NavIC navigation system

Qualcomm Technologies has released chipsets, supporting India’s own GPS system ‘Navigation with Indian Constellation’ (NavIC). New androids to be equipped with NavIC The Qualcomm chipsets now supports up to 7 satellite constellations at the same time, including the use of all of NavIC’s operating satellites. These enhancements will enable select mobile, automotive and IoT… Continue reading

[op-ed of the day] Lady Gaganaut

Context The first gaganaut-Vyomamitra- to head for space in an Indian craft will not be human, but humanoid. What Vyomamitra would do on spaceflight? Test the technological environment: Vyomamitra unveiled by ISRO will fly two missions to test the technological environment which human gaganauts will inhabit on India’s first demonstration of human spaceflight in 2022.… Continue reading

[op-ed snap] Budgeting for jobs, skilling and economic revival

Context With the unemployment rate at 6.1 (2017-18), not just the future of the economy, the future of the country’s youth depends on the Budget. Unemployment and other indicators of the economy Unemployment in urban youth: The unemployment rate for urban youth in the 15-29 years category is alarmingly high at 22.5%. These figures, however,… Continue reading

Corruption Perception Index 2019

The Corruption Perception report for 2019 has been released. It has revealed that a majority of countries are showing little to no improvement in tackling corruption. About CPI The CPI is annually released by Transparency International. It draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, giving… Continue reading

Enemy Property in India

A Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Home Minister will monitor the disposal of over 9,400 enemy properties, which the government estimates is worth about Rs 1 lakh crore. Two committees headed by senior officials will be set up for the disposal of immovable enemy properties vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for… Continue reading

Specialized Supervisory and Regulatory Cadre (SSRC)

The RBI has decided to recruit 35% of the specialised supervisory and regulatory cadre from the market while the remaining 65% will be recruited via internal promotions. Specialized Supervisory and Regulatory Cadre (SSRC) The SSRC will comprise officers in Grade B to Executive Director level. In Nov. last year RBI decided to reorganize its regulation… Continue reading

[pib] National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP)

NITI Aayog has released its vision for the National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP). National Data and Analytics Platform The platform aims to democratize access to publicly available government data. NDAP will host the latest datasets from various government websites, present them coherently, and provide tools for analytics and visualization. It will spearhead the… Continue reading

[op-ed of the day] The flawed spin to India’s cotton story

Context This year, India is expected to be the world’s largest cotton producer, surpassing China in output. However, India’s productivity (yield per unit area), is much lower than other major cotton-producing countries. India’s experience with cotton India is the only country growing hybrids: India is the only country that grows cotton as hybrids and the… Continue reading

[op-ed snap] Where demand has gone

Context That India is in the midst of a serious economic slowdown is no longer in question. The debates are now mostly about what to do about it. Where is the GDP growth coming from? Fall in consumption expenditure in absolute terms: The leaked National Sample Survey (NSS) consumer expenditure data -shows that real monthly… Continue reading

Democracy Index 2019

The latest edition of the Democracy Index spells gloom for India. The world’s biggest democracy slipped 10 places in the 2019 global ranking to 51st place. Democracy Index The report is published by The Economist Intelligence Unit — the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, which is the sister company to The… Continue reading

Global Risks Report 2020

The top five risks to humanity are recently published in the Global Risks Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Top five risks An important finding of the report is that today’s younger generation, consisting of “Millenials” born after 1980 have ranked environmental risks higher than other older respondents in the short- and long-terms. According… Continue reading

‘Time to Care’ Report

The report ‘Time to Care’ was recently released ahead of the 50th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). ‘Time to Care’ Report It is published by Oxfam International. Its calculations are based on the latest data sources available, including from the Credit Suisse Research Institute’s Global Wealth Databook 2019 and Forbes’ 2019… Continue reading

Vyom Mitra: ISRO’s half-humanoid

ISRO unveiled its first ‘woman’ astronaut during the event ‘Human Spaceflight and Exploration’. Vyom Mitra The AI-based robotic system is being developed at a robotics lab at the VSSC in Thiruvananthapuram. Vyom Mitra will be used for an unmanned flight of ISRO’s GSLV III rocket in December 2020, which, along with a second unmanned… Continue reading

Blue Corner Notice

Interpol has issued a Blue Corner notice to help locate an infamous fugitive self-styled godman weeks after the Gujarat Police sought the agency’s intervention for this. ‘Blue Corner’ notice According to the Interpol website, “Notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.” There are seven… Continue reading

[pib] SERVICE Initiative

The Steel Authority of India Ltd has launched an initiative called SERVICE to promote Voluntary Philanthropist Activities (VPA) by its employees. About SERVICE SERVICE stands for “SAIL Employee Rendering Voluntarism and Initiatives for Community Engagement (SERVICE)”. It aims to promote and facilitate philanthropist activities by the employees in a structured manner. The Minister also launched… Continue reading

Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) in Hawaii

India, a partner in the construction of one of the largest telescopes in the world, TMT, has said it wants the project to be moved out of the proposed site at Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii. Thirty Metre Telescope The TMT is a proposed astronomical observatory with an extremely large telescope (ELT)… Continue reading

InvITs and REITs

Markets regulator SEBI has put in place a framework for the rights issue of units by listed REIT and InvITs. What are InvITs and REITs? Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvIT) An Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvITs) is like a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of small amounts of money from possible individual/institutional investors in infrastructure… Continue reading

Persons in news: Warren Hastings and his Impeachment Case

Donald Trump’s impeachment trial started in the US Senate. A precedent being discussed is that of the Warren Hastings case — the famous failed attempt by the British Parliament to impeach India’s first governor-general. Warren Hastings Warren Hastings, the first governor-general of Bengal (and the first de facto Governor-General of India), is considered among the… Continue reading

Corona Virus

Chinese scientists have confirmed can spread between human beings. Corona Virus Corona viruses are large family of viruses, which cause illnesses to people and also circulate in animals including camels, cats and bats. They cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute… Continue reading

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