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Recently, the United Nations (UN) has banned British stamps from being used on the Chagos archipelago. Important points: Now the UPU (Universal Postal Union) will stop registering, distributing and transmitting stamps bearing the words British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), the name given by Britain to the archipelago. UPU is a United Nations specialized agency and the postal sector’s primary forum …

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has brought into effect the SEBI (Share Based Employee Benefits and Sweat Equity) Regulations, 2021. The regulations have widened the scope of employees who can be offered stock (equity) options. SEBI has merged the SEBI (Share Based Employee Benefits) Regulations, 2014 (SBEB Regulations) and the SEBI (Issue of …

According to a recent study, Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan is constantly shrinking with the degradation of soil and water quality and a decline in the population of migratory birds. Important points: 80 km south-west of Jaipur in east-central Rajasthan, it is the country’s largest inland saline water body. Represents the depression of the Aravalli Range Production of brine/salt, houses one of the largest …

Recently, the Department of Science and Technology reported that Indian scientists have discovered the merger of three supermassive black holes from as many galaxies to form a triple Active Galactic Nucleus. Many Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) pairs have been detected in the past, but triple AGN are extremely rare, and only a handful has been detected before using X-ray observations. …

Recently, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Environment and Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting was held. BRICS brings together the major emerging economies of the world, hosting 41% of the world population, contributing 24% of the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over 16% share in world trade. India is the chair of the BRICS …

Recently, following the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, China has emerged as one of the first nations to develop diplomatic channels with the Taliban. This engagement emanates from China’s economic and security interest in Afghanistan. Important points: Afghanistan is probably home to what may be the world’s largest reserves of lithium. Lithium …

The 5th edition of India-Kazakhstan Joint Training Exercise, “KAZIND-21” will be conducted in Kazakhstan. Important points: The exercise is a joint training between both the Armies. The scope of Joint Exercise includes professional exchange, sharing experiences in Counter Insurgency/ Counter Terrorism operations, etc. Joint Military Exercise- Prabal dostyk. First, its geo-strategic location; second, its economic potential, especially in terms of energy …

Recently, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the ‘Start-up Accelerators of MeitY for pRoduct Innovation, Development and growth (SAMRIDH)’ programme. Important points: To create a conducive platform to Indian Software Product start-ups to enhance their products and secure investments for scaling their business. Focuses on accelerating the 300 start-ups by providing customer connect, investor …

Recently, International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has announced that Bharat Biotech’s Chikungunya vaccine candidate (BBV87) has entered into Phase II and III clinical trials Currently, there is no commercial chikungunya vaccine. Important points: BBV87 is an inactivated virus vaccine, similar to Covaxin. Inactivated vaccines contain viruses whose genetic material has been destroyed by heat, chemicals or radiation so they …

The domestic general insurance companies are gradually reducing their exposure to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to cut down their losses on account of high claims even as the Centre made the scheme optional and slashed its contribution. PMFBY and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) were revamped in 2020. Important …

Recently, Afcons, an Indian company, has signed a contract for the largest-ever infrastructure project in Maldives which is the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP). The project is the result of bilateral consultation between India and the Maldives and has been under discussion since the visit of India’s External Affairs Minister to Male in September 2019. …

Recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Fridays for Future launched a report named ‘The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index’. It is the first comprehensive analysis of climate risk from a child’s perspective. Earlier an analysis, based on Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) index, …

The Supreme Court of India recently held that the economic criterion cannot be the sole basis for deciding the creamy layer from among backward classes for the purpose of excluding it from the purview of providing reservation. The SC was hearing a petition challenging two notifications issued by the Haryana government sub-classifying …

The Chakma organisations have opposed the proposed deportation of 60,000 people belonging to the Chakma and Hajong communities from Arunachal Pradesh. Important points: They are ethnic people who lived in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, most of which are located in Bangladesh. Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists, while Hajongs are Hindus. They are found in northeast India, West Bengal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. …

Recently, the Vice-president of India visited monuments at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi in Vijayanagara district, Karnataka. Important points: The site of Hampi comprises mainly the remnants of the capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire (14th-16th century CE), the last great Hindu Kingdom. It encompasses an area of 4187, 24 hectares, located in the Tungabhadra …

Recently, India has overtaken the United States (US) to become the second-most sought-after manufacturing destination globally, driven mainly by cost competitiveness in the Global Manufacturing Risk Index 2021. In last year’s report, the US was at second position while India ranked third. Important points: It assesses the most advantageous locations for global manufacturing among 47 …

Recently, the Prime Minister paid tributes to Sree Narayana Guru on his birth anniversary. Earlier, the Vice President of India launched “Not Many, But One”, an English translation of poems of Sree Narayana Gurudev. Important points: Sree Narayana Guru was born on 22nd August, 1856 to Madan Asan and his wife Kuttiyamma in Chempazhanthy, a village …

Urbanisation in India has become an inescapable ordeal. With development of the services sector, the population pressure on cities has escalated. Delhi is the sixth-largest metropolis in the world. And yet, a third of its residences are part of slums with no basic resources.   Slums Slums are illegal urban settlements …

Recently, The United Nations (UN) officials claimed that there are no requests from the UN Security Council Permanent members for the delisting of the Taliban’s top leadership from sanctions thus far. They also refuted reports that the next meeting of the Taliban Sanctions Committee also known as the resolution 1988 committee, due in September 2021, would lift restrictions on designated …

Recently, the government of India has launched the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). The NMP estimates aggregate monetisation potential of Rs 6 lakh crores through core assets of the Central Government, over a four-year period, from FY 2022 to FY 2025. The plan is in line with Prime Minister’s strategic divestment policy, under which …