An unrest, a slowdown and a health epidemic

Context India faces imminent danger from the trinity of social disharmony, economic slowdown and a global health epidemic. Social disharmony Violence in Capital: Delhi has been subjected to extreme violence over the past few weeks. We have lost nearly 50 of our fellow Indians for no reason. Several hundred people have suffered injuries. Communal tensions have been… Continue reading

When does Speaker suspend MPs from Lok Sabha?

Seven MPs of a political party were suspended for unruly behaviour in the Lok Sabha. The motion was passed by a voice vote. What is the reason for suspending an MP? The general principle is that it is the role and duty of the Speaker of Lok Sabha to maintain order so that the House… Continue reading

Freedom in the World 2020

India has become one of the world’s least free democracies, according to a global survey. Freedom in the World Report It is a yearly survey and report by the U.S. based non-governmental organization Freedom House. It measures the degree of civil liberties and political rights in every nation and significant related and disputed territories… Continue reading

World University Rankings by Subject 2020

Indian higher-education institutes have improved their performance on the global stage, with a greater number getting ranked in the top-100 programs, according to the latest edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2020. Major findings of the report IIT Bombay (44), IIT Delhi (47), IIT Kharagpur (86), IIT Madras… Continue reading

[pib] Law for Rain Water Harvesting

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has issued the Model Building Bye Laws, 2016 for guidance of the States/UTs and has a chapter on ‘Rainwater Harvesting’. Why such move? These laws aim to regulate the over-exploitation and consequent depletion of ground water. It would enable States/UTs to enact suitable ground water legislation… Continue reading

[pib] Mega Consolidation in Public Sector Banks

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the mega consolidation of ten PSBs into four which include the – Amalgamation of Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India into Punjab National Bank Amalgamation of Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank Amalgamation of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of… Continue reading

A disconnected pedagogy

Context The gap between jobs, needs and knowledge, and the absence of role models, could be turning India’s demographic dividend into a nightmare. National curriculum and problems with it What is in our national curriculum? It is a fixed set of topics prescribed in all subjects — from physics to geography, and engineering to planning.… Continue reading

Biju Patnaik: The flying ace who helped Indian and foreign freedom movements

Recently, 104th birth anniversary of former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik was celebrated. He was a decorated freedom fighter. PM tweeted an Intelligence Bureau document from 1945 to show how Patnaik bravely lent his flying skills to rescue freedom fighters like Ram Manohar Lohia. Biju Pattnaik Bijayananda Patnaik (1916-1997), popularly known as Biju… Continue reading

Supreme Court ruling on Virtual Currency

The Supreme Court in a significant move has set aside a ban by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on banks and financial institutions from dealing with virtual currency holders and exchanges. Why did the Supreme Court ban virtual currencies? In a circular in 2018, the RBI had banned banks from dealing with virtual currency… Continue reading

Way out lies within

Context Domestic demand must play a greater role in India’s growth story. Recovery in the Indian economy Sub-5 per cent growth rate: India’s fourth-quarter GDP growth (the calendar year 2019) printed another sub-5 per cent growth rate. Favourable base effect: It would have been lower had it not been for the large downward revisions to… Continue reading

Teaching the teacher

Context Our teacher education system must be aligned with global standards. Learning crisis and teacher vacancies in India Teacher education as a status check on schooling education: Comparable to the role of a thermometer in diagnosing fever, an assessment of the quality of teacher education can be a status check on the schooling system. Teachers… Continue reading

The growth challenge

Context The focus in the near future should to increase investments and facilitate credit for funding these productive assets so that India’s potential output growth can steadily rise. Growth prospects of India The NSO forecast at 5%: The latest data from the National Statistical Office (NSO) retained India’s economic growth forecast at 5 per cent… Continue reading

Explained: Why UN Human Rights Commission intends to intervene in a SC case against CAA?

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights “intends to file” an Intervention Application in the Supreme Court of India seeking to intervene in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1474 of 2019 and praying that it be allowed to make submissions. On what grounds is a UN body seeking to intervene in a case regarding a domestic… Continue reading

National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA)

The Central government is working on the establishment of an exclusive body to implement projects for linking rivers. National Interlinking of Rivers Authority To be called the NIRA, the proposed body is expected to take up both inter-State and intra-State projects. It will also make arrangements for generating up funds, internally and externally.… Continue reading

[pib] Biomethanation Process

In an all India coordinated project, efforts are on to produce bio-gas for kitchen use and quality manure for fields using bio-methanation of rice straw by anaerobic digestion method. Six domestic level paddy straw-based bio-gas plants have been installed in Punjab for field trials and further study is in progress. What is Biomethanation?… Continue reading

[pib] Amendment to the Export Policy of APIs and formulations made from these APIs

The Government has made amendments in the export policy and restricted export of specified APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) and formulations made from these APIs. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) All drugs are made up of two core components: the API, which is the central ingredient, and the excipients, the substances other than the drug that helps… Continue reading

[pib] Regulating Content of Trans-Fat in Oils and Fats

The limit of trans-fats to be not more than 5% is prescribed under Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 for vanaspati, bakery shortenings, bakery and industrial margarine and interesterified vegetable fats/oils. What are Trans Fats? Artificial Trans fats are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen… Continue reading

Students Suicides in India

Between 2016 and 2018, nearly 10,000 students committed suicide every year in India, data tabled by the Human Resource Development Ministry in Parliament show. About the Report HRD Ministry sourced its data from ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’. The report is based on data provided by the states and UTs. Highlights of… Continue reading

Species in news: Swamp Wallaby

Researchers reported that the swamp wallaby, a marsupial related to the kangaroo, is pregnant throughout its adult life. It typically conceives a new embryo days before delivering the newborn from its previous pregnancy. Swamp wallaby IUCN Status: Least Concerned The swamp wallaby is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. It is likely the… Continue reading

Pushing the wrong energy buttons

Context For more than a decade, no major meeting between an Indian Prime Minister and a U.S. President has passed without a ritual reference to India’s promise made in 2008 to purchase American nuclear reactors. Issues in the nuclear deal Construction of reactors: During president Trumps visit techno-commercial offer for the construction of six nuclear… Continue reading

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