GS

Recently, Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted a Pan India Drive against the alleged black marketeers under Operation Upalabdh. Earlier in February 2022, the RPF had launched a nationwide operation to curb human trafficking named Operation AAHT. Operation Upalabdh The month-long drive under Operation Upalabdh has been able to curb the activities of touts substantially and make railway tickets available …

Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in a written reply in Rajya Sabha informed about the various initiatives taken by the government for adopting technology in Agriculture. In 2021, a consultation paper on the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) was released, which talks about a …

Recently released United Nations Environment Programme report titled Annual Frontiers Report 2022 became controversial on account of the mention of a single city, Moradabad of Uttar Pradesh. The Frontiers report identifies and offers solutions to three environmental issues: urban noise pollution, wildfires and phenological shifts that merit attention and action from governments and the public at large to address …

Scientists had published the map of the human genome for the first time nearly two decades ago which was hailed as a breakthrough. In 2003, scientists got the breakthrough, but it was incomplete as about 8% of the human DNA was left unsequenced. Now for the first time, a large team has accounted for …

Recently, the Supreme Court struck down the 10.5% internal reservation to Vanniyakula Kshatriya community in Tamil Nadu The Supreme Court held that 10.5% internal reservation to Vanniyakula Kshatriya community violates the fundamental rights of equality, non-discrimination and equal opportunity of 115 other Most Backward Communities (MBCs) and De-Notified Communities (DNCs) in Tamil Nadu. The allotment …

Recently, India signed a historic trade agreement with Australia, the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind- Aus ECTA). In February 2022, India and Australia announced that they were going to sign such an agreement. The negotiations for India-Australia ECTA were formally re-launched in September 2021 and concluded on a fast-track basis by the …

Recently, a massive fire broke out inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan). The fire spread and destroyed around 10 sq km of forests despite timely satellite warnings and the availability of a real-time mobile application-based fire response system. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warned in its annual Frontiers report released in February …

The maiden edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMEX-22) was conducted at Goa and in the Arabian Sea. The exercise witnessed participation of 15 out of the 25 member nations of IONS. The aim of the exercise was to enhance interoperability in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations among …

Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated 5.21 lakh houses of beneficiaries of Pradhan MantriAwasYojna (PMAY)-Gramin in Madhya Pradesh. It was launched by the Ministry of Rural development to achieve the objective of “Housing for All” by 2022, the erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira AwaasYojana (IAY) was restructured to PMAY-G w.e.f 1st April, 2016. Objectives: To provide a pucca …

With space junk posing an increasing threat to Indian assets in space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is building up its orbital debris tracking capability. In this pursuit, a space debris tracking radar with a range of 1,500 km and an optical telescope will be inducted as part of establishing an effective surveillance and tracking network under the Network …

Recently, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has said it would protect the ancient Buddha statues in MesAynak. MesAynak is also the site of a copper mine where the Taliban are hoping for Chinese investment. The Taliban’s position is in marked contrast to the time they ruled Afghanistan earlier, when, in the face of global …

Recently, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the World Energy Transitions Outlook 2022 at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. The Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) has become a leading international forum for key stakeholders of the energy sector. Energy transition refers to the global energy sector’s shift from fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption …

Recently a few Desert Foxes were spotted in the scrub forests of Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district, suffering from a loss of fur due to the Mange Skin Disease. There were 8,331 foxes — both Indian and desert foxes — in the state according to the 2019 wildlife census of Rajasthan. Desert Fox White-footed fox Vulpesvulpespusilla Desert …

Shrinkflation is the practice of reducing the size of a product while maintaining its sticker price. It is a form of hidden inflation Raising the price per given amount is a strategy employed by companies, mainly in the food and beverage industries, to stealthily boost profit margins or maintain them in the face of …

Recently, the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) has deferred its decision on a recommendation to remove the 1921 Malabar Rebellion (Moplah riots) martyrs from the list of India’s freedom fighters. The recommendation also included the names VariamkunnaathuKunhahamad Haji and Ali Musliyar. Indian Council of Historical Research About: It is an autonomous organization, established under Societies Registration …

Tiny particles of plastics, called Microplastics, were detected in human blood for the first time, according to a study by a group of researchers in the Netherlands. The researchers adapted existing techniques to detect and analyze particles that were as small as 700 nanometers in size. They targeted five common plastics, including Polyethylene …

Recently, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) launched a three-month-long training programme for journalists. The programme was an initiative of the BRICS Media Forum The Forum was established in 2015 by media organisations from five countries, including The Hindu (India) , Brazil’s CMA Group, Russia’s Sputnik, China’s Xinhua and South Africa’s Independent …

Recently, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) flagship State of World Population Report 2022 titled “Seeing the Unseen: The case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy” was launched. Key Findings of the Report Between 2015 and 2019, there were roughly 121 million unintended pregnancies globally each year. Globally, an estimated 257 million women who …

The Indian Army has issued a Request For Information (RFI) for the supply of Articulated All-Terrain Vehicles to be deployed in Ladakh and Kutch. An RFI is a formal process for gathering information from potential suppliers of a good or service. Articulated All Terrain Vehicles It is a twin cabin, tracked, amphibious carrier for off road mobility. The special …

Recently, the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) brought out a Herbal Formulation that has been found to be effective in combating tick infestation among dairy animals. The NIF collaborated with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research–National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana in the form of a Research Programme for field testing of Poly Herbal Medication. Tick Infestation The …