Recently, NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in collaboration with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) has launched ‘ATL Space Challenge 2021’. Earlier, the Union cabinet in June 2020 decided to open up the space sector for private sector participation, and cleared the creation of a new entity, Indian National Space Promotion and …

The Thamirabarani civilisation in Tamil Nadu is at least 3,200 years old, reveals carbon dating done on organic material retrieved from archeological excavations in Sivakalai, Thoothukudi district. The determination of the age or date of organic matter from the relative proportions of the carbon isotopes carbon-12 and carbon-14 that it contains. Important points: The shortest river in …

Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has revised the Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) scheme for specified agriculture products. It will be effected on or after 1st April, 2021, up to 31st March, 2022. Important points: It was launched in 2019, for providing financial assistance for the transport and marketing of agricultural products to boost exports of such …

Recently, the first Indigenously Designed High Ash Coal Gasification Based Methanol Production Plant has been opened in Hyderabad. With this, Government owned engineering firm BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) has successfully demonstrated a facility to create methanol from high ash Indian coal. Important points: Methanol is utilized as a motor fuel, to power …

Recently, the Lunar Science Workshop 2021, was conducted by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to commemorate the completion of two years of operation of Chandrayaan-2 orbiter in lunar orbit. According to the ISRO, the observations of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter payloads have yielded discovery-class findings . The Chandrayaan-3 mission is likely to be launched late next year. Important points: It …

A new island has been discovered that is located off the Greenland’s coast. Important points: Measuring 60×30 metres and with a peak of three metres above sea level, it has now become the new northernmost piece of land on Earth. Before this, Oodaaq was marked as the Earth’s northernmost terrain. It …

Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs will set up an Atmanirbhar Bharat corner in 100 Indian Missions/ Embassies across the world. The first Atmanirbhar Bharat corner was inaugurated at the Indian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, on Independence Day. TRIFED is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of …

Indian Scientists, along with international collaborators, have measured the magnetic field of an eruption from the Sun’s atmosphere (solar corona), offering a rare peek to the interior of the Sun. Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is one of the biggest eruptions from the Sun’s surface that can contain a billion tons of matter …

According to a recent report prepared by two independent think tanks, EMBER and Climate Risk Horizons, India does not require additional new coal capacity to meet expected power demand growth by Financial Year (FY) 2030. Important points: India’s peak power demand would reach 301 GW by 2030, if it grows at an annual …

Recently, the Ministry of Education released the India Rankings 2021 instituted by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) (sixth edition). Important points: The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was approved by the Ministry of Education (Erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development) in September 2015. It is the first-ever effort by the government to rank Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country. …