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Recently, a Virtual meeting between India’s Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and a Member of the European Commission (EC), Agriculture was held. The strong momentum of the India-European Union (EU) relations especially since the last India-EU Summit in July, 2020 was acknowledged. Earlier, Indian Prime Minister participated in the India-European Union (EU) Leaders’ Meeting. Important points: …

After the cases of Delta Variant of Covid-19 continuously rising, a new variant called Lambda Variant (LV) is emerging as a new threat. Lambda Variant is dominant in Peru, India has not yet reported any case of LV. Important points: The strain was first identified in Peru in December 2020. Lambda is the dominant variant in the South American …

Recently, a rare Melanistic Leopard (commonly known as Black Panther) has been recorded in Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) of Maharashtra. Important points: Leopards (Panthera Pardus) are either light colored (pale yellow to deep gold or tawny) with black rosettes or with black fur. The melanistic leopards, which are either all-black or very dark in coloration, are known as black panthers. …

Recently, the Justice Department commemorated the milestone of crossing 9 lakh beneficiaries under its Tele-Law programme through Common Service Centres. Common Services Centre (CSC) programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), that serves as the access points for delivery of various electronic services to villages in India, thereby contributing to …

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has issued orders appointing an advisory committee for its Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) project that is aimed at curbing “digital monopolies”. This is in the direction of making e-commerce processes open source, thus creating a platform that can be utilised by all online retailers. Earlier, the Ministry …

Recently, a separate ‘Ministry of Co-operation’ has been created by the Central Government for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation) and to give a new push to the cooperative movement. The Government has signaled its deep commitment to community based developmental partnership. It also fulfils the budget announcement made by the …

Recently, Ethiopia has started the second phase of filling a Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) reservoir on the upper Blue Nile, which raised tensions from Sudan and Egypt ahead of an upcoming UN Security Council meeting on the issue. Ethiopia had previously announced it would proceed to the second stage of filling in July, with …

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Annual Report on Implementing the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the plastic waste generated in 2018-19 was 3.3 million tonnes per year (roughly 9,200 tonnes per day). Important points: Plastic is a synthetic organic polymer made from petroleum with properties ideally suited for a wide variety of applications, …

The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has released a report titled ‘Road to a UK-India Free Trade Agreement: Enhancing the Partnership and Achieving Self-reliance’. According to the UKIBC annual Survey on Doing Business in India, 77% of UK companies believe that the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign is an “opportunity” rather than a challenge. …

Every year, 4th July is observed as the death anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, who is regarded as a one of the finest spiritual leaders and intellects India has produced. Important points: He was born as Narendranath Datta on 12th January, 1863. National Youth Day is held every year to observe the birth anniversary of Swami …

Recently, the UAE’s Hope spacecraft  has captured images of glowing atmospheric lights in the Mars night sky, known as discrete auroras. The Hope Probe, the Arab world’s first mission to Mars, took off from Earth in July 2020, and has been orbiting the Red Planet (Mars) since February 2021. It is expected to …

Recently, the government has decided not to impose Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD) on imports of certain copper products, from China, Thailand, Korea and three other countries. Important points: In April, Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recommended imposing the duty on “copper and copper alloy flat-rolled products” from China, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, …

India and the majority of the members of OECD-G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) have joined a new two-pillar plan to reform international taxation rules. The two-pillar plan – inclusive framework tax deal on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS)- seeks to reform international tax rules and ensure that multinational enterprises pay their fair …

Recently, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pushed back against a plan by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) Plus group to extend the global pact to cut oil production beyond April 2022. Important points: The OPEC+ group of countries had, in April 2020, entered into a two-year agreement (Output Pact), which …

The US has added Pakistan and 14 other countries to a Child Soldier Recruiter List that identifies foreign governments having government-supported armed groups that recruit or use child soldiers. Child Soldier refers to any person below 18 years of age who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity. It includes …

The Ministry of Education has launched NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Bharat Scheme. It aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9 years. Important points: This initiative is being launched as a part of NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. This policy …

Recently the Ministry of Women and Child Development released Draft anti-trafficking Bill, the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021. The bill once finalised will need the Cabinet approval and assent from both the houses of Parliament to become a Law. A previous draft had been introduced in 2018 but that could not be introduced in Rajya …

Recently, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched a project named Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought (BOLD) from the village NichlaMandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) It is a statutory body established under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act, 1956. It is charged with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation …

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has approved stricter norms related to appointment of independent directors and decided to introduce a framework for accredited investors along with other measures. Sebi is a statutory body established in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992. The basic functions of the Sebi is …

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-methanogenic feed supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD), which can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in higher milk production. Important points: HD decreases the population of protozoa microbes in the rumen, responsible for hydrogen production and making it available to the archaea (structure similar …