RBI unveils Financial Inclusion Index

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the formation of a composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) to capture the extent of financial inclusion across the country. Financial Inclusion Index The FI-Index will be published in July every year. The index captures information on various aspects of financial inclusion in a single value ranging between… Continue reading

Second-generation bioethanol: It is time to launch it headlong

India has been promoting 2G bioethanol to achieve its E20 target. What is Bioethanol? Biomass has always been a reliable source of energy. Cultivated biomass has begun to be used to generate bioethanol. They are categorised as first (1G), second (2G) and third-generation (3G), based on the source of raw material used for bioethanol production. Its… Continue reading

Person in news: Maharaja Ranjit Singh

A bronze statue of the first ruler of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was vandalized in Pakistan. Who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh? Maharaja Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or “Lion of Punjab”, was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. He survived smallpox in infancy but… Continue reading

Criminalisation of politics

Context According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 233 MPs in the current Lok Sabha are facing criminal charges, up from 187 in 2014, 162 in 2009, and 128 in 2004. Recently, the Supreme Court has imposed fines on political parties for failing to comply with its orders regarding complete disclosure of their candidates’… Continue reading

Official Opposition in Parliament and State Legislatures

The 60-member Nagaland Assembly now has no MLA in the Opposition. Official Opposition It is a term used in Parliament and State Legislatures to designate the political party which has secured the second largest number of seats in either upper or lower houses. In order to get formal recognition in either upper or lower houses,… Continue reading

Positive Pay System for high-value cheques

Banks have been informing customers about making mandatory, the positive pay system, a process of reconfirming the key details of high-value cheques. What is the Positive Pay System? The Positive Pay System, developed by the National Payments Corporation of India, is a process of reconfirming the key details of large value cheques. Under this system,… Continue reading

[pib] Revamped National Gene Bank

The Union Agriculture Minister has inaugurated the world’s second-largest refurbished gene bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources. National Gene Bank The National Gene Bank was established in the year 1996 to preserve the seeds of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for future generations. It has the capacity to preserve about one million germplasm… Continue reading

Species in news: Slender Loris

The Kadavur hills in central Tamil Nadu’s Karur district are home to the Kadavur Reserve Forest. These forests are home to the shy and reclusive slender loris, a species of primate. Slender Loris Slender loris (Loris tardigradus) is secretive and has nocturnal habits. It usually travels from the canopy of one tree to another. But,… Continue reading

Issue of the oath of an elected representative

Context Some Cabinet Ministers in Karnataka who took oath recently stood out from the rest. All these oaths run against the spirit of the Constitution. Background of agnostic Constitution The public officials who took office under the Government of India Act, 1935 had to take oath which had no mention of God. During the Constituent… Continue reading

Learning from China

Context As we look back on our own journey after independence and feel proud of our achievements, wisdom lies in also looking around to evaluate how other nations have performed, especially those which started with a similar base or even worse conditions than us. How India’s neighbouring countries have performed? Independent India has done better… Continue reading

National Hydrogen Mission

During his I-Day speech, the PM has announced a National Hydrogen Mission and said India will become the world’s largest exporter of green hydrogen in the years to come. National Hydrogen Mission The PM’s announcement takes forward the proposal, made in the 2021 Budget, for the launch of NHM that would enable the generation of… Continue reading

Arunachal Pradesh ST List

The Parliament has passed a bill that seeks to amend the nomenclature of certain tribes from Arunachal Pradesh mentioned in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950. What does the Bill amend? The Bill seeks to modify Part-XVIII of the Schedule to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950. Part-XVIII lists 16 tribes of Arunachal, in order:… Continue reading

Karez System of Irrigation

The Taliban are set to seize Kabul, but some expert believes they will spare the age-old Karez system of underground aqueducts in the country given its importance. What is a Qanat / Karez? This system of underground vertical shafts in a gently sloping tunnel that is built from an upland aquifer to ground level. Some… Continue reading

Species in news: Greater Adjutant Storks

In a first, Bihar has decided to tag endangered greater adjutant storks (Leptoptilos dubius), locally known as ‘Garuda’, with GPS trackers to monitor their movement as a part of their conservation. Greater Adjutant Storks Bhagalpur’s Kadwa Diara floodplains area is the third-most-popular breeding centre for the greater adjutant stork in the world after Assam and… Continue reading

[pib] IndiGau: India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip

The National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad has launched a chip called IndiGau. IndiGau IndiGau is India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like, Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc. It is purely indigenous and the largest cattle chip in the world. It has 11,496 markers more… Continue reading

Growth needs steps beyond reforms

Why 1991 stands out as a watershed year in the economic history of India This was the year in which the economy was faced with a severe balance of payments crisis. In response, we launched a wide-ranging economic program to reform, restructure and modernize the economy. The break with the past came in three important… Continue reading

Analysing decline of the role of Parliament in present context

Context This 75th year of India’s Independence feels like what its first year of freedom may have been like. The pandemic era defined by large-scale loss, lack of adequate state infrastructure and deep economic uncertainty — on the face of it — is reminiscent of the Partition years. Declining role of Parliament 1) Low functioning… Continue reading

Vehicle Scrappage Policy, 2021

The launch of India’s vehicle scrapping policy or the Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Programme (VVMP) seeks to usher in a new age of what it means to own and use an automobile in India. Vehicle Scrappage Policy: Key Features Fitness testing: The government plans to set up between 450-500 automated vehicle fitness testing stations across India… Continue reading

Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021

The Environment Ministry has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021, which prohibits identified single-use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022. What is the new Amendment? Pollution due to single use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries. The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale… Continue reading

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