A plan to revive the broken economy

The article suggests ways to revive the economy while keeping in mind the livelihood issues of the vulnerable section of society. Urgent concern should be addressed by the food and cash transfer, after that for livelihood in the rural area MGNREGA can be of great help. In the urban area, a scheme based on the… Continue reading

Credit guarantees to MSMEs: What are they and how will they help?

Finance Minister has announced some details of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic package. The main thrust of the announcements was a relief to Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs) in the form of a massive increase in credit guarantees to them. Practice questions: Q. Discuss the efficacy of various tranches of credit facilities to MSMSEs… Continue reading

Global Nutrition Report, 2020

The Global Nutrition Report 2020 has stated that India is among 88 countries that are likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025. UPSC may puzzle you by asking a prelim question like- With reference to the Global Nutrition Report, which of the following is/are a Global Nutrition Targets? Visit this link for more graphics… Continue reading

What are Integrated Battle Groups (IBG)?

The Army’s new concept of agile Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) as part of the overall force transformation will be operationalised very soon, confirmed Army Chief. Practice question for mains: The deployment of Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) is necessary for counter-insurgency operations across the terror hit borders of India. Discuss. What are IBGs? IBGs are brigade-sized,… Continue reading

JDY or NREGA card: What is better option for cash transfers?

JAM Trinity is one of the flagship policy of the government. In times of COVID crisis, this article highlights some limits of JAM trinity. Issues of inclusion error, exclusion error and even problem of transparency with JAM accounts are discussed. The NREGA cards instead of Jan Dhan account is suggested as the better option. Why… Continue reading

India-Nepal dispute over Kalapani Region

Nepal has protested against India’s inauguration of a Himalayan link road built in a disputed territory which falls at a strategic three-way junction with Tibet and China. Kathmandu claims the highly strategic areas of Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, although Indian troops have been deployed there since the 1962 war. Practice question for mains: Q. The India-Nepal… Continue reading

GI tag for Sohrai Khovar painting, Telia Rumal

Jharkhand’s Sohrai Khovar painting and Telangana’s Telia Rumal were given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry. This year, many GI tags have been allocated. A few of them to count are- Kashmir saffron, Manipur black rice, Gorakhpur terracotta, Kovilpatti kadalai mittai etc. Check here for more. Sohrai Khovar painting The Sohrai… Continue reading

[pib] Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-reliant India Mission)

The PM has announced the Atma-nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (or Self-reliant India Mission) and said that in the days to come the government would unveil the details of an economic package — worth Rs 20 lakh crore or 10% of India’s GDP in 2019-20 — aimed towards achieving this mission. Try a question: ‘Doubling Farmer’s Income’… Continue reading

[pib] CHAMPIONS Portal for Indian MSMEs

In a major initiative, Union Ministry of MSME has launched CHAMPIONS portal for assisting Indian MSMEs march into the big league as National and Global Champions. MSME sector has been hit badly by COVID. Initiatives like CHAMPIONS portal are crucial for this sector. CHAMPIONS Portal ‘CHAMPIONS’ is a technology-driven Control Room-Cum-Management Information System. The CHAMPIONS… Continue reading

Changes in labour laws: legal but not appropriate

The article examines the changes made in the labour laws by several states. The legal route to make these changes are different. While some states used the Emergency provision, others used the Ordinance route. One major issue with these changes is that these were brought in without consultation. What legal route was used by the… Continue reading

What is the Sample Registration System (SRS)?

The Registrar General of India released its Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin based on data collected for 2018. Since we are talking about birth rates and death rates, how about revising Demographic Transition Model. Can you recall 4 distinctive stages of Indian Demographic history? Sample Registration System (SRS) The SRS is a demographic survey for providing… Continue reading

Pokhran-II nuclear tests

Yesterday, May 11 was celebrated as the National Technology Day. It marks the day on which India successfully test-fired its first nuclear bombs in 1998. Practice question for mains Q. India’s nuclear policy of ‘No First Use’ needs a revamp. Examine. India and nuclear weapons India is currently among eight countries in the world that… Continue reading

Person in news: Gopal Krishna Gokhale

The Prime Minister has paid tributes to Gopal Krishna Gokhale on his birth anniversary. These days, personality-based prelims questions are quite prevalent. Q.) He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shri Krishna; stayed in America for some time; and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was – (CSP 2018) a) Aurobindo Ghosh… Continue reading

[pib] Atal Pension Yojana: Marking 5 Years of Implementation

The flagship social security scheme ‘Atal Pension Yojana’ (APY) has completed five years of successful implementation. Five years of successfull implemention of APY is a significant feat. A statement based prelims question on terms of enrolment of the APY can be asked. Atal Pension Yojana APY is a government-backed pension scheme, primarily targeted at the… Continue reading

Taking India’s agri-marketing and PDS system on a more efficient path

Agriculture is still the mainstay of Indian economy. There are certain problems that persist in the agri-marketing and PDS. The author suggests to use the present corona crisis to embark on the path of the reform in these areas. Supply lines maintained during the lockdown India seems to have contained the mortality rate from Covid-19… Continue reading

Explained: How can Inter-State workers be protected?

Context Following the novel coronavirus pandemic, the nationwide lockdown announced on March 24 at short notice has caused immense distress to migrant workers around the country. Hundreds have been seen trying to walk home to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha from their places of work in Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and so forth.… Continue reading

Relaxation in labour laws due to COVID-19 outbreak and their impacts

Amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, an increasing number of states that include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have pushed through changes to their labour laws by way of amendments — ordinances or executive orders. They aim to provide some sort of blanket exemption to employers from labour laws. Practice Question Q. Multiplicity of Labour… Continue reading

Indigenous antibody test: COVID Kavach ELISA

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune has developed and validated the indigenous IgG ELISA test “COVID KAVACH ELISA” for antibody detection for COVID-19. Our thumb rule suggests that the ELISA test is being used only for the diagnosis of HIV infection. Right? But the ELISA test is a broader… Continue reading

Florence Nightingale and her legacy

The 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing, falls tomorrow on May 12. Personality based questions sometimes find their way in the Prelims. For example: Q) A recent movie titled The Man Who Knew Infinity is based on the biography of – (CSP 2016) (a) S. Ramanujan (b) S. Chandrasekhar (c) S.… Continue reading

[pib] Mission SAGAR

As part of India’s outreach amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ships have departed for Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, to provide Food Items, COVID related Medicines including HCQ Tablets and Medical Assistance Teams under Mission Sagar. Mission SAGAR, unlike other missions, can create confusion with the name and its purpose. Make note of such… Continue reading

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