UK to issue Open General Export Licence (OGEL) to India

In the backdrop of the rapid geopolitical turmoil, PM Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson agreed on a new and expanded India-UK defence partnership and vowed to seal an ambitious free trade agreement by the end of the year. What is the news? The UK is creating an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) for… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] Care Economy

UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context The importance of care work is now widely acknowledged and covered in various international commitments such as the SDGs. However, the investment in the care economy has not matched the pace. What is the care economy? The care economy includes child… Continue reading

New research about Jupiter’s moon Europa

A team of researchers from Stanford University have said that on one of Jupiter’s moons Europa, a prime candidate for life in the solar system might have abundance of water pockets beneath formations called double ridges. About Europa Europa is slightly smaller than Earth’s moon and its diameter is about one-quarter that of the Earth.… Continue reading

Freebies model of Governance

Context Against the backdrop of promises of freebies in Punjab, this article deals with the harm caused by such freebies to the economy, life quality and social cohesion in the long run. Macroeconomic stability of the Union and the States India is a Union of states. It is not a confederation of states. The Union… Continue reading

[pib] UDAN Scheme awarded PM Award for Excellence in Public Administration

The Ministry of Civil Aviation’s flagship Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) has been awarded Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration this year. What is UDAN Scheme? The Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme is a low-cost flying scheme launched with the aim of taking flying to the masses.… Continue reading

Explained: Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs)

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister has announced that 80 Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), an integral component of the Smart Cities Mission, have already been set up. What is the Smart Cities Mission? The Smart Cities Mission aims at developing 100 cities, which were shortlisted, into self-sustainable urban settlements. The mission was… Continue reading

INS Vagsheer: Key features, capabilities

The sixth and last of the French Scorpene-class submarines, INS Vagsheer, was launched into water at the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai. Launch of INS Vagsheer It was launched by Veena Ajay Kumar (wife of Union Defence Secretary), in keeping with the naval tradition of launch and naming by a woman. The six submarines were being… Continue reading

ISRO develops Space Bricks from Martian Soil

Researchers from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a way to make bricks from Martian soil with the help of bacteria and urea. Space Bricks ISRO and IISc have collaborated to develop a novel scalable technique of manufacturing space bricks using Martian Simulant Soil (MSS). The… Continue reading

Who was Veer Kunwar Singh (1777-1858)?

Political factions in Bihar has planned to organise the birth anniversary of the 1857 uprising hero Veer Kunwar Singh on April 23 at Jagdishpur in Bhojpur. Veer Kunwar Singh Kunwar Singh also known as Babu Kunwar Singh was a leader during the uprising of 1857. He belonged to a family of the Ujjainiya clan of… Continue reading

[Yojana Archive] Harnessing Multiplier Effect

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context Recently, the Finance Minister has stressed upon the need to increase capital expenditure by both public sector as well as private sector. This is in order to improve the economic growth and invigorate demand in the country. Why increase CAPEX? As… Continue reading

Demolition drives violate international law

Context Communal clashes broke out during Ram Navami processions in several parts of the country including at Khargone in Madhya Pradesh. Subsequently, the Madhya Pradesh government bulldozed the houses of those who were allegedly involved in rioting. Right to housing Fundamental right under Article 21: The right to housing is not only a fundamental right… Continue reading

Towards a peaceful, stable Northeast

Context Progress in settling border disputes, removal of AFSPA herald positive changes in the region. Significant development for restoring normalcy in the region Efforts to address the issues of the Northeast have been moving according to a strategic plan which is premised on three objectives — 1] Ending all disputes. 2] Ushering in economic progress… Continue reading

India’s Crude Oil Imports from OPEC

OPEC’s share of India’s oil imports for the FY22 financial year remained almost steady year-on-year, arresting sharp declines over the past six years, as refiners prefer crude from West Asia to counter rising global prices. India’s crude oil imports from OPEC OPEC oil accounted for about 88% of India’s crude imports in FY08. Its share… Continue reading

Places in news: East Timor

Asia’s youngest nation, East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, holds the second and final round of its presidential election. About East Timor The territory was colonized by Portugal in the 18th century and remained under is control until 1975. When the Portuguese withdrew, troops from Indonesia invaded and annexed East Timor as its 27th… Continue reading

[Sansad TV] Diplomatic Dispatch: New Govt in Pakistan

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context Pakistan has witnessed dramatic political developments where yet another elected govt has been unable to complete its full term. It now has a new ‘Wazir-e-Azam’. His name is Shehbaz Sharif. A member of the wealthy Sharif dynasty. A man famous for… Continue reading

Cryptos and a CBDC are not the same thing

Context Cryptocurrency will be discouraged via taxation and capital gains provisions. This was the message from the Finance Minister during the Budget discussion in Parliament. Growing worry about the cryptocurrencies The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in February, highlighted two things. First, “private cryptocurrencies are a big threat to our financial and macroeconomic… Continue reading

Upholding the right to repair

Context Apple recently announced that consumers will have the right to purchase spare components of their products, following an order of the Federal Trade Commission of the United States, which directs manufacturers to remedy unfair anti-competitive practice and asks them to make sure that consumers can make repairs, either themselves or by a third-party agency.… Continue reading

RERA

The Supreme Court has asked the Chief Secretaries of the States to respond to queries raised by the Centre on the implementation of rules framed under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) (RERA) Act, 2016 in their respective jurisdictions. What is RERA, 2016? The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 seeks to protect home-buyers… Continue reading

Who was Guru Tegh Bahadur?

The government will celebrate the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur with a two-day event at the Red Fort. Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675) Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He was born at Amritsar in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind. His term as… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] Artificial Intelligence and Climate change

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies have been often thought as a gateway to a future written in chrome, operating on a virtual cloud. Even in Budget 2022-23, AI was described as a sunrise technology that would “assist sustainable development at scale and… Continue reading

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