GS-3 5.NILGIRI BIOSPHERE RESERVE ORIGIN: The name ’Nilgiris’ with literary meaning ‘blue mountains’has originated from the blue flower clad mountains of the Nilgiris plateau within the State of Tamil Nadu. It was the first biosphere reserve in Indiaestablished in the year 1986. GEOGRAPHY: The total area of the Nilgiri Biosphere …

GS-3 4.NILGIRI ELEPHANT CORRIDOR CASE Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) appointed a conservationist as Member of a Technical Committeeconstituted in the October 2020 caseto hear complaints bylandowners against sealing of their buildings infringing the Nilgiri Elephant CorridorinTamil Nadu by the state authorities. ABOUT THE OCTOBER 2020 CASE: In October 2020, …

GS-2 3.SARS-COV-2 NEW VARIANTS SARS-CoV-2variants have emerged independently in several countries, and the latest research indicates that the virus is changing quickly (mutatition)and it may continue to develop towards evading currently available vaccines. SARS-CoV-2 virusis responsible for causing the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). MEANING OF MUTATION: Mutation is an alte ration …

GS-2 2.WEST ASIA PEACE CONFERENCE Recently, Russiabacked a Palestinian proposal for a West Asia Peace Conference. The Conference is intended to focus on a two-state solution, under which Israel and a future Palestinian state would coexist. IMPORTANT POINTS: The support for the Conference came as the USA, which had sided …

GS-2 1.FUTURE INVESTMENT INITIATIVE FORUM The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare addressed the 4 edition of the Future Investment Initiative Forum through a video conference. The aim of the Forum hosted in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) was to find solutions on how businesses and governments can expand access to …

GS-3  6.LALA LAJPAT RAI Recently, the Prime Minister paid tribute to LalaLajpat Raion his Jayanti. LalaLajpat Rai’s birth anniversary is celebrated on 28 of january every year. About: La laLajpat Rai was one of the greatest freedom fighters of India. He was also called ‘Punjab Kesari’ and ‘Lion of Punjab’. …

GS-2 5.INDIA JUSTICE REPORT 2020 The India Justice Report(2020) prepared by the Tata Trustsin collaboration with the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, DAKSH, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policyand the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiativehas been released recently. The Report assesses the capacity of various states to deliver justice. About the …

GS-2 4.URBAN LOCAL BODIES REFORMS Rajasthan becomes the 5th State to complete Urban Local Bodies (ULB) reforms. IMPORTANT POINTS: Rajasthan has become the 5th state in the country to successfully undertake “Urban Local Bodies (ULB)” reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. Thus, the State has become …

GS-2 3.INDO-FRENCH ALLIANCE 2021- Year of Indo-French alliance towards a Greener Planet. IMPORTANT POINTS: The Union Environment Minister, along with his French counterpart, launched the Indo-French Year of the Environment. The basic objective is to strengthen Indo-French cooperation in sustainable development, increase the effectiveness of actions in favour of global …

GS-3 2.NATIONAL MARINE TURTLE ACTION PLAN The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the National Marine Turtle Action Plan and also released the Marine Mega Fauna Stranding Guidelines. Background: India has rich marine biodiversity along a vast coastline of over 7,500 km. From colourful fish, sharks, including …

GS-2 1.KALA UTSAV Kala Utsav 2020 concluded. About Kala Utsav: Kala Utsav is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now called Ministry of Education) under RashtriyaMadhyamikShikshaAbhiyan, to promote arts in education by nurturing and showcasing the artistic talent of school students at the secondary stage in the …

GS-3 5.35TH PRAGATI MEETING The Prime Minister of India recently chaired the 35 edition of Pro-Active GovernanceAnd Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) – the Information and CommunicationTechnology (ICT) based multimodal platform, involving Central and State governments. Ten projects were taken for review involving a total investment of Rs. 54,675 crore. Areview of …

GS-3 4.KANHA TIGER RESERVE A tigress was found dead in the buffer zone of Kanha tiger reserve in MadhyaPradesh. It stretches over an area of 940 square km in the two districts –Mandlaand Balaghat – of Madhya Pradesh. FLORA: It is best known for its evergreen Sal forests (Shorea Robusta). …

GS-1 3.PANDIT GOVIND BALLABH PANT Recently, a statue of freedom fighter GovindBallabh Pantwas unveiled at its new locationon a roundabout at the Pandit Pant Marg, New Delhi. The statue had to be relocated from its earlier location near Raisina Road circle as it’fell within the new Parliament building layout’ KEY …

GS-3 2.CYBER INSURANCE POLICY A committee set up by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority ofIndia (IRDAI) has recommended the introduction of a cyber insurance policy.Cyber insurance policy is a risk transfer mechanism for cyber risk. Cyber risk is commonly defined as exposure to harm or loss r esulting frombreaches …

GS-2 1.AGREEMENT WITH IEA India has inked a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to strengthen cooperation in global energy security, stability andsustainability. Objective: To encourage and promote strategic and technical cooperation in theenergy sector. Benefits: It will lead to a wider exchange of knowledge and will …

GS-3 2.CENTRAL BOARD OF INDIRECT TAXES & CUSTOMS (CBIC) CBIC celebrates International Customs Day, 2021. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY: Annually held on January 26, International Customs Day (ICD) recognizes the role of customs officials and agencies in maintaining border security. It focuses on the working conditions and challenges that customs officers …

GS-2 1.DAVOS DIALOGUE PM to address WEF’s Davos Dialogue. WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF): The WEF is an international NGO founded in 1971 and based in Cologny, Switzerland. Earlier known as the European Management Forum, it changed its name to its current one in 1987. The WEF states its mission as …

GS-3 5.GREEN TAX Recently, the Centre announced its plans to impose a “green tax” on older vehiclesin amove to disincentive the use of polluting vehiclesand to curb pollution in the country. About: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highwayswill levy a green tax ontransport vehicles older than eight yearsat the …

GS-2 4.PM2.5 AND ANAEMIA IMPORTANT POINTS: A recent study by IIT delhi has tried to establish the association between ambientPM 2.5 exposure and occurrence of anaemia among children under the age of 5years of age in India. 5 refers to particles that have diameter less than 2.5 micrometres(more than100 times …