Q. Why is this in News? A. Recently, plans to revive Adi Ganga (the original channel of River Ganga passing through the city of Kolkata) have been announced. The National Mission for Clean Ganga has allocated around Rs 650 crore to revive the ancient river and it has been included in a multi-country South Asian River project on combating pollution. Q. What are the Major Issues and Developments Associated with Adi Ganga? A. Encroachment Histo... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. Recently, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has submitted a detailed report on the findings during the first two phases of the digging at the Sangam-era site and their significance. Also, the Keeladi Site Museum is coming up in Sivaganga that would house significant ones of the over 18,000 artefacts unearthed so far. Q. What are the Keypoints about Keeladi? A. Keeladi is a tiny... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. Odisha has been taking a long-term approach to bring about social and behavioral change regarding child marriage over the past 4-5 years. Odisha recorded an overall decline in the prevalence of child marriage: from 21.3% in National Family Health Survey-4 to 20.5% in NFHS-5. Q. How Odisha is Tackling the Problem of Child Marriage? A. The state has implemented a multi-pronged approach to tackle child marriage, includ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. Scientists have discovered a third natural source of quasicrystals in the Sand Hills of north central Nebraska, USA. Q. What is Quasicrystals? A. About: Quasicrystals are fascinating materials that possess a unique combination of properties. They are a testament to the beauty and power of irregularity in the natural world. Difference from Traditional Crystal: Unlike trad... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. Japan has taken the initiative to raise the Global South to the top of the G7 agenda. Japan is hosting G7 summit 2023 at Hiroshima. With India wanting to make the voice of the Global South heard at this year’s G20 summit, there is much new room for global political collaboration between Delhi and Tokyo. Q. What is Global South? A. The term ‘Global South’ began by loosely referring to those count... Read More...
Q. Why Is this In News? A. Recently, the Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VLEC), the primary payload on board Aditya-L1, was handed over to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). ISRO is planning to launch the Aditya-L1 mission, first Indian space mission to observe the Sun by June or July 2023 to observe the Sun and the solar corona. Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. Recently, the Supreme Court asked the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the government to produce the existing regulatory framework in place to protect investors from Stock Market volatility. Q. What is Stock Market? A. About: Stock markets are venues where buyers and sellers meet to exchange equity shares of public corporations. Stock markets are components of a Free-... Read More...
Q Why is it in News ? A Political interference in police postings continues despite the landmark Prakash Singh judgment nearly a decade-and-a-half ago that addressed the issue and was pegged to be a watershed moment in police reforms. Q What is the SC’s Prakash Singh judgment on police reforms? A Prakash Singh, who served as DGP of UP Police and Assam Police besides other postings, filed a PIL in the Supreme Court post-retirement, in 1996, seeking police reforms. In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court in September 2006 had directed all states ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. In India, the secular personal law - Special Marriage Act (SMA) 1954, provides an alternate route to religious laws for marriage to interfaith couples. Q. What is the Special Marriage Act 1954? A. About: The Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954 is an Indian law that provides a legal framework for the marriage of people belonging to different religions or castes. It governs a ci... Read More...
Q. What are provisions in Constitution for Deputy Speaker? A. Article 93 of the Constitution provides for the election of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. The constitutional office of the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is more symbolic of parliamentary democracy than some real authority. There is no need to resign from their original party though as a Deputy Speaker, they have to remain impartial. Q. What are their roles and functions? A. They act as the presiding officer in case of leave or absence caused ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has released the Draft Data Centre Policy, which aims to simplify clearances for setting up data centres in the country. Q. What is the vision of the Draft Data Centre Policy? A. Making India a Global Data Centre hub, Promote investment in the sector, Propel digital economy growth, Enable provisioning of trusted hosting infras... Read More...
Q. What is Article 131 or Original jurisdiction ? A. The Supreme Court possesses Original jurisdiction enshrined in Article 131 of Constitution to decide the disputes arising between different units of the Indian Federation like: (a) between the Government of India and one or more States; or (b) between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other; or (c) between two or more States, if and in so far as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal rig... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given in-principle approval to 32 firms to operate as Online Payment Aggregators (PA), under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act). The PSS Act, 2007 provides for the regulation and supervision of payment systems in India and designates the RBI as the authority for that purpose and all related matters. Q. What is a Payment Aggregator? A. About: ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news ? A. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR) National Cancer Registry Programme Report has estimated that the number of cancer cases in India is 13.9 lakh. Moreover, India has seen a steady rise in cancer cases over many decades. A 2017 report showed that India’s cancer burden increased 2.6 times between 1990 to 2016, and deaths due to cancers doubled during the time. Almost two thirds of these cancer cases are at late stages. Q. What is most ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. Recently, the world’s First International Summit on the Responsible Use of Artificial intelligence in the Military (REAIM 2023) was held in the Hague, Netherlands. Q. What are the Key Highlights of the Summit? A. Themes: Mythbusting AI: Breaking Down the Characteristics of AI Responsible deployment and use of AI Governance frameworks Objectives: Putting the topic of ‘r... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. The world is going through a phase of demographic transition towards aged populations. Adaptation strategies will require governments, businesses and common people to make key adjustments. This may usher in a great opportunity for India that is experiencing a demographic dividend. Q. What is the Demographic Transition and Demographic Dividend? A. A demographic shift refers to a change in the composition of a population over tim... Read More...
Q Why is it in News ? A The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has formulated a draft National Cyber Security Strategy, which holistically looks at addressing the issue of security of national cyberspace, the government informed the Lok Sabha. Q What is the National Cyber Security Strategy? A Conceptualised by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), the report focuses on 21 areas to ensure a safe, secure, trusted, resilient, and vibrant cyberspace for India. The main sectors of focus of the report are: Large scale digitisation of public service... Read More...
Q Why is it in News ? A European Parliament and European Union (EU) Member States had announced that they have reached a political agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA). Q What is Digital Services Act ? A Digital Services Act is a landmark legislation to force big Internet companies to act against disinformation and illegal and harmful content, and to “provide better protection for Internet users and their fundamental rights”. The Act, which is yet to become law, was proposed by the EU Commission (anti-trust) in December 2020. As... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India released Draft Reserve Bank of India (Government Securities Lending) Directions, 2023. The RBI proposed introduction of securities lending and borrowing in Government Securities (G-sec) with an aim to facilitate wider participation in the securities lending market by providing investors an avenue to deploy idle securities and enhance portfolio returns. Norms : Government Securities ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. India sent written financing assurances to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), becoming the first bilateral creditor of the island nation to officially support its crucial debt restructure programme after last year’s economic meltdown. A bilateral agreement between India and Sri Lanka on raising the limit of the High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) was also signed during the India’s External Affairs Minister’s Visit. Q. What is the Significance of In... Read More...