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Recently, the Government of India has announced the notification of one more Elephant Reserve (ER) Agasthiyamalai in Tamil Nadu during a programme in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuaryin Kerala. This will be the 32nd Elephant Reserve in the country after Singphan ER in Nagaland was notified in 2018. Agasthiyamalai is Tamil Nadu’s 5th Elephant Reserve and also a Bioshphere …

Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology has organised a workshop to discuss joint research projects under NM-ICPS (National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems). A total of 35 joint projects have been identified which will be implemented by TIHs (Technology Innovation Hubs) and research institutions from the USA. This endeavour will help achieve collaborative …

More than one crore passengers flown since the inception of the scheme 425 New routes started under the scheme 58 airports, 8 heliports and 2 water aerodromes have been connected 1000 Routes and 220 airports are planned to be facilitated under the scheme by 2026 Ministry of Civil Aviation’s flagship …

Recently, a contingent of the Indian Air Force left for Malaysia to participate in a bilateral exercise named ‘Udarashakti’. While Harimau Shakti is Joint military exercises which are held annually between the two countries. Highlights of the Exercise The Indian Air Force is participating in the air exercise with Su-30 MKI and C-17 aircraft while Malaysian Air Force …

Recently, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice tabled a report “Review of Guardianship and Adoption Laws” in Parliament and recommended district-level surveys to identify orphaned and abandoned children. In India, there are only 2,430 children available for adoption while the number of parents desiring to bring home a …

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E) is preparing to undertake a nationwide survey to enumerate all Sanitation workers engaged in cleaning of sewers and septic tanks. The enumeration exercise is part of the National Action Plan for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme and will be conducted across 500 AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation …

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India tabled a report in Parliament on whether steps taken by the Union Environment Ministry to conserve India’s coastal ecosystems have been successful. This latest report contains the observations from an audit of Conservation of Coastal Ecosystems from 2015-20. The CAG has a constitutional mandate to investigate …

On Independence Day, ATAG, an indigenously developed howitzer, became part of a 21-gun salute at the Red Fort. ATAGS The ATAGS is an indigenous 155 mm x 52 calibre howitzer gun. Howitzers is an umbrella term for a category of long-range artillery guns. It is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation …

A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court to stop a person, who has been suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since 2014, from travelling to Europe to undergo a physician-assisted euthanasia. It is a serious and debilitating disease that affects the nervous system, the immune system and the body’s production of energy. It is also known as “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis”. Its potential …

The World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 12th of August, with the aim to acknowledge Elephants’ significance in our ecosystem. It emphasizes on raising the awareness of the threats that elephants face in their daily lives. Whether poaching, mistreatment in captivity, or habitat loss, every single factor plays a role in animal abuse. Elephants are considered …

National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM), launched in 2021, has achieved the target of imparting Intellectual Property (IP) awareness and basic training to 1 million students. The target has been achieved ahead of the deadline which was 15 August 2022. The pan-India mission aims to provide awareness on intellectual property and its rights to …

Recently, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has invoked the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 to curb tur dal prices surging. States and Union Territories are asked to direct ‘stockholder entities to upload the data of stocks held by them’ on an online monitoring portal of the Department of Consumer Affairs, on a …

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)issued the first set of guidelines for digital lending, to crack down on illegal activities by certain players. Towards addressing concerns that had sprung up, the RBI had constituted a Working Group on ‘digital lending including lending through online platforms and mobile apps’ (WGDL) in January, 2021. The …

Recently, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has released a report titled “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022: Investing in transforming futures for young people”. It is the only tripartite United Nation (UN) agency. It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States (India is a member), to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes …

Recently, Russia suspended United Stated of America’s on-site inspections under New START Treaty with Washington due to Western sanctions and coronavirus infections. New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was the last remaining arms reduction pact between the former Cold War rivals and caps to 1,550 the number of nuclear warheads that can be …

In July 2022, Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) witnessed a net outflow of Rs 457 crore as investors parked their money in other asset classes as part of their portfolio rebalancing strategy. This was in comparison to a net inflow of Rs 135 crore in June 2022. Gold ETF, which aims to track the domestic physical gold …

India has hosted the Pre-Summit meeting of Tiger Range Countries (TRCs). The Tiger Range Countries Summit is scheduled to be held at Vladivostok, Russia on 5th September 2022. In January 2022, 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 …

Recently, a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that examined the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill 2021, has submitted its suggestions on the Bill. The JPC has accepted several amendments made by the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change (MoEFCC). The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (BDA) was enacted to provide for the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components, …

On World Biofuel Day 2022, the government of India announced a 2nd generation (2G) ethanol plant to be set up at the Indian Oil Corporation’s refinery in Haryana. This ethanol plant will help reduce air pollution from the Delhi and the NCR region along with generating additional income and green fuel. World Biofuel Day It is celebrated every year on …

Recently, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Communications stated that there is no impact on the Environment due to Electromagnetic Field levels in India. Electromagnetic fields are a combination of invisible electric and magnetic fields of force. Electric fields are created by differences in …