GS-III

Neuralink showcases sensor that can be implanted in brain Futurist entrepreneur Elon Musk late on Tuesday revealed his secretive Neuralink startup is making progress on an interface linking brains with computers, and said they hope to begin testing on people next year. Mr. Musk has long contended that a neural …

To ensure funding needs of Defence The Union Cabinet has approved expanding the terms of reference of the Fifteenth Finance Commission to address the funding requirements for defence and internal security as also extending its term to November 30, 2019. “The Union Cabinet has approved the proposed amendment to enable …

Stress on time-bound resolution, financial creditors’ voting The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, placing a greater emphasis on more time-bound resolution and laying down voting rules of the financial creditors. “The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal to carry out seven amendments to …

Jalan committee report expected within the next fortnight; consensus on decision unlikely The Bimal Jalan Committee on treatment of Reserve Bank of India’s reserves is likely to recommend a transfer of a specified quantum of RBI reserves to the government over two or three tranches over the next few years, …

Stipulates stringent fines if parents do not follow the directives, says education is more important In a regressive step, Gujarat’s Thakor community unanimously passed a fiat directing parents to discourage their daughters from having mobile phones and inter-caste marriages. If found with phones, the parents can be fined up to …

Cabinet nod for National Medical Commission Bill The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, proposed to be introduced in the current session of Parliament, proposes to replace the Medical Council of India with the National Medical Commission to over see medical education in the country. Under the Bill, the National Medical …

Shah defends not filing appeal Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday defended the decision not to file an appeal against the acquittals in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, stating that the chargesheets filed under the UPA regime did not have any substantial proof. Replying to a debate in …

Agriculture Minister tells Lok Sabha Promising to create a new breed of “smart farmers by introducing smart farming”, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that the government was open to improving its welfare schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for crop insurance. …

Rail lines to boost rail connectivity in U.P., Assam The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved three new railway projects, with a combined investment of over Rs. 6,000 crore, giving a boost to rail connectivity in Uttar Pradesh and Assam. The three projects — an 81.17 km new …

Floodwaters showed a receding trend in Assam on Wednesday but left 10 people in five districts and three one-horned rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) dead. Floods and rain-induced landslides have so far killed 30 people while 51 animals have either drowned in KNP or been killed by speeding …

Allows govt. to borrow Rs. 98.18 lakh crore for 2019-20 The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Appropriation (No.2) Bill-2019 allowing the Union government to withdraw Rs. 98.18 lakh crore from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet its expenditure during 2019-20. The Bill, moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, …

Says govt. will identify infiltrators Answering a question on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Home Minister Amit Shah told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that his government will ensure that all the illegal immigrants are identified and deported. Mr. Shah was replying in the Rajya Sabha to a supplementary …

The demographic change India is going through, coupled with the banking infrastructure being put in place, stands to greatly increase savings in the country, Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian said on Tuesday. Mr. Subramanian also said India needs to move out of the mindset of being apologetic for profit, as …

Regulator probing alleged fund siphoning by promoters The ongoing regulatory probe into the alleged siphoning off of funds by the promoters of Leel Electricals, formerly Lloyd Electric and Engineering Ltd., is getting delayed as the company officials are allegedly not cooperating in the forensic audit process, which has been mandated …

Industry will witness many landmark disruptions, says MRF Tyre major MRF Ltd. expects the current year to be a tumultuous one for the auto sector on account of various regulatory changes and the switch over to BS-VI norms. “The next six months would see a volatile auto sector on account …

Amendment restricts AAI from fixing tariffs for private airports The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill to amend the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008, whereby the Airports Authority would not determine tariff structures in the case of privatised airports as that was part of the bid …

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, for establishing a Central University and Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh. HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” assured the House that the universities would be set up in the next four years. The Lok Sabha had cleared the Bill …

Asks States to set up common treatment and disposal facilities, if not done yet The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all States and Union Territories to furnish a report on the amount of biomedical waste generated and asked them to set up common treatment and disposal facilities, if not …

As the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague prepares to deliver its verdict in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case on Wednesday, the government is pinning its hopes on two precedents, both in cases against the United States in 2001 and 2004, when the ICJ ruled for a review and …

Scheme to ensure fresh producefor children It takes a powerful SUV almost nine hours on non-rainy days to cover 296 km from Mizoram capital Aizawl southward to Lawngtlai, headquarters of the State’s remotest district Lawngtlai bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar. Loaded commercial vehicles take much longer, and those carrying perishables mainly …