CONTEXT: Recently, the Vice President of India has launched the first ever SCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage. IMPORTANT POINTS: National Museum, New Delhi, in active collaboration with SCO member countries. Participants: Museums from India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The launch happened during the …
Read More »INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE SUPERVISORS (IAIS)
CONTEXT: The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) obtained membership of International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS). IMPORTANT POINTS: With this membership IFSCA would have access to IAIS’s global network and would be able to exchange ideas and information with other global regulators. This would help in developing a vibrant …
Read More »LOTTERY, GAMBLING, BETTING TAXABLE UNDER GST ACT
CONTEXT: Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has held that lottery, gambling and betting are taxable under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, 2017. BACKGROUND: The SC passed the order in a batch of pleas filed by various lottery dealers who argued that the Central government had wrongfully classified lottery …
Read More »GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE 2020
CONTEXT: Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary teacher from Maharashtra’s Solapur, has won the Global Teacher Prize 2020. GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: It is a 1 million dollar award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession. Varkey Foundation, which is a global charitable foundation focused …
Read More »WORLD MALARIA REPORT 2020
CONTEXT: Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released the World Malaria Report (WMR) 2020. The report provides a comprehensive update on global and regional malaria data and trends including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, elimination and surveillance. It indicates that India has made considerable progress in reducing its malaria burden. MAIN …
Read More »MANUAL SCAVENGING
CONTEXT: Recently, the government has announced two major initiatives for ending the hazardous practice of manual cleaning of septic tanks and sewer lines and making the mechanised cleaning must. BACKGROUND: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will amend the law for making machine cleaning mandatory, whereas the Ministry of …
Read More »UNNAT BHARAT ABHIYAN SCHEME
CONTEXT: A review meeting regarding the progress of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme (UBA) was held via video conferencing. MAIN POINTS: Identify three to five core issues common amongst all the villages and few issues based on local conditions and work on these. Efforts should be made to maximise the number …
Read More »WORLD AIDS DAY 2020
CONTEXT: The World AIDS Day is observed on 1 December every year all over the world. MAIN POINTS: It was founded in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and was the first ever global health day with a motto of raising public awareness about Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). …
Read More »ASSISTANCE TO DISABLED PERSONS CAMP
CONTEXT: Recently, the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment has virtually inaugurated an Assistance to Disabled Persons (ADIP) Camp for free distribution of assistive aids and devices to Divyangjan or Divyang.These are Hindi word meaning the ‘one with a divine body’ MAIN POINTS: The camp was organized by the Artificial …
Read More »INDIA –SCO
CONTEXT: In an address at the virtual meet of the council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu particularly mentioned about cross-border terrorism and called for combating the menace under a collective approach. BACKGROUND: SCO SCO is a significant organization that has …
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