Eco-bridges in Forests to Conserve Wildlife
The Ramnagar Forest Division in Nainital district, Uttarakhand, has constructed its first ‘eco-bridge’ across Kaladhungi Nainital Highway (in Kala Dungri range). It is meant to save reptiles and smaller mammals from vehicular accidents while crossing the road,...
India: a Hotspot of Extreme Climate Events
Over 75 per cent of districts in India are hotspots of extreme climate events, according to a report by the Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) released on December 10, 2020. The report titled ‘Preparing India for Extreme Climate Events’ states...
Pollution Concerns in the Ganga Region
Ganga Survey Phase 2 Results In early November 2020, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) announced the result of the second phase of its survey of the entire main stem of the Ganga river, i.e., the main river without its tributaries. It declared that some 49 per...
Dolphin Jalaj Safaris
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) launched ‘Dolphin Jalaj Safaris on the occasion of ‘Ganga River Dolphin Day’ on October 5, 2020, at six locations including Brijghat, Bijnor, Prayagraj, and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh (UP); Kahalgaon in Bihar; and Bandel in...
Project STARS
The union cabinet on October 14, 2020 approved the Strengthening Teaching Learning and Results for States (STARS) project. The aim is to improve the teachers learning process. The project would be implemented as a new centrally sponsored scheme under the Department of...
Himalayan Serow Seen in Spiti Valley
The rarely seen Himalayan serow was sighted and captured in a camera by the state wildlife wing of Himachal Pradesh in the remote cold deserts of snow-laden Spiti Valley, according to a report on December 14, 2020. An endangered medium-sized goat-like antelope, once...
Niti Aayog to Study Hyperloop Feasibility
It was reported in November 2020 that the National Institution for Transforming India, (NITI) Aayog is exploring the prospects of technological and commercial viability of the virgin hyperloop technology for ultrahigh-speed travel in India. NITI Aayog appointed an...
Multimodal Connectivity Masterplan
The Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) announced at the CII National MNC conference on November 23, 2020, about the central government’s plan to introduce a masterplan to be implemented across the nation. The idea is to offer...
Digital Payments and Financial Inclusion
As per the latest IMF's Financial Access Survey Report, 2020, India has made rapid strides in the domain of digital payments through mobile and internet banking. The number of digital transactions per 1,000 adults in India increased from 102.85 in 2014 to 6,183.62 in...
Volcanic Eruptions In Indonesia
According to the United States Geological Survey, the Indonesian region is one of the most seismically active zones on Earth. There are more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia and the country frequently experiences volcanic eruptions due to its location in the...
Centre’s Decision on MPLAD Funds Upheld
In April 2020, the central government suspended the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) scheme for two years to divert the funds towards Covid-19 management efforts. Opposing the government's stance, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed...
New Peace Deal Between Armenia and Azerbaijan
On November 10, 2020, Russia mediated a new peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The deal which is meant to end the conflict between the two countries that had been in serious war for over six weeks rendering thousands of people homeless and taking more than...
Are India’s Relief Measures Enough?
Though India has announced numerous relief measures since the March 2020 lockdown, they have not matched the economic disruption brought about by the severe lockdown. The stimulus package of ` 20 lakh crore announced on May 12, 2020 accounts for 10 per cent of the GDP...
AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan
The AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (ANBA) or self-reliant India movement is a special economic package of ` 20 lakh crore, announced by the prime minister on May 12, 2020. In what has come to be called AatmaNirbhar Package 1.0, an ambitious package billed at 10 per...
Government and Institutional Measures in Response to COVID-19
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, India went into a long lockdown to break the chain of infection. It began from the midnight of March 24, 2020 which was completely unprecedented. Initially, imposed for 21 days, the lockdown was extended to last till May 17, 2020...
APEC Summit 2020
The 27th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Summit 2020 was hosted virtually by Malaysia from Kuala Lumpur on November 20, 2020. It was chaired by Malaysia’s prime minister, Muhyiddin bin Haji Muhammad Yassin, under the 2020 APEC Malaysia theme...
19th SCO Summit
India virtually hosted the 19th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (SCO CHG) on November 30, 2020. It was chaired by the Vice President of India, Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu because Prime Minister Modi could not attend...
India—Maldives—Sri Lanka Trilateral Meeting
A trilateral NSA level meeting between India Maldives, and Sri Lanka was held on November 26, 2020. India was represented by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Maldives by its defence minister Mariya Didi, and Sri Lanka by its defence secretary Kamal...
National Water Award 2019
The Farmers Participatory Action Research Programme (FPARP) has appreciated a team of scientists from sugarcane breeding institute, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Coimbatore, for developing a small and user-friendly device, named, Soil Moisture...
GST Compensation Issue
GST Compensation The mechanism of a nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into existence with the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act 2016. As per the Act, the central government is required to compensate states for their loss of revenue arising...