BIMSTEC
- BIMSTEC was set up in 1997 and includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. (7 nations)
- The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an organization of South Asian and South East Asian countries which are dependent on the Bay of Bengal.
- Leadership is rotated in alphabetical order of country names. The permanent secretariat is in Dhaka
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)
- Government has provided cash incentives to nearly 23.6 lakh beneficiaries out of an estimated 51.6 lakh a year under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.
- The scheme was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2017 and is implemented by Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- Under the scheme, pregnant women and lactating mothers are offered a cash incentive of Rs. 6,000 on the birth of their first child as partial compensation for wage loss.
- It was done to reduce maternal mortality and malnutrition levels among children.
- Many States like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal have not yet implemented the scheme.
- These states account for 25 percent of the beneficiaries.
- Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal have their own maternity benefit schemes and have been reluctant to implement the PMMVY.
Iceberg B-15
- Iceberg B-15 broke away from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf 18 years ago in 2000.
- It measured about 296 km long and 37 km wide.
- It is the largest iceberg ever recorded and could be nearing the end of its voyage.
- The iceberg may not be tracked if it splinters into smaller pieces.
- B-15 has since fractured into numerous smaller bergs, and most have melted away.
- Melting and breakup would not be surprising, given the berg’s long journey and northerly location.
- Currents prevented the berg from continuing through the Drake Passage.
Swachh Iconic Places (SIP)
- The project envisioned by the Prime Minister is being coordinated by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation with the support of State governments and local administration
- SIP is a collaborative project with three other central Ministries: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and Ministry of Tourism.
- It also involves local administrations in the concerned States and Public Sector and Private Companies as sponsoring partners.
- Launched in 2016, the Phase I iconic places are Ajmer Sharif Dargah, CST Mumbai, Golden Temple, Kamakhya Temple, Manikarnika Ghat, Meenakshi Temple, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Shree Jagannath Temple, The Taj Mahal and Tirupati Temple.
- Phase II of Swachh Iconic Places was launched in Nov 2017 and included Gangotri, Yamunotri, Mahakaleshwar Temple, Charminar, Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Kalady, Gommateswara, BaidyanathDham, Gaya Tirth and Somnath temple.