Explained: Solar Cycle 25

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the commencement of solar cycle 25. Try this PYQ: Q. Which one of the following reflects back more sunlight as compared to the other three? (a) Sand desert (b) Paddy cropland (c) Land covered with fresh snow (d) Prairie land What is the Solar… Continue reading

What is Queen’s Counsel?

India has suggested Pakistan appointing a Queen’s Counsel for the Kulbhushan Jadhav case to ensure a free and fair trial. Queen’s Counsel In the UK and in some Commonwealth countries, a Queen’s Counsel during the reign of a queen is a lawyer who is appointed by the monarch of the country to be one of… Continue reading

Global Smart City Index, 2020

Four Indian cities -New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru – witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the global listing of smart cities that was topped by Singapore. Try this PYQ: Q.Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’? (a) Maintenance of law and… Continue reading

India joins Djibouti Code of Conduct

India has joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment (DCOC/JA) as Observer, following the high-level virtual meeting. Try this MCQ: Q.The Djibouti Code of Conduct is related to: (a) International trade in precious stones (b) Maritime Security (c) Data sharing on Terrorism related activities (d) Data Localization Djibouti Code of Conduct DCOC/JA is a… Continue reading

What are Supplementary Grants?

Finance Minister has tabled the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for this financial year in the Lok Sabha. Supplementary Demand for Grants Article 115 of the constitution provides for Supplementary, additional or excess grants. (Note: Article 116 provides for Votes on account, votes of credit and exceptional grants.) They are additional grants which… Continue reading

National Hispanic Heritage Month

The National Hispanic Heritage Month has begun in the US. Try this MCQ: Q.The event National Hispanic Heritage Month recently seen in news is primarily celebrated in which of the following countries? (a) US (b) Spain (c) Mexico (d) Cuba National Hispanic Heritage Month The annual event honours the history, culture and contributions of American… Continue reading

Departmental Standing committees

The article analyses the issue of tenure of the members of the Department related committees and suggest the changes to the rules about the tenure. Context There was speculation in the media that the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, M. Venkaiah Naidu, is keen on amending the rules to give them a fixed tenure of… Continue reading

What are Interest Rate Derivatives (IRDs)?

The RBI has proposed allowing foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to undertake exchange-traded rupee interest rate derivatives transactions subject to an overall ceiling of ₹5,000 crores. Every year, there is a question on a capital market instruments. Make note of all such separately. Also, try this PYQ: Q. Which of the following is issued by registered… Continue reading

Urban unemployment in India

The article discusses the issue of vulnerability of informal jobs in India and suggests the steps to address the problem. The urban unemployment in India crept up to 9.83% in August as against 9.15% in July, according to monthly unemployment data released Tuesday by the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). In other words, roughly… Continue reading

Crisis in education in rural India and NEP

The article analyses the missing focus on the rural youth in the National Education Policy 2020 and its implications. Education in rural India and NEP Poor quality education marks and mars the lives of rural citizens. The NEP fails to address the growing school differentiation in which government schools are now primarily attended by children… Continue reading

India becomes a member of UN Commission on Status of Women

India has been elected as a member of the United Nation’s Commission on Status of Women (UN-CSW), a body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Try this PYQ: Q.Democracy’s superior virtue lies in the fact that it calls into activity: (a) The intelligence and character of ordinary men and women (b) The methods for… Continue reading

Who was Subramania Bharatiyar?

This newscard is an excerpt from an article originally published in TH. Try this question from CSP 2016: Q.A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of- (a) S. Ramanujan (b) S. Chandrasekhar (c) S. N. Bose (d) C. V. Raman Subramania Bharati Bharati was a Tamil writer, poet,… Continue reading

Singapore Convention on Mediation

The Singapore Convention on Mediation has finally come into force. Try this MCQ: Q. The Singapore Convention recently seen in news is related to: Climate change/ Arbitration and conciliation/ Foreign trade/ Marine Regulation Singapore Convention It is aimed to provide a more effective way of enforcing mediated settlements of corporate disputes involving businesses in India… Continue reading

Making malnutrition free India by 2030

The article analyses the problem of malnutrition in India and suggests the pathways to achieve the malnutrition free India by 2030. Severity of the nourishment problem in India There were 189.2 million undernourished people (28 per cent of the world) in India in 2017-19, as per the combined report of FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and… Continue reading

Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle (1857-1947)

Four martyrs of Communist movement of Kerala will be added to the ‘Dictionary of Martyrs India’s Freedom Struggle (1857-1947)’, if an earlier review report to the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) is accepted. Communist revolutionaries of Kerala The four who may make it to the list include Aboobacker and Chirukandan of Kayyur, “who walked… Continue reading

[pib] Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF 2.0)

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0. About CSCAF 2.0 A framework is a climate-sensitive approach to urban planning and development in India. It was developed after a review of existing frameworks and assessment approaches adopted throughout the world. It followed a series of an… Continue reading

[pib] Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems, 2019

The Results of the second edition of Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems were recently released by Minister of Commerce & Industry. About the Ranking The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has conducted the second edition of the States Startup Ranking Exercise. The key objective is to foster competitiveness… Continue reading

‘Streets for People’ Challenge

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the initiative ‘Streets for People’ for making cities more pedestrian-friendly. Streets for People The Challenge builds on the advisory issued by MoHUA for the holistic planning for pedestrian-friendly market spaces, earlier this year. It will support cities across the country to develop a unified vision of streets… Continue reading

The way out on GST compensation

The economic disruption due to pandemic has made the issue of GST compensation bone of contention between the Centre and the States. This article argues that it is the GST Council and not the Centre which is responsible to find ways to raise the revenue in such a situation. GST revenue loss and role of… Continue reading

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