GSAT-11

        Highlights:

• The 5,854-kg GSAT-11 will provide high data rate connectivity to users of Indian mainland and islands through 32 user beams in Ku-band and 8 hub beams in Ka-band.
• GSAT-11 will boost the broadband connectivity to rural and inaccessible Gram Panchayats in the country coming under the Bharat Net Project, which is part of Digital India Programme [The Bharat Net Project aims to enhance the public welfare schemes like e-banking, e-health, e-governance among others].
• GSAT-11 will act as a forerunner to all future high throughput communication satellites.
• The GSAT-11 is equivalent to the combined power of almost all communications satellites sent into orbit by India.
• States in north east will receive huge benefit from GSAT 11 because satellite is able to avoid physical and geographical barriers like mountains, rivers and rugged topography.

Soil Health Cards

        About Soil Health Cards:

• Soil Health Card (SHC) is a Government of India’s scheme promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Co-operation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
• A SHC is meant to give each farmer soil nutrient status of his/her holding and advice him/her on the dosage of fertilizers and also the needed soil amendments, that s/he should apply to maintain soil health in the long run.
• SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed over for each of his holdings. It will contain the status of his soil with respect to 12 parameters, namely N,P,K (Macro-nutrients) ; S (Secondary- nutrient) ; Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micro - nutrients) ; and pH, EC, OC (Physical parameters).
• Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer recommendations and soil amendment required for the farm.
• The card will contain an advisory based on the soil nutrient status of a farmer’s holding. It will show recommendations on dosage of different nutrients needed.
• Further, it will advise the farmer on the fertilizers and their quantities he should apply, and also the soil amendments that he should undertake, so as to realize optimal yields.
• It will be made available once in a cycle of 3 years, which will indicate the status of soil health of a farmer’s holding for that particular period.
• The SHC given in the next cycle of 3 years will be able to record the changes in the soil health for that subsequent period.
• GPS enabled soil sampling to create a systematic database and allow monitoring of changes in the soil health over the years.

Exercise Cope India 2018

        Highlights:

• The 'Ex Cope India-18' will be the fourth edition in the series of bilateral drills between the Indian Air Force and the US Air Force.
• The aim of the exercise is to provide operational exposure and undertake mutual exchange of best practices towards enhancing operational capability.
• It provides operational exposure to the participating forces and mutual exchange of the best practices towards enhancing IAF capability.
• USAF is participating with F-15, C-130 and IAF is participating with Su-30MKI, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, C-130J, AWACS and AEW&C. Additionally, Special Forces from both the Air Forces are also participating in the exercise.

Monetary Policy Committee, Reserve Bank of India

        About Monetary Policy Committee:

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the body of the RBI, headed by the Governor, responsible for taking the important monetary policy decision about setting the repo rate.
• Repo rate is ‘the policy instrument’ in monetary policy that helps to realize the set inflation target by the RBI (at present 4%).
• The MPC was setup after a Memorandum of Understanding between the government and the RBI about the conduct of the new inflation targeting monetary policy framework in February 2015.

         Structure of the MPC:

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is formed under the RBI with six members. Three of the members are from the RBI while the other three members are appointed by the government.
• Members from the RBI are the Governor who is the chairman of the MPC, a Deputy Governor and one officer of the RBI. The government members are appointed by the Centre on the recommendations of a search-cum-selection committee which is to be headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
• The Committee is to meet at least four times a year and make public its decisions following each meeting. There will be no reappointment of the committee.
• Under MPC, the governor has a casting vote and doesn’t enjoy veto power (there was veto power for him under TAC). Decisions will be taken on the basis of majority vote.
• The main responsibility of the MPC is to administer the inflation targeting monetary policy regime through determining the policy rate or repo rate to contain inflation.

        Function of the MPC:

• The main responsibility of the MPC will be to keep the inflation targets set by the RBI.
• The MPC decides the changes to be made to the policy rate (repo rate) to contain inflation within the target (based on CPI) level set under India’s inflation targeting regime. 
• Members of the MPC can suggest reasons for their support or opposition for a policy rate change. This will be published in the minutes of the MPC and the minutes should be published after 14 days of MPC meeting.
• In case the inflation target is failed to achieve (2% higher or lower than the set target of 4% for continuous three quarters), the RBI has to give an explanation to the government about the reasons, the remedial actions and the estimated time for realizing the target.
• Another responsibility for the RBI is to publish a Monetary Policy Report every six months, elaborating inflation forecasts and inflation sources for the next six to eighteen months.

Namami Gange Project

        About Namami Gange Project:

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council which was set up in October 2016 under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities order 2016.
• The order dissolved National Ganga River Basin Authority. The aim is to clean the Ganga and its tributaries in a comprehensive manner.
• Namami Gange Programme, an integrated conservation mission, was approved as the flagship programme by the government in June 2014 with a budget outlay of 20,000 crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation, and rejuvenation of the Ganga.
• Under the project, 8 states are covered. Dept of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation proposes to make 1,674 gram panchayats by the Ganga open defecation-free by 2022, at a cost of Rs 1,700 cr (central share).An estimated Rs 2,958 Crores (US$460 million) have been spent till July 2016 in various efforts in cleaning up of the river.

       Main pillars of Namami Gange Programme

1. Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure
2. River-Front Development
3. River-Surface Cleaning
4. Bio-Diversity
5. Afforestation
6. Public Awareness
7. Industrial Effluent Monitoring
8. Ganga Gram

       Clean Ganga Fund

           The Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up of Clean Ganga Fund in September 2014 with the aim of using the collection for various activities under the Namami Gange programme for cleaning the Ganga.

       * Cleaning up of the Ganga.

       * Setting up of waste treatment plants.

       * Conservation of biotic diversity of the river.

       * Development of public amenities.

       * Activities such as Ghat redevelopment and Research and Development and innovative projects.