Afghanistan–the New Dispensation
Introduction In the 19th century, the British and the Russian empires competed to grab power in Afghanistan and neighbouring central as well as south Asian territories. However, neither of them succeeded and the area came to be known as the ‘graveyard of empires’....
National Automobile Scrappage Policy 2021
The National Automobile Scrappage Policy, launched on August 13, 2021 was proposed in the annual budget for 2021–22. It dictates that all automobiles over a certain age should be off the roads in the interest of better pollution control and safety, which new vehicles...
Scuffle Over The Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021
The Tribunal Reforms Bill replaced the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021. The provisions in the ordinance concerning conditions of service and tenure of tribunal members and chairpersons were struck down by a three-judge...
‘Nuts-and-Bolts’ Reforms
Importance of Reforms Economic reforms that countries undertake are aimed at changing the structure as well as overall direction of the economy. Reforms can significantly affect the amount of resources at the disposal of a country. These reforms can ease the obstacles...
Draft National Electricity Policy, 2021
In accordance with Section 3 (1) of the Electricity Act, 2003, the Ministry of Power (MoP) released the draft National Electricity Policy (NEP) in April 2021 after a long gap of sixteen years, since the NEP 2005. The policy report was prepared by a committee, chaired...
Draft National Geospatial Policy, 2021
The Department of Science and Technology released the draft National Geospatial Policy, 2021 (NGP) in May 2021. The prime objectives of the policy include fostering and developing a self-made geospatial ecosystem in the country as well as globally. It aims to...
National Monetisation Pipeline
Vital Role of Infrastructure Infrastructure is critically linked to economic growth and development. Well-developed infrastructure provides key economic services efficiently, improves the competitiveness, and extends vital support to the productive sectors. Over the...
Ramsar Tag for Four Wetland Sites
Four sites from India—two from Haryana (Sultanpur National Park and Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary) and two from Gujarat the Thol Lake Wildlife Sanctuary and the Wadhvana Wetland) have been added to the list of wetlands of international importance in August 2021. There...
IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, 2021
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), titled Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis on August 9, 2021. It was prepared by more than 750 scientists of Working Group-I, after reviewing...
New Technique Developed to Study Ultra-Small Particles
A new technique has been developed by researchers from IIT Madras and IISER Kolkata to detect minute quantities of chemicals in solution. They used a variation of absorption spectroscopy that surpasses the systemic limits, imposed by conventional absorption...
The Inland Vessels Act, 2021
The Inland Vessels Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 22, 2021 and was passed on July 29, 2021. Thereafter, it was passed in Rajya Sabha on August 02, 2021. On August 11, 2021, it got the presidential assent and became The Inland Vessels Act, 2021, which...
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2021
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021 was passed by the Lok Sabha on March 24, 2021 and by the Rajya Sabha on July 28, 2021. It received presidential assent on August 7, 2021 and became an act, known as The Juvenile Justice (Care...
Glacier Retreats in Ladakh
As per a study, namely Little Ice Age Glacier Extent and Temporal Changes in Annual Mass Balance (2016–19) of Pensilungpa Glacier, Zanskar Himalaya, the Pensilungpa Glacier is receding as a result of increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation during...
‘Net Zero’ Carbon Targets and Climate Change
In August 2021, an independent and charitable organisation, Oxfam, released a report, namely, Tightening the Net just a few months ahead of the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. It states that net zero carbon targets, announced by many countries, may be a...
Issue of Home Ownership Law of Goa
On July 31, 2021, the Goa legislative assembly passed the Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill 2021, which has been in the eye of controversy in the poll-bound state (due for election in February 2022). The Bill The bill seeks to provide mechanism to give ownership rights to...
Ministry of Cooperation: Aims and Relevance
The Government of India on July 12, 2021, announced the formation of a separate Union Ministry of Cooperation under the charge of Home Minister Amit Shah. Till date, the subject was looked after by the Ministry of Agriculture. Objectives of the Ministry The Ministry...
Digital Payment Platform ‘e-RUPI’ Launched
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 02, 2021, launched digital payment solution e-RUPI, a person- and purpose-specific cashless digital payment solution, via video conference. This futuristic reform initiative has come at a time when the country is celebrating the...
New Source of Gravitational Waves Detected
Scientists have, for the first time, detected gravitational waves ripples in the fabric of space-time produced by the collision of a neutron star and a black hole (NS-BH). On January 5, 2021, the Advanced LIGO detector in Louisiana, US, and the Advanced Virgo detector...
South Korea Announces Indigenous Iron Dome
South Korea’s defence procurement agency, in June 2021, announced that it had approved plans to develop an artillery interception system, like Israel’s Iron Dome, to counter attacks by rockets and long-range missiles launched by North Korea. South Korea would be...
A Leap towards Space Tourism
Space tourism has been in news recently because of two billionaires, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos who went into space as tourists using their personal rockets and aircraft. Space tourism is about humans travelling into space for recreational purposes, paying a hefty...