Recently, a report titled Suicide worldwide in 2019 was published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Suicide is defined as death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior. Important points: Reducing the global suicide mortality rate by a third is both, an …

The recently held North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit for the first time has explicitly described China as a security risk. The other two threats identified by the NATO ‘declaration’ are Russia and terrorism. Important points: NATO was established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of …

Scientists have shown that the cold desert of Ladakh Himalaya once experienced large floods that rose much above the present-day river level. It implies that in the scenario of global warming, when the higher Himalaya regions are expected to respond dramatically, flood frequency in Ladakh may increase, which may call …

Seventh International Day of Yoga (21st June 2021) is being celebrated by the Ministry of Culture at 75 cultural heritage locations across the country. Important points: The idea of International Day of Yoga (IDY) was proposed by India during the opening of the 69th session of the United Nations General …

Recently, the Assam forest department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and adopted a Vision Document to raise at least 1,000 black softshell turtles by 2030. Important points: They look almost the same as the Indian peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum), which is classified …

To commemorate the World Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Day on 19th June, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA) flagged off mobile vans under the Unmukt project for strengthening screening and timely management of SCD in tribal districts of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution …

The Ministry of Tourism has formulated three draft strategies with roadmaps for promoting Medical and Wellness Tourism, for development of Rural Tourism and for promotion of MICE Industry in India. India has been ranked 34th out of 140 countries on the World Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2019, released by …

The Wuhan Institute of Virology was said to have conducted gain-of-function research on coronaviruses which may possibly have caused the lab-leak origin of the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19 pandemic). Important points: In virology, gain-of-function research involves deliberately altering an organism in the lab, altering a gene, or introducing a mutation in a …

The Ministry of Science and Technology has issued a Special Call for the NorthEast Region as a part of its Mission Programme “Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN)”. Important points: It is a scientist-farmer partnership scheme launched in 2017. It is a pan-India program, following a hub-and-spoke model and stimulates …

Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology. Importance of Biofortification: Biofortified staple crops, when consumed regularly, will generate measurable improvements in human health and nutrition. Biofortified crops are also often more resilient to pests, …