GS2

The European Commission (EC), the European Union’s executive arm, proposed a draft law for halving pesticideuse across Europe by 2030. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its sixth assessment has called for urgent restoration of degraded ecosystems to mitigate climate change. The Glasgow climate pact too had underlined the significance of natural ecosystems for climate mitigation and …

Recently, Prime Minister of India attended the 14th BRICS summit which was virtually hosted by China. Theme of the 14th BRICS Summit: Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development. BRICS Plus virtual conference was also held as part of the main meeting with ministers from countries, including the …

There was no discussion to revive the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Appellate Body (AB), which has been redundant since 2019, at the recently concluded 12th ministerial conference. WTO was established to provide a platform for negotiations for liberating trade and creating rules, as well as to monitor and administer multilateral trades. One of the key objectives was also …

The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has published draft Guidelines to Regulate Child Protection within the Entertainment Industry. The “Guidelines to Regulate Child Participation in the Entertainment Industry” were issued by the Commission in 2011. The new draft increases the scope of the guidelines to cover social media and Over …

Recently, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)- Urban has completed seven years of successful implementation. With a total investment of Rs 8.31 Lakh Crore, PMAY-U has so far sanctioned 122.69 lakh houses, out of which more than 1 crore houses have been grounded and over 61 lakh houses have been completed and delivered to the …

In a study published in the journal Science, researchers have claimed that the disease (black death) originated in modern day northern Kyrgyzstan around 1338-1339 – nearly 7-8 years before it ravaged large parts of the world. The term Black Death refers to the bubonic plague that spread across Western Asia, Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe in …

In Maharashtra’s political crisis, the Governor’s decision to call for the floor test has been in the spotlight once again. What are the Constitutional Provisions related to the Governor in calling for a Floor Test? Article 174 of the Constitution authorizes the Governor to summon, dissolve and prorogue the state legislative assembly. Article …

Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022). It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policy makers, air sports practitioners and public at large and will ensure establishment of good quality of infrastructure, equipment, instructors and services. NASP 2022 lays out …

On the occasion of World Food Safety Day, the Union Health Minister released Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s 4th State Food Safety Index (SFSI) to measure the performance of States across five parameters of food safety. SFSI was started from 2018-19 with the aim of creating a competitive and positive change in the …

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a draft proposal for public comment on a set of proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The draft document was however withdrawn the same day. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT …

Recently, Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister visited India and held bilateral Meetings and agreed to deepen defence ties. The two Ministers presented a joint declaration marking 30 years of Israel-India relations. The declaration reiterated the commitment of both the countries to deepen defence ties. Both sides adopted the India-Israel …

The Union Cabinet has approved a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) between India and Australia on Technical Cooperation for Australia –India water Security initiative (AIWASI). AIWASI is a project Under South Asia Water Security Initiative (SAWASI) of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia. It aims to work towards the Water Sensitive City vision which …

While launching an Integrated Credit Portal ‘Jan Samarth”, Prime Minister said that India is moving ahead with the approach of Citizen-Centric Governance, which is the fundamental aspect of Good Governance, leaving behind the government-centric approach. The portal, an initiative of the Ministry of Finance, is a one-stop gateway for over a dozen of the government’s credit-linked schemes directly …

Recently, Bihar government has announced that it will undertake a socio-economic survey of all castes and communities (SECC). The origin of the Census in India goes back to the colonial exercise of 1881. Census has evolved and been used by the government, policymakers, academics, and others to capture the Indian population, access resources, map …

Recently, Israel signed a free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates, its first with an Arab country, building on their US-brokered normalization of relations in 2020. The UAE was the first Gulf country to normalize ties with Israel and only the third Arab nation to do so after Egypt and Jordan. …

Recently, a proposal for setting up ‘Grievance Appellate Committees’ for hearing appeals regarding social media posts has been put forward by the government of India. One or more ‘Grievance Appellate Committees’ will be constituted by the Central Government as per the draft of the proposed amendments to the IT Rules, 2021. The appellate committees will …

Recently, India and Sweden hosted the Industry Transition Dialogue in Stockholm, as a part of their joint initiative i.e. Leadership for Industry Transition (LeadIT). This high level dialogue has contributed to the UN Conference ‘Stockholm+50’ and set the agenda for COP27 (Climate Change). LeadIT The LeadIT initiative lays specific focus on hard to abate sectors that are …

Sri Lanka plans to develop Trincomalee port into an industrial hub that would spark global interest. The proposal is a long-standing plan to monetise land that belongs to the Sri Lanka Port Authority, by getting foreign and local investment for a special economic zone, an industrial park, or an energy hub. Trincomalee …

Recently, the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom (IRF) was released by the US Department of State. The document is distinct from the IRF report released by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity while the IRF is part of the US State Department. The former’s …

Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has released the data, which showed that the US has surpassed China becoming India’s top trading partner in 2021-22. Major export items from India to the US include petroleum, polished diamonds, pharmaceutical products, jewellery, frozen shrimp, whereas major imports from the US include petroleum, rough diamonds, liquified natural gas, gold, coal, waste and scrap, …