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Recently, the Justice Department commemorated the milestone of crossing 9 lakh beneficiaries under its Tele-Law programme through Common Service Centres. Common Services Centre (CSC) programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), that serves as the access points for delivery of various electronic services to villages in India, thereby contributing to …

Recently, a separate ‘Ministry of Co-operation’ has been created by the Central Government for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation) and to give a new push to the cooperative movement. The Government has signaled its deep commitment to community based developmental partnership. It also fulfils the budget announcement made by the …

Recently, Ethiopia has started the second phase of filling a Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) reservoir on the upper Blue Nile, which raised tensions from Sudan and Egypt ahead of an upcoming UN Security Council meeting on the issue. Ethiopia had previously announced it would proceed to the second stage of filling in July, with …

The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has released a report titled ‘Road to a UK-India Free Trade Agreement: Enhancing the Partnership and Achieving Self-reliance’. According to the UKIBC annual Survey on Doing Business in India, 77% of UK companies believe that the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign is an “opportunity” rather than a challenge. …

Recently, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pushed back against a plan by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) Plus group to extend the global pact to cut oil production beyond April 2022. Important points: The OPEC+ group of countries had, in April 2020, entered into a two-year agreement (Output Pact), which …

The US has added Pakistan and 14 other countries to a Child Soldier Recruiter List that identifies foreign governments having government-supported armed groups that recruit or use child soldiers. Child Soldier refers to any person below 18 years of age who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity. It includes …

The Ministry of Education has launched NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Bharat Scheme. It aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9 years. Important points: This initiative is being launched as a part of NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. This policy …

Recently the Ministry of Women and Child Development released Draft anti-trafficking Bill, the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021. The bill once finalised will need the Cabinet approval and assent from both the houses of Parliament to become a Law. A previous draft had been introduced in 2018 but that could not be introduced in Rajya …

Recently, the Union Education Minister released the Report on United Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2019-20 for School Education in India. United Information System for Education Plus It is one of the largest Management Information Systems on school education. It was launched in 2018-2019 to speed up data entry, reduce errors, improve data …

Recently, the US troops departed from the biggest airbase in Afghanistan after the 20-year-long war, effectively ending their military operations in the country. Important points: On 11th September 2001, terrorist attacks in America killed nearly 3,000 people. Osama Bin Laden, the head of Islamist terror group al-Qaeda, was quickly identified as the man responsible. The Taliban, radical Islamists …

Amid escalating tensions, the Police forces were deployed at various hydel power projects in bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Andhra Pradesh has complained to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) about the drawing of water from the Srisailam project by Telangana for power generation. The KRMB, in its recent orders, had asked …

According to a new report by the Wash Institute (a global non-profit organisation), India was responsible for the largest drop in open defecation since 2015, in terms of absolute numbers. Universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to achieve the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 was also emphasised. WASH WASH is an acronym that stands for the interrelated …

Recently, India has ranked tenth (10th) in Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 by ITU (International Telecommunication Union) by moving up 37 places. The affirmation came just ahead of the sixth anniversary of Digital India on 1st July. Important points: The US topped (1st), followed by the UK (United Kingdom) and …

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), hydrogen will make up 12% of the energy mix by 2050. The agency also suggested that about 66% of this hydrogen used must come from water instead of natural gas. Recently, IRENA has released the ‘World Energy Transitions Outlook’ Report. Hydrogen Hydrogen …

Recently, the Spanish government approved a draft bill that would allow anyone over the age of 14 to legally change gender without a medical diagnosis or hormone therapy. Currently, for someone to change their gender in official records, the law first requires two years of hormone therapy and a psychological …

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to shun the usage of the term ‘Central government’ in its official communications and replace it with ‘Union government’. In common parlance, the terms “union government” and “central government” are used interchangeably in India. However, the Constituent Assembly did not use the term …

Recently, the NITI Aayog released a comprehensive study on the Not-for-Profit Hospital Model in the country. It is an initiative in a step towards closing the information gap on such institutions and facilitating robust policymaking in this area. NITI Aayog It is a public policy think tank of the Government …

The Supreme Court of India has recently held that persons with physical disabilities have the right to reservation in promotions also. A disabled particular person can avail the advantage of reservation for promotion even when she or he was recruited within the common class or developed the incapacity after gaining …

Recently, the Supreme Court directed all states and Union Territories (UT) to implement the One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) system by 31st July 2021. The scheme allows migrant labourers covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to access food at any fair price shop with his or her …

Ukraine and the United States launched joint naval Exercise ‘Sea Breeze’ in the Black Sea in a show of Western cooperation with Ukraine as it faces off with Russia. The drills come just days after the British Royal Navy’s HMS Defender passed near Russian-annexed Crimea in the Black Sea. Important …