Union Minister for Agriculture questioned in the Rajya Sabha the methodology and data accuracy of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, which has placed India at 94th among 107 countries in 2020. About: The Minister said the government had written to the NGO, Welthungerhilfe, which compiles the report, expressing concerns …

Lok Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021 to streamline the renewal of the auction process for minerals and coal mining rights About: The amendment proposes to allow captive miners of both coal and other minerals to sell up to 50 per cent of their …

The Lok Sabha passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to put seven castes under one nomenclature of “DevendrakulaVellalars” with some exceptions for some of the castes in certain districts of Tamil Nadu. About: The castes include Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan, Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi and Vathiriyan. The …

Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)-2020 envisages the basic tenets of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ and encourages indigenous designing and manufacturing of defence items. The proposals for indigenous design and manufacturing are considered under ‘Make’ Procedure of DAP-2020. The ‘Make’ Procedure aims to achieve the objective of self-reliance by involving greater participation of …

Recently, a seminar highlighted the legacy of the long-forgotten Tomar king – Anangpal II. Anangpal II: Anangpal II, popularly known as AnangpalTomar, belonged to the Tomar dynasty. He was the founder of DhillikaPuri, which eventually became Delhi. Evidence about the early history of Delhi is inscribed on the iron pillar of Masjid Quwaatul Islam, adjacent to QutubMinar. Multiple inscriptions and coins …

Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, has been appointed Chairman of the Stop TB Partnership Board. He will serve a three year term, commencing July 2021, as the Chair of the Board of Stop TB Partnership. Important points: It was established in 2000 and is mandated to eliminate Tuberculosis as a …

Recently, the Coal and Mines Minister introduced the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957which regulates the mining sector in India. Removal of restriction on end-use of minerals: The Act empowers the central government …

The Delhi government should consider launching a scheme guaranteeing jobs at a fixed minimum daily wage to tackle the alarming surge in the city’s unemployment rate during the pandemic-induced lockdown. The unemployment rate in Delhi rose from 11.1% in January-February 2020 to 28.5% in October-November, according to a Delhi government-commissioned survey. It …

The Bihar Assembly recently passed the Bihar Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that proposes to punish people filing false cases before the anti- corruption ombudsman body to prevent any waste of time or misuse of the institution. Four other Bills passed by the Assembly during the day are the Bihar Municipality (Amendment) Bill, Bihar Taxation …

Supreme Court judge, Justice N.V. Ramana, has outlined a three-pronged approach, with special focus on alternative dispute resolution, to reverse the nearly 4 crore pendency in courts across the country. Justice Ramana, who is next in line to be the Chief Justice of India as per the seniority norm, was speaking at the …