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Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has questioned the methodology adopted by the government in fixing Rs. 8 lakh as the annual income limit to identify the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) for providing 10% quota in public jobs and educational institutions. Important points: The 10% EWS quota was introduced under the 103rd Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2019 by amending Articles 15 and …

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”. Last year, the award was given to Louise Glück “for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence …

Recently, the 6th Edition of India – UK Joint Company Level Military Training Exercise AJEYA WARRIOR has commenced in Uttarakhand. Earlier, India and the UK participated in a two-day bilateral Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Bay of Bengal. Important points: The exercise is conducted alternatively in the United Kingdom and India. The exercise is part of an initiative to …

Recently, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) delivered the heaviest semi-cryogenic propellant tank (SC120- LOX) to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). In 2020, HAL delivered the biggest ever cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen tank (C32-LH2) to ISRO. Important points: The semi cryo-liquid oxygen (LOX) tank – the first developmental welded hardware – is a part of the SC120 stage intended for payload enhancement by …

Recently, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has developed an application ecosystem for integration of procurement portals of all state governments. Important points: The Application Ecosystem will allow the integration of procurement portals of all state governments having Minimum Threshold Parameters (MTPs) for monitoring and strategic decision making. The introduction of MTPs in procurement …

Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the State of Climate Services report 2021. It focuses on Terrestrial Water Storage. Earlier, on water day(22nd March), in a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one in five children worldwide reside in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability. Important points: TWS is the sum of all water on the land surface …

Recently, the government released cybersecurity guidelines for the power sector. This is the first time that a comprehensive guideline has been formulated on cyber security in the power sector. The guidelines are a precursor to cybersecurity regulations that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA, Ministry of Power) is working on. Important points: CEA has framed the guidelines under the Central …

India has been ranked 90th in the most powerful passport report ‘Henley Passport Index 2021’. Important points: The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Originally created by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin (chairman of Henley & Partners), the ranking is …

Recently, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Tourism Ministry sanctioned 5 projects of Rs 325.53 crore for Buddhist circuit development. It has also organised a Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour as part of the Union government’s Dekho Apna Desh initiative. The tour covers the destinations Gaya-Bodhgaya, Rajgir-Nalanda in Bihar as well as Sarnath-Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Important points: Swadesh …

Recently, the National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA) has designated the combined areas of the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve. NTCA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, established in 2005 for strengthening tiger conservation. Important points: It is located in the northern part of Chhattisgarh, bordering Madhya …

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David MacMillan for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis. Last year, the honour went to Frenchwoman Emmanuelle Charpentier and American Jennifer Doudna, for developing the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 – DNA snipping “scissors”. Nobel prizes in physics and medicinefor 2021 have already been announced. Important points: They have developed a new and ingenious tool …

Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) endorsed the world’s first Malaria Vaccine in the hope that it will spur stalled efforts to curb the spread of the parasitic disease. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable. Important points: RTS,S/AS01, trade …

Recently, the demand for the enactment of a legislation on the right to health has been revived in Rajasthan. The health activists have affirmed that the law would streamline medical services and guarantee the availability of essential facilities to citizens. Important points: The right to health, as with other rights, includes both …

Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of seven Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks at an outlay of Rs. 4,445 crore. The MITRA park aims to integrate the entire textile value chain from spinning, weaving, processing/dyeing, printing to garment manufacturing at one location. Important points: PM MITRA park will be …

On the Occasion of the World Teachers’ Day (5th October), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched its 2021 State of the Education Report (SOER) for India: “No Teacher, No Class”. Important points: The findings are largely based on analysis of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data (2018-19). …

Recently, scientists have developed a New biodegradable polymer, using Guar Gum, and Chitosan, which has high potential for packaging material. Important points:: It is a guar gum-chitosan composite film which is a cross-linked polysaccharide developed with the help of solution casting method (a simple technique to make polymer films). It overcomes the challenges of polysaccharides. Polysaccharides is one of the biopolymers …

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded with one half jointly to SyukuroManabe, Klaus Hasselmann and the other half to Giorgio Parisi “for groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of complex physical systems.” This is the first time climate scientists (Manabe and Hasselmann) have been awarded the Physics Nobel. Last year, the award was given for …

Recently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched a Heli-Borne Survey Technology for water management in the arid areas of Rajasthan. Important points: Developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), it will provide information about level, quantity, quality and information of ground water. The NGRI is a geoscientific research organization established in 1961 under …

A series of recent scams have exposed the vulnerabilities of the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS). Important points: AePS is a bank led model which allows online interoperable financial transactions at PoS (Point of Sale/Micro ATM) through the Business Correspondent (BC)/Bank Mitra of any bank using the Aadhaar authentication. This system adds another layer of …

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has simplified the process for Indians who want to renounce their citizenship. Earlier, the Central Government issued a notificationgranting powers related to citizenship applications under existing rules to authorities of five states. Important points: Provisions have been made for applicants to upload documents online, with an upper limit of …