Vikram-S: India’s first private sector rocket

India’s first privately developed rocket, Vikram-S, is set for launch between November 12 and 16. Vikram-S Vikram-S is India’s first privately developed rocket and is all set to be launched as part of the Prarambh space mission. It is a single-stage sub-orbital launch vehicle which would carry three customer payloads and help test and validate… Continue reading

Declining Consumer Demand and Reluctant Investors

Context In September, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was anguished that industry was holding back from investing in manufacturing despite a significant cut in corporate tax rates in 2019. Analyzing the corporate Investment since the pandemic Less investment is not the result of losses: The slowdown in corporate investment did not happen because companies were making… Continue reading

Centre opposes petition in HC against provisions of Surrogacy Law

The Centre has opposed before the Delhi HC a petition challenging certain provisions of the surrogacy laws, including the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021. What is the case? The provisions challenged includes the exclusion of a single man and a married woman having a child from the benefit… Continue reading

Species in news: Snow Leopard

The first-ever recording of the snow leopard from the Baltal-Zojila region has renewed the hope for the elusive predator in the higher altitudes of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Why in news? Not much is known about the number of snow leopards in J&K and Ladakh. The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has… Continue reading

Unrecognized Madrasas and Government’s role

Context There has been a lot of unhappiness about the UP-government’s decision to conduct a survey of unrecognized madrasas in Uttar Pradesh. What is the intention of Government behind such survey? The government’s claim: The survey being an exercise to help the madrasas and their students has been less than convincing. Questionable intention: In the… Continue reading

India’s Troubled Neighborhood, Myanmar

Context Twenty-one months after a military coup, which derailed a decade old experiment with limited democracy, Myanmar is struggling to cope with the consequences. People are suffering, authorities and opposition forces are locked in a cycle of violent clashes, the economy is deteriorating, and ASEAN’s mission to produce a solution has failed. Background of Present… Continue reading

27th edition of UN-Conference of Parties (UN-COP)

The port city of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt is hosting the 27th edition of the UN-Conference of Parties (UN-COP). Quick recap Last year, PM Modi, at the 26th edition of the COP in Glasgow, Scotland, committed to India becoming net-zero, or in effect carbon neutral, by 2070 along with Panchamrita Environment Minister will be leading the… Continue reading

In news: Wangala Dance of Garo Tribe

This newscard is an excerpt from a picture in the print edition of TH. Wangala Dance Wangala is also called the festival of “The Hundred Drums“. It is a harvest festival celebrated by the Garo tribe in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Assam and Greater Mymensingh in Bangladesh. In this post-harvest festival, they give thanks to Misi… Continue reading

Good News: Child marriage is on the decline

Content The steering committee of a global programme to end child marriage is on a visit to India to witness state interventions which have helped reduce the prevalence of child marriage. What are the findings of the committee? Increase in Child marriage as a pandemic effect: The visit by the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End… Continue reading

Unscientific Highway Infrastructure: A Cause of Accidents

Context In a March 2019 circular, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) raised the subject of premature issuance of completion certificates for national highway works. NHAI had noticed that, in certain cases, completion certificates had been issued even before the completion of works ‘up to the standards and specifications’ prescribed by the Ministry of… Continue reading

Person in news: Dadabhai Naoroji

This year, 2022, marks the 130th anniversary of the election, in 1892, of the first person of Indian origin, Dadabhai Naoroji to the House of Commons. Why in news? Election of Rishi Sunak as British PM with a narrow majority has brought to focus Naoroji. He too had won Finsbury seat as a MP with… Continue reading

Child Welfare Police Officers a must in all police stations: Home Minister

The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the States/Union Territories to appoint a Child Welfare Police Officer (CWPO) in every police station to exclusively deal with children, either as victims or perpetrators. Who is a Child Welfare Police Officer (CWPO)? Police play a pivotal role in the prevention and investigation of child abuse and neglect… Continue reading

What is Parole?

Recently a self-proclaimed god-man convicted for rape and murder in Haryana has been released on Parole. What is Parole? Furlough and parole envisage a short-term release from custody, both aimed as reformative steps towards prisoners. Parole is granted to meet a “specific exigency” and cannot be claimed as a matter of right. Both provisions are… Continue reading

2022 AP7: the Planet Killer Asteroid

A team of astronomers have spotted a massive near-Earth asteroid called 2022 AP7 believed to be the largest planet killer-sized asteroid to be spotted in nearly a decade. 2022 AP7 Asteroid An asteroid is a relatively small chunk of rocky minerals that orbits the Sun, often described as a minor planet. 2022 AP7 is among… Continue reading

What are Coronal Holes?

Recently, NASA tweeted an image of the sun seemingly ‘smiling’. NASA explained that the patches are called coronal holes, which can be seen in ultraviolet light but are typically invisible to our eyes. What are Coronal Holes? Coronal holes are regions on the sun’s surface from where fast solar wind gushes out into space. Because… Continue reading

One must know India’s Economic Growth Story

Context As the COVID-19 pandemic fades and hopes to rise for nations and societies to return to some kind of normalcy, there is effort all around to take stock of where we stand and what our prospects look like. A look back over the last few years at how India performed in terms of its… Continue reading

C295 and India’s aircraft industry

Recently, PM laid the foundation stone for the C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara to be set up by Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). Why is it making headlines? This is the first time a private sector company would be manufacturing a full aircraft in the country. This is… Continue reading

Centre restricts use of common weedicide Glyphosate

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has restricted the use of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, citing health hazards for humans and animals. What is Glyphosate? Glyphosate is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses. The sodium salt form of glyphosate is used… Continue reading

GI tag in news: Kashmir Saffron

The Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir has organised a saffron festival in the Karewa of Pampore. Saffron Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the “saffron crocus”. The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent in… Continue reading

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