GS

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment,informed the details of the welfare schemes for the workers/labourers formulated by the Government. The Life and Disability cover is provided through Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY). PMJJBY is available to the people in the …

Digi Yatra policy is an initiative launched by Ministry of Civil Aviation for biometric boarding system using Facial Recognition Technology. It aims at providing seamless and hassle-free experience for passengers at airports. Its main objective is to enhance passenger experience by eliminating the need for verification of ticket and ID …

As per the latest economic survey, the Indian economy is set to attain a real GDP growth of 7% in 2022-23, with both the retail and wholesale inflation rates falling below 6% in the months ahead. The Union Budget presented in this backdrop assumes a nominal GDP growth of 10.5% …

The United States and the Philippines announced a deal on Thursday to give U.S. troops access to another four bases in the Southeast Asian nation, as the long-time allies seek to counter China’s military rise. The agreement to expand cooperation in “strategic areas of the country” Beijing’s growing assertiveness on …

The CITES trade database has recorded 28 incidents of red sanders confiscation, seizure and specimens from the wild being exported from India, a fact sheet prepared by TRAFFIC, a global wildlife trade monitoring organisation has revealed. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is …

South Asia should now have a re-look at regional trade across Asia after the warning by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on January 31, 2023, that global trade would slow down from 5.4% in 2022 to 2.4% in 2023. This forecast is optimistic with polycrisis risks such as an escalating …

The Budget speech in the year preceding a general election is usually one that seeks to appease as wide a swathe of society as possible. It follows that ministries that fund the bulk of research and development (R&D) too would see a healthy jump in allocation. The Ministry of Science …

The Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board has filed three applications seeking Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kavindhapadi Nattu Sakkarai (country sugar), Ramnad Chithiraikar Rice and Salem Kannadi Kathiri (brinjal) at the Geographical Indications Registry office in Chennai. The local associations from where these products originate were the co-applicants while …

Tamil Nadu’s Gross Enrolment Ratio dropped by 2.1 percentage points to 46.9% in 2020-21 from the year before, the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released on Sunday showed. India recorded a marginal increase in GER from 25.6% to 27.3%. Tamil Nadu was among very few States that recorded …

Tangedco has initiated a feasibility study to set up gas turbine power stations in north Chennai to generate 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The proposal to set up gas turbine stations was to make use of the natural gas pipeline infrastructure available from Ennore to Thoothukudi. The study is being …

On January 10, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) paved the way for international (phone) numbers to be able to transact using UPI. A day later, the Union Cabinet approved an incentive scheme for the promotion of RuPay debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (person-to-merchant) in FY 2022-23. The …

As the recent majority judgment of the Supreme Court on demonetisation comes under criticism, the minority judgment by J. Nagarathna is being hailed for its challenge to the RBI’s institutional acquiescence to the Central government. This questions our blind acceptance of numerical majorities in judicial decision-making. What is judicial majoritarianism? …

India and the U.S., on Tuesday, launched a programme to enhance their strategic partnership with delegations led by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, meeting in Washington for the inaugural dialogue of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). The two sides announced …

The Union Budget for 2023-24, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday, is a mixed bag for Tamil Nadu. It is silent on extending the GST compensation period and the measures that the State had sought. The Tamil Nadu government had sought an extension of the GST compensation period …

Underlining a commitment to accelerate the Indian economy’s transition to green energy, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech on Wednesday mentioned a slew of schemes aimed at promoting clean energy and sustainable living. She said green energy was among the Saptarishi or seven guiding lights that would steer India …