Open Network for Digital Commerce
As per orders from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), an advisory committee to advise the government for its Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) project was constituted on July 6, 2021. The project aims to curb ‘digital...
Asia’s Longest High-speed Track Inaugurated
Asia's longest and the world's fifth-largest high-speed test track, the National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX), was virtually inaugurated on June 29, 2021. The track is located near Pithampur (50 km away from Indore), Madhya Pradesh. It is a state-of-the art...
Union Cabinet Expansion and Reshuffle
On July 07, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded its council of ministers in the third year of his second term. Besides, a new ministry was also created, namely, the Ministry of Cooperation. Amit Shah is the first Minister of Cooperation. With 43 inductions (15...
Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery
As per a government announcement in June 2021, hallmarking of gold jewellery has been made mandatory to ensure that consumers get assured quality. It will be carried out in a phased manner. In the initial phase, the mandatory hallmarking will be implemented in 256...
Bid for Official Status to Tulu Language
In June 2021, several organisations initiated a Twitter campaign demanding official language status to Tulu in Karnataka and Kerala. The campaign received an enormous response and witnessed more than 2.5 lakh tweets in favour. In 2020 also, an organisation, ‘Jai...
UNESCO Proposes ‘In Danger’ Status for Great Barrier Reef
A United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) committee, recommended that the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) should be added to a list of ‘in danger’ World Heritage Sites, after observing the detrimental impact of climate change. This evoked...
Election Petition and Writ Jurisdiction of High Courts
In June 2021, West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee field an election petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging the assembly election result of Nandigram constituency, where she lost to Suvendhu Adhikari of BJP. She demanded that the latter’s election be...
Deep Ocean Mission
The union cabinet on June 16, 2021, approved the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM), announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22. The mission seeks to tap vast marine living and non-living resources, conduct research on climate variables, develop deep-sea technologies for...
Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board
On June 16, 2021, the Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the corporatisation of India’s main producer of weapons and military equipment, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), to boost its efficiency and competitiveness. This long-awaited reform...
General Elections 2019—An Atlas
On June 15, 2021, an election atlas, namely, General Elections 2019—An Atlas was released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which consists of data and statistical figures of the 17th General Election held in 2019. The 2019 General Election is considered to be...
Rice Attributes Discovered That Could Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency
Recently, a team of scientists have discovered how rice crops could be efficiently grown and cultivated by reducing the wastage of nitrogenous (N) fertilisers in order to save costs, and limit nitrogen related pollution. The inter-disciplinary team of researchers was...
Regulating Digital Media and OTT Platform
In order to govern online content, the Government of India notified new guidelines, called, the ‘Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021’ on February 25, 2021. The rules were framed under Section 87 of the Information...
Singapore Approves ‘BreFence Go COVID’ Test
On May 17, 2021, Singapore authorities have provisionally approved a COVID-19 breathalyser test, BreFence Go COVID, developed by a start-up Breathonix, National University of Singapore (NUS), that aims to show whether someone is infected with the coronavirus within a...
NITI Aayog Launches a Digital Portal ‘Poshan Gyan’
On April 13, 2021, NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University, launched a national digital repository on health and nutrition, namely, PoshanGyan, conceptualised under the guidance of...
Israel-Palestine Conflict and India
The 2021 Israel–Palestine conflict commenced on May 10, 2021, though some had already taken place on May 6when Palestinians protested in East Jerusalem over an anticipated decision of the Supreme Court of Israel on the eviction of six Palestinian families in Sheikh...
India-Israel Sign 5th Agricultural Programme
On May 24, 2021, India and Israel governments signed a three-year joint work programme till 2023 with an eye on to enhance cooperation in the field of agriculture, under the 5th Indo-Israel Agriculture Action Plan (IIAP), four successfully completed programmes being...
Regulations Review Authority 2.0
A Regulations Review Authority (RRA) was initially set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of one year from April 1, 1999 for reviewing the regulations, circulars, reporting systems, based on the feedback from public, banks and financial institutions....
Financial Inclusion Index
The Reserve Bank of India said in a statement in April 2021 that it will be constructing and periodically publishing a Financial Inclusion Index (FII). The index will measure the extent of financial inclusion in the country. The Department of Financial Services (DFS),...
eSANTA Platform
On April 13, 2021, the e-SANTA platform, developed by the National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA), was launched by the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal for marine products. As per the minister, the use of modern tools and techniques can...
Antarctica’s Doomsday Glacier: Concerns
A recent study of the Thwaites Glacier (Doomsday Glacier),namely, Unsettling Currents: Warm Water Flowing beneath the 'Doomsday Glacier’, by scientists in the University of Gothenburg,Sweden, was published in the journal Science Daily on April 9, 2021. The study has...