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The divide between the rural and the urban has grown due to an inherent urban bias among policymakers and institutions, including the government. This happens because groups in urban areas are able to effectively influence these institutions in their favour. Second, the spill-over from markets in urban areas is also …

The world is indeed looking up to the Indian economy as a ‘bright star’, as the Finance Minister noted in the Budget speech on February 1. In 2020, India accounted for 20.6% of the worldwide population of 15 to 29 year olds. Which means that in the years ahead, one …

Although the high seas make up more than half of the surface of the Earth and 61% of all oceans, only 1% of international waters are under protection. Illegal fishing, overfishing and other forms of damage to the ecosystem, such as deep-sea mining, oil and gas drilling, can hardly be …

Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests in a short time. In this technique, various native species of plants are planted close to each other so that the greens receive sunlight only from the top and grow upwards rather than sideways. As …

In a historic step, the Supreme Court on Tuesday began live transcription of proceedings before a five-judge Constitution bench. Doint it (transcribing) in a live environment, as, it is an experiment. We will see how it works, to begin with in Constitution bench matters. It will create a permanent record …

After the passing of the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill last December, the Centre is now in the final stages of notifying an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that will require polluting industries to achieve certain standards of energy efficiency and permit them to ‘trade’ these improvements. The notification specifying which sectors …

Spraying aerosols in the stratosphere, especially radiation-scattering ones such as sulphates, does have a cooling effect. However, scientists warn us about its unintended consequences There is some reason to believe that the ‘summerless year’ that followed the eruption of Mt. Tambora in 1816 inspired the novels Frankenstein and The Vampyre. A sufficiently powerful volcanic …

From the beginning, social media platforms have trumpeted that they have ‘democratised’ self-expression. In important ways, this is true. Social media platforms have facilitated the circumvention of elite and/or authoritarian gatekeeping and have brought new voices into the public sphere. This has had a decidedly mixed effect on the public …

The Standard Model The Standard Model (SM) is the theory that describes the properties of all subatomic particles, classifies them into different groups, and determines how they’re affected by three of the four fundamental forces of nature: strong-nuclear force, weak-nuclear force, and electromagnetic force (it can’t explain gravity). In the …

By 2026, Indian industry will be able to manufacture every year solar modules that can generate 100 gigawatts of power, and help the country be a net exporter of solar power. This will significantly aid India’s target of installing 500 GW of electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030, Bhupinder …

As aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya gets ready to sail out of the dockyard after a long refit, the Indian Navy is finalising plans to repeat the order for an INS Vikrant-size Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)-2, with some modifications, which, given the long timelines, may be close to the time INS Vikramaditya leaves service, effectively becoming its replacement. While …

The Chandrayaan-3 lander has successfully completed the crucial EMI-EMC (electro-magnetic interference/ electro-magnetic compatibility) test at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre here. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Sunday that the lander for the Chandrayaan-3 mission underwent the test during January 31-February 2. According to the space agency, the …

⦁ India is expected to welcome the first batch of 12 cheetahs from South Africa this weekend, after eight of these big cats were ferried from Namibia ⦁ The cheetahs, five of them female, have taken off from Johannesburg aboard an Indian Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft. ⦁ They …

⦁ The Supreme Court of India has given permission to fishermen using purse seine fishing gear to fish beyond territorial waters (12 nautical miles) and within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (200 nautical miles) of Tamil Nadu, but observing certain restrictions. ⦁ The Court’s interim order of January 24, 2023, …

⦁ The Vibrant Villages Programme focuses on developing the rural areas in the northern border states and union territories ⦁ More than 663 villages will be developed under the programme. ⦁ It is to be implemented for two years, that is, between 2022-23 and 2025-26. ⦁ The Central Government allocated …

⦁ Authorities have confirmed the presence of a migratory bird for the first time inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR). The fourth bird survey held at the PTR has spotted 231 bird species in total, including 14 threatened and 20 endemic species. ⦁ The four-day survey began on January 26 …

⦁ Besides high-skill jobs, the generative AI revolution can be transformative for urban governance. ⦁ It does look like a ChatGPT revolution is beckoning us today just like the internet and Google did at the beginning of the millennium. ⦁ On the face of it, such AI-powered bots are quite …

⦁ Air India’s historic order for 470 aircraft — 400 single aisles and 70 wide bodies — has turned out to be an even bigger blockbuster at 840 planes. ⦁ And with a fleet as large as this, “connect India nonstop to every major city in the world” in a …

⦁ Online payment aggregators can onboard digital merchants and accept payments on their behalf after getting a licence from the RBI. ⦁ The central bank introduced a framework for such entities in March 2020. ⦁ The RBI has for the first time released a full list of the entities to …

⦁ The perfect storm is coming. And there is no forecast model for it. ⦁ Artificial-Intelligence (AI)-driven and directed weapon systems are revolutionising warfare and battlegrounds. It’s the next arms race. The search is now for the “safety lever” before one puts the finger on the trigger. ⦁ There are …