GS3

Recently, the Economic Survey 2021-22 was tabled in Parliament by the Finance Minister soon after the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament. The central theme of this year’s Economic Survey is the “Agile approach”. This year’s survey uses various examples to highlight the use of satellite and geospatial data …

According to recent data from Reserve bank of india (RBI), India’s Foreign Exchange (Forex) reserves posted a decline of USD 678 million during the week ended 21st January 2022 to reach USD 634.287 billion. The slip in the reserves was on account of a drop in the Foreign Currency Assets …

The Budget, which will be tabled in Parliament by the Finance Minister on 1st February is likely to address concerns around growth, inflation and spending. Budget is the government’s blueprint on expenditure, taxes it plans to levy, and other transactions which affect the economy and lives of citizens. According to …

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying organised a webinar on “Cage aquaculture in Reservoir: Sleeping Giants” as a part of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”. Department of Fisheries, GOI earmarked the investment targets for promoting cage aquaculture under flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Important points: Cage …

Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the constitution of a ‘Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission. Important points: The order by the NGT takes note of the ‘unscientific handling and storage’ of the fly ash by coal thermal power stations. For example, the draining of industrial effluents and fly …

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) approval for the implementation of the proposal for setting up a ‘Bad Bank is still pending. In September 2021, the Union Cabinet approved the Rs. 30,600 crore guarantee to back Security Receipts issued by National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) for acquiring stressed loan …

Recently, the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference on tiger conservation was held. India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority has also decided to introduce guidelines for the reintroduction of tigers that can be used by other Tiger Range Countries. Important points: The conference is an important event for reviewing progress towards the Global …

Recently, scientists investigating how the shape of dark matter affects the motion of stars in the centre of some galaxies (stellar bars) have found that out-of-plane bending can be explained through dark matter halos in barred galaxies. Out of plane bending of the bar in barred galaxies is a rare …

According to the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) report, 1.27 million people died in 2019 as a direct result of AMR (AntiMicrobial Resistance). The death due to AMR is now a leading cause of death worldwide, higher than HIV/AIDS or malaria. Most of the deaths from AMR were caused …

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has decided to rank states, specifically State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs), on the speed with which they accord Environmental Clearances (EC) to development projects. The issue of action taken to enable “ease of doing business’’, especially in the context of …

Recently, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that the new 5G technology could interfere with sensitive navigation equipment such as altimeters, which could lead to “catastrophic disruptions.” Airlines across the world, including India, are adjusting their scheduled flights to the US due to the rollout of 5G by …

Segregation of domestic hazardous waste remains a distant dream for most Indian cities in absence of robust framework and infrastructure. Indore is the only city in the country that safely handles its domestic hazardous waste. Important points: Domestic Hazardous Waste is any chemical or product that can cause serious illness …

The concept of Web3, also called Web 3.0, used to describe a potential next phase of the internet, created quite a buzz in 2021. Important points: World Wide Web, which is also known as a Web, is a collection of websites or web pages stored in web servers and connected …

Recently, India’s INS Kochi and Russian ships engaged in the international Passage Exercise (PASSEX). A passage exercise is normally undertaken whenever an opportunity arises, in contrast to pre-planned maritime drills. Earlier, Indian Naval ships conducted PASSEX with the US Navy also. Important points: Russia’s inclusion as a dialogue partner of …

Recently, the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry presented the second edition of National Startup Awards 2021. It was also announced that 16th January (Startup India Initiative was launched on this day in 2016) will be celebrated as National Start-up Day, to take the Startup culture to the far flung …

Recently, the US has proposed a law aiming to end China’s alleged “chokehold” on rare-earth metal supplies. The Bill aims to “protect the US from the threat of rare-earth element supply disruptions, encourage domestic production of those elements, and reduce its reliance on China. The law would require the creation …

The Ministry of Electronics and Information (MeitY) is seeking applications from 100 domestic semiconductor chip design firms, companies, start-ups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under its Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme. The DLI scheme is part of the MeitY’s comprehensive Program for the Development of Semiconductors and Display …

According to some studies, DNA floating in the air (i.e. e-DNA) can boost biodiversity conservation efforts across the world. Important points: Researchers from two teams have independently shown that environmental DNA (e-DNA) can potentially identify and monitor terrestrial animals. Animals shed DNA through their breath, saliva, fur or faeces into …

Recently, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited) today launched six, One District One Product (ODOP) brands under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme. The Ministry has signed an agreement with NAFED for developing 10 brands …

Recently, in order to secure Consumer Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), under Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, has released a report “Code of Practice for Securing Consumer Internet of Things(IoT)”. These guidelines will help in securing consumer IoT devices & ecosystem as well as managing …