Explanation :

MCR-1 gene endows resistance against the last hope of antibiotic i.e. Colistin. So, it is very evident that it is related to multidrug resistance and was first found in 2015 from E. Coli Bacteria isolated from chicken in China. Recently, scientists are doing the detailed analysis on K.pneumoniae and its transmission to other sets of bacteria.

Why the Question?

Antimicrobial resistance is a cause of concern and government is very serious on this issue. So, recent development regarding MCR1 gene vis-a-vis K.pneumoniae has been brought to the notice of students.

Source Name : Science Direct, the Hindu

Explanation :

White Label atms are not having the bank logo of the sponsored bank while the Brown Label atms have the logo of the sponsored banks. Apart from that, White Label atms need the license from RBI, hence RBI is direcly involved in White Label Atms, but Brown Label Atms don’t need the license from RBI, hence RBI is indirectly involved there (as RBI will regulate their sponsor banks not them). White Label Atms are owned by their non-banking entities.

Why the Question?

Time and again demand is being raised for the opening of more White Label Atms in rural and semi urban ares, so we thought of making a question that can help the students to make out the diffrence between the two.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Ellora Caves have the flavour of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, while Ajanta Caves are of Buddhist taste only. Cave 16 is of Kailasha Temple that has the theme of Ravan shaking the Kailasha and is made from the cutting of a complete hill from the top.

Why the Question?

It has been seen in the UPSC paper that Art & Culture questions are taken from the Articles from ‘The Hindu’ (Ex. 2018-Buland Darwaza question). Since an Article on Kailasha Temple has come in Hindu, we thought of covering it, as it falls in the domain of our syllabus.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

‘Vishing’ is the telephone equivalent of phishing. It is described as the act of using the telephone in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The scammer usually pretends to be a legitimate business, and fools the victim into thinking he or she will profit.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

The JOIDES Resolution (JR) circumnavigates the globe drilling holes and pulling up rock cores from under the seabed for the scientific research. JR is a ship that has laboratory placed over it to analyse the things and thus do the experiments. Rock cores hold important clues to our planet’s past and future and the JR provides the perfect place to investigate some of the biggest questions about Earth.

Source Name : BBC

Explanation :

Wolbachia is one of the most commonly available parasites in the biosphere and is found in almost 60 per cent of the insects except Aedes Aegypti, which is the carrier of dengue, zika and chikungunya. When introduced in aedes aegypti, it was found that it stopped the replication of dengue virus and if the virus fails to replicate, dengue will not spread. Positive results have been obtained from Australia.

Why the Question?

In UPSC 2018, the questions like Zika Virus, which were frequent in the news, were asked, so we thought of asking this question as scientists are trying to implement this in India too.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

SEEPI is released by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in collaboration with Niti Aayog; Andhra Pradesh is going to top the list as it has performed extremly well on the energy efficiency front in municipality & agriculture. AP is going to be followed by Kerala.

Why the Question?

Recent trends suggest that student should be aware with the important indices released by the different agencies, hence the question has been asked.

Source Name : The Hindu, IE

Explanation :

Indian Star Tortoise is listed in ‘Vulnerable’ category by IUCN, hence statement-I is wrong. Also, it is listed in Appendix 2 of CITES, not in the Appendix 1; hence statement-II is also wrong. Chinar Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala is the only sanctuary which has its rehabilitation centre i.e. the seized tortoises are placed over there. Hence, statement-III is only correct. It is also listed in Schedule 4 of Wildlife Protection Act. Schedule 1 consists of most important and protected wildlifes.

Why the Question?

The main purpose of this question is to apprise the students about the Appendix present in CITES convention which is very important from the Prelims point of view.

Source Name : The Hindu​

Explanation :

IMPRINT India’, is a Pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative to develop a roadmap for research to solve major engineering and technology challenges that India faces. It is a project being sponsored by MHRD.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

The Minjar Fair is held in Himachal Pradesh with great pomp and fanfare. Tourists throng the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh during the Minjar Fair. In the Minjar Fair people generally wear silk costumes and there is always a stalk of Minjar attached to it. They offer their prayers to the Laxmi Narayan Temple and celebrate throughout the week. The stalk of Maize symbolizes their faith in God and also indicates their expectation of a good harvest.

Why the Question?

Only the fairs and festivals that are in the news should be covered, as it becomes difficult to remember the fairs and festivals of every state. So, we have framed this question to bring it to the notice of students as this fair was recently held. This is the right way to prepare Art & Culture portion.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Cry 1 Ac gene was present in Bollgard-1 that fought the infestation caused by the American bollworm for the cotton plant.Cry 2Ab was added in Bollgard 2 version and now the demand is for the addition of Vip3A gene to further add upon the resistance.

Why the Question?

In UPSC 2018, a question was asked on the GM Technology; recent demand is there for introduction of Vip3A in the GM variety of cotton seeds, so we have brought this to the notice of the students.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

PAC is one of the most powerful committees of the Parliament.It consists of 15 members from the LS and 7 members from RS. The members are elected for the duration of 1 year by the single transferable vote.It is a mechanism to check the government and make it accountable. Hence the minister can not be its member. Mallikarjun Kharge is presently the chairman of PAC.

Why the Question?

It is always advisable to study the polity section by linking with the current affairs, hence this question has been asked.

Source Name : The Hindu, IE​

Explanation :

Seniority at the apex court is determined not by age, but by:

1. The date a judge was appointed to the Supreme Court.

2. If two judges are elevated to the Supreme Court on the same day,

(i) the one who was sworn in first as a judge would trump another;

(ii) if both were sworn in as judges on the same day, the one with more years of High Court service would ‘win’ in the seniority stakes;

(iii) an appointment from the Bench would ‘trump’ in seniority over an appointee from the bar.

Source Name : Livemint, IE

Explanation :

‘Project Mausam’ is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture to be implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency. The main objective of the project is to inscribe places and sites identified under Project Mausam as trans-national nomination for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

Exercise ‘Maitree’ is a joint military exercise between Indian Army and Royal Thai Army which will be conducted from 06 to 19 August 2018 in Thailand. It is a platoon level exercise which comprises of infantry components.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

‘Bhisti’ are the water carriers and their history goes back to the period of Humayun.They can be found in different parts of India even today carrying water in tanned goat skin called as ‘Mashaq’.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Island Development Agency in collaboation with Niti Aayog is planning to set up a trans-shipment facility at Campbell Bay due to its strategic importance in order to contain China. Campbell Bay is located at the strategic location i.e. at the easternmost tip of Great Nicobar Island and thus is merely at a distance of 90 km from the Strait of Malacca, which is the choking point. Campbell Bay National Park is a part of Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.

Why the Question?

In UPSC 2018, there were questions linked to Strait of Malacca and the Islands of India. Since this is one of the major developments, hence we thought of bringing this to the notice of the students.

Source Name : Livemint

Explanation :

-In the case of vacancy of the post of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of RS, it is decided by the President who will sit on the Chair, it is not mandatory that senior MP will preside. Deputy Chairman is elected by the majority of members of the RS.

Why the Question?

Our effort is to link the static portion with the current happenings; therefore, we have asked this question keeping in mind the election of Deputy Chairman of

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Ministries of Power and Textiles have joined hands under a new initiative ‘SAATHI’ (Sustainable and Accelerated Adoption of efficient Textile technologies to Help small Industries). Under this initiative, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public sector entity under the administrative control of Ministry of Power, would procure energy efficient Powerlooms, motors and Rapier kits in bulk and provide them to the small and medium Powerloom units at no upfront cost.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

It is essentially a Strait between Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, but the basin countries are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Why the Question?

This is one of the busiest trade route and can be a probable choking point; hence we have tried to bring this to the attention of the students.

Explanation :

For the first time from 1997, Red Sanders have been shifted from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Near Threatened’. It is very evident that government effort is delivering as it has taken stringent action against the smugglers therefore its illegal export has been curtailed. It is endemic to India, but in southern Eastern Ghats not the Western Ghats.

Why the Question?

In 2016, the UPSC had asked a question on ‘Red Sanders’ as it was frequently in the news. We thought of asking this question seeing its shift in IUCN status.

Source Name : Downtoearth

Explanation :

‘Fall armyworm’ has attacked the maize crop in Karnatka, but scientists are worried as it spreads very fast an can damage other crops like sugarcane, maize, rice, etc. It was initially present in North America, then spread to Africa and is finally present in India.

Why the Question?

In UPSC 2018, a question was asked on the invasive species in the news, so this type of information must be retained by the students.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve has become the 11th Biosphere Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).The decision to include Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in WNBR was taken at the 30th Session of International Coordinating Council (ICC) of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO held at Palembang, Indonesia.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

Most of the economists are of the opinion that Chinese government has interfered and have devalued their Currency. If the devaluation happens due to market forces it is called ‘Depreciation’, but if it happens due to interference from the respective central bank or the government to boost its export or otherwise it is called as ‘Devaluation’. In Chinese case, it is ‘Devaluation’ rather than ‘Depreciation’.

Why the Question?

The options have been set intentionally to make students aware about the diffrence between ‘Devaluation and ‘Depreciation’.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

It is first time that India will be having 2+2 Dialogue with any country at the ministerial level. It is very important seeing the aggressive posture of China. It will be held in India in the month of September.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

GII is released by the World Intellectual Property Organisation in collaboration with INSEAD Buisness School, Cornell University and other organisations. India was ranked 60th in 2017 and has improved by 3 places and is placed at 57th now; China is ranked 17th. The theme of the 2018 GII edition is "Energizing the World with Innovation”. GII was topped by Switzerland.

Why the Question?

Recent UPSC trends suggest that students should be aware with the indices released by the different agencies, hence we have covered this

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

Anchor tourism projects have been identified by NITI Aayog in collaboration with Island Development Agency on Government owned land in Smith, Aves, Long, Neil and Little Andaman Islands of Andaman & Nicobar, and in Kadmat, Suheli and Minicoy Islands of Lakshadweep to make them fit for ecotourism. These Islands are strategically very important too.

Why the Question?

The main purpose of asking this question is to make the students aware about the important Islands present in the Andaman & Nicobar along with the Lakshadweep as these are at the strategic locations.

Source Name : Livemint, PIB

Explanation :

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan aims to link the Higher Education Institutions with at least five (5) villages, so that these Institutions can contribute to the economic and social betterment of these village communities using their knowledge base. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is inspired by the vision of transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an Inclusive India.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

Deputy Chairman RS, Chairman RS, Speaker LS, Deputy Speaker LS are removed by ‘Effective Majority’ not by the ‘Simple Majority’. In case of Effective Majority, ‘Absent’ seats are not counted, only vacant seats are counted. Hence, the effective value comes out to be 245-5=240, 240/2=120. So, minmum value required is 121.

Explanation :

India receives its maximum remittances from UAE, followed by US and then Saudi Arabia. Kerala gets almost 19 % of the total remittances followed by Maharashtra (16.7%).

Explanation :

Present iip has the base year of 2011-12, that has been changed from the earlier 2004-05 level. Now, it covers 865 items (earlier 682 items), hence this captures the trend better. Base year is assigned the value=100; so, 105 means 5% increase over the base year of 2011-12.

Why the Question?

Instead of asking the question directly, we are asking the analytical part that makes the understanding more terse and clear.

Source Name : Economic Times​

Explanation :

PARIVESH includes ‘single registration’ and ‘single sign-in’ for all types of clearances (i.e. Environment, Forest, Wildlife and CRZ). PARIVESH enables project proponents, citizens to view, track and interact with scrutiny officers, generates online clearance letters, thus it speeds up the process.

Source Name : PIB

Explanation :

The Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve is one of the highest eco-system. It falls within the Himalayan Global Biodiversity hotspot. The core zone alone has over 150 glaciers and 73 glacial lakes with the prominent one being the famous 26 km long Zemu Glacier. The ethnic tribe like Lepchas, Nepalese and Bhutias live over there.

Why the Question?

This is one of the major developments vis-a-vis India, so this should be covered in great detail.

Source Name : The Hindu

Explanation :

Ethanol has less calorific value than petrol, i.e. its energy released per unit as compared to petrol is less, but it has higher octane number than petrol, i.e. Octane number tells us how smoothly the engine will run, implies less knocking. So from the knocking point of view also it is desirable to blend the petrol with Ethanol.

Why the Question?

To bring some insight about the properties of ethanol, as newspaper are not covering the properties in detail.

Source Name : IE

Explanation :

Explanation: We must remember that AG is a part of the Executive and can take part in the debate or discussion in which he is the member.

Why the Question?

Recently, AG is in news and we have observed that students usually forget to remember that AG is a part of the Executive, so we thought of bringing this to the notice of the students once again.

Source Name : The Hindu,