Process to set up 16th Finance Commission set to kick off soon

The Centre will soon kick off the process to set up the Sixteenth Finance Commission, with the Finance Ministry likely to notify the terms of reference. What is the Finance Commission? The Finance Commission (FC) was established by the President of India in 1951 under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution. It was formed to… Continue reading

Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and the disputes

Context India’s January 25 notice to Islamabad seeking modification of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty is the fallout of a longstanding dispute over two hydroelectric power projects on the western rivers the fully operational Kishenganga on the Jhelum, and Ratle on the Chenab. Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers What is Indus Water Treaty… Continue reading

Census: A prerequisite for economic development

Context India aspires to be a $10 trillion economy by 2035. To achieve this, conducting population Census, due in 2021 but postponed indefinitely because of Covid, is necessary. Such data is essential for planning at the village or block level to usher in economic and social development, ensure better governance, and increase the transparency of… Continue reading

National IPR Policy: Discussing the rights of all the stakeholders

Context In May 2016, the then Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (now known as the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) under the Ministry of Commerce released the 32-page National IPR Policy. The overall purpose of this document was to spell out the government’s comprehensive vision for the IPR ecosystem in the… Continue reading

How do ruminants contribute to Methane Pollution?

Bill Gates has invested in a climate technology start-up that aims to curtail the methane emissions of cow burps. What is the news? The startup Rumin8 is developing a variety of dietary supplements to feed to cows in a bid to reduce the amount of methane they emit into the atmosphere. The supplement includes red… Continue reading

Domestic Goat as a Drug Factory

India’s domestic goats have attracted the attention of biotechnology companies wishing to produce therapeutic proteins in bulk. Domestication of Goats The domestic goat (Capra hircus) is a familiar presence in the rural landscape of India and in many developing countries. The goat has played an important economic role in human communities from the time it… Continue reading

Mughal Gardens will now be called as Amrit Udyan

The Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens — popularly known as the Mughal Gardens was renamed as Amrit Udyan. The Amrit Udyan Edwin Lutyens had finalized the designs of the Mughal Gardens in 1917, but it was only during the year 1928-1929 that planting was done. It is spread across 15 acres and it incorporates both Mughal and… Continue reading

Munroe Thuruthu: Kerala’s Sinking Island

A study conducted by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) has revealed anthropogenic interventions as the main reason for the sinking of Munroe Thuruthu Kerala’s, Kerala’s Sinking Island. Note: This Island has nothing to do with Thomas Monroe, the erstwhile Governor of Madras Presidency (1820-27). Munroe Thuruthu Munroe Thuruthu is an inland island… Continue reading

India sends notice to Pakistan to amend 1960 Indus Water Treaty

India announced that it wants to modify the 62-year-old Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. Why India issued notice to Pakistan? Unsolicited disputes over Indian hydel projects: India cited Pakistan’s intransigence in resolving disputes over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects, both in Jammu and Kashmir. Dragging arbitration: India protested Pakistan’s “unilateral” decision to approach… Continue reading

What is Immune Imprinting?

A slew of recent studies has shown that a phenomenon in our bodies, called immune imprinting, might be making new boosters vaccines far less effective than expected for coronavirus infection. What is Immune Imprinting? Immune imprinting is a tendency of the body to repeat its immune response based on the first variant it encountered. Our… Continue reading

Who was Goswami Tulsidas (1511–1623)?

Tulsidas has come into controversy due to some of its verses (Chaupai) mentioned in the Ramcharitmanas. Who was Tulsidas? Tulsidas, a Brahmin whose original name was Ram Bola Dubey, is believed to have been born in Rajapur by the Yamuna in today’s Banda district. He composed the Ramcharitmanas on the bank of the Ganga in… Continue reading

Nari Shakti at the parade

Context Watching women lead many of the contingents in the 74th Republic Day parade in New Delhi was encouraging. Their presence was heartening and something for future generations of girls to emulate. While much was made about the induction of women fighter pilots, we need to see how many more have been inducted since then.… Continue reading

Indian constitutional morality

Context This Republic Day, as India marks the completion of 74 years of its constitutional functioning, the moral and ethical spirit of the Constitution that has phenomenally shaped the trajectory of constitutional democracy, needs to be delved into. To adequately comprehend the promise and practice of the Indian Constitution, it is crucial to unpack its… Continue reading

China plus one (C+1) strategy and advantage for India

Context In January 2023, India surpassed China to become the world’s most populous country with a population count of approximately 1.417 billion as against China’s 1.412 billion, as estimated by the World Population Review (WPR). This creates both opportunities and challenges for India. Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers The global turmoil and China… Continue reading

What is a Living Will?

A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice K M Joseph agreed to significantly ease the procedure for passive euthanasia in the country by altering the existing guidelines for ‘living wills’. What is Living Will? A living will is a legal document detailing the type and level of medical care one wants to… Continue reading

Earth’s inner core rotating slower than surface: Study

Earth’s inner core, a hot iron ball the size of Pluto, has stopped spinning faster than the planet’s surface and might now be rotating slower than it, research suggested. A quick recap of Earth’s Interior Structure of earth’s interior is fundamentally divided into three layers – crust, mantle and core. [A] Crust It is the outermost solid… Continue reading

Aditya-L1: India’s first mission to Sun to be launched soon

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch the Aditya-L1 mission by June or July this year. What is Aditya-L1 Mission? ISRO categorizes Aditya L1 as a 400 kg-class satellite that will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in XL configuration. It will observe the Sun from a close distance,… Continue reading

New T+1 Settlement Cycle comes into effect

After China, India will become the second country in the world to start the ‘trade-plus-one’ (T+1) settlement cycle in top-listed securities today. What’s the T+1 settlement plan? The T+1 settlement cycle means that trade-related settlements must be done within a day, or 24 hours, of the completion of a transaction. For example, under T+1, if… Continue reading

Ideal Train Profile: Railways’ AI-based project to shorten ticket waitlists

The Indian Railways has concluded the trial of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program it built to fix a perennial issue — long waiting lists for tickets. Ideal Train Profile Ideal Train Profile was made by Railways’ in-house software arm Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). It was fed with information like how millions of passengers… Continue reading

In news: Etikoppaka Toy Craft

The Union conferred Padma Shri to Mr. Raju in the art category as an honour to the Etikoppaka wooden toy craft. Etikoppaka Toys Etikoppaka is a small village on the banks of Varaha River at a distance of 64 Kms away from the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. The name Etikoppaka is synonymous with beautiful… Continue reading

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