Species in news: Horseshoe Crab

Horseshoe crabs face an uncertain future in Odisha, their largest habitat in India, even as the world gets ready to celebrate the first-ever ‘International Horseshoe Crab Day’ on June 20, 2020. Try this question from CSP 2012: Q. Which one of the following groups of animals belongs to the category of endangered species? (a) Great… Continue reading

We must aspire for nurturing economy

The sight of thousands of migrant workers walking thousands of kms back home after lockdown has been the watershed moment for the collective conscience of our country. This made us think about the present economic model and policies we have been adopting. So, the answer to the problems created by the present model lies in… Continue reading

India gets re-elected as Non-permanent Member of UNSC

India gets re-elected as Non-permanent Members of UNSC with 184 out of the 192 valid votes polled in its favour. Practice question for mains: Q. United Nations is in need of structural reforms suiting to the needs of present times. Discuss. What are ‘non-permanent seats’ at the UNSC? The UNSC is composed of 15 members:… Continue reading

What is Civil Services Board?

Punjab government notifying Civil Services Board providing for a fixed tenure of IAS officers has left its leaders in the state upset. Practice questions for mains: Q. Discuss how fixed tenure for Civil Servants helps provide better administration. What is the Civil Services Board (CSB)? Civil Services Board is responsible for the entry-level recruitment and… Continue reading

Rule of Law Index and India

The Supreme Court has asked the government to treat a writ petition for setting up expert panels to boost India’s prospects in the Rule of Law Index. Note the various factors/sub-indices on which the index is measured. There can be a direct question on these in line with: Q. Which one of the following is… Continue reading

How ‘Vaccine Nationalism’ could block vulnerable populations’ access to COVID-19 vaccines

Hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine candidates are currently being developed. Many countries are securing priority access to doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Practice question for Mains: Q. What is Vaccine Nationalism? Discuss various ethical issues involved and its impact on vulnerable populations across the globe. Vaccine nationalism during COVID-19 Vaccine nationalism occurs when a country manages to… Continue reading

“Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region” Report

The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has released the “Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region” Report. This newscard discusses a very important concept: the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP). Note its definition. It can be directly asked as a statement based on prelims MCQ. Highlights of the report Average surface air temperatures over… Continue reading

COVID Isolation Coaches and their deployment

The Union govt. has declared that 500 COVID isolation coaches would be deployed in Delhi. So far, over 5,000 coaches have been converted into COVID isolation coaches across India. Practice question for mains: Q. Health infrastructure in India is hardly capable of handling any pandemic. Critically comment. What are these COVID Isolation Coaches? In March,… Continue reading

Species in news: Hilsa Fish

Fishermen in West Bengal are in for a pleasant surprise amid the COVID-19 gloom as they have exuded hope of a bumper yield of Hilsa, known as “maacher rani” (queen of fish). Try this question from CSP 2019: Q. Consider the following pairs: Wildlife Naturally found in 1. Blue-finned Mahseer Cauvery River 2. Irrawaddy Dolphin Chambal River… Continue reading

What are Biosimilars?

Recently an Indian pharma company has been granted a USFDA approval for Insulin Glargine, a biosimilar. This article briefly introduces us to this term, complexities involved in its manufacturing and also explains why the USFDA approval create hype. The story of simple molecules and some difficult diseases Ever since modern medicine started to emerge post… Continue reading

Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)

India joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) as a founding member to support the responsible and human-centric development and use of AI. Practice question for mains: Q. Discuss India’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI) unveiled by the NITI Aayog. About GPAI GPAI is an international and multi-stakeholder initiative to guide the responsible development… Continue reading

Indian Gas Exchange (IGX): the first nationwide online delivery-based gas trading platform

India’s first gas exchange — the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) — was launched by the Ministry of Petroleum. The exchange is expected to facilitate transparent price discovery in natural gas, and facilitate the growth of the share of natural gas in India’s energy basket. Note the following things with caution from the newscard: IGX allows… Continue reading

SIPRI Report on Nuclear Stockpiles

All nations that have nuclear weapons continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals, while India and China increased their nuclear warheads in the last one year, according to a latest report by Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). About SIPRI Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Sweden,… Continue reading

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The UN nuclear watchdog IAEA’s governing body began meeting as a row brews over Iran’s refusal to allow access to two sites where nuclear activity may have occurred in the past. Practice question for mains: Q. Discuss the role of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in enhancing nuclear accountability of the world. Concerns over Iran… Continue reading

What is the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)?

Scientists have observed the fifth state of matter in space for the first time, offering unprecedented insight that could help solve some of the quantum universe’s most intractable conundrums. Try this question from CSP 2018 Q. Consider the following phenomena: Light is affected by gravity. The Universe is constantly expanding. Matter warps its surrounding space-time.… Continue reading

Skill University

This article highlights the utility of skill education in India. There are several benefits in its adoption. But it would require several regulatory changes. So, what are these changes?Read to know… 3 issues with our university education The differential lockdown outcomes for skilled and unskilled workers highlight our university system’s pre-existing conditions. These are- 1)… Continue reading

Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)

India is looking to post Navy Liaison Officers at the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) of IOC in Madagascar and also at the European maritime surveillance initiative in the Strait of Hormuz. Note the members of the IOC form map. One may get confused considering India as a permanent member. About Indian Ocean Commission… Continue reading

GST on processed food items

A recent GST ruling sparked off the debate with the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR, Karnataka Bench) suggesting parottas would be subject to a higher GST rate of 18 per cent as compared to roti. Try this question from CSP 2018: Q. Consider the following items: Cereal grains hulled Chicken eggs cooked Fish processed and… Continue reading

AarogyaPath Platform for the Healthcare Supply Chain

AarogyaPath Platform has been recently launched to provide real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies. Possible prelims question: Q. The AarogyaPath platform recently seen in news is related to: Options: a) Tracking of COVID patients/ b) Emergency ambulances service/c) Supply-chain solutions of healthcare facilities/ d)E-com portal for generic medicines … Aarogyapath platform The information platform named… Continue reading

Digital surveillance for Covid could do more harm than good

Two issues are examined in detail in this article. The first is about the lack of legal framework in India. And the second which is related to the first is the deployment of technology and its benefit and issues it raises. The nature of private-friendly technology to track the disease is also elaborated. Disease surveillance… Continue reading

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