Recently, the Government has approved the continuation of the Immigration Visa Foreigners Registration Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme for a period till 31st March 2026 with a financial outlay of Rs.1,364.88 crore. It seeks to interlink and optimise functions relating to immigration, visa issuance, registration of foreigners and tracking of their movements in the country. Its core objective is modernisation and …

The MInistry of Social Justice and Empowerment will distribute 4,800 daily living aids and assistive devices among 895 senior citizen beneficiaries under RashtriyaVayoshriYojana (RVY). It was launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It is a central sector scheme funded from the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund. The fund was notified …

The Russia-Ukraine conflict may give India an opportunity to ship more wheat in the global markets. More than a quarter of the world’s wheat export comes from Russia and Ukraine. Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, accounting for more than 18% of international exports. In 2019, Russia and Ukraine together exported more …

Every year, 27th February is observed as the World NGO day all over the world. India has over three million Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) that work across a range of arenas and play important roles of facilitator, catalyst or partner in bringing social transformation. What is the History of World NGO Day? The day assumed its official status when 12-member …

Recently, the United Nation Security Council voted on the draft resolution by the US and Albania that sought to condemn Russian aggression and called for the immediate cessation of violence and withdrawal of Russian military from Ukraine. The Council’s resolution reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. …

The Indian Navy’s multilateral Exercise MILAN 2022 is scheduled to commence from 25th Feb 2022 in the ‘City of Destiny’, Visakhapatnam. 2020 edition of MILAN was postponed to 2022 due to Covid-19. MILAN 22: MILAN 22 will witness its largest ever participation, with more than 40 countries sending their warships/ high level delegations. This …

In the three years, benefits under Pradhan MantriKisanSamman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) have been provided to about 11.78 Crore farmers and funds amounting to Rs 1.82 lakh crore in various installments have been released to the eligible beneficiaries of this scheme across India. PM Kisan It was launched on 24th February, 2019 to supplement financial needs of …

The Ministry of Education launched a campaign ‘Bhasha Certificate Selfie under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB). In 2021, the Ministry of Education launched the BhashaSangam initiative under EBSB. Key Points It was launched to encourage cultural diversity and promote multilingualism and to foster the spirit EBSB. It aims to promote the BhashaSangam mobile app, developed by the Ministry of …

Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” in Indore with the aim of removing lakhs of tonnes of garbage that is occupying thousand acres of land and causing air and water pollution leading to many diseases. It has been established under the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-U 2.0). The …

Recently, Maharashtra Government issued a government resolution which will allow sugar mills to pay the basic Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) in two tranches. The first installment would have to be paid within 14 days of delivery of cane, and would be as per the average recovery of the district. Farmers would get the second installment …

Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Air Force of Oman began a five-day bilateral exercise at the Jodhpur air force station. The exercise is named Eastern Bridge VI, as is in its sixth edition. The exercise seeks to promote professional interaction, exchange of experiences and enhancement of …

Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), used to be found in Vietnam and southern China, became extinct in these areas due to human activity. It is the largest of the 23 species of ‘extant’ or living crocodilians. This includes ‘true crocodiles’, alligators and caimans. The saltie is also called the ‘estuarine crocodile’ …

In the Budget 2022-23, the government announced to set up ‘Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics’ (AVGC) task force to “build domestic capacity to serve Indian markets and global demand.” Earlier, the Karnataka High Court delivered a judgement striking down major portions of the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 which …

Recently, a joint team of scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, for the first time in the country successfully demonstrated Quantum Key Distribution link between Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh, a distance of more than 100 kilometres. With this success, …

Recently, the Union Cabinet set in motion the process to build a Secretariat that will look after the affairs of organising the G20 summit in 2023. India will steer the international body as its President from 1st December 2022 to 30th November 2023, which will lead to the G20 summit …

Recently the Forest Administration and SHGs (Self Help Groups) have started an awareness Campaign to manage fires in Similipal Biosphere Reserve this year. Earlier, scientists unravelled the mystery behind Odisha’s ‘Black Tigers’ in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR). Similipal derives its name from ‘Simul’ (silk cotton) tree. It was formally designated a tiger reserve in 1956 and …

Recently, the Centre has extended the PM Cares for Children Scheme till 28th February 2022, which was earlier valid till 31st December 2021. The scheme was launched on 29th May, 2021 with the aim to support children who lost both or surviving parent(s), legal guardian/adoptive parents or single adoptive parent to Covid-19. The status of children in need of care …

Recently, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) released a draft policy framework on 14th February 2022 for DRE livelihood applications. The aim is to achieve the objective of a decentralised and distributed renewable energy supply in the country, particularly for rural populations with little or no access to power. MNRE proposed forming a committee to monitor the progress …

Recently, the External Affairs Minister of India held talks with his French counterpart. The two Ministers agreed to jointly launch the Indo-French call for an Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership. This partnership aims to build capacities in the Indo-Pacific region, in terms of sustainable management of protected areas, by gathering and sharing the experiences …

Every year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) celebrates 21st February as International Mother Language Day to promote mother tongue-based multilingual education. The theme of 2022 is: “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”, it focuses on the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for …