Recently, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare inaugurated the world’s second-largest refurbished state-of-the-art National Gene Bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR). Gene Banks are a type of biorepository which preserve genetic material. A collection of seed plants, tissue cultures etc. A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes are …

Under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) approximately 20.32 lakh Covid-19 tests and 7.08 lakh treatments were authorised from April 2020 to July 2021. Important points: It offers a sum insured of Rs.5 lakh per family for secondary care (which doesn’t involve a super specialist) as well as tertiary care (which involves a …

Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said in the Lok Sabha that owing to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, Census 2021 and other Census-related field activities have been postponed until further orders. In India, a census is conducted every decade and Census 2021 will be the 16th national census of the country. Important points: The earliest …

Recently, the Taliban has seized Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, raising questions over the US and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) trained Afghan Forces. The Taliban have proclaimed that there will be no witch hunt, that it will respect a transitional process, and that it will work for a future Islamic system that is …

Recently, scientists have found two nearly perfectly preserved cave lion cubs which lived 28,000 years ago, nicknamed Boris and Sparta. They were found in Siberia’s permafrost, Russia. The cubs were found 15 metres apart but are not only from different litters but were also born thousands of years apart. Important points: The Cave Lion (Panthera spelaea), often …

Recently, India and Saudi Arabia started their first-ever Naval joint exercise called the Al-Mohed Al-Hindi Exercise. The decision on this Bilateral exercise was taken in the Riyadh Summit held in 2019. Important points: Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kochi is participating in the exercise. The exercise comprises several coastal and sea-based exercises between the two navies. INS Kochi is the second …

Recently, a resolution has been reintroduced in the US House of Representatives to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi for his contributions made through his methods of non-violence. If given the award, Mahatma Gandhi would become the first Indian to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest civilian award in the US. …

Navroz festival is being celebrated in India on 16th August in India. Across the world, Navroz is celebrated at the time of the vernal equinox (marking the start of spring) in the Northern Hemisphere. Important points: Navroz is also known as Parsi New Year. In Persian, ‘Nav’ stands for new, and ‘Roz’ stands for the day, which literally …

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has planned to set up 200 ‘Van Dhan’ producer companies in all the 27 states in the next five years with priority to the Aspirational Districts under the Van Dhan programme Aspirational Districts are those districts in India that are affected by poor socio-economic indicators. The Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ Programme (TADP) is being anchored by the NITI Aayog at …

Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched the 2nd phase of the SAMVAD programme. The second phase was launched on the completion of one year of programme. The programme is aimed at mental health outreach for children who are abandoned and orphaned, child survivors of trafficking, or in conflict with law. Earlier, the government …

Recently, India organized the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) Tourism Ministers’ virtual meeting. India is the current IBSA Chair. Important points: The IBSA is a trilateral, developmental initiative between India, Brazil and South Africa to promote South-South cooperation and exchange. The idea of South-South Cooperation (SSC) is not new. Its genesis can be traced …

Recently, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad has launched a chip called IndiGau. It is India’s first Cattle Genomic Chip for the conservation of pure varieties of indigenous cattle breeds like Gir, Kankrej, Sahiwal, Ongole etc. NIAB is an Indian autonomous research establishment of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology. Important points: IndiGau …

Recently, Bihar has decided to tag greater adjutant storks locally known as ‘Garuda’ with GPS trackers to monitor their movement as part of efforts to conserve them. Important points: Leptoptilos dubius The greater adjutant is a member of the stork family, Ciconiidae. There are about 20 species in the family. They are long-necked large birds. Once found across South and Southeast Asia, the …

Every year, International Youth Day is observed on 12th August to recognise and bring attention to the problems faced by the youth. National Youth Day is held every year on 12th January to observe the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Important points: In 1999, the United Nations decided to commemorate International Youth Day every year on this day. It was based …

Recently, Prime Minister (PM) of India participated in ‘Atmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad’ and interacted with women Self Help Group (SHG) members promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) Important points: The PM lauded the Self-Help Groups of women for their unprecedented services during the Covid-19 period. For example, women’s unparalleled contribution in making masks …

Recently, four more Indian sites – two each from Haryana and Gujarat – have been recognised as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Further, according to recent estimates by Wetlands International South Asia, nearly 30% of the natural wetlands in India have been lost in the last three decades. Majorly, the loss of Wetlands is more …

Recently, the Ministry Of Environment Forest And Climate Change has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. These rules prohibit specific single-use plastic items which have “low utility and high littering potential” by 2022. Important points: The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the identified single-use plastic will be prohibited with effect from the 1st July, 2022. The …

Recently, the Prime Minister while addressing the Investor Summit in Gujarat via video conferencing launched the Vehicle Scrapping Policy/National Automobile Scrappage Policy. The Summit will invite investment for setting up vehicle scrapping infrastructure under the Vehicle Scrapping Policy. The Vehicle Scrapping Policy was announced in March 2021 by the government. The policy is estimated to cover 51 …

Recently, the Election Commission of India inaugurated the 11th Annual meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of SouthAsia (FEMBoSA) for the year 2021. Important points: Election Commission of Bhutan. The Election Commission of India handed over the chairmanship of FEMBoSA role to the Election Commission of Bhutan for 2021-22. A resolution was unanimously adopted by …

On the occasion of World Elephant Day (12th August) the Union Environment Minister made public the population estimation protocol to be adopted in the all-India elephant and tiger population estimation in 2022. World Elephant Day was launched in 2012 to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants. Important points: Current Data on Elephants in India: …