28th Aug 2014

Viral diseases
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), bird flu and swine flu, Ebola
Poorest countries in West Africa Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
Lagos, Nigeria
Five species of the Ebola virus
Zaire , Bundibugyo , Sudan, Ta Forest and Reston.
Ebola does not spread through air.
Radiation treatment of eye cancers using iodine-125
I-125 emits low energy gamma rays
it reduces side effects and related morbidity.
I-125 seeds are also useful in treating prostate cancer.
29th Aug 2014

30th Aug 2014

Mudgal committee files report on IPL scandal led by Justice T.S. Thakur
Gross fixed capital formation - an indicator for investments
The fastest growing sector was electricity, gas and water supplies, which grew 10.2
per cent
Visitorial Committee to probe IGNOU functioning, led by Goverdhan Mehta
Harry Belafonte - Humanitarian Oscar (Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award)

31st Aug 2014

Dreamers Valley, Chamalapura (Mysore), near Malleshwara Betta
The Sivaramakrishnan Committee on the capital for Andhra Pradesh.
Vizhinjam Port project, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Floridas newest university opens bookless library
Shiva crater (Mumbai Offshore Basin) theory of dinosaur extinction

Ch. Vidyasagar Rao sworn in as Maharashtra Governor.

Mridula Sinha to be sworn in as Goa Governor
Irans President Hassan Rouhani
Mount Tavurvur in Rabaul, eastern Papua New Guinea
1st Sept 2014
Shoton festival (an annual Tibetan holiday)
Toji Temple in Kyoto
Red sanders a type of timber
Renkoji temple in Tokyo
Legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao will be the first Indian actor to be
honoured with a postage stamp by the U.S. Post Service (USPS).
Amerli (Iraq)
jangama (member of a wandering Saivite monastic order followed by the Lingayats)
National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) promote
entrepreneurship among Dalits.

2nd Sept 2014

Critically discuss the health status of tribes in India. Critically examine how effective
government measures have been in addressing health issues of tribes.
The health status of Indias tribal communities is in need of special attention.
The tribes are the poorest and most marginalized groups in India and they
experience extreme levels of health deprivation.
The tribal community lags behind the national average on various public
health indicators.
Women and children are the most vulnerable.
The tribes face health problems poor nutritional status,
High morbidity and mortality,
Lower utilization of antenatal and postnatal services,
Prevalence of endemic infectious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and
diarrheal diseases,
Malnutrition,

Anaemia,
Prevalence of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus,
Stroke and heart diseases
Starvation deaths continue to be reported from tribal areas, including from
advanced States like Kerala.
Reasons for poor health

75% of Indias tribal population defecates in the open.

Contaminated drinking water
Insanitary conditions
Ignorance,
Lack of health education and
Poor access to healthcare facilities
Prevalence of some traditional practices and superstitions

Government Measures
Establishment of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and sub-centres.
Financial support through various schemes
Ineffectiveness of Govt. measures

Quality healthcare not available to the majority of tribals.

Posts of doctors and paramedical are often vacant.
Non-availability of essential drugs and equipment
Inadequate infrastructure
Difficult terrain and constraints of distance and time
Lack of transport and communication facilities

Measures to be taken
Traditional healers can be trained to deliver simple interventions like ORS for
diarrhea and anti-malarial
Tribal boys and girls can be trained as community health workers or nurses. A
successful example is the ASHWINI Gudalur Adivasi hospital in the Nilgiris,
where the management and most staff (except the doctors) are tribal.
Nutritional counselling and education
Establishment of kitchen gardens
Provision of a more diverse range of food items
R&D required on the traditional herbal medicines used by tribal people
Use modern technology and innovative approaches
Involve the community in developing solutions for their problems.
Write a note on a recent blueprint produced by the United Nations Open Working
Group on Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN General Assembly's Open Working Group on Sustainable Development

Goals forwarded to the Assembly its proposal for a set of Goals.
The goals consider economic, social and environmental dimensions to improve
peoples lives and protect the planet for future generations.
The proposal contains 17 goals with 169 targets.
The goals cover a broad range of sustainable development issues, including ending
poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities more sustainable,
combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests.
The proposed sustainable development goals are:
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote
sustainable agriculture
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long
learning opportunities for all
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all
Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development

Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land
degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels
Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership
for sustainable development

Explain the importance of indigenization of military hardware and examine what

steps the government has taken in this regard.
Importance
Indigenization of Military Hardware is necessary for India to establish itself as a
World Power to reckon with.

Overseas procurement and indigenization of defence equipments are two sides of the
same coin and needs to be balanced carefully for making a strong, mighty and
calculative India.
Purchasing arms from developed countries have been an attractive deal.
Be it Akula-II nuclear submarine or INS Vikramaditya or AWACS or Sukhoi or
Brahmos cruise missile, each purchase/joint venture has acted as a feather in the
military cap of India.
The Indo-US nuclear deal has also led to an enhancement of Indian presence in the
global nuclear arena.

One of the earliest initiatives towards indigenization is the Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme [IGMDP].
India has gradually achieved self-reliance in the area of ballistic missiles.
Successful testing of the Inter-continental Ballistic missile [ICBM] Agni V, Main
Battle Tank Arjun, HALs Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and INS Sunayna are the
indian efforts.
Recently, effort towards indigenization has been the F-INSAS project.
Most of the equipments are being developed by DRDO.

However, there are some basic issues surrounding this.

There is a disconnect between the DRDO and Ordnance factory board.
Quality control, adherence to specifications, bureaucratic hassles and corruption are
additional bottlenecks.

Even if products are locally made, the dependency on foreign countries continues as
the constituent parts are often made abroad.
Moreover, the lack of clarity on guidelines for local procurement, differences between
the political establishment and military personnel with respect to the percentage of
private participation and relative dichotomy of their approach towards indigenization
makes the situation complex.
However, an indiscriminate buying of foreign military hardware has its own set of
issues.
When a country wishes to export its top class military products to India, it usually
ends up engaging itself in a lobbying practice in India. Unhealthy competition in this
area leads to corruption, which is the most dangerous predicament of such foreign
defence deals.
Military scams like Bofors, Tatra, Scorpene deal, Chopper gate etc have grossly
tarnished the image of the Indian political establishment which often pushes such
deals in return of kick backs.
Most of the equipments need to be frequently sent abroad for non-adherence to
performance expectations, retrofitting and upgrade.
This process traps us in the loop of everlasting foreign dependence.
In the short run, procuring arms from abroad might be the preferred route, but for long
term sustainability, there needs to be an equal stress on indigenization of military
hardware.
As the largest buyer of arms in the world, India should stress on joint ventures and
partnerships with the foreign arms suppliers.
A successful example in this regard is the Indo-Russian joint production of the
Brahmos cruise missile.
Such collaboration helps in achieving technical expertise and knowhow in a stepwise
fashion leading to gradual self-reliance.
Arranging for simple clearance rules for FDI in selected sectors of defence production
will also act as an incentive to the foreign players.

Popularizing defence expo to showcase the latest military equipments and clubbing
associated deals with offers in other sectors will also act as a booster for Indias
military image.
There should be more synthesis between the interests of the armed forces and the
political establishment towards improvising indigenization, maintaining transparency
and continuous monitoring.
Indigenization cannot happen overnight and hence, a strategic plan should be
formulated by the tri-services to map short term and long term interests, assumptions,
constraints, issues and risks.
In fact, the procurement process should be simplified and made into a single
window business.
The PSUs and private sector should be encouraged to deliver efficiently and
effectively
Striking a balance between indigenization and foreign purchase is the key to ensuring
Indias military stability and capability.
The approach of the political establishment towards army needs must be more focused
and pragmatic.
The government must give a firm commitment in terms of funds and the MoD should
streamline its procedures and processes for speedy procurement of high priority
weapons and equipments.
On the other hand, the tri-services should appreciate the political compulsions and set
forth their agenda and roadmap very clearly.

Japan to invest Rs. 2.1 lakh crore in Indian projects over 5 years
Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2014 Istanbul
Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, who was sworn in as Governor of Karnataka.
Why were banks nationalised in India in 1969? What were the consequences? Explain
Indira Gandhis bold move to nationalise 14 banks in 1969
Bank nationalisation saw a huge expansion in branches.
Bank nationalisation caused the saving rate to go up.
The rise in saving facilitated a commensurate rise in the investment rate.
The increase in the investment rate set the stage for the growth rate of the economy.
Bank nationalisation proved a winner with financial inclusion being a key driver of
success.

Inclusion not only increases deposits, but also brings in low-cost deposits through
savings and current accounts.
3rd September
Modi said three Ds democracy, demography and demand make India attractive
to Japan
J.P. Nadda - will head the HRD committee
Kalaroos forests in Kupwara, Kashmir
Panel set up to review five eco laws - T.S.R. Subramanian (Chairman)
PZP (Porcine zona pellucida) vaccine, which can prevent pregnancy in elephants for
about a year
Gorhams Cave in Gibraltar
Vinod Mehta has been chosen for the G.K. Reddy Memorial Award 2014. T.
Subbarami Reddy founded the award.
Panel set up to conduct forensic audit of NSEL - headed by Justice (Retd) V. C. Daga
Playing It My Way My Autobiography is the title of cricket legend Sachin
Tendulkars life story
4th Sept

The tea mosquito bug is an injurious pest on guava fruit.

Besides guava, it is a major pest of cashew, cocoa, avocado, apple,
grapes, drumstick, silk cotton, pepper, cinchona, ber, camphor,
tamarind and neem trees.

Misuse of antibiotics in the poultry industry, Measures to be taken

(i)
(ii)

(iii)

Ban the use of antibiotics for growth promotion,

Do not allow the use of antibiotics in feed and improve the
regulations of the Bureau of Industrial security (BIS)
accordingly,
Do not allow the use of antibiotics critical for humans in
animals,

(iv)
(v)

(vi)
(vii)

Train veterinarians on the judicious use of antibiotics,

Set pollution standards and install pollution control
systems to limit transfer of resistant bacteria and
antibiotics from poultry farms to the environments,
Encourage development, production and use of
alternative antibiotic-free growth promoters
Develop an integrated surveillance system to monitor
antibiotic-resistant trends in humans, animals and the
food chain.

5th Sept 2014

Assam Tribes and their drinks (Rice-Beer)
Tribes
Bodos
Mising
Karbis
Ahom
Adivasi
Dimasa

Drink
Jou
Apong
Harlang
Sajpani
Haria
Zu

Milky Way is a suburb of a supercluster called Laniakea (meaning immeasurable

heaven)
International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank
14th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Cape Town SA

6th Sept

7th Sept

8th Sept

9th Sept

10th Sept
Government launched the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) in 1985.
Industrialisation, urbanisation and deforestation, and a complete lack of provision
along the river for wastewater disposal, have reduced the Ganga to its current
condition.
Ebola virus first struck in Guinea
Right to be Forgotten established by the European Union (EU)s top court.
Iraq Premier Haider al-Abadi
Indra Jatra festival in Nepal
Red seaweed is used to produce "agar-agar"
Bihar is the fastest growing State while Tamil Nadu is the worst performer.
Central Water Commission (CWC), responsible for forecasting floods.
Dr. Madhav Gadgil report on the Western Ghats.
12th Sept
Agni-I, a surface-to-surface, missile was test-fired from the Wheeler Island, off the
Odisha Coast.
The Montreal Protocol was adopted in 1987 with the aim of reducing ozone-depleting
substances.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons are used in refrigerators, spray cans,
insulation foam and fire suppression.
Lord Harris the British official who helped popularize cricket in India
Lord Harris was governor of Bombay from 1890 to 1895.
Kumartuli famous for its Durga idols

13th Sept 2014

Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells which have the potential to develop into any
cell in the body.
IndARC, the countrys first underwater moored observatory in the Kongsfjorden
fjord, half way between Norway and the North Pole,
Kongsfjorden - natural laboratory for studying the Arctic climate variability
15th Sept
Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC), which was proposed in 2011 to identify
socio-economic characteristics of the poor and to be used to identify National Food
Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries.
Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi cities Vietnam
India, Vietnam to sign key oil search pact
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - have all got a system of rings.
Unlike Saturns rings, Jupiters rings are made up of dust and not ice by the dust
thrown off by high-velocity impacts of cosmic bodies on Jupiters moons.
Mosul, in northern Iraq
16th September
Alan Turings biopic The Imitation Game has won the Peoples Choice award at the
Toronto International Film Festival.
Sofosbuvir medicine to cure Hepatitis C infection
Cognizant to buy Trizetto
Microsoft to buy game Minecraft for $2.5 billion
17th Sept
China and Vietnam have a major dispute over Nansha islands, called Paracel islands
by Hanoi.
Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh - valleys of Lambasingi VISAKHAPATNAM
P. J. Nayak Committee (to review governance of boards of banks in India).

Typhoon - Kalmaegi made landfall on the east coast of Hainan Island, China and
Hong Kong
Typhoon Rammasun in July hit China
Spiti Valley, Pin Valley National Park and the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary Himachal
Pradesh
Mayon Volcano in the Philippines' Albay province
18th Sept
Maharaja Bazaar in Srinagar
Srinagars business hub, Lal Chowk
Lalitha Kumaramangalam has been appointed chairperson of the National
Commission for Women.
Barmer basin in Rajasthan
Americas - Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN)
Calcium carbide -> ripening of fruits
Calcium carbide + Water = gas acetylene
Gas acetylene + gas ethylene = fruit- ripening hormone
Gas ethylene is produced through biotic reactions in the fruit.
Acetylene and ethylene are not toxic, calcium carbide may be.
Toxic calcium carbide causes skin rash, dermatitis and pulmonary edema (a medical
emergency).
Commercial calcium carbide contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus compounds as
impurities.
Oxytocin in dairy farms helps in the delivery of babies.
Oxytocin does not last long in the body when injected, but gets hydrolysed into amino
acids.
Oxytocin increases muscle contraction in the udders and makes milk ejection faster.
Salmonella, H1N1 and HIV are three zoonotic invaders.
The aquatic weed- water hyacinth, a native of Brazil

Dried leaf powder of karpooravalli makes water hyacinth dead.

Cu Chi tunnels Vietnam
In all human cells, there are four genes Cryptochrome, Period, CLOCK, and
BMAL1.
Psychiatric illness schizophrenia
The wild Chinese sturgeon is at risk of extinction
19th Sept
Kappatagudda - Western Ghats of north Karnataka
Kappatagudda hills Karnataka
India Newborn Action Plan (INAP) is the first step towards arresting infant deaths.
K. Natwar Singh - author of One Life is Not Enough
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)
Korandakkadu hills , Munnar Kerala
Chichpalli forest range & Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve
Maharashtra
Sirpur forests Chhattisgarh
Kawal Tiger Reserve - Telangana
Rani Rudramadevi - ruler of Kakatiya Dynasty
20th Sept
Kudremukh National Park area Karnataka
Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh
P.N. Tandon Committee report to assess the quality of education in Universities.
Lipulekh pass in Pithoragarh district
Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
21st Sept

Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary, W. Bengal

The Nanda Raj Jat procession takes off from the village of Nauti in Chamoli district
(280 km treck)
Butet Manurung, winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014
Indonesias forest people, or the Orang Rimba
22nd Sept
Mangar Bani Forest area on - Gurgaon-Faridabad highway
BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagarahole and Bandipur national parks Karnataka
Sahariya tribes Rajasthan
A community radio (Mandakini ki Awaz) was launched in the Mandakini Valley in
Rudraprayag based at Sena Gadsari will cater to over 200 villages
First shale-gas exploratory well at ONGC Ankleshwar Asset in Gujarat
Syrias third-largest Kurdish town
Mars is home to the tallest mountain of the Solar System, Olympus Mons
the gravity on Mars is only one third of Earth's
September 21- 27 is celebrated as Banned Books Week
The Ebola started in Guinea
23rd Sept
Karnali river - Nepal
24th Sept
Hindi road drama - Liars Dice nominated for Oscar awards
Hampi is on the banks of the Tungabhadra
Committee set up for Railway Board revamp - headed by economist Bibek Debroy
Willow trees used to make the bats

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the first international agreement to reduce emissions
Sonora River basin Mexico
Niyamgiri hill Odisha
25th September
2014 Fields Medal (Nobel Prize of Mathematics) to Professor Manjul Bhargava
sea ice removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Snowden, Rusbridger get alternative Nobel
26th September
World Tourism Day on September 27-28
Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in Bamiyan, central Afghanistan
Bamiyan, the Afghan town, to be the SAARC cultural capital for 2015
The year 2016-17 will also be declared the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage.
Kapil Dev has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award
Justice Verma Committee on Teacher Education
edakka, a percussion instrument prevalent in Kerala
Shimla was declared the Summer Capital of the British Empire in India in 1864
under the Viceroyalty of John Lawrence
Himachal Pradesh is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Shimla becoming the
summer capital of India.
Medari community Telangana
27th September
String puppet darbar at Bagore ki Haveli in Udaipur
Nor Geghi site in Armenia, Eurasia
Levallois, biface stone weapons shaping technologies
Ukraine is the world's biggest exporter of sunflower oil

28th September
Mount Ontake Japans 2nd highest volcano
Mount Unzen - Japan
29th September
This year the focus of the World Heart Day is on a heart-healthy
environment.
Syed Muazzem Ali, has been appointed the new Bangladesh High
Commissioner to India.
Kudremukh National Park in Chikkamagalur district, Karnataka.
Kudremukh is Karnatakas third-highest peak after Mullayangiri and
Bababudangiri.
Gondi Language Chhattisgarh
The hormone melatonin is essential to maintain our daily rhythm.
It also governs the nightly migration of a plankton species from the surface to
deeper waters.
International Coffee Day 29th September
30th September
Baba Gurdit Singh leader of Komagata Maru incident
The Ojas Art Award, a new annual addition to the ZEE Jaipur
LiteratureFestival worth Rs. 51,000 and Rs. 31,000.