A clean, green future for Indian cities

This year, the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is being launched, building towards the goals of this decade. In light of this, the article highlights the mitigating potentials of various missions undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. A networked approach to achieving the SDG The delicate balance between sustainable development and… Continue reading

Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) by the RBI

The highlights of the Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) were recently released by the RBI pointing to some all-time lows. Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) The RBI conducts this survey every couple of months by asking households in 13 major cities — such as Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Guwahati, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram — about their current perceptions and future expectations… Continue reading

Appointment of Election Commissioners

President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday appointed of Anup Chandra Pandey, a retired Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer, to the post of Election Commissioner. Election Commission of India (ECI) The ECI is a constitutional body responsible for administering elections in India according to the rules and regulations mentioned in the Constitution of India. It was… Continue reading

Adoption of COVID-19-orphaned children

The Supreme Court has directed the States and Union Territories (UTs) to take stringent action against private individuals and NGOs who invite people to illegally adopt children orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic. Also read Legal issues involved in adoption pleas for Covid-19 orphans SC ruling against illegal adoption The court ordered the government to step… Continue reading

Operation Pangea XIV

More than 1.10 lakh web links, including websites and online marketplaces, have been taken down in the operation Pangea XIV. Operation Pangea XIV Code-named “Operation Pangea XIV”, the exercise was coordinated by Interpol. It involved the police, customs, and health regulatory authorities of 92 countries against the sale of fake and illicit medicines and medical… Continue reading

New geometrical lines discovered in Thar Desert

Using satellite observations and field visits, two independent researchers from France have identified eight sites around Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert, that show linear features resembling geoglyphs. What are geoglyphs? Geoglyphs are large, un-explained geometrical patterns on land usually proposed to be man-made features. The largest concentration of geoglyphs is reported from southern Peru, covering… Continue reading

7 Years of UPA Government vs 7 Years of NDA Government

The article compares the performance of the present government under Prime Minister Modi with the first seven years of the Manmohan Singh government on various fronts. Context The current government completed seven years at the Centre recently. It is time to reflect and look back at its performance on basic economic parameters over the last… Continue reading

Simultaneous Elections in India

The article deals with the issue frequent elections in the country and highlights the need for debate on the idea of “one nation, one election”. Need for debate on one nation one election The idea has been around since at least 1983, when the Election Commission first mooted it. The concept needs to be debated… Continue reading

Need to deal with distortions built into GST

The article highlights the issues with the one state one vote system adopted in the GST Council decision making. Context The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council in India is still engaged in a discussion on whether life-saving and hard-to-come-by products should be taxed. Such delay in decision-making can largely be explained by the distorted… Continue reading

BRICS

As India is gearing up to host this year’s BRICS summit, the grouping is facing fresh challenges, from disputes among member countries to tackling COVID-triggered crises and opportunities. What is BRICS? To be clear, BRICS was not invented by any of its members. In 2001, Goldman Sachs’ Jim O’Neill authored a paper called “Building Better… Continue reading

Performance Grading Index 2020 by Education Ministry

The Education Ministry’s Performance Grading Index for 2019-20 was recently released. Performance Grading Index The PGI is a tool to provide insights on the status of school education in States and UTs including key levers that drive their performance and critical areas for improvement. It monitors the progress that States and UTs have made in… Continue reading

‘Sea Snot’ outbreak in Turkey

There has been growing environmental concern in Turkey over the accumulation of ‘sea snot’, a slimy layer of grey or green sludge in the country’s seas, which can cause considerable damage to the marine ecosystem. What is ‘Sea Snot’? ‘Sea snot’ is marine mucilage that is formed when algae are overloaded with nutrients as a… Continue reading

Verdict on Maratha reservation ignores inequality within intermediate castes

The article highlights the issues with Maratha reservation judgement delivered by the Supreme Court which rejected the positive discrimination of lower classes of dominant caste. About the verdict The Supreme Court rendered a unanimous verdict on the validity of the SEBC Act, 2018 that was to grant reservation to Marathas. The court held that the… Continue reading

Enabling financial inclusion

The article takes an overview of the progress made by India in the financial inclusion and role played by JAM trinity in it. What is financial inclusion? Financial inclusion is defined as the availability and equality of opportunities to access financial services. It refers to a process by which individuals and businesses can access appropriate,… Continue reading

CIBER-2 Mission to count the stars in the Universe

A NASA-funded rocket’s launch window will open at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, USA. The aim of this mission is to count the number of stars that exist in the Universe. Answer this PYQ from CSP 2020 in the comment box: Q.“The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation… Continue reading

Caste-wise split in MGNREGA wage payments

The Centre has asked the States to split wage payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme into separate categories for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and others from this financial year. What is MGNREGA? The MGNREGA stands for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005. This is a labour… Continue reading

SCO Agreement on Mass Media Cooperation

The Union Cabinet has accorded an ex post facto approval for signing and ratifying an agreement on cooperation in the field of mass media between all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Highlights of the Agreement The agreement, which was signed in June 2019, would provide an opportunity for the member states to… Continue reading

Places in news: Pandav Leni Complex

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found three more caves in the Trirashmi Buddhist cave complex, also known as Pandav Leni, near Nashik, Maharashtra. Answer this PYQ first, in the comment box: Q.There are only two known examples of cave paintings of the Gupta period in ancient India. One of these is paintings of… Continue reading

World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2021

The report titled World Employment and Social Outlook was recently released by the International Labour Organization (ILO). About the report The report analyses the impact of the crisis on the labour market across the world. It offers projections for recovery and gives details of the unequal impact of the crisis on different groups of workers… Continue reading

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Join us across Social Media platforms.

Your better version awaits you!