GS

Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has released draft guidelines on how the doctors will be registered in order to practise medicine. It aims to bring uniformity in the registration process of medical practitioners in India. Earlier, the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers has released an Approach Paper for the Draft National …

The Supreme Court will take up for hearing a pending plea challenging the Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018. Two NGOs — Common Cause and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) — have challenged the scheme, alleging that it is “distorting democracy”. These bonds are issued in multiples of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 10,000, Rs. 1 lakh, Rs. …

Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, has pulled up the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) over a range of issues related to the issuance of Aadhaar cards. The findings are part of the first performance review by the country’s independent auditor of UIDAI, which was carried out over a four-year period between FY2015 …

Recently, a 50-year-old woman in Mumbai, may have been infected with the newly-discovered ‘XE’ variant of the coronavirus. XE is a sub-variant of Omicron, which caused the third wave of Covid-19, which had not been found in India until now. So far, there is no indication that it is more dangerous than other variants. The Omicron variant, which is …

It is a medicinal mushroom in use for centuries to heal diseases like diabetes, cancerinflammation, ulcer as well as bacterial and skin infections. In India, however, the potential of the fungus is still being explored. It is considered one of the most important medicinal mushrooms in the world since its chemical constituents exhibit numerous medicinal properties. They have …

Every year 7th April marks the celebration of World Health Day. World Mental Health Day is observed on 10th October every year. Its idea was conceived at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and it came into effect in 1950. It is being celebrated today to mark the foundation of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 7th April 1948. Over the …

The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has launched a pilot project in the state of Uttarakhand to implement the One Health Framework by One Health Support Unit. The key objective of the Unit is to develop a national One Health roadmap based on the learnings of the pilot project implementation. …

Recently, the Ministry of Rural Development has notified fresh wage rates under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for financial year 2022-23. The wage rates are notified under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005. The MGNREGA wage rates are fixed according to changes in the CPI-AL (Consumer Price Index-Agriculture Labour), …

Recently, the Government of India introduced in the Lok Sabha the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022. The bill envisages to prohibit financing of any activity in relation to WMD and to empower to act against financiers of such activities. The bill seeks to modify …

Recently, the President of India presented the prestigious President’s Colour to INS (Indian Naval Ship) Valsura. It is the highest award bestowed on a military unit in India in recognition of its exceptional services to the nation. Out of the three defence forces, the Indian Navywas the first Indian Armed Force to be awarded the President Colour by Dr. …

Recently, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched the Awareness Mascot ‘Prakriti’& Green Initiatives for Effective Plastic Waste Management. The mascot will spread greater awareness among masses about small changes that can be sustainably adopted in our lifestyle for a better environment. Earlier in February, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and …

Recently, Scientists detected the presence of IgG antibodies against Nipah virus infection (NiV) in 51 bats that were captured from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Antibody, also called immunoglobulin, is a protective protein produced by the immune system in response to the presence of a foreign substance, called an antigen. A wide range …

Recently, the Haryana Vidhan Sabha has passed a resolution seeking completion of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. The canal, once completed, will enable sharing of the waters of the rivers Ravi and Beas between Haryana and Punjab. The Satluj Yamuna Link Canal is a proposed 214-kilometre-long canal connecting Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. Water resources …

Recently, the standing committee of Parliament has criticised the functioning of the development programme for de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes. The committee noted that the Scheme for economic empowerment of Denotified Tribes (DNTs) communities has total outlays of Rs 200 crore for the period of five years from 2021-22 and the Department could not spend even a single …

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has launched the Broadcast Seva (BS) Portal. The portal is likely to help 900 satellite TV channels, 70 teleport operators, 1,700 MSOs, 350 Community Radio Stations (CRS) and 380 private FM channels, among others. It is a 360 degree digital solution that will facilitate stakeholders in seeking permissions, applying …

Recently, the Union Minister of State Science & Technology launched a major futuristic PPP (Public Private Participation) mode initiative for ‘Clean Energy’ with the full launch of “Mission Integrated Bio-refineries”. Material Acceleration Platforms (MAP) set up by the Department of Science and Technology (DST)were also launched which will leverage emerging capabilities in next-generation computing, Artificial Intelligence …

Google Pay has recently launched a new feature in India, ‘Tap to pay for UPI’, in collaboration with Pine Labs. The feature makes use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The functionality will allow users with NFC-enabled Android smartphones and UPI (Unified Payments Interface) accounts linked to Google Pay to carry out transactions …

The Prime Minister of Nepal visited India and held a summit meeting with the Indian Prime Minister. Earlier, the Union Cabinet had cleared a plan to build a new bridge connecting India and Nepal over the Mahakaliriver and link Dharchula in Uttarakhand with Nepal’s Dharchula. Highlights: Launched the 35-km cross-border railway line linking Jaynagar in …

Ahead of the World Health Day (7th April), the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released Air Quality Database 2022, which shows that Almost the entire global population (99 %) breathes air that exceeds WHO’s air quality limits. The WHO for the first time has taken ground measurements of annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). It also includes measurements of Particulate …

Recently, the United Nations’ climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the third part of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). This second part of the report was published in March 2022 which was about climate change impacts, risks and vulnerabilities, and adaptation options. The first part of this report, on the physical science of climate change was …