Govt tweaks spending norms for Contingency Fund of India

The government has tweaked spending norms for Contingency Fund of India, allowing 40% of the total corpus to be placed at disposal of the Expenditure Secretary. What are the proposed changes? Budget 2021-22 proposed to enhance the Contingency Fund of India from ₹500 crore to ₹30,000 crore through Finance Bill. An amount equivalent to 40… Continue reading

What are Padma Awards?

The central government has announced the names of Padma awardees for this year. What are Padma awards? The Padma awards are the highest civilian honor of India after the Bharat Ratna. They are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished… Continue reading

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), 2021

The 2021 Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International places India 85th on a list of 180 countries, one position above last year. Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) The CPI is an index which ranks countries “by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.” The CPI generally defines… Continue reading

Who are the Chakmas and Hajongs?

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Chakma and Hajong people are feeling heat since the State government decided to conduct a special census in December 2021. What is the news? The North-Eastern States have had a history of being paranoid about outsiders outnumbering the indigenous communities and taking their land, resources and jobs. The threat from “non-locals”… Continue reading

Specie in news: Spot-billed Pelicans

A nematode infestation has led to mass mortality of spot-billed pelicans (Pelicanus philippensis) at Telineelapuram Important Bird Area (IBA) in Andhra Pradesh. Spot-billed Pelicans The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) or grey pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a… Continue reading

Dealing with the macroeconomic uncertainties

Context Macroeconomic uncertainties are mounting. Impact of US Fed’s decision Against the backdrop of possible interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the taper tantrum, there is pressure on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase its interest rates to prevent capital outflows. The monetary policy corridor is still “accommodative” to support… Continue reading

Places in the news: Sittwe Port

Context Notwithstanding the unfortunate developments since the Tatmadaw took over, a recalibration exercise for developing a robust relationship with Naypyidaw is the need of the hour. Need for proactive neighbourhood policy with Myanmar Security and economic interests: India should implement an unbiased and proactive “Neighbourhood First” strategy that facilitates the Act East policy crucial for India’s… Continue reading

What is a K-shaped Economic Recovery?

Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has said that the government needed to do more to prevent a K-shaped recovery of the economy hit by the coronavirus pandemic. K-Shaped Recovery A K-shaped recovery occurs when, following a recession, different parts of the economy recover at different rates, times, or magnitudes. This is in contrast to an… Continue reading

What are Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)?

A French luxury fashion brand is suing American digital artist who created a series of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), a rapidly growing part of the cryptoworld. Non-Fungible Tokens An NFT is a unique, irreplaceable token that can be used to prove ownership of digital assets such as music, artwork, even tweets and memes. The term ‘non-fungible’… Continue reading

[pib] One District One Product (ODOP) Initiative

As a major boost to Centre and State collaboration in promoting products under the ODOP Initiative – a State Conference was recently held by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). One District One Product (ODOP) ODOP spearheaded by the Uttar Pradesh government in 2018, is an important initiative that is being… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] IAS cadre rules amendments

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context The Central Government has proposed four amendments to Rule 6(1) of the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954 dealing with deputation, and has sought the views of State governments before January 25, 2022. Historical background of All India Services It was Sardar Patel… Continue reading

Budgeting for the education emergency

Context Faced with an unprecedented education emergency, this is the time to substantially ramp up public spending on education and make it more effective. Low allocation for education UNESCO’s 2030 framework for action suggests public education spending levels of between 4% and 6% of GDP and 15%-20% of public expenditure. A recent World Bank study… Continue reading

A chance to support growth, fiscal consolidation

Context The adverse effect of the third wave of COVID-19, which is mainly affecting the last quarter of 2021-22, may call for a further downward adjustment in the growth rate to about 9%. Growth in FY 2021-22 As per the NSO’s advance estimates, at the end of 2021-22, the magnitude of GDP in real terms… Continue reading

Netaji’s relationship with Nehru, Gandhi and the Congress

In public discourse, the popular imagination of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is increasing all across the length and breadth of our country these days. Back in 2016, when there was ruckus over de-classification of some files associated with Netaji, a question too appeared in UPSC CSE Mains: Q. Highlight the differences in the approach… Continue reading

Suspension of MLAs

Some legislators were suspended for one year by the Maharashtra Assembly for alleged disorderly conduct. The unusually long period of suspension has been questioned by the Supreme Court, which is hearing a challenge to the Assembly’s action. A case in apex court The court has reserved its judgment after hearing elaborate arguments. The main question… Continue reading

Kerala gets its first-ever Scientific Bird Atlas

The Kerala Bird Atlas (KBA), the first-of-its-kind State-level bird atlas in India, has created solid baseline data about the distribution and abundance of bird species across all major habitats, giving an impetus to futuristic studies. Kerala Bird Atlas (KBA) The KBA has been prepared based on systematic surveys held twice over 60 days a year… Continue reading

UNESCO tag sought for Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has underlined some green rules for the living root bridges of Meghalaya to get the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag. Living Root Bridges A living root bridge is a type of simple suspension bridge formed of living plant roots by tree shaping. They are common in the southern part… Continue reading

Who was Sri Ramanuja?

Work is going apace on the 216-ft tall ‘Statue of Equality’ of the 11th century reformer and Vaishnavite saint, Sri Ramanuja, to be unveiled by PM Modi next month in Hyderabad. Statue of Equality The ‘Statue of Equality’, as it is called, is being installed to mark the 1,000th birth anniversary of Sri Ramanuja. It… Continue reading

[Sansad TV] Perspective: Regulating Mobile Apps

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context Mobile apps have become a significant part of the lives of smartphone users. Almost every person seems to be dependent on them. However there is a huge flipside of this flourishing mobile app environment which has become evident quite often in… Continue reading

Why India needs a single agency to guard its borders

Context Recent developments warrant a comprehensive review of border management to ensure the all-weather security of our borders. What makes India’s border management difficult? India shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, which stretch approximately 15,106 km. In addition, we have an approximately 3,323 km-long LoC with Pakistan, which further extends… Continue reading

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