Buddhist heritage in Gujarat

Prime Minister in Lumbini, on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, said that his birthplace Vadnagar in Gujarat’s Mehsana district had been a great centre for Buddhist learning centuries ago. Vadnagar’s ties with Buddhism In 2014, the excavation work has brought up Buddhist relics and around 20,000 artefacts, some dating back to the 2nd century. Among… Continue reading

Public health engineering

Context As we confront the public health challenges emerging out of environmental concerns, expanding the scope of public health/environmental engineering science becomes pivotal. Why does India need a specialised cadre of public health engineers Achieving SDGs and growing demand for water consumption: For India to achieve its sustainable development goals of clean water and sanitation… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] Wheat Exports Ban

Context India has banned exports of wheat effective immediately, citing a risk to food security. This is partly due to the war in Ukraine and as a scorching heatwave curtailed output and domestic prices hit a record high. The price which was already high in the wake of Russia’s invasion of major wheat exporter Ukraine… Continue reading

What is the Places of Worship Act?

The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the order of a civil court in Varanasi directing a videographic survey of a temple- mosque complex upholding the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. What is the Places of Worship Act? The long title describes it as an Act to prohibit conversion of any place… Continue reading

Report flags Risk of Fortified Rice

A report has flagged issues due to threats posed to anaemic persons over iron over-nutrition created by rice fortification. Highlights of the report No prior education: The activists discovered that neither field functionaries nor beneficiaries had been educated about the potential harms. No warnings issued: There were no warning labels despite the food regulator’s rules… Continue reading

Ramgarh Vishdhari notified as India’s 52nd Tiger Reserve

Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary is now notified as a tiger reserve after a nod by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Ramgarh Vishdhari TR Ramgarh Vishadhri, located mostly in Bundi district and in part in Bhilwara and Kota districts. It is also home to the Indian wolf, leopard, striped hyena, chinkara,… Continue reading

Back in news: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)

The Union government is reassessing the concept of the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) leading to a delay in the appointment to the post. The post of CDS has also been lying vacant since the demise of Late. Gen. Bipin Rawat. Office of the Chief of… Continue reading

Devasahayam Pillai: first Indian layman to be declared a Saint by Vatican

Pope Francis canonised Devasahayam Pillai as a Catholic Saint during an event in St Peter’s Basilica. Who was Devasahayam Pillai? Devasahayam was born on April 23, 1712 in Nattalam village in Kanyakumari district, and went on to serve in the court of Marthanda Varma of Travancore. After meeting a Dutch naval commander at the court,… Continue reading

[Sansad TV] Mudda Aapka: India’s Pharma Exports Boom

UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context India is a significant player in the global medicines industry. Indian pharma exports witnessed a growth of 103% since 2013-14, from Rs. 90, 415 Crores in 2013-14 to Rs. 183,422 Crores in 2021-22. Feats achieved by India’s Pharma Sector Surplus trade:… Continue reading

With delimitation over, a look at the slate for J&K

Context Fresh delimitation was necessary for Jammu and Kashmir since the State had been divided into two Union Territories and elections could only be held under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Issues with the report of the Delimitation Commission The central question of why Jammu has gained six Assembly seats and the Valley… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] Problem of Undertrials in India

Context In India, about 75 percent of the total number of prisoners are undertrial. More than 3.5 lakh undertrial prisoners are lodged in jails across the country and awaiting trial. Recently, PM also raised the issue of undertrial prisoners in jails in a conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts. Undertrials in… Continue reading

Iron in Tamil Nadu 4,200 years ago: A new dating and its significance

Carbon dating of excavated finds in Tamil Nadu pushes evidence of iron being used in India back to 4,200 years ago, the Tamil Nadu government announced this week on the basis of an archaeological report. What is the news? Before this, the earliest evidence of iron use was from 1900-2000 BCE for the country, and… Continue reading

[pib] NITI Aayog launches National Data & Analytics Platform (NDAP)

NITI Aayog has launched the NDAP for open public use. Note: This portal has much useful data. We can use these to substantiate our answers in mains exam. What is NDAP? The platform aims to democratize access to public government data by making data accessible, interoperable, interactive, and available on a user-friendly platform. It hosts… Continue reading

Sagittarius A*: Black Hole at the Centre of our Galaxy imaged

Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) facility revealed the first image of the black hole at the centre of our galaxy i.e. the Milky Way. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy that contains at least 100 billion stars. Viewed from above or below it resembles a spinning pinwheel, with our sun situated on… Continue reading

US to host ASEAN leaders

US President Joe Biden will host leaders and top officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Washington DC. About ASEAN ASEAN is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia. It brings together ten Southeast Asian states – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand… Continue reading

India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)

A project called the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) finds that nearly 23% out of 2.1 million Indians have uncontrolled blood pressure. What is the IHCI? Recognizing that hypertension is a serious, and growing, health issue in India, the Health Ministry, the ICMR, State Governments, and WHO-India began a five-year initiative to monitor and treat… Continue reading

Ujjwala LPG Scheme: 90-lakh beneficiaries don’t take refills

In the financial year 2021-22, 90-lakh beneficiaries of the flagship welfare scheme, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), did not take refill gas cylinders. And over one crore beneficiaries got their refills only once. About the PM Ujjwala Yojana Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in 2016, with the aim to provide Liquefied petroleum gas… Continue reading

MTP Act 2021

Context The issue of abortion is in the news again, internationally. Criminal law provisions related to termination of pregnancy Under the general criminal law of the country, i.e. the Indian Penal Code, voluntarily causing a woman with child to miscarry is an offence attracting a jail term of up to three years or fine or… Continue reading

Delhi HC gives split verdict on Marital Rape

Two judges of the Delhi High Court gave a split verdict on the question of criminalising rape within marriage, leaving the law unchanged. Seems like the matter will now be referred to a larger bench. What is Marital Rape? Marital rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one’s spouse without her consent. It is… Continue reading

Green Manure and its productivity benefits

The Punjab agriculture department is promoting the cultivation of green manure these days. What is the news? Punjab Agro is providing subsidy on the seed at the rate of Rs 2,000 per quintal, which costs Rs 6,300 per quintal without subsidy The farmers can avail its seed from the block level offices of the agriculture… Continue reading

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