A haircut, in the business context
A haircut, in the business context, refers to the extent of sacrifice a lender needs to make on a loan while getting a defaulting borrower to pay his pending dues.
Blockchain
Blockchain technology refers to a series of data linked together. It is the backbone of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It allows digital information to be distributed but not copied.
Code Red for Labour
The government has proposed streamlining multiple labour laws into a set of four labour codes to bring standardisation in the process of registration and filing of returns.
Rajya Sabha Discusses Removal of Caps on Electoral Expenditure
A private member bill regarding amending the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951, and removal of caps on expenditure by candidates contesting polls was introduced in the Rajya Sabha
Heritage By-laws Tabled
Parliament introduced the by-laws, drafted by the National Monuments Authority, to regulate the construction activity near Purana Qila, Khair-ul-Manazil mosque, and Sher Shah Gate in Delhi.
FDI in Digital News Media
In an effort to boost a lacklustre economy, the government, on August 28, 2019, created a new digital media category and relaxed foreign direct investment (FDI) rules for several sectors, such as manufacturing, single brand retail, and digital media. This category...
Polygraph and Narcoanalysis Tests
A Supreme Court Bench had ruled in 2010 that no lie-detector tests should be administered ‘except on the basis of the consent of the accused’ after taking into consideration international norms on human rights, the right to a fair trial, and the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3) of the Constitution.
Recycle, Reuse Policy to Drive India’s Resource Efficiency Policy
Resource consumption in India has increased by over six times in the past 45 years due to rising factory output, urbanisation, and population explosion and is expected to double by 2030. The global resource consumption, today, is 92 billion tonnes, including China...
Task Force to Improve India’s Rights Record
In August 2019, the Government of India decided to form a task force consisting of 10–20 members to prepare a National Action Plan on Human Rights (NAPHR) as mandated under the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to improve India’s human...
Police Stations Ranked for Better Governance
In June 2019, the Union home ministry started an innovative exercise to rank the country’s best police stations. In a similar exercise that took place in 2017, when B-2 R.S. Puram police station in Coimbatore had bagged the first rank, while police stations in...
Army Spots Footprints of ‘Yeti’ in Himalayas
On April 9, 2019, a Mountaineering Expedition Team of the Indian Army, comprising 18 personnel, came across a set of giant footprints in the Himalayas. The team, led by Major Manoj Joshi, was on the expedition to Mount Makalu in Nepal, the fifth highest mountain in...
Social Media Norms for Government Employees
On July 12, 2019, the Union Home Ministry issued social media norms in its first social media and Internet policy for government employees, to prevent security breach and ensure sensitivity of data. As per National Information Security Policy and Guidelines (NISPG)...
MGNREGA to Help Cope with Climate Change
The ministry of rural development is piloting a project in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar to see how MGNREGA can be used to make villages resilient to climate change
Unlicensed Moneylending Made Illegal in Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh state cabinet, on August 19, 2019, approved amendments to make unlicensed moneylending illegal. with this move, the tribals of the state will now be free of loans taken from unlicensed moneylenders, i.e., they will not be required to return the...
QUANTUM COMPUTING: ACHIEVING ‘QUANTUM SUPREMACY’ – 2
Quantum computers are touted to be the next best thing the world of technology will offer. IBM, Microsoft and Google have been in competition to set up a quantum computer for real. In September 2019, Google claimed to have achieved ‘quantum supremacy’—the first time a...
UK unveils new post-Brexit global tariff regime
The British government announced a new post-Brexit tariff regime to replace the European Union's (EU) common external tariff, maintaining a 10 per cent tariff on cars but cutting levies on tens of billions of dollars of supply chain imports. Starting on January 1,...
Pradhan MantriVayaVandanaYojana (PMVVY) Extended
The union cabinet has approved the extension of the Pradhan MantriVayaVandanaYojana (PMVVY) up to 31st March 2023 for a further period of three years. Earlier, the last date of PMMVY was March 31, 2020. The assured rate of return for fiscal 2020-21 has been fixed at...
The United States announces withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty with Russia
The Open Skies Treaty allows unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of the participating countries. US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the 35-nation Open Skies Treaty with Russia. This would be...
Six states ask Centre to expedite notification of ecologically sensitive areas in Western Ghats
The high-level committee formed by the centre had recommended declaring identified geographical areas falling under the six states as Ecologically Sensitive Areas. Six states, through which the Western Ghats pass, have asked the Centre to expedite the process...
BRO achieves breakthrough in tunnel construction beneath Chamba town
The BRO managed to link up the north and south portals of the tunnel, which is a major step forward under the Char Dham project. In a boost to the Rs 12,000 crore Uttarakhand’s Char Dham' project to connect Gangotri, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Badrinath, the Border...