GS-III

Foreign exchange reserves declined by $951 million to $404.2 billion in the week to July 27, on account of a fall in the foreign currency assets, the RBI said. In the previous week, the reserves rose by a marginal $67.7 million to $405.1 billion. The forex kitty is an indicator …

EIH Ltd., the flagship company of The Oberoi Group, is planning to mark major footprints in managing resorts at wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. By 2020, three resorts to be opened at Maasai Mara (Kenya), Gir and Bandhavgarh will be managed by EIH, which is planning to increase the share …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the preparations for the launch of the health protection programme, Ayushman Bharat. The scheme will provide a health insurance cover of up to Rs. 5 lakh per family and will cover over 10 crore poor families. Top officials of the Ministry of Health …

India said on Saturday that delayed higher tariffs against some goods imported from the U.S. would go into force on September 18. New Delhi, incensed by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from new tariffs, decided in June to raise import tax from August 4 on some U.S. products, including almonds, …

India’s benchmark equity index, the 30-share Sensex, is on a record-breaking spree this year. The recent past saw the index regularly touching a new high with ease as it breached the 37,000-mark for the first time ever on July 26. Incidentally, the index took only 13 trading sessions to clock …

Such nets dry up the marine wealth, not leaving even fishlings and fish eggs behind. Large quantities of juvenile fish are sold to poultry farms for as cheap as Rs. 5 a basket. Bycatch such as snakes, puffer fish, ray fish and olive ridley turtles are thrown back into the …

Company to sell CNG in 11 cities, piped cooking gas in six Billionaire Gautam Adani’s group on Friday emerged as the biggest winner of gas retailing licences, winning rights to sell CNG in 11 cities, including Allahabad. Adani won the rights to retail CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas …

Increase in new business strongest since June 2017; inflation pressures still ‘high’ India’s services sector activity remained in the growth territory for the second consecutive month in July, as business activity witnessed the strongest growth since October 2016, amid improved demand conditions, said a monthly survey. The seasonally adjusted Nikkei …

Italian firm developing CNG, LPG and battery-powered vehicles to help meet 5 million sales target Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (PVPL), a unit of Italy’s Piaggio Group, is focussed on developing vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as CNG, LPG and electrically charged batteries to achieve its target of selling 5 …

Likely to prevent three lakh deaths in five years It is estimated that the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) will result in preventing more than three lakh deaths due to diarrhoea and protein-energy malnutrition between 2014-October 2019, notes a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released on Friday. The progress report …

The final tender (the request for proposal) for the purchase of 110 fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) can be expected only around mid-2019, a senior defence source said, confirming that the IAF was evaluating responses to its request for information from six global firms. “The bids received …

Extract: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) — which has proposed to the State government to lift the ban on night traffic through Bandipur — seems to have overlooked key issues brought to light in reports by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and other agencies, including the …

Extract: Gynaecologists and obstetricians across the country can now exhale in relief: the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) has recommended to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that the ban on the retail sale of the life-saving drug, oxytocin, may be lifted. The DTAB recommendation has brought immense …

Drug firm Zydus Cadila said it had received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to market Azithromycin for Oral Suspension USP, used to treat bacterial infections, in the American market. The medication is used to treat respiratory infections, skin infections, ear infections and sexually transmitted diseases. The drug …

“The total gross GST revenue collected in July 2018 is Rs. 96,483 crore, of which CGST is Rs. 15,877 crore, SGST is Rs. 22,293 crore, IGST is Rs. 49,951 crore (including Rs. 24,852 crore collected on imports) and cess is Rs. 8,362 crore (including Rs. 794 crore collected on imports),” …

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to the government’s decision to reduce its stake in IDBI Bank below 50%, with Life Insurance Corporation raising stake in the bank to 51%. The boards of IDBI Bank and LIC have both given their approval for the deal. This policy will …

An IRDAI working group on InsurTech has indicated support for the use of technology that aids in more scientific pricing of insurance policies and facilitates ease of business for both the insurer and the insured. On the use of wearable and portable devices, the group said the devices must be …

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel has flagged the risks to macroeconomic stability from a potential ‘currency war’ in the wake of rising global trade tensions and said the central bank’s decision on Wednesday to raise interest rates was aimed at firmly anchoring inflation expectations. “RBI’s statements on …

The government told the social media platforms that fake news or abusive news could not be circulated and re-circulated to “create crimes”, Mr. Prasad said. “Therefore, the origin of those news should also be technologically answered. I have made it clear to them that it does not need rocket science …

A GI product is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicraft and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory. Darjeeling Tea, Tirupati Laddu, Kangra Paintings, Nagpur Orange and Kashmir Pashmina are among the registered GIs in India. Mr. Prabhu said the initiative would help promote awareness and …