Skull found in China represents a new human species

Scientists have announced that a skull discovered in northeast China represents a newly discovered human species they have named Homo longi, or “Dragon Man”. Answer this PYQ in the comment box: Q.The word ‘Denisovan’ is sometimes mentioned in media in reference to (CSP 2019): (a) fossils of a kind of dinosaurs (b) an early human… Continue reading

Microfinance institutions

The microfinance institutions (MFI) faced several restrictions by RBI which were not applicable to banks, NBFC and small finance banks. This denied the MFIs level playing field. A recent Consultative document by the RBI frees MFIs from such restrictions. The article explains this in detail. Background of regulation of MFI’s by RBI RBI first allowed… Continue reading

Covid-19 Delta-plus Variant

The Maharashtra government has tightened the Covid-19 unlocking process in the wake of a rise in cases of the Delta Plus variant. What is Delta Plus? A variant that has emerged as a new threat, especially in India, Delta Plus (B.1.617.2.1/(AY.1) is a new mutant strain of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. It is technically… Continue reading

Places in news: Black Sea

Russia accused Britain of spreading lies over a warship confrontation in the Black Sea. What is the issue? Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, a move that was not recognized by most countries in the world. Russia has frequently responded at NATO warships visits near Crimea, casting them as destabilizing. NATO members Turkey, Greece,… Continue reading

60 Years of Antarctic Treaty

The 1959 Antarctic Treaty (wef 1961) recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. Antarctic Treaty The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements are collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). It regulates international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth’s only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as… Continue reading

Proposal for Integrated Theatre Commands

The Chief of Defence Staff has held a meeting with the Vice Chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and others in the backdrop of concerns about the proposed model of the integrated theatre commands. What are integrated theatre commands? In the simplest words, it is a unified command under which all… Continue reading

GIMAC: India’s first maritime arbitration centre

The Gujarat Maritime University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Financial Services Centres Authority in GIFT City to promote the Gujarat International Maritime Arbitration Centre (GIMAC). What is GIMAC? The GIMAC will be part of a maritime cluster that the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) is setting up in GIFT City at Gandhinagar.… Continue reading

National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA)

The National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) has directed GST officials across the country to ensure that the tax rate cuts notified on some COVID-19-related essentials are passed on to consumers. What is National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA)? The NAA has been constituted under Section 171 of the Central GST Act, 2017 to ensure that the reduction in… Continue reading

Blended mode of teaching

Blended mode of teaching and its advantages A recent circular by the University Grants Commission (UGC) proposes that all higher educational institutions (HEI) teach 40% of any course online and the rest 60% offline termed as blended learning (BL). The UGC argues that this “blended mode of teaching” and learning paves the way for: 1) Increased student engagement… Continue reading

What is AgriStack?

The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare has entered into an MoU with Microsoft Corporation to start a pilot project in 100 villages to create a ‘Unified Farmer Service Interface’ through its cloud computing services. AgriStack The AgriStack is a collection of technologies and digital databases proposed by the Central Government focusing on India’s… Continue reading

What is a Full Ship Shock Trial (FSST)?

The US Navy Friday carried out a ‘full ship shock trial’ on its newest and most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to ensure its hardness was capable of withstanding battle conditions. What is a Full Ship Shock Trial (FSST)? During World War II, American warships suffered severe damage from enemy mines and torpedoes that had actually… Continue reading

Bhutan’s Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) Programme

Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) programme has been recently launched. TIWB Program TIWB is a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). India was chosen as the Partner Jurisdiction and has provided the Tax Expert for this programme. It aims to aid Bhutan in… Continue reading

[pib] Guidelines for Other Service Providers (OSP)

The Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology has further liberalized the guidelines for Other Service Providers (OSPs). Do you remember quaternary and quinary sectors of Economy from NCERTs? What are OSPs? These entities are business process outsourcing (BPO) organizations giving Voice based services, in India and abroad. The term Business Process Outsourcing or BPO… Continue reading

Population decline: Bane and Boon for the economy

Deflation. A recent (2014) study found substantial deflationary pressures from Japan’s ageing populationThe article argues that a decline in population is not always as worrisome as it is made to be. Declining fertility rate China’s fertility rate of 1.3 children per woman in 2020 is well below replacement level, but so, too, are fertility rates… Continue reading

Why counting of poor matters?

Counting the number of the poor If the state of the Indian economy is to be repaired, we need to meticulously count the number of the poor and to prioritise them. The World Bank $2-a-day poverty line might be inadequate but it would be a start and higher than the last line proposed by the C.… Continue reading

What is Chicago Convention of 1944?

A private commercial flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Minsk by a MiG-29 fighter jet of Belarus. The incident received considerable global attention. How justified was Belarus in taking such a decision? The answer lies at the junction of Belarus’s domestic laws as a sovereign country and international laws governing the action… Continue reading

First-ever genetically modified rubber planted in Assam

A Rubber Board research farm on the outskirts of Guwahati now sports the world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant tailored for the climatic conditions in the Northeast. GM rubber The GM rubber has additional copies of the gene MnSOD, or manganese-containing superoxide dismutase, inserted in the plant. The plant was developed at the Kerala-based… Continue reading

What govt proposes to change in film certification

The Centre has recently released the draft Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021 to the general public for comments. Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021 The new draft proposes to amend the Cinematograph Act of 1952 with some provisions. It seeks to give the Centre “revisionary powers” and enable it to “re-examine” films already cleared by the Central Board… Continue reading

[pib] Amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020

For the purposes of preventing unfair trade practices in e-commerce, the Central Government had notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 with effect from 23 July 2020. Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020 The proposed amendments aim to bring transparency in the e-commerce platforms and further strengthen the regulatory regime to curb the prevalent unfair trade… Continue reading

Centre must make way for states in Covid fight

The States are better equipped to deal with the health emergencies and the Centre needs to augment them in their efforts. The article deals with this issue. Role of the States in health crisis Covid-19 pandemic is a national crisis calling for concerted efforts by both, the Government of India (GoI) and state governments. Health… Continue reading

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