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Recently, the West Bengal government has decided to set up a Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad). For setting up the Council, a Bill has to be introduced in the Assembly and then a nod from the Governor is required. The Legislative Council in the State was abolished in 1969. Important points: India has a bicameral system of legislature. Just as Parliament has two Houses, the …

As India battles a raging second wave, cases of children losing their parents to Covid-19 are also mounting. Further, the apprehension of child trafficking in the garb of adoption has increased. Important points: Various social media posts are getting circulated with details of children who have lost either both their parents or the only living …

Recently, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking the constitution of an independent collegium to appoint members of the Election Commission. Election Commission of India It is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India. The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the …

Recently, Iran gave the Farzad-B Gas Field to Petropars, a domestic gas producer. This is a setback for India’s energy ties with Iran as ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) had discovered the gas field in 2008 and has been part of the ongoing cooperation on that front. Important points: Farzad-B Gas Field: It is located in Persian …

Recently, the Government of India’s Special Window for Affordable & Mid-Income Housing (SWAMIH) completed its first residential project. The residential project – Rivali Park, located in suburban Mumbai, was the first housing project in India to have received funding under the SWAMIH Fund. Important points: This is a government backed fund that was set up as a Category-II …

As per a latest report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), India continues to label itself as a country with no Community Transmission (CT) since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic Countries such as the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, France have all labelled themselves as being in the ‘community transmission’ stage whereas Italy and Russia do not label themselves as being …

Recently, the Minister of State for Culture discussed various issues under the Cultural Exchange Programme with his Mongolian counterpart. Important points: Strengthening the strategic partnership- established in 2015. The Cultural Exchange Program between India and Mongolia stands renewed until 2023. 10 dedicated ICCR scholarships for studying ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ have been allocated for Mongolians to study in specialized institutes of …

The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds in six tranches from May 2021 to September 2021. Important points: The Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) scheme was launched in November 2015 with an objective to reduce the demand for physical gold and shift …

Recently, some activists and organisations of Karnataka have raised the issue of increased child marriages in Lockdown with the Ministry of Women and Child Development. According to a report published in December 2020 by ChildLine India, the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have proved to be new drivers of child marriages in rural Madhya Pradesh. Important points: It is defined …

Recently, Israeli armed forces attacked Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Haram esh-Sharif in Jerusalem, ahead of a march by Zionist nationalists commemorating Israel’s capture of the eastern half of the city in 1967. The threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah escalated the crisis further. Zionism is a …

Recently, some people of the HakkiPikki Tribe survived Covid-19 in Karnataka. Important points: The HakkiPikki tribes are semi nomadic tribal people, have four clans namely the Gujrathioa, Kaliwala, Mewara and Panwara. They speak many south Indian languages such as Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam along with Vagribooli which is similar to Guajarati. The HakkiPikki, meaning “bird catchers” in Kannada. It is a Scheduled Tribe in Karnataka. Origin …

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed doing away with the concept of promoters and moving to ‘person in control.’ It has also suggested reducing the minimum lock-in periods post a public issue for promoters and pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) shareholders. SEBI is a statutory body established in April, 1992 in accordance with …

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has designed an ‘oxygen park’ within its premises at Coimbatore with Beema Bamboo. Important points: Beema or Bheema Bamboo is a superior clone, selected from Bambusa balcooa, a higher biomass yielding bamboo species. This bamboo clone has been developed by the conventional breeding method. This species is considered to be one of …

The 4th India-Swiss Financial Dialogue was held virtually through video conferencing. Important points: Talks for collaboration on various aspects including investments, International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA), National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), FinTech, sustainable finance and cross border financial services. The matters relating to G20, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy were discussed …

Recently, Rajasthan Government has approved a proposal to provide Rs. 3 crore each from the MLA Local Area Development (LAD) Fund to mobilise resources for Covid-19 Vaccination of the people in the age group of 18 to 44 years. For meeting the expenses, the fund for each legislator has been increased from Rs. 2.25 crore to Rs. 5 crore a year. …

Recently, thirteen states have started distributing foodgrains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY). The scheme has been rolled out again for two months (May and June 2021) as the country’s healthcare infrastructure has reached its capacity and several states have taken steps like complete lockdown, night curfew to contain the spread …

The Union Territory of Puducherry has become the fourth State/UT after Goa, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar Islands to provide assured tap water supply to every rural home under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Further, the State of Punjab and the UTs of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have also crossed the milestone of covering 75% of rural homes with assured tap water supply. Important points: JJM envisages …

There was a decrease in the number of vaccine doses administered in the week starting 1st May 2021, after the government “opened up” vaccination beyond priority groups, to its lowest level in eight weeks. Covid-19 vaccines are being developed at a pace faster than for any other disease, yet there are shortages. Important points: …

The NITI Aayog and Mastercard have released a report titled ‘Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat’. The report identifies challenges in accelerating Digital Financial Inclusion (DFI) in India and provides recommendations for making digital services accessible to its 1.3 billion citizens. Digital Financial Inclusion “Digital financial inclusion (DFI)” can be defined broadly as digital …

A number of Covid-19 patients are developing a serious fungal infection known as Mucormycosis also called black fungus. Important points: Mucormycosis: It is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes, which is abundant in the environment. It mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness. The types of …