The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has issued a Special Call for North East Region as a part of its Mission Programme “Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN)”, with the aim to understand the local problems of the NER farmers and provide scientific solutions to those problems. Biotech-KISAN is a scientist-farmer …

Sea-level will rise around the Lakshadweep Islands in the range between 0.4 mm/year to 0.9 mm/year, says a study conducted projecting different greenhouse gas scenarios. The study highlights that the worst possible inundation scenarios projected for Lakshadweep Islands are almost similar under different emission scenarios projected and all the islands …

Scientists have shown that the geometry of space-time can cause neutrinos to oscillate. Neutrinos are mysterious particles, produced copiously in nuclear reactions in the Sun, stars, and elsewhere. They also “oscillate”– meaning that different types of neutrinos change into one another – as has been found in many experiments. Probing …

Most of the yoga-based studies so far have relied on patient’s experience and rating of pain and disability as an indicator of recovery and better quality of life. Researchers who measured pain, pain tolerance and body flexibility have found that yoga leads to pain relief, increases tolerance of pain and …

Recently, the Union Minister for Labour and Employment has said that India is making collective efforts to reduce gender gaps in labour force participation. He was delivering the Ministerial Address on Declaration and Employment Working Group Priorities at G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting. G20 It is an informal group …

Recently, the 60th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty was celebrated. The Antarctic treaty remains the only example of a single treaty that governs a whole continent. It is also the foundation of a rules-based international order for a continent without a permanent population. Important points: The Antarctic Treaty was signed …

For the first time, an electoral trust (under Electoral Trust Scheme, 2013) has declared donation through electoral bonds and hasn’t revealed the names of the political parties that received the money, citing anonymity guaranteed under the electoral bond scheme. According to the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), this “practice is …

Incidents such as the recent Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) barge disaster underline the absence of effective class action suits/lawsuits in India. 71 people were killed after Cyclone Tauktae damaged ONGC’s barge vessels off Bombay High. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited It is a Maharatna Public Sector …

Recently, eight captive-bred pygmy hogs, the world’s rarest and smallest wild pigs, were released in the Manas National Park of Assam. v This is the second batch to have been reintroduced into the wild under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) in a year. Important points: The PHCP is a …

Recently, the Ramgarh Vishdhari wildlife sanctuary received a nod from the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) technical committee to become the 4th Tiger reserve of Rajasthan. This will be the 52nd Tiger Reserve of India. The Global Tiger Day, celebrated on 29th July, is an annual event marked to raise …