Compulsory use of nuclear power all over the world resulting in the unwanted and dangerous nuclear waste and estimated 34 million cubic metres of global nuclear waste will cost over $100 billion to manage and dispose. However, this waste can be put to useful applications in the form of nuclear …

The Covid-19 pandemic has gripped several countries across the world, resulting in several millions of infected individuals and hundreds and thousands of deaths. This global emergency has triggered responses from all across, including the domain of science and technology. Especially, the use of nanotechnology has offered fresh opportunities and novel …

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 was awarded to the great scientists of this century Albert Einstein” for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” The law which became the basic tool to convert light energy into electricity. Solar energy …

Context: Indigenous mRNA vaccine candidate supported by DBT gets Drug Controller nod to initiate Human clinical trials India’s first indigenous mRNA vaccine candidate has received approval from Indian Drug regulators to initiate Phase I/II human clinical trial. The novel mRNA vaccine candidate, HGCO19 has been developed by Gennova, Pune and …

CONTEXT: A tough novel species of Muraingrass identified by scientists in the plateaus of Western Ghats of Goa. A new species of Indian Muraingrasses known for their ecological and economic importance, such as fodder, have been spotted by scientists in Goa in the Western Ghats, one of the four global …

CONTEXT: Aerosols in Indo-Gangetic Plain have led to increased incidents of high rainfall in the Himalayan foothills Scientists have found that aerosols like black carbon and dust, which makes the Indo-Gangetic Plain one of the most polluted regions of the world, have led to increased incidents of high rainfall events …

CONTEXT: Recently NASA launched its first full-fledged human mission (CREW-1) using a privately owned spacecraft. About CREW-1 Mission: It is part of NASA’s first commercial human spacecraft system with a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), onboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft called Resilience. It is the …

CONTEXT Recently, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has digitally addressed the Inter-Ministerial Conference by Partners in Population and Development (PPD). PARTNERS IN POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT: It is an intergovernmental initiative created specifically for the purpose of expanding and improving South-South Cooperation in the fields of reproductive health, …

CONTEXT: India ranked 10 in Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2021. India, for the second time in a row, continued to remain in the top 10. Last year, India had been ranked at the ninth position. MAIN POINTS Published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network …

CONTEXT: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Emissions Gap Report 2020 has been published recently. The annual report from UNEP measures the gap between anticipated emissions and levels consistent with the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C. ANALYSIS FOR THE YEAR …

CONTEXT: As per a report by PwC (a global network of firms), India reported a 45% increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence, the highest among all countries, following the outbreak of the virus. MAIN POINTS The rise of AI adoption (45%) recorded in the country is the highest, when …

CONTEXT: Recently, Israel launched the Beresheet 2 project aimed at landing an unmanned craft on the moon in 2024. Earlier, Israel’s Beresheet probe crash landed on the Moon. MAIN POINTS The Beresheet probe was a private mission to the Moon by Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL organisation. Beresheet in hebrew (spoken in …

CONTEXT: Recently, the Ministry of Railways has written to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) seeking exemption for procuring certain medical items manufactured outside India, particularly medicines used in the treatment of Covid-19, cancer,DPIIT is a central government department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. …

CONTEXT: Nepal and China have announced the revised height of Mount Everest as 8,848.86 metres. The new height is 86 cm more than the previous measurement. MAIN POINTS: The new height of 8,848.86 meters replaced the long-associated 8,848 metre height, which was, as per a measurement carried out by the …

CONTEXT: Entire Lakshadweep group of islands has been declared as an organic agricultural area under the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) of India. PARTICIPATORY GUARANTEE SYSTEM: PGS is a process of certifying organic products, which ensures that their production takes place in accordance with laid-down quality standards. The certification is in …

CONTEXT: A virtual meeting took place recently between an Indian Minister and his Swiss Counterpart. IMPORTANT POINTS: Both the Ministers reiterated the desire to move forward on the India-EFTA Trade & Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) negotiations. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway …

CONTEXT: In a message to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on its 36 Charter Day anniversary, the Prime Minister said that SAARC can only be fully effective in the absence of “terror and violence”. SAARC Charter Day is observed annually on 8 December. This day marks the …

CONTEXT: National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited will be adopting Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) technique using Laser enabled equipment mounted on a Helicopter for conducting ground survey for the preparation of Detailed Project Report for the proposed DelhiVaranasi HSR corridor. BACKGROUND: The proposed Delhi-Varanasi HSR alignment covers mixed …

CONTEXT: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has released a report on arms market across the world. IMPORTANT POINTS: The U.S. arms industry accounted for 61% of sales by the world’s “Top 25” manufacturers last year, ahead of China’s 15.7%. Total sales by the “Top 25” rose by 8.5% to $361 …

CONTEXT: The process of establishing Waqf Boards in Jammu and Kashmir and leh-kargil has started recently. MAIN POINTS: There are thousands of Waqf properties in Jammu-Kashmir and Leh-Kargil and the process has been started to register these Waqf properties. Digitisation, Geo Tagging/GPS Mapping of these Waqf properties has also been …