In order to protect Indian borders and put an end to cross border terrorism Indian Army conducted surgical strikes in PoK on 29th September, 2016

Surgical Strikes reflect zero tolerance for terror · On 18th September 2016, terrorists struck at an army camp at Uri and martyred our Jawans. In response: · Indian Army conducted surgical strikes at several terrorist launch pads to pre-empt infiltration by terrorists.

· Significant casualties were caused to terrorists and those providing support to them. · Indian army struck a blow to terrorist infrastructure and designs. · International community reacted overwhelmingly in India’s favour.

· Signing of an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with the Government of France for purchase of 36 Rafale Aircraft on September 23, 2016.

· The delivery of the aircraft would commence in September 2019 and would be completed by April 2022.

· Rafale is an omni-role fighter, which will provide long range capability to engage targets in depth and will provide a strong weapons and systems capability and edge over our adversaries.

· Long Range Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile successfully flight tested for its full range on 26th Dec 2016 and on 18th January 2018. · The test flight further boosted India’s indigenous defence capabilities and deterrence levels.

Additional DRDO Achievements · LCA Tejas: DRDO designed & developed Light Combat Aircraft Tejas was inducted into the 45th squadron of Indian Air Force on 1st July 2016.

· Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) was inducted into the Indian Air Force on 14th Feb 2017. It provides early warning of airborne and sea surface targets and hostile emissions.

· 155mm x 52 calibre Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) with higher firing range of 45 km has completed the trials in September 2017 and is being inducted into the Indian Army.

· Maareech: Advanced torpedo Defence System was inducted into Indian Navy on 14th Nov 2015. It is state-of-the-art indigenous system for torpedo detection and counter measures to protect Naval platforms against torpedo attack.

· Varunastra Torpedo was inducted into Indian Navy in 29th June 2016. It is a Ship launched Heavy Weight Anti Submarine Torpedo, capable of targeting quiet and stealthy submarines both in deep and littoral waters.

· Nag Anti-Tank Missile: The 3rd generation, Lock-on-before-Launch (LOBL), fire-and-forget, anti-tank guided missile is being inducted into the Indian Army.

· ASTRA: Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile, capable of engaging targets decisively and integrated with SU-30 combat aircraft is on the verge of induction in the defence forces. Missile was successfully launched from Su-30 MKI fighter jet in two development trials on 20th May 2015.

· Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV ‘Rustom-II’ a multi-mission UAV is being developed with an endurance of 24 hours to carry out the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles for the Armed Forces. Successfully flights tested were completed in Feb 2018.

· Sonars-Abhay/Humsa UG/NACS/AIDSS: Abhay- compact hull mounted sonar for shallow water crafts, upgrade for the Humsa Sonar System (Humsa UG), Near-field Acoustic Characterization system (NACS), and Advanced Indigenous Distress Sonar system for Submarines (AIDSS) developed indigenously has been handed over to the Indian Navy.

· Weapon Locating Radar- SWATHI was inducted into Indian Army in 02nd Mar 2017. Using advanced signal processing techniques for detecting and tracking, this Radar automatically and accurately locates hostile artillery, mortars, shells and rockets firing and its locations.

· USHUS-II Submarine Sonar was handed over to the Indian Navy on 24th Mar 2017. USHUS-II comprising multiple sensors and capable of detecting, localizing and tracking multiple surface and subsurface targets has been inducted into the Indian Navy.

· R&D Centre, Changla, Leh: A Guinness Book Record, DRDO has established the world’s highest terrestrial R&D centre at 17,664 feet above MSL for research and development work in frontal areas of food and agriculture and biomedical sciences for the well being of soldiers deployed in high-altitude, cold-desert areas.

· Orange (Open Range RCS and Antenna Measurement Facility) It will help India in designing new weapon systems with extremely low cross section as well for carrying out vulnerability studies on existing platforms.

· ATR: Aeronautical Test Range, one of its kind of National importance has been established at Chitradurga, Karnataka. The range was dedicated to the Nation by Hon’ble RM on 28th May 2017.

· Seakeeping and Maneuvering Basin (SMB) facility has been established at Vizag which puts India among the few nations in the world having the capability to undertake comprehensive hydrodynamic Model testing of naval platforms and weapon systems. The inauguration and dedication of SMB to the nation by Hon’ble RM was held on 14th Nov 2015.

· INS Kalvari- Prime Minister dedicated the naval submarine INS Kalvari to the nation on 14th December 2017.

· Brahmos, the World’s fastest supersonic cruise missile created history in November 2017 when it was successfully flight-tested for the first time from the Indian Air Force’s frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI.

· Akash Weapon System: Supersonic short range Surface to Air Missile was inducted into Indian Air Force on 10th July 2015 and Indian Army in 05th May 2015. It is capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets with the range of 3-30 Km.

· Successful test flight of ‘NIRBHAY’ - India’s first indigenously designed and developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise Missile which can be deployed from multiple platforms.

· Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System of DRDO successfully scored a direct hit on incoming missile on 28th December 2017 from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

· Special campaign to celebrate Armed Forces Flag Day to honour the martyrs and the men in uniform.

· The first ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by all-women crew on Indian Navy sailing vessel INSV Tarini. The Tarini was flagged off on 10th September 2017. The expedition titled ‘Navika Sagar Parikarma’ is in consensus with the national policy to give women power to attain their full potential.

· The first ever tri-services exercise INDRA between India and Russia was conducted at Vladivostok in Russia in October, 2017.

· Exercise Yudh Abhyas -2017: A two week long joint Indo-US army military exercise commence on 16th September 2017 at Joint Base Lewis, Washington DC.

Greater push for border security through expeditious creation of border infrastructure and developmental works: · 2014-18 Rs 6209 crore sanctioned for border infrastructure projects. · 246 km Fence along the border. · 566 km Border Roads constructed. · 785 km floodlights installed.

· The Enemy Property Act, 1968 has been amended by the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2017 on 14.03.2017.

· This is a landmark achievement by which Central Government has successfully brought assets (both movable and immovable) worth more than one lakh crores of rupees from the clutches of enemy, enemy subject and enemy firms.

· By virtue of this Act, the Central Government has got right, title & interest in enemy properties by barring Law of succession.

Status Report on implementation of OROP benefits as on 30.09.2017 and compiled up to 31.03.2018: - As per the reports received from the CGDA, a sum of Rs. 4,172.64 crores, Rs. 2,397.22 crores, Rs. 2,322.68 crores and Rs.1,895.69 crores have been paid towards first, second, third and fourth instalment of OROP arrears respectively.

- 20,60,220 Ex-Servicemen/family pensioners, 15,94,311 Ex-Servicemen, 15,76,254 Ex-Servicemen and 13,50,319 Ex-Servicemen are the beneficiaries during these four instalments respectively. - Total arrears paid Rs. 10,788.23 crores.

SALUTE TO FREEDOM FIGHTERS · Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension of the freedom fighters and their dependents has been enhanced w.e.f. 15.08.2016 and now they will get Dearness Relief like pensioners as in the existing Dearness Relief system based on All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers

ISLAND DEVELOPMENT · 1382 islands along the coast of the country have been identified for their holistic development. In the first phase, 26 islands, 16 in Andaman & Nicobar and 10 in Lakshadweep, have been taken up for the development by the Island Development Agency (IDA)

LESS VIOLENCE IN LWE AREAS Major Achievements (Security Related Issues) (a) Reduction in Violence (Comparative Analysis of LWE Scenario: 2010 to 2013 & 2014 to 2017). · Incidents of violence reduced by 36.6% from 6524 to 4136. · Surrenders by LWE cadres increased by 143% from 1387 to 3373.

(b) Geographical Spread shrinks · States reporting violence reduced from 10 (2013) to 9 (2017). · Districts reporting violence reduced from 76 (2013) to 58 (2017). · Police Stations reporting violence decreased from 330 (2013) to 291 (2017).

In order to enhance local representation in security forces and also to provide employment to local youth, a Bastariya Battalion has been raised. 743 Scheduled Tribes candidates from four most affected LWE districts of Chhattisgarh, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Sukma have been recruited. This figure includes 242 female candidates. All recruitment formalities have been completed and training is in progress.

Assistance under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme. Under this scheme assistance is provided to 106 LWE affected districts for operational needs of Security Forces. Rs 1120.73 crore was disbursed over last four financial years (2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 & 2017-18) as compared to Rs 875 Cr in the preceding four financial years (2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14).

Fortified Police Stations Scheme. The scheme was approved in 2010. 386 Police Stations out of 400 have been completed. 320 Police Stations constructed in the last four years.

RESCUING LOST CHILDREN: Ministry of Home affairs with the help of State Governments conducted Operation Muskan in July 2015 and Operation Smile in January 2016

Mobile APP ‘HIMMAT’ Launched in January 2015 by Delhi police to instill confidence in women, to help women in distress and to ensure their safety in Delhi. This application helps women to raise SOS alert in case of any emergency and the same gets reported along with victim/caller location in real time at Police Control Room and the nearest PCR Van and local police can be rushed to the spot.

The Ministry of Law, after examining the provisions of POCSO Act vis-à-vis provisions of CrPC, has advised that there appears no period of limitation mentioned in Section 19 in regard to reporting of the offences under the POCSO Act, 2012.

Legal provisions: Section 19 of the POCSO Act, which deals with sexual crimes against children, lays down the procedure for reporting a crime but doesn’t specify a time limit or statute of limitation for reporting it.

Whereas the CrPC lays down different time-limits for crimes which carry a punishment of up to three years, there is no time bar for crimes that would attract a jail term of more than three years.

Significance: This is an important step for survivors of child abuse, who may try to file a complaint as adults but are turned away at police stations.

The development assumes significance after considering the fact that on many occasions children are unable to report crimes that they suffered as the perpetrator in many cases happens to be from the family itself or any other known person. Several cases have been reported where the victims have grown up and understood the crime.

POCSO Act: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 was formulated in order to effectively address sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children.

Role of police: The Act casts the police in the role of child protectors during the investigative process. Thus, the police personnel receiving a report of sexual abuse of a child are given the responsibility of making urgent arrangements for the care and protection of the child, such as obtaining emergency medical treatment for the child and placing the child in a shelter home, and bringing the matter in front of the CWC, should the need arise.

Safeguards: The Act further makes provisions for avoiding the re-victimisation of the child at the hands of the judicial system. It provides for special courts that conduct the trial in-camera and without revealing the identity of the child, in a manner that is as child-friendly as possible. Hence, the child may have a parent or other trusted person present at the time of testifying and can call for assistance from an interpreter, special educator, or other professional while giving evidence. Above all, the Act stipulates that a case of child sexual abuse must be disposed of within one year from the date the offence is reported.

Mandatory reporting: The Act also provides for mandatory reporting of sexual offences. This casts a legal duty upon a person who has knowledge that a child has been sexually abused to report the offence; if he fails to do so, he may be punished with six months’ imprisonment and/ or a fine.

Definitions: The Act defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age. It defines different forms of sexual abuse, including penetrative and non-penetrative assault, as well as sexual harassment and pornography. It deems a sexual assault to be “aggravated” under certain circumstances, such as when the abused child is mentally ill or when the abuse is committed by a person in a position of trust or authority like a family member, police officer, teacher, or doctor.

About Swasth Bharat Yatra national campaign: Under it, pan-India cycle rally is being organized to create consumer awareness about eating safe and nutritious food for becoming healthy and combating food adulteration.

In this rally, about 7,500 cyclists are expected to participate in over 18,000 km travelling across six tracks through almost every state and UT over 100 days to propagate a powerful message ‘Eat Right India’. This campaign will not only mobilise masses but also create large pool of local community to sustain this movement.

World Food Day: World Food Day is celebrated on October 16 every year to raise awareness on the issues of poverty and hunger. World Food Day was established by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in November 1979 and since then the day is celebrated worldwide by many organisations that are concerned with food security.

2018 theme: “OUR ACTIONS ARE OUR FUTURE. A #ZERO HUNGER WORLD BY 2030 IS POSSIBLE”.

About FAO: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.

The hi-tech Central Warehouse would facilitate seamless distribution of Jan Aushadhi generic medicines to all PMBJP Kendra functional across the country.

About PMBJP: ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. Of India, to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses through special kendra’s known as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra.

Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMBJK) have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.

Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementing agency of PMBJP. BPPI (Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India) has been established under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India, with the support of all the CPSUs.

What is a Generic Medicine? Generic medicines are unbranded medicines which are equally safe and having the same efficacy as that of branded medicines in terms of their therapeutic value. The prices of generic medicines are much cheaper than their branded equivalent.

About Ask Disha: The chatbot is special computer programme designed to simulate conversation with users, especially over the internet. The first-of-its-kind initiative by IRCTC is aimed at facilitating accessibility by answering users’ queries pertaining to various services offered to railway passengers.

The chatbot is voice enabled and will support several regional languages in the near future. It will offer greatly improved and intuitive customer support by answering customer queries pertaining to all aspects of the services that IRCTC provides.

The essential features of AskDisha include ability to quickly answer to customer queries, ability to provide round-the-clock customer support, ability to multitask, zero waiting time for query to get answered and overall ability to provide customer with stress-free experience and overall customer satisfaction.

About #Self4Society App: This platform will help to create better synergies among so many CSR and other initiatives and lead to a much better outcome of the efforts of professionals.

Companies have observed that a spirit of service and volunteering improves employee satisfaction and reduces employee attrition. The app will have incentives, gamification and intra- and inter-company competitions, and social networking.

The volunteer time for the government’s flagship programmes such as Swachh Bharat is expected to increase.

As per the guidelines, where PPIs are issued in the form of wallets, interoperability across PPIs shall be enabled through UPI and Where PPIs are issued in the form of cards, the cards shall be affiliated to the authorised card networks.

Significance: The guidelines, while boosting the e-wallet segment, would also ensure the safety and accuracy of the transfer of money by individuals from one wallet to another.

The interoperability amongst PPIs is going to significantly boost the e-wallet industry. The guidelines would also ensure that not only the customer’s money remains safe but when the transition happens from one e-wallet app to another, it reflects utmost speed and accuracy for the interoperability to be effective and efficient.

What exactly is UPI? The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system developed by the NPCI and the RBI to aid instant transfer of money using a cashless system. Using UPI services, one just requires a smartphone and a banking app to send and receive money instantly or to pay a merchant for retail purchase. In the long run, UPI is likely to replace the current NEFT, RTGS, and IMPS systems as they exist today.

The UPI ecosystem functions with three key players: Payment service providers (PSPs) to provide the interface to the payer and the payee. Unlike wallets, the payer and the payee can use two different PSPs. Banks to provide the underlying accounts. In some cases, the bank and the PSP may be the same. NPCI to act as the central switch by ensuring VPA resolution, effecting credit and debit transactions through IMPS.

How does it work? UPI, built on IMPS, allows a payment directly and immediately from bank account. There is no need to pre-load money in wallets. It allows payments to different merchants without the hassle of typing one’s card details or net-banking password.

Context: 6th India International Silk Fair (IISF), organized by Indian Silk Export Promotion Council, is being held in New Delhi. The fair will give a platform to exporters to display their products and to overseas buyers an opportunity to place orders and source their merchandise.

Background: India is the second largest producer of silk in the world. The country’s silk industry is agriculture based and labour intensive and provides gainful employment to around eight million artisans and weavers in rural areas.

About The Indian Silk Export Promotion Council: The Indian Silk Export Promotion Council (ISEPC) was set up in 1983 as a company not for profit under Companies Act duly sponsored by the Government of India in the Ministry of Textiles.

ISEPC works closely with the Government of India on policy formulation concerning silk sector and provides specialized services to the entrepreneurs enlarging global business opportunities for the silk industry in India.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved the proposal of the state government to rename the city of ‘Allahabad’ as ‘Prayagraj’. The decision has been vehemently opposed by the opposition parties.

Background: The city of Allahabad was originally known as Prayag in ancient times. Between 1574 and 1583, the 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar founded a fort near the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna, known as Sangam, as he was impressed with its strategic position.

Hence, Akbar named the fort and its neighbourhood as Ilahabad, which meant the “Abode of God”, inspired by the religion he had founded, Din-i-Illahi. In the later years, Akbar’s grandson Shah Jahan renamed the entire city as Allahabad. However, the area near the Sangam, which is the site of the Kumbh Mela, continued to be called Prayag.