CONTEXT: Inauguration of Honey FPOs under the “Formation & Promotion of 10,000 FPOs” Scheme. IMPORTANT POINTS: The Honey FPO Programme of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) has been inaugurated. The Honey FPOs made by the Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP) under the aegis of …

CONTEXT: India and Finland sign MoU for developing cooperation in the field of environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. DETAILS: The MoU is a platform to further advance Indian and Finnish partnership and support, exchange best practices in areas like prevention of air and water pollution; waste management; promotion of circular …

CONTEXT: The Central Government made the rules under the powers conferred by the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. The Act came into effect on 10 January 2020, which is the first concrete step towards ensuring welfare of transgender persons. BACKGROUND: In 2014, the Supreme Court of India, in …

CONTEXT: Recently, the Prime Minister of India has addressed the concluding session of the 80 All India Presiding Officers Conference via videoconference, at Kevadiya (Gujarat) on the occasion of Constitution Day (26 November). MAIN POINTS: The idea is about structuring the Indian election cycle in a manner so that elections …

CONTEXT: PM inaugurates RE-Invest 2020. MAIN POINTS: The 3rd Global Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (RE-Invest 2020) is organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The theme for RE-Invest 2020 is ‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy Transition’. The event is showcased as India’s biggest renewable energy event. The …

CONTEXT Recently, the tropical cyclone Nivar has made landfall along the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast.Landfall refers to the phenomenon of a cyclone’s outer wall moving over the coastline and beyond. MAIN POINTS Tropical Cyclone: A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized …

CONTEXT: Rainfall over the southern peninsular region has been deficient so far, indicating that the northeast monsoon has remained subdued this year. Inter Tropical Convective Zone (ITCZ): The current position of the ITCZ has also contributed to the poor rainfall during the ongoing monsoon season.  The ITCZ is a low-pressure …

CONTEXT: EPFO conferred with Platinum Partner Award for highest transactions on UMANG App. BACKGROUND: As a majority of EPFO members are from the socio-economically disadvantaged sections, an accessible and affordable solution was needed to reach out to crores of EPFO subscribers. Considering the popularity and ease of usage of internet-based …

CONTEXT Recently, the Prime Minister (PM) has chaired the 33 PRAGATI meeting.Interaction through PRAGATI is held once every month on Fourth Wednesday, known as PRAGATI Day. MAIN POINTS Highlights of the Meeting: The PM asked states to develop a state-specific export strategy, and reviewed development projects worth Rs. 1.41 lakh …

CONTEXT: Recently, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries has attended the Independent Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) meeting to consider the proposals received under the Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Cluster (APC) of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). MAIN POINTS: IMAC approved 7 proposals with a total …