What is Post-intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)?

Various news reports in recent weeks have pointed out that for some COVID-19 patients who needed intensive care, the journey to recovery is a long one. After leaving the ICU, they may suffer from what is known as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which can happen to any person who has been in the ICU. Infectious… Continue reading

Partnership with the private sector in a fight against Covid-19

The article delineates five areas in which partnership with the private sector is essential to deal effectively with the epidemic and ensure a whole-of-society response. Ensuring the participation of the private sector has been the recurring theme of many op-eds we have come across after the outbreak. Significance of private healthcare in India According to… Continue reading

TRAI wants set top boxes to be made interoperable

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended that all set-top boxes (STBs) in the country must be interoperable, meaning that consumers should be able to use the same STB across different DTH or cable TV providers. The TRAI and Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal are quite often seen in the news. Most… Continue reading

[pib] Amendment to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006

To address unprecedented situation arising from the global outbreak of COVID-19 and to ramp up availability or production of various drugs, the MoEFCC has made an amendment to EIA Notification 2006. EIA is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health… Continue reading

What are MK 54 torpedoes, AGM-84L Harpoon missiles that US has cleared for sale to India?

The US has approved a military sale to India of 16 MK 54 all round up lightweight torpedoes and ten AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles. India plans to use the equipment requested in both the deals on the Indian Navy’s Boeing P-8I maritime aircraft. What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)” , sometimes… Continue reading

Making use of technology to trace Covid-19 cases

The article argues for the greater adoption of technology in tracing the Covid-19. Taking a cue from the success of JAM and UPI, recently launched app Aarogya Setu could also be the next game-changer in the fight against the pandemic. However, there are several challenges that are also discussed here. Success story of domestic digital… Continue reading

Ambedkar and the Poona Pact

Yesterday was the birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of our constitution. On that occasion, author of the news (originally published in TH) highlights the significance of Poona Pact in the formation of our Constitution. The Poona Pact of 1932 is a landmark event in India’s struggle for independence. It marked the… Continue reading

What is pooled testing, recommended by the ICMR?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued an advisory for using pooled samples for testing of COVID-19 in order to increase the number of tests conducted by laboratories across the country. COVID-19 containment measures are pacing up across the country. However, it is argued that we are lagging in the number of tests… Continue reading

[pib] CollabCAD tool to create 3D Computer Aided Designs

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and National Informatics Centre (NIC) jointly launched CollabCAD. CollabCAD It is a computer-enabled software system which provides a total engineering solution from 2D drafting & detailing to 3D product design. It helps the user to build models in virtual 3d space and create and engineering drawings for the shop floor… Continue reading

[pib] Swayam Prabha TV Channels

The HRD Ministry has taken several prompt, new and unique initiatives to ensure that the education of learners should not get affected by the challenging situation arising out of COVID 19. One of them is Swayamprabha TV channels. There are various web/portals/apps with peculiar names such as YUKTI, DISHA, SWAYAM etc. Their core purpose is… Continue reading

Removal of AP State Election Commissioner by ordinance route

The removal of the SEC by the ordinance route raises the question over the legality of the move. And if it passes the judicial scrutiny it would harm the independence of the body. The legality of the removal and its implication for free and fair elections The fact that it was the culmination of an… Continue reading

Using knowledge-era technology to bridge the urban-rural gap

This article puts forward the idea of using knowledge-era technology to minimise the difference between rural and urban areas. In the first part, it elaborates the reasons and circumstances that led to the neglect of rural areas and development in urban areas. In the next part, the idea of using knowledge-era technologies to close the… Continue reading

Is the Centre’s lockdown different from a state’s lockdown?

The central government has extended the 21-day nationwide lockdown by two more weeks. Before this, some states had already ordered to extend the lockdown till the end of this month. How do the two lockdowns differ? Newspapers are flooded up with news on lockdowns. The two lockdowns are fundamentally different from each other. Such difference… Continue reading

How IS regroups and its threat to India

IS has shown its ability to strike by regrouping and co-opting local affiliates be it the case of Ester Sunday attack in Sri Lanka or a recent attack on a Gurudwara in Afghanistan. For India, the presence of sleeper cells and their links with the Islamic jihad group has internal security implications. We have… Continue reading

What are Primordial Black Holes (PBH)?

A scientist duo from Pune has studied primordial black holes that were born as a result of a tiny bump in the potential energy levels of the universe, at a time when it was expanding rapidly. Strange space events are known to be the favourites of UPSC 🙂 Primordial Black Holes (PBH) PBH are a… Continue reading

How a dollar swap line with US Fed can help in uncertain times?

India is working with the US to secure a dollar swap line that would help in better management of its external account and provide an extra cushion in the event of an abrupt outflow of funds. What are Currency Swaps? A currency swap, also known as a cross-currency swap, is an off-balance sheet transaction in… Continue reading

Covid-19 donations to CM Relief Fund won’t qualify as CSR

The corporate affairs ministry has clarified that COVID-19 donations to CM Relief Fund won’t qualify as CSR contributions. Contributions considered under CSR According to the ministry, contributions made to the State Disaster Management Authority to combat COVID-19 would qualify as CSR expenditure. The contributions by companies to PM-CARES Fund to tackle the pandemic would be… Continue reading

[pib] Operation Lifeline UDAN

To ensure a steady supply of essentials, even in the most remote locations, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry launched ‘Lifeline Udan’. Don’t get confused or correlate this with Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) Scheme. The name clearly indicates that it is an HADR like operation. Whats HADR? Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Op. Lifeline… Continue reading

[pib] YUKTI web-portal

Union Ministry for HRD has launched a web-portal YUKTI (Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation). There are various web/portals/apps with peculiar names, ex. DISHA, SWAYAM. Note them down with their one line purpose. UPSC Prelims may quiz you on these. YUKTI web-portal YUKTI is a unique portal and dashboard to monitor and record… Continue reading

A plan for the aftermath

Context Everyone is agreed that the whole world is hurtling towards an unprecedented economic recession. India, already facing a massive slowdown, is going to get hurt perhaps more than the others, because our economic immune system is already weak. Three things that we must do in the present situation The first is containing the spread… Continue reading

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