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Samarth is a demand driven and placement-oriented umbrella skilling programme of Ministry of Textiles. The implementation period of the scheme is up to March 2024. The scheme was formulated under the broad skilling policy framework adopted by M/o Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Samarth aims to incentivize and supplement the efforts …

To mark the occasion of International Women’s Day, Ministry of Jal Shakti is celebrating women’s leadership by felicitating women who have contributed extraordinarily under various flagship programs of the Ministry through the Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023. The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, will be conferring a total of …

Union IT Minister said that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Communications had given a big thumbs up to the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022. The purpose of this Bill is to provide for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises the right of individuals to protect …

World Wildlife Day (WWD) was commemorated recently. To draw attention to issues of conservation of flora and fauna. It marks the 50th anniversary of CITES’ establishment. CITES is considered a landmark agreement on conservation that focuses on ensuring the sustainability of endangered species. Theme: Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation. What is the CITES? CITES is an international agreement between governments. Its …

It stands for Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in Public Distribution System. Envisaging a new and unified scheme to strengthen the PDS technology components by standardization of its operation and implementation of data driven decision making through the data analytics. Smart ration cards are issued to beneficiaries of public distribution system. Fingerprint template of the beneficiary is recorded …

For nearly a year now, many in Sri Lanka have been fervently chanting three letters — IMF (International Monetary Fund). As the country’s familiar balance of payments problem escalated last year, citizens experienced crippling shortages and painfully long power cuts. They took to the streets in a staggering mass protest …

The last few years have ushered in a harsh new reality where crises are the norm rather than the exception. Pandemics, economic slumps and extreme weather events were once tail-end risks, but all three have hit South Asia in rapid succession since 2020. COVID-19 alone put millions of lives and …

The National Statistical Office’s latest release of GDP data estimates a further deceleration in growth in the October-December 2022 quarter, a slowdown that the government’s Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) has attributed largely to an upward revision in the year-earlier period’s figures. Gross domestic product is posited to have expanded by …

On February 23, 2023, on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution, calling for an end to the war. The resolution was favoured by 141 members and opposed by seven, while 32 states abstained. Unsurprisingly, India was …

CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH The Government of India suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). The CPR was established in 1973 as a think tank. Mission: To contribute to a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India. It is India’s premier public policy …

India hosted the first meeting of the Governing Board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC). India made a presentation on establishing the BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) in India. The BEC will be housed in the premises of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru. The Meeting recommended to add the additional following areas under the specialized Wings of BEC: …

The Press Council of India (PCI) on Wednesday advised the print media to follow the norms of Journalistic Conduct-2022 on ‘paid news’ during the elections in various States. Stating that newspapers should not misconstrue or misquote the statements given by any leader, the Council said the statements quoted in editorial …

Deliveries of five regiments of S-400 air defence systems under a $5.43-billion deal with Russia are expected to be completed by year-end or early 2024, according to official sources. However, issues of delayed payments as well as insurance and reinsurance remain major stumbling blocks delaying deals in the pipeline Delivery …

The G-20 was born out of the Asian financial crisis 25 years ago. It was upgraded to convene heads of government after a global financial and economic crisis a decade later. Today, however, the organisation that styles itself as the ‘premier forum of international economic cooperation’ appears to be descending …

February 2023, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recently said, had been the warmest since 1901 with the average maximum temperature at nearly 29.54°C. While February — considered ‘spring’ and a ‘winter month’ by the IMD — usually posts temperatures in the low 20s, it is also apparent that there has …

Thirteenth-century temple ruins have been recently unearthed amidst a shrub jungle northeast of the Durga temple, atop a hillock in the Pushpagiri Kshetram of Vallur mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district. The hillock, also known as Pushpachala, is famous for the chain of temples. With the river Penna flowing southwest, …

The First G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group(ACWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency began today at Gurugram, Haryana. As part of the meeting, a Side Event was held on the theme ‘Leveraging ICT for combating corruption in Public Sector’. Eminent experts from various walks of life spoke at the event, which was …

An Indian Air Force contingent comprising 145 Air Warriors departed Air Force Station Jamnagar today for participating in Exercise Cobra Warrior at the Waddington Air Force Base of the Royal Air Force in United Kingdom. The exercise is scheduled from 06 Mar 23 to 24 Mar 23. The Exercise Cobra …

The United Kingdom and the European Union struck a deal on February 27 regarding post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, with a view to remove the border between Britain and Northern Ireland running through the Irish Sea. The fact that the Republic of Ireland remained with the EU after Brexit …

In parliamentary parlance, a whip is a written order that party members be present for an important vote, or that they vote only in a particular way. It can also refer to a designated official authorised by a party to issue a whip. In India, rebelling against a three-line whip …