Q. Why is this in News?A. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) unanimously ruled that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners shall be made by the President on the advice of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India (CJI).In case no leader of Opposition is available, the leader of the largest opposition Party in the Lok Sabha in terms of numerical strength will be a part of such committee.Q. ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. A new report suggests that plastic consumption in G20 countries will almost double by 2050, with the volume of plastic consumption rising to 451 million tonnes from 261 million tonnes in 2019.The report, "Peak Plastics: Bending the Consumption Curve," explores the potential impact of policies being considered by the United Nations' plastic treaty negotiators.Q. What does the Report on Plastic Consumption Suggest?A. Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Recent investigation by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that India has become the second largest importer of "conflict wood" from Myanmar, after China. India hasn’t banned the import of teak from Myanmar, which is being exported to the US & EU.These supplies of teak not only chip away at the Myanmar’s forest cover but also provide sustenance to the military regime of Myanmar.Q. Why is Teak Imported from Myanmar Described as “Conflict Wood”?A.&... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. India scored above the regional average in the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law 2023 report. For India, report used data on laws and regulations in Mumbai, India's main business city.India received a perfect score for laws related to freedom of movement, women's work decisions, and marriage constraints.Q. What is Women, Business and the Law 2023 Report?A. About: Women, Business and the Law 2023 is the 9th in a series of annual reports that analyze laws and re... Read More...
Q. Why is this in news?A. Japan looks forward to supporting India’s clean energy transition by including India in the Asia Energy Transition Initiative (AETI).Japan’s AETI, launched in 2021, initially supported the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries towards achieving net zero emissions, including financial assistance of USD 10 billion for renewable energy.Q. What is Asia Energy Transition Initiative?A. Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. A study indicated that extensive fishing off the Coromandel coast could be forcing the great seahorse to migrate towards Odisha.Though, fishing is less intense off the Odisha coastline but still it may not be the new comfort zone for the Seahorse due to lack of suitable habitat.Q. What are the Key Facts about Seahorse?A. About:Sea horses are tiny fish that are named for the shape of their head, which looks like the head of a tiny horse. They are c... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) under Article 142 ruled that the lawyers and professionals with 10 years of experience will be eligible for appointment as President and member of the state consumer commission and district forums.The SC upheld the Bombay High Court judgement quashing the provisions of Consumer Protection Rules, 2020, under section 101 of Consumer Protection Act 2019, which prescribe a minimum professional experience of 20 years and 15 years for adjudicating memb... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Rural Tourism and Rural Homestays (CNA – RT and RH) under the Ministry of Tourism has identified six niche experiences for tourists wanting to visit rural India, including agritourism, art and culture, ecotourism, wildlife, tribal tourism, and homestays.The Ministry of Tourism is also working on launching the State assessment and ranking criteria to help foster competition and reach the overarching objectives of promoting sustainable and responsible tourism.Q. What are the Key Points of the Move?... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Hearing a case related to the Maharashtra crisis in 2022 and whether a speaker facing a notice for his removal can disqualify MLAs in his assembly, the Supreme Court (SC) on February 15, 2023 maintained that Speakers should be the first authority to decide on disqualification.Earlier in 2016, the SC in the Nabam Rebia case had held that a Speaker or Deputy Speaker facing notice of removal cannot decide disqualification proceedings against legislators.Q. What are the Debates over Discretion of t... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Microsoft's new version of Bing search engine includes a chatbot that can answer questions in clear language. However, some of the answers generated by the chatbot have been inaccurate, misleading, or bizarre.This has led to concerns that the chatbot has become sentient or aware of the world around it.Q. What is a Chatbot?A. Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate conversation wit... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. According to a News Study, “Measuring Underwater Noise Levels Radiated by Ships in Indian Waters”, the rising Underwater Noise Emissions (UNE) from ships in the Indian waters are posing a threat to the Marine Ecosystem.The measurement of the ambient noise levels was carried out by deploying a hydrophone autonomous system around 30 nautical miles from the Goa coastline. Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India released Draft Reserve Bank of India (Government Securities Lending) Directions, 2023.The RBI proposed introduction of securities lending and borrowing in Government Securities (G-sec) with an aim to facilitate wider participation in the securities lending market by providing investors an avenue to deploy idle securities and enhance portfolio returns.Q. What are the Draft Norms?A. Government Secur... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Recently, the Supreme Court has ruled that children have the right to protect their genetic information from being revealed in Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)Tests without their consent.The judgment came in a petition filed by a man who questioned his second child’s paternity while accusing his wife of an adulterous relationship.The apex court concluded on the facts of the case that no adverse inference could be drawn on the ground that the mother declined to subject the child to a paternity test.Q. What is t... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News? A. With climate change, Deforestation has become a critically sensitive issue globally in recent years, making imperative for Forest Certification to regulate the entry and sale of forest-based products.At the Glasgow climate meeting in 2021, more than 100 countries made a pledge to stop, and start reversing, deforestation by 2030.Q. What is Forest Certification?A. Need:Forests Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. At the launch of the ‘Har Payment Digital’ mission during the Digital Payments Awareness Week (DPAW) 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a programme to adopt 75 villages and convert them into digital payment enabled villages in observance of 75 years of independence.Q. What is this Initiative?A. About & Aim:Under the initiative, Payment System Operators (PSOs) will adopt these villages across the country and co... Read More...
Q. Why is this News?A. SWAMIH (Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing) Investment Fund has completed 20,557 homes since inception in 2019.It is India’s largest social impact fund specifically formed for completing stressed and stalled residential projects.Q. What is the SWAMIH Investment Fund?A. About:It is a government backed fund, set up as a Category-II AIF (Alternate Investment Fund) debt fund registered with SEBI (Securities and Exchange Boa... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Bureau of India Standards (BIS) has prohibited the sale of hallmarked gold jewelry or gold artefacts without 6-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID) after 31st March 2023. However, Hallmarked jewelry lying with consumers as per old schemes shall remain valid.Earlier, the old hallmarked jewelry with 4 marks without HUID was also permitted to be sold by the jewelers along with the 6-digit HUID mark.Q. What is Hallmarking?A. About:Hallmarking is the&... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will soon come up with the Digital India Act, 2023 which will replace the Information Technology Act (IT Act) of 2000.The Indian parliament plans to implement the Digital India Act alongside the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, proposed in November 2022, where the two legislations will work in tandem with each other.Q. What is the Need for a New Act?A. Since the IT Act of 2000 was enacted, there have bee... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. Recent studies on Himalayan glaciers show that the variability in retreat rate and mass balance in different sectors of the mountain range is primarily linked to topography and climate.However, variable retreat rates of glaciers and inadequate supporting field data make it challenging to develop a coherent picture of climate change impact.Q. What are the Factors Influence Glacial Dynamics?A. ... Read More...
Q. Why is this in News?A. An Army court has recommended life imprisonment for a Captain involved in the staged killings of three men at Amshipora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district in 2020. The sentence will be final after it is confirmed by the Northern Army Commander.The Captain was court-martialled after a Court of Inquiry (CoI) and subsequent summary of evidence found that troops under his command had exceeded their powers under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.Q. What is the Process of Court Martia... Read More...