[pib] Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)

To empower the farmers through the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) scheme, the government has released funds for various activities of Farm Mechanization. Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) The Agri ministry has launched this mission in 2014-15 with the objectives of increasing the reach of farm mechanization to small and marginal farmers and to the… Continue reading

What Centre must do to meet the economic challenges

The article takes an overview of the fiscal and monetary challenges posed by the second covid wave and suggest ensuring the availability of liquidity. GDP projections need to be re-examined According to NSO’s provisional estimates for 2020-21, the annual contraction in real GDP turned out to be 7.3 per cent. The erstwhile GDP growth projections… Continue reading

US, UK seek to sign New Atlantic Charter

US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks to sign a new Atlantic Charter. What is Atlantic Charter? The Atlantic Charter was a statement issued on 14 August 1941 that set out American and British goals for the world after the end of World War II. The charter’s adherents signed the Declaration… Continue reading

CHIME Telescope

Scientists with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) Collaboration have assembled the largest collection of fast radio bursts (FRBs) in the telescope’s first FRB catalog. CHIME Telescope CHIME is an interferometric radio telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia, Canada. It consists of four antennas consisting of 100 x 20-meter cylindrical… Continue reading

[pib] All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20

Union Education Minister has announced the release of the report of All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20. This newscard provides useful data about the state of higher education in India on various parameters. Such data should not be missed while substantiating any point in answer writing. About AISHE AISHE was established by the… Continue reading

South Asia’s healthcare burden

The article contrasts the public healthcare system in South Asian countries with that of their Southeast Asian peers and highlights the shortcomings. Subpar public healthcare system Super spreader events, a fragile health infrastructure neglected for decades, citizens not following health protocols, and logistical mismanagement were the factors responsible for the destruction in the second Covid-19… Continue reading

Holding states to account

The article highlights the excessive focus on the Union government and the lack of scrutiny of the functioning of the States in various areas. Need for focus on the States In discussions on reforms or debates about public expenditure, there is an excessive focus on the Union government. This focus reflects our mindset that there… Continue reading

Legalizing Bitcoin in El Salvador and takeaways for India

El Salvador, a small coastal country in Central America, on became the first in the world to make Bitcoin, a digital currency, legal. Lessons for India While there are many precedents El Salvador sets for a global debate on cryptocurrency, we explore what this means in the Indian context. (1) Not a precedent for monetary… Continue reading

[pib] QS World University Rankings 2022

The Prime Minister has congratulated IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc Bengaluru for top-200 positions in QS World University Rankings 2022. QS World University Rankings QS World University Rankings is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). It comprises the global overall and subject rankings (which name the world’s top universities for… Continue reading

Places in news: Sardar Sarovar Dam

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is providing irrigation water in summer for the first time in history. Sardar Sarovar Dam The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam is a terminal dam built on the Narmada river at Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district. Four Indian states, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, receive water and electricity supply from the… Continue reading

Dihing Patkai is Assam’s 7th National Park

The Assam government has notified Dihing Patkai as a National Park, four days after creating the 422-sq. km Raimona National Park in western Assam’s Kokrajhar district. Dihing Patkai NP Dihing Patkai, in focus a year ago for illegal coal mining in the vicinity, encompasses the erstwhile Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Jeypore Reserve Forest and… Continue reading

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

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Join us across Social Media platforms.

Your better version awaits you!