June 2022 witnessed the worst Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) selloff since March 2020 when India announced a nationwide lockdown at Rs. 50,000 crore. June was also the ninth on the trot that FPIs had sold net of their assets i.e. sold more than they had purchased. Foreign portfolio investors are those that invest funds …

Ministry of Science & Technology has inaugurated “Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation” or TiHAN, in IIT- Hyderabad, which is a first “Autonomous Navigation” facility. It is seen as one of the steps toward India’s vision of ‘Atmanibhar Bharat’, ‘Skill India’ and ‘Digital India’. TiHAN It is a multidisciplinary initiative, which aims at making India a global player …

Australian authorities have killed millions of honeybees over the past two weeks in an effort to stop a potentially catastrophic parasite plague named Varroa mite. The decision to kill honeybees could adversely impact the growth of several crops including almonds, macadamia nuts, and blueberries that are dependent on hives for pollination. …

Recently, NITI Aayog has releases a report titled ‘Alternative Products and Technologies to Plastics and their Applications’ to encourage use of alternatives of plastics. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also banned Single Used Plastics (SUP), violation of the ban will invite punitive action under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act (EPA). …

The Government plans to table the Development of Enterprise and Service Hubs (DESH) Bill during the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament. DESH Bill It will overhaul the existing Special Economic Zone law of 2005, aims to revive interest in SEZs and develop more inclusive economic hubs. SEZs will be revamped and renamed as Development …

The African Union is celebrating its 20th Anniversary on 9th of July 2022. The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. In 1963, the Organization of African Unity was founded by the independent states of Africa. The …

Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated the Digital India Week 2022 under the Digital India Programme, with the aim to strengthen Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living. Theme: ‘Catalyzing New India’s Techade’. To transform the nation into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. During the programme, PM launched multiple digital initiatives aimed at enhancing the …

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change proposed amendments in the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Incidentally, the Environment Protection Act provisions will be in force for penal provisions of the single use plastic ban which has come into force recently. Key Amendments Proposed in the Environment Protection Act The Ministry has proposed the decriminalisation of the existing …

Recently, India and the European Union concluded the first round of negotiations for India-EU Trade and Investment Agreements in New Delhi. 52 technical sessions covering 18 policy areas of the free trade agreement and 7 sessions on Investment Protection and Geographical Indicators were held. The second round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in September 2022 in Brussels. India and EU had launched talks for …

Recently, Myanmar’s military government hosted the first high – level regional meeting since the Army took power in 2021. China’s Foreign Minister and counterparts from Mekong Delta nations attended the meeting. Foreign Minister of China along with his colleagues from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam at the Mekong – Lancang Cooperation group meeting. …

Recently, Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) carried out the maiden test flight of a new unmanned Aerial Vehicle, an Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator. DRDO is in the process of developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of different classes to meet the requirements of the armed forces. It’s an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) or a combat drone that is a …

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved the feat of successfully launching the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module or ‘POEM’. Besides this achievement, ISRO also launched three satellites from Singapore on the PSLV-C53. This was the second Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV)  mission of the year. In February 2022, ISRO launched PSLV-C52 with the Earth observation satellite EOS-04 and …

Recently, Scientists have spotted fossils of a small mammal resembling squirrels called treeshrew (known as Sivatupaiaramnagarensis) belonging to a new genus and species from Jammu and Kashmir. Key Points Related to Treeshrew This treeshrew currently represents the oldest record of fossil tupaiids in the Siwaliks, extending their time range by 2.5-4.0 Million Years in the region. Tupaiids refers to several …

Recently, the final 20 MW of the 100 MW Ramagundam floating solar PV project’s commercial operation date was recently announced. With this, the 100 MW Ramagundam floating solar PV project in Telangana is declared operational from 1st July 2022. It is the largest project of its kind in India. Floating Solar Panels These are Photovoltaic (PV) modules …

Recently, the UN (United Nations) Ocean Conference 2022 was held to ensure global cooperation towards protection and sustenance of the Ocean ecosystem of the world. The conference was co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal. Minister of Earth Sciences led the Indian delegation at UN Ocean Conference. India promised to provide science and innovation-based solutions for the …

Recently, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) Climate Centre for Cities (NIUA C-Cube), World Resources Institute India (WRI India) and their partners launched India’s first National Coalition platform for Urban nature-based solutions (NbS) at the 11th World Urban Forum in Poland. NIUAfocuses on research, knowledge management, policy, advocacy, and capacity building on urban development and management to address and develop sustainable, inclusive, and productive urban ecosystems in the country. …

The RIMPAC-22 exercise will be held in and close to the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California from 29th June to 4th August, 27 countries are participating in the current edition of the multi-dimensional exercise. It’s one of the largest biennial multilateral Naval Exercises, which is led by US. The RIMPAC started in 1971 as an …

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved to digitise around 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). PACS will be digitised at a cost of RS 2,516 crore, which will benefit about 13 crore small and marginal farmers. Each PACS will get around RS 4 lakh to upgrade its capacity and even old …

Recently, at the 47th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister, officials approved hiking the rates for some goods and services while removing exemptions for several mass consumption items to simplify the rate structure. The Goods and Services Tax regime came into force after the Constitutional …

According to the latest Lancet Study, steps to check speeding can save 20,000 lives annually in India. Interventions focusing on four key risk factors such as speeding, drunk driving, non-use of crash helmets and seatbelts could prevent 25% to 40% of 13.5 lakh fatal road injuries worldwide every year. According to the Ministry of Road …