GS-1 WORLD HERITAGE SITES Union Minister of Culture and Tourism informed Lok Sabha about the Declaration Of World Heritage Sites By UNESCO. Important points: At present, India has 38 World Heritage Properties. All the sites under the Ministry are conserved as per ASI’s Conservation Policy. At present, India has 42 …

GS-3 SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE TOWARDS AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION (SATAT) SCHEME Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas informed Lok Sabha about SATAT scheme.  Important points: SATAT scheme was launched on October 01, 2018 wherein Oil and Gas Marketing Companies (OGMCs) are inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) from potential entrepreneur to procure Compressed …

GS-1 AZADI KA AMRUT MAHOTSAV The Prime Minister Modi led National Committee to commemorate 75 years of independence, AzadiKaAmritMahotsav held its first meeting. Important points: The Prime Minister informed that 5 pillars have been decided for the celebration of the 75 years. These are Freedom Struggle, Ideas at 75, Achievements …

GS-2 SCHEMES OF WCD MINISTRY For effective implementation of various schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, all major schemes of the Ministry have been classified under 3 umbrella schemes viz. Mission Poshan 2.0, Mission Vatsalya and Mission Shakti. Schemes included under the Umbrella Scheme are …

GS-3 DRINKING WATER According to information provided to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, Only half of government schools and anganwadis have tap water supply, despite a 100-day campaign for 100% coverage being launched by the Jal Shakti Ministry in October 2020. Important points: Less than 8% of schools …

GS-2 50% CAP ON QUOTA The Supreme Court decided to examine whether its nearly three-decade-old judgment which fixed reservation for the marginalised and the poor in government jobs and educational institutions at 50% needs a relook. In the Indira Sawhney verdict of 1992, a nine-judge Bench of the court had …

The three-day event will see different sessions touching down upon different aspects of biotechnology. The first session of the Global Bio-India addressed how India’s campaign of ‘Make in India’ has translated into “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan” to provide resilience and self-sufficiency” to the country. The session highlighted the National Priorities, examples …

GS-3 WHALE SHARK Recently, fishers in Odisha rescued a whale shark. Important points: Whale sharks are the largest shark, and indeed largest of any fishes alive today and they travel large distances to find enough food to sustain their huge size, and to reproduce. The whale shark is a ‘filter feeder shark’ which means it does not eat …

GS-3 MSME CREDIT HEALTH INDEX The latest MSME Credit Health Index indicates that MSME credit growth has accelerated in the quarter ending September 2020 as compared to the quarter ending in June 2020. The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECGLS) has helped in the credit growth for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) …

GS-2 RIGHTS OF OVERSEAS CITIZENS OF INDIA Recently, the government has notified a consolidated list of rights of the Overseas Citizens of India (OCI). The rights and restrictions are not new, they have been notified previously in 2005, 2007, and 2009. They were also mentioned in an OCI brochure published by the Ministry of …

GS-2 NEW RULE ON AIRBAGS The union government has passed a new notification making airbags compulsory for all vehicles in the country. The new notification is said to be a new safety feature and has been initiated on the advice of the Supreme Court of India. Details  The announcement is …

GS-3 AGROFORESTRY IN THE SILK SECTOR The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signed a MoU with the Central Silk Board on a convergence model for the implementation of Agroforestry in the silk sector under the ongoing Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme. About: This initiative in sericulture sector is especially …

GS-2 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY International Women’s Day 2021 is being celebrated on 8th of March with theme #ChooseToChallenge. It indicates that a “challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change”. About: Date: International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year. History: IWD has occurred for …

GS-2 SANAʽA A Saudi-led military coalition mounted air strikes on Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sana’a after it intercepted 10 drones launched by the Iran-backed rebels. About: Sanaa also spelled Sanaʽa or Sana, is the largest city in Yemen. Under the Yemeni constitution, Sanaʽa is the capital of the country, although the …

GS-2 CHINESE DAM ON BRAHMAPUTRA A draft of China’s new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which is set to be formally approved on March 11, 2021, has given the green light for the first dams to be built on the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is known in …

GS-2 JANAUSHADHI DIWAS 7th March 2019 to be celebrated as ‘Janaushadhi Diwas’ across India. As part of the celebrations, PM will interact with owners of Janaushadhi Kendras and beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) across the country.   About PMBJP: ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ is a campaign launched by …

GS-1 CONSERVATION WORK OF SINGORGARH FORT LAUNCHED The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, laid down the foundation stone for conservation works of Singorgarh Fort at the Singrampur village of Damoh district in Madhya Pradesh on March 7, 2021. Highlights On the occasion, the President also inaugurated the Jabalpur Circle …

GS-3  ‘MAITRI SETU’ The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh via video conferencing on March 9, 2021. He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several infrastructure projects in Tripura on the occasion. About ‘Maitri Setu’ The ‘Maitri Setu’ …

Context: DAE plans to rope in private agencies for Nuclear Medicine Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), plans of sharing one of its facilities partially with private agencies for the weekly production of “Column Chromatography Generator Production”. The Technology for the Production of important radiopharmaceuticals, like 18F-FDB for various cancer imaging …

GS-3 BIJU PATNAIK The birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik was celebrated (5 March). He is remembered as a freedom fighter, an Indian politician, an aviator and a businessman. Brief Profile: Bijayananda Patnaik was born on 5 March 1916, he is popularly known as Biju Patnaik. He was an ace pilot …