GS3

GS-3 4.NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNTING AND VALUATION OF THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROJECT Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of the Ecosystem Services (NCAVES)India Forum-2021 is being organised by the Ministry of Statistics and ProgrammeImplementation (MoSPI) in virtual format. The MoSPI has taken up several initiatives under the project “Natural Capital Accounting and …

GS-3  5.RASTRIYA KAMDHENU AAYOG Recently, the RastriyaKamdhenuAayog has announced ‘KamdhenuGau-VigyanPrachar-Prasar Exam’ with an aim to “infuse curiosity” among people about the importance of cows, and to “sensitise and educate” them about the bovine species. IMPORTANT POINTS RastriyaKamdhenuAayog is an agency under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying)established for …

GS-3 3.PAYMENT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND SCHEME Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the operationalisation of the Payment Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) scheme. OBJECTIVE: Develop payment acceptance infrastructure in tier-3 to tier-6 cities (centres), with a special focus on the north-eastern states of the country. The fund will be operational for three years effective from 1st January, 2021 and may be extended …

GS-3  1.SULFUR DIOXIDE EMISSION NORMS DELAYED The Ministry of Power has proposed pushing back the deadlines for adoption of new emission norms by coal-fired power plants, stating “an unworkable time schedule” would burden utilities and lead to an increase in power tariffs. India initially had set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to comply with emissions standards …

GS-3 5.FREIGHT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PORTAL: RAILWAYS The Ministry of Railwayshas launched an exclusive portal to promote and develop the railways’ freight business – Freight Business Development Portal. With passenger train services suspended due to the coronavirus crisis, the railways is banking heavily on freight revenues for its earnings. The Dedicated …

GS-3 3.ASIAN WATERBIRD CENSUS The two-day Asian Waterbird Census-2020 has commenced in Andhra Pradesh under the aegis of experts from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). IMPORTANT POINTS: Every January, thousands of volunteers across Asia and Australasia visit wetlands in their country and count waterbirds. This citizen scienceprogrammeis the Asian …

GS-3 4.SAGARMALA SEAPLANE SERVICES The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is starting the ambitious Project of Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS) with potential airline operators. A seaplane is a fixed-wing aeroplanedesigned for taking off and landing on water. MECHANISM: The project is being initiated under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) …

GS-3 3.NATIONAL METROLOGY CONCLAVE 2021 Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated the National Metrology Conclave 2021and also laid the foundation stone of National Environmental Standards Laboratory through a video conference. BACKGROUND: The Conclave was organised by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, on its …

GS-3 1.STATE OF THE CLIMATE REPORT 2020 According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s State of the Climate Report, the year 2020 was the eighth warmest since India started keeping records in 1901. The State of the Climate Report looks at temperature and rainfall trends annually. AVERAGE TEMPERATURE: During the …

GS-3 1. KOCHI – MANGALURU NATURAL GAS PIPELINE PM to dedicate Kochi – Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline to the nation. KOCHI – MANGALURU NATURAL GAS PIPELINE It is a 450 km long pipeline built by GAIL (India) Ltd. It has a transportation capacity of 12 Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres …

GS-3 3.FSSAI SLASHES LIMIT FOR TRANSFAT LEVELS IN FOODS: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to …

GS-3 8.INDUCTION OF INDIGENOUS BRIDGING SYSTEM INTO THE INDIAN ARMY In close coordination with the private industry and DRDO, the Indian Army has inducted three sets of 10-metre short span bridges. IMPORTANT POINTS: The equipment will meet the important requirement of providing mobility to own forces by speedy bridging of …

GS-3 6.CABINET APPROVES INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR NODES AT KRISHNAPATNAM AND TUMAKURU UNDER CBIC SIGNIFICANT POINTS: Cabinet has approved Industrial Corridor nodes at Krishnapatnam and Tumakuruunder Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC). Multi Modal Logistics Hub & Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida was also approved. The approved proposals have a …

GS-3 2. ATMOSPHERIC AND CLIMATE RESEARCH-MODELLING OBSERVING SYSTEMS AND SERVICES (ACROSS) SIGNIFICANT POINTS: ACROSS scheme pertains to the atmospheric science programs of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). It addresses different aspects of weather and climate services, which includes warnings for cyclone, storm surges, heatwaves, thunderstorms, etc. The ACROSS scheme …

GS-3 7.MAIDEN FLIGHT TRIAL OF SAHAYAK-NG, AIR DROPPABLE CONTAINER Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of ‘SAHAYAK-NG’ off the coast of Goa. It is India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft (Indian Navy) IMPORTANT …