Awareness

Reduced Spending by Middle-Income Households in India

Context (IE | ET): Leaders in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector have raised concerns over declining consumer demand among urban middle-income households. Reasons for Reduced Spending High Food Inflation & Essential Service Costs: Rising costs in areas like food, healthcare, and education have reduced disposable income, cutting into discretionary …

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Marburg Virus

Context (IE): Recent outbreak of the Marburg virus has been reported in Rwanda. Overview of Marburg Virus Marburg hemorrhagic fever is a rare but highly dangerous disease, impacting both humans and nonhuman primates. The virus responsible for the disease is the Marburg virus, which belongs to the family of RNA …

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Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005

Context The Satark Nagrik Sangathan’s 2023-24 report has brought attention to issues with the RTI Act, highlighting the pressing need for reforms. Overview of the RTI Act 2005 The RTI Act, enacted in 2005, grants citizens the right to request information from public authorities, promoting transparency, accountability, and participatory governance …

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Elephant Census

Context: Recent data from an unreleased elephant census, which incorporated new counting techniques, has revealed a decline in elephant populations across several regions of India, particularly in southern West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Kerala. Previous Counting Methods Total Direct Count Up until 2002, India used the “total direct count” method, …

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Train Accidents in India

Context: Recently, the Sabarmati Express derailed near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, after its engine collided with an object on the tracks. Over the last five fiscal years ending in FY23, India has experienced an average of 44 significant train accidents annually. These consequential accidents include incidents that result in injuries, fatalities, …

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Hunar se Rozgar Scheme, The Skilling Potential of Tourism

Relevance : Hunar se Rozgar Scheme, India Skills Report 2024 And Skill Development In India, and Higher Education & The Skill Requirements In The Job. Since 2006, the Ministry of Tourism is implementing a relatively less-known scheme called ‘Hunar se Rozgar’ meaning skill to employment, primarily aimed at catching the …

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Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI)

Introduction: The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1974 marks a significant milestone in global public health. It aimed to ensure universal access to life-saving vaccines for children, initially focusing on six childhood diseases: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, and tuberculosis. EPI: A …

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Rapid spread of the JN.1 variant

Understanding COVID Coronaviruses: A large family of viruses that typically cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases like MERS and SARS. SARS-CoV-2: The specific virus responsible for COVID-19. It’s a single-stranded RNA virus with characteristic spike proteins that give it a crown-like appearance under a microscope. Origin and spread …

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COP28: The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference

What is COP The way the world organises its collective response to the global challenge of climate change is through Conferences of the Parties (COPs). At the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, world leaders came together to establish the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In order …

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Green Credit Program-UPSC

The innovative market-based Green Credit Program (GCP), announced on October 13, 2023, is intended to encourage voluntary environmental actions by a range of stakeholders, including individuals, communities, businesses, and private sector industries, across diverse sectors. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) acts as the GCP Administrator, in …

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The Silkyara Tunnel Collapse Occurred on November 12

The Silkyara tunnel collapse occurred on November 12, 2023, when a portion of the under-construction Silkyara Bend – Barkot tunnel collapsed in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India. Incident On November 12, 2023, a portion of the under-construction Silkyara Bend – Barkot tunnel collapsed in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, India. The collapse …

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