Tropical Butterfly Conservatory

The Tropical Butterfly Conservatory Tiruchirappalli (TBCT) has been developed in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirappalli to create awareness among the public about the importance of the butterfly and its ecology. Tropical Butterfly Conservatory The TBC is located in the Upper Anaicut Reserve Forest, sandwiched between the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers in Tiruchirappalli. It was inaugurated during November… Continue reading

Pull out all the stops

Context Though there is coherence in India’s response to the Covid-19, still there is more that needs to be done. Sense of coherence in India’s response Since last week, a sense of coherence is settling over India’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The national lockdown, the incomes and credit support, and the three-month debt moratorium announced by… Continue reading

Ways and Means Advances (WMA)

The RBI has raised the Ways and Means Advances, or WMA, limit by 30% for all States and UTs to enable them to tide over the crisis caused by COVID-19 outbreak. What are Ways and Means Advances? The RBI gives temporary loan facilities to the centre and state governments as a banker to the… Continue reading

PM-CARES Fund

Context In the midst of all of this, our Prime Minister announced the creation of the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES), which—if the intention is to allow funds to move fast and circumvent bureaucratic hurdles—is a great initiative. About PM CARES Fund The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief… Continue reading

The sudden return of quantity planning in the wake of covid-19

Context We could take a leaf out of a booklet by Keynes in our effort to tackle some of the challenges posed by the covid-19 pandemic. The Crisis-Keynesian Mode response mode to pandemic What is the war economy? One of the defining features of a war economy is that economic thinking is focused on quantities… Continue reading

Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 extended for one year

The Union Commerce and Industry Ministry has announced changes in India’s Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). The Govt. has decided to continue relief under various export promotion schemes by granting an extension of the existing Policy. Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 It provided a framework for increasing exports of goods and services as well as generation of… Continue reading

Covid-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS)

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has shared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with all telecom service providers regarding the application called COVID-19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS). CQAS collects phone data, including the device’s location, on a common secured platform and alerts the local agencies in case of a violation by COVID patients under watch or in isolation. Quarantine… Continue reading

[pib] National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC)

The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has launched the National Teleconsultation Centre (CoNTeC). About CoNTeC The CoNTeC is a Telemedicine Hub established by AIIMS, New Delhi, wherein expert doctors from various clinical domains will be available 24×7 to answer the multifaceted questions from specialists from all over the country. It is a multi-modal… Continue reading

Schedule H1 drugs

Hydroxychloroquine is now a schedule H1 drug and can be sold on prescription only. What are Schedule H1 drugs? The sale of the Hydroxychloroquine drug from now on should be in accordance with the conditions for sale of drugs specified in Schedule H1 to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. In exercise of the powers… Continue reading

Serological test for COVID-19

The ICMR invited bids for an estimated 10 lakh antibody kits (for serological tests) for the diagnosis of COVID-19. What are serological tests? Viral infections are mainly identified by two kinds of tests– genetic and serological. Genetic tests can identify infections that are active but cannot be used to detect past infections. To trace how… Continue reading

[pib] Virtual Summit of G20 Leaders

A Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit was recently convened yesterday to discuss the challenges posed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and to forge a globally coordinated response. About G20 Formed in 1999, the G20 is an international forum of the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies. Collectively, the G20 economies account… Continue reading

Let’s use follower’s advantage

Context How this coronavirus pandemic threat will pan out no one knows but what we do know is that the intensity of the challenge and its impact on our well-being will depend greatly on how we reach out to ordinary people, and the policies we implement. Historical perspective and comparison Compared to the fatality numbers… Continue reading

Mind your own economic health

Context The fragility of the global economy has been exposed twice within the last two decades. In 2008, the collapse of a financial services firm in the US triggered a global financial meltdown. In 2020, the emergence of a novel virus in a food market in Wuhan has done it again. The global economy and… Continue reading

PM Gareeb Kalyan Scheme

Union Finance Minister has announced the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Scheme, under which the government would provide a relief package of Rs 1.7 trillion to the underprivileged, poor and migrant workers affected by a lockdown amid the Covid-19 crisis. PM Garib Kalyan Scheme PM Gareeb Kalyan scheme is to have two parts — cash transfer… Continue reading

Kurzarbeit Scheme

Amid the all-round disruption caused to the economy by the novel coronavirus outbreak, a concern across the world is the possibility of a loss of jobs. Various governments have unveiled various measures to address such concerns, and one of the most talked-about is Kurzarbeit. Kurzarbeit Scheme Kurzarbeit is German for “short-work”. The policy provides for… Continue reading

India VIX Index

The India VIX Index, an indicator of the volatility of the stock market has been plunging after the outbreak of novel coronavirus. What is Volatility Index? Volatility Index is a measure of the market’s expectation of volatility over the near term. Volatility is often described as the “rate and magnitude of changes in prices” and… Continue reading

Legal Provisions Used By Law Enforcement Agencies To Control The Spread Of Coronavris

To enforce a full lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, law enforcement agencies have taken the help of various legal provisions in CrPC and IPC. The orders issued to curb the spread of the coronavirus have been framed under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, which lays down punishment as per Section 188 of the… Continue reading

[pib] National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)

The Union Ministry of Science & Technology has informed about the progress of the National Supercomputing Mission. National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) NSM is a proposed plan by GoI to create a cluster of seventy supercomputers connecting various academic and research institutions across India. In April 2015 the government approved the NSM with a total outlay… Continue reading

How policy can bridge the gap

Context India must use the windfall from oil to provide assistance to the most vulnerable to mitigate the impact due to COIVD-19 outbreak. Estimates of impact Impact on major economies: Minus 40 per cent, -30 per cent, -22 per cent, and -14 per cent. These are the estimated impacts (at an annualised rate) on the… Continue reading

The strategy of ‘Shelter in Place’

What is the news: As India observed a “janata curfew” from 7 am to 9 pm on 22nd March refraining from making any non-essential movements, they are implementing a version of what is referred to, most commonly in the United States, as a “shelter in place” order. What exactly is a “Shelter in Place”? In… Continue reading

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