A biodegradable and compostable yoga mat developed from water hyacinth by six young girls from the fishing community in Assam could turn this water plant from a nuisance to wealth. The girls belong to the fishing community living in the fringe of the Deepor Beel, a permanent freshwater lake in …

Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has released the new framework for implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme. SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas. Important points: It is a center sector scheme which was launched nationally on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April 2021. To provide an integrated property validation solution …

A report titled ‘State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid­19’ brought out annually by Azim Premji University’s Centre for Sustainable Employment, Bengaluru has been released. The report covers the period March 2020 to December 2020, dwells on the impact of one year of Covid­-19 on employment, incomes, inequality and poverty. Important points: 100 million …

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has mooted the concept of ‘Model Insurance Village (MIV)’ to boost insurance penetration in rural areas. According to the Economic Survey for 2020-21, India’s insurance penetration, which was at 2.71% in 2001, has steadily increased to 3.76% in 2019, but stayed much below the global average of 7.23%. Recently, the Parliament …

In a major boost to exports of organic products from the country, the first consignment of millets grown in the Himalayas would be exported to Denmark. APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) has sourced ragi (finger millet), and jhingora (barnyard millet) from farmers in Uttarakhand for exports. At …

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a series of measures to support the nation’s fight against the second wave of Covid-19 infections The measures form the first part of a calibrated and comprehensive strategy against the pandemic Earlier in 2020 also the RBI took measures to help deal with the economic fall out of the pandemic. …

The United States has announced the support for waiving Intellectual Property (IP) protection for Covid-19 vaccines. The decision is a breakthrough in India and South Africa’s attempts to get World Trade Organisation (WTO) member countries to agree to such a waiver to fight the pandemic equitably. Important points: The 1995 agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) requires ratifying countries …

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) declared a Maharashtra law which provides reservation benefits to the Maratha community, taking the quota limit in the State in excess of 50%, as unconstitutional. Important points: 2017: A 11-member commission headed by Retired Justice N G Gaikwad recommended Marathas should be given reservation under Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) 2018: Maharashtra Assembly passed a Bill …

Maharashtra Police had confiscated  material weighing about 7 kg from two suspected persons. Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has informed vide letter dated 13th May, 2021 regarding the confiscated material – Natural Uranium 1) Natural Uranium seized in this case is currently in the safe custody of the DAE 2) …