As India battles a raging second wave, cases of children losing their parents to Covid-19 are also mounting. Further, the apprehension of child trafficking in the garb of adoption has increased. Important points: Various social media posts are getting circulated with details of children who have lost either both their parents or the only living …

Recently, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking the constitution of an independent collegium to appoint members of the Election Commission. Election Commission of India It is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India. The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the …

Recently, Iran gave the Farzad-B Gas Field to Petropars, a domestic gas producer. This is a setback for India’s energy ties with Iran as ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) had discovered the gas field in 2008 and has been part of the ongoing cooperation on that front. Important points: Farzad-B Gas Field: It is located in Persian …

Cabinet Secretary chaired National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting on Cyclone Tauktae. National Crisis Management Committee: The NCMC is a committee set up by the Government of India in the wake of a natural calamity for effective coordination and implementation of relief measures and operations. It is headed by the …

Recently, the Government of India’s Special Window for Affordable & Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) completed its first residential project. The residential project – Rivali Park, located in suburban Mumbai, was the first housing project in India to have received funding under the SWAMIH Fund. Important points: This is a government backed fund that was set up as a Category-II …

According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), a total of 186 elephants were killed after being hit by trains across India between 2009-10 and 2020-21. Important points: Assam accounted for the highest number of elephant casualties on railway tracks (62), followed by West Bengal (57), and Odisha (27). Uttar Pradesh saw a single death. Measures Taken: A Permanent Coordination Committee has …

The Union Cabinet has approved a Rs. 18,100-crore, to reduce imports. The scheme is called the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage (NPACC). It is under the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises. Important points: It aims to give companies incentives on incremental sales from products manufactured in domestic units. It invites …

As per a latest report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), India continues to label itself as a country with no Community Transmission (CT) since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic Countries such as the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, France have all labelled themselves as being in the ‘community transmission’ stage whereas Italy and Russia do not label themselves as being …

Recently, the Minister of State for Culture discussed various issues under the Cultural Exchange Programme with his Mongolian counterpart. Important points: Strengthening the strategic partnership- established in 2015. The Cultural Exchange Program between India and Mongolia stands renewed until 2023. 10 dedicated ICCR scholarships for studying ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ have been allocated for Mongolians to study in specialized institutes of …

The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds in six tranches from May 2021 to September 2021. Important points: The Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) scheme was launched in November 2015 with an objective to reduce the demand for physical gold and shift …