Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018

Economy and banking

New e-way bill system for transportation of goods to be effective today:
• A new e-way bill system came into effect from 1st Feb. to bring uniformity across
the states for seamless inter-state movement of goods. . Under the new system, every
transporters will have to carry a system-generated bill to move goods from one place to
another.
• Under the Goods and Services Tax, inter-state transportation of goods beyond 10
kilometres with a value of 50,000 rupees and above, will mandatorily require e-way bill.
• Last month, the GST Council decided to implement the e-way bill mechanism
throughout the country from 1st of February, 2018.
What is e-way bill?
E-way bill is an electronic way bill for movement of goods which can be generated on the
GSTN (common portal). A ‘movement’ of goods of more than Rs 50,000 in value cannot be
made by a registered person without an e-way bill.

Eight core industries registered 4% growth in December:

• The combined index for 8 core industries (coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery
product, fertilizer, steel, cement, electricity) showed 4% growth in December 2017
compared to December 2016.
• Together they constitute 40.27% of the weight of the IIP (Index of Industrial
Production).
• Data published by- Central Statistical Office (CSO)

CSO revises FY16 GDP growth up to 8.2%, FY17 unchanged at 7.1%:

• The Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the first revised estimates of national
income, consumption expenditure, saving and capital formation for the financial year 2016-
17.
• As per data, GDP growth is 7.1 % during 2016-17 and 8.2 % during 2015-16.

• Per capita net national income at current prices is estimated as Rs 94,731 and Rs 1,
03, 870, respectively for 2015-16 and 2016-17.

1
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Correspondingly, per capita PFCE (Private Final Consumption Expenditure) at current
prices for 2015-16 and 2016-17 is estimated at Rs 63,065 and Rs 69,322, respectively.
Agreement with World Bank for Jal Marg Vikas Project:
• Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI) signed project with World Bank for Jal
Marg Vikas Project (JMVP), also called as National Waterway 1 on Ganga river.
• I connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal.
• This is a $ 375 mn loan agreement.

About World Bank:

World Bank headquarter- Washington DC (USA); President- Jim Yong Kim
Annual reports: World Development Report, Global Economic Prospect, Ease of Doing
Business.

Indian Railway will get first high speed locomotive this year:

• Indian Railway’s first High Speed locomotive will be launched in March this year.
• It will run at a maximum speed of 120 kmph.
• It will be launched by French President Emmanuel Macron during his India visit in
March, produced in collaboration with Alstom, a French company. It was assembled in
Madhepura plant in Bihar.

India’s first defence industrial corridor connecting Bengaluru and Chennai:

• Union budget 2018-19 has announced two defence corridors.
• One of them will connect Bengaluru and Chennai, as announced by Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman.

• This year’s budget allocation to defence ministry is just 1.58% of GDP, which the
lowest since 1962.

Govt makes PAN mandatory for transactions above 2.5 lakh rupees:

2
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• The budget 2018-19 had announced to quote PAN number mandatory for financial
transactions above Rs 2.5 lakh.
• The PAN number will be used as Unique Entity Number for non-individuals.
About PAN:
• Full form- Permanent Account Number

• It is a unique 10 digit alpha-numeric number issued by Income Tax Department.

• It is used as an identification for persons, families or corporates paying various taxes.
Finance Bill empowers SEBI:
• Through Finance Bill 2018, Government has proposed to give more power to
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• Now SEBI can impose monetary penalty on important market intermediaries such as
stock exchanges and clearing corporations. It can also act against investment advisers, Real
Estate Investment Trust (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvITs).
• Now SEBI can impose penalty up to a sum of Rs 5 crore. Earlier it could only issue
warnings.

Indian Overseas Bank to raise Rs1,000 crore via QIP:

• Public Sector Bank (PSB) Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) intends to raise around Rs1,000
crore by Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP).
• IOB said the amount to be raised is indicative and the issue size may vary, based on
the bank’s discretion.
• It is among 11 lenders which are under the Reserve Bank of India’s prompt
corrective action (PCA).
• IOB has been allocated Rs4,694 crore under the government’s Rs88,000 crore of
recapitalization programme for PSBs.
What is QIP?
QIP is a fund raising tool by Indian listed companies. It issues securities to Qualified
Institutional Buyers (mutual fund, bank, insurance companies etc.)

3
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
RBI’s bi-monthly monetary policy review:
• The Reserve Bank of India maintained status quo by maintaining repo rate at 6%.
• The last cut in repo rate was in August 2017.

• The decision was taken by 6 member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) by a

majority of 5 to 1 in its 6th and final bi-monthly meeting.

• MPC expected the GVA for FY 2017-18 to be 6.6%. Their growth projection for FY
2018-19 is 7.2%.

• Inflation projection for fourth quarter is 5.1%, which is higher than its earlier
projection of 4.3- 4.7% in December.
Note-
Current Repo Rate- 6% Reverse Repo rate- 5.75%
Marginal Standing Facility Rate- 6.25% Bank Rate- 6.25%
Cash Reserve Ratio- 4% Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)- 19.5%

States’ Startup Ranking 2018 launched:

• Minister for Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu launched the States’ Startup
Ranking 2018 in New Delhi to promote healthy competition among the States and enable
them to further learn, share and adopt best practices across the seven identified key
parameters.
• The States Start-up Ranking framework launched by Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion is an exercise aimed at ranking States for establishing a robust ecosystem
for supporting Start-ups.

60 Solar Cities to be developed across country:

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under its scheme “Development of
Solar Cities” has sanctioned 60 Cities.
• It includes 13 Pilot and 5 Model Cities up to 12th Five-year Plan period i.e. 2017.

4
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Solar PV projects with aggregate capacity of 8069.16 kWP and Solar Water Heating
System with aggregate capacity of 7894 meter square collector area have been sanctioned
under the programme.

General Data Protection Regulation :

 To be adopted by EU
 Would be apply to all firms and process personal data of people living in EU
 With GDPR in force , companies will require to notify data breach within 72 hours of
the event
 Violators could be fined up to 4% of annual turnover or € 20 million
“BRING THE SHOWROOM HOME “ – PORTAL BY MAHINDRA AND MAHINDRA LTD.

 Mobile based interactive virtual reality

 Enabling customers to buy and book a Mahindra vehicle at their homes
 Part of Digital transformation strategy
 Platform have 3 salient features – “virtual showroom”, “self explore” and “make my
SUV” .
International news
IREDA and RUMSL Sign Agreement for Solar Parks in Madhya Pradesh:

• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) and Rewa Ultra
Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL) signed an agreement for financing the shared infrastructure of
two large Solar Parks in Madhya Pradesh, presently there is proposal for two large solar
parks in Rewa and Mandsaur of MP.
• Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), World Bank & IREDA have worked
out a proposal to channelize US$ 100 Million for creating common infrastructure for ultra-
mega solar parks.
• Under Paris pledge, India has an ambitious target of producing 175 GW of renewable
energy by 2022. Out of this, 100 GW comes from solar energy.

India joins Ashgabat agreement:

• The agreement aims at constructing an International transport corridor between
the Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

5
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• The agreement was signed in 2011 to facilitate transport of goods between Central
Asia and Persian Gulf.
• Now India being added to this group, the connectivity may extend towards India. It
will provide India an alternative route to connect resource rich Central Asia. Since Pakistan is
on our western border, it blocks our connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia thus
reducing our trade with the region.

Fidel Castro's eldest son Fidel Castro Díaz–Balart dies at 68:

• The 68-year-old son of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (communist
revolutionary of Cuba who ruled Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959-76 and as President
from 1976-2008.), Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart, died in Havana. It was reported that he
took his own life.

New Manchester-India Partnership launched in UK:

• A new Manchester-India Partnership (MIP) aimed at connecting Indian companies
with the northern regions of England has been set up.
• It will further trade, investment, science and innovation ties between India and
Britain.

• Jim O'Neill, the economist who coined the phrase BRICS, officially launched the
partnership in British Parliament.

UAE opens world’s longest zip line:

• World’s largest zip line was opened in United Arab Emirates.
• It measures 2.83 km and created a Guinness Book of World Record.

India’s financial allocation to Nepal doubles in the budget:

• India’s annual financial allocation to Nepal has been doubled in the budget 2018 to
650 crores, disbursed through Ministry of External Affairs and categorized under
‘development and diplomatic engagement’.

6
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• The largest allocation of Rs 2650 corers will go to Bhutan.

PM Modi to go on 4-day visit to Palestine, UAE, Oman on February 9:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a four days visit to Palestine, UAE and
Oman from 9th of February this month.

• First ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine.

• It will be Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Oman and second to UAE.
• In Dubai, Prime Minister would be addressing the Sixth World Government Summit
in which India has been extended 'Guest of Honour' status.
• He will lay the foundation of a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.

Maldives govt declares state of emergency for 15 days:

• The Maldives government on Monday declared a state of emergency for 15 days

due to a political crisis caused by a Supreme Court decision last week i.e. immediate release
of nine Opposition leaders, including exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed. The court
also ordered that 12 MPs, expelled earlier, be reinstated.
• Former Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom(80 year old A half-brother of
current President Abdulla Yameen and was the President of the country for 30 years till
2008.) was arrested since he had allied with the opposition.
• This is the second time Mr. Yameen has declared a state of emergency. He last took
the step in November 2015 after an alleged attempt to assassinate him.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades wins re-election for second term:

• Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades won re-election for a second term on 6th feb
and has taken credit for steering the economy of Cyprus to recovery after it was plunged
into crisis in 2013.

Sweden commits record $370 mn aid to UN World Food Programme:

7
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Sweden and the United Nations World Food Programme signed a Strategic
Partnership Agreement committing an unprecedented $370 million dollars to WFP over the
next four years.
• The contribution for the period 2018-2021 is the biggest ever made by a donor
within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement.
• For almost a decade, the Swedish government has been the largest donor of flexible
funds to WFP.

Ancient Mayan city discovered in the jungles of Guatemala:

• Advanced laser mapping technology has revealed more than 60,000 Mayan
structures beneath the jungles of Northern Guatemala.
• The ruin is of the size of a city and includes 90 feet tall pyramid.

• This new discovery will through more light on the Mayan civilization and their
culture.
About Mayan civilization:
It developed in Mesoamerica means in Mexico to Honduras, Guatemala and northern El
Salvador. It started around 2000 BCE and reached its peak around 5th -8th century AD. It
was finally destroyed with the coming of the Europeans in 15th century.
Nepali tea gets its own trademark:
• Nepali tea has received its own logo or trademark after 154 years of tea cultivation
in the area, comprising of an image of mountains with ‘Nepali Tea Quality from the
Himalaya’ written below it.
• It will no longer use Darjeeling logo.
• The logo will be launched at Mt Everest base camp to popularize it in the
international market.

Jerome H Powell sworn in as new Chairman of Fed Reserve:

• On 5th February Jerome H Powell has been sworn in as the 16th Chairman of Board
of Governors of Federal Reserve system of USA, succeeding Janet Yellen.
• Janet was the first woman to hold this post.

8
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• She was the first Chairman since 1979 not to have a second term.

Italian delegation of senior anti corruption officials expected to visit India:

• Meeting comes in the back drop of acquittals of Giuseppe orsi and Bruno spagnolini
– two former top functionaries of Italy based Finmeccania and its subsidiary
Augustawestland in VVIP chopper deal.
• Delegation visit followed the visit of Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni in Oct-Nov last year.

• Indian delegation will be headed by a senior central vigilance commission (CVC)

functionary .
• Meeting aimed at strengthening their ties with counterparts in areas of mutual
information sharing on financial crimes to open up more efficient channels for
communication with countries.

• India has also signed revised bilateral treaties with many countries for effective
action against black money.

POLITY
Green Peace report on India’s air pollution:
An NGO named Greenpeace has come out with a report on air pollution in India named
‘Airpocalypse II’.
• It has found that more than 47% of the population in India is still living in areas
where there is no air quality monitoring.
• Delhi is the most polluted city (PM 10 value 290) and Hassan in Karntaka has
cleanest air in India.

• Uttar Pradesh is the most polluted state in India in terms of air quality. 15 of its
cities are among the top 30 polluted cities of India.

About Greenpeace:
• An international NGO working in the field of environment, set up in 1969
• Headquarter- Amsterdam (Netherland)

9
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
1,200 IIT, NIT graduates to teach engineering students in backward areas:
• Over 1,200 graduates from premier institutions like IITs and NITs have been selected
to teach in 53 state-run engineering colleges in backward areas across 11 states and Union
Territories for three years.
• 1,200 IIT, NIT graduates to teach engineering students in backward areas:
• Over 1,200 graduates from premier institutions like IITs and NITs have been selected
to teach in 53 state-run engineering colleges in backward areas across 11 states and Union
Territories for three years.
• Each of the faculty will be paid Rs 70,000 per month with the government spending
about Rs 375 corer for the move.
• Around 1 lakh engineering students in backward area will be benefited from this
move.
• The initiative is part of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Project
(TEQIP-III) for improving the quality of engineering graduates at a cost of Rs 2,300 crore.

India ranks 42nd in Global Democracy Index:

• India has been ranked 42nd in 2017 Global Democracy Index , in comparison to
2016, India’s rank was 32nd
• It was prepared by Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) of UK..
• Norway tops the list followed by Iceland and Sweden.

Kusum Scheme to encourage farmers for solar farming:

• Union Government will launch Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan
(KUSUM) scheme.
• It will encourage solar farming which means production of solar power in a
decentralized way.
• The scheme will first build 10,000 MW solar plants on barren land and distribute
1.75 million solar power pumps.
• 2018-19 budget has allocated 48,000 crore for next 10 year period for the scheme.

10
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018

No diesel locomotives will be allowed in Delhi area after March 2019:

• Railway Board has decided that no diesel locomotives will be allowed in Delhi area
after March 2019.
• The Railway Ministry has set a target of 2022 to switch to electric locomotives
completely by phasing out their diesel engines.

Environment Ministry launches ‘Green Good Deeds’ campaign:

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr Harsh Vardhan
launched ‘Green Good Deeds’ campaign.
• It will sensitize students about climate change and global warming.
• The Minister talked about Green Social Responsibility (GSR) and “Green Sainik” to
promote this campaign. A mobile app was also launched.

New National Education Policy panel to submit report by March 31:

• In June last year, HRD ministry appointed a panel to prepare a new education policy
for the country.

• This panel is headed by former ISRO Chief K Kasturirangan and will submit its report
by 31st of March.
• The existing National Education Policy was framed in 1986 and revised in 1992.

New Consumer Protection Bill introduced:

The Government introduced new Consumer Protection Bill, 2018 in the Lok Sabha on 5th
February.
Salient features:
• Establishment of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote,
protect and enforce the rights of the consumers.
• It will be empowered to investigate, recall, refund and impose penalties.

11
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• It will have product liability action in case of personal injury, death or property
damage caused by any product.
• Provision for mediation as an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) making the
process of dispute adjudication simpler and quicker.

Note-
A portal called “Grievance against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA)” has been launched
to deal with the complaints relating to misleading advertisements.

Per Capita Expenditure on healthcare:

• As per National Health Accounts Estimates for India 2014-15, the total health
expenditure per capita is estimated to be Rs. 3826.
• The per capita expenditure on healthcare by Government (Centre and States) for
2017-18(BE) at current prices is estimated to be Rs. 1797.( “Public Health & Hospitals” is
state subject, so greater responsibility is on state and UTs)

Maintenance of Digital Records:

• A scheme to set up an ‘Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP)’, to maintain
the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of patients has been approved.
• It will store the health records in a centralized manner and to be made available
nationwide online for medical history, with the help of Health Information.

Eliminating AIDS by 2030:

• Government of India has launched the seven year National Strategic Plan on
HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) for 2017-24.
• It aims to attain universal coverage of HIV prevention and treatment of affected
people.
• There has been a 66% decline in the estimated number of annual new HIV infections
in the country from 2000 to 2015, against the global average of 35%.

Govt sets up mechanism for technology transfer to small industries:

• Government has set up a mechanism in Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR) for transfer of technologies from CSIR laboratories.

12
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• It will provide a regular interface between CSIR and Small Scale Industries (SSI).
• A special nodal officer has been appointed for this purpose.
• Small and Medium Industries contribute about 40% of country’s GDP, a similar share
in export and large provider of employment.

EVENTS

Railways to Set up a Coach Factory in Marathwada, Maharashtra:

• Indian railways will set up a massive rail coach unit in Latur, Maharashtra at a cost
of 1,500 crore, plant would manufacture Electric Multiple Units for suburban trains and
coaches for metros.
• It will bring economic development to the area known as Marathwada, which is one
of the backward region of Maharashtra.

World witnessed first lunar eclipse of the year on 31st jan:

• The world witnessed the first lunar eclipse of the year, first eclipse of the year, with a
rare coincidence of a blue moon and a super full moon.
• When full moon occurs twice in a month, it is called blue moon.

• When the full moon is bigger and brighter than the regular full moon, it is called super
moon. This is because the moon was at perigee (closest spot to earth).

India International Watch and Clock Fair “Samaya Bharati 2018” held:
• 19th India International Watch and Clock Fair “Samaya Bharati 2018” was held in
Mumbai , (from 25 jan to 28 jan )
• Inaugurated by- Amruta Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Vice President of AXIS bank
• Organized by- India’s leading clock magazine “Trade post” in association with Watch
Trade Federation.

Infosys signs MoU with Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation:

13
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys signed a MoU with the Kailash
Satyarthi Children's Foundation.
• It will create a child-friendly village towards improving children’s health, providing
education and creating a non-violent environment.
• The Kailash Satyarthi Childrens Foundation is a non-profit organization, envisions a
world where every child is free, safe, and healthy, educated and has the ability to discover
their potential.
• For his effort for welfare of children, Kailash Satyarthi has been conferred Nobel
Peace Prize of 2014.

32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela begins:

• The 32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela begins in Faridabad (Haryana but
near Delhi) organized by- Ministry of External Affairs and Surajkund Mela Authority

• This year Theme state- Uttar Pradesh; partner nation- Kyrgyzstan

• Representing the ethos of rural India, the Mela celebrates the unique diversity of
Indian traditions and culture.

7th India Energy Congress begins in New Delhi:

• It began on 1st Feb in New Delhi
• Theme- Energy 4.0: Energy Transition Towards 2030
• It is a flagship event of World Energy Council India (WEC India) under Power
Ministry.

During the meeting over 400 delegates will debate over 5 broad sub-themes like sustainable
mobility, reaching the last mile etc.
• Jointly organized by- Ministry of Power, Coal, New and Renewable energy,
Petroleum and Natural Gas, External Affairs Ministry, Department of Atomic Energy

Shesh Anand Madhukar given Sahitya Akademi Bhasha Samman award:

14
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Magahi language writer Shesh Anand Madhukar has been conferred Sahitya
Akademi Bhasha Samman Award.
• He is the second writer of Magahi language to get this award.
• Magahi is also known as Magadhi language, (spoken mainly in Bihar-Jharkhand
region), derived from ancient language of Magadhi Prakrit, which was spoken since the
time of Lord Buddha (6th century BC).

PM Modi to inaugurate Global Investors' Summit in Guwahati

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Global Investors' Summit

'Advantage Assam' in Guwahati, Organized by- State government of Assam and FICCI

• The two-day (3rd and 4th Feb.) event will showcase the state's manufacturing
opportunities and geostrategic advantages to foreign and domestic investors.

• It will provide immense investment and manufacturing opportunities to South East

Asian nations.

Celebration of World Wetlands Day at Deepor Beel in Assam:

• World Wetland Day is observed on 2nd February to mark the adoption of Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands in 1971.
• This year’s National level celebration was organized in Deepor Bill in Assam. This is
one of the 26 Ramsar sites in India.
• Theme for 2018- Wetlands for a sustainable urban future

Nobel Prize Series – India 2018 begins in Goa:

• 2nd edition of Nobel Peace Series India 2018 was inaugurated in Panaji (Goa).
• Inaugurated by- Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar
• During this event, Nobel laureates will interact with school children and teachers.

• Theme- Science impacts life

• First edition was held in Gujarat in 2017.

15
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018

Exam Warriors' - book authored by Prime Minister launched:

• A book authored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi named “Exam Warriors” has
been launched, aimed at reducing exam stress among exam and enjoy the learning process.
• External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj was the Chief Guest of the function.

Floating Treatment Wetland launched in Hyderabad:

• The Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) was inaugurated on World Wetlands Day
(February 2) in Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad.
• It was aimed at cleaning and purifying the polluted water body. Plants planted on
FTW absorb the pollutants and clean the lake.
• It has been named India’s largest FTW by the India book of records.

Malayasian Chef wins International Young Chef Olympiad 2018:

• Malayasia’s Lai Jia Yi won the 4th edition of International young Chef Olympiad held
in Kolkata.
• India’s Surya Shekhar Roy Choudhary secured 2nd position.
• Sanjeev Kapoor was the principal judge.
• The event was held in International Institute of Hotel Management.

The first ever International Kala Mela inaugurated by the Vice President:
• The First ever International Kala Mela (from 4th to 18th feb) was inaugurated by the
V.President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi
• The International Kala Mela has been organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi in
partnership with IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts) of the Ministry of Culture.

International Conference of “Demetrios Galanos and His Legacy” began in New Delhi:

16
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• This International Conference of “Demetrios Galanos and His Legacy” was
inaugurated at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi.(from 3rd Feb. to
10th Feb.)
Demetrios Galanos (1760-1833) is the earliest known Greek Indologist (scholar on India’s
culture, custom etc.).
• He had translated many sacred Hindu and Sanskrit texts into Greek.

World Cancer Day was observed:

• 4th February was observed as World Cancer Day.

• Theme- We Can. I Can
• It aims at spreading awareness about cancer.

President to open annual Udyanotsav of Rashtrapati Bhavan:

• President Ram Nath Kovind will open the annual Udyanotsav of Rashtrapati Bhavan
today.

• Various gardens of Delhi like Mughal garden, spiritual garden, bonsai garden, herbal
garden etc. will be open to public.

About Rashtrapati Bhavan:

• It is in Raisina Hills, New Delhi.
• It was built in 1911 by British architect Edward Lutyens.

Kala Ghoda Art Festival was organized in Mumbai:

• 20th edition of Kala Ghoda Art Festival was organized in Mumbai.

• It is an annual cultural festival held in the Kala Ghoda area of South Mumbai.
• Theme- Hara Ghoda (Green horse)
• Organized by- Kala Ghoda Association

17
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
Rashtrapati Bhavan hosts Nobel Laureates Seminar:
• Rashtrapati Bhavan hosted a one-day Nobel Laureates Seminar, organised by the
Department of Biotechnology n association with the Nobel Foundation, on 5th feb.
• This is part of the Nobel Prize Series, a regular and landmark engagement between
the Indian scientific and policy community and the Nobel Foundation.
• The Nobel Laureates who addressed the Seminar are Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, Sir
Richard John Roberts, Serge Haroche and Dr Tomas Robert Lindahl.

Vice President lauds Miss World's campaign for women's sanitation:

• The Vice President of India, M.Venkaiah Naidu lauded the campaign of Miss World
Organisation for promoting women's hygiene through use of biodegradable sanitary
napkins.

• Miss World 2017, Ms. Manushi Chillar, Chairperson of Miss World Organisation, Ms.
Julia Morley and a delegation of makers of sanitary napkins in India met the Vice President.
• They briefed him about their ''Epic Humanitarian World Tour'' aimed at promoting
hygiene among women.
• Mr Naidu said that blend of ‘beauty’ and ‘duty’ makes one mighty.
List of former Miss Worlds from India:
1966- Reita Faria 1999- Yukta Mookhey
1994- Aishwarya Rai 2000- Priyanka Chopra
1997- Diana Hayden 2017- Manushi Chillar

Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurates exhibition by Divyang foot artist Uttam Bhardwaj:

• The Union Minister of State (MoS) Dr. Jitender Singh inaugurated an exhibition by
Divyang foot artist Uttam Bhardwaj in New Delhi, on 5th feb
• Belonging to Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Bhardwaj is painting since the age of 10 years
and in the last 8 years he has painted almost 200 paintings.

Veteran theatre artist Sudha Karmakar died in Mumbai:

18
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Veteran theatre artist, director, and pioneer of Children’s Theatre in Maharashtra,
Sudha Karmarkar died in Mumbai today due to old age (83 yrs).
• Karmarkar founded the children’s theatre in Mumbai which is known as ‘Bal
Rangbhumi- Little Theatre’.
• She initiated the movement of Little Theatre in 1959 with Madhu Manjiri the first
ever children’s drama.

Maratha Light Infantry celebrates 250th anniversary:

• On 4th February, Maratha Light Infantry celebrated 250 years of its anniversary.
• It is one of the oldest and most decorated regiments of the Indian Army with 56
battle honours and 10 theatre honours.
Maratha LI was the first infantry unit to be designated “light infantry” by the British during
the first Afghan war for being “swift-footed.”
• The first battalion of the Regiment was raised as ‘second battalion Bombay Sepoys’
in 1768 which was later known as ‘jangi paltan’.
• February 4 also has a historical significance as on this day in 1670 Chhatrapati Shivaji
conquered Fort Kondana, famously known as Sinhgarh.

UN Peace Keeping Training to Myanmar Armed Forces by Indian Army Delegation:

• A four member Indian Army Delegation arrived at Naypitaw in Myanmar to impart
training on UN Peacekeeping Operations to Myanmar Army.
• The training will be conducted over two weeks from 05-16 Feb 2018. This is the
fourth edition of such training event.
• It will enhance Myanmar Army’s capacity towards undertaking United Nations
assignments in near future.

President of India to inaugurate the Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsav 2018:

• Honourable President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the Mahamastakabhisheka
Mahotsav 2018 of Gommateshwara Bhagwan at Shravanabelagola (7th feb to 26th feb).

19
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• The Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsav is celebrated once every 12 years. It has been
celebrated for about a 1,000 years.
• The place Shravana belagola is in Karnataka.
About the statue of Gomateshwara Bahubali:
• He is a much revered figure among Jains and is the son of Adinath, the first
Tirthankar of Jainism.
• It is a 17 meter tall statue built with a single rock. It is the tallest such monolithic
statue in the world.
• It was built by Ganga dynasty in 10th century in Hasan district of Karnataka.

5th South Asia Region public procurement conference in New Delhi:

• The fifth edition of South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference was held in
New Delhi , on 5th Feb.
• Organized by- Ministry of Finance and All India Management Association
(Inaugurated by- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley)
• Theme- Public procurement and service delivery
• Objective- to improve public procurement of member countries to ensure timely and
quality delivery of public service

Pelican bird festival held at Kolleru lake:

• Andhra Pradesh state government held for the first time Pelica Bird Festival 2018 at
Atapaka Bird sanctuary at Kolleru in Krishna district, on 6th Feb.
• Kolleru is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the country.
• Recently Atapaka sanctuary has been recognized as one of the largest pelicanry in
the world. In winter, thousands of pelicans migrate to this place.
• Organized by- Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority and Krishna District Administration

International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM:

• 6th Feb is observed worldwide as International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female
Genital Mutilation.

20
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Organized by- UN Population Fund and UNICEF
• Nearly 200 mn women and girls at present have undergone female genital
mutilation.
• It is mainly prevalent in African and Middle East countries.

Computation of Indus civilization script:

 Two scientists working at institute of mathematical sciences (IMSC) figured out a
way for computationally estimate whether language is written from left to right or
otherwise.
 One of the scientists, Prof. Iravatham Mahadevan figured out Indus script was
written from right to left.

Rise in Research Publication in EARTH SCIENCES:

 India published 19,938 research papers in domain of earth system sciences

 Global research output increased to 5,70,000 from 3,40,000 , globally improving its
share to 5.71% from 4.7%
 Publications in 6 major areas of earth science research :
1. Geo research
2. Atmospheric research
3. Arctic research
4. Ocean research
5. Antarctica research
6. Himalaya research (tripled in two decades)
 India ranked 9th in world in terms of number of research publications related to
earth sciences.
 Leading research publications in India are INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL
METEOROLOGY (PUNE ) and INDIAN METEOROLOGOCICAL DEPARTMENT (DELHI )

• Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated an international conference titled

‘Rediscovering Culture: Transforming Fashion’ in New Delhi. It was inaugurated in National
Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi.
• Union finance Minister announced in budget that a tunnel through Sela pass will be
built in Arunachal Pradesh. This pass is located near Indo-China border.

21
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Maharashtra Government presented ‘Times Power Woman 2017’ award to
Shabnam Ashthana. These awards were presented to women of Pune. 34 women from
various fields like economics, art, education, fashion etc. were awarded.
• Veteran film-maker Shyam Benegal has been selected for the prestigious ‘V
Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award' of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF-
2018). The award will be conferred by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao.

SPORTS
Anu Kumar wins first gold medal of Khelo India Games:
• Khelo India School Games was launched in New Delhi by Prime Minister.

• Anu Kumar of Uttarakhand got the first gold medal in 1500 m category.
• Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels by a High-
Powered Committee will be provided annual financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh per annum for
8 years.
• In this grand event under- 17 athletes have been invited to participate in more than
16 disciplines.
.
Sharath Kamal lifts National Men's singles title for 8th time:
• Sharath Kamal has lifted the National men's singles title for the eighth time,
equalling the feat of Kamlesh Mehta.
• In the final at the Senior Table Tennis Nationals in Ranchi on 31st jan, he defeated
top-seed Anthony Amalraj 4-1.
• Suthirta Mukherjee from West Bengal emerged the new women champion, beating
Hyderabad Nationals winner Manika Batra 4-3.

Mary Kom wins gold at India Open boxing:

• Five time World Champion Mary Kom won the gold medal in India Open Boxing
tournament in New Delhi.
• She defeated Josie Gabuco of Philippines in 48 kg category.

22
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• In 64 kilogram category, Pwilao Basumatary won a gold.
• In the men's draw, Sanjeet picked up India's first gold of the day in 91 kilogram class

PV Sindhu enters India Open badminton final:

• P V Sindhu has entered the final of India Open Badminton being held in New Delhi.
• She will take on fifth seeded American Beiwen Zhang in the Final.
About Sindhu:
• She has won silver medal in 2016 Rio Olympic, only the second Indian to win medal
in badminton after Saina Nehwal.
• She was a silver medallist in the BWF World Championship in 2017.

• Currently she is ranked 3 in BWF World Ranking.

BWF means Badminton World Federation

India lifts U-19 World Cup trophy for record 4th time:
• India won the U-19 ICC Cricket World Cup 2018 by defeating Australia.
• This India’s fourth title in the tournament.
• Venue of the match- ay oval at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand
• Australia too was contesting for its fourth title.

Shubahankar Sharma wins Maybank Championship:

• Indian Golfer Shubhanar Sharma won the Maybank Championship held in Malaysia.
• He was awarded $ 500,000.
• The second position went to Jorge Campillo.

TECHNOLOGY
Third Scorpene submarine ‘Karanj’ Launched:

23
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
The third Scorpene-class submarine - INS Karanj was launched at Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
• Karanj is the third of the six Scorpene-class submarines being built by MDL under the
Project 75 programme of Indian navy.
• The first one, INS Kalvari, a diesel-electric attack submarine was commissioned by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 14 last year. The second one, INS Khandari,
was launched in January.
• Scorpene submarines can undertake various missions such as anti-surface warfare,
anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, and mine laying and area surveillance.
• These are being built with French collaboration.

HAL successfully tests Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) for the first time:

• Public Sector Undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the first time
successfully tested LCH for the first time.
• It was a homemade 5.8 ton Light Combat Helicopter with automatic flight control
system.
Note-
HAL headquarter- Bangalore Chairman- T Suvarna Raju

Google launches “Bulletin” app for local news:

• Google launched “Bulletin” app that allows local communities to share their stories.
• It is a free app and stories can be shared through text, images, videos etc.
About Google:
CEO- Sundar Pichai Founders- Larry Page, Sergey Brin
Headquarter- California, USA Parent Organization- Alphabet Inc

UK allows creation of 3 parent babies:

24
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Britain’s fertility regulator has allowed doctors to create three-parent babies
through Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT).
• This prevents passage of genetic disease to off springs.
• In the MRT technique three parents are involved: two biological and one donor
parent. Generally if mother carries faulty mitochondria, it is replaced by a healthy one from
a donor parent. Now the egg is fertilized with the partner’s sperm.
• World’s first three parent baby was created in Mexico in 2016.

Japan launches micro satellite rocket:

• The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the world’s smallest
rocket with the ability to put a micro-satellite into orbit.
• The rocket is just 10 meter in height and 53 cm in diameter.
• It was developed by University of Tokyo to carry microsatellites weighing 3 kg that
can capture images of earth’s surface.

US Air Force Chief flies Tejas:

• The Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, General David L Goldfein, flew India’s Tejas
aircraft at the air force station in Jodhpur.

• Tejas is India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) manufactured by Hindustan

Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• He became India’s first foreign military chief to fly the Tejas aircraft.
Note-
Chief of Air Staff of India- Birender Singh Dhanoa

India successfully test-fires nuclear capable Agni-1 missile:

• India successfully test-fired its short-range nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-1
with a strike range of 700 km.
• It was tested at Abdul Kalam Island (formerly called as Wheeler Island) off the coast
of Odisha.

25
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• It was developed by Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) under
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
• This missile was first tested in 2002 and inducted into service in 2004.
 Equipped with specialised navigation system for high defence of precision.

‘#SecurityCheckKiya’ campaign launched by Google in India:

• Google has launched ‘#SecurityCheckKiya’ campaign in India to create awareness
about internet safety.
• It is aimed at protecting users from hijacking, harm caused by malicious apps and
security of personal date.
• It was launched on 6th February on the occasion of Safer Internet Day.
APPOINTMENTS
Dinesh Srivastava: new Chief Executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex:
• Distinguished scientist Dinesh Srivastava will become the new Chief Executive of
Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC).
What is NFC?
It is a major industrial unit of Department of Atomic Energy. It supplies nuclear fuel and
some core components to nuclear reactors all over India.
It was set up in 1971 in Hyderabad.
John Hennessy is the new Chairman of Alphabet:
• John Hennessy will become the new executive Chairman of Alphabet Inc (which
runs google).
• He will succeed Eric Schmidt. He will still remain as a board member and a technical
advisor.
Note- Alphabet Inc is the parent organization of Google.

• Senior Indian Information Service officer Neelam Kapoor has been appointed as the
Director General of the Sports Authority of India.
• Thanglura Darlong is appointed as new ambassador to Romania.

26
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• Lt Gen A K Bhatt is the new Corps Commander of Chinar Corps
• B A Chopade is the new BHU Vice Chancellor.
• A.K.Prasad has been appointed as new Financial Commissioner (Railways), Railway
Board and ex-officio Secretary to Government of India.
• Sanjay Vatsayan, NM has taken over as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy &
Plans) at Integrated Headquarters Ministry of Defence (Navy) at New Delhi.

STATES
UP inaugurated Mahesra bridge connecting Nepal to East UP:

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated Mahesra Bridge.

• It will link Gorakhpur and other parts of Easter UP to Nepal.

Punjab government bans selling of 20 insecticides:

• Punjab government has issued notification for discontinue selling of 20 insecticides
including endosulfan.
• Some other insecticides banned are: trichlorofon, dicofol etc. all these are extremely
harmful to health and environment.

Note-
Union government had formed Anup Verma Committee in 2015 to look into use of these
pesticides in agriculture. It had suggested ban on several pesticides, many of them are
already banned by WHO.

Andhra Pradesh to establish Universal Peace Retreat Centre:

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for a
Universal Peace Retreat Centre, having capacity of 1500 people.
• It is called “Prajapati Brahmakumari Eswariya University” in Amaravati.
• Raja Yoga and Dayan will be taught in this centre.

27
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
Odisha wins Geospatial World Excellence Award 2018:
• Odisha Government has won ‘Geospatial World Excellence Award-2018’.
• It was given the award for successful IT application for tracking of mineral production
and monitoring on real time basis through its i3MS web-based software.
i3MS is GPS-linked web-based software designed by scientists of Odisha Space Applications
Centre (ORSAC), Bhubaneswar.

UP: State government in association with UNICEF launches DASTAK campaign:

• In Uttar Pradesh, State government in association with UNICEF launched massive
door to door campaign DASTAK.
• It is aimed at eradicating deadly Acute Encephalitis (AE) Syndrome and Japanese
Encephalitis (JE) disease in the state.
• The war cry of DASTAK is Darwaja khatkhatao, AES aur JE ko bhagao.
• The campaign was launched in Lucknow.
• In DASTAK campaign, state will now literally go door to door in 38 JES and AE
affected districts which mostly fall in the Tarai region of the state which contributes to
about 60 percent of the total AES cases all over the country.

Unique floating market comes up in Patuli, Kolkata:

• A unique, first-of-its-kind, floating market has come up in Patuli in Kolkata.
• The market is similar to the ones on Dal Lake in Srinagar and in Bangkok.
• There are 228 stalls, set up on 114 boats, with zone-wise demarcations for fish,
meat, vegetables, grocery, etc.

Assam govt and Ola sign MoU for river taxi service:
• Assam state government and cab aggregator Ola signed a MoU to start an app-
based river taxi service in Guwahati.
• It will ply machine boats from Lachit Ghat and Machkhowa in Guwahati to North
Guwahati across the river.

28
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
• It will reduce the cost and time of travel for passengers.
• The Maharashtra government has approved Ghodazari wildlife sanctuary in
Chandrapur district in Maharashtra.

“Haryana kisan kalyan Pradhikaran”:

 An attempt to increase farm productivity and farmers income by setting up farmer
welfare authority , a step towards BJP’s flagship ‘Ek aur sudhar’
 To enhance farm productivity and mitigate the physical, financial and psychological
distress of farm households and landless workers.
 An agriculture advisory council would be set up to advise the ‘pradhhikaran’and
provide guidance on the exercise of its power and performance of its function
 With chief minister as chairperson of ‘pradhikaran’and agriculture minister would be
ex officio vice chairman.

• Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh sanctioned Rs 1500 crore to

Uttarakhand for promoting Organic Farming. It is in line with Prime Minister’s vision to
develop Uttarakhand as an Organic State.

• The Maharashtra government has approved Ghodazari wildlife sanctuary in

Chandrapur district in Maharashtra.
• Uttar Pradesh Government inaugurated its first butterfly park in Kanpur.
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that government has come up
with a mass marriage policy for poor girls to discourage the practice of dowry. Under the
scheme financial assistance of Rs 35,000 will be given at each wedding.

Quick review:
1. India first defence industrial corridor connecting ………………. And ………………….. .
2. SEBI is empowered to fine upto now Rs…………….. .
3. State start up ranking launched by which department ? ……………………
4. Mobile based interactive virtual reality launched by Mahindra named as
………………………… .
5. 7th India Energy Congress started in ………….. .
6. India ranks …………. in Global Democracy Index.
7. New Chief Executive of Nuclear Fuel Complex………………. .

29
 Weekly Capsule 1st – 7th Feb 2018
8. KUSUM stands for ………………………….. ., scheme launched by govt for increasing
farmer income.
9. World cancer day observed on………………………..
10. Uttar Pradesh’s first butterfly park inaugurated in which of its city ? ……………….... .

30