Economic Community of West African States

• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is an African organization established by the Treaty of Lagos in May 1975 to promote economic trade, cooperation, and self-reliance.
• ECOWAS seeks to harmonize agricultural policies and to facilitate the free movement of peoples, services, and capital between members.
• ECOWAS’ larger aims are to have a single common currency and create a single, large trading bloc in western Africa.
• ECOWAS contains 4 specialized commissions

1. Trading, customs, immigration, and monetary payments
2. Industry, agriculture, and natural resources
3. Transportation, telecommunications, and energy
4. Social and cultural affairs

Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)

• Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) was launched on 24th April 2018 as an umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• It is a unique scheme proposed to develop and strengthen the Panchayati Raj System across India in the rural areas.
• The primary objective of Revamped RGSA is to develop the governance capabilities of the Panchayats to deliver on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• RGSA is proposed to be implemented as a core Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
• For effective implementation of the scheme, utilization of funds is closely monitored with the States through meetings, video-conferences, etc.

Assam Rifles

Recently Manipur Police register criminal case against Assam Rifles accusing them of “giving a chance to the accused Kuki militants to escape freely to a safe zone”.

• The Assam Rifles raised as Cachar Levy in 1835 to protect British tea estates and their settlements against tribal raids.
• It is the oldest Central Para Military Force in India.
• During times of peace and ‘proxy war’, it has to ensure the security of the India-China and India-Myanmar borders.
• In internal security matters, it acts under the purview of the Army, as the penultimate interventionist force of the Central government
  • When the situation goes beyond the control of other paramilitary forces.
• Similar to the Rashtriya Rifles in J & K, the Assam Rifles is the specialised force that carries out anti- insurgency operations in difficult terrain of Northeastern States.
• Its operational control is with the Indian Army, with an officer of the rank of Lieutenant General commanding the force.
• The headquarters of the Director-General of Assam Rifles (DGAR) is in Shillong.
• It is designated by the Constitution of Group of Ministers (GoM) committee as the Border Guarding Force for the Indo - Myanmar border.
• It is also its lead intelligence agency Constitution of Group of Ministers (GoM).

Select Committee

Recently Raghav Chadha, Member of the Parliament proposed to refer the Delhi Services Bill to Select Committee.

• Select Committee is an ad hoc or temporary committees, which are set up for a specific purpose, such as examining a particular Bill and are dissolved after it.
• Under Rule 125 of the Rajya Sabha Rules and Procedures, any member may move an amendment that a Bill be referred to a Select Committee.
• According to the Rajya Sabha rules, “The Select Committees on Bills are constituted by the House(s) on specific motion moved by the Minister in-charge of the Bill or any member.
• A Joint Committee has members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• No member is appointed to a Select Committee if he is not willing to serve on the Committee.
• The actual number of membership of the Select Committee is not fixed. It varies from Committee to Committee.
• If it is a Joint Committee, the proportion of members from the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha is 1:2.
• The Chairman of the Committee is appointed by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha from among the members of the Committee.
• The quorum for each sitting needs to be 1/3rd of the total number of members of the committee.
• In case of equality of votes on any matter, the chairman (or any other person presiding) will have a second or casting vote.
• A select committee may appoint a sub-committee to examine any special points connected with the Bill.
• The report of the committee is of a recommendatory nature.

Nuclear Weapon

• A nuclear weapon is a device that uses a nuclear reaction to create an explosion.
• This explosion is much more powerful than that of conventional explosives (like TNT).
• When a nuclear weapon explodes, it gives off 4 types of energy:
  1. A blast wave
  2. Intense light
  3. Heat
  4. Radiation
• Nuclear weapons can be in the form of bombs or missiles.
• Basis of most nuclear weapons and atomic energy are radioactive elements.
• Nuclear fusion is basically the opposite of fission that is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single, heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy.
• For fusion bombs, the nuclei of two extremely rare isotopes of hydrogen that is deuterium and tritium are fused together under extremely high temperatures and pressure.
• Scientists need to make sure that the bomb does not reach critical mass earlier than intended, which is necessary to prevent an accidental explosion.
• Critical mass is the minimum mass of fissionable material required to sustain a nuclear fission.
• The largest fusion bomb ever tested is the Soviet Tsar Bomba.
• It is the largest nuclear weapon ever set off, it produced the most powerful human-made explosion ever recorded.
• The bomb was built in 1961 at the time the Cold War between the U.S.S.R. and the United States by a group of Soviet physicists that notably included Andrey Sakharov.
• Apart from Tsar Bomba, the Fat Man and Little Boy are few other nuclear bombs.