Recently, Pakistan signed a new agreement with China to begin the second phase of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Earlier, Pakistan had discussed Taliban-led Afghanistan joining the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project. The second phase primarily revolves around Special Economic Zones (SEZs) development and industrialisation. …

Recently, the Department of Science has stated that India plans to execute the Chandrayaan-3 mission in August 2022. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a follow-up of Chandrayaan-2 of July 2019, which aimed to land a rover on the lunar South Pole. The subsequent failure of the Vikram lander led to the …

Recently, amendments to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address were proposed (However, not passed). The amendment proposal mentioned the government’s alleged use of Pegasus spyware and its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Article 87 provides for the special address by the President. The article provides that at the …

Recently, the Government has clarified that Aadhaar of Husbands is not mandatory under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, PMMVY, to facilitate the inclusion of single mothers and abandoned mothers. What is Aadhar? Aadhar is a 12-digit unique identification (UID) number, which is mandated by Unique Identification Authority of India …

Recently, the union minister of science and technology and earth science said that the Blue Economy is the sixth dimension of Government of India’s Vision of New India by 2030. A Draft Policy document on Blue Economy has been prepared by the Ministry Of Earth Sciences taking into consideration the …

The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Statue of Equality, a statue of Ramanujacharya, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana. India is celebrating his 1,000th birth anniversary as the ‘Festival of Equality’, upholding the view that the world is one family, ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’,” It is a 216-feet tall statue, which is …

Recently, the Kerala government announced that the country’s first Graphene Innovation Centre would come up in Thrissur, Kerala. It is a joint venture of Digital University of Kerala, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) and Tata Steel Limited. Earlier in 2020, the researchers from the City University of Hong …

Recently, Philippines has signed a deal with BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd. for the supply of a shore-based anti-ship variant of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This is the first export order for the missile, a joint product of India and Russia. The Philippines wants to induct this missile amid tensions …

Recently, the Bilateral consultations on United Nations related issues were held between India and Russia in New Delhi. Russia is set to assume the presidency of the UN Security Council in February, 2022. The discussion came in the backdrop of tensions between Russia and Ukraine over possible eastward expansion by …

Recently, the Delhi-based non-profit, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has raised concerns about the Union Government’s announcement on coal gasification projects in the Budget 2022-23. The budget proposed four pilot projects for coal gasification and conversion of coal into chemicals required for the industry. According to CSE, the process …

The Finance Minister introduced a host of changes in Customs duty on several items in the Union Budget for 2022-23. This would mean that imports become more expensive or cheaper depending on the change in customs duties. The customs duty on umbrellas was doubled to 20%, while exemptions provided on …

Recently, the Union Ministry of Culture has nominated Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas temples for consideration as a World Heritage site for the year 2022-2023. The sacred ensembles of the Hoysalas, built in the 12th-13th centuries and represented by the three components of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura in Karnataka. All …

Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a Draft National Higher Educational Qualification Framework (NHEQF) as a part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to assess students at different levels. The NEP 2020 aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower”. Given the size of the higher education …

Recently, the Kerala government has proposed to amend the Kerala Lokayukta Act, 1999 with an ordinance, a move that has drawn criticism from the opposition. The proposed ordinance envisages to limit the powers of the anti-corruption watchdog. The Kerala cabinet has recommended to the Governor that he promulgates the ordinance …

Recently, the Minister of Finance presented the Union Budget 2022-23. This section deals with proposals related to ‘PM GatiShakti’. PM GatiShakti National Master Plan for Multi-Modal Connectivity, launched in October 2021, is an initiative aimed at coordinated planning and execution of infrastructure projects. The objective is to bring down logistics …

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched services for home delivery of medicines for veterans and serving military personnel services under an online medical consultation platform named Services e-Health Assistance and Teleconsultation (SeHAT). It is the tri-services teleconsultation service of the MoD designed for all entitled personnel and their families. …

Recently, ‘Bomb cyclone’ hits eastern US, which triggers transport chaos, outages. A bomb cyclone is a large, intense midlatitude storm that has low pressure at its center, weather fronts and an array of associated weather, from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy precipitation. Bomb cyclones put forecasters on high alert, …

Expanding Scope of NCW Recently, the 30th Foundation Day (31st January) of the National Commission for Women (NCW) was celebrated. According to the Prime Minister, given the evolving needs of women in the country, the scope of NCW must be broadened. The Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) campaign has shown the …

Recently, the Economic Survey 2021-22 was tabled in Parliament by the Finance Minister soon after the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament. The central theme of this year’s Economic Survey is the “Agile approach”. This year’s survey uses various examples to highlight the use of satellite and geospatial data …

Recently, the 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers’ (ADGMIN) Meeting with India virtually, where two sides finalized India-ASEAN Digital work plan 2022 for future collaboration in the field. Important points: ADGMIN is an annual meeting of telecom ministers of 10 ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries and dialogue partner countries—Australia, Canada, …