Mammals are a special group of animals with a combination of characteristics that separate them from all others: mammals are warm-blooded, have hair or fur, breathe air through lungs, bear live young, and nurse their young with milk produced by mammary glands. Marine mammals are similar to all other mammals. but they have adapted to living all or part of their life in the ocean. To keep warm in the ocean, most of them depend on a thick layer of blubber (or fat). They have streamlined bodies to help them swim faster. There are five groups of marine mammals: pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, fur seals, and walruses), cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), sea otters, sirenians (dugongs and manatees),

and polar bears.

Zero liquid discharge

· Zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) is a water treatment process in which all wastewater is purified and recycled; therefore, leaving zero discharge at the end of the treatment cycle. ZLD is an advanced wastewater treatment method that includes ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, evaporation/crystallization and fractional electrode-ionization.

· Economic benefits gained by the adoption of ZLD technology is also significant and notable. All water can be recycled in a scientific manner so that it can be reused. Then the recycled water can be sold to end users. Even farmers may be able to use this treated industrial wastewater for irrigation.

Activated charcoal is a form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. It is used in It is very widely employed for purification of electroplating solutions. For example, it is a main purification technique for removing organic impurities from bright nickel plating solutions.

Activated carbon treatment also removes impurities during electroplating process and restores plating performance to the desired level.

Statement 2: Carbon adsorption has numerous applications in removing pollutants from air or water streams both in the field and in industrial processes such as: Spill cleanup; Groundwater remediation; Drinking water filtration; Air purification; and Volatile organic compounds capture from painting, dry cleaning, gasoline dispensing operations, and other processes.

Statement 3: Activated carbon (charcoal) is an allowed substance used by organic farmers in both livestock production and wine making. In livestock production it is used as a pesticide, animal feed additive, processing aid, non-agricultural ingredient and disinfectant

Uttarakhand is possibly one of the few regions in the world where all the life zones from sub-tropical hot to Arctic cold exist within a telescopic distance of 100 Km, thus providing an astoundingly rich floral and faunal diversity. The State has 12 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries that cover 13.8% of the total area of the state.

· Brahm Kamal or Saussurea obvallata is a species of flowering plant native to the Himalayas and, Northern Burma and South-West China. In the Himalayas, it is found at an altitude of around 4500 m. It is considered to be the state flower of Uttarakhand.

· The Uttaranchal of today brims with the lively hum of life with people from various communities and religions contributing to make it into a wonderful profusion of the festival called life. The original natives of the land of Uttarakhand belong to different tribes having their distinct and plentiful culture. Major tribes of Uttaranchal include Bhotias (or  Shaukas), Rangs, Tharus, Buxas, Jaunsaris, Rajis (or Banrawats) apart from indigenous groups like Mahigeers and Vangujjars.

ECONOMICS

LIQUIDITY TRAP: interest rate can be thought of as an opportunity cost or ‘price’ of holding money balance.

If supply of money in the economy increases and people purchase bonds with this extra money, demand for bonds will go up, bond prices will rise and rate of interest will decline. In other words, with an increased supply of money in the economy the price you have to pay for holding money balance, viz. the rate of interest, should come down. However, if the market rate of interest is already low enough so that everybody expects it to rise in future, causing capital losses, nobody will wish to hold bonds. Everyone in the economy will hold their wealth in money balance and if additional money is injected within the economy it will be used up to satiate people’s craving for money balances without increasing the demand for bonds and without further lowering the rate of interest below the floor rmin. Such a situation

is called a liquidity trap. The speculative money demand function is infinitely elastic here.

MARKET STABILISATION SCHEME

MSS came into existence following a MoU between RBI and the GoI with the primary aim of aiding the sterilization operations of the RBI.

· Under this scheme, the GoI borrows from the RBI (such borrowing being additional to its normal borrowing requirements) and issues Treasury-Bills/Dated Securities that are utilized for absorbing excess liquidity from the market. Therefore, the MSS constitutes an arrangement aiding in liquidity absorption, in keeping with the overall monetary policy stance of the RBI, alongside tools like the Liquidity

Adjustment Facility (LAF) and Open Market Operations (OMO).

· The securities issued under MSS, termed as Market Stabilization Scheme (MSS) Securities/Bonds, are issued by way of auctions conducted by the RBI and are done according to a specified ceiling mutually agreed upon by the GoI and the RBI. They possess all the attributes of existing Treasury-Bills/Dated Securities and are included as a part of the country’s ‘internal Central Government debt’.

· The amount raised under the MSS does not get credited to the Government Account but is maintained in a separate cash account with the RBI and are used only for the purpose of redemption/buy back of Treasury-Bills/Dated Securities issued under the scheme.

· However, following the global financial crisis of 2008, that necessitated fiscal stimulus measures, an amendment to the original MoU between the RBI and the GoI in February 2009 allowed the Government to convert a portion of the MSS funds into normal government borrowing for financing its stimulus expenditure requirements.

Treasury-Bills/Securities issued under MSS are matched by equivalent cash balances that are held by the Government with the RBI. Such payments are not made from the MSS account just as receipts due to premium or accrued interest on these Securities are not credited to it.

THE DEBTS RECOVERY TRIBUNALS have been established by the Government of India under an Act of

Parliament (Act 51 of 1993) for expeditious adjudication and recovery of debts due to banks and financial institutions. The DRTs function under the provisions of the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 and as per the Debts Recovery Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 1993.

· DRTs deal with two different Acts: the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, and the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interests Act. While the aim of the both the Acts is one and the same, but their route is different.

· Under the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions (RDDBFI) Act, 1993 banks approach the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) whereas, under Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interests (SARFAESI) Act, 2002 borrowers, guarantors, and other any other person aggrieved by any action of the bank can approach the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT). Appeals against orders passed by Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) lie before Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT).

· The Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) are fully empowered to pass comprehensive orders and can travel beyond the Civil procedure Code to render complete justice. A Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) can hear cross suits, counter claims and allow set offs. They are supposed to dispose of a matter referred to it within 180 days of the receipt of an application. However, a Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) cannot hear claims of damages or deficiency of services or breach of contract or criminal negligence on the part of the lenders.

· Therefore, only 2 and 4 are correct statements.

Terninologies
Manjusha Paintings: Bihar
(b)
Paitkar Paintings :Jharkhand
(c)
Patua Art :Bengal


pattimokka
In Theravada Buddhism, the Patimokkha
It was the basic code of monastic discipline, consisting of
many rules for fully ordained monks and nuns.
It is contained in the Suttavibhanga, a division of the Vinaya Pitaka.

1. Gandhiji founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association in
1918.

The United Nations Collaborative
Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation in Developing Countries was launched in 2008.
Statement 2: The UN-REDD Programme supports nationally led
REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful
involvement of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other
forest-dependent communities, in the implementation of REDD+
activities agreed under the UNFCCC.
Statement 3: The overall development goal of the Programme is to
reduce forest emissions and enhance carbon stocks in forests while
contributing to national sustainable development.
The Programme has expanded steadily since its establishment and over
60 countries spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America are now
partners.
Learning: It supports partner countries through:
• Direct support to the design and implementation of National
REDD+ Programmes;
• Complementary tailored support to national REDD+ actions; and
• Technical capacity building support through sharing of expertise,
common approaches, analyses, methodologies, tools, data, best
practices and facilitated South-South knowledge sharing.

X-rays can penetrate considerable
thicknesses of materials of low atomic number, whereas substances of
high atomic number are relatively opaque.
They move with a velocity higher than that of velocity of ultraviolet rays
in vacuum.
Statement 2: They travel in straight lines, and they are uncharged,
because they are not deflected by electric or magnetic fields.
They are electromagnetic radiation of exactly the same nature as visible
light, except that their wavelength is several orders of magnitude shorter.
Statement 3: X-rays can manifest themselves by darkening wrapped
photographic plates, discharging charged electroscopes, as well as by
causing fluorescence in a number of different substances

Rocks That make up india
Statement 1: Archean rocks, also known as Pre-
Cambrian rocks are the oldest rocks of the earth’s crust.
• The Archean period covers 86.7% of Total geological history time
of earth and therefore is very significant. This period marks the
development of first photosynthesis, the life support atmosphere.
• The Archean rocks in India are called Purana Rocks means the
oldest rocks.
Statement 2: Dharwar system is later than the Archean system but older
than the other systems.
• The Dharwar period of rock formation has been largely fixed from
2500 million years ago to 1800 million years ago.
• Dharwar Rock System is special because it is the first metamorphic
sedimentary rocks in India.
• They are named Dharwar system because they were first studied in
Dharwar region of Karnataka.
• But they are also found in Aravallis, Tamil Nadu, Chotanagpur
plateau, Meghalaya, Delhi, and the Himalayas region. The Dharwar
rocks are rich in iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, gold, silver etc.
• The Champions series containing gold mines lie within this system.

Statement 3: Cudappah System rocks are rich in metamorphic rocks
such as sandstone, shale, limestone, quartzite, and slate.
• They contain iron and other inferior quality of ores and minerals.
• They are mainly found in Cudappah district of Andhra Pradesh
along with other places such as Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi,
and the lesser Himalayas.
• One of the important series of Cudappah System is Papaghani
series, named after the river of same name in Andhra Pradesh.

‘Inclusiveness and Accessibility Index
To mark the next chapter of its flagship Campaign, the
‘Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan’, the GoI launched the Index which has been
prepared in collaboration with FICCI.
The ‘Inclusiveness and Accessibility Index’ helps the industries and
corporates to participate in the Accessible India Campaign (AIC) by
voluntarily evaluating their readiness for making the workplace
accessible for Persons with Disabilities.

eurasian economic union and sco

.


crude oil
State-wise production: Andhra Pradesh (0.7%),
Arunachal Pradesh (0.2%), Assam (12.1%), Gujarat (12.5%), Rajasthan
(23.7%) and Tamil Nadu (0.6%).
Learning: For natural gas: The share of offshore natural gas production
in 2014-15 was about 74%. The remaining natural gas production
including CBM was from 10 States viz., Andhra Pradesh (1.5%),
Arunachal Pradesh (0.1%), Assam (8.9%), Gujarat (4.6%), Rajasthan
(3.4%), Tamil Nadu (3.6%), Tripura (3.3%), Jharkhand (0.01%), Madhya
Pradesh (0.01%) and West Bengal (0.6%).


Statement 1: Speaker is the ex officio President of the
Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG), set up in 1949, which functions as
the National Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the
Main Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). In
that capacity, members of various Indian Parliamentary Delegations
going abroad are nominated by her after consulting the Chairman of the
Rajya Sabha.
Statement 2: The Speaker is the head of the Lok Sabha Secretariat which
functions under her ultimate control and direction. The Speaker's
authority over the Secretariat staff of the House, its precincts and its
security arrangements is supreme.
No alternation or addition can be made in the Parliament House and no
new structure can be erected in the Parliament Estate without the
Speaker's permission.
Q Source: Improvisation: IES


Human life is conceived by Ayurveda as the
union of body, senses mind and soul.
The living man is a conglomeration of three humors (Vata, Pitta
&Kapha), seven basic tissues (Rasa, Rakta, Mansa, Meda, Asthi, Majja &
Shukra) and the waste products of the body
Statement 2: All objects in the universe including human body are
composed of five basic elements (Panchamahabhutas).
• There is a balanced condensation of these elements in different
proportions to suit the needs and requirements of different
structures and functions of the body matrix and its parts.
• The growth and development of the body matrix depends on its
nutrition, i.e. on food.
• The food, in turn, is composed of the above five elements, which
replenish or nourish the like elements of the body after the action
of bio-fire (Agni).




The origin of the second Chamber - the ‘Council of States’
which is also known as Rajya Sabha – can be traced to
a) Charter Act 1833
b) Act of 1861
c) Morley-Minto Act 1909
d) Government of India Act, 1919


Disguised unemployment is when more
people work where less are required.
Option (d): Cyclical unemployment occurs due to boom, recession,
depression and other parts of business cycle.
Option (b): Structural unemployment occurs for a number of reasons –
workers may lack the requisite job skills, or they may live far from
regions where jobs are available but are unable to move there.
• Or they may simply be unwilling to work because existing wage
levels are too low.
• So while jobs are available, there is a serious mismatch between
what companies need and what workers can offer.
• Structural unemployment is exacerbated by extraneous factors
such as technology, competition and government


Warli is the name of the largest tribe found on the
northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Western India.
Warli is the vivid expression of daily and social events of the Warli tribe
of Maharashtra, used by them to embellish the walls of village houses.
This art form is simple in comparison to the vibrant paintings of
Madhubani.
Statement 1: These paintings do not depict mythological characters or
images of deities, but depict social life. Images of human beings and
animals, along with scenes from daily life are created in a loose rhythmic
pattern.
www.insightsonindia.com
TEST – 29 Solutions
www.insightsias.com
Statement 2: Women are mainly engaged in the creation of these
paintings.
These tribal paintings of Maharashtra are traditionally done in the
homes of the Warlis. Painted white on mud walls, they are pretty close to
pre-historic cave paintings in execution and usually depict scenes of
human figures engaged in activities like hunting, dancing, sowing and
harvesting.


RAMPA REBELLION
The hill tracts of Vizagapatam were inhabited by hill tribes who led a more or less independent way of life for centuries.
• These tribes paid a regular tribute to a zamindar or mansabdar who was a subject of British India.
• The then zamindar of the region was an oppressive tyrant. There had been smaller riots and uprisings before, but to make matters worse, the Madras government introduced a law making toddy
tapping illegal and introducing a toddy tax. But toddy tapping was a part of their culture.
• This led to a full-scale rebellion in early 1879.
• In the aftermath of the rebellion, various concilliatory measures were adopted by the British government.
• They tried to improve the condition of the tribals of East Godavari agency and the hill tracts in the norther part of Madras Presidency

Pagal Panthi Movement (1825-1833) a peasant movement guided by religious medicants called Pagal
Panthis in the Mymensingh region of Bengal. Karim Shah was the founder of the Pagal Panthi sect.
Pagal Panthis were a mixture of the Hinduism, Sufism and Animism, which became prominent in Bengal in initial years of 19th century. The sect was founded by Karam Shah, and his son Tipu Shah led these people to uphold the religion and rights of the peasants in Bengal. He captured Sherpur in 1825, after standing up against oppressive taxes and laws imposed by the Zamindars and the British. The rebels kept disturbed the area for more than 2 decades. Tipu Shah died in 1852, but the resistance movement continued.


The Kuka Movement marked the first major reaction of the people in the Punjab to the new political order initiated by the British after 1849. The Namdhari Movement, of which the Kuka Movement was the most important phase, aimed at overthrowing the British rule. The Namdharis were also known as “Kukas” because of their trademark style of reciting the “Gurbani” (Sayings/Teachings of the Guru). This style was in a high-pitched voice called “Kook” in Punjabi. Thus, the Namdharis were also called “Kukas”.


 Chuar Rebellion occurred in 1798-99. Chuar Rebellion was a massive rebellion that broke out in South- West Bankura district and in North-West Midnapore district of Bengal


The Cabinet Committee on Security includes

1. Prime Minister
2. Minister of Home Affairs
3. Minister of Finance
4. Minister of Defence
Select the correct answer using the codes below.
a) 1, 2 and 4 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 4 only
d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Solution: d)
Justification: It also includes Minister of Corporate Affairs; Minister of
External affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) of the Central Government of
India decides on India's defence expenditure, matters of National
Security, and makes significant appointments.
Other committees of strategic nature are:
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
• Cabinet Committee on Investment
• Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs

Youth Parliament

Statement 1: It is a support organization for young
people in India. It was established in July 2002 by social entrepreneur
Ishita Chaudhry with support from the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
In 2007, The Youth Parliament was legally incorporated 'The YP
Foundation'- a charitable trust.
Statement 2: The organization funds and supports innovative work by
young people, by providing young people between the ages of 13 and 28
years with a resource base to conceptualize and execute their own
projects and initiatives working with socio-cultural, economic, legal and
environmental issues they are passionate about.
It has supported work in multiple fields through varied mediums such as
community initiatives, the performing and visual arts, literary and
research projects, interactive workshops, policy and government
interaction and research and advocacy work amongst others.

Law Commission of India
The Report is submitted to the Minister of Law and Justice
Its recommendation are not binding on the Government
Law Commission of India is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India. Its major function is to work for legal reform. Its membership primarily comprises legal experts, who are entrusted a mandate by the Government. The Commission is established for a fixed tenure and works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The first Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834 by the Charter Act of 1833 under the Chairmanship of Lord Macaulay. This law commission had recommended codification of the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code
The first Law Commission of independent India was established in 1955 for a three year term. The Chairman of this Commission was Mr. M. C. Setalvad, who was also the First Attorney General of India.
Twentieth Law commission
(2012-2015) Justice A P SHAH, Former Chief Justice, Delhi High Court, will be the Chairman of the Twentieth Law Commission of India. The appointment of Justice Jain has been effective since 21 November 2013.
21at law commission
The Union Government has appointed former Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan (66) as Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India (LCI).


Atomic energy commission
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) came into being on August 3, 1954 under the direct charge of the Prime Minister through a Presidential Order. According to the Resolution constituting the AEC, the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Atomic Energy is ex-officio Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
DAE has been engaged in the development of nuclear power technology, applications of radiation technologies in the fields of agriculture, medicine, industry and basic research.
According to the Resolution constituting the AEC, the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Atomic Energy is ex-officio Chairman of the Commission. The other Members of the AEC are appointed for each calendar year on the recommendation of the Chairman, AEC and after approval by the Prime Minster.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was constituted on November 15, 1983 by the President of India by exercising the powers conferred by the Atomic Energy Act to carry out certain regulatory and safety functions under the Act. The regulatory authority of AERB is derived from the rules and notifications promulgated under the Atomic Energy Act and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The Mission of the AERB is to ensure the use of ionising radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause undue risk to the health of people and the environment.

Currently, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), established in 1983 through a gazette notification, is tasked with regulating the safety and security aspects of the country’s civilian nuclear facilities. However, it is not an autonomous body as it depends on the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for all practical purposes. It has, as a result, been unable to perform its regulatory functions effectively. The demand for establishing a truly autonomous nuclear regulatory authority has been a long-standing one. In 1997, the Raja Ramanna Committee report had recommended that the Atomic Energy Act (1962) should be amended to enhance the effectiveness of the nuclear regulatory system in the country. Even though the Union government, in 2000, had directed the DAE to suggest the necessary amendments to the 1962 Act, nothing substantial happened for almost a decade. Finally, it was the Mayapuri radiation accident (New Delhi) in 2010 and the Fukushima disaster (Japan) of 2011 that served as a wake-up call for the DAE.

Missile Control technology regime

Statement 1: It aims at reducing WMDs capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction, and which seek to coordinate national export licensing efforts aimed at preventing their proliferation.
Statement 2: The MTCR was originally established in 1987 by Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United
States. Since that time, the number of MTCR partners has increased to a
total of thirty-five countries, all of which have equal standing within the
Regime.
Statement 3: NSG is a separate group from MTCR, however, closely
related.
The MTCR was initiated partly in response to the increasing
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), i.e., nuclear,
chemical and biological weapons.

International Seabed Authority (ISA).
1. It is an autonomous international organization established
under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS).
2. It has a bearing on the administration of resources in the
international sea waters.
It regulates mining and related activities in the
international seabed beyond national jurisdiction, an area that includes
most of the world’s oceans.
For e.g. the ISA recently cleared India’s programmes of mining
Polymetallic nodules from the ocean.
Currently, the Authority has 167 members and the European Union,
composed of all parties to the Law of the Sea Convention.

1. Asia’s biggest telescope MAST inaugurated at Udaipur Solar Observatory in Rajasthan August 5, 2015

No comments Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST), Asia’s biggest telescope was inaugurated at the Udaipur Solar Observatory in Rajasthan. It was inaugurated by Professor U.R Rao, Chairman of Physical Research Laboratory, inaugurated. 
Facts about of MAST 
The telescope was installed under the project undertaken by Union Ministry of Science and Technology and was funded by Department of Space (DoS). 
The project will be monitored by Ahmedabad based Physical Research Laboratory. 
Features: 
MAST has a lens of 50 cm in diameter. These lenses were developed on the basis of optical and mechanical system of Belgium. 
The rear part of MAS has been developed by the observatory while its front part was developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 
MAST has been designed in 2004 and its optical elements were added to it in 2008. 
In 2013, it was installed at the Udaipur Solar Observatory. 
Applications: It will provide 3 Dimensional (3D) images of solar activities such as solar blast and solar flares. It will also in vital studies about other planetary movements even in the day time. 
Site Specifications: Udaipur Solar Observatory was chosen as project site due to pleasant temperature around it as it is surrounded by water. Besides, the site provides ambient spot for observatory as it has more than 250 days of continuous sunshine, allowing observing the sun properly during day time.

2.With reference to Neeranchal National Watershed Project by Government of India,
consider the following statements:
1. It is a World Bank assisted project.
2. It aims to achieve the objective of the
watershed component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana.

answer - both are correct