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The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated a scheme, namely Information-Monitoring, Evaluation and Social Audit (I-MESA) in FY 2021-22. Important points: Under this scheme, Social Audits are to be conducted for all the schemes of the Department starting FY 2021-22. These social audits are done through Social Audit Units (SAU) of the States and National Institute for …

Recently, the Prime Minister launched multiple initiatives in the education sector at a conference, to mark the completion of one year of reforms under the National Education Policy 2020 which aims at making India a global knowledge superpower. The Prime Minister also noted the role played by portals like Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) and Study Webs …

Recently, the government has launched the Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE) along with a Calculator for GreenHouse Gas (GHG) Emissions to boost Ease-Of-Doing Business in the country. In World Bank’s Ease-Of-Doing Business Report, 2020 India was ranked 63 out of 190 countries. Important points: The SLDE platform is a solution to replace the present manual process of generation, exchange and compliance of logistics documents with a …

Recently, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting took place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The Defence Minister of India addressed the grouping and said India is committed to working within the SCO framework for helping create & maintain a secure & peaceful region. Important points: Terrorism is the most serious threat to international peace and security …

Recently, the Supreme Court has rejected Kerala government’s plea to withdraw criminal cases against its MLAs who were charged in the assembly. The ruling Kerala government had appealed, to the Supreme Court, to withdraw a criminal case against their leaders who destroyed public property and disrupted a Budget speech on the State Assembly floor in 2015. …

The 12th Edition of Indo-Russia joint military Exercise INDRA will be held at Volgograd, Russia in August 2021. Important points: The exercise will entail conduct of counter terror operations under the United Nations mandate by a joint force against international terror groups. The INDRA series of exercises began in 2003 and was conducted as a bilateral naval exercise alternately between the two …

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported that Pneumonia contributes 16.9% of infant deaths and it is the 2nd highest cause of infant mortality (after prematurity & low birth weight). In November 2020, the annual Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report was released by the International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC). Important points: Pneumonia is an acute …

Recently, the Parliament has passed the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021. The bill will repeal the Lighthouse Act, 1927, an over nine-decade-old law governing the traditional navigation aid, i.e. lighthouses. Important points: Uptil now, the administration and management of Lighthouse and Lightships in India is governed by Lighthouse Act 1927 for safe navigation. Lighthouses serve two …

Recently, China and Pakistan have decided to launch Joint Actions in Afghanistan to stop the war-torn country from becoming a hotbed for terrorism. The recent withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has been matched by the swift advance of the Taliban across the nation. Important points: To avoid the expansion of war and prevent Afghanistan from falling …

At the recent G20 Climate Meet, India urged the group of 20 nations (G20) having per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions above the global average to bring it down to the world average, thereby vacating ‘some’ carbon space for developing nations. This will support the developmental aspirations of the developing nations. Presently, Italy holds the G20 Presidency and the Climate Meet …