GS-III

CONTEXT: India ranked 10 in Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2021. India, for the second time in a row, continued to remain in the top 10. Last year, India had been ranked at the ninth position. MAIN POINTS Published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network …

CONTEXT: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Emissions Gap Report 2020 has been published recently. The annual report from UNEP measures the gap between anticipated emissions and levels consistent with the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C. ANALYSIS FOR THE YEAR …

CONTEXT: As per a report by PwC (a global network of firms), India reported a 45% increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence, the highest among all countries, following the outbreak of the virus. MAIN POINTS The rise of AI adoption (45%) recorded in the country is the highest, when …

CONTEXT: Recently, Israel launched the Beresheet 2 project aimed at landing an unmanned craft on the moon in 2024. Earlier, Israel’s Beresheet probe crash landed on the Moon. MAIN POINTS The Beresheet probe was a private mission to the Moon by Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL organisation. Beresheet in hebrew (spoken in …

CONTEXT: Recently, the Ministry of Railways has written to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) seeking exemption for procuring certain medical items manufactured outside India, particularly medicines used in the treatment of Covid-19, cancer,DPIIT is a central government department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. …

CONTEXT: Entire Lakshadweep group of islands has been declared as an organic agricultural area under the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) of India. PARTICIPATORY GUARANTEE SYSTEM: PGS is a process of certifying organic products, which ensures that their production takes place in accordance with laid-down quality standards. The certification is in …

CONTEXT: National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited will be adopting Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) technique using Laser enabled equipment mounted on a Helicopter for conducting ground survey for the preparation of Detailed Project Report for the proposed DelhiVaranasi HSR corridor. BACKGROUND: The proposed Delhi-Varanasi HSR alignment covers mixed …

CONTEXT: China successfully powered up its “artificial sun” nuclear fusion reactor for the first time recently, marking a great advance in the country’s nuclear power research capabilities. The nuclear reactor is expected to provide clean energy. MAIN POINTS: The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and most advanced nuclear fusion …

CONTEXT: Indian peacock softshell turtle, a turtle of a vulnerable species was rescued from a fish market in Assam’s Silchar. IMPORTANT POINTS: The Indian peacock softshell turtle [Nilssonia hurum] is a species of turtle found in South Asia. IUCN Red list status: Vulnerable species. Schedule I species in the Indian …

CONTEXT: The major demand of the protesting farmers has been that the government guarantee in writing the MSP system, which assures them of a fixed price for their crops, 1.5 times of the cost of production. What is MSP? The MSP (minimum support price) assures the farmers of a fixed …