Q Why is it in News ? A India lost more than 95% of its vulture population through the 1990s and by the mid-2000s. Today, the country requires urgent conservation efforts to save vultures from becoming extinct. Q What are some details about vultures ? A Vultures belong to the Accipitridae family whose members include eagles, hawks and kites. They are relatively social birds with an average lifespan of 10-30 years in the wild. Vultures are slow breeders and so the survival of every individual is very crucial. Genera... Read More...
Q. What is Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana? A. About: It supplements the efforts of State Governments for development and welfare of tribal people by extending Special Central Assistance as an additive to the State Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP). It aims at mitigating gaps and providing basic infrastructure in villages with significant tribal population in convergence with funds available under different schemes in&nbs... Read More...
Q. What is the Law? A. Mandates Social Media to Exercise Greater Diligence: Broadly, the IT Rules (2021) mandate social media platforms to exercise greater diligence with respect to the content on their platforms. Establish a Grievance Officer: They are required to establish a grievance redressal mechanism and remove unlawful and unfitting content within stipulated time frames. The grievance officer of the Read More...
Q. What is Facial Recognition Technology? A. About: Facial recognition is an algorithm-based technology which creates a digital map of the face by identifying and mapping an individual’s facial features, which it then matches against the database to which it has access. In the Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS), the large database (containing photos and videos of peoples’ faces) is used to match and identify the person. Image of an unidentified person, taken from CCTV footage, is compared to the ex... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. Recently, the first Round Table Joint Meeting between India and New Zealand with the industry and industry associations of both the countries took place in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by the Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce and High Commissioner of New Zealand. Q. What are the Key Highlights of the Meeting? A. Both the countries acknowledged the huge potential in India and New Zealand part... Read More...
Q. What do we know about the CPEC Authority? A. About: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority was established through an ordinance in 2019. It was aimed at accelerating the pace of CPEC-related activities, finding new drivers of growth, unlocking the potential of interlinked production networks and global value chains through regional and global connectivity. R... Read More...
Q. What is the PESA Act? A. About: The PESA Act was enacted in 1996 “to provide for the extension of the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats to the Scheduled Areas”. Part IX, comprising Articles 243-243ZT of the Constitution, contains provisions relating to municipalities and cooperative societies. Provisions: Under the Act, Scheduled Areas are those referred to in Article 244(1), which says t... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. According to the report by Getting India to Net Zero, India needs a massive USD 10.1 trillion investment from now on if India is to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2070. Q. What are the Key Highlights of the Report? A. Investment: The investment required by India would be USD 13.5 trillion if the net zero emission target is to be met by 2050. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC): Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. Recently, the Union government has released the 3rd Installment of Tax Devolution to state governments amounting to Rs 1,18,280 crore in June 2023, as against the normal monthly devolution of Rs 59,140 crore. It will enable states to speed up capital spending, finance their development/ welfare related expenditure and also to make available resources for priority projects/ schemes. Uttar Pradesh received the highest (Rs 21,218 crore) followed by Bihar (Rs 11,897 crore), Mad... Read More...
Q What is the Digital Services Act , and to whom will it Apply? A As defined by the EU Commission, the Digital Services Act is “a set of common rules on intermediaries’ obligations and accountability across the single market”, and ensures higher protection to all EU users, irrespective of their country. Objective: The Digital Services Act will tightly regulate the way intermediaries, especially large platforms such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube, function when it comes to moderating user content. Self Regulation Era is Over Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. For the second time in a decade, Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) deferred the accreditation of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), citing objections like political interference in appointments among others. The GANHRI had granted ‘A’ status of accreditation to NHRC in 2017, after deferring it the year before — the first such instance since NHRC was established (1993). Without the accreditation, NHRC will be unable to rep... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. The National Campaign for Updation and Verification of People's Biodiversity Register (PBR) was launched in Goa, marking a significant milestone in the documentation and preservation of India's rich biological diversity. It was organised by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Till now, 2,67,608 PBRs have been prepared in the country. Q. What is the People's Biodiversity Register? Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. Recently, the healthcare challenges faced by tribal communities in India have come into focus. Despite India's remarkable achievements, such as emerging as the world's 5th-largest economy and its contribution to the global vaccination drive, tribal communities continue to experience significant healthcare disparities. As India celebrates its accomplishments at India@75, it is crucial to address the urgent need for equitable healthcare access for tribal communities. ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) under Article 142 ruled that the lawyers and professionals with 10 years of experience will be eligible for appointment as President and member of the state consumer commission and district forums. The SC upheld the Bombay High Court judgement quashing the provisions of Consumer Protection Rules, 2020, under section 101 of Consumer Protection Act 2019, which prescribe a minimum professional experience of 20 years and 15 ... Read More...
Q. Why in News? A. The 17th Lok Sabha, which is entering its final year, has functioned for 230 sitting days so far. Of all the Lok Sabhas that completed the full five-year term, the 16th Lok Sabha had the lowest number of sitting days (331). With one more year remaining, and 58 average sitting days a year, the 17th Lok Sabha is unlikely to sit for more than 331 days. This could make it the shortest full-term Lok Sabha since 1952. Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. An Online portal that will help citizens file and access applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in matters related to the court launched by Supreme Court. Q. What is the online RTI portal? A. The online RTI portal has been initiated to make it convenient for people to access information about the Supreme Court. So far, RTI applications at the Supreme Court had to be filed only via post. Various public interest litigation (PILs) had been filed before the Supreme Co... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. Concerned about the high risk faced by poor and less-educated women, especially in rural areas, who undergo unjustified hysterectomies, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has initiated measures to address this issue. Q. What is Hysterectomy? A. About: A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of the uterus (womb), ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. With climate change, Deforestation has become a critically sensitive issue globally in recent years, making imperative for Forest Certification to regulate the entry and sale of forest-based products. At the Glasgow climate meeting in 2021, more than 100 countries made a pledge to stop, and start reversing, deforestation by 2030. Q. What is Forest Certification? A. Need: Forests absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide t... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? A. According to a New Study, “Thawing Permafrost poses an environmental threat to thousands of sites with legacy industrial contamination”, thawing of Permafrost may result in the spread of toxic substances in the Arctic Region. Q. What is Permafrost? A. Permafrost is essentially any ground that stays frozen — 0 degree Celsius or lower — for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are often found in Arctic regions such as... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. ILO (International Labour Organization) and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) has released a report titled- “More than a billion reasons: The urgent need to build universal social protection for children”, which states that just 1 in 4 children are shielded by social protection, leaving others exposed to poverty, exclusion and multidimensional deprivations. Q. What is the Need for Social Protection? A. Social protection is a universal human right... Read More...