Species in news: Band-tail Scorpionfish

A rare band-tail scorpionfish was recently found in the Gulf of Mannar. A stand-alone species being mentioned in the news for the first time (and that too from Southern India) find their way into the prelims. Make special note here. Usually, note the species and its habitat location (IUCN status if available), in the purview… Continue reading

Three thresholds in Industrial Disputes Act that need revision

Sometimes the measures we come up with end up doing exactly the opposite of what they were supposed to do. This might be the case with some provisions in the Industrial Dispute Act. This article deals with 3 such provisions in the IDA. So, what are these provisions? How the issues caused by these provisions… Continue reading

How would Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of power subsidy work?

Context Punjab has been providing free power to the agriculture sector. The new Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 has proposed providing subsidy on power to farmers through DBT, which is contrary to the prevailing ‘free power’ system in Punjab. Free or subsidised power is being provided to millions of consumers in almost every state. Punjab is… Continue reading

Delimitation Commission for NE states and UTs

Lok Sabha speaker has nominated 15 MPs to assist the Delimitation Commission in redrawing the Lok Sabha and the Assembly constituencies of the northeastern states and the Union Territories. Practice question for mains: Q. What is the Delimitation of Constituencies? Discuss its significance. What is Delimitation? Why is it needed? Delimitation is the act of… Continue reading

‘Rozgar Setu’ Scheme for skilled workers

The Madhya Pradesh has announced the launch of the ‘Rozgar Setu’ Scheme to help secure employment for skilled workers who have returned. State schemes are quite often seen in the news. They are very important from the prelims perspective: Rytha Bandu (Telangana): Cash transfer scheme of Rs 5,000/acre, per season KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood… Continue reading

Expansion of the Amery Ice Shelf

There would be a 24% increase in the expansion of the Amery Ice Shelf (AIS) boundaries in Antarctica by 2021 and another 24 per cent by 2026 from its 2016 positions, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa has predicted. Practice question for mains: Q. Discuss the interrelation between Cryosphere… Continue reading

Missile Park ‘AGNEEPRASTHA’

Foundation Stone for a Missile Park “AGNEEPRASTHA” was recently laid at INS Kalinga, Vizag. Caution: Agneeprastha is a missile park of the eastern naval command of the Indian Navy. It has nothing to do with the Agni missiles. Missile Park ‘Agneeprastha’ ‘Agneeprastha’ aims to capture glimpses of Missile History of INS Kalinga since 1981 till… Continue reading

India-China confrontation: Not a standalone event

The recent India-China standoff in Ladakh points to a larger picture of the Chinese agenda of regional dominance. The US-China tension has proved to be the backdrop against which the Ladakh standoff is playing out. This article suggests that this standoff is not a standalone event. It could well be a trigger for domino effect.… Continue reading

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India

The FDI in India grew by 13% to a record of $49.97 billion in the 2019-20 financial years, according to official data. Get aware with the recently updated FDI norms. Key facts mentioned in this newscard can make a direct statement based MCQ in the prelims. Ex. FDI source in decreasing order: Singapore – Mauritius… Continue reading

India-Pak cooperation against Locusts Attack

As another locust swarm comes from Pakistan, the spotlight is again on the India-Pakistan dynamic that has come into play. Do you know? The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) believes locusts have decimated close to 70,000 hectares of crops in Kenya, 30,000 hectares in Ethiopia and 42,000 hectares of crops in the state of Rajasthan.… Continue reading

[pib] Instant PAN through Aadhaar based e-KYC

The Union Finance Ministry has launched the facility for instant allotment of (Permanent Account Number) PAN. Try this question from CSP 2018: Q.) Consider the following gatemen. 1. Aadhaar card can be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile. 2. Once issued, the Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority. Which… Continue reading

Alleviating the farmers’ pain

The article discusses the recently announced reforms in the agri-marketing. The legal changes promised are expected to deal with problems farmer face in selling their products and a law dealing with contract farming. These legal reforms are expected to increase farmers’ income. Some of the issues faced by the farmers If any class of economic… Continue reading

How effective is the stimulus package to revive the supply chains?

Disruption of the supply chains lies at the heart of the decline in the output amid lockdown. And the government has announced the fiscal stimulus to revive the economy. How effective will be the fiscal stimulus to streamline the supply chains? The focus of this article is on tackling this question. Disruption in supply chains… Continue reading

What is the Korean Armistice Agreement?

A United Nations investigation into a recent exchange of gunfire between North Korea and South Korea inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has determined that both countries violated the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Practice question for mains: Q. What is the Korean Armstice Agreement? Discuss the concept of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)? The… Continue reading

What is the doctrine of Force Majeure?

The recent spread of the Coronavirus has triggered a global slowdown and has rendered ongoing business operations of several organisations to almost a standstill. This has resorted them to invoking the ‘force majeure’ clause to seek some relief. Practice question for mains: Q) What is the doctrine of Force Majeure and Frustration of a Contract?… Continue reading

Species in news: Dugong

The dugong, commonly known as the sea cow, is fighting for its survival in Indian waters experts have said on the eve of ‘World Dugong Day’ on May 28, 2020. Try this question from CSP 2015: Q) With reference to ‘dugong’, a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1) It… Continue reading

R&D: Path to self-reliant India

What does it take to be self-reliant? (Hint: R&D!) This is the question this article tries to answer. After independence, we had a good start in R&D. But what went wrong? What was the role played by globalisation? Did the globalisation deliver on its promise of technology transfer? And finally, what lies on the way… Continue reading

Online education must supplement, not replace, physical sites of learning

Left with no choice, many education institutions turned to online mode. But could that be a new normal? This article analyses the indispensable role of online education. However, online education cannot be a substitute for traditional education institutes. WHY? Read the article to know about the vital role of traditional educational institutions… Online education (OE):… Continue reading

What is South Atlantic Anomaly?

New data obtained by the European Space Agency (ESA) Swarm satellites has revealed the existence of a mysterious anomaly weakening the Earth’s magnetic field. Termed as ‘South Atlantic Anomaly’, it extends all the way from South America to southwest Africa. The term ‘South Atlantic Anomaly’ at its first sight looks similar to any climate/oceanic current… Continue reading

Aarogya Setu app is now open source

Amid concerns over privacy of data being collected by its COVID-19 contact tracing app, the union government has open-sourced the Aarogya Setu app. Right to Privacy is an important topic for GS. The Aarogya Setu app which has a lot more to offer is under the radar due to the underlying vacuum of Privacy Law… Continue reading

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