75 youngsters, all in the age group 18 – 35, will get to attend the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India as special guests, as part of the ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ initiative of the Government. The much-awaited list of handpicked 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow, selected by …
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NEW REGULATIONS FOR AWARDING PHDS
Background: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made sweeping changes in its latest regulations governing the award of PhDs. Important changes such as abolishing of MPhils, relaxing course work for obtaining PhDs and allowing candidates to register for a PhD after finishing four years of a graduation programme, have been …
Read More »EXTRA-REGIONAL FISHING FLEETS PRESENT IN INDIAN OCEAN
More than 200 Chinese fishing vessels have been monitored in the Indian Ocean in the first half of this year, according to the Indian Navy, even as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to rise beyond India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Most of the illegal activities are found in …
Read More »RUSSIA AND UKRAINE NEGOTIATION
A recent report in a prominent American daily focussed on the possibility of India playing a significant role in seeking to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. The report came on the eve of the visit of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s to Moscow (November 7-8). It led …
Read More »WASTEFUL CONSUMPTION OF GROUNDWATER
The Ministry of Water Resources recently made public a report that gives a snapshot of India’s groundwater situation. On the surface, there is good news: the total annual groundwater recharge — defined as the groundwater stored — for the entire country is 437.60 billion cubic metres (bcm) out of which …
Read More »ISSUE OF CLIMATE FINANCE
Over the last few years, developed countries have insisted upon two points on the issue of climate finance. First, they maintain that their commitment to reaching the target of $100 billion in climate finance a year for developing countries, first promised in 2009, is close to being met. Second, they …
Read More »G-20 SUMMIT TO FOCUS ON FOOD, ENERGY SECURITY
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Bali on Monday to attend the G-20 summit on November 15 and 16. Food and energy security and post-COVID health issues will be at the top of the agenda in sessions at the summit in the Indonesian city. Officials said Mr. Modi will …
Read More »3RD MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON COUNTERING FINANCING OF TERRORISM
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India is organising the 3rd Ministerial ‘No Money for Terror’ Conference on 18th and 19th of November in New Delhi. The hosting of this conference shows the importance being given by the Modi Government to the issue of international terrorism as well as its zero tolerance policy …
Read More »EXERCISE GARUDA-VII
The seventh edition of the bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF), ‘Exercise Garuda-VII’ concluded at Air Force Station, Jodhpur on 12 November 2022. The FASF participated in the exercise with Rafale fighter aircraft and A-330 Multi Role Tanker Transport …
Read More »INDIA–MALDIVES RELATIONS
National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), an autonomous apex institution of Government of India in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs today concluded its two-week 17th capacity building programme for civil servants of Maldives, which was started on 31st October 2022. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, during his visit to Maldives …
Read More »TECHNOLOGY NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFE
Department of Science and Technology hosted a Panel Discussion on “Technology Needs Assessment for Sustainable Life” at the India Pavilion at COP 27 to identify technology needs and their assessment for adoption for sustainable well being of global citizens in future. Speaking at the discussion the Secretary, MoEFCC, Ms Leena …
Read More »MAULANA ABUL KALAM AZAD
Born on 11 November 1888 and died on 22 February 1958. He was senior Muslim leader of Indian National Congress during Indian independence movement. He is commonly remembered as Maulana Azad (word Maulana is honorific meaning ‘Our Master’) and he had adopted Azad (Free) as his pen name. He was …
Read More »SC EXTENDS PROTECTION FOR AREA AROUND ‘SHIVLING’
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the protection of an area in which a ‘shivling’ was reportedly found inside the Gyanvapi mosque premises to continue until further orders. A Special Bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices Surya Kant and PS Narasimha further allowed the Hindu parties to approach the …
Read More »HIMALAYAN GRAY LANGUR
Differences in altitude make a primate species in the same Himalayan habitat choose between flowers and fruits as food options beyond their staple menu of leaves, a new study has revealed. The Himalayan Gray Langur or the Chamba Sacred Langur (Semnopithecus ajax) is a colobine, meaning leaf-eating monkey. It is …
Read More »RESEARCH FIELD IN INDIA
The UGC’s decision to remove the mandatory requirement of getting research papers published in peer-reviewed journals before submitting a PhD thesis is a bid to stem the unhealthy practice of many scholars paying substandard, predatory journals to publish their papers without sufficient review, which has weakened the quality of India’s …
Read More »INDIA’S EXPORT, IMPORT WITH WORLD
The Government has quietly dropped the practice of releasing preliminary monthly merchandise trade estimates at the beginning of the month, and updating them two weeks later with ‘quick’ estimates. The foreign trade numbers for October 2022 and beyond will be released by the middle of the next month, as was …
Read More »SUPREME COURT VERDICT ON EWS QUOTA
In its more than 70-year-old history, the Supreme Court of India has delivered a plethora of judgments touching on the fundamental tenets governing the Constitution of India’s guarantee of equal treatment. On occasion, its verdicts have contradicted each other, with different Benches championing different meanings to the Constitution’s text and …
Read More »42 INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATION (INCA)
The 42 International Congress of the Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) is being organised by the National Hydrographic Office (NHO), Dehradun from 09 to 11 Nov 22. The Governor of Uttarakhand His Excellency Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, (Retd.) was the Chief Guest for the Inaugural Session on 09 Nov 22. …
Read More »INTERNATIONAL TRADE SETTLEMENTS IN INDIAN RUPEES
The Government of India has made suitable amendments in the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures to allow for International Trade Settlement in Indian Rupees (INR) i.e., invoicing, payment, and settlement of exports / imports in Indian Rupees. Accordingly, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had earlier introduced …
Read More »DELHI’S AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM
The National Ambient Air Quality Standards were revised in 2009 to include 12 categories of pollutants including PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter under 2.5 microns) — a noxious pollutant which can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, resulting in cardiovascular and respiratory impacts. Multiple studies …
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