National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC)
Context: The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a new government-owned firm National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) for pooling and monetizing sovereign and public sector land assets. Relevance: GS II- Indian Economy Dimensions of the Article: What is NLMC? How will it function? Significance What is NLMC? The National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) […]
UPI123Pay: Payment Solution For Feature Phone Users
Context: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India launched a new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments solution for feature phone users dubbed ‘UPI123Pay’. Relevance: GS III- Indian Economy (Money and Banking) Dimensions of the Article: What is Unified Payments Interface (UPI)? How does the new solution work? How will users make payments without internet? Do other […]
Looming Oil Crisis
Context: Recently, United States President announced a ban on all crude oil and natural gas imports from Russia into the US even as the Ukraine conflict intensified, while the UK announced that it would phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year. These moves will further increase crude oil prices, which in turn […]
Breaking with Russia on Defense is Difficult
Context India has been in the crosshairs of Ukraine-Russia Conflict which has brought the world on the brink of Cold War era. India would want to avoid being a collateral casualty amidst the tensions between its allies, Russia, US and the UK. Relevance GS-II: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting […]
PARAM Ganga
Context: The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) has deployed PARAM Ganga-a High-Performance Computational (HPC) facility at IIT Roorkee, with a supercomputing capacity of 1.66 Petaflops. Relevance: GS III- Science and Technology Dimensions of the Article: About PARAM Ganga What are supercomputers? What is National Supercomputing Mission (NSM)? About PARAM Ganga Under the direction of NSM, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing […]
Guardianship of Minors
Context: In the recent past, there have been changes to the rules for passport and PAN card that allow an applicant to furnish their mother’s name if she is a single parent. But this continues to be a niggling issue when it comes to school certificates and umpteen other documents that insist on the father’s […]
Motor Vehicles Agreement
Context: With Bhutan continuing to sit out the Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) of the sub-regional Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) grouping, a meeting of the other three countries was held to discuss the next steps in operationalizing the agreement for the free flow of goods and people between them. Relevance: GS II- International Relations Dimensions of the Article: […]
Working Women too, With a Dream of Good Childcare
Context A World Health Organization report has recently pointed out towards feminization of poverty due to informal nature of work. This has affected women’s maternal health and the health of her child. With 95% of Indian women being employed in the informal sector of the economy as per International Labour Organization, the issue becomes even more pertinent. […]
Sealed Cover Jurisprudence is Appalling
Context Kerela High Court recently dismissed an appeal by the MediaOne, a television channel whose license was not renewed based upon ‘National Security’ concerns. Relevance GS-II: Indian Constitution—Historical Underpinnings, Evolution, Features, Amendments, Significant Provisions and Basic Structure. GS-II: Structure, Organization and Functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; Pressure Groups and Formal/Informal Associations and […]
The Complexities for Implementing a No-Fly Zone
Context: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General stated that the organisation would not designate the Ukranian airspace as a ‘No Fly Zone’ which he said would lead to a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and resulting in greater human suffering. Relevance: GS II- International Relations Dimensions of the Article: What is a […]