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Recently, the Minister of State for New & Renewable Energy launched ‘The India Story’ booklet, a compilation of Indian initiatives that are shaping India’s energy transition. The booklet was launched at the event on Accelerating Citizen Centric Energy Transition organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It …

Recently, Chinese Military has raised new militia units comprising local Tibetan youth for high-altitude warfare. Important points: The new units named Mimang Cheton are presently undergoing training, and are to be deployed mostly in upper Himalayan ranges, both in the eastern and western sectors of the India-China border. They are …

According to a report by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an influential think tank, India’s offensive cyber capability is “Pakistan-focused” and “regionally effective”, and not tuned towards China. Important points: The report has done a qualitative assessment of cyber power in 15 countries. Four members of the Five Eyes …

Recently, Drones were used for the first time to drop explosive devices, triggering blasts inside the Air Force Station’s technical area in Jammu. Drone Drone is a layman terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA). There are three subsets of Unmanned Aircraft- Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Autonomous Aircraft and Model Aircraft. Remotely Piloted …

Recently, India’s Defence Minister reviewed the ongoing work on the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), INS Vikrant (IAC-1), which is a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat. INS Vikrant, is likely to be commissioned in 2022. At present, India has only one aircraft carrier, the Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya. Earlier, the Defence Acquisition Council …

Recently, the Union Environment Minister in a virtual event released the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) based survey of forest areas in ten states. The 10 mapped states are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura. Important points: The project …

Recently, the Mumbai Police has arrested five people and seized nearly 9 kg of Ambergris. Important points: Ambergris, French for grey amber, is generally referred to as whale vomit. It is a solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale. Ambergris is produced only by an estimated …

For the first time, a pan-India study has found a direct correlation between air pollution and Covid-19. The study found that areas with poor air quality and higher emissions of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 are more likely to have Covid-19 infections and related deaths. Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 It is …

Nagaland has not reported fresh cases of African Swine Flu in the last two weeks. The disease was first reported in November-December, 2019 from the areas of China bordering Arunachal Pradesh. Earlier in April 2020, there were reported deaths of pigs due to the Classical Swine Fever (CSF). Important points: …

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft to run a pilot programme for 100 villages in 6 states. The MoU requires Microsoft to create a ‘Unified Farmer Service Interface’ through its cloud computing services. This comprises a major part of the ministry’s plan of …

Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organised an online event to commemorate six years of the three transformative Urban Missions vis. Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U). The day also marked the 45 years …

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to retain Pakistan on “increased monitoring list’. “Increased monitoring list” is another name for the Grey List. Important points: The FATF had issued the 27-point action plan after placing Pakistan on the ‘Grey List’ in June 2018. The action plan pertains to curbing …

Recently, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in its World Drug Report 2021, has highlighted that the lockdown restrictions during Covid-19 have accelerated drug trafficking using the Internet. By drugs, the Report refers to substances controlled under international drug control conventions, and their non-medical use. Important points: …

Recently, the Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), launched its programme in Bhutan. India was chosen as the Partner Jurisdiction and has provided the Tax Expert for this programme. Important points: This …

In a recent event, Russia alleged that the British warship had breached its territorial waters in Black Sea which Britain and most of the world say belong to Ukraine. Russia seized and annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and considers areas around its coast to be Russian waters. …

Recently, the Prime Minister of India urged people to be “vocal for local toys”, while interacting with the participants at the Toycathon 2021. Important points: It was a joint initiative by the Ministry of Education, WCD (Women and Child Development) Ministry, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Textile Ministry, …

Recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has warned people against the new Covid-19 strain ‘Delta Plus’ (DP). There is fear that this new variant ma Important points: Delta plus (B.1.617.2.1/(AY.1) is a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus formed due to a mutation in the Delta …

Recently, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has eased the norms for Other Service Providers (OSPs). The OSP guidelines were earlier liberalised in November 2020 in order to encourage the BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industry in India. The new guidelines have been simplified even further, offering greater ease of business and …

Recently, Sant Kabir Das Jayanti was observed on 24th June, 2021 to mark the birth anniversary of Sant Kabirdas. Kabirdas Jayanti is celebrated on the Jyeshtha Purnima tithi, as per the Hindu lunar calendar. Important points: Sant Kabir Das was born in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He was …

The Enforcement Directorate has transferred assets worth Rs. 8,441.50 crore to public sector banks that suffered losses to the tune of Rs. 22,585.83 crore due to frauds committed allegedly by Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. All the three have been declared ‘Fugitive Economic Offenders’ by PMLA (Prevention of …