Issues faced by World Bank and IMF

This article discusses some inherent issues with the international organizations (IOs) i.e., the World Bank (Bank) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) (aka Bretton Woods Twins). This comes in the backyard of the WB decision to scrap its flagship publication, the ‘Doing Business’ report. Issue over chair: A monopoly of the West Common individuals to head:… Continue reading

Air India Disinvestment Deal

After 68 years, Air India is all set to return to the Tata fold. What is the deal? The Tatas will own 100% stake in Air India, as also 100% in its international low-cost arm Air India Express and 50% in the ground handling joint venture, Air India SATS. Apart from 141 planes and access… Continue reading

India-ASEAN FTA

The Commerce and Industry Minister has called for a renegotiation of the India-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA). Why such move? The MCI aims to prevent its misuse by ‘third parties’ and remove trade restrictions as well as non-tariff barriers that he said had hurt Indian exports disproportionately since the pact was operationalized in 2010. The… Continue reading

RBI suspends G-Sec Acquisition Programme (GSAP)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to halt its bond-buying under the G-Sec Acquisition Programme (GSAP). Why such move? The GSAP had succeeded in ensuring adequate liquidity and stabilising financial markets. Coupled with other liquidity measures, it facilitated congenial and orderly financing conditions and a conducive environment for the recovery. What is GSAP?… Continue reading

What is Palk Bay Scheme?

The Union Government is considering increasing the unit cost of deep-sea fishing vessels under the Palk Bay scheme to make it more attractive to fisherfolk. Palk Bay Scheme The Palk Bay Scheme is the official scheme for diversification of trawl fishing boats from Palk Strait into deep sea fishing boats. It is aimed at encouraging… Continue reading

Challenges facing Indian Air Force

Context A host of challenges greets India’s new Air Chief. Challenges The challenges include the rewiring of India’s military into new theatre commands, the reservations expressed by the IAF about its “support” role and the visible depletion in operational air assets due to obsolescence and lack of new platforms. The decline in platforms is stark… Continue reading

NATO fires Russian Diplomats

NATO has withdrew the accreditation of eight Russian officials to the military alliance in response to a rise in malign activities by Moscow. NATO NATO is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949. It sought to create a counterweight to Soviet armies stationed in… Continue reading

[pib] River Ranching Programme

The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, is set to launch the River Ranching Programme in Uttar Pradesh under the Namami Gange Programme. What is River Ranching? River Ranching is a form of aquaculture in which a population of a fish species (such as salmon) is held in captivity for the first stage… Continue reading

[pib] National Digital Livestock Mission

The Union Minister of State Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying unveiled the National Digital Livestock Mission Blueprint. National Digital Livestock Mission The NDLM would be a digital platform developed by Dept. of Dairy and Animal Husbandry on the foundation of the existing Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH). It aims to create a… Continue reading

India joins High Ambition Coalition (HAC)

India has officially joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a group of more than 70 countries encouraging the adoption of the global goal to protect 30×30. High Ambition Coalition (HAC) Aim: To promote an international agreement to protect at least 30 % the of world’s land and ocean by 2030 The HAC… Continue reading

Government asks Supreme Court to set norms for quota in promotions

The Union government has urged the Supreme Court to do away with the requirement of collecting quantifiable data by the Centre and states to determine the representation of people belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) while implementing reservation in promotion. Supreme Court directive on Quota in Promotions Background The top court has… Continue reading

Nobel Prize 2021

(1) Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, 2021 The 2021 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded in one half to Canadian-born David Card and the other half jointly to Israeli-American Joshua D Angrist and Dutch-American Guido W Imbens. David Card has been awarded for his empirical contributions to labor economics. Joshua D Angrist and Guido W Imbens won the award “for… Continue reading

Mosquirix: First malaria vaccine to get WHO nod

In a historic move, the World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed the first anti-malarial vaccine, as mankind enters a key turning point in a battle waged relentlessly over decades between man and mosquito, the vector. Mosquirix RTS,S/ASO1 (RTS.S), trade name Mosquirix acts against P. falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally, and the most prevalent… Continue reading

Bhoramdeo Tiger Reserve: Fourth TR in Chhattisgarh

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approved the Chhattisgarh government’s proposal to declare the combined areas of the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve. Bhoramdeo Tiger Reserve The new Reserve is located in the northern part of the state, bordering Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. This will be the… Continue reading

Tribes in news: Mundapota Kela

Members of the Mundapota Kela community in Odisha perform an unthinkable act of their head buried in soil, which requires exceptional breath control, for a living. Mundapota Kela The community — Mundapota Kela (a denotified tribe) — is left with few members who earn a livelihood with this bizarre act. It is believed to have… Continue reading

[pib] Central Asian Flyway

The two-day meeting of 30 range countries of Central Asian Flyway has begun. What is Central Asian Flyway? Central Asian Flyway (CAF) is a flyway covering a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated island chains. It comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of… Continue reading

[pib] National Road Safety Board

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has notified the constitution of the National Road Safety Board. National Road Safety Board The NRSB will be constituted of a panel of seven members and a chairman, with the members having experience in the fields related to road safety, traffic regulation, urban planning, civil engineering and police… Continue reading

[pib] Industrial Park Ratings System (IPRS) Report

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has released the Industrial Park Ratings System Report. Industrial Park Ratings System (IPRS) The IPRS pilot exercise was launched in 2018 with an objective of enhancing industrial infrastructure competitiveness and supporting policy development for enabling industrialization across the country. The IPRS report is an extension… Continue reading

What is Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) ?

The outages at Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram occurred because of a problem in the company’s domain name system. At the heart of it was a BGP or Border Gateway Protocol issue. What is BGP? Simply put, it is the protocol that runs the internet or makes it work. Since the internet is a network of… Continue reading

Outer space

In opening new pathways for outer space cooperation in the recent US visit, PM Modi has positioned India to engage more productively with a rapidly evolving domain that is seeing more commerce and contestation. Outer Space Cooperation: A backgrounder International cooperation is the new normal in space exploration, but it’s not a new concept. One… Continue reading

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