Steppe Eagle

A lone endangered steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) has been sighted by a group of birdwatchers in a paddy field near Vijayawada. Steppe Eagle The Steppe Eagle is a migratory raptor which has undergone extremely rapid population declines within all its range. It breeds in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia during the winter season. Steppe eagle… Continue reading

Pulse Polio Programme

The beginning of this year’s Pulse Polio Programme was inaugurated from the Rashtrapati Bhavan itself. To prevent the virus from coming to India, the government has since March 2014 made the Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) mandatory for those travelling between India and polio-affected countries. The Pulse Polio Programme India launched the Pulse Polio immunisation programme… Continue reading

Drone Census

India’s first drone census has seen only 2,500 Ownership Acknowledgment Numbers (OANs) being issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) since five days of beginning. Drone Census The MoCA had issued a notice providing a one-time opportunity for voluntary disclosure of all drones and operators starting from January 14. The DGCA issued the Civil… Continue reading

Irrawaddy Dolphins

146 Irrawaddy dolphins were recently sighted in Chilika Lake of Odisha. The lake has highest single lagoon population of the aquatic mammal in the world. Irrawaddy Dolphins IUCN Status: Endangered Scientific Name: Orcaella brevirostris Habitats: Lakes, Rivers, Estuaries, and Coasts The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near… Continue reading

[op-ed of the day] Business possibilities in a world of digital payments

Context UPI has brought digital payments to the common man and it has immense scope for growth. Zero MDR rate Recently the finance minister made the announcement of the zero merchant discount rate (MDR) policy for payments through RuPay debit cards and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) instruments. What does it mean? This policy dictates that… Continue reading

[pib] APNA UREA – SonaUgle

APNA UREA – SonaUgle The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers launched the “APNA UREA – SonaUgle” brand of Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL). HURL is Joint Venture Company promoted by the three Maharatna Companies i.e. Coal India Limited (CIL), NTPC Limited (NTPC) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) as the lead promoters… Continue reading

Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF)

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has informed that telecom service providers will need to deposit all unclaimed money of consumers, including excess charges and security deposit, in the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF). Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF) The TCEPF Regulations, 2007 have been amended to provide the basic… Continue reading

Agreement to end the Bru-Reang Refugee Crisis

The Ministry of Home Affairs has presided over the signing of an agreement between Union Government, Governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives to end the 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee crisis. Who are the Brus? Reangs or Brus are the second largest ethnic group in Mizoram. Their exodus in 1997 was spurred by violent… Continue reading

Suspension of the Internet: What the Rules say, what the SC underlined

Women Business and the Law (WBL) Index 2020

The Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index to measure the economic empowerment of women was recently published. WBL Index The WBL report released by the World Bank. It is based on the countries’ formal laws and regulations that have a bearing on women’s economic participation, covering eight areas (eg, parenthood, equality of pay).… Continue reading

[pib] Assam Inland Water Transport Project

India and the World Bank signed a loan agreement of $88 million for Assam Inland Water Transport Project. Assam Inland Water Transport Project A majority of Assam’s more than 361 ferry routes cross the Brahmaputra or serve its islands, providing a crucial means of transport to thousands of commuters in both the urban and rural… Continue reading

[op-ed snap] Reset and reform

Context With the Indian economy caught in the middle of a socio-economic upheaval, the government needs to make its focus on the economy clear and pronounced. India in the middle of a socio-economic upheaval Weakening economy: The economy has been weakening for a couple of years now. Social upheaval: The social upheaval is new but… Continue reading

Explained: What is the NIA Act, and why is Chhattisgarh challenging it?

The Chhattisgarh state govt. moved the Supreme Court against the 2008 National Investigative Agency (NIA) Act, stating it is violative of the Constitution. In its civil suit, the government told the apex court the NIA should have no power over state policing matters. What is the NIA Act, 2008? The NIA Act, 2008 governs the… Continue reading

[op-ed of the day] GST may not have been revenue-neutral

Context In theory, the shift to GST made eminent sense, yet in practice, some of these expectations have been belied. Why have GST collections not measured up to expectations? This could be due to a combination of three factors: First: The tax rates under GST are lower than in the earlier regime-GST was not revenue… Continue reading

[op-ed snap] A rough patch

Context High inflation has reduced the fiscal space available for a rate cut. RBI target of 6% breached. CPI at 7.35 %: Retail inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), has surged to 7.35 per cent in December 2019. Latest inflation data seems to corroborate fears articulated by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)… Continue reading

Explained: Article 131, on which Kerala has based its challenge to the CAA

The Kerala government moved the Supreme Court against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act becoming the first state to challenge the law. It filed a petition under Article 131 of the Constitution and asked for the law to be declared unconstitutional and in violation of Articles 14 (equality before law), 21 (protection of life and personal liberty)… Continue reading

National Policy for the treatment of 450 ‘Rare Diseases’

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has published a national policy for the treatment of 450 ‘rare diseases’. About the Policy The Centre first prepared such a policy in 2017 and appointed a committee in 2018 to review it. It was created on the direction of the Delhi High Court to the Ministry… Continue reading

Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2019

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2019 (rural) was recently released by NGO Pratham. Highlights of the report Only 16% of children in Class 1 in 26 surveyed rural districts can read text at the prescribed level, while almost 40% cannot even recognise letters. Only 41% of these children could recognise two digit numbers.… Continue reading

[pib] BIS Gold Hallmarking

Gold hallmarking is being made mandatory to ensure consumers are not cheated, are better informed about purity and corruption is removed. Gold Hallmarking Bureau of Indian Standards (Hallmarking) Regulations, 2018 were notified w.e.f. 14.06.2018. BIS is running a hallmarking scheme for gold jewelry since April 2000. The BIS Act 2016 has enabling provisions under Section… Continue reading

Centre eases CRZ rules for ‘Blue Flag’ beaches

The MoEFCC has relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules that restrict construction near beaches to help States construct infrastructure and enable them to receive ‘Blue Flag’ certification. Why such move? The Blue Flag certification, however, requires beaches to create certain infrastructure — portable toilet blocks, grey water treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities,… Continue reading

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