India seeks TRIPS waiver for Vaccines

India and South Africa have jointly moved a proposal at the WTO’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) council for a waiver to help more countries get access to medicines and vaccines during the pandemic. Q.WTO and multilateralism is dying in the face of a greater reliance on plurilateral and bilateral trade pacts. Discuss.… Continue reading

What is Stockholm+50?

Stockholm+50 is a high-level meeting that the Government of Sweden plans to hold in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the first UN conference on the human environment – the 1972 Stockholm Conference. The 1972 Stockholm Conference The UN Conference on the Human Environment, also known as the Stockholm Conference, was the first UN conference… Continue reading

Imparting direction to science in India

The article elaborates on the various aspect of the 5th Science Policy. Scientific publication from India and issues with it From the report published by the National Science Foundation of the U.S. in December 2019, India was the third-largest publisher of peer-reviewed science and engineering journal articles and conference papers, with 135,788 articles in 2018.… Continue reading

10th century Buddhist Monastery uncovered in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has unearthed a Buddhist monastery, believed to be at least 900 years old, buried under a mound in a village situated in a hilly area of Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand. Details of the excavation The findings were significant since the monastery is on the old route to Varanasi, 10… Continue reading

E-Daakhil portal for consumer grievance redressal

The Union Government has informed that the ‘E-Daakhil’ portal for consumer grievance redressal is now operational in 15 states and Union Territories (UTs). Try this question from our AWE initiative: What are the objectives sought to be achieved through The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 to regulate commercial transactions? What are the issues with the… Continue reading

Inscription on Krishnadevaraya’s death discovered

The first-ever epigraphical reference to the date of death of Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya has been discovered in the Tumakuru district of Karnataka. Try this question from CS Mains 2016: Q.Krishnadevaraya, the King of Vijayanagara was not only an accomplished scholar himself, but was also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss. Who was Krishnadevaraya?… Continue reading

[pib] Who was Mannathu Padmanabhan (1878-1970)?

The Prime Minister has tweeted tributes to Sri Mannathu Padmanabhan on his death anniversary. UPSC is digging deeper in the regional freedom movements to get such questions beyond our knowledge base.Try this question from CSP 2020 Q.The Vital Vidhvansak, the first monthly journal to have the untouchable people as its target audience was published by:… Continue reading

The absurdity of the anti-defection law

The article highlights the shortcomings of the anti-defection law and its failure in ensuring the stability of the government. Background of anti-defection law The anti-defection law was included in the Constitution as the Tenth Schedule in 1985. The main purpose was to preserve the stability of governments and insulate them from defections of legislators from the… Continue reading

Same-sex marriages cannot be recognized: Centre

The Centre has opposed any changes to the existing laws on marriage to recognise same-sex marriages, saying such interference would cause “complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country”. What is the case? A petition had sought to recognize same-sex marriage. Despite the decriminalization of Section 377 of the Indian Penal… Continue reading

Pakistan to remain on FATF ‘Greylist’

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided to retain Pakistan on the “greylist” till the next review of its performance. Practice question for mains: Q.What is FATF? Discuss its role in combating global financial crimes and terror financing. What is the FATF? FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of… Continue reading

Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, 2021

For the first time, the union government, under the ambit of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, has brought in detailed guidelines for digital content on both digital media and Over The Top (OTT) platforms. Try answering this Q.What is Over the Top (OTT) media services? Critically analyse the benefits… Continue reading

[pib] City Innovation Exchange (CiX)

The City Innovation Exchange (CiX) platform was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. City Innovation Exchange (CiX) The CiX will connect cities to innovators across the national ecosystem to design innovative solutions for their pressing challenges. The platform will ease the discovery, design & validation of solutions through a robust, transparent and… Continue reading

Federalism and India’s human capital

The article argues for recognising the correlation between human capital and decentralisation in India. Low human capital indicators In the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, the country ranked 116th. The National Family Health Survey-5 for 2019-20 shows that malnutrition indicators stagnated or declined in most States. The National Achievement Survey 2017 and the Annual Status… Continue reading

[pib] Sun’s Rotation over the Century

Scientists at Kodaikanal Solar Observatory have estimated how the Sun has rotated over a century from data extracted from old films and photographs that have been digitized. Try this PYQ: Q.Consider the following phenomena: Size of the sun at dusk Colour of the sun at dawn Moon being visible at dawn Twinkle of stars in… Continue reading

A changing fiscal framework

The article examines the changes in government’s fiscal policy stance which supports the debt-financing and apparent contradiction displayed by increased excise duty. Increase in excise duty Well before India began to globalise there was a time when each Union Budget announced sales tax increases on tobacco products. The rise in tax was expected to be… Continue reading

NITI Aayog’s Draft National Policy on Migrant Workers

Spurred by the exodus of 10 million migrants from big cities during the Covid-19 lockdown, the NITI Aayog has prepared a draft national migrant labour policy. Highlights of the Policy The draft describes two approaches to policy design: To focus on cash transfers, special quotas, and reservations To enhance the agency and capability of the… Continue reading

Pagri Sambhaal Movement of 1907

As a part of the ongoing farmers’ protest, groups across the country have celebrated February 23 as ‘Pagri Sambhal Diwas’. Try this PYQ: Q.What was the immediate cause for the launch of the Swadeshi movement? (a) The partition of Bengal done by Lord Curzon. (b) A sentence of 18 months rigorous imprisonment imposed on Lokmanya… Continue reading

Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0

States and UTs have started the implementation of the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0, a campaign aimed to reach those children and pregnant women who have been missed out or been left out of the routine immunisation. Do not get confused with the Mission Indradhanush for Public Sector Banks launched in 2015. It aims at revamping… Continue reading

Places in news: Lake Chad

One of Africa’s largest freshwater bodies, Lake Chad, has shrunk by 90 per cent. Try this PYQ from CSP 2018: Q.Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities? Aral Sea Black Sea Lake Baikal Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b)… Continue reading

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