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Chairman of the Empowered Group on COVID-19 vaccination said that the Co-WIN platform, for COVID-19 vaccination registration, has been ramped up to accept one crore registrations and record vaccination of 50 lakh persons daily. COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) system is a digitalised platform to be used to effectively roll …

Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted permits to “No-Permission-No-Takeoff’ (NPNT) compliant drone operations at 34 additional green zones to facilitate, smoothen, and promote drone operations in the country. About: NPNT is a software program that enables every Remotely Piloted Aircraft (except Nano) to obtain a valid permission through …

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared African Forest and Savanna (or bush) elephants as ‘critically endangered’ and ‘endangered’ respectively. Earlier, African elephants were treated as a single species, listed as Vulnerable. This is the first time the two species have been assessed separately for the IUCN …

The Centre has rejected 4.3% of all Right to Information (RTI) requests in 2019-20, the lowest ever rate, according to the Central Information Commission (CIC)’s annual report. Rejection rates have fallen since the 13.9% rate in 2005-06, and have been steadily trending downwards since the 8.4% spike in 2014-15. Important …

Recently, the World Bank has published the World Development Report 2021:Data for Better Lives. The World Development Report 2021 provides a blueprint on how to harness the power of data for development, to ensure no one is left behind. Important Points: The Social Contract For Data: To get more value …

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to introduce new requirements for business sustainability reporting by listed entities. This new report will be called the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) and will replace the existing Business Responsibility Report (BRR). Important points: SEBI, in 2012, mandated the …

Recently, the Rajya Sabha cleared the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) Bill, 2021. The Bill seeks to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) as the principal Development Financial Institution (DFIs) for infrastructure financing. NBFID was announced in the Budget 2021. Development Financial Institution …

India imports helium for its needs, and with the USA appearing set to cut off exports of helium since 2021, Indian industry stands to lose out heavily. The Federal Helium Reserve which is the major helium reserve of the USA is set to close down production in 2021, and scientists …

Recently, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Shell have released a report titled “India: Transforming to a Net-Zero Emissions Energy System”. It illustrates a pathway to steer the domestic energy system towards net-zero emissions by 2050, while achieving India’s sustainable economic development ambitions. Important points: Possible yet Challenging: India …

Minister of State for Jal Shakti informed the parliament about the status of water contaminated habitations in India. Minister informed that the Government started a National Water Quality Sub Mission (NWQSM) in the year 2017 specifically aimed at 27,544 habitations affected by Arsenic and Fluoride. Till date, all such habitations …

The Rajya Sabha recently cleared the legislation to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID), which was announced in the Budget speech by Finance Minister as the principal development financial institution (DFIs) for infrastructure financing. Opposition members argued unsuccessfully for sending the Bill to a select committee, …

Recently, the Prime Minister addressed the opening ceremony of International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) through video conference. ICDRI is the annual international conference of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)in partnership with member countries, organizations and institutions to strengthen the global discourse on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure. …

The Finance Minister of India urged the advanced economies to scale up their commitments to climate finance and transfer of technologies – which are important for achieving climate-related commitments and goals. The Minister was addressing the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI). Climate Finance (Meaning): Climate finance refers to local, national or transnational financing—drawn from …

Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh signed a memorandum of agreement to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project (KBLP), the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers. The two states signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre on World Water Day (22nd March) to finally implement this ambitious …

Justice Ravindra Bhat, one of the judges on the Constitution Bench hearing the question of 50% ceiling limit on reservation, asked why welfare should be dependent on caste quota benefits alone. “Why stop at reservation? Why can’t other things also be done? Why not promote education, establish more institutes? Somewhere this …

Built water reservoir capacity per person is decreasing globally as reservoir expansion has not been able to keep pace with population growth, said the United Nations World Water Development Report released on March 22, 2021 observed as World Water Day.  Important points: While the world population is expected to reach …

The United Nations observes March 21 as the International Day of Forests, commemorating the green cover around the world and reiterating its importance. The theme of the International Day of Forests for 2021 is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”. Why is the International Day of Forests celebrated? The United Nations …

Recently, US India Artificial Intelligence (USIAI) initiative has been launched to scale up the science and technology relationship between India and the United States. Important points: US India Artificial Intelligence (USIAI) is an initiative of Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) which was established in March 2000. The Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government …

Scientists from the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) have developed an on-farm green energy refrigeration system (Pusa-FSF) and a technology for extraction of gluten from wheat dough and its regeneration in bajra (pearl-millet) and makka (maize) flour.   Pusa-FSF: Pusa Farm Sun Fridge (Pusa-FSF) is a 100% solar-powered battery-less cold store that can preserve around 2 tonnes of freshly-harvested produce at 3-4°C during the day …

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has decided to conduct simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities (G-Sec) under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an amount of Rs. 10,000 crore each. Important points: Simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities under OMOs, popularly known as operation twist, involves purchasing G-Sec of longer maturities and selling equal amounts …