GS3

Recently, a study investigated why glaciers in the Karakoram Range of Central-South Asia have not been as affected by Climate Change as others. They have attributed this phenomenon called Karakoram Anomaly to the recent revival of Western Disturbances (WDs). The ‘Karakoram Anomaly’ is termed as the stability or anomalous growth of glaciers in the central Karakoram, in contrast to the …

Recently, Jawaharlal Nehru Port became the first major port of the country to become a 100% Landlord port of India having all berths being operated on PPP model. In this model, the publicly governed port authority acts as a regulatory body and as a landlord, while private companies carry out port operations—mainly cargo-handling activities. …

With crude oil prices easing amid fears of a global recession, the Indian government has cut the recently imposed cesses and levies on diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and removed the cess on exports of petrol. A windfall tax is a higher tax rate on sudden big profits levied on a particular company or industry. Additional excise duties equal to Rs 6 …

Recently, during question hour in Lok Sabha, the Ministry of Home Affairs provided data related to left extremism in India. The incidents of Naxal violence in the country have dropped by 77 % between 2009 and 2021, and deaths of security force personnel due to Maoist violence have more than doubled in Chhattisgarh in the past …

Recently, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) released India’s Bioeconomy Report 2022. During the release, the government launched a special Biotech Ignition Grant call for North East Region (BIG-NER) and announced financial support of up to Rs 50 Lakhs each to 25 startups and entrepreneurs from North East Region to develop biotech solutions. BIRAC is …

Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the construction of Taranga Hill-Ambaji- Abu Road new rail line. The total length of the new rail line will be 116.65 kms. The project will be completed by 2026-27, it will generate direct employment during construction for about 40 lakh man days. The …

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will conduct two unmanned ‘Abort Mission’ in 2022 to ensure crew safety during the Gaganyaan mission. This is a part of ISRO’s roadmap for the country’s first manned flight to space. The first test vehicle for this purpose will be launched in September 2021. Abort Mission Before Gaganyaan The abort missions …

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified amendments to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Rules, making several exemptions to gaining environmental clearance. A new EIA Notification was promulgated by the MoEFCC in 2006 to scrutinize all relevant information about a project or activity in order to assess (and accordingly mitigate) …

Recently, the Indian Navy decommissioned its Kilo class Submarine, INS Sindhudhvaj from its service at Vishakapatnam after 35 years of service. With its decommissioned Navy has left with only 15 conventional submarines in service. It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in June 1987. It was one of the 10 Kilo-class submarines, India acquired …

Recently, Prime Minister unveiled ‘SPRINT Challenges’ during Naval Innovation and IndigenisationOrganisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’. ‘SPRINT (Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through iDEX NIIO and TDAC) Challenges’ is aimed at giving a boost to the usage of indigenous technology in Indian Navy. Importance of Self Reliance in Defense The defence sector was identified as an …

Recently, the Consultative Committee meeting of the Ministry of Civil Aviation was held in New Delhi to discuss ‘DIGI YATRA’. It is a project conceived to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at Airports, based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). The project envisages that any traveller may pass through various checkpoints at the airport through a paperless …

Recently, the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2022 (GP DRR 2022) took place in Indonesia. The outcome was summarised in the Bali Agenda for Reilience From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development For All in a Covid-19 Transformed World. It was the first global gathering for disaster risk reduction (DRR) actors since the Covid …

The recent ‘Uber Files’ reveal that the company had deployed kill switches, purportedly to destroy sensitive data that could have been legitimately accessed by police and officials. A kill switch is a mechanism used to shut down or disable a device or program. In the manufacturing sector, they are deployed …

Recently, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) released a set of images and science products of five different regions of the sky, taken with the James Webb Space Telescope. It includes a galaxy cluster which appeared 4.6 billion years ago. It is the deepest and finest infrared image of some of the most distant …

Recently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has undertaken measures to enhance forexinflows, amid Depreciation of Indian rupee. Why has the RBI taken Measures to Boost Forex? The rupee has depreciated by 4.1 % against the US dollar during the current financial year (2022-23) so far amid the ongoing geopolitical tensions. Indian Rupee has depreciated 4.1 % to 79.30 against the …

India and UK, jointly announced a declaration on “one sun, one world, one grid” — or OSOWOG at the Conference of Parties (COP26), held in Glasgow, UK. GGI-OSOWOG was conceived in 2018 to develop global interconnected solar energy systems. Under the International Solar Alliance, India announced the launch of the Green Grids Initiative — One Sun, One …

Cervavac, a vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII), has recently acquired market authorization from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI). it is India’s first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (qHPV) designed to protect women from cervical cancer. Cervical Cancer Cervical cancer is a prevalent sexually transmitted infection. It’s a type of cancer …

Recently, a political party has approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) to stake claim on the Party Symbol An electoral or election symbol is a standardized symbol allocated to a political party. They are used by the parties during their campaigning and are shown on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), where the voter chooses the …

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put in place a mechanism to facilitate International Trade in Rupees (INR), with immediate effect. However, banks acting as authorised dealers for such transactions would have to take prior approval from the regulator to facilitate this. As per the broad framework for cross-border trade transactions …

Recently, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has directed NCR (National Capital Region) states to adopt a standard list of approved fuels to reduce air pollution. The standard list of fuels approved by the CAQM includes petrol, diesel, hydrogen/methane, natural gas, Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and electricity. Many industries shifted to cleaner fuels such as PNG (Piped Natural gas) and biomass and many …