Monthly Archives: August 2022

WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) AMENDMENT BILL 2021

Recently, Lok Sabha passed by voice vote the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 that seeks to provide for implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 17th December 2021. It seeks to amend the Wild Life …

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INDIA MALDIVES RELATIONS

Recently, the Prime Minister of India held bilateral talks with the visiting Maldives President. The Prime Minister while highlighting the threat of transnational crime, terrorism and drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean said that the coordination between India and Maldives in the field of defence and security is vital for peace and stability. Outcomes of the Bilateral Talks To counter …

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EXERCISE PITCH BLACK

Indian Force will join 16 other nations later this month for Exercise Pitch Black, hosted by the Australian Air Force. It’s a biennial exercise to enhance interoperability and strengthen relationships among participants. It will provide Indian Air Force a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with these nations in a dynamic warfare environment. It provides …

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EX VINBAX 2022

The 3rd edition of Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise “Ex VINBAX 2022” is being conducted in India. India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and defence cooperation is a key pillar of this partnership. Vietnam is an important partner in India’s Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision. Ex VINBAX It is a field training exercise with …

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ICT TOOLS

Recently, the Ministry of Education informed Lok Sabha that less than 10% of schools are equipped with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools or Digital Tools, in at least 10 states of India. ICT tools for teaching and learning cover everything from digital infrastructures such as printers, computers, laptops, tablets, etc., to software tools such as Google …

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FINANCIAL INCLUSION INDEX

The Reserve Bank of India has released the Composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) for the year ended 31st March 2022. India’s Financial Inclusion Index has improved to 56.4 from 53.9 in the previous year 2021. The improvement has been seen across all its sub-indices (Access, Usage and Equality). It is a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal …

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RESTORING COASTAL VEGETATION

Recently, a study has been published, which has raised scepticism about the efficiency of restoring coastal habitats to offset carbon emissions. Restoring Coastal habitats is far from certain and unreliable. and there’s a real risk that the scale at which they can mitigate emissions has been massively oversold. It is …

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INDIA’S ‘NEIGHBORHOOD FIRST’ POLICY

Recently, Indian External Affairs Minister met with Maldives President stating that India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy and the Maldives’ ‘India First’ policy complement each other, advancing the special partnership. Under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, India is committed to developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all its neighbours. India is an active development partner and is involved in several …

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MIG-21

Recently, a MiG-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF)crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan killing the two pilots aboard the trainer version of the fighter aircraft. Currently, the IAF has around 70 Mig-21 aircraft and 50 Mig-29 variants. There are four squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft currently in service in the IAF with each squadron …

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SWINE FEVER IN INDIA

Recently, African Swine Fever has been confirmed for the first time, at a private pig farm in in Kerala, after more than 15 pigs on the farm had died due to the disease in the last ten days. It is a highly contagious and fatal animal disease that infects and leads to an acute form of hemorrhagic fever in domestic …

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EXERCISE AL NAJAH

Indian Army and Royal Army of Oman will conduct their joint Military Exercise AL NAJAH-IV from 1st to 13th of August 2022. It’s the fourth edition of the exercise. The scope of the exercise includes professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills & procedures, establishment of joint command & control structures and elimination of …

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ARIDITY ANOMALY OUTLOOK INDEX

Recently, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has released the Aridity Anomaly Outlook (AAO) Index of July 2022, which says at least 85% of districts face arid conditions across India. The index monitors agricultural drought, a situation when rainfall and soil moisture are inadequate to support healthy crop growth till maturity, causing crop stress. An anomaly from the normal value signifies a …

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NEW ZEALAND’S BILL ON TOBACCO ENDGAME

To fulfil its plan to be smokefree by 2025, the New Zealand Parliament recently tabled the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill. Emulating New Zealand, Malaysia is also considering a ban on smoking and the sale of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to people born after 2007. The Tobacco Endgame refers to a …

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REPEAL OF UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION ACT BILL

Recently, the Government of India announced that they’re reworking a draft of the Bill (Draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, 2018) that will bring to life the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), for college and university-level education, cutting across disciplines. The new reworked draft will …

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LACK OF REGULATION -LOKTAK LAKE

Recently, Loktak Lake Authority of Manipur recently issued a notice to remove all floating houses and fishing structures on Loktak lake. This has evoked a sharp reaction from the local Fishing Community & Homestay Operators. There is a Lack of regulation. There is a growing number of homestays and huts that …

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NeSDA

Recently, the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been ranked first under Central Ministries Portal, and the Digital Police portal ranked second in a National E-Governance service delivery assessment (NeSDA) of websites of central government ministries. It is a periodic assessment intended to improve the effectiveness of States/Union Territories and the Central Government in delivery of …

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13TH SESSION OF THE INDIA-UZBEKISTAN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION

Recently, the Union Minister for Commerce & Industry attended the 13th Session of the India-Uzbekistan Inter-Governmental Commission. Further, he highlighted India-Uzbekistan relations as key to India’s vision of integrated extended neighbourhood. IGC meeting is an important platform to deliberate on ideas, discuss issues & strengthen bilateral relations especially in the field of …

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INTERNATIONAL TIGER DAY

29th July is observed as International Tiger Day (ITD) to promote the conservation of the striped cat as well as to advocate a global system for protecting its natural habitats. ITD was established in 2010 at St Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia in order to raise awareness about the decline of wild tiger numbers, …

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NATURAL RESOURCE ACCOUNTING (NRA) BY NOVEMBER 2022.

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has stated that it would be coming up with report on Natural Resource Accounting (NRA) by November 2022. It is an attempt to develop accounting systems to help monitoring their responsible utilisation, which will in turn lead to sustainability. Natural Resource Accounting is a process of …

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