Glasgow Climate Pact (COP26)

The Glasgow Agreement was finally adopted after a last-minute intervention by India to water down language on “phasing out” coal to merely “phasing down”. Glasgow Agreement The Glasgow meeting was the 26th session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP26. These meetings are held every year to… Continue reading

Will U.S. sanction India for S-400 purchase?

The arrival of the $5.4-billion Russian long-range surface-to-air missile defence shield “S-400” is expected next month, which is likely to generate more international headlines. About S-400 The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system, capable of destroying hostile strategic bombers, jets, missiles and drones at a range of 380-km. US… Continue reading

Kaiser-i-Hind is Arunachal’s State butterfly

An elusive swallowtail butterfly carrying ‘India’ in its name and found in next-door China will become the State butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh. Kaiser-i-Hind Protection status: Schedule II of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 Kaiser-i-Hind (Teinopalpus imperialis) literally means Emperor of India. This butterfly with a 90-120 mm wingspan is found in six States along the Eastern… Continue reading

Dalit capitalism and Dalit entrepreneurship

Context In a departure from the fixation on traditional parameters for the study of Dalit rights and empowerment, there is now a focus on how market forces can be expanded to address social exclusion. How Dalit entrepreneurship can help in Dalit entrepreneurship While entrepreneurship alone isn’t the panacea to caste-based exclusion or marginalisation, Dalit entrepreneurship… Continue reading

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

States in the National Capital Region were directed to be ready to implement actions under the ‘emergency’ category of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to control air pollution, said an official order. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) In 2014, when a study by the WHO found that Delhi was the most polluted city… Continue reading

First National Achievement Survey (NAS) held

The first National Achievement Survey (NAS) in four years was conducted, in a bid to assess the competencies of children in Class 3, 5 and 8. National Achievement Survey (NAS) NAS is a nationally representative large-scale survey of students’ learning undertaken by the Ministry of Education. It is implemented on a sample size aiming to… Continue reading

UAPA enacts process as punishment

Context Application of the UAPA in certain cases has caused concerns regarding its alleged “misuse”, and the rational answer would be to find ways to check “misuse”. Issues with UAPA The police often use Section 13 in conjunction with other sections of the law. Vague and undefined terms: Besides the usual inventory of well-defined verbs… Continue reading

What is Privilege Motion?

A chief whip of the largest party in opposition in the Rajya Sabha has moved a privilege motion against Culture Minister over the appointment of the chairperson of the National Monuments Authority. What is Parliamentary Privilege? Parliamentary privilege refers to the right and immunity enjoyed by legislatures. The legislators are granted protection against civil or… Continue reading

Char Dham Road Project

The needs of defence and environment have to be balanced and a “nuanced” approach is required, said the Supreme Court while hearing an appeal against the widening of roads in Uttarakhand hills for the “Char Dham project”. What is Char Dham? The Char Dham is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India. It is… Continue reading

Earth’s first landmass emerged in Singhbhum: Study

A new study has challenged the widely accepted view that the continents rose from the oceans about 2.5 billion years ago. About Singhbhum Singhbhum district of Jharkhand is part of the Chhota Nagpur Division. It is one of the leading producers of copper in India. First landmass to emerge The study suggests that the earliest… Continue reading

Birsa Munda Jayanti to be celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

The Union Cabinet has decided to declare November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ to mark the birth anniversary of revered tribal leader and freedom fighter Birsa Munda. Who was Birsa Munda (1875-1900)? Birsa Munda was an Indian tribal freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal… Continue reading

[pib] Mineral Conservation and Development (Amendment) Rules, 2021

The Ministry of Mines has notified the Mineral Conservation and Development (Amendment) Rules (MCDR), 2021. About the Amendment The MCDR have been framed under section 18 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. It aims to provide rules regarding conservation of minerals, systematic and scientific mining, development of the mineral in the… Continue reading

FCRA

The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on petitions challenging the validity of amendments introduced in 2020 to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, aimed at tightening the curbs on NGOs allowed to receive foreign funds. About FCRA The FCRA regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security. First… Continue reading

MPLAD Scheme

Citing economic recovery, the Union Cabinet has restored the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) till 2025-26. What is the MPLAD scheme? The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is a program first launched during the Narasimha Rao Government in 1993. It is a Central Sector Scheme fully funded by Government… Continue reading

NASA’s DART mission to hit and deflect an Asteroid

NASA will launch the agency’s first planetary defense test mission named the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). What is DART Mission? The main aim of the mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course. It is a suicide mission and the… Continue reading

[pib] E-Amrit Portal for E-Vehicles

India today launched ‘E-Amrit’, a web portal on electric vehicles (EVs), at the ongoing COP26 Summit in Glasgow, UK. It is a must-go portal for every aspirant. Click here to visit E-Amrit. E-Amrit Portal E-Amrit is a one-stop destination for all information on electric vehicles—busting myths around the adoption of EVs, their purchase, investment opportunities,… Continue reading

[pib] Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme

The PM will launch two innovative customer-centric initiatives of the Reserve Bank of India. What are the schemes? [A] Integrated Ombudsman Scheme It aims to further improve the grievance redress mechanism for resolving customer complaints against entities regulated by RBI. The central theme of the scheme is based on ‘One Nation-One Ombudsman’ with one portal,… Continue reading

India’s first Fishing Cat Collaring Project

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII-Dehradun) Conservation Biologists will begin collaring ten Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) in Andhra Pradesh. About Fishing Cats About twice the size of a typical house cat, the fishing cat is a feline with a powerful build and stocky legs. It is an adept swimmer… Continue reading

There are shades of equality

Context On October 29, the Supreme Court issued notice on an appeal of the Kerala government against a High Court order directing it to award the scholarships by the proportion of minorities in the overall population of the State. This case will be significant for constitutional law. Background The Kerala government passed an executive order… Continue reading

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