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Even as the global economy is set to slow down or even enter a recession in 2023 as financial markets worldwide face heightened uncertainty, the Indian economy is steadily gathering momentum, Reserve Bank of India (RBI). India had emerged from the pandemic years stronger than initially thought, they asserted. “Unlike …

The war against black money stashed abroad appears to have slowed down in the first nine months of FY23 compared with the previous two years, with just 59 assessment orders for tax demands totalling ₹2,098 crore being passed, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary’s reply in Parliament shows. In …

What are recombinants? Co-infection of multiple lineages of a virus could result in recombinations between genomes which can give rise to chimeric genomes, otherwise called recombinants. While most recombinations may not give rise to viable viruses, there is a rare possibility that recombination could result in the creation of a …

The Kerala government recently announced the State’s first waste-to-energy project in Kozhikode. The planned facility is expected to be built in two years and generate about 6 MW of power. There are around 100 waste-to-energy projects around the country but only a handful of them are operational, thanks to various production …

In unprecedented haste, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has cleared the decks for a mega project at the cost of about ₹70,000 crore at the southern tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. NITI Aayog is piloting the project and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands …

The findings of a recent report by Swiss technology company IQAir said 39 of the world’s top 50 most polluted cities were in India. IQAir is a Swiss air quality technology company that prepares annual world air quality reports based on data from monitoring stations operated by governments and other institutions and organisations across the …

In the never-ending debate about the origin of the virus that set off the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now fresh grist for the mill for those who have held out for the zoonotic angle — that the infection skipped from animals to humans. Undisclosed genetic data from a food market …

GDP growth may have slowed to 4.4% in the third quarter (Q3) from 6.3% in Q2, but “growth has not gotten shallower” and the momentum has sustained through the course of 2022-23, the Finance Ministry asserted on Monday. Macroeconomic stability was likely to get a further boost this year as …

Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health and there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in a report on Monday. The UN panel does not itself undertake scientific …

The influence of James Cameron, the Canadian-American filmmaker, whose cinema has frequently explored the mysteries of the deep ocean, looms large on scientists at the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai. Ananda Ramadass asks this correspondent. The documentary charts Mr. Cameron’s solitary, 10,000-metre journey down the Marianna Trench …

Horseshoe crabs are disappearing off Odisha’s coast. Horseshoe crabs are marine and brackish water arthropods of the family. Despite their name, they are not true crabs or crustaceans, they are chelicerates, most closely related to arachnids such as spiders, ticks, and scorpions. Horseshoe crabs live primarily in and around shallow coastal waters on soft, sandy or muddy bottoms. They are generally found …

The Prime Minister of India has informed that PM MITRA mega textile parks would be set up in some states which will boost the textiles sector in line with 5F (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) vision. Ministry of Textiles78 Aim: The PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and …

The US military said its MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed into the Black Sea after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet damaged its propeller. It is a remotely piloted drone. It can reach up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, gathering intelligence with cameras, sensors and radars. It can also carry precision strikes. Black Sea ·        The Black Sea is a mediterranean …

The failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the US raises questions on the safety of depositors’ wealth everywhere but such failures are unlikely in the Indian system. What is the basis for the confidence in the resilience of Indian banks? Domestic banks have a different balance sheet structure. …

1,400-year religious protection of sika deer in Japan have made them genetically unique Key details: Nara has a long history and connection with sika deer, with classic Japanese poems about the deer being composed there 1,200 years ago. These deer are revered in this area as the messengers of the (Shinto) gods in Kasugataisha Shrine. Deer are still considered sacred creatures by …

Union Power Minister informed the Parliament that 3377 MW capacity allocated to States and 4.3 lakh people have benefited from the Programme. What is solar energy? Solar energy is obtained from the sun. Solar energy is less costly in comparison with electrical energy. The solar energy can be used for both household as well as for commercial …

The Kochi landfill site around Brahmapuram that caught fire is a stark reminder that Indian cities need to be prepared for more such incidents as summer approaches. What are landfills? A landfill is an area of land that is used to dump garbage, either directly on the ground (landraising) or filling an unwanted hole in …

Researchers have created a design for a ‘glowscope’, a device that could democratise access to fluorescence microscopy. An optical microscope views an object by studying how it absorbs, reflects or scatters visible light. A fluorescence microscope views an object by studying how it re-emits light that it has absorbed, i.e. how it fluoresces. The process: The object is illuminated with light …

Over the last decade, regulators and corporations around the world have embraced the idea of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). What is ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)? ESG is a framework that helps stakeholders understand how an organization is managing risks and opportunities related to environmental, social, and governance criteria. ESG takes the holistic view that sustainability extends beyond just …

Stepping up from its ongoing initiative of providing potable water on six islands of Lakshadweep using low temperature thermal desalination (LTTD) technology, the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is working at making this process free of emissions. Key details: Currently, the desalination plants are powered by diesel generator sets — …