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On the commencement of the ‘AzadiKaAmritMahotsav (India@75)’, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has proposed about 392 routes under UDAN 4.1 bidding process. About UDAN 4.1: The UDAN 4.1 focuses on connecting smaller airports, along with special helicopter and seaplane routes. Some new routes have been proposed under the Sagarmala Seaplane services Sagarmala Seaplane …

The World Air Quality Report, prepared by Swiss organisationIQAir, mentions that 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities globally are in India. The Report aggregated PM2.5 data from 106 countries. PM 2.5 It is an atmospheric particulate matter of diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres, which is around 3% the diameter of a human hair. …

Making a case for an upgrade in India’s sovereign rating, former New Development Bank president K.V. Kamath recently said the new development finance institution (DFI) cleared by the Union Cabinet must be careful about preventing ‘excessive reliance’ on foreign funds. K.v. Kamath: With all the efforts that the government is making, the sovereign …

The U.S. has sought to build strength before engaging China later this week and the Quad summit is an example of this. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are scheduled to meet China’s Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi and …

The Lok Sabha recently cleared the Appropriation Bill, allowing the Central government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its operational requirements and implementation of various programmes. Key terms: An appropriation bill, also known as supply bill or spending bill, is a proposed law that authorizes the expenditure of government …

The Supreme Court recently said it was a “very serious” matter if the Centre had really cancelled around three crore ration cards, even those of tribal people and the poor, solely because they could not be biometrically linked with Aadhaar. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, asked …

The Union Cabinet recently approved a Bill to set up a Development Finance Institution, Finance Minister announced. The Minister said the government had mentioned in the Budget that it would be setting up a national bank for funding infrastructure and development activity. As of December 2019, she said, there were over 6,000 brownfield and …

The Rajya Sabha recently passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that increases the time period within which an abortion may be carried out. Opposition MPs said the Bill still did not give women the freedom to decide, since they would need a nod from a medical board in the case of …

Recently, a research team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has developed a new method for efficient removal of heavy metals from water Background: Several methods like chemical precipitation, ion exchange, adsorption, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, solvent extraction, and electrochemical treatment have been used to remove heavy metals from contaminated water. Many …

Recently, the central government introduced the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991. It aims to “further define the responsibilities of the elected government and Lieutenant Governor (LG) in Delhi”. Provisions of the Bill: …

To meet the aggressive target of raising around Rs 2.5 lakh crore through asset sales, the government has lined up plans to monetise assets including roads, electricity transmission, oil and gas pipelines, and telecom towers, sports stadia, among others. The assets shortlisted come under the purview of eight ministries. Alongside these core sector …

Meghalaya has registered the highest increase in MGNREGS wages — a jump of Rs 23 from Rs 203 in 2020-21 to Rs 226 — for 2021-2022, while there has been no increase in Kerala and Lakshadweep, according to the “state-wise wage rate for unskilled manual workers” notified by the Ministry of …

India needs to bring CNG under the GST regime and tackle challenges such as high vehicle cost and limited boot space for the growth of the natural gas vehicle market, according to a report by Nomura Research Institute Consulting & Solutions India. Report: The report on ‘natural gas vehicle (NGV) market’ stated that the CNG …

Britain wants to expand its influence among countries in the Indo-Pacific region to try to moderate China’s global dominance, a document laying out post-Brexit foreign and defence policy priorities said recently. The document sets out a planned increase of Britain’s nuclear warhead stockpile by more than 40% to weigh against evolving global security …

Three decades after it was enacted, significant amendments have been proposed to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, bringing contradictions between the Central and Delhi governments to the fore once again. Contrary to the spirit of the constitution: Some experts were of the opinion that the new Bill …

Delhi remained the most polluted capital city in the world but India, on the whole, had improved its average annual PM2.5 (particulate matter) levels in 2020 than in 2019, according to a report from IQ Air, a Swiss air quality technology company specialising in protection against airborne pollutants, and developing air …

For the first time ever, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started work on reopening the crucial Baralacha Pass in Himachal Pradesh much before schedule to restore connectivity to Leh in Ladakh. Important points: Bara-lacha la also known as Bara-lacha Pass is a high mountain pass in Zanskar range, connecting …

The National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019 was introduced in Rajya Sabha by the Minister of Food Processing Industries, Ms. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, on February 13, 2019. The Bill declares certain institutes of food technology, entrepreneurship, and management as institutions of national importance. These institutes are …

Recently, the Kathakali actor Guru Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair died at the age of 105 in Kozhikode, Kerala. He played a significant role in making Indian classical dances popular in Kerala. Important  Points: Guru Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair was born on 16th June, 1916. He studied at Kalladikkodan school of Kathakali and was specialised in “Kalladikodan” style. The …

A week after a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court said it will consider whether the 1992 verdict in the Indira Sawhney case (popularly known as Mandal Commission case) — capping reservation at 50 per cent — by a nine-judge bench needs to be sent to a larger bench for a relook, petitioners against …