GS3

June 2022 witnessed the worst Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) selloff since March 2020 when India announced a nationwide lockdown at Rs. 50,000 crore. June was also the ninth on the trot that FPIs had sold net of their assets i.e. sold more than they had purchased. Foreign portfolio investors are those that invest funds …

Ministry of Science & Technology has inaugurated “Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation” or TiHAN, in IIT- Hyderabad, which is a first “Autonomous Navigation” facility. It is seen as one of the steps toward India’s vision of ‘Atmanibhar Bharat’, ‘Skill India’ and ‘Digital India’. TiHAN It is a multidisciplinary initiative, which aims at making India a global player …

Australian authorities have killed millions of honeybees over the past two weeks in an effort to stop a potentially catastrophic parasite plague named Varroa mite. The decision to kill honeybees could adversely impact the growth of several crops including almonds, macadamia nuts, and blueberries that are dependent on hives for pollination. …

Recently, NITI Aayog has releases a report titled ‘Alternative Products and Technologies to Plastics and their Applications’ to encourage use of alternatives of plastics. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also banned Single Used Plastics (SUP), violation of the ban will invite punitive action under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act (EPA). …

Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated the Digital India Week 2022 under the Digital India Programme, with the aim to strengthen Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living. Theme: ‘Catalyzing New India’s Techade’. To transform the nation into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. During the programme, PM launched multiple digital initiatives aimed at enhancing the …

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change proposed amendments in the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Incidentally, the Environment Protection Act provisions will be in force for penal provisions of the single use plastic ban which has come into force recently. Key Amendments Proposed in the Environment Protection Act The Ministry has proposed the decriminalisation of the existing …

Recently, Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) carried out the maiden test flight of a new unmanned Aerial Vehicle, an Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator. DRDO is in the process of developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of different classes to meet the requirements of the armed forces. It’s an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) or a combat drone that is a …

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved the feat of successfully launching the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module or ‘POEM’. Besides this achievement, ISRO also launched three satellites from Singapore on the PSLV-C53. This was the second Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV)  mission of the year. In February 2022, ISRO launched PSLV-C52 with the Earth observation satellite EOS-04 and …

Recently, the final 20 MW of the 100 MW Ramagundam floating solar PV project’s commercial operation date was recently announced. With this, the 100 MW Ramagundam floating solar PV project in Telangana is declared operational from 1st July 2022. It is the largest project of its kind in India. Floating Solar Panels These are Photovoltaic (PV) modules …

Recently, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) Climate Centre for Cities (NIUA C-Cube), World Resources Institute India (WRI India) and their partners launched India’s first National Coalition platform for Urban nature-based solutions (NbS) at the 11th World Urban Forum in Poland. NIUAfocuses on research, knowledge management, policy, advocacy, and capacity building on urban development and management to address and develop sustainable, inclusive, and productive urban ecosystems in the country. …