Legislative Councils and its abolition

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly recently passed a resolution to abolish the state’s Legislative Council (LC). Legislative Councils The LC or Vidhan Parishad is the upper house in those states that have a bicameral legislature; the lower house being the State Legislative Assembly. Its establishment is defined in Article 169 of the Constitution of India. Each… Continue reading

Liberation of Auschwitz

Yesterday on January 27th survivors of the Holocaust and international heads of state marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. During the Second World War, the government of Nazi Germany killed approximately 17 million people across Europe in half a dozen camps specifically designated for killings. Of these seven killing centers, the… Continue reading

[op-ed of the day] The convergence of rich nations with the rest has gone off track

Context Sound policies are needed to put emerging economies back on a higher growth path and ameliorate regional inequalities. The theory of convergence The theory of convergence is one of the most powerful and noblest ideas in economics. What is it? It is the concept that other things being equal, poorer economies should catch up… Continue reading

[op-ed snap] The hype over hypersonics

Context Russia announced that its new hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), Avangard, had been made operational. What HGV is and where the US and China stand What is HGV and what is it capable of? Speed over 5 Mach: A hypersonic delivery system is essentially a ballistic or cruise missile that can fly for long distances… Continue reading

Biorock technique for Coral Restoration

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with help from Gujarat’s forest department, is attempting for the first time a process to restore coral reefs using biorock or mineral accretion technology. What is Biorock Technique? Biorock is the name given to the substance formed by electro accumulation of minerals dissolved in seawater on steel structures that… Continue reading

Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2020

What is the news: The Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) was recently published. Performance Analysis India has climbed eight places to 72nd rank in the GTCI which was topped by Switzerland, the US and Singapore. Sweden (4th), Denmark (5th), the Netherlands (6th), Finland (7th), Luxembourg (8th), Norway (9th) and Australia (10th) complete the top 10… Continue reading

Nagardhan Excavations

Recent archaeological excavations at Nagardhan near Nagpur have provided concrete evidence on the life, religious affiliations and trade practices of the Vakataka dynasty that ruled parts of Central and South India between the third and fifth centuries. After a 1,500 year-old sealing was excavated for the first time, a new study in Numismatic Digest… Continue reading

Oslo Peace Accord

Palestinian officials threatened to withdraw from key provisions of the Oslo Accords, which define relations with Israel, if U.S. President Donald Trump announces his Middle East peace plan next week. The Oslo Peace Accord The Oslo Accords were a landmark moment in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. Actually a set of… Continue reading

Operation Alberich

The recently released ‘1917’ movie tells the story of two British soldiers during the WWI in Operation Alberich, the strategic retreat in which their troops were taken back to the Hindenburg Line in 1917. What was Operation Alberich? Operation Alberich is considered among Germany’s most important operations on the Western Front in 1917, as well… Continue reading

Sagarmatha Sambaad

Nepal has invited the PMs of India and Pakistan along with several other heads of government and heads of state for the Sagarmatha Sambaad. Sagarmatha Sambaad Sagarmatha Sambaad is a multi-stakeholder, permanent global dialogue forum initiated by the Government of Nepal. It is scheduled to be held biennially in Nepal. The Sambaad (dialogue) is… Continue reading

[op-ed snap] Frame rules to govern how devices identify us

Context Facial recognition technology is set to become an integral part of the law enforcement toolkit, but we should regulate this technology before it pervades our public spaces. What are the issues with the use of facial recognition? Enormous possibilities for law enforcement agencies: Detectives have been using facial recognition to solve crimes for almost… Continue reading

ICDS Programme

Centre seeks to revamp the ICDS scheme in urban areas. For this NITI Aayog will develop draft policy, which will be circulated to the Ministries for consultations. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) The ICDS is a government programme in India which provides food, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health check-up and referral services to… Continue reading

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

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