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Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change addressed the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15)of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)in Cote d’Ivoire (Western Africa). COP 15 is a key moment in the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought. It will build on the findings of …

The Ministry of Communications has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s VVDN Technologies Private Limited to facilitate registered startups, innovators and MSMEs working in the field of Open RAN (Radio Access Network) to get their product tested at the existing lab of M/s VVDN. Such testing certification shall accelerate the research …

The Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Gopal Krishna Gokhale on his Jayanti. Gopal Krishna Gokhale was a great social reformer and educationist who provided exemplary leadership to India’s freedom movement. 9th May 1866 in Kotluk village in present-day Maharashtra (then part of the Bombay Presidency). Gokhale worked towards social empowerment, …

The level of ethanol blending in petrol in India has reached 9.99%. It is one of the principal biofuels, which is naturally produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeasts or via petrochemical processes such as ethylene hydration. It is aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on crude oil imports cutting carbon emissions and boosting farmers’ incomes. The Government …

Recently, the Ministry of Finance has revised the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme(MPLADS) rules, where the interest that the fund accrues will be deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India. So far, the interest accrued on the fund used to be added to the MPLADS account and could be used …

The Indian rupee fell to an all-time low of 77.44 against the U.S. Dollar. Currency depreciation is a fall in the value of a currency in a floating exchange rate system. Rupee depreciation means that the rupee has become less valuable with respect to the dollar. It means that the rupee is now weaker …

The Prime Minister on 9th May, 2022 paid tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary. According to the Bengali calendar, the Tagore Jayanti falls on the 25th day of the Boishakh month. Rabindranath Tagore He was born in Calcutta on 7th May 1861. He was also referred to as ‘Gurudev’, ‘Kabiguru’, and ‘Biswakabi’. He …

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the Cyclone Asani to intensify into a ‘severe cyclone’ over Southeast regions of Bay of Bengal. The name Cyclone Asani has been given by Sri Lanka. It means ‘wrath’ in Sinhalese. Cyclones that Hit India in 2020-21: Tauktae, Yaas, Nisarga Amphan Occurrence of Cyclones in India India has a bi-annual cyclone season that occurs between March …

The recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report AR6 (Sixth Assessment Report) has emphasised that humidity is very important factor while estimating the physiological stress that extreme heat puts on the human body. Instead of the “dry bulb” temperaturewhich is usually measured using a regular thermometer, an alternative metric known as the “wet bulb …

Recently, the National Report of the 2nd phase of fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) was released. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India. It comprises detailed information on key domains of population, health and family welfare and …

Recently, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution revised the PMKGAY (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana) allocation of rice and wheat for all the 36 states/UTs for the remaining five months — from May to September 2022. PMGKAY is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package …

Recently, scientists from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Coimbatore carried out a survey of Grey slender loris populations in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul forest division. The Grey slender loris belongs to the family Loridae. It is a species of primate. It has got a lean …

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

According to the S&P Global India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), India’s manufacturing sector recorded a slight acceleration in new orders and output which rose to 54.7 in April 2022 from 54 in March 2022. April data showed a rebound in new export orders, following the first contraction for nine …

The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has increased the policy Repo Rate by 40 basis points to 4.40%, with immediate effect and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of banks by 50 basis points to 4.5% of Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL). This is the first increase in …

Recently, an annual report named Global Report on Food Crises 2022 was launched by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC). The report is the flagship publication of the GNAFC and is facilitated by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN). It was Founded by the European Union, FAO and WFP …

Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has asked states to speed up implementation of the Unique Disability ID (UDID) scheme for Persons With Disabilities (PwD) in the 75 districts. The Rural Development Ministry has selected the UDID programme as a part of its 90-day campaign in districts “selected …

Recently, the Prime Minister of India held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. At the meetings, a discussion was made regarding ways to further deepen bilateral ties and views were exchanged on regional and global developments. The meeting was organized on …

Recently, the United States and 60 other partner countries signed a political declaration called the “Declaration for the Future of the Internet”. India, China and Russia are among the large nations that are not part of this declaration. India also did not sign the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, 2001. In …

Recently, the State of the World’s Forests 2022 (SOFO 2022) was released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In January 2022 the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released the India State of Forest Report-2021. At the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land …