ENLIGHTENED MINDS_Inspiring Excellence

23 rd June –   Current Affairs Financial Action Task Force (FATF) : Ø Saudi Arabia has become the first Arab country to be granted full membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Ø Th e FATF is the global standard-setting body for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). Ø Established in:  1989.  Ø Headquarters:  Paris, France. Ø The FATF currently comprises 37-member jurisdictions and 2 regional organisations (the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC, and the European Commission). Ø While India, Russia and China are members , Pakistan is only an associate member of Asia Pacific Group-FATF . Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY) : Ø The Rajasthan government has given an official go-ahead to implement the Central government’s flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Ø AB-PMJAY will be integrated with Rajas...

  22 nd June –Current Affairs Operation Bandar : Ø The air strike by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on a terrorist training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, was code-named ‘Operation Bandar (monkey)’. Ø Operation Bandar (monkey)  was the code-name given by IAF to the air strikes conducted by its Mirage-2000 fighters against the major Jaish-e-Mohammed training facility. Ø The idea behind the name 'Operation Bandar’ was to give a nondescript, mundane tag to the air strikes to maintain operational secrecy. Ø Pakistan retaliation to the air strikes as  “Operation Zafran" (saffron flowers used in cooking).  Kandi Road : Ø The Supreme Court has ordered that further construction of the Kandi road inside Uttarakhand’s Rajaji tiger reserve be stopped forthwith and issued notice to the state government . Ø An unpaved stretch of the old Kandi road  that once connected Haridwar and Ramnagar  runs through Rajaji tiger reserve.  Ø According ...

20 th June The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia ( ReCAAP ) : Ø ReCAAP is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. Ø The ReCAAP Agreement was launched in 2006. The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre ( ReCAAP ISC ) was established in Singapore in 2006. Ø Members:  It has 20 Contracting Parties today, including Europe (Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom), Australia, and the United States . World Refugee Day : Ø The day is observed on the 20th of June every year. Ø Objective of the day:  To celebrate the stories and contributions of refugees. Ø Theme this year:  Step with Refugees - Take a Step on World Refugee Day. Hydrotherapy Clinic for Elephants : Ø India has opened its first specialised hydrotherapy treatment for elephants suffering from arthritis, j...

Manual Scavenging and Government initiatives What is manual scavenging? ·         Manual scavenging is manual removal of excreta (night soil) from “dry toilets”, i.e., toilets without the modern flush system. Is this existed in Indus valley civilisation? ·         No, because these cities had toilets, which were connected to underground drainage system lined with burnt clay bricks. How this manual scavenging came into existence? Who introduced? ·         Manual scavenging is said to have started in 1214 in Europe when the first public toilets appeared.   Evolution of Flush type toilet: ·         The   water closet   was invented by   John Harrington   in 1596. ·         In 1870, S.S. Helior invented the flush type toilet, and it became common in the Western world. ...