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The Union Defence Minister has approved a policy on archiving, declassification, compilation and publication of war and operations histories by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Important points: Timely publication of war histories would give people an accurate account of the events, provide authentic material for academic research and counter the …

According to a recent report published in the SIPRI Yearbook 2021, the number of nuclear warheads which are ready and deployed have increased globally. The SIPRI Yearbook is released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which researches international armament and conflict. The SIPRI “Yearbook 2021” assesses the current …

Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare addressed the 42nd session of Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Conference. The Conference takes place every two years and is FAO’s supreme governing body. It determines the policies of the Organization, approves the budget, and makes recommendations to Members on food …

Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited and Bihar State Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (BSHPC) for Implementation of Dagmara Hydro-Electric Project, Supaul, Bihar. NHPC is a Category-A Miniratna Company under the Ministry of Power, in the field of Hydropower. It is …

Recently, on the occasion of World Ocean Day (8th June), the National Geographic magazine has recognised the ‘Southern Ocean’ as the world’s fifth ocean. The International Hydrographic Organization too had recognised ‘Southern Ocean’ as a distinct body of water surrounding Antarctica in 1937 but had repealed the same in 1953. …

Recently, the central government has decided to increase the subsidy by 50% on electric two-wheelers under the FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme in view of the adoption of eco-friendly vehicles. Important points: The Centre has made a partial modification of the FAME-II, including increasing the demand …

The Tulu speakers, mainly in Karnataka and Kerala, have been requesting the governments to give it official language status and include it in the eighth schedule to the Constitution. In 2020, there was a demand to include Tulu in the new National Education Policy (NEP). Official Language or Languages of …

Recently, a resolution was adopted by the European Parliament, urging the European Union (EU) Commission to consider the temporary withdrawal of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status given to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka regained the GSP +, or the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences in 2017. The EU …

Recently, the Prime Minister delivered a keynote address at the United Nations (UN) “High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought” via video conference. He spoke as the President of the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties (CoP) of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Dialogue will …

Recently, a company called Blue Origin concluded the online auction for the first seat on New Shephard, a rocket system meant to take tourists to space. It takes its first human flight on 20th July, 2021, which marks the 52nd anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s moon landing. Important …