Q. Why is this in news?A successful trial of the nuclear capable Shaurya missile was conducted by India.Shaurya is a land-based parallel of the submarine launched K-15 missile. These ballistic weapons belong to the K missile family — codenamed after late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam — which are launched from Arihant class of nuclear submarines.Q. What are these K Family of missiles?The K family of missiles are primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs), wh... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news? Last week, China made an unexpected announcement that ensured that there was no lack of climate change excitement this season. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping made two promises that came as a welcome surprise to climate change watchers.Q. What has China announced?First, Xi Jinping has said, China would become carbon net-zero by the year 2060. Net-zero is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorptions and removal of greenho... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news ?The Defence Ministry came up with its latest Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020) which comes into effect from, October 1. Changing a 15-year old policy, the government has decided to remove the clause for offsets if the equipment is being bought either through deals or agreements between two countries, or through an ab initio single-vendor deal.Q. What are defence offsets? Read More...
Que. What are the main features of cultural diplomacy of India. What is the aim of it? Read More...
Why is this in news?A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge has found that the ventilation systems used in modern office spaces, designed to keep conditions uniform in all parts of the room, disperse airborne contaminants evenly throughout the space. Their findings were published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.Why are researchers interested in studying the role of airflow in the spread of COVID-19?Researchers are studying the role... Read More...
What is CBD oil?CBD oil is an extract from the cannabis plant. The two main active substances in it are cannabidiol or CBD and delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. The high that is caused by the consumption of cannabis is due to THC. CBD, however, does not cause a “high” or any form of intoxication. CBD oil is made by extracting CBD from the cannabis plant, then diluting it with a carrier oil like coconut or hemp seed oil.What are the effects of Cannabidiol?Cannabidiol has effects on the brain, preventin... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news ?India’s first Pan India time use survey was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Q. What are time use surveys?A time use survey measures the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, childcare, volunteering, and socialising. The primary objective of a time use survey (TUS) is to measure participation of men and women in paid and unpaid activities.TUS is an important source of infor... Read More...
As Covid-19 sweeps across the country, urban and rural areas alike face an unprecedented spike in oxygen use. Around 3-5 per cent (over 50,000) of active Covid-19 cases in India have lung tissues damaged enough by the virus to require external oxygen support.Since March, medical oxygen demand has grown from 750-800 to over 2,500 metric tonnes, and now, hospitals are struggling.The supplyIn an ideal scenario, it takes 3-5 days for oxygen to journey from a manufacturer to a ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news?Following the Unlock 5.0 guidelines issued by the Home Ministry, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till October 31. However, there are a number of countries to which flights are being operated and Indian citizens can take flights.Q. Why has the DGCA extended the ban on international flights?The Unlock 5.0 guidelines have not allowed international flights to resume as yet and DGCA... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news?Until now, 12,000 mutations have been documented in over 3.2 crore cases globally. One mutation has been found the most widespread. It was first noticed in China and Germany.The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is constantly mutating, but one mutation in particular has caught the eye of researchers for its abundance. Named D614G, this mutation has been found more transmissible than most others.Q. What is D614G mutation?All viruses mutate to adapt to ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news?A. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified new rules for administration in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that specify the functions of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and the Council of Ministers.Q. What are roles and powers of Lieutenant General?Police, public order, All India Services and anti-corruption, will fall under the executive functions of the LG, implying that the Chief Minister or the Council of Ministers will hav... Read More...
Q. What is a Parliamentary Committee?Parliamentary Committee is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker and which works under the direction of the Speaker and presents its report to the House or to the Speaker and the Secretariat for which is provided by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.Q. What are types of Parliamentary Committee ?Standing Committees are permanent and regular committees which are constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Pa... Read More...
Que. When the agricultural performance is good, why is there food inflation in the country? Read More...
Q. Why is this in news?A. Three Apple Inc.’s top contract manufacturers are planning to invest a total of almost $900 million in India in the next five years to tap into a new production-linked incentive plan.Q. What is PLI scheme?Notified on April 1 as a part of the National Policy on Electronics.It proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the electronic... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news ?A. India has been ranked at the 116th position in the latest edition of the World Bank’s annual Human Capital Index that benchmarks key components of human capital across countries.Q. What is Human Capital Project ?As part of this World Development Report (WDR), the World Bank has launched a Human Capital Project (HCP).The HCP programme is claimed to be a program of advocacy, measurement, and analytical work to raise aw... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news?A. Recently, a new Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) (erstwhile Defence Procurement Procedure or DPP), 2020 was released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).Q. What is this ?A. The DAP contains policies and procedures for procurement and acquisition from the capital budget of the MoD in order to modernise the Armed Forces including the Coast Guard.Q. Is there earlier procurement ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news?The presence of the Cat Que virus has been largely reported in Culex mosquitoes in China. In a study published in July in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, scientists from the Pune-based Maximum Containment Laboratory and ICMR-National Institute of Virology have noted the presence of antibodies against the Cat Que virus (CQV) in two human serum samples.Q. What does the study say?The presence of the Cat Que virus has been largely reported i... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news ?A. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, India's foreign exchange (forex) reserves touched a record high of USD 541.431 billion in the week ended 28th August 2020.Q. What are Forex Reserves?A. Foreign exchange reserves are assets denominated in a foreign currency that are held on reserve by a central bank. These may include foreign currencies, bonds, treasury bills and other government securities.... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news ?A. Scientists have warned that extra-tropical storms in the Mediterranean Sea, known as ‘Medicanes’ or ‘Mediterranean Hurricanes’, could become more frequent due to human-induced climate change.Q. What are Medicanes?Medicanes are tropical-like cyclones formed over the Mediterranean Sea.With the surrounding dry climate and the relatively shallow waters of the sea, the occurrence of tropical-like cyclones is infrequent. Read More...
Q. Why in NewsRecently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to lay down guidelines pertaining to disposal of cigarette and beedi butts within three months.NGT held that tobacco is undoubtedly harmful and it is mainly concerned with the manner of disposal of cigarette and beedi butts.Q. What is the issue? An NGO ‘Doctors for You’ sought instructions to regulate the disposal of cigarette and beedi butts apart from prohibiting... Read More...