Q What is RESPOND Programme of ISRO ? A ISRO started the RESPOND (Research Sponsored) programme in the 1970s, with the objective of encouraging academia to participate and contribute in various Space related research activities.Under the Programme, ISRO provides financial support for conducting research and development activities related to Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications in Academic Institutions in India. Q What are aims of this programme ? A This is the flagship progr... Read More...
Q. What is the Global Scenario?A. Most of the 58,700 large dams worldwide were constructed between 1930 and 1970 with a design life of 50 to 100 years.By 2050, most people on Earth will live downstream of tens of thousands of large dams built in the 20th century, many of them already operating at or beyond their design life.At 50 years, a large concrete dam “would most probably begin to express signs of ageing.”Ageing signs include increasing cases of dam f... Read More...
Q. What is the news?A. Recently, CSIR Floriculture Mission has been approved for implementation in 21 States and Union Territories of India. Q. What is this mission?A. Floriculture is a branch of horticulture that deals with the cultivation, processing and marketing of ornamental plant vis-à-vis landscaping of small or large areas, and maintenance of gardens so that the surroundings may appear aesthetically pleasant.The mission will fo... Read More...
Q. What is the news?A. GAIL (India) Ltd has put West Bengal on the gas map of India after it completed laying a Rs 2,433-crore pipeline that will bring to the state cooking fuel that is cheaper than LPG and CNG that costs less than petrol and diesel, and fuel to produce urea for all its requirement.The 348-kilometer pipeline from Dobhi in Bihar to Durgapur in West Bengal is part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project.Q. What are the objectives of the project?A. To provide piped cooking gas to the households of Varanasi within next two ... Read More...
Q Why is it in News ?A A petition was filed in the Supreme court (SC), that seeks a relook into the Sedition Law.Q What are the issues raised in petition ? A The 1962 judgment in the KedarNath case, which upheld Section 124A (sedition), a relic of the colonial legacy, was given at a time when doctrines such as ‘chilling effect’ (Deterring effect resulting from restrictive law) on free speech were unheard of. It was delivered at a time when scope and inter-relationship of fundamental rights were rather restrictive.In the Kedar Na... Read More...
Q What is lightning ? A It is a very rapid and massive discharge of electricity in the atmosphere. It is the process of occurrence of a natural ‘electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud’, accompanied by a bright flash and sound, and sometimes thunderstorms.Inter cloud or intra cloud (IC) lightning are visible and harmless.Cloud to ground (CG) lightning is harmful as the ‘high electric voltage and electric current’ leads to electrocution. Q How does... Read More...
Q What is Market Development Assistance (MDA) Policy ? A MDA policy was earlier limited to city compost only.There were demands to expand this policy by incorporating organic waste like Biogas, Green Manure, organic compost of rural areas, solid/liquid slurry, etc.This expansion will fully complement the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Q What are some of the Government Initiates for self-sufficiency of Fertilisers ? A Government Initiatives and Schemes: Read More...
Q. What is Ken Betwa Link Project (KBLP)?A. The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the River interlinking project that aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.The region spread across the districts of two states mainly Jhansi, Banda, Lalitpur and Mahoba districts of UP and Tikamgarh, Panna and Chhatarpur districts of MP.The project involves building a 77-metre tall and a 2-km wide Dhaudhan dam and a 230-km canal.Ken-Betwa is Read More...
Q. What is One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Scheme?A. The ONORC scheme is aimed at enabling migrant workers and their family members to buy subsidized ration from any fair price shop anywhere in the country under the National Food Security Act, 2013.For instance, a migrant worker from will be able to access PDS benefits elsewhere in India, where he or she may have gone in search of work.While the person can buy food grains as per his or her entitlement under the NFSA at the place where he or she is based, members of his or her family can still go to their ration dealer back home.To promote this reform in t... Read More...
Q. What is the Old Pension Scheme?A. About:The scheme assures life-long income, post-retirement.Under the old scheme, employees get a pension under a pre-determined formula which is equivalent to 50% of the last drawn salary. They also get the benefit of the revision of Dearness Relief (DR), twice a year. The payout is fixed and there was no deduction from the salary. Moreover, under the OPS, there was the provision of the General Provident Fund (GPF).GPF is available only for all the government employees in India. Basic... Read More...
Q. What is its Aim?A.The proposed framework is aimed at protecting financial stability while ensuring that smaller NBFCs continue to enjoy light regulations and grow with ease. Q. What are the proposed Classification of NBFC (The Four-Tier Structure)?A. The regulatory and supervisory framework of NBFCs should be based on a four-layered structure:Base Layer: NBFCs in the lower layer will be known as NBFC-Base Layer (NBFC-BL).For NBFCs in this layer least regulatory intervention i... Read More...
Q. What is QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY ?A. Quantum technology is a class of technology that works by using the principles of quantum mechanics (the physics of sub-atomic particles), including quantum entanglement and quantum superposition. It is based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the nature of energy and matter on the atomic and subatomic level.It concerns the control and manipulation of quantum systems, with the goal of achieving information processing beyond the limits of the classical world.Its principles will be used for engineering solutions to extremely complex problems in co... Read More...
Q. What’s a bad bank and how does it work?A. A bad bank conveys the impression that it will function as a bank but has bad assets to start with. Technically, a bad bank is an asset reconstruction company (ARC) or an asset management company that takes over the bad loans of commercial banks, manages them and finally recovers the money over a period of time. The bad bank is not involved in lending and taking deposits, but helps commercial banks clean up their balance sheets and resolve bad loans. The takeover of bad loans is normally below the book value of the loan and the bad bank tries to recover as much as possible subse... Read More...
Q. What is Coal Gasification?A.Process: Coal gasification is a process in which coal is partially oxidised with air, oxygen, steam or carbon dioxide to form a fuel gas.This gas is then used instead of piped natural gas, methane and others for deriving energy.In-situ gasification of coal – or Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) – is the technique of converting coal into gas while it is still in the seam and then extracting it through wells.Production of Syngas: It produces Syngas which is a mixture ... Read More...
Q. What is the news ?A.The major demand of the protesting farmers in Delhi border has been that the government guarantee in writing the MSP system, which assures them of a fixed price for their crops, 1.5 times of the cost of production. Q. What is MSP?A.Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices. The minimum support prices are announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of... Read More...
Q. What is Desalination ?A. Desalination is the process of removing salts from water to produce water that meets the quality (salinity) requirements of different human uses. Seawater desalination can extend water supplies beyond what is available from the hydrological cycle, providing an “unlimited”, climate-independent and steady supply of high-quality water. Q. What is Desalination Plant ?A. A desalination plant turns salt water into water that is fit to drink. The most commonly used technology used for t... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news ?A. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had cautioned individuals and small businesses against falling victim to the mushrooming unauthorised digital lending platforms and mobile applications on promises of getting loans in quick and hassle-free manner , all this in the backdrop of as recently , a woman employee of Telangana Agriculture Department and a software engineer committed suicide after they were humiliated and blackmailed by tele-callers and recovery agents of a mobile app instant loan company. Q. What is Digital... Read More...
Q. What is Gender disparity in science ?A. Gender inequality is the social process by which men and women are not treated as equals. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms. Some of these distinctions are empirically-grounded while others appear to be socially constructed. The world over, women scientists have been in the forefront of ground-breaking research across the world.But despite their remarkable discoveries, globally they still represent just 29 % of researchers. In India the numbers have been even less.Globally only 3... Read More...
Q. What is Northeast Monsoon?A. The northeast monsoon (winter monsoon) blows from land to sea.During this period, rainfall is experienced over southern states, mainly Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh along with some parts of Telangana and Karnataka.In areas around Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and along the northeast, precipitation during this period reported is either in the form of rainfall or snowfall.Also called the winter monsoon,... Read More...
Q Why is there Lack of patient-centric TB treatment ?AWith more drug arsenals such as rifampicin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, the fight against TB bacteria continued, which became multidrug resistant.The regimes and the mode of delivery of drugs were changed to plug the loopholes of non-compliance of patients.Blister packs of a multi-drug regime were provided at the doorstep, and the directly observed treatment/therapy (DOT) mechanism set up.Many of the poor discontinued blister-packaged free drugs thinking that these were “hot and strong” drugs not suited for the hunger pains they experienced ever... Read More...