MIIRA: India readies plan to popularise millets on world stage

On the premises of G20, India is planning to propose the launch of a global initiative ‘MIIRA’ to encourage the consumption and production of millets. What are Millets? Millets are a group of small-seeded grasses that are commonly cultivated and consumed as staple foods in many parts of the world, including Africa and Asia. Millets… Continue reading

Central agencies gear up for FATF mutual evaluations

Central agencies, including the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), have begun preparations for the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) mutual evaluation process of India. What is the news? India is due to undergo the mutual evaluation process in the second half of 2022, which will assess the country’s compliance… Continue reading

Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics Bill, 2022

The draft Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2022, aimed at protecting India’s geological heritage that includes fossils, sedimentary rocks, natural structures, has raised alarm in India’s geo-sciences and palaeontology community. Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics Bill, 2022 Objectives Protect and preserve the geo-heritage sites and geo-relics of national importance in India. Empower the… Continue reading

1st Saudi Women to space via Axiom-2 Mission

Central idea: Saudi Arabia will send its first-ever woman astronaut on the US-led Axiom 2 space mission later this year, in the latest move to revamp the kingdom’s ultra-conservative image. Axiom Mission 2 Axiom Mission 2 is a private spaceflight mission organized by Axiom Space, a Houston-based aerospace company. The mission is scheduled to launch… Continue reading

Role of regulators in the Stock Market

Context On 25 January, US-based Hindenburg Research put out a tweet, talking about a negative report on the Adani Group that it had published. The report made many allegations against the group which triggered a fall in the price of their listed stocks. Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers Just think of this situation… Continue reading

India’s Agricultural Farm Exports data expected to reach a new high

India’s agricultural exports are poised to scale a new peak in the financial year ending March 31, 2023. But so are imports, bringing down the overall farm trade surplus. Agriculture trade in a nutshell India’s agricultural exports are expected to reach a new high in FY 2022-23. The value of farm exports from April-December 2022… Continue reading

What is Bhashini Initiative?

Bhashini, a small team at the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), is currently building a WhatsApp-based chatbot that relies on information generated by ChatGPT to return appropriate responses to queries. What is Bhashini Initiative? ‘Bhashini,’ one of these initiatives, is a local language translation mission that aims to break the barrier between various Indian… Continue reading

Who was Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati?

PM inaugurated celebrations commemorating Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati’s 200th birth anniversary. Dayanand Saraswati (1824-1883) Dayanand Saraswati (born Mool Shankar Tiwari) was a religious leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement in the nineteenth century. He was a profound scholar of the Vedic lore and Sanskrit language. Dayanand was a great scholar, and was… Continue reading

Scientists discover new ‘Quasicrystals’

Scientists have discovered a new type of quasicrystal, one with 12-fold symmetry, in the Sand Hills of north central Nebraska, USA. What is a Quasicrystal? Quasicrystal is essentially a crystal-like substance. However, unlike a crystal, in which atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern, a quasicrystal consists of atoms that are arranged in a pattern… Continue reading

In news: Agasthyarkoodam Observatory

Agasthyarkoodam was once home to a forgotten and long-lost 19th-century observatory established by Scottish meteorologist John Allan Broun. Agasthyarkoodam Observatory The Agasthyarkoodam Observatory is an astronomical research observatory located in the state of Kerala. The observatory is situated at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level and is owned and operated by the Indian… Continue reading

What is Solar Prominence?

Recently, the sun puzzled many scientists with a large prominence near its north pole. What is Solar Prominence? A solar prominence (also known as a filament when viewed against the solar disk) is a large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun’s surface. Prominences are anchored to the Sun’s surface in the photosphere, and extend… Continue reading

Marine pollution: An Alarming Situation

Context A significant portion of single-use plastic gets piled up on coastlines and contributes to the growing burden of marine litter, endangering aquatic biodiversity. In India, anthropogenic activities add approximately eight million tonnes of plastic waste to the marine environment. Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers Plastic pollution menace The demand for plastic products… Continue reading

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare: Applications, Concerns and regulations

Context Artificial Intelligence (AI) was regarded as a revolutionary technology around the early 21st century. Although it has encountered its rise and fall, currently its rapid and pervasive applications have been termed the second coming of AI. It is employed in a variety of sectors, and there is a drive to create practical applications that… Continue reading

Discovery of Lithium Deposits in J&K

The Geological Survey of India found “inferred resources” of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir. What is Lithium? Lithium is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal and is the lightest metal on the… Continue reading

Religious Excommunication of Members

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court referred to a larger Bench of nine judges a series of petitions challenging the authority of minority community leaders to excommunicate their members. Excommunication case: A quick backgrounder On November 1, 1949, the Bombay Prevention of Excommunication Act (now repealed) was enacted, which sought to prevent the practice… Continue reading

In news: Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

Photos of the soon-to-be-inaugurated Delhi-Mumbai Expressway have gone viral, receiving widespread appreciation online. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is a proposed 1380 km expressway that will link the capital city of Delhi to Mumbai, India. The expressway is being planned as a six-lane expressway and will pass through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya… Continue reading

Today in History: Treaty of Alinagar

Signed on February 9, 1757, the Treaty of Alinagar between the Nawab of Bengal and the East India Company raised the curtains for British colonial expansion in India. Treaty of Alinagar, 1757 Signed on February 9, 1757, the Treaty of Alinagar was signed between Robert Clive of the East India Company and Mirza Muhammad Siraj… Continue reading

Pulses: The sustainable crops

Context The United Nations General Assembly endorsed the request made by the Government of Burkina Faso regarding the annual observance of World Pulses Day on 10 February at its 73rd session in December 2018, building on the success of the 2016 International Year of Pulses, with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) playing a leading role… Continue reading

Air Pollution in Mumbai: An unusual phenomenon needs to be studied

Context Anthropogenic emissions are central to environmental issues, whether climate change or air quality. During the peak winter months of November to January in 2022-23, air quality in India’s financial hub, Mumbai, noticeably deteriorated, a taste of what Delhi encounters frequently. Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers Mumbai’s deteriorated air quality Out of the… Continue reading

India- France: Expanding strategic partnership

Context The celebration by India and France of 25 years of their strategic partnership (January 26) presents an important opportunity for both to introspect on their relations. Signed in 1998, the time-tested strategic partnership has continued to gain momentum over shared values and aspirations of peace, stability and, most importantly, their desire for strategic autonomy.… Continue reading

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