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Recently, Myanmar’s military government hosted the first high – level regional meeting since the Army took power in 2021. China’s Foreign Minister and counterparts from Mekong Delta nations attended the meeting. Foreign Minister of China along with his colleagues from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam at the Mekong – Lancang Cooperation group meeting. …

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, Scientists have spotted fossils of a small mammal resembling squirrels called treeshrew (known as Sivatupaiaramnagarensis) belonging to a new genus and species from Jammu and Kashmir. Key Points Related to Treeshrew This treeshrew currently represents the oldest record of fossil tupaiids in the Siwaliks, extending their time range by 2.5-4.0 Million Years in the region. Tupaiids refers to several …

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 UN (United Nations) Ocean Conference 2022 was held to ensure global cooperation towards protection and sustenance of the Ocean ecosystem of the world. The conference was co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal. Minister of Earth Sciences led the Indian delegation at UN Ocean Conference. India promised to provide science and innovation-based solutions for the …

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. …

The RIMPAC-22 exercise will be held in and close to the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California from 29th June to 4th August, 27 countries are participating in the current edition of the multi-dimensional exercise. It’s one of the largest biennial multilateral Naval Exercises, which is led by US. The RIMPAC started in 1971 as an …

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved to digitise around 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). PACS will be digitised at a cost of RS 2,516 crore, which will benefit about 13 crore small and marginal farmers. Each PACS will get around RS 4 lakh to upgrade its capacity and even old …

Recently, at the 47th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister, officials approved hiking the rates for some goods and services while removing exemptions for several mass consumption items to simplify the rate structure. The Goods and Services Tax regime came into force after the Constitutional …

According to the latest Lancet Study, steps to check speeding can save 20,000 lives annually in India. Interventions focusing on four key risk factors such as speeding, drunk driving, non-use of crash helmets and seatbelts could prevent 25% to 40% of 13.5 lakh fatal road injuries worldwide every year. According to the Ministry of Road …

Recently, a report published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)named Internet shutdowns: Trends, causes, legal implications and impacts on a range of human rights, stated that shutting down the internet affects people’s safety & well-being, hampers information flow and harms the economy. Internet shutdowns are measures taken …

Recently, the Ministry of Communications has launched ‘Dak Karmayogi, an e-learning portal of the Department of Posts. To recognise the good performance of employees of Department of Posts, Meghdoot Awards were also conferred in eight different categories. Meghdoot Award was introduced in the year 1984. This is the highest award of Department of Posts at National level for overall performance and …

Recently, the Commonwealth members have agreed to voluntarily dedicate ‘living land’ in their respective countries to future generations, in line with the strategy set for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The ‘Living land’ charter was announced at the conclusion of the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali (Rwanda). United …

In May 2022, 2.61 crore households worked under the NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme), which is 17.39% more than in the same month last year. There was a rise in demand for NREGS after the dip in April. In April 2022, 1.86 crore families availed the NREGS, which is 12.27% lower than the number recorded …

International MSME Day is observed every year on 27th June all over the world to highlight the significance of MSMEs and how they play a crucial role in being the backbone of the country’s economy. Earlier, Ministry for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has launched the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) Sustainable (ZED-Zero Defect Zero …

Recently, at the 48th G-7 Summit, the U.S. along with G7 allies unveiled the ambitious Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). The U.S. along with its allies had announced the launch of the Build Back Better World (B3W) in 2021 with the aim of narrowing the 40 trillion dollar infrastructure gap in the developing world. …

Recently, at the 48th G7 Summit, Indian Prime Minister invited the G7 Nations to tap into the huge market for clean energy technologies emerging in the country. Germany holds the presidency of the G7 in 2022. The German Presidency has invited Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa to the G7 Summit. Group of Seven (G7) …

Recently, a seminar on Production & Use of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia in the Process Industry was held Process Industries are the companies that extract, transport and process raw materials to manufacture semi-finished or high-quality end products by means of physical, mechanical and/or chemical processes. Green Ammonia Ammonia is a chemical which …

Every Year, 26th June is celebrated as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking or World Drug Day. UNODC World Drug Report 2022 was released on the occasion of the world Drug Day UNODC World Drug Report 2022 highlights trends on cannabis post-legalization, environmental impacts of illicit drugs, and drug use …