COMPUTER BASED NANO MATERIALS AND FUTURE OF NANO-ELECTRONICS
Why in news? Researchers from Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali have made computer based designs of nano-materials with superhigh piezoelectricity which can be the building blocks of futuristic nano-electronics for applications like ultrathin, next-generation nano-transistors. Piezoelectricity Piezoelectricity is the generation of electricity in certain materials upon application of pressure. Its applications have […]
EPFO SETTLES 1.37 LAKH EPF WITHDRAWAL CLAIMS
Why in news? Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has processed about 1.37 lakh claims across the country disbursing an amount of Rs. 279.65 crore under a new provision especially formulated by amending the EPF Scheme to help subscribers fight COVID-19. Details The provision for a special withdrawal from the EPF Scheme to fight Covid-19 pandemic […]
ACTION TAKEN BY DAC&FW DURING LOCKDOWN
Why in news? In order to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during the lockdown period, the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, Government of India is taking several measures. Measures Taken The Department has circulated the SOP related to crop harvesting & threshing during Kharif 2020 to the States to […]
NASA-Global Space Missions for UPSC Exam
Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment Why in news? National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA) asteroid researchers and spacecraft engineers have come together to check the progress in the mission which is known as Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment (AIDA). Details: An asteroid hit is widely acknowledged as one of the most likely, among all the causes […]
MSMES NEED HUGE PACKAGE
Why in news? Warning that the COVID-19 lockdown has thrown MSMEs — Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises — into deep distress, opposition has urged the Centre to set up a ₹1 lakh crore corpus fund as part of a relief package for the sector. Views of the Opposition There are over 6.3 crore MSMEs in […]
INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT GROWS 4.5% IN FEB
Why in news? India’s factory output accelerated 4.5% in February in comparison to the previous year. The growth in the Index of Industrial Production came on the back of higher output in mining, electricity and manufacturing sectors, according to the data released by the National Statistical Office on 9th April 2020. Details of Growth The cumulative […]
INFLATION MAY DROP TO 2.4% IN FY21: RBI
Why in news? The consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation, which had stayed elevated in the last few months, is expected to soften during the course of the financial year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its monetary policy report (MPR). The Monetary Policy Report was published on 9th April 2020 following the unscheduled monetary […]
WORLD FACES NEW ‘GREAT DEPRESSION’, HALF A BILLION FACE POVERTY
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy, Economic Development, Disaster Management Why in news? The global coronavirus pandemic is causing an economic crisis unlike any in the past century and will require a massive response to ensure recovery, IMF said on 9th April 2020. Around half a billion people could be pushed into poverty as a result of the […]
STUDY POINTS TO COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION
Why in news? There was evidence for community transmission — or instances of coronavirus (COVID-19) in patients who had no established contact with someone who had picked up the disease from abroad — from as early as March 22, suggests a research study in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, authored by several ICMR scientists. […]
AHMEDABAD ADOPTS SOUTH KOREAN MODEL
Why in news? The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has now adopted the South Korean model of enhanced testing to ascertain the scale of the epidemic in the city of 6.5 million people. Details Ahmedabad is battling to contain the spread of the pandemic with intensive surveillance and aggressive testing to detect the maximum number of […]