Extinguishing the tobacco industry’s main narrative

Context There is no doubt that tobacco use is highly detrimental to public health. We have to find the ways and the means to reduce the demand for tobacco among existing as well as aspiring users. Impact of tobacco Tobacco is a product that kills more than 13 lakh Indians every year. Annual burden: The… Continue reading

CSTO troops deployed in Kazakhstan

A Moscow-led military alliance called Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) dispatched troops to help quell mounting unrest in Kazakhstan. Ongoing situation in Kazakhstan Long seen as one the most stable of the ex-Soviet republics of Central Asia, energy-rich Kazakhstan is facing its biggest crisis. There are ongoing protests over rising fuel prices escalated into widespread… Continue reading

What are Scheduled Banks?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has informed that Airtel Payments Bank Ltd. has been categorized as a Scheduled Bank. Why such a move? With this, the bank can now pitch for government-issued Requests for Proposals (RFP) and primary auctions. It can undertake both Central and State Government businesses participating in government-operated welfare schemes. What… Continue reading

India’s first open Rock Museum in Hyderabad

The Ministry of Science & Technology has inaugurated India’s first open rock museum displaying different types of rocks gathered from different States of ages ranging from 3.3 billion years to around 55 million years. Rock System in India Based on this complex and varied geological history, the Geological Survey of India has classified rock systems… Continue reading

[Yojana Archive] GI Tagging of Rural Products

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Background India realized the need to protect its indigenous, unique, and reputed products through GI when an American company was given a patent of Basmati rice, and India had to resort to an expensive procedure of challenging the patent in the US… Continue reading

How to control cyber crime against women

Context The open-source app, Bulli Bai, hosted on the web platform GitHub for “auctioning Muslim women” has laid bare the harassment women face online. Cybercrimes against women As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) there were around 825 million internet users in India at the end of March 2021. The minuscule amount of… Continue reading

Significance of Delhi government’s recognition to fifth Sikh Takht

The Delhi Assembly has passed an amendment Bill to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971, recognizing Takht Damdama Sahib as the fifth Takht of Sikhs. What is a Sikh Takht? A Takht, which means a throne, is a seat of temporal authority for Sikhs. There are five Sikh Takhts, three in Punjab and one each… Continue reading

China’s bridge over Pangong Tso

China is building a bridge across the Pangong Tso area connecting the North and South Banks which will significantly reduce the time for moving troops and equipment between the two sides. About Pangong Tso Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m. It… Continue reading

Traditional vaccines just as effective, say US Scientists

Vaccines like Biological E’s Corbevax and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin that are made by traditional methods are “just as effective” as the latest mRNA technology-based vaccines a/c to US scientists. What are Vaccines? A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. It typically contains an agent that resembles… Continue reading

Sansad TV Perspective: Protecting E-Com Consumers

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Context Every year, 24th of December is observed as National Consumer Day. On this day, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the president. The enactment of this Act is considered as a historic milestone in the consumer movement… Continue reading

Challenges facing the Civil Society Organisations

Context Recently, the Missionaries of Charity established by Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa was in the news for the cancellation of its permission under the FCRA. Detailed scrutiny delaying permission for grant The levels of due diligence and the information sought on the one hand and the annual declarations to be given by the board members… Continue reading

Western Disturbances to bring rain in New Delhi

Under the influence of two consecutive western disturbances, New Delhi is in for a wet spell. Western Disturbances A western disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies. The moisture… Continue reading

Multi Agency Centre (MAC): A common counter-terrorism grid

The Union government has asked the States to share more intelligence inputs through the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), a common counter-terrorism grid under the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Why in news? States are often reluctant to share information on the platform. There are several gaps in sharing critical information at the right time. Plans are afoot… Continue reading

Understanding IC15, India’s first Crypto Index

Superapp CryptoWire recently launched India’s first cryptocurrency index, IC15, which will measure the performance of the 15 most widely traded cryptocurrencies listed on leading crypto exchanges by market capitalization. What is IC15? CryptoWire constituted an Index Committee of domain experts, industry practitioners, and academicians that will select cryptocurrencies from the top 400 coins in terms… Continue reading

[pib] What is Nai Talim?

The Vice President of India has said that the New Education Policy follows the ‘Nai Talim’ of Mahatma Gandhi by giving importance to the mother tongue as the medium of instruction at the school level. What is Nai Talim? The phrase Nai Talim is a combination of two words- Nai Means ‘New’ and Talim –… Continue reading

Aiding in governance

Context The collaborative effort of markets and the Government are key to the development of a country. How CSR law aids citizenry-private partnerships Section 135 of the Companies Act mandates corporates who are beyond a certain level of profits and turnover to pay at least 2% of their net profits before tax to the development… Continue reading

Gaganyaan and other new Missions in 2022

After a rather muted 2021 in terms of satellite launches, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is gearing up for a number of missions in 2022 including the launch of the first unmanned mission of Gaganyaan. Gaganyaan Mission Gaganyaan is crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme (IHSP).… Continue reading

Who was Rani Velu Nachiyar?

The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary. Velu Nachiyar (1730-1796) Rani Velu Nachiyar was a queen of Sivaganga estate from c. 1780–1790. She was the first Indian queen to wage war with the East India Company in India. She is widely known as Veeramangai (“brave woman”). Her legend… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] Consumer Protection

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here) Recently, in the exercise of provisions under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Central Government has notified the Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction of the District Commission, the State Commission, and the National Commission) Rules, 2021. The Government has notified these rules to prohibit… Continue reading

₹8 lakh income ‘reasonable’ cap for EWS quota, Centre tells SC

A government committee report in the Supreme Court has said that “income” is a “feasible criterion” for defining the “Economically Weaker Sections” (EWS) in society, and the annual family income of ₹8 lakh is a “reasonable” threshold to determine EWS. Centre’s Argument: Strict criteria for EWS The income criterion for EWS was “more stringent” than… Continue reading

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