Dickinsonia fossil discovered in Bhimbetka

Researchers have found the first-ever fossil in India of a Dickinsonia —the Earth’s ‘oldest animal’, dating back 570 million years — on the roof of what’s called the ‘Auditorium Cave’ at Bhimbetka. Dickinsonia Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and… Continue reading

US moves to rejoin UN Human Rights Council

The Biden administration is set to reengage with the much-maligned UN Human Rights Council that former Donald Trump withdrew from almost three years ago. Try this PYQ: Q.Consider the following: Right to education. Right to equal access to public service. Right to food. Which of the above is/are Human Right/Human Rights under “Universal Declaration of… Continue reading

Einsteinium: the mysterious element named after Albert Einstein

The University of California has reported some of the properties of element 99 in the periodic table called “Einsteinium”, named after Albert Einstein. Try this PYQ: Q.The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz, gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. With reference to them, which one of the… Continue reading

[pib] Scheme for Management of Crop Residues

The Scheme on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi’ has been extended for the year 2021-22. We can cite the example of this scheme for crop residue management as an effective solution against stubble burning. Management of Crop Residues… Continue reading

[pib] Malabar Naval Exercises

The 24th edition of Malabar maritime exercise, hosted by Indian Navy in 2020, witnessed the participation by Indian Navy, United States Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Royal Australian Navy. Such news is nothing but the repetitive chunk that occurs every year with few or no new developments. Still, they are significant for the… Continue reading

What are the One-Person Companies (OPCs)?

In her Budget speech, the Union Finance Minister had announced measures to ease norms on setting up one-person companies (OPCs). Q.What are One-Person Companies (OPCs)? Discuss how they will help startups and non-resident Indians? What is an OPC? As the name suggests, a one-person company is a company that can be formed by just one… Continue reading

Hope: UAE’s first mission to Mars

The first Arab interplanetary mission is expected to reach Mars’ orbit on February 9 in what is considered the most critical part of the journey to unravel the secrets of weather on the Red Planet. Try this question from CSP 2014: Q.Which of the following pair is/are correctly matched? Spacecraft Purpose 1. Cassini-Huygens Orbiting the… Continue reading

Privacy concerns over Haryana’s Parivar Pehchan Patra

Amid concerns over the Parivar Pehchan Patra scheme, the Haryana govt. says enrolment is voluntary. But residents have little choice as the delivery of even birth and death certificates is linked to it. Practice question for mains: Q.What is Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) recently rolled out by Haryana Govt.? How it is beneficial compared to… Continue reading

Denmark’s artificial energy island project

The Danish government has approved a plan to build an artificial island in the North Sea as part of its effort to switch to green energy. The Energy Island concept provides an innovative solution for countries like India grappled with the scarcity of land required for RE projects! What is Energy Island? An energy island… Continue reading

What are Government Securities (G-Secs)?

The RBI has said that it would allow retail investors and other small investors direct access to its government securities trading platform. What are G-Secs? These are debt instruments issued by the government to borrow money. The two key categories are: Treasury bills (T-Bills) – short-term instruments which mature in 91 days, 182 days, or… Continue reading

[pib] MCA21 Version 3.0

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) will launch data analytics-driven MCA21 Version 3.0. What is MCA 21? MCA21 is an e-Governance initiative of Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) that enables easy and secure access of the MCA services to the corporate entities, professionals and citizens of India. It is the first Mission Mode e-Governance project… Continue reading

[pib] Startup India Seed Fund Scheme

Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) has been approved for the period of next four years starting from 2021-22. Seed Fund Scheme The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization. 945 Crore corpus will be divided over the next 4 years for… Continue reading

The reason that India cannot afford to go on a debt binge

The article discusses the challenges associated with the Budget with a high fiscal deficit. Change in government’s stance India’s economy has suffered more than most from the covid pandemic and so have its people. Its economic contraction has put pressure on its government, like so many others, to respond. Until this week, government’s response had… Continue reading

The unmet health challenge

The article analyses the allocation for the health sector in the Budget and highlights the need for more allocations. Need to increase spending on health The Economic Survey argues for the need to increase public spending on healthcare to 2.5-3 per cent of the GDP — it’s about 1.5 per cent currently. The Survey points… Continue reading

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

The government’s maternity benefit scheme, or Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, has crossed 1.75 crores, eligible women, till the financial year 2020, the Centre informed Parliament. PMMVY The PMMVY is a maternity benefit program introduced in 2017 and is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It is a conditional cash transfer scheme… Continue reading

[pib] KAPILA for patent awareness

The Government has launched a campaign namely KAPILA for Intellectual Property Literacy and creating patent awareness, informed Union Ministry for Education to the Parliament. Remember one thing, ‘KAPILA’ Program is related to IP awareness. It sounds much like an animal husbandry related initiative. KAPILA Initiative KAPILA is an acronym for Kalam Program for IP (Intellectual… Continue reading

Iran rules out changes to Nuclear Deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ruled out changes to Iran’s nuclear accord with world powers and dismissed calls to broaden the terms of the deal and include regional countries. Do you know how the enmity between Iran and the US came into reality? We hope you have watched the Argo (2012) movie for sure! What is… Continue reading

‘Smart walls’ for Indian Borders

The new US President has stopped the construction of the much-publicized “border wall” between the U.S. and Mexico. Q.Smart fencing along with physical fencing can protect major infiltration areas of Indian borders. Analyse its feasibility for India. What is the news? The Mexico–US barrier also known as the border wall is a series of vertical… Continue reading

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Join us across Social Media platforms.

Your better version awaits you!