A session on Accelerating Resilient Infrastructure in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was held at the UNFCCC Pavilion on the side lines of COP 27 today. Union Minister The agenda of this session was to present the IRIS vision and announce the first ‘Call for Proposals’. The session focused on the IRIS …

Exercise Sea Vigil-22, the two-day Coastal Defence exercise was conducted from 15-16 Nov 22. The conceptual and geographical expanse of Sea Vigil included contingencies ranging from Peace to War-time across the entire coastline and EEZ of the country. In addition, mitigation measures, on shore, in case of any breach in Coastal Security mechanism were …

Secretary Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals Shri Arun Baroka inaugurated 4th edition of Indian Chemicals Council (ICC) Sustainability Conclave on the theme of ‘boardrooms to Community-ESG, Carbon Neutrality, Operational Safety, Greener Solutions’ today at New Delhi. The two-day event promotes sustainability in the management of the entire life cycle of …

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to expand its operations and explore ways to crowd in private capital for projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline, PM Gati Shakti and National Infrastructure Corridor. The loan book of two major infrastructure focused non-banking finance companies, …

In terms of weight, there has been an increase in the seizure of rhino horns after 2017, despite an overall reduction in poaching, says a global threat assessment report presented at a convention of wildlife conservation agencies in Panama City. The report says that “prolific” Vietnamese and Chinese criminal networks …

On November 7, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the 103rd Constitution Amendment which provides 10% reservation to the economically weaker sections (EWS), but excludes from this quota the ‘poorest of poor’ among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes …

First, in the months prior to the latest extension made in late September 2022, there was much debate on the relevance of freebies. Second, there were reports in June that the Expenditure Department at the Centre did not favour it, citing a funds crunch. It also held the view that …

The discourse around political finance in India usually revolves around the issue of corruption. We see this in the political contestation over the introduction of electoral bonds. It is either presented as a pious instrument for ‘cleansing’ politics, by routing funding through legal channels, or as a murky mechanism for …

India has a great scope to emerge as a sizeable player in electronics and semiconductor products manufacturing as part of China-plus-one diversification strategy, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said here on Thursday. “We are well-positioned to become a trusted global partner under China-plus-one strategy …

A rare winter migrant, Siberian rubythroat (Calliope calliope), has been recorded in the Nilgiris. The bird, which breeds in the coniferous forests of Siberia, is known to winter in Thailand, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Chandrasekar Das, an ecologist with the Keystone Foundation, has recorded the bird at Kotagiri. He said …