WORLD ECONOMY TO CONTRACT BY 3% IMF
Why in news? The COVID-19 pandemic is having a “severe” effect on the world economy and is expected to cause a -3% change (i.e., a contraction) in global output in 2020, “much worse” than the 2008-09 financial crises, as per the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook (WEO). India’s growth is expected to dip […]
VIRUS INFECTIONS HAVE ‘CERTAINLY’ NOT PEAKED YET, WARNS WHO
Why in news? WHO told, 90% of cases of the overall outbreak, are from Europe and the U.S.A. So, we are certainly not seeing the peak yet. World Health Organization (WHO) The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. […]
AMID LOCKDOWN, HUNTERS EYE RHINO HORNS
Why in news? The COVID-19 lockdown has activated poachers who had been forced into lying low for more than a year. At least six thwarted attempts have been made within a week in and around Assam’s national parks. The lockdown has inadvertently made it easier for the poachers by thinning the ranks of the network […]
ICMR SUGGESTS TESTING OF POOLED SAMPLES
Why in news? Stating that the number of COVID-19 cases in India is registering a rise, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is now advising the feasibility of using pooled samples for molecular testing of COVID-19. ICMR has said that, for India, it is critical to increase the numbers of tests conducted by laboratories. […]
U.S. APPROVES 2 MISSILE DEALS WITH INDIA
Why in news? The U.S. State Department has approved two potential missile deals with India, for an estimated $92 million and $63 million, the State Department has said in a statement. The first deal, for which Boeing is the contractor, is for ten AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air launched missiles and related equipment. The second […]
RETAIL INFLATION EASES TO 5.91%
Why in news? Retail inflation dropped to 5.91% in March from the 6.58% in February, mostly on a drop in food prices, according to the Consumer Price Index data released by the National Statistical Office on 13th April 2020. Details Food inflation fell to 8.76% in March, in comparison with the 10.81% in February. Vegetable […]
RBI ANNOUNCES MEASURES TO DEAL WITH COVID-19 CRISIS-UPSC
RBI’s measures to tackle COVID-19 The measures taken by RBI have four objectives in mind. These are aimed to maintain adequate liquidity in the system and its constituents, to facilitate and incentivize bank credit flows, to de-stress and enable performance of markets. Important graphs to correlate with RBI Measures for UPSC exam Targeted Long-Term Repo […]
WATER FROM GANGA, YAMUNA BEING TESTED
Why in news? The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) — the arm of the Water Ministry tasked with directing the ₹20,000 crore clean-up of the Ganga — and the Central Pollution Control Board are expected to find out if the lockdown had a measurable impact on the water quality of the Ganga and Yamuna, […]
ONLINE CHILD PORN TRAFFIC RISES BY 95%
Why in news? Consumption of child pornography after the lockdown in the country has gone up by 95% with online data monitoring websites. the India Child Protection Fund (ICPF) said in a statement that Traffic from India increased by 95% between March 24 and 26, as compared to average traffic before the lockdown. The ICPF […]
FLOOR TEST IS GOVERNOR’S DISCRETION
Why in news? A Governor can call for a floor test any time he objectively feels a government in power has lost the confidence of the House and is on shaky ground, the Supreme Court held in its judgement on 13th March 2020. Highlights of the Judgement A Governor can call for a trust vote […]