The epoch of cyberweapons

Context The controversy over the use of Pegasus spyware for snooping highlights the threats posed by cyber-weapons. The emergence of the cyber weapons epoch Cyberattacks on institutions such as banks and on critical infrastructure have proliferated to an alarming extent, signaling the emergence of the cyber weapon epoch. Privacy has been eroded and the Internet… Continue reading

One nation, one police is a reform that is long overdue

Context Police reforms are still an unfinished task, fifteen years after the Supreme Court gave directives in the Prakash Singh case in 2006. Integrated schemes in different facilities The Government of India has lately been talking of “One Nation, One Ration Card”, “One Nation, One Registry”, “One Nation, One Gas Grid”, and even “One Nation,… Continue reading

Why cloudbursts could become more frequent?

Recently, cloudbursts have been reported from several places in J&K, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. A What is a Cloudburst? Cloudbursts are short-duration, intense rainfall events over a small area. According to the IMD, it is a weather phenomenon with unexpected precipitation exceeding 100mm/h over a geographical region of approximately 20-30 square km. What causes… Continue reading

[pib] 14 Indian Tiger Reserves get Global CA/TS recognition

The Environment Ministry has released the names of the 14 tiger reserves that had received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS), an accreditation tool agreed upon by tiger range countries. Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) CA|TS has been agreed upon as an accreditation tool by the global coalition of Tiger Range… Continue reading

[pib] Centre launches Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE) and GHG Calculator

With an aim to further improve ease of doing business, Centre today launched the “Secured Logistics Document Exchange” along with a Calculator for Green House Gas Emissions. Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE) The SLDE platform is a solution to replace the present manual process of generation, exchange and compliance of logistics documents with a digitized,… Continue reading

What is Academic Bank of Credit?

On the first anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP), the Centre plans to officially roll out some initiatives promised in the policy, such as the Academic Bank of Credit Academic Bank of Credit Academic Bank of Credit referred to as ABC is a virtual storehouse that will keep records of academic credits secured by… Continue reading

Telangana’s Dalit Bandhu Scheme

Telangana CM has recently been informed to spend Rs 80,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore for Dalit Bandhu Scheme, touted as the country’s biggest direct benefit transfer scheme, to empower Dalits across the state. Dalit Bandhu Scheme Dalit Bandhu is the latest flagship program of the Telangana government. It is envisioned as a welfare… Continue reading

[pib] SMILE Scheme

The Government has approved a comprehensive scheme named “Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE)” which includes a sub-scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons. About SMILE Scheme This scheme is a sub-scheme under the ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’. It also… Continue reading

Unlocking recovery

Context Many developed countries are poised for strong growth. This will compel their respective central banks to begin normalizing the extremely loose monetary policies. This will require a reorientation of India’s stimulus strategy. Global growth momentum On the global front, the growth momentum has been strong, particularly in the US and China, although recent data… Continue reading

Dholavira gets into UNESCO World Heritage list

The Harappan city of Dholavira, in present-day Gujarat, has been named the 40th Indian site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Dholavira site The IVC acropolis is located on a hillock near present-day Dholavira village in Kutch district, from which it gets its name. It was discovered in 1968 by archaeologist Jagat Pati Joshi. The site’s… Continue reading

PM-CARES Fund should cover COVID orphaned children: SC

The Supreme Court has clarified that welfare schemes such as the PM CARES Fund should cover both children, who became orphans during the Covid-19 pandemic and those, who became orphans due to Covid-19. What is PM-CARES Fund? The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was created on 28… Continue reading

Organ Transplantation in India

The Government of India is implementing National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) to promote organ donation and transplantation across all States/Union Territories (UTs). National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) In 2019, the GoI implemented the NOTP for promoting deceased organ donation. Organ donation in India is regulated by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994.… Continue reading

Emigration Bill 2021 does not go far enough

Context The Emigration Bill 2021 could be introduced in Parliament soon and presents a long-overdue opportunity to reform the recruitment process for nationals seeking employment abroad. An overview of Emigration Act 1983 Labour migration is governed by the Emigration Act, 1983. The Act sets up a mechanism for hiring through government-certified recruiting agents — individuals… Continue reading

Revival of Construction sector

Context The latest estimates of the fourth quarter of financial year 2020-21 (January-March) brought some relief, for policymakers. Interpreting the construction sector GVA increase The construction sector showed a 15 per cent increase in gross value added (GVA) in the last quarter, which is nearly double the growth experienced by the sector in the previous year… Continue reading

Russia’s Nauka Module for ISS

Pirs, a Russian module on the International Space Station (ISS) used as a docking port for spacecraft and as a door for cosmonauts to go out on spacewalks. In its place, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos will be attaching a significantly larger module called Nauka. What does Russia’s new Nauka module do? Nauka, which is 42… Continue reading

Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary proposed as Ramsar Site

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is likely to get its first Ramsar site at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary. Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary The Maharashtra Government has declared the area along the western bank of Thane Creek as the “Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary” since 2015. It is Maharashtra’s second marine sanctuary after the Malvan sanctuary. It… Continue reading

[pib] Gold Reserves in India

The Minister of Mines and Coal has provided useful information regarding gold reserves in India. Gold Reserves in India As per National Mineral Inventory data, the total reserves/resources of gold ore (primary) in the country have been estimated at 501.83 million tonnes as of 2015. Out of these, 17.22 million tonnes were placed under the… Continue reading

[pib] Exercise Cutlass Express 2021

Indian Naval Ship Talwar is participating in Exercise Cutlass Express 2021, being conducted along the East Coast of Africa. Exercise Cutlass Express The exercise is an annual maritime exercise conducted to promote national and regional maritime security in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. Indian Navy is participating in the exercise in a ‘trainer… Continue reading

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