GS-III

CONTEXT Release of interest sub-vented loan from Micro-Irrigation Fund (MIF) under PMKSY. MAIN POINTS: Micro Irrigation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crore created with NABARD was operationalised in 2019-20 The objective of the Fund is to facilitate the states in availing an interest sub-vented loan for expanding coverage …

CONTEXT: The government has set targets of 10% bioethanol blending of petrol by 2022 and to raise it to 20% by 2030 under the Ethanol Blended Programme (EBP) BACKGROUND: In the normal sugar season, about 320 LMT of sugar is produced against a domestic consumption of 260 LMT. This 60 …

Two-thirds of people in the rural area who developed cardiovascular disease died Contrary to the general notion, cardiovascular disease is becoming an important preventable cause of events (heart attacks and stroke) and death even among the rural population in India, a study shows. The study involved 5,641 adults aged 25-64 …

Six machine learning models were used to validate the genomic signatures Using the expression of 17 key genes (messenger RNAs) it is now possible to distinguish primary and metastatic cutaneous melanoma, which is the most common type of skin cancer. While 11 of the 17 genes have already been reported …

Observations of a jelly fish galaxy, JW100, by Astrosat using its Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope have thrown up interesting puzzles. These puzzles involve star formation in hostile environments containing X-ray-emitting hot plasma. JW100 is located far away in the galaxy cluster Abell 2626. A recent work describes this analysis and poses …

Potency of TB drugs improved many times when two receptors of the immune cells were activated Instead of using drugs to directly kill TB bacteria, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar have directly stimulated the immune system to kill the bacteria. This was achieved by using small …

A new side to the triangular story of interactions among plant, pest and predatory insect emerges as a result of a study carried out by researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru. The team finds a link between the boosting of immunity levels in pest (cotton leaf worm, …

Thailand has reopened the cave where 12 young footballers and their coach were trapped last year in a rescue saga that captivated the world. The Tham Luang cave had been closed to visitors since the Wild Boars football team were rescued after nearly three weeks inside the grotto’s waterlogged corridors. …

Social connections between animals, including those belonging to competing species, play a much bigger role in ecology than previously believed, according to a study. Researchers found that some animals in the wild like gazelles, wildebeests or zebras become aware of the presence of a predator such as a lion by …

‘More tariff cuts will worsen trade deficit in plantation commodities’ The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) has said that plantation commodities should be kept out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), if India signs the agreement. AL. Rm. Nagappan, president, UPASI, said in a statement that in …