the functioning of FPSs etc., rest with the State Governments. Under the PDS, presently the commodities namely wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene are being allocated to the States/UTs for distribution. Some states/UTs also distribute additional items of mass consumption through PDS outlets such as pulses, edible oils, iodized salt, spices, etc. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

100 MW floating solar power plant at Ramagundam Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III – Infrastructure; Environment and Renewable Energy In news NTPC is developing country’s biggest floating solar power plant (by generation capacity) in the reservoir of its thermal plant at Ramagundam (in Telangana) Do you know? India is already on track to reach its goal of 175 GW of installed renewable capacity by 2022. India has also targeted 450 GW by 2030. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Information on tap water supply to government schools Part of: GS Prelims and GS – II – Education; health; Welfare schemes & GS- III – Infrastructure In news Recently, information on tap water supply was provided to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources. Key takeaways Only half of government schools and anganwadis have tap water supply. Less than 8% of schools in Uttar Pradesh and 11% in West Bengal have it. A campaign related to tap water supply was launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in October 2020. Objective: To provide potable piped water supply for drinking and cooking purposes and tap water for washing hands and in toilets in every school, anganwadi and ashramshala or residential tribal school Duration: 100-day period (till January 10, 2021) However, as of February 15, only 48.5% of anganwadis and 53.3% of schools had tap water supply, Seven States that achieved 100% coverage: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Punjab. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Ramagundam Floating Solar Power Plant The country's biggest floating solar power plant, by generation capacity at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana is set to be commissioned by May-June. Ramagundam Solar Plant It would be one of the renewable (solar) energy plants being developed by NTPC with an installed capacity of 447MW in the Southern Region and the entire capacity would be commissioned by March 2023. It will be spread over 450 acres of water surface area in the reservoir. It will be the single location largest floating solar plant in the country as of now; 92 MW floating unit at Kayamkulam gas plant in Kerala and a 25 MW unit at Simhadri power plant. In addition, we are setting up a 230 MW ground-mounted solar power plant in Ettayapuram near Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu Why floating solar? One of the biggest advantages of floating solar panels is that the installations do not require valuable land space. Many of these installations can take up unused space on bodies of water, such as hydroelectric dam reservoirs, wastewater treatment ponds, or drinking water reservoirs. Additionally, installing solar panels out on open water reduces the need for tree removal and forest clearing, a practice used in the case of some larger solar panel installations. The bodies of water that host floating solar arrays help cool down the solar equipment, which means the panels produce electricity at higher efficiencies in hot climates than they might otherwise. The floating solar panel structure shades the body of water and reduces evaporation from these ponds, reservoirs, and lakes. This is a particularly useful benefit in areas susceptible to drought, as water loss to evaporation can add up over time and contribute to a shortage. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Ramagundam Floating Solar Power Plant The country's biggest floating solar power plant, by generation capacity at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana is set to be commissioned by May-June. Try this PYQ: With reference to technologies for solar power production, consider the following statements : 'Photovoltaics' is a technology that generates electricity by direct conversion of light into electricity, while 'Solar Thermal' is a technology that utilizes the Sun's rays to generate heat which is further used in electricity generation process. Photovoltaics generate Alternating Current (AC), while Solar Thermal generates Direct Current (DC). India has manufacturing base for Solar Thermal technology, but not for Photovoltaics. Ramagundam Solar Plant It would be one of the renewable (solar) energy plants being developed by NTPC with an installed capacity of 447MW in the Southern Region and the entire capacity would be commissioned by March 2023. It will be spread over 450 acres of water surface area in the reservoir. It will be the single location largest floating solar plant in the country as of now; 92 MW floating unit at Kayamkulam gas plant in Kerala and a 25 MW unit at Simhadri power plant. In addition, we are setting up a 230 MW ground-mounted solar power plant in Ettayapuram near Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu Why floating solar? One of the biggest advantages of floating solar panels is that the installations do not require valuable land space. Many of these installations can take up unused space on bodies of water, such as hydroelectric dam reservoirs, wastewater treatment ponds, or drinking water reservoirs. Additionally, installing solar panels out on open water reduces the need for tree removal and forest clearing, a practice used in the case of some larger solar panel installations. The bodies of water that host floating solar arrays help cool down the solar equipment, which means the panels produce electricity at higher efficiencies in hot climates than they might otherwise. The floating solar panel structure shades the body of water and reduces evaporation from these ponds, reservoirs, and lakes. This is a particularly useful benefit in areas susceptible to drought, as water loss to evaporation can add up over time and contribute to a shortage. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Programmes To Promote Women Entrepreneurship Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Policies and Governance & GS – III – Entrepreneurship In news Several schemes have been launched by the Indian Government to promote Women Entrepreneurship. Some of them have been discussed below. Pradhan Mantri YUVA (PM YUVA) Yojana Ministry: The Ministry of Skill Development Objective: Creating an enabling ecosystem through entrepreneurship education, training, advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship network. ‘Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women’ Ministry: Ministry of Skill Development in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Germany. Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) Ministry: Ministry of MSME It has the target to generate self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises for non-farm sector. Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development It is Skill development program It involves enabling a trainee to take Bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development Aim: Eliminating rural poverty through promotion of multiple livelihoods for each rural poor household. Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) Under this Sub-scheme of DAY-NRLM, a total of 194,144 enterprises have been set-up up to 31st January, 2021. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Trishul Military Airbase under UDAN scheme Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III – Infrastructure In news The First flight from Delhi to the newly upgraded Trishul Military Airbase, Bareilly Airport, Uttar Pradesh, was recently flagged off. Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation Key takeaways The up gradation has been done under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN). Trishul Military Airbase, Bareilly belongs to the Indian Air Force and the land was handed over to the Airport Authority of India for construction of the interim civil aviation operations. Alliance Air was awarded the Delhi – Bareilly route under the UDAN-4 bidding process last year. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

How to select your AFSB date and venue for AFCAT 1 2021- https://youtu.be/Mst-B7Oz5nI

AFCAT(01/2021) AFSB Seat selection will be enabled from 13 Mar 2021 at 1100 hrs to 16 Mar 2021 at 2330 hrs. Login & choose your date and place of AFSB.

Those who have qualified AFCAT 1 2021, Congratulations to all of you. This is the video on How to select your AFSB date and venue for AFCAT 1 2021- https://youtu.be/Mst-B7Oz5nI

US rebuff to China over Dalai Lama signals Biden won’t take eyes off Tibet The Joe Biden administration’s statement that the Chinese government should have no role in the succession of the Dalai Lama on the day Tibetans in 1959 rose against Beijing’s rule makes it evident that Washington will continue to press the Xi Jinping regime on Lhasa. The 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Lhasa on May 17, 1959, and reached Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh by March-end. The refuge given to the 14th Dalai Lama by India was one of the principal triggers of the 1962 border skirmish. Join >> @dailynewscom

Public or private? The future of banking in India and US The article highlights the different aspects that need to be considered while contemplating the idea of privatisation of public banks. Opposite trends in India and the US While the United States epitomises the private banking model, a nationwide public banking movement is coming into vogue. In contrast, India seems to be quickly warming to the idea of bank privatisation. Public or the private? The development view sees government presence in the banking sector as a means to overcome market failures in the early stages of economic development. The government-owned banks can improve welfare by allocating scarce capital to socially productive uses. The stellar success of Indian PSBs in implementing the PMJDY while missing the mark on creating high-quality credit highlights a critical divide between the asset and the liability side of a bank. Banks provide two functions at a fundamental level: Payments and deposit-taking on the liability side and credit creation on the asset side. The payment services function, a hallmark of financial inclusion, is similar to a utility business banks can provide this service, a public good, at a low cost universally. The lending side, in contrast, is all about the optimal allocation of resources through better credit evaluation and monitoring of borrowers. Private banks are more likely to have the right set of incentives and expertise in doing so. It comes as no surprise that the PSBs in India are better at providing the public good functions, whereas private banks seem better suited for credit allocation. However, the political view argues that vested interests can influencethe lending apparatus to achieve political goals. This results in distortion of credit allocation and reduce allocative efficiency in government-owned banking systems. Reasons for privatisation of banks Evidences shows that government ownership in the banking sector leads to lower levels of financial development and growth This led to waves of banking sector privatisations that swept emerging markets in the 1990s. Cross-country evidence suggests that bank privatisations improved both bank efficiency and profitability. How public banks performed in India Public sector Banks (PSBs) dominate Indian banking, controlling over 60 per cent of banking assets. The private-credit to GDP ratio, a key measure of credit flow, stands at 50 per cent, much lower than international benchmarks in China it is150 and in South Korea it is 150 per cent. India's Gross NPA ratio was 8.2 per cent in March 2020, with striking differences across PSBs (10.3 per cent) and private banks (5.5 per cent). The end result is much lower PSB profitability compared to private banks. The rationale for privatisation stems from these considerations. Way forward The optimal mix of the banking system across public and private boils down to what you need out of your banking system. When the wedge between social and private benefits is large, as with financial inclusion, there is a strong case for public banks. At this stage, inefficiency in capital allocation seems to be a bigger issue for the Indian banking sector, whereas, in the US, the debate is centred around the public goods aspects of banking. Consider the question "What are the factors India needs to consider as it reverses the course of history by privatising the public banks?" Conclusion At this stage, inefficiency in capital allocation seems to be a bigger issue for the Indian banking sector, whereas, in the US, the debate is centred around the public goods aspects of banking. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

[pib] Stand Up India Scheme The Ministry of Finance has informed that more than 81% of account holders are Women under Stand Up India Scheme. Stand-Up India Scheme Stand Up India Scheme was launched on 5 April 2016 to promote entrepreneurship at the grass-root level of economic empowerment and job creation. This scheme seeks to leverage the institutional credit structure to reach out to the underserved sector of people such as SCs, STs and Women Entrepreneurs. The objective of this scheme is to facilitate bank loans between Rs.10 lakh and Rs.1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a Greenfield enterprise. The offices of SIDBI and NABARD shall be designated Stand-Up Connect Centres (SUCC) It is similar to but distinct from Startup India. Back2Basics: Start-Up India Scheme Startup India Scheme is an initiative of the Indian government, the primary objective of which is the promotion of startups, generation of employment, and wealth creation. It was launched on the 16th of January, 2016. A startup defined as an entity that is headquartered in India, which was opened less than 10 years ago and has an annual turnover of fewer than 100 crores (US$14 million). The action plan for this initiative is based on the following three pillars: Simplification and Handholding Funding Support and Incentives Industry-Academia Partnership and Incubation An additional area of focus is to discard restrictive States Government policies within this domain, such as License Raj, Land Permissions, Foreign Investment Proposals, and Environmental Clearances. It was organized by The Department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPI&IT). 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

[pib] Exercise Dustlik-II The Second Edition of Joint Exercise Dustlik is scheduled from tomorrow. Must read: [Prelims Spotlight] Various Defence Exercises in News Exercise Dustlik-II It is a bilateral defence exercise held between the Indian Army And Uzbekistan Army. It is named after Dustlik, a town in the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan. The first edition of the exercise, Dustlik-I was held in Uzbekistan, near Tashkent, from November 3-13, 2019. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had flagged off the exercise along with his Uzbek counterpart, Major General Bakhodir Kurbanov in 2019 for the first time. The joint exercise focused on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in urban settings. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom