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Recently, Indian Railway (IR) has opened the first movable freshwater tunnel aquarium at Bengaluru Railway Station. Important points: The Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station also known as Bengaluru City Railway Station has become the first railway station in India with a movable freshwater tunnel aquarium. The aquarium has been opened by the Indian Railway Stations Development …

The IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipped to 48.1 in June from 50.8 in May, moving below the 50-level separating growth from contraction. India’s manufacturing activity contracted in June for the first time in 11 months as the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and strict containment measures negatively impacted demand and led to renewed …

Recently, LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) has made the discovery of gravitational waves from a pair of neutron star-black hole (NS-BH) mergers. The reverberations from these two objects were picked up using a global network of gravitational wave detectors, the most sensitive scientific instruments ever built. Until now, the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration (LVC) was only able …

LEAF (Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance) Coalition was announced at the Leaders Summit on Climate, 2021. LEAF coalition will be one of the largest ever public-private efforts to protect tropical forests and intend to mobilize at least USD 1 billion in financing to countries committed to protecting their tropical forests. Important …

Recently, the 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) was hosted by the French Navy at Réunion island. It is a biennial event which was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008. Important points: The IONS is a voluntary and inclusive initiative that brings together navies of Indian Ocean Region littoral states to increase maritime co-operation and enhance …

Recently, the Prime Minister of India addressed a virtual event to mark the completion of six years of Digital Indian programme Important points: The data and demographic dividend combined with India’s proven tech prowess presents massive opportunity for the country, and this decade will be ‘India’s techade’. Vision Areas: Digital infrastructure as Utility to Every …

The Guindy National Park provides a number of ecosystem services to the people of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being. Important points: It is India’s eighth-smallest national park and one of the very few national parks located inside a city. …

The World Bank has approved a USD 500 million loan programme to support India’s informal working class to overcome the current pandemic distress. The loan will create greater flexibility for states to cope with the ongoing pandemic, future climate and disaster shocks. Important points: Of the USD 500 million commitment, …

Recently, the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises inaugurated NATRAX- the High Speed Track in Pithampur, Indore (Madhya Pradesh). Important points: It is one of the state-of-the-art automotive testing and certification centre under National Automotive Testing and Research and development (R&D) Infrastructure Project (NATRIP), NATRIP is the largest and …

Recently, Pyrostria laljii, a new species which belongs to the genus of the coffee family has recently been discovered from the Andaman Islands. A new species of pokeweed named Rivina andamanensis was also discovered. Andaman and Nicobar is a group of 572 islands and islets that are rich and unique …

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited has become the first energy company in the energy domain in India to declare its Energy Compact Goals as part of UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE). The United Nations is set to convene a high-level dialogue (HLD) in September, 2021 to promote the …

The Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, completed its one year on 29th June. The PMFME Scheme is currently being implemented in 35 States and Union Territories (UTs). Important points: Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). The States would identify …

Recently, China has put into operation the Baihetan Dam, world’s Second Biggest Hydropower Dam. The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydropower dam in the world and is also along China’s Yangtze River. It began operations in 2003. Important Points It is on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the …

Recently, a new generation nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-P (Prime) was successfully test-fired by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam island off the coast of Odisha, Balasore. Important Points Agni-P is a new generation advanced variant of the Agni class (under IGMDP – Integrated …

Government may reduce interest rates on small saving schemes for the July – September Quarter. A cut in small savings rates at this point would further hurt households amid a surge in inflation, according to economists. Important Points Small savings rates were slashed between 0.5% and 1.4% on different instruments …

Recently, the Defence Minister visited the Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka to review the ongoing infrastructure development under Phase-II of ‘Project Seabird’. Important points: Project Seabird involves construction of a naval base over an area of 11,169 acres. Phase I comprised construction of a deep-sea harbour, breakwaters dredging, a township, …

Every year, Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day is celebrated on 27th June to recognise the contribution of these industries in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Important points: The United Nations (UN) designated 27th June as Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day through a resolution passed …

Recently, Drones were used for the first time to drop explosive devices, triggering blasts inside the Air Force Station’s technical area in Jammu. Drone Drone is a layman terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA). There are three subsets of Unmanned Aircraft- Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Autonomous Aircraft and Model Aircraft. Remotely Piloted …

Recently, India’s Defence Minister reviewed the ongoing work on the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), INS Vikrant (IAC-1), which is a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat. INS Vikrant, is likely to be commissioned in 2022. At present, India has only one aircraft carrier, the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya. Earlier, the Defence Acquisition Council …

Recently, the Union Environment Minister in a virtual event released the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) based survey of forest areas in ten states. The 10 mapped states are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura. Important points: The project …