GS3

The Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV)Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vigraha was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). It is the last vessel in the series of seven OPVs built by Larsen & Toubro (Private Company) under an Ministry of Defence contract signed in 2015. In May 2021, OPV Sajag was commissioned into the ICG. Important points: It …

Recently, the central government has said that no new Hydropower projects would be allowed in the upper reaches of the Ganga and those sanctioned would have to abide by environment regulations that prescribe a minimum flow in the river at all times of the year to preserve its health. Important points: Seven …

Recently, the government has asked the banks to improve access of account holders in the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme to micro-credit and micro investment products, like flexi-recurring schemes. PMJDY – National Mission for Financial Inclusion has completed seven years of successful implementation. Important points: Ensuring access to various financial services to the excluded …

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has brought into effect the SEBI (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021. The regulations have widened the scope of employees who can be offered stock (equity) options. SEBI has merged the SEBI (Share Based Employee Benefits) Regulations, 2014 (SBEB Regulations) and the SEBI (Issue of …

According to a recent study, Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan is constantly shrinking with the degradation of soil and water quality and a decline in the population of migratory birds. Important points: 80 km south-west of Jaipur in east-central Rajasthan, it is the country’s largest inland saline water body. Represents the depression of the Aravalli Range Production of brine/salt, houses one of the largest …

Recently, the Department of Science and Technology reported that Indian scientists have discovered the merger of three supermassive black holes from as many galaxies to form a triple Active Galactic Nucleus. Many Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) pairs have been detected in the past, but triple AGN are extremely rare, and only a handful has been detected before using X-ray observations. …

Recently, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the ‘Start-up Accelerators of MeitY for pRoduct Innovation, Development and growth (SAMRIDH)’ programme. Important points: To create a conducive platform to Indian Software Product start-ups to enhance their products and secure investments for scaling their business. Focuses on accelerating the 300 start-ups by providing customer connect, investor …

The domestic general insurance companies are gradually reducing their exposure to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to cut down their losses on account of high claims even as the Centre made the scheme optional and slashed its contribution. PMFBY and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) were revamped in 2020. Important …

Recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Fridays for Future launched a report named ‘The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index’. It is the first comprehensive analysis of climate risk from a child’s perspective. Earlier an analysis, based on Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) index, …

Recently, India has overtaken the United States (US) to become the second-most sought-after manufacturing destination globally, driven mainly by cost competitiveness in the Global Manufacturing Risk Index 2021. In last year’s report, the US was at second position while India ranked third. Important points: It assesses the most advantageous locations for global manufacturing among 47 …