GS-III

Bill likely to be tabled in ongoing session The Congress government in Rajasthan has decided to bring a law to curb mob lynching and honour killing. A Bill on the subject is likely to be introduced in the ongoing budget session of the State Assembly. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot made …

Restrains BMC from proceeding with the 29.2 km-long project The Bombay High Court on Tuesday set aside the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances granted to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the ambitious Rs. 14,000-crore coastal road project, saying there was “serious lacuna” in the decision-making process. Pointing out that …

Flags ‘gap’ in efforts to prevent disease Almost 20 million children missed out on potentially life-saving vaccinations last year, the UN said on Monday, as surging measles cases highlighted “dangerous” gaps in efforts to shield children from preventable illness. Last year, 19.4 million children were “not fully vaccinated”, the World …

Education centre’s inauguration in Ohio museum celebrates 50 years of the Apollo 11 mission New statues of astronaut Neil Armstrong were unveiled and an education centre was dedicated in his name on Sunday as his home town of Ohio in the U.S. continued celebrating the Apollo 11 mission’s 50th year …

Wholesale price-based inflation declined for the second consecutive month to its 23-month low of 2.02% in June, helped by decline in prices of vegetables as well as fuel and power items, according to official data released on Monday. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was at 2.45% in May. It …

State Bank of India penalised Rs. 7 crore The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has penalised State Bank of India and Union Bank of India for violating certain regulatory guidelines. SBI was fined Rs. 7 crore for non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on Income Recognition and Asset …

Augment capacity on international routes as Air India not very ‘aggressive’ After the closure of Jet Airways, the international segment continues to offer huge opportunity for Indian airlines, mainly private carriers, as Air India is shying away from aggressive capacity expansion. According to a report by ICICI Securities Ltd., Air …

India’s trade deficit narrowed by nearly 8% to $15.28 billion during the last month, as against $16.6 billion in June 2018, according to official data released on Monday. In June 2019, merchandise exports fell nearly 10% to $25.01 billion as against $27.70 billion in the year-ago month, the Commerce Ministry …

The registration of new taxis in the city has dropped for the second consecutive year. While it touched a peak in 2016-17 with 32,479 registrations, in 2017-18, it dropped to 16,595. The downward trend continued in 2018-19 with only 16,274 taxis being registered. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/taxi-registration-drops-for-second-year-in-a-row/article28460618.ece

This is far above the national average of 61% Karnataka’s decline in groundwater levels is the worst among comparable States this year with over 80% of monitored wells in the State showing a drop in groundwater levels, says data from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). The board monitors 1,098 …

ISRO stops Chandrayaan-2 countdown 56 minutes before scheduled lift-off India’s ambitious second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, suffered a temporary setback in the early hours of Monday, with the launch of the rocket being aborted 56 minutes before the scheduled lift-off. The mission was aimed at putting a rover on the moon’s …

Overfishing, plastic pollution pose threat to their populations Sharks — the sea’s top predators for millions of years — are at risk of disappearing from the Mediterranean as overfishing and plastic pollution choke populations of the endangered hunters, conservationists have warned. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said that more than …

Globally, losses from malicious software rose by 60% last year to $8 bn, according to latest data Services in the U.S. cities of Baltimore and Maryland were paralysed earlier this year when a ransomware attack locked up computer networks and made it impossible for residents to make property transactions or …

Orchids of India: A Pictorial Guide, which was published recently, puts the total number of species endemic to India at 388 The Botanical Survey of India has come up with the first comprehensive census of orchids of India putting the total number of orchid species or taxa to 1,256. Orchids …

Good diet, adequate exercise could make a big difference: study A healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia even in the presence of genes that raise the risk for these mind-destroying diseases, says a study. People with high genetic risk and poor health …

Policy must evolve over years and not change things overnight, say analysts The Union government’s push for electric vehicles (EV) in the Budget and the Economic Survey may adversely impact the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) auto industry, which is already under stress, in the medium to long term. The two …

be enough for admission to MD/MS programmes In a relief to medical students aspiring to pursue postgraduate courses, the Union Health Ministry has proposed to do away with NEET-PG and use the final MBBS examination for admission to MD and MS programmes. The amendment has been incorporated in the revised …

Punishment for murder attempt A 32-year-old doctor has been ordered by the Supreme Court to plant 100 trees in the next one year as punishment for attempting to commit murder at the age of 16. Solemen S.K., a doctor practising at Murshidabad in West Bengal, was sentenced to three years’ …

However, Mr. Goyal made it clear that the procurement of propulsion equipment or complete trains should be done in accordance with the ‘Make in India’ policy. The move follows a row over India’s first semi-high-speed Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express and the decision to stop production of the train …

Earns SC’s ire for excessive litigation While the debate continues over taxing disability pension for military personnel and assurances by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to look into the matter, information provided under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that between 2013 and July 2018, the Defence Ministry paid about …