Recently, a team of researchers have discovered a new species of cascade frog in Arunachal Pradesh named Adi Cascade Frog. Earlier, a new frog species named Minervarya Pentali was discovered in the Western Ghats. Important points: It is a predominantly brown colour frog, with a size ranging roughly between 4 cm to 7 cm. …

Recently, the Department of Biotechnology has launched the fifth edition of the National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC). NBEC is conducted as a part of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) Regional Entrepreneurship Centre, established at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) in partnership with BIRAC. BIRAC is a Public Sector Enterprise, set up by the Department …

Recently, the Incel Movement has been linked to serious violence around the world. The movement came into the spotlight yet again in the UK’s Plymouth, where a 22-year-old man shot dead five people, including a toddler. Important points: It is a dangerous online subculture comprising men who identify as ‘involuntary celibates’ and regularly express …

Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated various projects in Somnath, Gujarat under PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme at a total cost of over Rs 47 crore. Important points: The Somnath Exhibition Centre, developed on the premises of ‘Tourist Facilitation Centre’, displays the exhibits from dismantled parts of the old …

Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has informed that nearly 6,800 people lost their lives in the country (West Bengal tops the list) over the past three years due to hydro-meteorological calamities such as flash floods, landslides and cyclones Important points: Natural hazards are severe natural phenomena or events, broadly classified in two categories: hydro-meteorological and geological hazards. Tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms, floods and …

Recently, a political leader claimed that the Moplah rebellion, also known as the Mappila riots, of 1921 was one of the first manifestations of the Taliban mindset in India. Important points: Moplahs/Mappilas: The name Mappilla (lit. son-in-law; anglicized form Moplah) is given to Malayali-speaking Muslims who reside along the entire length of the Malabar Coast of …

Recently, a group of experts under the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concerns over the slow pace of reforms in the criminal justice system to ensure speedy justice. NHRC of India is an independent statutory body established on 12th October, 1993 as per provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, later amended …

Recently, the Union Government approved the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on phasing down climate-damaging refrigerant Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It comes close on the heels of similar decisions by the United States and China, the world’s largest producers and consumers of HFCs. 122 countries had ratified the Kigali Amendment by the …