After a large-scale rejig at the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister effected some changes in Cabinet committees. Important points: Eight Cabinet Committees: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Cabinet Committee on Accommodation. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. Cabinet Committee on Security. Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth. Cabinet Committee …

The Aadhaar enrolment of more than 27 lakh people in Assam has become uncertain/delayed because of the delay in completing the process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The biometrics of these people were frozen after the publication of the NRC in August 2019. The Centre had earlier been asked to unfreeze the biometrics since …

Recently, the death of Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist, while in judicial custody, has brought the stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) into the focus. UAPA is the India’s main anti-terrorism legislation, but the law makes it more difficult to obtain bail. This difficulty in obtaining bail is …

The Rajasthan government will develop a tiger corridor connecting the newly proposed ‘Ramgarh Tiger Reserve’, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve Sariska Tiger Reserve is another Tiger reserve in Rajasthan. Important points: Wildlife or animal corridors are meant to ensure safe passage for animals between two isolated habitats. In wildlife parlance, corridors are mainly of two …

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre on the use of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 that was scrapped several years ago. The court struck down the provision as unconstitutional and a violation of free speech in 2015 in the Shreya Singhal Case. The IT Act, 2000 provides for legal recognition for transactions through electronic …

Recently, India’s first cryptogamic garden was inaugurated in the Chakrata town of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The garden will be housing nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns and fungi (collectively known as Cryptogamae). Plant kingdom can be divided into two sub-kingdoms viz. Cryptogams and phanerogams. Cryptogams consist of seedless plants and plant-like organisms whereas phanerogams consist of …

Recently, thirty people were killed in separate incidents of lightning in various parts of the country. Lightning is the biggest contributor to accidental deaths due to natural causes. Important points: It is a very rapid and massive discharge of electricity in the atmosphere. It is the process of occurrence of a natural ‘electrical discharge of very short …

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the ‘RBI Retail Direct’ Scheme. In February 2021 RBI proposed to allow retail investors to open gilt accounts with the central bank to invest in Government securities (G-secs) directly. Important points: Under the scheme, retail investors (individuals) will have the facility to open and maintain the ‘Retail Direct Gilt …

In recent years, countries around the world have been attempting to pass effective ‘right to repair’ laws. The movement traces its roots back to the very dawn of the computer era in the 1950s. The goal of the movement is to get companies to make spare parts, tools and information on how to repair devices available to customers and …

Vietnam has appointed Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in Bangalore to promote trade, economics, investment, tourism, educational and cultural cooperation between Vietnam and the State of Karnataka. Industrialist N.S. Srinivasa Murthy based in Bengaluru has been appointed as Honorary Consul General of Vietnam for Karnataka. He is the first honorary consul general of Vietnam from …