Recently released United Nations Environment Programme report titled Annual Frontiers Report 2022 became controversial on account of the mention of a single city, Moradabad of Uttar Pradesh. The Frontiers report identifies and offers solutions to three environmental issues: urban noise pollution, wildfires and phenological shifts that merit attention and action from governments and the public at large to address …

Scientists had published the map of the human genome for the first time nearly two decades ago which was hailed as a breakthrough. In 2003, scientists got the breakthrough, but it was incomplete as about 8% of the human DNA was left unsequenced. Now for the first time, a large team has accounted for …

Recently, the Supreme Court struck down the 10.5% internal reservation to Vanniyakula Kshatriya community in Tamil Nadu The Supreme Court held that 10.5% internal reservation to Vanniyakula Kshatriya community violates the fundamental rights of equality, non-discrimination and equal opportunity of 115 other Most Backward Communities (MBCs) and De-Notified Communities (DNCs) in Tamil Nadu. The allotment …

Recently, India signed a historic trade agreement with Australia, the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind- Aus ECTA). In February 2022, India and Australia announced that they were going to sign such an agreement. The negotiations for India-Australia ECTA were formally re-launched in September 2021 and concluded on a fast-track basis by the …

Recently, a massive fire broke out inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan). The fire spread and destroyed around 10 sq km of forests despite timely satellite warnings and the availability of a real-time mobile application-based fire response system. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warned in its annual Frontiers report released in February …

The maiden edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) was conducted at Goa and in the Arabian Sea. The exercise witnessed participation of 15 out of the 25 member nations of IONS. The aim of the exercise was to enhance interoperability in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations among …

Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated 5.21 lakh houses of beneficiaries of Pradhan MantriAwasYojna (PMAY)-Gramin in Madhya Pradesh. It was launched by the Ministry of Rural development to achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022, the erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira AwaasYojana (IAY) was restructured to PMAY-G w.e.f 1st April, 2016. Objectives: To provide a pucca …

With space junk posing an increasing threat to Indian assets in space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is building up its orbital debris tracking capability. In this pursuit, a space debris tracking radar with a range of 1,500 km and an optical telescope will be inducted as part of establishing an effective surveillance and tracking network under the Network …

Recently, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has said it would protect the ancient Buddha statues in MesAynak. MesAynak is also the site of a copper mine where the Taliban are hoping for Chinese investment. The Taliban’s position is in marked contrast to the time they ruled Afghanistan earlier, when, in the face of global …

Recently, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the World Energy Transitions Outlook 2022 at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. The Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) has become a leading international forum for key stakeholders of the energy sector. Energy transition refers to the global energy sector’s shift from fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption …