India’s first cable-stayed bridge and the first-of-its-kind in the country, is currently under construction and will soon be completed. The Anji Khad bridge is being constructed in the Reasi district of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a 80 km long bridge. The idea was first conceived in 2002 and was declared a …
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NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK
Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been unanimously elected as the head of New Development Bank (NDB). The New Development Bank (NDB) was formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank. It is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The Agreement on the New Development …
Read More »LEGACY MUNICIPAL WASTE
Action plans under Swacch Bharat amounting to ₹3226 crore of Central Share (CS) assistance on remediation of legacy waste dumpsites have been approved so far. Although the term “legacy waste” has not been defined in any official government document in India, it typically refers to aged municipal solid waste in landfills or There is no information on how old waste …
Read More »ISRO PUTS 36 ONE WEB SATELLITES INTO ORBIT
With a roaring sound, LVM3, the heaviest payload rocket of the Indian Space Research Organisation carrying 36 OneWeb satellites on board, took off at 9.20 a.m. on Sunday from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here. The satellites separated successfully from the rocket and were dispensed …
Read More »RADIOACTIVE TSUNAMI
North Korea claimed on Friday it had tested an underwater nuclear attack drone able to unleash a “radioactive tsunami”, as it blamed recent U.S.-South Korea exercises for a deteriorating regional security situation. Pyongyang carried out military drills of its own in response this week, the Korean Central News Agency said, including test-firing …
Read More »ICMR RELEASES ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR AI USAGE IN HEALTHCARE
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released the country’s first ‘Ethical Guidelines for Application of Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Research and Healthcare’, aimed at creating “an ethics framework which can assist in the development, deployment, and adoption of AI-based solutions” in the fields specified. Through this, they hope to …
Read More »COAL BED METHANE
The Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs informed Lok Sabha about coal bed methane extraction in India. At present, Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is not produced from any working/ operational coal mines in the country. Government of India had formulated a policy in 1997 to extract Coal Bed Methane (CBM) from coal-bearing areas prior to the …
Read More »IPCC SIXTH ASSESSMENT REPORT AR6
This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the synthesis report of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) cycle, drawing together key findings from its six most recent reports. The report gains added legitimacy as its summary for policymakers is approved line-by-line by governments of the world. The United …
Read More »INDIA’S CAMPA AT ODDS WITH NEW IPCC REPORT
A report released on March 20, that originates in the Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a U.N. expert body, states that not degrading existing ecosystems in the first place will do more to lower the impact of the climate crisis than restoring ecosystems that have been …
Read More »INDIA’S PUSH FOR SEMICONDUCTORS
The Union Government has disbursed around ₹1,645 crore in performance-linked incentives (PLI) for electronics manufacturers so far, as part of its efforts to bring in more of the electronics supply chain to India. The push for semiconductors, or integrated circuits, is far more pressing now, as these chips are found …
Read More »GLOBAL BIOMASS OF MAMMALS ON EARTH
Total weight of humans is 10 times that of all wild mammals put together according to a report. Key findings of the report: The population of wild mammals is shrinking despite conservation efforts. Total mass of humans is 10 times that of all the world’s wild mammals combined. Wild mammals comprise some of the heaviest animals of the planet: the elephants, bears, bisons and …
Read More »ABEL PRIZE
The Abel Prize for mathematics was awarded to Argentine-American Luis Caffarelli. He is an expert in “partial differential equations” which can explain phenomena ranging from how water flows to population growth. This type of equation models how several variables change with respect to each other, and play a prominent role in engineering, physics, economics and biology. About the Abel Prize: The Abel …
Read More »100% ELECTRIFICATION OF ODISHA RAILWAYS
Indian Railways completes 100% electrification of Odisha. Key details: On the lines of setting the target of achieving Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030, the Indian Railways has 100% electrified existing Broad Gauge network of Odisha. Benefits: saving on account of reduced line haul cost, heavier haulage capacity, increased sectional capacity, reduced operating & maintenance cost of electric loco, energy efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation …
Read More »6G NETWORK IN INDIA
Prime Minister Narendra of India has unveiled a vision document for rollout of 6G communications technology in India by 2030. What is 6G? Technically, 6G does not exist today. It has been conceived as a far superior technology promising internet speeds up to 100 times faster than 5G. As opposed to 5G, which at its peak can …
Read More »IPCC SYNTHESIS REPORT (UPDATED FROM 21ST MARCH 2023)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its Synthesis Report (SYR). Key findings: It summarises the findings of six reports released during its Sixth Assessment Cycle. Excess emissions: Excess emissions from human activities have raised global temperature by 1.1°C above 1850-1900. Human activities have unequivocally caused global warming with global net anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions clocking in at 59 gigatonnes of …
Read More »(CBUD) APPLICATION
Prime Minister of India launched the ‘Call Before u Dig’ (CBuD) app recently. To facilitate coordination between excavation agencies and underground utility owners to prevent damage to utilities due to digging. To prevent damage to underlying assets like optical fiber cables that occurs because of uncoordinated digging and excavation. Implementing Authority: It is an initiative of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry …
Read More »NATIONAL CHAMBAL SANCTUARY
Key details: It is situated at the trijunction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is known for its population of critically endangered gharials. National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area in for the protection of: the Critically Endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Endangered Ganges river …
Read More »INDIA TO BUCK GLOBAL SLOWDOWN, MAINTAIN EXPANSION
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 …
Read More »I-T DEMANDS ON BLACK MONEY ABROAD CROSS ₹15,000 CRORE
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 …
Read More »SARS-COV-2 XBB.1.16 LINEAGE
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 …
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